Black Hole: The Book of Iratus, Episode 65

Chapter 641

Iratus sat down at the table to listen to Venatrix. The other girls, as well as some of the others, such as Venatio, joined the table to talk to the fox girl.

Venatrix: "I'm not sure where to begin, but I guess I'll start with a meeting happening soon. There are actually a lot of people nearby, and they all seem to hate you guys here in the tower."

Ignis: "Like, how nearby?"

Venatrix: "From the beach to Crater Haven. There is a surprising amount of people nearby."

Resonantia: "This is new to us." Her brow furrowed.

Iratus gave a sigh.

Iratus: "We have run into the hospital vandals, the camp of ape people, and our insane neighbors to the north. No offense, Venatrix."

The fox girl didn't seem to react and continued speaking.

Venatrix: "And there are people living in the city as well."

She leaned back, and Iratus shook his head as if he didn't hear quite right.

Iratus: "I'm sorry, but Crater Haven? Are you saying there are people living there?"

Venatrix: "We have been talking to them, and we agreed to help them clear out the monsters that have infested their home."

Victoria flicked her tail in annoyance and then sat her head on her hand.

Victoria: "So then, how do they live amongst monsters?"

Venatrix: "Very carefully, but you would fine-clean areas in that city; we just fought in the bad area. Now, back to the main issue. These forces are coming together to discuss what to do about you tower folk."

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Chapter 642

Two days later, Iratus and a few others headed for the meeting location. Iratus checked his backpack and got out a ration while everyone rested for a minute.

Confodere: "So, what are the odds we can just walk in on this meeting?"

Venatio: "Surely they have rules for this?"

Deficio: "Hopefully, my presence will deter any hostile actions. A priest acting as a mediator should work."

Procella: "Or, they are not religious and won't care at all."

Studium, the fox boy, had a worried look on his face, and when Iratus saw it, he tried to cheer him up.

Iratus: "With what Venatrix has said, I'm very certain we will be fine."

Off to the side, the wolf man Salvos and the bunny man Commercium were lurking and watching the perimeter, and both returned to the rest of the group.

Salvos: "I think I can hear them. It looks like we will be a little late."

Iratus: "Alright, let's get going, people."

Everyone finished up whatever they were doing and got ready to move out.

Iratus: "Remember the plan; we are going to make our case and show these people our journey."

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Chapter 643

Iratus could hear the faint murmur of voices as he navigated through the dense forest. The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting long shadows across the forest. Nightfall was only a few hours away, adding a sense of urgency to their journey. As Iratus's group drew nearer to the source of the voices, a sudden hush fell over the forest.

The location lay near the travelers' cabin, but further west and towards the beach. Emerging from the trees, they stumbled upon a long-abandoned clearing. Here stood a small cluster of dilapidated buildings, remnants of a forgotten civilization. Vines and moss had claimed the structures; their stone walls cracked and weathered over time.

At the heart of the clearing, a grand stone plaza spread out before them. Stone benches, arranged in a semicircle, faced a central speaking platform. The seats were covered in a thin layer of moss and leaves, while the platform bore the marks of countless speeches long since forgotten.

Iratus saw the travelers of Sina, Venatrix, Ambitio, and Virtus with the shark man Loquor not present. Iratus could also see a raccoon man and a red panda man, the strangers from the hospital incident, though the female of their group wasn't with them. Aside from those two, Iratus saw two of the apemen from the beach camp, but now they wore more casual-looking clothes with their metal helms and weapons laying nearby their feet.

Then there were the new strangers, which were a varied bunch of species. There was a mousefolk, a raccoonfolk, an otterfolk, a hyena, a shark, a goat, a wolf, and the strangest one, a deer girl. They were split into four males and four females.

Iratus: "Sorry for the intrusion, but I was fearful that all of you would be a threat to my family, so I came here to understand your intentions."

Stina: "Iratus, we would have invited you to the next meeting. This is just to discuss who we are to each other."

Iratus: "Then allow us to take out seats."

The male shark stood up and pointed at Iratus's group. He was the oldest looking out of everyone, save for Venatio, and had gray skin with a white underbelly. He wore something like a swimsuit that could double as normal clothing and a necklace of shark teeth.

Sharkfolk: "Hey, hold on! This man brought a small army; we can't accept that!"

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Chapter 644

Procella: "I am here representing my own family." She crossed her arms angerfully.

Commercium: "Same. My family is our own."

Venatio: "You can consider me my own person."

