Chapter 27: Hunting
Zander Rose had decided to leave on a moral boosting mission to the newly claimed star-system delta 954. No, he had gone to kill Adam Jacobs and clean up any loose ends, personally. He had been half way there, with his own personal flight crew when he found the curse had been reactivated. How was that even possible? Who was fucking with him?
Someone clearly was. Was it another faction, the Henites, perhaps pulling his proverbial chain? He didn’t know and didn’t care. It seemed it had been to long since, the Shadow Court had made its presence felt. In these backwaters at any rate. There had been no point at stealth entering the star-system as a newly claimed zone. It was a total free for all, at this stage.
Initially a newly claimed star-system would be fought for. Willing recruits and those wishing to prove themselves and gain advancements within their factions would vie for a slice of the spoils. Raw recruits often, un-battle worn, fodder. Most would never return. It was like a piranha infestation, as soon as a claim was made.
There were at least two dozen major factions, though politics dictated whether top league factions were in or out, rather than actual wars. Allegiances also rarely shifted. This was due to the core of pretty well every faction being its elemental affinity. Due to the formation of factions after the “godless wars” where previously subservient mortals reached god hood and fought against their previous masters, the elemental titans.
This led to factions seeking dominion taking over regions of power, sources of elementally aligned mana: fire, water, air, earth, life, shadow, dark, light. There were those who stayed true to their original cultures: “the lineage of no god” the original usurpers, cultivationists. Who had now their own immortals and power enough to stand alone. Other major factions included certain life forms that did not want to affiliate themselves with others: elves, demons, some angelic races, non-magic races and those of other splinter and hybrid paths, such as the mentalist factions.
On their home ground, factions were rarely opposed but out in the multi-verse, having a single element group was a strategic disaster. So Houses were formed originally through allegiances between greater factions. These houses would resource and train anyone deemed worthy regardless of race or affinity. Though favouritism would be met out to those of strongest allegiance to the home faction. Hence a house affiliated to Shadow and fire factions for example would rarely be seen with parties composed of anything other than main dps from either shadow or fire. As you went down the ranks this became less and less prevalent however.
The multi-verse was staggeringly large, it was filled with mostly untracked territory. And of the tracked territory it was mostly a ruined battlefield. Where civilisations and star-systems had been raised to the ground: plundered and burned. There was also the void. This was comprised of a trackless space where the last stand of the elemental titans had occurred. Originally, the mortals had been able to win due to the fact that each elemental titan was weak against their opposite element. And the mortals cooperated but the titans were slow to respond and did leave their domains. In their final stand they united but were still defeated.
The details of the final battle are glossed over in the multi-verses history. But everyone knows of the void, the resultant wasteland created by the final battles. The energies within the void are different to everywhere else in the multi-verse. Resultant of this certain resources can be harvested that are treasured. However also there are beasts there that are unaffected seemingly by any elemental attacks. Hence its dangers.
When competing in a newly opened area of the multi-verse, factions fought for political standing. In short it was a farce.
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If there were resources that were actually of interest or value then higher order members would become involved but initially it was just a skirmish. It was portrayed as a competition. A game. With competing factions all happy to gain a bit of extra fame, at the expense of the unworthy.
Evidently with delta 954, there was of interest from the get go, being a region of space with life forms that did not use magic. They were a novelty but also they were a prize. Life forms with no magic sensitivity were quite a sort after commodity, in the multi-verse. As the system actually rewarded people for enlisting them. Though strangely the rewards varied. Not dependent on the life form but the time. Like stocks and shares the rewards went up and down, inexplicably. Mostly though, factions used them for operations in the void.
He tapped his fingers impatiently on his, top of the range, matt black, computer console. At least triggering the curse had given him new more accurate coordinates to follow. It could more than lightly be a trap but Zander almost relished the prospect. Especially if he could enlist the help of his comrade in arms, Janroo. Now that would be like old times. He had been a pencil pusher for far too long.
Travelling now in exactly the opposite direction to Zander was another member of Adam’s fan club.
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Sam awoke not bound in chains, as she’d have expected. On a theatre table being experimented upon. Well what did you know? The multi-verse was full of surprises, it seemed.
She found she was held with many others from earth. They were all seemingly free to go as they pleased. Not that on a spaceship you can wander that far. But her abduction was certainly far more amenable that she had expected. She felt strangely disappointed. After her initial encounters with “The House of Lazure”.
Apparently they were a faction who held honour in high regard. And as such she was treated well. Honour! What total bs! they blackmailed her and coerced her to sell her soul? Something of the sought at any rate. Babbling Bastards.
Apparently again, she was told she was very lucky. She could have been taken by any number of other factions who were clearly regarded as vermin, bestial even, as they put it, also “god fearing” and there was me thinking that was a good thing.
She had been given assignments to do. To start with she thought it was quite funny, like being at college again. But the information not being of her choice at all, just seemed very dry indeed. Also the meditation. Yeah, that sucked. She was so tired all the time that she just ended up falling asleep then snoring and getting severely chastised by her trainer. A tall willowy man, with white hair, who would be better suited to be a bookend.
She was told she would not be given any more elixirs of any type until she improved her vision, as they called it. She was more than fine with that. All the elixirs had done for her was given her a terrible burning sensation and make her pass out. Just embarrassing. When all her fellow students seemed to be thriving on them.
And this had led to her tiredness and irritability. The only break from this misery, the only fun part at the moment was combat training. Although that involved lots of very strange movements and postures but at least they got to spar and punch things. But she was so tired she kept getting whipped. Even by kids she could tell had none of her finesse.
She knew she had to get her act together but these Lazurian’s were so dry about everything. She wondered why when the world seemed to have turned to shit, she was so laid back. That was Adam not her. Adam? He better not be having a better time than me.
She felt if she was honest with herself it had been her way of dealing with things. But now she had to get serious. She picked up one of the many manuscripts she had been given, furrowed her eyebrows, and commenced to study, properly. If she was survive and thrive, with this new chance. Then she must throw herself into it, with gusto.
Her instructors all looked at her a bit strangely to start with but soon warmed to the new Sam. They had not wasted they precious time after all. This one seemed to have some talent. The master, Andro, thought to himself, Master Equos, head of “House Lazure” always did have an eye for talent. Even among non-magic lifeforms, quite remarkable, the old master laughed to himself. He also wonder if she might just have a ying affinity, silly to think but the elixirs she had taken had all had adverse effects. He had found this out on Sam’s third week when she actually confided in him, after throwing up. Well actually she blurted out, “Bloody elixirs”. But Andro felt it was a step forward. If his revelation was correct, she was one of the most resilient students he had ever come across. If he was correct she should have died.