(62) Different Worlds

Bernard gazed out across the Crater, his view stretching…not as far as he would have expected. He stood atop the pyramid, at the very apex of Nemesis, yet the sulfuric clouds and choking gases created a haze that blocked sight beyond a couple of miles. Still, despite its deadly dangers, the Crater was beautiful when viewed this way.

“Is it safe to breathe?” he asked.

“Here, yes. You are within Nemesis’ bubble. The air is purified within a couple of hundred feet of the mountain. Out there? You would probably be fine. Extended exposure for those below 200 is inadvisable, though,” Nephthys explained, staring out as well, likely seeing far more than he.

“Granted, that is assuming one does not stumble upon one of the more deadly puddles of gas that cling to divots and points of low elevation,” she clarified.

“Lovely,” Bernard quipped.

While he ate his meal, Nephthys had filled him in on generalities about their time here. The details were…hazy, but he did not expect her to explain her guild’s entire history in one sitting, to little more than a stranger, no less.

He was interested in why Nemesis had been sealed away for two hundred years by an impenetrable energy barrier, but questions all had their times.

Her story of slavering tribes occupying the Strip and launching an assault on Nemesis was interesting as well, yet again, she had been sparse on the details. She merely informed him that Nemesis ‘handled’ the invaders, while sheltering the former prisoners.

Many questions lingered in his mind, but if he were being honest with himself, none of it was his business, not yet, at least. Thus far, Nephthys had yet to actually ask anything of him, though he suspected requests were coming soon.

Shortly after he had finished eating, she asked to speak in private, teleporting them both up here, to the top of the mountain Nemesis was built around and within.

“You mentioned that the former slaves were part of what you wished to speak with me about?” Bernard prodded, attempting to move things forward.

“Yes. To tell you the truth, Baron Buchanan, I have been…conflicted of late,” she said, surprisingly hesitant.

“Conflicted, my lady?” Bernard responded, his curiosity piqued.

“Haa,” she sighed. “Not you, too. Please, call me Nephthys, my name.”

“Very well, Nephthys,” Bernard chuckled. “Then, please call me Bernard.”

Nephthys nodded with a small smile before looking out over the choking wastes below.

“To tell you the truth, Bernard, I have been debating whether reaching out and interacting with the world again is wise. We have everything we need here. I would wager that the quality of life one could have within Nemesis is comparable to even the most exquisite of luxuries in any country around the world,” she guessed.

Bernard nodded. What little he had seen of the guild told him that her guess was probably accurate. Magic artifacts were expensive, but if one had the means, they could provide nearly any amenity or comfort one could desire.

However, he knew of no artifact powerful enough to control the climate in an enormous pyramid sitting atop an active volcano. And climate control was just one of the absurd luxuries he had observed, despite only glimpsing a couple of rooms.

“I have no desire to rule, Bernard. I do not wish to found and run a nation. Yet, with certain power comes certain…responsibilities. I do not boast when I say that we, Nemesis, are a force that could turn the world upside down. Such power, even unused, perhaps especially when unused, will draw attention.

“Whether I wish it or not, we will be drawn into international politics. Even the very beginning stage of attempting to establish a line of communication with the world has me meeting with a baron,” she said, nodding at Bernard.

“I have not seen Nemesis’ full capabilities, but from what little I have, I believe you are correct, Nephthys. Existing powers will not sit idly. They will seek to claim your power for their own, and if they cannot…” he trailed off, the implication clear.

“They will try,” Nephthys declared firmly.

Goosebumps crawled up Bernard’s arms, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. The idea of a Nemesis-versus-the-world scenario was not entirely unrealistic, but that was not what disturbed him.

What disturbed him was that the side he felt pity for was the world.

“Apologies, Bernard. These issues are my own, Nemesis’ own, to grapple with. I merely named them to give you background.

“As I said, I have neither the desire nor the intention to claim land and rule. However, I do want at least one reliable trade route to the rest of the world. This, as I am sure you can imagine, would require much effort. A path would need to be carved from Gloamview to the Crater, and it would need to be maintained,” she explained.

“That is…quite an ask, Nephthys,” Bernard said, caught off-guard by the magnitude of her plans.

Not much short of two thousand miles—that was the length of this ‘trade route’ that she was contemplating. Not only was it a monumental distance, but it was a monumental distance through the most dangerous lands on the planet.

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Radaar still, after two hundred years, had made no progress into the Gloam. On the contrary, the Gloam had gained ground, so much so that it was practically knocking on Gloamview’s door—or was.

Bernard understood that Nemesis was behind pushing the Gloam back hundreds of miles. Another fact that he was forced to swallow silently for now to keep him awake tonight, and probably the rest of the week.

“It is. There are prospects already underway, however. I believe that, with the foundation being laid as we speak, the task will not be quite so unrealistic as you are likely imagining, though it will still be difficult and time-consuming,” she reasoned.

“I will take your word for it, but Nephthys, I must ask: why? Why have you come to me? True, my territory borders the Gloam, but I am a simple Baron.

“Surely, you should be speaking with Count Baracourt, at the very least. Perhaps even Marquis Douglas. This undertaking, regardless of how your machinations will simplify the process, is a matter of nations, not a single barony in the wilderness,” Bernard said.