290 (II)

  Downtime [II]

  But before he could continue his political scheming, Adam asked another pertinent question: "Correct me if my assumptions are wrong, but the whole idea about collapsing the Mana Core, was that truly a plan for a suicidal maneuver?" Adam's eyes grew narrow, and the azure brilliance coloring them grew severe. "Tell me, was it suicidal, or did you intend to be a sole survivor after you slipped out through the Tutorial gateway? After everyone else was obliterated in a desperate last stand, were you to come back across and reveal yourself as a lone survivor in the ruins somehow? Or were you planning to just escape?"

  "No!" Null Mont hissed, seeming actually offended. "No, no, no." Her voice was taking on a desperate or at least aggrieved quality. "I am not like that! I am many things, competent not one of them, as you have so precisely noted, oh Gate Lord, but I am no coward. I am not afraid to fight. I am not afraid to give my life for the Composer. I am simply afraid of shame, of disgrace. I'm willing to die if it means taking the bloodspawn with me, but it had to mean something. Even if I lost the Gate, if I could destroy their forces to make this a pyrrhic victory on their part, it would have meant something!"

  Adam made a sound that reminded Shiv of a dying dog.

  "Well, at least she's not a traitor, just incompetent," Shiv reiterated.

  Something inside Adam snapped. He glared at Shiv. "I know. Repeating it for a third time doesn't help. It doesn't. And a willingness to die in some pointless sacrifice doesn't make up for all the lives she was going to take with her anyway. The Weaveresses, the Umbrals, the refugees, the mercenaries—none of them needed to perish. Losing the Gate would be annoying, but we could take it back. We could. Why didn't you just order a retreat to the surface? You could have waited for nightfall! The sun is not out during the night, if you weren't aware. You could have had the Geomancers dig a deep pit and hidden under the earth until help arrived. It's not impossible. I barely needed more than a few seconds before I came up with a plan of survival. Are you really, truly, so willing to bid your life and all those other lives to spare yourself of disgrace?"

  And Null Mont’s admission of shame was made known through her silence.

  "I can't believe this. I absolutely cannot believe this." Adam threw up his hands and looked like he was on the verge of murdering the Weaveress. The others gathered in the room seemed to share Adam's disapproval as well. Except for Roland, who was struggling with the deeply philosophical question of if it was appropriate for his wife to call Null Mont an eight-legged cunt, considering spiders likely didn't have human vaginas.

  Gone, helpful as ever, revealed herself by taking a step between Roland and his wife, flashing her claws and dragging them along her throat, as if inquiring about whether she should finish Null Mont off. Shiv shook his head, and the goblin briefly looked disappointed, but replied with a nod.

  You know, maybe I should promote her to something, Shiv thought to himself. Actually, maybe I should talk to Adam about putting her in charge of something. She's like Null Mont’s spiritual opposite: gets shit done and has no excuses.

  “Shiv,” Adam said, sighing deeply. He wasn't even communicating telepathically anymore. “I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe we should just…” He mimed firing an arrow into Null Mont from behind. “I know violence is usually your first and last resort, but this time… I'm just tired of this.”

  Adam spoke mostly in jest. Mostly. But his words inspired Shiv, who suddenly realized they had options. Null Mont needed to be removed; that much was beyond doubt. The longer the Weaveress stayed here, the more of a danger she would pose to those beneath her, the Gate itself, and herself. And worst of all, she would continue being a nuisance to Shiv and Adam. She wasn't good at leading. She wasn't meant for this. And now she was on the verge of breaking. All the stress, the self-delusion, the deception, and the general incompetence were like a bomb. With every moment she was allowed to stay, that bomb grew in power until eventually all the entropy she built up would be released at once, and everyone would find themselves eating shit.

  But there was a golden path for everyone to be satisfied. For her to be taken out of the Gate, for Adam to regain control of his tower, for the Umbrals and lesser Weaveresses to be spared an unfortunate fate at the hands of an incompetent leader. It might even end well for Null Mont herself, who simply wanted one thing: glory. She yearned to rise above her current station, to see herself rewarded with accolades, and, if possible, taken away from the battlefield where she was a general danger to everyone involved. Of course, wherever they moved her, she would probably prove a general liability rather than a benefit. But something inside Shiv triggered: a latent political instinct that was buried deep in his bloodline.

  Gardener of Doubt 69 > 71

  Skill Gained: Scheming Bastard (Adept) 1

  Shiv sneered.

  The solution, like Adam had just jokingly said, was violence, yes, but a very specific application of it.

