Collide Gamer

The more John acted as a monarch, the more he understood depictions of feudal politics.

He had always understood, on an emotional level. Obviously, the person that sat to the king’s right at the breakfast table was holding a position of honour. That just made sense, instinctively. It was more than just proximity, though. The chairs to his left and right were the only ones in the room that he could whisper to unheard. It wasn’t just that Rave and Aclysia had his ear, it was also that they were the only people that he could covertly ask for advice.

The rest of the enormous dining hall reflected the hierarchies at play. John shared his table not only with his two women, but also the highest ranking guests of honour. There was some thick air at the table. Sol glared at the Horned Rat. Remus was the target of many an uncertain glance. Lu Zhi grinned predatorily at Celeste. Only that last one had John confused. Maybe there was some lingering French involvement in Vietnam from colonial days?

The room was layered. A step down from where they sat were the secondary guests of honour. Most were invited, some were political attachments to more important guests. Xi Pang and Vinh were at that level, glaring at each other.

Then further down from there was the vast retinue of guests as well as the select few that they really had only invited because of obligation. The food court was a constant buzzing of motion. The barriers between the areas were soft and yet respected. Different levels of elevation existed for a reason. John could see everything, influence what he wanted with a singular shout.

It was impressive how much power could be expressed just by a location.

Breakfast was, despite the interpersonal and international rivalries, a cordial affair. It was afterwards that John feared different matters would lead to-

‘John, uh, unexpected guests just arrived,’ Momo contacted him mentally.

‘Unexpected unexpected or uninvited unexpected?’ he responded.

‘The former… I’ll stop teasing you…’ She sent him a relay of her current view. Momo’s sight was always interesting. The fairy perceived more colours than he did, specifically small local differences between pigmentation density, so her view added some shades of blue to the display before him that he wasn’t usually capable of seeing.

It was also a picture of Liakan, Singed and Karia of the Azure Tribe.

John rapidly cycled through his available bodies. The Creator Puppet was still busy over in Lorelei’s Guild Hall, setting up the activities for the day. The Ambassador Double was available, but was currently down in Goblin Capital to do pre-reception of any VIPs that might come in. The Azure Tribe had made it past those to sneak in under the radar… which was impressive, given they were metal-sand-magic people.

‘Guess the real one is the closest,’ John thought and wiped some grease off his lips with a napkin. “If you would excuse us, something urgent just came up,” he said, nudging Rave to go along with him. “I will see you all later.”

They had no right nor reason to keep him. John liked being a powerful host, it meant he had control over the situation and control was ever-assuring.

He swiftly made his way to Momo’s office, where she and their three surprise guests were waiting. Since John had seen the arcane elementals at the tail-end of the Macuil debacle, they had repaired themselves. Singed was once more an enormous, animated armour. Liakan was a skinny, smooth-faced alien entity with asymmetrical, coral-like horns. Karia was, despite her nature, human looking with blue-tinged white skin like coloured porcelain and long, bright blue hair that had an ethereal sheen to it.

“Thank you for meeting us in such a hurry,” Liakan said.

“It’s no problem at all,” John assured.

“Didn’t think our invitation reached ya,” Rave confessed.

“It has… Evidently our reply was intercepted.” The daughter of Tiamat sighed and gracefully folded her hands in front of her waist. She may have looked otherworldly, but her voice was quite pleasant to listen to. “The situation in the south is… unstable.”

“Tell us about it,” John requested.

“Yeah, we’ve been trying to get updates out of there for a while,” Momo agreed.

Liakan listed it quickly and professionally. “Matters were settling before the Awakened arrived. Now, it can be said that the Purest Front is done. The resources are too exhausted to continue the struggle across the entirety of Brazil. Groups have stopped responding. The Azure Tribe holds the former capital, but we hold effectively no sway. The state has failed.”

“I see,” John said. “I would lie if I said I was surprised. Still, it is odd to hear a member of the Divided Gates just… disappearing like that.”

“It was a castle built on quicksand,” Karia stated bluntly.

Momo attached herself to John with such smoothness that it was impossible to say whether there was any thought in the gesture. The fairy maid just did it while talking. “And what are you doing now? Still trying to convince Arkan of your view of things?”

Liakan shifted uncomfortably, leaving Singed to make the declaration. “We convinced her that it is time to call a spade a spade, as you say in your language,” the arcane warrior drawled. “We’d like to apply for refuge.”

“You can just join Fusion outright,” John pointed out.

“We are not ready to cross that line yet,” Liakan responded. “I retain hopes that Arkan will come to his senses.” A hope that Singed and Karia did not share. It was evident in the body language of the tall, armour-clad man and even more evident on the face of the female assassin.

“Well… whatever happens, I agree to host you. It’s in my interest to make Fusion the unipolar power in the hemisphere.” The Gamer shrugged. “That aside, glad you made it to our wedding.”

“We have few friends,” Karia joked, “we needed to oblige the one powerful one we have.”

