13

The clans were moving. All around the Meritocracy the people started talking, they were wondering where the clans were heading, and also, they were wondering what was going to happen next.

Meanwhile, Clara and Teresa were already standing in another room managing the agents they had sent to monitor the meeting.

The procession of cars rode into the city. They finally stopped in front of one of the skyscrapers. The sign on the face of the building read: ‘Golden Leafed Pavilion’. They pulled over and the guards at the ends went out to surround the area. From the limousines stepped the attendants accompanying the Maribara sect’s elders stepped out afterward then held the door and helped the elders climb out.

Accompanied by young men and woman the elders walked towards the building’s entrance.

A moment later another procession of cars arrived. The sequence of events were similar but of a smaller scale this time. They were a group of six, and were also younger than the Maribara’s twenty elders. They wore a robe with white head coverings.

The guards around them and the attendants standing by were all non-humans.

“The Katharis clan.” Clara muttered.

There followed the other clans, eight in total. Unfortunately the Harcourt clan was not invited.

“Seems the Rakai aren’t meeting them?”

Teresa tapped her comm-ring, she asked a question to the operator on the other side then spoke. “Yes, it seemed they were offered the opportunity but turned it down. Do you think…”

“Yes, they might be hoping to side with us. The lowest ranking clan joining forces with the dark horse. Eres Rakai will always follow the benefits.”

“If they contact us what should we tell them.”

“Tell them to submit or die. He should understand what I mean.” Whether Clara survived the next four days, the Rakai’s assistance would be meaningless now. An alliance wouldn’t benefit her at all, but she could always do with another vassal to do her bidding.

Of course, her offer was only valid if Eres Rakai was smart.

Eres Rakai was not smart, But she still had hope that Eres’ followers had someone with vision among them.

She knew for a fact that though the Harcourt clan was first amongst intelligence gathering, the Rakai were second. Their clan was much more representational of all the Meritocracy’s people. Since the Rakai had spent so many years in decline they’d absorbed and allied with many other smaller clans. Thus remaining afloat through sacrificing their history and reputation in exchange for support and alliance with the smaller and richer clans across the Meritocracy.

The method they used to seal these alliances? Marriage. But also a marriage where the spouse, no matter the gender, came to live with the Rakai.

“What do you think they are planning?” Teresa said, having long brought her attention back to the screen mounted on the wall.

“Their refusal to include our clan can only mean that they intend to do some scheming. But clan politics is not something they can do quietly. They intend to come to an agreement on how to split the spoils and move on us right after.”

“You think they can organise themselves so quickly?”

“Yes, they’ve been preparing for this eventuality long ago, ever since the Overseer’s instabilities started.”

“Then how much time do you think we have?”

“If I had to guess… I don’t really need to guess do I? Terr, bring up the feed from the agent you planted in the meeting.”

Teresa looked at her in shock. “How ‘d you know! That was supposed to be a surprise.”

“Sense. I know you, and your ability. You wouldn’t let the opportunity pass you by. At least one of the clan’s must have let their guard down. They aren’t all as impenetrable as we are, now are they?”

Teresa nodded then tapped a button, “Bring up feed six-dash-A.”

The screen changed and it showed a crowd gathering within a large auditorium. On a stage stood a man. He was middle ages, handsome, and well-build. He emanated an irrepressible charm. He chuckled softly as he looked over the crowd sitting around him.

“Welcome, gentlemen, ladies. I am sure you all know why I we are here today. The threat to our livelihood that has been hidden amongst us for so long. The Harcourt clan, and that child, miss Clara Grey Harcourt. Both represent immense threats to us if we do not do away with them once and for all!”

“Terr, Who is that man?”

“Wait a moment… His name is Bennis von Dragt, he is a leading member within the Gustaga clan. A clan, as you know, that is subordinate to the Maribara sect and secretly carries out their dirty work among the founding clans.”

“I know. I’ve just never seen him before…Or I might have. But he seems different now.”

“Yes, charisma, strength, endurance, the Maribara weren’t stingy with their upgrades.”

“He’s got implants? But it seems so real. Were they bionetics perhaps? I didn’t know the Maribara had such capabilities…”

“They don’t, but the Sage Guild do. Just one more reason to suspect the Maribara of controlling them.”

