Overseer's Rise: A LitRPG Apocalypse, page 47
“Magnets only work on some metals,” Diane said. “I have no idea what those mech-suits are made of. Probably some Otherworlder material.”
Rory considered the idea. It wasn’t bad, in truth. “I know who we can consult.”
“The major component is seventy-percent Erstine and twelve-percent Fusilium,” the moody elf said when they had recruited him into the conversation. “Neither are native to your world, so far as our survey could determine. I do not believe your world’s magnets will work sufficiently well on the mech-suits.”
Rory nodded. He wasn’t an expert on all the materials that existed in the world, but the ones the elf had mentioned certainly sounded quite alien.
Then again, many of the Otherworlders materials revealed as base Weaving requirements by Samson’s Sigil of Gathering turned out to be things that already existed. The Otherworlders simply called them something else.
“We don’t need our magnets to work on those materials anyway,” Rory said. “I just need a sample of those materials to make a magnetic Sigil that can work on them.”
It didn’t take him long to find a source he could obtain those elements from. The Settlement Shop was unlikely to hold them, but there was a much easier source. Sue had a mech-suit, after all.
“How big of a chunk do you need?” she asked.
She tried to hide her worry, but Rory could detect the hint of fear underneath her words. He understood it. She didn’t want her greatest provider of mobility to disappear just because Rory needed some Sigils. In her shoes, he would have been worried too. Thankfully, he wasn’t going to need much.
“I just need a small sample of the material itself,” he said. “I think Nolvoen here can tell us which area would be best to pick from.”
The elf, whose name Rory had learned was called Nolvoen, had come along to provide his expertise. He asked Sue to raise her arm, then pointed out a patch of metal that Rory could use his Weaving on.
Rory recognized it. That was the same metal panel that most elves drew back to bare the blade hidden underneath. Considering the blade was used directly in fights, the cover wasn’t really important.
“You may use this,” Nolvoen said. “She will not miss it for long.”
Rory did so. He focused not on the little plate itself, but on the plate’s materials. The white lines of his Weaving coalesced on the curved piece of metal, soon dissolving it into a grey Sigil with the image of a crystal in a shape that resembled butterfly wings.
New Sigil!
You’ve obtained a Sigil of Erstium Alloy. Alloys have the combined properties of both constituent materials.
[Teal VII] allows creation, manipulation, imbuing, embodying of element in an 88-meter radius.
Stats
Type: Element
Rarity: Remarkable
Tier: Teal VII [0%]
Efficiency: High [68%]
Rory gripped the new Sigil tightly. “This should work. Thanks, Sue.”
She nodded. Rory left her with Nolvoen, who was giving her more pointers on how best to use her merch-suit, and headed over to get the next Sigil he needed.
It wasn’t that difficult to find a magnet. All Rory had to do was root thorough their rather diminishing supply of spare electronics and pull some of them apart to get the magnets within. They were often small, and Rory doubted that would be enough for his Weaving to give something that was at Teal Tier. So, he pulled out a bunch and used Weaving them together.
The Sigil he received this time was stormy grey. At its centre was a picture of a horseshoe with electric zaps coming out of their ends.
New Sigil!
You’ve obtained a Sigil of Magnetism. Attraction depends on your charm, your personality. And your character. When you have none of those, feel free to use this as a last resort.
[Teal VII] allows creation, manipulation, imbuing, embodying of magnetic fields in an 88-meter radius
Stats
Type: Concept
Rarity: Uncommon
Tier: Teal VII [0%]
Efficiency: High [53%]
“Huh,” Rory said. “Interesting.”
Despite being a Concept Sigil, the description of its power was the same as Element Sigils. That was good to know. On its own, this Sigil could have powerful uses. Too bad Rory needed it for something else. Though, now that he thought about it, he could always make spare copies using the Sigil of Copying.
Rory did so, making extras of both new Sigils. They might always find new uses for them.
