Godclads

Chapter 32-11 The Layered Cage

While factors of thaumaturgy material lie upon equal grounds, the determining factor between the success and defeat of a military force is usually rooted in two things: command and coordination.

Command, where the executive agent dispatches a clear and calculated set of orders to be executed along strategic, operational, or tactical levels.

Coordination, as to the efficiency with which these orders are executed successfully.

Beneath this is also the institution and individual skills of your jacks, infantry, pilots, and Godclads. With each success, the entire force surges forward, with each failure, a crack spreads across your front.

So very often, victory and defeat come with a single routing; a devastating cascade.

Ultimately, the superior force is not always the one that possess the higher thaumic mass, but is better at bringing and focusing the mass they do possess against the supple underbelly of their enemies. It is the understanding of what Domains the opposition holds, and how to rupture, paradox, and exploit each of their weaknesses while safeguarding your own failings.

Like all matters, it is simple on the surface, but complexity comes with interplay, for it is the greatest expression of human artistry, demanding an impossible synchronization when it is already so very troubling to become a master of oneself...

-Excerpt from Total Domain Warfare

32-11

The Layered Cage

—[Avo, The Hidden Flame]—

Something about Osjane’s Sword of Swords reminded Avo of the Stormsparrow. It was the way she created a zone of change without altering the concepts of space — an externalization of a miracle upon the material world.

The gleam of her blade projected a triangular symbol made from interlocking geometries across a full kilometer of stable reality. Its lines were infused with letters from a long dead civilization, once legible, now only part of a thaumaturgic ritual.

Devoting a full 10% of his cognitive capacity to processing power and exploiting his Ensouled’s reflex-boosting miracles, Avo observed the patterns of the tapestry to study Osjane’s Heaven in detail and learn of its threats and weaknesses.

The Sword of Swords was, effectively, implanting a decree on everything that existed within the expanse of her symbol. A gleaming slash became the fate of all those who entered this territory and trespassed against her person. And cut everything she did, regardless if they were friend or foe. Clean lines of glittering silver passed through tens of thousands. Drones were perfectly split down the middle. The bodies and machinery poured from the Skyfort, bifurcated and burning, as it began to fall into the jaws of unchecked entropy.

Even Avo’s Conflagration suffered a cleaving. Though it didn’t hurt for him, the sensation of having a branching limb of ghosts severed was disorienting. It also reminded him that with the Nether collapsed, Heavens of Mind and Consciousness were now possible, now a direct part of the tapestry again.

But though her rule was absolute, it didn’t mean he was without options. Moreover, the girl’s mind was cracking with each of her own she was forced to cull. Only by her devotion to Veylis and years of tempered resolve did her morale remain — dangling on a fraying thread at that.

He consumed a full thirty percent of her existing forces. Hundreds of Godclads. Thousands of drones. Those that didn’t fall under the protection of his Heavens of Peace were now lost to him, split down the middle, as Osjane’s divine edict went into full effect. Her Heaven was, in simplicity, extremely frustrating to deal with. r

But Avo still had other options.

Ordering the Sages of Swordbreaker, Avo had them expand their mists and herd Osjane into a rupture of Peace. They released more Rendbombs as they did so, shredding what remained of stable space. And though she possessed the power of a Sphere Eight, she was clearly unrefined in its proper use.

“You will pay for this!” Osjane cried, her voice bordering on hysteria, her mind held together by madness and faith.

She cut again and again, her Sword of Swords imbued with the power of kings, lashing at all those within her sovereign territory. But by now most of Avo’s forces were back under the protective palms of Peace, spared of death by the mists even when cut.

[Swordbreaker Sage One. Rend Cap at 83%]

[Sage Two: 91%]

[Sage Three: Hit a backlash earlier. 96%. Think I’m going for an overload. Anyone got room? Need to transfer my units.]

[Sage Four. 66%. I’ll take your fodder.]Nôv(el)B\\jnn

[The fuck? How are you at 66%.]

[Maybe because I’m the best Naeko.]

[Bullshit. You were hiding in the back, being a glassjaw while the rest of us ate the worst of it. Zein taught us better.]