  "Null Mont," Shiv said, his voice confident and happy. "I think we might be able to solve all our problems right now. In a way that will satisfy everyone."

  The Weaveress stopped trembling for a beat. "You can?"

  Adam did a double-take as well. "You can?"

  The Culturist adopted a faint smirk. "Well, I'm gonna love hearing this."

  "After hearing everyone's problems, I think I have the perfect solution," Shiv began, clearing his throat. "Null Mont, you want to earn dignity, but you also don't really want to be here. That's what you said, yes?"

  Null Mont nodded vigorously. "Of course, Cherished Guest."

  "Well, that's pretty good because we're going to get you out of this Gate, and you're going to owe us a big favor for getting you out of this Gate."

  "Of course!" Null Mont's breath came faster. But this time, rather than it being hot with fear, she was breathing fast with anticipation. "What do you need? I will do anything. Anything to see myself redeemed in your eyes. The shame inside me is—"

  "Yeah, enough groveling. First, we're going to need to beat the living shit out of you."

  And suddenly, all the positive excitement imbued within the Weaveress left her body. "You're going to what?"

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  "We're going to have to beat the shit out of you, Null Mont," Shiv repeated, louder, as if she were hard of hearing. "Look, you were trying to collapse the mana core for some stupid, silly sacrifice play. And also, you didn't really want any other survivors, mainly because they might ruin your good name if any word gets out, right?"

  Null Mont choked. She took a step back. She really didn't want to admit it, but ultimately that was the truth.

  Shiv didn't care by this point. He understood her well enough. And frankly, killing her over that seemed a bit extreme and scornful.

  "Well, we can have you do your sacrifice play, and no one else needs to die for it either. You don't need to die, even. However, you understand that you will need to be badly crippled to fully sell the heroic and noble suffering thing you were going for, yes? Horrifically mutilated, even."

  And in an instant, all the anticipation burning inside Null Mont found itself ignited within Adam. The Gate Lord's eyes lit up like a child beholding a mountain of presents on his name's day. "Why Shiv, that sounds like a tremendous idea."

  "I know, Adam. Sometimes my genius frightens me too."

  Shiv couldn't help it. He laughed, and Adam promptly broke in turn, also doubling over. Their mutual sadistic glee merged together, and Null Mont looked between them. She started shaking again, her horror and fear building to new heights as she realized the price of her compliance.

  And she wasn't the only one caught in the shadow of trauma.

  "Oh, Ascendants," Roland breathed. "It’s like…"

  "It's like looking at a younger version of you and fucking Harlon," Rose finished, her own expression slightly sour.

  "C-c-c-cherished Guests," Null Mont squeaked, her lanky body shaking like a willow caught up in a deforestation campaign during an earthquake. “Please…”

  Shiv reached up and wrapped his hand around the back of her neck. His Shapeless Tides slammed against her body, crashing over her like a literal tsunami would batter an insect. Null Mont went stiff. She felt his strength. She knew that if he simply squeezed a bit tighter, she wouldn't have much of a head left. She was completely and utterly at his mercy.

  "Don't worry, Null Mont. We're not planning to cripple you out of revenge. We're doing it so the story is convincing."

  "The… s-story?" Null Mont stammered.

  "Yes, the story that you were ambushed by an elite team of First Blood assassins. And even though it was a close and brutal fight, even though you were faced with a Hero and a group of Masters, you managed to fight them off and slay all of them—though the desperate struggle left you on the border of death."

  "Right, of course, that's what happened," Adam played along enthusiastically. "And they beat you so badly that you practically lost all of your limbs. Most of your internal organs were also brutally ruptured. In fact, if Shiv and I hadn't happened upon you, you would have definitely perished."

  Hymn looked on, his smirk now a full-blown grin. "I love it when a good story comes together."

  "Practically… all my limbs," Null Mont whimpered. "Can I not… suffer a few deep lacerations? Perhaps just a few broken bones?"

  Shiv gasped. "Null Mont, please! We're the experts here. We know what it takes to sell a brutal, barely-survived-by-the-skin-of-my-palps fight. You have to understand we are doing you a huge favor here. We are going to reassure everyone that you managed to fight off a vampiric Hero skilled at assassinations and Biomancy. And he wasn't even alone. He had a team with him. Masters also skilled as assassins, and you managed to fight them all off! An incredible feat. Of course, we are also going to have to demolish this office. We can't have you on the verge of death and no damage to the surroundings. Just doesn't make sense."

