The Machine God

Chapter 291

Insurance

The yurt fell silent.

Droney hovered at Alexander’s shoulder, translating his words into the language of the clans with a slight delay that had become so familiar over the past month that Alexander barely noticed it anymore.

Geetra broke first. “Why?”

Alexander chuckled. “You might be my favorite wizard, Geetra. You’re just so damn suspicious of everything.”

Warm laughter rippled through the yurt. One of the clan leaders from the outer ring called out something Droney didn’t bother translating but the reaction told him enough.

Hairy leaned forward with a grin. “She always comes out ahead when the clans trade. Nobody gets past Geetra.”

Geetra sat a little straighter. Her chin lifted. The blade across her lap slipped and caught the light from the opening overhead.

Alexander took a moment to organize his thoughts. Everyone else waited patiently, watching him.

Some of them he’d come to know over the past weeks, despite their interactions being so brief. Tresko was composed and calculating, but seemed like a fair man. Arryet was too young, to his mind, to be commanding a clan, but she listened to her elderly advisors and her questions were thoughtful. Many of the others were new. Clan leaders he’d never met before today, drawn by the growing coalition by word of mouth and borrowed staves.

To the promise of real magic and a chance at escaping the Empire’s boot.

“I think the invasion of my world is inevitable,” Alexander said. “There’s no way of knowing what game the System is playing, but it clearly has a plan. Part of that plan is putting us at odds. Forcing us to fight each other as much as it can.”

He let Droney finish translating before he continued.

“It incentivizes conflict by making us stronger for it.” He glanced around the yurt again. The firepit sat cold between them. The pile of wands still gleamed in the low light. “And we all want to get stronger.”

The murmur that followed was immediate and genuine. Heads nodded. People bumped shoulders. Fingers tightened around weapons.

These were a people who’d built their entire culture around survival and strength, and his observation resonated with every person in the yurt.

Tresko’s voice cut through the others. “Does this not make us enemies in the end, then?”

Alexander shook his head. “I’m not convinced it has to.” He crossed his arms. “In my world, I’m a very famous supervillain.” He closed his eyes for a moment. His designation was still undecided, sitting at three question marks on his status screen, but they didn’t need to know that. “But I’m also good friends with some very famous superheroes. Together, we’re part of the alliance I mentioned, and all of us are working together to protect our world. We don’t agree on everything. We argue constantly. But when it matters, we fight side by side. We put our lives on the line for each other.”

The clan leaders and their advisors watched him. The yurt had gone quiet again.

Alexander thought about the cultists. About the hundreds of unconscious victims from Earth 26 that Grimnir had accidentally saved from the entropy-wielding fanatics. Wondered whether they’d survived. Whether the resources, equipment, and knowledge he’d left them had helped change their fates.

“You’re not the first people from another world I’ve tried to help. And I have a feeling you won’t be the last, either.” He unfolded his arms. “I’m sure we have different ideologies. Different hopes.” He paused. “Different dreams. But as long as we can agree on some fundamental values, I don’t see a reason why we can’t work together. Or at the very least, not kill each other.”

Selvah leaned forward. “But if we must abandon our home in the end, we would become invaders in your world. Why would they accept us?”

“They won’t.”

Selvah’s eyes widened. “What?”

Alexander laughed. “Nobody just accepts a group of strangers moving onto your land. Would you?”

Several people shook their heads.

“Exactly.”

“Then what are you suggesting, Alexander Rooke of Grimnir?” Tresko asked. “He Who is the Machine God.”

Alexander had to give the man credit. He’d only mangled a few of the words, and that was after only hearing them once a couple weeks back.

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“As I said earlier, I’ll be leaving soon. I probably won’t be back, but I’m going to tear through whatever trap or army the Empire has prepared to stop me. If you were ready, and you could move fast enough, I’d suggest you come with me.” He shook his head. “Unfortunately, you aren’t ready. And you probably won’t be for months yet. Which is why you’ll need to figure out a way to get the clans to my world on your own.”

Alexander reached into the ring and pulled free one of the surveillance drone’s subunits. It appeared in his hand, and he quickly charged the battery with Electrokinesis. Technopathy filled the drone’s memory with a series of commands and audio recordings.

Then he tossed it into the air, where it hovered in front of Tresko.

Tresko reached out hesitantly. He glanced up at Alexander, then grabbed the small machine.

“That’s one of my drones. When you arrive in my world, show that to anyone and everyone you meet. It will deliver a message from me.” He frowned. “I can’t promise it will be enough to protect your people, but hopefully it will help.”

Wargah shifted. “What if we must defend ourselves against the people of your world?”

