James's Descent Ch. 09

Two hours, time in which the authorities were alerted, time in which they had to stay ahead of the coast guard... or fight it off. The big gun at the back of the ship would help with that. Not today. Satellite feed helped them dodge the patrols easily, crossing the border and now having local ships providing protection. Maybe they knew who did it, but those cowards would not dare open war. No... if there was anything the Republic was good at... it was war. The first attacks, unprompted... were fought back with some difficulty, but when they were ready they humiliated that continent thoroughly. Their people would never know those facts, propaganda claiming that they had scored victory after victory even if no soldier was setting off toward their shore.

Three hours. They were home. Now they could breathe. A careful inventory of what they acquired would be made, investments calculated and rest could be enacted. Nina needed a bath. Not because she might feel dirty from the act.

The atmosphere in the bathhouse was cheery, bare flesh seen everywhere as the raiders partied right beside less strong people. Food and drink, mostly stolen, were freely available and indulged in with a bit more freedom than usual. Nina was half-submerged in a pool of warm water, her muscled legs enjoying that relaxing feeling, her cock stretched out in a half-hard state, not a boner, but still enticed by the tits of the women servicing them... or the asses of the boys working in the place. It was her prime opinion that stolen stuff tasted better... even if this beer was made locally, the grain was taken two months ago from the rich bastards. The Union was not worth raiding... poverty was rampant and the government reserves were too deep inland, better guarded than anything else in that place... but the Alliance had stretched its resources far and wide. True, they had to wait a while until they made the mistake of putting too many eggs in a seaside basket. It was no use in avoiding employing the eastern border. They took over islands and used those to stage attacks all over their shores... and sometimes they'd sneak in through channels and rivers, passing off as other vessels until it was time to show their colors. Much more difficult, but much more bountiful since the traders often thought inland stores were safer.

Warsworn. That name felt appropriate. They did not choose war, but it chose them. Avalon attacked twenty years ago with no cause and not even a formal declaration. They were hungry for resources and hoped to claim more land. They were no different. The first war was difficult... until they marshaled their forces and saw how good they were at it. Striking back was logical... but empty. And then they figured out how to boost the economy... a new philosophy rose.

In the Republic, strength ruled. Heads of family were chosen by their prowess alone, either as the result of personal duels or shooting matches. But such a ceremony without a death was boring. Death was a constant companion for these people, and thus they fucked with as much heart as they fought... eager to bring forth more strength. It was not all bad, as the purpose of that strength was to protect their people, to either engage in the hard labor needed to keep things rolling... or these raids that gave them much higher standards. Combat prowess was certainly valued above that of pure physical might. Strength had taken over as the deciding factor in any conflict. There were no courts, only arenas for the two in such a conflict to settle their dispute by the most primordial rule... might equals right, but that was not how the universe worked... one could achieve more might, but it did not make them more right... and the sneaky ones always find the might of others to be a decent replacement... but these others were greedy and expensive, and soon enough they'd find that those without personal strength get pushed back down. That was the case with these bathhouse workers... they had little strength to give, so their worth was in serving those with strength. Not a new philosophy, but not a great one. "Defiance is sacred" seems to have evolved into "The rules are what the strongest say".

Around the woman, eager pairings would engage in the liberating pursuit of sex, with barely any concern for gender. Men fucked men, women let other women eat them out, the eager futas would see all of their parts used, as would Nina turn to invite one of the boy-servants into servicing her... such a pleasing privilege of being strong. And among them, the overseer was the strongest... you needed a lot of might and courage to stand up to them, as the man could kill at a moment's notice and break the arms of many who didn't listen properly. In time, they would be dethroned... age brings weakness and a new generation would step up to show how they were no longer the strongest.

A military dictatorship decided by force. And yet... it was the most pleasant of the three nations. Even if the weaker ones might often be at the end of some display to assert force by those above them, even if they had times when the spoils were smaller and the lion's share went to the leaders with the lower castes being close to starving... they had times when it was pleasant, compared to the almost constant displeasure found in Avalon or the Union.

This was the Age of Decadence, where the previous hunger for wealth had grown to the point where the land, vast as it is and rich in its bounty, could no longer satisfy its people, when they looked to each other as viable sources of profit, where people can be turned into silver and that silver can be hoarded in an ever-increasing paranoia of the end of such times, when even this well dries up and the only survivors are those with stocks for rainy days. One can conclude that the age of decadence will end in a revolution, in the destruction of the empire from which fresh new ones can rise again and repeat the process in this societal form of reproduction, the new organization having its youth, its prime age, and then a decaying age as they turn senile and broken, easily pushed into a grave by the new generation.

But the three nations, which are more an empire than one wishes to admit... were in a state where this age could be prolonged. Revolution would require violence, and violence has been forbidden... they have taken away the very tools one needs to start the process anew. Even a thought of rebelling against the Great Communist Union can have a person deleted from history, a mere attempt at gaining the needed inertia would make the corporate overlords overspend on an army to bring down the threat to their profits, and the Republic might as well be in a constant state of revolution, its methods preserved but no change happening. There would be no revolution. Perhaps, if one does not intervene, one of the three would eventually "win" and claim dominion over the planet, moving forward to claim new land in the only direction available... up. That might cause a new age of pioneers, of renewed economy and easier wealth acquisition... until their development reaches a wall and the cycle is enacted once more.

