When choosing how to fish, its very important to tell how you got there in the first place.
Eve of Devestation reaction - 1308 words
Well, we didn't
have to be at the Eve of something so terrible. We really didn't. This is our own fault.
"Never better," he said tightly.
Actually, considering how taciturn Hunger normally is about inconvenience and how the mad man is willing to actually just straight up die and turn into a ghost for training purposes, I'm now increasingly sure if we said 'give me a moment' Gisena would have gone straight into full worry mode. Even Fine might have been enough to indicate to the kids we were in soul shredding pain with fragments of psyche spearing through our bone marrow.
Like a wildly bucking stallion the power stabilized slowly under him, raw might and tumult as to bend the world like a refracting lens. If his prior Rank were a stone hurled into the Astral, now his power more resembled a mountainside, the waves of its entry fit to drown the unwary.
Bless you, logarithmic scaling combined with boosts that are external to that scaling. Just a little more and we'll have our very own Shroud, and that's where the fun really begins!
He clamped down upon the vast majority of that power, but what comparative trickle still emerged now sufficed to nearly blast his companions from the earth. This was might only a few levels removed from that of a fully-healed Armament; power enough, in time, to unseat entire worlds from the celestial orrery, to pluck free the stars and send them screaming downwards into the cradle of the firmament.
Honestly though this is a lot of power even now. Assuming that this isn't flowery language, and Rihaku's prose is often amazingly literal despite the vast vistas of power it talks about, I wasn't expecting us to be able to kill stars for a long long time even if its the work of a a sustained effort over a while.
Gisena shielded the kids from his barely-constrained emanation, though he could see that the effort taxed her mightily, streaks of blood visible upon her crossed arms.
Huh, is this the first time we've seen Pressure actually cause injury instead of just pin someone down?
I mean presumably it could have just crushed a lower Ranked person long before that but you know what I mean, streaks of blood doesn't normally come from a crushing force. Whirlwinds capable of causing them is a shift in the paradigm of what Rank has been expressed by us so far.
"What happened?" Letrizia asked, her own Pressure flaring and swirling in response to the monumental force of his outburst. The ground around her had been shredded, long strips of stone abraded away by the incidental force of that Astral storm.
And of course Liz is the first one recovered from the onslaught simply due to the nature of SharpBright. I'm glad we got it for her.
"I received a vision from the life of the man who first wielded this sword," Hunger finally said. He told them what he'd surmised of the Forebear's story, how the predecessor had carved out what semblance of a life he could while subject to the horrors of his endlessly grinding Procession.
Really the much much bigger news here is simply
"I tried to proc what is normally a mid battle power up early so I could have it during the whole fight for once. This is what happened."
That's prime Chosen One teaching material right there!
"That's brutal." Aobaru shook his head. "I hope my Chosen One position doesn't come with a clause like that!"
The observation that Aobaru's Chosen One job starts and ends within a single Realm brings up a fun idea that sadly Geas rules out. Namely that there's a certain set of conditions that Hunger could fulfill and he'd be teleported back to Earth as a job well done reward, loooooong after such a thing would be helpful.
Still would like to see Hunger on Earth just for the novelty though.
"That would be a bit rough for just a theme park manager," Aeira smiled reassuringly.
You'd think so, but at the rate they're pumping out Jurassic Park movies it would not be too much of a surprise to hear Jurassic World Five's plot about alternative dimension dinos given the consistency so far.
Gisena hmmed. "How reassuring. If strength such as this is yours to bear, then we needn't worry about the outside world at all. But, I'll have to work extra-hard to keep up with you!"
The easier joke to make here is about Renaissance Woman, but better one to make is how this is clearly an indication we should get Pillars so we can worry less about the outside world.
"I'm confident in my ability to handle anything short of a fully-powered Armament," Hunger agreed. "Letrizia, do you know if the denizens of the Voyaging Realm are capable of challenging such?"
