Streets of Neuerberg

The content of this page is relevant to the Pi Timeline.

## |+| 1 new contact

```

The new contact could wait; usually it was just another new kid trying to be cool.

"Who's poking me now. I don't even sleep so much and they can't wait anyway."

```
---------------------------‐-------------
3745/Werenot:
Swig, you gotta hear about this. Remember what I said about these weirdo "historians"?
Word goes around that they took down some cigar muncher last night.
Like, one of the BIG guys.
I might have to come crumple up with you for a bit if you still have space.
(-) Werenot is currently offline.
2122/Sweigelad:
jeez that sounds bad
youre always welcome with me, you know that
do you know their names
i feel like ive heard somethin about them elsewhere

```

'Werenot', probably the most reliable of his peers. His actual name was something stupid like Herbert, so nobody ever used it. Same thing for Lemandri, since almost everyone just called him 'Sweig' or 'Swig'. His ridiculous ability to walk straight while out on the drink had made the second version most common. The second conversation was from one of his friends inside this same building.

## ```
4432/ornate bricks:
Hey swiggie
I'm working on another slab
Wanna come see tomorrow
(/) ornate bricks is currently offscreen.
2122/Sweigelad:
oh ok
ill be there in a sec, just need to charge mine a bit more
(+) ornate bricks is now active.
4432/ornate bricks
Alright don't be late

```

Larisza was good at making demands without explaining why. He left his slab where it was and headed in for a quick wash. A lot of work had been done to this old office block before it got to this point. Lots of it had happened long before Lemandri was born. She actually knew a lot about it, more than most of the people still around. Apparently one of her parents had done a lot too, but she never mentioned where her parents had gone. After giving his hair and face a decent splashing with water, he headed down the two floors. He snuck in without a sound, but she knew he was there anyway.

"Right on time."

"Hey Ris. What did you want me to see?" He stepped over to get a better look at the device on the table. She was one of the lucky few to inherit a room with several sockets. Some considered it a trash room, but for people who loved tinkering it was perfect. He was a little bit jealous, but at least she let him work on stuff here too. As Larisza's arm moved out of the way, he held his breath. This device looked a good deal newer than everything else that roamed in the entire scene. "Woah... where'd you get this?"

"Oddball. Whatshisface was rambling about it to me all night when he couldn't reach you."

"Wait, the history people?"

She smirked. "Yep. Figured you got the memo too. The guy asked me if I could set the config so he can link up with sockets here. It's weird, they're not from here. Jorjjy knows how they got in with something this expensive in their pockets." This was a unique chance to figure out how the newer models worked, he thought. He was about to bring it up when she addressed it herself. "I've taken a poke around of course. This thing doesn't come from here. Like, not at all. Some of the data structures are more or less the same but it's a totally different architecture. It's finally playing nicely enough to actually recognise the connection. Took me long enough to actually make an adapter that works because of all this." She seemed tired but not displeased. "Something is up with these two. I'm going to find out what."

He laughed at her determination. "How are you going to achieve that?"

Larisza laughed at him in return. "Follow him, invite him for a drink. Dunno. If you're in we could just capture him."

"What? No! That's not something you do."

"Why not? We're not kidnapping him, just not letting him leave until he explains where he got this."

That was still a little iffy. "Can't you just ask him?"

No response. She was lighting one of the secondary connections on the mysterious new slab. "This doesn't fit anything I know. Maybe sound stuff."

"When did you say you'd have it figured out?"

"Didn't. He'd come back today he said." Oh. So *that* was how she was going to get to the bottom of this. "Are you in?"

"I mean, Werenot sounds pretty scared of them."

"He's a weakling and wouldn't manage to kill a buzzy with his bare hands. Yesternight he told me a little more about the details. The guy wasn't so scary, just whacked people with a big stick. The girl, though... heh, I liked the way he described it. Someone who isn't afraid at last."

She put her tools down and walked to the improvised kitchen, where she pulled a drink from the cold cabinet. "Want something? Leye actually pulled a few cases from a storeroom a few nights ago." Ris got him something anyway, and they both drank up. "Almost the time to see the guy. It'll be more fun if you come along. Ready?"

After picking up her favourite wire cutters, she beckoned him. She never took the primitive elevator, always the stairs. "He seems kind of nice, yknow. I bet he'll explain what they're really doing here." Down they went, until they were on ground level. People didn't like to linger around here. It attracted attention of all kinds and there were no doorbells or whatever else to notify anyone up the stairs. Screaming loudly wouldn't reach much further than the first floor corridors, if they were lucky.

This guy wasn't afraid, though, and Lemandri could see why. He was clearly keeping his eyes open, but not nervous. The big stick that he was loosely holding in his right hand also helped. The story that Werenot had painted matched. It was a little weird. When Ris cleared her throat, he looked up and waved. "Heya. How's my brick coming along?"

Nobody used 'brick' these days, except for Larisza and maybe two other weirdos. Not that he really cared.

"Come along and I'll explain. This is Lemandri by the way. Say hi, dude."

He raised his hand to greet, awkwardly. Now the guy would probably use that for eternity. Ugh. Worse still, he came over to shake hands. "I'm Olper." Ris took him through the gate and to the elevator, but he declined. "I'll take the stairs." Seemed about right. The climb wasn't too bad and this Olper guy was just as fast as Lemandri and Larisza, so they were back in no time. He seemed impressed with the total mess of Ris' room. Not a 'wow, this is a mess': there was some kind of recognition. Hadn't he been here when he dropped it off?

"Wow, I hadn't seen this yet. Reminds me of somewhere I know with all the stuff scattered around. So it's right over here, am I right?" Olper walked over to the table with his shiny new device on it. "You've got a working adapter? Great, great. It's always a battle between double handfuls of 'standard format'."

