Brent Stinebaker
patreon
II-4 Second Ascension
🕑 Added 2024-10-28 08:43:24 +0000 UTCAnd to guard against the tyrants of creation, a vessel made to take, to infest, to empower, and to cage…
-Asaru the Creator
II-4
Second Ascension
Cherub’s Corpse station was clustered with different exits going everywhere, but they only sought A-34: To the Third Rib.
The Third-Rib hotel was, much like the Cherub’s Corpse, literally named. It was quite literally the demon coiled around the third rib of the Cherub, and it served as a major hub for gambling, drugs, “flesh-trading,” entertainment, and a place for wayward and unaffiliated Sinners to rest their heads.
A long stretch of moving stairs called an “escalator” brought Wei and the rest of the Drowned Sky Sect up. Along the way, he turned down thirteen street-walking succubi, each of whom kept shifting between sexes, age ranges, and bodily dimensions to get him to “release his pleasure.” It took Wei’s lawyer threatening to sue them for them to go away. Just as well. A moment later, and he might have been the one sued for physical violence.
As they passed through an open doorway, the Trespassers of the Lodge led way into a massive barrel-shaped chamber that kept going and going. And just like in the Anchor-Cities, every inch of space was used. There was no true “ceiling” here — with gravity-altering glyphs infused at various corners, everything was technically part of the ground level. People could walk along the walls as they pleased, proceeding to whatever facilities they so desired.
Noisy machines that jingled and rolled with shifting slots captured Wei’s attention. Hundreds hooted and cheered on seats before these devices, while others screamed in impotent rage. Wei didn’t know what the machines were, but he was grown enough to notice the twin-faces of a gambler when he saw it.
Scantily-clad succubi sporting mixed “characteristics” also danced across the room, their bodies twisting and pivoting while they carried large golden trays stacked with foodstuff and beverages upon their heads. There was a word for the scene unfolding before him, and that was indulgence. Overdose, even.
“What are they even doing?” Agnesia breathed. The girl was more lost than he was—and it was times like these that made him realize she had been more sheltered from the world than he.
“Gambling,” Bishop muttered, shooting the people present an annoyed glare. “Wasting their times and Sins, mostly. Come on. And don’t none of you head off and get cleaned out. We’re not reimbursing any of your for dumb-shit debts.”
Wei caught on to what the Trespasser was doing and looked to hid disciples. “He will not support you; I will kill you if anyone present dares shame our sect by indulging in such vice.”
A few among his number flinched. Rafael coughed, uncomfortable. Angelous’ lieutenant—the Shadow Archer—merely sneered. “Right. Fuck chance of that considering we got piss and a pebble of shit for wealth between us. Most of our economic worth was with you or the Em–uh, lady.”
The young master narrowed his eyes at that. “None of you have Sins?”
“Most of our Sins went to the quartermaster for focused spending,” the orc chef proclaimed. “Said it was more reliable that way.”
And the pain of Ellena’s absence grew evermore. Wei took in his group and a feeling of adequacy gripped him; intimidation was fine and all, but what worth was a patriarch that was only feared, never loved, and eventually hated?
“Let’s get you all checked in,” Moonscar said with a soft sigh. Her gaze rested on Wei, and he sensed a strange tingling brush over his spirit. “Whatever mistakes you all plan to make can come tomorrow.”
They continued across the grounds, and Wei’s lawyer grew pre-emptively aggressive with potential lawsuits. This did wonders to keep the succubi away, and Wei grew ever-thankful—and ever fonder—of his little friend.
Through crowds varied in species and Class-Tier, they finally arrived at a massive column housing a round table of attendants. The workers here were—to Wei’s un-surprise—Schrödingers as well.
“You might just be the hardest working goblin in existence,” Wei quipped.
Schrödinger snorted. “It’s got to do with my System. Don’t do this, I start experiencing penalties. It’s goddamn bullshit.”
Wei’s smile dimmed at that. Truly, his Concept-Breaker was a blessing for all its instability. Wei couldn’t imagine how what might’ve become of him should Schrödinger’s System had been his.
Without prompting, the goblin started chucking what looked to be teardrop-shaped fobs at the group. The first of the items clattered on the ground before Bishop and the Trespasser just sneered. “Still going for that golden customer service reward, huh?”
“I keep wanting to say a few things to you, too, John, but I think it’s a bit early to be teaching the kid some old Earth slurs.”
“Oh, don’t worry about him. William here’s done a great job making sure the boy’s primed to join the clan. Got the whole skull-measuring thing down and everything.”
