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The Gamer Chapter 1908 – New Orleans Council 3 – Let me in.
🕑 Added 2025-06-12 20:25:47 +0000 UTCOnce all of the sensitive intel had been disclosed, the commanders of the forces of the Greater Empire and the Illuminati came pouring in. There were many familiar faces in the crowd. Celeste, leader of the aristocrats of the Illuminati, Norahnon, Malady and even Marie were among the leading figures of the French forces.
By virtue of his reach, Romulus’ command staff was more diverse and numerous. Lord Africanus was present, as were Suel, Eduardo (the Kinglord of the Golden March), Mario, and, of course, Maximillian. Each of the high nobles respectfully remained at least one step behind Romulus. Only his chancellor and his two loves got to stand at the table by the Apex’s side.
The Illuminati had no such strict code of conduct. Celeste manoeuvred herself to the centre of the ruling triumvirate of noble, god and scientist, and placed her hand on the table. Lydia had created a large map of the continent from Ferforitum so that all got a visual of the situation.
“Ze situation iz clearly controllabelle,” Celeste spoke. Her French accent was strong, deliberately so. John had not dealt much with her, but her belief in the cultural superiority of her people was quite well known. John did not mind it. A ruler should have at least some degree of belief that their people were the best or at least had the potential to be.
“I concur,” Lydia stated, mimicking the pose. The two women glared at each other across the table. They were both militaristic women, one in full armour, the other in uniform, and they were both in charge of their individual realm. While the Horned Rat was treated as the de-facto leader of the Illuminati (because he was), Celeste was the day-to-day operating ruler. Her situation was, in that, not terribly different to that between Lydia and Romulus.
Any ties they could have established over this were damaged by being the rulers of adjacent and competitive realms.
“Ladies, your rivalry can be manifested on the battlefield,” Rodaclam joked, his old voice raspy. “What is your broad battleplan, John?”
“As of right now, Fusion has three immediate priorities.” John first tapped on the East Coast. “Consolidate control over the heartlands, especially the Boston area. The Lorylim have taken control of most if not all of our gatherings they could get their teeth into, but they might still be able to exploit Natural Barriers to swell their numbers. I will work together with Rex Germaniae in this theatre. Originally, I would have liked all of the Greater Empire to help for this push, but we are going to deal with the cards we were dealt.”
Romulus bowed his head, “My apologies for the circumstances.”
“I doubt it is your fault, unless you skipped something in the way you described how you got here,” John answered with a light smile.
The stories of Romulus and the Horned Rat had echoed Lydia’s own experience. Various Lorylim sea beasts had assailed them in the open ocean, leviathans of Tiamat’s make. The goddess of chaos was esoterically linked to saltwater, so it was hardly surprising that she had her most horrid monstrosities lurking in the depths.
‘Which begs the question how much of the Lorylim we are really hurting here. Are we making deep cuts or merely taking a finger off a hand?’
“The second priority?” Rodaclam asked.
“Controlling the interior.” John used the Companion Cube as his pointer. The arcane construct hovered to the middle of the map and turned into the shape of a hand, mimicking the gestures of his hand three metres removed. “The vast central plains of North America are mostly empty and have been generally low in corruption. Still, we must make a thorough sweep, lest we leave our backs open to attacks. This will be a slow, slogging job. The Greater Empire’s forces would move westwards, the Illuminati eastwards.”
John turned everyone’s attention to the three areas of special interest between the interior of the continent and the Fusion heartlands. The Lake Alliance, the Hidden Tradition, and the former Military Zone were all highlighted by Lydia in turn, the metal changing colour and texture to make those areas stand out.
“Although I believe that it is my duty to push into the Gobbo Nation as soon as possible, the physical reality on the ground is that we should finalize our sweep in the east. While Romulus’ forces establish a frontline against the no control zone in the west, we ensure we have full control over the east. The Illuminati, Rex Germaniae and Fusion will collapse in these areas, scorching out any Lorylim concentrations, leave behind garrisons, then head west. By the time we arrive, the Mandate of Heaven should also have arrived in full force. Perhaps Krieg will also be able to join us by then?”
Romulus rubbed his chin as he considered the question and the plan. “I cannot tell. My friend and the other gods of his compact are busy aiding the Great Sultanate with their own rise in Lorylim activity.”
