A Simple Transaction I

To Reign Supreme

Hunger threw the unconscious boy back into the Realm of Evening. That the Apocryphal Curse had turned Aobaru against him by dint of a mere lack of faith was disturbing; but there would be time later to dwell on such things. The stars mourned the loss of their master: their light now given a melancholy pallor, the universe cast into the blood-crimson of mournful decline. Hopefully the boy was not irredeemable.

Time now to deal with Dien.

Novakhron struck the Surgeon's form like a furious wave-front, shattering the shoreline of its impact into tumbling flinders as his enemy's Rank tried furiously and failed to maintain the coherency of its body. Dien retaliated now in earnest, striking above and below from the Realm of Forms, a bramble of siphoning appendages questing for Novakhron's flesh through tunnels of falsified space. This Hunger dispelled with a mere shrug of Ruin, near-indolent ripple of the Forebear's might which rent that assault with languid temerity. Before Dien could strike again, Hunger had manifested his Ruin through the lens of the Praxis, a flood of runes in piercing azure that wrapped the self-proclaimed Hero like a full-body binding.

So suppressed, the comprehensive destruction of Ruin turned inwards upon him - and, manifested in a form suitable to the Imprisoner - Dien Bravo could do little indeed as Hunger's next blows began to land. Every action countered by the Ruin of his unwilling raiment, even the most heroic of Dien's flailings amounted to naught. Point-blank the cannon of Novakhron barked once, twice: the universe shuddering at each blow as the Dog of War sought finally to slaughter, rather than merely subdue.

Blast after blast severed vital components from the star-spanning god-horror, disfigured hearts wretchedly spasming as they fell in smoldering ruin from its colossal corpse. Yet even with his physical body rendered inoperable, the Surgeon struggled onwards. Here in the Astral realm, then the supernal, he hurled frantically at Hunger everything he had, everything that he was. All the ill-gotten gains of his galactic conquest now liquidated and turned into so much flaming detritus to be launched at his foe in some final futile act of defiance. Quelled by the sea of runes, Dien's actions lacked direction and vigor; a child in Novakhron could have sidestepped such strikes, were its armor insufficient to laughingly repel them.

Such waste.

Hunger sighed. "So this is all it amounts to in the end. Was it worth it, Surgeon? All those lives, and only for this feeble caricature of a last stand."

"They are not lost, Lord Hunger!" Dien Bravo rejoined. "Surrender your life to me, and I will restore each and every one, unharmed and free of all influence. I give you my word as a Hero - no innocents need to have died this day!"

"You know I won't do that," Hunger replied, landing a fist in what passed for Dien's sternum, tearing the god-body to strangle the spirit beneath. The Orc emitted a brief choking sound as his breath - his conceptual circulation - ruptured, and was seized.

"I... did not give you enough credit!" Dien managed, shaking his metaphorical head. "So ruthless a Tyrant, unconcerned with the well-being of his peoples - what are they but the implements of your puissance? And the speed of your ascent, to rival even my own, despite all the resources you lacked, and your shallow intelligence... magnificent! I can only regret that I did not embody a worthy enough challenger, in the end. And so this collection of realms plunges into night everlasting."

Hunger scoffed, and exerted himself to accelerate the others in his party. "You failed, Dien Bravo, because you thought of the world in the stark terms of Heroes and Tyrants alone. But the most terrifying opponent was always the power behind the throne. Not solely by my prowess did I grow to eclipse you. Behold the architect of your final destruction: the Sorceress Lady Nullity, bane of wonders, end of heroes and all glorious things."

Gisena appraised the situation quickly, and draped herself over Hunger's - Novakhron's - shoulder with a smug smile. "Oh, honey! You shouldn't have. I might actually blush!"

"Ahh," the Surgeon chuckled. "Indeed... Tyrants are not born, but made. And there was among you... a Maker worthy of the name. Only now, at the end... do I understand..."

