EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATE!
ALL CONTRACTS AND OPERATIONS AROUND ELIMINATING THE TRESPASSER KNOWN AS “JOHN BISHOP” ARE TO CEASE AND BE REDIRECTED TO MORE FRUITFUL ENDEAVORS.
TOO MUCH HAS BEEN LOST FOR LITTLE GAIN. PRESENTLY, WE ARE PAST 1.3 MILLION OPERATIVES KILLED IN ACTION, 1 TRILLION SINS WASTED, AND GOD KNOWS HOW MANY FUCKING CELLS COMPROMISED.
IT’S NOT WORTH IT. IT’S NOT. HARDEN DEFENSIVE MEASURES. KEEP HIM ON THE BACKFOOT. STOP TRYING TO HUNT THE BASTARDS.
YOU CLOWNS ARE NOT GOING TO GET HIM.
SIGNED [REMOVED]
-Inheritor Dispatch on John Bishop
74
The Veteran
As Rafael's conversation with William Yue continued, Wei's ignitions glimpsed a thin tendril of Essence piercing down from the atmosphere and flowing into the lich. At once, the young master coalesced his intent around the circulating stream of Essence, and he realized just as an almost imperceptible connection allowed Rafael to reach John Bishop, so too did it work the other way. More importantly, the flames of suspicion were further fanned within the young master. It seemed that the Moongraves were not the only network in these Claimed Hells. The classes Mepheleon offered were also interlocking nodes unto themselves.
Was this how the Knight of Lust traced him? The Inheritors tap into the same network that Mepheleon controlled. All these questions and more multiplied within Wei's mind, and he cast a doubtful glance upon his Eidolon. The power his weapon imbued him with was staggering. He wouldn't be a fifth as capable as he was without the Broken Crescent. Yet, with every detail he learned, he found himself doubting if the weapon truly belonged to him, or if it was a treacherous implement that ultimately served the Harbinger. He needed to find a way to tap into this network, or at least sever himself from its connection using his System. His System was all he had to bulwark himself against outer influence.
"William Yue," Rafael said, greeting Wei's father. "I, uh, see the resemblance, and I've heard many great things about you."
William gave a characteristic scoff as he shook his head. "Yeah, well, I doubt any of it's good. Listen, you said you encountered my son among the Moongraves, that he's trying to rebuild this sect."
"Yes," Rafael replied. William shook his head. "The damn boy was always too headstrong for his own good. The Drowned Sky Sect is done. Our world is dead, and he's wandering headfirst into a slaughter. Doesn't know what kind of war he's getting into."
William closed his eyes as he slowly mastered himself. "Listen, John can give you help. Trespassers, we have means of providing leverage. Well, they have means. I don't think they consider me among their ranks anymore. Not after everything I did. But there's something you need to do for them. We need you to get in touch with Wei. And we need you to maintain a constant connection so that we can track exactly where you are. “The Hearted Realms… it's not a stable plane of reality. Without some connection, he'll almost be impossible to find."
At that, Wei cocked his head. "Impossible to find," his father claimed. Well, the Inheritors seemed more than confident. Perhaps that was because they had traitors like Angeleous under their employ. Maybe there were others as well. There had been some that Wei hadn't seen since scuttling from the bushes yet. But there was another thing that appealed to the young master. With every passing second, his awareness with the tether of Essence was growing more tuned, and a new trace formed in place. Wei smirked.
Once more, he felt a spirit-shuddering resonance echo out from deep within. He could create another liminal boundary, trapping him and his father in a place between places, constructed from light and dark. William would not be ready. And this time, Wei had the power to shatter his father for good. But the young master hesitated. Much as he wanted revenge, much as he wanted to see his father reduced to the same pitiful state that afflicted Angeleous and the Knight of Lust, Wei's growth and Enlightenment compelled him to pragmatism. He thought through the consequences of his revenge and knew that satisfaction was not worth the potential loss of the largest support. He could break his father, maybe even kill him this time. But what would that serve? What would that signal? John Bishop and their potential benefactors?
