Freezing Shadows, Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Information

I saluted Miko, and the rest of the Conclave, with my blade, and then followed their lead as they stepped out of the circle. I noticed that everyone was very careful to avoid Huntress’s area of the circle, which was probably a smart idea. While the most common way for someone to become infected with the magical virus that created ghouls was through a scratch or bite, any contact with their bodily fluids could do it. That she was allowed to participate in any ritual involving spilt blood said a good deal about how much the Conclave trusted her, though.

Iceblade casts Heal (Force 5) on himself

Iceblade’s Spellcasting Test: 10d6 = 4 Hits, 2 Miss

Damage Healed: 1P

Sustain duration until permanent: 1 turns

Resist Drain (1S): 13d6: 4 hits, 1 miss (Drain resisted)

Iceblade: 0/10 Physical Monitor

I took a moment to heal myself while I dressed. The minor wound wasn’t really an issue, but one thing you learned fast in this game was that you were always one bad move from being thrown into the deep end. It paid to always be prepared for a fight. Didn’t mean you walked around everywhere with full kit, but leaving wounds just because they weren’t a problem yet was just stupid.

The others clearly agreed with my thoughts, as I saw them all using their own versions of the Heal spell to wipe away their wounds. Any combat mage worth a damn learned the Heal spell, or at least picked up First Aid skills. Sure, I’d seen some in the beta who wanted to be pure DPS, and put everything into the biggest attack spells they could. They quickly got sent for a reroll, because if their own spells didn’t knock them out, then ignoring their defenses and not being able to heal their own wounds meant they caught a severe case of high-velocity lead poisoning.

As I was pulling on my shirt, I felt a hand grab my ass. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Nemesis smiling once again, though there was a hungry look in her eyes. Oh, and she was still naked from the waist up. “Mmm,” she said, shamelessly groping me. “Nice and tight. Just like I like them. And I saw you were definitely equipped with a nice ‘sword’.”

I chuckled. Given the real-world demographics, I was used to other players being a bit grabby during the beta. Most of the NPCs weren’t quite as thirsty, but if she had a Geas like Shadowgirl’s, then it would make sense that she was more ‘outgoing’ than some. “Well, my harem certainly agrees with you.”

Nemesis blinked, and said, “Really? I thought you were joking about the whole harem thing. Is that an Elf Noble thing?” I raised an eyebrow, and she laughed. “Come off it. We all saw that you knew Countess, which means you probably were in the same circles back in Ola Serin.”

“Harems are not an ‘Elf Noble thing’,” Countess said haughtily as she finished buttoning her blouse. “Most of the nobility were justifiably wary of letting too many people get close to them, or see them in an unguarded state. Especially towards the end, when spies and assassins were working to weaken the nobility in preparation for the rebellion.”

“True enough,” I nodded. “Court politics were labyrinthine, at the best of times. As people started trusting less, and focused on security and survival, they only got worse.” Looking back to Nemesis, I grinned. “But I am the only man on my team, and companionship helps strengthen bonds, you might say. It was their idea to call it a harem.”

“Ooh, that sounds exciting,” Nemesis grinned. “But tell me, is it a closed relationship? Or are you able to sample other dishes?”

“We are all committed to each other. Some more, some less. And like any good Shadowman, we use all the tricks at our disposal when we’re working, or to maintain a cover identity. What happens at work stays at work, but outside of that, we’re all committed to each other. Not exclusively, but we believe in good communication.”

“Surprisingly civilized,” Templar said as she adjusted her sword belt. “Most people who go talking about harems typically want a bit more control over their harem’s lives. Whether it is a man or woman at the head, they typically expect things to remain in the group.”

“Simple prudence. Communication and compromise is the best way to keep a relationship from becoming toxic. There were quite a few people back in Ola Serin who were blinded by power and pride, and wound up with poison in their cup, or a knife in their ribs. Shark is a hunter, but he’s also a survivor.”

“Well said,” Huntress nodded, with a toothy grin. She was fully dressed, now. “Unfortunately, my condition makes intimacy… problematic, except with others like me. Worse, most of my kind are not exactly gentle lovers. Seeing someone actually care about their partners is bittersweet.”

“Well, it might not be ‘real life’, but there are Matrix clubs that allow for all sorts of things,” I said. “Some require an avatar that reflects your reality, but others are more open-minded.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, if I ever have an itch that needs scratching. Oh, and Iceblade, now that you’re one of us, do keep me in mind if you ever need to hide a body or two. Open offer to everyone in the Conclave. I get a free meal, and you don’t need to worry about someone finding them.”

“A fine arrangement,” I nodded. “And, in return, if you need someone to act as a pretty face for those who cannot look past the surface, you can call on me. Sharks might be solitary hunters most of the time, but that does not mean we can’t work together.”

Miko smiled as she walked up to us. “Good, I see you are quick to understand what the bonds of Fraternity mean in the Conclave. We help each other as we are able. Sometimes, that means helping one of our own take on a foe that is too strong for them, or providing a distraction, or an alibi, for them when they need one. At times, it is simply sharing what information we know. And sometimes it is helping cover for their weaknesses with our strengths.

“Since its beginning, the Conclave has always valued the inclusion of all metatypes and all traditions. We are all magicians, and we all wield the blade, but in all other ways we are different. This is by design. Each of us has strengths and weaknesses. We all have friends in different walks of life, and access to different sources of information. These differences make us stronger, better able to overcome those who would stand against us.”

She took a breath, and then said, “On the night of each Solstice and Equinox, we gather here, and hold the ranking tournament. This not only encourages us all to keep up with our training, but ensures that each of us has a solid grasp on each other’s fighting styles and capabilities, in case we need to work together. These meetings are mandatory, as part of the oath you swore to bind yourself to the group.

