The Claimed Hells has no law
It’s more like an interconnected set of laws put in place by the Harbinger to make sure everyone doesn’t kill each other in the Heights, a sort of détente so you see. That’s why everyone gets a personal lawyer. Because they’re tuned into all the changes coming down from the top.
Sure, you can spend all your time keeping up with all the legal changes and new bills being drafted from the Kings of the Circles and the Harbinger himself, but it’s frankly kind of a waste of time. If you’re going to do something wrong, do it in the right place like the Balance, or do whatever you want in the Base.
But as for the Heights, well, use your lawyer—and don’t get trapped. I’ve seen too many times how people get caught up with their pride of their power. Power doesn’t matter as much as the rules up top, and you sure as shit aren’t as powerful as the Harbinger. Don’t get fooled into signing anything without having your lawyer read it, don’t say anything or promise anything, and don’t make any mistakes you can’t afford.
And that’s just the thing. Afford. Because settling a thing decided between two people. It’s how most things get resolved. Because fighting it out in the Highest Court… well, that has dire consequences—and you can get hit with fates worse than death.
So. Be careful. Be rich. And be on your way.
-The Trespassers’ Compendium
II-24
Settlement
Wei understood what Bishop was going for and fully accommodated him. Everything else, including the failure of the Trespassers to ensure his sect's security, could wait afterward.
The young master leveled his Pale Fang, and from its tip, the lawyer emerged. The small demonic tongue figure straightened its tie and bounced up and down on the edge like it was some manner of trampoline. “Ooh, whoopee! Surprised you called me back so soon after our last talk, boss, huh—” And suddenly, it noticed John Bishop. “Wow! Him too? Looks like we’re suing everyone, boss!”
Wei narrowed his eyes at Bishop. “Master Bishop, I expected better from you. I thought I could trust you. After all we’ve done together. Yet, I see now my mistake. There is no one worthy of trust in these claimed hells. No one but me and mine. We are truly on our own.”
“Should have known that since the day you stepped into this place, son,” Bishop said. He summoned a cigar from his Inventory, and with a snap of his fingers, lit it. He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “My only regret was that the assassin wasn’t good enough.”
He leveled a scornful gaze at the Master of Puppets. The lich made whimpering, broken noises, muttering about why he couldn’t choose anymore, where it was—it being his Aspect of Will. Being little more than a torso resulted in him being less than a wriggling set of bones.
Again, a slight discomfort clenched the young master, but it faded as he remembered how many of his disciples had been killed. The bombings were underhanded. Disgusting. Jnaegism deserved worse than death, infinitely worse.
A telepathic message brushed against Wei’s mind. “Hey, Wei, hotel security’s on their way. They’re gonna probably try to take this guy from you. Don’t let them. Declare him a part of the crime, and do not release him into anyone’s custody. I think he’s Crossroads. Whisper Resolutions. My guess is the Inheritors hired him. Sent him after you to eliminate you as soon as possible and snatch your System after your death somehow.”
Wei kept his expression consistent, betraying nothing. It certainly tracked with the Inheritors. He didn’t expect a group of people willing to destroy entire worlds to be reasonable about the measure they took to eliminate him. “Very well.”
“Well, suppose we take this to court, then,” Bishop continued.
“You light-starved bastard…” Agnesia growled. Her eyes flared with black dragonflame. A massive draconic avatar flared around her body and growled at the man, but the Trespasser barely spared her a glance.
“Yeah, yeah, keep your dog under control, Wei. Listen, no, it’s a lot to ask since I tried to kill you and all, but I want to talk with William before you fully use him as a slave.”
This time, Wei didn’t need to act. He simply let out a scornful snort. “And why would I do you this favor after the insult you inflicted upon me?”
“For old times. I can say goodbye to my friends.”
“You’re not that sentimental. No more tricks, Bishop. Today, I will have recompense.”
“Yeah, about that—” and at that point, Bishop’s warning proved true.
Wei felt their arrival before he even saw them coming. A chain of strange metallic liches exploded down the hallway, crawling along the walls and planting themselves over hotel room doorways. The young master examined them further and realized instead of the network being a single entity, it was an interconnected series of liches—upper bodies sculpted together like branches along a single spine. They commanded for guests to return to their rooms, declaring a quarantine in place.
Through the hotel followed a resonate broadcast. “Attention! A terrorist attack has occurred within the Third Rib. All guests, please shelter in place. SegSec has been dispatched and will quarantine the scene of the incident. We apologize for this inconvenience and will be refunding everyone for time lost or expenses incurred.”
“SegSec?” Wei said.