William Yu squinted at Bishop. “Hey, fuck you. It’s not my fault the cultivators have the culture they do.”
Wei glared at all the parties involved. “I consent to join no clan. I already belong to a sect. And anyone speaking ill of my culture—”
Bishop flicked his hand, a burst of psionic energy sent the fallen fob straight at Wei’s head. The young master caught the item before it could crash into his face, and then suddenly felt a ripple of spatial Essence coming from within. “Is this…”
“Squeeze it once to be teleported to your room,” Schrödinger said. “It’ll work within an 1000 kilometer radius, so feel free to use it wherever you are around the Corpse if you want to come back. Or make a quick getaway.”
“Remarkable,” Wei said. He eyed the other fobs the goblin kept chucking on the ground. “And all these Artifacts possess such capability?”
“Pretty much every place has them. A good spatial lock for your residence is basic security.”
Wei was without words. With every passing second, he felt less like the young master of a dominant sect and more like a displaced bumpkin gawking a realm made for his betters.
Which was technically true, if thought about it. The realization made him sour, and Wei couldn’t help but grimace.
“Alright,” Bishop said, calling out the rest of the group. “Everyone here is going to be getting a fob. Everyone. Take one. Any one. Squeeze when you’re ready, and you’ll be transported. You should all be on the same floor after teleportation, and we’ll be following close behind to make sure you all arrive. After that, well, you’ve all had a hell of a time getting up here, so do whatever you wish. Just don’t get killed.”
Wei displeased about being spoken over when it came to the rulership of his sect, addressed his disciples thereafter. “There will be no gambling or straying from your chambers until I come and speak to you. Each of you. Anyone who disobeys will have their eyes blinded and limbs removed.”
A series of demoralized murmurs broke out from the group, and Bishop just shook his head. “Kid, we’re gonna have to talk about motivation and not being a fucking asshole if you want to lead your group.”
“We’re going to be talking about respect and recognition of proper authority first,” Wei growled, meeting the Trespasser eye to eye. He didn’t care Bishop was more powerful than he; allowing another to dictate the rules for your sect was all but declaring your abdication.
Bishop’s mouth opened slightly as if to argue, but he just scoffed. “Fuck it. I’m not doing this with a fifteen-year-old.” Instead, he punched William in the arm. Hard. A burst of force jolted across William Yu’s body and the man nearly toppled over.
“Ow, the fuck, John,” William winced.
“That’s for having an annoying shit as a son.”
“What?”
“It’s your fault,” Bishop continued. “I ain’t never met his momma, but I know it was your spray that carried the ‘fucking asshole’ genes.”
Wei looked on in outrage and disbelief. They were crudely arguing over his lacking virtues as if he wasn’t there—and in such a manner. Wei ground his teeth together, but as his father turned, the young master’s mind went blank.
“Wei,” William said, wincing. “Listen, I know—”
Wei squeezed his fob instinctively. He didn’t want to listen. In that moment, he just wanted to spite his father.
A second later, a shroud of shadowy energies consumed Wei and injected him across the vast distance of space. He accelerated for what felt like kilometers before the world expanded around him, and he took a ragged breath. Suddenly, he found himself on the second floor of a forty-meter wide room. Behind him, a large bed with covered in golden sheets, stacked high with heavy pillows, and sporting a frame made from what he somehow knew was wyrmbone greeted his senses.
His Omniscience expanded. He found himself overlooking a nice pristine garden that somehow also doubted as a shower and latrine judging from the small waterfall and what seemed to be an intricate toiletry system in the pond beside it. A patch of small mushrooms and grass dotted half the first floor, while a fourth held a mini-library stacked full of books. Across from the library was a sofa sitting opposite a screen flashing with images. Strangely, Wei felt a coalescence of strange Essences emanating from that as well.
And then, there was also—
“Greetings, master! I’m so happy you’re here.”
Wei exploded into motion, summoning his Broken Crescent to face the figure standing just behind him. His spear came up with a flash of lightning, and he pointed it at the intruder, freezing as the tip rested an inch away from their throat.
What stood before him was a mannequin, its arms hanging by its sides, its face a blank canvas of quivering clay. Wei blinked in surprise but felt the faintest trickle of spiritstuff nested deep within its brownish body.
Then the mannequin spoke. “Do I displease you, master? Would you like me to take another form?”
As he examined it for a moment.
Companion: Lv. 0.
A second later, a telepathic missive arrived from Bishop. “Yeah, forgot to warn you, there’s a companion in your room. That’s usually used to keep you company.”