“However, the tournaments are not the only times we gather. When one of our own seeks aid with a ritual, or wishes to push forward into the next stage of their power, those who are available may assemble, as Fraternity dictates. Every Wednesday night, some of us will gather somewhere in the sprawl to simply swap stories and share in the companionship of comrades in arms. But the only mandatory gathering, other than the tournaments, is when a new blade seeks to join us, so that we can each take their measure, and welcome them to our bond.”

Crusher nodded as he walked over. Thankfully, he had finished dressing. I didn’t have anything against trolls, personally, but they were sized and arranged proportionally for their 3 meter height, which meant that the average troll’s groin was just below eye level for a normal human or elf, and there were things I just did not need to see.

“Natch, we don’t all go to the same places each week. And not everyone shows up, yeah? Some of the more high-end places downtown don’t like the big boys like me showing up, and Countess there doesn’t always get along in the Barrens bars. And, well, Huntress…”

He trailed off apologetically, but Huntress just waved him off. “Let’s just say that there are a lot of places in the sprawl which are less than happy to see a ghoul walk in the door. And there are damn few places where I can get a meal where the rest of these guys would feel comfortable. However, first Wednesday of the month is movie night here.”

I took a breath, coming to a decision. “Well, since sharing information is something we do, there’s some info I learned on a recent run, doing a favor for a friend. Since all of you can see the astral, this is something you’ll need to know, but you shouldn’t go spreading it around too widely, or too openly. People have been ‘disappeared’, or worse, for knowing this kind of info.”

That got everyone’s attention real quick. Miko nodded once, and said, “Disappeared? So, corporate or government connections?”

“Worse, but I’ll get to that. To give you a clean read on what kind of threat we’re talking about, you’re not going to find any of this on the Matrix. And nothing bad about any of the groups I’m about to speak on, either. Anything that is the slightest bit scandalous about them gets scrubbed so completely that even hackers can’t tell it was ever there.

“I won’t go into the details of the run itself, but my team and I discovered that there are spirits who’ve been coming over from ‘further off’ than the metaplanes those like us normally summon from. So far off that they have to take a host body in order to survive. And the bodies they choose are metahumans.”

Huntress frowned. “Are we talking zombies, like the houngans in New Orleans like to make, but permanent? Taking over dead bodies? Or something else?”

“Something else. They take over a living body, and… remove the person they once were. On the astral, these spirits look like various forms of insects. I’ve personally seen ants and mantids, but you can bet there’s probably more.”

I took a breath, and then continued, “The ants were part of the Brotherhood of Unity. The ‘charity’ group that is going around, looking for down and out people to help.”

Countess frowned. “The Brotherhood of Unity. I remember hearing something about them, before the rebellion. My father was saying something about how it was strange that the Council banned them outright from the country. In fact, the border guards were told to terminate any of them that they found, with extreme prejudice. If they are controlled by spirits, that suddenly makes more sense.”

“And the mantids?” Huntress asked. “Who were they?”

“The mantids were from a biker gang, the Devastation Angels. We worked with them on the job, because they were hunting ants. Like their natural counterparts, they seem to feed on insect spirits.”

“The Angels, really?” Crusher gaped. “I mean, I know they’ve got a rep, but I thought that was just BS from them being an all-female gang, and mutant friendly. Most of the big bike gangs aren’t big on those things, especially together.”

“The ‘mutations’ in the Angels are part of them being bugs. When a bug comes over and takes a host, one of three things happens. First type, looks ‘normal’, barely more powerful than a normal person. But they are hard to spot, even on the astral. Worse, they keep some of the host’s memories, so they can blend in with their old lives, somewhat.

“Second type are the ‘mutants’ you’ve seen or heard about. They get a big boost to their physical form, take on some bug characteristics. And they look like a bug in the astral. However, they don’t remember shit about their old lives, so they’re not going back to their old lives.

“Final type is just a big ass bug. Think an ant the size of a station wagon, and so on. They are full physical, but can still pop over to the astral with their real body. Meaning that these things can literally pop out of thin air if you’re in an unwarded space.”

“Recommendations?” Sparrow asked.

“Stay away from the Brotherhood. Keep anyone you care about, or who you work with, away from them. But don’t go talking too much about it, or they’ll try and either silence you, or ‘convert’ you. This is one of those ‘death is preferable to capture’ situations.”

Demon nodded slowly. “And these Angel lassies, what about them? I get the feeling you didn’t just go in, guns blazing, yeah? And they go eating these other spirits? Think they could be some kind of useful?”

I shook my head slowly at the Irish elf’s question. “We worked together, and they were good in a fight. But I wouldn’t look to call them in on anything unless it was a bug hunt. Just like I don’t call a hacker unless I want something hacked. The ones we worked with were level-headed, but there’s no telling if the others would be. But, if you got an ‘in’ with the group, they might trade favors.”

“Right,” Templar said, eyes focused. “So, these bugs are spirits in mortal shells, which means you need magic, or you have to overpower their natural resistance to nonmagic weapons. And the first two types can probably use armor fit for metahumans if they still have the general shape. That’d make them tough bitches to fight conventionally. Any weaknesses?”

“We had some of that industrial-grade insecticide that the mega over in Germany made. Weren’t expecting spirits, but we’d heard that there were giant bug paracritters in the area. Put the insecticide in capsule rounds. Very effective, even on the big mamma they brought in at the end.”

Miko nodded once. “As First Blade, the Conclave thanks you for this information, Iceblade. This information could be the difference between life and death for us.”