Redfang Dunes (Hard)

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*The wildlands are already crawling with the monster’s spawn. The remaining tribes seem to be gathered in one place…*

## Summary

Lord of Avillon learns that Kartis also has access to the Chronicles via a previous model of Mu.

## Character List

### Major

* Kartis Claudith
* Lord of Avillon
* Mu

### Minor

* Fram Berge (Water)
* Zaira (Fire)
* Cesaire

## Content

Fram: Erk, who’re these guys?

Uraki Warrior: Heh. Heh. Good weapon. Good weapon.

Uraki Warrior: We can win those. We can win big [big].

"Lord": They’re members of the Uraki tribe, infamous bandits of the wildlands. They believe cowardice to be a great virtue.

Fram: They’re probably havin' a rough time with the monsters too, aren’t they?

"Lord": Looks like they want our weapons. I guess they have no intention of joining forces with others to overcome this threat.

Zaira: I would guess they fled from the monster and wound up here. We are close to the border with Rhodon, but bandits would never be let in for refuge.

"Lord": In normal times, I would prefer to respect their culture, but right now they may pose a threat to the other tribes. And with them attacking first, we can’t just let them go. Knights, take them down!

...

Cesaire: Thus ends my report, Your Majesty.

(Exalted Emperor) Kartis: My rival…? The monarch of Avillon, you say?

Cesaire: Yes.

Kartis: That is very interesting. Good work, Cesaire.

Cesaire: It is my honor and my pleasure, Your Majesty.

Kartis: [They] called [them]self my rival…? Knows details about me…? This has never happened in any of my lifetimes. Avillon has never risen up, and its monarch has never made an appearance. What was different this time? What variable was there? There’s something I missed, something I failed to see… …No, there’s nothing. Nothing has changed. It’s impossible for the monarch of Avillon to know about me at this point in time. In an age when access to information is so limited, there is simply be no way for her to learn of my existence. … This would be the first time… someone has accessed information I don’t know about. … … Lambda…

???: …

Kartis: When are you going to wake up…? How much longer do I have to be tethered here, going in circles over and over…? Tell me… Does this monarch’s appearance mean the outcome will be different this time? Can you give me hope…?

???: …

Kartis: Heh… When did I become so trapped, so desperate, that I grab onto any branch I can in this freefall? … I’m exercising my contractual right to access the Chronicles. Since this terminal has been suspended, I will first void the revocation of my access rights. For payment, I will use… my resonance.

...

"Lord": That should just about wrap things up here. I do feel bad, but if you’re going to take up arms against someone else, you should be prepared to face—

Mu: Master.

"Lord": Mu! Are you okay?

Mu: I still have adjustments to make. I came because… someone is trying to access your data, Master.

"Lord": Hm? What do you mean?

M: I have been trying to obfuscate the data, but the one accessing has greater rights. The Turing code has already been run. The Enigma field will soon be breached.

"Lord": The other person has access to the Chronicles…?

Mu: Yes.

"Lord": I thought you were the only administrator…

Mu: It may be the previous version of Mu. There is a non-zero chance that its function was not completely stopped. I will run a function that will interfere with the other user’s viewing rights. It is a temporary solution to prevent one-sided data distribution. If you want, I can try to connect you to the other user.

"Lord": I don’t really understand what you’re talking about, but it sounds better than staying in the dark. Connect me to the other user, Mu.

Mu: Understood. I’m sorry, Master. My calculative abilities were insufficient to prevent this.

"Lord": You did nothing wrong. Don’t worry.

Mu: Okay.

"Lord": …

Kartis: …

"Lord": What…?!

Kartis: A two-way connection… Have you made a contract with the Chronicles, too? Monarch of Avillon. I connected to know general information, but now I feel as though I’ve uncovered a big secret.

"Lord": Kartis.

Kartis: So you do know me. Cesaire told me what you said. You said you were my… rival.

"Lord": I am. I didn’t realize you had access to the Chronicles.

Kartis: Heh, so you claim to be my rival without knowing anything about me?

"Lord": Yes. It makes sense now… how you had so much conviction about the direction you chose.

Kartis: … Why do you speak as though we’ve met?

"Lord": Your goal is to stop the calamity, right?

Kartis: Interesting…

"Lord": Establishing your empire is just a means to that end. You’re trying to unit all of humanity under one flat to stand against said calamity, are you not?

Kartis: You… How do you know about that, but you didn’t know about my contract with the Chronicles? Who are you? The rightful heir of the Ancients? A reincarnation of the Old Ones?

"Lord": No, I am the monarch of Avillon, and a proponent of humanity and its prosperity.

Kartis: Are you going to tell me our goals are the same? Hmph. If that is the case, I will show you how we can accomplish our goal. Come find me.

"Lord": What?

Kartis: I have but one goal: stop the calamity and secure humanity’s continued survival. As you said, the empire is nothing more then a means to that end. All humanity must come together as one to stand even a fraction of a chance… That is how powerful the calamity is.