Then, of course, came the bright desperate lance of Dien's true and final strike, feinting towards Novakhron's core but targeting Gisena herself. Through corridors of fate it hurled, heedless and howling, a malefic spear of eldritch design. It would strike not through mere traversal, but because it was destined to so land. Dien had spent mightily to overcome the monumental cage of Ruin, and was left utterly bare to Hunger's counterattack. Torn bodily in half, his upper and lower dimensions ripped asunder by the maw and limbs of Novakhron: mind from heart, essence from form, spirit from nature, Title from orc - yet Dien Bravo's was the resolve of a hero, and still his attack flew.

A pulse of Nullity expanded from the Sorceress, stultifying dullness before which Fate was nothing more than a daydream's frivolity: yet Dien Bravo's was the destiny of a hero, and still his attack flew.

A shield of threaded shadow emerged around the Sorceress, and focused Rank in steep battlements so dense as to be physically shining: yet Dien Bravo's was the strength of a hero, and still his attack flew.

Sheer stillness pervaded the world, freezing solid the spear and the very causal chain it inhabited, an inevitability forever delayed; yet Dien Bravo's was the cleverness of a hero, and somehow still his attack flew.

In that liminal, infinitesimal moment, with his own properties spent and overextended, Lord Hunger threw all might remaining into the Ring of Blood, and took a leap of faith.

For Chen Aobaru was the Hero Who Was Chosen, against which no imitation could stand. Kintsugi-forged with light-threads of gold fell the Shogun's Blade; and Dien Bravo, who lacked the nature of a hero, finally found his blow turned aside.

As if over-eager to prove his new loyalty, Aobaru launched instantly into an attack: an eyeblink onslaught of blade-strokes that reduced his rival Foremost to nothing more than wind and ash. He followed with a palm-strike that flared into blinding destruction, wedge of annihilating heat that rendered a quarter of the cosmos into flame. This was not butchery but an incineration; every aspect and particle blasted into irrecoverable nothingness, purified by unyielding disorder.

Fire flooded Dien's causal links: every trick, trap, plot and contingency burned into nothingness, the remnants of his actions unable to escape that wildfire blaze. Not even the fractional remnant of the Orc's Foremost Title survived that killing stroke, billowing away into the greater Astral like smoke from a funeral pyre.

It was an execution sudden and total, brutal and utterly uncompromising, as if the Shogun were paying final respects to the comrade and enemy that had accompanied them for eons untold. Against one such as you, I shall spare nothing.

Honor, of a sort, and one that Hunger felt Dien did not deserve. The scale of his atrocities was too stunningly vast, their depth too profound, for so glorious an ending.

"Forgive me," said that Shogun, who now lowered their palm. "It was how he had wanted to die, once upon a time."

"I'd hoped to capture him, and force him to reverse the wanton carnage of his crimes," Hunger frowned. "It appears you were aware of that, and yet acted anyway."

"I will accept whatever punishment you deem just," Aobaru stated. "My body moved without even thinking... but in the end, I believe it was right. Can our paths diverge, yet our loyalties remain the same?"

Hunger wasn't certain, especially as the restored Aobaru now seemed to integrate the Shogun more wholly. Or was this merely the culmination of a process that had been ongoing unseen? Perhaps it was simply his way of maintaining focus in the face of the fearsome emotions that the Complete Vigorflame stirred within him, passions easily visible to the bearer of the Ring Crimson.

"Whoa, what happened to you, Aobaru?!" said Letrizia, bewildered.

"He has awakened to his destiny," Aeira confidently intoned.

"He went through a rebellious period, and was beaten very nearly to death!" Gisena cheerfully deduced, shifting to cross her delicate ankles. "But don't worry, it was just a phase. After all, even a Shogun must find an Emperor to serve!"

"Yet a hero cannot live under a tyrant, no matter how well-intentioned," Hunger replied, looking intently Aobaru's way. "You would chafe under my restrictions, or simply defy me as you just did. Neither would lead to a peaceable end. If you are to be my lieutenant, it may be that you cannot remain a hero, and vice versa."

"I've thought about that," Aobaru said, "Yet there is still precedent for men and women of great ability to advance the interests of a capable and benevolent ruler. If the yoke of your tyranny is light, and the consequences positive, I can serve as a sort of wandering champion, pursuing our mutual interests even if outside of any formal command structure."

