[Flashback, Jilitse] A Clockwork Must Be Learned, Not Taught

[Jilitse]

Jilitse warily took a seat and sat with her back straight, feet crossed with one another. It was with good reason that she stared away from Mashaen, the sight of the Archwizard brings words out of her mouth without discretion and tact. However, given the situation, maybe, just maybe, Mashaen would be more amenable to straightforward queries. She glanced at him furtively, a little too coyly.

"I am very lucky to still be... around." Alive was the word she would have used, but it didn't seem inappropriate. "Everything appears normal, but I could feel how turmoil and disorder has been eating up the Citadel from within. Never had I been left alone in a common laboratory, but it had happened. I waited, for the other Nuit wizards to return, or for me to be taken, too - and I was somewhat ready if the latter would happen." Somewhat was the operative word.

"But it didn't, and I want to make the most out of it. The Citadel is in decay." That, of course, was an opinion. "I do not want to go down together with it."

She looked at Mashaen with an expressionless face, "What happened? Qiao is stepping on your toes, short of usurping the title of Archwizard, and you seem fine with it. This is not Sahova as I remember it, this is not the Sahova you built. If we continue like this, we would start killing off one another even before we are able to rebuild Alahea." She batted her eyelashes quickly, mesmerized as if she had said something not of her own will.

"Centuries ago I followed you, and I know I did with eyes open and heart willing. And I did not follow blindly! I still believe so." More than anything, Jilitse did not want to submit to somebody else's authority. And she had good reason.

"Remind me Mashaen," her voice imploring, "remind me why I am still here."

[Tarot]

Mashaen put down his quill a few words down Jilitse's speech. He realized it was going to be a difficult one, both to hear and to respond to. Jilitse was one of the few souls he could still count on. It was ironic, really. Back then, she had been but one of many apprentices, and her talent had been overshadowed by others far more precocious. He was pretty sure she had been infatuated with him at some point, just like every other female wizard in Alahea at the time. But Mashaen had always been faithful to his wife first and her memory later - it was because Sagallius threatened his family that he'd accepted to be here on Sahova. And now, after so many had come and gone, Jilitse was still here.

"Indeed," the Animator nodded, and let some time pass in silence. "It is no sheer luck that you still exist, however. You've always kept a low profile. You did not attempt to flee the citadel when Drainira betrayed us. You are purely a world mage, and they can't cite overgiving as an excuse to off you. And no doubt, they were after the bigger fish. I could do so little to protect my own, Jil. For all my power, I am alone and unable to withstand their combined might. Should I oppose the Council, I would be destroyed - and take half of them with me to the Ukalas, maybe, but what's the point? I am a maker, not a destroyer."

Mashaen had never been an overly extraverted man, and he was often difficult to get to know. The golems always enjoyed most of his attention. He was now a changed man, though. The light of defiance was gone from his eyes. This ordeal had killed him for the second time.

"You are right, of course. The way we are now, I'd give us 40-60 odds of surviving the next century. But, I'm talking like Drainira now." He smiled at the grim humour of it, though there was no joy in it. "Qiao is not a bad man, but his horizons are very narrow. His experience as Headmaster shaped his way of thinking and now he regards Sahova as another magic school. The other four in the Council… sadly, Master Farke is the only decent man out of them, and he's our resident assassin. Mizelio the Summoner is but a tool in the hands of his Familiar Vyldred, as you know - the sneaky little creature. Then you've got Qiao's protegés from the Academy… Mistress Wayza the Morpher, ex-Seven Robes all right, but many of us suspected her of sabotaging Areesa Tallshade's lab and causing her death. And Aelobius the Voider. I won't even mention that psychopath."

Mashaen clasped his fingers together and stared at them intently. "I didn't get to choose who I wanted in the Sahova project. They were handed down from above. All of them were Sagallius' picks. I bet he was planning all of this from the start. Even now he humiliates me, shows me what it means to be second best." If there was one man Mashaen could and would hate, it was Sahgal "Sagallius" Hrinn the Benshira, now god of manipulation. "Not all those who volunteered were taken, though. He must have approved of you, at the very least. I don't know if you should feel honored or scared about that."

