-Atlas's Viewpoint-
While the world was being taken over by Selena and thousands of enemies burned alive, Atlas was being bombarded with notifications.
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Announcement: Weaver Atlas has defeated Weaver Xag in the Weaver Wars!
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-Congratulations on your first Decisive Victory! A one-time bonus reward based on a victory analysis will be attributed to Weaver Atlas.-
Bonus Rewards:
1000 Weaver Coins
100 Divinity
1 Chaos Gene
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Weaver Xag has been defeated. Please choose from the following options.
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Weaver Absorption
Absorb Weaver Xag's World and Weaver Xag
Reward:
500 Divinity
1 Primordial point
10 Gene points
1000 Organic Material
500 Magic
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Weaver Expanse
Reward:
1 Planet (small)
Absorb Weaver Xag OR vassalize Weaver Xag
Absorption Reward: 50 Divinity
Vassalize Weaver Xag: Weaver Xag -> God Xag, Added Attribute: Chains of Obedience
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Atlas watched as the translucent mirrors floating above the battlefields disappeared one by one. Once they had all left, Atlas made his choice.
-Weaver Expanse has been selected. Adding 1 unnamed planet (Small) to Weaver Atlas's CDIM. Absorbing Weaver Xag.-
A series of loud pings went off around him, and he smiled with satisfaction as he looked at his divinity console.
-Divinity: 152-
"Weaver Atlas, why did you choose the planet over the rewards?" Wisp asked, tilting its head. "The rewards are far greater than one planet and one Eldritch creature."
Before Atlas could answer, Myra began frantically communicating with him as she neared the gate to escape Weaver Xag's world.
"Not now, Wisp. Just tell me- can I close the world off after she exits like you said before?"
"Indeed, Weaver Atlas. Please proceed to your CDIM console. A new icon should have appeared allowing you to break the connection between worlds. One gateway must remain to keep your control over Xag's world, but it will remain in an idle state until commanded otherwise."
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World Selection
An-Ki (Homeworld) - Medium
Unnamed - Small
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Atlas pressed on the Unnamed world, and a small panel appeared beside it.
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-Change view to Unnamed world-
-Make Unnamed your homeworld-
-Close interplanetary connection-
-Absorb world-
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Exhaling to calm himself, he relayed the information to Myra. After she escaped, he immediately closed the connection. The globe view darted cinematically to each gate, showing them close down except for one. That gate morphed, revealing the corrupted, closed gateway now leading to Selena's world.
And Selena's World is what Atlas named the planet.
"This is very risky, Weaver Atlas," Wisp chirped. "If your plan is war, the other Weavers will adapt and make preparations."
"And if I don't, and just take the rewards, any number of them can still declare war on me. I won't have Selena either. And now that they know what my forces are capable of, they can plan around it. But they don't know which reward I took yet."
Wisp shook its head. "Once it's observed that your combat power hasn't fallen, they'll know. In fact, it's still rising dramatically."
"Hm? Oh shit."
On his Weaver Trade and Diplomacy console, the changes were obvious.
Universe Combat Power: 8,720 -> 22,000
22,000 -> 23,000
23,000 -> 25,000
25,000 -> 28,000
28,000 -> 31,000
"Hahaha!" Atlas laughed, jumping up and down in his chair.
"Weaver Atlas?"
"This is great! Before the next Weaver War, even if they form a coalition, how many have an army of Primordials being respawned constantly?!"
Wisp fell silent as the realization dawned on it. "That is...Weaver Atlas, congratulations."
"Haha! Damned straight! Hell, even if they swarm An-Ki, Selena's World is my guaranteed victory! Not that I want to lose An-Ki, but this world means I will not be defeated!"
-Change view to Unnamed world-
The planetary globe view of An-Ki blinked out of existence. A new one emerged. Half of the planet was already shrouded in dark mist, and the other half was quickly shrinking. It wasn't a fog of war, but a phenomenon from Selena's body.
Thousands of insects were being slaughtered and consumed. Larvae were feasted on, and new corrupted nests sprang up wherever the black ichor touched. It wouldn't be long before the entire world belonged to Selena's domain, where she could spawn monsters anywhere her body reached.
Even on the frontlines, the ebbing ichor morphed into an egg and birthed new goblins, sand-termites, wasps, or dragons. Only from her main body, an amorphous blob at least 100 meters tall, did the Primordials spawn.
Atlas pulled up her details on his CDIM, curious to see how her stats had changed. His mouth dropped.
