Vantavendi (supplementary, Renegade Option)
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
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22nd October 2012
21:17 GMT +3
I take a moment to look down at the celebration taking part in the room below us. Luna is in equiform and attracting quite a lot of attention. Not people engaging her in conversation, that would be far too civilised. No, just people staring and needing some time to mentally adapt to the presence of a sophont quadruped who looks sort of like a horse. And that attitude is precisely why I brought Sunset along; next to her she's coping far better than she would have been otherwise.
The… Seven, I think? G-goblins are fitting in rather better. No Ixy, but Dubbilex and… Six other pun-named telepaths accompanied by a g-goblin bodyguard or two. They're human sized and human shaped and most of the politicians here have become accustomed to genomorphs operating in their countries over the course of the year. Representatives of just about every African nation are either down there or attending one of the other events we're running across the continent to celebrate.
This Feels So Right.
A year without war. Technically. If you fudge the definitions slightly. No African nation taking up arms against another or against its own people, at least. And with stability has come a degree of prosperity. Africa now has a larger economy than… Okay, than Australasia, but that's for the first time in recorded history and it's a start, damn it! Life expectancy is already increasing. Time children spend in school is definitely increasing, legitimate employment is increasing as corruption vanishes and Lex finds out what running a responsible megacorporation is actually like.
We're even fixing the rivers! And roads, but Africa's so huge and air travel by low-flying space-capable craft is so cheap that -much like wired phone lines- it'll probably be easier to skip that step.
I raise my glass tankard in a silent toast to the people below, then turn back to my fellow members of The Light. Lex has progressed to a telepresence robot, a machine that reminds me a little of Mike the TV or KOMPLEX's robot body.
I frown mildly as I consider the direction of my thoughts on the issue. Maybe I should talk to him about reconsidering his image? Wasn't there a… Cartoon where the robots had screens for faces? Never been able to remember what that was called…
Adom floats over, looking past me to the people below.
"Pleasing."
"I'll say." I glance at him. "But I don't think you quite feel it in the same way that I do."
"I have some idea of the tumult this continent endured before we took control."
"Come on, Adom, we've talked about this. It's not 'took control', it's 'lent aid'. 'Exerted persuasive influence'. 'Appealed to the better angels of their nature'."
"We gave them no choice, and their lives are better for it."
"Yes, and you know that and I know that and, honestly, I'm sure they do too. It's the illusion of choice that we need to appear to give, not choice itself. People who know that they're being compelled to move in a particular direction will often fight against it, and we don't want people fighting us."
"They would lose. But you will tell me that is not the point."
"We didn't conquer… Well, okay, you conquered Kahndaq and I got Sudan, but we didn't bring in an army of foreigners and force them to bend their knees and expect them to thank us for it. We set limits for people and grant them opportunities, we should never use a whip hand to drive them."
"Then you are correct." He gives me a sidelong glance, and I know that I'm about to hear the closest thing to a joke he's capable of saying. "I do not feel it in quite the same way that you do."
"Oh, that wasn't what I meant. I'm the New God of Conquest, remember. Africa's been an itch in my soul ever since I reclaimed my power. Every time I came here, just…" I raise my left hand to my chest and clench my fist. "But no longer. It's working, it's all working."
I close my eyes for a moment and just feel the connectivity of the whole land. It's not done yet, it's nowhere near done, but it's functioning now.
Adom shakes his head. "You are still correct. I do not feel any great change from when we began. Improvement, yes, but that is to be expected when laws are enforced on highly-placed criminals."
"You wanna feel it?"
"I feel that I am sufficiently blessed, thank you."
"No, no, I don't mean-. You wouldn't end up with the same nature as me, anyway. I mean, you should be able to use the Power of Atum to listen in on my god-sense. Right?"
He frowns thoughtfully. "I do not know. It would make sense to a degree if I were to overpower you-."
"No no no. No overpowering, I'm letting you in willingly." I turn my head back towards the other members of The Light. "Circe, that should work, shouldn't it?"
Circe looks around from where she was deeply in conversation with Cranius.
"Using the Power of Atum to connect to another form of arcane power? That should be within his purview. Have you never experimented before?"
"No." Adom looks a little curious. "I have always used it to attack."
"Well then!" I crouch slightly and crane my neck towards him, gesturing to my forehead with my left hand. "Hands on. Let's see if this works."
Richard uses shadows to support his own drink as he drifts closer, passing through the table apparently without noticing. "This could prove informative." He turns his head to Queen Clea. "Do you suppose that something like that would work on me?"