  "All of it," Adam agreed, nodding vigorously. "It needs to look like a bomb went off in here. That's the only way we can sell it. Don't worry, Cherished Mother. We will see all this arranged. You simply need to… endure."

  The Weaveress sniffled and made a sobbing noise. "I… I…"

  If regret was an individual, its name would be Null Mont.

  "Cherished Mother," a low, husky voice came from the back of the room. Shiv turned with surprise to see Uva staggering in, flanked by Valor. There were black bags underneath her eyes, and she looked worn in the extreme, but there was also a mischievous quality to her face. Shiv suspected she had been listening in on this conversation for some time. And then he realized he didn't sense her or Valor before they suddenly manifested. He guessed then that the ancient Pathbearer's Stealth skill was likely the reason for that.

  "Cherished Sister Uva…" Null Mont's words trailed off as she took in Uva's new mutations. "By the Composer. What has happened to you?"

  "Sacrifice, Cherished Mother," Uva replied smoothly. "Sacrifice, something we all must offer for the glory of Weave and the Order." And then Uva did something uncharacteristic. She cracked the knuckles on her left hand, and the Cryomancy lining her arm cracked as aberrant fractals burst free. "I think we should also add another part to the story: we should add the bit where Cherished Mother Null Mont managed to save me from assassins as well. In my weakened state, I was unable to defend myself. The only reason why the Cherished Mother was caught so off-guard was because she came in to see how I was doing, as a good leader would."

  "That is a fantastic point, Sister Uva," Adam agreed. "It will also lend more credence to our story, especially with you as a witness."

  "I am only too willing and touched to sing the Cherished Mother's praises, especially after the huge, huge amount of blood she shed protecting me. Like she protected my sister from unnecessary harm." The slightest growl entered Uva's voice. She wasn't mad, no. Uva didn't get mad, but she did get hateful.

  And it slowly dawned on Null Mont that maybe, just maybe, it might have been wiser to literally die at the hands of the First Blood. "Oh, Composer…"

  Shiv chuckled as he leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Yeah, you're gonna be saying that a lot more real soon. And I'll be telling her all about how brave you were. How much of a hero you were. In return, when you get back to Weave, and you finally learn how to walk again after they regrow your legs, you're gonna do us all kinds of political favors because we're real good friends, and good friends make sure that no one else hurts their other friends. Am I right?"

  When Null Mont didn't reply immediately, Shiv tightened his grip, and he felt something in her neck begin to crack.

  "Yes!" she squealed. "Yes, yes! I understand!"

  "Good." Shiv nodded. "Now, are you ready to be made a hero?"

  The Weaveress broke down into desperate whimpers. Shiv took that as a yes.

  "Don't worry. It'll feel like an eternity while the pain's there, but it'll be over before you know it. Well, if you're lucky, you might even pass out halfway through. Alright, Adam. You wanna—"

  The Gate Lord couldn't wait anymore. He exploded across the scant few meters separating him and Null Mont. His vector wings flared bright, and he delivered a brutal dropkick to her chest. Null Mont's Toughness wasn't that high. Her torso gave a sickening crack. She let out a pained shriek as she stumbled backward—only to be caught and hugged by Uva from behind.

  "Oh no, Cherished Mother, look out! The enemy is about to suplex you," she deadpanned.

  "W-wait—" Null Mont stammered, coughing.

  That was all she got out before Uva suddenly wrenched back violently. The Umbral wasn't tall enough to execute a good suplex on a Weaveress with more than half a meter of height on her. But what she lacked in technique, she made up for in extreme elasticity and flexibility. Her Non-Euclidean Morphology triggered, and her body turned into a twisting knot as she whipped herself unnaturally backward, flinging Null Mont against the wall. Blue blood splattered everywhere as her exoskeleton cracked in a dozen places.

  Shiv examined Null Mont using his Atlas of the Flesh Scryer, making sure they didn't deliver fatal harm in their quest to create a hero.

  Unwilling to risk killing the Weaveress outright using his overwhelming strength, Shiv pulled out his Last Morsel and reared back. "Look out, Cherished Mother! They're going to take your legs off!"

  "C-Composer, save—AGGHHH!"

  Null Mont suddenly found herself much shorter than before. And then her true suffering began as the trio focused their efforts to make her desperate battle seem as realistic and determined as possible. Null Mont was a great and noble Weaveress, unparalleled in bravery and unafraid of any foe. She would endure any suffering on behalf of Weave and all its people.

  For that was what heroes did.

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