Amazon Apocalypse 6: Chapter 32

“We’re supposed to be possessed. Don’t tell anyone we’re not,” Charlie said as soon as we reunited with Abby, Meghan, and Suzie.

“Huh?” Abby poked Charlie in the head, probably examining him with her healing magic.

Suzie pulled out a dagger that glowed with a sinister red anti-specter enchantment. “Hold still. Ghosts are scared of me.”

“Wait! Not possessed! I said we’re not possessed!” Charlie scrambled backward as Suzie approached with her weapon ready.

“A lot has happened recently. Let me fill you all in on the details...” I filled the girls in on what I’d seen and how that changed our plans.

“Obviously, this entity is now our top priority. We need to discover what it is and what its weaknesses are. If we destroy it, then the threat to Crownhill should be minimized,” I explained.

“So there’s a giant creepy extra-dimensional thing made of ghosts and formed from the memories of dead people? Or at least the thoughts of people thinking about those dead people? Whatever. You sure stabbing it didn’t work?” Suzie asked.

“Stabbing it didn’t work. There has to be some trick to it. We need to figure out what it is. Somebody has to know something.” I looked around at each of them. “And I need you all to figure out what."

"Isn't this a little beyond the scope of our mission? I thought we were just scouting." Abby put a hand on her hips.

"Missions change. Don't worry, I'm sure the rewards for this will be even more spectacular."

"I'm game. What's life without a few risks. This is a big one, but if you think the Shardlord will reward us appropriately, it's worth it." Suzie shrugged.

"It is, and he will," I promised, giving everyone a firm and confident look.

Abby shrugged. "You're the boss. Just don't get us all killed."

I turned to Charlie. "Charlie, try to keep yourself out of trouble. I’m going to find somebody who knows a thing or two about stuff like this.”

Charlie nodded, and our little group broke up in search of more secrets. Meanwhile, I planned to take a trip back to Crownhill. I never said the person who knows a thing or two about this would be anywhere near here.

***

After about three hours of high-speed flight, I came to the Goddess in Jade’s shrine. The monks caring for the shrine cleared the place out for me, and pretty soon I was waiting for the Goddess in Jade to speak to me again.

It took a bit longer than usual, but she was an important person in her sect, and I couldn’t expect her to drop everything when I called. After another hour of waiting, I finally got her on the line. Her statue lit up, and her melodic voice echoed out of it a few moments later.

“Carter. I didn’t expect to hear from you again so soon. Has the confluence of fate I warned you of revealed itself yet?” the Goddess in Jade asked.

“Not yet. I know you sensed something big stirring, but I’ve got a lot going on in my life at the moment, so it really could be anything. I’m here about another matter. I was hoping to ask about a strange entity I ran into recently,” I explained.

“Oh. So you’re coming to me for guidance, then? Good. Though you’re my holy saint, I’ve granted you far too little wisdom. Speak and be enlightened.” The Goddess’s airy laughter echoed through the hall. I got the distinct impression she was teasing me.

“I ran into something the System describes as a ‘Corrupted Natural Divinity.’ It seemed extremely resilient in the face of my spells, despite me having a much higher level than it. I fear fighting it will prove quite challenging if I don’t know how to defeat it. I was hoping you’d know a thing or two about it.”

I waited for a response, and the Goddess in jade was silent for a surprisingly long moment.

Eventually, she responded. Now her tone was serious again.

“You did well to bring this to me, for there are few as well versed in the art of divinity as I. Finding a natural divinity is a rare opportunity. Many A-Grades will spend a thousand years nurturing such a being so they can devour its power. Even a weaker, corrupted one would be of interest to an A-Grade. These things have other names you might recognize. Sometimes they are called genius loci. Other times, guardian spirits or local gods.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“If the Kindling dimension were a mighty tree, those like me carry knives and slash at its bark to drink its sweet nectar. In contrast, natural divinities are true born fruits. I assume you know already that the Kindling Dimension is a realm of endless potential and formed of the conscious thought of mortal beings?”

I nodded. “It is a strange dimension, but one the makers of the System knew well. It is akin to the shadowrealm.”

“The shadowrealm is but a doorstop one must pass through on their way to the kindling, but yes. The ancestors knew the kindling far better than any scholar of the modern era. You know I have gathered worshipers across many worlds. Their faith alters the fabric of the kindling in a way that resonates with me, and I harness that resonance to fuel my growth. A natural divinity forms when resonance of a constant pattern forms, but there is no one to receive the power it creates.”