"You don't wanna know how much went into getting that right. Good thing there was a cable in the sleeve. Can't quite make it play with signals yet."

Olper laughed. "Yeah, I figured it would take a while. Maybe I can help you with that part."

"I thought you were a historian?" *Gotcha.* Ris was the best. "You're really quick for one too." For all her poking, she got very little.

"Well, yeah. Maybe you've heard some stories about Philena and about me. We're, how do I say it. We travel around to see what's going on. Neuerberg was next for us."

"The history thing's not real then?" Fine, he would help her ask questions. "Huh."

Olper sat down and set his bag on his lap. It wasn't a normal shoulderbag, what with the strap having a bunch of pockets that he could slide around. There was also a small hard compartment that looked like it should hold a knife, but it didn't. He fished a book from in there and a pen from one of the strap pockets. Nice setup. What they did here with slabs he had done with his clothes. "It's a way to bake the bread. Can't eat air, especially not here." Ris laughed. "I bet you're wondering where I got this from if it isn't here in Neuerberg. And yeah, we look less like bookkeepers and more like fighters, don't we. We are actually keeping track of this city's progress though. The recent lockdown of the lowside has Philena itching for a fight. That's how that happened."

Ris picked up a pen, idly fiddling with it. "How long have you two actually been here?" For a moment, Olper had a weird look on his face, as if he was examining both of them. Then he nodded and opened up the book, where he started writing something down.

"We haven't been here for too long. We're planning to stick around though. Something is up with this place." Smiles. So friendly and calm. Patient. "We're catching stories about how it used to be, but people don't like to talk about it."

Larisza's eyes looked like they could shoot fire. Uh oh. It brought back the parents thing that she hated questions about. "Oh, I know plenty about that. Do you want to hear what is up with this place? I'll tell you!"

"Ris... are you sure you-"

"Shut up, Swig. I know exactly where I'm going." Olper, on his end, stayed calm. Ris continued. "This place sucks. You hear me? Everyone just holds up hands to the goodie goodie dirtbags up in the sky. Too loud? Whee, there you go! Swept up like the candy and the kid. See it? SEE IT?" Her eyes were wild, one hand clenching her wire cutters like she was going to ram them into a table. It was one of these times again. He didn't dare approach her when she was like this. She could easily stab him. She *would*.

"Slow down. We're already that far. Philena is trying to find out more about the Altitudes... for some reason. She's well aware of the things you describe."

Larisza's expression changed. Dropping the wire cutters slash knife, she grabbed Olper by the collar of his shirt. "You're bringing me to her."

Oh no. She had never been content with the small slice of heaven down here. She had found stories about before the split, and she wanted the whole pie. "RIS! What are you gonna do? Who knows if she'll just reveal it to everyone else."

"Something is up with you. I think I see it." He couldn't stop her.

Olper, as friendly as he had seemed, turned Larisza's hold on him against her in one fell swoop, and she fell to the floor with a small thud. "What do you see, then? You already know I'm not soft." He coughed. "Why do you people have to be so explosive? Philena is already more than enough trouble to hold back from murdering someone every three bystanders she meets right now."

Larisza groaned. "Cack." Olper held his big staff in two hands and looked ready for a fight.

"I don't want to fight, but you're doing this to yourself."

Lemandri had trouble not jumping on the guy. "What did you do to her?!"

"Look, you two. Whatever you're trying to discover about me or Philena, we're doing our own thing. You don't have to know it." Ris scrambled to her feet while Olper was facing away from her and tackled him. "Hey!"

She was holding the cutters in her hand. "You come to MY place and think you can beat me up?"

A woman spoke up behind Lemandri. "I would not go through with that, were I you." Her voice was calm, but for some reason that only made it send chills down his spine. The fighting stance he had been holding fell apart with each of the woman's words.

Olper managed to raise his head up. "Philena?"

"Hold still, you ghosty bitch!"

The woman stepped past Lemandri without paying attention to him. "I am holding still. But rest assured, if you so much as *poke* him, I will make you wish the authorities were coming to catch you instead."

Ris' eyes twitched. "How... what would you know about it? You know nothing, you hear me? You don't understand!"

"Release Olper. I will only ask you once." Her eyes looked like they could shoot fire too. No, they were *actually* glowing a little. Lemandri slowly stepped away from her. This was weird wizard stuff.

"Or else what!"

"I will maim you more horribly than whatever your worst wishes for the authorities could hope to achieve. I am asking you rather politely, considering that you are threatening to kill my only close friend."

Larisza stared furiously, but the woman stared back harder. "I *have* maimed people much older and stronger than you, in fact. You are easy pickings." The lady stepped forward, awaiting Ris' reaction. Nothing. Another step. Larisza's face went from angry to confused, then scared. The woman eventually stood towering over her, drawing some kind of knife. A bigger knife. The cutters fell to the ground.

This had gotten way out of hand. "Hey..." Olper finally wrestled himself loose from Larisza, which knocked her flat onto the floor *again*. She began crawling away from the mysterious lady. He had never seen her afraid like this. "...what *are* you?"

"SHE'S A WITCH!"

Olper laughed. "Larisza is actually right about that."

"Yes, I am Philena. I was not expecting to find something this ridiculous." She put an arm around Olper. "Still in one piece, I take it?"

"Thanks. Just a bruise." He turned around to Larisza, who was still staring at Philena. "Why did you have to do that?" He picked up the cutters from the floor and offered them to Ris. "I'm not angry, okay? Just a little unhappy with what you did." She grabbed them from his hand and pocketed them.

"I, for one, *am* a little angry. This is worse than tenth age street thuggery."

Olper flinched. "Right. There it goes."

