Chapter 17-5 Midnight Games (I)

Chapter 17-5 Midnight Games (I)

Instrument Mondelles, I assure you whoever just attacked us wasnt one of ours. I can

I know. It cant be. They were too good in a scuffle to be a Silver.

...

Your fourth member. I need to talk to him. Hes the last one that had eyes on Moon. Her session is scrambled. I cant sense her mind anymore.

Perhaps I can

Im not letting you jack into my mind. But youre going to help me, and Ill let you know how: the one that just hit us, you get a glimpse of their mind? Do you have any idea what that is?

We will need additional time and information

You do. Okay. Good. Whats going to happen now is simple. Pinkie here is going to stay here with one of yours. Neither of them goes anywhere until we have fully ensured our own factions are uninvolved in this unforeseen incident.

And if they are?

Then we solve it together. Your active participation is a continued show of goodwill. I doubt you Ori-Thaum are so willing to expend their Ensouled, especially considering your recent shortages

Perhaps were less sentimental than you think, Instrument.

Perhaps. But I also think you probably dont want to die. Whoever hit us knew where we were. They knew that Hm. My shadows gone Would you look at that? It might just be my side Do you have an alternate location where we can meet? Someplace discrete and unknown even beyond you and I?

Ill make the arrangements. I appreciate your

Theres no need to glaze me up, Silver. Im not a fucking popsicle. You havent done anything to make me doubt you yet. If you had, Id killed you already and taken what I need from your ghost.

Youre down a member, Instrument. Please dont insult me or my cadre any further.

Indeed. Im missing my Maker. But all four of you are still easy pickings. See you soon, Rasaga.

How did you great. Gone.

-Conversation between Instrument Santanado Mondelles and Seeker Ikkuoi Rasaga

17-5

Midnight Games (I)

Path-Hydra Grafted to [Galeslither] (Space/Labyrinth) - 50 THAUM/c

[Galeslither] updated to [Zephyr of the Nine-Paths] - 900 THAUM/c

CANONS:

(SPACE)

->WALKER OF THE BETWEEN: Allows the user to travel in a parallel space to reality; grants them nine points for which to resurface in existence

Hubris: The Zephyr of the Nine-Paths must surface into baseline reality once per 10% of Rend accumulated

Hubris-2: The Zephyr of the Nine-Paths must be anchored to a physical entity (the user may not utilize other Heavens that render them incorporeal or conceptual while the Zephyr is in use)

(Labyrinth)

->PATH OF THE NINE: Allows the user to shape an omnipresent maze for all things they take into their being; the maze is a fixed anchor of space and does not allow any spatial or geometric manipulation within its bounds or paradox will be triggered

[You could also theoretically rebuild yourself from a single drop of blood with my Heaven,] Elegant-Moon teased. [You will no longer need to infuse yourself in bodies that arent yours or ridiculous blood-made proxies. All it takes is something born of the flesh and] She plucked a hair from her head and from it, grew a rapidly budding clone of herself, though it remained hollow of cognitionlittle more than a fresh corpse. The Nether affected many things. The creation of a true ego remained beyond the grasp of other Heavens.

But not his Conflagration. Not his grasp. +Trying to get me to kill you?+

[I told you. Im no longer real. I died already.]

But he was beyond tempting. He rebuilt his mind when he changed it these days, his decisions and moods were determined by the architecture shaped by his choice. The beast remained absent inside him, and the ghoul that woke in the barge was an ember in the flames of his memory. Growing to be more meant changing; meant altering yourself to accomplish greater feats. He was no more who he was days ago than she was herself after her death.

+Makes the two of us,+ he said. +But I came back. And I returned better. I dont need to kill you for your treasure. Ill get another Domain of Biology. Or whatever you have. Kae will decide the build. My Frame will forge the design. Yours will just be the mold. You are not my food. You are my poison. You are my dagger.+

Musical laughter sounded while the bones in her hand shattered, skin tearing and healing to form a flesh-made fan. She used the bio-shifted limb to cover her mouth: a faux-display of propriety directed in mockery. [What a monster. What a creature. How I would have loved to keep you as a pet instead of the other way around. Alas.]

A twitch of discomfort came from template-Chambers of all egos. [Hey, like, is she going to be with us for good, cause shes kinda fucked up.]

