Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

769 - Sympathy and Antipathy

Solvei and Akna sat in silence as the carriage rolled across the pitch-black terrain.

As Sanguine Disposition had promised, leaving Eigengrau had proven to be much easier than entering the place. Upon their approach to another massive gate at the far end of the city, the guards had impeded their progress only long enough to confirm that the carriage had the red-eyed stallion’s emblem on it. At that point they’d forced all other traffic – what little there was – to move aside, allowing them to depart without incident.

Outside of the walls once again, it had taken Solvei a few moments to notice that there was one other difference from when they’d entered Eigengrau. While the trees were still cut down in a wide radius, and the lights on the walls provided the only source of illumination, there was a large, wide path that extended outward from the gateway, leading deeper into Darkest Night. Even stranger was that the path was made of smoothed stones, all lined up in neat rows in a way that was distinctly unnatural.

Her master had explained, upon her asking about the unusual feature, that it was called a “road” and that it was used to make it easier to travel from place to place. To her mild surprise, Solvei found herself taken with the idea. Although the ground in Eigengrau had been of similar construction, she’d paid it very little mind, too taken in by all of the other features of the place. But while the town’s walls had been tall and imposing, and Sanguine Disposition’s house had been labyrinthine and confining, a long patch of smooth and level ground was something which Solvei – who had spent her life traversing the wilderness – could see the advantages of.

When she’d prompted Akna for her thoughts on the subject, the adlet had agreed, though her response had been half-hearted.

But there’d been no time to follow up on her traveling companion’s unenthusiastic response, as Lex had taken the opportunity to fill them in on what they’d missed.

The biggest pieces of news were that the two other blessings that Sanguine Disposition had mentioned – the Secreta and the Dominata – were held by the leather wing, who it turned out was actually a “vampire” (prompting another explanation from Lex), and someone named Steel Soul. While the bat pony hadn’t been very forthcoming about what either blessing did, Lex had affirmed that the Secreta apparently gave its wielder some sort of mystical insight...which had been how Sanguine Disposition had known that Solvei was deceased, and that Lex and Akna were both in possession of lifelines, even if he hadn’t known the full extent of what had brought them all to Darkest Night until the adlet had let too much slip as they were leaving.

More distressing, at least to Solvei, was Sanguine Disposition’s assurances that they had another enemy in Steel Soul. While she was hesitant to put much stock in anything the red-eyed stallion had told them – he simply reminded her too much of Prevarius for her to trust him – her master seemed to think that his information was reliable, if for no other reason than what he’d said about the Keeper and the Rite of Sublimation had answered a lot of questions.

After affirming that the two of them had no new information to share, Lex had removed himself to the front of the carriage, alongside the shapeless force that was driving it, saying he wanted to compare the direction of the road to where his lifeline was pointing. His decision had surprised Solvei, and she’d protested telepathically, pointing out that he wasn’t able to see in the dark the way she could. He’d overruled her, however, pointing out that the road was well away from the tree line, and that they were still within sight of Eigengrau’s lights.

Neither of those had struck Solvei as being very good reasons, but she knew it wasn’t her place to question her master’s decisions. That, and there’d been a strange sense of anticipation coming from him over their link. Given that Solvei couldn’t normally feel Lex’s emotions unless he was experiencing them very strongly, that made it clear that he was quite eager to be out of the carriage’s interior, even if he’d given her no indication as to why he felt that way.

Even more odd had been the way he’d stopped and stared at his shadow – dimly visible thanks to the lights on Eigengrau’s walls – for several seconds after stepping outside the door.

Now the carriage had started rolling again, leaving Solvei alone with Akna, the latter staring at the floor with her ears folded back, a dejected look on her face.

Finally, Solvei couldn’t take it anymore, looking away from the window to instead regard her companion. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Huh?” Blinking, Akna belated returned Solvei’s gaze. “Talk about what?”

