《Glitched! Uplift Arc》CHAPTER 40 GLITCHED! Plots, plans and politics
Advertisement
Arkash esh Po-ek, The Radiant
Arkesh was having a bad day. A bad week actually. It had kicked off with that upstart of a Human usurping his Title. Arkash was justifiably proud of his title. At least he had been. Now that it was stripped from him, it had caused him no end of bother.
No less than three challenges, in less than a week. It was intolerable. He had dealt with them all with extreme prejudice. Hopefully that would quell any future aspirants for the time being. But he wouldn’t count on it. No, everyone knew how much he had been weakened. The Exemplar title had provided a real power up, and, as much as he hated to admit it, he had used it as a crutch many, many times.
Fortunately it has given him a significant advantage which still stood him in good stead. While it wasn’t like just smushing simple Trashbugs anymore, and each uprising had still been suppressed with only minimal effort, it was the sheer indignity of it all. Arkash hated it. It had made him look weak. Ineffective. And the cut and thrust of Sarnaki politiks was brutal and unforgiving.
No, Arkash was having a bad year even. This was just the crowning jewel. And it needed to change. And he was resolved. No task too dirty. No deed too low. He would reclaim his Title. He would bury this [Tad Blank].
He snorted, what a stupid name.
A ‘little empty’. A ‘small void’. A ‘crumb of nothing’. Neither he nor any of his advisors could discern much at all about his opponent. No self respecting being would accept such a pitiful moniker.
But the System was being very opaque. None of the usual portents or oracles could provide much guidance on where to start looking for these Humans. The Humanese polity might as well have been invisible for the amount of impact it has had on the wider System.
“Your Radiance” an underling scuttled in as the double doors of his throne room opened. “News from the Ocultutory. They have uncovered the Human Dominion!”
“Ahahhh! Excellent news indeed. I feel my luck is turning. Well? Tell me more minion! What news?”
“The Humans are but the latest of Species to join the System. It appears they have only been uplifted from the Dust 1200 or so years back!”
Arkash threw his battle arms up in amazement. They were mere babies. He had been robbed by a cradle. This was incredibly embarrassing.
“Suppress this information at once. Anyone passing on this obviously erroneous data is to be emasculated, debrachiated and have hot coals placed in all their body cavities immediately.”
The underling gulped convulsively; “As you command, it shall be done.”
Well. Arkash considered. That would explain the obtuseness of the System. No wonder he had suffered a rebuke. This was bad. He reclined back on his thronebed.
“Send for my policy advisors. What client races do we have in the Bronze Tier?” He would have to act through intermediaries. Arrggghhh. The gall of it. He had so wanted the pleasure himself of ripping out the battle arms of his foe. To stare him in the eye as he reclaimed what was rightfully his. Ahh. Well. No matter. He would get the Title back once this ‘Smidgen of Befuddlement’ was dead. And no doubt there would be plenty of gossiping misinformation going on. Arkash cheered up. He could practice his debrachiation on them. Yes. He was making progress. This was excellent.
Mercy Tait, The Azure Potentate
Advertisement
And Mercy was having a bad day. A bad week even. It had started off so well as well. Her son had surfaced. She had always known He was alive. Others had laughed and sneered and called her obsessed, and she was. She knew that. And it was fine. Obsessions were character forming. And look what having an obsession had achieved. At least Aaron had always believed in her. Mercy shook her head, she was so much luckier than she had any right to be. Where would she be if not for him?
She sighed, pulling her thoughts back from the past. No, if you want anything done, done right, that is, you need to do it yourself.
Iveighsee had done the best she could of course. It was hardly her fault that she was so green. Everyone has to start somewhere. And she had made some progress. She had her son’s associate in hand. His team leader. Now she was coming to rendezvous on Level 5.
Little did little Ivy know, but Mercy had already bypassed Level 5. She had shucked the trappings of her Office and donned her old working clothes. It was liberating really. And the dangers; refreshing. The System restricted high level beings from descending and running amok. It was against the principles of Ascension. It was fine to ascend and wreak havoc. In fact that was one of the paths to greatness. But descending? No, that was anathema. It was one of the big disadvantages of ascending to Gold Tier. And of course, you didn’t discover that fact until it was too late. Curséd fishhooks and smarmy lawyering fineprint.
