“Orphan, checking in.”

  A slow chorus of similar announcements followed, each martyr adding their confirmation to the long list. Some of them had been ready for nearly four hours, and their patience was running thin. But it took time to set up a good ambush, to sneak and smuggle over two hundred Awakened into the prepared positions in nearby villas, pubs, and shops. All of it without arousing suspicion.

  Large-scale ambushes were difficult against an Awakened opponent. The powers of observation and insight granted by the System were vast and unusual. Some could see heat, others mana, or even backward in time. Some could predict future events, while others could sense killing intent or even danger itself. But as wide as the System was, it was also structured.

  A higher-rank stealth power quashed the effect of most lower-rank observation powers, but ‘most’ was not ‘all’. An Awakened with high Attributes, particularly Perception, could defeat a higher rank stealth power, as could an observation power with a much higher rarity, or one tailor-made to exploit the weaknesses of the stealth power. And the reverse was also true.

  Sympathy played a significant role in the clash of skills and spells, and as with most Awakened abilities, it was often possible to get more for less—provided you were willing to make sacrifices.

  The [Blackout Shrouds] the Governor provided to the 238th were as emblematic of that ethos as they were claustrophobic. Built around the core of a powerful [Shadowblind] spell, the midnight black shrouds were proof against most rank III observation powers, but at the cost of their user’s senses. With the shroud covering him from head to toe, Alarion could not see, hear, smell or otherwise sense the outside world.

  However, unlike most stealth powers, the shroud did nothing to hide Alarion from view. To any outside observer, he looked like a child playing hide-and-seek—a weakness they’d circumvented by hiding him in a closet.

  The disconnect from reality was half the reason for the constant chatter in Alarion’s ear. Yes, they had to keep checking in to make sure that none of them were discovered or picked off, but their sanity was just as important. Men had been known to panic from their own breathing if left under a [Blackout Shroud] without some other form of stimulus—and those men weren’t preparing for battle. Without a Simu network to keep them talking, the 238th would have gone stir crazy hours ago.

  Alarion, meanwhile, could have gone for some privacy.

  “What did he look like?” Nessa asked.

  She’d taken the news of Syrus’ arrival—and his departure—rather well, all things considered. She hadn’t tried to strike him, and she’d only cut Alarion off entirely for most of a week.

  When Nessa finally reached out, he’d been surprised at her maturity. She understood why he’d kept her away from Syrus and the damage that seeing him might have done to her psyche. She wasn’t happy about it, and she extracted a promise that he wouldn’t do the same in the future. But she forgave him.

  At the time Alarion had been happy to know he wasn’t going into battle with a rift between them. After several hours as her captive audience, his opinion had shifted.

  “He looked… old.”

  “Really?”

  “Did you expect the words of a poet?” Alarion protested. “He was my height, weighed a little less—dark hair like yours, Vitrian eyes.”

  “I am trying to picture him, not write a description for the constabulary.”

  “He was… gaunt. Like someone tried to spread a man over a too big canvas.” Alarion could practically feel Nessa’s scowl burrowing into him. “Imagine me at sixty, entirely exhausted from dealing with you.”

  That, at least, made her laugh; though her melancholy was quick to return. “Do you think he was always like that?”

  “We will visit the library once we are done. They keep records of old newspapers. There should be some with his old photos. We can compare.”

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  And see if his daughter’s death broke his spirit.

  Alarion wisely left that last bit unsaid. If his conversation with Lily had taught him anything, it was that saying it out loud could hurt—even if they both knew what the other was thinking.

  “How is she?” Nessa asked, as if reading his thoughts. Or perhaps she was. Their bond was stronger the closer they got to one another, and Nessa had always been better at reading his emotions than he’d been with hers.

  “I have no idea,” he said sadly. Preparations for the upcoming attack had taken most of his time during their last day at Ilvan-Trai, but he’d still tried to reach out to her twice before they left, first by visiting her room and then by sending a page to fetch her. When both failed, Alarion had considered asking Bergman, but it was unfair to put his friend in that position. “Angry, I think. I think she will be halfway back to Vitria by the time we return to Ilvan Trai.”

