by Vowron Prime
She wrapped him in a tight hug before bolting for the shower stalls. Smiling, MC exited the bath through the tunnel, leaving her in peace.
MC returned to his room after a brief meeting with Krar to work on his abilities. Now that the Resistance had access to Zevan mages, he’d tried experimenting with overcoming the relocator’s biggest weakness—Zevan magic barriers. But his progress on that front had been sadly limited; the relocator’s ability sphere barely engorged with blood at all.
It was the same story with the energy dampener. While MC was difficult to kill, his sphere of “things to protect” had ballooned rapidly as of late. Gone were the days where he could just worry about his hide and damn everyone else. Now, he not only had Nova and Nina, but he was also responsible for an entire organization. What he really needed was a way to extend his primary protective ability—the energy dampener—to others. If he could wrap the shield around Nova’s family, he’d feel a helluva lot better about their chances of making it out alive.
Yet no matter how much he struggled, he’d made no progress toward that end. He could shape the barrier into various shapes and extend it to encompass a volume the size of Eiga, but the ability had always been centered around him. Attempting to shift the barrier just didn’t work. It was like trying to wiggle each toe individually—it should be doable, but his controls lacked the resolution to make it possible.
There was one area where he’d met with some success: portal expansion. To date, once a portal had been created, its size was fixed from then on. To change it, MC had to tear the existing one down and recreate it. Which meant he’d have to create a new portal and move it through the old one first. Due to the time involved in creating them—over a minute—his inability to modify them was annoying at best, fatal at worst. But the portals were unique in that they were persistent, maintaining a continuous power draw. That quirk gave him a link to them, allowing him to kill any portal, regardless of how far away they were.
By leveraging that very link, he found he could vary the properties of the portal itself. But there was a catch: altering a single end proved fruitless. Not only was it impossible, he wondered how that would physically work. If something was shoved through at the big end, would it get “stuck” in the wormhole? Unable to exit the other side? Whatever the case, unequal-sized portal openings weren’t possible, but he found that adjusting them simultaneously—just as he did when he created the portals—held more promise.
It was slow going as MC sat on the carpets that covered his bedroom’s floor, attempting to expand and contract the portals for hours. He could feel the progress, but the ability resisted him at every step. Still, it felt more like trying to push against a heavy rock rather than an immovable wall. The most obvious evidence that he was on the right track was that the portal’s ability sphere steadily filled with blood.
Sure enough, his effort eventually paid off. He burst the bubble and steeled himself for the familiar headache, which was luckily manageable this time around.
The vidsphere now showed his avatar fighting off several birds with beaks made of two circular saws that rotated in tandem. They divebombed him, but instead of relocating them to oblivion, the avatar threw a human-sized portal at them, rapidly constricting the portal as the first bird flew through, decapitating it instantly. Sadly, its fellow birds then proceeded to plow right into MC, shredding his flesh, blood gushing in all directions.
The damned parasite’s growing more warped every day, he noted.
Forcing himself to shelve that train of thought, he tested out the upgrade and found that he was able to modify the portals’ size at will. The difficulty he’d encountered previously had vanished. The upgrade would likely have several uses, but the obvious one lay in the reduction of its mental drain. Now, he could carry around several micro-portals and expand them at will. So long as the surfaces they were attached to were large enough to allow it, of course.
The sound of his bedroom door whirring open broke MC’s concentration.
“Hey, bro. Sorry to intrude, but I’ve got some updates.”
“About Operation Sanctuary Rising? Or the other one—what’re we calling that now? Executor’s Spear?”
“Neither, actually. We’ve begun the groundwork for those, but it’s going to take a long time before I have anything to report on that. It’s Xikanika.”
“Is she willing to provide extra troops?” MC asked.
“Well, that’s the thing. She has five hundred archers that she’s happy to provide. We’d planned on equipping them with explosive-tipped compound bows, so there wouldn’t even be any training involved.”
