Moyo walked back into the defiance with his guards seething behind him, he could feel their aura through his link to them, his aspect drawing their presence ever closer to him in an intricate bond. He turned to them, putting one finger to his lips in a sign of silence before turning back and calling out,
“shola”
His A.I appeared with a shimmer of aether, bowing to him,
“lord titan blade” she replied solemnly,
“scan the ship for any listening activities, foreign or the likes” he said,
Shola frowned, nodding before speaking,
“scanning, foreign listening devices i.e. spying constructs not found, I must say that it will be impossible to place such constructs on me without my noticing” she said taking offense,
Moyo nodded,
“Apologies, but one can’t be too careful” Moyo replied,
She nodded as she paused, seemingly distracted,
“overseer Atreus is hailing us lord, accept?” she asked as Moyo nodded,
Right there in the loading ramp the holographic image of Atreus appeared,
“Titan blade, the coordinates have been sent, we leave in approximately ten minutes” he said,
“Noted, we’re ready to leave as well” Moyo replied,
Atreus nodded,
“oh and tell your experts to be careful with their opinions, for a second I felt what they thought about the powers in that gathering, were it a public space they’d all be dead by now” Atreus warned,
Moyo gave a curt nod,
“I’ll drill it into them” Moyo replied as the image cut off,
“shola, take us to full alert mode, prime all weapons, archailect knows what we’re going into the moment we appear at the mustering point” Moyo said,
“I comply” she replied,
With a sigh he turned to his guard, a silent Idris who folded his arms behind him,
“let’s hear it” he said,
“is the archailect this brutal?, this uncaring to the plights of the infinite amount of souls under its protection?” Amiya asked, her anger in the form of her glowing eyes,
“Protection is more of a stress, let’s use charges, yes, the archailect is that uncaring towards its charges” Moyo replied curtly,
“they were ready to throw even experts under the grinder, this war will be a prolonged battle of attrition, won’t it lord?” Vaughn asked,
“I honestly think so, from what I’m seeing the goal is to wrestle the galaxy back from the abyss not wipe out every form of life within it, meaning each planet will have to be fought for and won the hard way, with bodies” Moyo said,
“meaning millions if not hundreds of millions will be dropped into abyssal infested planets to fight an infinite amount of blights in an attempt to do something to things called a spire?” Tomasa said darkly,
“yes, spires are sort of like, antennas, yes, they are the receptive points in which aether permeates a planet” Moyo replied,
“And what is the spire on Gaia?” Idris asked,
“due to the fact that our galaxy is new into the archailect, I’m not sure we need one yet, the demands for aether hasn’t reached a point where it is required I think, our aether comes from the nexus point close to us, I’m not sure, but I have a feeling it’s Agabod” Moyo said almost to himself,
“So, what’s the plan lord?” Marcel asked,
“go rest, prepare, train, whatever you want to do, when we reach our destination I will summon you al. whatever happens, our first goal is to get you all to at least peak gold or diamond” Moyo replied,
“by your leave” Idris said saluting as he led his brothers away,
Moyo ran a hand through his hair, touching the lock of hair belonging to Ashira and abruptly walking to his command deck. Sitting alone on it, he brought up the map of dire shared to them all by Xerxes, looking at the positions of the systems, one finger tapping on his chair in thought. Finally finding the pattern he was looking for, he spoke,
“shola” he said as she appeared,
“Lord?” she asked,
“Compare the positions of the systems of dire with the systems of my galaxy” he said,
A second image of the milky way galaxy appeared next to that of dire, Moyo nodding,
“As I thought, this is going to be tougher than I envisioned” he said,
“indeed, the arrangements of the systems on dire seem to indicate a layered defence within each system and the galaxy in general” she stated,
Each system was arranged in a circle round the fifth galaxy where the prison planet that had grown to insane proportions was situated. Ensuring that whatever angle the armadas came from, they would need to battle at least two systems before they could make it to the main system itself. That was the first line of defence, the second being that in each of the systems themselves, the main planet was ringed by hundreds of smaller planets, also ensuring that to reach the main planet, hundreds of moon-like smaller planets had to either be blown away or conquered.
