Brent Stinebaker
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85 Plots Against Plots
🕑 Added 2024-10-06 14:13:00 +0000 UTCYes, yes. They raided your establishment and killed some of your people. What do you want me to do about it, dear boy? You're in Hell. These are the Claimed Hells. I'm merely the master of this parlor, not the lord of this den.
Why, if I wanted to be something as banal as a king, I would have named myself a dying king or something dramatic like that, given my name gravitas, and held all my subjects in crushing sway. But that is not the way to proper development, and I am not so fearful of watching those below me flourish.
So listen here, dear... dear Inheritor. Consul. You come to me after engaging in countless little clandestine operations that we both know you've been doing. I can’t fully trace them back to you, nor do I particularly care to, but we both know you've been playing games under my table, and I have no problem with that. Such is the way life should be, after all. It adds spice and gives my circles, and probably the rest of the Fathoms, reason to struggle to develop.
But what offends me right now, what nags at my good cheer, is the fact that I allow you this—and when things go poorly for you, you come back to me, whimpering and whining like babes, stripped of bottle and nipple, begging for me to punish the bad people who were better at your game than you were. My friend, this is the Diaspora. People who can live free here... and people who can't, well, there are lesser pleasures to take as well. But it is not one of the unchained man.
-Mepheleon the Harbinger
85
Plots Against Plots
Wei An Wei signed the dotted line on his contract, and once more, he was spirited away from the Moongrave, taken to another liminal space to discuss what was to follow. The areahe spawned in was not unlike that which greeted the Count. There were subtler differences.
First off, the Essence here was not nearly as pervasive, not quite so crushing—a lesser realm fit for a lesser adversary. Secondly, instead of being occupied by a blinding sun, Wei saw a chandelier above him composed of shifting tendrils of blood. Upon further observation, he noticed that they weren’t exactly tendrils, but rather the bodies of scarlet snakes.
Ah yes, Mulver’s blood hydra, his signature now hanging overhead like mistletoe, seated upon a golden dais once more. Wei rose, and across from him, in the darkness, veins of blood lit the counterpart below. But as Mover came into view, fifty meters away, the young master's slight smirk turned into a wide-eyed look of surprise as the unexpected followed.
Mulver was utterly nude. What’s more, strange substances painted his lower body. Surprised, the orc looked around, whipping his head about with a frenzied glare. "Where? Who? I was in the middle of something! I was inside! Inside! I was on the verge of… over…”
And then, finally, his perception met Wei, and the young master stared right back. In the back of Wei’s mind, a quiet chuckle sounded. Bishop snickered to himself. "Oh, well, damn, they get smaller every year. God pity the orcs.”
"What gets smaller?" Wei thought internally.
"I’ll tell you when you get older," Bishop teased.
Wei had a guess, but he did not want to go down that route. These people—demons and Trespassers both—had no sense of propriety.
"Mulver," Wei said, offering a salute and piercing through the awkwardness. He learned many things these days. After his experience in the Hearted Realm of Lust, nudity ceased to be a severe distraction. "As per my agreement with the Old Man—the Count of Pride, I have come seeking you again for us to come to a proper arrangement for our mutual problem.”
"A proper arrangement?" Mulver echoed dumbly, his mind fully catching up with the moment. He blinked twice, and with a flash of spatial Essence, a layer of clothing folded over him. He wore brilliant emerald and gold robes, silken finery that draped his entire form. He coughed and added, “Right, right, arrangement. You’re having problems with the Inheritors. Those fucks.”
"I apologize if I summoned you at a bad time." Wei's eyes narrowed as he dug for more information. The Old Man, Count of Pride, was capable of creating something of a mind clone. Was Mover able to do the same? It was just the Count after all. He was capable of many things without being present himself. “Pray, tell me, do I speak to your original or…”
"No, I'm not a mind clone," Mulver interrupted, catching on to Wei's digging. "Don’t have the power for that... yet."
Mover reached up a hand, and the blood hydra leaned down, coalescing upon his palm to form a chalice filled with shining ichor. Without missing a beat, Mulver took a sip and sighed with pleasure. "So, where is this little ‘accident’ set to happen at?”
"The Hearted Realm of Gluttony," Wei answered.
"Gluttony?" Mulver opened his eyes wide. "I hate that place. Why couldn’t it be somewhere nice, like Lust?"
