《Die. Respawn. Repeat.》
Chapter 1: Die, Die, and Die Again
Chapter 1: Die, Die, and Die Again
I wake up, and three secondster, I die.
It''s not particrly pleasant. The first time it happens, I don''t even get the chance to scream. All I see is a de speeding towards my head, and then all I know is searing pain. It takes a full moment for me to die properly.
That moment is agonizing.
The second time it happens, it takes five seconds. I''m still disoriented, and although I try to jerk away from whatever it is that stabbed me in the head, all I manage to do is end up with a de in my throat; a powerful jerkter, and my vision detaches from the rest of my body.
The third time, at least, I see my assant.
The moment consciousness hits me the moment I feel the cool breeze on my skin again, the dirt beneath my back, and the coppery smell in the air that tells me this is very much not a dream I throw myself to the side. I hear a skittering cry of confusion and anger, and I snap my head up to see the thing that I assume has been killing me again and again.
It''s a monster. An actual, bear-sized mantis-thing that has a few too many limbs to make sense; an insect blown up into horrifyinglyrge proportions that let me see every grotesque detail. There are tiny hairs embedded in its carapace, veins that somehow connect two of its arms to long, metallic scythes...
And one of its eyes is gouged out. There''s a cracked mess of carapace and flesh where it should be, and the feeling of revulsion at the sight vanishes when the monster lets out another screech. It''s tugging frustratedly on one of its limbs, which is stuck firmly in the ground.
You know, from when it tried to stab me.
Right. Life-or-death situation. I''ve already died twice, and I have no desire to die a third. There''s some text hovering in my peripheral vision that''s starting to really annoy me, but I don''t exactly have time to read.
...I run away.
What else am I supposed to do? It''s a giant mantis monster. I''m not equipped to fight it.
It urs to me as the vegetation speeds past, and I stumble my way around cactus-like nts with thorns nearly as long as my fingers that I don''t even know where I am. I don''t recognize anything around me, and even the sky is a distinct shade of purple that paints the horizon with shades of unfamiliarity.
My thoughts are interrupted by a deafening screech, and I risk a nce back, counting the time in my head. It''s been four seconds. It takes four seconds for it to pull the scythe free. Before I can react, itunches itself at me unbelievably fast.
I don''t even get the time to scream.
The fourth time, I change things around. Dying is incredibly unpleasant, and I''m not inclined to keep doing it; I need a way to beat this thing and then assess what''s going on. The dodge-and-roll is almost instinct now, burned into my brain from my multiple deaths.
I have four seconds. The clock is ticking.
You know what? Might as well try something risky.
I run towards the mantis monster.
I need a weapon. There''s a ball joint holding that scythe attached to the rest of the limb, supported just by a thinyer of sinew.
It roars at me when I get close bug-spittlends on my face, but I don''t have time for disgust and swings its spare de at me. I''m approaching it at a weird angle, though, so it doesn''t have the full range of motion it needs; I duck underneath, and it scrabbles at me with its other ws
and I gasp as I feel them dig into my skin, scoring a particrly deep cut
but it''s not enough to stop me.
I kick into the joint right as it tries for a final, powerful yank. It''s not fast enough. There''s a morbid snap as the joint breaks off from the rest of the limb, and I grab at the base of it, ignoring the way the cracked carapace digs into my skin. My momentum is enough to pull the de the rest of the way out, and I roll, trying desperately not to stab myself with the weapon I''ve risked my life for.
Okay. Still alive. The monster''s angrier than ever, and no longer stuck to the ground; it''s rushing towards me, and yep, definitely too fast to run from.
I make a split-second decision to leap to the right.
It''s the wrong choice.
Thankfully, that time, it does me the courtesy of killing me instantly.
The fifth time, I dive to the left just as it swings to the right, and I take that opportunity to jump onto the damn thing. I yell as I do it. There''s no actual point in yelling, it''s just a release of frustration and stress and fear. It does help me ignore the pain as a half-dozen pseudo-limbs w into me, though.
I climb up its back and stab the scythe into its other eye with a triumphant shout.
It''s almost satisfying. The mantis-thing doesn''t even make a sound. I''ve hit a vital spot of some sort, it seems; it just copses to the ground, and sends me sprawling. I don''t bother moving from where I''vended. I just lie there, panting.
Everything hurts.
But I''m alive. I actually did it.
...It''s almost a miracle that it only took me five tries, and it''s a miracle I really, really hope I won''t have to repeat. Which brings me to my next task.
I need to figure out what''s going on.
That subtle text that''s been hovering in my peripheral vision calls to me again. It''s pulsing insistently now that I''m out of the fight, and when I focus on it, it expands.
[ Congrattions! The Integrators have selected Earth to be the next Integrated. Please stand by... ]
[ Integrationplete! 3,000 individuals will be randomly selected for a Trial. Note that at least 10 individuals must pass their Trial, or Earth will be destroyed. ]
[ Congrattions! You have been selected for a Trial. ]
[ Wee to Hestia 307B! Your Trial details are as follows:
Danger Rank: SSS
Type: Willpower
Base Anomaly: Temporal
Every time you die, reset to 0:00 and spawn at the designated location. Your trial will end when you give up or escape the Trial grounds. The exit has been ced in a random location within 12 kilometers of the initial spawn point. ]
[ You have been Integrated and granted a Status. Your Status is as follows:
Name: Ethan
Credit Distribution:
Strength: 0
Durability: 0
Reflex: 0
Speed: 0
Firmament: 0 ]
I pause, stare, and take a moment to process.
