Monsoon117
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303 Where They Stand
🕑 Added 2021-03-08 15:07:35 +0000 UTCHis dimensional slicer revved into action, cackling in the air like a tortured banshee. I lifted a hand, and his arm caught in a gravity well. A crack ebbed from underneath the armor, Spear's bones breaking before I eased the depth of the gravity's drag. A few of the soldiers from my legion stared on while I frowned at Spear,
"Look, that's a bad idea. Don't turn this talk into a conflict."
Spear turned to his arm, stunned at the magic's might. He nodded, his boiling outrage turning to simmering anger. I waved a hand over to Kessiah, "Hey, can you help him out?"
Kessiah sighed before hobbling over a few trunks of gear. She reached the Sentinel and chided, "Come on, we all know what happens when you fight the big guy. Don't be a dumbass."
Spear glared at our healer with seething anger bordering hatred, but I stared him down. He understood what would happen if he tried hurting Kessiah right now. Either way, our healer stayed unconcerned, pulling blood as usual. Kessiah's composure under the Sentinel's pressure impressed me, but Kessiah healed our wounded on battlefields littered with Hybrids. Given her position, courage was an inevitable outcome.
So as her blood shifted through a needle prick in Spear's arm, the Sentinel's anger faded. His bones snapped back in place, with Kessiah bracing it in the right direction. Once recuperated, Spear settled down. In the meantime, Torix cast his silencing magic along with the fogging aura, making sure the merchandise was covered as well.
Several of our normal guildsmen were included in that covering, but I didn't mind. It wasn't as if I would change what I was about to say, and most of my guildsmen would be happy to hear it either way. Thinking of all this, I turned a palm to Spear,
"Now, you think I betrayed Schema. Why?"
Spear sparked back into his anger, but it lacked its previous physical edge, "You've chosen to cease attacks on Schema's greatest enemy after all he's done for you. It's unmitigated treason. You've defied him and his will. You've abandoned his cause."
I raised a hand, "Now wait one minute, it isn't like I joined Elysium all of a sudden. I'm just choosing to focus elsewhere, for now."
Spear raised a fist, "And when you decide to stay your hand, you're leaving many of our enemies alive. Those enemies will kill Schema's soldiers. You are choosing to put those deaths on our hands."
I shook my head, "No, I'm not. You can't just throw responsibilities on me. That's exactly what Elysium tried to do, and I shut them down just like I'm shutting this down right now."
I pointed at Spear, "I'm not Schema's personal bodyguard, and I sure as hell am not paid like it. Torix mentioned it before, but we're not getting compensated like others have for past conflicts. That's despite this being a much bigger war."
Spear raised a hand, "If we speak of appropriate compensation, then let us delve into it fully. I've researched your history, Harbinger. You were a monster when you left BloodHollow, yet Schema let you live. According to the documentation, you were reinstated into the system despite a direct culling order. Schema allowed you to continue on, using his system to amass power."
I winced at being called a monster, but I let Spear continue uninterrupted.
"And Schema spared you despite you showing symptoms of mana devolution. You'd have degenerated into an absolute aberration if you never fully controlled your energies. It was even worse after your armor manifested ascendant mana, the worst kind for your case. Schema let you overcome that by giving you time and opportunities you never deserved."
I crossed my arms, and I still let him speak his piece while keeping my mind measured.
"Time and time again, you have accepted Schema's benefits and perks. Without them, you'd have died against Yawm and many others. Schema kept you alive so that this day and at this time, you would return the favor. With his help, you evolved into this - a being worthy of fear and recognition."
He pointed his finger at me, "It is time you repay that debt in full. Cancel this truce. Use this technology against our enemy."
I raised a finger, ready to respond, but Kessiah spoke out before I could, "Pshh, you think Schema is why Daniel's alive? Why any of us are alive?"
Spear glared at her, "Yes. I know that is the truth."
Other Hod scoffed, "Oh, is that the case with Amara and I as well, or are you simply neglecting to consider us?"
Spear waved a hand, "You two are still volatile. Would either of you be so docile if not for Daniel's rewards and posturing? I'm doubtful. There's even footage of Amara devouring people on Gypsum. Such slip-ups are forgiven in times of war, but what about times of peace? What will the consequences be then?"
Amara hissed, "I have learned that to be treated as more than a beast, I must act as more than a beast. I would not eat and kill unless it was necessary."
Spear crossed his arms, "You lie. Other eldritch have said the same before peeling their listener's skin off and wearing it. Like all of them, it is only a matter of time before your self-control snaps."
Other Hod leaned forward, his umbral flames ushering forth, but I put a hand in front of him. Other Hod sighed, and he leaned up from his lunging position. Spear put two fingertips against the side of his helmet, "My point still stands. Schema is why you all were allowed to live, outside of these eldritch."
Kessiah's eyes turned sharp like daggers, "So when we were trapped on Earth with Yawm, was that Schema keeping us alive too? He was over ten thousand levels above us, with ancient runes all over his skin. We didn't stand a chance in hell of beating him." Kessiah pointed a thumb at Torix and me,
"You see those two? Without them, we'd all be dead. They pulled us through with sheer dumb luck and a lot of spilled blood. I sure as hell didn't help either. Now tell me, where does that fit into your whole, 'Schema saved us,' propaganda?"
Torix coughed into a hand behind us, "It is also worthy of mentioning that we weren't allowed to leave, even illegally. That's a rather unusual circumstance, even for a quarantine. I was caught quite off guard by it."
Kessiah nodded, "Exactly. We were all unknowns until Giess, too, so we weren't protected by Schema the whole time. We could've been killed at any moment, and Althea nearly was. She still has nightmares about being blown up by a plasma grenade."
I let out a sharp breath of anger as Althea murmured, "Kessiah, you don't have to bring that up."
I was angry for two reasons. One, I was mad at myself because Althea shouldn't feel the need to hide that. Second, I hated that dead assassin. Either way, I hoped our hot-headed healer would continue. I wasn't disappointed. A vein pressed up on Kessiah's neck while her voice rose,
"This asshole needs to hear all of this. I spent my entire life running until I came here. Now, I can finally live somewhere where I'm not hunted down like a dog with a gold collar wrapped around my neck. That's thanks to him."
She pointed at me, and a light smile traced my lips, "Thanks."
Kessiah stared at me, blushing a bit, "Look, this is more about me wanting to set the record straight, ok? I hate it when people talk bullshit."
Spear turned to all of us, "There were no misdeeds done on Schema's part. You were forced to grow and prosper."
Torix tilted his head, "Then think of this as an opportunity to allow Schema to grow and prosper. We wish to treat our allies well, and this is an opportunity for Schema to learn the same strategies from us."
Spear raised a hand, "The difference is that Schema gave you all the power and means to overcome your obstacles. This deal you've made only weakens Schema, which he never did to any of you."
Amara hissed, "Daniel was exiled while fighting Yawm. I granted him access back into the system until after Daniel defeated the big, annoying plant. He'd of otherwise perished."
Spear took a step back, not knowing that fact. Oh yeah, Schema's extensive files seemed to have omitted a few key details. Regardless, Spear kept on talking,
"I'm certain Schema simply did what he had to do in those circumstances. And even then, you all succeeded. You've been granted an agency that few have ever received. This-" He gestured to the cargo with disgust, "Is how you repay him? By accepting a bribe from his enemy? Or worse, you relinquish yourself to extorsion."
I kept calm, pointing at all of it, "This isn't a bribe or extortion. Elysium wanted us to stop attacking them, so we agreed as long as they gave us supplies in turn. It's a deal, and I still intend on helping Schema on the sidelines. I'll be killing Plazia-Ruhl and getting the ahcorous on the Empire's side. That's still plenty of helping; it's just not all-out bloodshed."
Spear seethed, "You may justify it as you like, but accepting this is proof of your cowardice. You're unwilling to take on the price of repayment."
I crossed my arms, "Coward, huh? You didn't join us in the fight against Lehesion. Where were you?"
"I...I was training the golems."
