Chapter 5:

The Clone outlined his objective and plan in broad terms. Then Intelligence appeared via a humanoid AI mechanical framework of white plaz and brushed steel. Damni couldn’t help but notice that the mech’s blazing blue eyes matched the current hue of the Clone. Politely bowing, the administrator explained that the Clone’s assistance was required. With a nod to the Ka Dominion, which both Damni and Hakari were sure was focused individually on them alone, their conversation was put on hold. The Clone then vanished from the room, taking his constant strobing of indigo shades with him.

Several micro-gyra later and still on their own, Damni and Hakari began to contemplate what the Clone had covered so far. His immediate goal was nothing less than to assess the adequacy of strategic and combat capabilities of the Polar Neutral Hegemoncy’s Prime Seeded Heir, Denyak Marztanak.

The Clone explained that he had originally intended to set Denyak loose in the iteration with some very ambiguous instructions about an Essence harvesting scheme being orchestrated by the very Immortals he had just expunged. In truth, they had orchestrated it, and the Clone had then compelled them to ramp up its scale and continue what they had already set in motion to meet his own ends of evaluating Denyak’s capacity. Of course, presently, they were . . . no longer available—

—[But why are they gone?] Hakari cut in. Couldn’t the Clone just have asked for [. . . I don’t know . . . Immortal professional courtesy and requested we step back and let him steamroll? That’s what would have happened between two mortal agencies that stumbled over each other in the field.]

[. . . You noticed that too, did you?] Damni asked, a bit chagrined.

[Do you think being mortal makes me dumb?]

[No . . . I don’t.] Damni rolled the Cheetah Affin’s shoulders and focused inward as she decided to be honest. They were in this together, after all.

[The only reason I can fathom for the Clone’s actions so far is that he considered us a weapon of opportunity. We make his relatively half-finished scheme much more . . . palatable. I am an active agent of the Masters. It is quite possible I could have stumbled into a situation that was beyond my abilities and required backup. It would not be unreasonable for the Principal Master to have mentioned this to Zenyak and for Zenyak to have volunteered his Prime Heir.]

True to what Damni had learned about her so far, Hakari cut through any and all obfuscation put before her. Damni felt a pair of Cheetah Affin eyes bore into her spirit. Admittedly, it was less than comfortable. Then Hakari spoke again, [. . . I can tell you are holding something back . . . What is it?]

The Ka Dominion swallowed past a dry lump and Damni decided to let Hakari in on all her thoughts.

[You’re definitely not dumb —The whole truth is that I believe it is much more likely the actual course of events had Zenyak Marztanak asking my boss to feed us to the Clone like a couple of guppies fed to a shark—]

Suddenly, the room filled with midnight and sky-blue hues as a twelve-meter-long, fractalized shark with double dorsal fins and dozens of rows of decimeter-long teeth tail thrust itself through the wall and snatched up two fractal guppies struggling to swim.

Then the Clone was standing before them with a devious grin on his constantly shifting face.

“. . . How very astute of you both. I’m impressed with your mentations on this . . . And that is rare for me . . .” The Cone tilted his head and seemed to be truly taking their measure with an unblinking gaze for the first time.

“You admit that the Principal Master . . . offered my assistance on this issue?” The Cheetah Afin spoke. . . Why Damni had decided to speak verbally, she wasn’t sure. The Clone was freely reading their thoughts.

The Clone straightened from his gaze. “I find it much more efficient for beings to work together when everyone knows who and what they are . . . Don’t you?” The Clone leaned forward to put his eyeline level with the much shorter Cheeta Affin’s “. . . ‘sold you down the river’ would be a much more apt description of what the Principal Master did. You now serve Zenyak through me. We must speak. I have need of your skills and qualities.”

* * * * *

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

The Ka-Strippers had penetrated the creche and were gorging among its nurslings. The freshly Transcended Immortals with less than fifty Ka-Nexus rotations of existence had gathered together in this supposed safe area set aside by the Hegmoncy for mutual protection and assisted advancement. It should be free of such predators, such was his father, the Hegemon’s, promise. Now, all in one decidedly unsafe place, the fledglings were nothing but a defenseless, slow-moving banquet set up to be slaughtered by the circling schools.