“Then, what’s the problem?” he said, though he already had an inkling.
Nina sighed, shaking her head. “She’s refusing to send them over unless you meet with her. I think… I think she wants to settle her grudge with you.”
“Figures. Rulers like her are used to getting their way. I bet my existence drives her up the wall. Doesn’t help that I did a number on Dervegen. If this were the UFN, I’d have been executed long ago for my actions.”
“Well, good thing it’s not. So what are you gonna do?” Nina asked, squeezing his arm.
“I’ll go. Don’t know if anything I do will make her happy at this point, but I’ll do what I can. Nova’s family is more important than petty squabbles.”
His sister chuckled. “You’ve really changed, Magnus. In the old days, you wouldn’t have lifted a finger for anyone other than me. Especially over a matter concerning your honor.”
He looked her in the eye. “People change, Nina. But not always for the better.”
“Sure, but I really like this new you. You were a badass before, but you’re even more now. Before, people wouldn’t dare oppose you. Now? They won’t fuck with you or anyone you know. If that isn’t an improvement, I dunno what is! Just… be as diplomatic as you can. I’ll come with, as will Nova, but, uh… it could get a little rough.”
“C’mon, princess. You know I like it rough.”
Though MC needed merely fifteen minutes to prepare, the girls needed a bit longer. Especially Nova, who was busily soaking away in her newfound paradise. Nina offered to leave her behind, but the angel was ecstatic at the chance to finally get away from Sarek’s custody.
Soon, they transited through a portal to the Resistance manor at Kyron, where the empress’s messenger awaited. He led the trio straight into the empress’s royal hearing room, which MC noted as highly unusual. Monarchs didn’t tend to have a lot of idle time, so the empress must have cleared out her schedule to see them.
She sat upon her frozen throne like an ice queen, her body language oozing irritation. For the first time ever, he was thankful that she looked like a semi-translucent humanoid amoeba.
“Empress Xikanika,” Nina began, “we’ve arrived, as requested.”
“Good. I have been more than tolerant of your prior crimes, Magnus. I’ve provided you with troops on a promise that you will bring them back to me with unparalleled training and weapons. Until now, I have received neither. And now you ask for even more troops? My patience has its limits,” Xikanika said.
MC’s fists clenched.
“I am willing to provide you troops if you make a public apology to the Zevan people. You will admit to your slaughter of thousands of innocents, and you will relinquish your status as a Contractor. Every Zevan from Loadtem to Shealor will know of your atrocities and parents will pass on stories of your villainy for generations to come.”
“Xika! That is too much! You could not possibly understand the contributions Magnus has made to our cause!” Nova admonished.
Nina jumped to her brother’s defense. “Your Highness, surely we can come to an agreement equitable for both parties? What you suggest would be severely disadvantageous to our mutual goals. I propose—”
“Nina, do you understand how precarious my position is right now? The Legatus sent me another warning! He is threatening to kill me if I help you, and you walk in here demanding
more aid as if you are entitled to it? You are the ones who require my help! One word from me to the Legatus and your entire operation crumbles! My goddess is the only reason I’ve played along thus far, but the risks of this venture are beginning to outweigh the benefits.”
“Xika, please! We need your help now, more than ever,” Nova pleaded. “We cannot afford any infighting at this critical juncture!”
MC had heard enough. Xikanika was a ruler who viewed the entire world through the lens of what benefitted her. She was the kind of person to play both sides to stack the cards in her favor. The Resistance did need her help, but she’d crossed just a line. If she was too shortsighted to realize that helping the Resistance was in her best interests, then she needed a wake-up call.
“Magnus, wait!” Nina shouted, but it was too late. Every guard in the room disappeared, leaving the empress alone with MC, Nina, and Nova.
MC teleported up to the haughty bitch and lifted her into the air with his cybernetic left. Then he teleported again to a more suitable location—like one of the many jagged, snowcapped peaks of the Ells Mountains that towered over Kyron.
