Gathered Intel

“Thank you all for your service,” John greeted the room. It was swiftly becoming the traditional way he addressed his war council. He scanned the gathered mass as he advanced to his throne. There were almost a hundred people in attendance, although only eleven really mattered.

Scarlett and Momo waited on the sides of the Throne. As a piece conceived with his lifestyle in mind, the seat was easily wide enough to hold him and his primary advisors on matters of policy and pragmatism. Although he took his place between them, he kept his hands to himself. Their elevated position was purely a signifier of status.

Below, the generals of Fusion stood around the vast table and its integrated screen. Chemilia and Ted were the oldest serving members of the staff, having led Fusion’s military since it was properly formalized following the integration of the Little Maryland. Elu was with them, the usually jolly old woman having grown visibly annoyed. Like Ahanu, she was complying with his will for a lack of choice and made this clear with every glower she sent his way. Last of the four present generals was James, who had been promoted to the position recently. The black-skinned man was more worn by the stresses than the others, courtesy of his lower level, but dealt with it well. All things considered, this couldn’t have been much more stressful than his stay in the Iron Domain.

The non-military people of note were Emrik, Horace, Hank and Ahanu. Of that list, only Hank was in any way surprising. Somehow, the man had managed to worm his way up the staff within 24 hours. Then again, both Momo and Scarlett had regularly espoused his competence. Hovering next to the man was the silver-light construct that was Enki.

Everyone beyond these eleven was just a member of the various layers of support staff.

The haremettes that were in the Guild Hall at this time primarily had taken residence in the back, within the alcoves that covered the wall behind the throne. They were showing their presence, but by and large remained silent observers. If they had something to add to the matter, then they would speak up in due time.

John was just about to raise his voice when an alien presence flooded the room.

Everyone’s eyes, voluntarily or not, snapped to the western entrance to the great hall. A halo of grey runes hovered behind her upper body, like smog clouds spelling out the authority of her power. They diminished with every long step she took. The black dress of matted fungal roots revealed one of her legs on every long stride. An asymmetrical cut, made to great effect.

Lyndell stopped, curtly bowed before John, then did a half turn to face the crowd. Her black veil moved with ethereal slowness, drifting like it was underwater after her motions. The weight of her presence ebbed away. Grey eyes scanned the crowd, dispassionate and yet judging. She folded her hands before her waist, then bowed her head slightly.

“I am Lyndell and I am your ally,” she spoke with languid certainty. “This truth I present to you. It is best you accept this swiftly.”

John had not been informed that the primordial Lorylim had planned such a dramatic appearance, but he was able to pick it up from there. “I have confirmed that her intentions are simply to kill the Lorylim. She’ll be another fang to bear at the first foe.”

“As you say,” Emrik said. His approval swayed the few that distrusted Lyndell even after John’s assurance. There was a small but notable amount of opposition in the council still, an opposition the Gamer deliberately maintained as a present minority. They were his subjects too. Their voices needed to be within hearing distance.

“Now, onto the actual reason for this meeting.” John glanced to Scarlett, who then connected to the large screen in the table. A map was swiftly generated, showing what had been all of Fusion until just a few days ago.

“Our military intelligence has been compiled. Although a clear picture remains a pipedream, we can at least put together a basic map of our current situation. First and foremost, we have pushed out the area we control around the key locations of the Guild Hall, Boston, Miami, New Orleans and Los Angeles. The rest of the east coast is not looking nearly as good. The Lorylim struck the heartlands the hardest and we maintain only a minimum of reliable control over the entire area.”

“The former **** Zone and Gestalt lands are marked as an even darker colour,” Horace remarked.

“We do not have any control in that area. So far, our special forces have been told to stay clear. Enemy concentration has been measured to be too high for anything but a concentrated offensive to be reasonable.”

“What about the Hidden Tradition?” Elu asked. “Why are my lands and the Lake Alliance singled out like this?”

“To put it in simple terms, because you were strong enough to defend yourselves.” John gestured at the map. “Same could be said for Florida, but they have heavily consolidated their forces in Miami for efficiency. Both the Lake Alliance and Hidden Tradition have managed to at least stand on their own, although it also appears that you were spared the brunt of the enemy ****.”

