12 Miles Below Book 8 - Chapter 37 - Not playing games anymore

Plan grand theft To’Sefit plates was going smoothly so far for , besides the hiccups earlier of getting shot through the head a few tis.

We had her now openly agreeing to help, in exchange for convincing the world’s most powerful faction into bailing her out.

No problem.

Well. Maybe so problem.

Because while Superior knew how to talk to mites, I absolutely did not.

“I’m not the actual mitespeaker.” I said, “My soul copy is. And he’s out hunting in the mite sea, I don’t think I can reach him here.”

To’Sefit looked pale all of a sudden. Well, more pale than normal. The edge of panic started to flood back into her eyes. I waved a placating hand at her before that could go bad and get shot through the head again. “Wait, hold on - that doesn’t an I can’t try.”

“Keith.” Wrath said, looking at with the kind of ‘don’t you dare try to do sothing stupid again, you stupid stupid human.’

“Humans don’t die from talking to mites, we just go insane if we try to keep going. And I know one version of myself was able to do it without going insane. It’s worth a try at least.”

She didn’t answer back, but I could see the rough start of a thin upset line on her mouth before she schooled her features back. She knew it was important enough to attempt.

The other Feather simply nodded, not having any other choice than to put her hopes on my insane plans.

I walked up next to her, knelt down to the glass root, and held a hand out to it.

Superior had a lot of vague ntions when I talked to him about his experiences. The ability to not listen to anything, to allow the mite collective to flow through my mind, and to only look at the afterimage that ca. I tried to keep all that in mind when I reached for the mites.

Ready or not, it had to be done. My hand wrapped around the glass root, and I sunk a soul tendril down, following the smooth path underground.

The digital ocean was a world filled with blue water, separated terminals, eddies and powerful programs that ended up becoming ecosystems of their own. There was an order to it all. Individual programs that would survive, thrive and work together in communities. Not quite civilization, but not quite pure animal survival either.

The mite sea on the other side was a single unified golden field. There wasn’t water here. The world was clear and easy to see for miles around .

And despite the complete unity, it was also complete chaos.

Entire strings of moving roots, filled with lights flowed everywhere, connecting with one another, disconnecting, moving at all monts. Like chaotic fractal swirls, but at no point were any of these strands disconnected from the whole. Every line felt like a collection of smaller minds, and simultaneously a complete entity. Each ti they unhooked from one strand to reconnect elsewhere, that definition changed. More minds following behind, other minds staying behind, a new colony forming with each strand.

I reached a hand out to the nearest one of those golden strands, and touched upon apotheosis.

It burned. It burned in a way I can’t describe with words. The light of gibberish, all coalescing into a dignified direction that ended into an ever shifting point of a polygon dissolving into the concept of language and civilization growing and waning over the eons?

All of that, all at the sa ti, everywhere.

Yeah, it didn't make sense to either. And the longer I tried to parse it out and understand it, the more showed up to be understood next. It was like zooming in on a fractal, new squiggles and details to study showing up constantly, before I could even really take in the prior squiggle. And rapidly, the feeling of repetition starts to lock into place as I notice more of the overall pattern.

That tapestry of strands above shifted, as if my presence was suddenly known about and felt by the entire collective. A hundred strands flowed over, within the root structure, more and more colliding against my head.

I broke the connection and returned to the other side for a breath of air. “Three gods, Superior was not joking around. This is worse than eating ice.”

To’Sefit looked at with outright hope in her eyes. “But you survived! You went inside the root, and returned alive. I cannot do that. No one can.”

I pointed to Wrath. “She did.”

Wrath gave a sheepish smile. “My actions should not be used as a template for anyone following behind. I was truly desperate.”

“Modesty is unbecoming of a Feather.” To’Sefit said, and for a split second I could see the old To’Sefit still well and alive in there.

“Regardless, it takes human mitespeakers multiple attempts to learn and parse mite teletry data. We need an alternate plan.” She said.

“What other plan is there dear sister?” To’Sefit asked, an edge to her voice here.

“Hold the airspeeders before we get uncivil again, I’m not done.” I said, once more reaching a hand out. “The first ti was just to test the waters down there, I’ll try again. I can do this, I just need to prepare ntally for it.”

This ti I tried to overpower the voices by shouting my own out loud as fast as I could the mont I made contact with the strands. “To’Sefit seeks a bargain, help her escape Relinquished. She’ll do anythi-”

Discordant voices crashed down and overwheld everything I could possibly do. I started feeling like a snowflake inside a storm, tossed around. Getting pulled further under into the mite sea.

I didn’t run back ho this ti, I tried to stay, and to hold my ground where I was, close to the exit. The voices and power was starting to suck upwards. Away from safety.

It felt like my feet were losing traction on the ground, and I started floating upwards, the strands of gold drawing away from the root I started from.

I was about to cut the connection again, when I felt sothing on the other side.