"I may permit it," Hunger mused. Exhausted as he was, still the Realm remained easily biddable. "Though we'd have to witness the consequences in action after we bring the Human Sphere to heel. In the interim, defeating you has substantially improved my command over the light, warmth, and positive aspects of the Realm. Adorie is already enjoying the benefits within, but I can manage an adequate projection without. After Dien I believe we all deserve a bit of a respite."

"The stick and the carrot, huh?" Aobaru grimaced. "Well, Heroes have to rest too."

"Take care that you do not yourself grow up to become a tyrant," Hunger cautioned. "After I am gone, this universe will likely be your responsibility."

"Yeah, I know," Aobaru answered cheekily. "Why do you think I'm putting up with you?"

"To ogle Gisena," Hunger replied dryly. "And, to survive. Live and grow strong, Chen Aobaru. The day will come when your sun also rises."

---

The conquest of the Human Sphere was little more than a formality; with his billion echoes and Novakhron at the ready, no province had the will, much less the ability, to contest his declaration of rule. Attramemnar defied him, of course, and was swiftly cut down, while Letrizia was elevated to Grand Duchess of the former Imperial territories - a role for which her fame, Rank and Element more than compensated for her relative lack of experience.

The remnants of Republic space began a slow process of painful reconstruction, as Gisena and the surviving Shards researched means to restore its once-teeming populace in body and spirit. And the Association, which had most vigorously opposed Hunger's rule, was brutally dismantled, its populace subject to iron restrictions on all scientific endeavors, that the recklessness of its laboratories never again endanger the greater universe.

As for Hunger himself, he reigned, though he had little involvement in the day-to-day affairs of state, with the breadth and power of his extended Rank more than sufficing to enforce his will across the great circumference of the Sphere. He spent much time in the pursuit of advancement in the Praxis, or in further experimentation with the Realm, constantly honing himself for the threat he knew was inevitably on the horizon. Months passed, and no threat materialized, so he tripled his efforts afterwards in preparation for the surely greater dangers to come. He began to neglect even those modest duties appropriate and exclusive to the foremost head of state.

Such a lax approach to rule, over a territory so enormous, surely would have lead to collapse, or at least dissent, without the plethora of powers at his disposal, and the reliable aid of his Companions. At the very least, his populace was assured that their Supreme Commander was doing all in his power to protect their lives, if not their rights or livelihoods.

Truth be told, the Human Sphere was almost too small to contain a ruler of his power and ambitions, and at times he felt like a behemoth in a wading pool, more constrained by his territories than succored by them. He regretted that this universe contained no worthy prey for his Decimator's Affliction, and that he was forced to employ the Realm to sate it, diminishing it by minuscule but permanent portion in the process.

One day Gisena sidled up to Hunger, while he held court in his extravagantly opulent and excessively immense antechamber, whose balustrades were the Pillars of Creation and ceiling, the night sky.

"What do you want," grunted Lord Hunger, President and King of the New Republic, Sovereign of the Imperium, Chairman and Chief Executive of the Associated Territories, Lord High Champion of Nilfel, Emperor of the Voyaging, Industrial and Epistolary Realms and Supreme Commander of Mankind.

"Merely to comfort and abet you, my darling and dutiful King!" Gisena exclaimed happily, eyes lidded as she moulded herself against his side. Only the Princess-Regent and Lady High Administrator of his territories was allowed to be so familiar, and only by virtue of the workload that she voluntarily shouldered.

"Such nonsense," He scoffed, but dismissed the rest of the court.

"Great! Now that we have some privacy..." Gisena slid out of her jeweled heels, propping her feet upon the arch-lazulite throne in order to snuggle closer. Her voice dropped to an innocuous whisper. "It's been quiet for too long. But, I believe interesting times are coming again! Rumor has it that something's cropped up in the Epistolary Realm, a walking blot of disinformation that resists all forms of remote viewing... I dispatched a full legion of your echoes to investigate, but none so far have returned!"

"Nine months," Hunger rumbled, his fingers tensing upon the guard of his downthrust Blade. "And all the time we've spent in the Realm besides. A true test is coming. Good. I will regret anticipating it; but I was almost starting to get bored."