There were only two ways a high level participant could descend. No, Mercy corrected herself, there were three. You could obtain either a tourist pass or a trader pass. But both restricted you severely. And while you could visit, you could not influence or really interact with the Level. You were reduced to just a piece of the environment. Like a gimped NPC. But it worked both ways really. You were protected from attacks and you were prevented from attacking. It was, in her considered opinion, a complete waste of space. Who cared for profits so much that they would waste their lives in such a dreary way? Or for travel experience without risk? Phttzzz. People who didn’t know how to live. That’s who.
But there was a third way. That of an [Adventurer Tourist]. And it was a thrill. Why, she wondered, hadn’t she done this before?
And now she couldn’t find this Sledgrick. It was infuriating. What on earth was Iveighsee thinking? Setting a valuable minion loose like that. There had been decades invested in him. And by all accounts he was a most effective enforcer. In fact he had one of the best records for collection out of the entire Organisation. No, she would find Sledgrick and bring him back into the fold.
And while she was here, she would do a bit of exploring herself. See if she still had it. Yes, Mercy decided. This was going to be a profitable exercise. And she was getting closer and closer to her Son.
She had seen that System wide announcement. In fact she suspected that every D grade and above had been notified. A new Exemplar had been found. A human. And the accolade had done wonders for our position with Humanity’s neighbours. And the name! The name had sent shivers down her spine. It resonated with what Ivy recalled of the nameless low level companion that Sledgrick had disposed of.
Advertisement
Mercy chuckled. Ivy had been so nervous. It was amusing really. Did she think that she would be punished for failing to direct her minion adequately? Did she think that her own Grandmother would punish her for this slight mishap. Mercy’s smile hardened. Of course, if she hadn’t been family, blood would have flown. Flown freely in fact. You didn’t get anywhere by being soft. No, softness was fatal. That was a very early lesson she had learnt. And it was a very hard lesson to teach. Iveighsee would need some special attention. It would not do for her to learn the wrong lesson here. No, it would not.
And here was that flower seller Ivy had mentioned. Hmmm, for some reason he had relocated from outside the Library. Now to find out why.
“Good afternoon miss,” he greeted Mercy with a smile. “A blossom to brighten your day? Everything seems so much brighter and lighter with a flower to take your mind off your woes.” Mercy could feel him gently interrogating her Status, no doubt trying to decide how hard to push a sale. She knew what he would see. Level 5. No special class. Slightly high for this initial level and probably quite affluent too, judging from the quality of her gear. He had no idea.
“Yes. That sounds lovely.” Mercy smiled back. For some reason he stopped smiling. What had she done wrong? This is how one smiled. She had practised just before. Purse your mouth, show your teeth just so, crinkle your eyes. And eyes were important. They were often a give away. Mercy had lost count of the number of times people’s eyes had betrayed them. She almost frowned. What had she done wrong? Had she got the eyes wrong? This was concerning.
“How much for this bunch here?” she queried, wondering how best to raise Sledgrick. After all, what would she want with a large brute like him?
“J..j..just 4 silver my lady.” He actually stuttered. This was bad. How on earth had she lost her touch so badly.
Oh well. Split milk and all that.
As she paid him, she slipped him a gold, dropped the false smile and smiled her real smile. “I am looking for a large, somewhat dishevelled gentleman. He doesn’t speak that much or very well and has a somewhat menacing demeanour. Do you happen to know when I could find him?”
If he was somewhat disconcerted before, now he was absolutely pallid. You would think he was one step in the grave. Yes, Sledgrick had definitely happened to him.
“Y..y..yes,” He looked just about ready to faint. Mercy [Inspected] him. Level 14. Why on earth he was still selling flowers down here she could not fathom. Surely prices must be much better up on Level 3 or 4. She frowned. The poor man sat down. He really should put more points into his Spirit. This was almost embarrassing. She only had the Stats of a Level 5 for System’s sake.
“H..h..he has taken to the alley next to the Library.” He straightened himself slightly. “It was bad for business. His busking intimidated just about everyone and then they didn’t have any change left over for me to tempt them into buying a flower or two.” With a pause, as he recollected himself. “There is something not quite right with him. I have never felt so scared in my life.” This was said with a bit of side eye at her.