Clea is looking much better… Much younger, than she did when we first met. I'd say that she's at 'forty year old with an expert beautician who takes good care of herself'. She should get a little younger, but I doubt that she really needs it.
"I doubt it. The Shadowlands aren't like the Earth's thaumosphere. Though if you wish to experiment, the Arcane Institute of Venturia has heavily warded laboratories where you could do so safely. It could prove quite enlightening."
"If that's the case…" Richard hesitates. "Not to be a Dicky Downer here, but is it a good idea to do this in a densely populated city?"
Circe waves her left hand dismissively. "Grayven uses the same thaumosphere as Adom. I'm not certain that their systems can be made to interact in a way that would allow either of them to understand what the other is experiencing, but any blowback would be limited to them. And they're both big boys."
Adom drifts a little closer. "I will admit to a degree of curiosity. To see the world as a god does, even one as…"
We don't all live in the thaumosphere, Adom. "It's okay, you can say it."
"As New as you. Have you tried this before?"
"Luna saw what I see when she intruded on my dreams. It works. Come on."
"Very well." Adom comes close enough that his chest obscures my vision, and I feel him firmly grasp my forehead with both hands. "Prepare yourself."
I relax, letting the corporeal universe flow away and immersing myself instead in the conceptual aspect of my nature.
"Lord Atum, show me my ally's power."
The meeting below is mildly discordant as People Are Out Of Their Place, but I clearly divine Control and Loyalty and Structure and Obligation. The tickling cough of Dysfunction that I feel all around is receding, the satisfying pump of Effort and Direction and Effectiveness, my metaphysical skin humming with a growing Health and Power. Ahead of me I feel the Greater Power that I reach toward, growing closer and more magnificent for it. And close about me I feel Directing Minds, my partners and allies without whose efforts I would not be so strong.
"I.. feel it."
As genomorph police hunt down terrorist weapons caches I am there.
"It is…"
As a student who hates me studies law under a grant I sponsor in a school I had built, I am there and I am approving.
"To be…"
As those who didn't recognise that their time was up break rocks in a prison, they do so under my watchful eyes.
Adom removes his hands, and I refocus my awareness. "Remarkable. And some day you will attain greater power?"
"Yes. But that's true of all of us. And if it isn't now, then I will make it so."
21:17 GMT +3
I take a moment to look down at the celebration taking part in the room below us. Luna is in equiform and attracting quite a lot of attention. Not people engaging her in conversation, that would be far too civilised. No, just people staring and needing some time to mentally adapt to the presence of a sophont quadruped who looks sort of like a horse. And that attitude is precisely why I brought Sunset along; next to her she's coping far better than she would have been otherwise.
The… Seven, I think? G-goblins are fitting in rather better. No Ixy, but Dubbilex and… Six other pun-named telepaths accompanied by a g-goblin bodyguard or two. They're human sized and human shaped and most of the politicians here have become accustomed to genomorphs operating in their countries over the course of the year. Representatives of just about every African nation are either down there or attending one of the other events we're running across the continent to celebrate.
This Feels So Right.
A year without war. Technically. If you fudge the definitions slightly. No African nation taking up arms against another or against its own people, at least. And with stability has come a degree of prosperity. Africa now has a larger economy than… Okay, than Australasia, but that's for the first time in recorded history and it's a start, damn it! Life expectancy is already increasing. Time children spend in school is definitely increasing, legitimate employment is increasing as corruption vanishes and Lex finds out what running a responsible megacorporation is actually like.
We're even fixing the rivers! And roads, but Africa's so huge and air travel by low-flying space-capable craft is so cheap that -much like wired phone lines- it'll probably be easier to skip that step.
I raise my glass tankard in a silent toast to the people below, then turn back to my fellow members of The Light. Lex has progressed to a telepresence robot, a machine that reminds me a little of Mike the TV or KOMPLEX's robot body.
I frown mildly as I consider the direction of my thoughts on the issue. Maybe I should talk to him about reconsidering his image? Wasn't there a… Cartoon where the robots had screens for faces? Never been able to remember what that was called…
Adom floats over, looking past me to the people below.
"Pleasing."
"I'll say." I glance at him. "But I don't think you quite feel it in the same way that I do."
"I have some idea of the tumult this continent endured before we took control."
"Come on, Adom, we've talked about this. It's not 'took control', it's 'lent aid'. 'Exerted persuasive influence'. 'Appealed to the better angels of their nature'."
"We gave them no choice, and their lives are better for it."
