Part 11 - We Could Burn It All Down

Chapter 192 - Council of War

Miles had been left alone with his thoughts for too long now, so he was glad when Conall and Jacob showed up in Central Park where he was sitting. However, just as they arrived they were joined by something else: a Sol Temporal Command ship burst put of temporal warp. The trio watched it curiously, wondering what it was doing over New York not in space. Their question was answered a few moments later when a beam of light appeared a short distance away. Edward emerged from it and raised a hand in greeting.

"I'd have called, but you didn't leave any contact details."

"I don't remember you being the one who always made a big entrance. Wouldn't a shuttle have worked?" Replied Miles.

"We're now in a state of war, so we have to protect ourselves somehow."

"What's happened? Is it Khahrahk?" Asked Jacob.

"Yes. A detachment of his army led by one of his generals wiped out a research facility in 9559. Seventy-two people were killed, including Stanley and Lisa."

"He does stuff for a reason. Any ideas?" Replied Conall.

"Stanley and Lisa were working on a way to let anyone wield the Ethereal Plates. They had Void there, and now it's gone. I assume it was taken."

"Khahrahk's collecting Plates? He never did that before." Jacob noted.

"We need to go somewhere more secure. I feel like we're being watched." Said Edward.

Miles had to agree with Edward that STC's orbital headquarters felt a bit more secure than Central Park, but deep down he knew the void of space wouldn't stop the Scarlet King if he wanted them dead. In Edward's office were gathered Teresa, someone in a black and white mask with a business suit, and the High Aether of the Quintari.

"For anyone who doesn't know, this is Miles, Jacob and Conall. The first two came from the future, the last came from the past."

"Why do I have to be last?" Asked Conall.

"Because you're a bad guy." Miles replied, sitting down on a couch next to Teresa.

"Bad but you came to me for help. Y'all need to get your priorities straight."

"Shut up. Let's kill the Scarlet King then we can bicker about who's bad and good." Snapped the person in the mask and suit.

"Everyone, this is O5-1 of the SCP Foundation, or you can call her One." Edward introduced.

Some hands were shaken, then the group got down to business.

"Priority one is to figure out what's happening and our plan." Edward started.

"What's happening: the apocalypse. What's our plan: die." Replied Conall.

"Putting it like that, I agree." Said Jacob.

"I think everyone is seriously making a bigger deal out of this than they should. We've killed him before; we just keep doing it until he's completely dead." Said Teresa.

"That time we didn't have to deal with his army, generals or children." Edward reminded her.

"So? We have armies, star ships, aircraft, guns. What does the King have?"

"Kates, demi-gods, seven kids with bad attitudes, invincibility…you get the picture." Miles replied.

"Everyone and everything has its weakness. What's his?"

"High Elder Gods." Said the High Aether.

"A collapsing omniverse." Added Jacob.

"Omniverse?"

"Long story." Said Miles.

"I want to hear it."

"Not now. It's too long for that."

"We need to focus on destroying the Scarlet King via any means. If left unchecked, he will cause an infinite number of XK Class end-of-the-world scenarios." Said One.

"Maybe we're looking at this too head-on?" Suggested Conall.

"What do you mean?" Asked Edward.

"I mean perhaps we shouldn't fight the King head-on. We need to wipe out the foundation of his power, counter his plans, all that good stuff."

"What is the foundation of his power? And how would you know anything about this?" Asked Teresa.

"I knocked Khahrahk's second and third forms out, then the guy just kind of said 'you chill and I'll chill' so we both chilled. Now y'all have killed me and the King's lapping up the free reign."

"How did you kill him before?" Asked Edward.

"Well his children were all spread across the multiverse, his army was broken, his generals were off doing other stuff. It was just him, and occasionally SCP-682, I think he's called nowadays. Atanti-ql-Paneu is his leviathan name. He's the only of Khahrahk's kids who's still spewing out nonsense about everyone needing to die. The source of Khahrahk's power is people's belief in him. He has three laws which I'm sure anyone who's done their homework will know, but I'll remind you just in case. First is the Law of Blood: he gains power from suffering, specifically things like slavery. The second is the Law of Concrete: the King gains power from the modernisation of the world. The final is the Law of Howling: the King is the embodiment of the conflict between the old described in the first law, and the new described in the second; he has no choice but to destroy that conflict because that conflict is reality which hurts him."

There was silence and a lot of blank stares aimed at Conall. Eventually, Edward said:

"I don't understand it."

"To understand the Law of Howling is not necessary. What is necessary is to break the foundation of Khnith-hgor's power before it consumes all." Replied the High Aether.

