Transcendence?

by Andur

  The other servant smiles and pats my back to reassure me. I return the smile and continue to follow them. After a while I found out that they belong to the staff of the Immortal Empress. So I took exactly the right choice.

  After a while of following them around, I silently sneak away by taking another corridor as they walk towards the servants quarters. From their chit chat I gathered that the Immortal Empress is living on the top floor of this tower.

  So I head to the stairs. My attire doesn't cause any mistrust from the guards and they seem to know me. I walk right into the private quarters of the Immortal Empress. She isn't there, so I take my time and search her belongings. I find many magical toys from Sarn and a bottle of very expensive wine.

  There is probably no point in searching for her. I will simply wait here until she comes back. The chair at her office table looks comfortable. I take a seat and place my feet on the table. Then I start reading some documents which were lying around.

  Top secret espionage! Wow. Jackpot! Ah, I see. So that's how they got access to the Academy. I keep reading until my eyes wander to a box with cigars. “Ohohoh...” Nice service.

  I keep enjoying the luxury around me until the door opens and three familiar faces enter.

  It's the Immortal Empress and the spy girl. Both of them are lightly dressed. Looks like they are returning from a bath. Too bad that I didn't walk in on them. The bath has to be on another floor.

  Following them is the old headmaster of the Academy. His name is Saggisomething, I think. He is carrying a really big and heavy stash of papers. It looks almost as if the old fart became their minion!

  “I tell you! There are many reasons against it! We shouldn't...” The spy girl walks further into the room while complaining about something. Then they become aware of my presence.

  All three faces turn in my direction. I drop the documents on the table and take the cigar out of my mouth. “Hi! How are you guys doing?”

  The spy girl turns and runs to hide behind the Immortal Empress. What a weak reaction.

  “What are you doing Tjena? Remove that insane servant from my private quarters. I can't believe that someone from my staff could be so cheeky. Does this girl even know what she did by reading those documents?” The Immortal Empress shakes her head.

  “Jazira! Don't get near her! It's him! I feel it! And that grin! Don't get fooled.” The spy girl proves to have superior survival instincts.

  “~Ahahaha. I just came to say hello!~”

  67 - Friends!.

  Norfolk, Sarn-Valley

  Ascathon

  “~Ahahaha. I just came to say hello!~”

  The Immortal Empress immediately takes a defensive position, while the other two hide behind her. I ignore their behaviour and refill my glass with wine.

  “That's... THAT ONE WAS FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION!” The Empress calls out and runs towards me and snatches the bottle out of my hand.

  “That's ok. Feel honoured that I am paying you a visit.” I take a sip from the wine in my glass and smile. Changing bodies has another benefit. I can drink as much as I like without punishment.

  The Empress scoops the documents from the table and takes a step back. “How much did you read?”

  “The important stuff.” I smile without explaining further. “But that's not why I am here. I wanted to propose something to you.”

  The Empress draws a sharp breath.

  “You shouldn't propose in that body! Why did you snatch a female body again!? It can't be... are you?” The spy girl takes another step backwards and hides behind the headmaster.

  What the hell is going on in her head? I shrug my shoulders. “I think you misunderstood me. To be truthful, I took this body because she was the best looking one. But it was also a matter of chance. I like my own body better, but I take what I can get.”

  “Parasite!” Tjena calls out.

  I purse my lips and turn towards the Immortal Empress. “You can call me Ascathon. And I want to bargain a little secret alliance between us. As you can see, my ability allows me to come and go as I please. Having me as an ally would be beneficial to you.”

  The Empress squints her eyes. “Call me Jazira. What's this secret alliance of yours?”

  “I want that we don't try to trip each other. And I want you to attack Mislow, while I deal with the Nation of Mist.” I place a map, which I found earlier in Jazira's documents, on the table. I point at Mislow.

  Jazira bites on her lip. “That won't work. First, I am not sure if I can trust you. Second, I can't control Mislow!”

  “It's enough if you attack them and cause havoc. As long as they are busy with stopping you, I can accomplish my objective.” I grin.

  “And that is?” The headmaster steps closer.

  “I want to save someone whom I believe the mysterious four wanted dead!” I point a finger at Jazira. “You informed me of a mysterious power behind the scenes. I got a short glimpse at them. Four people with long ears sitting around a big table with a map of the world on it.”

  Sagittarius gasps. “You saw the gods?”

  My expression becomes confused. “Gods? What are you talking about? I thought they are from the Nation of Mist.”

  Then Sagittarius starts a lengthy explanation on his theory about the gods and their actions throughout the world. After a while he ends his speech and the room becomes silent.

  “~BWAHAHAHA~”

  I can't hold it any more and get a fit of laughter. “That's hilarious! There are no gods. And if they really are beings which are responsible for such myths, then the real deal lacks some skills.”

  “How can you talk like that about the gods!?” Sagittarius gasps.

  “Because I've travelled the multiverse longer than you've been alive! I've lived countless lives on countless different worlds. And all I ever saw as a result of religion was war. If there are really beings in this world which are responsible for its state, then they don't deserve to be worshipped, much less to be called gods.” I empty my glass.