*Tenth age*. Wait...

"I KNEW IT! I KNEW SOMETHING WAS GOING ON!" She pointed a finger at Philena, who looked surprised.

"*Kao*. How foolish of me. Clearly I have much to practice about saying things."

Clearly Larisza was making a connection that Lemandri couldn't see, and Olper and Philena apparently knew what she meant.

"Alright, alright. So we have been around here for a bit longer than I said."

"Are you from the past or something? Time travel?"

That could be cool, if weird. Larisza took refuge behind him. "Of course not. Do they look like plants on the concrete?" What was she getting at?

"Stop it, you. I suppose we have to tell you now. Come, there's no point in keeping up the ruse for them."

The shape of their appearance blurred, then sharpened to very different figures.

"Ahem. Yes. We do not age, so we attempt to pass for mundane in order to avoid all the unwarranted attention. Oh, mother, why did you give us this cursed device?" The voices hadn't changed.

"To be fair, that's my fault for asking. But, uh, yeah. Olper and Philena are not real names either as you can guess. I'm Raff. She's Katherine. With that out of the way..."

Ris stepped out from behind Lemandri, cutters clenched in her hand again. "What are you doing here?"

Philena, no, Katherine, sheathed the large knife. "I intend to find some means by which I can break the power of this oppressive system. It is not what I originally came here for, but I suppose I may as well make this world a little less unbalanced. Hm, father will be amused when he hears of this."

She was after the same thing as Larisza, though probably not with the same violent revolution that Ris sometimes ranted about. She took a seat, without asking. "So, here I am, Larisza. Why did you want to meet me?"

"You're doing what I want to do."

Katherine snorted. Would you be interested in working together, just after someone threatened your closest friend?"

Lemandri knew exactly what was going to happen. Ris was weird and didn't care. He agreed with this Katherine, because it *was* weird, but Ris was still his friend. The goal was all that mattered to her, deep down.

"Look, I'm scared, you stupid witch! I- I work so hard to find people who can fight and this guy talks about you! Anyone would jump on that!"

Surprisingly, this Katherine lady smiled. Not even a nasty smile. A real smile. She beckoned Larisza to take a seat on another stool next to the work tables. "I won't bite if you refrain from biting too." She beckoned him, too. "In peacetime, I am quite agreeable. Come, if you want to uproot those that rule the Altitudes we may as well try to work together. I'd rather not let your talents and inclinations go to waste by offing you."

How could she go from uttering death threats to being friendly in five seconds, and then back again? "D'you expect me to trust you?"

"It is that or struggling between the two of you with no other allies in purpose. We two have excellent general knowledge; the two of you know this city's intricacies and speak the local speak much better than we ever will."

Ris stepped forward. She still eyed Katherine with suspicion, but shook her head. "Ugh. I've always wanted more people to share with, fine. Fine! You didn't have to hide yourself like that. I hate it." With that, she sat down next to Katherine. "Fine. Fine. Let's get to work."

## 2 - Philena

*1303, Courier 20.*

*Collaboration with the pair of youths is proving a little arduous, to say the least. Especially this Larisza is enigmatic in ways I could envy. Her compatriot Lemandri or 'Swig' is not as sealed as she is, but he does not trust either of us. I hope that they finally find some more peers willing to partake in this project. If nothing else, it would allow all four of us some room to breathe. Raff, on his part, is trying his best to maintain the cooperation as best he can. Unlike me, he can still bear to put up with the antics of commoners. He likes to think he is lucky to have met me, but in a similar vein I am very glad that he found me. Without him I would likely have stepped on many toes by now.*

*The world can be unforgiving and harsh, perhaps, but Raff makes it that much more bearable. I can entrust him with my thoughts, my worries. He has mastered something that none of us have: he still manages to interact meaningfully with the commoner, all while delving into the subtle world-changing antics our lot get up to.*

*Hm, he has something to show me. I suppose it can't hurt to get some movement. All this idle scribbling could taint my already modest condition.*

She put her pen down, if reluctantly. "What is the matter?"

"I know you're writing, but there's been a change in our scenery." He dragged her outside. "Look at that."

For a moment, Katherine couldn't imagine what he was referring to. "I see nothing as of yet... ignoring the conspicuously inconspicuous figure casually surveying the area, a gaze aimed in our general direction." She smiled. "So they know our name and address, these fiends. Why don't we pay their storefront a visit? These groups tend to run excellent dining venues." She took Raff by the hand. "You've certainly earned a delicious meal for the peacekeeping you have been doing. Come, the worst they can pull upon our entry is a firearm."

"So long as you're letting me order my own meal, alright?"

Of course. "Hmm. Yes, that is a fair bargain. Shall we get dressed for the occasion or for the likely outcome?"

Raff snorted. "Depends. How well do you fight in your finest?"

"Raff, all my clothing is designed to permit free movement. Mother and I spent quite some time refining it, in fact."

"I know." He gave her hand a squeeze. "You could use the distraction too. Admit it, you're missing the antics back in the Hub more than you want to."

That, too, but she needed not answer. "Alright, onwards to the wardrobe."

Back inside, she picked the kind of attire that would be difficult to miss. Somewhat contemporary on the one hand, unorthodox on the other. Raff on his part would dress to match, likely as a street rebel with fashion sense dating a few decades earlier. "Hmph. This always makes me seem that little more tall. Oh well."

Fashion was and always would be something ridiculous. With that out of the way, she sat down to resume writing.

*Our newly found adversaries have presented themselves at a spear's throwing from us; we will pay a visit. Should they be foolish, it will be good exercise and we reap the spoils afterwards. Should they be wise, we will have a lovely meal right under their noses. It is the ideal plan.*

*Raff is correct in noting that we have both earned a little treat, given that it is no light task to get commoners to talk about the high and mighty much these days.*

## 3 - Olper

"This sandwich isn't all that bad, really."