The fox boy nervously stepped forward to speak.

Studium: "And I represent the Winter Winds, uh, my family."

Salvos and Confodere said similar things, while the priest, Deficio, said that he was a neutral party.

Iratus: "And I represent House Lionheart."

Iratus looked over to the other mousefolk that was part of the new group to see his reaction, but the mouse man didn't seem to react to his house name.

Stina: "I see. Then please, take your seats, and we will start again."

The nixman woman stood up to the stone-speaking platform while Iratus and his group sat away from the others.

Iratus: "Seriously, how did all these people get together?"

Salvos: "The apeman and Stina were already super paranoid about new people, and here they are, all working hand in hand with strangers. Hippocrates."

Stina: "With the tower folk here, we may begin to hear their defense. Prosperitas, I believe you should come up. Iratus, I think you should come up here too."

Iratus nodded and stood up as well, watching as the raccoon man from the hospital incindent stand as well. Once the two came up to the platform, the raccoon man spoke up.

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Chapter 645

Prosperitas, the raccoon man looked the same as when Iratus last saw him—short black hair, blonde-like fur, and still wearing the same army camo outfit.

Prosperitas: "As most of you know, my group met the Tower clan at the hospital on the beach. They claimed to own the building that we lived in and attacked us for entering what they deemed was theirs, even though it was us who slept and ate there."

Procella: "You shot first!"

Prosperitas: "We told you that we were living there, and you entered into our home."

Iratus: "You could have come to speak with us instead of shooting us. That all happened because you resorted to violence."

Prosperitas: "You invaded our home; we have no idea who you people were and only wanted to defend ourselves."

Iratus: "Considering you cut our lock on the door, you should have known someone used the hospital. To us, you were the intruders, and we had no idea your group was still in the hospital. There was just too little information everyone had at the time, but there could have been many ways to communicate beforehand. You could have left a sign out saying that the building was under your control. We would have knocked or waited in the waiting room."

Prosperitas: "In this climate? There is no law here, only bandits and victims, and we refuse to die from the likes of you."

Iratus: "Buddy, you shot at us first. We were fired. If you don't want to get shot at, don't start a fight. You can say that you don't want to be shot first, sure, whatever, but if you intend to fight and kill, be prepared to receive the same treatment."

Stina: "Enough! Let us talk about the hospital. Prosperitas."

The raccoon man nodded his head and gave himself a few seconds to relax before continuing.

Prosperitas: "The point is, these people are conquering every place they see and kicking everyone else out. Who gets to say who owns the hospital? My group lived there, and they came and kicked us out!"

The raccoon man glared at Iratus as if to dare him to defend himself, as if his statement were bulletproof.

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Chapter 646

Iratus: "We found that hospital way before you. It was infested with many monsters, and we slew them all. We risked our lives, not yours. What gives you the right to claim a place my family and friends bled for?"

Prosperitas: "What gives someone ownership of places? My group lived there. I already told you this."

Iratus: "You living there for a few days does not make it yours; we are the ones who made it safe, and we have been using it since. How does that not count as ownership?"

Prosperitas: "We were surviving, just like you! There’s no rule book here. No deeds or titles. You can't just say you own everything."

Iratus: "I wonder what would have happened if you found us in that hospital when you entered. Would you open fire and claim the building for yourself or try to talk your way out of intruding on others?"

Prosperitas: "What is the point of this hypothetical?"

Venatrix, the fox woman from the travel group, raised her hand.

Venatrix: "I think we get the gist of it. Can we move on?" She looked at Stina.

Stina: "Right then. We just wanted to tell you that you can just own a place you don't live in and that others here would love to use the hospital too."

From the crowd, Venatio stood up to speak.

Venatio: "Without power, that place isn't even that useful."

Stina: "We have an engine to power that building—well,  a few tools and maybe lights from a single room—but it is a generator non-the-less."

Venatio: "Interesting." She sat back down.

Iratus: "My people invested in that hospital and bled for it. What would we get out of all of you using it?"

Stina: "Everyone should be able to use that building. What you did was allow all of us the ability to use it."

Iratus: "Not good enough."

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Chapter 647

Stina: "We are in this together, and it would be evil to say you own everything and force us out."

Iratus gave an annoyed sigh. and grabbed the bridge of his nose as he recomposed himself.

Iratus: "How about you imagine if things were inversed? What if your people went down into that hospital to fight monsters? Then we show up and squat there, shoot at you, and then say you have to give us equal access to it because."

