Palindrome
Fetzen
Carlyle
BrokenPromise
Alucroas
Sky Blue
Tetsue
DivorarelNEVER THE MAIN PREY
The black assassin bug lay furled, awaiting its prey. While it was not easy to ‘hide’ in a place that lacked space and thus physical laws, the bubble that held the construct was enough to act as both a hiding spot and the trap itself. A sphere of reality within unreality, barely two meters in diameter, yet offered an easy bridge between realities that were the true size of universes.
I WILL KILL YOU OR DIE TRYING
NEVER UTTERED, ONLY BELLOWED
NEVER UTTERED, ONLY BELLOWED
The construct with the acronym IWKYODT remained folded, his ‘life’ shut down in all aspects save for his supernatural senses. He did not need to move, his 5 meter form contorted to remain within the minute sphere he had situated himself within. He did not need to breathe, nor speak, nor indeed act until the moment was right. Such it was, all he needed to do was wait. All four eyes closed as the prongs of his flat head listened only for the twanging of universal fabric, for the tearing of a portal for any would-be intruder attempting an invasion.
There.
It had been a large-scale operation, even by his standards. No less than twenty-thousand Cultivators had been called to perform their duty, running disruption to present the facade of a planned invasive movement. Five of the twelve A'Krülni had moved to perform tasks relevant to this, and even Krü strode forth from his ichor, pressing himself into another’s territory so boldly to attract the attention of those would-be rulers of all things. The implication of his presence was enough, that Neo-Babylon and its subsequent connections to all things would no longer be stable, no longer be safe. It was irresistible.
The tear came from well beyond the Cultivators territory, but its path had meandered through to connect universes exactly as it had been predicted. The tiny universal bubble started to unravel thanks to the colossal dimensional hole being forged, which placed IWKYODT exactly within its means. Perfect.
His body did not come online, not just yet. The tunnel had been made, but he still needed to wait until the quarry had entered his sights. Eyes flickered, minimal energy expended so he could scan his environments and watch for its approach.
A dragon.
A would be megagod dragon, named The Eternal. Eight forms contained within one, its Empire declared Infinite. Crimson scaled containing unimaginable power and unfathomable arrogance. Yet still within its proclaims of perfection, the creature brought with it an entourage. Other minor deities, its brood, as well as a fleet of mechanical creations built to house its humanoid subjects.
They never even saw him coming.
There.
It had been a large-scale operation, even by his standards. No less than twenty-thousand Cultivators had been called to perform their duty, running disruption to present the facade of a planned invasive movement. Five of the twelve A'Krülni had moved to perform tasks relevant to this, and even Krü strode forth from his ichor, pressing himself into another’s territory so boldly to attract the attention of those would-be rulers of all things. The implication of his presence was enough, that Neo-Babylon and its subsequent connections to all things would no longer be stable, no longer be safe. It was irresistible.
The tear came from well beyond the Cultivators territory, but its path had meandered through to connect universes exactly as it had been predicted. The tiny universal bubble started to unravel thanks to the colossal dimensional hole being forged, which placed IWKYODT exactly within its means. Perfect.
His body did not come online, not just yet. The tunnel had been made, but he still needed to wait until the quarry had entered his sights. Eyes flickered, minimal energy expended so he could scan his environments and watch for its approach.
A dragon.
A would be megagod dragon, named The Eternal. Eight forms contained within one, its Empire declared Infinite. Crimson scaled containing unimaginable power and unfathomable arrogance. Yet still within its proclaims of perfection, the creature brought with it an entourage. Other minor deities, its brood, as well as a fleet of mechanical creations built to house its humanoid subjects.
They never even saw him coming.