Katherine ate. The food here *was* quite good, and she had noticed it too. "Quite a shame, really. They won't be around to make any more for us." She leaned back on the couch, one of the few that had not been damaged in the fight. "I do find it a little deprived of seasoning. Have you checked for interesting goods to bring home yet?"

In response, Raff hoisted his bag and gave it a pat. "Assuming we can get this across to our future rebels, the authorities are in for a bad time." He stretched. His arms were going to be sore tomorrow: they hadn't dealt with so much fighting for a few decades, so now he had to rebuild all of that training from almost nothing. Katherine didn't seem to suffer from any of this, for whatever reason. Her best guess still remained the slightly different biology of her blood line. After all, it was also the reason why she had such bizarre weather and temperature tolerances. Who knows what else it does for her, he always thought to himself. She ate her sandwich, content with today's spoils. It was quite amazing what they could get away with under the anonymity of such a large city.

"Hey, we should move. I'd bet you another great sandwich that the authority figures will be here any moment."

She yawned. "I don't expect them to arrive for another clock, but we do need to get a move on, yes." With a nimble movement, she was on her feet, ready to head back. She held his hand for most of the walk back home.

"Kath?"

"Hmm?"

"We should do this more often."

Katherine smirked. "As the plan proceeds, we will be doing this more than enough. I agree, it's quite refreshing to express all this annoyance and irritation properly." She gave his hand a squeeze.

Back in their apartment, he prepared two cups of tea and sat back. Katherine disappeared with hers into the room they had cleared out for this project, much like she had for the past few days. Oh well. Sometimes, Raff missed the times when they simply sat outside in the sun talking about every thing that came to mind. They barely had the time to do any of that right now. Speaking of, there were probably some new messages to be found on the rectangular screen of his assistant device.

"New conversations, huh? Alright."

```
## \_/ World Salad v0.7.2 Alpha \_/
Mayhem through order. Order from chaos.
[o] 4 new conversations
## [-] 1 new file

```

The chatter was rich today. It helped that these people were backed by their street smarts and friends who stole food for them.

## ```
4432/ornate bricks:
Hello Olper*
How ya doing
Swiggie and me are working on something for your girl
Just tell me when you two can come pick it up and I'll get it done
[v] ornate bricks is currently active.
8675/Unseasonable:
Oh hey Larisza.
We're good, kicked up some cigar chewer's storefront just now.
We could come pick up whatever this gift is today if it's already done.
Though I'm guessing it isn't yet. Is two days enough?
4432/ornate bricks:
Yes that could work
It's not really a big deal it's just a slab
But it's actually a pretty good one that we scrounged up
Two days seems fine, just remember that it's not the same as yours
8675/Unseasonable:
Alright, sounds good. Until then.
4432/ornate bricks:
Hey wait
What is the deal between you and Philena
For real
8675/Unseasonable:
If you really want to know, yes, I love her and she loves me.
It helps that we've known each other for about four lifetimes, you know.
4432/ornate bricks:
You never get bored?
8675/Unseasonable:
You'd be surprised how much she hides behind that appearance.
Besides, when you have all the time in the world, there's nothing you need to skip.
Want to learn baking? Take half a lifetime to perfect it.
4432/ornate bricks:
Okay fair
Well I'll continue upgrading this surprise for your girl now
See you later

```

Sigh. So cooperative yet so tricky. The only person she treated consistently was her friend Lemandri, and even he didn't understand her all that much. It was extra weird, too, because even Katherine agreed that there was something inherently unpredictable about Larisza; that usually didn't happen.

"Next."

Next being a fairly new face who he hadn't met in person yet. Katherine had, but her only commentary was "shifty individual". Their actual name remained unknown for now.

## ```
7346/frailbits:
So you're Olper, right?
I've heard about you.
Good things, don't worry.
I'm wondering, do we have some kind of headquarters?
Obviously we'll need to start forming a hierarchy and such, and maybe I could help.
Leadership comes naturally to me, you see.
[/] frailbits is currently offscreen.
8675/Unseasonable:
Yes, that's me. I think you've met Philena before, right?
Anyway, there aren't as many people in on this as you think. It's a small-scale effort.
We've got the planning and organisation covered for now. I'll let you know if it changes.
[v] frailbits is now active.
7346/frailbits:
Oh, okay! Well, thanks for the info.
I thought I'd make myself useful a little more, is all.
8675/Unseasonable:
Right now, you doing your thing and stockpiling stuff is all we need from you.
Once the authorities notice us, the real work begins and we will need all the resources we can get.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. That's mostly my job.

```

Shifty, or rather a little eager to take the reins. It could be worse. He wrote it down on paper.