From thousands of feet above the capital, MC threw the empress down on a precarious patch of ice, just inches away from a terrifying cliff. Xikanika scrambled back from the precipice, soaking her expensive clothes in the driven snow.
She smiled, her expression full of condescension. “You dare assault me?” she said, her voice dripping with venom. “Do you truly believe that you are untouchable, now that—”
“Now that I’ve what? Assaulted you? Lady, I could have you killed and replaced with a doppelganger who would look, act, smell, and feel exactly as you do.”
Xikanika fell silent. “You lie. Not even the gods possess such powers,” she whispered.
“You’d better believe it. The Dyn reign supreme at deception. Your replacement would perfectly mirror your personality, your quirks, everything. Not even your own mother would be able to tell you apart. This isn’t a bluff, and even if it was, can you really take that chance? Consider your words and your actions, because you’re walking on very thin ice right now.”
“I was right about you. You are a danger to us all,” she whispered, thinking MC couldn’t hear, but his enhanced hearing caught every word. He grabbed her head, forcing her to look at him.
“Do I look like your enemy?” he roared, full of rage. “Don’t you think that what I did eats me up? It does. Every day. Every goddamned day, I think about what I could’ve done differently. How I could’ve avoided killing your people. As if that’s going to change anything! I have a parasite in my head, Xikanika. Courtesy of your gods. And it’s eating away at my brain, slowly turning me into their slave. Soon, I’ll be no more. I’ll be forced to kill those I love, against my will. Nothing but a shell of who I once was. And that terrifies the crap out of me. But you know what? If I can save your people, if I can take down those gods that demand annual sacrifices so they can weaponize your mages, I’ll do it. It doesn’t fucking matter what happens to me.”
Xikanika trembled, but listened.
“So ask yourself: is there any punishment you can dole out that’s worse than what I already have to deal with? I somehow doubt it.”
MC took a long breath. “I am not your enemy. Yes, I committed atrocities against your state. Yes, I regret everything. But I’m risking my life trying to unfuck yours. The least you could do is recognize that. For the sake of your people, if nothing else.”
He let her go. She stumbled back a few steps and fell to the snow.
“Be that as it may, the fact that you have committed heinous crimes against Sorath remains. Mental condition or not, any ruler would have you executed,” she said, staring him down.
“Look, I’m not an idiot. I know what you’re trying to do. We need your help and you know it. I don’t blame you for trying to maximize your advantage. Hell, it’s what I would do. But that’s a dangerous game, Empress. You’re dealing with forces with more power than you could possibly imagine. You think we wouldn't oppose you out of fear for the Legatus, but see, that's where you're wrong. It’d be no sweat off my back to eliminate you. In fact, replacing you with someone more favorable to our cause would benefit me greatly. But the ends do not justify the means. We are not the same as the Legatus. Understood?”
She mulled over his words for a long moment.
“Aiding you is advantageous, but risky. It is my duty to see the prosperity of my nation. An extremely difficult task when I am nothing more than a puppet of the gods. So of course, freedom from their clutches is something I desperately desire!
“Yet I must balance these gains with our country’s laws and my own integrity. The nobles I ousted in my ascendance to power blatantly abused their status, thinking they were above the law. In so doing, they nearly drove Sorath to ruin. Still, I am capable of understanding the bigger picture. I admit I... crossed a line, earlier. For that, you have my apology. If you truly believe that the Legatus’s reign is at an end, then I am willing to provide you with the troops you require. If you do manage to succeed in your endeavor, then I shall reconsider your prior actions. But if you fail, I will not hesitate to reveal your secrets to the Legatus. I have no wish to see my empire razed by an angry god.”
MC hadn’t expected her to concede at all, so while this wasn’t the best outcome, it was one he could live with. MC knew that Xikanika didn’t get to where she was by being a dogmatic idiot. She had the upper hand in their relationship, and she was milking it for everything it was worth, pushing her luck to see how far she could get. At least she had enough sense to backpedal when she went too far.