A shiver danced up Wei’s spine. "You think Lust is better than the Hearted Realm of Gluttony?"
"By far," Mulver answered, nodding vigorously. "Let me tell you about Starmater. That demon… That demon knows how to show you a nice time."
Beads of sweat began to develop on Wei’s forehead. “A nice time... I suspect I encountered the Starmater you’ve met.”
Wei trailed off as Mulver grinned at him, large, bestial fangs jutting upward from his underbite. “Yeah, did they grab you? Did they show you an adventure up that canal of wonders?”
“I managed to evade...” Wei shook his head. “That is no matter. I need your assistance. I require it now. If we miss this opportunity, the Inheritors might escape free to wreak havoc, and continue their insults against both our sects.”
Mulver gestured toward himself. “You know, I was kind of hoping you’d call me earlier. Usually, these things take a little bit longer to prepare for.”
Wei didn’t like the way this was going.
"Well, yeah, kid, you were pulling his leg on short notice," Bishop chimed in. "Usually, these things require planning, you know?"
“I do not require the lecture right now, Master Bishop,” Wei growled internally. “Assistance would be preferable.”
"Ask him what he's got to give you."
Wei’s voice grew dangerously thin. “Does that mean you are unable to render aid, as promised?”
"I didn't say that," Mulver replied, a whine entering his voice. "What I mean is, it’s just... it’s not gonna be as neat as you’re probably hoping for, but that’s alright. I got ten Knights I trust. Ten damn good soldiers of Pride.”
“Ten knights? Just ten?” Wei said, unable to hide his incredulity.
“Oh, don’t worry, they’re all pretty good. But they’re not going to be the ones doing the bulk of the work. You see, the Claimed Hells play a strange game. We, of Pride, shouldn’t be anywhere near the Hearted Realm of Gluttony. That’s not our place. But we still raid, we still steal Sinners by offering contracts in their time of need. All the Circles do it. But the Circles also intercept and fight each other while you little Sinners suffer.”
Wei nodded in understanding. “You intend to lure Gluttony’s notice?”
“Absolutely. We’re gonna make things really loud.”
“Really loud” was just part of Wei’s plan as well. “I have planned a few things myself.”
“Have you?” Mulver asked, his orcish grin widening to a feral level. “Well, let’s hear it.”
Wei didn’t tell him everything, but he explained the details behind Mobile Fortress Wei, the Knight of Lust, and what he intended to do once he got his hands on the Inheritors. By the end, Mover was laughing—laughing like a tiger in a slaughterhouse.
***
Enlightenment Advanced > 27
[3/10] Aspect Advancements to Core Ascension
As soon as Wei returned to the Moongraves, he found Agnesia with another twenty-five individuals gathered around him. Wei scarcely recognized a few. The Hivekin now had a crown of son-of-knives hovering over his head, and then there was... Wei did a double take. Was that the bloody elf he saved a few days ago? The disappointment—the least among the three disappointments—what was she doing here? His disbelief only doubled when he saw her level. Level 25. How did that go up? How was she still alive.
The look she offered him was near apologetic. It was like she was sorry about not being completely useless and growing.
Wei shook his head. Now was not the time to consider the unbelievable. He had a scheme to concoct.
“Wei, I brought everyone I could trust. All our best people,” Agnesia said, placing her bone blade over her shoulder.
“Right.” His gaze couldn’t help but linger on the elf a moment longer.
“So, what are we doing now? What’s the plan?” Agnesia asked.
“I have a simple idea, one based on speed and velocity,” Wei responded, calling out, “Rafael?”
Suddenly, the lich was next to him, materializing in a spiral of green Essence. Envy had such a sickly color. The young master nearly jolted, his omniscience catching the lich at the last second.
“My friend, did I startle you?” Rafael asked.
“No. No, you didn’t,” Wei lied. He needed to keep his focus now more than ever. Maybe the lich was getting better. Maybe you’re just thinking about too many things at the same time, Bishop said. The Trespasser was right, but Wei didn’t want to acknowledge him.
“I think we’ve been going about crossing the Hearted Realm the wrong way.”
“What do you mean?” Ellena asked, stepping into the group.
“It’s quite simple. We wanted to pass with extreme velocity, but there are threats there that will manifest. Threats capable of shattering our fortress. The Archdevil will spawn demons superior to all of us. Staying and fighting is folly. This, I have learned across my experiences in the other Hearted Realms.”