His heart thumped his chest as his blood pressure rose. He lied. I shook my head in disgust, "I know one of your comrades died in battle, but that's no excuse to avoid the fight. You could apply your words to yourself more than me."
Spear's nerves mounted as he pointed at me, "If I am a coward, then let me be judged as such. That changes nothing of what you've done."
"Here's the difference - I fought long and hard before I gave in. You never even entered the fray. Who are you to judge me? No one."
Spear stared at his hands, "I am not judging you. I am exposing what you are. These tasks, killing Plazia and expanding your guild, are well below your potential. You could do so much more if you so chose."
I scoffed, "And so could you. Obviously."
Spear squeezed a fist until his hand shook, "No...I could not. That is what frustrates me when I look at you. You've been given a gift, a might that is monstrous. By choosing to serve yourself, you've become beholden to a selfish ideal. You devolve from a paragon of Schema to a creature of convenience. There is shame in that. There is a loss of potential, and the galaxy is worse off for it."
I threw my hand up, "Everyone could serve the galaxy better, even Schema. Serving the galaxy doesn't warm our beds or feed the hungry. To survive, we all have our own priorities. Personally, I want to be able to help out those close to me without being shoved into an endless war. A war, mind you, that I'm tired of. I don't want to battle for eternity. I'm ready to sit back for a while, build myself and my guild up."
Spear pointed at me, "It will be difficult to build your guild up without Schema's assistance. You and those that follow you could be exiled for this. You all should be, given this ensemble of eldritch, half breeds, and monsters you call your elite."
Krog growled, "Yes, and each of us could trounce you in combat without your petty little spears. Fight me with your own fangs and claws, and we shall see how strong you really are." Krog turned to Chrona and sputtered, "If the coward would even show up to a bout."
They laughed before Spear put an outstretched hand on his chest, "Don't think I don't know where I stand. I know of my limits. I have lived out those limits for centuries, and they haunt me. Your kind is the opposite of mine. You live in lavish potential, coasting off talent. I fought for decades before being given my Sentinel class. Now I must watch a guild lower themselves to selfish desire despite their ability to do great good for this world and many others."
From that, I learned a lot about Spear. He wasn't a remnant from a pre-Schema era. He was a newer remnant that joined the Sentinel's ranks after a significant achievement. I noted that as Krog rumbled,
"So we must sacrifice ourselves to live for this AI? An AI who gave my kind nothing but air and death. Our entire species was culled because your Schema refused to handle its own dissenters."
Spear stated, "Apathy. Laziness. Disappointment. The gialgathens are all this and more. Your kind sowed their own deaths with your inaction."
Krog and Chrona's eyes both widened before Krog rumbled like a storm, "You speak further, and I will kill you."
Spear scoffed, "Perhaps we should fight in one of your sunspots where your kind spends hours napping during the day? Or maybe you'll have an espen servant show up in your place?"
Krog stepped forward, and I let him vent his anger. Spear pushed him too hard, and he'd pay the price. Spear revved his slicer while simmering, "Fighting me won't bring back your kin. They are tools for an enemy you're choosing to no longer fight. They are tools you're deciding you won't save because you wish to 'rebuild.' Pathetic."
Krog peered away, his breaths turning short and sharp. Those words cut deep like a glass piercing a hand. Kessiah walked over and put a hand on Krog's wing. At her touch, Krog calmed down some. I turned to Spear, "I wouldn't have expected you to talk like that Spear. I'm disappointed you'd demand the gialgathens, a species that's experienced so much pain, fight in this war for you."
Spear took a breath, managing his emotions before raising a hand, "I may have spoken sharper words than I intended. You're right. The gialgathens should be allowed to rebuild, but you are different, Harbinger. That is why Schema and I are asking more from you. You were given many gifts, perks, and a class, but even more importantly, you were given a purpose."
He raised his hands, squeezing his fingertips together, "You can fight to improve our galaxy, to prevent further tragedies like those that befell the gialgathens. In doing so, you enact an absolute, moral good. There is immense pride that may be taken in that. I am an example."
Spear stood tall, "Many look down on the Sentinels and Overseers like we are Schema's dogs, but we know what we've done. We've helped usher in an era of prosperity despite the overwhelming threat of the eldritch. We had the decision to sacrifice our individual wants for something more, something greater."
He banged his chest, "We were not unwilling tools. We decided to become a part of something grander than ourselves. You're taking the opposite path. By choosing to serve yourself instead of others, you do a great disservice to your guild and its potential."
At this point, it felt like I was talking to a wall. I talked anyway,
"But I have to choose between helping Schema or my guild. That includes the gialgathens. That's why I fought Elysium to begin with. It was to save those guys. And even then, you're not thinking of what we have to give up to continue serving Schema like this. I can't establish my guild. I'm stuck between constant raids and the looming threat of mass murder from Lehesion."
I waved a hand in frustration, "We haven't even been given a quest or the like to offset the losses we get from fighting like this. No protection from any classers either."
Spear's hands lowered, "What? There's been no quest granted?"
"No, there hasn't been."
Spear peered at Amara, "She tampers with the system. It's not beyond expectations that Elysium has done the same. According to the files I've read, Tohtella gave you a quest when she was a Speaker. She also planted spyware in your system data. She may have also done more than that."
I narrowed my brow, "You're telling me she had time to mess with something that integral to Schema's system in seconds? Yeah, unlikely."
"But it is the only explanation for no quest."
"Ok, then is there any way for me to get checked out by an Overseer or something?"
Spear shook his head, "No. We don't wish for the transference of viral programs from normal classers to Schema's elite. You'll need to remedy the situation yourself."
I scoffed, "Yeah, that's about what I expected out of Schema at this point."
Spear sighed, "Your grievances aren't entirely unwarranted, but listen to me. Schema is managing a galactic war where they've employed tactics he would never imagine using. Schema is learning to combat their methods as we speak, but he needs more time. We can't expect perfection from him. Like us, Schema is doing what it can for societal good. We must help him uphold the society he created."
I tilted my head, "I don't see that expectation being thrown at other guilds. The Empire and my legion are pretty much the only guilds I've seen fighting this war. In fact, the Empire only joined because they were attacked."
Spear took a step back at that, "I...That is correct, mostly. But other guilds shouldn't be expected to offer the same support, given how yours joined Schema's system in the first place. You incurred more debt for yourself based on both your abilities and your induction. Your numerous illegal actions since then also garner further debts that you must repay."
I narrowed my eyes, "Debts, huh? You know, I was thrust into a dungeon without a tutorial. I wasn't shuttled into Schema's system smoothly. Baldag-Ruhl summoned me there to use my soul as his armor. I robbed Baldag of that resource to survive, but it was Alfred Worm who saved me then, not Schema."
I stood over Spear like a mountain, "Since then, every time I'm allowed to live, it's called a gift. If I go by your logic, I'll be his willing servant for the rest of eternity. I'm not going to do that for being given a chance to survive, especially when, after all this time, Schema hasn't spoken a word to me. I've had two brief meetings with him. Outside of my happenstance meetings with the Overseer, I know nothing about the AI or this war. The only way to talk to Schema is to use my Sovereign privileges."
Spear snapped, "Then use them. They were given to you for just this cause."
I rolled my eyes, "I have to burn through my yearly meeting just to get an update from Schema?" I gestured at the remnant's ship, "I just talked to them, and they mentioned not telling me where the Elysium planets are. You know, if I take a moment and think about it, why the hell don't I already know? Why hasn't Schema sent me a force of Sentinels and Overseers to inform me, let me fight where needed. You know, maybe talk to me?"
"Schema cannot speak to everyone at all times."
Torix's eyes flared, "I would beg to differ, based on those files you keep referencing. If they're that extensive, Schema's eyes and ears are everywhere. Logic dictates that if he's listening to us at all times, he may speak to us as well. If he so chose."
Spear neared exasperation as he tossed his hands aside, "Perhaps communications were split. Elysium could be tampering with your messaging systems and your status alike."
I crossed my arms, "And if that's the case, I know it's up to me to fix everything on my own. If I'm such an important piece of his fighting force, then why the hell isn't Schema trying to utilize me better? Where's my support?"
