II-16 Allies

Not all demons and dimensionals are hostile. Do not make that mistake. Do not do something stupid and attack them preemptively. Do not!

There is a book I have with me. On the cover, the title “Name of Dumbshits Who Died Dumbshit Deaths” is carved there. I got this book from an old veteran, and some new kid will probably get the book from me someday. It’s not something used to mock the dead, though. It’s about what dumbshit thing they did, and why they did it.

For example, the first Master-Tier Pathbearer I served under was a glory-seeking jackass called Haven Summers. She thought she was the greatest godsdamned Aeromancer in the world and loved dropping storms on people. It was practically her only strategy. Thing is, most people don’t handle getting hit by a storm very well, so it worked pretty well for her.

And then came the day we found ourselves trying to seal a gate connected to the Evergrave.

Slight tangent: The Fae might look like and be related to all the elves that found their way over to our world, but they are not elves and they really, really do not like us. Fortunately, they also find the idea of butchering us to be abhorrent, since most of us don’t just pop back into existence after getting destroyed.

Connecting this back to the main bit: It takes a lot to get the Fae to kill you. Dropping a storm on someone is a felling lot.

There wasn’t even an attempt at a dialogue on Summers’s part. We got the gate’s core and there was a Fae team there too. We saw them. They saw us. They tried to talk to us. And then Summers launched a storm at them and commanded us to attack.

Second problem: Being a Master makes you better than most people. It does not make you the biggest fish in any pond by far. Summers learned that when one of the Fae parried the storm back into her. And then, being Fae and reluctant to kill a human, the Fae Pathbearer showed Summers a twisted version of mercy by “shield-bashing” the shape of her mind. Summers lives on soup and thinks she’s twelve these days. Her family spent a fortune trying to get the best mind mages to fix her, but nothing really worked, last I heard. My guess is that you’ll have to get a Fae to fix what they broke, but honestly, good luck getting those capricious lunatics to do anything.

But back to the point—don’t just attack any dimensional, demon, or unknown you can find, because after the Fae beat a perpetual childhood back into Summer, she decided she felt bad and decided to give us the core as an apology on the condition invite her to dinner and play her a song. The rations we had were shit. None of us could carry a tune. But the Fae loved it.

And that was how I got my first Blessing.

-Memoirs of a Master-Tier War Mage

II-16

Allies

What remained of Guardshead Lue’s arrogance crumbled to dust, and in the rubble, her fear and anger emerged. That was a good benefit Shiv’s Dread Aura offered. It didn’t just allow him to magnify and strike other people’s courage, but it gave him a guess as to how scared they were at baseline. 

Right then, Lue was terrified. But her terror was a different kind compared to Siggy, Tran, or Heather’s. Her terror was something that pushed outward, like a cornered snake commanded to bite and fight. It fed her anger and fury, and provoked her to action. Lue moved fast—about as fast as Shiv with an empty Momentum Core. Her stance shifted and the air began to swirl fast around her as she clutched at something initially unseen. As Shiv narrowed his eyes, he caught sight of something—an outline revealed in the light. She was holding a near-invisible blade.

Awareness > 11

No wonder I felt something was off. She was armed. Just couldn’t see it. That’s a useful enchantment. Or skill. Hmm. Come to think of it, I should push my Stealth harder. Absolute invisibility will be great for me. I might not be the best at spy crap, but I after my little misadventure in storage, I can still get pretty far with misdirection and ambushes.

“Who are you,” Lue said, her voice a low growl. “How can you know such a thing?”

“I ask you to speak with me honestly and your response is to draw a weapon?” Shiv asked, slightly annoyed.

“I never told anyone—I wear Divination-blocking enchantments on me at all times. How? How do you know?”

Shiv paused. If that was true, why did he know? He wasn’t sure exactly, but he had a guess. “Because the system demands strife. It might want you to kill Confriga because that’ll be a nice moment of bloodshed and violence. And it let me have a glance because I might not be an active detriment against your plan. Maybe your counter-divination enchantments only apply to people who don’t want you to succeed.”

