Chapter Fifty-Two – Azure Skies – Part Three

Unlike the Military Branch of the UWO, the Intelligence Branch does not frequently promote based on classes and levels. We take a more measured approach to how we conduct our operations. That being said, there are always exceptions to every policy.

-UWO Head of Intelligence Branch Fisher-

Beautiful azure skies stretch out endlessly, you wouldn't know it's not Earth unless you looked closely. The sun is scorching in the midday heat wave, but I would wager you could find a similar temperature on Earth's equator. I don't know exactly where we are on this planet, the map interface is rudimentary and localized. The only way we can see a difference in terrain is once we've physically passed over it, like a fog of war feature. When there's a quest objective though, it shows us the surrounding area, blurred, but enough that we get the gist. I've heard there is a supporter class that can randomly roll sections of a map, and even reveal hidden treasures.

There are a lot of weird classes, on both the supporter and hunter sides. Makes me wonder about what Sage said, if Witherbrand is the third most feared, what is the first and second? Sure, Witherbrand isn't great versus many enemies, but versus one? I can scarcely think of anything more effective.

Sage's voice enters my mind as Tran and I make our way back to Fisban.

Your blessing is running low. Seven minutes.

"Thank you."

"For?" Tran asks.

"I was talking to Sage."

"Oh."

Sage has been pretty helpful for that kind of thing. Though he usually goes silent whenever I approach Verantha. One of the times he stopped mid-sentence, which was strange. Wonder if there's a reason behind it.

"Sage, is there a reason that you don't talk around the Cleric?"

You really did skip all the tutorials.

"Like I said, I never got the option."

There's an exaggerated sigh.

Deities are aware of the immediate area surrounding their chosen. Think of it like a looking glass, they can peel back the fabric of existence and see things within reason. However, what they can see now is much different than before. It happened after the third iteration of the games, it became abundantly clear to the Great One that certain restrictions needed to be applied. Gods were alerting their chosen of skill holders when they encountered them. So, the Great One delegated the task to one of my colleagues. The first attempt to regulate the pervasive nature of a deity connection… did not work out well, and the one responsible was purged from existence.

"Your colleague was killed for failing?"

Oh yes, the Grand One does not tolerate failure. Those of my ilk who fail are purged, without exception.

Damn, I guess the system doesn't fuck around for them either.

"What about the Gods?"

They are… not exactly under the domain of the Grand One… not yet at least. Moving back to our other discussion, the second attempt made Deviants and Champions invisible to all Gods.

Not yet? As in… someday they will be? What's the dynamic between the Gods and the System? Who is in charge? Who has more power? My head is spinning, but I decide I should keep Sage going.

"I'm guessing that didn't work out very well."

It did not. It created a void in existence which may as well have been a beacon.

"What was the solution?"

It's complicated. Essentially, what they perceive is somewhat… altered. Even system entities are forbidden from exposing the identities of deity-connected entities. Even if I knew there was someone in your current party besides the Cleric whom has a deity connection, I would not be able to tell you, unless they initiate the information. The Gods themselves cannot directly view status sheets for those not directly under them. For example, the Goddess Amaetha who blesses you with Fortitude, likely thinks that you rolled a class that allows you to seek blessings from Ulana, which she knows because your Goddess made it abundantly clear. However, Amaetha doesn't know that you're a Respec on Death skill holder. She may suspect that something is strange with you though, given the tantrums that Ulana has had in response to her blessing you. Your Goddess has exhibited… an extreme disregard for decorum and the rules.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"She's… well, yeah. Is she like that with all of her followers?" I ask, hoping to glean more about Ulana. I tried researching her during the three weeks of downtime when the gates were recalibrating, but I didn't find anything.

There is another sigh.

Who said she had other followers? She is a bygone relic from before the fall of Akronos. In truth, it surprised me when I saw her sigil upon your soul anchor. It is the first time she has made a move in a very long time, or so I was informed.

There's a pause. This leaves me wondering who Akronos is. Also, who informed Sage? Or did he read it in a file?

Which brings me to another anomaly. How she has retained as much power as she has. Without followers, she should have withered many millennia ago. On top of that, I can't see where her source originated. There is no file on her, at least not a normal one. It's… well I've said quite enough on the subject.

I really want to know more, but I say, "Fair enough," not trying to press more usually works out better. The second day we were here, I tried to press back and Sage didn't speak again for almost the entire day. He still hasn't answered the question, how do I directly speak with Ulana like Verantha speaks to her Goddess?

Returning yet again to your previous query, if I speak with you, within the Cleric's presence, Amaetha may feel the fluctuations. As I am not a normal system entity, it will raise questions that I assume you don't wish to answer. If your identity is revealed, there is a high chance at your current level you'll be zeroed by either of the factions.

So it's like I thought, Sage isn't the run-of-the-mill standard issue system manager.

"Zeroed?"