“So then, what are we supposed to do?” Agnesia asked.
Wei grinned. “We are supposed to play to our enemies' expectations and exploit them. Not all of us need to cross. Just one. One individual with the capability of securing the others and dropping them off beyond the Hearted Realm must pass through this space. One that can traverse the space with ease.”
“And that one individual is you, then?” Roggi asked, deducing Wei’s answer.
“Correct, but I will not be the first one through that gate. It will be you, Agnesia.”
The girl looked at him, and Ellena’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“Agnesia. I’m going to unequip my Inventory Skill in a while. And you’re going to equip it.”
“What are you—”
Wei probably released the ten new members he recruited from the Hearted Realm of Greed and the Knight of Lust. A splash of spatial energies displaced those around him, making room for the newcomers to materialize.
“The hells are we now?” Mira Nocture, suicidal elf and now disciple of the Drowned Sky Sect muttered.
“On the verge of glory,” Wei said. He returned to Agensia. “You're going to store me in the Inventory. Me and all the others. Reunion—that Embraced–I suspect will come for you. He and a good contingent of the other Inheritors.”
“If we make it seem like you had broken from the others in the group, alongside Roggi, they’ll think we’re splitting apart,” Agnesia reasoned.
“You’re using her as bait?” Ellena replied, aghast.
“Not bait, mother. I’m a trap.”
“I know,” Agnesia said. “But is there–”
“There is no safer way,” Wei interrupted, meeting the former queen’s gaze with a solid stare of his own. “I understand what you risk, but there is no avoiding this. The ones that killed your sons, her brothers—they are not content. They will come for you as well. You strike them down, or they will follow you in your nightmares hereafter, until the day they finally sink their teeth into you. Again. Again.”
Ellena flinched and bit at her lip. “Then... then I want to go with her.”
“What? No!” Agnesia sighed. “Mother, I’m fine.”
“Yes,” Wei interjected, nodding with a smirk. “This would be for the best.”
“What? Wait—come on, you’re not thinking clearly about this,” Agnesia said, behaving exactly like her mother had a moment ago.
Wei simply shook his head. How true the fears are shared by both mother and daughter. “I am, Agnesia,” Wei said with a little more force this time. “Just as she has no choice, when you risk your safety, you will have no choice about her. Are you strong? Stronger than your adversary?”
The girl bit her lip the same way as her mother, and that provoked something in Wei—some kind of feeling that he ignored for now.
“No,” Agnesia finally answered. “No, I don’t think we are.” Shame stained her voice, but more than that, a yearning—a desire to be more than what she was.
“If she did, then boldness will be our ally. Boldness and surprise. Reunion thinks he’s greater than you, that he is indebted to claiming both your persons. As you approach, moving across the Hearted Realm, I suspect the Dying Queen’s minions will come for you immediately. He will not risk losing you to the demons of Gluttony. The Inheritor and the Unfallen will also follow.”
“And what’s to happen after that?” Roggi asked. “Why don’t you, Inheritor, and you just pop up and start fighting them on our behalf? Wei, I know you got a little more kick in that Class of yours compared to ours, lad. Not falling apart at the seams like I am here, but you’re just a Knight, perhaps a little bit more, but just that.”
“Indeed,” Wei said. “But I am not alone, and I do not need to win. I simply need to cripple our adversaries enough for the Hearted Realm to consume them. The Archdevil is the greatest asset—the greatest enemy. For anyone but Mepheleon to linger is an act of courting death.”
"It will be hard to achieve such a feat if you are diminished by eighty percent," Rafael commented.
“I will not be,” Wei replied. “I will not be placing my Liminal Bridge down on this side at all.”
Slowly, the lich understood. “You plan to place down your anchor on the other side and then come for the rest of us.”
“Such is my plan,” Wei said, nodding. “Now,” he addressed the rest of the group, “what I need from you is simple. You will be the core defenders of the rest of the sect—you strongest, greatest." And once more, he shed a quick glance at the elf. "Most capable of growth, let's say. You will be the spine upon which the rest of the group must stand. Can you do that?”
A series of half-hearted nods and grunts followed. Better than despair, but Wei needed to work on their morale. Perhaps he needed to give them something. Gold, perhaps?
“Rafael,” Wei called out again, “do you have any means of disguising how many people we have aboard the Mobile Fortress? Perhaps obfuscating Essence signatures? I can break the minds of demons we find here. But I lack the expertise to hide their identities.”
