The sounds of B.O.B., So good, playing on his headphones. Atom thought that the song was wonderfully appropriate. His life was pretty impressive, and he bobbed his head to the beat as he slew noobs on his G-box™.

It was a fantastic piece of hardware and hacking genius, in his opinion. He had created it, after all. Connecting it to all planes that had video games had been a tricky thing. Hacking the ways without destabilizing them and covering his tracks alone had taken him like a month.

As he aimed in on a player trying to escape an opposing team firing, he pulled the trigger on his controller. The player hit the ground, dropping a loot bag, and his mic queued up so Atom could hear it.

Of course ARHHHHH!, Son of a…

"Third-party, bots,” Atom said with a chuckle.

As he was sitting in to start taking shots at the other squad, a message icon came up on his screen. It looked like the player he just killed. He clicked on it.

User Merkage_555:

You hacking piece of sh*t. Why don't you get a f**king life, loser! Just delete the game. You're trash!

Atom just laughed. He might be a hacking P.O.S., but he wasn't a cheater. Arguably it wasn't fair to be playing against an Ascendent with preternatural dexterity and reaction time. That wasn't Atom's fault. It was just who he was. He typed back an appropriate response to the rager.

User Surprise_ButtSex01:

Get good, Noob! L.O.L.

Closing out the message screen, he spun his character around while changing his weapon to a shotgun. Someone had just shot him, and they hadn't killed him in the first bullet. That was a mistake.

He saw the player across the map hiding behind a broken down vehicle. Atom started bobbing and weaving as he pushed the idiot. He would regret taking a pot shot at him. The moment he got close enough, he pumped some digital lead into his opponent's avatar. The player tried to run, but Atom just kept pushing the player. He was clearly panicking now. The player trying to evade in a straight line just like all the casuals.

A voice called out in his head, distracting him from his pursuit. He sighed in annoyance when he realized what it was. One of the few followers that he had was in trouble. He considered ignoring the prayers for help, but he really couldn't. He maintained the bare minimum that he needed to retain his seat on the Planar Council. He couldn't have that. He cared little for power other than that which granted him the freedom to do what he wanted.

Sighing again, he called out, "Hey Tess, Did you get that?"

A female popped into existence beside him on the couch, eating a bowl of popcorn. She was beautiful by every planar standard. Shorter than his six-foot, she stood around five four. If Atom had friends, he would tell them how "thicc" she was. Skin tinted with a slight tan, burnt orange spiked hair styled in a wave that peaked on the top. One side of her head was shaved with thin lines of short hair. Her hair made her look like she'd been stolen out of a cyberpunk video game.

It was actually pretty close to the truth. He had copied her build from a game he loved and constructed her matrix around the avatars framework when he forged her into existence. What she was currently wearing, though, was closer to a college girl on break. She wore a sea-green t-shirt that came down to her mid-thigh and toe socks with kittens playing on the yellow fabric. She turned to look at him, catching Atom appreciating her impressive frame.

"The hell… Atom, you shit. I was busy!" She popped off at him in annoyance.

"Tess, you were definitely watching trash reality T.V. weren't you? Besides, I know you just got that notification."

She huffed and said, "I'm still mad at you, Atom. Don't talk to me." Then she dissipated into thin air.

"For planes sakes Tess. I've already apologized to you a hundred times. I forgot one time in a thousand years, once, and we had the thing on Waygo," he called out to the ceiling.

"Doesn't matter." A voice came back from everywhere.

"Tess babe, we have to work. Can we please just talk about this later?"

"Fine, but only because this isn't for you." Tess came back in a snappy tone.

Thank gods, like one time, and I never hear the end of it. You'd think giving someone life would be more than enough to get a little forgiveness.

"I heard that."

Atoms face cringed. He had forgotten to block that thought. Sometimes, the woman was a freaking terror, and he didn't want her anymore pissed off at him. He had forged his Icon into something that would make his life more comfortable. How the hell was he supposed to know that she would have twice the attitude he did and an even worse temper.