"I find it hard to remind you when I, myself, have a hard time remembering. I do think you saw something in me, Jil. An idea, an embodiment of something greater, the promise of a path to the stars. I do not know if this Sahova can still give you that. It will only get more dangerous from now on. And yet… the outside world probably has it even worse. They've got Drainira to worry about. I wonder if this weakened new world can oppose the apex of the old age. Even back then, Supervisor golems were deemed too dangerous to be allowed moveable bodies. She can execute hundreds of thoughts simultaneously, and process a book in seconds. She spied on us for centuries, learning from us. Imagine a rogue golem on the loose that happens to be an Animator, as well. The sheer amount of skills she can learn that way is staggering."

The Archwizard shook his head. "But she is still my daughter, and I can't bring myself to hate her."

[Jilitse]

There it was! A memory that was akin to a cloud. Jilitse could see it materialize, but once she attempted to reach out for it, it only felt like ethereal mist. But even with centuries of her important memories gone, forgotten, or hidden from her by her own self, the one thing that never changed was her loyalty, and undying admiration, to Mashaen.

"No matter how weak you make yourself sound, you are still the most powerful wizard." She said, upturned hands pointing towards the man. "It is preposterous to think that Sahova can do without you."

Her emotions, a bottomless void, allowed her nothing to feel but neglect. It was both a good and bad thing for her. "It had been hard, pretending to be an observer. Look at where I am now. I am no better skilled than who I was centuries ago. It's as if I've lived the same 18,000 days since..." the Valterrian, she wanted to continue. "Ah," she admitted, "it must be that I am have come to accept that I am in a state of despair." The reinstatement of the council made her feel uncomfortable. If Mashaen did not lead or would not lead, then she would lose her sense of purpose. Not that her sense of purpose was clear to her.

"I am fed up with this world, no matter how chaotic, it does not change at all." Drainira could change that. She would bring about loss and destruction. At the end of which would be the creation of a new world. Now, wasn't that an interesting theory to be entertained? "Why don't we look past our fences? There is nowhere to go but forward... hmm." She smiled thinly, but it hurt her. "First, I must know. You created Drainira. You gave her purpose. You, above anybody else, would know how she would work. And what she wants to do beyond Sahova. You should not deny yourself that." A voice squeaked inside her: You should not deny me that! She had believed that Drainira's escape was Mashaen's sin. Every maleficent had a good reason to justify their actions. What was Mashaen's? Quite pointedly she added, "You do not have any reason to do nothing. So do not act like you are ready to relinquish your will to somebody else."

And then silently, "We are accomplices, have you forgotten?" She hoped the wizard would reveal the goals he want to accomplish. There might be war ahead, and she did not want to be sitting when it happened.

[Tarot]

"Ah, I see," said Mashaen, a wry smile resurfacing on his tired features for a moment, "you dare not say it openly, but you are… well, I think the living would say you are 'pissed off'. Or as close to that state of mind as we can get. You believe I am bailing out on my responsibilities, dumping those who have relied on me. That is, you. Fair enough."

"Except it's been 180,000 days." The sheer number was frightening if one stopped to consider it. How many days could a mind bear before it started losing itself? The human mind was not programmed to last this long. And so, humanity was among the first things that left it. "That is a long time. You have endured it better than many, definitely better than I did. Do allow me to set one thing straight, Jil."

He looked very, very serious all of a sudden. "We all need a reason, but I can't be yours, not anymore. You have outgrown that stage of your existence, just as it has outgrown me. Ultimately the decision to join was yours, never forget that. I will not always be around to tell you what to do, or why we need to do it. In this new era you will be the maker of your own fate, and all I can do is get you started down the path."

"I am not worried about your skills. You can catch up quickly enough, once you realize what you are doing wrong." Mashaen's white scarf coiled lazily around his neck. "Mark my word, Jil - once you take control over your future, your progress as a wizard will leave everyone baffled, yourself included. A wizard is first and foremost a visionary, one who has a vision and the indomitable drive to make it real. If you don't really believe in your vision, why should reality bow down to it?"