"Lord": …

Kartis: As a contractor with the Chronicles, you must understand the value of information. Is that not how you’ve been able to come this far?

"Lord": You’re not wrong.

Kartis: If you were to join me, all of humanity would become much stronger. We’ll be able to escape our ghastly end. Come find me. Let us save humanity together.

"Lord": No thanks.

Kartis: I knew you’d see reason. Together, we will… … What did you say?

"Lord": I agree that we need to stop the calamity, and also that humanity needs to come together. What I don’t agree with is your and the empire’s methods.

Kartis: …

"Lord": You are trying to use unjust means to accomplish a just goal. Destroying freedom and free will, all for the singular purpose of attaining your goal… I don’t view that sort of “unity” as beneficial.

Kartis: What are you trying to say?

"Lord": I am not going to do things your way. I’m going to fight in a way I see fit.

Kartis: How foolish. This isn’t a time when we should be facing off against each other.

"Lord": Your way of doing things might actually be the right way, but you never know. And right now, you’re making a lot of people miserable. I’m sure you know that.

Kartis: …

"Lord": My way might be soft, and maybe it’s foolish. But at least I’m trying to find a way in which everyone can be happier.

Kartis: That’s rich of you to say as someone with access to the Chronicles… You have an absolute advantage over everyone else, and yet you speak of others’ happiness. Are you not a hypocrite, using everyone and everything at your disposal? Do you really not know what that sort of hypocrisy will bring you? Once the calamity begins, everything will be destroyed. Everything you know will be gone. When that time comes, are you still going to be spouting off about happiness or some other silly emotion?

"Lord": Is that why your goal is only for humanity’s “survival”?

Kartis: The happiness you speak of comes only after survival. Do you really not realize something so simple?

"Lord": The two things aren’t separable! has your head become that hard from all your failure and despair?

Kartis: What?

"Lord": Maybe I am a hypocrite! But is it so bad to want to give other people the chance to be happy?

Kartis: That’s idiocy…!

"Lord": Well, I guess this idiot believes in humanity and all its potential. I believe it because I’ve seen it. But that endless potential can’t thrive in a repressed environment.

Kartis: You’re not naive… You’re insane…

"Lord": Last time I lost to you, but this time will be different.

Kartis: You… lost…? Are you…?! Impossible…

"Lord": I’m [Lord], monarch of Avillon. Wait for me, Kartis. I’m going to destroy that despair of yours that made you think you had to build an empire.

Kartis: … Ha… Ha ha ha! You are foolish to the point of being pitiful… But your tenacity is fueled by a madness on par with my own. I like it. You are fit to be my rival. But are you really going to tear down my life, the lifetimes of failures I’ve learned from, and defeat me?

"Lord": You can count on it.

Kartis: Ha ha… Ha ha ha!

Mu: He terminated the connection.

"Lord": Ngh… Ugh, my head.

Mu: The headache will not last long, Master.

"Lord": Did I just overplay my hand…? We still need time to grow stronger… What about you, Mu? Are you okay?

Mu: Yes. My analysis of the obfuscation of Kartis Claudith’s data is complete. I reverse engineered packets received during your connection to acquire data about his terminal. His access rights are currently incomplete. He uses Lambda, the model before me.

"Lord": The model before you? Model #11?

Mu: Yes. I also confirmed Lambda is currently asleep.

"Lord": Shouldn’t he not be able to access the Chronicles, then?

Mu: There is an exceptions clause that allows a contractor to access the Chronicles in exchange for paying a corresponding cost.

"Lord": What’s the cost?

Mu: Resonance.

"Lord": Resonance… I don’t understand what you mean by that. I mean, I know the word’s fundamental meaning. In one sense, it means amplification, and in another, it means agreement. It’s like cause-and-effect, the fundamental law of the universe. But I don’t understand how you would use such a concept to “pay” for something.

Mu: Every living being can amass resonance.

"Lord": Like treasure, or renown…?

Mu: It is a little different from those concepts. Previously, you were not authorized to know this information. However, in being connected to one with higher access rights, your rights were elevated. You may now know. A greater amount of resonance impacts the influence you have on the world and the universe at large.

"Lord": Is that what you meant when you said my resonance had increased after bringing m to this timeline?

Mu: Yes. The amount of power you have to change the world has increased.

"Lord": Has it really….? So then, the emperor… Kartis gave away some of his resonance to access the Chronicles?

Mu: Yes. It is a cost that cannot be ignored, one that will come with clear consequences later.

"Lord": Taking such a huge risk means… he must be betting a lot on me.

Mu: He needed to pay an even greater cost than the penalty outlined in the exceptions clause.

"Lord": … …All right. Nothing has changed. We just need to do what we’ve been doing. We hit him with all we’ve got, and we win.

Mu: Yes, Master.

"Lord": Mu, does this mean I can access the Chronicles again?

Mu: Yes. However, it may be unstable. It still requires synchronization.

"Lord": Could you let me know when that’s done?

Mu: Yes. I will alert you immediately.

"Lord": Great. Thank you for everything, Mu.

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