“You’re obviously pretty upset, and I’m guessing it’s not just because you couldn’t bring that giant hammer back with you,” ventured Solvei. “Was what that bat pony said about the Keeper and the Rite of Sublimation really that discouraging to hear?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know,” groaned Akna, her face contorting into a grimace. “What do you care, anyway? You don’t even like adlets. Toklo told me all those things you said after we finished devouring Panuk.”

Solvei winced a little at that, remembering how repulsed she’d been when they’d first come across Akna’s people. “Yeah, well, it’s not like you guys made a very good impression, since you popped up out of nowhere and attacked us.”

“They were a scouting party,” protested Akna. “They weren’t going to kill anyone!”

“That’s not what they-” Solvei cut herself off abruptly, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “I don’t want to do this. Master’s going to get his body back soon, and when he does I’ll just be a spirit following him around again. His mate and those other mares aren’t very strong, and I don’t think he’s planning on taking that Teyu creature with him, so that means the only one he’ll have to rely on is you. I don’t want our last conversation before that happens to be a fight.”

Akna’s look of consternation faded into a softer expression at that, but she shook her head. “Solvei, I’m not his sla-, his companion the way you are. Once we get back to the Shrine, I’m leaving to go rejoin my tribe.”

“And then what? You know those yetis your tribe was concerned about worked for Grisela and her siblings, right? Who’re probably waiting right outside the Shrine. They’re a threat, and even if Master kills them, that mother they keep mentioning is still out there.”

“What’s your point?” grunted Akna, rubbing her eyes with one hand.

“That you should help Master finish them off. Now that I’m, you know...” Solvei waved a paw at herself awkwardly, “...dead, I can’t fight for him. But since he can use divine authority-, sorry, the Charismata on you, then you can-”

“Stop. Just...stop, will you?” The sigh Akna gave then seemed to come from her ankles. “I came here because I thought the Night Mare was giving me a sign, that this was how I was supposed to get another of the Umbral Regalia and convert my tribe to her worship. Not only did I fail, I found out that most of what the Keeper – the one who taught me everything I know about the Night Mare’s power and glory – said about the rite which helped shape who I am now was not only wrong, but that he’s some...pony skull with a diseased mind.”

Slumping in place, she shook her head. “I’ll help fight if those monsters are waiting outside the Shrine, but after that I’m going home. I’ll tell the elders about how the yetis were brought back by Grisela and Sissel and those others, even if I don’t know how they did it, but otherwise? I want to help Panuk’s family mourn his passing. I want to craft runes on our warriors’ weapons the way my grandmother taught me. I even want to argue with the elders again about how I’m serving the tribe better by deepening my rapport with the spirits and becoming a stronger shaman instead of choosing who’ll get to impregnate me.”

“Even though the spirits aren’t who you pray to anymore?”

A ghost of a smile crossed Akna’s lips at that. “That’s right. I haven’t given up on bringing my tribe into the Night Mare’s faith, but until I can come up with a new plan, then as far as the elders and everyone else in my tribe is concerned, I still revere the same spirits as my grandmother.”

“Oh.”

Silence fell again, but this time Akna was the one to break it. “What about you?”

“Huh? What about me?”

“Don’t you miss your family? I mean, I know that you can’t exactly go back to them after...what happened to you, but I never hear you talk about them. Do winter wolves not keep close ties to their kin?”

“We do,” nodded Solvei. “I’m the youngest of four siblings, the runt of my litter, but even though they teased me a lot growing up, we were all very close. And our parents watched over us every day.”

Leaning against the cushioned backrest, Akna seemed happy to talk about someone else. “So what happened? Why aren’t you with them now?”

This time, Solvei was the one to give a wan smile. “I almost forgot, you never heard about how I met Master, did you?” When Akna shook her head again, Solvei gave a strained chuckle. “It’s hard to believe that it was less than a lunar cycle ago. It all started with a wolf named Bolverk, my father’s brother. Every so often, he’d come by and challenge Father to a fight, but this last time was different...”

---

“My lord, our contact in Eigengrau has just reported that Lex Legis has left the city proper.”