The news created mixed reactions among the gathered people. Relief and suspicion went hand in hand when their current enemy was concerned. “A relief **** must be sent to assure our guilds are truly safe,” Ahanu demanded.

John focused on his former ally with a stern expression. Any pain he felt for the trust he had to betray he kept inside. “This is far removed from our priorities,” he told him.

“Then what are our priorities?” Elu challenged.

“As you can see, the majority of the middle of the continent is under high control. We have pockets of Lorylim infestation, but by and large they have resisted.” John theorized that this was both due to the low population density and the character of the people in those lands. Due to the Order’s previous occupation of the territory, they had created people more resistant to temptation. It must have mattered a whole lot, as far as Izha’s opportunities to get in were concerned. “Importantly, however, the Gobbo Nation is in the new **** Zone.”

Although it did not have the same abductive quality of the original **** Zone, the name was accurate enough for what most people would experience when stepping in there. The headquarters of the Lorylim must have been somewhere in the depths of Alaska, considering the spill from the northwest. It matched John’s theories as well and was definitely remote enough that they could have flown under the radar for this long.

“Any operation we plan must prioritize pushing the Lorylim back to the northwest and fully liberating our occupied territories.” John locked eyes with Ahanu. “I respect your concern for your people, but they are only under threats that they can handle. The special operatives will focus on reclaiming the East Coast, to prepare staging grounds for our attack on the No Control Zone, and the liberation of the Gobbo Nation. There will be movement through the Hidden Tradition and the Lake Alliance, but reinforcements will be sent to them as a luxury, not as a first measure. That is my final word on the matter.”

“Then what is this meeting about?” Emrik asked.

“Beyond updating you, it’s about making the first arrangements for these operations. Me and mine cannot vacate the core positions that we currently hold. However, some strike forces have become available now that our initial situation has slightly relaxed. Elu, I want you to take your part of the army and journey west. Create a defensive line on the eastern border of the Hidden Tradition. It’ll serve as our goal marker when we retake the Low Control Zone.”

The order seemed to surprise Ahanu and Elu both. It wasn’t exactly what they wanted, but he was allowing them to put their troops to the intended use of defending their territory specifically. It was a pragmatic decision in the arenas of war, efficiency and domestic appeasement. The Hidden Tradition was most effective near their hallowed ground. Importantly, if he had denied them this, he doubted that his orders would have been followed to the letter.

Ahanu may have pledged that they would obey his orders, but there was a wide gap between obedience and cooperation. He needed to use the few troops he had efficiently.

“Chemilia, Ted, I want you two to organize an immediate relief effort for DC. Courtesy of my presence there, it was widely evacuated during the start of the war, but we should still reclaim it. If the resistance encountered is greater than projected, prioritize the surrounding areas. We’ll take it once our reinforcements arrive.”

“”Yes, Sir,”” the generals agreed.

“Gather your staff tonight, begin proper planning tomorrow, be ready to execute by tomorrow noon. That is all, dismissed.”

John rose from the Throne. Scarlett and Momo followed his example with a moment’s delay. He made brief eye contact with Lyndell. The ancient entity’s gaze was forlorn, as always, filled with a loneliness so deep that it was engraved into her facial structures. He did not have the time to lift it. Other matters took priority.

Long steps delivered him to the back of the structure. Rave had already come out of her alcove, a phone on her ear. “I’m handing you over now,” she said, then extended the device to the Gamer, who took it.

“You had a bad timing in calling,” he apologized into the speaker. “The meeting is over now.”

“An unlucky happenstance,” answered a gentle voice, her accent light but unmistakably Chinese. Through the speaker, Qingmei’s voice was twice as motherly as usual. She was keeping up appearances that he knew were a farce, either for someone else in the room or just out of habit. “I am calling to inform you of the empress’ state of being.”

An update that John had desperately been waiting for. “Well, what is it then?”

“Sadly, I bring you bad news first. Lu Zhi was struck after exhausting herself in the ritual of the Cardinal Beasts. The poison administered was potent. It failed to kill, yet it brought her low and she is currently in no state to act.”

John clenched his teeth. There was much there he needed to know, an entire nation he wished to comb through to find the one responsible. “Why are you the one telling me this?”

“Because I threw my lot in with you.” Qingmei’s maternal tone was compromised for one hissing moment. “Now my primary investment lies half in and half out of consciousness, while the Prime Minister is back to consolidating power. Not exactly my first choice either.” She cleared her throat. “I apologize for my brash tone.”

