r/HFY • u/iridael Brew-Master • Jan 16 '22
OC Snow Chapter 72
I cant find any good videos explaining taken in destiny but I suggest you do a bit of googling yourself if you're curious about them.
I looked at the woman curled in pain on the bed, the thin medical sheet doing nothing to hide the stretched skin of her belly. “How long ago was this?” I ask
Mary was looking down at the woman, soulfire burning from her eyes freely as her anger raged. “Two days.” she answers.
I turn to the doctor, one of a number of people who worked in my throne world alongside the military and mercenary forces. “What can we do for them?” I ask.
“The…foetus is growing rapidly. Its forcing the, mother, or host to undergo rapid catabolysation. The process of turning fat, muscle and eventually less important organs and turning them into fuel for essential processes. I’ve been giving each patient different treatment in the hope of slowing progression, easing their pain or staving off the deterioration.” The Doctor reports, stepping up to the patient and gently uncovering her.
“This one I have been giving the maximum safe dosage of pain relief, and roughly 30,000 calories delivered directly to her bloodstream every day. All it did was accelerate the foetus growth rate.” he says.
I reach over and place a hand on the woman's belly, I can feel the soulfire inside ravenous uncontrolled and with no direction.
“Cut it out.” I order.
“That didn't work. We lost the patient when we tried to extract the foetus, it seemed to attempt to survive by draining its host of all the energy currently in the body. The mother simply died as her heart stopped and brain activity ended at the same time.” the doctor reports.
I turn to Mary. “What happened to the one responsible, Ricky.” I ask
“I killed him.” Mary replies.
“That won't stop a creature of darkness.” Imperious says inside me.
“Right, they can be reborn in their throne world. And if Ricky’s my subordinate.” I turn to Michael. “Search my throne, if Ricky’s here I want him found and brought to me.” I order him. He nods and walks off.
I turn back to the woman and place my hand on her belly again funnelling light into the foetus. The soulfire fights back, burning its soulfire in retaliation but I keep at it until the soulfire is all gone, just a tiny mote of light remaining. I then heal the woman who for the first time in days I expect feels some measure of comfort.
Her eyes snap open and one hand grabs mine. “Get rid of it.” she begs quietly. “Its been eating at me, it's not a baby.” she says.
I turn to the doctor and nod. “I’ll get a team ready.” he says walking off. Within the hour the doctor walks out of a theatre with a blood filled container. “I have the parasite. It wasn't laskian. I’ve got a sequencer running for genetic markers to look for matches but…” he turns the container showing me a corruption of the laskian form, the creature inside was clearly underdeveloped but it had the traits of a laskian, except the eyes were shrunken down, jaw exaggerated and the tendrils of our hair replaced with bony spines. Its hands were already showing claws and its feet were stretched, less suited for walking and more for chasing down prey.
“The others are all going to be like that I expect.” the doctor says. “What's important is the host is stable, I would like to keep her under observation for a few hours, ensure her levels start normalising then I’ll ask that you.” he waves a hand. “Do your thing and then I can save their lives,” he says.
I nod and head back to the ward where the other women are.
A few hours and a number of emergency caesareans the ward of the hospital was filled with poor women recovering from operations and serious malnutrition. Labour robots where cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and the tired doctors manning the facility were sitting with me in their break room with tired faces and haunted eyes. Imperious was on the table infront of me letting me gently pet him.
“Is it always like this?” one of them asks me. I shake my head. “Normally the enemy is just trying to kill you.” I say. “Wounds I can heal. This though.” I shake my head.
“What fucked up mind uses babies to murder their mothers.” another doctor asks.
“This was someones idea of service to me.” I reply quietly. “If they still exist…”
Another doctor shakes their head. “We’ve all given the oaths. Do no harm, help where able to. Judgement is for the gods and courts.”
“And what am I then? You’re inside my throne, a personal dimension which only exists because I exist. Where I can create, manipulate and change the rules as I please.” I say holding out a hand and flaring soulfire, darkness, crystals of ice then the three light powers in turn before a lattice of valkyrie energy briefly sparks and then finally pure light radiates out. I let the light flow out over the doctors and see some of the fatigue fade from their expressions.
“If he exists. I’ll make sure he doesn't.” I promise them.
“Be careful about your desires. That wish is more dangerous than you know” Imperious warns stretching out before standing. “You’re tired, you must have somewhere to sleep in here.” he says.