[Really?] Abrel said, frowning. [This is what bothers you? This? I mean, its pretty gross and stuff, but Vator does worse all the time. Shes practically gentle.]

Lip spat as old cultural wounds flared. [Im with the degenerate on this onewe dont need no Dragon-fucked in this fire. Nothing good comes from her kind. Except as fuel fro a nice pyre.]

[Ah!] Elegant-Moon cheered, regarding the Scaarthian. [A conjoined. Tell me, do you wish to feel yourself as a boy again? For those glands secreting all those chemicals to drop and become testicles once more? Do you know how long your kind takes to die from imbalance?]

[You fucking bitch You Sang-sow!]

Avo drew away from the conversation as the screaming Lip and the sneering Sang formed a duet with the Woundshaper and Zephyr inside him. He had other matters to attend to: he could see the Manta nowfeel it brushing through across space.

So what was how they were detected? They would need to keep an Incog active next time if they were separated. Risking active communication in these circumstances wasnt worth the risk.

Releasing his Heaven of Air, he chose a head to leave through as the folds and winds collapsed around him, launching him back into the world on a gust of wind. He released the heavy debris and wrecked aeros he stole to augment his travel speed via his Yondergales as he sailed high with Elegant-Moon in tow, the particulates of his Meldskin shivering as his grav-thrusters flared, flinging him through the sky before he splashed through the protective membrane of the Manta.

Dropping into the newly grown crew module where Chambers and Kae waitedsome kind of phantom-supported board game happening on a smart-matter-shaped table between themhe tossed Elegant-Moon aside and the ship created a holding cell for her.

New consang? Chambers asked with a lifted eyebrow.

You wont like her, Avo replied, offering Kae a grunt as she gave him a faint smile.

The half-strand snorted, and a splurt of blood trickled out from his nose. Avo had Elegant-Moon keep Chambers biology protected from her cursed nature. I mean, how bad can she be?

Shes a Sang, Chambers, Kae said. Shes already making you bleed. We need to get you a neuter-mask or circulatory regulators.

Only a little blood. Im sure I can take more.

[Noooo!] template-Chambers screamed while Elegant-Moons cognitive self sighed, envisioning growing aratnids inside himand more importantly, severing his pleasure centers. [Run, actual-me! Run!]

But Chambers couldnt hear his wiser self and ran his fingers through the ugly blonde mop he called hair. The Agnos snorted at the attempt at sauveness while the ceiling above them opened. Draus distended upside down, her body fused along the gimbal sprouting holographic controls.

You know this thing flies itself, Avo said.

Yeah, she said. But I wanna fly. Someone got to do all the killin today.

He spread his fangs in a wide grin. Took a new Heaven took. The one that ate you.

Her fist cracked into his head and something like the sound of a gunshot went off from the sheer velocity of the blow. His Meldskin took the hit. He never stopped grinning.

Greey, gluttonous, ghoul-shit, she said, voice devoid of any actual ire.

Armor Integrity: 96%

{I still have no idea how they got the Regulars to be this robust,} Calvino sighed. {She shouldnt be able to punch that hard. Damn the Guilds. Damn their anomalous bastardization of our technology.}

Back to the Washington, Draus asked. See you got us a new consang to play with. She know anything useful?

Lots, Avo responded. Going to be my way of getting more influence over Highflame and Ori-Thaum. Peek her insides. Steal the design of her Heavens. Reshape her mind more. Catch. Release. Use her as a trap.

[So romantic,] Elegant-Moon said.

Draus nodded, but a grimace passed through her features. Listen. About the veins of light from that Godcladthe snuffed you first? I think I know

Santanando Mondelles, he said.

The Regular paused. The Greatling let you know that?

He grunted. That was all he needed to say.

Listen if its him, Id like to not snuff if we can.

Oh? What was this? More ancient history? War comrade?

Hes part of the reason my discharge wasnt execution. He also pulled my half-broken corpse off the field.

So a thing of honor. Interesting. Avo never considered himself honorable, but Draus

Will see what we can do. Talk about it. Have more options with her. He gestured to where he tossed Elegant-Moon and the ground turned transparent, revealing the Sang mid-wave, her mind chained to Avos along a string of fire. Drop her off at the Washington first. Have somewhere to be in a while.

Dice?

Yes. Think Im going to speak to her mind to mind soon. More than earned it.