Wish upon the Stars (Original Superhero cultivation sci fi litrpg)

[Malcolm Tent]

It had been quite a while since I had seen Bethy fight. The last time had been a duel against Abel, if I remembered correctly, and it had been months ago. I knew she had reached the peak of C-rank, though she obviously hadn't ranked up. Still, given the relatively small gap between peak C and B-rank (aside from Impact), I had assumed she wouldn't be TOO much more powerful than I was in a straight fight.

I was wrong.

Bethy had clearly been refining her techniques during my trip to the Void. As my Master of Challenge, I knew that she'd had plenty of fights, but I hadn't realized how SERIOUSLY she was taking them. The way she moved, stepped, breathed, it was all different now. Smoother. More refined.

In my memory, Bethy was graceful and dangerous, but it was a natural grace. Like a deadly panther, she moved like liquid smoke and struck like a viper, but it was all predatory instinct and deadly talent.

As someone who had trained extensively in combat, both as myself and as multiple demons at this point, I could see through the flaws in that approach. For normal people, reflex fighting made you predictable and easy to counter. That was why martial arts and fighting styles existed. To overcome the limitations of human instinct.

Bethy, however, was NOT human, and neither were her instincts. Her natural gift for violence was beyond what I'd seen in almost anyone except maybe Dayna, and her absurd physical parameters made up for even that slight lack. Beyond that, Bethy was exceptionally gifted at mental manipulation and hypnotism, to the extent that even in her family, where such powers were an inborn part of their trait, she was considered to be a prodigy.

All this was to say that Bethy had been dangerous and terrifying in a fight before, but that danger and terror stemmed from prodigious natural gifts.

Now though, her style had changed. She still fought in a graceful, sort of formless dance of instinctive violence, but there was…polish on it. Her combat abilities hadn't been improved so much as they'd been honed, and I knew exactly how. Combat. This was what happened when you took someone with absurd natural talent and seasoned that talent with EXPERIENCE.

Bethy the last time I'd seen her fight was a panther, a deadly, graceful beast, but now she fought more like a ballerina. Her movements were light and graceful and deceptively flowing. I had thought before that even at B-rank I wasn't sure I could take her, and now I knew without a doubt that I absolutely couldn't. The way she moved, the intensity of her attacks, they were beyond what I thought possible for a C-ranker.

And they were doing absolutely NOTHING.

Claws struck, kicks scythed, fangs snapped, she was a tornado of terror, a symphony of slaughter, and she unleashed every ounce of latent ferocity and rage on her opponent. Bethy freed the beast inside her, but for the first time, she reigned it in enough that she could think. Reason. She was at her peak, fighting with both the power and technique that she could usually only use interchangeably, and she was getting fucking DEMOLISHED.

It wasn't like Alara was beating her. There were no punishing blows or brutal slashes. Instead, the other vampire seemed to engage her in her deadly dance as a partner. Spinning and flowing and swirling around the younger vampire in a macabre foxtrot, Alara was so overwhelmingly skilled that she wasn't just beating Bethy. She was LEADING her.

I couldn't imagine it. Being so far ahead of someone like Bethy that you could turn their most explosive attacks into a choreographed dance.

But that was what she was doing. Every slash, every step, every kick, it all looked harmless. Wherever Bethy was, Alara wasn't, and vice versa. It wasn't mocking, or derisive, it wasn't even malicious. Alara wasn't even paying ATTENTION to her. Bethy was set dressing. Background. She was the lighting on the stage, and it was so much worse than any insult or curse I could have imagined.

My friend began to lose her composure. Her eyes started to glint, her lips peeled back, and her movements became faster and sharper. I could see it in real time, the bloodlust overtaking her, and I started to stand up, calling for Zagan as I prepared to intervene.

An arm blocked my way, and I looked down to see my Grandfather barring me from approaching. "Not unless she surrenders," he said quietly.

"She's losing it," I snapped. "I need to go help her. She'll never forgive herself if something happens!"

He shook his head sadly. "It's not your place. Not yet. But don't worry. Even with the bloodlust fueling her, she has no chance at seriously harming Alara. In fact, I suspect she was looking for this exact outcome. She wouldn't have baited Bethany into that state if she didn't have some kind of countermeasure prepared."

