Chapter 284: Amassing Many (1/2)

-Althea-

I pulled myself out of the warm corpse of a monster, having torn out its ribs by hand. Slinging blood from my arms, I let out a gasp of disgust while throwing a thick entrail off my shoulder. Killing monsters was the worst thing ever, and this was why. I somehow always ended up covered in monster guts.

I threw the body sideways, having just killed this giant, roaming salamander eldritch. It found me taking an afternoon nap under a tree, so it swallowed me whole. I woke up and gave the beast some severe indigestion, and now I found myself soaked in purple-colored blood and guts. It didn't smell like normal blood, at least. This was more like just cut grass, and to me, that smelled a whole lot better overall.

Not knowing what would happen if this stuff dried onto me, I ran through the forest and found a stream. A quick dive later, and the muck flowed off me. The water was a bit chilly, yeah, but it was more than worth it. After running through the trees some, I wind-dried my jumpsuit and hair. Once done, I swung the mess on my head around a bit. Stepping up to a puddle, I gave myself a look-see.

It wasn't my best look, but I could pull this off.

It was time for me to meet with Florence and Helios, both of them escorting Amara over the countryside to this location. We stuck with realtime travel because it wouldn't set off any warp searching magic. To me, those royals were way overqualified for this job, but getting Amara here was pretty important. Cause I mean, our whole operation pinned on her infiltrating Elysium's system.

That's why this meetup was super important. Though a bit late, I wasn't that behind schedule, so I skulked across a few plains and snuck my way up to our meeting coordinates. Maybe they'd be late too. Turns out, they weren't. Florence, Helios, and Amara sat around a creek, each sitting on rocks along the stream's flood bed. Not wanting to eavesdrop, I kept a bit of distance before attempting to de-stealth. Unfortunately, I somehow heard them talking. And I happened to see them too.

Whoops.

Helios stared off in the distance, bitter as usual, ”It's obvious to me that the competition between us is your victory.”

Florence leaned back, on his rock, casual and confident as could be, ”What do you mean competition? Were we competing?”

”Don't pretend that you don't remember it. Daniel made it clear that we'd serve whoever did a better job of helping his guild. Already, you've established such a clear lead that I'm unable to match you anymore. My failure is inevitable, and it's a bitter pill to swallow.”

Florence's natural swagger dampened, his concern for Helios showing. Even if he was a complete jerk, he was still Florence's brother. The talkative royal sat up straight, coughing into a hand,

”I, uh, I think that oftentimes, when forced to accept something difficult like this, it's oftentimes like medicine. It's usually the antidote we need most but want the least. In that way, this situation might be showcasing a weakness you need to work on.”

Helios glared at Florence, his eyes hidden under his mask,

”Weakness, hm? I'm doubtful. This clash of ours has simply proven that I am unable to match you. That's right - you of all people. I'm being forced to admit you're my superior. It's obvious I've fallen into pits so deep I doubt I will ever crawl out of them.”

Florence frowned but stayed positive, ”You haven't fallen lower. I've simply risen up.”

Helios shook his head, ”But you've been an example of failure, time and time again. Have things changed this much from just a subtle shift in circumstance? You honestly believe your place changes that easily?”

Florence narrowed his eyes, somewhat peeved, ”No. My rise in potential is a matter of the place, not the situation. I simply mesh better with this new guild than you do. Think of it like this - it's obvious to anyone who's attempted many things that they cannot be the best at every one of them. That is the case here.”

Helios stared at the flowing water as Amara sat in silence. Helios murmured, ”I've been thinking of our places as of late. I've known you were always in my shadow, and I became comfortable with that reality. I exceeded your performance in every situation, yet now I am the one who walks in your shadow. I believe it's not like the shadow you walked in, which was perceived. My walk in the dark is genuine.”

Florence's curiosity peaked, ”What do you mean by shadows?”

Helios shook his head, ”These events have forced me to confront an uncomfortable truth - I was never your superior. Our family put you in a small box, and you couldn't escape it. Over time, you and I believed that box to be the real you. In the end, it was an illusion. Obolis saw the situation clearly, as always.”

Helios met his brother's eye, ”It turns out that you're talented in certain respects. Perhaps that is why I despise you. I'm told you're a pathetic waste of space, yet you're my better in many ways.”

Helios reached out a hand, freezing a portion of the stream beside us,

”If you are useless yet my superior, then what does that make me? I've been wondering that lately.”

Florence's voice rose, ”You keep thinking of me as some inferior. By doing that, you're dragging us both down. We each have pieces of us that excel in certain places. Instead of constantly comparing us, how about you try using what you're good at? That's what I've been doing here, and it has worked wonders. I haven't felt this good in decades.”

Florence stood up, ”It's as simple as this. My time here has taught me that what our family says about us doesn't define who we are. It's...it's like how everyone thinks of me in our family. Just because they believe I'm useless doesn't make it so. In this new place, I am a potent force. I simply needed the space to showcase that.”

Florence pointed at his brother, ”You are the same.”

