Chapter 12-6 Arrangements
You know whats the sign of a real Necrojack, Avo? Using someone to solve the problems they created.
Look at the dive we just did. Were we richer than the Instrument? No. Not even close. Were we smarter? Id also say not enough for it to matter. But we knew all his habits and flaws, and he wasnt even aware we were there.
How much did we need to modify his memories for him to do what we wanted?
Not at all. Right.
Being a Necrojack isnt all resequencing minds and subverting wards. Its about mastering perspectives and understanding the nature of another persons consciousness. Its why if you were to try and hurt me, I would be in severe danger despite the gap in our skills. We share history. We shared thoughts. There was a bridge of understanding to exploit.
Metaphors dont do the art justice, Avo. Theres nothing like diving into the Nether. Its more than an ocean. Its more than a dream.
Its like the source from which choice flows.
And if you can make someone else think whatever you want them to think or do what you want them to do, then I dont think theres a single power across the all there ever was that can stop you.
-Walton,Low Master
12-6
Arrangements
We think the others did the killings. The other Low Masters, I mean. Denton slowed her words, as her eyes swung like a pendulum between Avo and Draus. There was an anticipation to her posture, as if expecting things to turn violent, or something to sour in her guests.
Instead, both ghoul and Regular mirrored an equal tension in their postures, and then contemplation consumed them.
Cas eyed Denton from the side as he shuffled uncomfortably. Well, if were gonna tell them that, we should also tell them the other stuff. You know. Like how most the Column was against this? How Aegis just wanted to kill the ghoul and retrieve the Frame? How the original candidate for the Frame is still aliveFredritchs gonna be pissed when he finds out his Frame went to a ghoul.
The name spurred a month-old memory within Avo. Somehow, he doubted the depths of Fredritchs ire considering one of Waltons lingering engrams directed him to contact the man.
Once you get to the Easy Armistice, talk to Fredritch Three-Eye and tell him that you're with the Ninth Column, and that the dream is broken. Hell give you an engram containinganother itinerant of me.
Avo replayed his fathers words using his Meta and found held himself to silence. Walton was still weaving schemes around Ninth Column even long after his death. It took skill to compromise an organization so secretive, but it took staggering foresight and skill to turn a probable rival into an asset.
+Draus,+ Avo said, feeding her the memory of Waltons words. +Need you to try and make contact with Fredritch. Will be suspicious if I ask.+
Her mind gave an affirmative note but trailed off into a bitter apprehension. +You didnt know nothin about him+
+No,+ Avo said. The sourness of his admission bothered him as well. +Beginning to understand I dont know much about my father at all.+
+Shit. Makes you sound almost human.+
Its partially why we didnt approach you earlier. Instead utilizing an intermediary. Denton altered her phantoms and a visual representation of Green River came into shape. The Glaives eye twitched. Of course, we now know that she was compromised as well.
Beginning to see a theme here, right? Cas added. Another point to shit our pants about: Him infiltrating the Deep Bazaar. Word gets out about that and the entire Deep Nether network is going to self-mutilate. Well have to go back to using couriers in the Underhive for shit.
Do you know why I woke up in the Maw? Avo asked. For all the successes Walton had at subterfuge, something seemed to have fundamentally gone astray during the grafting process. If there was a plan that necessitated Avo to resurrect a dismembered, discombobulated, organ-harvested, one-week-amnesic husk of a ghoul with a blank-slate Metamind, he couldnt conceive it.
Draus spat over the terrace of their pagoda as she added her own question to the pile. Yeah. Was the ghoul gettin sold to the right Crucible at the right time to run into me by design as well? To Mirrorhead?
Chambers, unwilling to be left out, nodded along, glaring at the opposition.
Beside him, Essus looked too lost and tired to fully grasp the details of the discussion at all.
Unlikely, Denton answered. From what we could gather, your fathers nodes were trying to graft the Heaven to you while moving around on a barge in the Maw. But something went wrong along the way. We found pieces from the barge before the ship could entirely dissolve, but neither you nor the Frame were located in the estimated impact area.
We were talking about hiring scavengers to dig around some more before you went loud in Burners Way, Cas said.
Draus shot Avo a look. +Told you folk would be watching.+
In turn, he shifted his own glare over to Chambers. Wasnt much of a choice.