Gritting my teeth, I sat back down, my eyes fixed on my friend as she continued her descent into madness. It was infuriating. Bethy HATED being like this. She wouldn't want us to leave her in this state, no matter how much she disliked Alara, not to mention it wasn't working.

Alara danced around her almost lazily, but as Bethy became more aggressive, her focus sharpened. Not in the sense that she seemed to need more effort, but in the sense that she was clearly invested in the fight now. "Shameful," she said casually as they blurred back and forth. "Is this the vampirism your father taught you? Rabid blood madness? You had so much promise a moment ago. Now you're just an animal. A warrior vampire may have given me pause, but I need no special effort to outthink a beast."

Bethy's eyes brightened, the glow becoming a more intense red as she snarled and redoubled her attack. Alara just sighed, and for the first time in the entire fight, went on the offensive. Her hands blurred, claws flickering, and a few thin lines of blood appeared on Bethy's pale skin. The scent of her own blood seemed to drive her even deeper into frenzy, and she got even faster, screaming in wordless hate and rage as her body became a blur.

I expected more taunting, but to my surprise, Alara didn't look smug. She looked sad. "Look what you've done to yourself, girl," she said in a voice that all but dripped compassion. "So afraid of your own nature you'd rather drive yourself to death like a monster than face that it's a part of you."

As she spoke, she continued to attack, claws laying open Bethy's flesh in a hundred places. As Bethy lost herself more, her wounds began to close at a faster rate, the bloodlust somehow increasing her regeneration, but no matter how she attacked or how angry she got, she couldn't touch the older woman at all.

"Stop it!" I heard from beside me. I turned to see Chelsea on her feet, tears in her eyes and fists clenched so hard blood dripped down her fingers. As the drops splattered to the ground beneath her though, Bethy just…stopped. Her eyes, still red and unblinking, never left Alara, but she didn't move another inch. "Please stop," Chelsea said softly. "You're killing yourself."

Bethy blinked. Then again. And each blink was like hitting the dimmer switch on a light. The red faded from her eyes. Slowly. Gradually. She was left swaying on her feet. "You wanted me to come out the other side?" she asked Alara in confusion, her voice hoarse.

"There is nothing to fear but fear itself," the older vampire said kindly. "It's not a monster, Bethany. It's part of you. It's only a beast because you treat it like one."

"Maybe yours is," Bethy said sadly. "But I'm different. I'm not just a vampire."

"I know," Alara nodded. "But you were still almost through it, weren't you? You were almost at the bottom. Do you think it was enough?"

My friend shook her head. "I don't. I don't think it would have been either way. But…thank you. For trying. That isn't a solution for me. But it might be part of one. Maybe given how much progress I've made, I can learn to embrace it."

"If you don't, you can always count on others to pull you back," Alara smiled. "Love is a powerful force. In all its many forms. Friends. Soulmates. Family. You're a powerful woman, Bethany."

I knew from the way she said that she wasn't talking about physical strength or technique. Bethy just beamed at her, face lighting up with a billion megawatt smile so blinding it almost left spots on the back of my eyelids. "I know," she said warmly. "I'm pretty lucky, too." She winked at the ancient vampire with luck powers, and Alara tipped back her head and laughed boisterously at the younger girl.

"Agreed," she said as she approached. Reaching down, she cut her finger as her Impact came flooding back. The energy that flowed into her returned to all of her at once, but it seemed to drain partly into the blood drop on her thumb. She flicked the ruby droplet off her thumb and it shot into Bethy's mouth. The energy infused Bethy, seeming to almost reinflate her body from where it had started to flag under the blood loss.

Bethy was so thrown she barely had time to catch my sister and Gabe as the two of them tackled her from either side, clinging to her in fear. Gabe hadn't yelled for the fight to stop, but I knew he never would. My sister was more concerned about Bethy's safety than anything, but Gabe was an adamant. He knew what a loss could cost.

"I don't know what you just did," my sister hissed. "But if you hurt her in any way that doesn't heal, I'm going to carve out your tongue and nail it to your forehead. I don't care how long it takes me to reach your rank."