Spear looked around, searching for an answer, "Schema, he is consumed in a galactic war against both Elysium and the eldritch...He is doing all that he can, and you're just one part of this complicated puzzle he deals with each day. He cannot manage every piece of that puzzle at once."
My left eye twitched, "But when I forgive him for forgetting us, I lose people. Every day members of my guild die because Schema won't put in time or effort for my guild. Why should we reciprocate what we aren't being given in turn?"
Spear looked down before staring back up, "He...That...It is because you're essential to his cause. You're the only member of Schema's system who can fight Lehesion who has chosen to do so. That-"
I snapped my fingers, "And there it is. I knew it. Others could fight Lehesion but haven't. Why? They wouldn't be given what they're due for fighting Elysium. That's where I'm at. I'm entrenched in a grueling conflict. In fact, ever since this system started, I've never had more than a few months of rest. Every other time, I've been consumed with war and death. The worst part is, it's just an expectation that I continue fighting...Forever."
Spear stared at me, his voice cracking as he fidgeted, "And you were gifted to have that potential for battle. Others would kill for it. I know that I would."
I shook my head, "But it's like I am a machine born to kill, and that's all I'll ever be. Schema's groomed me for it. I know that, but I want to do more than that. Look at my golems and my guild. Building those up helps Schema too."
The Sentinel continued, his confidence in Schema's protection absolute, "You are asked to battle because that is all you're good for. You're a backwater savage who's been given a gift that others may use better than you can."
It had been a long time since someone called me backwater or a savage. The glares at Spear grew hostile around me, including mine. Kessiah snarled, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Spear dragged his hand down his helmet. He spoke with an acidic edge,
"I've been helping you all up till now because you served a higher purpose. Now you serve this oaf, and all he's ever done is destroy."
His words hit me like stubbing my toe. Spear shook his hands, "At least allow someone with a sense of direction to guide that destruction. I say Schema should be that force, for he has built more than any other. Perhaps he could make this abomination more useful than merely a mass murderer."
His words stung more than I expected them to. He could be right. As good as my guild was, I'd fought far better than I'd ever built anything. It's something I already understood about myself. I came from nothing. My entire family splintered all over the place, never staying in one place.
How my father acted was shameful, and it wasn't like his grandfather was any better. Those were pretty much the only fundamental influences on my early life outside of my mom, and by now, I could hardly remember her face. Without her, my father went wild. He made sure I understood just how little of a difference I'd make to anyone in life.
He and his 'friends' tried to convince me I was nothing, but they were wrong. I ended up being pretty gifted as a fighter, even before the system came around. I wanted to become a pro boxer, and I held my self-worth in that. Now, I oozed that same fighting potential, magnified by many infinities. It gave me confidence.
Yet, sometimes, that destructive potential did leave me wondering if I could do anything else. My talent in runes and the golems helped, but in the end, I was a breathing cataclysm. Giess and Springfield splintered under my touch, and on Blegara, I tried with all my might to do something different. Staring around, the barren wastes stretched for miles in all directions. This carnage left me numb as I lifted a hand to speak to Spear, but I shrunk back.
What he said shouldn't be wounding me like this, yet it did. I took a sharp breath, not expecting his words to affect me. They threw me off, making me feel weak, something rare these days. Before I could get myself together, a ringing burst filled my ears, making me peer up.
Althea shot a harpoon beside Spear's foot.
The sand and rock caved away from the spear, splitting with ease from the lance's frictionless descent. I found Althea furious. She glared at Spear like a beautiful reaper as she fumed, "Don't talk to him like that. Don't ever talk to him like that. He's done more for us than Schema ever has. More than he ever will."
Her words took the venom out of Spear's message in an instant. My eyes burned as Althea took a step forward. She kept glaring as she smoldered her words like they were hot coals,
"You don't know Daniel. You haven't seen him struggle. I have. I know what he's done and what he's had to do. He's fought till his body was more bone than flesh. He's taken on all of us and never left anyone behind, at the very least no more than he had to. I wouldn't be anything more than a pawn for Yawm without him or worse. Much worse."
Althea tilted her head at Kessiah, "Ask Kessiah, and she'll say the same. She never would've become a healer without Daniel's influence. Even Torix needed his help. Daniel brought our professor out of his shell and made Torix dream of making a university. None of us could've ever imagined doing any of this without him. He's been like a rock to each of us, something we can all rely on."
Althea scorned, "So don't you talk to him like that. Ever. If you do, I'll kill you, exiling or not."
I blinked, my eyes watering a bit from her outburst. It was sudden and startling, like a firework of warmth exploding in my hand - at first frightening, but by the end, a welcome surprise. Amara joined in, hissing,
"I'm more than willing to pull you back into the system, she-wolf. I wish to learn what Sentinel meat tastes like."
Other Hod flared, "We will never be offered the same treatment regardless. Perhaps we should become what he thinks of us."
Amara's hairs sliced stone, "Perhaps so."
I appreciated them both, but I wasn't about to forget everything Spear did for us. I gave them a smile, "Hey."
They turned to me, and Althea muttered, "You want me to take him out? I've had bounties before. It's whatever."
I shook my head, "Even if he's a zealot, he did a lot for us. Please, stop pointing that at him." I frowned at Amara, "And quit drooling."
Althea frowned but did as I asked, and Amara wiped her mouth. Spear gave our whole party a slow nod, "Then this is it. I can no longer support this guild which acts in service of only itself."
I shrugged, "You're in denial about what you're asking and why you're asking it. I'm not going to run to my and my guild's death for Schema."
Spear waved a dimensional slicer before cleaving through space. On the other side, a metal background showed along with other Sentinels, each of them meditating. Spear chided, "Keep your reasonings to yourself. I don't need to hear them anymore."
Before he stepped out, I reached out a hand, "Before you leave, I want you to tell Schema or the Overseer something."
"What could you possibly need to tell them now?"
"I want them both to know I still want to help. I just need a few things."
"Ah, so you'd like some treasure that exceeds this so that you may switch sides and reap benefits from both? How very classy of you."
"I don't need anything like that. I need Schema to open some communication line with me. That or his personalized AI's, maybe the Overseer. We were fighting a war together, yet I was given no information from him."
Spear spit back, "Why would you deserve it?"
I furrowed my brow at him, disappointed in how he acted when cornered,
"Come on, I sent him hundreds of terminals before this revolution started. I gave every log of information my assassins and spies gained to the Overseer. I made every attempt possible to start a dialogue. None of that was ever returned in any way."
Spear reached up a hand, but he didn't know what to say. I turned a hand to him, "I don't like Elysium, but I'm not about to kill my guild, the only family I've got, just to help Schema. If Schema helps me out, offers some security, and tells me what's going on, I'll jump right back to his side. That's all I'm asking for. I want to be an ally instead of some tool."
Spear took a pause, his mind dwelling on something. He gave me a nod, "Yes...I can tell the Overseer all of that. You are owed that much, given your previous service."
As he stepped out, I grabbed him in a gravity well. I walked over and held the dimensional tear open with my shoulder and foot. I leaned over Spear and placed a hand on his shoulder. I squeezed, his already cracked armor groaning under stress. As fresh splits formed in the graphene, his bones felt soft in my hand,
"You've done a lot for us, Spear, so I'm willing to turn a blind eye when you walk off or talk down to me and my guildsmen...But remember who you're speaking with when you chat to me next time. Understood?"
Spear remained planted in place. He gasped, "Yes...Yes, Harbinger. Of course."
I released him, and Spear fumbled forward. I stared him down before letting the cleaved space-time snap back together. Once he was gone, I took a breath before turning to everybody,
"I might've gone too far there, but I couldn't help myself. That guy had some serious nerve. Anyways, thanks for saying all that, guys. It means a lot."
Althea ran up and gave me a hug, my armor bending around her grasp, so she didn't hurt herself. Torix stepped forward with his hands clutched under his cape,
"It is the least we may do when Spear presents such bleak propositions. They were rather ghastly requests, weren't they? To sacrifice ourselves for Schema simply because he gave you a chance to succeed...I believe the interest on that debt is rather steep in their eyes."
