Dark Fate, Chapter 191

Chapter 191 – In-Flight Chat

Any shuttle I stepped foot on, by Ceresan law, was temporarily named Ceres One. Yes, I stole the idea from how any plane the US President is on becomes Air Force One, or any helicopter they’re on becomes Marine One, but that bit of pageantry was good, when applied properly. A bit of properly used pageantry could elevate what would otherwise be a droll and dreary scenario into something inspiring, or it stir hope in those who had none. It all depended on how it was used.

However, my thoughts weren’t on the shuttle, or even the flight of four Hunters from Rogue Squadron accompanying it. We still had time before landing, which is when the pageantry would truly begin. For now, my attention was on those in the shuttle with me.

There were twenty of us, not counting the pilots up in the cockpit. Well, twenty adults, at least. Lilith had brought young Sarlisa, our daughter, along, but the newborn obviously wasn’t using a seat. No, the adults were myself, Lilith, six of my pets (including both my party for dungeon crawling and my angel), two of her pets (including the angel battledancer and half-dragon knelfi fighter she’d acquired in Commonwealth space), four marines who would be guarding the shuttle, and six more marines which constituted the honor guard for the two VIPs on board, with two set to guard Lilith, and the rest for me. The shuttle was basically full, despite this being just a ‘family outing’ to go visit the UN. Unfortunately, even though I would be shocked if there was someone from Earth that I couldn’t defeat on my own, even away from my seat of power, it would completely undermine my efforts if I didn’t look like I had an honor guard.

Of course, what made it even more clear to anyone looking on, if they bothered checking at all, that the honor guard was just pageantry, was the fact that they were the only ones in the group who were still in Tier 1. Sure, they were all in their high 30s, approaching Level 40, but everyone else had broken through into Tier 2, at least.

Lilith Moonchild

Feytouched Succubus Female

Level 1 Destroyer of Wills / True Seer

Titles: Seer, Arcane Heritage, Silver-tongued, Executioner, Princess, Kinbreeder

Attributes: STR 110, DEX 220, CON 110, INT 162, WIS 220, CHA 420

Market Value: 10,230,020 GP

Vulas Oloric

Ascended Dragonblood Knelfi Male

Level 1 Aegis / Sworn Defender

Titles: Tough, Resilient, Well-hung, Enduring, Slave

Attributes: STR 280, DEX 150, CON 250, INT 60, WIS 50, CHA 65

Market Value: 1,230,020 GP

Saniel

Angel Male

Level 1 Deadly Wardancer / Royal Entertainer

Titles: Enduring, Well-hung, Demonbane, Slave

Attributes: STR 190, DEX 240, CON 150, INT 100, WIS 110, CHA 320

Market Value: 1,350,000 GP

Lilith and her two pets had gotten some very nice classes and professions out of their ascension. Nothing too rare for her pets, of course, but they were quite solid and powerful choices. Lilith, on the other hand, doubled down on her strengths, as I had, going from Dominatrix / Diviner to Destroyer of Wills / True Seer. If she wasn’t my daughter, and completely loyal to me, I’d be extremely worried by someone who specialized in breaking people’s will and making them her pawns without using a [Slave Brand] or [Puppet Brand], and could see the future even better than she could before. That was not someone to mess around with.

Interestingly enough, the [Kinbreeder] title had been given to both of us once her child was born. The title didn’t actually do anything, other than announcing to those who saw it that she’d had a kid by her kin. Fortunately, anyone who followed Ceresan politics already knew that, so there really wasn’t any reason to hide it. Everyone just assumed it was a sex demon thing, and one more sign of my depravity.

Shalaevar Herleth

High Knelfi Female

Level 1 Dark Forest Healer / Potent Brewmistress

Titles: Survivor, Manslayer, Deviant, Slave

Attributes: STR 120, DEX 90, CON 120, INT 130, WIS 240, CHA 60

Market Value: 1,295,800 GP

Ahshala Ililar

High Knelfi Female

Level 1 Spellshot Assassin / Deathshot

Titles: Marksman, Assassin, Quickshot, Manslayer, Slave

Attributes: STR 60, DEX 280, CON 80, INT 120, WIS 60, CHA 145

Market Value: 1,300,250 GP

Talia Skinner

High Elf Female

Level 1 Beautiful Slayer / Royal Entertainer

Titles: Slave, Nimble, Beauty, Iron Stomach

Attributes: STR 100, DEX 185, CON 120, INT 10, WIS 220, CHA 260

Market Value: 1,200,500 GP

Hibari Kayumi

High Human Female

Level 1 Moonlight Shinobi / Master Alchemist

Titles: Slave, Assassin, Stealthy, Nimble

Attributes: STR 100, DEX 280, CON 90, INT 110, WIS 120, CHA 145

Market Value: 1,400,000 GP

Rachel Adams

High Human Female

Level 1 Demon-Pledged Sage / Master Enchanter

Titles: Slave, Devout, Wise, Clever

Attributes: STR 80, DEX 100, CON 90, INT 160, WIS 280, CHA 135

Market Value: 1,500,750 GP

And, of course, my pets had broken through into the second tier. The only one who had a class that wasn’t a direct advancement of their current one was Rachel, probably because her former role as a Priestess without any clear deity she was pledged to had shifted once she became mine. Sage was slightly more combat-oriented than Priestess, and the demon angle meant that she had some interesting resistances to things most people wouldn’t have any defense against, like hellfire.