She hesitated. By this point, the other three Pathbearers in the room were reacting in different ways. Siggy was terrified and stuck between staying and escaping; Tran had his saber drawn, its edge gleaming like a rising star; Heather was preparing to shape a spell and get everyone out of there.

Shiv, though, was curious. He was fascinated, and wanted to see where this opportunity led. His plan might have ended in utter disaster, but it seemed the world wanted him to keep playing this subtle game for a while longer.

After a moment’s consideration, he dropped his Perfect Semblance. He felt a shudder run through Lue’s courage as she looked upon his true visage. Her eye swept his immense carapace of bone, and he could feel his Dread Aura push her bravery back just a bit more. Shiv decided to keep both his helmet and mask. Because he didn’t need mind-blowing surprises. The Confriga was still in the process of leaving the building, and Lue thought she had all the variables under her control to assume an aggressive posture.

Dread Aura > 62

“My name is Shiv,” he began. “Part of what I said wasn’t a lie. I am looking for the Animancy Core. That’s one of the main reasons why I entered the gate. The second is the fact that I need to get to the surface and this is the fastest way. The third is slavery and bastards offend me, so I intend to take this place or die trying.” Shiv chuckled. “In fact, I look forward to dying a lot more in the attempt.”

He still couldn’t read the demon’s features very well, but something about how wide her eyes were getting made her seem flabbergasted. “Who… are you a Necrotech? One of the Undying Masters who have split their souls? You’re here to deal with Vicar Sullain, are you?”

“Right on the last one,” Shiv said, grinning under his helmet. “Who I am… is a chef. And I’m technically from the Republic. But I like to think of myself as my own man.”

“Do not mock me,” Lue hissed, the swirling whirlwind around her blade built to the level of a small typhoon. Heather’s spell broke as she clung to a bookshelf. Tran cursed as his wounded knee gave out, and he held himself in place using his saber. Siggy was already sailing through the air, dragged along the walls.

Shiv just stared at Lue with his arms folded. He could feel the winds pulling on him hard, but he defied them with Might of Mass. “I’m not. Stop throwing a tantrum, I actually want to talk. But if you want to fight… Well, I guess your Reflexes are probably Master or close. Aeromancy is at least Adept—maybe a Fusion Skill with your invisible weapon. But how’s your Toughness? Or your Physicality? I think your armor’s Magical Resistance will keep you protected from my Biomancy for a few hits, but what you have on is pretty fragile compared to Confriga’s actual skill. We can fight. But I like my odds. How about you?”

With each word he spoke, his Dread Aura ground tighter and tighter around her will. Lue’s muscles tightened for a moment. He thought she was going to attack purely out of instinct. And then, without preamble, she released the winds and released her weapon. Shiv frowned. It was probably floating in the air someplace he couldn’t see. Would be really useful if Adam was here.

Tran grunted as he rose to his feet. Siggy fell on Heather with a yelp as the latter was trying to rise using the bookshelf. Loose debris, books, and other scattered items littered all over the ground.

“Are you moving your invisible weapon behind me?” Shiv asked, mostly on a hunch. Lue went stiff.

“How potent is your Foreshadowing?” She gawked.

Shiv laughed. “Just Adept. Actually. Try running me through. It’ll break some tension.” She stared at him like he was insane. “I’m serious. Mostly because I don’t think you can do it. I don’t think your weapon has the capability to even chip me.”

“Are you mad?”

“No. Just curious. Come on. Do it.”

“No. I refuse. You—what are you trying to do?”

“Is that the weapon you planned to use on Confriga? If you can’t piece me, what’s it going to do to him? He’s at least Master-Tier in terms of Toughness with his armor. It’ll be pretty sad if you got the chance to avenge your hatch-brother or whatever and your little invisible blade just bounces off of him. How’s it going to feel then?”