With that done, Rory combined both new Sigils with his Weaving. Soon enough, he received yet another new Sigil. It had the image of a flat, white plate with the same electric zaps coming out of it.
New Sigil!
You’ve obtained a Sigil of Erstium Magnetism. It’s sad that magnets only work on certain materials. Good thing you can make magnets for just about anything.
[Teal VII] allows creation, manipulation, imbuing, embodying of magnetic field on Erstium alloy in an 88-meter radius
Stats
Type: Concept
Rarity: Remarkable
Tier: Teal VII [0%]
Efficiency: High [61%]
That ought to do it. Once more, Rory took the new Sigil to the column with the Sigil of Copying and made several more of it.
Gathering up the bunch of new Sigils, Rory started trawling all over the palace grounds, Warding them into areas that were significantly far enough from one another.
He didn’t really need that many. The Sigils’ areas of effect were tremendous. An eighty-eight-meter range meant all Rory required was about four Sigils to cover the entire length and breadth of Belcourt Palace.
With all preparations mostly taken care of, Rory decided to join the others to raise his Sigils’ Tiers.
That was one thing the newcomers had found pleasantly surprising. Rory and the palace inhabitants had been using a combination of their Sigils and Weaving to raise their Sigils’ Tiers level by level quite rapidly at minimal cost to their Mana.
The Otherworlders, the Homeworlders, the rebels, none of them had a Weaver among their groups. They did have other methods to rapidly raise their Sigils’ Tiers, which explained how they’d grown so strong so quickly since the start of the apocalypse, but it came at a steep Mana cost. Not so here. With Rory’s help, they were able to grow strong rapidly as well.
It was surprising that the entirety of the rest of the day passed without trouble. Rory felt relaxed enough to try to call his old friends. Talvic once again didn’t pick up, nor did he receive any contact with the Wraiths.
A part of him felt disappointed at how he’d been forsaken, but there was no time to feel. He had his palace’s defence to focus on.
Something that was finally called upon late that night.
Rory woke to Viv shaking him. Everything was still dark. She wasn’t bothering to be gentle like she normally was, her movements as urgent as her voice.
“They’re here, Rory,” she said. “The Otherworlders have arrived.”
Rory roused himself and rose quickly. Adrenaline was already rushing through his veins, his heart beating loud and fast, driving away his drowsiness. He was glad he hadn’t had much over dinner. The prospect of a fight, of any sort of violent altercation, left him feeling queasy.
Strange how he felt that now so acutely. This sort of battle jitter hadn’t assailed him when he’d fought so many monsters outside the palace.
He went outside. Along the way, he found that nearly everyone else had risen too, the dim glow of the Sigils on the back of their hands making up for the lack of moonlight. Everyone was tense. Rory could almost taste the prospect of violence floating in the air. Not good.
“Hello, Rory.”
Rory stopped. The one at the lead of the Otherworlders was Arelland. There was no mistaking the elf, even in the dark.
Behind him, more Otherworlders covered the entire length of the driveway. Rory saw more elves in their hulking mech-suits, some of them with their blades bared while others had their Sigils ready and glowing. Dwarves and kobolds lined the woods on the driveway’s side. Farther back, a few giants were standing with enormous clubs resting against their shoulders.
Rory did his best to appear unruffled. He was glad the gloom hid his features, though. “Hello, Arelland. You’ve brought a big party.”
“Let’s not make them enter your home, shall we? We can solve all this quite simply.”
“Solve what?”
Arelland’s frown was obvious in the dark. “Your actions.”
“Explain yourself.”
“You fought us,” the elf said with a sigh. “You helped our enemies kill one of us. Worst of all, you are actively blocking any and all war efforts in the area. Do you deny this?”
Rory felt his jaw tighten. “I do. Your hit squad attacked us first, and we were forced to defend ourselves. I didn’t help the Homeworlders attack or kill anyone. Eldoric’s death was an accident, as far as I could tell.”