Zero Respecs… completely zeroed of life.

"Yeah, I'd like to avoid that."

It is no small miracle that you have somehow not been zeroed yet, especially given how unbelievably brazen it was to give a mortal a divine item. Such a thing is expressly forbidden, especially during phase one.

"Phase one?"

Sage doesn't reply. I'm almost to Fisban now, and Verantha isn't far off, I'll ask him about phase one later.

"You going to recap the conversation?" Tran asks.

"Not now, later though."

"Cool."

Before we reach Fisban, I hear movement to my side, it's Verantha, she's very sunburned again. Her pale skin doesn't do well in the tropics. She's already healed it three times since we've been here.

"Come on, let's get this over with," Verantha says.

She does her little blessing chant, and I get the notification.

"Thanks."

She nods, but as I turn to leave, she grabs my arm. A concerned look on her face.

"You good?" I ask, looking down at the hand on my arm.

"I just want to make sure that your side sees my value too," she says, leaning closer, "There's whispers of mutiny."

No shit, I have memories that can directly testify to it, I don't tell her though.

"Relax, of all the people here, you're the least expendable."

She releases my arm, clearing her throat, "Well, please inform your leader of the same."

"You could just tell her?"

"She does not appear to like me very much."

I stare at her, I highly doubt that Fisban dislikes her.

"She said that?"

"Well, no, but her glare."

"She glares like that at everyone," Tran says with a shrug.

No, I think the glares at Tran might be legitimate, he tried to hit on her yesterday. She in no uncertain terms made it clear that wasn't happening.

"I'll talk to her," I reassure Verantha.

"Good," she nods, straightening herself.

Less than two minutes later and I'm waiting for Fisban to finish talking to someone. She's giving them a very detailed dress down on why they fucked up with a few knots for the sail she's having them make.

When she finishes, I notice even more of her hair is disheveled. She looks a little stressed.

"He dead?" she asks.

"Yeah, definitely dead."

She sighs, like one of those, fuck this bullshit sighs. I hear them all the time from lower enlisted made to wait in formation all damn day.

"Also…"

"There's more?" she asks, giving me professional-grade side eye.

"The Cleric, she said there's whispers of mutiny."

"And?"

"And, she wants to make sure that both sides know her worth."

"That it?"

I nod.

"So like… we going to whack Smith and his team?" Tran asks quietly.

Fisban tilts her head at him, lowering her shades.

"No, we still need them to move the raft into the ocean."

"Yeah, but like, shouldn't we get the drop on them?" Tran asks, folding his arms, trying to act like a badass.

Fisban pulls her hair out of her bun and shakes it out, it's a lot longer than I realized. It's actually impressive that she fits it all in that bun. She slowly and meticulously coils it again, leaving it perfectly tight. She slides the shades back up onto her nose.

"It's under control."

Tran is about to speak again, but I nudge him and shake my head.

"Get back to work," Fisban says.

***

Eight hours later and the daylight is starting to hang on the horizon. I'm fucking exhausted. Fisban's not one to let people slack off. It's actually insane how much we've gotten done since we arrived. Sage doesn't seem to want to answer my question about what's phase one. He only talked a few times since earlier, each time was a small factoid about insects or wildlife. I pretended to care each time. Pretty sure he knows I don't though, not unless it's a what you can and can't eat guide, which it wasn't.

Fisban did a half-assed arms across the island search for Thomas. It was one of Fisban's group that found him. Mangled and half-eaten on the jagged rocks of the cliff side of the island. We buried him, and the official word is that he must have slipped. My group knows better though, I filled them in after we all bathed the day's labor off. Gilroy didn't even blink when I told him. Said he's worked with suits before, they're cutthroat.

"What do you mean there are factions in the UWO?" Barlow asks Gilroy.

All of us are huddled close, twenty paces from Fisban's crew and a hundred from Smith's.

"Look, I don't know the exact details, but from what I heard, there's bad blood between the WHA and the UWO. It started after they poached three of the heroes from the UWO. Ever since then, things have been… uncertain."

"Yeah, but they always seem…" Barlow begins.

"Seem, keyword," Gilroy says, leaning even closer, "Remember that story Mwangi told us about how he was there when that flame guardian hero supposedly saved that city?"

We all nod.

"Well, I got him plastered one night, and he let slip the rest of the story, I thought it was a drunken soldier rant, so I dismissed it, but now… I don't know."

He shifts, looking back at both of the other groups.

"He said, that some suits actually secretly work for the WHA. That's how I know factions might be real."

Damn, I'm not entirely surprised, it would make sense why Fisban wanted Smith to answer who ordered it before. Something that she hasn't brought up again. Maybe she's buying time so we can get the raft finished.

Still, it kind of pisses me off that there isn't trust and true cooperation between the UWO and the WHA. All of us need a united Earth. Most of us have seen what happened before we came together. They're playing a game that holds the weight of billions of lives.

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