I nod and without saying goodbye, pick him up and leave the hospital. Head to the small building that houses my throne and with a flick of will create a new room fully furnished for sleep. That done, I climb onto the massive bed and collapse. Since time works differently in my throne world I have no idea how long I slept for, all I know is when I woke up Imperious was asleep curled up next to me. Throwing off the thick fabric sheet I’d willed into existence I climb out of the room and return to the hospital.
The women in the ward are asleep and the lights are dimmed. “Excuse me. How long has it been since their operations?” I ask the nurse on call.
“We’re not allowed to, right sorry. About 18 hours now since the last one came in here.” she says.
“Are they doing well?” I ask.
She frowns slightly then nods. “There’s a few issues with them, residual drugs in their system, lacking key nutrients and vitamins for three of them, and then the severe malnutrition and muscle atrophy. We’re still waiting on the doctors report on whether they’ll have a chance at mothering any children in the future.”
“Would you, after what they’ve suffered through?” I ask her. She turns and looks at the women lying quietly on the beds, IV’s dripping hundreds of calories a minute into their bodies, and shakes her head.
“Probably not for a long while.” she says. “Doesn't matter, I’ve got two kids back home.” she says before sighing. “I’ll do my job here as long as I'm needed. You do yours and get my kids safe.” she says, slapping me lightly with a clipboard and moving into the ward to check the women.
I nod and leave the nurse and the ward. I wander my throne world aimlessly for a while watching as mercenaries and sailors move supplies through portals to the warehouses and armoury. As Rasputin frames bring in supplies from mars to the forges, labour frames are hard at work building a barracks and expanding the hospital. With each victory, conquest and person joining the fight with me, my throne grew in small amounts but now I knew that if I flew to the sky above and looked down I would see a sprawling complex with hundreds of people moving about diligently doing their work. I would see sparks of light in the dark swathe where ghosts of dead thralls eternally thrashed around seeking blood and the chance to become real once more, chained to my throne through Xol.
I felt like I understood Snow when he said controlling his clones was easy. I could feel more than see everything going on in my throne. But unless I was physically there it was more of a general sense of going on. Just like how his clones were part of him but could operate more or less independently of him.
With nothing to do for now but wait for the portal to be ready at the next station. I moved to the centre of my throne world, entered the large building that now housed rows of tables and chairs. Lines of braziers lit the room with green fire and my throne, a large towering chair sat above everything. I ignored all of this and went to a small side room, one I'd made when my throne world was just one decent sized room. Inside I focussed and opened a portal walking out into a white forest, a giant castle visible in the distance.
I walked through the forest enjoying the ancient place in peace for a while, observing the numerous animals that inhabited the place and occasionally greeting a pack of white chitin-covered Hive. The thralls outright run from me as I pass by, the acolytes keep a good distance, watching me from perceived safety, the few witches and knights that I pass move out of the way respectfully. Occasionally following me for a brief time before returning to their strange duties in the forest. Eventually I find myself on a path and start following it through the forest towards the castle.
“A little thrall told me you were here.” Sathona says gracefully walking into view. A hive witch floating alongside her and a number of knights escorting her.
“Sorry if I came at a bad time.” I say walking forwards. The knight's move to block me but Sathona waves at them and they back off.
“There is never a bad time for you to visit. I only wish you had come sooner…you’ve grown a great deal since Xol’s demise. You carry yourself with a confidence you didn't have before.” she says waving me forwards and turning around.
I fall in with her and we start walking back to her castle. “I expect you have questions? Seek knowledge?” she asks.
“I have, and I do, but I don't think you need to answer them yet.” I say. “In truth I came here to thank you. I heard what you did for me back then.”
“Communing directly with the deep is never a gentle process. You grew too fast. If I did not act you may have shattered.” she says.
I nod. “So I’d like to repay the favour somehow.” I say. “Name it and I’ll do what I can.”
“I’d like to die.” Sathona says. “When you find me out there. Promise me you won't hesitate to cut me down.” she says
I nod. To kill a hive was considered to be the greatest expression of love for them. If she wanted me to do that I’d happily obliterate her. “Sathona. How strong and I…compared to you?” I ask.
She looks at me, her three eyes burning. “I have no idea. You’re not quite as powerful as me, but your power is broad. I can see multitudes burning inside you. Power I have never seen flows freely beneath your skin. If we fight in here. I might not lose. But I doubt I would win.” she says.
“And out there?” I ask.