“If you really had an argument, you could’ve taken it to the Homeworlders,” Dez said. “Instead, you’re fighting us. Makes no sense at all.”
“Exactly. All this started because of your actions. Your fellow Otherworlders’ actions.” Rory tried to meet Arelland’s eyes. It was difficult in the darkness, but he was sure he could make something of it out. A slight gleam that felt familiar. “Do you really believe I’d actively sabotage our relationship, Arelland? Do you really have that little faith in me?”
The elf didn’t answer for a while. Behind him, the rest of the Otherworlders had bristled at Rory’s counter-accusations. Ah, of course. Arelland had to be feeling tremendous pressure to side with his people against Rory, regardless of what he believed.
“Your actions do not speak well of you, Rory,” Arelland said. “You went so far as to prevent us from using our Sigils. A desperately tyrannical move. That is what we have come here to address. I imagine you must have Warded something all around the area for such a situation to arise. Will you agree to remove it if we promise to leave you all alone?”
Viv stepped forward. “What guarantee do we have that you’ll really do that? After all, you were the ones who attacked us out there in Hillhard.”
Masked though he was, Arelland’s displeasure was obvious. “It may have been a mistake. We can discuss the issue. But we stand on fragile ground at the moment. You hold all the cards. You have all the negotiating power. One cannot talk in good faith in such conditions.”
He wasn’t wrong. Trust was in short supply everywhere. If Rory removed the Warded Sigils of Warring Ceasefire, the Otherworlders might really be amenable to discussing civilly.
But he didn’t want that. Not anymore. He had taken a stand in their idiotic war, and he wasn’t about to back down from it. The Otherworlders and the Homeworlders had both proven that they couldn’t be trusted with the power of Sigils in their hands. Rory should have known that when the Homeworlders had tried to kidnap him.
No, the peace he truly sought wasn’t going to come so easily. He’d have to take a stand, he’d have to enforce the peace he wanted. If he wanted what was best for him and others, he’d have to fight to achieve it. Just as he had said in his little speech.
If it was tyrannical to those who opposed it, there was the logical argument that everything about the system was oppressive. It was time for Rory to fight back. Screw cooperation.
In fact, Rory wasn’t really worried about the current situation. They could survive this. He would make sure of it.
The only thing that really gave him pause was the eventual addition of the Plane Rulers into the mix. Thankfully, Alex was supposed to have a plan to combat them.
“I will not be removing the Sigils I’ve Warded all over Hillhard,” Rory said. “This entire town will essentially be a Safe Zone against your stupid war. There’s nothing you can say or do that’s going to make me remove them.”
“Don’t you understand, Rory?” Arelland said, remonstrating with his hands since his words weren’t enough. “Your actions are going to draw attention that will harm us all. You cannot profess you have not foreseen what will happen if you allow this war to cease entirely.”
“Oh, I know who’s going to come calling when this keeps up. Trust me, I’m ready for it.”
That made all the Otherworlders pause. At least, those that heard him. It stood to reason that if Rory and his group were prepared to take on a Plane Ruler, the Otherworlders could do little to sway them in any meaningful way. Not using violence, definitely. Rory could see that realization rippling along the entire length of Otherworlders along the driveway.
“Enough.”
The new voice made Rory’s heart skip a beat. That was—
Mirain pushed her way past Arelland. She had donned a mech-suit like the rest of her fellow elves, though hers was so black, it was nearly impossible to see in the darkness.
Rory forced himself not to react. So the Overseer herself had appeared to try to deal with the situation. He ought to have felt flattered that he had attracted her personal attention, but it also meant that navigating through this quagmire was going to be even more difficult now.
“I warned you, Arelland,” she said, her eyes fixed upon Rory. “I had a suspicion that our former friend’s outlook had changed. It seems there is no point in continuing this farcical attempt at a conversation. We will do what must be done and set things right.”
