Godclads

Chapter 33-1 Lovenet (I)

Politics, Naeko. Politics kills a man’s soul and defiles his mind. It is a dark thing that I enjoy the mechanics of it so much, for the functions and outcomes would have tainted me otherwise.

In one corner, Dowager Ever Wish seeks reparations for a bygone war of the past against the Scaarthians—an incident Stormtree vehemently denies. On the other, I will need to resolve the issue of Bloodthane Haesnaed Losnaugh. The Longeyes are losing control of that one, and that poor girl is spiraling on a death run, seeking a proper end after losing her sister.

How do these two incidents come together? Well, they really shouldn’t, except they come together in the strangest of ways. One desires satisfaction, the other wants an end. Both use politics to mask emotional desires, and everyone involved in the situation is an unserious fool prepared to spend copious amounts of human life and thaumaturgic capital to indulge in their base wants.

I tell you about this because though it would be easy to bring your palm down on the world, there are other leverages to apply, problems to use against other problems.

Someday, you will find yourself in a position where force is no longer the key to your problems, where you are forced to create and guide rather than bend and break. When that happens, think back to this moment, think of two things: What do people want; what do people fear.

Once you understand this, your creativity will grow, as the only two limitations will have been realized. And so often, our problems can resolve themselves if you just apply the right pressure on the right person and inspire the right mistakes...

-Jaus Avandaer

33-1

Lovenet (I)

—[Samir Naeko, Chief Paladin of New Vultun]—

Trails of crushing mist poured across 109,816 kilometers, shrouding the planetary ring behind an obfuscating screen. Above the arcing structure hovered another facility—one torn free of a demiplane and dragged beyond the reach of the atmosphere. Axtraxis Academy, once an esteemed institution of training for Highflame’s future Godclads to be, now resided atop the ring as a statement by Naeko: The High Seraph took his home, so now he was going to take everything he could from her.

Hundreds of voidships and terrestrial transport golems drew close. They trailed across the great nothingness that characterized the void, small vessels before a midnight backdrop carrying with them ambassadors, diplomats, and other figures of great esteem from each Guild. Their arrival was sloppy and harried, a few of their ships accelerating at incredible speeds, desperate to greet the Chief Paladin first.

But that wasn’t Naeko’s will. He wasn’t interested in getting his ass licked by some silver-tongued Color, and so he had the Sage impose their will.

“Pathetic.”

A casual utterance from the Sage made the entirety of the planetary ring tremble. Hyper advanced alloys sang a groaning song from the Heaven of Peace’s merest presence, and the phase field windows pulsed a brilliant white, as if holding against a colossal pressure. Everything the Sage’s mists touched felt the weight of its scorn, and after centuries of slumber, the altered divine tyrant had plenty of scorn to spare.

“Yeah,” Naeko agreed, standing atop the planetary ring, atop Axtraxis itself with his arms folded, watching the pussy-fuck half-strands crawl closer. Pathetic. Doubtless they were doing emergency practices with their lip muscles, trying to gauge who among them had a mouth large enough to suck Naeko off the most.

The answer, of course, was none, metaphorically speaking, but also quite possibly literally as well.

A field of impeding force pulled at everything that moved, at everything that was. Everything that existed upon the tapestry of force and violence was clutched by a faint corona of swirling mists. From maintenance drones and incoming voidships to the refugees Avo had stored above the ring, none were exempt, and none would be exempt.

For long years, the great powers of New Vultun had operated with impunity. They thought themselves above the rules, above the laws, above the world. They forgot to fear the clouds above them, for even mists of softest white and a sky of clearest blue could be torn from the firmament and brought down in the form of a palm that ground entire empires into pulp and rubble.

“My words were meant for you as well,” the mists said, cursing Naeko. His Heaven boiled inside him. There was a hellish anger there that dwarfed his own, a divine outrage that rumbled through its Domains, that raged against Naeko’s irresponsibility. “You allowed this to happen. They forgot the nature of the world, the truth of our purpose. You let them imbibe themselves on ‘freedom,’ to court and impregnate the bitch that is chaos. You are no better than a mongrel pimp of cheap slaves, Samir Naeko, an unworthy hand gifted my throne. I despise you above all. Never forget this.”

Naeko simply snorted in response. “Yeah. Big words from a rusted fucking fart. You wouldn’t have done shit without me, either. Because I broke you. Now you don’t go forgetting that either. You think you could have done better than me at keeping these people down? Maybe. But they would have broken you in minutes and days. Just like I broke you. Just like how you screamed and begged as you toppled, as I took your corpse and used it to bludgeon your fucking people into less than paste.”

The ring groaned and wailed as something beyond fury exploded within the Sage. Naeko spat at the mists in return. “Yeah, throw your tantrum, glassjaw. Wail and scream. Fuck me. I thought I was going to get some guidance from a true god. Instead, I get a bigger bitch than Karakan piggybacking on my good will.” With a flex of contemptuous will, Naeko forced the Sage to release the academy and the ring, reminding the fallen god that Naeko hated them too.