"So?" Teresa pressured Conall.

"OK, so basically the Law of Howling says the Scarlet King is an idea shaped by what we believe. If we believe he's a giant red guy with seven forms and all that, that's what he is."

"If we picture him as a normal human being, we can kill him." Suggested One.

"That won't work. The Scarlet King's image and power was laid out in a text known as the Lālā Raja which was written a good few thousand years ago by a civilisation known as the Daevites. Unfortunately we can't change it because of one very simple thing: a book labelled SCP-140."

"Can't we just go back in time and stop someone writing it?" Asked Miles.

"If we destroy all copies of 140, time travel becomes viable. I will see that it's done." One concluded.

"Good. In the meantime, everyone is to get ready for a time travelling mission. This council is adjourned."

As everyone stood up to leave, the High Aether grunted in pain and clutched his head. Edward approached his old ally.

"Everything OK?"

"Quintari blood has been spilled. I must return to Ardveer immediately…or what remains."

"Don't tell me it's been destroyed again." Teresa remarked.

"That it has." Said a deep voice from the door.

"Security to GA's office." Edward said into his com badge.

Jeser rolled his eyes.

"Not even a planet could withstand my assault. Your fellow mortals will do no more. I am here for the High Aether, and I will paint this world with his blood."

"You'll have to go through a lot of people first, Jeser." Conall replied, donning his golden battle armour and drawing a sword.

"Not if I kill him first." Jacob replied.

"A bit of friendly competition never hurt anyone. At least no humans." The immortal replied.

"Eðafar sarotinilþ."

Nothing happened except Edward, Teresa and One clutching their heads in pain.

"Your words have no power, fool."

"You're up, Goldy."

Conall tore at Jeser in a ball of golden fire. Miles joined in as well, charging a venom strike which he hit Jeser with in the leg while Conall aimed for the head. Jeser's double-bladed sword came up and swatted the immortal away, then was driven into the ground. Miles, Edward, Teresa, Jacob and One's eyes all turned red. The High Aether sighed as the lesser mortals turned to face and ultimately kill him.

"You bite off more than you can chew, Prince of Many Faces."

The Quintari lifted his staff and brought it down again creating a bubble of energy which expanded rapidly, consuming the lesser mortals and freeing them, then hitting Jeser who was pushed further and further back until the Quintari lifted his staff once again and the bubble faded away.

"A challenge. Very well; perhaps this new power you hid on your stubborn world will turn this against you."

Jeser reached into a small slot on his suit and produced the magenta Ethereal Plate. Miles leapt into action before the others, firing a web to stop the demi-god from equipping it as he lunged to grab it. Jeser let go of his sword and his now free hand came round and caught the spider by the head. Miles yelled in agony as his enemy started crushing his head, but it was enough of a distraction to allow Conall to get in and grab the Plate.

"No!"

Miles found himself being hurled at the immortal who ducked and he instead hit the wall. Jeser wrenched his sword out the floor again and began to push forward under constant assault from Teresa's blue and white projection and Venom. The High Aether watched as the attacks did little, and made his decision. The sacrifice of one now may save the lives of many in the weeks to come. As Venom was hurled off and Teresa's projection was destroyed, the Quintari let out a battle cry in his native tongue. His four top limbs began to grow like tree branches at extreme speed, wrapping round the demi-god and piercing his flesh eventually reaching vital organs and completely destroying them. Jeser stopped struggling and went limp, so the High Aether retracted the limbs and collapsed. He was too old for this, and the single act to destroy the Scarlet King's right-hand would cost him his life within the next few days. As Jeser's corpse hit the ground, the door to the office hissed open and a security squad entered.

"Took you long enough." Teresa snapped at them.

Edward didn't care; he was at the High Aether's side again.

"Why did you do that? It'll kill you."

"My life is old and fragile, therefore expendable. Is it not better to lose someone who will serve no further purpose, or many who may yet change the course of the future?"

"That's not the point. What about the Quintari?"

"We are few now. The Prince of Many Faces spoke the truth: I sense Ardveer has been destroyed."

Conall threw the Ethereal Plate up and caught it.

"Trashing a planet for a shiny gem. Seems a little overkill."

Miles groaned as he came back to his senses, taking in the scene. Teresa hauled him to his feet.

"We'll have time to mourn later. Right now we need to destroy SCP-140 and the Daevites. One: get to it. Everyone else: damage control, find a time machine, and be ready."

Crossovers in this Chapter

- SCP Foundation