Day of Independence
The Marshal slain, Hunger pressed his blade against the dull blue surface of the Inner Ring itself. The substance of the barrier was heavy but ductile, like hyperdense rubber, and resisted the force of his cut, even regrowing parts sheared away. With one leg he anchored himself against the dome and began to saw away in earnest, the blue of his blade-edge and the power of Ruin slowly eroding its resistance.
Where the unveiled Inner Ring met the outside world, a howling torrent of air rushed free, heat and fury as to hurl a normal man from the opening entirely.
With his superhuman constitution Hunger was barely bothered. It did not appear to be a specific defense mechanism, merely the property of some disequilibrium between the Inner and Middle Rings.
At last a man-sized passage was carved open, and he quickly leapt through, the wound in the barrier sealing shut behind him. Inside it was day, the sky within nearly the opposite of the star-shrouded night he had walked in under. Hunger blinked away the glare of their false sun and took in his surroundings. This was a vast and orderly space, countless rows of precision-crafted towers marching to the horizon, their walls inset with runes, interiors aglow with faint blue light. Shops and residences, offices and farms, all were contained within the neatly-arranged structure of this city-spanning grid.
He took off, moving at a pace invisible to the human eye, headed directly for the Temple's center. The power of his Ring had absorbed some measure of the old marshal's fearsome grit, amplifying the force of Hunger's presence alongside the power of his form. The bow-wave of his commands left the common citizens thunderstruck, helpless but to answer his questions despite the obvious intent.
It became clear that the Immortals maintained at least a half-strength guard of the "Treasure" at all times. If they were each substantially above the Marshal he'd slain, then a direct assault would be unfeasible. However, Inner Ring society as a whole was in disarray following the Call's cessation - star-forges across the Temple had to be re-calibrated by a small army of engineers, while investigators dashed frantically about, futily attempting to ascertain the cause behind their "Treasure's" drastic shift in attitude. As for the military forces the Inner Temple, who were divided unequally among the Noble Houses, many were halfway to each other's throats among the chaos and uncertainty. It was every House for itself until the dust settled, but Hunger's arrival presaged a storm.
He moved to harvest what power he could from worthy opponents before he challenged the Immortals. Perhaps along the way he would find some allies of opportunity by exploiting the fault lines in their society; surely there were factions disgruntled by the absolute rule of the current leadership?
Ideally he could defeat the Immortals in detail while half were still scattered, then bait the Ring's remaining guardians into splitting their forces before he executed the decisive strike. Gisena's presence would be critical in suppressing the presumably mighty Soul Evocations of the Immortals themselves, so he had several hours still to ply his deadly trade.
The Houses of the Nobility were obvious to the naked eye, each an artistic masterpiece, frequently of towering scale, their grandeur unbound by the strict orderly lines that contained the common folk. Opulent gardens, personal lakes, or even snow-dusted cliffs surrounded their sprawling estates, within which sheltered mighty families with Marshals and High Marshals in their collective employ. Presented with such obvious targets, Hunger could not help but feast. Before he attacked he offered his terms: submit to his dominion and accept the Imprisoned Ring's departure, or be destroyed.
To his surprise, a few marginalized Houses - including one of substantial influence - actually agreed to raise the banner of rebellion alongside him. The others he put to the sword; surrendering civilians spared and remanded to the custody of his allies. Things went swimmingly, Hunger himself constantly one step ahead of the Inner Temple's Marshals; he reaped a healthy bounty from House security forces and counter-ambushed the Marshals when he was finished. Unfortunately the Immortals had some swifter form of communication and withdrew quickly from the outlying estates, concentrated within the Innermost Temple where they could not be picked off piecemeal.
Larissa Alynne was by far the most influential of the nobles that now sheltered under his banner; her House was primarily motivated by their hatred of the current ruling faction, but she herself had taken to the cause with nearly unseemly valor.
Among mortals she might have been considered beautiful, with rich black locks framing a heart-shaped face, but even her striking eyes of emerald green seemed utterly pedestrian compared to Gisena's own. Longtime exposure to the Sorceress' superhuman beauty had utterly inured him against the mundane.
