Sven checked his map again. He had his belongings on his back, and had placed his weapon on standby. He didn't dare turn it off, but he couldn't just have it ready to throw lightning at anyone who looked at him funny.
He hadn't seen any other Asgar since his movement away from his temporary base. He frowned at the thought that he should have been more ready for them to try to take him back.
He also hadn't seen any agents of the other major powers as he tried to find a spot where he could move to the next universe. He put that down as something good. He didn't want to get involved in something that would amount to using him for propaganda.
And he didn't want to be taken somewhere he would quietly disappear, and his weapon put on display as an artifact of war.
He needed a high density magic area where he could hide under the cloud of Aether and let others search for him while he moved around and sampled things to his heart's content.
He hoped he hadn't permanently hurt his pursuer. The guy was just doing his job. The fact that job would end with the deserter in a cage did not appeal to him at all.
He decided that he would have to put his guilt aside until he could afford to indulge it. The Asgar wanted him back. He couldn't afford to be taken. Until he was somewhere he could blend in without causing trouble, he had to look out for himself and keep moving.
Every time he used the weapon, he sent a signal to Central to pick him up. He needed to think about getting a local weapon he could use without problems.
His stolen duty weapon would have to become a last resort where possible. He didn't want to use it to escape some problem, only to draw more of his fellow soldiers to his doorstep.
Maybe the locals had some kind of firearm he could use against anyone trying to stop him.
Securing a safe place to stay was also on his to do list. Running from universe to universe was fine when stated out loud, but every time he crossed over, he would alert someone that he had breached the barrier. Then all they had to do was find the closest gap to where he had come through and start searching for him from there.
He expected manpower to overwhelm his meager resources within days of such a crossing.
Sven spotted a universe he could hide in three crossings over. It was a mix of science and Aether on the Techno side of the tree. He could use some of the local ambience to mask himself from his pursuit. Then he could think about finding a way to blend in and build a smaller life without risk.
He thought some of the more perceptive locals would see him as a traveler. He hoped to avoid their scrutiny as he went about his business.
Soldiers like him had some minor spellworks, but mostly everything they could do relied on their weapon and what it could do. Introducing the wild card aspects like he had changed some of what it could do and gave him a bigger base to use. That would be important against other soldiers still using their standard loadout.
Sven checked the map. He had a layover before the door he wanted opened to the middle universe. Then he would have to do some traveling to catch the other door before it closed so he could get to his target universe.
The main problem he saw was he was on this world and a few miles away from the first door. He had to get there in the next few hours without any help other than his weapon. And once he started using his weapon, he was sure Command would be able to lock onto it and vector soldiers on top of him.
He could see that attracting the local forces' attention if he allowed a fight to take place. He thought the Bureacracy oversaw these sections of reality. They would scoop everyone up and deport them together.
It was a matter of whim if their belongings would be given back after the arrest.
Sven started jogging toward his end point. He still had enough of his training that he could run all day at the same pace without having to rest. Once he was close enough to see where the door would open, he could take a break and just watch for any others like him trying to use the same gate.
He hadn't operated on that side of the tree. He hoped it would be enough to hide him. Asgar rarely operated against the Bureaucracy. Neither side dealt in what the other wanted usually.
He had heard of some small incursions that ended with someone being shot. One of his friends had raided an illegal printing press operation once. The evidence had been enough to send a shock through Command.
Mostly the Asgar and Jotun fought various proxy wars along their branches and trunk of the Tree. The other hegemonies sent their own agents into the field at various points to do things they shouldn't be doing.
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Sven preferred a solid confrontation where right made might rather than a stab in the back of someone who may or may not be who they said they were.
He didn't think he was cut out for the spy lifestyle most mundane branches of the Tree turned into mythical stories. He didn't like heavy alcohol, a lot of danger, or women who might stab him in the back.
The thing he could do to be a successful spy was live alone with no connections, maybe some small information gathering. Using an armed transport would be great, but too much for how he went about his business.
He found the gate spot in the yard of a temple. He looked around as he headed for the front steps. He took cover behind a white stone column and sat down. When the gate opened, he should be able to jump down and through without too many problems. All he had to do until then was wait and stay vigilant so other Asgar didn't arrive without his notice.
