Watson Doyle and Sherlock in the style of Gaganendranath Tagore, as interpreted by DALL-E in February 2025.

  Chapter 36: Wild life

  Special Circumstances headquarters, Mikla metropolitan area, Confluence dimension

  Year 42 of the Confluence Republic (local time)

  For a few days, the SC agents deliberated and planned. The path forward was not obvious, but at least the Erd author kept writing new chapters, the first being Chapter 29, which described Isengar and Nurgle’s analysis and modification of the alien shadow magic. Chapter 30 went on to describe the agents’ similar, if not equally inspired, process, then 31 returned to the Diankoran dimension. There were still no interludes in the book, but the supervisors over at Simulations said the communications had been ongoing. Specifically, Nurgle had asked for advice on what to do with the energy hoard left in Erd, and the unknown party had replied that the Erd dimension itself would probably find a use for it.

  In the Erd dimension, the Elder shadows had wiped out the Diankoran shadows and then, after a few days, headed to a place named Istanbul to offload their energy and self-destruct. This might have been taken as a dramatic development had it not conformed so precisely with what the two Elders planned in the recently available Chapter 29. After this, except for a small group of Elder shadows that remained to guard the energy hoard, there were no traces of shadows anywhere in Erd. Meanwhile, the supervisors of the Erd simulation said there was a continued, if still barely perceptible, improvement in the overall mood of the Erd sims.

  Watson Doyle: Good morning to you all. How are you all feeling about things?

  Sherlock: (exudes enthusiasm and happiness).

  Charlotte Ritter: I’d say the same as Sherlock, although the Diankoran chapter is a bit concerning. A bridgehead in enemy territory, was it?

  Sophie Strange: The Diankoran elite seems to be fighting each other, though. That’s good. We’re getting lots of useful information here.

  Bob Rife: Right. The enemy traitor is obviously Soth, right? Who disappeared because we trapped him in time.

  Sophie Strange: Yes. And the allies this Scelera person referred to must be Isengar and Nurgle. Which means Nurgle has been communicating with Scelera, the wannabe Champion of Diankoran.

  Charlotte Ritter: Suppose so. And he or she backstabbed another Diankoran lord, who was responsible for the shadow attack on Erd. Scelera’s motivation seems to be a desire not to suck Erd dry once and for all, but to let it live so its energy can be consumed in the future.

  Watson Doyle: What does it mean that Scelera’s communication with Nurgle is so proper and correct, while here it is so – I don’t know what this is. A weird staccato rhythm mixing emotional outbursts and an obsession with seven-word sentences.

  Bob Rife: It seems like these Diankoran people don’t find it difficult to imitate other ways of speaking, so that’s one thing to take note of. I found myself wondering whether what we’re seeing in this chapter is how the Diankoran speak, or whether it is the Erd author – or whoever is behind him – adapting their style for our benefit. Or inventing their style for that matter. What’s going on, you think?

  Sophie Strange: In ether dramas about alien encounters, the aliens always speak a different language, which is always a major plot point since Confluence mages all speak exactly one language and are not used to encountering other languages. But in the ancient world they had this issue, if I remember correctly.

  Bob Rife: [checks ether] Right. The various ancient languages were combined into a single language in the early centuries after the Confluence. Apparently, they used the most widespread language as the basis, streamlined it and included a few things from the others, which were mostly just forgotten. Skeptics saw it as an attempt to sacrifice diversity for unity.

  Sophie Strange: Funny how it changed our thinking. Before this, the different languages had names, and now it’s just, you know, language. We no longer need a name for it. And, as reflected in those ether dramas I think, there is this deep cultural worry that we lost something important along the way. Like, if we encounter aliens speaking a different language, we’re totally unprepared to understand them.

  Watson Doyle: But Divination magic would sort this out for us, wouldn’t it?

  Bob Rife: There’s a whole thing about it on the ether. Specialists have found that our magics do well on invented and ancient languages, but they are not sure how they would deal with something fundamentally alien.

  Sophie Strange: In any case, it’s basically just the surface mind that depends on language. I don’t really see the problem here, but maybe that’s just an expression of Confluence prejudice against the usefulness of different languages.

  Watson Doyle: Hopefully – or maybe the opposite – we will meet some of these Diankoran people at some point, and then we’ll see.

  Charlotte Ritter: They basically want to eat us, so maybe there won’t be time to talk. But, you know, I’m getting the feeling they are not all that dangerous – they seem kind of simple. Cunning but simple. But maybe that’s another manipulation?

  Sophie Strange: My feeling is they’re simple. Cartoonish bad guys, like we’re fighting something out of a children’s show.

  Watson Doyle: If these Diankoran folks were our adversary in the Demonic Wars, they did some pretty gruesome things, though.

  Charlotte Ritter: Ripping holes in the spacetime-fabric and tearing people out of existence is gruesome, but sort of in a cartoonish way, I’d say. Not for children, precisely, but maybe a horror show for adolescents?

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Watson Doyle: Something like that. Horrible in a very literal-minded way. They managed to kill more than a hundred thousand people, though, so my point is that however simpleminded they may be, they can also be murderously effective.

  Sherlock: (whimpers weakly).

  Bob Rife: Yes. We should not underestimate them, although it seems that line of attack has been entirely abandoned. How would we fare against it today?

  Charlotte Ritter: We would probably have to ask the Board how they have protected us against such an attack. Anyway, it was interesting to me how the latest report from the specialists studying the alien shadow magic supported what Isengar and Nurgle found in Chapter 29. The alien magic looks chaotic to us, but it’s super-efficient in terms of its energy cost.

