Benjamin – Alpha Zone #193
The day had been going so well.
Siphons had been closed.
Monsters had been exterminated.
Manamotes had been Procured.
Earth was now a safer place.
So naturally, the triumvirate had felt comfortable enough to elect to spice things up a bit, by way of taking the scenic route back home instead of just porting in, when our collective nature bathing turned into a Mexican stand off!... Well if one of the party's in said stand off were horribly out gunned and refused to accept the bleedingly obvious that is.
At first, many of me thought that easing off the Siphons had been a good idea.
Of course we didn't go full absentee on our unofficial role as earth's 'Siphon Defender' to leave them all unchecked so we had a monster typhoon. But we'd elected to leave just a few to do their own thing, and in doing so hopefully giving my ex species the chance to get a leg up in the galactic scheme of things.
Yet like so many of our triplicate best laid plans, it did not take long for the spirit of Karen to insert her spectery hand and cock things right up!
The evidence of such malicious interference?
Well that stands right before me’s with a glowing purple translucent shield around it.
Worse still, the Germanly accented elven invader seems to have managed a conversion of several equally fragile humans to its cause.
What cause would make my fellow ex-humans turn traitor you might ask?
The process of trying to forcefully enter yours truly into intergalactic slavery!
But things are starting to look up...Well at least marginally...Largely owing to the fact that with a me having ported its new allies away, the poor space elf looks to be having second thoughts about the efficacy of its heavily threatening undertones contained in its conscriptive efforts.
One of our minds hedges that we should ask if he’s related to Euy’La, whilst another mind points out that the being before me might be from a completely different subspecies of the pointy eared bastards, and thus such a question could easily be misconstrued as a racial slur. This in turn lead a third me to counter that I’m going to kill it anyway, 'So what the fuck does it matter if we racially vilify it before hand?!'
Internal mass-debation carries on for a few more fractured moments before decency wins out and a me magnanimously offers unto the disconcerted invader.
“So mate. Do you want it to be fast or slow?”
Indignation breaks out on its face as it blusters in near hysterics.
“I have no interest in being your degenerate copulation partner, Forerunner!”
Our platemail rasps in tensile preparation as a me concedes.
“Fast it is…”
One of me activates [Lesser Matter Manipulation] to crush the alien only to receive our second shock of the day, as a yellow barrier flicks to life. Closely contouring to its skin the cyan barrier sparks violently into the surrounding area as it somehow manages to completely shrug off our traits grasp.
A mind reels in confusion and some not-so-minor disorientation from the backlash, whilst another mind observes that the space elf seems to be more alarmed than any of me by the development. In turn, one of my mind slows our perception of time as it registers a purple bolt of something traveling sedately toward us.
The mind not on bullet time or still spinning from magical shit-fuckery, opts to not let whatever the hell the glowing purple thing is hit us, and splits their air with a sonic boom as it moves us forward with fist upheld to shatter through his purple barrier before slamming straight into his yellow one.
The third shock of the day comes thrice as unwelcome as the first two have when 'Puk' doesn’t turn into space elf pate instantly.
Instead, the Sal’Eir’s piss yellow magical shield of a bullshit barrier survives the impact and cannons through ridiculously sized jungle tree trunks and oversized shrubbery alike, with the Emissary still well and truly alive inside its lemony embrace.
The only reason I’m unanimously certain of this is largely owing to the fact that through the sound of felled gigantic trees comes the voice of the cheating son of a space bitch to intone in its high pitched Germanic twang of a scream.
“BRING ME HIS HEAD!”
With plan A and B having been summarily trounced, a me initiates plan F whilst another of us taunts.
“HEY PUK! I’M NOT SURE YOU KNOW THIS OR NOT, BUT ON MY WORLD WE HAVE A SAYING! IT BEGINS WITH ‘WHAT GOES UP’…..DO YOU THINK YOU CAN GUESS WHAT THE SECOND PART IS?”
We chuckle to ourselves as he takes the bait. Meanwhile a me uses a mild strength [Decrease Gravity] on us to jump noiselessly, a good two hundred or so meters above the jungles canopy as he incredulously demands.
