Aetheral Space

The night was alive with fire.

AWL Asset D6-713

Hidden Capitol Underground Observation and Containment Facility

“Hel”

Hel is one of many AWL facilities located throughout the galaxy, ready to observe interesting phenomena and contain troublesome experiments whenever required. While the days of Renée the Raven -- when our organisation enjoyed the full favour of the Supreme -- are long gone, the AWL still maintains a presence on Azum-Ha.

Hel is equipped with several layers of internal and external defence in order to withstand attacks both within and without. While the majority of these defences are self-operating, it is advised that Hel be equipped with additional AWL Assets while in active use.

From the desk of Section Chief Mazura (Deceased)

The Absurd Weapons Lab facility would not go down easy.

At first, it had appeared as one temple among many in the depths of Azum-Ha, a squat little stone building that the eyes slid right over. But once they'd tried to gain access? The facility had shown them what it could really do.

Like a flower, it had unfurled, revealing a shape like a metal starfish, every inch of its exposed surface bristling with gun-barrels. They'd fired without delay. As if that weren't enough, it had unleashed a swarm of automatics from vents on the tip of each ‘arm’. They sliced and diced through the air, weaving through the bullets with such ease that they seemed like a single organism.

All in all, to look at the construct reminded Xander Rain more than a little of the Shesha, but he supposed that made sense. The Absurd Weapons Lab had been heavily involved in the construction of the great starship. They'd clearly brought across the design philosophy for their own buildings.

There was more fire than air here right now, but the Tree of Might did not burn so easily.

Xander flew through the air, carrying several of his comrades with him. Brown Aether charged the air around him, and each and every projectile that came for his group changed their course to avoid them. His eyes flicked around the grotesque building as he tried to find a weakness, tried to find a way in.

All around and below him, the rest of the Tree of Might fought. They weren't so weak that mundane defences would shoo them away. They danced against the horde of machines, Aether abilities erupting into light and taking dozens of automatics with them.

A few members had already activated their Absolutians, and for a moment Xander felt the urge to join them -- but no. His own Absolutian could certainly break into this place with ease, but the berserker rage its strength induced would make him just as much a threat to his allies as his enemies. He couldn't afford to fail Lord Hadrien again, not after his disastrous display the other night.

The mind of a warrior was needed right now, not his arm.

Letting his halberd float in the air next to him, Xander turned to his companions.

“Lord Onio,” he said respectfully. “Lord Masterman. I feel we must work together on this.”

Tyr Masterman nodded, but Xander suspected there was a tinge of resentment to it. As agreed, Lord Hadrien had named Fino Onio as the new Second Branch of the Tree of Might following the battle on the temple. Even if Muzazi was no longer a concern and the battle had been interrupted, Onio had performed his part well. The quality of Onio’s service had outweighed Masterman’s seniority, it seemed.

Still, they were all branches of the same tree, and they would work together as one. Xander floated the trio up higher, until they were nearly at the top of this cavern of ruins, looking down at the centre of the metal complex.

“Second Branch,” Xander commanded.

Fino held his hand out -- and the blood he'd accumulated over the course of the battle rushed to him, a crimson tsunami that quickly swirled into a spinning crystalline drill. The tip of the monstrous implement was pointed straight down -- straight towards the roof of the besieged fortress.

Masterman held out a hand crackling with yellow Aether, mustachios quivering in anticipation. “Double-Time,” he intoned -- and the spinning of the drill increased until it was visible as no more than a vague red blur. A bloody quill with which to rewrite the world. Masterman's ability to control speed paired nicely with such a thing.

Xander's turn. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath… and grasped the flow of all things.

Dust and fire, blood and sweat. All of it found a new path, drawn in to join the drill high above, adding to its mass until it was truly gargantuan, truly grotesque, truly…

Xander smirked.

…absurd.

The siege engine they'd created crackled with all three of their Aethers. Multi-infusion wasn't a technique that was practised often, as Aether was generally considered an individual practice. Common wisdom held that only one Aether-user could infuse an object at a time, but if each party only infused part of an object, leaving free space for their comrades power to flow… the boost it provided was greater than the sum of its parts.

Air rushed. Blood boiled. Aether screamed. The thing they had created was nearly beyond their ability to control. Xander’s face was moist with sweat as he forced the drill into obedience, keeping it aimed at the complex below rather than raging wild.

The automatic defences now rushed to them, realising that they constituted the greatest threat to the security of their fortress -- but the Tree of Might did not allow its branches to be severed so easily. The rank-and-file formed a barrier between the three Branches and the machines, fighting with everything they had to give Xander the time he needed.

Time enough.