Wei still needed to deliver his sect through the Hearted Realm, and as patriarch, his responsibilities weighed greater than his personal interests. Besides, William was not going anywhere. Seemed that he had scuttled like a rat to the Lodge, and if he was under their charge, then perhaps Wei could choose any moment in the future to square this debt. Once he arrived at Preceptor's Descent, an uncomfortable silence pulled Wei out of his thoughts. William was no longer speaking. Instead, he bore a vacant stare, his expression absolutely wretched.
"You know something, stranger?" William said. "I didn't want any of this to happen. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to just establish control over a nascent world for the Inheritors. It was a simple job, and I was desperate." He closed his eyes and laughed. "I'm a goddamn fool. You know, my wife's dead, my son hates me, and the fuckers who wanted to kill me before are still after me. All that for nothing."
This, more than anything, made the venomous hate within Wei rise like roused bile. Now his father played the pitiful fool. Now he felt remorse and regret. Now, of all times, could he not still his hand when he thought of murdering Wei's mother? Could he not have warned them of who he was before he proved himself a traitor? But worth was delayed virtue after the vice had already been performed. Another tremble passed through Wei. His relativity wailed at him, practically begging to be used. With a thought, he could trigger the set of powers of his System and cross an impossible distance.
But then Wei stilled as he considered his newest mastery. His relativity seemed to surpass the limits of space and time. Could he potentially project his Outsight across all that distance, use it against his father? Slowly, the young master mustered his focus and further manipulated his intent across the stream of Essence. Wei concentrated as his senses traveled even beyond the reach of his Omniscience. He was feeling his way blindly along this tether of Essence. It was composed primarily of mental energy. But even as Wei followed its pathway, he found himself facing incredibly complex weaving as he left the atmosphere of this Moongrave.
As much as Wei had advanced his Enlightenment, his mind was still insufficient to behold the levels of genius it took to construct such an intricately woven network. He had been awed and intimidated by Mepheleon's power before. But it was more than power that made one an old monster. It was also mastery, intellect, and ingenuity.
And as Wei progressed further along the connection, he found it merely a single strand amongst countless billions. Other junctions hammered the corners of Wei's awareness. Foreign delusions of mental Essence spilled over, leaving, using the channel Wei currently traveled, as little more than an intersection. Everything felt connected to everything else, and the further Wei's senses climbed, the more exponentially complex the network became.
Enlightenment Advanced > 25
[10/10] Aspect Advancements to Core Ascension
A spike of pain drilled through the back of Wei's skull as his Enlightenment jumped twice in rapid succession. The torture grew too much to bear, and he focused solely on proceeding down the channel to reach his father. Rather than trying to comprehend the grand working laid from interlacing spirits, the young master resolved to never send a message or start a call himself—not without a proper plan of defense beforehand.
He would also need to ensure his inner circle's protection as well. Perhaps only those with capabilities comparable to his system could do what he was currently doing. But assumptions were fatal. And though Wei walked the path of pride, he had no intention of having arrogance become his undoing. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he found himself pushing through the nest of entwining thoughts. As he finally settled against what felt like a solid surface, Wei grunted as his Enlightenment slammed hard against his father’s Mind. And for a moment, he knew his Aspect to be inferior. How was the bastard leveling so fast? The last time Wei fought him, his father’s Aspects were lacking, far beneath the full potential of his Tier. Now, he was a different man altogether. Or so it felt.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
There was something at play here. But Wei ignored that as he infused his spear with a catalyst. At once, his intent circulated over to the aspect of mind. And rapidly, Wei felt his intellect, his processing speed, and his memory grow. William's mind, once as if an iron bulwark to Wei, suddenly became as if a cracked wooden wall lined with weaknesses. Rather than smashing through, Wei adapted his mental structure and felt for the cracks lining his father's aspect. Slowly, the young master poured himself through as a narrow pinprick of sensation formed in the back of Wei's mind. A countdown began as his Eidolon surged towards overload. But as it had reached night-tier, it could contain far more Aspect Advancements before experiencing a catastrophic collapse.