“This isn’t good news. It was long theorised that the control of…”

“Yes, use this to train soldiers, bionetic implants unlike cybernetic implants don’t require maintenance, as long as they aren’t rejected…But as I said, it was still under the experimental phase. I don’t expect Bennis von Dragt will last for more than a year.”

Bionetics were capable of much more than that Clara wanted to argue with Teresa, but felt that this wasn’t the time to. She would revisit her capture of the Sage Guild after they were done defending against the other guilds.

Yes defending, there was no way they would be able to fight all of them. But given enough time…

She has been preparing to attack them, and what better time than while they have turned their backs on one another in a blind rush towards her.

She needed to prepare. Clara dialled her mother. “Mom, I need some forces to sneak into the Vordes clan…They are to wait for my instructions, I will send a force of my own with them…It should be ready by the end of the day.”

“That little experiment you’ve got the mad scientist cooking in your lab?”

“Mom~~~ Yeah, that thing… I want to send it to attack the Katharis clan, since they are the most likely to pull back.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“I need someone to start pulling back. Also, mother, start familiarising yourself with the mercs, they’re going to be integral if we want to push back the other clans without too many losses.”

“Yes…About that boy, I’ve got him here.”

“…Okay, and?”

“Yes, you know how it is. Meet someone strong…Then…”

“Mom! Don’t tell me you beat him up! What about his team?”

“Oh, them? They’re also here. Around. Don’t worry! No one died.”

Sigh.

Clara hung her head. Teresa giggled, she probably already suspected this would happen. Clara spoke again, “Fine~~~Give them some stims and wake them up, make sure they know what to do. You’re in charge…But you don’t really need me to tell you that, do you?”

“No, I’m an old-hat at this. Enemy come, beat enemy, more enemy come, beat enemies; simple, right?”

“Sure mom.”

If only everything was that simple.

Okay. Let’s calm down. Focus! What do I have to do next?

Acquire the Sage Guild? Done, basically. By tomorrow they are mine, whether I have to force it or not.

Acquire the Telmera clan? In the works. If I can move carefully enough I won’t have to destroy them either and can swallow them whole.

Build a mech? Project is complete, or rather remodelling is complete. Just waiting to see its performance before sending it out…

Acquire popular support? Failed! But at least everyone knows who I am now… Also not very good PR blowing up a TV station…But it was so embarrassing!

God am I monologuing? No, this is cataloguing. Anyway~ Last order of business…

THE PROJECT. Do I have time for it? Can I afford leaving everything and working on it even…

We won’t defeat them tomorrow, only drive them back. And then we’re going to need something to seal the deal.

And I want to have this island before the fourth day is done.

Okay, its decided.

She couldn’t afford to stop working on the project.

THE PROJECT.

A long, long time ago, 15 years or so, Clara was reading a book, or comic…Probably a comic.

As often happens with brilliant minds, she was often distracted by the slightest thing. And comics was a dear part of her life that she swore she would never tell anyone about… But it wasn’t difficult to spot the influence it had on her personality.

For example, hero syndrome, although she’d gotten over her naïve view of the world her desire to seek justice (Even if it was her own trademarked sense of justice) was still strong.

Another thing was her dreams. Her fantasies. Her mother was powerful, but her mother was also someone that didn’t enjoy reading. Not because of she didn’t have the smarts or taste. But rather because of her practice and meditation.

Physical and magical prowess had a limit. And her mother had long reached the wall regarding these two parts.

Even though the Meritocracy was not a country of mages and rather a country which pursued the utilisation of magic through technical means. Her mother, and her mother’s family were of the Black Ghost Tribe.

This was a name that would send many of the mainland countries running in fear.

It was also the name of a persecuted and near extinct tribe.

When the Black Ghost Tribe came to the Meritocracy they were a mere one hundred.

They did not come to this land due to the culture. They came seeking shelter.

In exchange for some of their wealth the Meritocracy agreed to take them in. Her father was among the delegates sent to oversee this.

That was also where they met for the first time.

But this was not where they decided to get together.

Of course things were more peaceful back then, or at least so they seemed on the surface.

Her father was betrothed to one of the Maribara’s leading families.

And it was in surviving the Maribara’s betrayal that her mother and father finally decided to get together.

And so she was born. And the day of her birth also marked the day her clan started to recede its influence within the Meritocracy.

The Overseer was still around back then and this wasn’t as dangerous as it would’ve been these days.

And thus she grew and the clan also became reclusive.