“Segmented Security,” Bishop replied. “They’re kind of a press-ganged unit. Former criminals or the desperate who have a specific set of skills now attached to the command of a single Attendant. And speaking of which…”
An extension of the SegSec passed over their door. Wei saw the upper body of a lich fold down, its ribs open up, and clamp the doorway shut. The young master clenched his spear tighter. If they thought they could seal him in, they were sorely mistaken.
He examined the many liches that made up the branches. Each of them were around the Level 60 to 100 range, but there were hundreds of them along this branch. And they continued going, going beyond even the reach of his Omniscience. Furthermore, he saw that the other rooms had been quarantined as well.
True to Bishop’s word, the rooms were all sealed in place. And from the central spine of the liches emerged ciphers—ciphers that became gleaming eyes composed of shifting patterns. Wei felt projections of Perception spray out from the coronas of these flying eyes. They were surveillance units, he guessed. Something to ensure that no one was hidden, no one could go unseen.
Then, from between the clasped ribs of the lich guarding Wei’s doorway, emerged a portal. A net of light formed between each of the ribs before it expanded into a pool. And out from within stepped another lich. This one was considerably more powerful than any among the SegSec. Another thing that separated them from the rest of the bunch was how they were actually dressed. A long black leather coat swayed around their body, and a hat that had a brass-made iris on the forefront. Said iris blinked and steaming Essence gushed forth.
SegChain Attendant Murins: Martial Prefect Lv. 110
“All right,” Murins said, his voice sounding like a middle-aged man who spent too long yelling. “What the hell is this? You lot start explaining right now.”
Wei’s lawyer cleared its throat. “Ahem. Don’t say anything. Everything can be used against us. Let me do the talking. Trust me, boss.” The lawyer promptly pointed its briefcase at Bishop, and Wei noted how the Trespasser hadn’t called upon their own lawyer for this matter. “Greetings, honored SegSec Attendant. We have suffered a most grievous offense on the grounds of your establishment.
“The companions you have so graciously offered to each of our disciples—disciples connected to Wei and his Drowned Sect—were attacked. Attacked on the orders of one John Bishop, member of the Trespassers’ Lodge, in an attempt to free his friend, rightfully claimed in a legally recognized battle. My client has the documentation. Show him, Wei.”
Without hesitation, Wei summoned the form that contained his father’s acquiescence to his karmic slavery, and offered it to the SegSec Attendant.
Murins slowly walked over, took the form, looked it over, and then looked at John Bishop. “Are you… are you soft in the head? You compromised our Companions over a pre-existing legal agreement?”
John Bishop simply nodded. “Yeah, and I would have gotten away with it if Whisper Resolutions were actually living up to their reputation,” he spat on the downed assassin who just whimpered.
And now, Murin’s attention turned to his fellow lich. The SegSec Attendant paused for several moments, and then slowly his head tilted. “So, Whisper Resolutions… leaking over to our business again,” the Attendant let out a sigh. “Always problems with them.”
An explanation came from Bishop, telepathically sent instead of outright said. “Crossroads is a major conglomerate, but the conglomerate is made up of a bunch of different departments as well. They sometimes fight each other. Well, often fight each other. A little bit of a left-hand-doesn’t-know-what-the-right-hand’s-doing situation, and there’s only so many room positions for a proper promotion. Expect this to be kicked up the chain and cause a bit of a mess.”
Then, a third force intruded on the scene. Wei felt a spike of unmatched power phase through the walls behind him, the surface consumed by glistening chains of ringing gold. The same chains that extended from the Tribulators.
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A series of grunts sounded from the room. Only Wei, Bishop, and surprisingly, Agensia stood still—though the girl still winced. Their air itself shimmered, compressed by massive spiritual pressure.
The chains then shifted, part and twisting as they widened to become a tunnel wide enough for a towering figure to walk through.
Tribulator: Lv. ???
The Tribulator came without declaration or fanfare. None was needed. It was power incarnate. It was law incarnate. And now, with a transgression performed in the domain of the Heights, it had come seeking proper dispensation.
“What is this?” the Tribulator said. Its voice was neither male, masculine, nor feminine. It was thunder unleashed. Its body resembled a casket turned to armor, with smooth wood lining its torso and brass knots connecting each chain. A briar patch extended where it walked, trailing behind it, burrowing out from its bare, bleeding feet.
Its face was further mutilated. Ears carved away, eyes stitched over by a layer of scabs, and a spike driven under its chin, pinning its tongue to the roof of its mouth. Still, the Tribulator spoke, regardless of its physical state.
Bishop replied to the Tribulator without any anxiety. “Yeah, I arranged an assassination. Didn’t go as planned. So, uh—” he looked away. “Do what you gotta do.”
“That’s right,” Wei’s lawyer said. “We’re suing John Bishop for multiple counts of death, attempted murder, destruction of property, and conspiracy.”
“This has been witnessed,” the Tribulator declared. “And you, John Bishop, what do you declare? Where is your lawyer?”