Everyone bristled at those words, the tension in the air thrumming like a cyclone growing in their midst. Rory’s mind was working on overdrive. If an actual fight started, the palace inhabitants would be able to subdue the Otherworlders with ease thanks to their Sigils.
Even in the darkness, Rory could see how conflicted Arelland looked. “Rory, please. Reconsider. We can return to what it all used to be, clear up all misunderstandings. All it’s going to need is for your remove the Sigils you Warded in.”
“Remember what we talked about, Arelland?” Rory asked. “You know what I really want here. You know I haven’t changed anything. I’ve made my choice. Now, it’s your turn. Who are you going to side with? The people who want you to keep fighting until you either kill all your so-called enemies, or you die? Or us? The people who just want to live their lives in peace?”
Arelland didn’t get to answer. Whatever might have gone on, they were interrupted.
A loud explosion went up somewhere behind them at the palace’s rear. Shouts and screams erupted, rising high with Rory’s heartbeat. Had the Otherworlder sneaked up behind them?
Apparently, it wasn’t them.
“Homeworlders,” someone screamed from the back. “The Homeworlders are attacking.”
Chapter 58
Rory’s heart stopped beating for several moments. Attacking. The Homeworlders were attacking.
He wasn’t sure when he had begun moving. All he recalled was a shout at some of those nearby to keep a watch on the Otherworlders, whom he also told to wait. At least it didn’t look like the Otherworlders were in on this. They were as bewildered as Rory’s group.
Viv stopped him before he got too far. “Stay back, dear. We’ll handle this.”
They were within the palace now. Rory could hear shouts and the noise of distant clashes in the distance. Several of the others were running past him. Trish was armoured head to toe in her reinforced concrete, Allen hot on her heels with vines snaking up his arm. Vern looked ethereal with his Wraith Shackles glowing green.
“We have to go help,” Rory insisted.
Viv nodded tightly but her grip on his arm didn’t loosen. “I do. Stay here and help the others who are retreating. We need you to keep everyone calm. You’re the leader, Rory. You’re not supposed to charge headlong into a wild fray with no plan.”
For just a second, he considered arguing and going anyway. Those idiot Homeworlders were attacking his home. He had to fight against them. He had to stop them, didn’t he?
Viv was right. Whether she wanted to simply protect him from the chaos of the ongoing battle or she understood that he had a different role to play than joining the fray, she was correct either way. Rory needed to leave the actual, direct fighting to the others who weren’t burdened with age and could keep up with its intensity.
But that didn’t mean Rory was going to stay away from the battle entirely.
“Go,” he said. “I’ll take care of the others.”
Viv looked at him squarely for a second. Then she nodded, pulling her hand away and disappearing in a red flash.
Rory swallowed. If anyone among them would be okay in whatever madness was going on, it would be Viv. He didn’t need to worry about her safety. Still. He couldn’t stop a nagging spike of worry needling his mind.
Shaking away his misgivings, Rory headed over to where Evelyn was escorting several people who had come into the main hall. They all looked frightened out of their mind.
“Evelyn,” Rory said as he caught up to her. “What’s going on? Are they really attacking? Is anyone seriously hurt?”
Evelyn nodded but didn’t stop. She was guiding a woman Rory didn’t recall the name of towards the infirmary. “Things aren’t good, Rory. They’ve taken some people hostage.” She stopped all of a sudden, looking at him with sudden urgency. “Don’t go out there. Let Viv and the others deal with it.”
Before she could elaborate, she was forced to continue moving. The woman slumped in her hands. Rory grimaced. There was a livid wound on the woman’s back, a gory hole pulsing out blood that Evelyn apparently hadn’t healed yet with her Sigil.
“What’s wrong with her?” Rory asked.
“They shot her.”
Ignoring the aghast look on his face, Evelyn led the injured woman away. Rory’s heart warbled. Of course. He’d been wondering how exactly the Homeworlders were “attacking” when he had Warded all the Sigils of Warring Ceasefire. A Sigil that stopped other Sigil use.
