I didn’t really know who to pray to. I’d met some deities before, and they didn’t exactly inspire confidence. I also had next to no idea who the reigning god of Excelsia was, and it didn’t seem like the opportune moment to have a deep theological discussion with Aastor. The old man looked exhausted after his “Big Magical Spell TM”, and was slowly teetering in place. So I shelved his suggestion, and decided that to instead help him get closer to the ground before he found a much speedier and more painful route on his own.

As I stooped and hooked an arm under Aastor’s shoulders, I took a look at the orb. It wasn’t moving fast, or slow, but seemed to actually be pulling space itself towards it. In an odd way, it was a little bit like sitting on a train, and convincing yourself that you were stationary; the landscape was moving, but you weren’t. The orb wasn’t moving, it was making everything else, including the Calamity, bend towards it. Of course, since the Calamity itself had been attempting to devour, well, everything, it seemed like the two would come into contact soon. And even though I’d originally been unable to even lay eyes on the Calamity, the glittering blue orb was acting like an anchor. I could concentrate on it, and then, from the corner of my eye, I could judge the distance between it and the Calamity. It was a disconcerting feeling though, nausea inducing but somehow magnetic. Tearing myself away from looking at the orb required sheer force of willpower, and I suspect that if “Business at Hand” had not been active, I’d very well have kept looking and lost my mind permanently.

Aastor was still conscious, and had he been a bit more energetic, I suspect he would have had some choice words to say about the fact that I’d slung him over my back like a sack of potatoes. However, he just mumbled something about teaching me a lesson, punctuated with a string of muttered expletives, so he was probably going to be fine after a nap. I hopped off the carriage, and only just managed to avoid tumbling into the dirt with Aastor on my back. All in all, more graceful than I expected after the night I’d had already.

Somewhere, deep down, I felt fear. It was a strange thing, having an ability that practically blocked out my emotions and smoothed them out to a gentle hum. I could feel the terror of the night gripping me, the pressure of the Calamity and the orb that were a scarce few feet away and the knowledge that I had no idea if what Aastor had done would be successful. By all rights, I should have been shrieking, crying on the floor or at least stunned into silence. Instead, I could almost see those feelings inside me, as if they were a separate part of my being, visible through a shimmering curtain that obscured them just enough that I could ignore them for the time being.

Laying Aastor to rest against the side of the carriage, I chanced another look at the glittering orb. It had almost completed it’s journey, taking far longer than I had expected. I could feel my heart thumping as the orb completed it’s trajectory, almost at the point where it would collide with the Calamity. It seemed like Kel could too, as she poked her face out of my pocket, and turning towards me, starting to make more noises.

Chirrup!

Chirrup!!

“Yes, Kel?”

Chirrup. Chi-Chirrup Chirrup!

“Kel, not to put too fine a point on it, but you know I don’t actually understand you right?”

Chirrup?

“Nope. Not a word. Barely even impressions.”

Chiiirrrupppp

“Listen, speaking slowly using sounds I don’t understand won’t help. Just enjoy the fireworks, I guess?”

She quietened down after that, though I got the distinct feeling she was disappointed in me. Or maybe in herself? Ugh, well, maybe the S.R.C. had some way to communicate with Sparks. Or to help understand them better. If whatever Aastor had done was successful, maybe I’d have a chance to find out.

The orb touched the Calamity, and immediately, it expanded. For a moment, I had a flash of insight into the thing on the other side, and it’s presence pierced through the veil of antipathy and detachment that “Business at Hand” had been maintaining.

—————————————————————————————————————

ABILITY NOTIFICATION:

“Business at Hand” reduces the effect of “Existential Fear.”

Applying self-buff from “As You Command.”

Attempt Succeeded.

“Existential Fear” applied at “Maximal” Intensity instead of “Fatal” Intensity.

—————————————————————————————————————

My higher order thinking seemed to fall away completely, as though my brain had decided to resort to it’s base instincts and concentrate on physical functionality instead of executive operation. Breathing, homeostasis, bodily functions? Yes. Trying to parse a conflict between two existential entities? No.

The thing, the Orb, eventually stopped looking my way, and shifted it’s concentration to something else. I couldn’t be sure how long it took, or if it took any time at all. The impact of whatever the Orb had contained was so great, that I had circled away from fear entirely, into a primal acceptance of my place in the universe. Small, unbecoming, and functionally worthless. As it peeled it’s gaze away from me, I breathed again. Drenched in sweat, shivering, but still alive.

—————————————————————————————————————

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:

“Existential Fear” wears off!

—————————————————————————————————————

“S-Sir?” My voice was quavering. Even though “Existential Fear” had worn off, it still left tremors in my psyche. No matter how complex Isekai Hero was, there were things it couldn’t account for.

“Hmm?”

“What’s happening?” I wasn’t sure if Aastor would be able to answer, but the magnitude of the magic before me made me curious. Moreover, perhaps it would be the last time I’d be able to ask the question, especially if things didn’t work out the way that Aastor wanted.

“They’re Imposing themselves on each other.” His voice was weak and it wavered as he talked.

I still hadn’t managed to tear myself away from what the Orb, or rather it’s inhabitant, was doing. With every blink, the scene changed. One instant, it was complete nothingness, the absence of space and time and energy. The next, the universe had righted itself and I could see the clearing once more. The next instant, I saw galaxies and stars, supernovae bursting and shattering as plumes of space dust shot through the air.

Cold. Warm. Cold.

Quiet. Loud. Quiet.

Shifting, over and over.

“….Pardon me Sir, but would you care to expand?”

Somehow, that struck Aastor as funny, because a wheezing sound filled my ears, followed shortly by chuckles.