  Nessa grew quiet for a moment, then said, “I liked her.”

  “Me too.”

  “Mhmm. I know,” Nessa whispered. “You really liked-”

  “Orphan, checking in!” Alarion said, a little louder than he needed to. Much to Nessa’s bemusement.

  They continued that way for what could have been minutes or hours. Alternating between bouts of silence and whatever stray thoughts popped into Nessa’s mind.

  It reminded him of Sierra.

  She’d been nowhere near as chatty, but she’d almost always been the one to reach out when they were alone. She’d asked about his family to fill time on the seemingly endless stairway, and she’d told him tales of summers in Vitria during their time navigating the collapsed city. They’d complemented one another in that way, her voice grounding him through times of stress, while his quiet made him a good listener.”

  “He’s not my dad,” Nessa said, seemingly out of nowhere.

  “I know.”

  “If anything, you are.”

  Alarion smiled. “I know that too.”

  “Brother would probably be less weird,” she added.

  “I think that ship sailed when you asked to be named after my mother,” he observed.

  Then again, perhaps not? Plenty of people named their children after their own parents. He had no idea where his parents had gotten the name ‘Alarion’ from. Not his paternal grandfather, but perhaps his mother’s side of the family? She’d been estranged from her family before Alarion was born, so he knew next to nothing about them. He wasn’t even sure if they were alive or dead—nor did he particularly care.

  To Alarion, family was found and built. ZEKE was family. Elena had been family. Valentina was family. Some were distant, others lost, but the bonds he’d formed were every bit as important as his blood relatives.

  And so was Nessa.

  Did it feel weird to have a ‘daughter’ only a few years his junior? Obviously. Except… she wasn’t. She looked like a teenager, but she was very much a child. One who relied on him as much as any other newborn. Perhaps more. After all, if he died…

  “I am going to be fine,” he said as her anxiety worked to derail his thoughts.

  “I know.”

  “But you are nervous. Do not be. I am actually pretty strong.”

  Alarion couldn’t see her eyes roll, but he certainly got that feeling through their shared connection. It was better that than fear. This was her first real battle, and even though she wouldn’t be fighting, her life was on the line right alongside his.

  “I am serious. They do not stand a-“

  “Orphan.” The Governor’s voice cut Alarion off before he could finish cursing himself.

  “On standby,” Alarion responded dutifully. “Have we confirmed True Heart?

  Alarion already knew the answer, even though hope sprung eternal. They knew next to nothing about Centre, in part because the man himself was supposedly quite unmemorable.

  At least, that was what they’d been told.

  The Vitrian’s sources remembered the details of their meeting with Centre, the specific orders and plans they were subject to. But of the man himself, they could recall very little. He was older than any of their witnesses—which made him at least forty. Centre was short but not minuscule, pudgy but not overweight. ‘Average’ was what they all called him. They had even less to say about his bodyguard, whom they universally described as ‘quite tall.’

  Not one of them had realized their memories had been edited.

  The effect was similar to the memory loss Alarion experienced upon leaving the challenge dungeon, though weaker and far narrower. Their recollections were whole, save for the physical appearance of Centre and his bodyguard, which remained perpetually hazy.

  The Vitrian interrogators were convinced that the tampered memories remained accurate, and Alarion couldn’t fault their logic. Creating new memories from scratch was difficult and time-intensive with any known skill or spell. If they had the power to create fakes, it would have been easier to erase them outright.

  True, it could be a scheme within a scheme. Centre could have planted false memories that looked like altered ones to sell the validity of the ambush. But to think that way led to madness, an infinite skepticism in which nothing could be trusted. It was also pointless, since Alarion’s superiors had already given their orders.

  “No. But the estate shut its gates five minutes ago,” Williams replied.

  They’d known it was a possibility that Centre could have arrived before their surveillance teams, or that the estates had some clever way of smuggling him in. That was why their orders were to confirm his presence or, failing that, to assault the estates once they barred their gates and the meeting began.

  “On your order?” Alarion asked.

  “Bring me the bastard.”