Bethy giggled. "It's FINE babe," she assured my sister. "She was helping me. It was…I needed that. I didn't even know how much." She nodded to Alara. "I'll be your handmaid or whatever, it's cool. I owe you one."

Alara grinned wickedly. "Apologies, but I'm afraid this was a draw. I used my full power to infuse that drop of blood before the battle had been officially declared. Given your state, I can't in good conscience consider that a victory, but I definitely didn't win. We'll have to call it a tie I'm afraid, and schedule another fight some other time to decide the victor."

Everyone just blinked, staring at her in complete disbelief as we considered everything that had just happened. Bethy stared at her in shock for a few seconds, then all but doubled over laughing, relying on Gabe and Chelsea to hold her up. "Th-thats…" she gasped as she tried to regain her breath. "Oh my gods, that's brilliant." She beamed up at Alara. "I changed my mind. You're pretty damned awesome. I'm super jealous of Callie now. I wish I had a sister like you."

Alara smiled warmly, then brought a claw to her mouth and licked it daintily. "You've tasted my blood and I yours. In a way, that makes us blood sisters, no?"

Bethy squealed excitedly, bouncing up and down a bit. "Oh my gods we totally ARE!" She darted forward, grabbing the older girl by an arm and dragging her towards the stands. "Callie, we're totally sisters now! Come on! We can go out to celebrate, we just have to stop at my place to pick you guys outfits!"

My wife's face, which had been fixed in a soft smile, froze, blood draining from her cheeks, but Bethy was already there and grabbing her. She shot me a pleading look as our friend dragged her off to play dress up doll, but I looked away, deliberately not seeing anything. It helped hide the huge grin on my face too.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

The next day started just like any other. Another run through the obstacle course, this time with the difficulty turned up even higher. Every time I'd get used to it my parents would increase the difficulty. Speed up the swinging blades, destabilize the balance points, remove handholds from the climbing walls. It seemed like they could tell exactly how far to push me to take the difficulty JUST beyond what I could comfortably achieve.

After my fifteenth run of the day, I collapsed onto my side, gasping for breath. No matter how often I went through it, the course never ceased to make me feel like I was dying. "You look rough," Zeke said as he lounged nearby, sipping a colorful drink from a wide bottomed glass. He was sitting on a long chair like you see on beaches, and had, for some reason, chosen to wear a woven straw hat, sunglasses, and a smidge of sunscreen on his nose.

"I hate you," I wheezed. "So much."

"It's not my fault you're out of shape," he said far too gleefully. He took a long, loud slurp of his drink as he grinned down at me.

I glared up at him pointlessly. "I am wearing FULL plate armor," I hissed. "Speaking of which, have the materials for my upgrade come in yet?" Despite access to more than a few powerful Wish users, I unfortunately lacked the means to PAY for the materials to craft my upgraded armor. I'd decided to buy them with the points left over from the succession war, but I couldn't use them as direct payment for the wish because no one who was powerful enough to get me those materials NEEDED the damned things.

Still, they were currency, and I was able to redeem them for the metals that I required, I just had to wait until the damned things showed up.

Zeke smirked. "Nope. You just have to be patient. You're still waiting on Bethany to finish that new wine recipe anyway, right? Personally, I think her first offer was pretty neat, vampire trees sound awesome."

"You do NOT think that," I snapped. "Nobody thinks that except Bethy, because it's ridiculous. And don't say it in front of her, because she'll probably try to get Alyssa to help her make a bunch to keep in her Domain, and those poor animals have suffered enough." I slumped onto my back with a groan. "Gods I'm sore." I whimpered. "I'm just glad nobody has used this method on me in combat." I paused for a moment. "Actually why DON'T people use Impact suppression in combat?"

He shrugged. "It doesn't work. Impact is the manifestation of reality. Reality itself is the only reasonable way of suppressing it for long. Basically, the reason some planets suppress Impact is a natural phenomena. It's been studied, and replicated, but never actually reproduced. Suppression like that isn't REAL suppression, it's just simulated pressure. In the same way you can suppress your own Impact voluntarily to look weaker, you can project it outward too, and even a brief flare of that breaks the suppression."