Shortly after the Lorylim had begun their offensive in North America, a smaller-scale infestation had come out of Mesopotamia. The area had been a hotbed for Lorylim activity for thousands of years. Tiamat launching a distraction strike from her former home was hardly surprising. It was also hardly ignorable. The Great Sultanate had few friends and was in a rough state, so John understood that Krieg prioritized saving that theatre.
If there was any outside faction that John was worried about, then it was the radio silence from South America. The Purest Front was still in a state of soft civil war, and with Liakan down there, Tiamat had a likely target to pursue, if she deemed that worth her while.
The Sons of Odin were remaining outside the conflict, which was hardly surprising. Same went for the Dangun Clan, although they were at least sending an attachment with the Mandate of Heaven. Prometheus had sent a response to John’s call for aid. They were currently undecided, keeping their forces internal in case the Great Sultanate broke. An understandable decision and also one that allowed Romulus to move in such full force.
That accounted for all the Divided Gates and their current reaction to the Lorylim crisis.
“May I speak, my emperor?” Maximillian asked from the backlines.
“You have my permission,” Romulus agreed.
“While I would not dare to question my friend’s intelligence…” Maximillian locked eyes with John, his head lowering for a moment too long to be mere respect. It was one simple gesture, yet one that meant a whole lot to John. “…I have to question if it would not be smarter to have the Sons of Rome and affiliated forces march east instead? If the goal is to collapse on the highlighted areas, then we will link up with the forces of Rex Germaniae, who are part of the Greater Empire. Our militaries have been built for cooperation for over three-thousand years.”
“Your forces are also larger,” the Horned Rat chimed in. “You will be able to cover more ground in the interior. Further, the Illuminati’s forces are structured similarly to Fusion’s. We will, will compliment each other there.”
“With all due respect, boss,” Norahnon opened his mouth immediately, “we also are much faster than the forces of the empire, so we would be able to sweep through the interior despite our lower numbers.”
‘Fuck my life,’ John groaned mentally. No one besides him, his women, and the Horned Rat at the table knew why he really wanted to move the Sons of Rome westwards. ‘I cannot have them be part of the operation that takes place in the former Gestalt area.’
“As I understand,” Rodaclam said. “It is most important to assure that this former Gestalt area is pacified.” The old man seemed confused for a moment. “Gestalt and Death Zone, I should say. There is no doubt to me that Tiamat would have remnants of her forces there that sprouted into a greater threat.”
“She was always one for dramatic irony,” Metra gave her opinion.
“As you say, daughter of chaos,” Rodaclam used the title almost disdainfully. “In any case, this must be where our first challenge is met. Rom is our strongest asset, obviously he is. It makes no sense not to throw him at the biggest obstacle in our early manoeuvres.”
There was an unspoken question there. ‘What are you hiding?’
John saw no way out of this besides giving a little ground. “Truth of the matter is that the military installations in the area hide matters of military secrecy that I do not want your eyes on,” he confessed. “Romulus might be our most powerful asset, but Fusion is not lacking in elites of its own, as you are all very well aware. When it comes to decisive battles, me and mine will be the spear tip.”
The news was digested with some annoyed mutters among the Greater Empire and the aristocrats of the Illuminati.
“I cannot fail but notice that you were fine with the Illuminati being exposed to these military secrets.” Rodaclam stared directly at the Horned Rat. “You are involved in these schemes.”
The god of future calamity innocently raised his hands – then shrugged. “Accuse me of what you will, man of Oreh.”
“I do not accuse – I am very certain.”
Luna, meanwhile, stared at John. “I must express curiosity towards a secret so grand that you would choose a less effective course of action.”
The moon goddess had expressed her suspicions about Remus returning before, even asked John directly about it. He had not confirmed it to her. Luna was too clever to require confirmations. ‘I can hardly tell her now that Remus is there.’
“Remus is there.”
Any chatter in the backrows of the chamber died. The air of the room suddenly felt like it stopped moving. John found it difficult to draw air into his lungs and equally as difficult to push it back out. The reason for this silence stared at the speaker. Romulus addressed his chancellor and friend of over a thousand years with a simple, harsh: “What?”
“Remus is there,” Rodaclam repeated.
“What are you talking about?” John asked, his face reflecting a confusion he faked as best as he could. It was not difficult, for there was true confusion in the mix. ‘How would he know that? Did Luna tell him?’
