Brandon

Brandon whistles as he walks down Colossal Street with his eyes closed as though without a care in the world. Without a care of the casual wealth on display; shimmering night crystals embedded in the walls of the dough cemented chambers and tunnels decorating the strange houses.

Whenever I catch myself forgetting to appreciate the vast wealth on casual display I pinch myself with an internal mantra. These people cannot influence me with their waste, these people cannot influence me with their waste.

I look hard at the diamonds in the walls, under star-light I start to see the beauty in the ostentatious waste of wealth but halt my appreciation quickly for fear of catching these people’s indirect influence and have my sense of diamond value skewed; or worse yet I give up the scrapings of wealth entirely as all here do. I keep my eyes closed as often as possible so as I infiltrate these people’s ways pretending to be a foreigner tourist in their lands captivated by their way of life which ironically I actually am to an extent.

I am aware of the eyes watching me and the signals by street rats and loitering kids that are keeping an eye on me for one the Isolace elders. Why the emperor allows these self ‘isolated’ indigenous people to exist and ‘thrive’ in the middle of Celest completely unsupervised and why he has me spying on them as only I can is utterly baffling to me and by my opinion a waste of my particular talents.

But we all do what the ‘godking’ says even if we’ve never even seen the man in person, so I am spying on the most prevative people I’ve ever come across. I mean they don’t even have a currency, though I’ll be the first to admit they are very good at reading people and somehow passive aggressively protecting themselves, not that I’ve seen much of their martial prowess yet.

Still though with a holy artifact stolen from the cult of Phosphorus and the much more interesting tasks and missions I’ve already accomplished using the Night Shroud I think I’ve proven myself to be an invaluable asset. Not something to be put away and forgotten, assigned to watch a tribe of primitive people surrounded by the largest and arguably most advanced human empire in existence. I’m not even the only ‘foreigner’ here but I suspect the others are exiles from Celest proper. And of course since the Isolace are smack dab in the middle of the empire no one occasionally exiled by the emperor can ever leave.

I take a side tunnel ducking down a little to accommodate my height as I leave the parts open to the sky; even here the white bleached walls are studded with diamonds that glitter in the pale light. It’s a five minute walk down these twists and turns before I again stand fully entering my assigned sleeping chamber. There are no doors here, no windows and it’s surprisingly well ventilated for a giant anthill spanning miles across and going deep into the ground. Well at least I think of it as an anthill. I look through the door and the few people following me scatter or pretend to be busy doing their own things, kids mostly. I shake my head, disappointed at their ineptitude.

It could be curious kids or that may just be what these strange people want me to think. I can’t yet tell if these people are utterly horrible at subterfuge or they are so good that even I can’t tell how well I’m being spied on. Ultimately though in the few months I’ve been here I have learnt nothing that could justify my being sent here, and I’ve tried. They powder themselves with white dust and run around in loincloth talking about inconsequential things in their strange clicking language.

Maybe this is punishment, maybe the Jihad found out about those jewels I took from Abdulkareem’s vault before setting his house on fire. The way the man treats his slaves is savage at best though, having been under someone’s power I couldn’t exactly ignore it if I could do something about it. And it’s not like the stone in Orion really burns anyway, it was only the furniture and the roof that burnt down after all so I don’t think I really deserve this.

I sigh, jumping up and grabbing the side of the wall pulling myself up so as to enter the next room adjacent my main one. A shitting room with three beautifully moulded toilets separated from the main room by a wall with an opening at the top just big enough to crawl through. I land lightly on my feet pull down my pants quickly before sitting comfortably; another sight escapes me as I watch the glittering wealth before me while taking a shit. If I hadn’t personally received this assignment from Lord Betelgeuse I’d probably have long disappeared by now, but since I’ve worn the Shroud and been able to perceive power I’ve come to realise how truly terrifying these Celestian Royals are, ‘’its best to shut up and do what I’m told for now,’’ I remind myself out loud.

If I really had a home I would probably have gone home by now, I wonder how Om is doing back in The City of Stars, I wonder why he hasn’t yet gone home in all these years. Maybe like me he doesn’t have much of a choice. Maybe like me they gave him something so valuable that to leave with it would be ultimate treason resulting in the fucking Hezbollah being sent after hi! I sigh again after releasing a big one with a splatter, the worse part is I no longer think I could part with the Shroud without dying anymore. Not that I’d want to anyways, I stole this myself under circumstances and was hunted down for months by those fanatics trying to get it back, Dan died even.