A lapse of bitter silence settled between them. But it wasn’t a true quiet. Pulses of force and violence flowed across Naeko’s awareness, the patterns of his Heaven functioning as if a spiderweb touched by landing fleas. His metaphysical senses were even sharper than before, and his power was also immensely greater. Such were the boons provided by a Sphere Nine Heaven and Hell—a final gift from Avo before releasing Naeko back into the world.

In the minutes to hours after his escape, Naeko placed the megacity under martial law. Despite this, there were still those who fought, who ignored his commandments and continued in defiance. They didn’t know of his growth in power, nor of the cold fire churning in his heart.

Naeko taught them quick and good.

Vandals learned what their own clubs felt like. Murderers tasted their own fléchettes. Abusers got a “hands-on empathy lesson” as every bit of pain they inflicted was turned back on them. New Vultun learned how to bow its head again, bit by fucking bit. Entire warhosts and forces were flattened—caught unprepared by the millions and dying in even greater scores.

For so long, the Guilds focused on brawling each other that they all had their backs turned to him, and left their kidneys wide open.

A mistake. A mistake above mistakes.

“A lesson you should have taught a century ago,” the Sage grumbled, breaking the blissful quiet again. “It took her wounding you twice for you to act. Twice. She has burned down your palace, butchered your subjects. Surely even a simple creature like you can see the shame your indecision has wrought.”

As much as Naeko wanted to tell the Sage to go fuck itself, it wasn’t wrong. It really wasn’t. “Yeah.”

The Sage’s mists twisted in building knots before disintegrating. “No.”

“No?” Naeko said, sighing with exhaustion. “What the fuck’s up with you now?”

The Chief Paladin closed his eyes and did his best to banish the image. “Man, why would you say that shit to me? What makes you think those words are the ones I want to hear.”

“I’m just trying to put you at ease.”

“Chambers, when someone tells you to relax and claims they won’t make you die of all-consuming pleasure, it kind of achieves the opposite fucking effect.”

More of the Lovebringer sagged. Its limbs flopped down. Even its light dimmed.

Naeko felt bad.

“Pathetic,” the Sage said again. “Only a slave’s heart can be so easily swayed.”

And it was that that convinced Naeko to perform the following act—an urge of pure spite instead of anything else.

“You know what? Plug me, Chambers. Plug me with a Bond. I want to speak to my Paladins first, and then the city.”

“You worthless creature—” the Sage growled.

Vivacity returned to Chambers’ limb as it snaked forward, sinking into Naeko’s being. All at once, a long suppressed feeling swelled in Naeko’s chest as he felt...

He felt all the love still flowing through New Vultun, millions of streams rising from the planet, coalescing and concentrating to a single point: Him.

His name left the lips of millions, filled the hearts of billions, and Naeko felt an echo of what they did.

It was a loud fucking ech.

“The hells is this?” Naeko breathed. So many strings pulled at his being, so many sensations. He didn’t even know that many people. What was Chambers doing?

“This? It’s just how many people are happy you’re back, Chief. They’re, uh—new lobbies are forming on the Lovenet. Fan clubs, you know! About you! And the Strix. Fuck, even I got a few.” Chambers chuckled.

Naeko didn’t. “Fan clubs?”

The Lovebringer went silent, unsure how to respond for a moment. “Well, like, you really gave the Guilds a big slapping earlier, and since you stopped the violence too... well, the city always thought of you as this great hero. You might have gone to sleep for a while, and there were some memetics about you always being trapped by more Stormjumper DLC and how the game was a Guilder plot to keep you distracted but... well, you’re as close to a broadly liked guy there is, Chief. Even the enforcers and gangers didn’t hate you as much as the other Glassers. Mainly because you were playing Stormjumpers all the time.”

Despite Chambers’ joke at the end, Naeko still didn’t have a response. “All this... for me?” Naeko could barely believe it. He could barely accept it.

“Correct,” the Sage murmured hatefully. “They must be blind to feel such devotion to an incompetent creature.”

The Lovebringer turned a few tendrils on the mists. “Hey, Chief Naeko?”

“Yeah,” Naeko said, still lost in the sensations.

“You mind if I tell your Heaven to go fuck itself? It’s kind of being a half-strand to you for no reason.”

For the second time, Aedon Chambers surprised Naeko.

“You dare?” the Sage snarled. The ring began to shake again. Naeko forced it down.

“Yeah,” Naeko said, nodding. “You can. You can tell it to go fuck itself.”

“Right. Sage. Eat your own ass and shut the fuck up. I’m trying to talk with the boss here.”

The Sage quivered with rage, and Naeko sneered in response. Hey, you wanted me to be a tyrant. Here it is.

The quivering lessened. Indeed. So, you can learn. The Heaven of Peace sounded pleased. There might be something that can be made of you yet.

Naeko shook his head with exhaustion. Gods. Their moods and motivations never made any sense—never would. “Chambers.”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

A low series of giggles sounded from the Lovebringer. “You got it, boss. Now. Wanna get a walkthrough on how the Lovenet works?”