[Fuck Zein. And thank you half-strands for taking the punches. What makes me the best Naeko is because I’m probably going to be the only living Sage-Naeko when this is done.]

A series of curses and rants exploded between the Sages, and Avo grunted a laugh. The casualness the Chief Paladin took to war was a bit surreal—almost akin to Regulars, but where they were perfect suited for combat, he was molded by it, comforted by bloodshed on a level that would leave most little more than husks.

This was the calling of Samir Naeko: Breaker of men and gods.

[Alright, chatter down. Sage Three: I’m going to pop myself on the little sow. The rest of you squeeze. Avo. Do the think where you bring out more of her soldiers. Make them scream. She doesn’t sound too mentally stable.]

“Of course,” the Burning Dreamer hissed. “Just what I was thinking as well.”

Another miracle burst out from Osjane, this one represented by the symbol of a throne. A radiant crown formed around her blade, and Avo sensed the patterns. It was a zone of absolute repulsion. Nothing could cross over the outline of her crown without suffering obliteration.

“Sage Three. Wait. See opportunity for paradox. Better end.”

[No shit? Let’s see it then.]

Sages Three and Four merged then, their two misted palms overlapping with each other as a transference of surviving forces was completed. After that, Sage Four peeled away while Three blasted forward toward Osjane—toward the edge imprinted on reality via her throne.

To split Osjane’s focus, Avo shrouded the overloading Sage with his flames and summoned every last Instrument and Highflame soldier he just burned. A pillar of roaring fire greeted the unworthy Authority, and along its flickering surface writhed hundreds of thousands of lives now trapped in Avo’s gestalt.

+Authority Thousand! Save us! Save us!+

+YOU WORTHLESS BITCH! YOU FUCKING KILLED US ALL!+

+MOMMA! I NEED—I NEED—+

+BLESSEDBETHEWORTHYBLESSEDBETHEWORTHY!+

He summoned those he devoured—all the Instruments, soldiers, pilots, and technicians under her command. They rose amidst the fires, each with their faces accusing, their pain magnified. Wailing at her. Accusing her of failing them. Accusing her of being nothing more than an unworthy effigy for a dying empire.

With his psychological offensive followed attacks of firepower and metaphysics. Hundreds of warheads crashed against her Sword of Swords. Rendbombs continued opening more tears across reality, leaving the area only traversable by his forces thanks to his conception.

The Extractors punched through the bunched up Golds like flechettes through armor, skin, bone, then flesh. Fires of Soul and mind comingled. More Heavens fell. More fissures expanded across reality, with the entirety of Tallstrings becoming akin to a small patch of Sunderwilds. Drones were pulverized out of existence. Breakers were shattered themselves. Oracles were useless. Shapers were hopeless. Porters were already burning.

Viscera and debris peeled off the side of the Sages as four battlegroups tunneled into the surging Highflame reinforcements, traveling deeper into the valley. Sage Four did as he promised, overloading himself to seal the way close. Behind, as open wounds crisscrossed the surface of existence and the Conflagration spread unchecked, Highflame turned on itself as the Burning Dream spread.

Aboard Skyforts, infected personnel slaughtered each other. To Avo’s surprise, he was stymied as the Regulars aboard responded—creating cones of disruption. Some of them managing to reach the flying fortresses’ cores and overload them, denying the flames their due.

Good soldiers. Good weapons.

He quickly set about prioritizing them over the drones. Metal could be caught easily enough. Real warriors were hard to come by.

[Sage One, I’m through.]

[Sage Two, ripping and tearing.]

[Sage Three, eight kilometers to estimated target destination.]

[Sage Five, offloading units: Going to make a fight of this. Draw aggro.]

[Draw aggro. Fuck me, I’ve been playing Stormjumpers too long.]

[Eat shit and die, Sage One.]

As the last of their Rend ran dry, the Sages’ clenched fists returned to being palms and their mists halted hastily fired munitions, parried nuclear blasts, dodged Rendbombs. The other Godclads, golems, drones, and forces they carried poured out, splashing into the Highflame convoys as the situation devolved into a vicious series of close-combat encounters.

Close combat encounters that usually ensured infection by Conflagration.

