Alright, so he couldn’t openly Assimilate and clear out THE Corpse Hierophant and others.
This thought buzzed in Achilles’s mind as internally, he was already thinking about how THE Corpse Hierophant and the rest of them would taste.
Their recovered Surface Depths radiated with weight that made his Way of Assimilation ache with hunger!
But The Groundskeeper made the rules as of now.
This entity was many tis more powerful than all of them to the point that even the thought of trying to Assimilate him gave off a sense of danger that Achilles’s instincts recognized as absolute. His Way scread that attempting to consu The Groundskeeper would result in his own imdiate collapse, a calculation so certain that it didn’t require testing to confirm.
So for now, he followed along.
After all, the strong made the rules, and he currently was not the strongest. This was simply how existence functioned at every Scale, from the lowest creatures struggling to survive to THE entities competing for significance. Power determined authority, and authority determined what was permitted.
The Groundskeeper did not waste any ti with further pleasantries or explanations. He looked over toward all of them with golden eyes that held no particular favoritism for either faction and spoke with a voice that held finality.
"The First Sea, Abzu, The Deep Waters of Foundation, is imnsely vast. Larger than most regions of the Observable Existence combined. But Corrupted Growths, the Malford Authorities, will inherently be drawn toward you regardless of where you position yourselves. They sense organized consciousness and move toward it with hunger that mirrors your own appetites."
His gaze swept across both groups with expression that suggested he expected his next words to be rembered.
"You can stay as close to each other or as far apart as you want. The Sea is large enough to accommodate whatever arrangent you prefer. Just rember my warnings about what happens to those who kill within the Nine Seas."
...!
After he said these words, The Groundskeeper disappeared without ceremony or transition. One mont his golden crystallized form dominated their perception with weight that made everyone present feel insignificant, and the next mont he was simply gone, leaving them alone in the vast expanse of Abzu.
Achilles, Rose, and THE Endless Dream looked over at THE Corpse Hierophant and the others who still gazed toward Achilles more than anything with level of caution and distrust that bordered on paranoia.
Their defensive authorities remained partially raised despite The Groundskeeper’s prohibition, as if they couldn’t quite believe that re words would stop the creature who had consud their manifestations.
But since the words of The Groundskeeper were absolute, backed by power none of them could contest, they would have nothing to worry about.
At least in theory.
Achilles looked over to them with an expression that combined friendliness and subtle provocation, his purple-gold eyes holding warmth that contrasted sharply with the terror he apparently inspired.
"You know, a lot of the Sanctuaries with all the lifeforms of your Civilizations are back out there in the Shattered Folds. Trillions upon trillions of beings who follow your Ways, who depend on your leadership, who probably wonder where their THE entities have gone."
He tilted his head with curiosity that seed genuine.
"Are you all going to be okay never going back there? It almost feels like turning your back on your own Way, abandoning those who believed in your Civilizations while you hide here in safety."
...!
He said this with a smile as if giving friendly advice to peers he was concerned about, and THE Corpse Hierophant and others looked over with blazing eyes that promised violence the mont circumstances permitted.
THE Slumbering Genesis was the one to answer this ti, his massive draconic elephantine form radiating boundless Life authority that pressed against the golden waters around him.
"Talk is cheap."
His voice rumbled with weight that shook the surrounding Sea.
"In years to co, as Depths increase, we will see who is fearful of ever getting out of Tian. We will see who hides and who acts when the ti cos for reckoning."
...!
THE Slumbering Genesis said such words as he looked glorious and imperious, his verdant scales gleaming with recovered power!
At this ti, the figure of Rose stepped out from behind Achilles and looked over at these powerful entities on THE Level One Scale of Existence with expression that held no fear whatsoever.
She expressed her THE Surface Depth imnsity openly, copper-green luminescence flaring around her form as she raised her head high with pride that matched any of the ancient beings present, and then...
"Assimilate!"
HUUM!
The word rang out across the First Sea with weight that only THE entities could produce, and the effect was instantaneous.
...!
The gazes of THE Slumbering Genesis and others erupted with power as they scrambled away from their positions with speed that betrayed absolute terror. They looked behind themselves desperately, checking to see who had been the target of devouring, their authorities blazing at maximum intensity as they prepared to defend against consumption that they believed was already occurring!
They couldn’t believe these crazy fools would ignore the words of The Groundskeeper so blatantly, so imdiately after the prohibition had been established.
But...
"Huh?"
They all looked at each other with confusion replacing their initial panic. They checked their own existences, confird that nothing had changed, verified that no portion of their Depth had been consud or their authorities diminished.
Nothing at all had been initiated.
Their faces turned back toward Rose, who stood beside Achilles with expression of light laughter that made their ancient dignities burn with humiliation.
She pointed toward them with gesture that sohow managed to be both casual and utterly mocking.
"Wow! These powerful old things all ran and scrambled just from saying a re word!"
Her copper-green eyes sparkled with amusent that she made no attempt to hide.
"What could have possibly made you all so fearful of a word like... Assimilate?"
...!
Their faces turned heavy with sha that none of them could adequately express. They had been played by the woman of the Heretical Devourer and had revealed the depth of their fear through reflexive panic that made them look like frightened children!
THE Corpse Hierophant and the others looked at each other with ashen expressions, communicating through subtle exchanges of authority.
In the next mont, they moved away from this area in coordinated formation, heading toward another part of the First Sea where they could maintain distance from them!
They didn’t even have the face to remain here and argue. They knew without the commands of The Groundskeeper, there may have been a massacre here today!
Achilles watched them go to a distant area of the Sea and smiled while looking at Rose, who had scared away multiple THE entities with nothing more than a single word spoken at the right mont.
"That was unexpected of you..." he said with a smile.
Rose shrugged with expression of innocent confusion.
THE Endless Dream laughed behind them as she asked.
"What do we do now?"
She asked with shining eyes that looked toward Achilles for direction, her restored Depth ready to follow whatever plan he had developed.
Achilles looked at the First Sea, Abzu, with a gaze that combined curiosity and hunger in equal asure. The golden waters stretched toward impossible horizons, and sowhere in their depths lurked the Corrupted Growths and Malford Authorities that all THE entities here were expected to weed.
"Now we see what these Corrupted Growths and Malford Authorities are," he said with smile that held anticipation rather than concern.
"And we learn exactly how they taste."
...!
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