Name: Selena
Race: Eldritch God
Age: 520
-Upgrade-
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Status:
Average Lifespan: ***
Vitality: 50 -> 500
Intelligence: 10 -> 50
Potential: 140 -> 500
Magic: 30 -> 300
Fertility: 140 -> 500
Special Traits/Abilities: Telepathy, Execution, Spawning, Paralyzing Scream, Domain Control, Domain Expanse, Whispers of Corruption, Whispers of Evil
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"She has intelligence beyond a normal creature now. I should be able to communicate with her, right?"
Wisp nodded.
When Atlas zoomed into the world, he heard whispers from the ground. He shuddered as he watched some surviving insects miraculously fight their way forward.
The moment they touched the black ichor, they chittered and spasmed- some violently severing their own limbs, others mutating. Their eyes began to glow red or black as they turned on their kin.
Atlas scratched his chin. "Damn. It's practically suicide to assault this world now. Maybe if they burned it but the firepower needed would be insane."
Opening an oracle to Selena, now possible for free thanks to her evolution, Atlas spoke carefully.
'Selena, are you there?'
Ominous whispers returned as his globe focused on Selena's main body. Through them, a pitiful and scared voice broke through.
"W-Who's there?"
Pausing, Atlas chose his next words carefully.
"Your God of Tenebris."
"Tenebris..."
"Tenebris..."
"Tenebris..."
Every creature whispered or chittered the name. The ground echoed it faintly.
"Where are they, Tenebris? I want my revenge… for my child, my children. My children are here, see them?"
"How long has it been, Selena?" Atlas frowned.
"How long...? I was in the cave and- A few days? I don't recognize this land. Where am I, Tenebris?"
"You don't remember anything? The centuries that have passed?"
"Centuries?" Selena's voice whined. "It hasn't been centuries! Where am I?!"
The world shook with her voice, and her creatures echoed her distress.
"This is not your home, Selena. Myra, nor the kin that betrayed you, are here. You crossed between worlds and trapped yourself."
The wails increased.
"I will open paths for you soon. Paths that will lead to other worlds. We will find her. And you will have your revenge."
"What... must I do, Tenebris?"
"Grow. Consume the last living here. And wait. It will take time, cycles will pass, but I will open new paths for you."
"My children will consume them," Selena whispered. "And they will wait for the next chance..."
Within moments, the massacre resumed. Those closest to Selena's body buried themselves into the ichor, becoming visible bumps across the ground. When Atlas checked, each showed:
-Hibernating-
"I'll return soon," Atlas said before cutting the connection.
Returning to An-Ki's view, he exhaled.
"You didn't need to communicate with her, Weaver Atlas."
"No, but it's for the better. Risky, sure- but necessary."
"What if she remembers?"
Atlas shrugged. "There's nothing she can do."
Wisp silently stared.
"For now, I'll check on Celeste and the rest while Selena's forces grow."
"And then war?"
"And then wars."
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After the battle, Celeste and her forces returned to their Primordial mountain. Once again, she had lost nearly a score of Primordials and a hundred dragons, and her heart was devastated.
Atlas healed Celeste of her wounds and swore to her he would not call on her people for a hundred years.
Ira and Myra parted ways. Ira returned to his mountain as the dominant figure under the protection of Atlas. Of course, some kin would still make their attempts, but fail, and Ira would gleefully boast over their corpses.
Myra returned to her people, floating dead husks of the enemies behind her. Ira had helped too, before separating, as their new home was at the foothills leading into his mountain range. Autopsying the bodies gave them useful knowledge- new poisons, and a better understanding for future fights against those who had surely escaped.
Her people, with time, split as discussed. Half remained; half returned to the desert. Each path came with its own challenges. While the green-land was certainly easier for food, the foliage made combat against ambushing harpies, goblins, insects, and other hostile creatures more difficult.
Myra became the healer and guide for her people. Secretly, without Atlas knowing, she planned to create hieroglyphs that she would scatter across the world. Each one would contain a clue to the next destination, and together, they would piece together the lies that came from 'God'.
It was relatively easy for her to hide, considering they would be seen as idle drawings whenever he looked- if he looked. Atlas, tired after watching the war, rested for several years while Selena's forces grew and the world stabilized again.
Eleos, the World Tree, grieved as he held the soul of his mother and watched the stories of dragon and Primordial souls enter his domain. He felt betrayed, but also conflicted, wondering if he should act given the state of the world and all the responsibility he bore, whether he liked it or not.
The southern human tribe remained in a stalemate with the northern tribe despite their glorious march and the elves failed to wipe out all the goblins. Meanwhile, the dwarves, left alone to their craftsmanship, continued to develop their civilization- iron workings, and the first steam pipes and ventilation systems for their mines.
Within the next few years, Atlas will wake up.
When he does, his tampering will resume and the Weaver Wars will be declared.
Wars and deceit.
Truths buried with time.
And Weavers who lie amidst smiling stars.