Leu stared at him for a beat. And then she made a dragging gesture, and Shiv felt something slam into them—striking perfectly at his lower back. A blast of wind tore the remains of Oldsmith’s painting behind him. What felt like a constantly accelerating javelin ground against his Adamantine Adaption. To his surprise, the tip of the weapon actually sank a good centimeter in before his armor adapted and stopped it dead. That would’ve opened his flesh at least.

Across from him, wind and lightning flashed as flickering invisible spells between Lue’s hands.

Shiv couldn’t help it. He laughed. “Invisible spells too? You must be pretty tricky.”

“And your body is even denser than your mind,” she snarled, straining with effort. “Why are you—what kind of evolution do you even have? Is your Toughness Heroic?”

“No. Just Adamantine Adaption.” Shiv didn’t know if it was wise telling her, but he was enjoying her reaction too much not to get another rise from her.

“What? Why do you have a Master-Tier Skill Evolution meant for monsters?” Leu stopped driving her unseen javelin against him, and the winds in the room immediately died. She staggered back, and her courage gave even more ground before his Dread Aura. She was still holding quite well, but she was more than twice as scared of him as when this conversation started.

And Shiv was a bit embarrassed to admit it, but he kind of enjoyed intimidating her. The horrified and stunned reactions sent a rush of amusement through him each time. “Maybe because I am a monster?” Shiv replied. “Who knows. But it was a good stab. Not sure if you can get through Confriga’s body, though. He barely budged when I struck him, but I didn’t exactly get to use my Momentum Core on him, so I can’t really tell you how Tough he is.”

“Master,” she choked out. “He is a Master without his armor. He has the Void Serpent’s Aegis as his Skill Evolution.”

“Cool. I don’t know what that is because an asshole named Roland Arrow stopped me from attending proper school. More details about me: I like cooking, fighting stuff, learning about Biomancy, an Umbral named Uva, bullying a certain Young Lord, killing evil bastards, and the whole being a Pathbearer thing in general. What I want is to get back to Blackedge after dealing with the Animancy Core so I can help stop the Vicar, save the town, and then beat the shit out of Roland in front of everyone. I added killing Confriga to that list because the child-torturing Necromancy bit. Now. You got to stab me and I told you plenty about me. So. Your turn. Start with your hobbies or something. I don’t care.”

Heartbeats passed. The demon looked on at Shiv with stunned disbelief—and she wasn’t the only one. The Slayers and Siggy were rooted to the ground by terror at what Shiv just casually shrugged off. The walls behind him were barely standing after Leu’s brief strike. Shiv didn’t even shift an inch.

Leu shuddered and let out a disbelieving breath. “I… Everything you said is honest? True? Truly?”

Shiv nodded. “Yep.”

The demon considered him again and her body language softened to a wary but non-aggressive posture. “How… strange. But the system desires strife indeed. It should not be surprising to encounter a Hissak at some point.”

“What’s that?”

“The closest meaning you might understand is ‘System Favored’ or ‘Chaos Blessed.’ Both functionally mean the same thing when considered from certain perspectives.”

Shiv smirked. “Yeah. I remember Valor calling me that. Guess it's a bigger deal than I thought it was.”

“Valor?”

“Valor Thann,” Shiv said. “People also call him He Who Stills Eternity or something.”

And at the mention of Valor’s name, Shiv felt Leu’s courage nearly shattered. “Godsbane! Lordslayer! Realmbutcher! You know the Deathclad One?”

Godsdamn, Valor, just how many names do you have? And how much shit did you get up to? “Yeah. I’m technically his disciple now, but he’s kind of outsourced most of that training to another guy. Partially to train him through me. I suspect he just can’t be arsed to teach me the very basics. I don’t blame Valor, though. Training a novice chef is pretty hard, so I can’t imagine how teaching a novice Pathbearer is any easier.”

