“I’m on it, Mal.”
Running a hand through my hair I said, “Send a quick calendar update to Olivia to let her know if she wants to do the cleaning tomorrow she can come in at nine. Tell her that I’ll be dived in at the time so go down the cleaning list you made.”
I swiped with my haptics to switch my personal email to my internal messaging dashboard at Catacomb. There were a couple of noteworthy messages.
From: Lawrence Blair <>
To: Malcolm J. Voss <>
Subject: Ticket 991112
Malcolm,
The vod you had your assistant send over has been hugely helpful in narrowing down where the infiltration originated. At this moment we are looking closely at a subcontractor we hired for cyber security from south Florida. We have data trails indicating that he was accessing parts of the code that he definitely should not have been.
Unfortunately, that would mean that he had further help from within the company. We have some leads but want to assure you that none of your information is being compromised from within the test. Any further interactions with the NPC in question would still be of help.
Enjoy the game!”
I considered sending an answer pointing out that the NPC AI seemed to have been developing further information about me since the start of the beta and that Theodora had even threatened me out of game. Scratching my chin I glanced upward as the thunder rumbled barely audible outside, “Lydia, have any AI from Catacomb’s game tried to contact you or link through your systems?”
She answered cheerily, “No, Mal.”
With a nod, I shrugged, “Well, I want you to block any attempts made by the system.”
“You got it, sugar.”
The second message was highlighted and there was a brief line of text:
“Florin,
I appreciate you accepting our friend request. We both look forward to gaming with you soon.
Sakurai Megumi”
Quickling shooting off a return message, I let Sakurai know where Valerie and I were headed and suggested that she and Nomura meet with us if they could. All that done I pulled off my robe and quickly donned the skintight dive suit. Minutes passed and I was couched in the dive chair clipping myself in and pulling the visor of my helmet down to immerse myself in the log-in screen.
Distantly, I felt the rig vibrate as thunder rolled overhead once again.
Taking a deep breath, I logged in and opened my eyes to find myself trudging down the stony road behind Valerie. My avatar seemed to be completely soaking wet and I noted a few notifications indicating abrasions and minor health loss. Looking up I saw the mountains looming above us much closer. There were far fewer white barked trees around us and the vegetation was even more sparse.
Stretching, I muttered, “I’m back.”
She glanced over her shoulder and adjusted her pack as she offered a dry comment, “I think I preferred the silent version of you better.”
When I had fully checked my status I asked, “Looks like no combat?”
She nodded without turning to me, “Just a lot of rough terrain.”
She paused and took a heavy breath as she looked down at me. She looked exhausted and… maybe worried?
Cocking my head, I looked up the trail, “Is something wrong?”
She grimaced and after a long moment said, “There is a border fort blocking the road up ahead. If Braithe is still blocking travelers we won’t get farther than that.”
Grinning slyly I asked, “I may still be able to get us in.”
“Without anyone dying?”
Tapping a finger on my chin I continued up the path past her as I nodded sagely , “Challenging, I admit.”
She started following after me and asked, “Where is it that you Remnants go when you rest?”
“That’s a weird question for an NPC,” I thought as I continued up the old road.
Finally answering I kept my voice in a neutral tone, “Earth, my world is called Earth.”
After a brief pause she spoke with an edge to her voice, “Might there be some way to take those of us trapped in this hell to this Earth?”
As I gave her a pained look and started to give her a careful answer she cut me off as , “This world is dying. Every world in the Spiral is falling into the center. I don’t know how other worlds have survived but our survival can not hold much longer.”
After a long pause where she gripped the hilt of her sword with a distant look in her eyes she said, “Without the Merchant we wouldn’t even have the plants and trees that have kept this world alive.”
I looked upward at the center of the Spiral as we walked, that distant thrumming white light, and asked, “I have no idea what happened to you all, you know and… who is this Merchant?”
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“The only details we have heard have come from those who emerge from the descent. Early on many emerged. Some were like us, others the pale skinned ones who call themselves humans… and still others who were stranger still. Sometimes monsters emerged, and still some of them hunt the countryside here.”
She shook her head and continued, “The stories say that some great calamity at the center tore open the veil between space and time and burst outward consuming worlds and stars at an alarming rate.”
We neared a turn in the stone-strewn road and she continued with a wariness in her voice, “The legends say that a celestial being who was worshiped on one of the first living worlds to be consumed by the calamity traveled to the center.”
She sighed as she said, “They say that they flew into the calamity choosing to erase themselves from the memory of time and space to slow the collapse.”
Glancing upward at the pulsing glow at the center of the spiral’s center again I grimaced as I thought, “On point for Catacomb’s bleak shenanigans so far.”
She finished her story by saying, “The Merchant is a Remnant, like you but…,” she paused as if considering her words and said, “he is tolerated and offered free travel of all the realms. He sells crops that will grow using only starlight and the light of the Spiral Center as fuel. He sometimes sells strange machines and tools that none of our realm have ever seen. However, he charges a price that might not be counted in coin…”
Her voice trailed off as we finally reached the top of the slope. We stood together looking up the winding stony path. I examined the imposing edifice blocking the passage up the mountain as I spoke softly, “I can assure you that our world wouldn’t be an escape for you.”