Yeah, Chambers said, agreeing with Avo while being deliberately obtuse to the obvious implication. How the hells were any of us supposed to know the Scalpers would be there? Wouldve taken anyone by surprise.
Regardless, while we were deliberating on your loyalties and observing your actions, other matters continued to develop. Denton waved a hand over her map of profiles and from it she drew out casefile. This one was another project called Dichotomy. Not all of Project Godshaper went into the creation of the Stillborn. Highflame applied their new knowledge and what was left of the Imitators to restart something called Project Dichotomy on their own without Voidwatch support.
And then, for no related reasons at all, a dozen or so Ruptures opened up across the city, Cas said. Wouldnt that big of a problem if they werent all somehow and omnipresently connected to a single Fallen Heaven. Like all the Ruptures are the same Rupture. And so the Rash continues to breach quarantine over and over and over. But only in Massist territory so far. Curious, right?
Yeah, Draus said. Curious. But whats it to us? Think Highflames gonna use whatever theyve got from Kaes research to do what? Blow open the skies over the Silvers or some shit.
A worrying pause came as a riposte from both the Columners.
Sunrise hummed in their stead. We do not suspect all of Guild Highflame to be a party to such a plan. Just some among the faction known as the Chivalrics.
Draus closed her eyes as a low sigh hissed out from her nostrils. Of fuckin course it's them. Whats this shit? Some kind of half-strand, a first-strike or final-spite idea if they go down to force another war?
Cas scoffed. Yeah. Something like that. Look. Zeins whole path-based frame job had a very specific endpoint, and that was the discrediting and disintegration of the major houses behind the Chivalrics. The way things turned out was not incredible, but not unsalvageable. Either. The problem is, with a lack of a false-flag attack on the Fires Height and losing the chance to smear Uthred Greatling like she wanted gives them a bit of time to think. Or get real desperate. Last we checked, the half-strand's down one son, has a daughter in the Unwhere, got another thats more attack-dog than person, and one more being printed in the vats. Hes feeling the squeeze.
Which is why you wanted me, Draus said. Cause we got history. And you want me towhatdraw his focus? Distract him from scheming about fuckin the city to death with his gerent consangs.
Something like that, yeah, Cas said. But also the fact that they got a way to access the rash without needing to breach the pocket containing the primary Rupture and source of wombrash. If we can distract them He cast a meaningful look at Avo, We might just be able to chop the legs out from under Guilds. You know, being the only ones with the Domains of Love, Lust, Fertility, and all that other shit.
Chambers froze. Wait, you want Avo to have control over all the fuck-powers? I He held up his hands in a placating gesture toward Avo. II dont mean this in a prejudicial way but youre a cockless people-eater, consang. I dont know the Heavenll take. Whywhy not Draus?
Regulars have their reproductive organs replaced with additional implants as an extra layer of confusion against the dragon-curse and their urges sequenced out from their minds, Denton said. Captain Draus and Avo are likely not so different when it comes to their nonexistent sex drives.
Damn it, Chambers moaned. Avo narrowed his eyes at the man. Judging from his exaggerated expressions, he likely knew about Draus condition and was merely trying to herd the conversation toward his desired endpoint. But the Heavens still gotta go to someone who knows about how to use it Maybe He dramatically reached out for Essus who responded by staring at Chambers wearily. No. No. Not my consang, Essus. He suffered enough. Its me. I got to make this sacrifice. You guys can have all the cool Heavens like blood and glass and light and shadows and shit. Ill take the Wombrash. Ill be the Wombrash.
Everyone stared. Cas shook his head. Welp. Thats a later category conversation. Frankly, it doesnt matter who gets the Heaven so much as if we can access it and if we can contain it. Its connected to a Sphere Nine Frame so He winced. We might need to think about how to divert all that Rend.
Right now, we wish to establish a working partnership, Denton said.
No, Avo said. Had that with Zein. Regret it. Regret her. Keep her away from us.
Sure, no problem, Cas muttered. Ill just stop Zein Thousandhand from doing what she wants. He chuckled and shook his head. Once another one of her selves tumbles out from the paths, shell be right back doing whatever it is she wants. Cherish your time right now.
At the same time, Denton spoke over him, ignoring the words of her colleague. Were offering a formal partnership. You will get access to all the supplies and resources at the Column's disposal. Any Guild-level implants, arms, vehicles, or phantasmics will be at your disposal.