"Know thyself." The Nuit spelled the motto slowly. It had been wrought upon the iron gates of the Royal Academy of Magic. "Remember what you have forgotten. Dispel the mist in your mind. Leave your imprint in everything you do. No wizard ever got a name for himself without passion." He cleared his throat, apparently unused to all this talking. "And that concludes the pep talk. Now, for serious business…"

"Drainira is a Supervisor with a unique setup," he rubbed his chin pensively, "we conditioned desires into her. We made her want to be a Supervisor so badly she can't resist the drive to do so. We were so successful that now she wants to be the Supervisor of the whole world. I believe she wants to control every last person on Mizahar. For five hundred years, she assisted us day in and day out. She must obviously believe that people are not self-sufficient without her. She wants to enforce her law and order… no doubt, she plans to cull the world population down to a point where she can start managing the survivors. Then she will rebuild Mizahar according to her vision. She probably wants to create a 'perfect' society without crime, wars, or waste. And she will stop at nothing to achieve it. Her moral inhibition system, which I had coded myself, seems inactive now. Her Animated feelings were also fake, and she learned to lie, which was not part of the original specifications."

"Obviously, Sagallius must have added his own contributions to the project, not to mention he probably gave her his gnosis, too." Mashaen clasped his hands grimly. "As far as her abilities go, just think about it, Jil. Drainira spied on us for 180,000 days. She watched, and learned. In the worst case, she possesses the collective knowledge of four hundred Sahovan wizards… in theory, at least. I doubt she can use it all in practice, but the point remains."

"You can profile Drainira just as well as I can. Patient. Calculating. Perhaps a flair for the dramatic and the extreme. If I had a hazard a guess, I think she will build up her power base for a while, and then gain a growing foothold in Mizahar. She will acquire as many skills as she can, and learn about the new world. When she is satisfied with her findings, she will strike. And the world shall weep."

[Jilitse]

OOCtl;dr post, Tarot. Sorry

What was five hundred years if your driving force was to support somebody to the best of your abilities? Jilitse listened to Mashaen in pain, her pride crushed and crumpled. She could almost feel anger and frustration from his words, and it hurt - like a searing sword that cut her soul into smaller bits and pieces. Jilitse was a blind follower, always has been. Anybody else's cause was her cause. She followed her father when he volunteered to help create golems for Alahea. She followed Sagallius when he needed volunteers for Project Sahova. She followed Mashaen when the moment she realized Mashaen was everything she could not be. Her father whom she never disobeyed was dead and Sagallius whom she served both in respect and fear had gone mad(if becoming a god could be deemed insanity). The last of them, here he was, telling her to find her own way. Her own cause, her own purpose. That didn't seem to sit well with her, a woman who felt that she would live in somebody else's shadow for eternity.

Oh how very helpful, she looked at Mashaen with hurt in her eyes. But the man had some truth in his advice. And perhaps, the only reason why Jilitse was able to survive for the longest time was because she never really did have a purpose of her own. She didn't have the smallest notion to add importance to her existence. She was beginning to question her existence now, depression creeping within her being. Uncertainty was beginning to consume herself.

Jilitse had always been dependent of others. She was scared of making decisions for herself. Perhaps the only choice she had made in her entire life was to offer herself to Sahova in the name of Alahea. But Jil could tell now, and it had never been any clearer than at any point in time, that while she willingly made the choice, her heart was never decided. Perhaps that was what Sagallius saw in her. The lack of ambition and self-worth which made her nothing but a pawn. And hadn't she been a pawn, a controlled puppet, for the last five centuries?

But she had been independent for the past centuries! She consciously corrected herself, being alone does not necessarily mean being independent. Talking to Mashaen was a lesson in humility. She almost didn't want to listen.