20 seconds to Essence Overload
Another set of eyes flashed open within Wei’s mind. He began to hear what his father heard, feel what he felt, see what he saw. And Wei discovered that William was sitting in a small reflective cell of some kind. It was barely 5 meters in area, and there seemed to be nothing in there but a bed, a table, and a strange bowl with a sink right next to it. Standing against one of the walls with his arms folded was John Bishop. Beyond his visage contained within a chat screen, Wei found the trespasser a far more imposing sight. The man was well-muscled—not absurdly so, but his physique spoke of discipline and a focus on diet and training.
William Yu was not a slight man, but next to John Bishop, Wei was horrified and slightly perturbed to admit that his father had the body of a teenage boy. And then there was the matter of his class level.
John Bishop: Psionic Saboteur Lv: ???
Another individual that Wei couldn't fully glean. That was practically two in two days. The Count was a colossal power and portrayed himself as such, but John Bishop still stood here just like any man, uncaring about the situation, his glowing purple eyes tracing over William's face as he continued talking to Rafael.
It was then that Wei noticed Bishop hadn't blinked for a while, that he was really intensely staring at William. A twinge of paranoia passed through the young master, and he got the feeling that John Bishop wasn't actually looking at his father. How could that be? Wei didn't betray his presence when he linked in, and even William didn't seem to know. The smirk sent Wei's anxiety into overdrive. A shroud of psionic Essence burst out from John Bishop's mind. Alarm exploded in Wei’s mind, and he tried to his link, only for a miasmic wave to impact William's spirit.
Suddenly, the connection Wei had to his father was severed, and he felt himself quickly returning to his body. As he fell, foreign energy followed him, burrowed into him, tendrils boiling deeper and deeper into his mind. There was no pain with the intrusion, only a slight discomfort, and as the world slammed detail back into Wei's senses, he found himself not in the Moongrave alongside Rafael, but somewhere else entirely. The first thing that caught his attention was the faint rumble of falling artillery. Dust and sand choked the dim room he was in, as grains of filth vibrated on the floor and wafts of ash drifted down from the ceiling. Cheap wooden walls lined the corners of the room, and rows of cots were placed against them, extending all the way to an open doorway.
Wei looked around as he tried to figure out where he was. His Omniscience reached out, but he still felt the Moongrave greet him. His body was in one place, but his mind was in another. That was what Wei instinctively realized. A sudden jolt of horror gripped his heart.
"Wei AnWei, I presume." A voice made him turn. He spun, bringing his broken crescent up, and the tip of his spear stopped an inch away from John Bishop's throat. The imposing man stood before the young master. He was dressed differently here, wearing a camouflaged helmet, sporting a strange-looking vest with metallic clips shoved along its sides, and various other tools or implements connected to its rig. A single long barreled instrument hung from his right hand, and Wei’s instinct told him it was a weapon.
Finally, Bishop's face was caked in filth and blood, but that didn't seem to bother him. Rather, it quite suited the man. He was in his element, and this thought space was his. "Welcome to Korengal Valley, son, or at least a memory of it. It ain't quite hell, but probably not that far from it either." Another salvo of impacts hammered the ceiling above them. Thin tubes of light flickered for a moment, past in the room in darkness. Only the swirling haze of source from Wei and Bishop's glowing eyes lit the dark for an instant.
"Is this a trap?" Wei asked, feeling a begrudging respect for the man. The young master triggered Form of the Resonant and parts of this false reality began to fray around him. "Did you use my father as bait to lure me over? Was he part of this plan?"
"Trap?" Bishop said, as if sampling the word. "Nah, not exactly. I suspected that you might be listening in. But as with everything, man can never be too sure. You working with the lich? Have him feeding us false intel? To see what we might tell you?"
Wei almost grimaced. The trespasser was close to being entirely accurate in his assessment. The master countered the question with a question of his own. "Is my father your prisoner or your comrade? Are you working with the Inheritors?"