“Luna told me nothing,” Rodaclam told John.
“…I said nothing?” John answered in confusion. Then, a cold suspicion settled in his gut. “Shut down your powers – NOW!”
“Why would I listen to you, treacherous brat! You keep his twin from him?!” Rodaclam spoke with rising agitation. He manifested a staff and pointed it at Luna. “You knew!” Then he whirled around, staring at Lord Africanus next. “You stop eyeing for my position.” He was in the middle of turning to someone else when he suddenly began to tremble, head to toe. “Let… Let…”
“EVERYONE OUT!” John screamed. “ONLY THE STRONGEST REMAIN!”
Romulus hurried to his friend, catching him when the intensifying seizures made him fall. “WHAT IS HAPPENING?!” he roared.
“It’s-“ John tried to explain what his thoughts had already let out. His voice was drowned out by a cacophonic series of tones that reverberated from the crystals that covered Rodaclam’s body. They rapidly shifted colours, reflecting the spectrum of souls whose Innate Abilities he had mimicked over the years.
Total silence.
John tried to speak again, but his vocal cords could not vibrate the air. Everything was slowed. Rodaclam’s hand grabbed the shoulder of Romulus. The crystals covering the back of the fingers were jet black, like the starless sky.
“Let me in,” Rodaclam said his last words – if they even were his own still.
The man’s forehead burst open. An eye emerged, surrounded by writhing tendrils. Simultaneously, his jaw unhinged. Black slime and spores gushed from the depths of his being like a corrupted fountain. Romulus was dragged away by Sol at the very last moment.
The gathered military elite finally followed John’s orders. Only the strongest remained in the room, while the drumming of horrid music echoed in the cathedral. “GET OUT OF HERE!” Moira shouted at her father.
John did not catch William’s response, but all caught the foolishness of Africanus. Armed with a spear, the ruler of the empire’s westernmost provinces charged at Rodaclam. In his mind, he must have been the hero to neutralize a threat before it fully manifested. He was much too slow for that.
The geyser of Lorylim matter suddenly hardened into a fungal body. Tendrils like dangling entrails stabbed at Africanus. All that stood between the man and his immediate corruption was the sudden shockwave of anti-magic that made the fungal body go limp for the split second Metra needed to yank the man out of harm’s way.
“Get the fuck out of here!” the First of Wrath screamed, while Lyndell prepared the next runic network. More Lorylim matter nearly instantly bubbled from the edges of Rodaclam’s mouth. The stalk of the mushroom continued down his unhinged jaw. There was too much of it, too much seeking an exit. It teared from his eyes in streams of black, bloated his stomach until his skin burst, and all the while the eye in his forehead vibrated with laughter. It blinked, reopening as a maw that could lend Izha’s screams to it all.
“IT’S NOT ME THAT’S WEAK! IT’S THE WORLD THAT’S TOO LOUD!” he screamed triumphantly. “SILENCE! YOU WILL ALL KNOW THE WEIGHT OF YOUR SCREAMS! Oh, blessed are the open eyes. All eyes will be opened! All eyes will be opened! All eyes will be opened. AHAHAHAHA!”
“ABOMINATION!” Romulus roared. “RETURN MY FRIEND!”
“I am your friend,” Izha spoke gleefully. “He let me in. He listened and he let me in. You will listen and let me go. At the end, everyone will let me go. I win. I win. I win. I win. I win. I win. I win. I wiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!”
The hall had emptied enough that the gods and god-like entities within the chamber could throw their might at what had been Rodaclam. Nightingale’s chains of darkness cut through the air, Malady’s lightning crackled, Metra’s axe whirled, Lyndell weaved her runes, the Horned Rat and John launched arcane projectiles, metal flew on Lydia’s behest and the elementals brought a barrage.
All of it was neutralized by a wall of wood, solar fire and lunar light.
“YOU WILL STAND DOWN!” Romulus roared and turned to the growing mass that his friend had been. “This burden is mine.”
Comments
FluffyButt Sr.
It would have been one of the first warnings they sent out. But when they arrived they said that they missed a lot of the Intel and communication. So it ends up being an oversight, that their allies did not hear this warning
LOLZMAN
Hindsight, maybe a warning about telepathic powers would have been wise.
Marko
DAMNNNNN HOLY FUCKK