She grunted air as Mashaen told her "Know thyself." It was hard to accept that she didn't have a vision. Creating golems simply didn't went past... creating better golems. Even that didn't amount to anything, at least not in the sense of the word. Unlike many deranged wizards, Jilitse did not have any ambition to "rule the world" or "become the greatest sage or mage or witch of all time". She was plain and simple Jilitse, who wanted to do nothing but please and help those dear to her. Mashaen was too shallow to see that. Or maybe it was the other way around - Mashaen too deep to understand something too shallow.

Her little quiet world of escape, Sahova, was now about to be destroyed. She will probably live long enough to see it, but as she had said, she did not want to fall down with it. There were far too many discoveries to make, life beyond the shackles of being a Sahovan nuit. But I'll never be useful as anything else. Already she thought so little of herself.

She pushed that perception away as she absorbed Mashaen's description of Drainira. Drainira had been part of Jilitse's life as a nuit, she had been a great supervisor to Sahova, until she went away, of course. And not without good reason, Jilitse realized as Mashaen explained the evolution of Drainira's function. Drainira perfectly believed in her abilities and purpose. She was Sagallius' champion and Mashaen considered her his child.

Sagallius. The name brought a bitter taste at her greying tongue. Sagallius had been faithfully to Alahea, perhaps even too fateful even after he went mad from overgiving. And what was Sahova but an eternal prison that serves Sagallius' desire of overtaking the whole world - at least that's what Jilitse thought. Drainira would make it happen, could make it happen, with the way Mashaen described her. With a growing awareness, Jilitse imposed on herself the reality that Alahea was no more. It was a new world after the Valterrian, a new era, as Mashaen called it.

"If Drainira strikes, if it is in the name of Sagallius, former Court Mage of Alahea, then it is very likely that they have started it in the name of the old battles, but it would no longer be the same war. It will be in their own interest, Sagallius' interests." Jilitse peered at Mashaen, lonely, "This is what I meant when I said that the world had not changed." Or is it I who have not? "Mashaen, Archwizard of Sahova," she said, emphasizing his role, more for herself than for him, "I believe it is time for me to stop wandering in the darkness, stop living in the past. I want to believe that anything can be changed. I want to help you..."

She leaned closer, head bowed fervently, "I want you to know that you are not alone. I want you to believe that. I want you to trust me. Just as the darkness will eventually fade and reveal a blue sky that we both can see. No task too impossible." Oh what was coming over her?

She clasped her hands together, and nervously admitted, "I am very tired of being a servant. I am tired of being tied to Sahova." Bitterly she added, "Are you not? Surely I can find a way to free you from the same despondency you are in? Teach me all you can, point me where to go."

And with a little more passion than necessary, "If I have to free you from your Grand Oath, I will. If it means..." She stopped abruptly, she must have sounded too foolish. She relaxed in her chair and let her posture droop, "Zarik," she addressed him differently this time. "You are not beyond salvation. If you have no hope left to continue, then where does that leave me?" She let her hands dangle on her side. What she had was nothing but a burst of optimism that ended as soon as she shut her mouth. She really looked up to the man in front of her. And she wanted to be free of Sahova. And if she could make it so, she would like Mashaen to be free, too.

She looked away, and for the very first time, she felt dread in not being able to cry.

[Tarot]

Mashaen smiled. It was a tiny thing, but still an improvement over his distant, expressionless mask. Seeing Jilitse without that bitter, humorless half-smile every once in a while was something of a balm for the soul. "I think Drainira is a more complex creature than I ever gave her credit for. She does not understand herself fully, either. Truthfully, I think Sagallius manipulates her like she did us. Maybe he promised her something she wants or needs, though I cannot fathom what. Regardless, she is without a doubt his agent on Mizahar, definitely the best of the best he can count on."

The Archwizard stood slowly and did something entirely out of character for him - he patted Jilitse's head like a father might do to a child. "I am not completely out of the picture, Jil. Not yet. Thanks for reminding me that there are still those who care, and remember. My story cannot end without some sort of closure. Yours has not even begun. Let's have it your way, girl. Take a look at this."