Three thousand people selected for Trials just like this one, by a species that, I assume, calls themselves the Integrators. They want ten people to pass. That means they expect most of us to fail, and considering what I''ve just been through considering I''ve just been mauled to death four times in a row I''m under no illusions as to what failing will mean for the other candidates.
I hate everything about this.
And then there''s what those messages said about what they would do to Earth if we fail. I clench my fists, and then take a slow, shuddering breath; my heart is still pumping wildly from my near-death experience.
From my actual-death experiences.
There are more messages waiting for me, and I distract myself by looking through them.
[ You have died. +1 Durability credit. ]
[ You have died. +2 Durability credits. +1 Reflex credit. ]
[ You have died. +1 Durability credit. +2 Reflex credit. +1 Speed credit. ]
[ You have died. +2 Strength credits. +2 Durability credits. +1 Reflex credits. +2 Speed credit. ]
[ You have defeated a Broken Horror (Rank E)! +2 Strength credits. +3 Durability credits. +2 Reflex credits. +2 Speed credits. +2 Firmament credits. ]
There''s... a lot to take in from that. My actual status is probably updated from the notification I got earlier. Thankfully, bringing up a new notification is as simple as thinking about it.
[ Status:
Name: Ethan
Credit Distribution:
Strength: 4
Durability: 9
Reflex: 6
Speed: 5
Firmament: 2 ]
That''s... good?
I don''t feel any stronger and I definitely don''t feel any more durable. The fact that it''s called a credit distribution says a lot; the implication with a credit is that I need to spend it, though I''m not sure how. There''s a part of me that''s clinging very firmly to the idea that this isn''t real, but...
I''ve died four times, and I don''t want to go through that again. Better to assume this is real until I have a reason to believe otherwise.
I need to figure out my priorities.
It''s not survival survival isn''t a problem. I can''t die until I give up, and I''m not going to give up. If it''s a willpower test, I''m going to pass it.
What I''m more concerned about is the implications of ending the Trial. The message said the Trial would end if I give up or if I escape the Trial grounds. It did not say that I would pass if I escaped. It feels like a pretty safe assumption to make, but "waking up in bed" had seemed like a pretty safe assumption to makest night, so I''m not in the mood to make any more "safe" assumptions.
"How do I pass the Trial?" I say out loud. There''s no guarantee that this Interface responds to verbalmands, but I''m hoping it does.
[ Details of the passing requirements are locked until further notice. ]
Interesting.
"Is there anything else I''m missing?"
[ Interface features will be unlocked as your Integration progresses. Such features may include, but are not limited to: Inventory, Market, Chat, Guilds. ]
I frown.
So I don''t have everything unlocked yet. Sure.
"How do I spend credits, and what do they do?"
[ Credits may be banked, allowing you to acquire skills associated with that particr type of credit. Note that all credits of a particr type must be banked at once. Banking more credits increases the likelihood of the resulting skill being of a high grade.
In addition, bonuses will be granted when the total number of credits banked in a given category has reached certain thresholds. The first threshold urs at 100 credits banked, each subsequent threshold urs at every power of 10 thereafter. ]
Most of the categories are pretty self-exnatory. There''s only one that really needs exnation for me.
"What is Firmament?"
[ Firmament is the energy that the Interface and much of the wider universe runs on. It allows an imposition of change onto reality, often bending and sometimes outright breaking thews of physics.]
Okay, so it''s magic. They couldn''t have just called it mana?
I can keep saving my credits. That''s probably what I should do, even, except I don''t have any examples of the type of skills I''ll get from each category. If I bank them now, I''ll get an example...
No. I''ll bank Durability first. It''s the highest one I''ve got, and it''ll help me survive the next few encounters with that Broken Horror. I have no illusions about my level of skill right now I''m going to die, and I''m probably going to keep dying for a while. Durability will give me an example of what I can get with nine credits, and then I''ll try to get a skill at twenty-five, fifty, and a hundred. That''ll give me an idea of the rtionship between credits and skill quality there''s got to be diminishing returns somewhere.
I''ll also bank Firmament, because it''s the one I''m most uncertain of in terms of what type of skill it''ll give me. That leaves... I''ll bank Strength once I''ve earned twenty-five credits, Reflex at fifty, and Speed at one hundred.
Okay. I feel pretty good about this.
Spend Durability credits.
[ Are you sure you wish to bank 9 Durability credits? ]
Yes.
[ 9 Durability credits banked! Rolling for results... ]
[ Select between:
Tough Skin (Rank F)
Blood Production (Rank E)
Iron Bones (Rank F) ]
I''m going to have to fight this mantis thing again, and the main danger it represents is making me bleed out, not breaking my bones. Blood Production being at a higher rank is interesting, but I can''t imagine it having good synergy with anything else. Anything it would have good synergy with is not a skill I''m particrly interested in.
The other problems with tracking blood all over a strange forest full of alien bacteria make my decision for me.
[ Tough Skin (Rank F) obtained! ]
Spend Firmament credits.
[ Are you sure you wish to bank 2 Firmament credits? ]
Yes.
[ 2 Firmament credits banked! Rolling for results...]
[ Select between:
Temporal Echo (Rank D)
deshift (Rank F)
Multifaceted Vision (Rank F) ]
I think about the situation I''m in. The adrenaline, at least, is fading away and though I know I should be exhausted, I find myself with a certain rity of mind instead.