*frailbits - a little hungry for influence; eyes open*

## ```
3745/Werenot:
Hey, so I heard you're the people who kicked down that guy.
Thought I'd say hello.
I'm a HUGE fan of Philena, from the stories alone.
If you need me to do something, I'm listening, okay?
And I heard you're immortal or something too. That's insanely cool!
[v] Werenot is currently active.
8675/Unseasonable:
Hey there. You're one of Sweigelad's friends, right?
3745/Werenot:
Yeah, he reeled me into this. Though Larisza did too.
I admire what you two are setting up. The world would be a better place with more people like you.
8675/Unseasonable:
I wouldn't say that if I were you, you don't really know us.
I'm a nice enough guy but I'm not soft. Philena's a whole other story.
3745/Werenot:
Oh, okay.
Anyway, *I* think you're doing something good for the world.
8675/Unseasonable:
Heh, thanks.
There's one thing that you might be able to do.
If you know anyone who would go to the same lengths as you for this, introduce them to this.
We'll need a few more people to be able to take over anything significant down the line.
3745/Werenot:
Wait, really? I'll uh, I'll ask around.
Please be patient, I'll try to get it done as quickly as I can.

```

Raff sat back for a moment.

"Kath? I think we've found one of those, what do you call them again?"

The sound of shuffling papers stopped, followed by footsteps. Katherine appeared surprisingly quickly.

"Let me read." Her eyes flew across the lines of text on the screen in an instant. A smile formed on her lips. "Ah, yes. I see what you mean. We have ourselves a *true believer* in the cause."

It didn't sound as sympathetic as it might have sounded on paper. A little more amused than pleased.

"Well, if you say so. He seems motivated."

"You're certain this is a he?"

"Lemandri assured me as much. I'm having him round up more peers if he has any willing ones, as you can see." He chuckled. "I bet he'd be willing to die for you, if his words are any indication."

Katherine sighed. She hated it when other people looked up to her. She couldn't stand the extra attention anyway, and since they were here under a false cover, the praise was fake to her. "Yes, I suppose he *would*. Though he'd be more useful alive than dead, despite his nigh obsession with myself. Larisza was kind enough to warn me the other day."

"She still talks to you?"

"For an arbitrary value of 'talk', she still maintains communication with me."

Right, the surprise. "She mentioned that she is preparing a device just for you. Something above average, she implied." He saw her expression fold into amusement. "What?"

"She absolutely dislikes us, but she is well aware that she and I have a common goal. It was quite interesting to see her expression once she discovered how little trouble exactly you and I have with the use of violence if it serves the right purpose. Surprise and infuriation competing for expression on one face. One might almost call it fascinating, and I have seen many faces. As have you, too."

It was saying something, but she emphasised it more than usual. Larisza's ability to set aside personal dislike so well clearly impressed her.

"Is there anything else I should be asking from any of them? Some of them are looking at their chatter rolls right now."

"For now we observe and learn, gathering assets as we proceed. We'll be ordering them around the city soon enough."

## 4 - Larisza

A soft rushing noise. It wasn't Swig, and none of her favourite blunt friends were coming to say hi today.

"Philena."

The witch said nothing and took a seat.

"I have been told that you had something interesting for me."

Larisza shrugged. "What's interesting?"

Philena wasn't Philena, she was Katherine today. "Your dedication has been well beyond my expectations so far. Impressive, given our wrong-footed start."

She didn't care. Whoever was going for the same thing in the same way was with her. Shrug number two. "The goal matters. We don't. Wouldn't you know more?"

Katherine leaned her head on both hands, like a little girl. "Most interestingly, you *would* have gone through with murdering Raff, isn't that so?" She leaned forward as if she wanted to hear 'yes', not 'no'.

"What do you want? Sorry?"

"On the contrary, I approve of your reasoning. I want no less from you. The device is certainly a pleasant gesture, mind you, but it was not why I came here myself."

No, of course not. She only came when she wanted something. And for some immortal lady, that was a whole lot of times.

"You've tried to rally peers before, isn't that right? You have tried to make them see what only you see. The thing that you once shared is now only yours, even though you do not want it to be."

More of this. "Shut up."

"And forgo telling you that you aren't alone in this? I may seem unsympathetic, but for someone who has barely outgrown her adolescence you are peculiarly dedicated towards bringing down the entire city. I know quite well what creates such dedication."

Larisza unboxed the slab. "Okay, here. *Here.* I don't want to deal with this. Go find out what the people think they are."

With a soft chuckle, Katherine it up and inspected it. "Hm, impressive. This only postpones the subject, however. I am quite persistent when my attention is captured. We will speak again." She got up and left. All very elegant. She dressed in things that nobody would wear unless they wanted to appear weird and old-fashioned, but that was literally what she was. The worst part was that everyone else let her get away with it. She was a witch tricking everyone into seeing nothing.

Sigh. Nothing else was going to come out today after the witch came by. May as well go fetch some useful things. Larisza took along her working slab, put it into a bag, grabbed her coat. Leye was never far whenever she was looking for them. Either they for some reason were just around the corner every time, or Larisza simply knew where to walk. The street here was dirtier than usual. Some kind of mud was plastered on the walls, as if ashes of something had been mixed with water to create mud paint.

"Pst. Rissie."

Yep, there they were, holding a crate of whatever had been stolen this time. There was a smear of the same shitty mud on their cheek. Larisza smiled. "What's the news?"

Leye nodded down at their loot. "Typical spoils. No fancy slabs this time, sorry. How'd that go with your witch friend?"

"Still a witch. Doesn't change, ever."

She followed them down to the current distribution point for all the basic needs. It always moved around, usually to places that hadn't been used before. Authorities weren't *really* on their tail. Probably had organised criminals to deal with. People who actually shot others and did ransoms, that kind of thing. Larisza wasn't much into actually stealing things herself. Her buddies had that covered and made sure she had all the time in the world to deck out the devices they stole. They didn't know the first thing about cracking open the tight security on assistants, she didn't know much about doing the thief thing. Swiggie knew a little about both and made sure she didn't forget to eat.

"Any extras you wanna pick up? Last haul turned up some fancy stuff."

Larisza browsed the illicit gains. Everything was neatly stacked, courtesy of the goon that went by 'frailbits' behind the screen. Nothing interesting, besides some really ugly shoes.

"Eh, nothing I want. Just get me the usual."

Leye smiled and got to work. "Didn't your witch want more people on board?" Oh no. No, Leye was not going to get in on this. Before you knew it they'd be best pals with that woman. But they insisted. "Come on, Ris. You'll never stop being my best."

"You haven't met her. She'll steal you with your eyes wide open."

"Nah. Nobody steals me. You can't steal a thief." Leye came back with a box and walked along on the way back home. "Think, Larisza. I get it, you need me and the rest to keep your boat floating, but that's real easy. I wanna have places to go, and so do you. Just let me talk to her."

"She's weird though, just so you know."

Leye laughed. "Come on, I survived you too."

Fine, if they insisted.

## 5 - Werenot

Finally, an answer.