Undeterred, Larissa pressed against him as they surveyed a map of the situation, her eyes wide and doting.
Hunger grimaced. This particular noblewoman had been won over by his superhuman presence; her assistance was invaluable, but her advances unfortunate. It gave him no pleasure to take advantage of an unrequited infatuation for logistical aid, especially when he'd lectured Letrizia for similar acts in the Sovereignty. Still, the lives of over nine million relative innocents were on the line. He knew well that the the Imprisoned Ring cared not one whit for the welfare of its torturers, but Hunger the man could hardly allow those merely born into this society to die preventable deaths.
"When I remove the Ring, the Dimensional Rift that contains the Inner Temple will destabilize," he said gruffly, detaching his arm from Larissa's grasp. "Before that happens, your forces need to evacuate as many of the civilians as is practical. We have a few hours still before my allies get here. That should be more than enough time for your mightier Soul Evokers to open the way. Organize a steady but efficient evacuation leveraging the superhuman abilities of your troops, and we should be able to extract the vast majority of non-combatants before hostilities begin."
"Of course, dear, it's well within the power of my House," Larissa said, batting her eyelashes at him. "But I'm more concerned for your personal safety! Those tedious Immortals could gang up on you while my personal Marshals are deployed afield."
"Unlikely," he shook his head. "They don't have a good grasp of my capabilities and overall power, knowing only that I've slain every foe presented so far. If they move out in force, it's possible I could evade their net and strike at the Ring directly. Thus they must maintain the majority of their strength at the Ring itself. From what you've told me, many of the Immortals dislike one another. None will be eager to volunteer for an expeditionary force against an enemy of unknown strength - not while their rivals stay behind in relative safety."
"Hm..." Larissa pursed her lips. "You truly are a masterful strategist, my lord. Now more than ever I believe our victory is inevitable! If you'd like to draw out a fraction of their forces, however, I have a suggestion. You'd do well to strike at what they care most."
She laid a ruby-painted fingernail against one spot on the map. "House Verachen. Home to the extended families of two Immortals. There's not enough space in the Innermost Temple for their clans to accompany them. We could seize their precious grandchildren and great-grandchildren and hold them hostage to provoke a response."
He closed his eyes. On the one hand, emotional anguish of this magnitude was trivial compared to the aeons-long hollowing that the Imprisoned Ring had been subjected to. Were it absolutely necessary, perhaps he might consider a bluff in that vein, but to actually carry out such a sentence was abhorrent. The Tyrant at times had forced him into such compromises, but the power of Progression had allowed him to rise above measures like that.
There were those who said that power corrupted. They were not wrong, but the obverse face of that saying simply went unobserved: sufficient power, impunity, could also prevent corruption. Strength enough not to rely on unsavory means was the freedom to do 'that which feels right' instead of always 'that which was optimal.'
"That won't be necessary," he finally replied. "We'll take the Inner Ring in its entirety and encircle them conventionally. If they try to break out, the forces guarding the Ring will be depleted. Continue the evacuation. Once my companions arrive, we'll mount a direct assault with the entirety of your forces as well as all our allied Houses."
"As you wish, my lord," Larissa demurred, lowering her eyes. "Your heart is truly too noble for such tactics. I feel embarrassed even to have suggested them; it was a slight against your power. Forgive me my overzealous support. I wish only for you to prevail, regardless of the cost!"
Hunger cleared his throat. "Fine. Keep in mind that I won't countenance such means going forward. How goes the diplomatic front? Have our overtures to the reluctant Houses landed at all?"
"Very much so, my lord!" Larissa said happily. "You needn't worry, I'll keep those foul harridans and dirty old men far from your august presence. After witnessing your power, more and more are beginning to fall in line. They understand that times are changing and that the nobility must change with them. At this point only the Core Houses are still recalcitrant. We're unlikely break them until the Immortals fall. Worry not, our allied forces will be more than sufficient the evacuate the great majority of the Inner Ring before sundown - or sunrise, I suppose, in the world Outside. I'm ever so excited to witness it with you!"
