POV Main

We had logistic problem. Four additional level three bio-stones that wanted, each, their own territory. At least, about hundred meters of distance between them was enough. I felt, that on next level, they would want more distance from themselves.

I consulted Lynx. We bought five new farms. Real farms, not like the one we had, which was too close to big city and more of transition between farm and butchery. We found places in the country, where lands were cheaper. They were also reasonable close to butchers shops or meat or sausage factories.

It was easier and cheaper and faster, than buying crematories, funeral homes. We decided to try animal brain option for feeding. It seemed, that it worked partially. Animal brains are not used commonly in meat industry. They are minced and added to other products. Yes, you most likely ate them minced with something else. There is reason for that. Brain is soft and delicate tissue. It decomposes quickly. Also it’s like sponge soaked in water. So, only fresh brains were worth buying. After brain started to decompose, it was worth less than meat, from the point of feeding bio-stone.

So, you may ask, why didn’t we buy butcheries then. It’s so simple and elegant solution, isn’t it? There was nobody, that wanted to sell big butchery, and we didn’t have enough money. Butcheries in Poland, and I talk about big butcheries, not shops at the corner, are part of food industry. Usually, there is big butchery, having contracts with farmers, and meat processing factory in one pocket. Meat processing is not only about food, mind you. All parts of animals are processed. Even bones and hoofs. We had some money, but they seemed as pennies, when we asked about prices.

At the end of this line of reasoning, we decided to buy fresh animal brains where it was possible. We lied, that we needed it for research or to produce supplements of diet or other funny stuff, aphrodisiacs for example. Over time we knew, that these brains was not of enough quality. They helped, Dee needed only one fresh human body weekly, if he also ate these. Till we solved human bodies shortage, we were overkilling animals for their brains on our farms. We had piles of rotting, unneeded meat, useless biomass, which were growing higher and higher.

POV Coal

The same evening, we leveled up, my spy called. He was using emergency line for communication. He was in bad mental condition, on the verge of breakout. He wanted to run away. Luckily for him, we decided to act, the five of us which were on farm. Lynx and En took care of level three stones. I organized runaway on following day. Sith and Lily had task to enhance defenses.

We all, the five, had to talk with Huntress and Bear and explain situation, our actions, findings. We didn’t have clear consciousness. We acted behind their backs. It could be another crisis. I let others to take care of that. I had human to rescue.

POV Lily

There was need for confrontation against Huntress and Bear. Four of us went to War-Saw. In the morning following day we had it. It was in the same room as last big meeting. The same people. But they felt it. Even without bio-stone, we could feel, that someone had higher level of bio-stone. We just needed to be close physically, few steps away from each other.

-= You’re all level three. – Said Huntress accusingly. Bear didn’t show anything on his face.

-= We just advanced. – Said Sith.

-= You advanced, but we didn’t heard, that our stones are advancing. Isn’t it strange? – Asked Bear.

We sat down. En was drinking tea, he didn’t drink much coffee.

-= They used some way to speed bio-stone growth. – Said En.

-= And you knew and didn’t tell us? – Bear pressured.

-= I knew. – Admitted Nameless.

-= He couldn’t tell you. I forbade him. – Interjected Sith.

-= Really? From when you can forbid him?

-= It’s easy, B-e-a-r, since I was cause of accelerated growth, I ask others to not share some info. – Sith lied. Perhaps he wanted to take on blame, as he already had problems with Bear.

-= How? How are you the cause? – Huntress asked.

-= Poison I provide, when injected in non lethal dosage, is changing biomass into higher quality.

-= Why didn’t you tell me? – Hunt was bitter.

-= Why didn’t you come to buy any from me? Were you feeling, that you were so much better, that you didn’t need to support me? Or you wanted more money for yourself?

That was some low blow, but there was also some point in it.

-= And you Bear? I know, that you don’t like me. But you even stopped talking to me lately. Why should I tell you anything.

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

-= I don’t like you. – Bear wasn’t hiding. – But this. This was important info. Important for all of Unlimited Devas. It’s your responsibility to show, that kind of info, for all of us. – He continued. – You don’t like me? It’s fine, as long as it doesn’t show on professional level.

-= Sith stop it. – Lynx interrupted, when Sith started to say something. – We all did wrong them. We can discuss some kind of reparation later. For now, we have more important things.

Sith felt silent.

-= What is more important? – Asked Huntress.

-= Bio-stones on level three hate to be in close proximity for one another.

-= Ha ha ha! – Bear laughed loudly. – You cheated and you’re in trouble now. Ha ha ha.

-= We are in troubles. You will be in our shoes, in few days.

-= Sorry, I couldn’t stop myself. Ha ha ha. – He calmed himself down. - You want us, to help you find solution?

-= No. We have solution. Money is issue. – He was wavering. - There will be more bad news today.

We told them about feeding problem. Bear didn’t seem to care. Somehow he was enjoying his upper hand over us. His smiles, body language, told me that. I saw some crack in him. And behind that crack, there was something ugly.

Huntress was passive most of the time. She enjoyed her PR job and was, how to put it, annoyed, by our actions and troubles. Maybe I was too judgmental, because our relations were colder lately.