The people were suffering... and so they cried out... the few that knew the forbidden knowledge of the outsider would retreat to their most hidden corners, prostrated on their knees, red eyes towards the sky... and many variations of the same phrase said by the many exploited by the few. Those few did not want this, they were "accomplished", they would have their work undone by even the thought of some outside context problem. But their voices rang out.

"Outsider... please come back."

*

Portals were great. James sat in a rather comfy chair, or at least his lower half did, the upper one appearing before him, arms reaching to grasp his cock and service it from another angle, ever so often tasting it, swallowing it, sucking until that sweet cum emerged and he could drink it to the last drop. He even came more here, as just four cumshots would fill a coffee cup.

Right beside him, Anna was enjoying her lower parts as well, though with a greater focus on her ass, licking and sucking at it, convincing the product emerging from that hole to do so and yet not leave her body as she swallowed it straight from the source. A nice drink of her own pee would help it go down before she proceeded with the actual pleasuring of her parts. This was not exactly a time of silence, but the conversation between them would pause in these moments, only to resume when both were done, arms resting on their legs and heads set down on crotches. They opted to have this satisfy any other needs they might have, spiritual ones rather than physical... needing no drink or food, maybe just the occasional rest.

Anna noticed the man's expression as she came down from her high. It was a similar expression to whenever he waited around for too long to go to the dentist. Even when older, nobody really likes the dentist, even if she has nice tits for him to hold while they work.

"Is it getting worse?"

"I can hear them even when I'm balls deep in myself. Literally."

No need for her to tell him how he was experiencing that scene from Bruce Almighty, but he had just one prayer to answer. The question still was if he was going to. Here they were, casually naked and pleasuring themselves ever so often, and in between those moments of heat came the moments of care.

"Can't your... friend... help deal with that?"

"She said that the only way is to make those prayers go somewhere else, if she'd go there and accelerate the process of them making their own god. I really hate this. No easy solutions. No obvious ones... all of them bad. Yes, that's life. Sometimes all your choices suck. But I wanted to make a place where that was NOT true. Somewhere you could make the right choice and thrive. Guess it only lasted so long."

"And I think I know which you will pick."

"I had this conversation with Phoebe already. Though I'm tempted to defy that and do something else. Just..."

"Yes... you want to help. And I would not think of you any less whichever choice you make. This is a calling, and..."

"If you're going to quote Duke Leto I'm gonna regret ever giving you guys anything from my world. You know, it's a bit tiring at times to have the words you bring forward turn against you."

"Perhaps better than the people themselves... or their weapons... turned against you."

"True. I guess I avoided being crucified by you guys."

Deep breath. It was hard to focus. That voice in his head was legion, individuals incapable of being discerned, but the message was clear. Could he just... tough this out, or make that particular request that Satan make it go away... maybe if he passed on he'd be free of it, all identity of him stripped and the next life suffering nothing of this. No, bad idea... even his world was now unpleasant. And that fact annoyed him. No, it did not annoy him... it enraged him. Maybe he did not work as much as others for this, but he worked for it, he violated the laws of the universe for it... he gave his best and asked nothing more than what a normal person needs. He gave the people a fair "ruler" and yet they ruined it eventually.

"Don't be so upset. What you did cannot be taken away. Those were the best times any people have ever experienced. Maybe in such hard times... they will see another like you rise."

Or they will see that man killed because he's a threat to the stability of the world. James let the portal on his body ascend to become one whole piece again. He was going to need a lot of thinking... or just a lot of alone time to deal with this thing. Already the distractions of this place could not keep it at bay. It was there when he played games, it was there when he was fucking people, it was there when he was drunk out of his mind.

Anna felt like she was a bad parent... incapable of helping him any further. They were all trying to distract him, to give the reward he had earned... and yet some challenges were too much for some people. Maybe that was why they needed him. Because one day there comes a challenge that you cannot face, a challenge engineered as such to be unwinnable so others can win from your failure. And then a greater force can step in. Hobbes said that mankind is inherently evil and only a sovereign can keep them straight, but who keeps the sovereigns straight? So many governments tried to answer that problem with more government, and dozens of checks and balances that eventually lead to the same problem... the hands that should be holding each other back have their cooperation bought and the nature of humanity is allowed free reign in its worst ways... only for the few who can afford the service. This led to the conclusion that no nation, no world, no universe... can ever be a good place because those at the top get corrupted by the very power entrusted to them to cease that corruption. And those who would not bend were broken... the just leaders were thrust aside by force, gathered against them by the mass of sin-hungry degenerates. There were none so hated as those who brought true justice, those who could not be bought, and those who would not allow the great game of exploitation to continue.

She could only hope that the astorians sort themselves out.

*

Year 412 AA.