A few possibilities ran through my mind. “I see. So when you said A-Grades nurture these things, you mean they create minor gods for low-level people to worship, then swoop in to consume the god when it grows powerful enough? Fascinating. I assume it wouldn’t work in System space with how locked down the Kindling dimension is within its territory, but outside of it, this would be a pretty powerful trick.”

“Don’t get too many ideas. Whatever priests or shrine maidens responsible for creating this Corrupted Natural Divinity did a poor job of maintaining a coherent image of it.”

“Priests? Shrine maidens? I’m afraid the memorial had nothing more than a part-time janitor.” I chuckled.

“That would indeed cause discord within the forming divinity. A Corrupted Natural Divinity is far less useful. Were it whole, even I might be interested in such a treasure. But it will be of minimal use as it is. You said you were here to ask me how to defeat the Corrupted Natural Divinity? They can be quite tricky without knowledge of what they are. But with that knowledge, there is a secret weakness.”

The goddess let me hang a moment, and I suspected she was enjoying having me hanging on her words.

I leaned closer. “And that weakness is?”

“The shrine that anchors the natural divinity to the physical world. Desecrate or deface it and the natural divinity will be grievously wounded and unable to heal or guard itself with kindling energy. That is the secret to defeating such entities.”

“There’s another minor complication I should mention. This entity is currently possessing a large number of people. Will they be alright after I destroy the natural divinity?” I asked.

“Hmm. If they are merely worshippers, they should be unaffected, though likely irate at the death of their deity. If they are truly possessed, then the souls native to their bodies should reassert themselves once the connection is severed. Be certain to clean up any loose ends, though. Depending on the quality of the host, some spirit fragments might survive. A sea monster deity would not survive inside the body of a young woman, but a fertility deity might.”

I dipped my head in thanks. “Very helpful. And don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about your followers in my mystic realm either. I will drop them off as soon as we can arrange a time to meet in person again.”

“I’m afraid affairs at the sect have kept me quite busy as of late. But don’t forget what I told you. Fate stirs close to you, and you will be caught up in its turbulence soon. Anyone skilled in divination will see the signs of prophecy. Be on your guard.”

With those parting words, the Goddess in Jade’s statue went dim, and I sensed her depart.

***

Since I was so close to home, I couldn’t help but drop in to see Bridget and Sakura. My intention was only to tell them what was happening and immediately depart, but both my companions had their tricks to keep me around a little while longer.

“Don’t leave so soon, love. Lunch is almost done,” Bridget said from the kitchen.

“Is there enough for three?” I asked awkwardly.

Bridget smiled warmly at me. “I never know when you’re coming back, so I always make enough for one more.”

So I had lunch with Bridget and Sakura. Midway through, Bridget swayed a little on her feet, and I caught her before she could topple.

“Sorry, I just got dizzy for a moment.” Bridget rubbed her belly, which was now quite obviously round with our child.

“I’ll help you sit, come on.” I picked her up in my arms and hauled her off to the bedroom, then flopped her down to relax. I placed a warm cup of tea by the bedside and placed a book in her hand before tucking her in.

When I turned to leave, I noticed she was still clasping my wrist.

“Do you really have to go so soon? Can’t you stay a little longer?” she asked with watery and needy eyes.

And so I lay down beside her for a few hours, softly chatting away most of the evening. She fell asleep early in my arms, and I got up, but found Sakura lurking on the other side of the door.

“I have to run. I’ll be back in a few more days. I’ve got an evil god to take care of.” I cupped her chin, kissed her lips, and moved to depart, but found her arm trapping my waist.

“No. You have me to take care of,” Sakura said before pulling me back into a kiss. That turned into a rather raunchy affair full of tongues and moaning. "And I can be way worse than an evil god if I'm not taken care of regularly."

She flashed me a lusty and challenging grin. Shortly thereafter, we found ourselves on the couch, and our clothes found their way to the floor.

Since she had issued me a challenge, I wasn't shy about bending her over the armrest and having a little fun. Or perhaps a lot of fun.

“D-didn’t you say you had to be quick?” Sakura said, panting as I leaned over her naked back.

I chuckled. “I can’t be too quick. A man has to have some pride.”

A few hours and one satisfied woman later, I finally left home late into the night. I picked up some tools at the Obelisk and left a message with Kyle at the gates to deliver to Margaret and the rest of the council to let them know what was going on.

