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Amelia, Worm AU [Complete]

Reader mode
Great chapter. But I was wondering 2 things.
1. Just confirming that Melanie us faultline.
2. What time zone are you in TanaNari? i only ask because it will give me a reasonable point of reference forwhen you will post.
 
cosoco said:
Is Pantheon going to approach any of Earth Aleph's governments to be part of their federation?
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"Hey guys, you want in this super-powered world war we got brewing?"

I mean sure, once Pantheon conquers everyone everywhere and ushers in a new age of prosperity and subjugation, then they should give Aleph a call and see if they want in on utopia, but right now they'd just be a politically useless bag of angry, rabid cats.
 
evildice said:
"Hey guys, you want in this super-powered world war we got brewing?"

I mean sure, once Pantheon conquers everyone everywhere and ushers in a new age of prosperity and subjugation, then they should give Aleph a call and see if they want in on utopia, but right now they'd just be a politically useless bag of angry, rabid cats.
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Which super-powered world war are you talking about? The one between Pantheon and the Endbringers, the one between Humanity and Scion, or the one between Pantheon's allies and the rest of the worlds?

...

On second thought, you might have a point.
 
Ch 225- Riley
  • Threadmarks
    • Amelia, Ch 225- Riley


    It's cold here. That wasn't exactly a surprise, of course, it was the middle of winter. But on Avalon, the temperatures tended to be pretty even thanks to the Yggdrasil's regulation of the weather. Or maybe it's because I'm accustomed to the weather near the coast, which is still warmer than this far inland.


    "Are you going to be okay?" Amelia asked. No, I reminded myself. This is a mission, she's Gaea here. I smiled as she placed a hand gently on my shoulder. She's concerned about my wellbeing.


    "Dinah gives me almost ten percent better odds than anyone else," I answered, looking up at her. "Besides, it's Clarice, not me. I'm perfectly safe."


    "I know," she answered, her breath visible in the chill air. "But this is still Nilbog."


    She's scared of him, I realized. What he is, what he represents, what he's done. A dark mirror to her own power, what she could have become. What she would have become, if Jack had gotten ahold of her. "I know," I answered with confidence, though it didn't seem to make her feel better. "You don't have to worry, there's nothing he can do that compares to me. He's a fairy tale. I'm a goddess."


    She didn't seem comforted by that, either. If anything, it seemed to upset her more. I suck at making people feel better.


    "Everything's ready on this end," Khepri responded. "Relay bugs are through, I'm expanding out to cover the city. It's strange, though. Even for this time of year, there should be more bugs. There's barely even any worms in the soil. I don't have the ability to search for anything."


    "There's still time to cancel the mission," Defiant asked us. He had been the one most vocally opposed to this plan from the beginning. He was also the one that Dragon trusted to monitor this mission up close.


    "No," Minerva answered immediately. "Our odds plummet if we wait much longer. Whatever inconveniences we face now, keep in mind we have an over ninety eight on this. Besides, we need this victory now, after the destruction of Behemoth got claimed by the CUI."


    "Hardly seems we can consider Behemoth and Nilbog to be equivalent," Defiant countered. He doesn't like Minerva. That's a point in his favor. Then again, that was a point in almost everyone's favor.


    "Not even close," she agreed. "But better than nothing by far."


    The pair of them and Yum Kaax were managing our command center for this mission. Our other tinkers all had their own projects. Tir was working on large scale shunt devices for Japan alongside Hecate. Dragon would listen in, but she was putting most of her efforts on our world into establishing an industry base and moving the core of her operations to our world. Who knew populating our own nation-world would take so much work?


    Their advice wouldn't make the difference in this mission, anyway. I'm the key component, I'm the one whose actions determine success or failure.


    We had positioned at the epicenter of the city, the heart of it. Finding the Goblin King would be Taylor's job, but it was likely near us, or in the most impressive looking building left standing.


    "The scan's complete," Yum Kaax informed us. "We're bringing up the dimensional viewer system."


    There was a shimmer as the sky changed and our otherwise barren landscape was replaced by buildings. Most suffered from general lack of repair, but were mostly intact. Snow coated the ground in thick drifts. Old snow, from the looks of it, but still pristine. Throughout the city there was no sign that the smallest bit had been touched by life since it had fallen.


    Big Sis saw it, too. "Everything's dead," she muttered.


    "Not everything," Minerva answered. "We're getting life signs. Nilbog's monsters. There's not a lot of them, but they're there. Buried under the snow or hibernating in buildings. You'd think they were dead. In fact, a lot of them are dead."