*

Sachihiro

‘’What were those things?’’ John asks no one in particular as Tóma conveys the raid we witnessed to the camp.

‘’Look, its not safe for any of us here anymore we should definitely keep moving.'' Not that it was ever safe, ''where is Vahe?’’ I ask already looking for our best scout with my gaze surveying the trees.

‘’Hold on son, you haven’t even fully explained to us what you saw and already you are thinking of fleeing?’’ Damage says with a scowl on his face.

‘’It isn’t flight its smart, I saw how those things move, you saw how easily they swatted everyone around and their numbers are not anything we could contend with,’’ I say in frustration looking at Aunt Helen for support.

She shrugs, ‘’It may have looked like a quick and easy raid but we all know how soft the southerners are, we wouldn’t fall so quickly and easily regardless of their numbers.’’

‘’I’m with Uncle Sachi, we don’t even know what those things are,’’ Sway speaks up for the first in my presence.

‘’At least give us more details while we wait for the hunting party to return,’’ Damage says with a grumble unlimbering his axe from his back and oils from his ring like one preparing for a fight.

‘’Sirimiri go get the hunting party, tell them we might have trouble,’’ he nods at my words and is off through the trees. We are definitely not waiting for the hunting party before we start preparing for our departure. I walk up to one of the few tents we use, untethering it from the pokes and immediately start taking it down. I see da and Aunt Helen share a look behind my back before da walks over and places a heavy hand on my shoulder.

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‘’What are you doing son?’’ he asks in a quiet voice.

I ignore him as I continue my work with quiet efficiency but through my awareness I know no one else has moved besides the elf I sent to warn the others still out. I finish taking down the tent but there is awkwardness now as the others look at me without much movement, ‘’son, we makes decisions here as a family.’’ Da says seemingly reasonably, I look around at all the faces of the people around me.

I’m not sure what to say but I’m saved from an immediate response by the arrival of Ingwe, Hannah, Thandeka and Mira; Katya slightly behind them as they return from their gathering trip.

‘’What’s going on here?’’ Mira has been avoiding me since I beheaded Rigs but she is the first to assess the situation and jump towards my defence. Our eyes meet directly for the first time in a ten-day and though we have much to talk about still I find nothing but solidarity in her gaze.

‘’Nearest town got raided by beastmen, Sachi wants to move, Damage wants to weigh options, I want to fight.’’ Ava surmises oh s eloquently with a grin.

‘’What do you want?’’ I ask her. I look around at everyone here; Sema, Onimore, Damage, Ma, Amanda, Sway, Zhen, Frayé, Tabitha, Saul, Kiera, Vuyo, Tóma, Max, Edward, Mirabalis, John, Lavender, Stacey, Ursule. ‘’What do any of you want?’’ my voice is raised at this point but no one responds.

‘’Stacey, Lavender you are in Saya’s Conclave team and now that she isn’t here you no longer have to travel at our pace, knowing the training and the level of competence you two along with Dewan could be far ahead of us by now. Ma, you and da honestly could have stayed in Paradisum or with the Host as I’m sure da has been thinking at often of late. Same with you,’’ I say indicating to Zhen, Freya and Sway.

‘’Careful what you say next boy, you will not be able to unsay it.’’ Zhen threatens with slitted eyes.

I snort, ‘’You could remain in your beloved kingdom playing political games of the mages and Houses down here, we all know you want to. You, I don’t even know what you want from me’’ I say to Selah leaning against a tree next to Iki. I’m quickly looking to the tree with axe drawn but it’s just the others coming through the trees from their seemingly successful hunt.

‘’Sirimiri filled us in about the raid, are we leaving?’’ Cicilia asks with Kuyoki and Gaia appearing next.

‘’I don’t know,’’ ‘’Apparently we are,’’ da and I speak at the same time. We look at each other, the new arrivals look at us all trying to assess what’s going on. Da shakes his head and indicates to ma before walking away and disappearing their sleeping mats into his storage ring, the gem brightening slightly as he uses it.

I continue breaking camp without another word and everyone follows suite. Kuyoki’s gentle hand on my arm suddenly startles me out of my undecipherable musings. Again I haven’t been paying attention to my awareness. I relax though as her gentle yet strong arm seems to hold me in place, her eyes unwavering, I nod and look around as Dewan and Edward remove the last of the traps. The fae eventually shows himself and indicates that the way is clear, I shake my head at his peculiar behaviour but we are off following in his and the elf’s wake. Walking two by two in single file with the big guy Onimore and Gaia taking up the rear.