Draus cast her thoughts over to Avo. +Something to consider. But if they got Voidwatch support, itll be hard as hell for us to tell what they got cookin inside a nanosuite or somethin. Theyre cooperative, Ill give em that, but nice dont buy trust. We need our own leverage, and frankly, I just dont think we got enough.+
He had to agree. However, there were items he was curious about. Something that could make the progress of his growing apotheosis even easier. Can you get me golems? Avo asked. Heavens.
Denton and Cas shared a look.
Itll take some time, Cas said. But yeah, we might be able to arrange some things.
Avo considered his options. +Dont need to trust them. Can vet their goods and services. Avoid accepting easily compromised bargains. Use them. Need to get Kae out from the Second Fortune. But Sovereigntys going to be under heavy surveillance.+
+You got a use for em?+ Draus asked.
+Could be something simple. Have smuggled official Guild-licensed aero through checkpoints without notice. You create a passage to a reflection inside. She walks through. Out of risk again.+
Draus paused. +Yeah. That would be mighty helpful of them.+ She chanced a brief glance at Denton. +The Glaive also got the Paladins eatin out of her palm. Wont lie: I kinda wanna snuff her out of principle, but shes been about as helpful as anyone Ive met in New Vultun.+
And wasnt that the ugly truth?
The Easy Armistice offers accommodation frequencies as well, Cas added. Perfect if you want a nice place to think about things while the heat dies down. We dont need an answer from you right
Could start this partnership of ours off with a couple of favors, Draus said, interrupting him.
Cas leaned back and sighed, ceding the conversation over to Denton. Avo noticed the man deliberately played a different role to Dentons hyper-competent diplomat. He greeted them with a rough casualness and approached Essus as a fellow refugee by way of suggestion.
Whether that was true or not had yet to be determined.
State your requirements and well see if your dreams can come true, Denton replied.
First thing: Kae. Weve been talkin an awful lot about her without her bein present. Mighty rude. Id like to order an official pickup for her. One with my personal touch to expedite her arrival.
Denton nodded. Her thoughtstuff pulsed static and collapsed inward. She was making a mental note. That can be arranged. What else?
I wanna know about this Fredritch who was supposed to have the Frame. Wanna know if hes gonna be a problem.
I assure you
You can assure me by scheduling a meetin. Me and him. The ghoul stays out of it. Face to face. Just to clear the air.
Cas huffed out a breath. Well. Looks like well have to ask old Three-Eyes what he wants.
Sure. Fine. Draus added another request. This one Avo didnt see coming. And I want to see your operation. All of it.
Denton pressed her lips together. Cas began to laugh softly.
What? Draus said. Somethin funny.
Not for you, Cas said. Truth is youve already seen all of our operations. The laughter suddenly stopped. Its Zein.
What? Draus asked.
Her paths. Her iterations. Echoes. Forks. Theyre the ones keeping all our cells coordinatedthe only reason why were like smoke and myth to everyone hunting for us.
Draus blinked. What? So Zeins what? Her own network?
Shes a lot of things, Denton said. Presently for us, however, she is re-emerging out from the past. Itll be at least a week before were ready to interface with the other cells. Aside from that, we are effectively similar to Incubi strike cells on the practical end. Im sure youre familiar with how they work.
Just about, Draus drawled.
Chambers held up his hand. Can I ask for something?
Everyone ignored him.
Everyone except Avo. A grin spread across the ghouls face as he regarded Chambers. No. Going to need you to give me something.
Iuhsure, consang, Chambers swallowed. W-whats the need?
Instead of replying to him, Avo turned and addressed Denton again. Need a few demiplanes. Someplace good for repeated Thoughtwave Detonations along with one that can let Nether flow through.
Thats doable, Denton asked. Can I ask what youre planning?
Avo shot Draus a look. Ori-Thaum broke Kae's life. Created this problem. Partially anyway. Want to pluck the problem from her head. Take a closer look at it. Pattern and return it." He let out a low hiss of pleasure as he imagined possessing a phantasmic or trauma that could burn away other minds. Youre invited to watch. See what we can all learn. Would be good start to formal partnership.
Denton just stared while Cas shook his head. Fuck me, he said. Hes worse than the Waltons.
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