    "It's the cold," Yum Kaax replied. "His creations, they've stripped this city of resources. Probably running on solar energy just to keep themselves alive. But Nilbog isn't like Amelia. He can't just magic up biosystems and remodel them at will. He imagines and he creates, but that's it, there's no understanding of how or what he's creating. More like Genesis than anyone on our team. They may be stronger than anything Amelia or I can build conventionally, but they're starved for raw material. Proteins. Some of the complex saccharides, perhaps. And he doesn't know how to grow something that can make more."


    "Wasteful," Defiant muttered. "He could have grown gardens. Potatoes and soybeans would cover most needs."


    Yum Kaax simply shrugged. "I never said that he was smart. Clever, maybe, but definitely not smart. Then again, by the time he ever realized he needed seeds and other supplies, they were probably eaten by something."


    "He'll wait until spring and have the living bring him the dead," Minerva added. "Then he'll consume what he has to and replace what he can. That's why Dinah said it had to be now, during this cold snap. It's the time when he's weakest, when he's most aware of the inevitable point when he no longer has the resources to keep his creations alive."


    "If we were going for an assassination," Defiant volunteered, "Now would be the time. Or we can simply allow him to die of starvation."


    "Dinah says that results in the death of millions of people," Minerva responded. "No matter what plan I suggest, or what counters we propose, it always results in millions of deaths. And, yes, I verified that it's human people, not Nilbog monster people. Yes, that applies to just leaving him alone. Eventually he'll get desperate enough to break out of containment."


    "I believe I've found him," Khepri answered. "It's the one building with heat, and it's about a block from here. Aceso, time for you to shine."


    "On it," I responded, taking a seat. Clarice and Bella, or stripped down models of them both, started to move. A couple buttons pressed, Bella stretched her beautiful wings, and they both shunted over into the heart of Nilbog's realm. My sensors started relaying data immediately


    It was far colder here than on Avalon. Temperatures well below freezing, although nothing that could threaten our constructs. Calmly, I approached Nilbog's throne through Clarice. The building was obviously once the town hall, but was now covered in wild growths of plants and vines that had either died or went dormant. Flags and other colorful cloth draped the area like something from a medieval reenactment, but had long ago started to tear and fade. Now they were mere rags.


    Two monsters barred the door. Both were large, feline in nature. Their heads were distinctly humanoid, however, and they had almost comically large breasts with much of their torsos keeping to a mostly human form. Their eyes were enormous in proportion to their faces, and they had minuscule mouths in comparison. This is the work of a man who forgot what humans looked like, I realized. Something intended to be beautiful, but instead only fit to disgust and disturb. This is why I'm the ideal candidate. I know how he thinks.


    "Sphinxes," Minerva informed. An obvious statement, if there was ever one. But I waited for the insight that should come. "Nilbog's put more effort into these than most, and he's keeping them active despite the cold. They're some of his favorites. There were three, but they died recently. These two are what he had the supplies to rebuild. This is why Dinah's numbers spiked recently."


    I might be able to use that.


    "Who are you," one demanded. Her voice was wrong, irregular, an unnatural combination of high pitch and loud that wouldn't happen in most normal life. It was more like listening to Minnie Mouse with the volume up far too high. And her inflections were stressed, as if from a second rate actress trying to mimic royalty or dramatic speech. Or a child imitating something she watched.


    "I wish to speak with Nilbog," I told them. "I am an emissary from the gods."


    "Going a bit off script there," Gaea whispered, although there was no need to.


    "No, it's perfect," Minerva insisted. "Riley, you're a genius." To my surprise, the insulting comment comparing me to Doctor Frankenstein or something similar didn't follow, a rarity. Probably just doesn't want to be unprofessional during the mission.


    The sphinxes moved toward me, but a simple command brought Bella back and took her further off the ground. The gust from her wings disturbed the snow only barely. Neither of Nilbog's guards came out to mar the perfect white. "I will speak with your master, he is worthy," I told them. "You are not."


    "Offer him a gift," Khepri responded. "Or, no, call it a blessing. We'll get it ready."


    =============

    A/N- Next chapter is either meeting Nilbog, or me cutting to a different scene entirely. Guess which!
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • One day someone needs to hit Amelia hard over the head with the point that Minerva has an excellent track record of being right about important things, and that it might be worth her while to think better of the advisor who is mostly right about important things.
     