“Keep me company?” Wei muttered.
“Fucking. Most guests have them shape-shift into a form like prefer and fuck ‘em. It’s like jacking off, kinda, ‘cept with a demonic sexbot that transfers the levels it gains from the act over to the Circle of Lust.”
A sputtering cough escaped Wei with the bluntness of Bishop’s statement. “W-why would they think—?
Bishop snorted. “This is hell. What do people do in hell? What are the fundamental desires of a person?”
Wei fell silent at that. He knew there was a Circle of Lust and had been in their Hearted Realm… but he’d tried to repress memories of that experience, swallowing down the bitter taste that rose in his mouth. This place knew nothing of propriety.
“I can take any physical form of desire,” the mannequin continued. “If you have requests about my personality, I can do my best to accommodate as well. For more detailed options, you can access my system settings and make a formal request. Now, that advanced function will require a tithe dedicated to the Circle of Lust.”
Wei’s voice rose an octave in disbelief. “The Circle of Lust has a view into my room?”
“Don’t worry, kid. Those ones are jailbroken. Made sure of that myself. These levels end up getting sold off to the Crossroads instead.”
It was then that another realization rose within Wei. His Omniscience was constrained to just this room. With his recent Advancements to Perception, he could perceive well beyond a few kilometers.
“Spatial locks. Keeps you in a pocketed area. Basic security measures from scrying, as you just found out. Come on out. Time to see if everyone’s on the same floor.”
Wei did as Bishop asked, but as he descended the staris, the Companion began to follow him. “No!” Wei growled. “Stay! Do not follow me!”
“Understood,” the Companion said. “Shall I wait in your bed.”
“If you touch my bed, I will take your head.”
“Understood. Would you like me to adopt an abuse-victim mental schema? I have a list of crying voices and screams to choose from if that would please you.”
Pure disgust consumed Wei. “I…” He didn’t even have the words. What kind of people would… He didn’t want to know. “Just stay. Stand in the corner. Face the corner. Do not speak.”
“Acknowledged.” At once, the Companion backed away and did just that. Wei still kept a close eye on the deviant mannequin until he reached his front door.
Door to his quarters was just like any other. Wooden. Brass handle. No visible locks from what he could see. But there was an oscillating channel of Essence connecting it to his fob. He could feel it now, so faint was it before that he found it hard to detect. Despite this being a common thing in the Claimed Hells, the young master was impressed.
Turning the handle, he felt a shift in the Essence, and suddenly his Omniscience flooded the hall just outside his room. Some of his disciples were already emerging. Roggi and the other Oathbearers had a much larger door for their purposes. Rafael was leaning against his door, as if trying to keep something contained, while Agnesia was screaming at her Companion. “No! Back! Back inside! I do not—get away from me!”
“Acknowledged,” her Companion replied.
“Good. You should all be here.” Bishop’s voice emanated from the far left end of the hall and Wei noticed the rooms, much like the general architecture of this place, was built into the walls as well, the cylindrical design offering more space. A single walkway ran between them, and Wei noticed some residents might need to walk over other doors to reach it. That seemed like a flaw in the build. “We’re going to leave you be today, have you recover. But Wei—” Another fob blinked into place next to the young master. He caught it without thought. “Lodge is gonna want to speak to you. You and the rest of your, uh, ‘Sect Leaders.’ Squeeze this when you’re ready—but don’t rush yourself. I know you’ve been through a hell of an ordeal.”
Despite everything, a sense of fatigue and thankfulness overcame Wei. He managed a salute toward the Trespasser, and Bishop smirked at him before vanishing a splash of psionic energies.
Chattering filled the hallway as Wei took in his almost two hundred disciples. So many, yet not enough. The Trine had vanished after passing through the gateway and Ellena…
“Well,” Rafael said, speaking to Wei. “It feels strange not to be… anxious about my life every other second.”
Wei paused. “Yes. Yes, it does.” It was as if a mountain was collapsing down on him. A fatigue like never before befell Wei, and all he wanted to do was drop—was to lay down and just be for a moment.
But he couldn’t do that. The places where his mind would drift in the quiet—might… He had a gate to cross. He had a System to Ascend.
Taking in the haggard appearances of his group, Wei offered a small nod. “I… think it would be best if we took this opportunity. To recover. And center ourselves.”
“Aye,” Roggi grunted. The Oathbearer looked more glum than before. There was a sense of loss and confusion behind their eyes. “Got some drinkin’ I need to catch up on. And… might need to figure out what we got to do now that the bloody Harbinger’s gate ate our charges.”
