POV Main

On the eve before meeting I took healing mixture. It would be nice, if I could take it, when my stats would have 100%, but it was possible that someone may use poison and that was antidote. There was some fear that somebody could use lot of poison, which would render to nil immunity, but if one could use so much poison, then probably he could kill by other means too.

It was nice Saturday morning and one could find me resting and relaxing. Meeting should start at 18:00 on Mokotov field, at pub with funny, cartoonish name. There was some funny story related to owners of pub, there were three pubs there, which was located on Mokotov field. Mokotov field is park near the center of War-Saw. And owners of pub, in times of Russian occupation, which went on to 1989, owners were members of anticommunist punk rock band. They were quite popular. After reclamation of independence in 1992, they were still popular. But before part of their art was this courage to stand against evil system, and after, their music by itself wasn’t enough to build their popularity. So they declined in art and went for business. And in next century there was affair linked to few of them. It seemed their closest family was doing some Harvey Weinstein stuff in fashion industry. Some even claimed, that it was more of Jeff Epstein stuff just on lesser scale. It was big scoop, affair, but they used a lot of money and swept it under the rug. It was possible because they got help from politicians from European Union parliament. At that time, that was over ten years ago.

It was surprising how much of undercurrent there was. Dark meeting in the dark place.

I was ready to go at 17:00. I get off at Mokotov field tube station, metro station. Dee could feel other stones from the distance. He didn’t fell their exact location or exact direction. It was more of that way feeling, long or short distance. There was also distance by which he couldn’t feel them at all. He could feel how many of them were near. When we were traveling there was change in numbers, before we get to Mokotov field station. It probably meant that different stones had different reach on Dee’s radar.

When I went through park, Dee felt another stone presence and hundred meters later another. He said that he could feel, that these two were stronger than him somehow. When we were quite close, he said that his radar was acting weird, as he couldn’t pinpoint location of presences. As if at some point stones were producing some kind of noise and it was impossible to get any precise info.

We went inside and found booked table at the corner. Pub had few half-separated rooms and fenced part under the sky. Table at the corner was quite long, and there were already people sitting at it. From ten people, eight had signs of sleeping problems. Two girls looked normally, they were sisters probably. I said hi, and started to shake hands with people. Dee could tell with little uncertainty what was their relationship with stone and through that, level of stone-egg growth. Seven of them was on level zero, that meant they didn’t linked themselves with stone through blood. And that meant that Dee could get memory snippets from them. One guy was on level one, perhaps freshly linked to stone, as he seemed to have signs of sleep deprivation. One of the sisters was daevo with stone on level two, the same as me. Second sister was normal human, some of the stones aura lingering, but without link.

I was introducing myself as Nameless. I used this alias online. It came from Gothic game, which was my favorite game, when I was young. Some of the people used aliases also, others real names. There was this girl, standing few meters from our table and talking by the phone. She greeted me, but didn’t shake hands or even come closer. Dee said that he feels that she is strong, stronger than us for sure. I ordered snacks and sat among low levels. I was observing, if people had stones on themselves. I talked a lot.

People said that Diana, girl with most powerful stone, was group originator. She was working on the phone helping people with instructions. Some had problems with finding this place. I confirmed words of Diana, that there is solution. It seemed that after all people would gather, there would be announcement from Diana.

People were coming. There was one stronger than me, called Vivaldi, but perhaps just a little weaker than Diana. He was here earlier than me, but went to play billiards in another room. Another guy was on my level, but during talks at the table, he acted as he was low level and knew nothing. All the people of first and second level had stones on them. I could tell, because I was watching them all time. Their stones were of different shapes. Some were flat, as this girl, alias Mirror, had it strapped to her back under clothes. Paladin, guy who told us all, that he knew nothing, had some kind of package by him all the time. Vivaldi had big backpack, which perhaps meant that after another growth period Dee would become huge. I couldn’t see stone on Diana, which was unnerving. Some level one guy had this complicated drill looking stone, which he used as overgrown brooch. Another, in pseudo military clothes had very filed low pocket. Last one had this sack by himself. Rest of the people, fifteen totally, fourteen of level zero and one normal girl, didn’t seem to care about stones. If they had them, they were not on them.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Dee said that he felt some insidious suppression on himself. It wasn’t harmful, but his extrasensory felt a lot weaker. It was numbing effect to some extent. Dee was sure that some other stone was trying to spy on hosts and mark them. He even said, that level zero couldn’t feel marking and level one defense probably could only weaker effect. Even level two couldn’t be sure, if this probing didn’t steal some info about hosts. So it was level three doings, maybe each of them simultaneously. Dee propose, that we should went through decontamination procedure later. We prepared it earlier, really, decontamination.