John Bishop broke out into laughter at that. "Fuck no. Fuck them self-important, divinely ordained cocksuckers. Nah, I'm just someone looking for a just cause to fight for. Just cause to kill for. And you, son? Your cause seems plenty just to me."
Slowly, Wei lowered his spear. Bishop hadn't attacked him yet. But he was still trapped in this mind space. And slowly, cracks were beginning to form along his eidolon. The Trespasser lifted an eyebrow at that. "Oh, that's the doing of your System, huh? You're overcharging your Aspects? How long you got?”
Wei considered dismissing his catalyst but decided against it. With how powerful Bishop was, he didn't want to weaken his mental aspects any more than he had to. The man hadn't attacked his intent, which was why Wei was still trapped in this space. If anything, John Bishop had hijacked his Omniscience.
"It will endure. Long enough," Wei spat back.
"I'm sure it will, and I don't intend to keep you here for very long. But since you went through all this trouble to entrap me, I'm gonna give it to you straight, son. You are in the shit."
"Truly, I hadn't noticed. I assumed the destruction of my realm and the murder of everyone I've ever cared or known to be merely a miserable coincidence. You have enlightened me, Master Bishop. I thank you."
The Trespasser's sported a vicious grin—the kind of smile a war hound would offer its master after tearing into the guts of a fox. "You know what? You sound just like him."
And that provoked a genuine spike of anger from Wei. He growled as his intent surged out, but John Bishop held up his hand. "Listen, I didn't come here to spit platitudes at you. I know what you want, and I can give you some help. If you're planning to ambush the Inheritors and get in the Claimed Hells, the Lodge will do everything it can to see your safe arrival."
"Very generous," Wei said, his tone empty of gratitude. "What, then, do you want in return?"
"Nothing," John Bishop replied. "Nothing but a vessel, if you want my help.”
“A vessel?”
“A body for me to ‘ride’ in. Can’t be seen operating down here. Mepheleon’s rules. There’s gonna be hell to pay when he crawls out of that singularity bomb.”
"Well, you cannot have mine," Wei shot back. And then he paused. "You cannot have mine, but what if I have a vessel to offer you? A puppet for you to control?"
"You're talking about Angeleous," Bishop replied.
Wei froze, his hand mid-gesticulation. He narrowed his eyes at Bishop. "How much do you know?"
"Is the old man still alive?" Bishop said, countering Wei's question with a question of his own. Wei decided that he didn't like this man very much.
"He is," Wei finally admitted, "and he is in contact with an Inheritor."
"We know," Bishop replied. "Just as they got their claws in you, we got our claws in them. Everyone has their claws in everyone in this place. Company games get messy."
"Company?" Wei said, not understanding.
"Company, as in the CI—," Bishop trailed off as he waved his hand. "Never mind that. Listen, you connect me to Angeleous and we can do this face to face, or at least as close to face to face as possible. I'll need a conduit to work my magic through and to establish a layer of plausible deniability."
"You are to be our assistance yourself," Wei said, finally understanding. “I was expecting you to send a minion or…”
"I ain't the type to direct others to do my dirty business," Bishop smiled. "And besides, killing's no fun if you outsource it."
And slowly, it began to dawn on the young master how dangerous this man was. Swallowing, Wei gave the man a nod. "Fine then, face to face and no more deception. But afterward... afterward, I need to speak with my father."
"Speak? Sure. Kill? No. We took a look at what you did to his spirit. That’s a nasty System you have, kid. A bit too much kill in one boy.”
Wei took a step forward, looking up as he glared into Bishop's eyes. "His life is owed to me. He has taken everything."
"I know," Bishop interrupted him. "And he's gonna help me save my world where he saw yours destroyed. After that, after that, we make things right. After that, we can talk about justice.”
Wei's hateful stare lingered against Bishop's flat expression for a moment longer before another crack spread through his Eidolon. The young master looked away first. "Fine then, let's get you that body. Angeleous isn’t really using it anymore anyway.”