The raccoon man was still on the stage and grabbed his chin to think, and then he looked back up to speak.

Prosperitas: "If it were me, then I would say I'd chase you out of the area."

Stina whispering: "Shut it."

Though it was barely a whisper, everyone had strong enough senses to hear it.

Stina: "The Crater Haven folk have been living here just as long as you, if not more. Shouldn't they have access to the hospital? Shouldn't we, as a community, have equal access to the hospital?"

Iratus: "I don't know you people, and so far I have a negative opinion of some of you. We are not a community; we are our own people who have invested in the local area by slaughtering monsters and keeping the gray masks out. If you people want to work with us and use places such as the hospital, then you have to pull the same weight or we will never be allies, only neighbors."

Stina: "And there you have it. Proof that these tower folk are far too dangerous to leave them be."

The older sharkman stood once again to speak.

Sharkfolk: "I say we start the vote now."

Venatrix: "Hold up. We have not gone over all the grievances. Let us actually go over everything before we rush through a decision."

After a minute of grumbling from the factions, Stina was forced to let the meeting continue.

Iratus: "Thank you. Now, let me call upon my friends to tell you who we are."

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Chapter 648

The weasel girl took the plaza first, with the others taking their seats.

Procella: "I am Procella Ocean Drinker, and I do not live near the tower as I live further east. I trade my services with the tower folk and aid them in combat, resource acquisition, or any labor they need done. I am not denied any services or help because we are on respectable terms."

Stina: "You shouldn't have to trade just to have access to the same things."

Procella: "What do you mean?"

Stina: "Why can't you have equal access to the same things? You are forced to labor for items and food, which is wrong."

Procella: "Excess me? Lady, I crafted a wooden chair, and I'm not letting anyone else use it. To say that people should be able to use it just because it is retarded. I expect nothing less from anyone else. I keep what I make, and they keep what they make. We trade and exchange. I don't know how your civilization worked, but this is how things are."

After a few seconds, she gave a bow and left the stage. The rabbit man took the next spot and cleared his throat before speaking.

Commercium: "Same."

And then he proceeded to leave, but was stopped by a barrage of questions, with the tanuki woman's question being the loudest.

Ambitio: "You have to tell us more than that."

Commercium: "Ack. How troublesome." He gave a sigh. "Alright, listen, I produce a resource and trade it. I give out good deals, and in return, I am given a lot of leeway in trade negotiations since I have already off-set my goods. We can do this because we are a society, and if you want the same treatment, then you all better start investing with us in it."

He finally left the stage and seemed a little insulted by the way he stomped back to his seat.

Studium, Salvos, and Confodere gave their own little speeches about living in the community and their dealings with Iratus and his family. Venatio and Deficio claimed to be neutral parties and did not give any speeches.

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Chapter 649

After Iratus's group gave their say, the other groups gave theirs. First was the male mousefolk with black hair, brown fur, and a white belly. His blue eyes dipped, like someone who was not too interested in the conversations being had. He wore the simple, yet clean, clothing of a farmer: a tunic and trousers, with sturdy boots. 

Honor: "My name is Honor, and I say we become neighbors and live peacefully with the tower folk. If they give good deals, then I am more than willing to do anything they ask for, which is a great way to improve our lives. Thank you."

And he left, and another person took the stage, which was Tsunami from the hospital fight. This male redpandafolk had dark red hair and reddish-brown fur with black legs and a white face mask, which went well with his brown eyes. The only thing of note was his incredibly small stature, being a little over six feet (183 cm) tall. His clothes were just a simple robe tied to a sash with a small bag tied to it.

The red panda man talked about just moving on and leaving the location behind. The hyena female, Scar, talked about fighting the tower folk, while the old shark man talked about staying but having nothing to do with the tower folk. Another person said to form one united community, and eventually there came to a point where no one gave any more options, so Deficio said to have a recess. Soon enough, everyone temporarily disbanded to talk with each other.

Iratus stood around with mostly his group, with a few people coming by to ask various questions, but after the recess, everyone came to sit back down. This time, it was Deficio who took the stage.

Deficio: "If you don't mind, let us go through these options and see which ones are just too unacceptable."

Stina: "I second this process."

A few more agreements rang out, and the priest went over the options for friendly relations, isolation relations, unity, war, and several side options, such as leaving the area. There were five votes on the matter until a few factions formed. Iratus's group did not vote and waited to see the outcome of the voting process.

Prosperitas: "Crater Haven was supposed to be on my side. What is going on?"

