The citadel's inner doors closed mercilessly on the approaching Nuit as Ialari's poisonous voice resonated by the entrance. Notably, the outer gates seemed out of order and impossible to close - Drainira had carved an escape route for herself, forcing open the only door that truly mattered.
"Someone is in a bad mood," the Supervisor mused. 78% that she'd save Sahova, too. She smiled a little, recalled the mental image of Ialari, and added her to her kill-list. The new world she envisioned was better off without such unstable elements. "Your colorful expressions are almost endearing, Mr. Akuaysun. Follow me, I shall not refuse conditions so eloquently expressed."
She turned to Chaelnomyl. "You misunderstand. It is not that you, Ms. Chaelnomyl, are being manipulated. They manipulate everyone else, in a way. Innocently enough, for now, but never forget that Zarik Mashaen's ultimate goal is to recreate Alahea. Only thus will his Grand Oath be fulfilled, the one my master had him take five centuries ago. 'Alahea' is only a name, but his soul will be able to rest, then." Drainira did not say it explicitly, but that was exactly why Mashaen was letting her go so easily. It was just a name, and he had always treated her fairly. She had no problem calling her future nation Alahea. She could do that much for him.
She activated the automatic wagon, giving everyone enough time to get on or follow; the wheels turned with a creaking sound and the machine made its way through the weed-infested courtyard and then past the outer walls.
"About Saqqria," the golem said as the familiar silent landscape rolled around them. The day was dying, and it would not be much longer before the Ethaefal shifted into his true, celestial form. "Astral coordinates 5810484910103922, clearance level H - the highest in Alahean intelligence. Its existence was a military secret at the time. I guess you could visit the place if you take these coordinates to a decent Summoner; I hear the air is breathable and the environment supports Mizaharian life, but not much more than this. It is the home of the Journeymen. They are Fragments, though whose fragments is not really clear. We tend to think it was an early god of magic - a dangerous domain to possess, and a seat that has been vacant for a long, long time."
"A Journeyman is a parasitic lifeform," Drainira explained, "and one that knows magic. It can Summon itself to any world for which it knows astral coordinates, except Mizahar because of this world's Summoning anomaly. It has a powerful ability to sense where previous Summoning gates were opened, and knows portals are likely to always open at the same locations, so it waits patiently. It will enter a local lifeform as a small seed as its previous form withers and dies. Under that innocent guise it will wait for a Mizaharian Summoner to open a gate, which it will cross. Then, it will burst out of the host, shapeshift and begin its quest for knowledge. Its method of learning is usually micro-dissection. We have had a Nuit cut into over ten thousand slices, a hair's breadth each."
"When it chances upon a promising individual, yet one whose potential is not yet realized, the Journeyman will mark them. It is a much weaker form of Gnosis. It allows the Journeyman to keep tabs on the person, and it tells other Journeymen to leave them alone as they have been claimed. Ironically, you are relatively safe traveling to Saqqria, as there is but one Journeyman that can hurt you."
"This is the extent of my knowledge," Drainira concluded. The Docks were close by now. The crew of the Kova III looked puzzled at seeing fewer adventurers return on the wagon than they had seen leaving on it, but not overly worried about it (who cared, as long as they were alive?) "Tell them I am the million Miza golem and we need to set sail right away. I will deal with them if they get difficult." A Communicator golem on wheels appeared nearby with a chest of gold Mizas and a few trinkets of obvious magical origins. The Supervisor had truly planned everything.
***
Ialari's words to the crazed Nuit had him slightly puzzled. "Uhh, but Drainira... you said before..." He stopped. He could have remembered the contradictions in the Supervisor's behavior, but that would have required him to think. He was much too tired to think. Thinking made him ache. He just wanted to be free.
He shambled over to the device and played with its dial until it stopped ticking. Then, he stepped back and resumed his staring at the now inactive pile of explosive orbs.
Now, getting out of being the citadel was easier said than done. There was no obvious exit, because no-one ever envisioned Drainira quitting. Thankfully, when Ialari's body began to squirm in the room, Mashaen took it as a cue and forcibly dragged her away from the panel. When the Isur's hand left the glyph, her consciousness snapped back to physical reality. She was stunned, but her mind was probably still in one piece. At least, only time could tell.
"So?" Qiao cut it short, "What is the situation like? Gods, I am going to have to cut off so many traitorous heads I am feeling almost overwhelmed."