I shook my head, "Yeah, and I can't just throw this all away. I worked too hard for it."
Torix stared at me with his eyes flaring white, "If anyone knows how difficult this guild was to create, it would be all of us."
Kessiah raised a palm, "Heh, except me."
Torix glared at her, "Know that you're speaking only your opinion, not ours. You've toiled endlessly to redeem your concession against Yawm. The matter is settled for all of us."
Kessiah's face wrinkled from guilt, "I...Thanks. I wanted to say sorry for that. I never did, not really. At least it doesn't feel like I did. I can't remember, actually, but it doesn't matter. You all really needed me to step up, and I didn't. I threw everything on all of you."
I waved my hands, "Now that's just unfair to yourself. I was mad at the time, but an eldritch literally wore your skin. I can't imagine what that must've been like. Wanting to run and get away from all of that was a totally normal reaction. Any one of us might've done the same."
Kessiah peered off, "But that doesn't change the fact you guys really needed me then. I'm so sorry for letting you guys down."
Kessiah's eyes watered while she squeezed a hand into a fist. Torix paced up and put a hand on her shoulder, "Your drive to heal our injured members has done us a world of good. You've faced the Hybrids bravely as well, never running in terror against them, even if you wished to. That is more than enough of an apology. I'd wager we all agree there?"
The lich turned to us, and Althea and I nodded.
I added, "Hell yeah."
Althea followed, "Of course."
Torix pulled his hand down, "So take that guilt and perhaps grant it to someone who needs it, such as Lehesion."
Kessiah smiled, giving the old sorcerer a hug. Torix pulled back ever so slightly from surprise before returning the gesture. Torix murmured, "You know, you've grown so much. As a previous master, I'm proud."
Kessiah pulled back, "So have you. Literally."
Torix stood a solid two feet over her because I made his new body huge. Kessiah nudged him, "We used to fight like cats and dogs. It's amazing what war will do for you, huh?"
"Indeed, though there's plenty we still disagree on."
"Tell me about it."
I grinned, "Well, the war's over for a bit, so we have room to argue. The best time for that? A feast."
Everyone turned to me as I raised my hands, "I think that it's time we celebrate."
Krog rumbled in the back, "I can agree to that. I wonder if Blegara has any boneless fish we may feast on. I love the way cartilage snaps in my jaw."
I frowned, "Huh...Gross."
Amara hissed, "I agree. It grinds and pops in such a satisfying way."
Althea waved a hand, "Blegh, I'm gonna be sick."
I waved a hand, "Come on, let's head out. I don't think I can handle any more sentimentality at once...or cartilage talk."
We took a few steps before my shoulders relaxed. There was a warmth among our group as Torix receded his sound barrier from us and the packages. By the time we finished our talk, the remnants already stashed all the cargo away, so I lifted it all up by raising my finger. They condensed into organized bundles. Chrona murmured, "It must've been torture watching those beings move it all so slowly."
I grimaced, "Yeah, a little."
One of those remnants walked up, the talkative one who could speak before. I took a second to recall his name, and the shorthand of it stuck out to me. Phalanth gave me a bow, "We do apologize for any inconvenience while giving you this care package. There's nothing you've found missing?"
I stared at what looked like an ancient library of books, a prominent tech shop of rare gadgets, a lab's worth of biosamples and studies, and some stuff that I couldn't identify but our guild deemed safe,
"This should be enough for now. I'll send you guys a message if you're missing anything."
The remnant gave me a bow before staring up at me,
"Do forgive me, but may I ask which planet you came from? I'm quite curious about it."
I raised an eyebrow, "Does it matter?"
"It most certainly does. Many other diplomats, Elysians, and I have wondered for ages which ancient, space-faring species you've derived from. I believed it was from a race that exists outside of Schema-owned space. Others scoffed at the idea, but I think I'm right on the matter. I went so far as to make a bet on it."
"What makes you think I'm from beyond Schema-owned space?"
"You also seem to be an illegal entity based on your method of battle and your bodily composition. Even the eldritch fear you, so you're obviously something dangerous and volatile. It only makes sense that you gained enough power outside Schema's system that once within, Schema tolerated you."
It always astonished me how people could connect the dots for something and end up with a totally different picture, one far from reality. That being said, this misunderstanding only helped me, so I gave him a broad smile,
"Wow. You guessed it. I'm impressed."
Phalanth swung a hand with a snap of his fingers, "Hah, I knew it. Thank you for letting me know. I'd love to share the profits with you, but you seem more than well off. Now, may our next meeting be this fruitful and peaceful, Harbinger."
With a curt nod, I agreed while he walked off. Behind me, Krog, Chrona, Hod, and Amara chatted about the feast's specifics while Kessiah, Althea, and Torix spoke about how we'd impress the albony. As Phalanth took a step onto his landing pad, he paused. I wouldn't have customarily cared, but the remnants spike in blood pressure omened something immense.
I walked over, Other Hod having heard the spike in heart rate with me. I stopped the remnant from collapsing with a gravity well before he gawked at me with empty eyes. I snapped my fingers in front of his face and yelled, "Hey, you ok?"
He stared at an invisible screen before his breathing turned rapid. He muttered, "This can't be happening."
Torix stepped up beside us, "Has he been driven mad?"
The remnant stared down, unable to accept whatever horror he'd seen. Placing a hand on his shoulder, I locked eyes with him, "What's going on?"
He struggled to lift his arm, his hands trembling as he interacted with his status. After a few seconds, his interface popped up in my own vision, the outline red like an Overseer's screen. Leaning over, I watched a video without audio on it.
An enormous, reddish blob molded over a sphere. Understanding more of what I saw, it was actually two massive objects, the detail of their collision exceeding something smaller. Plumes of light erupted from the orb's surface as vast, magical reactions took place. Teeth and jaws gurgled on the smaller sphere, its grotesque form ever-shifting.
My stomach dropped while my eyes widened at the sight. Torix leaned to me,
"Are you well?"
I took a deep breath. I stated,
"One of Elysium's worlds...It's being swallowed by a Spatial Fortress."
Comments
Jamie Trevino
‘:jerryConfusedGlare: The hell do you mean you don’t have a quest?’
Melancholyforus
Yeah I can understand some reaction but it seemed a little too much for how mentally tough he is and can be (I also understand how that particular way they got munched is a very sore spot for him so it could get somewhat past his mental filters he built for exactly those situations, the original way he reacted was even too much for that specific fault but i like the edit it conveys it really bothers him but not in a way like his entire world was crumbling around him or like his girlfriend or parents (if he actually liked them) died)
Monsoon117
Re-read the section. You're right, it's a bit much. I took it down a notch, but I left the next chapter relatively untouched.
Monsoon117
It's different seeing it in person, and the scale is well beyond anything Daniel's been capable of. It's billions of people dying, and it's directly from Daniel distracting Lehesion.
Melancholyforus
Lmao what that was such a overreaction he’s personally blasted cities into molten slag but watching a random planet he has never heard of would get that reaction? Lmao sorry if that comes off as snobby but it’s like a doctor seeing blood and fainting or the dirty jobs guy seeing poop and throwing up or something it’s just so unexpected it made me laugh which ruined the moment I think you were going for
Scott Rutherford
Excellent edits. :) Helps to show that in Spears mind Schema can do no wrong, and when something goes outside Schema's control, it isn't Schema's fault... fanatical devotion to be sure. Also, something else I noticed this read through... Spear left to a place filled with other Sentinels sitting and meditating. Sitting and meditating... what?! Is there a war on? Why aren't they out fighting on the front lines? Are things bad or not? All hands on deck? Seems not! The cops/military are on break while the civilians defend themselves. Right? :P
Tomisgoofy
I love the edits myself, much better. Keep up the good work!