Moyo reclined on his chair,
“This will be a long war” he murmured to himself,
A ping echoed across the ship,
“That was the call to start jumping lord titan blade” shola said,
Moyo nodded,
“Has the coordinates been received?” he asked,
“indeed, begin jump, we have been instructed to jump using the aether from the nexus point lord, any aether signature not in tandem with this nexus point will result in brigade ships firing on such vessels the moment they reach the final mustering point” shola stated,
Moyo waved for her to get along with it,
“I comply” she replied as the defiance rumbled to life, absorbing aether from the nexus point in thick white lines of light,
“Commencing pathway opening” shola droned,
A large tear in reality right in front of them opened up, revealing a sight that held Moyo’s breath, gigantic ships as far as the eyes could see filled the horizon. The Sleek ship belonging to Atreus passed through with defiance close behind it, the pathway closing up behind them, a large sun that dwarfed that of his world sat in the distance, its blue flames and light dancing as it illuminated the whole area, revealing an entire fleet Moyo couldn’t put into words,
“shola?, call the guard, they need to see this” he said breathlessly as she nodded,
The defiance silently followed behind Atreus, watching as they made their way to a large armada in the distance. The guard made their way to the command deck, Romulus whistling appreciatively,
“that’s one large fleet, can’t even see the beginning or end of these ships” he said,
Moyo stood up,
“I’m beginning to understand the scope of what’s going on here, shola?, hail Atreus, where do we dock?” he said,
“Actually, we’re receiving a hail from another ship lord, the glorious blade, command ship of the ruler Altair thousand blades” she said,
Moyo smiled as he crossed his arms,
“Well, this should be fun, bring it on screen” he said with a smile,
Shola nodded as a holographic image of Altair thousand blades appeared, Moyo bowing respectively as his guard followed suit,
“Master titan blade, or is it primordial titan blade?” Altair said in greeting, his voice soft and deadly as ever,
“Ruler thousand blades, it is good to see you again, please, call me titan blade, no need for titles” Moyo replied, his eyes glowing,
Altair laughed softly,
“You have grown monster, I can see that much in your eyes” Altair said,
“The archailect comes at you fast lord, adapt or die, it has always been the way of the archailect” Moyo replied,
“true true, and who are these young ascenders behind you?, your protection?” Altair asked, chuckling,
Moyo nodded,
“Meet my guard, led by silver ranked Idris Geb hand” Moyo said as Idris stepped forward and bowed lower,
“Just a few months into being a primordial and already you’re building your power, you move fast Moyo, that much is true” Altair said,
“These are hard times lord, the faster we ascend the better, how are the masters?” Moyo asked,
“Gathering on the pseudo planet currently being constructed right now by the omnidroid himself” Altair said,
“The omnidroid?’ Moyo asked,
“I see you haven’t much of your fellow primordials, this war will rectify that I believe, also, it brings me great pleasure to announce that I have finally crossed over to the realm of the ancients” Altair said,
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Moyo bowed again,
“Congratulations lord thousand blades” Moyo replied,
“Your humility is as solid as your strength lord titan blade” Altair replied softly,
Moyo glanced up at the thousand blades, aware of the honorific he used, Altair nodding as he sighed,
“Yes, I called you lord and you know you deserve it” Altair said,
“I called you to invite you to the banquet I will be hosting in celebration of my ascension and also to warn you” he said,
“Warn me?” Moyo asked,
“a good number of rulers are unaware of your position as a pseudo primordial, but those who need to know are aware and I can assure you not everyone is happy. Somehow the news spread through the celestials, I even heard you managed to beat the bright scourge out of your galaxy, congratulations, that being is a disaster we rulers tend to pray not to meet” Altair said,
“I had help from the slumbering sands and the king of monsters, what is the news about me currently?” Moyo asked,
Altair’s eyes widened,
