Meanwhile, the attacks in the void never truly stopped.
Voidwatch had changed the nature of those attacks, but it had not removed them. Black Mass monsters still appeared near conquered worlds, sometimes in small groups that tested the outer defenses before retreating, and sometimes in enough strength to force the local factions into open battle.
Monster Emperors continued to appear from time to time as well.
Whenever that happened, Astraea and the other ancient beasts remained on standby. They no longer needed to stand beside every damaged barrier, but Lootwell kept them close enough to the emergency routes that they could respond whenever the pressure exceeded what Voidwatch and the local defenders could comfortably handle.
For the most part, the arrangement worked.
That was precisely why Lucien began paying attention to the factions that chose not to use it.
At first, there was nothing especially suspicious about them.