  “Do I look like a god to you, old fart? I could probably play with the world like them if I wanted to. I just want to find them to give that bearded guy a beating! He destroyed one of my toys!” I shake my fist while thinking about my flying flagship.

  “If I heard right, it was originally my toy.” A few veins seem to pop up on Jazira's forehead.

  “For the chosen ones to be such heretical people...” Sagittarius continues to mumble something incomprehensible.

  I turn towards Jazira and Tjena. “Do you really believe this bullshit?”

  “I think that he might be on the right track. But I don't believe that they are gods, though they seem to be very powerful.” Jazira places a hand on her cheek and smiles.

  “Then they must be like us. Just older and maybe more knowledgeable.” I fold my arms to show off my chest to disturb Saggitarius.

  “Hey! That's not your body!” Tjena shouts.

  “As long as I am inside it, it is.” I smirk.

  “I can't believe that you are a man!” The spy girl continues her rant.

  I purse my lips. “You aren't always reborn with the same gender. Actually I want to see a male version of hers.” I arch an eyebrow and look at Jazira.

  The spy girl's jaw drops and her face becomes expressionless. Then she drops to her knees. “I don't want to hear any more. He is just a genderless parasite to me from now on. And a pervert on top...”

  “Hey! I am married!” I hit the table. “I have a fine woman and a daughter. Don't spew such nonsense.”

  The spy girl drops to the ground like being completely defeated. Hearing this out of the mouth of a fellow woman broke her.

  “That brings me to a point which I wanted to confirm. Your wife? Is she an Immortal too? And why is she the new Jarl!?” Jazira looks at me with interest.

  “Yes, she is. And she is the new Jarl because she wanted to. I have no interest in the position anyway. Controlling everything from behind the scenes is much better.” I nod
. “So back to the topic, would you be so nice to distract Mislow for a while. I would even give you this.” I take the crystal globe out of my pocket and dangle it in front of them.

  Jazira starts to play with her long hair. “If you do me another favour in return, I will consider it.”

  Floating somewhere above the Sea of God

  Lidith

  He rolled a thirty! Not now, damn! Fuck you Aneth. What will he do with the casting points? Does he have something nasty like a Wrath of God in his hand?

  He pulls a card from his hand and places it on the battlefield. But not on his champion. He casts the spell on Wynne's elders in the Nation of Mist instead. “Divine Blessing! Let's see how your Immortals far against the elders. Now they are blessed by three gods.”

  “And this is a little bonus!” He places a trap card on Fingulf's mansion. The mansion starts to glow red. Traps are actually very powerful cards. The downside is that they to nothing until certain conditions are met. The more activation conditions you give them, the more powerful their effect becomes.

  I smile at him. “Aren't you a nice one.”

  “I am interested in how they will deal with this. I was very surprised when Ascathon managed to counter my meddling. He even managed to follow the mana line back to us. He may be just a step away from awakening.” Charon plays with the dices in his hand.

  “Another reason to deal with them. I was always of the opinion that it's stupid to involve people like us in this game.” Wynne nods.

  “It's your own fault. You were the ones who summoned one of the older souls.” I grumble. Being an Immortal is the last step before becoming a god. The stronger a soul becomes the more powerful your mana reserves get.

  At some point you arrive at a breakthrough and ascend to godhood. That involves access to huge amounts of mana and being able to see the pathways.

  The pathways enable us gods to walk wherever we want. Just holding onto one is enough and you are instantly transported from one point to the other. Walking between worlds and even different universes isn't a problem at all.

  “Are you sure that you don't want to give up Lidith? All three of us placed so many buffs on the elders, they are able to crush your Immortals by now.” Aneth smirks at me.

  I show him my tongue and look at my hand. “Do what you want. I will win in the end!”

  Then I peek with one eye at Aneth's hero. I haven't forgotten that one. Even if he is just sneaking around and planning conspiracies for the moment.

  68 - Bugged.

  Above the Ocean, Island Nation of Mist

  Ascathon

  “Everything went smoothly so far.” I look down from the deck of my new flagship. My iron production finally starts to show proper results.

  The Fist of Heaven is the first one of my ships which is made completely out of steel. It has a long hull with about a hundred and fifty metres in length. The ship's top deck is broader than the actual body of the ship. But that's needed. There are forty small planes on top of the deck and further fifty under deck. This makes the Fist of Heaven the first carrier.

  The planes have a simple construction. They consist of not much more than a capsule for the pilot and a railgun. Behind the capsule is the engine with the next generation mana crystal cores. The engines are propelling the small vehicle while it is held in the air by levitation magic.

  There is no skilled magician needed as a pilot, because the engine orientation can be changed by a purely mechanical machinery.

  I had an unexpected breakthrough in my mana crystal research. The downside is that their size and strength is very limited for the time being. It's just enough to keep the planes in the air and to operate a small railgun.

  But it's sufficient for my new battle strategy. The enemy ships will be swarmed by the new planes and taken under fire from all directions. Their shields will yield under the onslaught from all directions like back in the fjord.

