Chapter 8: Something new
A man in gaudy garb walked across an ornate stone floor polished to a shine, down a massive arched hallway lined with ornate and opulent statues, paintings and architectural flourishes. Fallowed by two other people in gaudy garb. By anybody's definition the man was magnificently beautiful and he new it.
To this scene of opulence a well dressed man entered, but surrounded by such beauty his best was just out of place. "Your holiness, may I have a word with you?"
"As long as we keep walking, I'm on my way to my harem."
"Yes your holiness. I have news for you. We are being observed."
"Of course we are, we're a moon, that's the point."
"No, your holiness. We were being watched by the metal blight, we didn't kill them all."
The gaudy man stopped his stride "What did you say?"
The man's two attendants backed away towards the closest wall. "I'm sorry your holiness, but..."
The man started to grow in stature to fill the empty hall as his voice filled the rest. "Don't apologies when I ask a question! I know you ascended are not like the rest of us, but let me make one thing crystal clear! You came to ME for assistance in killing the metal blight! And I have done everything I said I would! YOU failed to kill them, not WE! Now GET OUT!"
The well dressed man ran for his life out of the hall as the other started shrinking down continuing his walk. The man's attendants walked back to positions right behind him. "Where was I? O, yes, the harem. Damn it, I've lost the mood."
The man turned to one of his attendance right behind him. "Bring the All Seer and All Speaker to my study, and something to eat and drink from the pantry and the harem."
The attendant bowed "Yes your holiness, right away your holiness." and quietly ran down the hall.
- - -
The man sat in an ornate chair behind a large desk free of clutter but adorned like the rest of the room with opulent and ornate adornments. One of his attendants was standing right behind him at attention. Off to the side was a table adorned with food and drink of all types. Standing behind the table quietly were three youthful individuals. They were extremely beautiful in their own ways wearing clothing that accentuated the best of their beauty. And they were ready to service upon request. And to this view of opulence the door was knocked.
"Enter."
The other attendant entered first fallowed by two individuals covered in ornate robes and cloth, one only having their eyes visible and the other only their mouth. "They came as requested your holiness."
The attendant bowed and walked to its place behind him as the All Seer and All Speaker bowed before the desk. "You have need of us your holiness?"
"Enough with the formalities. I heard that the metal blight was gazing upon us. And I want to see for myself."
"As you wish." The all seer manifested an ethereal three dimensional space above the desk filled with what it saw. A robotic man laying in the dirt gazing up in to the night sky.
"All Speaker, are they communicating at all?"
"Yes, he is saying 'there are three lakes that feed in to the river and that must be some type of designed structure.'"
The man looked on in shock and amusement. "Go back in their time line."
- - -
Several hours later came the doors to the room were loudly opened by two attendants as a woman in gaudy garb that mach the mans walked in.
"Every time you yell at an ascended, you give me nothing but work."
"O, Astraia. Perfect timing."
Astraia walked past the table of food and saw the three behind still standing at attention. "You may leave." The three quickly left the room.
"I found something interesting."
Asrtaia walked up to the desk. "Aether, you can at least offer your guests a seat."
"You may sit." Everyone in the room sat around the desk "Remember the metal blight?"
"I don't easily forget things we go to war with."
"I liked them, they didn't have to be taught to see my radiance. But communication was next to impossible, right?"
"They were a hive mind with nothing in control. Trying to talk to one individual was akin to grabbing the air with your hand. They were intelligent and calculating, but erratic of motive at best."
"But, something has changed. Look at this."
The image came to life as the All Speaker started to project a voice. "'Who are you anyway?' 'That's, a complicated question to answer.' 'I'll settle for just a name.' 'The name I was given first was probably Nick Landen Marsh, But...' 'Nice to meet you Nick'"
Aether stopped the image. "See, this is different."
"They act like common mortals now?"
"Yes, with all the trappings of mortality."
"This doesn't change the treaties we have made."
"But it could change their context. How soon can you assemble the senate?"
"It will take a few hours at the least."
"If it was anybody else it would take over a day."
Astaia and her attendants stud up "I know. Don't be late to the summons when it comes."
As Astaia waked out of the room Aether turned back to the image. "Play that back again."
- - -
The senate building was massive, it had to be to fit everyone on the moon in it. It was divided in to two sections like an hourglass one side for the gods and the other for everyone else. And everyone was there. A summons by Astaia was akin to a summons by the law of the senate itself. And she was standing in the center. "I called this counsel to revise an issue of war with new information I have received. But like all just things we should all hear it from its source. So I call Aether to speak."
Aether stood up from his chair at the center of the gods adorned with carvings depicting his radiance to every god and mortal in the massive room. "I have news of the metallic blight."