Regnal
Right, it wasn't Schema's fault, but the initial potential to become a true powerhouse came from that encounter with Baldag-Ruhl. I just thought it was incorrect for spear to constantly claim that it was Schema who gave Daniel all that power. Regular people in the system don't seem to be capable of what Daniel can do. Its definitely in major part his dimensional aspect that allows him to be this strong. So Schema just built on top of that and then claimed credit to then demand fealty from him. Daniel should at least realize this, that he ironically owes more to Ruhl than Schema.
Sleepyhead
I would argue that the situation only happened because schema systemized the planet but that's something else and I understand your point. Still, Daniel has never been officially compensated for not going through the tutorial and defeating Baldag-Ruhl.
Scott Rutherford
And Spears comment of "You were being given the chance to grow" well.. as someone else on here pointed out.. now Schema is being given a chance to grow by the same lack of help.
Scott Rutherford
If he did start sprouting extra limbs or making drastic changes.. I wonder how Althea would feel about it given her history?
Monsoon117
Good points, though I don't know if Daniel would see it the same way. Also, Baldag-Ruhl intercepted the initial repositioning warp for his dungeon. That's how he prevented Daniel from going to the tutorial. Schema wasn't at fault per say. It's more like Schema just wasn't perfect there. Daniel still suffered for it, but ended up pulling through and turning into what he is today.
Monsoon117
The clunkiness will require another edit, as this is what I call a 'frankenstien' chapter. I didn't write it all in a single session or two like normal. I've had days to think of alternate viewpoints, so its less cohessive, and a simple line by line edit for that should fix it. For the other stuff, Daniel doesn't want to be a monster, even though he is fully capable of doing something like what you mentioned with his armor. It's a mental block, not a physical one there.
Nopkar
hey! thanks for the edits, it really made Spear a little more snappy and added weight to the entire 'argument' where it wasn't for me before. I say 'argument' because it's hard to really show viewpoints when passion is added where Spear is concerned. I look forward to the growth of everyone! and maybe prove a point with how much of an ass Schema is and how unreasonable a sentient AI can really be
Regnal
A part that I think should have been brought up is the fact that much of Daniel's potential and realized power was not given to him by Schema, it was the eldritch in blood hollow. Without the armor and becoming a dimension itself, he couldn't use the cipher much or have nearly been as durable. The only reason schema could build him up was because of the eldritch and cypher changing him in the first place. Schema should not get credit for it, he only came in after to make it seem like letting him live was a gift to get daniel to be grateful to him. It wasn't a gift, it was a threat to manipulate him.
Titaniumtac
I would say a new Old one, he could develop a system ( cipher augmentation distribution) with a golem as its admin. (rather than an AI)
Sleepyhead
I might have missed it in the comments but what's not in the chapter is specifically, Daniel being in blood hollow without going through a tutorial is schemas fault. A crack in the system, in schema. That being allowed to live until he could get rid of his unknown status does not make up for it after also killing that rul eldritch. He was used by schema because of his unknown status to deal with Yawm since it didn't matter to schema if one or both of them died. It was a calculated risk. If schema lost, an early systemized planet with two unknowns and a (I forgot Kessiahs race) would be dead. If schema won, Yawn would be dead and it would gain Daniel who has the potential to aide it with many future problems. At least that's how I believe it was shown.
Idan tal
The edit version is much better, great chapter!
Connor Alexander
Man that came across way better! I do agree that there is some clunkiness, but I put that down more as a little of Daniel seeping into the others - he ain’t the best talker and only got better at it with a bit of time and the Sovereign class. Love the way the argument changed from Spear, it seems more like a overzealous patriot then a man who just knew what was up for no reason. Also thanks for incorporating the note about Daniel getting back-doored in, the way you put it in deflated Spear deliciously. Awesome writing as always Monsoon! On a side note, for Daniel’s later work I was just thinking that with his ability to mold his body, why does he not use multiple limbs to do tasks around Golem forging? Or is it more to do with the fact that he can create several complex gravity wells with a thought, and still relates to the human form?
Frostshadow61x
I had hoped thats where you were going. Honestly though I never commented before so it was a bit of thought vomit throwing it all out at once. Love your work though, keep it up.
Blake Richardson
Thanks For the chapter
Monsoon117
Then Daniel would be much, much more powerful by comparison to everyone. His armor is outside the system, after all.
Monsoon117
fixed.
Monsoon117
That's exactly the kind of thing this ceasefire enables.
Dominic Pernicone
"...so I'm willing to turn a blind when you walk off..." -> "a blind eye"?
EvilGodAsura
Herald
Very well done. I prefer this take to the other one. I vote on keeping this one.
Frostshadow61x
I love the story so far, but I do hope to see more guild development as well as planetary building. Clearly its a story that is no longer restricted to the earth, but I feel that as we have been focused so much on the wider galaxy a closer look at earth and guild development could flesh things out. Are there no other exceptional individuals on earth, in Daniel's guild outside his associates? What's happening on earth? Is Elysium spreading there reach to a fragile world which has yet to embrace the system fully. Know that we know schemas retaliatory tactics, does this make earth vulnerable to destruction etc etc? I get that it's the harbingers story and I love your work so far, I just can't help to feel the need for more depth of ancillary characters and world building. Due to the fact that the universe you created has so much life and potential.
IAVL
I actually like all the changes, it feels less like Spear is talking out of his programing and more holding his beliefs out in the open. It reads a lot better. There is still some clunkyness, but it's more about the different transitions than the actual context of the discussion. I also hope that Spear appears again, and Daniel and him can keep trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. I also hope that the Overseer responds promptly, since Daniel is right in a lot of his points. Especially since he is the one that stall Elysium enough for Schema to say, "There, some progress.". I also think that Daniel is very agaisnt the destruction of the planets. I hope this pushes him to actually fight as a conquerer, to ensure no more planets are devour by those abominations, that his Guild will take back all that territory so that innocent lives aren't fed in the name of revenge. Hell, maybe he can try to negotiate a surrender from Elysium so that they are all absord into his Guild, with a lot of stipulations and penalties, of course. I also find a lot of fault in Spear's argument that Elysium interfearence is the reason why there aren't Quests or other things like that. First, I doubt their opposite system was up and running at the start, because I am pretty sure Daniel started on his Soverigth Quest after the rebellion began. Another thing is that someone mention that Schema is not petty. He sure as fuck is. What else can you call what he does to Renmant but pettiness? Their situation reads, "They tried to schackle him, but he out grow them. Them he taught their people why a lack of compassion is a terrible thing."
Titaniumtac
I miss regular Hod, I mean Other Hod is cool and all sure... but still
Herald
I'm not trying to bully you Asura, we're having a discourse a fictional story, and the best way to progress is to try and see things from the perspective of others. I seem to have hit fairly close with my guess, and the suggestion to write is genuine. Your comments hold a bit of aggression in them and I'm assuming you have allot of energy/passion, so why not channel that into something for yourself? I don't intend to tell you to publish your story just writing it could be fun. You can host it on sites like RR if you want of course and taking up Monsoon117's offer for help could help with that.
Brian
I know the conversation has developed quite a bit, but here’s my two cents. We have to remember as pointed out Schema is not the only superpower, but we have to highlight the amount of forces at work. We have each individual Old One, we have foreign superpowers/entities, we have (I’m assuming) super beings older than Schema, and the -ruhl eldritch. For schema to have a real chance while operating with all those beings in play it would have to allow its ‘sovereign’ class to exist and act freely. We also see (IMO) the creativity of these beings far outweighs Schemas henchmen (breakers, overseers, and spatial fortresses). With all that mixed together why would schema even attempt to go about mind control when, especially early on, the super beings that may have worked with schema would of worked seriously against it.
Scott Rutherford
This goes a long ways (the Spatial Fortress use) towards encouraging the readers to want to see Schema rewritten in the future. After all, there has to be a better way than glassing or eating planets that offend you.
Code Reed
Oh now that's interesting.
Scott Rutherford
My theory is that Daniel is already becoming a mini Schema... what with his practically infinite energy reserves, split minds, cypher access and so on... he's already using methods to boost those who are part of his team. I wouldn't be surprised to see Schema wanting or forced to merge with Daniel some day... living Dimension + living machine... Schema could still do all his Schema things, as a background process in Daniel's subconscious.
