Yeah, no kidding. Despite the modifications Vividus placed on Queemit’s body I’m pretty sure I’m going to need to put her away with the others soon and start running on my own two feet. It was a nice little break while it lasted at least.
Interesting, how long do you think I have then?
Okay, that’s maybe possibly manageable.
Sure, either I manage it or I don’t, that sounds pretty manageable to me I’d say.
I think I’ve got this. He clarified. But given the nature of what I’m trying to go up against I can’t exactly give a certain answer, now can I?
Awe, I could never lie to you buddy.
No, what you’re remembering is going to mostly be me strategically withholding information. Now quiet for a second, I need to commit to the idea that I’m not going to attack whatever demon’s running the show if I get the chance.
So I can get close enough that it won’t be able to escape me by the time I will be attacking him once he can see this in the future. Except if I succeed at getting close then can’t I alter the existing paths to attack it early? Okay, not doing that but prophecy is annoyingly paradoxical to deal with, I genuinely feel my minds straining as I try and work out all of the little subtle implications of everything I might do and how that relates to a being that can see the future going up against someone who can plan for it seeing the future. I think if the demons have any other time magic users then I’m going to just give up and let myself die in slightly less hassle.
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He ran as fast as he could while using the chimera’s legs as a growing crowd of demons followed behind, none of them worried about staying too far away anymore now that he’d gotten the hang of connecting to them without breaking the link that made them another demon’s slaves and it only drove him faster while he occasionally fired shots back.
With their numbers reaching the dozens by then and only growing as more joined it was impossible not to miss, prophecy or not and it was like that he took his potshots, pulling out his remaining guns to do it with the seven of them hanging in the air around them while he occasionally pulled the trigger with his magic to get as many killed as he comfortably could.
Comfortably having special emphasis. He believed he could have killed many more but he was walking a balancing act of trying to make sure the demon watching through those dozens of eyes neither grew afraid of his strength nor suspicious of how gentle he was being. He needed to look like a potential threat but not one that couldn’t be overcome as he drew ever closer to his target and finally felt the other end of bind move.
Perfect… ish. A little tighter than I hoped but I’ll make it work.
With what he was about to face moving his way he touched Queemit with the voidstone holding the other two, trapping her away and leaving Ben alone to deal with what was to come as the woods collapsed around him, Thera’s power on full display as swaths of earth were thrown aside to clear the land and limit his options to let him see her in full display.
She was still hovering in the air, presumably to limit his futures and he could see the rest of the chimeras behind her with the rest of Pato’s party and a few demons mixed in, with one standing out more than the others.
The very one Ben had gotten to see through Azeezol’s magic, with a figure smaller than what he was used to seeing in the race, it standing shorter than himself with an almost centaur-like body plan, was the demon who’d been pulling the strings from the shadows, finally out to join the fight.
Ben didn’t know the reason why, as convenient as it was for him it did mean it was putting itself in a position of vulnerability, but it didn’t matter. All of the remaining players were there for him to enact his plan, he just needed to survive long enough to pull it off.
With approximately… seven minutes to deal with Thera if I want this to work. Oh fuck me, this really is a bit tighter than I’d hoped. Why couldn’t this stupid thing have sent her out first?
What that really meant was he had two minutes to do what he needed to before the demon would be able to realize that something was wrong and Ben would have to do it while fighting to survive. Something easier in theory than in practice as he subtly actualized around a small tool so he could move it to his will at the same moment a pillar of earth appeared under his feet, shooting him into the sky.