Once he had jumped to another universe, the danger would go down. They would need to do more searches to locate which universe he was in. At the first sign of danger, he could move onto another universe without a thought.
He thought if he could get a mobile locator, that would allow him to make predictions faster. All he would need to do would be stay in transit. Then he just had to avoid winding up in Asgar and Jotun controlled areas where soldiers would be looking for him. He could rove most of the tree if he found one.
He couldn't remember any deserters before him. He doubted that the number was nil. He thought if they had been captured, they had wound up in a prison until they died of natural causes, or were executed in secret.
He doubted their commanders would show any mercy after such an insult to the uniform.
He certainly didn't want to be caught and made an example of before he was executed.
A wind kicked up, moving in the wrong direction. He looked around. He heard the sound of gears moving. He nodded to himself. He had a chance to move on to another world where he could find a place to hide.
And using a natural door would obscure his path away from the Asgar. They would have to cast their net omnidirectionally to pick up his scent again. As long as he kept the use of his weapon to a minimum, he should be able to hide for a while. He still needed his own movement device so he couldn't be traced through the gates.
Mobile sensors would be able to check each gate for his scent. Hounds would be the next step, following his scent as much as possible. Then the circling of him would start as soon as they had a hint of where he was.
The sooner he could find a place he could make impenetrable to any signal he might throw off, and access to supplies, the better it would be for him. He needed a secondary weapon to keep his main weapon undetected.
Sven held his hat down as the door opened in front of him. He hurried into the breach, falling across the surface of the Tree. He landed and slid, trying to protect his guitar case from smashing against the ground. He picked himself up and made his way out of the graveyard he was in.
He thought the city was familiar with an array of hills, an ocean, and what looked like part of a gold bridge extending over the water. He decided that he was in a spot that didn't belong in the middle of the metropolis he was in. He stepped on the sidewalk and kept moving.
The last thing he wanted was to be caught in the open, having to find another gate, and drawing the attention of the Bureacracy. He could get away with one out of those three, but not all three at the same time.
The deserter saw a trolley moving along on rails in the street. He jogged to catch up with the end of the small train. He grabbed the rail and pulled himself up on the rear platform. He kept an eye on the street as the car moved along.
Everyone seemed to be minding their own business. He nodded as he took in the streets, and the moving automobiles around him. Magical spells lit the air as low level mages went about their businesses.
He might not have to move on with the amount of energy flowing around him. There might be enough loose mana and aether in the air to cover any use of his weapon.
He checked his map. There wasn't another gate for months. He had to find a place to hide until the worlds moved back into alignment. He suddenly felt exposed to the major forces. He thought he would be able to move on almost immediately. He frowned at being wrong about that.
Sven decided the best thing to do was check for any news outlets. He could find houses for rent, or sell, in any advertisement section. Once he found a place he could target, he could move in and change it to suit him.
That was the best first step in the next part of his new life. Maybe he could find a store like the book store, and set up above it so he had cover when he moved.
He decided against anything like that. Any of the soldiers sent to bring him back would not care about any civilian who might get in the way. He wanted to stay free. He didn't want to get any bystander blasted if they got in the way.
And he could trap his own place if he didn't have to worry about others using the same building.
Sven dropped off the back of the trolley. He thought there were a number of houses around. He wondered how many had people in them.
He needed a city map to get started. Once he had one of those, he could find a library. Then he could see how widespread information was in this strange city. Then he could plan the rest with that knowledge.
Artificial gate sensors should be on his list. He wanted to make sure that he had warning in case any Asgar showed up to take him back.
He decided that he shouldn't set up close to the natural gate openings. Any traveler through those holes could be trouble for him if they sensed him. He didn't want trouble with third parties.
He wondered if he could use the obviously magical bridge as a screen. He just needed a place to use as a hideout in the infrastructure until the next gate opening drew close enough for him to use. Then he could take his time to cross the city and use the gate to move to the next universe in line with this one.
He walked the hilly streets, looking for a place he could hole up for the night. A full day on the morrow would help him get his feet under him until he was sure he could hide without any problem.