“Disciple,” Leu practically choked. Her single eye had gone from regarding Shiv as a fool, to a madman, then a monster, and now a nightmare. “I…” She mastered herself, but her courage remained under siege. “Yes. Yes, it is true. The vision you saw is no lie. I am here for retribution. This revenge, I have been planning for over 313 years.”

Shiv blinked. “Wait, you’ve been after him that long?”

“It is immensely difficult to rise through the ranks of The Fist—Lord Scorn’s armies. Lesser Marshal Confriga and I—along with the many others of our race—are Vulteg. Translation of the closest meaning is like… Fingerling. We are the extension of his power and will, created by his magic to serve as his ends and means across the Integrate Dimensions. I spent years honing myself, following Lesser Marshal Confriga through the ranks, from battlefield to battlefield. All to fulfill a forbidden wish. To avenge my clutch-brother—the only of my kin to survive our metamorphosis into adolescence. And now I have finally drawn close, yet…”

Leu let out a weary sigh. “Yet, it is as you realized. Despite my greatest efforts, I cannot best Lesser Marshal Confriga in a direct battle nor have a discovered a means to ensure his death through subterfuge. And thus you find me here, planning, preparing. Until now.”

“Right,” Shiv nodded. Some of that was new, but most of it seemed to make sense. “But do you have any hobbies?”

“What?” Leus said, her eye dilating in confusion.

“It was a joke. Because you told me all that other stuff and didn’t say anything about hobbies.”

“I… bred Hulag Slugs? I have a few living in a garden. It’s very calming.”

“Nice. I don’t know what that is.”

Leu looked at the other Pathbearers. “And these… Are your associates?”

Shiv looked at his sorry company and something inside him broke. He threw his head back and laughed. Both Heather and Tran flinched. “Ha! No. Those two assholes are Tran and Heather. They’re Slayers from Blackedge. I saved them from the Inquisition, and they’re stuck in this mess, trying to get out. Siggy is a hostage. I still haven’t decided if I’m going to kill her after all this is over yet.” 

The goblin whimpered.

“So, they are with you purely by circumstance?” Leu asked, incredulous.

“Yeah?”

“And you had them participate in your, eh, attempt at deceiving the Lesser Marshal when none of you are trained in subterfuge.”

“I took a class on that at the academy,” Heather mumbled.

“Do they also teach classes on abandoning the people that save you while they’re struggling against an Orcish Skill, because I think you might have gotten a higher grade in that class,” Shiv said, pretending to be as upbeat as he could.

Heather cringed away in shame.

Leu looked at Heather, stared at the floor, then considered Shiv again. “Master Pathbearer… what was your plan, exactly? Was the corpse… was there something more?”

“Yeah, I just kind of thought if I showed up with one of my old bodies—”

“Old bodies?” Leu asked, confused again.

Shiv continued, ignoring the interruption. “—That Confriga would think I’m dead and open the gate again. After that… I guess I would try to steal the core and then deal with that and then kill Confriga and all the big threats here and then take the gate.”

Leu made a stressed noise. “But… did you have an idea in mind if your deception failed?”

“Yeah. I’d just attempt to kill Confriga immediately. Move that up my list. Not the most idea conditions for a fight, but I’d probably get past him and try to kill all you other Masters first before having it out with the Gate Lord.”

“That… that was your plan?”

“Yeah? I mean, I guess it’s not the most well-thought-out, but I’m working with what I got here. Can’t just do nothing.”

“I… see…” Leu seemed at a complete loss with how to treat Shiv. “If… you do not trust them,” she said, looking at the others. “I might have a reliable means to ensure their removal. My Hulag Slugs can digest up to Adept-Tier materials.”

Shiv felt Heather, Tran, and Siggy’s terror spike.

“Yeah, maybe not right now,” Shiv said. That only made their terror worse. It was kind of mean of him to say, but he was still sour over the whole escaping without him thing. “But I would be interested in seeing these slugs. And also talking about how we might be able to kill Confriga and get the other stuff done. I think our goals are aligned enough that we can help each other get some stuff done. Stuff we can’t do alone.”