The lich let out a hum. Or was it a low chuckle? “I might have an idea. But I will require Mr. Bishop’s aid with that. And also a final sweep of those we can trust. And cannot.”
A low scoff came from Bishop. “You know, I know you don’t like hearing it, but there are times you really are your father’s boy.”
Wei suppressed a wince. Yes, he didn’t like hearing that, but if being like William Yu was what it took to ensure the survival of his sect, then so be it.
“Roggi, how go the changes to the Mobile Fortress’s thrusters?”
“It’ll be done,” Roggi said. “I managed to build a faulty plug into the ignition. Should detonate the wine pretty easily.”
“Very well—Wait. Wine?” Wei blinked.
“Yeah,” Roggi grinned. “The fuel we’ve been using for the engines is just gallons of wine we’ve been siphoning out from the Realm of Lust.”
Somehow, Wei couldn’t fully process that. "Alcohol content high. Very combustible,” Roggi laughed. Then, pulling something from his own inventory, he handed it over to Wei. The stench alone disintegrated a few of the young master’s nose hairs. Agnesia coughed and gagged, while Ellena, surprisingly, took a sniff, then frowned.
“Mmm, bit sour for my taste.”
Her reaction reminded Wei of his mother. What was it with queens and matriarchs and their ability to drink?
“My ma said it comes with having a kid. Hardens the kidneys.” Bishop mused.
“Very, very good,” Wei said. “Now, with everything settled, does anyone else have any suggestions to our idea?”
“Yeah.” Roggi asked, “Your other friends. They send anyone to come help us?”
“Ten Knights?” Wei replied.
“Just ten,” Rafael said, sounding distraught.
“Ten. Meant to bring in, draw the notice of the Circle of Greed. Make this a muddled fight, if you will.”
“Oh. Well. I suppose that’s more than ten.”
A series of half-hearted nods and mutters followed.
Wei breathed and took in his companions, his disciples, his fortress. All this. Just for a chance ot get at his foes. “Fine. Off with you all, then. I’m going to find some demons and—"
“Wei,” Roggi said, interrupting the young master before he departed. Striding up, the Oathbearer loomed over Wei and offered out a cancer-ridden hand. “Yeah, I owe you my life. I owe you my brother’s lives. I tried. And now I’m about to owe you again. I know we made an oath earlier. But I’m telling you this right now. When we get to the Hearted Realm, when we get past that, into the claimed hells, and my duty is done, I pledge myself to you. Whatever you need, whatever you want to see true, whatever you want to see built, I’ll be there for you. Me and my Forgekin.”
A sudden pressure settled over Wei, and he felt slightly uncomfortable at the outpouring of gratitude.
OATHBOUND: OATHBEARER ROGGI HAS SWORN HIS LOYALTY TO YOUR CAUSE. TO BREAK THIS OATH WILL RESULT IN THE DISSOLUTION OF HIS SPIRIT
The declaration echoed through Wei’s very being and a resonant echo of Essence pulsed through both the young master and the Oathbearere as well.
“I would appreciate this,” Wei finished awkwardly. “You honor me.”
Roggi simply clapped him across the shoulder. “Haven’t even started yet.”
Bishop slipped out from the young master's mind, and immediately, Wei felt the Trespasser’s Essence spread out from him and the others. Already, he was scouting through the rest of the disciples. But before he left, he left Wei with a final remark. “Wei, you’re gonna want to use more Potions of Clarity and keep your Form of the Resonant at the ready. They have a psionic, probably a decent one. I don’t know if you’ve fought a whole false hydra before, but I know what that is.”
Wei said, recalling the adversary. “Do you think they have one of those in store for us?”
“Anything’s possible. But yeah, false hydras are a pretty typical problem here in the Claimed Hells.”
“I’ll be ready.” Looking to Agnesia, he added, “If you have any potions you still want to get, prepare them now. Keep your minds protected. I will make haste with the demons. And once I am finished, I will return to offer you my Inventory, so I might enter you and begin our pursuit.”
Agnesia blinked, her face turning another shade of red. Her mother merely coughed into her hand at that moment. Wei looked between them.
“What? What? What is wrong? Did I say something?”
Sadly, he could hear Bishop laughing in the distance. “You’re a pure soul, son.”
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Brent Stinebaker
Next chapter being edited.