```
1414/Cartweight:
Oh hey! Didn't see your message last time. So it is true that she is seeking allies to her cause?
The moment you told me, I knew my predictions were correct. It's obvious that this city will fall some day.
Tell Philena that she has my unconditional support.
3745/Werenot:
I know, right! This is the most exciting time to be alive.
I've heard that Philena has finally acquired a device with which to speak to us directly, but I don't know her info.
I'm sure Olper will tell us soon, or maybe she'll contact us instead.
3745/Werenot:
Wait, what??
1414/Cartweight:
AYE GODS!
1400/Bookkeepstress:
Please, my digital ears are already quite tired.
Greetings, young ones. As you may have heard, I have learned to use devices such as yours.
Miss Verdeen was so kind as to teach me additional functionalities that allow me to run you lot around more easily.
With this out of the way, it would be ideal if you both came to her residence, as quickly as possible.
There have been some... developments in our situation. The plans I have will be put into motion early.
1414/Cartweight:
As you desire. I am ready to do what is required of me, no matter how difficult.
3745/Werenot:
I'm guessing you will be there yourself?
1400/Bookkeepstress:
Not quite.
Olper will be there to discuss the details with you; I will join him shortly once my work here is done.
3745/Werenot:
That was....
1414/Cartweight:
To think that the harbinger herself graced us with her presence!
Thank you, Werenot. I am very glad that you brought this to my attention.
Now, no time to waste! Let us proceed to Larisza's building and begin the uprising.

```

He smiled. She *really* believed in her own prophecies about Neuerberg. He himself wasn't so sure, but Philena certainly seemed to have the qualities needed to bring Larisza's network of friends together to achieve a goal.

"No time to waste indeed."

Some extra clothing, chargers, blanket. This wasn't going to be just a simple meeting, he already knew it.

## 6 - Linovast

"Please, call me Linovast."

He inspected the walls and the furniture with a sharp gaze in his eyes. "Say, what is this?

With a quick motion of his hand, he plucked a small device from underneath the sofa, turning it around in his fingers. When no response came, he placed it in the chest pocket of his vest and resumed his tour around the apartment. He had been moderately positive so far; hopefully he would think nothing of this and sign the deal. A lot could be riding on the man's presence in Neuerberg. Linovast Varidot was a renowned man of science *and* magic, a devout Dwinian whose life was built entirely around the pursuit of the knowable. Many parallels were drawn between him and Delinius Langton, some of which he had come up with himself, but ultimately he was no different from some of the other great minds that were drawn to the city's fame. There were plenty of eccentric individuals in the crowd of great thinkers.

A warm smile on his face. "I look forward to working here. As you said, it is free of constraints, isn't it?"

Everyone simply smiled and politely confirmed it. Linovast was not gullible, but he lacked any sort of suspicion, nor did he seem to consider the possibility that the city kept an eye on its notable residents. Once he had signed the papers in twofold and gone about unpacking his belongings, they slipped out. It all came with a price, this stuff. For every great feat that Neuerberg had achieved, there was something they had thrown away.

Linovast gazed over the platforms and bridges around his residence. How much did the people here know about the city's history, or its belowside? No mention was made of it, and to begin inquiring immediately would be foolish. Something slumbered beneath the heights of this city, and he would surely find it. At this moment, though, it was best to become acquainted with its intricacies.

"What secrets do you keep from yourself, great city?"

He resolved to unpack his bags and rest for the remainder of the day.

## 7 - Leye

The food was kind of bad, but it was *stolen* so it felt good anyway. But now someone was knocking on the door, and Leye wasn't expecting anyone. They picked up the club against the wall, slowly moving to the front door to open it. Nobody was supposed to come, and now of all times was a suspicious moment for strangers to come knocking.

"Who there?"

A female voice coughed. "You are Nara, isn't that right?"

For a moment, Leye lowered the club. "Who's asking?"

The voice laughed. "The name Philena should ring a bell to you."

What was *she* doing here? Whatever. Judging by what Ris said, this woman could get through the door if she really wanted to, so Leye opened the door. She was pretty tall, all things considered. The clothing was nothing of the boring samewear that everyone picked. It was all colourful and pretty fancy. How she kept all of that clean was beyond them.

"So you're Philena. Come in... I guess. It's a mess in here but you've already been with Ris. No big deal I'm sure."

Philena followed into the living room full of stolen garbage. The collection was mostly a bunch of unusual stuff from houses they'd plundered with others. Swig had been part of more than a few of those as well. Whatever she was thinking, Philena certainly seemed pleased with what she was seeing. Her hands passed by each and every thing, as if she was touching the stories behind them. Her hands weren't all that fancy. They weren't exactly *rough*, but it was obvious that she did more than just read books and write on paper. Then again, nobody paid attention to hands. Once she had given everything a look, she motioned to the next room. "You do your work over there, yes?"

She was clever, without having to be showy about it. "Uh, yeah? Why are you here anyway?"

"Larisza told me that you were curious to meet me. Here I am. That being said, I wanted to get an idea of what you are capable of. I could use your help in acquiring the things we need."

Leye laughed. "Ris told me all about it. I probably have some of the stuff you need, but I'm up for more. You know, I've been waiting for something neat to show up. Larisza likes to present herself as the rebel mastermind, but besides Swig and me nobody really listens to her rambling about a revolution. I got the street maps and all the places nobody checks. She got the smarts to turn machines around. Swig just kinda goes back and forth to make sure everything keeps running. I don't know, have you met anyone else yet? I heard a few of them talk about you."

"Not physically, no, though I am about to once I am done here. Speaking of which: it would be good if you came along so that we can advance the plan early."

Despite her friendly words, Philena was tense. "Something wrong, hm? Don't worry, I always manage whenever the gov's on my ass."

"It is not the authorities chasing me down, yet. Olper and I may have upset some criminal groups with our recent actions."

Cigar munchers? Now this was becoming *real* fun. "You're going up against the gov *and* the munchers? Damn."

"I was taught to be proud of my talents, and to not hesitate about making good use of them. It appears to me that you have learned to do the same."

That sounded nice despite Philena's dry tone. Leye slipped into a warm coat in the meantime. Now wasn't the best time of year if you hated the cold. "I'll give my buddies a ping when I know what we're looking at, by the way. I've got a few people who keep this snagging boat dry."

She smirked. "I'm sure that we will need their help. Are you coming along?" Philena was at the door.

Leye went after her. Ris was kind of right. Philena was a little weird, but she wasn't nasty if you treated her well. Not much, anyway.

## 8 - Philena II

The attendance was excellent. Eager faces who awaited her words like the pet its food.