See? Eyes again. She smiled back at him. “Thank you my good sir. You have been most helpful.” She curtsied, and taking her bunch of flowers, continued on her way, a fresh spring in her step.
Why, she was almost skipping. How refreshing.
Today was looking up after all.
The Supreme Council, Human Polity
Grant was having a bad day. It was like herding sabersquirrels. You would think that grown dignified adults could conduct themselves with a bit more dignity.
This latest System announcement had thrown everything into a spin. Each faction was frantically trying to determine who was responsible and where this ‘Exemplar’ was to be found and what benefits such a Title would bestow.
“Order!” He thumped his stupid little hammer thingy. “Order! I will have order or I will start ejecting people.” His voice rose precipitously. Arrgghhh! He absolutely hated that. It sounded just so undignified.
The ruckus in the House gradually settled, as members retook their seats.
“We are gathered to address the recent Accolade the system has bestowed and the ramifications of our Species.” He looked around. “Would House Kincaid care to address the Chamber?”
A dignified gentlewoman rose to her feet. She was early Gold. Not someone to be trifled with. “We are concerned that this is a fundamental shift in Human power. Both internally and with our neighbours.” She paused looking around the room. “House Kincaid has no contact with this ‘Tad Blank’. I move that the Council make specific enquiry, beginning here, as to whether this, this individual, is located within one of our Houses.” She retook her seat.
“Seconded.” That was the Blairs. That figures, those two houses were as thick as thieves.
“A call has been made. Those in favour of an enquiry shall say aye.” A chorus of ayes filled the room. “Those against no.” Frank paused as the room remained silent. “The ayes have it.” He took a breath. “Each house shall now rise and declare knowledge, if any or otherwise.”
He settled back down in his chair as House after House stated their position. Just how many words did it take to say you were ignorant while trying not to appear the same? It was tedious. And this whole exercise was largely pointless. There was nothing stopping a House from concealing the individual if they so wished. Yet judging from the almost frantic clamour there was widespread ignorance and concern.
The Human Polity had jumped from low Bronze to peak Silver just on the actions of this singular individual. This was already having ramifications. The Gnomes were opening up a little more. As a Silver race, Humanity was no longer so far beneath them. This probably boded well for trade. But the Minotaurs were pissed. Humanity had leap frogged them. They were only mid Silver, and previously had been quite imperious, looking down on Humanity’s poor efforts. This reversal had not been well received and several trade delegations had been recalled abruptly. There was a distinct chance of conflict in the very near future and humans were nowhere near ready for such an escalation.
He was pulled back from his musings with a start. It appeared that everyone had finished decrying their knowledge.
“Moving on then Members,” he considered the agenda. “The depredations of the Azure Potentate. There are several Houses here who have been impacted. Who will rise to speak?”
Advertisement
Legendary Farmer (available on Kindle July 2022!)
NOTE: Legendary Farmer is now COMPLETE. The first book, Clearing, was released on Kindle Unlimited July 5, 2022 with significant edits. I will post the first chapter of Clearing, as well as three chapters of Cuckoo's Dream, another novel in the LF universe, as a stub, with a link to the first book, so if you love LF and want me to be able to keep writing consistently, please go give Clearing five stars! In the VRMMORPG, Veritas Online, things are getting a little stale. Since the game launched, only one world- wide event has occurred, and that was a year ago.. The players are still having fun, but everyone agrees it’s about time for something big to happen. Everybody tends to forget that big things grow from small things, and little things are always changing in Veritas.The human country of Quarternell is at peace for the first time in... ever. Aspen, a former war hero, feels like he’s earned a quiet life together with his animal companions. They’re tired of fighting, and other people in general. They plan to live peacefully, far away from the city. As soon as Aspen figures out this farming thing out, he’s never going to go anywhere again. Unfortunately for Aspen, his country and his goddess aren’t quite done with him yet.Rouge the Rogue is a casual gamer in Veritas Online. She’s just a kid, and her focus is supposed to be on school and hanging out with friends. Emphasis on ‘supposed to’. She’s already pretty good at the school thing, and she doesn’t actually have that many friends. What she really loves is exploring all the cool ways the developers of Veritas found to make their