"Well, this deep in it may be possible," she admitted, "But they should be pretty rare. Sovereign-level Astrals are very uncommon and can't even reside in the physical plane for long. If the Foremost built this place then, there is a possibility, but you should be stronger than almost everything. Which is crazy considering it's barely been a month!"
It's very very amusing to me to that Aeria's and Aobaru's contracts are in monthly payment terms. So naive, those two.
"I have to expect my rapid pace of power growth will slow," Hunger mused. "If we can't find challenging opposition, the power of the Crimson to accelerate my advancement will stall, and I've dredged up every ounce of the Forebear's power I can presently withstand."
Sounds like Hunger is asking the player base directly for a way to have an endless parade of appropriate scaled challenges, ideally ones with stakes that aren't so morally frought.
Pillars solves so many ills, it seems. We should be only a few days from the proc as well.
"Speaking of the Forebear, can we go back to the guy's life for a second?" Aobaru asked. "From the sound of it, he was absolutely nuts..." he shook his head. "Incredibly strong, sure, and cognizant of how he needed to act in order to succeed in that situation, but the cost to his humanity - it's staggering! He did what he thought was necessary, but wouldn't the outcome have been much better if he hadn't provoked the Ur-Mother so aggressively? Ultimately he was unable to save all the other universes under her control."
I hold the same opinion here as I did with the Archer who shot at us while we were surrounded by civilians, who only tried to bargain after being delimbed.
Diplomacy attempts that come only after you attempt to murder the other party and find that you can't are the worst kind of diplomatic hypocrisy. Hunger asks for the surrender of a ton of people before initiating or retaliating! Same thing with the Pirate, only thought to parley after his attempt to murder us didn't work and he thought he might
lose that coward.
"She had the power to liquidate them at any time," Hunger shrugged. "And the domain of speech was her strength as the domain of battle was the Forebear's. Mere conversation was sufficient to trap him in her net of causality. Who knows what she could have accomplished with more opportunity to speak?"
Also that, sure.
"I'm not sure," Aobaru admitted, "But to simply push forward without hesitation in that kind of scenario, with that many lives on the line... I'm not sure I'd have what it takes to ever do that. And I don't know if I want to become the kind of person who even could."
Oh Aobaru. Given how many lives we're balancing without even the littlest bit of formal responsibility over them, it's only a matter of time. Jeez, we're balancing more lives on this Fish vote than exist in the entire Elixir Kingdom, and we didn't even know about that risk until like ten minutes ago!
"We can only hope that we're not ever forced into that kind of situation," Letrizia said. "He did what he had to, even if he went a little overboard. What more is there to say?"
"We can do more than hope," Aeira said, with unusual passion. "That is what preparation, foresight and wisdom are for! If such a situation is created or avoided, more often than not it will be as a result of the sum total actions we have taken up to that point, summary reflection of our ability to navigate the world!"
Aww, Aeria's feeling strongly about this. I like this mindset honestly, glad that we didn't use her as Liz's ablative armor.
"Well said," Hunger nodded. "Many things are outside our control, but if you never go looking for the strings, you have no hope of finding the puppet-masters. Still, it's a matter of how much energy we devote to this task above others. You're quite dedicated to preparation and organization, Aeira. Even though your martial skills are impressive, you might be best served as a businesswoman or command administrator, rather than an operative."
Argh, rubbing salt in the wounds huh RIhaku!? Business Aeria and hypothetical three piece shadow suits died for our sins!
"Um, thank you," Aeira blushed. "My mother often said the same thing, but my passion is for field work. The world of power structures and organizations is much less dynamic, often to the point that no amount of preparation can overcome entrenched traditions."
And look at this realistic observation, such a good eye. She could have been Hunger's business manager atop the Human Sphere, alas.
"No matter the battlefield," Hunger said, "sometimes you just have to cut through."
People who do that get fines mate, Cutting Through OSHA is probably not a great idea!