"The attendance is outstanding. Hello, youngsters. I will be going by Philena for much of this undertaking. My actual name is irrelevant for your purposes. You all know why you've gathered here."

Larisza's project table had been cleared - much to its owner's dismay - and served as Katherine's presentation space. Numerous sheets of paper were strewn across it, each filled with information she had composed over the years.

"As you can see here, there are many things we need to take care of," she said, tapping several of the sheets with her pen. "The buildings down here are nothing if not vulnerable to something as simple as a sledgehammer. We require a stockpile of materials to reinforce walls with and barricade entryways and windows. There will be times when we must remain indoors to avoid detection; Leye and their associates will already take care of food and the like, but I urge you to prepare your own stockpiles. One never knows when circumstances become dire. These are the two things that I want all of you to be concerned with. Even the simplest piece of rope may prove instrumental to our success, so do not be ashamed if you cannot scrounge up bags of cement and metal beams." Katherine smiled. "Some might wonder what the exact goal is. Allow me to elaborate."

She cleared her throat.

"What you are about to embark on is much larger than you yourselves. It's quite likely that you will never see the result of your efforts during your lifetime. To the masses, your names may be irrelevant. But to those who *persist*," she spoke, tapping her journal, "your efforts will forever remain known. When everything is said and done, you and your peers will be forever immortalized for future generations to see. Your work will free Neuerberg from its rigidity and its division. Are you ready to invest in something so distant, so abstract?"

A Norfae girl spoke up. "Only through hardship can victory be earned!"

Oh no, *another* believer. She was probably the friend of that "Werenot" who was standing behind her. No matter. Perhaps they'd be more cooperative as a result.

"Can't build a good house without stomping the floor flat first."

Larisza stepped forward, placing herself next to Katherine. "Look, it's gonna suck sometimes. But those spooks up top? They *deserve it*. And we're gonna show them that you can't just wave shit over people's heads to keep them down." Spirited words from someone who disliked the crowded room, and some of her allies. It was all quite obvious why she spontaneously began acting like a leading figure.

Several of the kids present cheered. Leye expelled a victorious burp, instead.

"Alright then. You will know what to do."

For now, she retreated up the stairs to the new lodgings, with Larisza tailing her. Raff was in charge of actually delegating the various tasks to the youngsters. After Katherine had entered the room, she finally turned around. "Yes?"

"Okay, listen. You suck at keeping things secret. I thought you sucked at talking."

"Your addition to my explanation was quite visionary, I thought."

Larisza snorted. "That obvious?"

"Yes, it is that obvious to me. You have witnessed this very same scene before, with different faces, perhaps in a different room. You struck this deal because you resent the authorities that apprehended your parents, and because it is what you learned to believe. I'm quite sure that some of your peers are already discussing what came over you right there."

"Swiggie and Nara already know."

"Of course they do, but it is not everyday that you *show* it, is it now."

While the conversation dragged on, Katherine sat down on the couch, journal in her lap. Larisza idly leaned against the wall. Her expression betrayed very little, and they were both silent for a while.

"Do you really believe in it?"

"This cause? I believe that this city's current state of things is not as it should be. *How* the change comes about is irrelevant. I am no idealist, or a visionary. The shape of Neuerberg will be defined by those born to it, not by me. It is up to you to pass your ideas on to others in hopes that they'll become a reality."

Larisza scoffed. "Why not you? You get to live forever."

"Even this indirect form of interfering is a dangerous thing for my kind. The moment anyone so much as suspects that there's a famous Langton involved, everything falls apart. How much history do you know?" Katherine gave her an intent gaze.

"Not much. Your dad shows up, maybe. That's why I felt like you two were off."

"Quite the lucky hunch, I must say. Well now. We are all mythologised to some degree or other. My parents suffer it the most, of course, but there are followings devoted to me too. While their intentions are likely helpful, they get in the way when you're trying to guide Ludusians to make better choices *without* affirmation from people they value more than they should. My father firmly believes that people have the right to make their own decisions, and I generally agree with him. We only aim to step in when certain individuals restrict the choices of others in a manner that is too unfair to tolerate."

A small smile cracked on Larisza's stalwart appearance. "The world's oldest babysitters." She finally decided to sit down next to Katherine. "When you said we're gonna be immortalized, you meant that, right? Like, you're going to make people build statues of me?"

"Of you, of your two close friends, even of those two who have already begun to worship me."

"Oh right. Yeah, them. Lemme tell you. Knot? Totally harmless. He'd believe in me if I spoke up more. All of these people don't understand shit about propaganda. Mom told me how it works. Dad took me out to deface some. I fucking *breathe* this rebellion shit. I still have old notes. But watch out for horn girl. She knows I only let her in because she's buddies with Knot and Knot is buddies with Swig. She knows I don't believe in her prophecy garbage, but I can't really go telling her all the secrets."

"Old notes? You surprise me, Larisza."

"My parents were professional about this. Knew exactly who to keep an eye on. Didn't save them from being ratted out, or getting ambushed by people they worked with. So I'm informing you about all my "friends". You're probably not wondering where I get my food from, or why I don't have to play thief like the rest. The only reason they all pool their shit together for me is because they want to be in with the crowd, but they're too broke to buy from the snarky asses who keep entire shops of slabs. That's the only reason why this building's so empty after ten years. I'm just their code monkey. Doesn't matter to them what happened to me so long as I keep fixing their tech."

Katherine shook her head. "Your position is more precarious than I thought at first."

"You know it. I don't trust any of these people. Just Swig, just Leye. I can trust you, kind of. We're working on the same thing, and you could've thrown me and Swig out the window that first time. No wonder you get away with your act when everyone's *dead*, heh."

"Should I be worried about your safety?"

"Nah, there's no open death threats right now. Just watch out for some of them. I already told you about Knot and horns girl. You met Gyrea before, right?"

"Gyrea desires to be important, isn't that right?

"Oh yeah. Attention, that's what she wants. Except she can't do anything alone and always has to steal credit."

Well, wasn't that convenient. Katherine smirked. "I believe I see a use for her."

"Don't tell me. Your face reads easy when you're not paying attention to it."

She got up and left.

"Thanks, wizard lady. You're not so heartless as you pretend to be."

## (_)] Electric Coffee v52.4.46 [(_)
(+) Unseasonable is active.