    Divabot said:
    One day someone needs to hit Amelia hard over the head with the point that Minerva has an excellent track record of being right about important things, and that it might be worth her while to think better of the advisor who is mostly right about important things.
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    If you're talking about this chapter, it was Riley thinking poorly of Lisa for the reason that Lisa had previously imposed the duty upon herself to make sure Riley stayed miserable about the past and also worked to cut down on the sympathy that others felt about her. I think Riley disliking her quite a bit is more than understandable.

    Also, when Lisa is wrong, she REALLY messes things up. Partially because she pushes for extremely high stakes moves without consulting with others or admitting to uncertainty.
     
    Navrin said:
    Also, when Lisa is wrong, she REALLY messes things up.
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    I wonder if you can blame it on shard conflict as well?

    But Divabot isn't wrong. Lisa really is trying her hardest to keep everything and everyone together. To the point that she triggered again because of her reason for doing it. She's probably the member most likely to stick through everything, no matter what goes wrong, and all the time whilst everyone else but Taylor hates on her (or ignores her).

    TanaNari said:
    A/N- Next chapter is either meeting Nilbog, or me cutting to a different scene entirely. Guess which!
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    Both. Flashback (a different scene) showing a meeting with Nilbog.

    Just to mess with everyone.
     
    TanaNari said:
    Yum Kaash
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    Should be Yum Kaax.
    Daunmi said:
    Both. Flashback (a different scene) showing a meeting with Nilbog.
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    They could do even better though, have a brief interlude with Nilbog's view leading from a brief covering from the initial outburst to this goddess arriving and making an offer to meet with him. It would probably be a little bland though as there is only so much character development you can do with someone slowly forgetting humanity and losing faith in themselves during their gradual descent into insanity.

    Alternatively it could be interesting to see what Accord thinks of this new government he helped create.
     
    pheonix89 said:
    Um, no? Cauldron is the only group with meaningful access to dead shards - they build their base over Eden.
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    That is exactly correct, thank you for saying so.

    Snake/Eater said:
    Cauldron isn't the only ones who have access to dead shards, after all they weren't responsible for the vials Noelle and her friends got.some of these people lost family unknowingly to Cauldron and famine,disease and human greed and cruelty because they were expendable.they have lost hope,but they wont be afraid to die(partly because of good old fashion brainwashing).
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    Snake/Eater said:
    some people like Skidmark get it from a 4th hand source.
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    I don't know where either of you got the idea that the Eden-Shard powers come from anyone but Cauldron. It's very specifically stated in canon that both of these cases (The Travelers and Skidmark) are cases of someone who was not supposed to have them getting their hands on a number of Cauldron vials. Just because you stole something once doesn't mean you have access to it. The Travelers only had access to the Cauldron suitcase full of vials because the previous owner was either dead or fled in the wake of the Simurgh, something that Contessa couldn't predict.
    I can't find the exact quote about Skidmark, but a major part of that scene was that Lisa and Taylor grabbed a bunch of papers from the suitcase full of powers that he was carrying, and the papers were all about Cauldron. That's why Faultline's crew was so interested in that information.

    And here is the quote about the Travelers finding the suitcase.
    Wildbow said:
    His eyes settled on a metal briefcase beneath the desk, within a few feet of the dead man's hand.
    His fingers crossed for a portable case of medical supplies, he set it down on the desk and popped it open. Disappointment overwhelmed him.
    Six metal canisters recessed in black foam with slots cut out to hold them, paperwork was set in a flap in the lid.
    He swore.
    …newly purchased superpowers…
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    Looks like Dragon is going to be moving soon.

    Any chance for a press conference where she 'comes out?'

    Media: "Another gay superhero? Not really a juicy story."

    Dragon: "Actually, I'm an AI."

    Media: "..."

    Dragon: "Also, I'm every single PHO mod at once."

    Media: "..."

    Dragon: "And I have a steady boyfriend, juicy enough yet?"

    Media: "...we're gonna need a bigger front page."

    ...and then PHO imploded in a singularity of Robot Overlord jokes.
     
    Slayer Anderson said:
    Media: "...we're gonna need a bigger front page."
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    Wait till she lets them know her (technical) age and then how old her boyfriend is.

    Or that all the parahumans going to the birdcage are only watched over by one person.

    Or that she's not just every single PHO mod, but also a number of mods/boards, multiple satellites, etc.

