POV Main

After Huntress’s and Bear’s bio-stones grew to third level, we moved them to new farms. Then, we did quiz online.

-= What are your stones? – Some kind of me, servant of mine mind.

-= Did you get info about consciousness? - Yes, but I didn’t understand, yes, it’s kind of lie.

-= What is your bio-stone aim? – To develop, to control.

-= Which mixture did you choose? – Will enhancement, will restrictor.

-= How much influence from your stone do you feel? – Some, no influence.

-= Who is your stone to you? – Kind of lost spirit, my helper.

Answers of Bear pierced me with cold shiver. I would say, he was becoming sociopath at least. We all felt, first five of us, that consciousness from bio-stone was rather close, mostly friendly or neutral, entity. Mentally, it gave proper personality feeling. Someone with its own free will. Not servant.

-= Why did you chose mixture for will restriction? – I asked Bear.

-= I was sure, that anyone of you wouldn’t. – He answered. – I see from your faces, that I’m right. I think, that I can earn much from that choice. The same way Sith earned much from his poison. I will work with supporters of Unlimited Devas, so it will come in handy. – He was smiling during his talk. As if he felt, that he outsmarted us.

-= You know, that we will be suspicious of you from now on, because you could use it against us. – Said Lynx.

-= Not really. You will enhance your will, so you will be mostly immune.

I knew, we would have problem with Bear. But it was future problem, as we had lot of present problems.

POV Vivaldi

I was bored. I was already top dog in my village. Top dog in my part of county. I was hunting again. These time game was smarter. I did circle in the forest. I was followed by two guys. One of them was from previous top dogs group. Second almost lost his girlfriend last weekend, when she saw me boasting in pub. He was smuggler from time to time, if I remembered correctly. They had hunters weapons. I was sure, they weren’t part of hunting club.

I found group of bison near their usual place. There was special feeder nearby, which was supplied by hunters. In Poland, part of hunter’s community responsibility is to supply wild animals in hard times. Normally, we supplied animals during harsh winters and dry summers. If population of some animal overgrown and became risky for farmers or their crop and farm animals, we culled them to safe numbers. Non predatory animals seemed to agree with that kind of deal, because they came to our feeders, even if we killed them there most often.

I thought about my situation. Were this guys here to threaten me or to kill me? Did they tell anybody, what was their plan? I decided not to kill bison today, if they would help me.

-= Will you help me? – I was near one big bison. I was talking to it. He ignored me. Bison wasn’t feel threatened by humans. It was really magnificent creature. It was king of the forest. If I would became nuisance, he would even attack me. I shot into the air.

It and rest of the group of bison ran in fear. They knew this sound and were afraid. They ran in direction, when I saw my adversaries few minutes ago. I ran behind them.

One of people, that hunted me, started shooting. It was stupid. You couldn’t stop charging king of forest with puny bullet. And then I knew, where he was. I found him. His companion was running away through forest. He was crouching down behind big rock. Not rock, I bettered myself in my mind, it was very big glacial stone. He didn’t see me coming. He was looking after bison’s group. I used knife. I didn’t kill him, because Thor appreciated fresh bodies. He was trying to tell me about his rituals once, but I wasn’t interested. I was happy with deal we had. I didn’t want to have friends.

I left heavily injured body in dugout with Thor. He was blissfully happy.

I was happy too. I had my ideal of hunt. It was make up exactly the same way tigers were hunting. First was preparation and choosing of game. Then tracking the game. Then noiseless closing in. Unexpected attack, after which game almost died from fear alone. Then coup de grace. I was thrilled by this dream.

I already got smuggler, so former top dog was my game. It seemed, that was new in forest. I wanted to create experience unforgettable even for him. He ran in wrong direction, deeper and deeper into dark forest.

I thought, that after the hunt, I should only take head. Thor valued heads the most, that fetishist. I should leave body on paths of bison. They would trample it with their usual indifference.

Then, I thought, I should visit others maybe. Normal people wasn’t enough of a challenge for me lately. Sex wasn’t good enough, if I couldn’t boast before it. Or maybe I should provoke others to join hunt. Some village folks were looking at me with angry eyes.