"Yes, and you know that and I know that and, honestly, I'm sure they do too. It's the illusion of choice that we need to appear to give, not choice itself. People who know that they're being compelled to move in a particular direction will often fight against it, and we don't want people fighting us."
"They would lose. But you will tell me that is not the point."
"We didn't conquer… Well, okay, you conquered Kahndaq and I got Sudan, but we didn't bring in an army of foreigners and force them to bend their knees and expect them to thank us for it. We set limits for people and grant them opportunities, we should never use a whip hand to drive them."
"Then you are correct." He gives me a sidelong glance, and I know that I'm about to hear the closest thing to a joke he's capable of saying. "I do not feel it in quite the same way that you do."
"Oh, that wasn't what I meant. I'm the New God of Conquest, remember. Africa's been an itch in my soul ever since I reclaimed my power. Every time I came here, just…" I raise my left hand to my chest and clench my fist. "But no longer. It's working, it's all working."
I close my eyes for a moment and just feel the connectivity of the whole land. It's not done yet, it's nowhere near done, but it's functioning now.
Adom shakes his head. "You are still correct. I do not feel any great change from when we began. Improvement, yes, but that is to be expected when laws are enforced on highly-placed criminals."
"You wanna feel it?"
"I feel that I am sufficiently blessed, thank you."
"No, no, I don't mean-. You wouldn't end up with the same nature as me, anyway. I mean, you should be able to use the Power of Atum to listen in on my god-sense. Right?"
He frowns thoughtfully. "I do not know. It would make sense to a degree if I were to overpower you-."
"No no no. No overpowering, I'm letting you in willingly." I turn my head back towards the other members of The Light. "Circe, that should work, shouldn't it?"
Circe looks around from where she was deeply in conversation with Cranius.
"Using the Power of Atum to connect to another form of arcane power? That should be within his purview. Have you never experimented before?"
"No." Adom looks a little curious. "I have always used it to attack."
"Well then!" I crouch slightly and crane my neck towards him, gesturing to my forehead with my left hand. "Hands on. Let's see if this works."
Richard uses shadows to support his own drink as he drifts closer, passing through the table apparently without noticing. "This could prove informative." He turns his head to Queen Clea. "Do you suppose that something like that would work on me?"
Clea is looking much better… Much younger, than she did when we first met. I'd say that she's at 'forty year old with an expert beautician who takes good care of herself'. She should get a little younger, but I doubt that she really needs it.
"I doubt it. The Shadowlands aren't like the Earth's thaumosphere. Though if you wish to experiment, the Arcane Institute of Venturia has heavily warded laboratories where you could do so safely. It could prove quite enlightening."
"If that's the case…" Richard hesitates. "Not to be a Dicky Downer here, but is it a good idea to do this in a densely populated city?"
Circe waves her left hand dismissively. "Grayven uses the same thaumosphere as Adom. I'm not certain that their systems can be made to interact in a way that would allow either of them to understand what the other is experiencing, but any blowback would be limited to them. And they're both big boys."
Adom drifts a little closer. "I will admit to a degree of curiosity. To see the world as a god does, even one as…"
We don't all live in the thaumosphere, Adom. "It's okay, you can say it."
"As New as you. Have you tried this before?"
"Luna saw what I see when she intruded on my dreams. It works. Come on."
"Very well." Adom comes close enough that his chest obscures my vision, and I feel him firmly grasp my forehead with both hands. "Prepare yourself."
I relax, letting the corporeal universe flow away and immersing myself instead in the conceptual aspect of my nature.
"Lord Atum, show me my ally's power."
The meeting below is mildly discordant as People Are Out Of Their Place, but I clearly divine Control and Loyalty and Structure and Obligation. The tickling cough of Dysfunction that I feel all around is receding, the satisfying pump of Effort and Direction and Effectiveness, my metaphysical skin humming with a growing Health and Power. Ahead of me I feel the Greater Power that I reach toward, growing closer and more magnificent for it. And close about me I feel Directing Minds, my partners and allies without whose efforts I would not be so strong.
"I.. feel it."
As genomorph police hunt down terrorist weapons caches I am there.
"It is…"
As a student who hates me studies law under a grant I sponsor in a school I had built, I am there and I am approving.
"To be…"
As those who didn't recognise that their time was up break rocks in a prison, they do so under my watchful eyes.
Adom removes his hands, and I refocus my awareness. "Remarkable. And some day you will attain greater power?"
"Yes. But that's true of all of us. And if it isn't now, then I will make it so."
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