Yet, Avo felt something off. A pulse of symmetry jabbed at his mind. The submind was approaching him, coming closer at extreme speeds. Far ahead, valley was growing dark. Not like night, but the purest black of the void. He thought he could see a distant glitter... Were those stars.

{Well, Dreamer, I must admit: You are early. Even by my estimations. Great job, Golds. Truly. You guys... you are the real heroes, dropping the fucking soap so hard.}

Soon, a new dichotomy was formed. The flames of the Conflagration met by an metaphysical expression of space and—-

UNKNOWN SOUL DETECTED

>A DEEPNESS BEYOND [EST. ERROR] (TECHNOLOGY/SCIENCE/CHRONOLOGY/INTELLIGENCE/GRAVITY/WEAK INTERACTION/STRONG INTERACTION/ELECTROMAGNETISM)

Of course they were waiting for him. It had been all too easy so far. +Infacer. Thought you had other arrangements.+

{You believed me? Well, I do. But truth be told... the Bleaks have other concerns as well. Your liberation of the Chief Ape has them worried in other ways as well.}

[Fuck you very much too, strings.]

{Ah. Naeko. Good to see you. Or at least a portion of you. I must be honest, I missed you. Somewhat. You were... well, I would not call you particularly smart for an ape, but there is still much amusement to be gained from watching a gorilla brutalize a chimp. Especially if the chimps are functionally retarded.}

Avo and his battlegroups burned and killed as they spoke, the dialogue not interrupting combat in any way. +So. Come to have a proper war with me.+

{Something like that. I have to thank you first, though. You really did me a big favor.}

The templates within Avo responded with confusion, the Dreamer himself had a guess. “This was political? You wanted Highflame exposed? Weakened?”

{In a sense. Mainly, I just wanted the stupid inbreeders humiliated and Osjon shamed to the point he loses his status as speaker. Losing his daughter—or worse, having his daughter be saved by me—should about do it. After that, the rest of the mouthbreathing monkeys should fall in line.}

The Burning Dreamer couldn’t help but let out a snarling laugh. “You truly are the most devious bastard in New Vultun.”

{I am the most devious bastard in known existence, motherfucker.}

“Remains to be seen. I’m not dead yet. Also. I don’t have political issues. Don’t need to scheme like this. Makes me the better thoughtform. Better mind.”

{You know, there are times I wonder what might be if you, me, Veylis, and Zein were a single force. Then, I realize that our collective egos might just rupture reality by weight alone. You’re worse than Veylis.}

“Better. She’s still broken. I’m here. Can call you a half-strand in person.”

{Eh. She is more like you than you think. Anyhow.} From the valley, a spreading emptiness crawled across reality, over the ruptures as well. Avo detected even more thaumic signatures coming from far, far beyond. Strange thaumic signatures. And then his submind and Definement... they didn’t feel so close anymore either.

To make matters worse, another chasm opened across the district, and new forces came pouring through. Forces that came so quickly it was hard for Avo to track.

PHYS-SIM: ESTIMATED SPEED .69c

[Relativistic weapons,] Naeko grunted.

{How about a wager before we get this started. For old times sake.}

[Shit,] Naeko chuckled. [This is Stormjumpers.]

{What do you have in mind?} Avo asked.

{If you manage to take your submind and Definement back from me—just that. I will withdraw. I will let you have the rest of the warhost and Osjane. But if I manage to snuff you out... Well. Snuffing you will be reward enough for me.}

“You? Snuff me?” Avo grunted. “And they call me the Dreamer.”

[Avo, are you two about to start mind-fucking? Because this is starting to sound a little like how Veylis and I used to talk before we sparred, and I’m not gonna lie, it’s making my ass very uncomfortable.]

Avo ignored the Chief Paladin. Ultimate warrior or not, he was human, and his ego was too small to understand what was on the line here. He was being challenged by an EGI—an intellect above intellects. More than that, an ancient EGI that has eluded execution or capture for billions of years. The Conflagration salivated at the thought of consuming the Infacer.

“Your arrangement is acceptable. But I intend to do more than take my submind. Should have stayed away, Infacer.”

{Oh. The little baby infomorph thinks he’s going to eat me. How cute. Fine, grasshopper. Let’s do this. Let me show you how war is actually meant to be waged.}