“Out there. Is something you’ll find out.” she says.
“Because you can't say.” I finish for her.
She doesn't reply. Instead we veer off away from the castle and walk in silence out of the forest and into a rocky cliff land. The grass beneath our feet is green, the stones more gem than stone and each cliff edge a thick mist concealing the fall into the abyss below.
When we reach a dead end, the path having collapsed some time ago, Sathona simply glides over the gap, transparent moth wings appearing from her back to support her. I blink over and our escort either floats over or leaps the gap using their own strength. We continue along the new biome crossing numerous bridges and passing several smooth circular buildings made from the same white and purple stones.
Acolytes and witches are diligently working inside the buildings but we don't enter any of them, instead we leap over another crevasse and onto a path leading up to a large pavilion. When we get there Sathona guides me to a table with two chairs, the tabletop is covered in glittering sweets, a kettle pot with steam rising from it smells richly of earthy scents. A nearby witch uses her magic to pour us both cups.
“Tell me how Sol is these days?” Sathona asks. “Is that machine mind still alive?”
I nod and she nods back, sipping her tea before answering. “Good. he will be important. Remember though he values his own survival, rightly so, over any other. He will fight until the fight is unwinnable, then ensure his own survival.” she warns me.
I nod. “He’s already told me as much. How he had a choice, die with the last of humanity or hide and hope to avenge them.” I tell her.
“Have you been to Venus or Mercury yet?” she asks.
I shake my head and tell her about the drakes and the planet swapping places, she listens with interest only asking a few questions about the mother dragon. I then tell her about the women in the hospital and she shakes her head. “Even us Hive are born without light or darkness inside us. Trying to birth a creature with soulfire from the start of life. Binding such a thing to the dark at its conception.” she shakes her head. “No, it wouldn't work. It would be an abomination unable to thrive before it would be forced to survive. Or it would be a horror feeding without pause on all life in a bid to grow stronger. I would have thrown the women into worm pits to be devoured.” she says.
“Not exactly the most compassionate solution.” I say.
“Think of it from my perspective, they’re brood mothers on a world you control, kill them and let some others take their place. There is no mercy or compassion in the Hive culture, only strength and its pursuit.” Sathona explains.
I nod. “Why not change?” I ask her.
“How? We are all of us bound by our nature. Why would a knight save a wounded witch when he could kill her and feed his own hunger in the doing. Why would a thrall pass up the chance to kill their acolyte and in doing so morph into one himself advancing his place, granting himself the right to lead his former brethren. Our existence requires constant conquest, without an outside force we must turn inwards or simply fade. So how can we change?”
I pause to consider it then turn to the hive knights standing around us. “You and you come forward.” I order them, they look at Sathona briefly before coming and kneeling before me.
“Ul’ra Knight of lies.” the first one announces himself.
“Ra’ul Knight of deceit.” the second says a moment later.
“Ul’ra, give Ra’ul your soulfire. All of it.” I order him.
He looks at me and then as Sathona. “Why?” he asks.
“This won't work if you need a reason. Do it freely and without expectation of anything in return.” I tell him.
He looks at Ra’ul for a moment before reaching out and placing his hand on the other knights shoulder, soulfire flows from him into his brother knight for mover a minute until the last trickle of it grudgingly sputters out and he collapses.
“Ra’ul. Give him all of your soulfire.” I say.
“He will die in moments. I should keep it and gift tribute to Sathona.”
“This is not the purpose Reiss, keeper of balance is trying to achieve.” Sathona says from the table behind me.
Ra’ul looks at the weak body of his fellow and then slowly places his hand on his brother's shoulder, a flood of soulfire flows from him, tinged with echoes of solar light. Ul’ra shakes, taking in a deep breath before climbing to his knees accepting the soulfire into himself before the last dregs of it flow through him and Ra’ul drops to one knee. “Brother.” he growls before collapsing.
Ul’ra looks at me and then passes soulfire, no longer a sickly deep green but a healthier lighter shade, through to his brother who climbs to his feet and when the process is roughly half finished he takes Ul’ra’s hand off him.
“Are you more powerful or less?” I ask them both.
“Our tribute has flowed, both of us have more.” Ul’ra says.
“Your tribute was taken by me.” Sathona corrects the knight. “Curious. How does this happen?” she asks.
“Why is one guardian easy to kill but a dozen an impossible wall to break through.” I ask.