There''s a fundamental truth here: the Integrators are not doing this as some good faith attempt at uplifting Earth. They''re phrasing Integration as a reward, but the fact that they''re pairing it with the threat of destroying the... I''m inclined to think that there''s another purpose to the Trials. I''m inclined to think that there''s no reason to test us in a trial by fire like this, involving less than a fraction of a percent of the world''s poption using a random distribution that barely begins to represent the whole of humanity.
But they''re going to regret choosing me. They''re going to regret putting me in this specific Trial. In this Trial, I''m free to take as long as I want. I''m free to scrape up everyst scrap of power I can.
Integration is an interesting trantion. It implies the Integrators use this technology, too. That they''re integrating us into their system.
That, to me, sounds like a weakness.
I''m going to find out what you''re really up to, and then I''m going to tear all this down.
[ Temporal Echo (Rank D) obtained! ]
I''ming for you.
Chapter 2: Ripples in Time
Chapter 2: Ripples in Time
The next step is pretty obvious figure out what these new skills do. There''s a thrumming in my body that I assume is this Firmament thing, and it''s aggravating in the sense that it makes all my injuries feel worse. The energy courses through my body, and every little scrape and bruise I have feels like it''s ring up.
I sigh, and force myself to sit up, and survey thendscape.
I''ve made the observation before, but Hestia 307B I don''t know what those numbers are, but I make a note of them, as I do everything else is teeming with ntlife. I''m surrounded by trees with leaves that are a vibrant orange, and wood that''s the deepest shade of purple I''ve ever seen in any kind of natural life. It doesn''t even smell like grass and fresh dirt.
It... it mostly smells like moss? Just... a lot of moss. It''s weird.
If there''s any animal life, none of it is anywhere near me, and I can''t me them for it. With a crazy mantis-thing running around stabbing things, I''d run away, too. The result, though, is that the forest around me is eerily silent. I can''t even hear the sound of chirping insects.
All I hear is the rustling of leaves, as a cooling wind blows through them.
At least that''s the same.
I take a moment to situate myself; to absorb the familiarfort of the wind and dirt, even if everything else is unfamiliar. It takes me a moment to realize that all my cuts and scrapes are just... gone, and that burning pain hasrgely subsided. I frown and stare at my skin it''s as soft and pliable as ever, when I poke and pull at it but when I try to dig into it with my nails, I don''t even leave an impression.
The effect of Tough Skin, I suppose. That''s pretty cool, actually. It hammers home that I stand to gain a lot of power if I work with this Interface thing in just the right way though I remind myself that this gift is likely a poisoned one. I''ll have to be careful.
There was also that mention of unlocking a chat function, which means I might be able to contact the outside world. I have no idea how that would interact with the temporal anomaly I''m in, but that''s something I''ll have to deal with when I get there.
Nothing to it but to explore, I guess. I give Temporal Echo a try, just so I know the full extent of my abilities, but the skill gives me nothing when I nudge at it with my mind, though I can feel that it''s there. A second, proper attempt just gives me an error.
[ Error: No temporal record found. Recording. ]
"Wanna tell me what Temporal Echo does?" I ask into the air, a touch of sarcasm in my voice. The Interface answers, but the answer is... predictably useless.
[ The function of all skills must be independently discovered by the Interface user. ]
I sigh. I really hope I haven''t just wasted a skill Firmament credits seem a little harder to get than the other categories. The mention of recording, at least, gives me some idea about what it does, and if I''m being entirely honest, Firmament seems to be both harder toe by and more likely to yield powerful skills. I''m going to have to be careful with how I handle that.
There''s the skills I got to choose between, too. A sample size of six is nearly nothing, but they almost seem rted to the fight I had just beforehand. Multifaceted Vision and deshift are both definitely rted to the mantis in some way...
Something to keep in mind.
I push myself to my feet, wincing at the phantom pains that erupt across my body; Tough Skin has evidently healed my skin, but not the muscles beneath. Without adrenaline to push it away, the pain rushes back to the forefront when I try to take a step.
I force myself to ignore it. I pick a direction, make sure to mentally mark it down, and tell myself what I need to do: I need to at least try to find the exit, which is likely going to mean multiple loops.
Before I go, I grab the scythe-limb from the creature''s head and pull it out. The burn in my arms and chest is intense, and I nearly copse by the time it releases with a squelch, but now I have a weapon.
Time to explore. Hopefully one of the features I unlock is a map, because I''m going to need one.
I don''t manage to get very far before I hear a noise.
It''s a sort of chittering gasp that''s eerily simr to the mantis-thing. I freeze in ce, looking around carefully; the forest around me still looksrgely the same. There''s a few more mushrooms in this area, but there isn''t anything that stands out.
There''s that sound again, and this time it sounds suspiciously close to a sob. Not a human one, but I feel my heart thundering in my chest anyway. There might be someone else here. If there''s someone else here, and they were in the same situation as me
I break my way into a clearing, and then stop in my tracks.
There''s some sort of mantis-creature in front of me. It''s familiar, even; something about the shape of its head reminds me of the one I just fought, except... it''s inarguably more humanoid, and the way it moves is...
It moves like a person.
It''s huddled up against a tree, arms wrapped around itself, and
and one of its eyes is missing.
I don''t know why my thoughts skitter to a stop at that little detail. I don''t know why bile rises up in my throat, a sudden nausea washing through me. Typical, right? I can handle nearly dying to a giant monster, but face me with a dying person with one of their eyes gouged out and I don''t know what to do.
It''s covered in blood. Green blood, but I''m pretty sure it''s blood, because it''s the same color as the stuff that''s still all over me and my clothes. I swallow and hide the scythe behind my back. That''s not going to do me any good if I try to approach.