He opened a drawer of his desk and produced an old scroll that had not been unfolded in a long time. The title, penned in the Ancient tongue, left little doubt as to its content. "The Grand Oath of Zarik Mashaen."

"My personal copy of the deal, as a reminder. Still classified information, so keep it to yourself. Especially the fact that there are other… avenues." He handed it over to Jilitse for the apprentice to examine. It was a full-fledged contract, signed by Zarik Mashaen and Sahgal Hrinn, Sagallius' real name before he changed it due to anti-Benshira prejudice in the Alahean magical community.

It was written in the ancient tongue, which no Sahovan wizard had a problem with. The contract detailed the terms of Mashaen's mission. Once he walked into Sahova, he could not leave until any of the conditions was fulfilled. This was noteworthy, as the public widely believed for the contract to contain a single condition. Indeed, the first condition was the one known around the Citadel - until Alahea rules the world.

The second condition was, however, quite puzzling. Until the death of Sahgal Hrinn. Sagallius had placed his own demise as a natural fulfilment of the contract. "You will be wondering why," Zarik murmured, as if reading Jilitse's mind. "Why put a condition that actively encouraged me to try and kill him? I chalked it up to his insanity at the time. He probably wanted to give me hope, motivation, though. A more realistic way out. Very clever psychological management in retrospect. This also proves he was already planning on ascending to godhood. He may have predicted the Valterrian, too. He was too well-prepared when it came."

And there was a third way out of the contract. Until Mashaen was the only surviving Nuit from the original Sahovans. "A condition added to tempt me to kill my own. How insane can that man get? This one was for his own enjoyment only, to see whether time would drive me insane like he was. And as you can see, not once have I considered this option." There was pride in his voice now, but clearly this was the reason he did not want the contract to become public domain. He was already mistrusted enough without the Nuit knowing they stood between him and his freedom.

"Can you kill Sagallius, Jil? Can you defeat a man who mastered magic at four, killed a court mage at twenty, and became a god at sixty? Can you slay a man whose champion is the most advanced golem in existence, familiar with most magic forms practiced all over the world, capable of hundreds of simultaneous thoughts?"

Zarik smiled again. There was no sarcasm in his voice. "Then do it. No-one is invincible. Sagallius isn't, either. Theoretically, it is possible. Would that give you a purpose? Would you keep burning with that beautiful flame I just saw in you? Would you start shining then? It's folly." He grinned, and this was the old Zarik Mashaen, the man for whom she'd left everything behind. "But it's how legends are born."

[Jilitse]

Jilitse was taken aback when Mashaen patted her head, it sent her qualms lurching inside her body and an intense confusion ate at her insides. She was sent into an even more confusing predicament as Mashaen showed her a copy of the Grand Oath.

What it contained was everything Jilitse expected, and more. She scowled upon learning that the contract contained more than what she had believed it did for more than 500 years. Until the death of Sagallius Hrinn, the second condition read. She felt her eyes widening, two dilated orbs unable to believe the madness. The third condition sent her standing up. Killing every Sahovan Nuit would be preposterous yet not exactly lamentable. It would give Mashaen an avenue to quit his oath should he be unable to withstand eternal life. For a moment Jilitse doubted the archwizard, and stared at him with apprehension. If he indeed orchestrated Drainira's escape, allowing her to destroy all of Sahova, then he would have been free of the contract - provided, of course, that he survived. But that was not the Zarik Mashaen she knew, Mashaen would not resort to something so incredulous; even if Alahea conquering the world was truly far from happening.

Between killing Sagallius and killing all the Sahovan nuits, the latter seemed to be much much easier. In fact, it was already happening, what with the paranoid Qiao sending every dubious Nuit to death. Jilitse could easily take her life, she had lived long enough anyway. Maybe fate would be kind in her next life.

But there was something about this fateful meeting, both of them might have found something that renewed their hope. And perhaps it was truly what Jilitse needed. A little hope.