“you’ve met the slumbering sands?, your very existence draws the powerful, lord titan blade, I’m very glad to be on your good side” Altair said as Moyo gave a curt nod,
“The order from the celestials is to undermine you, the order from the terrestrials is not to mess with you, both leaders of each faction have however instructed their direct followers to declare you off limits” Altair said,
“Direct followers?” Moyo asked,
Another holographic image came up, Atreus appearing,
“What he means is that the ancients and rulers allied to them will stay off our back, the other celestials and terrestrials however will move according to their whims” he said,
“Overseer Atreus” Altair said,
“Lord ancient thousand blades” Atreus replied bowing,
“So you’re saying don’t trust anyone here?” Moyo asked,
“Precisely, only those you’re familiar with, besides, if what I hear is true and the cosmic dragon has taken a keen interest in you, only the king of monsters and the great mother would dare step in her way” Altair said chuckling,
“cosmic dragon?, another dragon?, whatever did I do to those lizards?” Moyo groaned,
Atreus shook his head,
“Not just any dragon, the cosmic dragon was the first leader of the brigade, the mother destroyer, rumoured daughter of Lotes herself” Atreus said as he shuddered,
“you’re afraid of her?” Moyo asked astonished,
“Moyo, everyone is afraid of the cosmic dragon, maybe not the king of monsters or the great mother cause those two are…well, let’s just call them beings on their own level, no one messes with the cosmic destroyer, no one has even seen her in…ever” Altair said,
Atreus nodded,
“what lord thousand blades said is correct, our records indicate that apart from knowing she still exists, no signs of her movements have ever been recorded, and now rumors of your rise draws her out of wherever she holed up, I do not envy you titan blade” he said with sympathy in his voice,
“I always thought all draconic species were within house Dracon” Moyo said as Altair chuckled,
“She is house Dracon, well, at least she gave birth to the two rulers that terrorize the archailect to this day” he said,
Moyo’s eyes widened,
“Wait, you mean she’s the mother of the scorching claw and the flying terror?” he asked,
“indeed” Atreus replied,
“That explains the special treatment that house always got” Moyo replied,
“Among other things” Altair said as Atreus grunted,
“So what happens now?” Moyo asked,
“Everyone will gather on the pseudo planet, everyone, before we break up into our respective fleets” Altair said,
“This is where I leave you to go handle official brigade issues, good luck on the battlefield lord titan blade, not that you need it anyways, probably come back with some evolution” Atreus said as his transmission cut off,
“Brigade members, cheerful bunch, aren’t they?” Altair said as Moyo chuckled,
“is house Kairos around yet?” Moyo asked,
Altair raised one eyebrow,
“Yes, all primordials are around, meeting them however will be another issue, their movements are as mysterious as those of the harbingers” he said,
“I’m actually looking for Ashira” Moyo replied,
Altair chuckled,
“I thought as much, join me on the planet, below, then we can discuss finding a way to meet the primordials” Altair replied,
Moyo nodded as the transmission cut off,
Idris turned to him,
“How big will the planet have to be to contain this amount of ascenders?” he asked,
Moyo shrugged,
“Well, let’s find out” he replied,
“Shola, bring the ship closer to the planet, let’s see how big it……holy” Moyo replied as he stared out of the command deck to see a planet that made even the largest of the ships around look like a ants beside it,
He felt the gravitational pull of the large planet draw all ships around it closer, thousands of docking bays on their side of the planet opening up the closer they got with ships passing through. They passed through a barrier of aether as they got really close to the planet, entering the docking bay where hundreds of beings directed ships to dock, magnetic clamps locking the ships down.
Moyo found it a bit risky seeing as should anything happen to the ships; he wouldn’t be able to escape on time. Ordering shola to take the ship below, he resulted to taking one of the smaller crafts built into the defiance for this specific purpose, a little paranoia could go a long way.