“That works for me. And look, it’s not like I don’t understand your reluctance to provide us with troops. If it helps at all, I’m willing to pay you the entire sum I’ve earned as a contractor. Will that work for you?” he asked, extending a hand to help her back up.
She looked at his arm in suspicion, but she relented and accepted his help. “It will suffice.”
Good enough.
Without another word, he teleported with Xikanika back into her audience chamber. The monarch returned to her throne, slightly worse for the wear.
Nina and Nova remained silent, looking suspiciously like they’d overheard something they weren’t supposed to.
“Uh, Magnus?” Nina said sheepishly.
“What?”
“Your comms were on the entire time.”
“Oh… damn.”
Fifty-Two
The fated day had finally arrived. The pieces in place, the chessboard set.
“You ready for this?” MC asked, looking over at Nova’s projected image. Dyn Illusion Fields worked so well that they still threw him for a loop.
“Such a question is irrelevant at this time, isn’t it?” Krar replied in his modulated voice, standing in the midst of rolling hills and golden plains. With their fields active, Krar looked like Nova, and MC looked like himself, just without an X42 walking tank suit.
MC attempted to give Krar/Nova a hand as he “stepped” down from the APC—an ancient tracked relic from the twenty-first century. They’d chosen a conventional approach to the meeting site, lest the Legatus get antsy. The thousands of mutated creatures and the dozen cloaked chariots left no doubt about what was to come.
Krar’s up-armored appendage extended from his sphere but stopped a good foot away from MC’s outstretched arm. The illusion fields—large, bulky cubes strapped to their armors—had just one flaw. When two illusion-clad beings attempted to come close to each other, things broke down a bit. In order to make gestures look believable, MC had to come closer to Krar than he normally would’ve, owing to his simulated smaller stature. That led to some comical interactions, so they gave up the endeavor immediately.
“HQ, this is Machine One. You got an update on the enemy? What about that Tensa?”
“Negative, Machine One,” an operator responded, “the chariots are holding position, the same as they have until now. No Tensas in s
ight.”
Well, at least that’s one silver lining, MC thought. “The asshat didn’t even bother to cloak his ground forces. Wonder what shitty excuse he’ll come up with for fielding an entire army.”
Once again, the resources that the alien bastard had at his disposal never ceased to amaze.
“We just gotta hope the Legatus will buy the act,” he said to Krar. “Without that Tensa hanging overhead, at least our deception has a chance. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to hold long enough to get Nova’s folks out.”
MC and Krar relied on the illusion fields to kill their comms chatter from leaking out. Just in case the Legatus snooped their transmissions. Coupled with the thumb-sized portal they each carried, they could freely communicate with their other forces by using Sanctuary as a relay.
Disguised, the pair walked for nearly two hours under the gentle light of the morning suns. The Legatus no doubt had eyes on them the entire time, so MC was loath to show his hand until he absolutely had to.
A lone form appeared in the distance—the Legatus. Behind him, a golden field of waist-high reeds. Legions of monsters, Ultimators, and Trilnyth warriors.
“Thank you! Thank you both for coming!” the Legatus greeted, addressing Krar as they approached, his arms outstretched. “Please forgive me for this uncouth display,” he said, gesturing to his forces, “I must admit I had not expected you to honor my request to come alone. You always were a naive one, weren’t you, 72421-α? But I suppose that, too, was by design.”
“I go by Nova, now,” she replied, her voice as cold as ice. Her real voice. While Resistance technology could have emulated her speech, pulling off Nova’s personality was something else entirely, so she transmitted her speech from Sanctuary to Krar’s own armored suit, which then played it out over its onboard loudspeakers. The Illusion Field synced her lips perfectly.
“Oh? What a ridiculous farce! You need neither a name nor individuality,” the Legatus spat. “What you need is the Dyn code! For centuries we provided your every need, yet you dared to betray us. And not just once. How many times does this make, now? I’ve truly lost count.”