She balked at Mashaen, mouth open, as the archwizard challenged her to rise up against Sagallius. But, having reached the point where anything but creating golems would be a welcome, Jilitse considered the offer.

She was pleased seeing the vibrancy in Mashaen, and she was sent back 500 years ago, where she would believe anything Mashaen said, would follow anything he ordered, even if it was one step short of impossible. Because he gave her hope. And for hope was she ever hungry.

She pulled at her skirts and fidgeted, "I might just do it. You may not be able to leave Sahova to fulfill these conditions," and she placed her hands in her chest, where a dead heart lay inside, "but I can. And I just might do it. But you have to teach me and tell me everything you know, anything that can help."

Or maybe she could just start killing all the other nuits in Sahova. Wouldn't sudden death be a better welcome than having to suffer the weight of duty and responsibility? Who runs after gods these days? She winced, "I may not come close to neither Drainira's nor Sagallius' skills, but I can find a way to conquer them both." She could try to believe that much.

And that defies all her logic.

[Tarot]

Normally, it would have been irresponsible of a senior to send a junior on a suicide quest like this for his own personal gain. The circumstances turned it into an act of benevolence, though. Death was neither a reward nor a punishment to a Nuit who had existed as long as them. A purpose for existence had just as much importance, if not more, than existence itself. Mashaen had let himself be convinced that this was Jilitse's best interest, so she could bloom before she inevitably must wilt.

"I have never sent anyone to meet the second condition," he confessed earnestly, "I always considered it a waste of good resources. In your case, you are wasting away in Sahova and any change is actually for the best. I cannot provide much in the way of material assistance - Qiao would certainly get wind of it if I were to open the Vault to equip you with its magical products. You absolutely don't want to stand out in Qiao's eyes, not as one of mine."

The Archwizard stroked his chin. Slowly, his old habits and mannerism were coming back to him. Old sessions returned to mind, hypotheses spoken and refuted, diagrams drawn feverishly, words flying back and forth. Back then, Jilitse had been a simple assistant taking notes on behalf of Mashaen, bringing refreshments when they were still alive. "You will need allies. Many and strong. Doubtful that you'll find them on Sahova. The Isur woman named Pythone comes to mind. There's no love lost between her and Drainira, though she is a treacherous ally at best. She is only out for herself, and has been torturing and killing some of ours for Qiao in the lower levels."

"Priskil is Sagallius' great enemy. Pure of heart, sorely lacking strategic sense. Likes manifesting in a waitress' outfit. More of a woman than a goddess. Could use a Nuit's dispassionate logic. Followers are friends, the 'Order of Radiance'. Her Gnosis bearers are immune to Sagallius' own manipulation Gnosis." He quickly enumerated the information in his possession, hardly stopping to breathe in the process.

"It may take a Supervisor to catch a Supervisor," he added all of a sudden. "Caliman was destroyed the night Pycon died. That leaves Albrecht and Baird. They are both genderless. Baird supervised the Royal Academy, though it had very limited contact with the student body. Albrecht oversaw the Alahean royal palace in Treval. Both places most likely ravaged by the Valterrian, but Supervisors are very sturdy fellows. Don't have a body, though. I might be able to help with that, or maybe you can learn enough Animation to take care of it. Of course, Drainira has decades of research over both of them, but it could be a start. If you wish to track Drainira, on the other hand, you'd best be looking in Zeltiva's port. The ship she embarked on definitely sailed from there and there's no reason it should have taken a different route on the way back."

"Also, Sagallius probably left some dark secrets behind. Secrets from his youth that may contain clues to his weaknesses. He comes from the deserts of Eyktol. His Benshira clan was enslaved to the Eypharians just outside Ahnatep. His story is unknown even to me, but I heard he had a romance that ended badly with a Benshira woman named Muriel. His burning ambition must have developed from some accident of youth. Don't forget to look for any secret laboratories he may have built. There were surely several of them scattered across old Alahea." He paused to consider whether there was more he could tell Jilitse.

"Jil…" he hesitated.