The question I want to ask the question screaming in my mind is why it looks so much like the thing that just tried to kill me. The thing my Interface called a Broken Horror.
Before I can do anything else, it looks up and sees me. It jerks, some mixture of anger and fear burning its way into a reaction that''s pure instinct. I can see it''s painful, too, from the way it immediately winces and lets out a small trill.
[ Interface trantion in progress... ]
"S-stay away."
They are a person. Their voice is small and weak and tired. I don''t move from my spot, even though everything in me wants to.
"Are you okay?" I ask instead, and wince even as I do. It''s a stupid question, but it''s the one I''ve learned to ask.
"I''m... dead." The mantis-person lets out a wheezingugh, and the Interface doesn''t bother tranting it. Ites out as a broken sort of chitter, with a wetness in it that I''m pretty sure isn''t supposed to be there. "I''m so... tired. Haven''t... haven''t seen you before. That''s new. You''re... new. I don''t usually see new things."
"I don''t know what that means." I keep my tone carefully even. Half my mind is racing, trying to find a way to help; the other half is wondering if this is one of the Integrators, and if I should be angry. Somehow, I doubt it. I make my way through the implications of the mantis'' words, a burgeoning and worrying suspicion in my mind.
Another wheezingugh makes me wince. I have to force down the desire to tell them to stop. I''m not sure there''s anything I can do for them except listen.
For now, anyway.
"I''m... too tired to exin it." They grin at me. It''s a humorless grin. I can read it in the way they spread their mandibles and lift their forelimbs, in a sort of helpless shrug...
Or the Interface is interpreting for me. I don''t really care.
"Did you do it?" they ask. I see them scrutinizing me their eyes flicker over the green blood sttered all over my clothes, the scratches torn open in the fabric. My skin is unblemished underneath, but there''s red blood soaked in around my scratches, which might tell the story of my fight. "Did you... kill me? Did you start all this?"
Did I kill them? I''m almost indignant, but... I see the light fading from their eyes, and I realize what''s actually happening.
They can''t actually see me, can they? Maybe the vaguest blob of human, and a ssh of green that looks like blood. They might not have seen who did this to them at all.
"It wasn''t me," I say truthfully. "I got attacked and I killed the thing attacking me, but it wasn''t you."
It looked a lot like you, though. I don''t add that part. They don''t need to know.
"Well," the mantis-person says. Their tone is rmingly conversational, like they''re not in the process of dying. "If you were... you win. I... give up."
The dots connect.
"Wait," I say. I start forward, my feet moving faster than my brain; I find myself scrambling to find the right words. "Don''t. Please. I can help"
I stop right in front of them, because they''ve stopped moving, and though I don''t want to believe it, I know exactly what''s happened.
They''re dead.
I spend some time making sure that they''re actually dead I don''t know much about mantis physiology, after all but considering the blood isn''t moving through their body and they''re not breathing, I''m pretty sure they''re well and truly gone.
I take the time to bury them. It doesn''t really matter, I suppose. They''ll be back once I die. But I think... I think it''s important.
There''s something going on here. The mantis spoke like they were in a time loop themselves like that was theirst loop. The simrity between them and the creature I have to fight at the start of mine is uncanny, and I can''t help but wonder what the connection is.
The anomaly here is temporal. Maybe not everything happens in a linear order. Maybe that was one of their loops. Maybe it''s just a terrible, awful coincidence.
I don''t have enough information.
I take the time to steady my breathing and calm myself down. Witnessing the death of a monster is one thing, especially one that tried to kill me. What I witnessed there was...
...I don''t want to think about it.
There''s nothing else useful that I can get here. I''m not above looting if it''ll help me survive, but they aren''t carrying anything useful if they had a weapon, it''s long gone.
I spend a moment on grief, as is appropriate. Even for a stranger.
Then I move on, and leave the clearing behind.
It''s almost a relief when I encounter something that isn''t more forest.
At first, I hope that I''ve been impossibly lucky that I''ve stumbled across the exit that was mentioned. I don''t n to go through it immediately, of course, but it''d be good to know where it is for when I do decide to leave.
I''m not nearly so lucky, of course. The thing that I''ve found is enormous and terrifying, but I don''t think it''s an exit. My Interface confirms it as soon as I step onto the packed dirt that separates it from the forest.
[ You have discovered a location! Location Found: The Fracture ]
[ Map feature unlocked! Your progress in Hestia 307B will be tracked on your map. ]
There''s a part of me that twinges in annoyance at the map feature unlocking after I''ve spent hours carefully mapping where I''m going, but that emotion takes a back seat to the view in front of me.
The forest ends in a way that looks distinctly artificial. Stretching ahead to the right and left is, as far as I can tell, a long stretch of empty desert if I want to explore in that direction, I''m going to have to find some way to carry water with me. Or get a few skills in Durability that let me survive. I have no desire to die of thirst.
Directly ahead of me, on the other hand, is a massive, yawning chasm in the ground.
It''s so big it gives me a sense of vertigo just looking into it. There are homes built into the walls, though it''s hard to make out the details from where I stand. There are torches, even, which gives me hope maybe there are people living here. I''ll have to be careful, of course, but the need for that doesn''t eliminate my hope at the possibility that I might meet someone. That I might learn more. The mantis-person I met has made me a great deal more suspicious about what''s happening here.