*

Dungeon

[BOOM].

An ear-piercing explosion buffets the group swarm-warriors as the invaders use their combined mana pools to channel power into barrages that no single warrior or caster can stand against. Our fortifications and traps are blown away at every turn by the overwhelming display of power.

Their progress into our tunnels is marked with occasional explosions and a lot of struggling. When facing defenders they alternate between thrown concoctions that explode and spew acid and enchanted objects of destruction that level entire cliques of the dungeon brethren scattered and broken.

The dark mzi stone of our domicile makes using mana based abilities nearly impossible, a fact that has been our defence for many a generation as our numbers can only ever be overcome by the overwhelming power of arms with magic so effectively negated giving us the clear advantage.

Or so it was thought before these invaders came in with magic that uses no mana.

[Bhoom]! Explosions ring out.

''Zzee kree kree srcee''. My brethren cry out their despair but the demon explorers have march on, clearing chamber after chamber as they move down the tunnels towards the heart.

They march to the lead demon’s rhythm of madness as his hammer jabs, bashes, crushes through our ranks as though we were unarmed krikects in their birth creche’. The lead demon bowls through three krakranin warriors with his presence and skill, how one of his size moves as fast as an Elite Kra is an unsolvable mystery. The demon kicks dismissing all nearby opponents with a force field that blunts all weapons aimed at him materialising around him. Punching through lord Krastyia’s Deathless as his hammer flies through the air destroying gargantuan shields with terifying impunity before stopping mid-air and coming back to the demon’s arm as it finishes its third kick shattering lord Kýayw’s lower forearms as they take the brunt of the crushing force field present with every strike. Lord Kýayw’s is the fortunate one to have been blown away by a crippling injury, the arrival of the hammer in hand again certain death awaited all who do anything but raise their shields.

The other demons form a triangle formation with the hammer demon as the point in their entire attack pattern, he the head to their spear but at least amongst the rest of them we form a modicum of challenge. Against the more ordinary opponents our warriors sometimes draw blood though still they crash into us almost with impunity. Still we at least properly blood them and make them work for it, not so the demon at their head that dances oxily through our ranks swinging hammer to and fro. A thick presence around him slowing our warriors and addling their courage such that to have withstood his rampage and survive has become a mark of valour in our ranks, hence Kýaw’s fortunate of being a surviving cripple.

A bang a whirl a zip a grumble, the melody of destruction sometimes slow but always steady progress devastating to the colony. Surely the mother will release the Elite Kra before we too are killed by the demon and have to be rebirthed anew.

*

Om

I keep the Image of submerging up constantly now, I don’t even have to open my eyes within this Image, I am a shark detecting even the slightest electric impulse within its domain, the slightest twitch. I hammer down on a shield diagonally in a side swipe caving it in, ducking, reversing in a crouching upper-cut blow that rings the wall of shields on my left rattling the lot of them. I stomp with a gravity rumble the ground adjusts with pleased enthusiasm with a rippling wave. My Soul-Art resonating with the core of whatever we are after in this mad Emperors seemingly ceaseless ‘projects’.

The seven Krarian warriors I can feel strategically placed around me for best impediment lose their footing. I kick out a shield from under a warrior with a reinforced tap, the pummel of my hammer on the top edge of another’s shield encourages the shield and helm to kiss snapping the Krarian’s head back breaking teeth. Launching with knee crushing-force ensures I’ve at least stunned this one as foreleg bashes shield, I deflect a blow with the heft of my hammer. The blade grates on the scales of my arm guard creating sparks reminind me that I’m not actually in water, further weakening my shark Imagine.

I spirit-ROAR, more cheating but had I given them a chance I would have lost the momentum of the next pulse in my step in the dance following whatever core powers this place that resonates with my Soul-Art. I spin releasing my hammer forward past the stunned Krarians into the large Bruisers with the big shields having felt another gap opened through shark instincts.

The wet wrenching made by weapon smashing through flesh tells me I’ve found my mark, reverse kick, front kick, right left hook, devastator! My arms are up and I receive the shaft of my stone-headed zanpakutō in a two handed grip bringing it down in a bash that leaves nothing of the creature I obliterate besides gore and blood. I swing left.

[Splat]!

Crushing the torso of one of the four armed demi-human kobold like creatures completely, moving forward into the assembled horde of them with violent resolve. I will complete this mission like I have completed all the other missions and someday I will be as strong as I need to be to protect my own. As was the plan between Sachi and I all those years back, just that now my own is more inclusive than it was back then.