CC takes it in the end.
***
Chapter 3.12: The World Is Your Oyster
You feel your brain wobble as the knowledge pours into you. Before you can analyze any of it, a loud babble of alien tongues assails your mind. You shout out in confusion.
Sorry, I forgot to teach you how to tune it out. Hold on.
The torrent of alien voices subsides as Sekhenun helps you filter out the chatter.
You should be able to pick up important messages in the network as they appear now. I've moulded your brain to be able to receive and filter the messages -
"You did what to my brain!?"
Oh, I'll spare you the explanation. You wouldn't understand it anyway. What you can do now is just receive. You can't transmit. I'd have to drastically change your brain for that.
"I think I'll skip on that one." Friendly as she might seem, allowing her so much access to your brain would be too naive even for you.
You'll also find that I've given you knowledge regarding the creation of an experimental weapon I have been working on for my people for the past decade. I call it the Honourblade, a name befitting one as honourable as you. Don't you think it's an absolutely lovely name?
You can't tell for sure, but you feel a slight mocking to her tone.
"What does this... uh... Honourblade... do?"
Don't be lazy. All the information is in your own mind now. Go read up on it yourself.
"Right, right. Thanks, I guess." You get up, and remove your hand from where you have placed it, from Sekhenun's forehead. "You are free to go. Where will you head to?"
If you're concerned that I'll resume my prior activities... no, I won't be doing that. What I just did for you labels me as a traitor to my kind - not that I particularly care, they don't do much for me anyway - so it'd be best if I went into hiding for a few centuries. Oh, don't worry about me. I'll survive.
"I'm not worried about you."
Sekhenun's head crawls off for a while on multiple little tendrils, and then stops.
Here comes my ride.
One of Naram's sheep comes bounding around the corner, its sheep tongue flapping as it does. Sekhenun extends her tendrils and latches onto its head. The tendrils enter the eyes, ears and nose of the sheep, and you see her head begin melting into the sheep. "That's disgusting." you say. The sheep trembles a while as the head completely melds with it, and then opens its mouth. "Oh, I'm sure you'll see much worse in the future. Run along now, if you don't want to be buried under a ton of bricks." So saying, the sheep trots over to a nearby wall and presses a brick in with a hoof. The temple begins to shake and tremble, and Sekhenun runs off, commandeering the body of the sheep.
"We'd better go too!" you yell to your companions, who are still pale in the face from all they have seen and heard. You see Akil picking up Sekhenun's headless body, slinging it over his shoulder. "By the gods, Akil, what are you going to do with that?" Akil shouts back at you, "Proof! Master Runi, it's proof that we killed Sekhenun! This will end her cult once and for all!"
Ah. Smart boy.
"You guys have some answering to do once we escape the temple, so shut up for now." you warn the voices. They do so. The balance of control in your own body seems to have shifted ever since they allowed you to do as you wish with the Sceptre. You exit the temple, running out into the courtyard just as it crashes down behind you. That was an exhilarating run, but you would not like to repeat the experience. Around you, the remnants of the cultists stare in shock. Countless dead sheep and guards lay sprawled across the place, their dead bodies lit up by the torches. It was just after midnight. As your companions sink to the ground, catching their breath, you gesture at Akil to toss Sekhenun's body in front of you. He does so. You grab the body by the leg, and dangle it up in front of you. "Your false god is dead!" Your voice booms across the courtyard. Their shock turns into disbelief, and then panic. The cultists flee, running until their legs take them out of Heliopolis. It looks like this city will be free of the cult's influence with no further hassle.
***
Now that you have accomplished your mission in Heliopolis, you begin analyzing the knowledge you have received from Sekhenun. You also question the voices on the existence of these masters. According to them, the masters are all 'twats' and 'jerks', and they call themselves 'gardeners', while the Gieloth are treated as weeds. The masters had a presence here nearly two thousand years ago, but something happened and they were kicked out. The voices won't tell you what happened.
The communication network of the Gieloth is already awash with news of Sekhenun's disappearance, but you fail to catch what the other Gieloth feel about it, only that they think it is an extremely newsworthy event.
"The world is a globe. Wow, who'd have ever thought of that." you mutter. You begin organizing the information in your mind, marking out areas of interest.
Egypt:
The Children of Sekhenun are still rife in the place despite Sekhenun's defeat. Their infiltrators remain in place in the courts of all three warring states of Egypt; Memphis, Heracleopolis and Thebes. Left to their own schemes, undirected, they would probably just prolong the war.
Sumeria:
There is a strong Gieloth presence in Babylon, but their Assyrian counterparts have not managed to infiltrate into high society thus far. They are active, however. The two would-be successors to Akkad are still warring for supremacy.
The North:
Far in the cold north, there appears to be a rising power that has united the squabbling tribes. More and more Gieloth are starting to venture there, attracted to the growing civilization.
The West:
Across a great ocean to the west, the Gieloth are thriving. There, their greatest stronghold lay. It is the center of their power on this world, now that their Egyptian base has been destroyed.
The East:
The Gieloth have a presence in the Near East population just a few months travel from Sumeria, but further east reports have come in of the Gieloth there having been wiped out by hunting dogs - probably a reference to immortals.
***
A. You decide to remain in Egypt and clean up the Children. The task should be easy, and you plan to advance the growth of Egypt. Your work here is not yet done.
B. You return to Sumeria. The Akkadian Empire shall rise again! Well... even if it doesn't, you want to cultivate Sumerian society further and continue where you left off.
C. You head north, investigating this 'rising power' referred to in the Gieloth reports. The emergence of a new kingdom not from the ashes of some old empire is an event worth observing.
D. You get on a boat and start paddling west. The Gieloth will learn to fear you and your daredevil bravery! Crushing their greatest stronghold on this world single-handedly might even spark an exodus of Gieloth as they fear to stand on the same planet you are on.
E. You trek east. You can take out the Near East Gieloth on your way, and find out what has happened in the Far East. If other immortals have appeared besides the ones you know of, it might be good to get in contact with them.
