“Please find some way to hold it,” Agbe says aloud, but she is talking to Agê who is not in the Meta Chamber, “I’m not sure that we have nearly enough data to say that this has been worth the effort. If we must call them back to the Fonlands, the Arcana Master is here to do that whenever it needs to happen, but I’m worried…”
“Wait,” Jo says. “They have stopped the advancement of the black wall, look.” Jo points to the monitors and no one but her seems to see what she sees. Agbe and Issac Washington stand near a cluster of monitors that show the battle in Talj that they had all been analyzing together. “There is an update from the one known as Alia, she has assumed the commander’s update log while Pultine battles the Pito. She says that they have figured out how to interrupt the hive mind command that controls these fungus infected beings. They have shut down all lower functioning forces. They have done it. Well, except for the Pito that operate on very sophisticated levels and we have plenty of footage that demonstrates that we have the power to oppose them. If we need to pull out, then I say that we do.”
“Did you hear that?” Agbe asks and she waits. Then she looks at Jo with puzzlement on her face. “She says that Talj has stabilized. Whatever our forces are doing, has helped to calm Talj to its normal self. Maybe they have truly done it.”
Everyone allows themselves to smile and to celebrate what seems to be an incredibly unexpected upset victory in Talj.
“If that is the case,” Issac asks, “how do we ever bring our force back? Do they stay there until the Pito are dead or completely retreat? They have shut down the black wall, but can they destroy it?”
Jo and Agbe stare at each other and they both appear to be angry.
“You’re realizing it too?” Agbe asks.
“Thanks to the Arcana Master here for bursting our bubble. We were so ready to celebrate. But instead we have brought the Pito to a stalemate. Alia said that they shut them down by disturbing their hive mind order, but what happens when it is no longer disturbed? And they can’t hold it forever.”
“They are using the black inky magic,” Issac says. “I think it’s to influence the Pito with the same hive mind disrupter that worked on the lower functioning ones, and that means that Zacchaeus and Nwa Wa have fortified their influence over decomposition with the persuasion of the mmoatia Tracia to directly combat whatever is driving them. Pultine must have figured that out in the field, that is very savvy.”
“She is a legend of the Fonlands for a reason,” Jo says. “But now they are stuck unless we want to watch Talj fall. If they leave, Talj won’t survive unless we send reinforcements that can mirror what Pultine is doing. Do we have a force ready that can replace them?”
“I can figure that out,” Issac says and he begins to cast spells that allow him to access the data of the force that went to Talj and the inventory of Smiting Cards that the Vodun have been using to select forces.
Jo says to Agbe, “Get every Vodun here as soon as possible. We need to make some very tough decisions immediately.”
“We don’t have much time left,” Lêgba says to Xêvioso. They are with Neu-Brosme and they both watch the idol of Ogi as though there is nothing else in the world. Xêvioso has been practically standing and watching Ogi since it decided to look for the source of the Pito and the Descendant, and Neu-Brosme joins him when she doesn’t have duties elsewhere. They hardly ever speak to one another, and they are both able to access at least part of Ogi’s consciousness that is tethered to the idol, and they think they get glimpses of the other existences that Ogi explores and the incredible distance that its consciousness travels in order to witness these realities of the multiversal structure, but they can’t be sure. When Lêgba speaks, they both hear him, but it takes them a moment to break their concentration. Neu-Brosme turns first, her horns high and majestic on her head. Her eyes are slightly glazed over, but that is hard to notice with her pupils that are completely black. Then Xêvioso turns as well. “You need a break, brother. Haven’t you heard the saying, eggs hatch better under tow than under scrutiny. You aren’t doing anything but exhausting yourself.”
“Is the mission to Talj complete?” Xêvioso asked.
“Not exactly, but Gu sent word. Agê and Sakpata are outside of everything as we speak. Apparently the trauma that Talj is experiencing is so bad that it could tear itself apart and end everything inside of it, including our forces.”
“Then we have to get them all out immediately,” Xêvioso says urgently and he turns to Neu-Bromse. “Please give Ogi our apologies, this is a crisis that we may be able to help with if we get to Talj…”
“Wait,” Lêgba says, holding up a hand as he listens to something that no one else can hear. Xêvioso would normally be able to hear it but he is still collecting himself from engaging with the Ogi idol. Both he and Neu-Brosme wait while Lêgba finishes listening, then he says, “Apparently our forces are alleviating Talj, he is fine but we are being summoned back to the Fonlands and it is urgent.”
“Go,” Neu-Brosme says before the Vodun can say anything to her. “Xêvioso, you and I have stood together for long enough that I can find you in the Fonlands when Ogi returns, hopefully with the news we need. It seems that the mission to Talj is a successful one. May we have continued success.” She bows at the Vodun and they return it and then she watches Lêgba move his hands into various formations. A light blue string of energy forms into a circle that expands and retracts around the formations of his hands and new circles of energy emerge in a brilliant display, undulating in and out at various speeds, and the circles eventually encompass the Vodun then condense one more time, and the Vodun disappear.
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