POV Diana, voice of Ahriman

My cultists failed for a third time. They started losing their faith. Orders of Ahriman must be executed successfully. I was irritated and ready to act. It told me, that I should rebuild faith first, by fear and terror. I asked for more instructions.

I was feeling more and more foggy those days. I felt, that it would have complete domination after next growth. If I was not mistaken, after that, after second growth, I would be no more. I was too foggy, to even felt happy. I let the demon come, built the cult, ruled over people. I was accomplished. I should be someone important in afterlife.

There were some things I needed to do, before I would leave this life. I felt, that I should defeat Unlimited Devas, put them under my feet. They were on tainted road and were in need, to show them right way, by force if necessary.

POV Celine, girl from Mirror group, with little connections to others

I was feeding Amber, as I called my enchanted soul, with my blood. Sometimes I gave her leftover food after my meals. I really drained lot of my blood for her. She was always hungry. She was howling in my dreams. I tried to explain, that some things were taboo, big no, that she should endure.

Once, I even left her on some barren area. I got sleep deprivation symptoms the same night. I took it back.

Her howling and screams and requests were filling my head. One night I woke up. I felt really, really hungry. I felt, that fresh meat would satiate this hunger. I almost went to my parents sleeping room and killed them. I stepped on something sharp and pain sobered me up. I went back to my bed all shaky.

I asked Amber, what kind of meat she would accept, instead of my parents flesh. She said, that any meat of living being would be enough for now. I asked, if others had to do with the same needs. It was obvious, she said, we were all the same. Differences could be in taste preferences, but our needs were the same.

I started with mouse. In time, I built colony of mice. My parents were surprised with my new hobby, but they supported me. Perhaps they wouldn’t, if they knew, that mice population grows unbelievable fast. Perhaps they wouldn’t, if they knew, how I was culling colony. Perhaps they would, if they knew, I was doing it for they safety.

After I stabilized, I wanted to know, how others were doing. I wrote to Mirror, Mary and Lily.

POV Paladin

I heard about conflict between Unlimited Devas and Ahriman’s Order, over someone formerly from Ahriman’s Order. I thought to myself, that two devilish organization were starting to fight with each other. Which was good, as they accepted evil and should be purged anyway.

I learned from criminals, that weakness should be purged. It was good philosophy. I would use it against criminals and cursed stones eventually.

Meanwhile I couldn’t do much. We, group of criminals, were preparing for assault. They were monitoring me loosely. I was promoted lately in crime hierarchy. They said, there was mercilessness in me and that I was already one of them. They didn’t know about my plan. I would fix harms, I have done to normal folks and I would destroy criminals. I was doing things inversely, because of my great plan, to reveal criminals and their wrongdoings. And I outsmarted criminals, as I wasn’t one of them at all. I was pure and just, below daily surface of things.

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POV Lynx

We met after second attack to discuss possible counter against Diana, if she attacked. There was me, Sith and En. En had plan. He wanted to be tank, as he said, that he had high [Will resonance] resistance and quite strong physical defense. He asked us to attack Diana with lightnings, while he would block her blows. I told them then. I didn’t invest in lightning power. I found other magic. I showed them.

I use lighter. With my influence flame levitated over my hand in air. It changed. It was blob of air, that acted as iron heated till yellowness. It was plasma. They couldn’t see it, because of luminosity, but it wasn’t ball. It was torus, cracknel, tire. Just hole was miniscule, hard to spot. Trick to make it stationary, levitating, was to enforce threads of plasma to circle in opposite directions on surface of torus. When I wanted plasma to move, I supported threads circulating clockwise and slowed counter clockwise movement. Then it propelled in direction perpendicular to hole. I could also rotate it with my influence.

I told them, that after stabilizing plasma, I needed moment to set it on direction, then shoot it. My influence, after I shot it, was weakening very fast with distance. Velocity of ball, torus, of plasma was close, to that of running person for my best shots. It didn’t seem to be much. Proper ball, torus. Of plasma was about twenty centimeters in diameter. After it hit obstacle, it glued to it, and tried to burn through it. Plasma was sticky, adhesive and in my presentation, it tried to burn through bathtub with water.

They were under great impression. En needed to change his plan. I became main damage dealer, Sith supportive damage dealer and movement restrictor.

That night cultists tried to attack with excavator, without Diana. We had day more, to exercise our joint action as fighting team.