I hadn't noticed that, actually, but it made sense. Sadly, it wouldn't be of much use to me since I was willingly participating in this madness, but it was nice to know how it worked at least.

After a minute or two, I was recovered enough to stand. Once I was out of the course, my life nova regeneration and triple Vitality kicked in nicely, and my flagging energy and sore muscles melted away like ice cream in the hot sun. It was like getting a good night's sleep in the span of two minutes, and honestly felt so nice it ALMOST made the training worth it on its own. Almost.

Popping to my feet, I felt almost ready to take on the world, but my nascent plans of global domination were interrupted by a pulse through the bond. I blinked and looked up and across the room, eyes fixed on a point on the wall through which my wife was waiting. "Something's happening," I said to Zeke immediately. "Let's go." I bolted for the door, aiming for where Callie was waiting for me at what felt like the front entrance of the palace.

Zeke kept pace effortlessly, easily matching my steps without any sign of hurry or rush. We arrived at the palace entrance in about ten minutes, and I found Callie there waiting. I stopped next to her, threading my fingers through hers as I took up position on her left side. Callie was right handed, so I made sure to leave that one open for her to summon her blade if needed.

"What's going on?" I asked as I stared out into the blackness of space. The building was sat atop a huge chunk of black stone, and past the edge was just the endless expanse of the gaps between the stars. I tried not to look down.

The most terrifying thing about outer space, and the one that no one ever mentions to you when describing it, is that space is not a SHEET. It's a sphere, and that means the endless expanse of darkness doesn't just expand outwards, it also expands DOWN, and even with no gravity to enforce the drop, there's something viscerally terrifying about looking over a cliff to see a drop that goes on for eternity.

Luckily, I wasn't doing that now, because my attention was being drawn in the exact opposite direction. I'd asked what was happening, but that question turned out to be unnecessary to answer, because one look up at the sky made it obvious.

Above our heads, cracks were forming. Like the starry sky was a sheet of glass struck with a mallet, lines of blazing light were expanding from a single point, radiating out from a spot that looked like the center of a shattered vase. Through the cracks, I could see a strange multicolored riot of cascading strangeness. A familiar multicolored riot. It reminded me vaguely of the Chaos Chasm.

Then, with a piercing howl, the air shook, and the cracks widened as a massive shape punched right through, burst out into the lower world in a shower of radiant spatial shards, all of which dissolved into soap bubbles of strange energy as soon as they got far enough from the opening they spawned from.

"What the hell is THAT?" I asked in awe. The object was…immense. Not the physical size, more like the power, I could feel a tremendous Impact from it, far beyond what I'd sensed from my grandmother's ship, the Acheron. Which could only mean-

"It's a Divine warship," came the disgusted voice of Alara from behind us. "And one I recognize. That's the Bloodraven."

I blinked, then spun to stare at her. "What? But you said they wouldn't send gods!"

"I doubt they did," she said with a sigh. "No reason to bother dispatching a ship that powerful if you have a god onboard. I'd imagine he gave it to his heirs as protection. He always was annoyingly cautious."

"He who?" I asked slowly. "It's been a long time since you were alive, I assume whoever this person is was a god when you knew them?"

She nodded. "A contemporary of my father's, a thief god named Selwyn. They were on passingly good terms. Selwyn was slippery and hard to pin down, and he did his best to stay out of everyone's way. Not surprising he survived this long. I suppose he Ascended personally. Seems he's done well for himself up there."

"So I take it Divine materials don't count towards the limits of the Universe in terms of Ascension?" I asked worriedly. I was still stuck on the fact that someone had built a fucking SHIP out of god ranked mats. The Acheron was one of the few S-ranked vessels I was aware of, and it was unspeakably valuable. I didn't even know divine materials existed. Was it forged from melted down artifacts or something?

Alara shook her head. "It doesn't. Materials are…complicated. Divine ranked artifacts aren't really godly. They're just naturally occurring items that have passed the thousand point threshold. They don't possess inherent world connection like a god does. Without an imbued Domain seed, their power is pretty much hollow. They have god bark but not god bite, so to speak."

"So it can't hurt us?" I asked hopefully, knowing the answer before I said it.