He and the guard locked into the smaller shuttle docked within the bay, exiting as a bunch of servants who looked to be silver and bronze rankers bowed as Moyo stepped out of the shuttle. If his guard took it as an affront to their rank, they didn’t show it,
“Lord titan blade, the great master omnidroid bids you welcome to this construct planet” the lead servant said,
It was then Moyo noticed the glowing piece or aether orb right where the heart of the servant with yellow skin should be, perhaps they were some form of androids he wasn’t familiar with. It also begged the question if Iteq was of the construct empire or the android alliance, if he was either celestial or terrestrial, but Moyo assumed time would tell in anyways,
“Thank you, these are my retainers or guard, their captain Idris Geb hand” he replied as Idris stepped forward and bowed,
“It is an honor to have those allied with lord titan blade here” the servant said,
Moyo nodded in reply as the guard gestured,
“Please, this way, your accommodation has been set aside” he said,
Moyo frowned,
“Were we being expected?” he asked,
“All honored guests and members of the same…. ah…social class as the lord omnidroid were given this treatment” the servant said,
Primordials….
Moyo nodded in silence and followed, his guard behind him, eyes peeled out for threats, the servant continued his speech,
“Also, the great master through his emissary lord Anur would like to inform you of specially designated chambers with access to dungeons of different expert ranks for your guard or those who go to war under your banner” he said,
“Please, extend my gratitude to the omnidroid” Moyo replied curtly,
Whoever this omnidroid was, he could see through the games being played and although he had no idea who the players were, he would in time. Entering what looked like an elevator ramp, the enclosed space seemed to shudder as if they were teleported from one spot to another. It opened up into a large enclosure that looked more like an estate than a house, Moyo stepping out with his guard. The servant turned and pointed to the large mansion in the distance,
“That is your abode lord titan blade” he said,
Moyo scrunched his eyebrows together,
“I don’t understand, do you mean a room in that absurdly large building?” he asked,
The servants suddenly looked terrified,
“By the supreme beings, no lord titan blade, please, forgive us if we implied such!” he said as he fell to his knees, the other servants behind him repeating his actions,
Moyo looked more shocked than confused, Idris clearing his throat softly behind him, giving him a stink eyes,
“Please get up, I was simply confused about the arrangement, you mean the whole house is mine?” he asked,
The servants immensely relieved stood up, gratitude in their gazes,
“indeed lord titan blade, these entire building plus the lands you see exist at the uppermost level of this planet lord, an entire district is yours to do as you wish lord” the servant said,
Moyo blinked in surprise, nodding mutely as the servants stepped back heads bowed and leaving the way for Moyo and his guard to make their way to the mansion. Moyo took one step of Ogun and appeared in front of the building, staring as its liquid metallic form that shimmered with mithril,
Boyle would be so jealous he thought as he chuckled,
His guard and the servants made their way as quickly to him,
“Your aura should suffice lord titan blade” the servant said,
Moyo nodded and released a tiny pulse of his aura, watching the door open silently to reveal the inside of the building. Stepping in took Moyo into another world of splendour as the very insides itself were bathed in gold, glittering.
Moyo stepped in along with his guard who were in one state of awe or the next, a set of stairs led to the room and as Moyo figured his personal room, he left Idris to get familiarized with the rest of the building. He brought up his HUD again, finding Ashira and sending another message again, frowning as he stared at the list of messages he had sent but had gone unanswered.
