A figure emerged like he was parting curtains in reality itself. Robes so black they seemed to absorb light rather than block it. Despite the blazing sun, he cast no shadow.
Both the raiders and I turned to stare. Territorial disputes forgotten in the face of something that violated basic physics.
"Nightseer," the Iron Syndicate leader breathed, and for the first time I heard genuine, bone-deep terror from a professional criminal.
The Iron Syndicate's hasty retreat was instructive. Professional criminals could recognize the hierarchy of threats, and they'd just encountered something that made armed robbery look like a reasonable career choice. The Nightseer's arrival had shifted the entire dynamic from local territorial dispute to cosmic administrative concern.
Which meant I was no longer dealing with problems I could solve through clever resource allocation and enhanced poultry.
{Entity Scan: Unknown - Classification: Divine Herald/Administrative Messenger{}
{ERROR: Scan partially blocked}
{ERROR: Entity transmitting encrypted communications}
{Recommendation: Extreme caution advised}
Even my interface was spooked.
Henrietta's enhanced instincts seemed confused by whatever had just arrived. For the first time since I'd upgraded her, she looked uncertain. Even supernatural chicken intelligence recognized something outside normal reality.
The Nightseer stopped at the edge of our chicken perimeter and spoke in a low, rasping voice.
"The Red Veil has turned its gaze upon you. Your reckless disruptions have sown imbalance in the world, and such transgressions will not be ignored."
Syndra was already backing toward her horse. "This isn't over, innkeeper. But it's not our concern anymore."
I was left dumbfounded at the Iron Syndicate's sudden retreat, their bravado collapsing the instant the Nightseer arrived.
The Iron Syndicate departed with unseemly haste, leaving me alone with a figure whose presence was making my interface display connection errors and memory allocation warnings.
The Nightseer looked up at my window. I couldn't see his face beneath that impossible hood, but I felt his attention like physical weight pressing against my chest.
"Brand the Glitch Runner. You build monuments to prosperity beneath the gaze of those who watch for anomalies."
[Title Gained: Glitch Runner]
I was amazed—for a heartbeat, at least. The cosmic bureaucracy had actually sent a messenger just to hand me a shiny new title. Nothing says good fortune like catching the attention of beings who treat people like bugs in their code.
"Thanks… Nightseer."
I gave him the warmest smile I could manage—felt like he deserved at least that much. "Ahem. Well, everyone needs a hobby."
"This is no jest." His voice carried several tones at once, never quite in sync. "Three nights ago, They came to me in dreams. The message was unclear, but the command was simple: find the source of change and deliver a warning."
{Escalation level: CRITICAL}
{Administrative intervention: Imminent}
{Threat classification: Immediate priority}
Just as we were carrying out the conversation, the surveillance algorithms had escalated my case to critical priority. I'd graduated from "minor anomaly" to "urgent problem" that required immediate administrative attention.
The joke I'd been planning died in my throat when I saw the monitoring status updates flooding my interface.
"What kind of consequences?"
He paused, struggling with concepts that resisted translation. "The Red Veil demands its due. The watchers require compensation."
He raised one pale hand toward the crimson scar on the horizon. "What I know with certainty, the Red Veil is no mere landmark. It is Their eye upon this realm. Their means of monitoring disruption. Your transformation has not gone unnoticed."
A chill settled in my stomach despite the desert heat. "Are you here to tell me to stop?"
"I deliver warnings as given, though complete meaning remains clouded in dream-logic." His shadowless form flickered like a mirage.
Visions spoke of correction protocols engaging. Systems mobilizing to restore proper balance. But whether this means cessation of activities or adjustment, I cannot say.
The way he said 'adjustment' made something cold crawl up my spine. Like a cosmic performance review that ended with permanent termination.
"What should I expect?"
"Watchers move according to protocols I don't fully understand. Cosmic bureaucracy has its own rules." The Nightseer replied as his form blurred, as if returning to the void. "But once the Red Veil takes notice, action is fast. Expect a direct response, Glitch Runner."
And then he was simply no longer there, the air disturbed like after a strong static discharge.
I looked down at Henrietta, still tracking his departure point with tactical awareness, head cocked in deep chicken contemplation.
She clicked agreement and began reorganizing patrol routes with the efficiency of someone updating threat assessment protocols.
Elevated administrative priority suggested I'd graduated from "minor anomaly" to "urgent problem."
But something about the Nightseer's message didn't fit. I pulled up my interface, the discrepancy nagging at me. Villagers whispered about the Red Veil being a "forgotten god's grave"—resting place, tomb, something passive and ancient. But the Nightseer spoke of watching, active monitoring, systems demanding payment and enforcing balance.
Two different stories. Same landmark.
[Administrator Level: 9] - Advanced Entity Control
Nearly dying apparently leveled you up in cosmic bureaucracy. Maybe my access was high enough for actual answers instead of cryptic warnings and doublespeak.
"Let's see what you really are," I muttered, focusing my scan on that crimson scar haunting the horizon.
[Deep Scan Initiated: Red Veil]
[Administrative Access Level: 9 - SUFFICIENT]
[Scanning... ]
[Warning! This scan may trigger monitoring alerts!]
[Continue? Y/N]
Half-second hesitation. If they were already watching, what was one more alert?
"Y."
[Scanning... Complete]
The readout scrolled past in neat lines:
[SYSTEM: Classified Information Unlocked]
[Device Designation: Constellation Monitoring Array - Red Veil Station]
[Origin Authority: Constellation Gods - Divine Administrative Network]
[Primary Function: Anomaly detection and regional surveillance]
[Secondary Function: Reality stability monitoring]
[Current Status: ACTIVE - Elevated alert mode]
[Sensor Coverage: 500km radius from installation]
[Local Classification: Disguised as natural landmark]
[Threat Assessment: EXTREME - Automated response protocols enabled]
Something between laughter and hysteria bubbled up in my chest.
This is not a grave, ancient prison nor forgotten god's tomb.
Surveillance station. Cosmic security camera disguised as mysterious landmark, installed by constellation gods to monitor this region for exactly the kind of reality-bending shenanigans I'd been enthusiastically engaging in.
And I'd built my inn right in sensor range.
The laugh died in my throat as the timer kept counting down.
[Experience Gained: +245 (Intelligence Gathering)]
{ALERT: Deep scan detected by monitoring systems!}
The Red Veil gleamed crimson like a malevolent eye, and for the first time since arriving, I had the feeling I was playing a game where someone else had been reading my cards all along.
Cosmic surveillance station cataloging every administrative violation. Building a case file on Brand the Glitch Runner.
A pulse of crimson light rippled across the Red Veil's surface.
{Administrative response: MOBILIZING}
{Surveillance breach: Confirmed - Target aware of monitoring}
[Warning! Enhanced surveillance protocols activated!]
But at least I understood the rules now.
Now I knew exactly what I was up against, and more importantly, they knew that I knew.