  My shipyards finished some hybrids made of steel and wood too. My fleet consists now of thirteen converted wooden ships, six hybrids and my flagship.

  I also started construction sites all over Norfolk by sending trusted people who learned directly from me within the recent years.

  But I took just my flagship and the six hybrids for this expedition. The others were left in Sarn to stand guard. I just want to abduct Fingulf, it's not like I want to lay waste to the Nation of Mist.

  “I hope you don't forget that we just want to go in and out as fast as possible.” Celestial grumbles at my side. She didn't allow that I go alone this time. At least Sera stayed behind with the rest of the family.

  “How do you even know where the sleeping beauty is located?” Celestial looks down at the collection of small islands under us. The heart of the Nation of Mist is an archipelago which was formed by volcanoes.

  There are still new islands forming as we speak, because the volcanoes in the region are very active.

  “Do you really believe that I wouldn't put some spying devices on an important friend?” I pull a small device out of my pocket. It has a screen and looks similar to a smartphone.

  Upon activation it shows a small map with dots and coordinates beside each dot. Several of the dots are concentrated in Sarn, others are located all over the world. I made it a policy to bug everyone who has even the smallest bit of importance to me.

  Celestial takes a look at the screen. “I see... let me guess, the dot right next to the centre is me?” Her expression is a little vicious.

  I put my left arm around her shoulders and pull her closer. “It's just a small precaution dear! I would never do something improper with this information!”

  She smiles and slides her right arm around my chest. “Where is it?”

  I continue to study the islands under us. “Where is what?”

  “~The bugs.~” She isn't willing to let the matter go.

  “The wedding ring, the earrings for our anniversary, the bracelet with embedded recovery magic, the brooch with...” But she places a finger on my lips.

  Then she sighs. “So basically everything I ever got from you.”

  I nod and we continue to stare at the islands until I can't keep it in any more. Better to clear it up if there is a chance. She reacted well to everything else so far. So why not get it over with as long as she is in a good mood?

  “And a small tracking emitter in your left ass cheek! Hrmpf!”

  She elbowed right into the guts! Violent woman! She hit hard enough to send me to the ground.

  “WHEN!”

  I crawl closer and grab her feet. At least that should prevent her from kicking me. “While you slept! It's not big and I used healing magic right afterwards to cover it up! I got a potion for local anaesthetics from Sera!”

  She grabs me at my collar and pulls me up into a standing position. Though I am not standing properly, because it still hurts.

  “I am sorry, dear. It's just your strange way of taking care of others which amazed me. I hope you will talk about things like that with me in the future?”

  “Yes dear!” I smile and hug her. That went very well! The old Celestial would have broken a few of my bones!

  “Do you think we have been found out already?” Celestial is looking down the railing while tampering with my tracking device.

  “No? And even if they found out, their ships are far too slow to follow us. We should have outmanoeuvred them. We chose to get our target and leave just for that purpose.” I take another look down.

  Celestial points at a small island at the edge of the archipelago. “I think that's Fingulf's island. He mentioned during our wedding ceremony that his main household is at the edge of the archipelago. So it matches. And there are twenty two ships around that island.”

  I pull a globe out of my pocket and check the island in question. “Indeed. How did you see that far?”

  “My skill enhances my senses too.” Celestial smiles proudly.

  “I see. Do you think that twenty two ships are a reasonable guard fo
r someone on an isolated island?” I continue to search the island for other abnormalities.

  “It's just a small one, so two ships should have been enough. I think they knew that we were coming.” Celestial shrugs her shoulders. “Having that many ships stationed there is a waste of resources. One might think that they totally forgot about Phenex. And that after fighting them for years.”

  I nod. “So it's the mysterious power again. They know that we are coming. Haaah... I want to test my new weapons. But there is too much risk of destroying the island too. The ships are too close.”

  Celestial gasps. “What did you build to be concerned about the island!”

  I start to play with the globe between my fingers and look down at the deck. “A fusion nuke... a hundred megatons of blast yield. Do you think we could throw it at their capital afterwards? We still have unfinished business with them since the last attack.”

  “No! You went overboard! What do you need a hundred megaton nuke for?” Celestial is still shocked.

  I shrug my shoulders. “The last sea battle against their ships was really annoying. Their shields are just too strong. So I decided that I need a weapon to finish the fight faster.”

  “What about the radioactive waste!?” Celestial simply can't give in.

  “There is none. It's a one hundred percent green bomb. The fusion of the liquid hydrogen is achieved by a magic circuit. Mother nature would give me a medal for this.” I start to chuckle.

  “Just don't use it. We will go in and do this the hard way.” Celestial turns and walks back into the ship.

  I follow her to the weapons chamber. A group of fifty warriors and Den are already busy with equipping themselves with my new armours and weapons. Each armour has its own little mana crystal embedded in the chest piece.

  They are even smaller than the one which I created accidentally. Mine has the size of a thumb, while the new ones are only as big as my fingernail. They still enhance my group of average normal fighters to the point of average normal magicians.

  Celestial picks the two short swords, which I made for her, from the weapons tray. I start to get dressed too. My armour is ready and I am actually eager to try it.