“This is acceptable,” Leu muttered. “But I will need you all to pose as prisoners to suit appearances. Lesser Marshal Confriga has eyes watching everywhere. I hope this doesn’t offend you.”

“I’m fine with it,” Shiv said. He looked at the others and scoffed. “They’re fine with it, too.”

Tran stared at Shiv. “We are?”

“You got another plan of escape hiding up your ass, Tran?”

“I… no.”

“Yeah. So you’re fine with it.” Shiv grinned at Leu. He wasn’t sure how much he trusted her, but for now, when it came to Confriga, it seemed like he just made a new friend. “Congratulations, Leu. For not being a slave running drug dealer, and not leaving me to my fate while I suffered from an orc’s love, you’re not my favorite person in this gate.”

Leu stared awkwardly. “I… It is an honor?”

“Yep. Sure is. Now. Let’s see some slugs.”

Silver Tongue > 9

***

“Holy shit, they’re huge,” Shiv breathed as he watched over a hundred ten-meter long slugs eat their way through several small mountains of bodies, waste, and other materials dropped from above through three different chutes.

When Leu said slugs and garden earlier, he expected something small. Like a bunch of black and slimy creatures gliding over glistening grass and supping water from dewdrops. What we got was a few hundred grunting, massive, aggressive corpses and literal shit eating monsters that took up the space of a Blackedge residential cluster—500 felling meters of space.

And the garden part was kind of weird too. Most of the plants were a mix between plantmass and meat. Their branches spread through the space in branching arterial limbs, and they seemed to be competing with the slugs for sustenance, breaking down the waste.

“The slugs are an important part of Gate Theborn’s ability to sustain itself,” Leu said, her voice alight with pride and joy. “I took special care to bring them over from Vukteth: My home dimension. It took the effort of many Biomancers across dimensions to modify the slugs and adapt them to your atmosphere. Make them resistant to disease strains. Now, they consume most of the corpses and waste from the upper districts. Most efficient, is it not?”

“They got a chain of stomaches inside them,” Shiv breathed, studying the slugs using his Biomancy. About half of them were in the range of his mana field, and their bodily architecture was weird. He could tell they were modified—even identify a few transplanted organs because of how human they were compared to the rest of the slugs’ biologies. But overall, it was like studying an entirely alien creature. Shiv tried to remember every detail. Their nervous system was especially interesting considering how layered it was.

Practical Metabiology > 15

Another surprise was where Leu resided. Instead of being atop a building in a penthouse like Oldsmith, she and the other Vulteg lived below the higher levels where the bridges, and plazas were. Shiv got a good look at Gate Theborn as she led him and the others down. The place was pretty compact overall, with most of the people there living within ten kilometers of space. This recontextualized just how disruptive Shiv’s brawl with 811 was to him. Thankfully, most of the slaves lived on the lower-mid levels and in a few select buildings meant only for them. 

The Vulteg lived at the very bottom, and stayed in these hanging habitats with transparent floors that let them watch the molten rivers rush on ceaselessly below them. This wasn’t because they enjoyed the heat or had to live a certain way, but the fact that there was a third gateway out of this place Shiv didn’t know about. Right at the very bottom. It was the place where all the molten metal originated from, as was connected to another dimension entirely. Another dimension, and another system-claimed world: Vuketh.

Apparently, most of the Vulteg began life as fireproof tadpole-like creatures in the molten rivers, and that there were thousands of them swimming through the burning streams Shiv could see. Only a small percent would make it to adolescence, however, because the main source of food for the tadpoles was each other.

There’s dog-eat-dog and then there’s kid-eat-kid. What a life…

A descending obsidian tower passed through the third gateway, and on the other side was where Confriga spent most of his time. On the other side, alongside their literal god, Lord Scorn and system knew how many Vulteg. From what Leu described, they all lived in some kind of heavily hierarchical mercenary world-kingdom.

