Chapter 104:
The Shapeless Foe
LADY MILE, WE ARE HOME!
As Mile snuggled in her cot in her tent, three days after the Crimson Vow had left the capital, she was awoken by the report of the nanomachines.
Wha…? But we still have a bit longer until we reach the border.
Mile’s head was still foggy, groggy from just barely having fallen asleep.
THAT’S NOT WHAT WE MEEEEAN! WE TOLD YOU NOT TO FORGET ABOUT THIS!!!
Oh…
Right.
It suddenly dawned on her what they were talking about.
OUR BRETHREN, WHO YOU FORCIBLY TOSSED AWAY TO THE OTHER SIDE!
The nanomachines were seething. Well, they probably were not actually angry, but they were conducting themselves as though they were.
That was a lot faster than I thought. It’s only been a few days…
IT’S THEIR DUTY TO RETURN AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!
Ah.
This was bad, Mile realized. Indeed, although at first it sounded as though they were just speaking into her eardrums like normal, it occurred to her now that they might actually be the slightest bit peeved…
Mile was quite accustomed to seeing someone whose smile did not reach their eyes, though their tone was unchanged: Pauline, specifically.
Perhaps it was a sign that Mile was growing, that she could pick up on a feeling like this from someone who had no face or expression that she could perceive.
I’m s-so sorry!
It was inevitable, she saw, that they would be angry at her for being so callous.
WHATEVER. IT’S NOT A BIG DEAL! IN FACT, WE SHOULD THANK YOU FOR THE UNIQUE EXPERIENCE! NEXT TIME THE CHANCE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT ROLLS AROUND, I’D LIKE TO CUT TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE FOR GETTING INTO THE MICROS!
THAT’S ONLY FAIR. IN FACT, WE’LL MAKE THE ARRANGEMENTS.
OH, THANKS!
One of the nanomachines that Mile could hear speaking to her seemed to be a representative for the group that had been sent through the rift, and expressed itself in a rather boisterous tone. The nanomachines, so vast in number and with their endless histories, appeared to have been blessed with a wide breadth of personalities, a sort of individuality. It was unclear if this was a gift from their creators or merely a safety measure, so that all units could not be wiped out in a singular event…
NOW THEN, THE REPORT.
COMING RIGHT UP!
And so the unit gave Mile its report. Naturally, this was transmitted instantly to the main hubs and other units on the Nanonet via data transfer.
***
What?! So they didn’t have any dimensional leapfrogging engines, space-time piercing drilling systems, dimensional navigation ships, or anything like that?
THEY DID NOT. WE WERE NOT ABLE TO CONDUCT AN EXTENSIVE SEARCH, BUT THE AREA IMMEDIATELY OUTSIDE OF THE RIFTS WAS LARGELY UNDEVELOPED TERRITORY. THE ONLY SIGNS OF ANY TECHNOLOGICAL CIVILIZATION WERE A FEW OTHER UNITS SIMILAR TO THAT CREATURE.
For some reason, while giving its report, the representative had switched from its idiosyncratic tone to a more standard register. Was this to make the conversation easier? Or merely a matter of routine?
ADDITIONALLY, WE COULD NOT CONFIRM THE EXISTENCE OF ANY HUMANOID INTELLIGENT LIFE-FORMS.
Whaaaaat?!
Mile’s eyes opened wide in shock, though she still lay in bed in the darkness.
I’m guessing you didn’t find any monkeys building armies, or giant bird people, or angry squids, or other non-humanoid intelligences, either?
THERE WERE NONE.
Ah. Of course…
Apparently there really was nothing.
So then, that metal golem—or robot, rather… What the heck was it? How much of the planet did you actually get to explore?
ROUGHLY FIVE HUNDRED IN EACH DIRECTION.
Five hundred miles? That’s gotta be only a small portion of the planet, though…
Indeed, it might have been that they had just happened to be let out somewhere in the wilds. Or, perhaps, this world’s intelligent life-forms lived in underground cities the nanomachines hadn’t been able to see. Neither of these explanations—nor hundreds of others—would be all that surprising. Even Earth had plenty of places where you might be far from any humans, such as the middle of the Sahara or the Pacific Ocean. However…
METERS.
Huh?
WE CHECKED FIVE HUNDRED METERS IN EACH DIRECTION.
What the heeeeeeck?! Mile screamed internally.
