Chapter 186: Countdown (1/2)

I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall behind me, ”Really now? This is that big a problem?”

Torix raised a hand, ”Indeed it is. The silvers themselves already placed Giess among a few planets with residents that require experience gain outside of eldritch. This incident tips the scales against the planet in more ways than one.”

Torix's eyes narrowed, ”Besides, from what you describe, the Hybrid seems more than simply virulant.”

I shook my head, ”Yeah, it was more like a moving plague than a monster.”

Torix leaned back, ”So the evidence is overwhelming .”

A portal in spacetime ripped beside us. From it, the Overseer walked out. Covered in his enormous, glowing hydraulic suit, he rivaled my height as he glanced between Torix and me,

”You two again. Did you both find yet another interplanetary horror or are you wasting my time on friendly chit-chat?”

Torix walked up to the Overseer, ”Ah, as personable as always. In fact, Daniel did happen upon something rather nasty. It's a being I believe you'll be quite intrigued with.”

The Overseer let out a long, drawn-out sigh as he looked at me, ”Then inform me of what other problem you've found.”

I explained the situation, detailing the organization and the Hybrid. As I finished my story, the Overseer laid his head in a hand,

”Schema recommended glassing this world immediately after assimilation. I should have listened to his wisdom.”

The Overseer stood straight up, opening his red status screen, pressing a variety of buttons. I tilted my head, ”Wait...glass the planet?”

The Overseer nodded, ”Yes. You superheat the surface of the world then cool it rapidly. This converts the world's surface into obsidian. The term glass came about since obsidian is considered volcanic glass.”

He raised a hand to me, ”Wait one moment.”

A few seconds later, a holographic projection appeared with Tohtellah's face on it. Torix pointed at her, ”Well well, why is she here?”

The Overseer kept fiddling with his status screen, ”She is a valued asset of Schema. She will assist in this operation.”

Tohtella gave the Overseer a bow from her desk in Yildraza. She stated,

”What is it that you need, Overseer?”

The big guy closed his status and raised a hand, ”There's a problem you should be aware of.” The Overseer gestured towards us,

”This is Torix Worm and Dimension C-138. They are trusted allies of Schema despite restrictions on their statuses. Trust them as you would trust me.”

Tohtella gave her subdued yet amused smile, ”We've already met.”

The Overseer raised a hand, ”Of course you have.” The big guy let his hand slap on his thigh, ”Before I restate the obvious once more, let me ask a question. Do you know about the Hybrid?”

Tohtella furrowed her brow, ”No sir.”

The Overseer raised a hand, ”Scientists inside of silver territory have fused the eldritch and silvers into a hideous abomination. I've already initiated a meltdown sequence for Giess. The planet is to be glassed in 30 days.”

I turned to the Overseer, my eyes widening. Torix's jaw went slack as well. Thirty days wasn't anywhere near enough time to evacuate a planet. Schema's agent continued, ”You are to evacuate useful personnel to the appropriate worlds. This should prove simple since very few residents on this forsaken world have decided to even level above a hundred. I'll leave the sorting process to your discretion.”

Tohtella didn't even flinch, ”Of course sir. May I ask a question?”

”Go ahead.”

”Can you extend the time limit by thirty more days?”

”You understand that Giess is a low priority world given its many problems. Posing a hazard to nearby worlds was the last nail in its coffin. You need to justify it's delayed culling.”

Tohtella steepled her fingers, ”I believe that, Dan...I mean Dimension C-138 can produce a breakthrough. It's in his hands to create a cascading series of changes in the social hierarchy here. They can lead to the prevention of more mana pollution, less silver outbreaks, and greater system engagement.”

The Overseer shook his head, ”Impossible.”

Tohtella raised a hand, ”Before you condemn the plan, allow me to lay out a framework that we could follow.”

The Overseer stood still, but his impatience was obvious.

”...You may proceed.”

Tohtella raised a finger,

”We can call in a group of Fringe Walkers to clear out the silvers. As they clear the planet, Dimension C-138 and I will work towards spurring the espen people into changing public opinion of culling the eldritch. After a few weeks of his campaigning, I have confidence that we can turn Giess in the right direction.”

The Overseer crossed his arms, metal thudding on metal, ”No.”

Tohtella closed her eyes, swallowing her disappointment. She collected herself before opening a palm to the Overseer, ”May I ask why exactly?”

The Overseer mouthed,

”All your other plans on Giess have failed. It isn't you that is the problem, Tohtella. It is Giess. This will not reflect negatively on your record.”

Tohtella's left eye twitched, ”You know it will. I've reformed nine worlds before this. Nine. I can do the same with Giess. I just need more time-”

The Overseer announced with his metallic voice, ”No. Your chances of success are too low, and the threat level is too high. Fringe Walkers will take years to clear Giess. That's an investment I'm not willing to make. End of discussion.”

Tohtella leaned forward, her voice rising, ”But sir, this is my opportunity to put myself ahead of the pack. I've devoted my life to Schema's vision. I've sacrificed everything for him. Please give me this chance.”

The Overseer spoke with finality,

”No. End of the discussion.”

Tohtella smacked her hands on her table, ”All I'm asking for is thirty days-”

The Overseer gripped his fist, his voice heavier than iron, ”Do not raise your voice at me, little one.”