When he thought about it, though, he figured it was because she had been created out of the piece of him that was reliable and did work. When Atom had to be responsible, he had tons of attitude and snark. Why? Because he was lazy as shit that's why and work was a chore. He just wanted to chill, surf the holo tube, and play video games. But unfortunately, he did have to work to do just that. So Tess had been created to handle most of it unless things like this happened.

"Tess, what do we have?"

"Shut-up, I'm working on it. Go to bridge fourteen. They are in a non-shifting zone."

He cursed aloud. Atom hated having to travel the ways physically if he could help it. Moving through the Feed of the Ways was instant. Using the rainbow frost, a stupid name that, meant he had to interact with his peers. Sure it was fun to ride, and he looked badass when he landed on the planet. He did like that part. Making an entrance and looking awesome was vital if you had to go out into public, after all.

Sighing internally again. Why he thought picking up this Mantle was a smart decision, he would never know.

How was I to know that I could ignore the damn thing? I swear it was put there just to sucker in the first noob that ascended on my plane.

He shifted, appearing in a massive warehouse-size closet. Thousands of clothing suits and various accouterments associated with their specific load-out, all in their own little lockers, sprawled around Atom.

"Babe, what load-out?"

"Do I have to do everything for you, you lazy bastard!! Ughhh… SX42. Now leave me alone. I'm trying to create a report for the situation we are about to go into."

"Love you, babe!"

"Shut up, you ass, and get moving. Sucking up isn't going to help you."

"Doesn't hurt to try, though," He muttered as he shifted to the appropriate locker. His body disappearing and popping into existence before a locker.

He couldn't remember what SX42 looked like. Laying his hand on the locker, it swung open. Inside was a sleek suit of power armor and a black nano weave trench coat hanging inside the left door. He groaned audibly.

"Tess, what in the planes is going on? The only reason I would need this is if we were going to an Ascendent plane. What is the threat level?"

An Ascendant plane is where people go once they "Ascended," and become aware of the truth about the universe. The fact being that their universe was just one of the thousands. Ascendants were not allowed to live in planes that didn't openly know the truth, so the system summarily collects them once they sense it for the first time.

The system was created and universally implemented across every plane. No one knows who made it, but everyone who reaches true ascension finds the status screen. Which is collectively called the system. It's super original and absolutely not ripped off by every known fantasy author across the planes. Anyway, Atom thought it was a stupid name, but it stuck way before he came along.

"Just put on the load-out and get to the damn bridge!” Tess's voice rang out in the warehouse.

"No," Atom said petulantly.

"You are going to do this, you lazy shit." She shot back.

"No, not until you tell me the threat level."

"Ugh. I swear Atom, you are the … Whatever. It's a half step below triple S."

"Nope, they aren't worth it. I'll make sure their soul goes somewhere nice."

He turned around and shifted back to his couch. At least he tried to. Instead, he felt himself falling face-first right back in front of SX42's locker.

"You are not going to let that little girl die because you don't feel like doing your job. I swear you have to be the worst god.” Her voice saying the last word with piles of doubt. “If it wasn't for me, you would have lost your Mantle ages ago. Now put on that damn armor and get to the bridge. I'm waiting for you."

"Sheesh woman, I was just joking, kinda…" he muttered under his breath as he picked himself off the ground.

"No, you weren't, and don't call me woman."

"Okay, Okay, I'm getting ready. I'll be there in a sec," he said.

Reaching out, he touched the armor and coat, making them vanish into his inventory. Mentally activating a script that made the clothing swap without using the status screen, Atom felt the suit envelop him. He looked at himself in the mirror that was in the back of the locker. Black and red adamantium microscale plates moved and flexed across the suit as the armor came online, pulling in anima from the surrounding area like the greedy thing it was. The suit's circuitry was made of orichalcum, which was a perfect conductor of anima.

Anima is the universal planar energy that all living things possess. At least, that is what it was called in the book that his grandfather had left him. That book had changed his life forever. Atom had taken his grandfather's death hard. The man had been the only one to really get him. He was, of course, an old womanizing cad who always tried getting out of doing anything. "That's why I had you, kids," he would say to my dad. The man had been a genius at shirking any responsibility. A pure legend if Atom ever knew one.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

This is why Atom had focused on all the things in the book his idol had left him. He had taken to the tome with a feverish drive that only those who lost someone they love can understand. Burying himself in all the techniques, movements, and exercises.