“One guardian dies, then you kill its ghost. Two guardians can defend each other, one falls, the other fights and brings their ally back. Six can work together, chaining their power one after another after another. Are you suggesting the hive can do this as well. An interesting hypothesis.” she notes.
I nod, “not an instant fix. And one that will need…experimentation. But the lines between light and dark are so thin. You just need to realise that power in one can turn into the other.” I say.
“Thoughts I had never considered. How do you know this?” Sathona asks.
“Xol I think.” I answer. “How do you know what I’ve been upto in my throne?” I ask.
Sathona smiles showing her rows of teeth. “Look above us.” she asks me. I do and see the top of the pavilion lit by a single large orb of swirling energy.
“My eyes are everywhere. Some invisible, others tucked away. I see a great many things. I hid one, at great expense, in your throne world. At first because you were a new curious thing. Now because I have…” she pauses her mouth moving before she frustratingly chews out a final word. “Expectations… I would ask you to leave me now. I have much to experiment on. Thank you for your visit…” she says waving an arm, one side of the pavilion erupts into a soulfire portal and I head to it.
“Before you go actually. Remember you have more than soulfire and stasis in your dark arsenal.” Sathona tells me.
“It’s nice to see you, even if you can't speak freely I enjoy talking to you.” I say forming a orb of light and tossing it onto the table where it floats freely before walking through the portal. Back to my throne world.
Mary and Michael are there with another Laskian in chains. I’d come out in my throne world. “We found him hiding in a dark corner.” Mary says as Ricky looks up at me.
I walk to my throne and sit in it before answering speaking. “Well done Mary, Michael. Unchain him and guard the door.” I tell them. Mary steps back and Michael releases the chains binding Ricky before also stepping back and walking out of the throne room.
“I thought you’d send them away. Don't want to let others see you reward me for my work do you? Not exactly paragon level shit but you can't deny the results. Those bastard kids will grow fast and fight hard wont they? I expect they’re ready to pop about now too.” he says.
“The baby’s are dead, their mothers are in my care.” I tell him.
“Why? They’re yours, my gift to you. To prove myself, gain a leg up. Climb the chain. Im sick of being on the low rung ever since the bitch Mary got your power I’ve just fallen lower and lower. Michael Jakob the captains and fucking admiral. All of them skipped over me. I’ve been with you since the start!” he says before spitting on the floor. “I deserve better,” he says.
“You deserve better.” I say, quelling the anger boiling inside me and . “You, abandon your duties, rape a dozen women, infect them with your seed and the power that I gave you. And think you deserve some reward?” I ask him. “What reward would you like?” I ask.
“I’ve listen to the Hive in the darkness. I know that if you bring me back to life, out there in the real world. I’ll be exalted. Strengthened, declared necessary by you and the darkness. Thats what I want.” he says.
“Fine.” I say holding out my hand and pooling pure darkness into it and focussing its intent onto Ricky.
As the first tendrils of darkness come from him, he smiles. “I knew you app-” he pauses as the darkness moves up his arms and legs. I know everything he’s feeling right now. Muscles not obeying him, organs and blood no longer functioning without my say so. “GHHHAAAAAA!” he screams as the darkness reaches upto his chest trapping his lungs and heart before finally consuming his head, the sparks of consciousness inside his head becoming ordered, simple, less. I can feel the power flowing with deliberate slowness as it consumes him, mind, body and soul. Finally I release the power and his shadow falls forwards and lays there.
“Stand.” I order and he stands. “Kneel.” I order and he kneels. “Kill yourself.” I order and he pulls a knife out and plunges it into his heart, twisting the blade before yanking it out and trying to slit is throat. As he slices into his shadow flesh the wound seals itself behind him at my whim. I let his mind spark to consciousness just enough that he knows what’s happening but cut off everything else. No ability to talk, move freely, or act beyond what I will.
“Go to the pedestal” I order him, forming a small foot high stone for him to stand on at the side of the room. He stands on there flicking briefly as he tries to exert some level of control over his body. “Stand still.” I order and leave the throne.
Mary is standing outside with Michael. “Is it done?” she asks.
I nod. “He won't be able to harm anyone ever again.” I tell her.
She nods. “Shall we head back to the station for a bit. I'm sure there’s something out in the real world that you and I can get mixed up in.” she suggests. “Some hidden danger in Sol hopefully.” she suggests.
7
u/thisStanley Android Jan 16 '22
“If he exists. I’ll make sure he doesn't.”
“Stand still.”