The Fracture is an appropriate name. The chasm looks like the bedrock of the desert has been cracked open by a massive sword; fissures run from the edges to the surrounding stone. There are steps built into the sides of the chasm, but even those steps are remarkably precarious. They''re sticking out rather than carved into the stone, like wooden nks just glued on to the side of the walls.
The steps are rather conveniently close to me, even.
I take my first few steps into the chasm, grimacing at every crack I hear and every tiny shift I feel beneath me. It doesn''t help that my muscles still burn, and I see distinct bruises forming where the cuts had been, no doubt from some small amount of internal bleeding.
As I make my way down, the wind whistles through the Fracture, creating a high-pitched sound that does absolutely nothing for my nerves.
I might be able to reset, but I don''t particrly enjoy the thought of dying from a fall.
Especially when I can''t even see the ground.
Remarkably, though, the steps aren''t what kill me. It''s the moment I make my way on to solid ground, near one of the houses built into the sides of the chasm. Some sort of stone construct whips its way out the moment my foot touches the ground, and though I react quickly I was expecting something to go wrong, after all the scythe I''m holding and my Tough Skin isn''t nearly enough to stop the construct from bashing my skull right in.
[ You have died. +3 Strength credits. +5 Durability credits. +2 Reflex credits. +2 Speed credits. ]
[ New feature unlocked! Your Interface will now tell you the danger ranking of a new area before you proceed into it. ]
[ Loop 5 terminated. ]
[ Status:
Name: Ethan
Durability Skills: Tough Skin (Rank F)
Firmament Skills: Temporal Echo (Rank D)
Credit Distribution:
Strength: 7
Durability: 5 (9 banked)
Reflex: 8
Speed: 7
Firmament: 0 (2 banked) ]
Chapter 3: Stakes
Chapter 3: Stakes
I wake with a gasp. The nature of my death leaves me rattled, and I only barely roll out of the way in time; I can feel the wind of the mantis'' scythe brushing just past my ear as I do so.
And yet, something is different. It''s nothing easily ced, just a strangeness in the way the air feels, in the way it thrums against my skin.
It feels like the record of a Temporal Echo.
I reach for the skill, allowing intuition to guide my hand. Activating it is not quite as simple as everything else about the Interface. There is nuance, a whole dimension to it that I don''t yet understand.
But this is no time for nuance.
Temporal Echo activates with minimal guidance.
A ghostly version of me peels off from where I am a momentter, retreating back several steps, just as I remember doing the loop before. I see myself hesitate for a second, trying to decide what to do... and then I see myselfunch forward.
I take a quick step back, moving in the opposite direction of my twin, away from the monster''s line of sight. My heart pounds rapidly. If it does what I think it does
my echo''s leg connects with the monster''s scythe with a snap. I watch in fascination as my previous self wrestles with the monster in exactly the way I did before, up until he buries the scythe in that thing''s head. Only then do I release the skill, and I find myself feeling slightly dizzy in the aftermath.
Firmament skills are not without cost, it seems. But as long as I still get the reward...
[ You have defeated a Broken Horror (Rank E)! +1 Reflex credit. +2 Firmament credits. ]
No durability, just reflex. Less credits in every regard except Firmament.
...At least this way I won''t be covered in blood when I find the mantis looper again.
When I make my way there, though rushing this time, hoping to get there before they bleed out and bandage them up or something there''s no one there. There isn''t even the hint of a sound to tell me they might be arriving soon, and though I wait to see if they''lle around again, no one arrives.
The clearing remains pristine and undisturbed.
I don''t know what that means, but it leaves me feeling unsettled. I find a flower it''s not hard, the forest is full of them and leave it where I buried them before.
It''s a small gesture, but... I don''t want to forget.
There''s a problem with time loops: the erosion of consequence. I''m not foolish or arrogant enough to think that I''ll be immune to it. I don''t want to stop caring.
But I recognize that''s going to be hard. The best I can do is to make a conscious effort. My goal remains clear, at least. Get as powerful as I can before I leave, and break their little game in half.
Still, there''s one thing that rings in the back of my mind that mantis-person sitting against the side of a tree, broken and mutted. I doubt this journey is going to be quite as easy as I think.
I nce through the Interface messages that I''d received as I died.
Loop 5, which means this is my sixth loop. I don''t know when it started counting. I''ve gotten a few more points in every stat except Firmament, which I''m starting to suspect I''ll only get if I kill something that exins why the Firmament reward was so much better than the Durability reward. There''s every chance that I just got incredibly lucky, but I doubt it. Better to assume the higher probability circumstance.
Which is definitely not that I''m lucky. Especially given that it gave me the feature to rank dangerous areas after I died.
It''s almost like it has a sense of humor.
I open the map and wince. The Fracture is rated as a rank C danger no wonder I got destroyed so quickly. I''m not heading back there for a while yet, which means...
I''ll go somewhere else, I guess. Now that I have a map, tracking what direction I''m heading in isn''t nearly as important I just pick a direction that isn''t the chasm and start to wander.
I''ve picked and eaten a few fruits from the trees. I have no idea what''s edible and what isn''t, but there''s no better way to test it than to try it myself. The worst that''ll happen is that I''ll die and get a couple Durability credits.
Which I''m aware is absolutely not the way I should handle the thought of dying. I could and probably should look at the subject with a little more nuance. But there''s still so much to understand about the Trials and the Integrators, and I''m not sure I can afford an existential crisis on the nature of death.
So I put it off. A little procrastination never hurt anyone.
I''ve made a few marks on my map, and I''m now trying to clear more of the area in a circle around what I''ve chosen to deem the Spawn Point. The Clearing and the Fracture are both due south, and so far what I''ve found other than that is...