  “Martyrs!” Alarion’s voice interrupted the endless cycle of confirmation as he activated his command channel. “Let us break some Bones.”

  wonderful senior cat woke me up at 4am with stuff coming out from both ends. We rushed her to the vet because she was clearly in distress, and ~$1,500 and eight hours later I returned home with a narcotics laced feline who had apparently been so backed up that she just about died.

  Patreon because I have been—lets go with inconsistent—at best. However, getting absolutely railed by medical bills has brought me to a point that I feel I need to suck up my pride and do some e-begging to take care of my family, so here is my pitch:

  really appreciate it if you threw my way to help make up for the absolute tragedy that is my current end of month budget. More $ in my pocket means less stress which means more Orphany goodness so if you're purely self interested, there you go.

  please do not spend it on me. Reach out through PMs and I'll figure out how to send you a temp sub free of charge. I've been broke af in the past and had to choose between entertainment and food. Do not put yourself out for my sake if money is that tight.

  somewhat from the previous chapters because it includes edits I made to those chapters which are not yet live to RR (I'll be posting them this week). If you see stuff is 'missing' it is because merged and upgraded skills get lumped in together with the newest version because otherwise the already long status would be entirely unmanageable.

  General Information

  Name – Alarion

  Species – Human

  Sex – Male

  Age – Seventeen Years

  HP – 4389/4389 [+0.1522/sec]

  MP – 3435/3435 [+0.477/sec]

  Stamina – 6160/6160 [+10.267/sec]

  Aptitude – 238%

  UCL – 158

  Attributes

  STR –1020

  AGI – 897

  VIT – 1209

  INT – 841

  PER – 909

  WIL – 844

  LUK – 4165

  Classes Known

  Orphan – Level 39 – Progress – 7%

  Indomitable Warrior – Level 3 – Progress 21%

  Unraveller – Level 49 – Progress – 32%

  Survivor – Level 1 – Progress – MAX

  Stubborn Swordsman – Level 50 – Progress – MAX

  General Skills Known

  Stealth – Level 9 – Progress – 12%

  Observation – Level 2 – Progress – 77%

  Pathfinder’s Mastery – Level 10 – Progress – MAX

  Lock-picking – Level 9 – Progress – 71%

  Instrument Mastery (Cello) – Level 2 – Progress – 16%

  Speechcraft – Level 3 – Progress – 17%

  Earned Skills Known

  Orphan’s Fated Strike – Level 1 – Progress – 31%

  Orphan Skills Known

  Orphan’s Fortitude – Level 1 – Progress – 32%

  Orphan’s Vow – Level 1 – Progress – 92%

  Mine, Mine, Mine – Level 4 – Progress – 3%

  Shared Burden – Level 3 – Progress – 41%

  Indomitable Warrior Class Skills

  Indomitable Resilience – Level 10 – Progress – 22%

  The Best Offense is Persistence – Level 1 – Progress – 66%

  Reject the Pain – Level 1 – Progress – 39%

  Dimensional Evasion – Level 6 – Progress – 79%

  Dedication – Level 3 – Progress – 92%

  Last Stand – Level 1 – Progress – 66%

  Guardian Oath – Level 1 – Progress 78%

  Unraveller Class Skills

  Unraveller’s Sense – Level 3 – Progress – 7%

  Unbound Student of Isha – Level 1 – Progress – 3%

  Lifegiving Meditation – Level 1 – Progress – 96%

  Near and Far – Level 1 – Progress – 12%

  Summon Familiar – Level 5 – Progress – 79%

  Foresight – Level 3 – Progress – 98%

  Sympathetic Manipulation – Level 2 – Progress – 4%

  Fatebound Curse – Level 1 – Progress – 54%

  Traits and Feats of Strength

  Avian Bane – Rank I

  Soulless Bane – Rank II

  Fiend Bane – Rank II

  Juvenile Enchanter – Rank I

  Favor of Lal Viren – Moderate

  Attribute Mastery (LUK) – Rank II

  Flaws

  Splintered Mana Circuits – Major

  Fated to Fight, Fated to Live, Fated to Lose – Moderate

  Single-Minded – Minor (Focus: Summon Familiar)

  Old Wounds – Minor