From deep within the strands, racing through it with all the skill I lacked, sothing was reaching back. Sothing with a train of thought that was more lucid, more grounded to a single point.

A hand grabbed my own forearm, stabilizing . With his other hand, he held the base root I’d co in from, holding close to the exit. A figure made half of gold, half of… .

Well, what are you doing here Pri? Keith Superior asked.

Three gods, why do you look like that?

Superior looked over. One eye looked inhuman, while the other remained lucid, exactly the sa color of my own. I am a soul that’s constantly getting exposed to the mite collective, you think I’d stay exactly the sa forever? Naw, we adapt. You look half-reacher half-retainer to my senses, a split of both. I’m the sa, just a different split now.

I could tell Superior wasn’t bothered by his change. Rather, he’d been this way the entire ti I’d known him, I just hadn’t ever seen him in person in the digital sea where he had an actual avatar. An idea of self and appearance.

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Don’t worry Pri. I’m still . He said, holding close to the exit of this realm. We can talk about that later, what are you doing on this side of the world?

Long story-ish. How did you find though?

Co on brother, we might have diverged a tad bit, but we’re still deeply connected. He winked with the blue human eye on his right. You can always find that link if you focus on it, the humanity in us is still strong. I’m just more aware from practice. But I digress, what exactly are you doing here? The airspeeder plan not working out? Tell the abridged version if it’s too long.

We’re holding the airspeeder for now, I’m here on a side mission. I think you’re going to laugh your ass off when you hear what I’m attempting on my end. I sent him my mories, and he got rapidly up to speed.

He did laugh his ass off. I did not have To’Sefit turning to the light side on my bingo sheet. Last I rember of her, she murdered Windrunner. And probably a lot more people besides that. You sure she deserves a second chance?

Not at all. But what would Windrunner do in our boots?

He’d bargain to save the life of his killer if it ant we could have those plates on demand. I know, I know. Just, rankles a tad. Windrunner’s death is more recent in my mories.

She has shown so remorse. Sothing Feathers aren’t supposed to be able to do.

Superior scoffed, and I could see traces of the mory floating around us, images reflecting on glass. Pointing a white sword at her broken shell, water running over her from the temple.

Only because we beat her as a human. He said. For soone trying to elegantly beco god, getting beat by three pipe weasels in a relic armor would sting hard even if she wasn’t a Feather. Also, becoming god ans having followers, all she realized was that humans could count now since one of us managed to beat her. I don’t think that’s remorse. More remorse at a missed opportunity for herself.

Wrath went through the sa thing. We forgave her in the end.

Because she’s Wrath. Hard to hate the spider that failed to kill us and is now an entire city’s favorite cinnamon bun. Also she’s built like a protofeather would be, with a lot more freedom of thought. To’Sefit is not. She can’t change.

I think she can. Wrath thinks the sa. It just takes just about everything they believe in at their foundation turning on them. Makes them think twice about life in general.

Superior stayed silent for a mont, then sighed. How about I just crush her on this side and extract the plate controls from her? This is my domain here, I’ve learned a lot from Judge.

That… I an, I wasn’t against that plan either, and Superior could tell. But he could also tell why I wasn’t for it.

Fine, I know, I know, I see it too. He grumbled. Wrath has far too big of a heart. Funny how that ended up. I promise I won’t hurt To’Sefit and actually try to help her, if only so that Wrath might have a sister again.

There was a deep pause in the connection, and I could sense the voices of the mites again crashing around , except they were focused elsewhere.

The mites can help. But there’s a catch…

“They’re willing.” Was the first thing I said when I ca out of the mite space. “But it’s going to co at a cost.”

She looked cautious, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Their cost, or yours?”

“Theirs, mine stays the sa - unlock the plates and we’re good. Their side is a little more involved.”

“What does involved an human!?”

I took a breath. “Not sure how to say this in any way that would make it sound better, but they want an avatar. Not another separated mite colony, an actual singular avatar capable of walking the world. They can’t do it themselves, and I have no idea why or what they’re planning. Or why they need a soul like yours for it. They could use any other machine for this, so I think there’s probably more to it.”

To’Sefit stayed quiet for a long mont. Likely calculating what her options were. “Will I remain myself?” She finally asked.

“I honestly don’t know.” I said. “The mites on the other side only ntioned an avatar. What exactly that ans is the gamble you’re taking with them.”

She nodded, slowly. “I have no other choice it seems. Very well. I will deactivate the safety locks on my plates, but only after I am free of danger.”

I saw what she was implying here. If I am changed in so way from the mites, or turned into an unthinking avatar, then I will not have the consciousness needed to rember our deal and unlock the plates.

And if I hesitated for even a mont, that ant I thought there was a chance she wouldn’t remain herself enough to unlock those plates.

“Fair deal to .” I said, then tapped the branch. “Go on.”

She did, moving quickly to the last glass branch that remained, her hand reached out to the glass root. Keith superior reached out from the other side to guide her through the process.