Xander dropped the hammer of God, and the sound it produced when it struck the facility was nearly beyond sound itself. If not for Aether, it surely would have burst every ear-drum in attendance. A forest of sparks flew from the point of collision as the tip of the drill and the metal of the roof faced one another, each unwilling to surrender.

An unstoppable force and an immovable object… or a nearly immovable one.

Metal gave way, and soon enough so did the artificial Apex wood beneath it. Esoteric materials of every variety, torn clean through one after another, toxic gases flowing forth from the chemical reactions. Shrapnel swerved to dodge Xander as it flew towards him and his clan.

Still, as the roof finally exploded inwards, Xander knew they’d have more to worry about than shrapnel -- and he was quickly proven right.

Lights danced in the darkness.

AWL Asset T1-229

Necro-Slave Defensive and Assault Auto-Soldiers

“Turbomen”

There is no shortage of condemned criminals in the Supremacy. They are an abundant resource. All know this to be true, yet we allow this abundant resource to be thrown away in no shortage of wasteful ways -- burial and cremation and such. Why must this be? We know corpses can be made use of, so why not make use of them?

These beheaded carcasses shall be fitted with basic auto-brains, linked together into a combat network, set against designated targets. While they bear a somewhat comical appearance, they shall fight with utmost ferocity. It will be no issue to acquire the necessary resources from the prisons of the Supremacy -- and for those who claim this is an exercise in novelty rather than pragmatism, I must point out this one truth:

It is much cheaper to create a corpse than an automatic.

From the desk of Section Chief Mourne (Dismissed)

The dead flooded forth.

For a moment, Xander’s face was locked in horror. Countless corpses -- some naked, some clad in jumpsuits -- were crawling out from the hole in the roof. Xander had seen his share of dead bodies in battle, and reanimation abilities were nothing new either… but the state of those bodies…

Each and every writhing corpse was missing their head, and from their neck-stumps blinked instead the tiny blinking light-bulbs of auto-brains. These bodies had been reanimated not with an Aether ability, but by invasive technology. It was strange. Why did that feel so much more obscene to Xander?

“Stygg,” muttered Masterman.

The dead bodies clashed with the members of the Tree of Might below, cadavers desperately climbing over each other in great hills to reach their enemies first, like insects. Blade and fist met with feral fingernails -- but Xander found himself surprised. He’d have expected corpses like these to be splattered by the first attack of an Aether-user, but they were holding up surprisingly well.

Could it be…?

Xander narrowed his eyes, infusing his vision to peer at the enemies below more carefully. Yes, it was. Around each and every one of the corpses sparked dull grey Aether, defending their bodies and bolstering their blows. Had he been mistaken, then? Was this resurrection the work of an Aether ability after all?

He looked to Masterman, giving him a curt nod. “Investigate.”

Tyr Masterman was nothing if not dutiful. The Third Branch bowed respectfully, one hand clasped against his heart -- and when he rose again he spoke one word in response. “Absolutian.”

Masterman’s Absolutian wasn’t quite as showy as others in the Tree of Might. A wooden domino mask emerged around his eyes, and a short cape of autumn leaves billowed from his back. What was more impressive was what he could do with it. Still in the grasp of Xander’s ability, Masterman stepped forward onto air…

…and vanished.

This Absolutian, Maple, was specialised in speed. Even with his vision infused, Xander could only track Masterman’s movements by the suddenly eviscerated zombies that flew up into the air. Footprints planted themselves into entrails, squeezing them dry, as the Third Branch vanished into the complex.

He was back a moment later at Xander’s side. His Absolutian flaked away into teal Aether as he sipped his thermos of coffee.

Xander glanced at him. “Well?”

Masterman seemed unimpressed. “Some kind of Aether Armament, I think, injecting the corpses with infusion as they leave the base. A most grotesque thing.”

AWL Asset C3-910

Ambulatory Commissioned Armament for Aether Storage, Amplification and Injection

“Spider-Leg”

Through the earnest efforts of yours truly, a contract has been signed with the prestigious Maker-Guild for the mass production of these astounding armaments! The Spider-Leg needs only to be initially infused by an Aether-user -- it will then store that Aether, preserve it over long periods of time and efficiently pass that infusion onto a designated target! With proper utilisation, we will be able to elevate entire mundane armies to the physical levels of low-tier Aether-users! A revolution in warfare! A commendation of genius! Ah, how wonderful, how wonderful the apotheosis of science is!

From the desk of Section Chief Hark (Deceased)

“I destroyed some on my way back out,” continued Masterman. “But there were quite a few of the things. Even with my speed, I fear I might have been overwhelmed if I were to rush in all by myself -- not to mention, we don’t know what other defences await us.”