Some moments after all expected people was present, Diana called us, higher level people, Vivaldi, me, Mirror, Paladin for council or rather, to tell us what she decided.

-= We will divide unpossessed people equally. – She said. Seemed that her terminology was already little demonic.

Dee was making notice, that she was probably calling us with order of our strength.

-= If there will be people without stone on them today, we will send them for their stone and proceed the same way another time. If there will be too little unpossessed people, we are getting them in that order: me, Vivaldi, Nameless, Mirror and Paladin.

-= I will not do that. – Paladin said.

-= What do you mean?

-= I know nothing and don’t want to take part in this thing. I will just watch, if there will be violence or enforcement of this…ritual. If there will be, I will help helpless.

There was moment of silence. What a stupid guy, I thought, both Diana and Vivaldi could end you in a minute. If you didn’t want to take your part, you shouldn’t come at all.

-= Good, as far as you don’t intervene before anyone calls for help. – Diana was unexpectedly agreeing. – Just go on this fence and watch from there. – He distanced himself. - The rest of us will divide people among us. But the limit is tree people on person, not more. There will be one with stone above that limit and he will be dealt on later date.

-= If you don’t want him, I can take him. My limit was lifted after last growth. – Said Vivaldi.

-= We will do this as befits for elder demons helping younger ones to became one. With order. – She responded. – As Ahriman’s Order should act.

-= Your head is full of shit. – He said and I agreed on that. I just was not strong enough to voice it loudly.

She casually touch his hand with hers. He had shortest possible, one second of seizure. He lost his focus and his eyes went inside skull. It was so brief he didn’t fall and he was back. He was shaking a little and one could see fear in his eyes.

She merged, Dee was screaming in my head. Don’t come close to her and don’t antagonize her. She is lot stronger than she looks. One needs to be level higher than she to have good chances to run, and two levels to fight to stand off. It’s insane to have someone with so low preservation instinct to merge that quickly.

-= Maybe you’re right. – He said with muffled voice. – Let’s go your way.

-= It’s Ahriman’s way.

-= You’re right.

-= Ok.

Couldn’t she take all level zero people for herself, I asked Dee. Merging probably limited her severely. It helps with raw strength and inner rituals but backlashes on more ethereal level. Perhaps only two snippets was her limit for now, till she grows again.

-= What about this three that are already fated with their stones, but can not take benefits from being helpful? – Asked Mirror.

-= Oh, freshly possessed? Two of them are my companions, so I will let them watch. They will not interfere with your doings. – Answered Diana. – This third one, I don’t know.

-= I know him. – Said Vivaldi. – I will take him with me.

So, most likely they contacted some people from group privately and tested their options. It meant that they were already charging on this road of power, not caring for prices they were forcing others to pay. I needed a moment to arrange my thoughts. I could tell, that they were forcefully pushing their growth without remorse. This all meeting was because stones had some requirements, otherwise these two would feed on us, weaker hosts.

What was stones requirement? Perhaps they needed to grow fast. But each level of growth needed a lot more resources than last and there should be competition for resources after some time. I couldn’t see something obviously. I talked a lot with Dee about purpose and possibilities and it seemed that he didn’t have enough data too. He knew about ancient ritual after he grew, but there was no massage, why this ritual should be beneficial in the long run, as you were helping your future competitors.

If I was the strongest I would proceed carefully. This all meeting was not planed carefully at all.

-= Each of you will go with yours group of unpossessed to some quiet part of this park. You will help them with rituals, answer reasonable questions. If there will be some big problem with person and you won’t solve it peacefully, you will lose right to have ancient ritual to that person. You will come back here after with that person and we, elder demons, will decide by council what to do. – Diana was finishing orders. – There can be panic attack or other nasty stuff and it’s you duty to deal with it and restore order. As you are elder demons to this newborns, tonight you must act alike.