“HAS REASON COMPLETELY FAILED YOU? WHY COULD YOU NOT JUST HAVE ACCEPTED THE OFFER?!”
Canceling the skill, a me uses [Lesser Matter Manipulation] to keep us suspended as another counters.
“EEEEEE! WRONG ANSWER!...THE SECOND HALF IS…’MUST COME DOWN’!”
Another other me not busily maintaining our altitude or laughing at our own battle banter, opens up Mr Pocket to wills forth the largest stronk rock from within our shadowy friends dimensional confines. Absently one of me notes that from about where we had deposited the traitors, a strained female voice commands.
“SHIELDS!”
Consoling my selves that the traitors should be out of the impacts radius, our enhanced vision instead focuses upon the delightful look of abject terror painted on the invading emissaries angular features. With ultra high definition features of terror still easily discernible behind his recently renewed purple translucent barrier, he screams.
“THAT’S NO-“
But the time for banter is unfortunately at an end for us and our not-space-fren.
Unilaterally, we elect to cut off the pointy eared son of a magical gun as a me casts a max [Increase gravity] and a max increase [Lesser Field of Gravity Manipulation] on the ridiculously strong rock that was protruding halfway out of Mr Pocket as another mind simultaneously wills it to complete its egress as fast as the skill will allow.
In slow motion one of me watches in wide eyed glee as the thing moves faster than anything we have yet to witness since becoming less than human.
Multitudes of pressure waves shred the nearby trees to dust even before the thing impacts the woefully under shielded invader.
One of me points out in growing alarm right before it makes contact with the space elf that we haven’t applied this level of force with skills since...Well...Ever…
Another me goes to defcon 1 and opens a [Lesser Dimensional Portal] to atop ‘Keep Out’s’ wall, to watch from a safer remove as we collectively step through and frantically close it right before the notifications begin to stream:
You have slain Initiate Necromancer Level 99, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
...
You have slain Lesser Reconstituted Minion Level 99, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
....
You have slain Lesser Reconstituted Minion Level 99, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
.....
You have slain Lesser Reconstituted Minion Level 99, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
......
You have slain Lesser Reconstituted Minion Level 99, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
.......
You have slain Lesser Reconstituted Minion Level 99, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
........
You have slain Lesser Reconstituted Minion Level 99, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
.........
You have slain Lesser Reconstituted Minion Level 99, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
..........
You have slain Lesser Reconstituted Minion Level 99, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
...........
You have slain Lesser Reconstituted Minion Level 99, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
............
You have slain Lesser Reconstituted Minion Level 99, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
.............
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
You have slain Lesser Reconstituted Minion Level 99, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
A mixture of dread and awe fill the many me’s as although we cant see the obliterated emissary, we sure as shit can make out the not-so-small apocryphal detonation that is rushing toward our magically enhanced front doorstep as the forest and atmosphere ignite as one.
Instinctively a me holds our arms to shield our face from the wave of force and debris as it slams into the Citadels shields:
Your Citadel of residence Citadel #1 'Keep Out' is under attack! Defensive Shield integrity: 34%
Strangely enough the place doesn’t even shudder despite the megalithic hit its shields just ate, and we're unanimously left feeling slightly sheepish whilst a me lowers our arms as a wave of ashen air engulfs the area. The ash in question apparently unable to be mitigated by the shield now shimmering a bright translucent orange right in front of us. Completely indifferent to such interesting minutia, the system continues to impart the sheer level of catastrophic ecological damage we just dun did:
You have slain Large Boar level 9, no experience gained due to level disparity.
...
You have slain Alpha Boar level 20, no experience gained due to level disparity.
....
You have slain Horned Beetle level 8, no experience gained due to level disparity.
.....
You have slain Matriarch Horned beetle level 20, no experience gained due to level disparity.
......
You have slain Giant Ant level 9, no experience gained due to level disparity.
.......
You have slain Giant Ant Queen level 20, no experience gained due to level disparity.
........
You have slain Kobold level 8, no experience gained due to level disparity.
.........