There were no signs of the enemy for five hundred meters in all directions. As far as range went, that was practically nothing, especially when one was investigating a possibly hostile territory.
That! Is! Not! Enough of an area! Why was your surveillance range so small?!
WE ARE ONLY PERMITTED TO OPERATE IN THIS DIMENSION, ON THIS PLANET. WE ARE NOT PERMITTED TO ENGAGE IN ANY PROACTIVE ACTIVITIES IN OTHER WORLDS. THUS, THE ONLY ACTIONS PERMITTED TO THOSE OF US THROWN THROUGH THE RIFT WERE TO OBEY YOUR COMMANDS NOT TO RETURN RIGHT THROUGH THE SAME RIFT, TO RETURN TO THIS DIMENSION AS SWIFTLY AS POSSIBLE, AND TO DEFEND OURSELVES AS NECESSARY, WITHOUT INTERFERING IN THE HAPPENINGS OF THE OTHER WORLD.
This much the other nanomachines had already explained to her.
But I’m assuming you would have had to wander around a fair bit in order to find the return rift—right? You didn’t happen to see or hear anything in that time? How did you manage to stay within a radius of just five hundred meters?!
She could not believe that the information-gathering team that she had put so much hope behind had turned up no results. Mile’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. Even on Earth no one would willingly hang around within five hundred meters of a nuclear test site. Thus it was not at all strange that there would be no intelligent life-forms hanging around in the immediate vicinity of something as dangerous as a site of interdimensional travel. It was obvious, even.
Now that I think about it, what scientist would hang around the junction of an interdimensional travel system?
Y-YES. WELL, SO, THE AREA WE ARRIVED IN WAS WHERE THE DIMENSIONAL RUPTURE OCCURRED IN THE FIRST PLACE—IN OTHER WORDS, AN AREA OF REPEATED DIMENSIONAL ADHESION AND PERFORATION. IN ORDER TO RETURN HOME AS SWIFTLY AS POSSIBLE, WE LIMITED OUR SEARCH TO THAT AREA, WAITING TO SEE IF ANOTHER RIFT WOULD OCCUR IN THE SAME PLACE… GIVEN THAT WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO INTERFERE OUTSIDE OF WHAT WAS NECESSARY FOR OUR RETURN, WE COULD NOT TAKE ON ANY PROACTIVE INVESTIGATION.
The nanos had utterly missed the point. There was, somehow, an audible sound to the gloom that overtook Mile.
No way! So, even if we do happen upon another rift…
INDEED. NOT INTERFERING WITH OTHER WORLDS IS ONE OF THE MOST BASIC TENETS IMPARTED TO US BY OUR CREATORS. SADLY, EVEN A COMMAND FROM YOU, LADY MILE, WITH YOUR LEVEL-5 AUTHORIZATION, CANNOT OVERRULE THAT. THE ONLY SORT OF INTERDIMENSIONAL ACTIONS PERMITTED TO US ARE SPECIAL CASES LIKE THE ACTIONS WE TAKE TO ACTUALIZE YOUR INVENTORY, WHICH DO NOT HAVE ANY EFFECT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF OTHER WORLDS.
Umph. Oh, well then, what if I just sent a human over there to—
THEY WOULD DIE.
Huh?!
This was a dire response to what Mile had thought to be a pretty good idea.
RELATIVE TO THIS CLIMATE, THE TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS BETWEEN NIGHT AND DAY ARE QUITE EXTREME ON THE OTHER SIDE. THERE IS LITTLE FOOD OR WATER. AND ALSO, THE MONSTERS ARE FAR MORE FEARSOME THAN THEY ARE HERE. THE CHANCES OF A NORMAL C-RANK HUNTER LASTING A SINGLE NIGHT IN THAT WORLD ARE LESS THAN THIRTY PERCENT.
Additionally, the nanomachines reported, one could never know where a rift would lead. Apparently, the first rift that opened while they were waiting to return led to a world where not only humans but even monsters, would perish in an instant. As such, the nanomachines, along with a metal golem that apparently entered this rift to investigate it, immediately turned back around. The second rift they found opened out into the void of space, while the third had in fact connected to this world, albeit shunting them out high above the clouds.
The metal golem that had tried to investigate this opening alongside the nanomachines had immediately plunged headlong to earth—sacrificed in the line of duty, one might say. Fortunately, for the nanomachines, altitude was no issue. Once they determined that this was in fact their original world, they all returned through this opening, came the report.