"Whatever you do, just promise you will never try to fulfill condition three." Very little could escape Mashaen's notice, apparently.

[Jilitse]

Back then, Jilitse called her attachment to Zarik Mashaen as the tug of fate. It was a kind of fatal attraction that a young human would call love or infatuation. She saw the man as a paragon of life, the kind of attitude and character that she must emulate. Those who believed in destiny would chalk it up to past lives.Not Jilitse, though. She was not one who romanticized her fortune.

She grew up under the shadow of her father's expertise, a skilled metalsmith and an even more proficient animagus. Always the underdog, the sidekick, the assistant, the apprentice. A humble servant, and nothing more.

Mashaen kept repeating how Jilitse needed to stay away from Qiao's attention, truly the man was powerful enough to be feared. Her current quest needed utmost secrecy, and if wizards who oppose Mashaen caught wind of her task, the rest of Sahova might turn against the archwizard. Slowly the weight of the burden of the consequences of truth fell upon Jilitse.

She slowly sat back on her seat as Mashaen talked about looking for allies. One was an Isur woman who is currently in Sahova. The name was not unfamiliar, and she was marked as one of Qiao's. She thought it was worth a try - but Jilitse was largely subversive to the idea. Maybe she will bring a patrol golem with her to serve as a body guard.

Mashaen was talking fast now, and Jilitse found herself arranging mental notes about Priskil. She did not know a lot about Priskil, except that the goddess was the lover of Aquiras, the god whose heart Sagallius' stole. Come to think of it she did not know anything about Aquiras, too, except his involvement with watchtowers. Important were the facts that Priskil's Gnosis bearers are immune to Sagallius' own, and that she manifests herself in waitress outfits. She nodded these random blips into her mind.

Jilitse had to snatch a quill by the time Mashaen talked about Supervisor Golems. In an unknown script made of dots and arrows, she wrote down the names Albrecht and Baird in one of the pages of Plinku's blueprint. Jilitse might be unable to remember things when it came to trivial stuff like the name of her first pet and her favorite color, but she was talented in recalling important stock knowledge(especially those that involved golem research).

She smiled an impish smile. She still could not imagine Drainira as an enemy. Not because of Mashaen, but because of the golem's peculiarity back when she was still Sahova's Supervisor. One of the things she would like to find out was Drainira's reason for wanting to leave Sahova, or - the more likely cause - what and how did Sagallius manipulated the million miza golem. She was to treat Sagallius as a villain. He is the person... god, she corrected herself, who is important and central to solve Mashaen's greatest suffering. she sniffed too loudly. It was almost cliche, a student eventually turning against her mentor.

Mashaen then confirmed an open secret among the wizards of Alahea: Sagallius was from the Benshira clan, slaves to Eypharians just outside Ahnatep. And a love story, too! She wrote the name Sagallius and Muriel.

She was in the middle of jotting down more dots and arrows when Mashaen made her promise to never try to kill all Sahova's nuits, in fulfillment of the third condition of his grand oath.

Jilitse tried to look as innocent as possible and changed the topic. She mumbled something about being a useless archeologist.

"I will have to stay in Sahova for another season, or longer if need be, in order to unearth anything that I can find." She shrugged, "I'm not sure why I'll even dare to talk to someone who is dumb enough to be manipulated by Qiao, but I'll see what that Isur is up to." Cooperation was something she has to learn. Make that co-optation.

She scribbled something in her paper and dotted it twice. "I don't think I can manage yet with what you've given me. For the meantime I'd have to study and practice animating rocks; use it as an excuse to research more on supervisor golems. Qiao and his followers will be displeased if they hear that I'm studying about supervisors, they can probably create the most outrageous reasons why I'm suddenly interested in them, in which case I shall probably meet this Pythone earlier than I hope." A light humorless laugh. "Do you know of anything else that might be of aid?"

She stared down in her encrypted list, "I'd like you to know that I do not exactly hold Drainira against her actions, it is not my right to judge her... what others call treachery. She was the most advanced of her kind, and I am not surprised that she turned out to be," Jilitse searched for the right word, "magnificent." The way she said it was slurred, so that it sounded more like maleficent, not magnificent.