“They should be fine,” Wei said. He hoped.
A low grumble came from Roggi and he eyed Wei. “I was serious about what I said earlier. We’re yours now. Yours to command for all that you’ve done. Until the Trine returns, we’ll do as you ask, whatever you ask.”
Wei gave the Oathbearers a thankful salute. “I will speak with you in the morning. Recover now.” He paused, and pulled out his Trespassers’ Compendium. “Rafael. Here.” He tossed the book at the lich, and Rafael almost dropped it in surprise. “I know you’ve been talking with Moonscar. I will not pry now… I… respect your privacy. But I would be interested to know what you have been discussing. And welcome any knowledge you might gain in the meantime.”
The young master wasn’t sure if trusting the lich was the best option, but considering all the opportunities Rafael had to abandon them in the Hearted Realm, and how his goal was to reach the Lodge, well…
“Thank you,” Rafael said. “This means… I will make good use of this. Be certain of that.”
Wei could only a manage a weary acknowledgement. Finally, his gaze drifted over to Agnesia, and there she stood. Alone. Without her mother. The absence was the sign of her failure, and try as he might, he didn’t quite have the mettle to meet her gaze.
The princess betrayed no hint of her turmoil, but Wei could see it behind her eyes. She was still bloodied and stained from her earlier battle in the Hearted Realm, but now she stood lost, with a distant stare. “Well. Good thing about the Harbinger, eh?” She chuckled. “Otherwise…”
“She will be fine,” Wei said, his words fueling his own courage as much as hers. “There are few beings more powerful than the Harbinger… and death is… it is nothing to him.”
Both of them lapsed into silence after that, and as Agnesia looked askance, Wei wondered if he should have said something more.
“Right. Well, then.” She sniffled. “Best we all get some rest.”
“Yes. Sleep. Sleep will be good for us.”
“Some of us,” Agnesia said. “Don’t know if I can manage it.”
Something dormant part of Wei’s instinct told him she needed some kind of comfort. He had been where she was. Completely alone. But he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t even know how to help himself.
He needed more power.
Gate [2] System Ascension Available
“Agnesia,” Wei began, mustering the flagging remnants of his strength. “If you need me… I’m just next door.”
She gave him an inscrutable look and nodded. “Right. Well. Good… can’t tell if its bloody day or night here anymore.”
“That’s going to take some getting used to,” Wei admitted.
“Lots of things are.”
It was then that the young master noticed Rafael and the Oathbearers—along with a good contingent of the disciples—still staring at him and Agnesia. “What? I said you could all rest.”
A light slap sounded as the Shadow Archer brought a palm to his head. “By the divine’s fookin’ lights, the boy’s soft in the head.”
Wei narrowed a glare at the man, but Agnesia just muttered something and retreated back into her room. As her door closed, a branch of Wei’s Omniscience vanished. A series of what sounded like disappointed sighs echoed down the halls, and Wei caught more than a few utterances of disrespect aimed toward him. Why, he ought to—
“You should look after yourself as well, Wei,” Rafael said quickly, catching the look on the young master’s face. “It has been a most trying time. Especially for you. All other matters can wait.”
Yes. Yes, the lich was right. With a sigh of acceptance, Wei murmured about his departure and retreated back into his room. As he closed the door, he swept his glare up to the second floor, and found the Companion facing the wall.
Good. At least someone listened in this place.
Climbing up the stairs, he ignored all the potential facilities in his room before plopping down on his bed and—
The way it sank nearly made him fall over. It was soft. Too soft. He shot to his feet and stared. He couldn’t meditate on that. It might just swallow him whole. Grunting with weariness, Wei slumped down to the wooden floor and crossed his legs. His mind was a fractured dam holding back a building wave, but he couldn’t think about any of that right now. He would face it after he gained power. With power, all things could be made true.
Such was the truth Mepheleon taught him. Such was the reality of the Fathoms.
And so, for the first time in a good while, Wei closed his eyes, focused his scattered focus, and emptied his thoughts. Lurking nightmares danced along the periphery of his awareness, but he ignored them, going deeper into himself, deeper and deeper.
Until something inside him ruptured.
At once, Wei arched his back as Source burst out from his body like yolk leaking from an egg—and then started condensing around him like a cocoon. The young master reached out—tried to scream, but the only one that heard him was the Companion, that slowly turned, and became the last thing he saw before his world was consumed by light and then dark.
Comments
Dar-Angol
Your writing is a most welcome escape and place I love to go to.. ✌️
Cosmoros Subs
Early morning chapter? On Monday???