```

```
2122/Sweigelad:
so olper
frailbits wants to get her sib in on this
but shes kinda young and i donno if you two approve
8675/Unseasonable:
Do you trust frailbits?
2122/Sweigelad:
didnt ris tell you about it
of course i dont
but if gyrea feels like shes not taken seriously she might snap at ris
i cant let that happen
8675/Unseasonable:
Philena had plans to deal with Gyrea, I think. Maybe Larisza knows more about that.
They had a talk after the first meeting.
2122/Sweigelad:
whens the next one anyway
you havent said much about the next steps for days

```

He sat back. Olper wasn't responding, yet. Lemandri's room was a mess, with cables and canned food strewn across the floor. There was an open can on his desk, half-emptied. A ding alerted him to a different conversation.

## ```
 2615/Halfanara:
Swiggleeeees
are you there
I have a little problem
more like we all have a little problem
they're on my tail, meet me at the first dropoff
2122/Sweigelad:
nara whats wrong
keep your ribs together im coming
ill try to bring some backup

```

Lemandri hastily packed a few things he might need, then bolted down the corridor. Neither Olper nor Philena were here, at the moment. While running, he bumped into Kelias.

"Yikes, Sweig! What's the hurry?"

"I gotta save Nara. Some kinda trouble."

The Norfae's eyes widened. "I'll come with you. Where are we going?"

"Jus' follow me."

They sprinted down the stairs and out onto the street. The alley that had started it all was still some distance to cover, especially on foot. Good thing he knew the shortcuts like he knew his fingertips.

Kelias was panting. She wasn't usually the type to go running around town. "Keep up, 's not far now."

After what felt like too long, they were finally in the right place. Leye showed up soon after. They were in far rougher shape than he had expected, with a few bruises and cuts more than should be. They also looked rather worried, which was unusual. He couldn't see what was coming after them, but Leye immediately pulled him away by his arm. "Don't stay looking."

"Are you alright?"

Leye didn't answer. They were leading now, and Lemandri had no idea where to. After crossing a few streets, the pace finally slowed a little. "Had some munchers on my tail. Lotsa munchers. Philena told me where she's at. Gonna hope she's at home."

Kelias looked a lot less tired, all of a sudden. The three of them hurried along until they found themselves in a nicer part of the area, closer to the walls. Since the division, people with money liked to hang out close to the edges. Anywhere else, and they were likely to be roughed up by "poor suckers with lots of fight and no patience", like Larisza once summed it up. People like them got funny looks from the watchpeople at the gates, but Leye didn't seem to be heading in their direction. They walked up to one of the doors and rang a bell. A buzzer sound went off before Lemandri could ask questions, and they headed inside, up some stairs. Philena was waiting at the door to one of the apartments.

"Not often does anyone come to visit me. Do come in." Without asking any questions, she took Leye to the bathroom, probably to treat the bruises.

Obviously, horn girl was very excited and nervous to be here. He was less so. The place was a mess, but a clean mess at that. Lemandri looked at some of the papers pinned to a board on the wall. For someone who seemed to plan ahead, Philena's notes were very unorganised. Not quite as bad as Ris, though. He saw a his name a few times, between everyone else. What the rest of this stuff meant was beyond him. It didn't take long before Leye came back with a smile on their face and far fewer scratches. Philena emerged soon after them.

"Have you ever been patched up with magic before? Really cool."

Philena smiled. "I have studied these things quite extensively. My father knows much more about the subject of healing, but I make do. What devil did you kick in the teeth to deserve such punishment?"

"*Lots* of munchers. But my folks should be rolling up with some sweet goodies right about now. Phi, this is totally worth risking my neck for. You're probably gonna believe your eyes, but not by much."

He'd recognise that grin *anywhere*.