Scar: "We are all divided. There is nothing I can do at this point."

Deficio: "But we can divide on several issues. If you would please divide up your respective factions, we will begin."

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Chapter 650

Two groups formed: the hostile group and the friendly group.

Stina: "Is there no way for you, the two factions, to come to an agreement?"

Scar: "I won't allow Crater Haven to work with these scum."

Iratus: "We didn't even do anything to you. Also, you do know that working with us would give you access to a lot more resources and manpower."

Scar: "Bribary won't work on me. You are a threat to everyone here. The apeman, Prosperitas's group, Stina's group, you have been threatening everyone and attacking people like barbarians!"

Iratus: "Everyone attacked us first, and we have had no bad interactions with Stina's group."

The hyena woman crossed her arms as her people rallied around her.

Scar: "We are a united community, and what you are is like a dictatorship with oppressive ownership and monopolization of items and locations. If you are not stopped, you'll put everything under your militaristic boot."

Iratus: "I don't think I understand what you are trying to say. People own things."

Scar: "And that is what is wrong here. People should be able to freely take things that no one can claim ownership over. Take that hospital, for example; we should all be allowed to have access to it."

Iratus: "Are you going to maintain it? Are you going to defend it? Are you going to stripe everything that you can and ruin the location? There are too many questions that you cannot answer because we do not know each other. If any of you would work with us, like a community, then I wouldn't mind you guys in that hospital. You keep what you make."

Scar: "That philosophy is what is wrong with civilizations. That is why they all broke in the end."

Venatio: "Sounds like someone knows about the truth of this planet."

The hyena woman gave a snort.

Stina: "I think most people know this planet is actually the end of time."

Venatio: "The end of yours is the beginning of mine."

Scar: "You are from outer space."

Stina: "We are getting off topic, and it is time for everyone to commit to their choice."

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EPISDOE 65: END

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Episode 65 End Character Sheet
Name: Iratus Lionheart
Species: Mousefolk
Age: 16
Coverings: blonde fur, white gambeson (many repairs, some leather patchwork), leather gloves, tactical vest, tailorcraft backpack, leather plate helmet, delicate gold chain with a small pendant shaped like a lion's glare, flashlight, bronze breastplate
Weapons: long sword, 3 knifes, short sword, hammer, 1 dagger
Equipment: belt, belt bag, water skin, leathercraft backpack, 2 bags, 5 copper coins, 1 small silver bricks, 20 silver coins, 30 gold coins

Wounds: none

Relevant Community Stash: a fire starter, whetstone, several leather items, 2 glass jar, 12 bottles, 1 fish net, primitive sewing kit, a bunch of small wooden figures, wooden dice, metal scrap, lots of rusted metal, several small fish nets, sextant, some bedrolls, a tent, a large barrel, writing material, 68 cloaks and other clothing materials, some fabrics, 4 carts, 4 stitched tents, skin drum, beautiful arts of tropical scenery, floatation devices, wildlife figures, lots of tropical clothing, ancient era hyenafolk clothes, gas generator, four flood lights

Armory: 37 short swords, 33 knifes, 19 daggers, 23 metal spears, 4 arming swords, 4 long swords, 2 extra gambeson, semi-automatic rifle (no ammo), 3 hunting traps, 5 snares, 12 backpacks, 3 katanas, 3 short katanas, crossbow, several pounds of C4
Aestus: gambeson, bronze breastplate, leather helmet, metal spear, 2 knives, short sword, bronze long sword.
Victoria: bronze breastplate, gambeson, leather helmet, metal spear, short sword, crossbow, 2 daggers, flashlight
Resonanita: steel breastplate, gambeson, metal helmet, metal spear, short sword, 1 knife, compound bow, flashlight
Ignis: bronze breastplate, gambeson, leather helmet, metal spear, crowbar, 1 knife

Treasure: 13 copper coins, 2 silver coins 12 iron coins, a tarnished silver brooch, a small ornamental figurine, a few antfolk tapestries, some antfolk art, bronze lantern, bronze idol, some jeweled trinkets, iron lantern

Home Base, Tower: Large Storage Area (many crates, clay pots, and wooden chests), Basic Workshop Area (lots of tools, woodcarving tools, glue, sandpaper), Kitchen Area (many tools, many cutlery items, pots&pans, makeshift grill), Library, Armory, Infirmary Room (surgery tools, first aid kit, plenty of medicine and equipment), Children's Quarters, Master Bedroom (proper bedding, sensual antfolk sculpture), Six Bedrooms (proper bedding), four portable solar panels

Outside Base: Butchering Hut (modern butchery kit, smoking rack), Tannery Hut, Underground Storage Area, Garden Area (fenced in), Tool Shed (fishing gear and supplies, trowel, woodcutting axe, woodworking tools, lots of rope, rope ladder, plows, hoes, sickles, rakes, shovels, scythes, chisels, anvils), Wooden Wall, Small Cabin (Venatio), Large Cabin (Winter Winds), Large Cabin (Dark Sky Family), Gravestone, Rabbit Hutches.