John Bishop waved lazily. “We need to get the highest court involved this time. I don’t intend to fight this case. I wish to settle, however, if that pleases the young master.”
Wei understood. This was how Bishop was intending to transfer funds.
“Settle?” Wei laughed. He played the part as well as he could, though he still felt a little awkward. “You’ve taken lives from me. You insulted my pride and used my trust. How much can you offer to buy that back?”
“I know that you’re in dire straits and without us, well, Circles are going to be preying on you real soon. So, I’m not asking you to be magnanimous or decent.” Bishop paused, taking another drag from his cigar. “I’m asking you to think about your future. You’ve still got forty-six people left to care about. Thirty-two plus,” he pointed to Roggi, Rafael, and Agnesia, “three or so. Gotta think about them, too.”
Wei clenched his jaw reflexively. He didn’t need to fake that. This might have been a genuine threat. Damn him.
“Wei,” Agnesia said, “we don’t need his bloody money.”
Rafel looked the most tense among them all. Wei sent the lich a quick message, telling him to play along, and that he would explain after. Rafael tension lessened slightly, and he gave Wei a startled look. “Wei… what is even happening?’
“How about ten billion sins?” Bishop began. Rafael let out a choked gasp. “Ten billion. Enough to potentially buy yourself a place along with some security and assurance from someone of power. You can be sitting pretty for a good few years up in the Heights with that money. Think about it. Think about your people.”
The young master paused. Ten billion was… Frankly, Wei was never good with money. He was the young master of a sect, for heaven’s sake. Everything he wanted, he could get. The only things of value to him were personal skill and power—things that he couldn’t buy using money.
He didn’t know how much a piece of fruit cost here, or property. He really didn’t have a clue back at home, either. Wei was ashamed to admit it, but he was rather disconnected from the life of ordinary folk.
But if there was one thing his father and mother taught him growing up, it was that you could always squeeze a little more out of someone past their starting price.
“Twenty,” Wei said.
This time, Bishop’s expression broke as well. A telepathic message followed soon after. “The fuck? You squeezing me, kid?”
Wei replied with innocence. “Yes. It is as you said, Master Bishop. This is a very vicious, cold place without your protection. Think of me. Think of the forty-six plus three people I must take care of now that you are casting me away, now that you have betrayed my trust.”
“Holy shit, you are exactly like your father. The piece of shit gene keeps popping up. You little fuck. You absolute fuck.”
That sent a spur of anger inside Wei, but he knew Bishop was trying to provoke him, trying to break him in anger. “Perhaps so. But I will be twenty billion sins richer. Enough to mend the failing in my blood.”
“Do I look like I’m made of money, Wei? Do I look like I’m a particularly rich man?”
“The Beggar Sect was quite wealthy. Ask me how they looked.” Wei almost smirked. “But the fact that you’re haggling tells me you can afford it.”
“Yeah, fuck you, kid.” Bishop mentally laughed. “I can’t believe this.” On the surface, Bishop scowled. “Seventeen.”
“Twenty.”
“Seventeen.”
“Point five.”
“Twenty.”
“Eighteen.”
“Fine,” Wei said, pressing no further. “Eighteen. And we will be keeping your failure here.”
The young master paused and sent another message. “My condolences about the ones you lost as well. Their incompetence displeases me, but death…” He shook his head. “Death is—”
“Yeah,” Bishop replied, his amused expression dimming. “We’ll get the bastards responsible. They’ll always pay. They’ll always pay. And that’s all we can do. That’s war.”
“Sure,” Bishop said, discarding the assassin without a second thought. “He’s useless to me now. Can’t interrogate him since I already admitted everything too. A real shame.”
The young master slammed his spear down on the ground, letting out a rageful shout to sell the moment.
“Fine, damn you! Extort me! Offend me! But understand this—after this moment, we are done. We are through. If I see you or any member of the Lodge come near us again, I will cut them down. And—and you tell them to beware. You tell them that if I find them, I will be coming for them. That when my time comes, when my star rises, I will burn their home to the ground.”
“Yeah, well, don’t go blaming the wrong person,” Bishop said. “This was all me.”
“So, we settled?”
Wei let out in a deep, miserable breath. “Indeed.”
“See, it signed, then,” the Tribulator declared. From within its chest, it pulled out a form. Stomping closer to stand between Wei, the SegSec Attendant, and Bishop, it held out the form and produced a quill—a quill made from bone and dipped in blood.
As the Tribulator handed the tool off to Wei, the young master signed it, scrawling his name at the very bottom after his lawyer briefly read the documentation and answered with a chirping, “Seems legit.”
Bishop, meanwhile, read nothing and simply used his psionic power to seize the quill and scribble his name across the page right under Wei’s.