Then one day, while meditating, he ended up in front of that damn Mantle. He hadn't been able to get around the thing. All the other ascendants he had met said that they had easily sidestepped the offer and moved on. But no, of course, that isn't what happened for Atom. It's also why he's currently standing in a suit that could destroy a mortal planet.

"Will you please stop procrastinating, Atom? We are already going to be cutting it close," Tess yelled at him, her voice making him jump in surprise.

"Coming Master," He muttered.

"Ugh, if only. If only," she said in an exasperated tone.

Atom shuddered internally. The image of her having him do all the work she did for him making his inner shirker want to cry. Giving himself one last look over, he remembered the nano weave trench coat. It appeared on the armor, sealing itself together at the front. The tails of the coat hanging down.

Style baby style. Damn, I look fantastic. I might be a lazy bastard, but when I do actually do something, I freaking do it and look good at the same time.

Atom shifted. His vision snapping into focus on the entrance to the Frost bridge. The building that held the physical access to the Ways was monstrous. Easily dwarfing a mountain in size. The rainbow crystal dome giving the structure its name. The Ways are an interconnecting information highway and the literal highway that is used by those who have the power to travel the multi-planar universe. It had been built by a being of unparalleled power and genius. The said being had been missing for eons. At least, Atom had been told that when he had taken his seat on the Council of Mantles.

The Council governed all the planes and their "gods," or guardians, whatever said planes called it. It wasn't his thing; Tess handled the details. He knew how to access the information if he really needed it, but he couldn't be bothered with stuff like that. He attended meetings when he had to and dodged all extra duties like a happy fat man avoids a diet.

Walking off the designated teleport platform, he moved through the entrance. Waving at people he knew, trying to look like he had places to be. Of course, giving smiles and winks at the beauties he saw was a priority. They of course couldn’t see them with his suit on but he thought it was worth it. He caught sight of his feisty orange haired companion looking beautiful as ever.

Fine backside on that one.

She turned and smirked at him.

Guess I didn't hide that very well. At least she smiled at me.

"I'm here, my dear. Shall we?"

She eyed him with a dirty look and said, "I'm still pissed at you, Atom."

"I know, babe. We don't have to do this." He turned around to leave, and she grabbed the back of his collar, dragging him back towards the bridge they needed to use.

"Oh no, you don't, you slacker." She said, continuing to manhandle him.

"Tess, let go. You're embarrassing us. Stop it, stop it, fine, okay… just let go." Atom protested to her as she continued dragging him to the transport station.

She finally let him go before they got to the Angelic Arbitrator running their particular access point. The bird brains always ran the Ways and policed the plains, enforcing the peace treaty known as the Accords. Anyway, Atom thought they suck fat ones and really needed to get the stick that was stuck in their asses out.

He outranked them as a Council member, but they worked for both sides of the treaty. If he got into too much trouble, they could at least cause him a big litigation nightmare and court appearances. And by him, he meant Tess. He wasn't about to do paperwork, that was for sure.

"I'm still mad at you, so this changes nothing. Give me your hand." She said.

Atom gave her his hand. The two lit up like two suns briefly before Tess disappeared. Two ethereal blades formed on his back. They were a physical manifestation of his Icon. In actuality, though, Tess was something much more than a weapon. She was an A.I. that gave him insane access to the data Feed that ran through the planes. She hacked almost as well as he did, but he would never tell her that. Atom could feel Tess moving through his soul. The experience caused him to shutter as she snapped into place, where she belonged. He had forged her out of a piece of his soul, after all.

He was never as powerful as he could be without them being joined. It had been the other reason he had forged an Icon immediately after taking the Mantle. He had quickly realized that there were some seriously dangerous beings spread throughout the planes. The Icon forging was necessary for his survival and not for keeping his job. Well, maybe to keep his job. Tess was right. He would have been stripped of his cushy position a long time ago if he didn't have her. He'd be stuck on a single plane continually watching over it. Bored out of his mind and non-stop work.

