The Power of Ten

Some of the newer or younger Warlocks jumped when they saw both of our black eyes, and then looked confused when they recognized Master Fred’s silver and blue, and saw mine were completely black.

They kind of blinked foolishly when I brought up a Sanctified Dart and touched it to my eyes, and for a second or two the black burned away, revealing the silvery-white and black natural hues of my eyes, which was definitely real, and not the shining metallic hue of a Heavenbound’s eyes.

“Shroudborn,” I informed them, and word spread fairly quick from that point. The way the light played on my hair got attention, too, but they didn’t know what it meant.

------

Master Fred took me on a casual tour of the facilities, starting with the classrooms where the newcomers soaked up topics of lore, especially on the forces they were sworn to and how they interacted, in addition to the various kinds of enemies they’d likely be facing.

The majority of their time, however, was spent on combat training of various kinds. The shooting ranges were sound-insulated, accentuated with illusions, and pretty much busy all the time in various scenarios.

Target practice, melee practice, sensory and stealth training, tactical planning and assessment, physical conditioning, and repeated practice on the uses of Wrath and its Ward and Whim applications; they covered it all.

It wasn’t as good as true combat and that Karma, but it at least ensured new Warlocks were among the better combatants of humanity before they went out there and ended up pissing off so many people with great enthusiasm.

THE ANGELOS SEEMS EAGER TO MEET YOU, he worded to me, rotating it out in front of him instead of over his shoulder, since I was walking alongside him. HE GENERALLY IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO CONFIRM NEW HEAVENBOUND. IT SEEMS YOU HAVE MADE AN IMPRESSION ON HIM.

“That is hardly surprising. Learning that he wouldn’t remember any of this if and when we finally won would be devastating news. How is Heaven supposed to help fight against a repeating cataclysm that it cannot remember?”

THAT IS A SERIOUS EXISTENTIAL THREAT, he agreed somberly. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE FACILITIES?

“From a practical level, they do the job they are designed to do. I take it things like combat driving are trained in other places with more room?”

YES. THERE ARE SEVERAL DRIVING COURSES ALSO USED BY VARIOUS STATE AND FEDERAL AUTHORITIES WHO TRAIN AT THEM, TOO, AND EVEN SOME SPECIAL OPS MILITARY SORTS.

His choice of wording lifted an eyebrow. “You don’t get many military coming in to be Heavenbound?”

THE GOVERNMENT GETS VERY ANNOYED WHEN ITS ELITE TROOPS RESIGN TO GET A PACT AND THEN GO STIR UP TROUBLE IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES WITH DICTATORS... AND DOESN’T LIKE BEING HELD TO ACCOUNT FOR ITS OWN ASSHATNESS, EITHER. THERE’S SOME ELITE MILITARY WHO COME THROUGH, BUT IT TURNS OUT MOST OF THE FIREBOUND AND LAWBOUND IN THE COUNTRY WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT FOR REASONS. HEAVENBOUND, NOT SO MUCH.

“Ah.” Well, governments having to vie with religions for powers and influence, in situations where religions actually had the backing of profound or divine forces, was truly a challenge for modern secular governments. Having to put up with Lawful priests who really, really wanted to be involved in governance, instead of separation of churches and state, had to be an ongoing headache.

Nobody accepted a ban on Divine Casters being able to hold public offices, either. Conversely, the Good Churches were very accepting of term limits, as long as it applied to everyone who held the affected offices. Being able to simply vote out the incompetent and immoral from office was much more polite than having to shoot them or something. The Axiom Churches didn’t like that at all, however, nor did a lot of career politicians.

Getting term limits set up for Congressional seats had been one of the great achievements of the Churches of Heaven in the decade after the Shroud came, and despite many moves to repeal the Amendment that had been started, it had remained unshaken, those trying to overturn it quickly being labeled as power-mongers trying to build a political machine... which, since that was basically what they were trying to do, inevitably got them shot down.

The Constitutional Convention of 1963 had been quite a tumultuous event, having to iron out both imperfections in the original Constitution, and deal with the whole idea of gods, religions that answered prayers, the Alignments, non-human intelligent races, the existence of undead, the absolute existence of an afterlife, and beings who fought over mortal souls.

There had been more than a few attempts on the lives of the delegates, attempts to mind-control, Possess, or shape-replace them, and similar shenanigans from those who wanted to control the agenda. It had been quite an exciting event...

The country came out of it with a new Constitution, for reasons the founding fathers could never have imagined.

“How badly have the Imprusar infected the government?” I asked calmly.

He held up two fingers, and wrapped them together. I winced. THEY ACTUALLY STAY AWAY FROM THE ELECTED POSITIONS, BUT THEY ARE PERVASIVE IN THE BUREAUCRACY AND THE MILITARY. THEY HAVE A HARD TIME WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT BECAUSE OF HARSE, BUT THE OTHER BRANCHES HAVE A BUNCH OF THEM.