---

Hunger has acquired [X] Gilded Cage, [X] Fault-Defeating Stance and [X] Imprisoner's Refinement: Flood of Runes from his battles with Aobaru and then Dien, and trained extensively in the interim besides! Hopefully it will be enough to overcome this new escalation, this wandering foe that manifests apparently as a wound in the world...

Hunger also has additional Echoes appropriate to nine trips in the Realm of Evening, plus all the stats from Gilded Cage.

Choose one additional Imprisoner's Refinement target:

[ ] Refinement of Battle: The Best Defense - Increases the offensive multiplier by 70%, but reduces the defensive by 30%. Advantageous for Hunger who possesses the Power of Ruin.

[ ] Refinement of Quickness: Always Forward - Reduces ISH elevation by 30% outside of combat or when fully retreating from conflict, but steadily ramps elevation by up to 2x if necessary to match an opponent still quicker than the Refinement-boosted practitioner.

[ ] Refinement of War: The Iron Fist - Causes the technique to become permanently active, at the cost of a permanent 90% investment of the character's present and future Praxis Endurance, and one half-stage reduction of his mitigation of the Tyrant's Doom. This may cause behavioral changes beyond that of an unmitigated Doom.

Choose Hunger's Soul Evocation focus:

[ ] The Imprisoner True - The domains of Space and Law hold a special affinity for Hunger, and with their combined powers he has accessed many of the grandest applications of the Seven Seals, alongside universe-spanning control over distance, direction, location, and size. It is child's play for Hunger to reflexively reflect the attacks of his enemies, turn them inside-out, trap them within an infinite oubliette or shrink them to the size of a gluon. Creating pocket dimensions, bestriding the various Realms, harnessing resources from every corner of the universe seen and unseen - and applying his universal dominion throughout. Naturally, the space around Hunger's own person, his place of uttermost power, has become a sanctum nigh-unassailable whose very metaphysics exalt his every effort and oppress those of his enemies. Has great synergy with Adorie, who derives sympathetic potency from her mythic role as the Princess in the Tower. ++Adorie.

[ ] The Tree of Liberty - Having been watered with blood aplenty, must now begin the process of healing. Hunger will focus his efforts on the domains of Life and Spirit, allowing him to fully restore the population of the Republic as well as infuse himself with illimitable might and vigor. Conceptual, adaptive, permanently empowering regeneration of the body and soul that makes even the Ring of Blood look laughable; modification and augmentation of the populace to apply Advanced Sublime Fulcrum templates without cost; elevation of existing Armaments to Novakhron's level; replicating and exceeding Dien's array of effects, and more. +Popularity, ++Echo Potency, +Letrizia. Upgrading Versch would give more +Letrizia but restoring the Republic cancels that.

[ ] The Master of Myths - Focus on broad-spectrum control over reality by improving the domains of Magic and Essence directly. Alongside a comprehensive suite of metamagic effects allowing him to heighten, co-opt, modify or nullify the magics of himself and others, Hunger will also be able to generally empower his other spells to reach a serviceable level of versatility in any Domain. Of course his efficacy in any Domain besides metamagic will be pathetic compared to the focused options here, but nonetheless overwhelming compared to a normal archmage. Also greatly strengthens the Power of Ruin. Synergizes well with the all-domain skill bonus granted by Gisena, and complements Gisena's abilities and identity in general. ++Gisena.

[ ] The Unending Hunger - A Cursebearer has one primary task: the mitigation of his shouldered burdens. Use the domains of Union and Artifice to manifest an even more outrageous version of I'll Form The Head; fusing with Gisena, Verschlengorge, the Forebear's Blade and an upgraded Novakhron to temporarily become a being capable of achieving an additional half-stage of Mitigation to all standard Curses, and an additional quarter-stage to the Apocryphal Curse. This combination of domains also grants the 'Compression' portion of Signature Compression Schema for free, allowing Novakhron to be used as human-sized armor, though without granting it enhanced Attributes in its full-sized incarnation. Hunger may optionally fuse Verschlengorge with Novakhron permanently to gain an even more powerful Implement. +1 Accursed Favor.

---

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