the man starts shuddering uncontrollably, feeling death closing down on him. Luckily, he had called up his allies remaining in hiding, and dozens of ships outfitted with centuries old technology appeared from rudimentary warp systems. the Man, knowing that these enemies were powerful enough to destroy their superweapons, thought up a strategy, and contacted the ships to do the same (most probably the enemy found out before the plan was put into motion). about 120 ships (including the Man's) split up and began repeatedly warping towards reinforcements, disorienting the Cicada agents before they made chase.
Kiki raises a brow. “Carissa. That’s your sister, right?” She looks to Connie, who gives a nod. “So... she’s sacrificing herself to save Kansas? What...” she shakes her head. “I’m so confused.”
Lucas hesitates a moment, then reluctantly nods. “Yeah, okay.”
Mere seconds after the ships suddenly appeared, two previously unnoticed and unmarked Roxium fleets warp in and begin firing off a combination of highly targeted EMPs and warp inhibitor fields. Cicada wanted to keep this little operation a complete secret from both Zoninite and Oateria, but the Man has forced them to resort to more... drastic measures. The Oaterian ship is hit by one of the targeted EMPs as a graviton tether locks on to it, holding it stationary relative to the unmarked Roxium ship using said graviton tether. Strangely enough, all the life-support systems and the artificial gravity are entirely unaffected by the EMP.
Inside the Oaterian ship, the Private suddenly finds himself getting slammed into a nearby wall by an unseen force, being slammed into the wall just hard enough to knock him out without killing him. To the people in the hiding spot, they would see a very brief spark of blueish-green light as the private is slammed into the wall. Immediately after, more of those sparks dance across the private's unconscious body for half a second before vanishing, those sparks being healing magic. When the soldiers arrive, they would find the private on the ground just as he begins regaining consciousness with no injuries what so ever. Who ever the cloaked people are, they seem to be avoiding the use of lethal force.
The soldiers arrive just as the Oaterian ship is hit with the EMP.
The Man's ship hits one of the warp inhibitor fields, knocking out of FTL travel and preventing it from warping.
Trying to find the Roxium superweapons would be pretty much impossible for a few reasons, the biggest one being that the Roxium Federation keeps them disassembled when not using them. In order to avoid unwanted use of its superweapons, the Roxium Federation has designed them in such a way that they're composed of modules. When not in use, the superweapons are taken apart and their component modules are stored in various undisclosed locations throughout Roxium space. As of now, the Roxium Federation has only one superweapon design in use: The Arcane Fusion Bomb, a car-sized bomb capable of destroying an entire planet. The Arcane Fusion Bomb consists of three component modules: the main body/casing, and two fusion cores. It has been designed in such a way that it requires all three modules to reach its full destructiveness. The main body/casing contains the actual detonation mechanism and enough explosives to create a 1 kiloton explosion, and the fusion cores are what amplifies that explosion to planet-killing power. Using only one fusion core will bring that explosion up to a few megatons, a blast yield similar to the Roxium equivalent of a nuke: The Arcane Fission Bomb. It requires BOTH fusion cores to reach planet-killing power. Another reason for why finding them is nigh-impossible has to do with how many the Roxium Federation stockpiles at any given time. At any given time, the Roxium Federation only has enough modules for 2-3 Arcane Fusion Bombs. As a security measure, if any module somehow falls into the wrong hands, the remaining modules are to be destroyed. This means the Roxium Federation has no qualms about destroying its superweapon stockpile in order to keep nefarious actors from using them. Due to the way the Arcane Fusion Bomb was designed, the Roxium Federation can easily mass-produce them. They choose not to because they view it as being too dangerous to regularly use, and because of Galactic Union regulations regarding superweapons. Another security measure is that no location may hold enough component modules to fully assemble one. In regards to the Arcane Fusion Bomb, this means that at any one storage location, it will only have either the main body/casings, or the fusion cores, not both. This also applies to their transportation.
Miranda walked up to another keypad next to another door.
"Rule number one of hiding important things; don't hide them where everyone looks. It's usually at the bottom."