Helios rubbed his temples, ”That is my problem. I've already been a success. There is no opportunity to rise here. Instead, my fall from grace since talking to that damn guildleader has been steady and steep. Now I'm wallowing in death threats instead of redeeming my past shortcomings.”

Helios tapped his head with his gauntlet, ”My frustration leaks out in my words, and then I simply dig myself into a deeper hole. It's my fault, and I understand that. That frustrates me further, and I feed this vicious cycle.”

Helios sighed, ”It's like the tables have turned, and now I am the one who is destined for failure while you're now destined for success. As your brother, I should be happy for you...But I'm not. To me, that's pathetic.”

Florence spread out his hands, ”I resented you for a long time as well, but I came to the understanding that comparing myself to others is losing game. No matter my success, it will pale when compared to others. That is a simple truth of existence. The Empire bolsters that style of thought and treats it as just. It's a toxic wasteland of thought if you ask me.”

”And I am trapped in that frame of mind. At least it feels that way.”

Florence tapped the side of his head with a claw, ”Come now, there's great power in your perspective. If you change your outlook here and now, things will change for the better. Think of this as an opportunity to discover parts of yourself you didn't know you had. Try something new, something bold.”

Helios stared at the water as it overflowed the ice he made earlier, ”I...I suppose I could. My situation could always change. It has before.”

Florence gave Helios a pat on the back, ”Exactly. You're the albony that made everyone around him appear incompetent and ineffectual by comparison. Don't forget the past battles you've won. This is perhaps a hard-fought clash, but you'll be victorious in the end. If you can't believe that, then trust me and my belief in it.”

Helios stared at his hands, and the cipher inscribed gauntlet glistened under the sun's light,

”Hmm...Perhaps I'll actually listen to you this time. I've tried this before, and your consultation has led to disastrous consequences. That being said, it isn't as if anyone can misadvise all the time...Though you've tried.”

Florence grinned at his brother, the smile evident even under his mask, ”Well, you see, there is an art to failure. I'm quite practiced in it, and that allows me to see it differently.” Florence lowered his hands and stared out at the riverbed,

”When someone has failed utterly, they are both at their lowest and their most powerful state. The weakness is obvious and needs no explaining. The reason you have power, however, is because people are impressed by success despite your circumstances. It is when someone has failed time and time again yet persevered through their missteps and continued until success, that is when people are most affected.”

Florence swung his fist, ”You are in a position to show not just competence. You get to show something more important: your character. That's far more difficult to express, but it's also far more valuable. For those reasons, don't give up or give in.”

Florence stared his brother in the eye, ”Pull through and be all the better for it.”

Helios let those words soak in for a second before staring forward. He stood up and nodded, ”I...you may be right. I, I'll need to think about it more.”

Florence backed up, ”Of course. Take your time. We've got all day with how late Althea is.”

I frowned. I'd been here for like fifteen minutes by now, but this was too good to miss out on.

Helios gave his brother a shove, ”You know, I thought of you as the lowest, most shabby albony I'd ever seen. I may have been wrong all this time.”

Florence put his hands on his hips, ”Really now? You've finally changed your mind about me?”

Helios grabbed his brother's shoulder and gave him a shake, ”You're not quite the most pathetic. You're merely one of the most.”

Florence shoved Helios before the two of them began some kind of pushing contest. They went back and forth, following some clearly defined yet mystical set of rules as they did. It reminded me of some child's game they played when they were younger, and only the two of them understood it. After a minute of watching, I walked out of the bushes so they could see me.

As I stepped out, Helios stiffened back up as if someone zapped him with lightning. Florence lowered his hands,

”Bah, you're no fun.”

Helios pointed at me, ”You saw nothing.”

I smirked, ”Oh, of course not. I definitely didn't record anything. Not at all.”

Helios flushed under his mask, and steam might as well have been fuming out of his ears. For the terrible things he'd done to me, I had to admit, Helios wasn't entirely awful. He seemed like a guy who really wanted the pride and admiration of his family. He just learned how to get it in the wrong ways, and I didn't know if that was his fault or the Empires.

It was probably a little bit of both. Either way, Florence covered for Helios, walking up to me,

”It's good to see you again, Althea. How are things going in your mission?”

I raised an eyebrow, ”I sent you a debrief? Didn't you read it?”

”I-I prefer hearing it in person.”

Helios chided, ”He was simply too lazy to read it.”

Florence turned to his brother, giving him a quick glare. Helios actually laughed under his breath as Florence turned back to me, ”Okay, he's right. I'm sorry.”

I rolled my eyes, ”Well, at least you admitted it—sort of. Anyways, we're doing pretty good, I guess. They don't seem suspicious of us, and we've got some licenses that will let us warp around. Getting Amara through is going to require some finesse, but we should be fine with some of Hod's shadowy magic.”

I propped my weight onto my hip, ”After that, we're going to need some luck. Hod's shadowy magic stuff isn't going to last very long. We'll need to get somewhere safe, or else Amara will pop out of someone's shadow in the open. If the situation starts spiraling, we won't be able to send messages and get feedback since they block Schema's system on their planets.”

I grimaced, ”We'll be in the dark.”

Florence put his hands on his hips, ”You'll all be fine. You're a competent team, after all.”