Fino narrowed his eyes. “Are you frightened, old man?”

A lesser man -- or perhaps a more proud one -- would have risen to that bait, but Masterman simply adjusted his tie in an expression of dignity. “It is a fool who does not fear the fog of war,” he said calmly. “I must simply stand back and admire your own bravery, Second Branch.”

For some reason, Fino narrowed his eyes further at that. “What did you say?!” he growled.

Xander raised a hand, eyes fixed on the dark hole below. “No arguments in my presence. These are foot soldiers -- we’ll overcome them with time anyway. We’ll simply exercise patience and cull their numbers slowly.”

Fino looked back, past Xander, a smirk playing across his lips. “Don’t know if we’ll even have to do that, First Branch. Take a look.”

Frowning, Xander followed his gaze -- and widened his eyes.

The sound of whistling filled the cavern from the entrance. There, as casually as could be, North walked into the battlefield. His hands were plunged carelessly into his pockets, and there was a jovial spring to his step as he moved through the bodies of their fallen comrades. Xander’s brow creased in irritation. Why did Lord Hadrien allow such a disgraceful man to act as his hand?

The answer soon made itself obvious.

“Nightmare Underground,” North said casually, cracking his neck. “Era Grotesquerie.”

Space flickered -- and all over the chamber, floating spheres of glowing molten flesh appeared. They warped and undulated, sometimes seeming to shift size for an instant before snapping back… but more than that, they were wrong. Just looking at them seemed to burn sunspots into Xander’s eyelids, like a kiss from lips of acid. He quickly looked away.

The automatic-corpses seemed to fare even worse against the display. As one, they ceased their attack, limbs jerking as their bodies malfunctioned. Some of the bulbs shattered and sparked as their hosts collapsed to the floor right then and there. Those that remained standing were quickly cut down by the troops of the Tree of Might.

North grinned as he looked up at Xander. “Automatics really can’t stand that one. ‘Lord Hadrien’ thought you guys might want a helping hand. What a nice guy, right?”

Xander scowled. “Please tell Lord Hadrien we don’t require such assistance.”

North’s grin slackened into a smug smile. “Tell him yourself.”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The shadow of Dragan Hadrien, projected by the lights North had created, fell upon the cavern. Each and every automatic, each and every soldier, each and every corpse… they were all painted dark by it. Even suspended in the air, Xander bowed -- matching the reverence of the Branches on either side of him.

Lord Hadrien, clad in his white suit, looked analytically at the debris before him. His eyes, too, were fixed on the entrance they’d created on the complex roof. Now, though, something other than corpses lurked in those depths. Xander couldn’t see what exactly it was from this angle…

…but, upon his skin, he could feel the gaze of something not human.

AWL Asset A1-265/6

Bi-Existential Semi-Independent Pseudo-Physical Aether Entities

“ASSASILANT and SLAYER”

The future of our organisation lies in the vivisection of Aether.

Aether is a force external to humanity, but by itself it is undefined. It is the role of humans to poison the well with their thoughts and feelings, with their hopes and dreams. Only once Aether believes itself to be humanity does it become an asset to humanity. Only once Aether continues to crawl after death does it offer new mysteries.

ASSAILANT and SLAYER are notable in novelty alone -- two separate Awakening-entities produced following the death of a single user. Special Officer Laul Karz was killed in the Elysian Fields Incident, and the twins appeared afterwards, splitting his carcass between them.

These beasts may not have the utility of the so-called Black Blur INTERLOPER, or the raw strength of the Humanoid Weapon AUBRISHER, but they are still a strength that can be brought to heel. No matter their quality, teeth will find throats, and blood shall flow.

Until the day humanity vanishes, blood shall flow.

From the desk of Section Chief Blackmane

Two horrors lurched out of the building.

The first walked upright, but none could have confused it for a human. A bleached-white skeleton, a fog of liquid doves flying around it and serving as its mobile flesh. Its jaw snapped open -- and deep within blinked a single engorged eyeball.

The second crawled, a black-feathered spider, a cloak of dangling nerves trailing on the ground after it. Impressions of faces pushed out of its bloated midsection, weeping and giggling and moaning, with a forest of tongues tasting the air in all directions. In place of a head it had a single floating arm, the fingers of which twitched this way and that as if they were eyes.

As one, they inspected their gathered opponents.

A shudder went down Xander’s spine, but Lord Hadrien just smiled, standing before the monsters.

“Fantastic,” the Zero Branch said, pulling back a fist. “This is a perfect opportunity. Let’s see how Aether Awakenings die.”