They opened the door to lead into a nondescript storage room. She approached a wall, pressed a few of the tiles inwards and, with a click, a previously hidden wall slid open. They entered a small lab whereupon various Scrap Rats (Cleaned, of course) were poking and prodding at a shard of the Obelisk.
"This is...well...curious. We've guaged the Obelisk to be around...eighty thousand tonnes, above our previous estimates; the thing isn't just a hollow rock; it's solid as all hell."
Arms were crossed. "Inside that thing we're looking at about...hell, we're looking at a whole twenty tonnes of Astral Adamantium in that thing."
A nod. "That was the good news."
Miranda walked over to the shard rock and pointed to it. "The bad news. Thats still point 2 percent Astral Adamamntium in any rock we carve off of it. We can do it, but it's going to take a while-"
"Hang on, you said it was Astral Adamantium; Celestium is any material with five percent Astral Adamantium-"
"Close, but no cigar; a metal will not alloy with a rock and while Astral Adamantium can alloy with many things, for some reason it needs either copper and tin to do so."
"Copper and Tin?"
Miranda looked to CK.
"This is the metal...that can weigh heavier than a lead weight and still float on water; physics does not apply to it. It's fitting, since it's the only toy we have to kill the Celestials with."
She pursed her lips. "Regardless, we can still get you the spear by a weak or two, maybe three if we go terribly."
Alena slowly reached out towards Witta's thigh before...brushing something off and returning to having her hands on hers.
******
(Hmmm. Let's take these desires for a spin.)
Iblion, as Delegata and he were getting ready for an evening courting the Emperor, turned to his fiance as he inspected two possible gifts for the Emperor.
"How purposeful are these desires? do they get distracted or anything? or do they have a set vision or goal?"
Witta noticed this and was surprised, but she pretended not to notice.
******
Delegata thought for a moment. "They would not be easily distracted. They have no souls. They will only do what they are told, unless they are unable. I suppose they could be distracted if they need to sustain themselves, though they are less needy than normal humans. That is a consequence of them needing to be alive to complete their task, although if they must die to complete their task, they will do so with no hesitation."
Alena sat in awkward silence. "So...I...I probably should get back to work."
Alena stood up and began healing Spencer once more.
******
Iblion slowly nodded out of view. "Let's give it a trial run against a big target; send one to find Witta and retrieve her without harm. That way we can figure out it's flaws."
Alena looked briefly at Witta, smiled and continued her work on Spencer. After a period of time, Alena once again wiped the blood from her nostrils and moved to a chair in the corner. Spencer's ribcage looked to be mostly, if not entirely, intact. However, next was the more tricky parts; vital organs and nerves.
Alena shuffled into her chair and sighed. "I'm probably going to go off to sleep now, rest well."
*******
"indeed." Iblion walked out, dressed in a black suit and tie with a red shirt. He held a ornamental dagger and a beautiful gold and green robe in his hands. "As for our outing with the Emperor...what gift should we give?"
Delegata smiled. "As if our assistance isn't gift enough." She thought for a moment. "Perhaps one of your demonic servants? Or if you want something simpler, fine clothes? Or maybe a magic ball that does...something?"
(Do we want a fight with the Desire or do we want a quick grab by it.)
******
Iblion pursed his lips. "I have an idea."
He looked to the air.
"Oh Nelly O'shea."
A burst of harmless flame revealed one of Iblion's many Succubi servants; corrupted females twisted into his sadistic and depraved vision. She cracked her slender neck as chains and bells hanging from her ovine horns clanged and clattered together while scant and slightly see-through clothing left most of her pale red body on full display.
As "Nelly's" red eyes fell upon Delegata, she bit her lip and squinted her eyes seductively, her spade-tipped tail slowly swishing from side to side. However before she could take a second step forward a hand shot out and stopped her. "No, Nelly, not her."
Nelly scowled and rolled her eyes. "You never let me have the good ones, Master," she said, her honeyed tones laced with an artificially seductive energy, "don't you know sharing is caring?"
Iblion smirked. "Don't worry Nelly, i'll be giving you to a most lovely man soon enough as a gift."