"Survival is one matter. But those who would accompany me must earn their place."
"Oh, of course! House Alynne will do its utmost to be deserving of that honor!"
---
[X] Larissa + Weapon-Defeating Stance has won.
With Alynne's assistance, civilians should be mostly evacuated by the time Gisena arrives. In that event, what will be the offensive strategy?
[ ] Scorched Earth - The Ultimate Emanation of a High Sorceress represents a power of Nullity far beyond even what Gisena demonstrated against the Groundskeeper. By shrouding himself in a comprehensive shell of Edeldross, Hunger can retain the majority of his powers in the wake of such an attack, though the Evening Sky will likely be fully depleted as well. Still, his enemies will likely be in no state to resist him for a few crucial instants, allowing him to cut down a substantial fraction of their number while they are relegated to mortality. Whether it will be enough to rescue the Ring is another matter.
[+1 Arete]
*A highly effective strategy; all you need to do is get Gisena safely into position while Hunger is shielded, Aeira can very much assist with the former.
*There may be Immortals with non-supernatural speed and strength, though it seems unlikely that such would be remotely capable of matching Hunger's magical augmentations.
*Of greater concern is those Immortals who might possess some level of defense against the Nullity itself, though they will likely experience at least a partial severing of their capabilities given Gisena's new power.
*Knocks Gisena unconscious and weakens her for several days following. Could be risky in the medium-term with the Apocryphal Curse spinning up again.
*Accelerates the rate of dimensional collapse. May further weaken the Imprisoned Ring, setting back the potential benefits it can grant its Ringbearer.
[ ] Full Frontal - A conventional frontal attack with Hunger, Gisena, and the allied forces. A challenging fight to be certain, though a clean victory here means an uncomplicated aftermath with a liberated Ring. Hunger will focus their combined efforts on the weakest Immortal first and try to slay his way up the ladder, while allied forces attempt to distract the Immortals and prevent them from bringing their combined might to bear against Hunger himself. Given that they are encircled and pinned to the Ring's location, this is more practical than it would usually be; even a Marshal can seize a wholly unguarded Ring.
[+1 pick]
*A decently effective strategy, though with lower win% than Scorched Earth
*Even if defeated, death is not always the outcome. Retreat is possible given your control of the territory.
*Face your enemies head-on and overcome them with the sheer might of your Cut and the broken power of Nullity.
*If successful, prepares you well for the Apocryphal Curse.
[ ] A Thousand Cuts - A Ring of Power is nigh-indestructible. All the infrastructure around it, and its guardians themselves - not so. Bleed them by darting into range, hurling a full-strength blade wind into the Innermost Temple, then swiftly darting out of range. From your intelligence reports, the number of Immortals capable of countering this strategy can be numbered on the fingers of a single hand, whereas you can attack from any angle. Slowly whittle down their fortifications while consolidating power in the meantime. You'll have plenty of downtime to work on developing additional pseudo-Graces to increase your power, and if they actually sally then their forces will be divided and can be defeated piecemeal.
[-2 Arete]
*Very high native chance of success, but...
*Very slow. May verge into Apocryphal Curse reactivation territory, which can complicate matters.
*Arete penalty for taking unnecessarily long to rescue the Imprisoned Ring
*May get the chance to develop a pseudo-Grace or work on Praxis in downtime.
*Slow pace means all civilians can be evacuated without fuss, though food supplies and general discontent may become an issue.
*Possibility of forcing the enemies to surrender, allowing for a diplomatic solution.
---
Happy Independence Day to my questers from the States!
A huge thanks to all my
subscribers on Patreon! The amount of support these past days has been absolutely stunning! Subscribers receive access to patron-exclusive content, including early updates, Blurb Library, Discord roles, and bonus chapters.
Tomorrow night, there will be a bonus chapter exclusive only to current patrons. This is a special bonus for early-bird subscribers and won't be available those who sign up after it's been sent.
If you'd like to discuss the quest in real-time or just chat with the questers, you're welcome to join
the Discord! We encourage all substantive posts still to be made in the thread.