Interestingly, differences in atmospheric pressure between sides of the rifts did not spark any powerful gusts of air in either direction. The lack of any such preventative mechanism could spell grave dangers for the creatures of this world, should a rift open up to a place with air that was poisonous to them, or to outer space, or a deep sea…
***
After her conversation with the nanomachines, Mile sat deep in thought.
This world is so similar to Earth—way too similar. There are humans, and the flora and fauna… There are things that don’t exist on Earth, too, like elves and dwarves, beastfolk and demons, elder dragons, and the other monsters. But these are all just additions. The things that are the same are nearly—no, actually—identical. The same could be said of the monsters on the other side of the rift.
What in the world could that mean? Do similar environments prompt similar evolution? Is this what they call parallel evolution? Or did some advanced overlord situation far beyond humanity’s capabilities seed us across dimensions? Or was there some vast migration of species at some point?
Now that I think about it, Earth has legends the world over of beings similar to those in this world—elves and dwarves and dragons and monsters. Perhaps they did once exist, in Earth’s distant past… Or maybe some individuals who were aware of such life-forms simply did…
She doubted that the nanomachines, who knew nothing of Earth or the other worlds beyond the rifts, could give her any insight into these questions. Or, even if they did know, they probably wouldn’t be able to talk to her about it.
Mile lost herself in her thoughts and finally sank into a deep slumber.
***
“All right. Your report?”
There were twelve people seated in the conference room on the second floor of the main building of the capital branch of the Hunters’ Guild in the Kingdom of Tils: the four members of the Crimson Vow, the guild master, the assistant guild master, three high-ranking guild employees, and three representatives from the client’s side.
Mile nodded and began her report.
It was only natural that the explanations were left to Mile in cases like this one. There was a collective agreement from the others that when they had to explain or report on circumstances they did not fully understand, that was Mile’s territory.
“The political situation in the neighboring Kingdom of Aubram is stable. There is no great unrest among the people. The odds of any rebellion or mass uprising seem to be no greater than they currently are in this country—which is to say, incredibly low.”
Hearing this, the clients gave a solemn nod. Apparently, this seemed to ease their fears somewhat. The Crimson Vow had confirmed these facts at the towns and villages they had overnighted in on both legs of their journey, as well as through conversations with the merchants and other hunters that they treated to meals when camping or taking breaks along the road. The information they had gotten from the Shining Excalibur further confirmed this. Of course, everyone was well aware that the Crimson Vow’s information was the result of a survey of the common folk on the streets; a different team would be in charge of investigating nobles and royals and other political entities.
“We believe the current commotion in the capital is due to a recently arrived new species of monsters, the ‘abnormals’ that have been appearing among all monster types. I believe you would have already received notice about these from the guild in Marlane…”
At Mile’s words, a look of recognition crept over the guild staff’s features, while one of perplexity overtook the faces of the clients. The reports of new, stronger types of monsters had probably not been shared widely and might indeed have been judged to be tall tales—thrown in the trash with a grimace rather than reported to the higher-ups. This was not an unusual story.
“The origins—well, the true origins are unclear, but the basic phenomenon is that these new monsters are appearing at random all over the place…and these appearances are quite sudden.”
Everyone but the Crimson Vow appeared stunned at this.
“We’re not talking about a new species that just happened to crop up in some particular place. Were that the case, this would be more of a regional issue. Instead, these creatures are appearing in numerous places simultaneously. Additionally, for a number of reasons, neither the Hunters’ Guild nor the Crown nor the military were aware of this fact, though injuries of hunters and villagers have been on the rise across the kingdom. There have not been riots or any kind of public outcry, but the regions are gradually growing more fatigued, and public anxieties are mounting. Soon, they’ll probably be on edge enough to start investigations of their own. And that is about where things sit at present.”
The room was silent. It was clear on the faces of everyone in the room that they were relieved that these things were not happening in their own country. Sadly, Mile had some unfortunate news for them…
“Furthermore, as you are likely aware, this phenomenon was first reported near the dwarven village of Glademarl, in the Kingdom of Marlane. We discovered some of the same new species near the capital of Aubram. Considering the distance between Glademarl and the capital of Aubram, compared to the distance between Glademarl and the capital of Tils…”
As she spoke, Mile slipped her hand into her breast pocket and pulled out a rolled-up map. Naturally, everyone here was already aware of her storage magic, so there was no need for such theatrics, but Mile’s flair for performance prevented her from simply pulling it out of thin air. Still, everyone who watched her couldn’t help but notice:
There’s no way that map would be able to fit in that pocket!