"Oh it can DEFINITELY hurt us," she warned. "I told you, it's got a thousand Impact. A heavy ball rolling off a table and landing on an insect might not have the same force or intention as a human foot stomping on one, but it'll be just as dead either way."

I winced, staring up at the massive ship in trepidation. But it wasn't over. The destroyed space behind the ship had started to mend, but it was once again forced open as something else shoved its way through. This one was only S-ranked, and it wasn't a ship, but a flying city made of red glass. From behind that emerged a colossal wooden horse, and then a floating spinning wheel the size of a small moon.

It took me a moment to really process the scope of what I was seeing, given the distance, but the size of every single entrant was bigger than most cities I'd visited. "Don't suppose those are ALSO old friends of yours?" I asked hopefully.

She shook her head. "No idea. Selwyn's presence is already quite a coincidence, though hopefully a lucky one. I was never a fan, but he and my father had a rapport. Bloodraven being the only Divine ranked vehicle is also a potential benefit for us. Assuming it wasn't taken from him by force and is now filled with his enemies, of course."

"Of course," I said dryly. "But maybe let's not borrow trouble when we already have so much. If they're enemies we'll find out soon enough. Doesn't hurt to have a little hope."

"It can actually hurt quite a bit to have hope, little or otherwise," my sister in law said dryly. "But I find it refreshing that you have such a positive outlook. It speaks well of your character. You are an adequate husband for my little sister."

Callie sighed. "Ali, sweetheart, do you remember that talk we had about the way you phrase things? You said you wanted to be more accessible, right?"

"Yes," she agreed. "And you said that my demeanor is often condescending or patronizing. You said it is poor form to act like I know better than everyone. But I DO know better than everyone, and they often ask me to share my wisdom, so I'm not sure what I should do about it."

"Yeah," my wife sighed. "We'll work on it. As of right now though, we have bigger problems than you being a little aloof. We have no clue what the protocols are for interacting with forces like this. If you know the people on the Bloodraven can you act as a point of contact?" her eyes flicked to me. "Unless you were planning to send a diplomat?"

I shook my head. "I mean, Harrison might be an effective negotiator, but he has no leverage here. Even a tangential connection to one of the factions is better than nothing. Are you willing to make contact for us, Alara?"

"I would be happy to do so," she nodded gracefully. "I am fascinated to learn more of these higher beings. The forces they come from may represent Overgods or even Worldgods. It might even make up for my disappointment at missing the legacy trial. Now, how are we to get their attention?"

She stared out across the vast distance consideringly, but finally decided to just go for it. Closing her eyes, she focused on…something, and there was a ripple in the space. Above us, a massive manifestation of Alara appeared in space, staring across the void. "I seek a meeting with the captain of the Bloodraven," she intoned in a voice composed of intent rather than sound. There was a brief pause, and then the ship began to move. Apparently they'd heard her, and now they were coming. Here's hoping they were friendly.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

It didn't take long for the ambassador from the ship to show up. I assumed, based on Alara's request, the S-ranker who showed up was the captain, though I had no way to be sure. He came like the wind, stepping on starlight, and arrived in the time it took me to blink twice. Alara dissolved her manifestation, stepping forward to meet him calmly, clearly not even remotely worried about any violence, despite the super weapon behind him.

"Greetings," said the man warily. "I am Seth, captain of the Bloodraven. I confess, we were led to believe that none in the lower world remembered our father or his legend. How is it that you recognize his personal vessel on sight?"

"Who wouldn't know the story of the Bloodraven," Alara said politely. "A great warship built from the stolen wealth of a thousand divine kingdoms. A magnificent vessel that vanished among the stars one day, never to be seen again. Of course, I've seen it before in person, those many eons ago when it was still new."

Seth's eyes narrowed warily. "You claim to be as ancient as a Divine vessel? Are you a devolved god of some kind? Perhaps you've undergone a sundering?"

"Nothing so pedestrian," grinned Alara wolfishly. "I simply died."

That seemed to intrigue the man. "An S-rank resurrection. Fascinating. They're so rare. While many S-rankers have Mirror Souls, I'm sure you're aware that before passing the Divine watershed, the soul is fragile. It can be done, of course, especially with expedience, but shattering a soul at S-rank is dangerous indeed. May I ask your esteemed name, lady? I can feel your power even from here, I doubt one such as yourself was unknown even in those ancient days where gods outnumbered stars. My father has told me quite a few stories of his youth, perhaps I know of you."