Denyak could taste the tang of disassociated anima as it flooded the surrounding strata. The scent was drawing more of the Ka-strippers into the nursery by the micro. The entire lot was being driven into a frenzy as the numbers involved had already exceeded the abilities of the administration team Denyak’s father had left in charge. The team of three Immortals could be seen huddled together, barely able to protect themselves from the roiling probes of sharp fangs and bladed fins.

If this fracas isn’t stopped soon, a ‘real threat’ is going to be pulled from the deep realms that will consume this entire cluster and anyone who can’t get away . . .

Denyak turned a critical eye over the whole scene . . . The groups were spread so far from each other that the clean-up was going to take longer than was safe . . . But . . .maybe the right bait would help . . .

With a rough plan formed, Denyak transposed himself to the rough center of the debacle and pushed his Ka from his surface meridians into the surrounding strata. At the fifth stage of Immortal cultivation, the level of Illumination, Denyak’s Ka was a far-sight tastier to the masses of swarming Strippers. He just had to get them to notice it . . .

There he stood with his energy spreading out to lap over the edges of the swarming mass of feeders . . .

. . . Nothing

Denyak defused more of his Ka out to increase its density . . .

. . . Escalating numbers of nurslings were being torn to pieces. . . All of their individual contributions forever lost . . .

Denyak increased the rate of flow and pushed past 50 percent of his reserves into the surrounding area.

. . . Larger and stronger Strippers continued to be pulled from the deep strata to feed on the helpless young . . .

Denyak pushed past 75 percent of his entire cultivation . . .

. . . Even if it worked, he would soon be defenseless against the horde’s numbers . . .

The Strippers continued to frenzy . . .

Perhaps I misjudged this . . .

. . . One Stripper slowed and turned its viciously fanged maw toward Denyak . . . Almost imperceptibly, others began to take note . . . Then as one, like an imploding supernova, the entire cloud of frenzied Strippers surged fangs with gnashing at the now defenseless Heir. He had nothing but the dregs of his cultivation left in his meridians and was now just as helpless against them as the nurslings . . .

. . . Denyak ignited the last ebbs of his Ka with a Plasma polarization. Transforming the entire cloud of his still continuous anima into a rough facsimile of his own. As that cloud included all of the Ka of the Strippers presently lunging to consume him, Denyak now had control of their Essence . . . and he pulled it back. Draining the entire school, leaving nothing but empty shells to be funneled back to the Ka-Nexus, where so many Immortal younglings had just been returned.

Now rippling with electrostatic power, Denyak pulsed a burst to the nursery’s failed protection fields and soon they once more hummed with force. The rest of the Ka he added to his core for further purification to ultimately be added to his own cultivations.

Not a bad haul if I say so myself. Denyak mused.

The surviving young ones gathered around him to offer gratitude and thanks for saving them . . . And appearances were important to the future Heir of the Polar Neutral Iteration . . . So Denyak beamed with benevolence and concern for the surviving fledglings on behalf of his Father, The Hegemon . . . But he was actively seeking one Immortal signature, and after a moment, he finally perceived the lead administrator. Denyak seized the lackluster underling’s Ka-core and transposed them both out of the nursery.

“ . . . My lord . . . Thank you for your assistance —But you are damaging my meridians!”

“Yes, I know. Do you know how hard it is to maintain the Prime Seedency of the Hegemoncy? Do you understand that every act I take needs to further my glory and pre-eminence? When I’m summoned to situations like this, that have a very high likelihood of negative ramifications unless I place myself in jeopardy of reduction and/or destruction . . . I am not making forward progress, am I!?”

“. . . grahhcck. . .” Denyak squeezed the administrator’s core harder and micro-fractures began to appear.

Denyak’s tone was matter-of-fact and business-like. But the intensity in his visage revealed barely contained rage and couldn’t be ignored. “I blame you for putting me in this situation. Either you failed to notice the increased groupings of the Ka Strippers, or you failed to properly train those under you to notice it . . . Either way, I’m going to exercise the Hegemon’s Judgement in finding your failings demonstrative of inadequacy. Let your expungement stand to demonstrate that for the incompetent, Immortality is a myth.”

“My lord— Aargh —There was no warning —gharrghh!” Denyak slowly increased the pressure that would shatter his core and send the administrator’s remnants to the Ka-Nexus, just as the nurslings and Strippers had just gone—

I have need of you. Now.

Denyak instantly released the administrator to answer his Grandfather’s consciousness clone’s summons. Righteous indignation and judgements aside . . . You didn’t keep that being waiting!

To be continued . . .