From the center of his analytic matrix, Steel Soul regarded the metal-and-flesh pony kneeling before him, silently feeding what he’d just been told into the mechanical apparatus to which he was connected.

To an outside observer, the analytic matrix would have appeared to be a room-sized collection of wires, translucent tubes, frames of various metals, and blinking lights. In the middle of the vast array was a single, undecorated stand – little more than a raised platform – over which several large cables hung. It was those cables to which Steel Soul was currently connected, their ends plugged into various ports lining his cranium as he took advantage of the advanced processing power that the massive bank of equipment granted him.

Steel Soul himself could almost have been mistaken for part of the devices that he was hooked up to. Being constructed almost entirely of metal, his component parts didn’t match his namesake, having upgraded his physical structure from mere steel years ago. Now, his equinoid chassis was built from a custom-forged alloy of tungsten and adamantine, the metal lined with pathways made of liquid crystal polymers. Although each piece of his frame was sleekly designed, his total mass was augmented by the weapon systems, sensor arrays, and defensive mechanisms attached to various sockets spread along his artificial body.

The overall effect was that of a pony who’d been stripped down to their skeleton, dipped in chrome matte and painted with glowing lines, before being outfitted with gear whose functions could only be guessed at.

But the one part of Steel Soul that never changed were his eyes, shining with a sterile blue light that seemed to grow colder as no further report was given. Finally, he spoke. “And his destination?”

“Unknown at this time.”

Despite his austere appearance, Steel Soul didn’t hesitate to mentally activate the psibernetic stimulator that was implanted in the pain center of his servitor’s brain.

The effect was immediate, as the stallion collapsed, shaking as he screamed in agony. Steel Soul allowed the torture to continue for several seconds before ending the flow of machine-induced psychic anguish. “That answer,” he hissed, his voice crackling with an electronic flow that made his anger audible, “is insufficient! I must have more data!”

“W-White Wraith sent no further information,” moaned the half-metal pony, shakily standing up. “He could only confirm how long it had been since Lex Legis met with Sanguine Disposition, otherwise-”

He was cut off as another bout of psychic agony left him writhing on the floor.

“INSUFFICIENT!” roared Steel Soul, taking a step forward before stopping as he registered the cables connected to his head going taut. Disconnecting himself from his analytic matrix would make it harder to think of a plan, and right now that was more important than punishing his incompetent underling.

Instead, he allocated more of his processing power to the issue at hoof, seconds going by as his expanded cognitive functions grappled with the problem. Lex Legis and Sanguine Disposition could not be allowed to form an alliance, lest the balance of power be tilted against him. But there was a high likelihood that had just happened, which meant that a disruptive effect needed to be introduced.

The easiest answer would simply have been to have Lex Legis killed – Sanguine Disposition was simply too difficult a target to easily slay, the vampire not only being a powerful mage, but having taken steps to fortify Eigengrau against an assault – but the Night Mare had forbidden that level of direct conflict between her champions. Any of her blessed who managed to slay another would draw the full force goddess’s wrath down on them.

But the beasts who dwelled in the wilder reaches of Darkest Night were under no such restriction...

Finally shutting off the flow of psionic pain to the stallion that was wailing in front of him, Steel Soul issued new orders.

“Mobilize every asset we have within the vicinity of Eigengrau. They’re to engage, but not kill, every non-sapient creature they can locate in the general area. Their goal is to stir up as much aggression as possible. And under no circumstances are they to directly engage with Lex Legis or his retinue!”

“U-under...stood...” moaned the psiborg stallion, legs still twitching as he picked himself up and stumbled out.

Satisfied, the electronic hum in Steel Soul’s voice warbled in a way that was almost recognizable as laughter.

“Won’t it be a shame if the Night Mare’s newest champion turns out to be too weak to survive the dangers of Darkest Night.”

Author's Note:

As Solvei and Akna grow closer, Steel Soul plans to make things more difficult for Lex!

With the wildlife of Darkest Night driven to agitation, will he be able to make it back to his body?