Alara gave an elegant curtsy. "I am Alara Atlas, daughter of the Heretic God. In my day, they called me many things. The Star of Misfortune, the Skyripper, and the Heretic Princess."

His face went pale. "The Skyripper? The S-ranker who murdered the sky god Deltora?"

"Even so," my sister in law said with her most charming smile. "It's lovely to hear that my reputation precedes me. I always did like Selwyn. He used to tell me such wonderful stories as a child. He and my father were fast friends, you see. I consider myself quite lucky you decided to grace us with your presence."

The way she said that implied heavily that it was HER fault it had happened. Which, come to think of it, it might have been. I wasn't sure about the limits of Alara's luck power, but it was significant enough that Atlas thought it was noteworthy, and it had already created several nearly impossible situations to allow her to navigate danger. Exactly how much any of us were affected by it was anyone's guess, but taking credit for it was a good way to inflate her reputation either way.

"I heard many stories of my father's friendship with Adam Atlas," Seth said respectfully. "He was a mighty god, and my father was greatly saddened to hear of his passing."

"Then he'll be overjoyed to hear of his return," Alara said brightly.

The man froze. "A-Adam Atlas is alive?" he all but squeaked. "That's…wonderful news. I'm so happy."

Based on the terrified crack in his voice, he definitely wasn't, but it was kind of funny watching an S-ranker try not to piss himself in fear. "Of course," purred Alara, her red eyes gleaming in a predatory way that had nothing to do with drinking blood and everything to do with smelling it in the metaphorical water. "I'm sure he would be thrilled to make your acquaintance as well, Seth. I just know our families strong alliance will weather the sands of time and extend into the present generation. I believe we will be great friends."

That, to my surprise, didn't seem to terrify him as much as the Atlas talk. In fact, he looked a little intrigued. I very decidedly did not choose to think about my sister in law's romantic life, focusing instead on the moment. I cleared my throat, and Alara glanced at me for a moment before putting a hand on my shoulder and pushing me forward. "Ah, how rude of me. Seth, this is my new little brother, Solomon. He married my sister not long ago, and they're very happy together, so treat him well for me, won't you?"

Seth straightened, looking me over. "A strapping young man," he said approvingly. "And already B-rank at such a young age. Such talent is rare." He held out his hand. "Greetings, Solomon, I am Seth, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. As a visitor to your lands, I'll be relying on you to help me get the lay of the land."

"Of course," I said enthusiastically. "You'll be our guests during your stay!"

He froze. "O-our?" he said quickly, having just realized something was off. His eyes flicked to Alara, who was smiling beatifically.

"Oh yes," my sister in law said in a saccharine voice. "My little brother is quite the up and comer in these parts. He's the current head of one of the six major divine factions that are currently extant in realspace."

He flinched. "Ah," he said as he released my hand. "How wonderful." His voice sounded more annoyed than anything else, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. I was a B-ranker, and therefore, a nobody. As a random footsoldier, a request to be a tour guide was a favor to Alara, taking care of her kid brother when it was convenient.

However, I was the Wishmaster, and I represented a Divine faction. As the current leader of HIS faction on this plane, Seth presumably had decision making power in regards to the formation of alliances and treaties. Guest rights were an old concept, but still very much honored among those of political power. By offering to let me host and being claimed by me as a guest, Seth had essentially agreed to an alliance with the WCP.

It was clear he hadn't intended to do that, though he didn't seem upset enough to imply he had bad intentions. He was just obviously unhappy that he'd been tricked so cleanly and quickly. I could see his mind trying to pick apart the interaction and figure out how much of it was Alara's ability influencing things in her favor and how much was her just outsmarting him. Hell, I was trying to pick that apart.

I could see now why Atlas was so impressed with Alara's abilities. They were so…insidious. Luck was such a nebulous concept, and it was possible to make your own, in a way. Alara was clearly a master as manipulating situations to her advantage, and capitalizing on not only her ability but her own innate skills and intelligence to expand her reputation. I could see why they'd called her The Star of Misfortune.