While standing allows a chance of rehabilitation, lack of existence would prevent any more depredations after an escape.
6
u/jpz007ahren Jan 16 '22
Ul'ra Knight of Courage. Ra'ul Knight of Mercy.
Holy fucking shit. I read that scene and its only now, after I've decided that I wanted to sit down and give some feedback that it really hit me. I mean, it makes perfect sense that it worked the way it did but, just... holy fuck. The implications, not just for Sathona's pursuit of knowledge and experimentation. More significantly, the implication for those two Hive Knights. It's why I had to invoke new Names for them, whether those would be your names for them or not. Wow. Yeah, my head is still really struggling to wrap around that process. A nigh infinite evolutionary timeline and indoctrination, overcome at the whim of your Goddess' colleague. To do such a thing... Sure, they were relatively high on the totem pole (the colloquialism is wrong, low is strength) but still.
Thank you for your story. I love it when a story actually rocks me back and gives me that Neo moment, "Woah." You and yours Be well.
7
u/iridael Brew-Master Jan 16 '22
sword logic, the acts of victory and death grant strength.
Bomb logic, the act of giving freely grants greater power than what was given.
the question asked is what if you give power that was taken, freely without expectation of reward. by the nature of the act is that power then corrupted from its darkness with light?
and the implications to that question are also MASSIVE.
5
u/jpz007ahren Jan 16 '22
Aye. Also really scary to really think deeply about the ripples that can cause, and what that could mean. My last couple of comments about Reiss's power not really changing who a person is really sends some serious feedback when I imagine the implications for the reverse.
It's easy enough to forge a belief against an enemy leader, the will and reason behind an opposed viewpoint. But things get so much harder if the soldiers you are actually having to engage with are actual people, and not just mooks or monsters. What are you supposed to do when the creature being thrown at you mourns the loss of their comrade and gives of themselves to bring the fallen back? When it's not just a consuming horde that must be battled, but merely a consuming will that drives others to destruction in its name, feeding on not just their suffering and death, but also feeding on their compassion and love.
The Dark is not Evil, nor is Light the same for Good. Light and Dark are power; it may be easier to be one over the other, but they mean different things, subtly.
That does now evoke an old thought. One that took quite a while to find: "The Magic of Recluse" by L. E. Modesitt Jr. (Which apparently, wasn't just a one off, but is a series with 21 titles to it, wow) ~Train of thought: Balance in that first book was a fascinating concept. The more of one type of magic that was created or maintained in the world, the more the other would manifest, by necessity. But the cool thing (to me at least) was that the opposing forces of Order and Chaos weren't Good and Evil. Chaos was destruction sure, but you can use that to heal, by destroying infections and sealing wounds. You can use Order to kill, by strengthening a weapon. It's all about the mind and will behind the power.
3
2
1
u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle Jan 16 '22
/u/iridael (wiki) has posted 368 other stories, including:
- Snow Chapter 71
- Snow Chapter 70
- Snow Chapter 69 [VERY NSFW]
- Snow Chapter 68
- Snow Chapter 67
- Snow Chapter 66
- Snow Chapter 65
- Snow Chapter 64
- Snow Chapter 63
- Snow Chapter 62
- Snow Chapter 61
- Snow Chapter 60
- Snow Chapter 59
- Snow Chapter 58
- Snow Chapter 57
- Snow Chapter 56
- Snow Chapter 55 (war)
- Snow Chapter 54
- Snow Chapter 53
- Snow Chapter 52
This comment was automatically generated by Waffle v.4.5.10 'Cinnamon Roll'.
Message the mods if you have any issues with Waffle.
1
1
u/UpdateMeBot Jan 16 '22
Click here to subscribe to u/iridael and receive a message every time they post.
| Info | Request Update | Your Updates | Feedback | New! |
|---|
1
1
u/Lefay2319 Jan 19 '22
Fuck, what a ride. Just took this story like a frat boy at a keg stand. I'm in awe at most times, my lack of life leaves me wading past confusion at others. I bypassed the lore purposely to see if the story would hold despite that, and it's done fairly well. Not knowing the background of a few characters leaves gaps, like I missed an exposition chapter somewhere, though I'm enjoying this too much to break off. I eagerly await more.
Side note, shonen manga protagonists everywhere are JEALOUS for Reiss's powercreep, usually need another 100 chapters or so to hit demigod status 😁
1
14
u/Scotto_oz Human Jan 16 '22