Shiv saw all that and more on the way to Leu’s personal stronghold. And now he got to watch some of the largest slugs in the world eat some of the people he killed during his earlier rampage. Shiv thought he recognized some faces and winced.

As she and you admired her slugs, a sudden question punched past all the others. “Hey—your building—it’s, uh, not that big, but the space inside is about five hundred meters. How does that work?”

The answer didn’t come from Leu, but surprisingly from Heather. “Dimensionality,” the Jump Mage said. She gestured toward the walls lining the enclosed garden at the center of the room, and Shiv noticed the glowing spells circulating constantly.

“But that  leads to another question,” Heather asked. “How do you even have the mana to power all this? I mean, you would need a substantial amount—like Master-Tier spatial magic. And, well, no offense, but I don’t think you’re a Portomancer.”

Leu simply shook her head. “Indeed. However, this is made simple by the fact that all structures within this dimension are connected to this dimension’s mana core.”

Shiv’s eyes widened and he licked his lips. “Now you have my attention. Okay, that sounds pretty useful. Where is it? Can we get to it?”

“You saw it when you came in,” Leu replied. “It serves as the sun of this place.”

Shiv paused, several pieces clicking into place in his mind. “Is that why—no, is that what the chains are for?” He recalled the long, black-gray chains binding each of the taller buildings to the Sun.

“Yes,” Leu said. “It’s a mana-transference system. The gate is constantly growing. As a world between worlds, it absorbs mana from both dimensions it's connected to, and the clashing between dimensions creates something new during the process: core. From there, the gate grows, becoming more than just a pathway between worlds or dimensions.”

“Wait, gates can grow larger?” Shiv asked.

Leu regarded him for a moment. “I—this is something I thought you knew, Master Pathbearer.”

“Well, as I told you before, my education has holes in it. A lot of holes. Just treat me like I don’t know anything.”

“Of course, Master Pathbearer. I mean to imply no judgment. A dimension’s core is effectively a crystallization of its soul. It is often referred to as a mana core because that is its main function: Outputting mana. But that is putting things simply. Much like a Pathbearer, a core can grow—even gain things akin to skills. As such, gates are vaunted things to possess, capture, or close. It is not uncommon for the system to create multiple clashing quests surrounding the same gate.”

“Well, that’s something.” Shiv frowned. “So, if I can get to the sun, can I do something to it? Shut it down?”

“That is… unlikely.” Leu paused, and Shiv felt her body tighten with discomfort. “A core is not something you can physically destroy because of its metaphysical nature. But there is a way. And it is even close at hand—A desperate measure that could see this entire place destroyed. The Animancy Core. Animancy damages the very fabric of concepts, of souls, of reality itself. Should we use that on the core… it would collapse the realm.”

And that was an option, albeit a pretty shitty one. Shiv wasn’t even sure if he would survive that. “What happens if a realm collapses, and we’re still inside?”

“Absolute annihilation, I suspect,” Leu said.

“Well, that’s not guaranteed,” Heather interjected. “I don’t know much about Animacy, but if the core to a place is destroyed, all the space composing the gate will shift over to the next closest stable place, so we might get pushed out through the gateways and end up back on the surface.”

Leu considered that. “Perhaps. But with the immense mana powering the Animancy Core, I suspect we will not have this opportunity. I considered this plan. I was even overjoyed when the core first arrived. It seemed like a perfect tool—something that even a Heroic Pathbearer like Confriga cannot survive. It will also cost me my existence. And every living soul contained within this space. To do that is a last measure among last measures.”

“Fine. Alright. So, no bombing the core unless we’re absolutely desperate. What about Confriga? Maybe if you can get him alone, or we can catch him out of his armor and unarmed, I can put him down.”

“Lesser Marshal Confriga is never out of his armor. Absence—that foul blade is bound to his soul. I have studied him for centuries—I despise him, but there are few others who live as he does. Wearing his own armor. Never far beyond his weapon. His psychology is deviant. Even for one of my race.”

Shiv blinked. “Then why doesn’t he smell?”