Tohtella's eyes widened. She glanced down, her violet colored skin flushing red with embarrassment. The sidelong shame had me cringing as the Overseer continued,

”You are one of Schema's best agents. That is that. One of the best. Not the best. Giess proves that. The situation has destabilized, and now we've lost a species that may have proven useful. Accept your failure. Learn from your mistake. Move on.”

I spoke up, ”Now wait a minute.”

The Overseer leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. He let out a long sigh, ”Now you are to question my judgment as well? You two are children? You understand that your planet is also at risk? All the nearby planets could spiral out of control. I will be responsible for that.”

I raised a hand, ”I stopped your ass from activating your kill switch against Yawm. We killed that fucker and saved Earth against impossible odds. Im-fucking-possible, remember?”

I stared the Overseer down, ”I'm no child, and you know it. Don't give me that shit.”

The Overseer peered at me, meeting my eye. After a few seconds, he backed down, glancing away for a moment. He pondered something for a moment. A few seconds later, and he opened his status,

”Hmm...You have all grown. Althea gained a class. Your level is essentially capped. Your group's progress is admirable.”

He breathed in,

”I...erred in calling you a child. Both of you. I spoke without thinking. Understand my situation. This Hybrid incident reflects negatively on me. If that anathema you speak of spreads, I will receive an immediate firing. For me, that means Schema activates my killswitch...I will die.”

The Overseer raised a fist and glared at me,

”It's obvious, but we risk more than a single life should this plan fail. If we allow this hybrid to spread, trillions may die. Tell me, are you willing to risk that?”

I frowned, stunned by what he said. To be honest, I didn't have the kind of resolve to take that kind of risk. Before I faltered, Tohtella chimed in,

”Let's deliberate further.

I raised a fist, ”I'll fix this just like with Yawm. That must have turned your record around, right?”

The Overseer raised a massive palm to his chin, ”I...I suppose it did. I was on the brink before then. I have breathing room now.”

I spread out my arms, ”Then let me do it again. That's all I'm asking for. Give us the extra thirty days. That's all we need.”

I gestured to Torix, ”You know us. We'll get this shit done. We always do.”

The Overseer scoffed, ”Hmmm...I suppose I've placed worse bets on you before. I'll extend the deadline as you asked.” The Overseer turned to Tohtella,

”If the Hybrid is found elsewhere, I will erase you before I am culled. Understood?”

Tohtella nodded, ”Absolutely sir. Thank you for this opportunity.”

The Overseer opened his portal, ”Sixty days. That is all.”

I gave him a sarcastic salute, ”Aye aye, captain.”

The Overseer moved his head in an arc, rolling his eyes under his helmet, ”Competent as you are, you're insufferable to work with.”

I grinned, ”Same for you. Cya later.”

The Overseer scoffed, ”Good Luck then, Harbinger.”

He stepped through his portal and disappeared as quickly as he popped up. As he left, Tohtella's transmission remained. She leaned onto a hand,

”Now you've both seen me at my worst. This is...humiliating.”

Torix laughed, ”It's not so bad. When Daniel and I first met, he was worse than useless. Protecting him was a chore.”

I scoffed, ”You have a pretty lenient definition of protecting.”

Torix nodded, ”When it comes to you, most certainly. You're quite resilient after all. Regardless, we need to organize ourselves to sort this out.”

Tohtella pointed at us, ”How is the search for the Skyburners going?”

I shrugged, ”Althea and I destroyed one of the camps already. We've got two more to go.”

Tohtella nodded, ”What about the Hybrid?”

”That's where I found it. It killed the Skyburners before we killed it.”

Tohtella's eyes widened, ”Are you serious?”

I nodded, ”Yeah. It was ugly. If we let that thing go, we'd have been eaten alive. The Overseer wasn't wrong about that thing being a threat.”

Tohtella shook her head, ”To think it was so powerful...”

Torix raised a hand, ”And that is precisely why we must destroy the organization behind its formation. If I may offer a suspect, I recommend we begin with Thisbey.”

I nodded, ”Yeah, I think that's a good idea too. Thisbey owns a company that harvests silvers. That means he has the know-how to go into silver territory, survive, and collect samples. Considering that's what the lab did, that puts him pretty high on the list of suspects.”

Tohtella nodded, ”I'll send a team to search through his offices. Are there any other suspects?”

I shrugged, ”I don't know. Anyone with a lot of sway and resources on Giess could be the culprit, though Thisbey's motivations line up perfectly with this.”

Torix nodded, ”He might have let the heinous abomination out on the camp to test a genocidal tool against the gialgathens. We've no evidence to support the hypothesis, unfortunately.”

I smacked my right fist against my left palm, letting out a metal ring, ”I know just how we can make it happen though.”

Torix pulled out his grimoire and pointed at me, ”As usual, I'm behind you on this. We find the other camps and gather evidence there. Tohtella, make sure you inform us about any of the comings and goings you find.”

Tohtella blinked, ”Understood.”

Torix clapped his hands, ”Wonderful. We'll see you after we've found the other camps.”

Tohtella turned to me and gave me a warm grin, ”As the Overseer said, good luck...and, ahem...thank you, Daniel, for helping me. I wouldn't have gotten that second chance otherwise. I'm grateful.”