POV Lily

I came to help. Main fighting team created to confront Diana was En, Lynx and Sith. I and Coal had task to cut off other cultists from main fight. We had enhanced paintball guns. We were ready to use [Will resonance] against them. We had some diversion factors under control.

I was afraid. Maybe not afraid. I was not sure, I could do it. Even when I felt, I was not sure of myself, I couldn’t leave my friends alone. I wanted to be of help.

That day we got info from our new spy amongst cultists, that Diana would join attack that night. I asked main team, how confident they were, that they would stop Diana.

-= It’s fifty-fifty, - Said En. – we don’t know what Diana is capable of doing, and she doesn’t know what we can do. But, if we won’t stand for our cause, it will be hundred to zero for them, from now on.

-= So what if you would lose? – I asked.

-= We would have another chance at some following battle. And we would know, what to expect.

-= And if you win?

-= She will crumble in time, even if we would lose. But if we win, she won’t be able to hurt us, before she falls.

POV Andy

Diana came in the evening. Adam brought her in van. She had speech about Ahriman’s Order. Then took us for private talks. Then ordered searches on us, and checked our mobile phones. There was terror over us.

I bought second phone and hid it in area. I just didn’t want, that anybody could see me with another phone. It rescued me.

Diana said, that this night would be night of triumph, when Ahriman’s Order would show our superiority to the world. She told more, that we would be able to pick up things, that were owned by Unlimited Devas after we would defeat them. Somehow, rest of the cultists, maybe with exception of Adam, were believing her and got into frenzy. I somehow felt little distanced.

Maybe she was right, maybe not. She didn’t tell us, what we had to do, how to prepare. I understood in that moment, that we were below her in her eyes. How low were we seen by her? On the level of pawns, servants, slaves? I felt, that something inside me wanted to get out. I almost vomited.

She looked at me.

-= I’m sorry. I’m not feeling well. – I said.

-= You’re scared dog. You will serve us on headquarters later, if you go, as last of us, to attack. – She decided.

Rest was laughing at me. I couldn’t see Adam’s face, as I was bowing. I was bowing, because I would vomit otherwise right in that moment. I needed to forcefully close my stomach.

-= Now, - She said. – let’s eat. I brought some food for your seeds.

POV Main

They attacked with Diana during forth night. She walked first. Her cultists followed emboldened behind her. Our team set up in the center of farm, above shelter. There were few underground passes to the shelter, but cultists didn’t try to find them. We assumed, they would try to destroy hatch.

Headlights were directed on attackers. We saw Diana, saw how she changed. There are body transformations on the internet of different people. That transformations couldn’t compare. She was two heads higher, then I saw her last time. She weighted about seventy kilos, I would say. Now, she would be around hundred and ten if not more. There was some imbalance in human body proportions. Torso didn’t fit compared to rest of the body. She wasn’t fat. There was lot of muscles and fat, but they were spread out with strange pattern. As if torso was new center.

Lily and Coal attacked cultists. They didn’t attack Diana. They shot them with paintballs. Activated obstacles, as net of lines and hidden holes. They slowed them down and separated from Diana. Their main task was done. Now they needed to control movements of cultists. Diana didn’t care or didn’t want to help her supporters. She charged at us at some point.

-= Steady, steady, steady. – I was talking quietly all the time. During exercises, we found that our coordination wasn’t optimal. We wanted to better that flaw, by telling ourselves what was our status.

I felt her magic attack. It was the same attack, she used against Coal in pub on Mokotov field, only much stronger.

-= I got [Will resonance] and physical pressure on me. I’m managing. – I said.

-= Ready to shot. – Commented Lynx.

-= All headlights on Diana! – Screamed Sith. He leaned out behind me. Diana directed her magical attack partially on him. She didn’t register plasma ball shooting at her, as some headlights were directed at her and blinding her.

Plasma stroke her in left shoulder. She didn’t slow down but cried with pain.

-= I’m gonna kill you! – As we would expect something else from her mouth.

-= Changing position, half retreat, ready to disengage. – I commanded.

I was tank, but I didn’t want to fight in close distance. We wanted to kite her.