You have slain Kobold Brute 20, no experience gained due to level disparity.
..........
You have slain Goblin level 9, no experience gained due to level disparity.
...........
You have slain Goblin Chief level 20, no experience gained due to level disparity.
...........
You have slain Initiate of The Light level 90, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
You have slain Initiate Sword Adept level 89, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
You have slain Initiate Sure Shot level 89, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
And just like that.
The three of me are murderers once more.
Horror, sadness and regret tangle our gut before they suffuse as the ashen wind of the deceased continues to blast past in howling accusation.
Resolutely, many me’s stand there for a time, refusing to even bat an eyelid lest we accidentally end another life in stray action. And all the while, the world begins to settle into its new, ash covered norm.
Through the haze now drifting above the enormous semicircular crater, the surrounds of naught but burning hell scape becomes visible. Mocking the verdant green sky scrapers of what used to be with its depressive and imposing new pallet.
Black and ashen grey is now all that exists as the remnant fires caused by the blast, sputter and smoke on the remains of the gargantuan subtropical zone’s timber.
One of me eventually wonders if we should have taken 'Puk' up on his offer, instead of refusing it on basic principle and causing…This…
Another me points out that if we'd failed to retain our and our species independence, we would have likely have committed this atrocity elsewhere. And more importantly at the behest of some alien master instead of for my own moralistic and selfish reasoning’s.
A third me fixates on the fact that we wouldn’t be responsible for three more lives lost if we hadn’t wanted to keep the traitors close by so they could see and acknowledge the true error of their choice. Mind one darkly counters that they certainly did bear witness.
Mind two mules that the aftermath of fights in webnovels is supposed to be about how fucking awesome the main character is whilst they laugh at the lifeless corpses of their foes.
Things get a little more complex as the triumvirate devolves into an internal morass of self loathing, mainly constituting of the unfairness of reality and 'why the fuck we still haven't gotten laid in the prime of our apocalypse'.
Eventually the three me’s conclude that nothing has changed and although there was regrettable collateral, this was a message that needed to be sent.
Figuring we should get back to checking in with our employees we elect to start with the least annoying among them.
One of me releases a rueful chuckle at the realization that although we are still uncomfortable as fuck around each other since I K/O’d him a couple of years back, Gérard is still by far and away the minion of least irritancy to date.
Thus a me opens a [Lesser Dimensional Portal] to the antechamber of his floor and a we steps through to leave behind the egregious aftermath of our still smoldering overkill.
The same mind notes that we're still covered in ash but given the amount of fucks we could give about keeping up appearances right now, we do nothing about such matters as one of me puts a hand on the panel next the Frenchman’s front door.
Quicker then expected an alarmed and bruised Gérard makes an appearance looking more then a little distraught.
Mildly curious at his distress, a me queries.
“Hey mate, what’s up?”
He skewers me with his patented ‘I’m not sure if my overpowered employer is messing with me or not’ look as he demands, in almost an incredulous tone.
“Wat iz up he askz?! WAT IZ UP IZ ZAT WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!!”
Barking a laugh one of me wonders if we should do an announcement to the citizenry, in return another hedges that staying silent would be a perfect hazing exercise, whilst another me reassures.
“Oh sorry, that was me doing some pest extermination…”
Giving me a slightly perturbed look he asks.
“Y-you attacked ze citadel juzt to get rid of some monsterz?”
Shaking my head one of me halfheartedly amends.
“N-Not really?...It was more like a byproduct of setting up the bomb…”
Scowling at me he furthers.
“Wat do you m-mean bomb?”
One of me sighs at the abhorrent lack of culture within the remnants of humanity while an other me doesn’t want to get stuck in another question and answer session with the Frenchman where we might have to knock him out again. In turn another other me diligently offers.
“It will be easier if I just show you.”
Skepticism runs rampant on his face whilst one of me opens [Lesser Dimensional Portal] to atop the Citadels wall, following which, in facile imitation of a chauffeur, another me furthers.
“After you good sir…”
Huffing in exasperation the Initiate Merchant grumbles.