“A perfect time to make more, then,” John responded with a smile.

“Yeah, it’s a… huh?” Momo only now realized that she was hanging from John’s neck. She blushed slightly, cleared her throat, then continued, “…whole gathering of people out there. We can tie you into the faction one way or another.”

“…In fact, there’s an important meeting about to happen that I think you should be part of.” It was a spur of the moment decision, but the Gamer was looking for ancient knowledge and these three had it.

“If you’re moving to the politics part of the day, Imma go and entertain our guests without schemer brain rot.” Rave detached herself from John’s right side and headed for the teleporter. “Call me when ya need me.”

“I will,” John assured and quietly cursed the existence of skirts. Sure, she looked gorgeous in that layered dress, but did it have to obscure her cheeks that much? ‘Just because I can’t tap that doesn’t mean I don’t want to see it!’

Rave stopped one step past the doorframe, out of sight of their guests. She pulled her skirt up and to the side. No longer did the back flap obscure the sight of her perfect derriere. Neither obscene in its roundness nor modest in its size, her ass perfectly straddled the line of balance, fusing fitness and healthy deposits of softness with gorgeous ease. Her taut skin shimmered in the light that fell in through the windows. Her turquoise, blue-trimmed dress framed the light tan wonderfully. The thin strip of her thong hid very little, most of it disappearing between her cheeks.

[Rave Backshot AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/1211eabcd8c1.png ]

Always, John was floored by the sight and the three days of abstinence added to that fiercely. He drank it in for as long as it lasted before she let the cloth drop again. The decoratively frayed skirt covered her bounty once again and he was left in a better world for having been reminded of what he once had and would have again.

‘God, if my younger self knew I was marrying a half-Asian cat girl with that ass, he would beg to get older already,’ John thought, then pushed himself off the table. “Alright then, time for business.’

Organizing the meeting was a swift affair. Everyone who he wanted to call on had just waited for the summon. He delivered them through his maids. A couple mental calls were all that was needed.

John watched the people enter one after another. The Horned Rat was first, Celeste and a mostly rested Norahnon with him. Remus came in after, letting out a relieved sigh when he managed to reach a chair. Romulus with Sol and Luna entered five minutes later. Lu Zhi with Xi Pang entered next. Last to come in was Maximillian.

“Is his presence appropriate?” Remus asked with a glance at the gravity king.

“You do not-“ John started, only for Maximillian to interrupt him.

“With all due respect, buddy, I can defend myself,” he said, then looked at Remus. “I was invited to the meeting by the host. As brother to my emperor, you hold a position of reverence, Godmaker, but you have neither the power nor the right to ask that question.”

Remus coolly raised an eyebrow, but did not belabour the point. Instead, his gaze drifted to those that had been in the room before anyone else. Of the Azure Tribe, Liakan alone was present. Karia and Singed had stepped away, neither of them apt at political intrigue. Of John’s harem, Momo, Nightingale, Lydia and Scarlett were all that had decided to attend. They shared everything anyway, so it was decided that it was best that they do not overcrowd the chamber.

“Is Eglystas going to be present?” John asked. The former leader of Prometheus was the smartest entity in the world. That was to his detriment, his intellect having reached a level where he was difficult to socialize with.

“No,” Remus responded simply.

“To hoard his responses and predictions to yourself, no doubt, no doubt,” the Horned Rat remarked.

“Yes,” the Godmaker continued his one-note responses. “Will we continue to waste time here?”

“No, we can begin.” John pressed a button on a remote and the conference room went dark. A screen activated behind him and he stepped aside so he could gesture better at the pictures he wanted to display. “As you all are aware, Fusion was recently covered in a truly abnormal amount of Kingdom gates. Though I loathe to share intel for free, this is a matter that might concern all of us and there are aspects on which I hope you will share if you know anything for the good of us all.”

John looked at no one in particular. He knew exactly who in the room would openly speak about their knowledge, who would say nothing unless it benefitted them and who would only reveal intel to him in private.

“First off, let me tell you about the origin of the portals: he is a Latebloomer by the name of Yoshua Graham-Sotwoth. Digging into his past has revealed a multitude of mental health issues, manifesting primarily in uncontrollable anxiety. He was opening portals all over the place because he was summoned to another world by… this.”

The screen flickered, the simple grey waiting image replaced with a slideshow of a certain white-turquoise insect humanoid. Everyone in the room outside the harem studied the pictures in great detail. “I notice these pictures were taken with the agreement of the entity,” Luna said. “Within your library as well.”

“Correct,” John said. “This is Devos, the Mite King of the Throthaxen, as he introduced himself. Does that term ring any bells with anyone here?” No movement besides seeking glances at other attendees. The Gamer sighed. “Figured.”