The Forebear had been shaped by his inescapable Procession which was crucible as much as a prison. Hunger's situation was not so dire as of yet, though the Apocryphal Curse portended worse if he allowed it free reign. Still, if the Forebear had the opportunity, would he have pursued the joys of life as wholeheartedly as he'd prepared for its travails? And why had the Blade sprung so easily to Hunger's hand, who himself seemed not quite the Forebear's match in unrelenting will?
Maybe the Forebear's blade wanted to be with someone who there Forebear wanted to be, not who he was or had to be. That incredible amounts of will is what Forebear needed to survive doesn't mean he wouldn't wish for other things while Cutting Through.
He shook his head. Perhaps it was simple folly to compare himself to someone so much further advanced upon their respective path. Who knew what Hunger's state would be after 1,050 Geas tasks? The Forebear's prowess and resolve were examples to be aspired to, but Hunger, having taken the name of his Ring, could hardly be defined only by his Blade.
He says, ignoring Evening Sky in the analogy.
"I don't fully disagree with you," Gisena said lightly, turning to Aobaru. "But time is of the essence to keep the Decimation at bay. There will be plenty of chances to philosophize after we've solved Hunger and Adorie's immediate problems!"
Gisena's way of saying that there are externalities that prevent her from giving the support she wants in exchange for giving the support she feels she needs to, more or less. Wonder how the Gisena Ring might end up, eons and eons from now...
"How generous of you," Hunger remarked. "What happened to crushing rival Princesses under your heel?"
"The first step is to place her in my debt, of course!"
Even Further Beyond flashbacks here, though it's not like this was just the start.
"Nefarious. I'll be sure to inform Adorie of your schemes. Abusing the trust of such a valued diplomatic ally."
"It'd simply be too easy otherwise. And it's all the more debilitating when she knows it's coming!"
"Ahem," Aobaru coughed. "What was that about time being of the essence?"
"Their flirting takes precedence over everything else," Letrizia said morosely. "You'll get used to it."
Gisena and Hunger's flirting is one thing, but my true enjoyment derives from Liz and the kids awkwardly putzing around while waiting for things to move on.
"Aww, Zea!" Gisena hugged the girl energetically. "You know me so well. I almost can't bear to return our cute Duchess back to the principality from which she hails!"
"I-it's not like I've been complaining about time, is it? We're still well ahead of schedule!"
In matters of war, if you're simply on time then you're often late you know? Best to get the jump on things.
---
Blade, Mantle and Tears. Equipped with their threefold investiture of power, Hunger sought out a target to sate his Decimation. Consuming the Tower with the Evening Sky had done nothing for his Curse; he had scarce days before the hour of its resurgence was finally due.
Employing his newly-increased Rank, he brute-force regenerated those of Verschlengorge's damaged organs he could, and enhanced the attributes of Adorie's personal guard with the Ring of Blood. Aobaru, Letrizia and Aeira would stay behind in Nilfel, ensconced deep within the lines of Adorie's Royalist Legions, while he and Gisena would deal with the matter of the Decimation as swiftly as possible before returning to prosecute the campaign against the Lord Protector. Until then, all they had to do was stay alive. The disappearance of the Opalescent Tower had surely already been noticed, and it would be folly to assume the Lord Protector was not already moving against them.
While this gives Lord Protector time to get ready, and he almost assuredly has the relevant scrying tools, there's something amusing to me about the idea of trying to do a normal wizard fight and only then noticing the multi story tall bio mecha on the scene as it chomps down on a summon.
With Aobaru nearly doubling the strength, speed and resilience of each of Adorie's soldiers, and Aeira cloaking her operatives, the Princess of Nilfel assured them that her enhanced legions would suffice to hold off the Lord Protector for at least a day or two. Not the broadest window of action, but it was what they had.
And how horrifying is that, that doubling and boosting and rank upping and all statting these folks buys just a day?