The massive room was instantly filled with noise. Aether tried to calm them down then continued. "Two, as we know of, looked upon us this night well enough to pick out this vary building. With the help of the All Seer and the All Speaker we were able to find out far more."
The All Seer and the All Speaker stood up and projected their images in to the center as Aether let them play the clips of actions and trivia conversation he picked to support his claim.
"These two were the ones to gaze upon us, but I am forced to ask myself. Are they truly apart of the metallic blight? They act individually and communicate like mortals. Calling them the metallic blight is like calling two ants an elder dragon."
Laughter, scorn and and protests sprung all at once from the attendance, ascended and god alike.
Aether Quieted them down again. "I am not saying we should just accept them as something new and forget the war ever happened. We still know little of the metallic blight, and must be vigilant of any trickery. We can not abandon the treaties we have made with this senate and the mortals down below. But I have a theory on what we can do."
Aether motioned to the All Seer and All Speaker to play another portion for him. This time the encounter with what they called the great beast and the cub cut down to only show the positive points. And when it was finished he turned to one of the gods. "Pasht isn't that creature of your domain?"
A woman beautiful and wild, dressed in practical and slightly revealing hunting gear spoke up. "Yes."
"And the Arrow Hawk is also of your domain?"
The woman got heated "What's the point of these questions?!"
"My point is they defeated not one but two of your ferocious beasts, one in defense of the other. Leaving a mother with young tribute of food. Wanting to reunite a cub with its mother rather than just taking it."
"I don't need your recap, get to the real point!"
"My point is if these were regular mortals committing these deeds you would have granted them a blessing or forgiven them of a crime against you."
"I will not absolve the metallic blight of their crimes."
"Not all, just those two. And not all of their crimes, just the ones you fell they have righted. And that is my proposal. To let those in the metallic blight earn our forgiveness."
"What if our tests kill them?" a voice from the mass chimed in.
"Then they were not worthy. But asking of this from you with out giving the same myself is selfish. So with this proposal I am adding one condition to my original pledge."
"I Aether god and source of magic deny any part of the metallic blight to be touched by my power. Unless an individual of the metallic blight earns the right to stand before me, I will have the option to declare them worthy of my radiance. And with that I will leave you to deliberate the subject with out my interference."
Aether bowed to the gods then the others and left the building as the senate erupted in noise both positive and negative.
- - -
A while later Aether was back in his study partaking in some food and the servants as a knock came to his door. "Come in"
One of his attendants opened the door and walked in leading a woman dressed as if she was preparing for war. Aether waved away his servants. "Ah, Victoria. Thanks for cumming on such short notice."
Victoria bowed in front of the desk. "I came as soon as I heard your request your holiness. What do you need of me?"
"Please sit, it's about your ascended that came to me earlier."
"Raymond Brooke sir. I am sorry for.."
"If I wanted an apology, I would have called for him. Sit, tell me about him."
Victoria took a seat and took her time to think, she was a tactician after all. "He was granted ascension for his tactics in the war against the metal blight. He has sense fallen in to the lull of the ascended life style. I don't think much good is going to come from him again."
"Is he at least good in bed?"
"Medeocour at best."
"Want me to give him a few lessons in my harem?"
"Last time I took you up on that offer, I never got them back."
"He is so force full. But lets get back on track. Do you have any suspicions that Brooke is being manipulated?"
"He might be a one trick pony, but he isn't a fool. I believe he was visiting the All Seer before going to you. What do you suspect."
At that moment the door was kicked in, as Aether smiled "Ah, just in time"
Pasht entered the room "Who did it! Who manipulated MY arrow hawk! I want to kill them with my own hands!"
"Calm down and have a seat! It's not just your Arrow Hawk. Other things have been manipulated around those two. And I want to get to the bottom of it."
Victoria looked over at Pasht as she sat down. "How was your hawk manipulated? And others?"
"My hawks don't circle around in the sunlight before diving. They had about half a minute to react when it should have been about eight seconds at most depending on the height."
"Then there is the toad that didn't even try and eat them and the bug that started this whole thing in the beginning. Once is chance twice is a coincidence,"
"And three times is a pattern."
"And we need to know more about how that pattern works before they hit a town. Potentially infecting a large population. That's why I need both of you to keep them from interacting with any large populations for now."
"That's a wise move your holiness."
"Why do I have to go?!"
"How else are you going to pay them back for their deeds?"
"They get NOTHING for the hawk! For the tribute to the beast I will let the cub fallow and obey them, but my blessing is only for the cub! And if they treat the cub badly it will have the authority to kill them! If I go you owe me one!"
"OK, I'll owe you both one. How about with deeds in the bedroom?"
"NO!"
"I decline as well."
"Fine, I would like you to go as soon as possible thought."
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