Momo cleared her throat. “Quick rundown: bug civilization that spreads across Kingdoms to reclaim them after calamity. They have a whole birthing ritual where the Mite King, upon breaking out of the pupae, summons someone capable of Kingdom travel as their seneschal. They then travel together to a world in need of refreshing, where the Mite King then sets up a civilization. Because Yoshua went into a multi-day panic attack, that whole deal fell through.”

“We found Devos while looking for Yoshua and agreed to work together in locating the man,” John continued from there. “Which ultimately ended up with us successfully finding him, at which point Devos betrayed us, used biomancy to control Yoshua, and then teleported away.”

“He… managed to escape?” Remus asked slowly. “What are your power estimations of the two?”

“Devos was capable of fighting against Nathalia and Eliana simultaneously. It is my honest belief that he would have lost the fight after a prolonged struggle. That is all the proper combat data I have. I would estimate him to be as strong as Romulus.”

“Preposterous!” Sol declared.

“Is it?” Lu Zhi drawled. “Is it really? Come on, he’s the Apex, but he’s not untouchable. Most of this room has means of being at least threatening to him.” The imperial tomboy grinned sharply. “Not that I’d dare suggest we should test that theory.”

“Jade wyrm, know your place!” the sun goddess warned.

“We are very aware of our place,” the Heavenly Jade Empress retorted.

Sol had more to say, but Romulus put his hand on her arm. The dark-skinned woman grumbled, then forced herself to recline in her chair.

“What about Yoshua’s strength?” Remus asked.

John looked around the room. “I don’t know.”

Everyone knew he was lying. He knew that everyone knew that he was lying. They knew that he knew that everyone knew that he was lying. He lied anyway.

“Devos was by no means a dishonourable individual,” the Gamer continued. “I had my seer with me during all important conversations and he either told the truth or was open about keeping cards close to his chest. He is clearly schooled on the importance of honour, philosophy, and proper governance. He also puts the kingdom he is supposed to build ahead of all other goals. His primary loyalty is to his biological imperative.”

“Can’t exactly blame him for that,” Maximillian threw in.

“Indeed.”

“And you were only guarding this entity with Eliana and Nathalia?” the Horned Rat asked.

“No, I was also present in the field with Nia, Moira, my own Creator Puppet, Lee, Lorelei, and Nahoa.”

“And he overcame all of that?” the Horned Rat kept drilling.

“Not on his own. That would be the next point I wish to inform you about.” John pressed the button on his remote. The screen moved to the next slide.

It was white.

“That’s… weird,” he muttered and pressed the button for the next slide. It was also white. He tapped back and forth for a bit, then turned to Scarlett. “Have the files been tampered with?”

The redhead had a rare expression of confusion on her face. Confusion that made room for a mixture of anger and… fear. “I don’t have a fucking clue,” she muttered. “I am looking at the data code and I don’t understand it. The image files are there. All of the connections are proper. The program is operating as intended. They should be displaying.”

“Technical difficulties?” Xi Pang asked, for everyone to turn towards him and give him a less than impressed look.

It was Lydia who chewed the Prime Minister out, “When the strongest technomancer in the world assures you that a system should be operating as intended, it is prudent to assume that there is another influence at work.”

“Perhaps you should call upon Eliana?” Nightingale suggested. “A physical picture might survive?”

“Good call,” John agreed and looked to Momo to write a message via Harem Comms. “While we wait for her, let me give the rundown. As we traced down Yoshua, we had an encounter with a masked thing. A body of cracked, black stone, constantly mending itself, and a white mask with an opening for a… ‘tongue’ of golden light it probably used to sense things. Any of that ring any bells?”

Again, nothing from the crowd.

John pinched the bridge of his nose. “I hate surprises,” he muttered. “In any case, they were the primary reason why Devos managed to get away. They flooded through a portal when we had found Yoshua, tying enough of our forces down that we could not properly stop the Mite King.”

“How strong are these?”

“Also, unknown. They are odd. Explosive strength initially, enough to deal damage to my Creator Puppet, but they grow substantially weaker as the fight continues. My Observe caused them to disappear outright. I am yet to determine if that was a defensive teleportation or actual deletion.”

“Alright, what the fuck do you suckers need from me?” Eliana burst into the room. “Don’t answer that shit, Momo wrote me a whole novel of dumbass details.”

“Happy to see you too,” John drawled.

Eliana marched up next to him, smacked a stack of white paper onto the table, pulled out a pencil, and began to draw. What would have taken John hours of sketching, erasing, and re-tracing, Eliana did in just a minute. Every line was done confidently. At the end of it, they had a working outline of the masked thing, led grey on white, decorated with drops of blood.

“The fuck?” Eliana raised her hand. The crystallized ichor that replaced her fingernails was oozing fresh crimson. The blood mage pulled her essence out of the paper, forcing the wound shut. John spent just enough time to look at her with concern that he missed the moment the picture changed.

The image of the masked thing on the paper had turned blurry, the grey smudged to the point it was too blurry to be useful to anyone.

John held up the paper in a tense mood. “…As you all can see, we are dealing with some category 5 bullshit.”