Nelly's eyes gleamed with a recognition as she pulled aside her locks to expose her neck "Same routine?"
"Different, but still work your charms."
A small collar appeared with a little bow upon it. Iblion fastened it around the Succubus' neck and smiled. "My Beautiful Queen," he said, turning to Delegata, "I have our gift for the Emperor."
** ** **
The Royal Emperor was informed that Delegata and Iblion (self declared by Iblion as King and Queen, the rank below Emperor) had come for the pre-arranged get-together bearing a "gift" of sorts.
(Desires don't really operate either of those ways...)
A banana buzzed in Witta's bag. She answered it, and after a minute she hung up and began to pack. "Alena, something has come up. One of my friends - a witch - needs my help. I have to go, okay?"
******
Delegata nodded. "Yeah...that is probably more impressive than clothes...good choice."
** ** **
The two of them and their "gift" were led to a dining hall where the Royal Emperor was waiting for them at the head of the table. "Ah, Iblion! Sorcerer Delegata! Welcome!" The Royal Emperor raised an eyebrow at Nelly. "Who - or what - is that you bring with you?"
Alena looked to Witta and nodded. "Of course, wait..."
She reached into her pocket and produced a small amulet. "This should keep prying eyes from seeing you, or at least getting a general area of where you are."
She fastened it around Witta's neck and paused for a few moments. "Well...good luck, stay safe."
******
Iblion smiled. "Why, Royal Emperor, it is a gift for you; after all you have done, and between your hospitality and employment of our...niche...talents, i decided to give you a gift. This is Nelly O'shea, I plucked her from Augusta and...perfected her to be...more able to fufill a particular set of necessities."
With a little nudge from Iblion, Nelly walked forward, her bare feet perfectly manicured, her tail sweeping from side to side as an expression of excitement but respect covered her face.
Upon reaching the Royal Emperor, she bowed respectfully.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Royal Emperor, my Master has told me a lot about you." Nelly said, her voice calm and respectful, although the Royal Emperor himself could detect a tone of happiness.
"She's able to do most chores, as well as able to be a faithful companion to you for giving you heirs or...well, just to have a little fun. She's quite smart as well and can double up as an administrative assistant. And besides, isn't she just so sweet?"
The Royal Emperor frowned. "And the collar?"
"I...i picked it out for you," Nelly said, her voice bashfully apoligetic, "do you not like it? I can remove it if you wish i just...just wanted to impress."
Witta nodded. "You too. I should be back soon. Hopefully." She prepared to teleport.
******
The Royal Emperor considered her. "We can sort that out later." He turned to Iblion. "Ah...but for heirs, I would need a pair - one male, one female, yes?"
Iblion smiled. "Nope; I finally figured out how to make Succubi fertile. I mean before hand it would have to be a tag-team with a Succubi and Incubi pair as well as a...forcibly recruited female...but-"
"Now...if i want to ovulate i can do so with a conscious," Nelly said with a grin, however still with muted excitement, "while they are slightly corrupted, there is now a one in one hundred chance that i get pregnant, and a one in fifty percent chance the child is born without defect, which of course my Master can fix. Of course, if you wish to do it the traditional way i can enlist the partnership of an Incubus."
Iblion nodded. "And if you want...I can get an Inccubus to be a personal body guard for you so you can have some familiarity with who's doing the tag-teaming."
The Royal Emperor nodded.
"And how did you make this happen?"
"Well...turns out my..."improvements" were interfering with the production of a specific protien in the womb of the Succubi, i just had to jerry rig a change and make the womb more hospitible."
"And the Incubi?"
"Still working on making them fertile; i'm doing a lot of experimentation."
Witta teleported to a rocky area in Tyramon and began to make her way to the one of the many old, abandoned structures that littered Tyramon. She moved quickly to get to her friend. Eventually she made it, and she found Corali tending to the witch, who seemed to be sleeping on an old bench.
"Corali!? What are you doing here?"