Mile, blissfully unaware of the others’ skepticism, spread the map out on the table and continued.
“This is Glademarl, where the new monsters were first discovered,” she said, pointing. “And here’s where it sits in relation to the capitals of both Aubram and Tils.” She placed the thumb and index finger of her right hand on the map. Her fingers pointed to Glademarl and the capital of Aubram, while with the same fingers on her left hand she pointed to Glademarl and the capital of Tils.
Silence fell again as everyone in the room looked at Mile’s hands on the map. The angle of her fingers on both hands was almost exactly the same.
“The chances of the capital of our country ending up within the range of this strange phenomenon…” began one of the “clients,” who had not yet revealed their true identity.
“…are incredibly high,” Mile nodded as she confirmed the bad news.
“This is bad…really friggin’ bad…” the guild master muttered, not bothering to censor his language in front of the clients, who appeared to be persons of some status. This alone indicated the level of his distress.
“We must report this to His Highness, and directly to the military, the heads of each fief, and every guild branch…”
“We also have to alert the other kingdoms. Aubram and Marlane and…”
The clients, too, seemed to understand the gravity of the situation.
“And the Kingdom of Trist as well,” Mile interrupted, “which borders both of them. Given their positioning, the chance that they’re already experiencing scattered casualties is high…almost certain even. Like Aubram, they probably just haven’t realized it yet.
“I’m assuming that the capital branch guild master in Aubram will make a report directly to the king, but considering the possibility that he might be foolish enough to underestimate the situation and prove slow to act, perhaps it’s better that there be a formal warning issued directly from His Majesty, the King of Tils…”
Mile was in full Capable Mode today.
Internally, the other three sighed. Why can’t she always be like this?
The gap in Mile’s behavior between this and when she was losing her mind over cute kids and cat ears was just too vast…
That said, there would be something a little eerie about Mile being so on the ball all the time. Perhaps indeed, this was for the best.
***
“Report’s done, the results were good, and we even got some bonus pay. I’d say this is a cause for celebration!”
“We got a pretty nice haul from all those abnormals we turned in as proof, too. You can always count on deep pockets in the capital!”
Though their clients had kept their identities concealed, it was still quite obvious who they were and what their motivations might be in compensating the Crimson Vow so generously. If they paid out a big bonus, then the party would be happy to take on more work related to the Crown—at least, that was the aim. The bonus pay seemed to be very effective on Pauline, if no one else. She was delighted with their earnings. If asked, Pauline would claim that each contract was its own matter, with previous jobs not having any bearing on the next negotiation. Still, even she was only human and might indeed be swayed by the memory of large payouts.
Chatting among themselves, the Crimson Vow left the guild master’s office and descended the stairs, when Mavis spoke up, suddenly serious.
“So, Mile, is all this—” she started.
“I don’t know yet…” Mile replied. “But there is a possibility.”
Indeed, it was too early to confirm whether the new monsters that had been popping up all over the place were related. However, Mavis was asking about something else entirely.
Yes, that.
Whether all this was connected to the reason that the elder dragons had been inspecting the ruins of the previous civilization, which Mile had left the rest of the Crimson Vow to investigate. Whether all this had to do with whatever the elder dragons thought they needed to prepare themselves for.
The elder dragons were the strongest beings in the entire world, both in terms of magic, raw physical strength, and intellect. If they desired, they could wipe out all of humanity with a wave of their tails or subjugate the entire world as their domain…yet they would never do so. Such dull pursuits were a young dragon’s purview.
After all, no human would ever bother interfering in the lives of ants or hope to rule over them. The only ones to ever try were the toddlers who shoved twigs into anthills. Elder dragons bothering themselves with humans would be on the same level.
Mile thought to herself. Given all that, why were the elder dragons so obsessed with those ruins? She needed to speak with the dragons once more. However, it was not that easy to just walk up and talk to one.
“Oh, Miss Mile, there’s a letter for you!” a clerk called as the members of the Crimson Vow made it down the stairs and started for the door.
“Huh? Oh, thanks!”
Mile accepted the letter and looked at the sender.
“Huh. I wonder who this could be from? Something, something… Oh, wait, this seal is Kragon’s! They! Contacted! Me!!!”
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