-=[Arianna Manning]=-

Arianna’s ideological world lay in ruins. Her mental landscape had been torn asunder, burned to cinders by a girl that Arianna herself had chosen to cast away six years ago. The horrifying truth was that Arianna didn’t even cast Ash Sparks aside on her own accord, it was a decision created by her grandfather’s vile art of snipping away, erasing passions and memories.

Lord Manning for all of his seeming power, wisdom and experience had made a grave mistake - Ash was a little urchin that everyone had thrown away. Forsaken and forgotten by the Magistrate, she had years to grow up and now she had returned with a vengeance. She was a tiny spark, a fire that smouldered for six years beneath the Gold city and had finally reached the people at the top.

For six years Arianna had felt, suspected, that something was wrong, off. She had no idea why little Ash kept bringing her cursed artifacts, thinking of the starving urchin as a clueless, broken, persistent idiot. How wrong she was… wrong and right at the same time.

The proof was now standing right in front of Arianna - a wooden dummy servitor now utilized by a thousand-year-old ghost, a living memory from the dead city that Ash Sparks had awakened. An actual ancient soul... a treasure trove of lost knowledge that her noble great-grandmother Calypso sought to find and died for.

Arianna tried to conceal it, tired to cover up her feelings, but they flared from within her even brighter. A passion that her grandfather had put out for six years, started to burn in her heart once again. Her breath quickened when she glanced at the Pharmacist, a soul inside the priorly relatively useless dummy now commanding the castle’s resources like a General from the Warring Families Era.

She now saw the dressed-up Ancient as an ideal, noble, enlightened warrior that came out of the old stories about the Celesteel Legion from this castle’s library. The way the imposing dummy held itself and commanded a hundred servitors with ease reminded Arianna of the heavy, illustrated manuscripts. Books that she read when she was twelve, dreaming about a knight in starry-black-armour that would carve all of her enemies apart.

“I finally found you,” the firestorm of feelings inside of Arianna sang. “And now you’re mine. All mine.”

Yes, there were a lot of complications. There was an arcane monsterling sitting next to them on the couch… but did it even matter? If her nose was to be believed, the Dreamer inhabiting Celes didn’t seem to care that much about human affairs and geisha Rada likely didn’t even comprehend what the Pharmacist was.

Arianna now knew exactly what the cursed ghost was and why people like Clint feared the awakened and hunted them down. The ancient, self-aware memory was a weapon, keys to incredible, long forgotten power. The kind of power that the Manning princess had sought her entire life. The kind of power that would propel her to the top of the world and make her an Empress one day.

Tape covered feet of Ash Sparks were stretched across her lap. Try as she might, Arianna could no longer pull up the normal feeling of hatred she usually manifested for the unkempt urchin... Baroness.

“Baroness Sparks-Manning.” Arianna mentally tasted the title and found it oddly fitting. Just yesterday, thinking of Ash Sparks as a Baroness would be an absurd, utterly insane proposition and today… today Arianna’s nose was telling her that Ash was indisputably, unquestionably a Baroness!

I am engaged to a Baroness. Does that make me a Baroness too? Arianna smelled herself and found that this was indeed the case. Her mouth fell open. I’m a Baroness. Qiss! How did this happen?!

Arianna sniffed Celes.

“Gods damn it!” She hissed furiously, unable to keep the words contained.

“Yes?” Celes raised an eyebrow.

“You’re a Baroness.” Arianna exhaled.

“Neat,” Celes shrugged.

Arianna’s eye twitched. Neat? Is that all she’s got to say about this momentous… idiot geisha! How Qi-ssing clueless can you possibly get?

A storm of feelings, a conflict of emotions raged within Arianna. On one hand there were nearly fourteen years of tutelage that had been hammered into her by her father and a variety of brutal high-cultivators… but on the other was… this. Arianna glanced at the tape-covered feet.

She couldn't take it anymore, couldn't sit on her butt anymore feeling confused and torn up. She wasn’t an idiot geisha. She was a Manning scion! She was taught to seize power! Taught to act, to rule!

Arianna slid out from under the feet of her Baroness and walked up to the dressed-up wooden dummy.

The Pharmacist silently stared at her with that moronic, simplified charcoal face.

Arianna grabbed the dummy’s hand trying to reestablish the connection between the ancient ghost and herself. It was surprisingly easy. Arianna recalled that Ash had spent an insanely powerful beast core to create the mental tether between them.

