The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'-Chapter 497 - Involuntary Workplace Oversights Can Lead To Voluntary Stand-Down
A/N: Author Server Link In AT at bottom~
- - - - -
"How long would you need to stay?"
"Approximately one month. According to the scholars I consulted."
Leysah belted out a guffaw that drew everyone else’s wince. There was finding something funny and there was gathering pleasure out of the ’pain’ of others. Qatrand gave the woman a look and the curved blade wielder cleared her throat and settled down at the table. It wasn’t as if she really wished it on anyone, but what was wrong with being amused even if others were not?
"That seems like quite a long time. What exactly... happened?"
"The short answer is that a vat of ancient marking solution and I got much too far acquainted. Non-toxic, thankfully, but extremely penetrative. I’ll have to wait for many, many layers of skin to shed."
Designed to be used on porous stone, the liquid she spoke of was an old sigilist recipe. One that could be used with stencils and an expert to prepare an area while allowing the actual busywork of chiseling to be done by mere apprentices. Modern preparation of a ritual area was often done with simple limestone chalk - not just because the method of producing the dye had been lost, but because the tools and details of how to apply it effectively on vertical surfaces was missing.
"Sit. Explain to us how this happened."
The former commander gestured toward the chairs around the table covered with maps and the other two women sat... as he rolled them up. He was sure by her cloak that the blue stain was not likely able to transfer, but it was still better to be safe than sorry.
"Longer report, then. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve had to explain this. My men and I were guarding the team performing a series of post-Descent resource cataloging and security assessments at certain depot sites."
"You mean the Void Defense Society artifact holding stations."
"Yes. Uncle, may I have some water?"
"I have no idea where you learned your manners from. Certainly not my brother."
"Not my mother, either. Thank you for not saying it first, though."
The man finally laughed as he poured a glass from a container. The water from the wells in this area was clean - perhaps not as much as a pure springs, but was plenty reasonable to drink after drawing it up. New hand pumps were also easier on his back than the ones at the Continental Army HQ. Overall, he was happy with his current living arrangements and the very mild expectation that the young Warden Patrician had of him. Especially since she was the one in charge now - and numerous Guilds were not pressuring him anymore.
"The site had been largely unstaffed since the Descent ended, with only periodic inspections over the years of confiscatory fieldwork. I was inspecting the upper level when the flooring gave way beneath me. Rotted wood."
"You fell through?"
"About thirteen feet, directly into an unsealed vat that had been pushed to the back of the level underneath. Maintenance had been so minimal in that area that no one noticed all the problems. I guess I didn’t notice until it was too late either."
She gestured at herself with just a bit of dry humor. It was hard to take the details of being blue lightly, but she could appreciate the silly failure to keep a firmer presence of mind. Seeing that, the former commander couldn’t help but slip back into a more professional state of mind.
"Did you file incident reports?"
"Of course. For what it was worth. That particular depot has been low priority for a decade, they informed me after that they were looking to decommission, clean it out, and move everything to a new building. Most of the valuable items were already relocated to more secure facilities before the last invasion began. What remained was deemed low-risk or still pending full evaluation. Items without high expectations."
Having seen quite a few items within her own wedding gifts that were judged to be of *only* so much value but that her El had explained - and proven - just how wrong they were... like the silly essence draining tree, the Obsidian mirror, and even the scales used as decoration that had some sort of Shadow Element aspect to them... Qat had a slightly sinking feeling in her gut. Part of it was also to do with the Saltfire incident, but in the back of her mind ever since Sevra had explained the situation was the Ouras cult.
"How exactly are they judging items to be of low value?"
"From what I understand, they look for immediate signs of essence accumulated in the object. Or effects that can be quickly activated without any foreknowledge of how to use it."
Leysah took the question that Qatrand asked aloud. While she understood as a member of the Ironclad Order - and through her work alongside Void Defense members - the concept and protocols for securing known dangerous artifacts, she had no true idea that the decision between ’safe’ and *danger* was so haphazard. By that logic, the Realmshard was perhaps an oddity for those who could examine it with their spiritual sense-
’But it would just be an interesting knick-knack unless three cultivators approached it at once. What other kinds of items might be stored away with specific parameters that just need met in order to turn dangerous?’
Standing to her feet, the young swordswoman felt the need to start making inquiries to certain people. There wasn’t a full plan yet on what to do to improve such a system, but sitting around any longer felt like an incredible waste of time. At the very least, she could pen a few letters to ask for advice. To El, to her in-laws, and possibly even to Navuill.
"Captain. It was good to see you again. You’re welcome to stay, even if Huri kicks you out. I’ll find you some place you can take it easy."
"Why would I-"
"I won’t be able to take it easy, but I believe I’ll be fine here. If you could send me any sort of work to do? Perhaps something that does not involve going outside to be ogled..."
Qat nodded and gave an informal salute as her ’First Adjutant’ went to the door and opened it up.
"I’ll look into that and send it through people I trust not to laugh at you to your face."
"Wait a second. Are we done for today or-"
"You have more important life matters to deal with rather than details of something that won’t happen for years. Farewell."
The old man sat back down as the two cultivators just breezed out of his house in no time. Watching the blue woman uncloak, hang her sword, and start searching for the bathing area after telling him she was going to get acquainted with the layout... Huri found that it turned out not being in total control of his own home felt a *lot* like being in charge of a fort!