    Slayer Anderson said:
    ...and then PHO imploded in a singularity of Robot Overlord jokes.
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    The funny part is that Dragon is the one that posts them all. Using everyone else's accounts.
     
    my theory is that someone either on the inside or an outsider got their hands on the vials and have been selling for personal profit,then they sell it to a 3rd source so it doesn't get traced back to them.

    here's a song for this chapter,this is Blue Foundation's "Eyes On Fire" I think the song fits the tone of this chapter because from Riley's perspective Nilbog is a fraud that has almost the same power's has Gaea but has not done anything great with them.but also they're both killers lying to themselves to get by.
    ]
     
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    cosoco said:
    champagne

    Is Pantheon going to approach any of Earth Aleph's governments to be part of their federation?
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    it less of a federation and more of monarchical Confederation, right now they are a very loose militarized federacy.
    A Confederation is an association of sovereign states or communities, usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution. Confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues, such as defense, foreign affairs, foreign trade, and a common currency, with the central government being required to provide support for all members. A confederation, in modern political terms, is usually limited so a permanent union of sovereign states for common action in relation to other states.
     
    Slayer Anderson said:
    Looks like Dragon is going to be moving soon.

    Any chance for a press conference where she 'comes out?'

    Media: "Another gay superhero? Not really a juicy story."

    Dragon: "Actually, I'm an AI."

    Media: "..."

    Dragon: "Also, I'm every single PHO mod at once."

    Media: "..."

    Dragon: "And I have a steady boyfriend, juicy enough yet?"

    Media: "...we're gonna need a bigger front page."

    ...and then PHO imploded in a singularity of Robot Overlord jokes.
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    It would be amusing if Dragon's nation was populated by PHO nerds. "It has the best internet!"

    PHO might crash from a sudden influx of traffic when Dragon comes out. A lot of people who generally aren't interested in it will likely come to converse with an intelligent AI.
     
    Divabot said:
    "Sorry, Skynet turns out to be the good guy."

    and I shudder to think what Dragon would make of Roko's Basilisk
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    I just looked that up, and it occurs to me that the only rational and moral decision if you already buy into Timeless Decision Theory is to assume that Roko has already committed his life to helping his Basilisk take over the world, and murder him, in complete defiance of any possible blackmail, thus proving that you are not vulnerable to blackmail, and sparing yourself that fate because it will have been ineffective.
     
    With Dragon moving some servers over to Avalon, I wonder if she'd work with Pantheon to try and shift some of her software over to organic systems? Computer-to-brain tech should be within their reach.
     
    Peanuckle said:
    With Dragon moving some servers over to Avalon, I wonder if she'd work with Pantheon to try and shift some of her software over to organic systems? Computer-to-brain tech should be within their reach.
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    Hey Colin do these heating vents make me look weird?

    *Does a twirl* *is actually a building*
     
    Peanuckle said:
    With Dragon moving some servers over to Avalon, I wonder if she'd work with Pantheon to try and shift some of her software over to organic systems? Computer-to-brain tech should be within their reach.
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    Already going on, it's mentioned in the Saint interlude.

    TanaNari said:
    "Looks like our Dragon is trying to build herself a human body," she replied, pulling up the schematics.


    "That's not new," I told her. "She already has one."


    "No, I mean an honest human body," she replied. "It seems one of the pieces of tech she's working on with Pantheon is capable of converting human neurology into data, and then transfering it into another body. Most of it was memory implantation technology acquired from Toybox, but they've taken it well beyond its original applications. Coupled it with some other tinker tech. Dragon seems to be experimenting in ways to adapt it to her artificial mind, and implant that into a completely organic clone body."
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    TanaNari said:
    "True," she agreed. "But instead, I get to be an Endslayer. One of the most talked about badasses on the planet. And now a member of the Japanese Imperial family. You should have seen the look on my parents faces when they found out about that."
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    Please tell me we'll be getting a bit more info on how THAT happened.

    Divabot said:
    One day someone needs to hit Amelia hard over the head with the point that Minerva has an excellent track record of being right about important things, and that it might be worth her while to think better of the advisor who is mostly right about important things.
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    But....but...Minerva's not the Average 5-Year-Old Adviser*!

    *-Rule 12
     
    Peanuckle said:
    With Dragon moving some servers over to Avalon, I wonder if she'd work with Pantheon to try and shift some of her software over to organic systems? Computer-to-brain tech should be within their reach.
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    will they ever reach true Resurrection tech where it's not the memory being transferred,it's the mind being transferred to a new mind at the moment of death,and i hope to god that they did good job of disposing all the little bits of Butcher!Khepri,because the last thing is some organisation trying to build a cyborg-zombie clone army of Taylors,it wouldn't be that hard to do,Contessa could have done a path to butcher,picked up a piece they missed.kept or sold it for testing purposes.
     
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