Boot sequence activating. Your full HUD should be coming online now. The name of the area is planet Trygon, in the Golar sector, on plane 382. I've already sent the destination information to the Arbitrator. Approval granted. The nearest access point is 3000 km out from our follower.

Guess we are running then, ugh. The planet would be massive. Whatever. What's the deal?

It looks like this isn't actually our follower's fault. She is being targeted by a local ascendant sect called Praxis.

What a stupid name. Why are they targeting her? How did I even get a little girl as a follower?

I know, right, and not sure. She somehow got a hold of one of our relics we sent out to keep your numbers high enough. You don't exactly do what you should, so we are barely scraping by.

I know Tess, I know, It's just hard, and I'm awkward around people. That's why I set up the system I have so that I barely have to do anything.

Fine, yeah, I get it. You're basically a shut-in lazy bastard. Pushing a report of the planet's follower count.

Atom cringed at the very accurate description of him before reading the report in his hud.

Report:

Plane 382 (Ascendant)

Sector - Trygon

Planet - Golar

Population - 13.2 billion

Followers - 1

Shit, we only have one follower on this planet? Did she just find the relic or something?

That seems to be the case. It's a contested planet between the Enemy and us. The Sect is definitely his. They must be targeting us intentionally. Requesting H.Q. for full entry and restrictions removed. Full entry Granted. Destruction restriction still in place. Try not to destroy everything, babe. You will be on the horns again if not.

Psh, I'll do what I have to. I only have one follower there, and I'm not about to let anyone cause me to have to do more work. Making those damn things are hard. You made me come here, so let's get to work.

And the follower. We are going to save the follower, too, right?

Tess's tone did not sound very welcoming, so Atom thought back quickly.

Right, of course. I won't let anyone target my follower, either.

Tess sent a mental snort that he interpreted as a complete lack of faith in him. But Atom dismissed it. They knew each other absolutely when they were joined. She may be mad at him right now, but she still loved him completely.

Stepping past the Arbitrator into the small room known as bridge fourteen. The crystalline floor like blue glacial ice giving it its namesake. Atom had zero clues about how it worked. He had desperately tried to figure it out, but no amount of hacking, bribing, or blackmail gave information on it. If he could get one of these at his place, he would never have to come out in public. Something Atom thought was actually worthy of working on.

He stepped into the center as the door behind him clanged shut. Atom's excitement rose as he prepared for his favorite part of this mode of transportation.

The Frost started to glow with a bluish light as a humming white noise started increasing. The light flashed, and Atom was moving through the ways. It felt like sliding down a massive water slide but at speeds faster than light. He loved it.

"Woooooo!" He yelled in joy.

You're such a child.

Yeahhhhhhhh

His ascendant mind was able to make out the crazy light show as they passed interconnecting tunnels of the Ways. They moved faster and faster before taking a planar junction and connecting to their destination.

Shooting through space like a laser cannon, Atom could see the Purple and black planet. Sporadic cascades of yellow city lights in regions of the continent that he was about to land on. Turning his feet first as they entered atmo. He prepared to land.

He hit the ground in a massive impact that had no sound. One knee down and his head lowered. An enormous glyph representing his power spread out around in a fifteen-meter circular diameter. The area was quarantined off specifically for Council members and arbitrators. An entire structure was built around the pad. Its purpose was to greet the dignitaries. All contested planes and planets had one that was connected to the Frost. They were technically not at war at the moment, but something had been heating up, according to the reports that Tess read to him. He did pay attention to them. A war would mean more work, and it wasn't something Atom wanted to be any part of. If it did happen, he'd find a way to shirk out of it somehow.

Showing up unexpectedly, the people of the welcoming area looked on at Atom in fear. If a member of the Council had shown up unannounced, then it meant trouble for someone. In stately attire, a fat sweaty man started walking towards Atom's kneeling form to greet him most likely. Not paying attention to him or to the gawking onlookers. Atom flexed his will, the physical manifestation of his personal power, outward as he stood up. Stopping the fat man in place.

Queue the music if you don't mind, dear.

You could just fly over there, Atom. There is no need to run.

But flying is so bothersome.