He was a bit bothered, was she well?, was her training going on fine?. He had little to fear, she was the daughter of the king of monsters, she would be fine. A knock on his door drew him from his errant thoughts, driving him back to the present, he opened it to see Idris holding a golden marble,
“Apparently this is the method in which you rich uppity folks send messages to each other in the archailect” he said as Moyo rolled his eyes,
“how’s the team doing?” he asked,
“how do you think?, this mansion is a place fit for kings, they’re going wild in it, apparently anything they want is theirs, I think Marcel is trying to get the servants to loosen up a little though, I’ll need to keep an eye on that one” he said as Moyo chuckled,
“And you?” Moyo asked,
“Not quite comfortable yet, perhaps we can check out those personal dungeons later?” he asked,
Ah, their ranks,
Moyo folded his arms, resting on the door frame,
“You want to ascend” he said bluntly,
“Yes, anything to help us get stronger, already I can understand what you mean, back on Gaia I was akin to a demigod, here, even the servants feel stronger than we do” he replied,
Moyo sensed no iota of spite in his voice, understanding where he was coming from, he nodded,
“I’ll check it out and see if it’s safe for use, can’t have this being another form of game or trap” he replied,
Idris bowed and left, Moyo closing his door as he sat on the bed that he was sure could take ten of him comfortably, wondering how they even brought it into the room. The golden orb in his hand pulsed as a letter appeared, floating in the air,
To the titan blade,
Primordial lord of order,
Patriarch of clan titan blade,
It is my honor to invite you to my celebration marking my ascension into the realm of ancients. As a trusted ally and friend, it would gladden me if you could make this occasion by tomorrow evening in my district.
In this letter is the direction from your district to mine, as this is a private affair and no bloodshed would we allowed, please leave your guard behind, however you can come with a companion of yours to grace the occasion.
Altair thousand blades.
Moyo watched the letter fizzle away back into the orb as he tossed it on his bed, laying back and closing his eyes with a sigh. Images of Ashira came unbidden to his mind as he frowned, opening his eyes,
He missed her,
It was that simple, as weird as the thought seemed to him. Moyo was used to going from one battle to another, solely existing on the fact that he needed to get stronger. While he wasn’t at the peak yet, he somehow found himself with excess time to indulge in love, a concept that got him shuddering as much as smiling. With a sigh he sat up, bringing out dominion and staring at his blade.
A while later, Moyo found himself outside his building, casually taking a walk around the district that teemed with life, ascenders bowing as he passed, realizing they were all here to tend to his every needs as much as finding a place to stay in preparation for the war.
All around him were experts, opening smaller buildings or haggling the prices of commodities, for once he was happy, he wouldn’t be the only one living in such a large space. A message entering his HUD made him pause, eyes wide as he turned and with master ranked strength, blasted his way back to his building, appearing right in front of the doors a few moments later.
He entered, pausing as he saw his guard and the servants who were too inebriated to even stand up, laughing with a woman seated close to them. Tanned skin with bright green eyes and hair that glowed a soft gold smiling at him,
“Hello titan blade” she said,
Ashira chimera,
Moyo took one step, carried her and the next he tore open a pathway to his room, closing it behind him as she laughed, Marcel whooping as Idris whacked him on the head. holding her close as he felt her warm body, Ashira giggling softly,
“Someone missed me” she said,
“Very much” Moyo mumbled, head buried between her chests as she laughed,
A while later when she could finally pry herself from his grip, she beamed at him,
“Level 900” she said smugly as his eyes went wide,
“How in the archailects name did you accomplish that?” he asked as she laughed,
“Family secret, just got out, found a way to escape my fathers’ wardens and made my way here,
“Wait, how did you even know my location?” he asked,
“Being the daughter of the king of monsters has it’s perks” she said slyly as he laughed,
“So, your own personal guard huh?” she said as Moyo narrowed his eyes at her,
“don’t pretend like you didn’t have a hand in it” he growled playfully as she laughed,
Together they cuddled in silence, Moyo feeling the warmth of her body, the both of them basking in their presence. She turned to him, staring into his eyes,
“The war is coming” she said softly,
“yup” he replied still staring at his eyes,
“it’s going to be a bloody one” she continued,
“yup” he replied,
Ashira narrowed her eyes,
“My dad said to keep your hands off my body” she said,
“okay” he replied still staring at her eyes,
Ashira rolled it,
“Moyo, are you listening to me ?” she asked smirking,
“I’m trying, your eyes are just so beautiful” he said sighing,
Ashira rolled her eyes and turned, going back to him holding her,
A few seconds later she spoke,
“Moyo”
“Yeah?”
“something’s poking my behind” she said,
“Ignore it” he replied chuckling,
A few seconds later she laughed at the realization of what it was, her voice echoing round the rather quiet building.