Harahel, my Greater Angel, hadn’t gained any levels, naturally, since she was too powerful to go fighting anyone the other girls had been facing. So, she hadn’t had a chance to go out and advance, any. Not that she’d been idle, of course. Her earnest nature didn’t allow her to just freeload off of someone, even if she was a slave. So, she’d been making herself very useful teaching young alchemists the craft.

Naturally, I had given my permission for her to do that. It was an easy win for me, after all. My alchemists got to learn from a seasoned practitioner, and it gave her purpose, keeping her from moping and getting depressed. Any idiot could take a slave, bend them over, and have their way with them. A true Master, however, made it so that the slave not only enjoyed getting bent over, but eagerly did so to please their master. Fear and pain were needed to force compliance, but they only went so far. If you wanted to truly rule a person, they needed to WANT you to rule them.

Of course, the fact that the Greater Angel’s belly was starting to round out nicely, letting everyone know she was a mother-to-be probably had something to do with the way she’d calmed down about how she was ‘defiled by evil’ and all that. Hormones were a bitch, and magic only added to things. Plus, my using all of my skills on her repeatedly had helped break down her resistance.

That was another thing I’d learned in my first time through the Apocalypse. Torture doesn’t work. Well, that’s not completely true. In some cases, pain and fear can get someone to give up information in a hurry. However, it was incredibly unreliable. A strong enough mind could resist pain, and conquer fear. Weak minds broke entirely, and were useless. Those in the middle? Well, they typically said or did anything to make the hurting stop, and none of it could be trusted further than you could throw them.

However, breaking someone through pleasure was absolutely possible. It was slow, and it took time, but even when the person knew it was happening, they still couldn’t resist it. The pleasure didn’t even need to be sexual. Rewarding good behavior with a treat, and punishing bad behavior by taking something away was the perfect way to train people up, and break their resistance.

Harahel was no exemption from that, and neither was the other member of our group, who’d be joining us once we landed. I planned to summon my familiar, Mhyreth, once we landed. Walking along with an angel at one side, and a succubus at the other, both of whom were carrying my kids? That was a good way to make an entrance. The paparazzi who would no doubt be near our landing site would love seeing that.

Of course, I was also doing the entire trip ‘unmasked’. None of the human guise bit. Full on Demon King mode, with horns, wings, tail, and burning hellfire crown floating over my head. The human guise was to put people at ease. I wasn’t here to put them at ease, but to give people a kick in the ass and get them moving. And nothing better than going full demon for that. Only reason I didn’t have them out just yet is because the shuttle was a bit crowded already.

Talia turned to look at me. “So, Master, what’s the plan? I know you’re getting to speak at the UN, and you’ve got invites to a few interviews. But this can’t be just one big PR stunt, right?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that it is just one big PR stunt. I know that Lilith has some interviews of her own, and she wanted to do some shopping. Pretty sure she has some other plans, but the little minx is playing coy about them.”

“Love you, too, Daddy!”

I chuckled, and continued, “As for myself, I’m basically thinking of this as a chance to manage people’s perceptions of Ceres. So far, they know my kingdom merely as warriors. Savage, merciless warriors, at that. Most people haven’t heard about the development plans we have, or how we’ve worked with the North Koreans to help pull them out of the hole they were in.

“The developed nations aren’t really my target. While I would love it if they got their shit together, and stopped with all the dick waving and pre-System bullshit, I know that they are too entrenched to be changed easily. The fact that things have changed as fast as they have is only because most of the people standing in the way died when the System came on. But there are still plenty of people in those countries who will fight to keep their power base, even if the System makes their worldview obsolete.

“No, the interviews with the big networks and that kind of thing are going to be distractions. Instead, my real work will be chatting with some of the third world nations, the ones that have been passed over and ignored for generations, now, and were victims of colonial rule before that. I am going to pitch them the same kind of deal I’m giving the North Koreans.”

“Looking to form a new power block in the UN, Master?” Hibari asked.

“Exactly. The third-world countries don’t have much clout, individually, but there are a lot of them. Enough, in fact, that they could start making life difficult for some of the big players. Especially if they had someone helping to modernize their forces so that they didn’t have to worry about those big players ‘liberating’ them and installing their own puppets.”

Lilith got a faraway look, one that I knew meant she was using her abilities to scan the future, and said, “The good news, Daddy, is that signs point to your plans working out, in the long term. However, I see some significant trouble between now and then.”

“Any clear threats, dear? Or just a general, ‘people aren’t going to be happy with you fucking with their status quo’? Will I be getting a rematch with the ‘White Queen’?”

“I see a meeting between you and her. I cannot see the result of that meeting. Whether it goes good or ill depends on too many choices. Your own revelation of being Tier 2 has spurred others on. Those who hope to contend against you are looking to ascend. In the future, you will be tested by those who are strong enough to hurt you.”

“Good. As much as I love easy wins, when there’s no threat, things get dull. The only fun thing in dealing with the Israeli army was watching tank shells just bounce off me, because they couldn’t harm me, or even push me. But that novelty soon wore thin. A good fight is just what I need to keep from getting rusty.”

Rachel sighed. “Master, if you wanted someone to train against that could actually be a threat to you, your angel’s right there.”

“Yes, but Harahel is still a bit too resentful of me to be trusted not to ‘accidentally’ use too much power in an area spell.” I chuckled at the angel’s look of shock. “Oh, don’t act like that. I know full well you’ve imagined ways you might try and kill me, despite the [Slave Brand]. All of you have, at one time or another. That is why I make sure to work and keep you all reasonably happy, after all. Happy pets are less likely to think that murdering their owner is a good idea.”