Mostly just a lot of vegetation. It''s been a lot of walking and attempting to find out more from the Interface.
"Who or what are the Integrators?"
[ That information is locked from individuals undergoing the Trials. ]
Figures. I''m pretty sure I know the answer to the next question, but I ask anyway. "How do I earn credits?"
[ Credits are awarded upon death or upon killing any Firmament-enhanced creature. They are distributed based on the type and difficulty of the actions you take. ]
That tracks, considering the credit boost I got from myst death. I better get Durability or Strength credits for what I''ve been doing so far this loop, then. I''ve climbed a number of trees and fallen off even more of them yes, that math works out, don''t ask me how so I''m expecting a good number of points in both.
I have the scythe gripped tightly in my hand. The blood''s long since dried, so it doesn''t feel nearly as slippery as it did in the beginning. I''m not expecting to get attacked, exactly, but I feel like it''s inevitable; this is a Trial, and I''ve only fought two monsters so far. The fact that it''s this peaceful is starting to unnerve me.
Right on time, I find something.
Footprints.
They''re nothing like either the mantis person or their much more terrifying counterpart, thankfully. They''re , which is concerning, but they also look like the prints of a sandal or a shoe, which means people.
The fact that thest time I found a hint of civilization I was immediately assaulted by a stone golem doesn''t faze me. This one''s much closer to the Spawn Point; if this is a Trial, and artificially designed, then there''s a good chance that it''s not going to be nearly as dangerous.
I follow the footprints.
What I find is a small vige that''s built near the side of a cliff; that cliff extends far into the sky above me. It''s andmark that''s hard to see through the forest canopy, but bes ringly obvious now that I''m right next to it.
It''s really only a series of small huts, each of them haphazardly built, but if there''s anyone here that can help that knows anything about this then I can really get started.
"Can I help you?"
It''s a low whisper of a voice that scares the crapout of me. I spin around to see a hunched over crow of a man.
A literal crow, to be clear. Beak and all. A very big one, and vaguely humanoid, but only vaguely.
At least he doesn''t seem to be hostile.
"Uh... yes?" I cough, and check for anything from my Interface; there''s nothing. I''m not close enough to have ''discovered'' the vige, I suppose. "I''m just wondering where I am."
The crow cackles. "I see, I see! A new friend, then! Come,e."
I can''t tell which one of us ispletely disregarding the whole stranger danger thing. I follow him anyway, taking a moment to nce up once the Interface pings with a notification.
[ You have discovered a location! Location Found: Cliffside Crows (Rank N/A) ]
...The Interface needs to be better ating up with names. At least it seems like this ce is safe. I stay on my guard, though.
For better or for worse, the crow doesn''t seem to think I''m a threat to him or any of his people, either. He leads me straight towards a hut I assume is his which I very pointedly do not step into, because I''m not sure I want to be trapped in an enclosed space.
Is that paranoid? That''s probably paranoid. I don''t have to worry about dying, technically.
Whatever.
"Whatcha waiting for?" The crow pokes his head out, pping his wings to spread the curtains; there''s nothing but a dirt enclosure inside the hut, as far as I can tell. What furniture exists in there is sparse and worn down. "Come in!"
"I''d just like to know where I am," I say as politely as I can.
"Crow vige!" the crow caws impatiently at me. I take it back. The Interface''s name is better. "Come in! Outside cold! Talk inside!"
Is it cold? I hadn''t noticed. Maybe Tough Skin has more of an effect than I thought. I trot in obediently, mostly because I can''te up with any excuse not to do so, and am immediately met with a smell.
The smell of wet crows. It''s not particrly pleasant. Other than that, the interior is pretty much everything I expected; what little furniture there is is made up of twigs, and there''s a whole nest of twigs in the corner that I assume is the crow''s bed.
"Sit down!" the crow insists. He plops himself down on one of the chairs, and I''m surprised to see it hold him up. I very gingerly sit down on one of the seats, worried it''ll break beneath me and ready to shoot up if I hear so much as a crack...
...but no, it''s fine. The surprise must''ve shown on my face, because the crow taps his beak knowingly. "Firmament enhanced!"
I start, and my eyes narrow. So these people know magic.
The crow, for his part, doesn''t seem to notice my rm. He wiggles around in his chair until he''sfortable, then looks me over. "Strange creature," he mutters, mostly to himself. "Very loud. Unstable Firmament."
"I''m sitting right here." And he''s been much louder than me, but I don''t say that part out loud.
"Weird," he deres, pointing a wing at me. "But will answer your question. This ce Hestia.. Our. Not yours."
He pauses, and then with a hint of pride, adds, "Hestia chosen to host Trial. Invaderse, get tested."
Hestia is a . Not just a small, isted location created for the sole purpose of the Trials. And he''s familiar with Trials. I can''t help but tense a little at the way he calls us invaders, a term with a distinctly negative connotation; I''m prepared to run if I need to. Or fight.
I grip the scythe just a little tighter.
He doesn''t seem to notice. "No threat," he says. "We help you pass Trial. Get back."
I frown, some tension bleeding out of me. "Back?"
"Monsters. Needed for Trial. overrun." My chest tightens at the words. "We proud. But dying. Want Trial over."
"I see." I wonder if he''s really as proud as he seems as he says he is. That information is... worrying. He doesn''t seem like he''s lying, and if he''s not lying, then the Integrators have yed him and his people for fools. Propaganda is a powerful tool. "Do you know how you can help me, then?"