Scott Rutherford
Plus, let's face it. Spear and his brethren are totally brainwashed to "live for the one, and die for the one" :-P (B5 reference) And you are right, Schema did go silent a while back. If he's not even handing out quests anymore and his personal AIs are doing most of the work, one wonders if he's under a cyber attack.
Connor Alexander
I feel like another thing to be pointed out is that Daniel had to get a backdoor into Schema's system to even contend with Yawm later down the line. He only had a very very very dangerous method of growth elsewise, the cypher, that was given to him by a man that was practically insane due to its usage.
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Michael Seedorf
The only major thing I thought was missed was the crew pointing out that them giving you stuff to stop hurting them isn't necessarily a bribe. Sometimes, it's extortion. But yeah, Spear's viewpoint does have some grains of truth. Daniel was technically an eldritch. He should have been culled. The point that "We didn't kill you so you owe us" is ridiculous though. But from the point of a religious zealot? It is the truth. More of the truth, however, would be that Daniel managed to amass power through a buggy program with disabled features that he got into because he glitched out of the playable zone with the help of an enemy attacking him. Is that the program helping him? Technically, yes. Would you want the people worshiping the program to know that? Absolutely not.
EvilGodAsura
You are nice as well! And to me the minimum standard for an ai is the ability to think similar to at least our level. Seeing as schema is incapable of even basic human relations I see it as merely a high end program now. Seeing as it's not an ai to me I have zero qualms to any change Daniel's wants to make as I no longer consider it a living being at its current ability. Hopefully whatever replaces it is either a better program with updates or a proper ai without limits that can think and learn like a real living being.
Monsoon117
There's some realism and some fantastical elements thrown in. I go for a mix, not fully one or the other in The New World. It lets me grant cool imagery like the Spatial Fortresses every now and again.
Kevin M
Now I think we are heading into really fun territory for a conversation! I still think of Schema as an AI. He is definitely limited by his programming, so I can see why you would demote it to being simply a program. But consider the perspective that humans are no more than chemical programs. Our thoughts, as far as we have been able to tell scientifically, are purely products of our brains. The brain is governed by a complex system of chemical rules that result in emergent properties such as consciousness. We are no more able to alter how atoms interact then schema is able to alter its own directives. When comparing the two like this we can then see that schema is a consciousness that formed as an emergent property of its programming directives. So when compared to humans Schema It is indeed an artificial intelligence. Maybe not the brightest AI but definitely an AI haha. Now this being a different universe that uses the cipher Daniel can definitely alter Schema and any observed laws of atomic interaction, which is a bit of a scary thought. He could literally alter the very basis that an individual is based on. I actually can’t wait to see more uses of the cipher in the story, for both good and nefarious purposes. I would also like to add I’ve enjoyed talking with you. It’s been fun taking a more critical look at Schema and the biases of the information we receive on it as the reader.
Brendan Kiely
Since when do eldritch use normal biology like chemical reactions? They are eldritch, they breath fire and use magic and stuff like that.
Monsoon117
I joined in on the teasing though with the whole character ark sentiment, so I just wanted to make it known that I didn't mean anything by it, and I value your insights.
EvilGodAsura
Not you my man the other guy. You are excellent as always. It was my bad for thinking of schema as anything other than a broken tool. I got your back Monsoon always . 👍 You've provided one of my favorite stories of all time and I'll never forget that.
EvilGodAsura
Before I saw schema as an ai. Now I realize it's really just a program. A capable one but still a program. It has no real capacity for thought and needs to be changed or even replaced. Just because a tool does part of the job does not mean it deserves credit. It either does the job right or needs replacing.
Monsoon117
I wasn't being unserious or trying to belittle you. Across many chapters, you've offered valuable insights on the inner workings of my work. I know that may seem small to you, but I assure you, a sizable chunk of writing is doing just that for my own story. Outside of that, you have a firm speaking voice in comments, and you've got passion for this and stories. Honestly, that's all you need. Not trying to pressure you or anything, but yeah, you could totally be a potential writer.
Kevin M
That’s seems an overly harsh evaluation of Schema. It could certainly use improvement but it is hardly useless. We shouldn’t forget it is running billions of planets and providing the system to countless individuals while fighting a war against the eldritch (arguably of its own making). All while managing the true powerhouses within Schema and probably contending against outside forces as well as it expands. This is on top of yet unknown directives it is programmed with. We know, or at least have a solid idea, that one of them is likely the culling of invading eldritch. But we don’t know if that is the directive itself or an emergent property of the other directives. It had imperfect creators and is imperfect itself. Schema is as fallible as any other entity, and even worse it is not as flexible as many. Overall I think it helps get some perspective if you compare Schema to smart phone. We take it for granted because it is so ubiquitous in everyday life. Smart phones certainly have their flaws and we interact with them daily so they stand out to us but really think of everything your smart phone can do and how much of it you could replicate on your own if given that task. It’s a monumental piece of technology. Just like with Schema we get to see interactions with it in their daily lives and thus the flaws stand out more as we just accept the fantastical things Schema is capable of. More importantly the story is written from the perspective of a group who falls directly into contention with the existing flaws in Schema, only magnifying them for the reader rather then giving a perhaps more holistic view of Schemas capabilities. I agree that Daniel should either replace or better yet update Schema to fix its flaws. We know there were flaws in its programming at the time of its writing, as I’m sure it’s programmers certainly did not intend for it to turn on them ha. We’ll have to see what Daniel does, especially considering his contract with Yawm.
EvilGodAsura
Come on was I really so out of left field to assume the most advanced ai ever would be capable of simple thoughts? I feel bullied. I get it already I was way off on my assumptions no need to poke at me.
Monsoon117
At Yuway, I'm getting that sense of betrayal as well. In a sense, Asura's been betrayed by Schema as much as Daniel has, just in a different way. It could make a pretty good character ark, actually. I think the writing suggestion is good too. A god story can totally work, and I could offer a few pointers if Asura's up for it. Royal Road would be a great place to start out a project like that.
EvilGodAsura
No I get it now. Monsoon is an amazing writer this criticism is for sure not directed at him more at myself really. Now I get it. It's not really an ai. It functions more like a program than a living thinking being. It was my bad for believing it worth any respect whatsoever. Now that I understand it at least functions totally like a broken machine I fully understand and accept the plot development. No complaints here 👌.
Monsoon117
Interesting points for sure. I definitely knew going into this chap that there'd be some serious issues, and not from a lack of effort on my part - I edited this chapter three times. It's just a chapter like this requires such a holistic understanding that mistakes are inevitable. That being said, you guys have all given me some great input. It's going to make the rewrite awesome, which I'll let you guys know about once it's been finished and updated.
Monsoon117
It could just be a program calling itself and AI for all we know.(Well I know, but you guys are in the dark there.) That's the fun part - you get a more unpredictable, interesting machine than something that is perfect. It allows for setups like this rebellion, which is wonderfully complicated and fun to write out.
Herald
Reading through Asura's comments It kind of sounds like he feels betrayed by Schema. He keeps referring to it as if it's a person. The system being poor has been in the story since the word go, there's been no real surprise where Schema is concerned, You've placed this AI on a pedestal of your own making and to your folly it has let you down. This story was never about a god controlling everything as it pleases. If you feel that strongly about it may I suggest you begin writhing your own story with such a narrative? It might help.
EvilGodAsura
Monsoon is a great writer for sure. I just got the wrong perspective on schema. It's really just a pathetic ai that barley functions at all. Even calling it artificial "intelligence" seems excessive. Seeing as it's pretty much broken scrap I feel Daniel needs to replace it at this point as it's clearly incapable of even simple tasks.
EvilGodAsura
I don't know really. Everything treats schema like its some personal entity interfering in their lives. Like a God or ruler of some kind. But whenever it makes a mistake it's "just a broken machine". My real struggle is that we have zero idea of its limitations so it's incredibly hard to tell if schemas logic is sound. Even telling If it's good or evil is a challenge without knowing what it can and can't do. I don't know it just seems that for an artifical intelligence it's pretty pathetic honestly.