Corali turned to Witta. "I saw that she needed help. She said she called for you and had to tell you how to defeat Iblion and Delegata. Apparently she found some old magic in an old book that would be very powerful."
Witta rushed forward and hugged Corali tightly. "Seriously!? That's great! But right now I'm just happy to see you." Witta pulled back and looked at Corali. "How are you? Are you alright? Where have you been?"
Corali shook her head. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. But come, I have to show you the magic to defeat Iblion. She told it to me before she passed out."
Witta looked at the sleeping witch. "Is she alright?"
Corali nodded. "Yeah, she is fine, just sleeping."
Witta nodded. "Alright, show me."
Corali led Witta outside and into the desert.
******
"Very good, excellent...tell me, is Nelly here a good infiltrator? My spies have reported that Princess Eveline has disappeared, presumably into the hands of the hiding Aerlanicans, and I think you and I both want her back."
Delegata psychically mentioned to Iblion that she could try sending Desires to infiltrate the Aerlanicans.
"Very good, excellent...tell me, is Nelly here a good infiltrator? My spies have reported that Princess Eveline has disappeared, presumably into the hands of the hiding Aerlanicans, and I think you and I both want her back."
Delegata psychically mentioned to Iblion that she could try sending Desires to infiltrate the Aerlanicans.
Alena paced backwards and forwards. She couldn't send a message to Witta; Alena was tapped out for the day. And the waiting dug deep into her.
However, she also had a duty to protect Spencer; if he died, the planet may be lost.
How terrible; a child being the lynchpin between destruction and victory. She wondered who would be able to utilise his power to the greatest degree.
******
Iblion gave a grin. "She could, however, we've come up with a much better toy for you to use. Ah...Delegata, this is your creation, how about you take the reigns for this. It seems rude for me to steal the credit."
Nelly smiled and stood up. Walking behind the Royal Emperor, she began to massage his shoulders. As with all of Iblion's servants, her skill was impressive.
"So am i, can you shed light on this? you are the queen after all." Tsarina said.
William turned to Kiki before Harold frowned.
"Does it..." harold began, "does this have anything to do with the very very very late king?"
Father Prunty gives Jonathan's muscled figure a quick look and lets loose a nervous laugh. "Of that I have no doubt."
He leads the four of them out the door, turning right and proceeding down the alley. Jonathan recognizes many of the crumbling buildings and their occupants as those he had passed coming here five or so hours ago. The people still shrink away warily, but this time it's not the Priest they are afraid of. Well, not just the Priest. Word of Jonathan's business deeper in the slums had apparently spread like a wildfire, along with a description of the man.
Stepping out of the narrow, shadowed street, they travel along the main road some ways until they reach a large square in what Jonathan assumes is the "stone sector" Father Prunty had spoken of earlier. Indeed, many of the building are constructed of old stone in a manner that must have once been grand, but now seems merely adequate when compared to the aristocratic mansions on the other side of the city. Nonetheless, it is a great deal nicer than where they had just spent most of the day.
Market stalls line the edges of the square, with vendors calling out products and deals every which way. Shade from the Victorian-style apartments casts many of the occupants in shadow, but there is still plenty of light to make out their healthy appearance and lively motions. While not terribly wealthy, these people clearly have enough to live relatively comfortably. The others crowding the square seem similarly well off, bustling around looking for whatever they want to buy.
Father Prunty guides them across the plaza to a squat building of shiny black stone. He opens the door with a wave and ushers them inside quickly, glancing around surreptitiously before darting inside. Once the door closes, the Priest slumps against the wall in relief. "I don't think anyone noticed my bringing you here. I forgot it was market day, nearly ran into someone I know."
They are standing in an entry hall with a doorway off to the left and stair leading down into darkness at the far end. Coat hooks decorate the walls, but most are covered in dust and seem to have been unused for a while. "Reception room is through that door to the left and then to the right. You all head on in, I need to check something out for a moment."
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
Celeste raises her eyebrows with a wry expression. "Well, how can I resist that? ...I do love pie, after all."
She follows Katrina into the kitchen.
(Say, whatever happened to Hogan's Horsemen? Are they still in transit?)
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