  Watson Doyle: So, as simple as Mori and Scelera may seem to us in terms of their psychology, they pack a mean punch. Or maybe we should say, a lean punch.

  Sophie Strange: We don’t want to talk about how Isengar and Nurgle really outperformed us down in Erd, do we?

  Bob Rife: I think we’re a little embarrassed.

  Charlotte Ritter: They just cracked the nut much more competently than we did. Kudos to them. But if we had lived for almost six millennia or whatever, we’d be pretty cool, too.

  Watson Doyle: High-level mages! Good thing they basically seem to be on our side.

  Sophie Strange: If we could talk to them, we could probably invite them back into the Confluence, don’t you think? Sounds like they’re tired of hiding.

  Charlotte Ritter: They could pay their penance by working for us! Would save us a lot of trouble.

  Sophie Strange: Yeah, “work”. That’d be nice.

  Charlotte Ritter: They’re gay.

  Sophie Strange: Gay men are so hot, yes? The clichés are always right.

  Bob Rife: And Nurgle is basically sex-starved, probably Isengar too. Six millennia of naughty experience as bad bois, now on a redemption path. Very exotic and alluring. I imagine they will find partners.

  Sophie Strange: You’re interested, admit it.

  Bob Rife: Maybe we’ll hold a great orgy to welcome them back. Something like a re-integration ritual, everybody’s invited.

  Sophie Strange: I’ll hold you to that.

  Watson Doyle: Sure, I’m in. Before we lose ourselves to orgiastic pleasures, though, we should talk about the energy hoard the two Elders left in Erd.

  Sophie Strange: Yeah. Just lying there, so big and juicy.

  Bob Rife: Is it a trap?

  Watson Doyle: According to their communications, Nurgle is asking what to do about it and Scelera is advising to just leave it be. Is this really the same person as the midnight creature in Chapter 31?

  Charlotte Ritter: The hungry little demon saying no to a treasure hoard of energy. Either the Erd author is misinforming us, or there is subterfuge at work here.

  Bob Rife: Yes. If someone comes for the hoard, what do we do? Protect it from them or just let them take it?

  Sophie Strange: If we can trace the hoard – at least while it’s in Erd – we would get an excellent opportunity to trace whoever comes to grab it. So, if it’s some Diankoran faction –

  Watson Doyle: You’re right! Having almost exact spatial and temporal coordinates, we should be able to penetrate their obfuscation. With luck, we could get a pointer to the Diankoran dimension.

  Sophie Strange: We don’t have to worry about it, though. The people over at Expedition are watching the hoard day and night. We’ll get a message if something happens to it.

  Charlotte Ritter: That’s our overall plan at this point, isn’t it? Just wait and see what happens.

  Bob Rife: I suppose – hey, look!

  [The Erd author started writing Chapter 29.]

  Charlotte Ritter: Short wait. Ooh, it’s another board meeting, those are fun.

  Sophie Strange: We’re starting to be a bit like them, aren’t we?

  Bob Rife: They are heroes of our culture. I guess we’re doing our best to imitate them.

  [The agents waited while the Erd author finished the first part of the chapter and started on the second part.]

  Watson Doyle: What’s happening?

  Charlotte Ritter: Ok, this is weird.

  Sophie Strange: Wow.

  Bob Rife: I don’t understand this. They declared themselves a three-headed witch, and then we joined the chat and that’s what they are?

  Watson Doyle: What does it mean?

  Charlotte Ritter: All I know is that I don’t know nothing.

  Sophie Strange: And that’s fine.

  Bob Rife: Point taken.

  Watson Doyle: It’s happening to us, too, isn’t it?

  Sophie Strange: I think so.

  Charlotte Ritter: Watson and Sherlock have been merging more and more closely for a long time now. The rest of us are catching up.

  Sherlock: (exudes pride and happiness).

  Bob Rife: Just let it happen, right?

  Watson Doyle: No worries.

  Charlotte Ritter: You know, earlier, watching Sophie’s many lifetimes, I started wondering about my own. Then it came to me, it’s just the same thing. Mistakes were made, unpleasant consequences endured, occasionally lessons were picked up. I don’t need to see the details to understand the overall picture.

  Watson Doyle: It’s like that for everybody.

  Bob Rife: Precisely.

  Sophie Strange: Maybe the details could be useful in some ways, though. Like, if you have what seems like an irrational distaste for lavender or fear of big knives, understanding where it came from might help you deal with it. I suppose.

  Bob Rife: Probably. Also, it struck me reading this conversation with us in it, sometimes it’s really clear to me who said what. Like, only Sophie could have said this or Watson that. But –

  Charlotte Ritter: Much of the time it could’ve been anyone. Remove the names from the transcript and it could’ve been any of us.

  Bob Rife: Yes.

  Sophie Strange: Change a gonna come.

  Watson Doyle and Sherlock in the style of Aubrey Beardsley, as interpreted by DALL-E in February 2025.

  Watson Doyle and Sherlock in the style of Egon Schiele, as interpreted by DALL-E in February 2025.

  Watson Doyle and Sherlock in the style of Ju Chao, as interpreted by DALL-E in February 2025.

  Watson Doyle and Sherlock in the style of Mikalojus Konstantinas ?iurlionis, as interpreted by DALL-E in February 2025.

  Watson Doyle and Sherlock in the style of Pop Art, as interpreted by DALL-E in February 2025.

  Watson Doyle and Sherlock in the style of Punk Art, as interpreted by DALL-E in February 2025.

  Watson Doyle and Sherlock in the style of Utagawa Hiroshige, as interpreted by DALL-E in February 2025.

  Watson Doyle and Sherlock in the style of William Blake, as interpreted by DALL-E in February 2025.