The only reason you want to run is so you can tear the ground up.

If I have to work, I might as well have fun with it. Come on, Tess, don't be cross with me. Just let me have my fun and queue my running playlist. Pick a good one too.

Why you think tearing up 3000 km of the terrain is fun, I will never understand. Fine, boys will be boys. Don't break the landing area, we need to leave from this backwater.

You're the best. I won't, babe. Turn on the external acoustics—no reason for them to not know who's here after all.

Damn right I am, and don't you forget it. Kay, hmmm… Oh, here's a good one.

The beat started blasting out from his anima enhanced armor. Bounce by his boy Calvin. Atom thought it was perfect as his Mantle fully activated. The God of Procrastination and Easy Ways prepared to do just exactly what the song demanded. Anima powered servo motors spinning up, and brightly glowing orange lines pulsing to the music's beat in waves across the suit.

The frosts landing structure inhabitants started to scream, dropping whatever they had in their hands, trying to escape the area. Everyone in the know about who sat on the Council knew precisely what happened when the God of Procrastination actually had to stop procrastinating. Cities disappeared.

Waves of the beat stirring his Mantle, his soul-filling as all the ambient anima in a 10 km area was sucked in. The music pushing him to move, Atom broke into a slight jog. Pushing off one leg to the next in a warm-up. The adamantine star forged armor was so dense that the structure shook each time his foot touched and left the ground, people falling as they ran away. The entryway doors were thrown open as he picked up speed, bouncing to each leg as he came in sync with the music's beat. Crossing the threshold, the beat started to build, working its way towards the drop—Atoms every-step in sync as he worked up speed. The beat dropped, and a shock wave blew apart the front drive of the council building.

Loud cracks of the sound barrier being broken repeatedly as Atom really started as the song transitioned to Iron by the same artist. Clouds were being pushed away and pulled into his wake as he crossed the terrain. Large hills and impact craters were created with each pump of his leg. Atom jumped as he neared a populated city, not wanting to harm the innocent citizens or damage public property. He did break Mach 5 as he crossed over the town, which shattered a large majority of the windows in the area.

Coming upon an ocean, Atom decided that he had had his fun. He switched to flight as he broke Mach 7, blowing a cliffside over the ocean to pieces. If he had looked back, he would have noticed the thousands of trees and tornados he had created in his wake across the continent. Destroying billions of credits in property and wiping out half of a priceless ancient sacred forest.

Tess, where is the headquarters of this Sect? Do we have time to pay it a visit before the relic… I mean, follower gets hurt?

You know Atom… You are absolutely awful sometimes, right? These people believe in you. Sigh. Yes, we have time. Correcting course. Follow the blue line. You can only Destroy the building. Too many civilian facilities are around, so be careful. Do you want to wipe them off the planet?

Yeah, I figure we probably should. I could make it clean. Give my follower their H.Q. Maybe invest some power into the structure while I'm here. I don't plan on coming back in person, like, ever, so it could save me some future hassle.

Always trying to plan around your next duty to shirk. Your ingenuity to devise plans to escape responsibilities never ceases to amaze me, and I'm in your head, always. That's saying something. Loading up the list. Hmmm... we don't have time to do this clean and save the follower. Get the girl first, then handle the rest. Correcting course again. Follow the new path.

Thanks, babe. You really are the best. You know I'm sorry, I forgot your birthday. I know you can feel it.

I know you are. It's okay. I'll get over it. You need to make it up to me very soon, or you will regret it.

Atom knew that those words meant trouble if he didn't figure out how to appease her. He put it on his to-do list. He'd get to it eventually, probably right before she tried to stab him if he didn't miss his guess.

Coming up on our target in two minutes. Fall out of hypersonic. Oh no, we didn’t make it in time.

In time for what Tess?

You remember the rules Atom we can’t have an incid—

Atom cut her off.

I know, Tess. I won't break the rules. In time for what Tess?

I swear Atom. If you cause me to have to do all the paperwork for an incident again with those freaking bird brain halo freaks…

I won't, I won't. I only break the rules when I have to. Send me the feed of the last five minutes of the situation.

Whatever, here, pushing it now.