"Depends!" he squawks out the word. "You need training! Firmament training. Your Firmament weak."
Presumably, training with them will be faster than trying to train alone. If he admires the Integrators, I''ll still need to be careful around him, but the rewards outweigh the risks.
I''m almost eager to ept, but there''s another question pressing on my mind. "You said this''s called Hestia? What''s the 307B part? Is that the zone?"
"What 307B?" the crow res at me like I''vemitted some sort of personal offense; I frown back. Is that just how the Interface numbers things internally, then?
Something about that feels... strange. I''m not convinced it''s correct.
But then a rumble starts; I feel it in my core first, before I notice the furniture is shaking. The chair I''m sitting on starts to feel distinctly shaky, and I get up just a moment before it falls apart; the crow sitting opposite me just falls to the ground with an indignant caw that very quickly turns fearful.
There''s a flurry of worried squawks outside. I take a moment to help the old crow up to his feet and rush over to the door.
Apparently, there are a lot more crows living here than I thought. The vige had seemed pretty empty at first, but that was apparently because they had all been indoors; now all of them had flooded out of their homes, and were staring up at the top of the cliff in fear.
I follow their gaze.
There are harpies descending at least a dozen, each one utterly identical. It''s hard to see them clearly from such a distance, at least for me, but even as far away as they are I can make out some details. They have misshapen wings, one significantlyrger than the other.
What''s disturbing, too, is that every one of them has one arm missing. The wound almost looks fresh.
They dive towards the ground, too fast to be safe, and a notification appears.
[ Warning: You are in range of a Raid! ]
[ Rank E Raid Lost Harpies proceeding! You have three chances to beat this raid. If you fail, Cliffside Crows will be removed from your map. ]
[ New feature unlocked! You may now utilize the Timeline Tracker. ]
Gee, thanks.
I take a moment to nce around.
This is real. If what the old crow said is to be believed and I have no reason to disbelieve him then the people here are real, too. They''ve lost their to some sick game, and they''ve been told that this is an opportunity. They''ve been told to be proud that their is to be used as a battleground.
I''ve been taking a lot of this a little lightly, perhaps. It''s hard to feel the stakes when you can''t die and the loss of your is just words on a screen. You have all the time in the world, after all.
But this?
There are children here.
They''re so small.
I grip my scythe.
For the first time since this started, I find myself well and truly angry.
[ Loop 6 in progress. ]
[ Status:
Name: Ethan
Durability Skills: Tough Skin (Rank F)
Firmament Skills: Temporal Echo (Rank D)
Credit Distribution:
Strength: 7
Durability: 5 (9 banked)
Reflex: 9
Speed: 7
Firmament: 2 (2 banked) ]
Chapter 4: Determination
Chapter 4: Determination
A number of the crow-people here are fighters; they all step forward, holding rickety spears that I assume are Firmament-enhanced. There''s no guarantee they''ve stayed that way, though. I remember quite clearly the way the chairs just failed and fell apart, and there''s no reason this will be any different.
Something about a Raid disrupts Firmament enchantments, is my best guess. And the implications of that are worrying. I have no doubt this is going to keep happening, and if other ces are even more reliant on Firmament...
It doesn''t matter. I''m thinking too far ahead.
The children are being ushered away, but not nearly quickly enough; those harpies are descending fast, and the crows don''t have the time to evacuate their people. Half of them have barely even registered the danger I see some kids pointing excitedly to their parents, hopping up on their feet, struggling and fighting to stay.
That stops when they notice the missing arms. I force myself to ignore the screams. They know how to take care of their own, I tell myself. Meanwhile, if we want to stand any chance of beating this Raid, I have to think strategically.
I have three chances to make this work, and two skills that are my current assets Tough Skin, which is going to help me passively anyway, and Temporal Echo, which won''t be useful to me until the next loop. My odds of beating this raid first try are low. I can''t risk everything to try to beat it in one go. Whatever I do now should set me up for the next one.
The harpies are getting closer. They''re spreading out, too, I note; there isn''t going to be a single defensible position. The crows are trying to organize, but failing spectacrly; it''s clear that they''ve never prepared for this. They''re tripping over themselves to try to get to the right positions.
Figure it out faster.
I risk a quick nce at my stats. My original n was to wait them out and gather enough points to bankrger amounts at once, in the hope of getting a higher-rank skill. I might be forced to abandon those ns, and I make my peace with that.
If I want to deal with this many harpies at once, speed is going to be drastically more important, though that''s at least partially dependent on how much these crows can help me.
I nce at a crow, and note the way his spear is trembling in his hands. I note how scattered they still are.
...Best not to rely on that.
Strength is the least important of the three. It doesn''t take that much effort to cleave through flesh when you have a scythe. It''s the reason I was going to risk banking less points into it. I don''t know that any Strength skill will help me out here.
I''m going to have to build Reflex and Speed as fast as I can, I think. I get speed if I push myself to be fast
The harpiesnd, spread out, scattered across the vige. A dozen exactly I count as rapidly as I can, filing the information away in my brain.
And then there''s no more time to think.
Iunch myself forward, running as fast as I can; I''m not used to running like this, my weight thrown off bnce by the scythe I''m carrying in a hand. The harpy closest to me seems almost surprised by the sheer audacity of my approach, and it''s probably that surprise that allows me to score a deep gash on her flesh with the scythe before she screeches.
I duck. It''s pure instinct, pure reflex; something in the world thrums when she does it, and a sh of memory the memory of Temporal Echo calling to me, thrumming in the air turns into a split-second reaction.