”Alright, listen up!” A six legged, faceless crystal barked, his skintight armour proudly displaying the emblem of hooks in an X with a whale beneath them, the sigil of the 10th flenser’s fleet. ”Today is the big day! I’m sure y’all’ve read your briefing and know what’s at stake here, but I will reiterate for anybody blackout drunk last night: We are jumping into external territory to capture a fresh 1A. The odds are high that we’ll be entering a hot zone, hence the Breaker compatriots joining us.” Amongst the crowd of suited-up butchers was a small entourage of unique individuals in equally unique outfits, headed by one lanky stickbug-like IWKYODT. Suited faces regarded him, the six-limbed abyssal construct of gangly form and mysterious make. Many were glad that their masks hid their nerves. ”If there was one time in your careers to knuckle down and get the job done, that day would be today. We’ll have time for drinks back home when we’ve proved we’re the best at what we do. And what is it we do?”
Flense gods!
Not every Cultivator is a professor of war. For every assassin, soldier, and scout, there were ten times as many jobs required just to keep the whole operation running. Healers, mechanics, cooks. Everybody had their place to keep the heart pumping, and the humble flenser was chiefly concerned with clean-up duty. A god’s value did not stop when they were dead, for every single part of the divine could be harvested for a myriad of purposes. Scales and talons for armour and weapons, blood for the infinite ichor, even their appendix could be harvested and used to brew up new metaphysical bioweapons. It was the flenser’s job to bring them back, and with how dangerous gods were when they were dead, their role was far from safe.
A great white octopus ship floated within the void of space, its tendrils curled around to envelop its quarry. The dragon’s corpse lay within a massive hangar formed by the tendrils, flensers crawling over it like white ants among the dead. Each one was wearing white arcane armour, their featureless suits built to endure the environmental chaos that a dead god could unleash. Fortunate, given how the body was radiating enough heat to melt steel like rubber. Hooks made from talons punctured into the beast’s wings, the air hissing as meta-chains lifted them high to suspend the dragon above.
“Unit one is ready to start delving,” one voice spoke. They were one of two resting on the dragon’s ribcage, hands making the final adjustments of a white mechanical limpet that attached to the scales. When they rose up, one hand reached to grab great big hose, the tip of which had its own mechanical clamp. <Cutting in 3, 2, 1.> Hisss. The limpet sliced through the scales and bone of the dead god, revealing a boiling magma within. Without any hesitation, the flenser walked towards the hole, sinking into it and dragging the hose with them. A moment later they were joined by a second, wielding a heavy harpoon made from a great tooth. <Happy hunting.>
A great white octopus ship floated within the void of space, its tendrils curled around to envelop its quarry. The dragon’s corpse lay within a massive hangar formed by the tendrils, flensers crawling over it like white ants among the dead. Each one was wearing white arcane armour, their featureless suits built to endure the environmental chaos that a dead god could unleash. Fortunate, given how the body was radiating enough heat to melt steel like rubber. Hooks made from talons punctured into the beast’s wings, the air hissing as meta-chains lifted them high to suspend the dragon above.
“Unit one is ready to start delving,” one voice spoke. They were one of two resting on the dragon’s ribcage, hands making the final adjustments of a white mechanical limpet that attached to the scales. When they rose up, one hand reached to grab great big hose, the tip of which had its own mechanical clamp. <Cutting in 3, 2, 1.> Hisss. The limpet sliced through the scales and bone of the dead god, revealing a boiling magma within. Without any hesitation, the flenser walked towards the hole, sinking into it and dragging the hose with them. A moment later they were joined by a second, wielding a heavy harpoon made from a great tooth. <Happy hunting.>
All of this, and more, was observed by IWKYODT, the one who had made all of this possible. It was easier to observe him, now that he was actually in an observable location. Although taking in his features was never easy, for indeed he was built of a material which absorbed all light that landed upon it, rendering him looking two dimensional as the eyes could not judge what was near and what was far. The only place where this was not the case was within his four eyes, two forward and two sideways. Each eye had a potent purple lens with no apparent pupils, held within a darker sclera. His side-eyes scanned their environment, while the front two stared at the dragon he had felled a moment ago.
Nobody was willing to ask why his gaze was so intense. Not that it mattered, for it was a secret he would not tell. This was not the only war he would wage this night.
Nobody was willing to ask why his gaze was so intense. Not that it mattered, for it was a secret he would not tell. This was not the only war he would wage this night.