We had big argument, when we started to count money for new farms. If not for thirty day period on invoices in business, that let us wait with payment, we would run out of money. We earned millions, but were on edge of being broke.

Them, there was info about helping refuge from Ahriman’s Order, and discussion about repercussions. In the end, Hunt and Bear recognized, that as payment, reparations, after we hide info about growth acceleration, they would be excluded from fight against Order, financial help in conflict and any personal actions against cultists.

It was our fault, that all troubles come in the same moment, said Bear to us. We should take responsibility then. I could feel, that he was smiling under surface. I was asking myself, what was so funny, from his point of view. Was he happy, that he showed us, what, his superiority. He wasn’t superior in any way, as far as I could tell. He was becoming disgusting in my eyes.

POV Sith

We got some gossips about cultists activity. We could, to some extent, feel when they were moving with their bio-stones, but we didn’t know reasoning, which drive them. They were searching for Asmo, because Diana called crusade, as gossips told. They were searching in main cities of Poland. We had some breathing room, because farm with Asmo was, at similar distance from War-Saw as Ahriman’s headquarters, just from another side. So, they were searching without results.

In the meantime Huntress and Bear got to level three.

We all read report Asmo wrote. If even half, what there was described, was true, then Order was beyond salvation. And I was sith admirer. But siths. Siths were simple in comparison. Personal strength and wits decided about pecking order. Among cultists strength decided about starving order. How could so powerful group of people, as in Ahriman’s Order, transformed in cult with people, living below ordinary people living level? The fuck?

I blamed Diana. I knew, that it was delusional. She was one person and after all couldn’t do much by herself. But I couldn’t understand. Why people chose something, that was harmful for them in long term, and weakened them in middle term? Free first sample of power was enough? No, I couldn’t believe in that either.

I discussed this and some similar topics online. On level three we needed to spend few hours of our time by bio-stones, at least every four days. It meant, that we spent quite a lot of time out of War-Saw. Applications as Skype, M. Teams, Webex and others were helping us stay in contact. At least five of us were talking regularly.

One of those days I felt ready. I told others, that maybe we should change our strategy. I wanted to be envoy. I hoped, that we could persuade cultists, that they should act in more civilized way. It would be with benefits to them too. They were only wasting time and forces. They needed to live too. To live better than dogs. On the other hand, I tried to convince others, we all were on third level, so we could defend ourselves completely.

En said, that he didn’t believed in positive results from cult, but maybe we had inner need, to try and change them. Others wanted to try. We talked also with Hunt and Bear, and they supported idea even, if they denied participation.

I called Diana. Others were silent listeners through second mobile.

-= Hello. I’m Sith. I’m envoy of Unlimited Devas. I wanted to talk with voice of Ahriman.

-= Hello. I’m voice of Ahriman. What Unlimited Devas want from our Order.

-= I wanted to talk about defector from your Order.

-= It’s not my Order, it’s Ahriman’s Order. – It was probably Diana. Her voice was changed. Was more deep and had echo. – If you know whereabouts of defector, we would be grateful for information.

-= We are in contact with Asmo. He asked us for refuge.

-= There’s no refuge against will of Ahriman’s Order. Just return him to us.

-= I wanted to talk about it. We can’t give host of bio-stone for death.

-= You use ancient stone rules against us! We won’t let it be! Serve or die!

-= What? No. Let’s negotiate.

-= I, as voice of Ahriman, I declare crusade against Asmo and all, that help him. Bow before Ahriman’s Order or die!

She disconnected.

We had war. I was responsible for starting it.

POV Beria, Ahriman’s order

We had few nice days. We were on the road for day or two, then got back to headquarters, then repeat. It was good life, when our seeds could feed easily. I felt that, I should be able to level my seed in near future.

Then Diana communicated, that Unlimited Devas were helping or even guarding Asmo. We all gathered at headquarters. We knew, that they were mostly operating in War-Saw. Diana called for search in War-Saw and adjacent terrains. She let us bully anyone from Unlimited Devas. We felt strong and ready.

I started my search on adjacent terrain on the other side of War-Saw. I took my seed with me, as we all usually did. I found something. There was this farm, that looked like prison. I felt presence of similarly strong seed inside. It could feel my seed too.

I went to McDonalds by the road. It was close enough, to feel presence. I stayed there for few hours. I hoped, that someone will try to contact me, or even better, seed owner would try to run. There was no response.

I called Andy, that I had something. Possibly Asmo’s seed. I wanted, to create loop, that let us observe seed from afar. When Andy came, I reported my discovery to him, then to Diana.

POV Coal

I saw the guy from Ahriman’s Order in McDonalds. He couldn’t feel me, when I was without altar by me. He was just sitting and eating. After few hours he called someone. Then another cultist came. They talked, then he called again and left. Second one stayed.

They were in the range of Asmo all the time. What were they thinking? Unlimited Devas were already preparing counter measures. They acted, as they wanted be sitting ducks.

I even thought at the beginning, that they were preparing counter counter-attack against our potential counter measure, but no. They were just ridiculous.