But the real target is us and the Lord Protector knows it. I wouldn't be surprised if the pressure on the kids was just a feint while they prepped to actually kill us, since they can figure just from literary tropes that if we fall the whole thing comes apart and we have the best shot at killing him.
Hunger selected the first target to appear on the Decimation Lens, a monstrous beast of blue that registered as a blot on the Artifact's interface.
"For it to be that size at such a distance, the creature must be huge," Gisena observed. "Several orders of magnitude larger than the Rotbeast, even! Are you truly prepared for this, Hunger?"
Honestly, at this point, what's the point of trying to pilot the thing? We couldn't take it anywhere!
...deep space aside I guess.
He closed his eyes meditatively. "My strength now vastly exceeds even the Tyrant of my previous world. If this Blade's former wielder truly was his Forebear, no matter how far removed, then the power of his lineage has waned enormously. Yes, we'll pursue this one. A monster of that size could cause cataclysmic destruction."
Styling on the Tyrant from beyond worlds, oh how far Hunger has come.
"How cute! I thought you were done being a hero?"
"I've got to get back into it if I'm to teach Aobaru. What about you, Sorceress? No one's paying you to come with me."
Man, banter aside is there even a single moment where Hunger was done being a hero? He slammed into the Temple Civ for it basically.
She grabbed his arm in hers. "Could a girl abandon you after all we've been through? And you gave me this wonderful Ring!"
He focused, and the Cloak of Sky expanded around them, as vast and all-pervading as the heavens overhead. And just as all the Voyaging Realm resided under that same Sky, so could its master claim every inch as his dominion.
The Mantle of Evening enfolded them completely, and when it receded they stood on a beach, the Cloak falling limply around his shoulders once more. Its power of transportation was dissipated for now, but would return with the next fall of evening.
Still not sure if casting time shennanigans means that it's always 24 hours or can be brought down if cast right before things roll over to the next day.
"Going fishing again?" Gisena teased, working her toes into the sand. She looked out towards the waters, face scrunching cutely in curiosity. The dusk sky above was peach-pink and violet, but as it arched downwards to the ocean it was truncated by a towering wall of blue. "Such a deep blue horizon. Unusual for this time of day..."
"That's no horizon," Hunger said, tightening his grip on the Blade. "That's a fish."
I'm unsure whether or not to add this to Hunger's "Memes more important than my identity" folder, since it isn't that out there as a normal turn of phrase.
Gisena tilted her head, eyes now emerald as she examined their quarry. "Mystically, it almost resembles an Armament in nature, though much less refined. Some form of Foremost technology. Be careful, hun!"
"Have we ever won a fight by being careful?" Hunger smiled. "We've simply got to kill it before it kills us. The only way out is through."
Technically speaking yes! Most fights Hunger wins by volume are done against opponents Hunger has no chance of losing against, they're just off screen as Hunger sprints towards relevant fights.
There were realms and circumstances where the lessons of the Forebear were wholly inapplicable, but this was not one of them. This was merely a monstrosity of unimaginable scale, epochal distillation of the very labors the Forebear had honed himself to address.
Cut through. Even if it could not be cut. But the physical force was no more the Cut, than the mere act of piety was its sought-after grace.
Basically the perfect time to have picked Never Better I suppose, because nothing here is wrong about the situation.
The Forebear had cut so deep that he'd awakened to the principles of the Praxis in his art of the sword. Only by drawing upon the same could Hunger hope to slay a monster of this size before it obliterated him. This was no Rotbeast or Tiller Wurm, where he would be free to rampage around the innards of the monster with impunity; if it was Foremost technology as Gisena suspected, he had to expect the same unnatural speed as Verschlengorge itself, speed elevated by Rank to levels forthrightly impossible for its size.
I'd make a 'shoot a fish in a barrel' joke but I'm unsure how to properly twist it so that 'this fish probably has guns to shot out of the barrel' comes across in order to reverse the meaning of the joke.
But regardless, it's time to go fishing once more!