Comments

[xiwu]

Wow, you can write so many words.
It takes a long time to finish reading this book.I'm a little scared.

[Not so New Brony]

Well, Sanguine Disposition was most certainly right about Steel Soul's hostility to his fellow champions and he's also quite the schemer. And apparently one with a vast intelligence network of spies and informants like White Wraith scattered about in the Darkest Night and he's set his optics on Lex. Sanguine wasn't kidding when he said Steel Soul will target him as soon as he realizes who and what he is to the Night Mare.

If Lex realizes Steel Soul's involvement in the coming attacks, he'll either push through or be forced to retreat and seek aid from Sanguine Disposition. Wonder if that's what the vampire meant by seeing each other again.

[Booster Spice]

Psybernetics?

Besters crew from Babylon 5 just got a whole new bunch of upgrades.

As for stirring up the wildlife.

Well, Lex and Solvie could do with an accelerated XP grind to unlock the Tantabus improoved levels.

I really hope is more Bravely Second and not Bravely Default. Not even tried playing Bravely Default 2 cos the first one, even with a tuned up crew, I was getting taken out by mook squads while barely 2/3 way through the game.

[TheAbsoluteRadiance]

I didn't connect the dots but Solvei is basically Simba from the lion king, right? Her father was the leader of the group that got betrayed by his brother / her uncle and she was cast away from her home to wander until she met someone who became a companion only to find the whole place ruined by those her uncle brought, justice and order returned after a big fight. (no happy ever after tho).

A new opponent rise to the stage, and this time it's a very smart one. His aggressive nature seem to suit the domination aspect quite well. From what I read it seem like the Nightmare respect more if the person follow the word of her order rather than the spirit of it, which is in character for her being an evil order goddess. And like Booster Spice said I am quite looking forward to see how his new powers manifest in open combat.

[Alzrius]

11405133 I can see this story's length being a bit intimidating.

But I do hope that you give it a chance!

[Alzrius]

11405226 It seems clear that Steel Soul is the most nakedly ambitious of the Night Mare's champions. While Lex has lofty goals, they're primarily related to bettering his homeland, with gains in personal power being a necessary way of furthering that end. Sanguine Disposition is still something of an enigma, but doesn't seem to be particularly driven with regard to any agendas (save for his being smitten with Lex). But Steel Soul seems to regard power as a zero-sum game, in which if you're not playing offense then you're playing defense. And he doesn't seem to care much for defense.

Given that the wilderness of Darkest Night is about to become a lot more hostile, it's iffy as to whether or not Lex and company will be forced to turn back. Of course, if the wildlife becomes agitated, doesn't that mean that there's more of a chance that something will stumble across the planar apertures connecting to his and Akna's bodies?

[Alzrius]

11405311 The good news for Lex is that Steel Soul doesn't seem to know precisely where he's headed or what his goal is, hence raising mayhem on a general level. It's possible that Lex and the others could slip through without seeing much in the way of hostilities from the local creatures.

But when has his luck ever been that good?

[Alzrius]

11405464 I confess, I didn't see that at all, though in hindsight it seems obvious. In my defense, the "evil uncle" trope is fairly expansive, going back at least as far as Claudius in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Family fights tend to be some of the most vicious, and in a society that has weak controls against that sort of strife, it's not too uncommon for them to end in blood. Given that the winter wolves don't really have a "society" per se, then there's not many other ways such a thing could have ended, since Bolverk had no real reason to back down after all of his unsuccessful challenges.

As for what Steel Soul's doing now...I suspect that he's been a champion of the Night Mare long enough to know where the dividing line is between impressing her and angering her. She doesn't want her greatest servants overtly killing each other, but I'd wager that she does want them to compete in a manner that encourages growth, since stagnation runs against her ideals. Steel Soul certainly knows this, and my guess is that he's correct about the Night Mare taking a meritocratic view of things if Lex can't survive a trip through her realm. Though, given how much she's invested in Lex's success, I have to wonder if she'd really be okay with him dying like that...