Then she froze, just about to make contact. At the sa exact mont, the world shook. The entire terminal groaned. Walls cracked around , wood splintering off, decaying back to sedint. And in under a second, everything uprooted all at once. That’s the best way I could describe what happened.

The hull of this entire terminal crushed inwards, into five separate finger-like indentations. Four fingers on one side, and a thicker one on the other where a thumb would have been.

It was like a tin can had been crushed inside a hand and lifted up. All that was left was ripped apart wood splinters, the stress between being pulled out of the silt or staying stuck within it causing it to break apart at the first weak link.

We were left in an exposed open land, and above us, I saw what had taken and ripped the entire terminal upwards.

I knew what to expect, so my soul tendril shot out and collided against Wrath’s echo at the exact sa mont the terminal broke apart, searching through for any sign of the unity fractal attempting to be stamped into her.

Because there’s only one being in the digital ocean I knew of that could rip entire mite terminals up and off.

“My dear lost To’Sefit.” Relinquished said looming over all three of us. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice? That you weren’t being watched?” At the center of To’Sefit’s soul, I saw it. The Unity fractal was lit up and bright. “I notice everything child. I always have.”

I could feel a prison of so kind slam shut around us at the sa ti the terminal had been ripped apart. Sothing was keeping us bound here, it felt more like raw willpower itself. As if Relinquished demanded the occult to comply and shape around us into a jail.

“Mother! I assure you, I never int-” To’Sefit stopped speaking all at once, still frozen in place. I saw her make one last desperate attempt to extend just her finger out to touch the glass root.

Instead she was yanked up into the air. Held at a distance by an invisible hand.

“Did you think a novice mitespeeker could save you?” Relinquished opened her palm and extended it. The captured Feather floated over until she hovered above like a gem, then was softly dropped down. “My poor deluded daughter, this dood human cannot save you anymore than he can save himself.” Her hand slowly curled around To’Sefit’s rigid body. Until only her upper shoulders and head remained visible.

Those violet eyes turned down on in specific. “Getting bolder each day, Winterscar. You were allowed to slip by my grasp once. A true gift. And how I dearly waited for another chance, where I might finish what I started. But of course, had you been intelligent, you would have never returned to the digital sea." She leaned down slightly, tilting her head just slightly to the side. "And yet... here you are, once again attempting to persuade my tools into your service. How delightfully arrogant of you. How delightfully... predictable of you.”

“Well, that you ca here at the last second shows my plan was about to work, wasn’t it?” I said, casually strutting until I was right next to Wrath, a hand going out to hold hers. I could sense Relinquished all around , holding us tight here exactly the sa as she held To’Sefit in her physical hand.

Relinquished laughed. A full on, perfectly practiced, laugh. "Oh dear , did you think I had co here to prevent sothing from happening? Not at all." She held To'Sefit slightly higher, eyes turning to her captured target. "I ought to thank you, child, for one final act of service under my banner. Unwitting as it was. So here is my final gift to you, dear daughter. You sought freedom, you shall have it. Go on now, you are free to leave. If you can."

To’Sefit started to scream, struggling again. Freed from whatever was holding her frozen and mute. And still completely trapped in the hand of the goddess.

Relinquished watched the struggle like an insect collector would watch the last dying movents of a skewered beetle. "Oh my, not running away? A pity, my rcy truly is wasted on the weak."

"She was a lure." Wrath said next to . "You used her to draw Keith back into your domain."

"And what a perfectly crafted lure she was." Relinquished purred, her other hand moved with calm precision as she plucked the tal halo off the trapped Feather, pulling it away from her witch hat. "There had to be stakes, you see. I had to loosen up my grip. To allow just the right fractures needed to break free of Abdication’s conditioning. Until there truly was a chance she could turn on . Only then could she be properly used." Relinquished crushed the halo. It snapped into pieces. "Regrettably for her, that use has co to an end... and it is now ti to retighten that grip." The hand started to squeeze.

To’Sefit’s scream swiftly turned into pain.

Options and ideas ca to mind, as I contemplated what I could do, or if I could even fight soone this powerful in her own domain. But Wrath’s hand squeezed mine in warning.

We had to focus on getting out ourselves. Relinquished was clearly no longer pretending to be blind to things, but that she ca here at the very last second ant she still had a mandate to be dramatic. And we weren’t instantly killed either, so she needed to gloat and monologue in so way.

She'd done all this to get back into the digital sea sowhere she could find . That ant sothing. I just didn't know what or why. What I did know, is that the only thing stronger than Relinquished, were the mites. And their glass roots remained scattered around just under the sedint.

“My dear daughter, at the apex of her inner journey. About to cross a threshold." She reached a finger to brush the sides of To'Sefit's cheeks. Then smiled like a proud parent. "This one may have had an entire redemption ahead of her. Perhaps a touching character arc? So much potential.” Relinquished straightened herself, and the smile deepened. “I reject this.”

Her hand fully squeezed in one sickening crunch.