Chapter 9-292: Of Mortals and the Land (1/2)

“Mortal belief and free will has created divisions where there are none. This has created particular problems along the great border in the northern plains.” The view flashed in there, and the Stelae marching across the landscape to regulate the border scrolled by.

Up in the sky, countless spirits raged and howled at the barrier of belief preventing them from roving freely.

“When the Shroud falls, America is going to wake up. When She does so, She is going to find that She has been chopped up by metaphysical wounds inflicted by mortals.”

Knives of Mortal Will tore across the landscape, gouging and piercing as they laid down more arbitrary borders and boundaries viciously, inflicting bleeding, bubbling, and oozing wounds upon the landscape.

By the times the knives and axes were done, the map was a scarred, wounded parody of the image before... and very, very recognizable as the land upon which we stood now, every state and country in place.

“These wounds are done and inflicted by Mortal Will. They are extremely painful to the Mother Land. And when I say painful, I mean PAINFUL.” They all clutched their teeth, and watched the cuts bleeding behind me.

“The only divisions of land a Mother Land recognizes are Kingdoms, or those occupied by Her Children. That... is... ALL.”

Every single politician there swallowed, looking ghastly pale.

“Naturally, there is a simple way to resolve this problem. That is for the Mother Land to get rid of the mortals who are inflicting such pain upon her.”

They looked like they wanted to vomit blood. I was talking the death of whole nations, from both ends!

“Now, the gods can suppress the Lands from taking immediate and overt action... and they will do so. However, that is directly forcing the Land to bear those wounds. The Mother Land WILL NOT BE HAPPY TO DO SO.”

The smiles that were cautiously rising plummeted back down.

“The Lands that you live upon will be hostile to you as long as those borders exist, and they will REMEMBER what you have done to them, even if in the future your children that you have fobbed this problem off on fix it for you, because you were too weak to do so.”

Their expressions crumpled a bit further. Not only trouble for themselves, but trouble for those coming after them if they procrastinated.

“THIS IS THE REASON I RELEASED THE HUMAN TONGUE TO YOU,” I declared flatly. “There is no language border anymore. Your differences in customs, laws, and mores the Mother Lands DO NOT GIVE A DAMN SHIT ABOUT. You are DUST MITES on their skin. They might not be able to wipe you all away with one slap, but they are going to start itching... and like an itch, long after the main cause is gone, they will keep on itching and itching...”

President Havier was swallowing. He knew the Power he was Bound to, and how ominous and casual it could be. He knew She was essentially dreaming, and did not have a defined will. He wanted to serve the Land because he wanted to care for it, and see it grow, and his family had always lived close to it.

And, he had to admit, he had been given power by it.

He stood up, and those nearby all saw his hands shaking. They knew who he was Sworn to. “My-my Lady Traveler,” he asked, weakly, totally overawed by my presence at this moment. “I-I do not sense such animosity towards us right now...”

I reached out my hand, and an axe materialized in it, all of metal, cold and sharp, a full half-moon Sylune’s Smile with the hammer backer, a tool for killing the undead.

“Mister President.” My voice dropped the air temperature forty degrees, and snowflakes started to fall. “If I buried this axe in your skull, and you were unconscious, would you complain to me about it?”

He swallowed. “N-no,” he admitted.

I raised my other hand, and a carving knife materialized there. “If I cut you all the fuck up, and you were bleeding, and the wounds would not heal, and you were unconscious, would you complain to me about it?”

He swallowed again, trembling. “N-no,” he repeated softly.

“Before you on the table is a bar of goldweight that you brought here at my request.” Said bars began to glow all over the place, and there was motion behind me as a Disk descended from the ceiling, full of sparkling lights.

Life Diamonds!

Dry mouths flooded with saliva on seeing that. They were the most sought-after gemstones on the planet, each one a shot at a new life. The fortune I was showing there was worth billions on the open market!

“I will make a bet, here and now, with each and every one of you,” I stated solemnly. “I will carve you up like you have carved your lands, or I will throttle you like you are throttling the Land.” My eyes turned on the Ælven queen, who shuddered at the baleful stare I gave her. “Then I will bury this axe in your skull, while giving you Revenance, so you won’t die.

“And then, for every minute that you can endure the pain of an axe splitting your skull, of all your wounds bubbling and oozing and burning, I will give you a Life Diamond. Because we all know, that if the Land doesn’t do anything, and if you don’t have to do anything, you will profit, right?”

The contempt in my voice shattered four of the wine glasses still on the tables across the place, making them jump in shock.