Buttopia
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Chapter 94: First Annual Performance Reviews: Crops & Cooking
🕑 Added 2025-01-30 22:27:13 +0000 UTC“Okay, that’s all well and good and incredibly unsettling, but you have to know more about the soulhunters, right?” I asked, decided not to add the long lost ancient Spiral civilization to a list of my own problems. That one was for the archaeologists.
“Somewhat more. As I said, what happened to you isn’t common at all, but those who have survived it have reported increasingly strange feelings within their souls as the years passed. Some have burnt out their soul-core reactions in desperate attempts to make the feelings go away. Others have fled deep into chaotic space. That is what the majority of people this happens to do, but I know of two cases that went differently. One managed to ignore the problem until creatures burst forth from the ethereal between realities and were able to pull the entire planet free of the Spiral into wherever they had come from. The second managed to ignite his soul and channel true Soulfire,” she explained, pausing briefly as her eyes scanned all of us again before returning to me.
“Now, I’m sure, as a man of science, you understand the problem here,” she finished.
“Not nearly enough test cases to have any idea what is true and what isn’t, but it sounds like I need to ignite my soul,” I answered, my anxiety turning into annoyance at yet another problem. Then again, was it even a new problem or just the solution to a problem that had been building?
“Correct. Luckily, channeling Soulfire isn’t nearly as rare as the other scenarios. It’s just generally used in more specialized builds. The downside is we have no one here capable of teaching you, nor do we have the time or funds to find someone, but.” A book appeared in her hands as she spoke. “I do happen to have a copy of Karlinovo’s Breakdown of the Soul-Core Reaction, which happens to cover Soulfire in some detail,” she said, passing me the book.
“That’s one way to answer how willing you are to help us in the face of the unknown, I suppose,” Pryte said as I looked at the book. Hopefully, it was the first of many to be added to the faction’s library.
“Yes, well, does that answer all the questions you need for now?” she asked.
“I believe so, at least as much as I could hope for. I think we can call this meeting good before Dave remembers some other Earth-shattering piece of information we all need to know immediately,” Pryte said, walking Elody to the door, likely heading off to find our next candidate.
“Ya alright?” Mel asked, looking at me with concern.
“I’m fine. Honestly, that might be the quickest we’ve had a potential solution to a problem,” I answered.
“Good, so far, these reviews are going better than expected,” Mel added as Pryte came back through the door with the twinoges in tow.
“What is this meeting for anyway?” Elicec asked, his brother staying silent.
“Well in your case, mostly to see why you want to stick around so much. You clung to Dave from basically your first meeting. It’s hard to buy the whole friend immediately thing, so why are you here?” Pryte answered, looking at them intently. He had a point, as much as I didn’t like to dwell on it. It was odd how quickly the brothers had decided to stick by me. I’m not sure I’d have done the same for a stranger in their place. The number of faces I had ignored during my time wandering the archives alone somewhat proved that I was often lost in my own world, oblivious to the sights and people around me.
“Honestly, I thought Dave had been robbed and needed some help. He looked barely alive when I spotted him. Elicec wanted to leave him behind, but that didn’t seem right. I just kind of got stuck on the idea of what would Dad do?” Cecile answered, eliciting a loud sigh from his brother.
“After that, besides my brother’s refusal to leave, I stuck around because of the benefits. I mean, how quickly after meeting him did you let us go to the same training world as him?” Elicec added, looking at Pryte.
“Yeah, technically, not a thing I should have done either, but at that point, I was already screwed once they found out about Dave. I figured you two might give him a better chance at not getting himself killed,” Pryte responded, smiling as he spoke.
“And then things just kept piling on. Being around Dave has managed to push us further than we’d have had any chance at otherwise, and even if Cecile doesn’t know it, I know Mel thinks we’d have died had we not gone with him,” Elicec said.
“I don’t know if ya’d have died exactly, yer twin soul might have gotten the wrong people very interested. Let’s just say I’m real glad ya didn’t go to the Arena without learning a lot more about the Spiral. Y’all were just far too bright-eyed when ya arrived,” Mel said, almost fatherly.
“Before you ask why we’re staying, it’s pretty simple, really. Where else would we go? Is there another faction out there that would ever help us free our people? Not that I’m saying you have to, Dave, but I know the second it’s really possible you’re going to help,” Cecile said, his face flushing with embarrassment, causing him to speak at a breakneck speed.
“True, I owe you both. I doubt we’d be back here without you. If it’s ever viable to save your people and your homeworld, I’ll do everything I can to help,” I answered. Hell, it might even be a way out of running this empire. There had to be someone a lot more qualified over there.