“Ya ever hear of the Jar of Cursed Poison?”

I had. It was a myth, one I’d seen in action before and had nothing but distaste for. Not recently, but in one of the earlier worlds, I had. A jar filled with poisonous creatures who would kill each other. The remaining creature would, in theory, be the king of the the poisoned creatures, able to create a more potent poison because it had been strengthened by killing the others. It had no basis in reality, but it worked because magic, which made for a very unsatisfying explanation.

“Yes Sir, I have. Is the Orb the Jar?”

“It’s a jar. One of many. Hopefully, it’s the right one.”

I didn’t fully understand what Aastor was saying. I had a hunch though, and if my hunch was correct, Aastor had made a very delicate calculation in very little time.

The cyclical changes in sight, sound and temperature were getting slower, as though both creatures were tiring out. The nothingness and the galaxies both lasted only for microseconds, existing only for a flash, whereas the clearing and the trees seemed to exist for longer, for almost a second or two. I could make out the rustle of the leaves before the quiet took over. I could feel the heat beginning to warm me for a few seconds before the biting cold returned.

“Ah, and how many jars does sir have?”

Aastor just grunted in response. Which was fair. I didn’t expect him to give me all his secrets at once. Even though I didn’t know exactly how common the knowledge of Aastor’s abilities was, the fact that he’d bothered to explain anything at all was extraordinary. Most Old Wizards gave you a poorly drawn map, a botched riddle, and a broken magical item, and told you to be on your way. Aastor was giving me explanations, with comparisons and everything.

Communication skills? In my backyard? Will wonders never cease?

The changes in scenery had slowed to a near halt. The trees and clearing seemed to have won out, or asserted themselves, and the only trace of either the Orb or the Calamity was a brief flicker of the vastness of Space or the vastness of nothingness. As the flickering died down, I slowly got to my feet. Since “Business at Hand” had neutered my sense of fear, I also didn’t have a rush of adrenaline flowing through me, and therefore no endorphins to help me power through. Instead, I just needed to will myself to my feet and see everything through.

—————————————————————————————————————

Hidden Class Ability Unlocked: Duty Calls (Lvl. 1) (Conditional Activation)

Unlock Condition: Attempt to finish a Quest while under the “Exhaustion” Status Effect.

The Butler strives for perfection at all costs. Even when exhausted, a Butler shows neither ill-will or strife, and continues to soldier on in service to their Employer and their House.

The effects of the “Exhaustion” Debuff are mitigated for 1 Hour. The effects of the “Exhaustion” Debuff are doubled after 1 Hour. For the duration of “Duty Calls”, WIL and VIT receive a randomized boost between 5% and 50%.

Activation Condition: Butler has the “Exhaustion” Status Debuff, has an Active “Employer Assigned” Quest, and is actively working to finish the “Employer Assigned” Quest.

—————————————————————————————————————

No time for questions, unfortunately. So I apparently had the “Exhausted” Status Debuff, which honestly seemed perfectly natural. I could only assume it was a fairly serious Debuff if the System had an entire Hidden Ability dedicated to removing it’s effects. Normally, I’d pull up Exhaustion and make sure I knew what I was in for, but since I only had an hour to make good use of “Duty Calls”, I resolved to shelve that investigation for later. Instead, I just murmured a word of thanks to Isekai Hero V2.0, trudged my feet, and began to make the journey away from the Carriage and towards the Bandits. My brain was on auto-pilot, and even with “Duty Calls”, I only really had the strength to walk over and make sure that Baldric and his gang were okay.

Baldric looked dazed, but he was more or less completely fine. A little bit confused, but he didn’t seem to have physical injuries. He made some noises and even though he was mumbling, I could make out that he wanted to follow me. No harm in that, so I let him tag along as I visited the others.

Chanak was lying on the ground, and for a second, I feared he was dead. Getting close, I saw his chest rise and fall, and realized he was just sleeping. Thankfully, the man was fairly scrawny, and didn’t weigh much. Baldric and I managed to lift him up and carry him back to the Carriage, depositing him in a heap outside. Baldric stayed with him, probably worried about his health, but I still needed to go get the other two.

Next, I saw a small woman with bright silver hair. I could only assume this was Ilyana, the fourth and final member of Baldric’s gang, the only one I hadn’t met. She was wide awake, sitting up and staring at the stars. When Baldric and I approached her, she looked confused. I pointed at Baldric who was sitting near the carriage, but she seemed hesitant, shying away from me.

“Ma’am, please. The carriage is safe, and everyone needs medical attention.” I didn’t trust myself to say too much more. Everything was so, so hard. I was so slow, so sluggish.

Ilyana didn’t say anything, but she nodded. Getting to her feet, she started to walk towards the carriage. Unfortunately, the second I turned my back, I heard a furious rustling in the grass. I whirled around, hoping to catch her in time, but my reflexes had been dulled by…well, by everything really. All I saw was her bright, silver hair flashing as she sprinted across the clearing, away from the carriage and into the small patch of trees.

Goddamit. A problem for another time then.

Finally…Ellem was unconscious. Not asleep, but genuinely unconscious. Her breathing was shallow, and her green tinged face was pale and sallow. Her clothes were intact, but she was lying crumpled on the ground, hands bent behind her at an angle that looked exceedingly painful. Still, she was the last one I needed to collect, and even though I didn’t have a watch, I was fairly sure that “Exhaustion” would be hitting me with a vengeance in just a few minutes. Carefully, I untangled her from herself, and began to drag her backwards to the carriage.

I’m proud to say I made it almost halfway back before “Duty Calls” ran out.

Chirrup!!

“Goodnight Kel….see you soon…” I gave a dry chuckle. "Maybe..."

And everything went away.