Books: 3x woodworking books, weathered leather-bound journal, war game booklet, sketch book (from warband), Bathhouse Reviewers (entire 80 book series), cards, Fractura's Notes, Tempestas's Notes, 12 survival guides, 3 technical manuals, 46 fiction novels, 11 encyclopedias, 4 dictionaries, 22 cookbooks, 2 gardening guides, 3 crafting books, 20 educational textbooks, 5 religious texts, 4 diaries

Year 2, Day 74

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TOWER FOLK:
Iratus of House Lionheart
mouse, male, blonde fur, blonde hair, gold eyes, 6'6, age: 16, b day: 350
-
Victoria Mother of House Lionheart
raccoon, female, gray fur, black hair, brown eyes, 6'3, age: 16, b day: 5
-
Aestus of clan Riversinger
otter, female, red fur, red hair, blue eyes, 6'1, age: 15, b day: 99, (preg 79 days)
-
Ignis Yang
red panda, female, reddish-brown/white fur, black hair, golden eye, 6'4, age: 16, b day: 344
-
Resonantia Diamond Heart Steel
shark, female, blue-gray hue skin, white hair, blue eyes, 6'5, age: 16, b day: 2, (preg 106 days)
---

CHILDREN:
Negligere Lionheart
shark, male, steel gray skin, white hair, gold eyes, age: 1, b day: 2
-
Ruina Lionheart
otter, female, orange fur, vibrant orange hair, blue eyes, age: 1, b day: 330
-
Gula Lionheart
red panda, male, brown fur, dark brown hair, gold eyes, age: 1, b day: 340
-
Tenacitas Lionheart
raccoon, female, silver fur, dark blonde hair, amber eyes, age: 1, b day: 345

Frustra Lionheart
raccoon, male, gray fur, blonde hair, gold eyes, age: 0, b day: 338
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NEIGHBORS:
Venatio of Wise Storms, Mother of House Black Jewel
fox, female, red fur, red hair, brown eyes, 6'6, age: 72, b day: 299
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WINTER WINDS CLAN:
Studium of Winter Winds
fox, male, gray fur, black hair, blue eyes, 5'8, age 13, b day: 190

Fuligo Leaf Shadow
otter, female, black fur, blonde hair, blue eyes, 5'6, age 13, b day: 245, (preg 8 days)

Bellum of House War Knuckles
cheetah, female, blonde fur, blonde hair, blue eyes, 5'11, age 14, b day: 91, (preg 44 days)
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DARK SKY FAMILY:
Salvos Dark Sky
wolf, male, black fur, white hair, copper eyes, 6'8, age 27, b day: 66

Leitmotif Schlange
snake, female, yellow and red scales, naga bodied, gold  eyes, age 24, b day: 229, (preg 119 days)

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(farm)
UMBRA OCEAN FAMILY:
Procella Ocean Drinker
weasel , female, blonde fur, black hair, green eyes, 6'5, age 22, b day: 207, (preg 23 days)

Iter of Sanguinem Umbra
goat, male, white fur, blonde hair, brown eyes, 6'7, age 20, b day: 334
---

(farm)
THE COBALTS:
Commercium Jade Blue Cobalt
rabbit, male, white fur, black hair, gray eyes, 6'8, age: 25, b day: 221

-
Abrasione
hyena, female, tan fur, blonde hair, gold eyes, 6'5, age: 20, b day: 4, (preg 162 days)

-
Kuxatura
hyena, male, tan fur, black hair, gold eyes, age: 1, b day: 284

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LAST MISTAKE
Deficio
lion, male, gray fur, rich gray hair, green eyes, 6'6, age: 46, b day: 111

Confodere Oculi Acuti
hyena, male, dark brown fur, black hair, gold eyes, 6'9, age 26, b day: 239

Malignitas of House Brokensand
feline, male, light black fur, light black hair, brown eyes (single eye), 6'7, age 29, b day: 343