“Well, that’s admirable; I’m not sure when, if ever, that will be possible. Are you both really okay sticking around despite that?” Pryte pushed back. Both of the brothers answered with a resounding yes.
“Well, this might have been the shortest interview unless Pryte needs more, but we already know all of your classes, at least as well as either of you do so far. I imagine Cecile’s is going to be pretty interesting as he develops it, though,” I said, the previous anxiety having vanished with the happiness those two had at being here.
“No, I’ve already noted their classes, and I have all their previous information from their initial registration. I imagine the joint class will be more interesting than the paladin. There won’t be any help at all to guide that,” Pryte said.
“Oh yeah, I had kind of forgotten about that. That should be interesting,” I said as both of the twinoges nodded.
“Could you two find Rabyn and send him in? I think he’s outside, but he’s the last planned meeting for the day,” Pryte said. That was the first time he hadn’t just gone and found someone himself, and it became clear why the moment he closed the door.
“Dave, promise me, before you agree to free their planet, we will have a lengthy discussion on the ramifications of everything involved when it finally comes up because it will. Their planet is controlled by the Consolidated Dwarfs of the Mining Moon, and they are not doing well. The only reason I didn’t tell the brothers is because I don’t want them planning for something that may turn itself around, even if I don’t expect it will,” Pryte explained.
“Yeah, I made you my information man for a reason. As long as I’m able to, given the situation, you are now doomed to give me answers to questions you think a toddler should understand,” I said, smiling. He had no idea what he was in for.
“Gentlemen, the brothers said it was my turn,” Rabyn said as he opened the door.
“It is. Please take a seat,” Pryte gestured toward the chair in front of us.
“Is this where we discuss my future execution?” he asked, sounding entirely serious.
“No, this is where we discuss how you plan to avoid that. I had a few chats with Floor Master, and you aren’t entirely what you seem, are you?” Pryte asked, echoing some of my own thoughts on the orc.
“That entirely depends on what you think I am. I am an orc. I primarily follow the Path of the Battle Gourmet in the class War Chef; my primary mana orb is a weapon orb specialized in cooking knives. I’ve climbed as part of the Singing Blade faction to the eleventh floor of the Arena. What more do you wish to know?” He asked, after listing everything else off.
“Do you consider yourself the same species as the orcs you invaded this planet with?” Pryte asked, narrowing his eyes as he did.
“Yes and no. I am an orc. I will not claim otherwise, but I do not come from the same universe as so many of the rage-fueled brutes do. My home was a place of peace and learning before the integration,” he answered, sadness in his voice.
“Wasn’t that long before you were born?” Pryte continued.
“Yes. I am the last heir of the empire, and I was sold to the Singing Blades as a joke,” Rabyn answered, the tone of his voice dropping even further.
“What was the name of that empire?” Pryte asked.
“I have vowed never to speak its name unless it is in a declaration of freedom and restoration,” he answered, his voice shifting to an air of determination. I almost laughed at the idea of how insane this collection of ragtag misfits was becoming. We now had a long-lost prince to a conquered planet?
“Damn, you know it would make our lives so much easier to just execute you? You’re going to be almost as big a problem as Sanquar,” Pryte said, sighing loudly. “I had really hoped Floor Master had the wrong information, even if I knew he hadn’t.”
“What am I missing?” I asked. Mel had the same confused look I did, well, as much the same as a floating cloud could.
“Rabyn’s people, I’ll do him the courtesy of not naming the empire, refused integration. As much as they could, at least, there was no stopping that, but then they refused to participate in the Arena, considering it barbaric, which is likely why you’ve never heard of them, Mel. The entire royal line was hunted down, and the people forcibly relocated. Somehow, we have the bad luck of signing the final surviving member of the lineage to our faction, and as he’s now participated in the Arena, even if it was forced by the Singing Blades, his formal order of execution is stayed,” Pryte explained.
“If it’s stayed, what makes him such a problem for us?” I asked.
“His great-grandfather is the one who killed most of the nobles of the Plutorian Empire, and the survivors have a very long memory,” Pryte answered, sighing again. Rabyn, though, began to smile.
Was Old Spiral just an old wife’s tale, whispered only in the darkest of corners, lest the doom that befell it return for us all? I didn’t know, but the message arrived while we were deep into our wanderings of the great unknown; how could I not answer the call? I had long walked away from the Paladins of Knowledge to pursue my own path, but I still called them friends.
Grom’s Musings