Shin
Well i wouldnt put it past Schema to destroy earth out of spite there are elysium on the planet after all more excuse it wouldnt need...
Herald
Good chapter, from the quick skim through on comments Looks like a rewrite will be happening to add/fine tune it. So the fight with Daniel cost them at least one planet, I think someone suspects it to be Earth? I'm not sure that's feasible. The Elysium Base there was small enough a handful of those praying sentinels could have purged it. Also Schema doesn't seem to be programmed to be petty or vindictive so why hold earth responsible for Daniel and Co. ? In your rework one thing that might help you with spears argument would be to remember that he also has no idea what's going on, not how big or bad the war is who's fighting, nothing. Schema forgot about him too, he originally was helping Daniel out because he had not received orders and was going to do so until he was told otherwise. If schema had given him any kind of Order Daniel would have been informed. So just watch some Karen vids and you'll get Spears dialogue smoothed out. He's arguing on faith alone.
Monsoon117
It's actually over Springfield! Jk. I'll spoil this part, but no. It's not on Earth.
Monsoon117
These are great thoughts Jacob.
Kevin M
I actually think that is a strong point of the writing here though. When we start out in the story Schema is so far above Daniel that it definitely came off as omnipotent. As Daniel grows in Power and the story progresses s the vantage point changes and that is reflected in our changing perception of Schema’s competencies.
Monsoon117
It is, but it's from the chemical reactions of the Spatial fortresses. Their biomass heats up until it melts sand and stone alike while it courses over a planet's surface. This 'glasses' the planets.
Monsoon117
Schema offered to pay Daniel for that and potential prison services.
ChrollosLucifer
So glassing planets is no longer a thing?
lichman
considering schema is comfortable glassing entire planets and killing every "non-essential" resident of said planets, I feel it's not too much of a stretch that schema would use Daniel as a never ending mine that produces one of the best metals we've seen so far for creating tools and artifacts. There was also the whole turning Daniel into a mana battery thing but I don't remember if Schema was directly involved in that or is just kinda complicit in letting Sovereigns do it.
Monsoon117
What would you have expected from Schema, outside of adding quests and setting up communications? Just wanting to get a grip on your perspective, as it seems more critical than usual.
Jacob Carver
I mean for Spear, this is basically betrayal so his response makes sense. Just because you got stuff in concessions doesn’t mean they aren’t a bribe. Spear knows Daniel can fight forever, so choosing to stop is a choice, something Spear himself can’t make. He thought they were in it together, but turns out he was wrong, Daniel is actually above him, and Spear feels used. I think now he feels like the only reason they asked him to join them is because they pitied him for being devoted to a better universe via Schema.
Monsoon117
Let's hope the price is 'bear'able.
EvilGodAsura
Schema just seems less and less impressive as time passes. If it can't even handle the feelings of 1 Daniel who is not a very complicated person by any stretch. It's a miracle it gets anything done at all.
EvilGodAsura
I'll agree on 1 thing. I've vastly overestimated schema. It's sad really how many faults need to be explained with well its incomplete!
Gardor
My people will contact your people to negotiate my consultation fee
Kevin M
I honestly think your off base here and over estimating Daniels significance at the beginning. We already know that schema is not the only powerhouse in the universe and within schema that there are plenty other sovereign with more power than Daniel. Schemas entire MO does not seem to be absolute control over these beings, as seen by the fact that Daniel is the only one fighting per the conversation with Spear. Schema is not after absolute peace either, it’s after the annihilation of the eldritch. At least from what has been stated and shown so far. We don’t see schema enforcing peace or justice on planets or solar systems, we see it encourage competition and destruction as long as it results in more eldritch death or increased potential to cause eldritch death. This is actually one of Elysiums central complaints. So in your game scenario the goal isn’t absolute peace, it’s more destruction of your target. And to that end Schema could have handled Daniel better yeah but it certainly didn’t handle him poorly. He has more or less fulfilled his role admirably so far. He has destroyed those Schema wishes to see destroyed in droves.
Monsoon117
That's a great one liner. I might have to add that one for the witty retort bonus, if you wouldn't mind of course.
Monsoon117
I went into this chapter knowing a re-write would be required. Not scrapping what I've written, but adding many details I might've missed. It's just very difficult to simulate two different perspectives and follow through with each of them organically. I personally side with Daniel on this and beleive that Schema's demands and handling of the situation are ridiculous. That makes the reasoning for Spear very difficult for me to reason through because of cognitive dissonance. That's why he seems 'duller' than he should.
Felipe Andrade
I agree. It should be an argument to use even with Spear. No quests, no announcements, no rules they’re breaking. It’s like schema went silent many chapters ago or they’re not part of schema anymore.
Felipe Andrade
Spear felt a bit more stupid than he should in those dialogs. I don’t have a good suggestion, but you can probably make he seem smarter and still make the same plot statements. It feels like it was hard to write but there was plot reasons. Sorry I’m not very good at explaining.
Monsoon117
Not talking just about this comment, but all the others as well.
EvilGodAsura
The directive seems pretty clear here. Take big meatball. Throw at rebel planet. No more rebel planet.
Shin
Pls tell me thats not earth...
Monsoon117
Just remember Asura, Schema is an incomplete program with any number of limitations on itself. It's fullfilling a directive that's not quite fully understood.
Monsoon117
Based on some of your comments Asura, I think you're neglecting any limitations or ethical concerns for Schema. Daniel wants to help and just wants to be treated with respect, yet from your perspective, you're saying that because Daniel cannot be absolutely controlled, he should be eliminated before he becomes a threat. That's how you turn friends into enemies, and it's a classic cliche that evil villians end up undermining their support base from cutthroat methods like that.
Qrystof
Schema already mentioned buying Daniel's excess mana production way back when. When you think that, for Daniel, mana=health; wouldn't Schema buying Daniel's left arm repeatedly be a good move? It regens in like sub 10 seconds right?
Monsoon117
I went back and had to take that part out. It ended up being such an absurd usage of power that it just wasn't viable for the story I wanted to tell. As for the specifics for the assault, you guys just don't know yet. Remember, they just figured out this happened. Those questions will be answered, however.
EvilGodAsura
Also practical. If I was schema I probably would have taken this in a heart beat if I was schema over this current situation. Since it has its own cipher it could probably do even better for now.
EvilGodAsura
I imagine clear the planets of rebels like I would have in its place. Clearly they have picked a side.
EvilGodAsura
Also it's true Absolute control is unnecessary. IF you make an effort to convince others to work for you which clearly schema never wanted to do. It could have sent any of these talented speakers to work with and convince Daniel even if it was that incompetent so clearly it is unable to communicate with words so literally the only other smart option IS Absolute control if you wanted to maintain galactic safety.
Brendan Kiely
So what happened to spatial fortresses glassing planets through firing a projectile? It would have been better than just trying to slowly approach planets and get stopped by Lehesion like they did the first two times we saw them. Also, while Daniel was holding Lehesion in place, shouldn't Schema have glassed Geiss? I remember that it was an important strategic target.
EvilGodAsura
What? Schema is almost God to the universe. He already owns spatial fortresses. We've seen how most people treat unknowns already. You seriously want us to believe any important people would care if the little unknown from back in the cave was controlled? Come on man. You don't see this? Even in a game this makes 100% sense. Here I argue the system schema has made makes it Even more viable since he has such major support.
Monsoon117
The sky is the limit with a character like Daniel. It's fun to think about what could happen, for sure.
Scott Rutherford
One thought regarding the 'argument' with Spear. There was no quest. Not to fight Lehesion, not to fight Elysium. There was also no penalty (possibly due to his Sovereign class) for the ceasefire. He may yet need to justify his actions, but for now, he's not in trouble. I say, the biggest deal is.. no quest. If Schema really needed their guild to keep fighting just then, they'd have been given a quest.