Seth was a professional, of course. He looked annoyed for a moment but quickly moved past it. "Well, I suppose I should take advantage of your hospitality if it's offered," he said smoothly. "Is this your base of operations?" His eyes flicked up to the palace, though he seemed mostly underwhelmed by the display.

"It is," I said cheerfully. "I welcome yourself and your traveling companions to my home. Please, enjoy your stay. I'm afraid we don't have anywhere you can park your ship. I suspect our hangars have neither the size nor the Impact to withstand an entry from such a powerful machine."

"Of course," he said proudly. "The Bloodraven nests wherever she might lie. None can threaten her."

I made the correct noises of awe and appreciation, but gestured to the other arrivals. "And the others? If we're to be allies, I would love to hear more about our new arrivals. I'm sure you're well informed about any number of powerful forces. You're all here for the legacy trial, yes?"

He immediately latched onto the last question, obviously pleased to be on expected ground. "Very much so. This particular inheritance belongs to an exceptionally well traveled Overgod who called himself The Hourglass Bodach." At our obvious disappointment, he laughed. "You suspected a Worldgod inheritance? I can understand the error, but don't be disappointed too fast. While the Bodach wasn't a Worldgod, he traveled for many years through many planes. Overgods, Worldgods, he visited legacies and ruins from any number of great powers, collecting techniques and materials unseen in the modern world."

His eyes locked on the clocktower in the distance, shining with fanatical avarice. "The secrets to Overgod and even Worldgod reside in that tower." His gaze flicked to Alara and I. "As fellow natives of this plane, I'm not against working together, if you have that ability. I would need proof of your capability before I could commit to anything indepth, you understand."

I nodded. An alliance like the one we made before was mostly a non-agression pact. He'd essentially been tricked into agreeing to play nice, but that didn't mean he was actually willing to work with us in the legacy. Now though, he was open to hearing us out. I wasn't sure why, honestly. Maybe he saw something in me like he said, or more likely, maybe Alara was so scary the rest of us became monsters by association. Whatever the case, I wouldn't waste the opportunity.

Diplomacy wasn't a natural game for me, but I had people for that. And more importantly, I didn't believe anyone would be unmoved by the wish power. My family had depended on the power of the wish to maintain a monopoly in this universe for millennia. These people might not know what wishes were capable of, but when they saw the manifestation of the ultimate support power there was no way they'd be unmoved.

Seth made a hand gesture, and the ship behind him flickered. There was a sudden curtain of darkness falling over us, and when I looked up, I was unsurprised to see the Bloodraven hovering above the palace. Behind it, the other arrival vessels appeared to retreat slightly, taking up a holding pattern as they no doubt attempted to figure out what was happening on this plane. I imagined the other factions would be attempting to make contact, but without a ringer like Alara to smooth things over, I suspected it would be a drawn out and complicated process of bribery and courtship.

"If you wouldn't mind," Seth said politely. "I'd like to bring some of my juniors down off the ship. Just the ones who will be entering the legacy with you. You ARE going to be attending in person, aren't you?"

"We wouldn't mind at all," I said. "And yes, we will be attempting the trial. Wouldn't miss it for a world. Or two. Maybe for three, but we'd need to haggle on rank."

He laughed, making another gesture. There was a shift and suddenly, a small crowd of people appeared behind Seth. They all wore dark cloaks with hoods (Ascendants LOVED hoods, they were very dramatic and made people curious about your face) and there was about twelve of them. I nodded to them politely, then gestured for everyone to follow me inside.

Callie squeezed my hand as we headed into the base. I squeezed back. She hadn't wanted to intrude on the negotiations aloud, though I'd received a few bursts of emotion through the body giving her opinion on the proceedings. My wife wasn't the type to just keep quiet and let other people do her talking, but she didn't feel the need to make her contribution known either. She was happy to advise in the background, even if I didn't always take that advice.

I glanced back over my shoulder surreptitiously. Seth and the others being here was a good sign, and we owed Alara and Atlas for it, but we still had to stick the landing. We had information to get out of them, and if we wanted an active alliance with their trial takers, we needed to fight for one. I hoped Crell had his negotiating pants on, because this was going to be a doozy.