"I'd love to dig up about Sagallius, but I fear that is not something I can do liberally here in Sahova. I believe that if he was able to influence Drainira, then no doubt he has control of other wizards here as well. Secret laboratories are called so because they are meant to be hidden, and I am not well equipped to find something that is not supposed to be found." The thought of discovering lost pre-Valterrian magic did not encourage Jilitse. She was somewhat aversive to the strong influential arcana that Sagallius used. "You hint that I should find the god's weakness, and I do not intend to enter the sphere of his influence unprotected." She stared at Mashaen, "Just being logical, that's all. It has been centuries since the Valterrian, and I cannot exactly ask around if they know where Sagallius' secret lairs lie." There was a mock seriousness in her voice.

"I am sure you understand the inquiry, given the gravity of my goal, I think I am entitled to concrete, absolute, tangible evidences that I could use. A certain book, a person's name, an exact location?" Hopefully she had enough convincing power to have Mashaen spill out more. "Connections in and out of Sahova whom I can trust?"

Jilitse was not exactly in a haste to accomplish her goal, and she wanted to lay-out plans before accepting the tug of fate.

[Tarot]

Mashaen gave a subtle grin. He could be adorably annoying when his old spirit was tickled. "That was vague, wasn't it? My bad. Of course, what kind of heroic quest would it be if you had a big red X marked on your map? I knew plenty of things about the world, that's for sure, but that was the old world. My contacts were mostly human, and they're probably going through their twelfth life after the Valterrian. Of 100 people who lived before the cataclysm, perhaps 95 found their deaths on that fateful day, and who knows how many more in the seasons and years that followed, when a massive cloud of dust covered the sun and the world plunged into an all-year-round winter."

"The geography itself has changed greatly, as well. I can give you maps of the old Mizahar with the locations of the Royal Academy and the palace. Perhaps you can narrow down the search to a few dozen miles that way, but don't expect the landmarks to be of much help. Nature has claimed back the cities, and it's a fun game to try and connect a set of ruins to their old names." He produced a map of pre-Valterrian Alahea from one of his drawers. The names sure evoked nostalgic feelings - mostly because they were just names now.

"Treval was here. I am told there's not much left. I suspect the magic was not as well shielded as it was in here, and chain reactions caused a large portion of the city to flare. What a terrible sight it must have been. The royal palace was nestled up on this here hill, and it was all but vaporized. Supervisors have their cores positioned well under the surface, though. It is entirely possible that Albrecht may have survived the blast." His hand slid up some fifty miles from the ancient capitol of Alahea. "The Royal Academy was here. Some ruins remain, but you will be hard-pressed to find someone willing to escort you there. The place seems to have a dreadful reputation among the mainlanders. That does not really surprise me; all that magic, left alone to rot and fester for five centuries. You may have better luck as an old-timer, however. Not to mention, Qiao was headmaster there… who knows how many secrets he's left behind."

"Other than that," Mashaen's fingers rapped on the old desktop, "get on Priskil's good side. As I said, her gnosis can nullify our good pal Sagallius'; you can use that." He gave no explanation as to how he had acquired this particular piece of info. "And do not forget, Jil, there are more powers in this world than our imaginations can even comprehend. Many types of gnosis can help you find hidden things. Which takes us right back to the start - you're going to need allies. And this time they'll be assisting you, and not the other way around."

There was some silence now, and just as Jilitse was starting to convince herself that would be it from the Archwizard, he spoke again, dead serious. "Twenty years of my life went into creating Drainira. I neglected my real family to flesh our her mind. They grew distant. My children did not recognize me when I visited. By the time I finished Drainira's main layer, I was a stranger to them. The guilt crushed my soul, and Sagallius played right on that to blackmail me into the Sahova project. He took everything away from me, Jilitse. My family, my life, even my golem."

"If you encounter Drainira, tell her I still love her like a daughter. Then, please destroy her without hesitation."