[Hey,] Arianna said mentally.

[Yes?] The Pharmacist replied.

[I’d like to apologize.] Arianna lowered her eyes.

[For?]

[For not seeing you as a person,] she asserted. [I think it’s wrong…]

[What’s wrong?] The mental pattern of the ancient ghost inquired.

[You don’t even see yourself as a person,] Arianna stated. [A pharmacist isn't a name. I can smell that it's a type of a job title.]

[I can’t remember my real name,] a sad, fuzzy voice replied.

[Look, you don’t need to remember a name!] Arianna piped up, seeing an opportunity to take advantage of the forsaken, lost memory. [Remember? You’ve taught me about Alexander, the hero that cut the Gordian knot. You’ve broken the Gordian knot that bound my memories. So as my thanks, I’m going to name you… Alexander.]

[Hrm,] The dummy rubbed its chin thoughtfully.

[What do you think, my General?] Arianna curtsied.

[You’re certainly acting differently, Annie. Are you trying to get something out of me?]

[Fine, fine, I admit it!] Arianna lowered her eyes, holding onto the dummy’s hand. [I… appreciate you.]

[Uh-huh? Really? I believe someone called me an ancient brain-parasite yesterday.]

[I was an idiot, okay?] Arianna inhaled. It was bloody hard to seduce a ghost. The unchanging charcoal smiley-face on the dummy offered her no expressions, no way to tell if she was succeeding. [I’m sorry for that too, alright?]

[Fair,] the ghost replied, falling silent.

[You don’t believe me… Alexander?] Arianna pressed on.

[Alex is fine… It's more neutral. You can call me whatever you want, Annie, it doesn’t change the facts.]

[What facts?] She blinked. [Can we… like, start over?]

[We can.] The dummy nodded. [Shall we take a walk?]

[Yes.] Arianna affirmed.

The two of them stepped out of the tent. The Manning scion observed the activities of the other dummy servitors digging through chests for useful things.

[How are you doing that?] She inquired. [How can you control that many servitors? I’ve never seen my grandfather wield this many all at once.]

[I used one of the beast cores taken from Han Sempiter to build myself a secondary, stable cerebral network constructed entirely from Qi patterns right outside of the organic brain of Ash. I’ve used a bunch of beast cores that I’ve acquired since taking control of the Citadel to expand it.] Alex tapped a pouch on the dummy’s belt.

Arianna inhaled. Eighty nine beast core gemstones! A third of them were already dead, drained of Qi, completely hollowed out.

“Qi-ssing hells!” She gasped. That’s what she’s been smelling on the dummy! Power. Power taken by force from the garrison men and the Guilders.

[That’s… that’s absolutely amazing! Look, I… I am really impressed how you handled the traitors and the Guilders! It was... like the Warlords of legend!] Arianna confessed.

[I don’t feel great about doing it, you know. I don't particularly enjoy hurting people or chopping off their arms and legs.]

Arianna could sense that the ghost was indeed distraught over what Baroness Ash had wrought.

[Oh they’ll be fine, they’re all high-cultivators! They’ll all be as healthy as ever in a few days. They are wealthy and can buy themselves new servitors. Our Surgeon Barber is reattaching their appendages, yes?]

[Yes.]

[We need to make them all into our oath-keepers soon.] Arianna squeezed the dummy’s hand. [The Inquisitor squadrons will be here at midnight. They might be able to defeat the Citadel’s Deathstorm Ward.]

[I know.]

[Do you want my help?] Arianna asked.

[Hm?]

[Ash sustained a pretty bad injury to her chest. She needs to heal… why don’t we make you into a proper General?] Arianna looked over the contents of the open chests. She picked up an elaborate, gold-plated mask. She put the mask onto the dummy’s face with her uninjured hand.

[Here, hide that ridiculous sketch-face of yours behind this.] She ordered. [You and Ash are one, yes? It shouldn't matter whom the oaths are made out to. You’re big and imposing. Shock and awe, right? They’ll have no idea how to oppose you! If they try to sense you via Qi-sight they’ll be very confused. You’re a servitor ghost piloting a servitor ghost piloting a dummy - the furthest thing away from a human! I’ll do all of the talking for you. Let the Guilders swear allegiance to… you and me! General Alexander Pharmacist and Baroness Manning-Sparks! Grandfather Manning can bind the oaths, as our Magistrate!]