“He bathes with the armor,” Leu deadpanned. “It is something he often boasts about and encourages us to do.”

“That… sounds uncomfortable.” Shiv thought about washing with his exoskeleton. Yeah, no, we’re sticking to the old way.

“It is. I tested it?” Leu sighed. “Regardless, an ambush is possible, but it is also unlikely to succeed, for by his recognized authority as Gate Lord, Confriga can call upon the mana of the gate and all its resources to aid him.”

“He can?” Shiv said. “Then why did he just show up to brawl with me the first time?”

“That is because Confriga is a vile, arrogant creature who enjoys demonstrating his personal superiority over another. The fact that he couldn’t finish you with his fists alone hurt his pride. That you wounded him at all and destroyed his effigies. If I may ask… what did you do to him.”

Shiv shrugged. “Donno. He hit me with a Necromancy whip. It blew up my arm. It blew up everyone around us. It ignited most of the Pathbearers and burned Confriga.” Shiv’s left arm still itched and pulsed with pain at times. “My arm still doesn’t feel great even after I… recovered. I don’t think Necromancy gets along with me.”

“It is supposed to wither one’s vitality when unleashed against a foe directly,” Leu said. “It decays matter and kills life. I have seen him make thousands of enemy Pathbearers crumble away into dust. And then, the art lets him keep something of an imprint of their souls that he might wield for his twisted means. I do not fully understand the lore, but every time he draws on Necromancy, it burdens me with dread.”

“Well, it seems to set me off like a mana bomb,” Shiv replied. “Is there a way I can avoid having him use Necromancy?”

“Yes. But that is also difficult, as you will need to destroy his effigies again—his instruments of death channeling. You cannot wield the powers of Necromancy without a source of death.”

Shiv blinked. “Huh, that explains the kids. Sort of. He could have used a dead dog or something. So no bones and deaths means no Necromancy.”

“That is my understanding.”

“Guess I know what to target. What’s the deal with his sword?”

“It is a Heroic-Tier weapon. Something that can cut perfectly no matter how far the target. A weapon that never misses. But that is only the beginning of its enchantments, and of the others, I know little. I can say that it is deadly enough as is.”

“Well, I’m looking forward to sampling its edge sometime soon. So, aside from the Necromancy, his weird shower habits, and his control over this gate—actually, what does that allow him to do, exactly?”

“It allows him to summon every single Pathbearer bound to this dimension to him. As the gate is also attuned to Pyromancy and Cryomancy, he can also use the sun to channel immense acts of mystical destruction.”

“Wait, a gate can have its mana attuned?”

“Yes. Both a Pathbearer and a gate are composed of three parts. A soul or a core. Vitality or zeitgeist. Mind or expanse. The soul is the anchor for everything, but where a person is connected to a vessel and exists in a state of life, a dimension lives through culture and history, and its capacity to develop is determined by how expansive it is. 

This is how the History and Legend-Building Theory of Mana Accumulation came to be. For a Pathbearer grows as they build on their own accompaniments and accumulates more acts of triumph or exertion. Comparatively, though, a core draws on the deeds of everyone that lives in its expanse. As such, most cores output far more mana than a Pathbearer, but lacks a mind to attune it to the proper magic or environments, leaving its development random and chaotic when left alone.”

And here was another thing that would have been great to know. Roland, I’m going to beat your ass in front of your son so badly, he’ll need all of Blackedge to pull me off you.

“And this dimension is… large?” Shiv asked.

“A Category Eight, by the measurements your peoples use,” Leu said. “It is lesser-medium considering its mana output. But that’s still substantially more than any individual Pathbearer can unleash.”

“Shit,” Shiv said. “And I was just expecting to fight the guy.”

“In your defense, it is like not an incorrect expectation. But should you press him to the brink, he will use the powers of the gate and call upon every Pathbearer and dimensional here to aid him.”

“So, what if we manage to get him out of the gate and attack him there?”