Alexander exhaled. “You do what you have to in order to protect your people. I only ask that you do no more than that. In return, I will do everything within my power to help the clans find a place in our world.”

“But you will fight the Stars?” Arryet asked.

He turned to her. One of her advisors had a hand on her shoulder, and was whispering in her ear.

“Yes.”

“How? They have many ships, powered by our own people. The Empress is hundreds of years old and it is said her magics are capable of touching the other side of the world. The Exalted lead her armies, each of them capable of casting grand spells that can destroy cities and level mountains.”

Alexander didn’t answer immediately. The questions might have been guided by the elder at her side, but the concern was Arryet’s.

“I believe you.” He paused. “But my world is full of powerful superhumans, and we have incredible technology, including weapons that can cause just as much destruction as you’re describing. On their own, there is no way they can win.”

Arryet turned and whispered to her advisor.

Alexander didn’t tell them that the real concern was that the Empire of Stars might not be alone, depending on the timing of the attacks from the other worlds. The information he’d gathered while in the wizard’s reality might very well be priceless. Nightmare gates. Mana being drawn into Earth 1. Weird adventurers and classes. And the System pushing all of the wizards to attack and conquer his world or die.

The first thing he was going to do when he got back was make sure everyone knew about it.

He looked down at his cybernetic hand and turned it over, examining the two rings.

The storage ring was an unassuming little thing, all smooth exterior and no etchings. Inside, though, it remained one of the most amazing items he’d ever come across.

The wolf ring was the opposite. Dark metal with a jagged-looking engraving of a wolf howling to the sky. Inside, a simple GPS transmitter that would work anywhere on Earth. Just his Earth, not these alternate realities. Augustus had ordered the custom-designed rings, and made sure they would ping constantly if removed without being disabled through the implants they had at the time.

The System had taken on that responsibility, along with every other implant feature.

Alexander reached into the wolf ring with Technopathy and modified its instructions. Then he slipped the wolf ring free and flicked it toward Minlah, using a thread of Metallokinesis to slowly drop it into her surprised hands.

He grinned. “I’ll want that back, just so you know. But I’ll leave it with you for now. It will alert me and my people the moment you step through the gateway to my world. Consider it extra insurance.”

Minlah turned it over, studying the ring. Several of the other clan leaders leaned forward, staring intently.

“What is ‘eensoorance’?” Geetra asked suspiciously.

Alexander laughed. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

He swept his gaze across the gathering, and unleashed a portion of his Will. Those who’d experienced it the first time responded almost instinctively, pushing back with their own.

The new clan leaders didn’t take it as well, some of them gasping, others tensing.

“Two things. I gifted the ring to Minlah because she saved my life. It has no special powers. It’s not valuable, except that I will come looking for it when it turns up in my world. If I find out that someone took it from her or her clan, I will be very displeased.” His eyes narrowed. “Actually, let me be very clear. I will kill you. Unless you have an exceptionally good reason for why you have it. Is that understood?”

Several people audibly swallowed. Others nodded.

“Good. Second thing.” Alexander took a deep breath and let his Domain unfurl. Sparks danced in the air, but controlled for dramatic effect instead of random. He didn’t want to set anything on fire again. Even Tresko and Geetra grunted, bowing slightly under the pressure. “I’ve extended my hand in friendship. If you arrive in my world and abuse my good name or the trust I’ve placed in the clans, or you decide that conquering and murdering is your goal, I won’t just kill one or two of you.” He paused, letting the weight of his presence build. “I’ll kill all of you.”

He watched the clan members struggle against him. It wasn’t so much an attempt to fight back as it was an innate desire to exist. More Wills rose to meet his as some deeply ingrained intuition or instinct within the more powerful of them figured out how to resist.

It didn’t matter. Even though their Wills were growing stronger by the second, and some of them clearly had a high Willpower attribute, he hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d told Wargah weeks ago that he was strong enough to kill everyone present.

One day some of them might be powerful enough to stand up to him, but that would take a combination of Will and abilities honed through life and death struggle.

Alexander released his Domain and restrained his Will.

The effect was immediate. People gasped for air, others rubbed sweat from their eyes. A few straightened, something akin to pride in their eyes. They knew what Will was now. Perhaps it would help. They’d need every edge they could find to survive the Empire long enough to harness magic properly, locate a gate to Earth 1, and cross realities.

Alexander offered everyone a crooked smile.

“Now that that bit of unpleasant business is out of the way, I need your help picking out a staff, a spellbook, and a few wands for my friend back home. He’s a bit of a magic man himself, you see…”

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