[You’re learning quickly, Annie.] The ghost chuckled. [Hrm. Now that I’m thinking about it, it is indeed unwise to put all of my eggs in one basket. If Ash is hurt, you two will have trouble defending her. We’ll split up the Guilder oaths equally between you and Celes.]

Qi-ss! Arianna groaned internally, letting go of the connection so as not to let her anger spill out. She almost had it all! Her perfect plan for dominion got knocked sideways by the damn kitsune!

Whatever. Some power was better than no power.

She grabbed the hand of HER ancient ghost once again. [My apologies, getting too excited.]

[You don’t have to pretend to like me. I died a long time ago.] The ghost spoke solemnly.

[For Qi-ss sake!] Arianna huffed, elbowing the dummy. [Ow! Hells, I keep forgetting that you’re made of metal bits. For someone so smart you’re so gods-damned stupid!]

[You’re acting very tsundere right now.] The ghost mused, securing the elaborate mask on the dummy’s face.

[I have no idea what that means. Don’t stick your damn ancient labels onto me! I’m an avant-garde highborn. You do get why I’m acting like this?]

[Tsundere is an ancient… Japanese term for that describes a person who is initially cold and often very hostile before gradually showing a warmer, friendlier side over time.]

[I see.] She frowned at the explanation.

[Look, Miss Manning. I simply find dry amusement in the fact that people fall into various statistical stereotypes. Everyone I know is dead. My civilization is rubble and dust, but I still have my dumb jokes to keep me upright, even if nobody understands them.]

Arianna let go of the ghost and punched the dummy, aiming at one of the wooden parts. It felt good. She grinned. She perceived another weakness and decided to strike while the iron was hot. She grabbed the cold hand once again.

[I’ll be your… new family, whatever you need.] She sent resolutely. [Remember what I told you earlier? I was talking to you! I will never leave your side. I’ll teach you how to read and write and you can teach me everything about the ancients. I don’t care how stupid or silly it is... I am willing to learn. I want to be just like you.]

[Do you really? I’m not looking for wealth and power. My quest is for peace and the joys of discovery. I doubt you’ll find much interest in being a lab techie.]

Arianna rolled her eyes. [Do you really think that all of the high-cultivator idiots will let you have peace? You will have to become the Law of the Land for that to happen! Also, I don’t know what a lab techie is.]

[A laboratory technologist is someone who collects samples and performs tests to analyze body fluids, tissue, and other substances. Someone who sits in a lab and experiments day in and day out.]

[What, like an Alchemist?] Arianna blinked. [Sitting in a lab, figuring out what mixture mixes best with what?]

[I suppose so, yes.]

[Right, that does sound incredibly boring.] Arianna scratched her nose. [Regardless, you’re a lot more than that one job. You’re a lot of things. Look how much you’ve already done in a day.]

[Three and a half days.]

[Exactly!] The highborn shook her red hair. [You’re destroying everything around you, like a firestorm! You’re a firestorm that this city needs.]

[So you enjoy the decimation I bring?] Alex inquired.

[Damn right I do!] Arianna nodded. [I say that as someone decimated, freed by you from the mental chains that bound me.]

[And what will you do when all of the fires burn out? When the city is ours?]

[I’ll still be with you,] the Manning princess affirmed.

[Why is that?] The ghost asked. [You seem rather assured. Is this your future-sniffing power talking or…?]

[Because you told me about the stars. I understand you now!] Arianna declared. [You and I can change everything! You as the scientist and me as the leader. Teach me, show me how to optimize leadership!]

[“Ars ductus” - the “Art of Leadership” isn’t an easy thing to learn, Annie. I’m not an amazing leader myself, I’ve only read a few books about it. It’d be a bit like the blind leading the blind.]

[I’m not Qi-sing blind and neither are you, idiot!] Arianna growled. [I can smell the potential in you! Even looking ahead into the future - there will always be mysteries to unravel, people who need law and order, ignorance to purge. The world isn’t just the Gold city. The high-cultivator adventurers say that the catacombs beneath us are limitless. Your conquest will never end, Alex.]

The ghost laughed at that. [You’re right. Unless the Immortals kill us all tonight.]

[Exactly.] Arianna punched the dummy’s side once again with a diabolical sneer. [Lets subjugate the Guilders and figure out how to destroy the Temple of Inquiry!]