It was on the fourth year that the renown of the Harcourt clan finally was completely drowned out by other news.

She spent this time learning and playing. Teresa was her only friend and she enjoyed every moment of her youth. She was naïve; blissfully unaware of the dangers lurking outside.

Until one day…

Teresa looked to Clara who seemed lost in thought. Ever since the day she rescued Clara from that assassin she’d started to change.

And it was also after that event that Clara had started studying with an abandonment.

Teresa listened to Bennis’ speech. It was quite boring if she was asked. But it seems the clan leaders were eating it up. All except the Maribara’s elders, who seemed wholly unimpressed by everyone in the room.

After the speech the spent a moment introducing the agenda. The meeting was shockingly clerical for something that amounted to a gathering to determine the lives of another clan.

A woman stood and asked what would happen with the servants of the Harcourt clan after their victory.

They spent a moment discussing. Finally it was decided that after all controlling personal were executed the rest of the member would be handed over to the Unun sect.

The woman smiled as she sat back. Seemingly satisfied by the result. Teresa stared on blankly as they started dividing the Harcourt lands and property, known and unknown among themselves.

The Maribara sect remained silent. Showing no interest in their squabbles. In fact they stared at each of the other clans with contempt.

But the clans ignored this, they were all too happy to get a piece of the pie. If it weren’t for the Maribara’s assurance that they would commit their Leashed then the clans would never have dared bare their fangs at one of the top three clans.

There was one clan that remained silent. Only starting at the madness impassively. Teresa already knew why they were here. Her spy was among them.

They were the third ranked clan, the Vordes. They would be declaring their neutrality in this matter, or so her spy had reported.

Teresa looked at Clara. Clara seemed to still be lost in thought. For a moment Teresa wondered what it was about, but then realised that she had better things to do.

She lowered the volume on the screen and dialled another number.

“Yuller, are you ready with the extraction?”

“Yes, I’m just waiting for the go ahead from you.”

“Wait some more. These idiots are done barking yet.”

“I heard. It’s all the talk around town. People say that miss Clara was getting ahead of herself. That she was unaware of the way of the world. Can you believe it? Since when do we live in some backward monarchy? Who ever said the Maribara were our lords and kings? Sometimes I don’t recognise the world I’m living in.”

“Calm yourself. This is nothing. Without the Overseer, the façade of order has finally vanished. Let the people talk, after we overcome this they’ll be singing our praises instead.”

“I understand. But it’s frustrating. For so long my lady has had to suffer, but do they appreciate this? No, they don’t even understand how much we were repressed in those days.”

“And so it shall remain. In the public eye we were always strong. We did what we did for survival. But all they see is our reclusive nature…Anyway, I have to go now. Farewell Yuller.”

“Milady.” He likewise bid goodbye.

The project, put simply, was a means by which a person could break through the limit.

Normally, limits were intangible things. But this was not the case among warriors.

The limit was a real, tangible restriction set down by the very world that housed them.

Clara could only imagine the world without it.

There were legends of course, of people surpassing this limit. And Clara suspects that the Meritocracy’s founding ancestors were among these people. It might be due to this that the god could so blatantly influence the world.

Clara imagined that it might have even been placed over the world to keep an event such as that from taking place.

If this was all that was needed to break the barrier then Clara would be hesitant to proceed. But breaking the limit was just the beginning.

How many years would it take for her, or her mother, to reach the point where they would have enough power to bend the laws of the world around them? It would be thousands of years from now.

The world was a very large place and within it the limit placed on its mortals was nothing but a scratch place on a single speck of dust.

Clara thought of the project as a means to understanding the world.

And in understanding the world she could also chase towards its limits. And one day, she might even surpass this world and head to another, a place which hold infinite possibilities.

“Did you follow them?” The woman asked.

“No, but I was chased by a peculiar gadget. I’m afraid the boy is outside our hands for now.”

“You would’ve run if you didn’t already know who they were, so tell me.”

“The Harcourt clan.” The man smirked.

“If its them we might not even have a chance to get him.”

“Not my problem.”

She thrust a hand towards his neck. He leaned back and pulled her arm with him as he spun. Then he pushed her and kicked the side of her legs.

She went down and started groaning, her legs bent at a unnatural angle.

“Tell the kingpin I’m quitting. I need to warn my cousin to stay out of that woman’s way.” He laughed then jumped away, finally fading into the night.