Head down, steps measured, the woman walked through the concrete jungle with the expected show of deference. Already three patrols stopped her, asking why she was not working, where she was going, and what she had on her... she had nothing for them to confiscate, her nature walk had no possible consequence for the Union, and her job ended for the day, the worker's certificate shown and scrutinized three times already.

All citizens must work. All citizens must collaborate with Security to ensure a unified nation. All citizens must pose no danger to the prosperity of the people. The prosperity of the elites. It was a lie that everyone knew and yet none could contradict it. You did not speak against or even slightly astray from the message of the "rightfully elected overseers". There have been twenty attempts at revolution. All but three of them failed, the remaining ones showed why it was called a "revolution", as the leaders changed but nothing else did. The most spirited were often those who just wanted the pie those leaders were eating... and any message was lost as soon as they had it. Another was brewing, even if the news spoke of absolutely no dissent ever.

Cameras were everywhere, listening devices were in every home... and if one was found to be a "concern" then cameras would be placed there as well. Functional ones, but thoroughly obvious to enforce this deference even in one's home. That was why she was walking to the edges of the city. Walking, not driving. Funny how they said that any prosperous citizen shall have their own vehicle and only the people leading them had such, often with the excuse that they were not prosperous enough. Some citizens were more prosperous than others.

Out by the fields, where the workers barely saw a fragment of their labor, guarded thoroughly to make sure none got away with even a potato... the guards were paid well to make sure of that. Second best to leadership... if you can't lead, be the thing that ensures leadership endures... that is often the best-paid position because you are the only thing between those leaders and the end of their regime. They'd see more guards if people did not have their position mandated "for the prosperity of the nation". If the state said you were to farm, you would go and do it.

Finally, she stepped into the relative privacy of one of the only few forests left... because the villas of the party leaders were close and they did not want some oppressive, urban environment, they wanted a peaceful and wide land. Trespassing here was a crime, but she might as well... and unless she destroyed something, the guards were easily bribed... she hid enough away to secure their cooperation. The woman needed only a few minutes.

Silence, peace... to be away from it all... so precious. But it was here that she could speak the words and none could hear her. Even if it was pointless... even if nothing happened... she wanted to get them off her chest.

"Outsider... so many forgot you, but I did not. We need you now more than ever before. There is nothing left. All that you have given to us was taken away. There is no defiance, as all is a threat to those who rule. There is no truth as it could show their weak humanity, there is no freedom, as that is a danger to order... and there is no community as it is a threat to the few if the many were to come against them." A sigh. "We have nothing. And I can only feel shame for throwing away your gifts... for our people to have come here, to become the nightmare you have fled from. Not even the openness you gave us is here, as those acts, permitted as they are, have become feared moments when one's soul could be open, when another could feel our true self and use it against us. We have failed you. And I am sorry. For all of us... for me... as I cannot see a way through this challenge. There is nowhere to go, no place to be able to stand and defy our rulers. I understand... I understand what you wished to guard us from and we have only brought it back."

It was so tempting to kill herself. But that was a crime, and if one cannot punish a corpse, they can punish anyone she associated with. She knew many people in the forced labor camps... people who ended up there because another that they knew chose to quit life. You can't even kill yourself. She'd be damning her entire family... her people used against her.

"All I can hope for... is for you to be back... to drive our demons away and restore the world. Though even if I swear that we can never forget you..." Would it happen again? Was this the fate of heroes? To step in when times were dire, only to be reviled later as the people he saved became the new problem? "I cannot even offer anything. I can only beg."

Deep breath. Hopefully, she was not loud enough for anyone passing nearby to hear her.

"Please come back."

And somewhere... a celestial "ding" rang out.

*

This was not working. It was getting worse. James lay on the bed in his home in hell, trying to relax and will those voices away. It took effort to notice which were his thoughts... mostly those that were not repeating that mantra. And finally... he snapped.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"

Okay, he knew what they wanted, but nothing so far even showed as a way to indulge them. Nothing... until now. Silence. Utter silence... it was surprising, and liberating... like being finally free to breathe through your nose after the most unpleasant cold ever, or having that tooth pain go away and leave one free. And in this silence, he could hear the sound erupting before him.

James watched as a disruption appeared, wobbling, hanging in mid-air, like a tear in reality, beyond it a swirling vortex. It alternated between growth and shrinking, yet it was stable enough for now. This was new. The man stood to scrutinize it much closer. With the voices no longer clouding his mind, he could now catch up on so many thoughts, but most were on the thing before him. Logic stated that the two were related.

"And there you go. Five Billion."

The voice came from behind. He turned to see that figure that he had become almost comfortable with... the small girl who was actually one of the greatest forces in the universe. He had always seen her smiling, giggling, and being rather childlike, even in those moments when serious subjects emerged, she kept that cute persona. She was not smiling now.

"I assume this is the part where I fight you for the opportunity to leave hell."

She erupted in motion, one arm coming before her, another above... a pair of sai appeared in her hands, the previous outfit replaced by one suitable for a magical girl.