game unique and realistic. Then she’s offered a very special quest, and an opportunity to go beyond the average player. She’s never been that much of a rule follower anyway....Clearing is appropriate for most ages. It has minimal foul language, no sex, and some violence. It is LGBTQ+ friendly. (P.S. IMPORTANT! This book contains very mild profanity, no sex, and is meant to be FUN. Yes, the characters sometimes think Deep Thoughts, and idealism pretty much runs rampant, but, in the end, I hope you just enjoy reading it. Laugh, cry, share it with your kids, read it to your dog, whatever makes you happy. My goal is for it to be accessible to everyone from ages 12ish on up, so you could definitely consider it YA, but with lots of big words because I don't believe in talking down to my readers.) Book Two: Harrowing (Starts after the original Chapter Fifty, now Sixteen, since I condensed chapters from the same perspective together.) Zoey has started her summer internship at Veritas Corporation, and she can honestly say that being an adult is boring. Until she starts learning secrets she was never supposed to know. In game, Rouge is finally making progress on her big quest. Apparently Duke Penbrooke took too long to return to the world, so the world is coming to get him... in the form of a few assassins. Aspen is going to have to face the life he left behind, and deal with the fact that it's not as easy being 'dead' as he thought. When what he'd hoped would be a short trip back to civilization to resupply turns into a whole lot more, he'll have to fight for his life, his friends, and his kingdom. Book Three: Sowing Rouge and Aspen have reached Bright, only to find that their enemies were already expecting them. They will have to quickly unravel the mysteries of who their opponents actually are, because they're already ten steps behind. Rouge and Aspen are finally home, but that doesn't mean they can return to their peaceful days of farming. Their enemies are hot on their heels and determined to destroy everything they've managed to achieve. Join them and all their friends for the final volume of Legendary Farmer.
8 218The Neuroalchemist (A "Songs of the Ancients" Short Story)
An amnesiac hunter and a rebellious healer are tied together to set off the strings of fate.(Second Tale in Songs of the Ancients)
8 60Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales
Wow! #3 in fantasy?! :OThis is basically just a copy of The Grimm Brothers fairy tales.It's just a copyright, really, I hope you enjoy!
8 177LONE: The Journey Beyond
For every misfortune there shall lay some fortune. For every debt there shall lay a debtor. For every karma there shall lay some result. The Cosmos follows only one rule- The law of equivalent exchange. Reven Greh, an orphan, a guy who wanted nothing more than a family and a life of a normal human being. His misfortune being born on the Earth riddled with World Wars. Lost all hope until one day someone shows him light. His father Aarav Greh who adopts him. He aspired to have a happy life with his father but the World demanded something else. Humans didn't have humanity left inside them. They were monsters hungry for more war to satisfy their greed. But... All this changed on that day when it began... 'The Lunar Doom' which changed humanity and their destiny. The World changed, the era changed. Humans adopted to the new world to resist, to fight and to not give in to their greed. Follow this journey of Reven to the beyond. Join us!!!... Word Limit: 1000 to 1500 Words/Chapter. Schedule: 4 Chapters/Week on Sun, Tue, Thurs, Fri. ... DISCLAIMER: All the places, characters, incidents are solely based on the Author's imagination and has no intention to hurt anyone. The image used in the cover is not the property of the author and is taken from pinterest if the owner of the image has any issues please contact the author and your image will be removed.
8 169Drunk-Dazed (Lee Heeseung x Reader)
You heard rumors about Lee Heeseung, the person who hosts the Friday night college parties. The person who also has girls waking up alone in his bed, drunk and dazed. You decided to attend to party to see if those rumors were true. Who knew your life would change on from there. ⚠️I'm aware I spelled Heeseung's name wrong, but it's fixed later on in the next book lolBEST RANKS#1 enhypenfanfic #2 kpop#4 kpopfanfiction #4 jake #10 kpopfanfic#11 kpopidols #16 fanfiction#18 kpopidol#93 fanfic
8 161Anima Academy
Casimir Toomes has been pretty successful as an adventurer... until he wasn't. With his team shattered and the surviving members scattered to the four winds, he went back to his home country of Anima, and at his Master's behest, became a teacher at the Academy of High Magic. Sure, his Master keeps bugging him to take on some personal students of his own, but he's not in this teaching gig for good, it's just a temporary thing, as a favor. There's absolutely no way he'll get attached to any of the brats. Updates on Monday.
8 212