“I am dealing wiz an infant…”
Before grumpily taking up the offer and stepping into the tear in reality as we universally release mannishly giggle while we wait a moment before following after him.
Exiting the dimensional tunnel three of me almost knock the stock still man over, Instead having to alter our course and do some fancifully casual footwork in the process.
Raising a questioning brow at our transfixed employee, one of me notes he’s gone an unhealthy shade of pale, as his saucer like eyes slowly scan the hell scape in front, before they end up tracking to me’s.
Gesturing outward a me states.
“See, Citadel wasn’t the intended target, no need to freak out and go all gallah on me…”
The Frenchman is clearly unmoved by our show and tell as the ashy remnants of the Zones inhabitants continue to drift all around us.
Eventually though, he brings himself to demand.
“Wat did zis…N-no n-never mind zat…wat k-kind of monzter requirez such deztruction?”
Nodding seriously at his sensible question, one of me supplies.
“You know those bloody alien invaders I’ve told you about?…This one was a metric-fuck-ton more durable then all the others I’ve faced...Hence the scorched earth approach.”
Nodding woodenly he furthers.
“W-what did zis alien want?”
Shrugging a me offers matter of factly.
“He wanted to kill me because I turned down his offer of extra-planetary employment.”
A mind registers the plethora of questions we've just spawned within the confused Gérard’s face, and not wanting to stand about all day whilst potentially more of these fuckers invade, the triumvirate eagerly elects a change topic.
“So enough about my day, how has the whole diplomacy thing been working out?”
His grimace tells all three of me what we need to know and a none to small part of us wants to poke fun at the man. But the bruising on his face that we've been too polite to draw attention to, adds up to a more than predictable outcome.
Collectively we let the silence hang between us until he wretchedly confesses.
“I do not sink...I d-do not sink I am cut out to be a diplomat, Sir Benjamin…”
One of me works particularly hard at maintaining an impassive face so as not to deepen his shame, whilst another me probes.
“That bad huh?…”
His face contorts as he bites out.
“Ze bastardz played me like a Violin!... Stringing me along, just enough so zat I would feel comfortable enough to bring some manamotes wiz me like some simpleton!...Zen...Zen zey refused to sign ze contract and took zem by force!”
Diligently a mind maintains our impassive façade as the me not raging within our enhanced cranium asks in a monotone.
“Who was it?”
His eyes snap to me and the man looks like he genuinely considers jumping off the wall into the blackened crater for a moment before he cautiously replies.
“It iz my fault sir B-Benjamin…I should ave seen zeir deception…It iz human n-nature after all…N-nobody…N-nobody should die for my miztake…Zere az been too much dease already!…”
The triumvirate is momentarily stunned like a bogan thats just won at the dapto dogs, by the sheer volume of empathy the man still contains for his attackers.
Certainly none of me can argue with the emotive logic of his sentiment, however we concur that if we had been tricked, robbed and then beaten, each one of us could guarantee that based on our earthen education, if it was within our power, reciprocity would abound.
Thrice fold.
Feeling less and less human with each passing moment of silence, one of me asks with slightly more than a tinge of anger.
“What if it happens again mate? Only the next time they bloody kill ya?!”
Feeling like an even bigger triplicate piece of shit than we already did, a mind registers the tears carving ashen streaks down his bruised face as he defiantly counters.
“Z-zat iz my choice to make my friend…”
My vision starts to blur and one of me opens a portal back to his apartment as another of me offers.
“I think you’re a fucking idiot you know that right?...But if that’s your decision, I’m not gonna stand around and argue with you…So enough sightseeing, I’ve got delinquents to check on...”
The man clears his throat as he straightens up to wipe his face. This in turn leads a me to fight against the inappropriately timed laugh fighting to escape at the mockery of warpaint he just gave himself.
Thankfully he provides a welcome diversion once hes through the portal, by way of inquiring in a more business like tone.
“W-Wat should I tell people about ze crater?”
Letting the laugh free, a me offers through the tear in reality.
“Tell them it’s just a bit of landscaping that got out of hand.”
Before another me cancels the active skill to free us from the painful intensity of his humanity that none of me seem to posses.