When she was close, I took guard. Sith leaned over me and discharged. I was able withstand her magical attack, so I was much more confident, than at beginning of battle. Lightning propelled her back. She stroked her ass on hard concrete. We backed some distance. Her shoulder was burning. She brush it off and that burn her hand. She used her clothes to wipe plasma from shoulder. She stood up and howled.

-= Charging, not charged yet. – Stated Sith.

-= Plasma ready.

-= Try hip level. – She didn’t care about her shoulder. We didn’t want to kill her, as ancient stone rules would probably complicate our lives after. Maybe immobilization would work. – I’ll try surprise maneuver.

-= Roger.

-= Roger.

She charged again. She was close already. She tried to avoid plasma, which partially succeed. Part of plasma ball stuck to right side of her hip, part flew past her.

When she was jumping on me with, her hands aiming at my neck, I fell down, blocked her hands with mine and propelled her with my legs, maybe more with knees, using her momentum. She rolled hew meters behind me. Lynx and Sith was ready for this trick.

-= Half retreat. Standard formation. – I was one commanding, because I took most of the risks.

Some of plasma was burning me. I got it during fall and roll. I wipe it out.

-= I got her stats during your contact. – Said Dee in my mind. He was in the shelter beneath. He was part of our strategy.

Name

Diana

Stone growth level

3 +

Compared MAX worth

Muscle

(22)

Body integrity

(25)

Nervous system

(20)

-= You said, - I countered in my mind. - that human natural limit is around twenty.

-= It seems, that after merge, her natural limit is around thirty for physical stats.

-= Nice to know now. – I wanted to focus on battle.

-= One more thing. She knows your stats now too.

-= Fuck. Ok Dee, disconnect, talk only, when you will get critical info.

We shouldn’t engage her in close fight or she would crush us. I was lucky she couldn’t catch me and flew me over.

-= Bad news. – I informed team. – Physically she can best us. Another half retreat.

We moved back again. I felt, that I had spare magical power. Diana focus on magical attack was weaker, about half strong as at beginning. I wanted to use that fact.

She was standing slowly. Hate it her eyes evident.

-= You will lose. – She said. – Ahriman is on my side.

Now she wanted to communicate. She played on time? Wanted to recover, thought how to battle us? Didn’t matter. We made her talk with us, which was victory in itself. We had strategy for talk too.

-= You’re mistaken. Net, that you’re building is flawed. It will fall apart by stone rules.

-= How dare you! How dare you talk to me like that. Me, voice of Ahriman!

-= I’m not talking with you. I’m talking to your bio-stone.

-= How dare you to offend it. Its plan is perfect. – She charged.

When she was close, Sith leaned on left and shot her with lightning. She was ready, she set her body in a way, the she didn’t fall back. She even smiled through contraction caused by lightning. Then my lightning hit her in the face. She wasn’t prepared at all. She fell hard. We retreated maintaining safe distance. It took long before she started to move again. We prepared our magical attacks meanwhile.

-= Listen. – I said. That was part of the plan too. Part of war strategy to leave exit and don’t make loser desperate. – It, your bio-stone, or seed as you call it, have fragmented memory. His plan was perfect, but if he would know, what we know about ancient rules, he would change his plan to take some things into account.

-= So tell me, what you know.

-= No. If you want to know, pay us fee for information.

-= Never.

-= Then, let’s make a bet. If ancient stone rules won’t undo half of your network in three weeks, we will come to you and pledge our loyalty to Ahriman’s Order.

Diana was watching us closely for long moments. Perhaps she also consulted her bio-stone. Situation was clear. She lost, but we knew that she was unhinged and probably she wouldn’t accept her defeat. So Sith got idea, that we should let her lie to herself, by presenting this deal.

-= It says, that I should accept this deal, but I know that there is catch somewhere. – She wanted the catch, we had catch ready.

-= Unspoken part, the catch as you called it, is rule, that if your cultist come to us personally to ask for help, you would have no power over that person.

She winced on fer face.

-= Only personally, - I added – not by massage or phone talk statement. One have to be this close to us, as me to you. And we won’t come to your headquarters without your invitation. But only your headquarters.

She smiled. I gave her a lot in her eyes, not much in mine.

-= I agree. – She said.

We didn’t shake hands.

I looked around. I didn’t pay much attention on things beside our battle. It was too quiet around.