“…No, I understand…” John sighed. “It sounded like you also brought good news?”

“Before she was struck, the Empress managed to state one order. The Robber General was mobilized, the World Turtle summoned to the capital, and is now in the process of being prepared for travel. Additionally, the Black Turtle has already been found. They will remain home in Lu Zhi’s defence.”

“Who are they?” John asked.

“We do not know. The Warrior of the Dark Waters appeared fully armoured, three metres tall, plates of black ice hiding them from view. This is normal for the Black Turtle. Their identity often goes obscure, but their loyalty is unquestioned. They would never leave the Forbidden City while the sovereign is in danger.”

“And the other three?” John inquired.

“Have not been found thus far.”

‘So Vinh wasn’t chosen,’ John thought. ‘And the chances that Fianna is actually the White Tiger’s chosen just went up.’ “I thank you for the update. Please call me again as soon as Lu Zhi’s condition improves.”

“I shall,” Qingmei assured. “Doubtlessly, she yearns to see you.”

The call ended unceremoniously, both of them too busy to care about the decorum of goodbyes. “Lu Zhi is out of commission for now,” he reported, “…and I believe Qingmei wishes for me to send her support. It was coded too vaguely to be sure…”

“You’re going to give that support, right?” Rave asked. The rest of the harem joined them, while they disappeared into the corridors deeper in the Palace. “It’s Lulu, we have to help her.”

“There is a way we could… it’ll take time and stretch our forces, but maybe I must do it.” They reached their apartment and immediately moved to the Couch. A different but as important meeting now began between the present haremettes and their man. “First, what is the present people’s opinion on Fianna’s request?”

“We need the last Sylkarion to research them,” Scarlett began with the pragmatic argument. “So her asking for this is a whole fucking lot on that basis alone.”

Momo shook her head. “Let’s be honest, we are never going to replicate the Sylkarion anyhow. It was Arkeidos’ magnum opus, we lack the Innate Ability to do it.” She took a short pause, then gave her thoughts on the actual matter, “I… think her idea is sound. At a minimum, it would grant us another powerful fighter. The problems that I have with it are that, if she is chosen, granting her this boon isn’t actually necessary. It would shortcut the levelling she might have to do, but ultimately it would be more economical to give it to someone else, if we give it to anyone at all.”

“I don’t quite agree,” Nahoa spoke up. “I was powerful before, in my own way, but this contract made me more powerful yet.”

“We have it from Lulu’s mouth that the Cardinal Beasts are her equals or near equals in power. Worst case, she’d be level 800 if she’s chosen. If anything, we’d hold her back.”

“And yet the White Tiger isn’t choosing her immediately,” John stated. “Assuming her intuition is correct, it might be that she is simply too weak a vessel. From that angle, we are choosing between having that powerful ally on our side or not.”

“I think ya gotta do it,” Rave said. “No reason, just pure intuition. Back to Lulu being poisoned, please?”

“No, we need to linger on this for a bit longer,” Momo insisted. “We know what the track record for adding women to the mental network is. This guy,” she pointed at John’s face, “is charming, for better and for worse. Fianna already likes him. It’s basically an admission into the harem.”

“I genuinely don’t care,” Rave responded. “If it happens, it happens. She won’t make a move while we’re in this situation, I’ve learned enough about her to be sure of that. We need extra elites? She’s right there. Everything that comes after we’ll deal with.”

“Uhm, I think Jane is right,” Gnome weighed in. “We really don’t have the luxury to pick at the moment…”

John glanced around the room, taking in the opinions displayed on everyone’s face. He found his own mirrored in their expressions: a resignation that this was a necessary step, no matter what the broader implications were. “She will have the Sylkarion,” he decided. “Come tomorrow. Now, the plan to help Lu Zhi. The long range teleporter in Miami is back online, so I can recall the Ambassador Double, take Undine, and make the trip to Beijing. It will take a couple of days to get from Taiwan to Beijing, but if I take enough money in hand, it should be possible.”

“Then do that?” Rave asked.

“I will, now that we have resolved that we will have someone new to fill the two person hole left behind.” John looked to Undine. “Assuming you agree?”

The abysstide elemental simply nodded.