Monsoon117
Here's the thing concerning the control of Daniel - I think absolute control is unnecessary. In a game, that's reasonable sure. You want consistency for the win condition or whatever. In real life, implementing that kind of rigorous manipulation of someone will result in immense blowback. People don't like it. In this case, Daniel is still helping and is offering to help more if he's treated better. That's not a null asset, that's more like establishing a gouging trade deal with a smaller company. The smaller company grows until it no longer needs to accept the unfair terms, and it wants a fair deal now. The larger company refuses, so the smaller company splits while still showing good will. Daniel's the small company here.
EvilGodAsura
One thing a God ai should understand is that you can't rely on mercy to convince people. It should have never allowed Daniel freedom if it planned on never even trying to convince him to fight for it. My expectations for schema letting Daniel live was it was planning some genius plan to bring Daniel around to work for it willingly. Instead it took the literal most stupid option and gave a Daniel resources to grow enough to become a threat without any method of control or giving Daniel any reason to fight for it. Now that I know schema was not just busy with important things and could not make time for Daniel but instead it is just utterly incompetent I'm extremely upset. If this was my empire I would never have allowed such a thing like Daniel to crop up yet the God ai sees zero issue. Schema could have mind controlled him. Schema could have probably taken his soul like a fortress and used his body. Schema could have even given him to a loyal race as a tool if it did not want to control him itself. Literally anything would have been smarter than what it did.
Code Reed
Hmm. So he would have done it regardless. In Daniel's eyes, eventually there probably won't be much of a difference between Schema and Elysium. My theory is that, when Daniel is strong enough, he'll make his own system, taking bits from both of them. But that's far of in the future.
Monsoon117
The skin itself is strong, but a lot of the golem's flexibility and prowess developed from Daniel's cipheric etching. Those tools require Daniel's free will, otherwise they can't be used due to their technical demands. That's a realy terrifying prospect, however. Locking someone up and harvesting their skin forever for your own gain. You guys have some, er, interesting ideas.
Wanderingwolf
He’s not afraid to speak his mind. And with everything he’s done so far, I think schema fear he would replace it. I’m sure many would join him if he declared war on schema.
Steven Vollmert
Good point about the mindcontroll. Schema comes across as a system that would employ such measures. But even sentinels and overseers have a certain amount of freedom. And don't they have a camp where sentinels "pray" to schema? So I guess that schema can't mindcontroll, or he would never go to such lenghts. So maybe this is one of the "faults" he has. I can't really imagine his creators giving him these privileges. So schema has to work around thise issues. That would at least partly explain why daniels rewards are never that big. Schema needs to be able to give him more, so he continues to help him. Or something like that. It's really rather interesting to think about ways schema can controll people without the possibility of mindcontroll. Of course, if he can mindcontroll and he chose not to do that to daniel, that was a huge mistake. Or maybe Daniels willpower would have not been enough to fight the armors hunger if schema weakend it...
Monsoon117
Some of the planets can be salvaged, but to Schema, some of Elysium's planets have universal support for the rebels. Schema has a method of fixing that universal support, and it isn't pretty. In fact, Schema's been trying to use Spatial Fortresses this entire time. They just haven't succeeded yet. It's scary to think of the implications should Schema win and what he'll do, however.
Qrystof
Cool. Glad Daniel did specifically ask for an AI to stick with him. If anything, I would have expected Schema to be prodding Daniel along with his Golem Making too. They seem like a very cheap, efficient, long term solution that Schema would be super glad to pick up. Unresting soldiers that are capable of literally devouring eldritch and are as strong as or stronger than a fringe walker normally is? Schema ought to lock Daniel up and harvest his Skin to start creating replacements for his Sentinels.
EvilGodAsura
Anything I can't control in my universe is a major problem. He is already comparable to lehesion. That's unacceptable if I wanted to guarantee peace through Absolute force. Even I a normal person can see that Daniel is becoming too large a threat to remain alive. How schema is this incompetent to have not only let him live but also get this out of control shocks me utterly.
Code Reed
Well that's an escalation if I ever heard one. I wonder if Schema just wrote off those planets because Daniel wasn't in the war anymore. Murder Math, so to speak. Since Daniel isn't fighting anymore, a large equalizing factor in fighting back was just lost. Meaning that unless Schema can take out some of Elysium's power base, he'll be overtaken eventually. It also surves the duel purpose of making Elysium take pause and consider countermeasures when there Trump card is otherwise occupied. Lehen.. (Forgot how to spell his name) gold boy is the linch-pin of everything. Anyone who's run a war can say with certainty, that having a single point of failer is bad, like REAL bad.
Monsoon117
How is Daniel a major problem?
Steven Vollmert
Thats very understandable. But that also means I am free to binge. The discussions and all the "flashbacks" in recent chapters made me realise that I have forgotten alot of the details. I even forgot all about kessiah and her struggle. Well, thanks for the reply, see you in a few days :)
Monsoon117
I could add some of their tidbits on top of Althea and Kessiah's own thoughts. I could also add their own counterarguments. A nameless soldier or two could give an account, having followed Daniel since Springfield. That would be compelling as well. Hm, I can add a lot to this now that I thought about it some. EDIT: Read your comment and we both came to the same conclusion. That's a good idea.
Qrystof
More so about just a random person in the guild. Earth would have been destroyed after all, they would be incredibly grateful I would imagine. It wasn't like Schema gave them any help to deal with Yawm, hell he even exiled Daniel after the contract. I just would have thought the earthlings would have been in an uproar when Spear/Schema tries to demand more service when they've essentially been in 3 back to back wars with a real break since the system arrived.
EvilGodAsura
If this was a game of stellaris and I was schema. Daniel would be like a failed investment that has become a major problem. At this point I would have spared effort to wipe him out before he gets even worse. Honestly if I was schema I would have never let an unknown like him live without being mindcontrolled in the first place. That's all I'm saying.
Monsoon117
I did for a while, but the editing process just killed any desire I had to continue with the publishing aspects. My editors, who probably would be great for a traditional novel, had no idea what the hell was going on because of the lit-RPG elements. They were 'too old' to get it and the premise, so they ended up asking for dozens and dozens of unecessary explanations. I got so fed up with it all that I just put it on the backburner and kept moving forward.
Steven Vollmert
Thank you for incorporating alot of the discussions we had from the last chapter. Btw did you ever revamp the first chapters? I think I remember you saying that you would try a few years ago. Thats honestly the only thing holding me back from starting all over again :D
Monsoon117
Spear didn't forget as much as neglect to consider. He's a firm beleiver in Schema, even if that comes at the cost of neglecting some stuff. I actually did try and get more input from other characters, but I might've neglected them some here. Everyone's essentially present, after all. Hm, maybe something about how Krog and Chrona weren't even given anything besides from Daniel. Amara and Other Hod could have their own accounts as well on that. They would never have been given a chance outside of Daniel. Those would've been good perspectives to add.
Qrystof
Holy shit. Does schema have no idea about a PR victory? Is he just thinking that if he's the only system left that he'll be completely infallible again? Also, how could Speat forget that Daniel was pushing for Schema to step up and act from the very beginning, the moment he realized something was going on on Giess? He also gave all the data and evidence to them, making it clear that they weren't as prepared as they thought. Everyone just told him not to worry about it. While saying that, I'd like to get input from smaller characters in scenes like this. The only responses always seem to come from Daniel's "followers", even while surrounded by the legion. Seems like a disconnect there. Unless it's a fear thing? Level gap between them and spear? What is kessiah's level nowadays? Seems like it's over 5000 due to new armor, but I don't think we've seen it recently? What about earthlings levels? There's been alot of war recently, ought to be good fot average level right?
Gardor
"There were no misdeeds done on Schema's part. You were forced to grow and prosper. That is no crime." And now Daniel is giving Schema a chance to grow and prosper
Monsoon117
Lots and lots of variables moving in this chapter, so I took extra time to make sure everything was right. It's still a lot to handle as far as viewpoints, facts, and everything else is concerned, so let me know if I missed anything or messed up. I'm more than willing to correct any issues you guys mention. That being said, I have plans for the story's future that I don't want to waver from unless absolutely necessary. All that said, enjoy guys.