At once, Wei felt a shift of Essence in the air—a flow of pulsating crimson, the same shade as the ink as the incubators, extended. The energy bled out from Bishop’s aura and brushed against Wei’s. The exchange concluded, and Wei watched his Sins spike by a considerable margin.
+ [18 Billion Sins]
Enlightenment Advanced > 51
[30/100] Aspect Advancements to Core Ascension
Eighteen billion.
It felt like an extreme amount, but Wei wondered if he was still being lowballed. Perhaps that was something he could ask his father, though the thought of such a question made him feel sickened. Wait. There was someone else he constantly consulted for questions in the Moongraves.
“Rafael,” Wei sent through his Chat, “is eighteen billion sins a lot of money?”
The lich looked at him as if he was stupid.
“Wei, that is more money than most people make here in several centuries. It’s also highly unethical!”
“What? Why?”
“Because it is impossible—” Rafael trailed off. “I… it comes from exploitation?”
“What?”
“One person shouldn’t hold that much wealth over society?”
“Why not? Someone needs to master the masses?”
“I…” Rafael gave Wei a pleading look. “It’s a lot of money. We… we can talk about ethics later. Later…”
“Does this appease the accuser?” the Tribulator spoke.
Wei glared at Bishop for a long moment, looking at each of his companions and giving a harsh sigh before finally bending. “Yes. We’re done. For now.”
Bishop simply smirked. “Well. Now that I’m paying you, I can avoid the apology. And save me the look. It’s just how the Claimed Hells works. Now that we’re done here…”
“Hold,” the SegSec Attendant declared to Bishop. The lich-chain outside clamped down hard against the door frame, the portal it produced turning a blistering red as Wei felt that patch of space itself grow dense—unpassable. “You may be done with the boy here, but your actions against our establishment still need recourse. Furthermore, we must ask that Guest Wei surrender— The Attendant stammered as Bishop’s eyes flashed purple.
Immediately, the Tribulator was standing before Bishop. Wei hadn’t even seen it move. It was instantaneous. Overwhelming.
“What have you done?” the Tribulator declared. The room shook. The chains rattled. Bishop sneered at a being that should be able to reduce him to a smear.
“Nothing to twist their mind,” Bishop replied. “I simply thought that revealing a few truths to them might help.”
The Tribulator turned to the Attendant.
The Attendant coughed, nodded, and said, “There’s nothing… Nothing we have to discuss anymore. Nothing. I must talk to management.”
The Tribulator paused and said nothing thereafter. It simply faced Bishop for a few seconds longer before turning and regarding Wei and the others once more. “Then, before this concludes, I have been tasked to do one more thing.”
From within the tunnel of chains, Wei felt another presence. This one was familiar. This one—
He turned and saw Lady Ellena staggering forth, seeming weak but alive. A thin trail of scars separated the point where her neck had been severed from her body. Now she wore a dress of black silk, flowing around her, giving her person a midnight glow.
“Mother!” Agnesia breathed, and despite everything, Wei’s own spirit soared.
Mepheleon had not been lying. He’d managed to restore her, return her to life. Every part of her—her Essence, her spirit, her body—Wei’s Omniscience could see no flaw. Nothing, except the few levels lost and what felt like a lingering wound staining her being. The siren song of pain emerged out from the tunnel made of chains.
Ellena let out a breath. “I… apologize. I wanted to return sooner but the Harbinger–”
“Mother!” Agnesia’s voice broke. She exploded across the distance, embracing Ellena in a desperate hug. She lifted her mother off her feet and quietly, Agnesia shook, while Ellena, now dwarfed by her daughter by a substantial amount, offered Wei and the others a gentle smile.
“Lady Ellena,” Wei whispered. He took a few steps forward, but found himself unable to meet her gaze, too ashamed. “I—I am sorry. I failed—”
“Oh, be silent, Sir Wei,” she said, with a twinkle in her eyes. Those green eyes… “I wouldn’t be here if not for you. Thank you, Wei. For me. For my daughter.”
The young master swallowed and clenched his teeth. His Shell suddenly emerged and loomed over him. “You do not deserve her kindness.”
Bishop, however, narrowed his eyes. A message came from him, brushing telepathically against Wei’s thoughts. “Watch yourself, Wei. Something’s off. Something doesn’t smell right about this.”
“What do you mean?”
The Trespasser’s expression turned unreadable. “Means keep an eye on her. The Harbinger released her out using the Tribulator for a reason. He’s place his cards on the table. Face down. And I think she’s one of them.”
“And the Lodge?” Wei asked. “Are you so clean?”
That made Bishop consider. “Touché.”
“What?”
“Means you got a point. But still. Watch her. And watch yourself. I’m going to settle things with the Tribulator and SegSec here. You should go talk to your surviving people. I can hear their minds screaming from here.”