“I have considered that as well,” Leu said. “But he rarely leaves. Even to return to our home dimension. With someone he imagines being an Aviary spy lurking—someone that slighted him—I think he will not go anywhere until the enemy is found and slain.”

“But he left the gateway to his home dimension open.”

“Yes. Because any non-Vulteg who enters Vuketh will learn the folly of entering Lord Scorn’s domain uninvited.” Leu chuckled darkly. “My god cares little for himself and his own people, but he despises intruders above all, and the curses he bestows can shatter even a Legendary Pathbearer in seconds.”

“Right. So we’re not fighting Confriga there either.” Shiv was increasingly stumped by this conversation. His plan had been some variety of ambush, fight, possibly die, and then eventually kill. Now, with all Leu just told him, fighting Confriga was going to be even more miserable than expected. “Well, shit. This is a pain. I wish I had Valor with me now. He would have some better ideas. Adam, annoying prick that he is, would probably come up with some tactics and strategy too. And Uva.” Not that he missed Uva for that reason alone. He had many reasons why he missed her. Lots of them.

“Wait, Valor Thann and your allies… they are nearby?” Leu asked.

“Yeah,” Shiv said. “Kind of. They’re probably not in the immediate vicinity, but I think I can find Weave if I get back into the Abyss.”

“Broken Moon, you really weren’t lying about the stuff you said before, were you?” Tran breathed.

Shiv eyed him. “Look, Tran, the Republic’s… kind of full of shit. Everything they told us about the Abyss is a lie. Even most of the Eclipse War.”

The Slayer’s expression turned pained. “I…”

“If I find a way across, you’ll see. You really should see Weave.”

But Leu was silent. And thinking. “I can help you get through the sealed gateways. To the surface. And to the Abyss.” She regarded Heather. “You are a Dimensionalist, yes? In fact, I suspect you to be the one who was detected at the surface gateway earlier.”

Heather wilted slightly before the Vulteg’s glare. “I… yeah…”

“I know the spatial resonance for both gateways. Will that help you shape a proper spell and get through?”

The Jump Mage suddenly looked stunned. “Are you serious? Yes! If you have that then I can absolutely get across!” Excitement consumed her. “We’re getting out of here, Tran! We’re—”

“We’re going to the Abyss first,” Shiv said. “This isn’t done. You can be cowards and run once you help me retrieve the people I can actually rely on. But to get to them…” He hesitated, remembering the Jealousy. “There’s a Greater Demon hovering over the  gateway. That’s going to be a problem too.”

“Greater Demon?” Tran said, his face pale.

“It’s worse than you think,” Shiv muttered. “Nearly cracked my protection when I was approaching Gate Theborn.”

“Ah, yes,” Leu said. “The Jealousy.” She thought for a moment, then chuckled. “You may be pleased to know that I have a plan to eliminate the creature. Part of my overall strategy to kill Confriga in the end.” 

Now Shiv was very happy he ran into Leu. “Well, don’t keep me waiting. What do we need to do?”

“Confriga has a contract with the Greater Demon. He feeds it minds every month, and in another day, it will be due for another feeding. It is… part of the reason we import so many cheap slaves.”

“That’s… you’re just letting this thing eat the minds of people?” Shiv asked. Leu’s casual admission about this reminded him that she wasn’t exactly a decent person either, but mostly an ally of convenience.

“It is part of the conditions for its contract,” she finished. “All the dimensionals and demons have running transactions with us, Compact, and many others. Regardless, when the Jealousy finishes the feeding, it briefly goes into a digestive state to absorb all the minds consumed. It is vulnerable, then. And it is usually left alone in a hidden sanctum within this dimension to recover.”

With each word she said, Shiv’s grin grew. “Oh, and you know where it is?”

“Indeed I do. But even so… the risks are substantial. For even a Master, I would consider this practically suicide.”

Shiv laughed. “Leu. Stop. I’m already on board. Tell me the rest, and let’s kill this Greater Demon.”