I suspected that what I was about to do would create a power vacuum and a lot of chaos for the military base. She would have to forge new connections here, but hopefully, whoever ended up in charge of this place after the shakeup would be more agreeable to letting Crownhill take the lead throughout the integration.

That way, we’d have one less flank to worry about when tensions finally started spilling over, and I’d decided who needed a good beating to bring these other factions into line without a complete extermination campaign.

“Don’t worry, I’ll pass along your message, sir!” Kyle saluted me.

Once that was done, I finally took flight again and returned to the military base. Along the way, I spotted a flash of white fur.

I assumed it was a void monster and swooped low to investigate. Many of them bore chalky white chitin for armor.

It turned out to be nothing more than an albino stag. It stared at me with fearless eyes before scampering off into the distance.

I chuckled. Maybe that was supposed to mean something. The Goddess in Jade had warned me of omens and a gathering of fate. Maybe if these things started appearing left and right, I’d have to drag Reluna back from Prince Herius’ world. But in my eyes, a white stag was just a stag with a genetic anomaly.

***

It was late at night when I returned to the military base. I was using the shadow realm to travel, so I circled wide around the memorial just in case the Corrupted Natural Divinity was awake.

My team was still staying in the same barracks, save for Charlie, who had been moved to an officer area with the other possessed military men. This worked well enough as a rendezvous point for me, and though we lacked Charlie, the three of them had learned quite a bit in my absence.

“I’ve learned when the guard shift changes. There is a brief period shortly after dawn where we can do whatever we want in the area surrounding the memorial,” Abby said.

“And I’ve learned where we can steal some explosives. By the time anyone realizes they’re gone, we’ll be out of here,” Suzie added.

“And I... uh... think I can cause a distraction at the refugee center, if it helps.” Meghan shrugged her shoulders and hid her eyes behind her hair.

“Then it seems like we’re ready to go. I promise Shardlord Carter will have a hefty reward for all of you for this. Get some sleep. I’m going to find Charlie and make sure he’s alright and ready to get out of here with the four of us tomorrow.”

I moved to depart, but Abby cleared her throat and looked at me nervously.

“About that. How exactly are we getting out of here? There’s been no talk of stealing a plane or sneaking out amidst the chaos. So how are we getting out of here?”

I smiled. “Oh, don’t worry about that. Shardlord Carter will pick us up himself.”

***

Hunting down Charlie took a bit of work. He wasn’t in the barracks I’d left him in, nor was he in any of the other spots I checked. I would never have found him if not for the tapping on the memorial door.

I yanked him through the shadow realm as quickly as I could, since I could sense the natural divinity stirring already.

“What happened to you?” I asked once Charlie was safe. He looked around and blinked in surprise at his sudden freedom. The last time I’d used it on him, he’d been either unconscious or had enough of a head injury that he might as well be. This time, he had been at least partially awake.

He rubbed his eyes and looked around again to clear the sleep from his head.

“Himmel? Are you really there?” Charlie asked.

“I’m really here. I take it you were discovered?”

“Partially. They thought something had gone wrong with the awakening and said I wasn't thinking straight, so they shoved me in the memorial chamber for a second round. A few people were asking about where you went, though. It might be best for you not to show your face again. Sergeant Benton has questions for you,” Charlie said.

He was still looking left and right, as though trying to figure out how he’d gotten outside the underground chamber. I’d pulled him through the shadowrealm so quickly he probably had seen little more than a grayish blur.

Eventually, he must have dismissed his sudden change of location and momentary disorientation as a side effect of the possession process. I was lucky I had pulled Charlie out instead of the others, since any of the girls would have put a lot more thought into that.

“I’ll do as you say, but it shouldn’t matter much. We’ve already figured out the big secret, and we have our target. We’re taking it out tomorrow, so we’ll be getting out of there. Just pretend you’re extra possessed now and be ready for when I give you the signal.”

Charlie glanced back at the memorial, shivered, and then nodded. “Alright, let’s do this.”

<Note>

Next chapter should mostly conclude this mini-arc. I haven't finished it yet, so I don't know for certain. These things always seem to go on longer than planned. A couple of these scenes would have normally been half a chapter, but I cut them down to a page or two to save on time.

I'll very rarely pack five scenes into a chapter like this. Normally, I aim for two, plus relevant exposition around them. But this time I had to expedite a little.