“So expected,” I sighed. The Imprusar catered to the wealthy, the powerful, and the rule of Law, preferably with those wealthy and powerful at the top. Controlling a nation’s military was naturally a very good way to extend their power. “They usually penetrate deepest into hereditary officer corps and the intelligence operations...”

YES, he agreed. THERE’S AT LEAST THREE GOVERNMENT UNITS DEDICATED TO TAKING DOWN RENEGADE POWERED WHO ARE HEAVILY DOMINATED BY IMPRUSAR.

“And so quietly removing threats to the Church if need be...” I mused.

We were walking down a quiet hallway two floors down, definitely underground, but quiet and spacious and not feeling like it. There were a big pair of double doors at the end of the hallway, dominated by the triad symbol of Heaven United, but he gestured me off to the side instead of going through it.

This room was more like a small council chamber, and only had one occupant at the moment.

He looked rather plain, of average height and plain features, balding hair, and browned skin tones that could have come from any combination of bloodlines, although he did appear human.

He was writing with sweeps of his index finger, slowly and carefully scribing the book in elegant winding script that even from the other side of the room I recognized as Celestial.

Master Fred didn’t actually seem all that defferential, more cautious than anything. I thought about it, and realized why. If touching a Good person with his flesh made it char and burn, what would happen if he touched a Celestial?

The man looked up, and his eyes, momentarily plain brown, immediately glowed bright golden, turning into pools of dimly radiant light.

ELDER, Master Fred bowed. ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE TRAVELER.

“The bringer of the Human Tongue.” He eyed the reversed hue of my hair with some amusement, and awareness. “Touched by Sylune. Interesting.” The man rose with grace and ease, and the kind of poise you instantly associate with a very high MAB if you’ve got any sense whatsoever. “I was wondering if it was a trick of the light on the video.”

“The Silver Queen has her favorites,” I sighed. “I had the Highmoon Bloodline.”

His eyebrows rose. “Had?” he repeated.

“I also had the Darkmoon Bloodline. I burned them down to the Arcane Bloodline, as they were cancelling one another out.”

He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “You burned two powerful Bloodlines down to form a third?” He studied me keenly. “That is an extraordinary feat by any measure, Miss Traveler...”

“If I could request the Elder resume his true form for a moment?” I asked calmly.

He paused, sensing something strange was going on. He glanced at Master Fred, who just shrugged, and turned those golden eyes back on me.

The eyes were the only thing that stayed the same, as the human form the angel had donned flowed and grew in silver and gold, while a great and holy Presence filled the room with radiant Aura effects. Two silver and pearly feathered wings, each twice as long as the deva was tall, extended out to touch the walls, the ceiling being a little low for his seven-plus foot height. I said ‘he’, but his appearance was rather androgynous, being on the extremely slender and asexual side, with skin of pearl, and shimmering motes of positive energy sliding on quicksilver streams about him. His toga and hood were woven in platinum and mithral threads, a glittering and shining servant of the Heavenly Host.

“One of Aru’s astral devas, Third Host? Fourth. That would have been under Maccariabai, yes? You must have been coming here to escort a valiant soul when the Shroud manifested. Can you confirm my supposition that the World-Angel of this planet sacrificed himself to stop the full manifestation of the Shroud?”

The great golden eyes stared at me in some shock, and I stared right back into The Light he emitted.

In less than a second, the light gathered, compressed, and fell down into the thoroughly mundane earthly appearance of a non-descript balding human male of middle years with dark eyes.

He didn’t bother to conceal how interested he was. “I can confirm that the World-Angel Ooy’Ifphar,” the Name sang out sadly in the air, “is probably dead, and is definitely not Under the Shroud. Being unable to pierce the Shroud that isolates this world, I am unable to speak with my brethren or superiors to confirm any details beyond that... but his Name...” he trailed off.

“I am familiar with Urlhmenuus.” That Name also Sang in the air, but it was heroic and rising, and the deva started in shock. “Likewise, many lesser members of the Hosts have spoken about how Heaven is organized.”

He tilted his head, glanced at Master Fred, and back at me. “I sense there is a much greater story here than I had anticipated.” He gestured at the book before him. “At your advice, I have been recording my experiences on this world since the coming of the Shroud. I see I should have wondered more about how you knew such a thing was at work...”

“There are only five people on this world who know I am more than I appear, and you are one of them.” I gestured. “Shall we sit? I believe you want to know more.”

“By all means!...”

------

I started at the beginning of the story, where the man Aelryinth used to be played a game, which turned out not to be a game, but a way for an extremely powerful Archmage to find heroes to save their own world.

I Holo’d up the events of the Fall, and the Crusade against the Undead that had eventually wiped the whole planet clear of undead... billions of undead, and all their servants.

I skimmed over the intervening years, and the trials and tribulations of a world without enough people to keep it secure from all the interfering forces eager to establish their own servants and forces there.

Then a force from beyond, a force tied to the dead, dark moon above our world, came to Terra-Luna, found a whole bunch of Powered optimized to slaughter it, and instead of a world ripe to be made undead, it became a Portal to take the fight back to them...