Seeing her downcast expression at that I put a hand on her shoulder before I realized what I was doing. She gave me a wary look and I raised it with a grimace and an apology, “Sorry.”
After a brief pause I continued, “Just like we have to return to our world, you would also have to return here. There is no way to take your body or your mind there… permanently.”
Seeing her angry grimace I sighed and was struck with a pang of concern for the NPC. After a few long moments I said, “I’m… I’m not going to stop until I reach the center of the Spiral. If there is an answer, I’ll find it.”
She turned her fiery golden eyes on me looking for sincerity. There may have been a glimmer of hope there. She seemed to like what she saw there and managed a small smile… which faded when I winked at her before turning back to the trail ahead of us.
A slender fortification filled the rocky pass ahead with impassable rock walls on either side. It was all sleek black stone with sharp blade like crenelations atop a wall flanked by a pair of towers. The path ahead was filled with mist and long decayed wagons and detritus. There was no sign of guards on top of the walls, or any movement at all save the slow movement of the tattered banners. The portcullis gate at its center was closed and dark.
She dropped her hand to the pommel of her sword as she said, “This does not look as it should.”
Sighing I gave her a tight smile, “I will have to agree. Nothing has ever screamed, ‘probably haunted’, more than this. When was the last time you heard from Braithe?”
“It was more than a year ago.”
Considering that I glanced at my heavily armored temporary companion and said, “I’ll scout ahead. You hunker down here.”
She seemed displeased but finally growled, “As you say.”
With that my AI announced a change to my Resistance quest:
“Arelle Border Fortification
A structure so ancient that no living denizen of L’Chasse knows its origins. When the Haithan homeworld still thrived in eternal twilight no force was capable of breaching its formidable gates.
Questing: Level 10-15”
“Quest Evolving
The Resistance!
XP Gained: 600
XP Reward: 1200
You discovered the Braithe Border Fort in a worrying state. Investigate its fate and pass its walls to reach the city of Braithe. Seek out the city for aid in Lady Lafontaine’s planned insurrection against the Immolated Order.”
I left Valerie there in the shadow of a misty boulder as I threaded my way up the slope toward the silent fort. I glanced at my stats and noted that my Essence reserves were growing low. Asking her if I could slake my thirst with a neck nibble probably wouldn’t go over well.
Keeping low and cutting my way through the mist I weaved past decaying crates and wagons. In addition I started to see makeshift structures amidst the debris. Most were made of the same white trees I’d seen on my travels here. There was no sign of battle and no sign of bones or bodies at all. It was as if everything had just been left here to decay.
The only movement was the occasional eddy of mist swirled by the wind and the only sound, my footfalls, was dulled and distant. As I neared the gates, where the concentration of detritus was highest, I encountered my first ‘denizen’ of the ruin.
Knelt next to one of the fallen wagons was what I could only call a shade. It almost seemed made up of the mist surrounding us. It had the form of a haithan woman, broad at the shoulder and hip, and seemed to fuss over something that was no longer present below her moving hands. I could faintly hear a voice rasping a gentle attempt to assuage the unseen focus of her attention, “Hush, please don’t cry.”
I Analyzed the creature:
“Forlorn Shade
Level 8
Resistance: Shadow Magic
HP: 111
MP: Unknown
Special Ability
Forlorn Weeping: The weeping of a shade can steel the strength from the strongest warriors strikes.”
Summoning my blades, I kept them hidden beneath my cloak. Not sure if the creature was a foe I opted for possible conversation.
Smiling, I cleared my throat, “Ahem.”
The shade turned and regarded me, its face bare of all but the barest definition, and recoiled putting an arm over the unseen focus of her attention as it rasped, “What do you want?”
Nodding toward the keep, I asked, “How long have you been waiting to enter?”
The figure seemed to regard me a long time before finally answering, “We have been waiting for three days. My son is sick and they still refuse to admit us or anyone else. The sergeant at the gate claims they sent for approval to admit us from Braithe but…”
The shade turned her non-existent gaze toward the keep and continued, “I… have my doubts,” she turned back to me and asked, “did you only just arrive?”
Not truly lying, I said, “Yes, myself and a companion came from Lothin to speak with officials in the city.”
The shade regarded me for a long moment and finally rasped, “Be careful where you camp to wait stranger. Some whisper that they have seen a strange beast prowling the edges of the camp.”
The shade’s form seemed to stutter, like a video glitch, and was once again knelt over the unseen figure trying to soothe their non-existent crying.
Leaving the repeating shade there I weaved through the misty debris in silence toward the gate. When I grew nearer I noted with surprise that the gate had been left open revealing a long mist strewn tunnel through the fortress.
Briefly considering scouting further I instead decided to move back through the mist to rejoin Valerie where I had left her.