The air visibly warps. A st ofpressed air rips out over my head, and the shockwave is enough to knock me off bnce and throw me to the ground but considering it shatters the hut it strikes just behind me, I got off lucky.
Not good enough. I''m too slow. The harpy kicks at me with a wed foot, and I roll out of the way just in time; all around me, the sounds ofbat erupt, filling the air with a cacophony of noise.
And amid them, more screams. Those screams are the harpies'' at first the screeching bursts of sound as they use their Firmament but then the screams turn wet and choked and broken.
I don''t look back. I thrust the scythe forward instead, a hooking jab meant to slice through skin. The harpy dodges out of the way; the movement was too slow, too predictable, but I''m off bnce and on the ground. The point is that it gives me just enough time to hop to my feet, and I rapidly swing the scythe again.
The harpy''s nowhere near me. It doesn''t matter.
I''m setting up for the next run.
I take off almost immediately, choosing the next closest harpy; the one I just fought is close behind, but I need to keep moving if I want to earn more Speed credits. I focus my eyes on my target instead, all too aware of the footsteps of the one behind me, the thump of her feet against the dirt, the thrum in the air that tells me she''s going to scream
I dive just as I feel the Firmament finish umting, and the shockwave rips harmlessly over my head once again. I find myself almost directly next to the next harpy as a result, though, which means I have no time to rx; I throw myself to the side to avoid the scream from the second harpy, and I roll right into something warm and feathery and wet.
I force myself to my feet as fast as I can, ignoring the body. Ignoring both of the bodies, side by side. I ignore the way their heads are just gone, ripped to shreds by one of those sound attacks, feather and bone sted apart like it''s not even there.
I ignore how small one of them is.
The rage burns a little brighter.
My scythe rips towards the closest harpy. She opens her mouth to scream, and I instinctively step to the side, but just a hair too early; she follows, swinging her face towards me in a way that''s distinctly inhuman. I can almost hear the neck bones cracking. I grit my teeth, wait for the Firmament to umte so I can get just the right moment to dodge
except the harpy behind me is also about to scream, and the thrum intensifies, throwing off my ability to figure out when the scream is going to trigger
and I realize I have a choice.
This is going to kill me, either quickly or slowly; I can''t dodge this entirely. I''m already in motion, and I can''tpletely change my momentum on a dime. I don''t know how the shot behind me is aimed.
Which means I have to bet on one thing. The harpy behind me probably isn''t going to be aiming directly at the other one.
Once more, I throw myself towards a monster.
I don''t have the time to calcte the perfect angle, the exact force. The best I can do is make sure my head stays out of the way of the shot, ducking as low as I can, twisting as she readjusts.
It''s going to hit me, but it''s not going to hit me in the head.
The sound sts into my shoulder and rips an arm clean off.
The agony is intense.
But it''s mine.
The second st ripples through the air where my head would''ve been if I hadn''t forced myself to turn. The shockwave still makes me stagger and stumble, but in that stumble I manage tond the scythe somewhere in the middle of the harpy''s chest. The one behind me is most likely about to attack, so I throw myself forward, copsing nearly entirely onto the ground. My detached arm is inches away from my head.
I can''t fight like this. Not well. I''m dimly aware that I''m no longer holding on to my scythe, that I''ve left it buried inside that one harpy''s chest. She doesn''t seem like she''s dead. I''m losing blood fast, I''m dizzy and nauseous...
But the longer I survive, the more Durability I gain; I fixate on that thought like it''s a lifeline.
And if I manage to kill one of these harpies, I gain Firmament credits. A Firmament skill might change everything.
The harpy I fought first is struggling and slowing down just a bit. The gash I scored across her chest is deep, and she''s been bleeding through it the entire fight. Her skin is pale, and her breathinges in short, sharp gasps, she''s moving a little slower than the other.
The second one has a scythe in her chest. She isn''t bleeding. If I pull it out, it''ll bleed; if I force it in further, it might pierce her heart.
I still need speed.
I force myself to my feet, and start running.
I just need to run as long as I can. They''re dying, too. It''s just a matter of who dies faster.
Not having an arm throws me off more than having the scythe did.
Faster.
They''re still chasing me. I have a n here, but the n involves one of the harpies copsing, or slowing down, or something. Neither of them are screaming, though, and that makes me thankful, even if I have no idea why. Maybe they''ve drained whatever it is they need to use that skill. Maybe they''re just ying with their prey.
Too bad for them. That''s not what I am.
One of them trips. It''s the first harpy she''s bled enough now that she doesn''t quite have the strength to move properly, and so her leg catches on a rock and she goes tumbling. I''ve been waiting for this moment, and so I reverse course immediately, catching the second harpy off-guard; I make to grab at the scythe stuck in her chest.
But I try to reach out with my left hand. The missing hand.
A split-second moment is all it takes. The harpy rears back and kicks at me, wed feet digging straight into my stomach and sending me tumbling back; I gasp with pain, struggling to hold on through blurry eyes. Something in my spine snaps. I don''t bleed. The ws don''t break through my Tough Skin.
Not that it matters. I can''t move. I try, but I can''t even wiggle my toes.
It''s tempting to let go. I can fall into the next reset, the next loop; my injuries will be gone, and I''ll have a brand new set of credits to y with.
But I need everyst scrap I can get, and so I cling on.
I don''t think the harpy notices that I''m still alive. She moves on immediately, going off to ughter more of the vige; I try to move, to go after her, but I can''t. The first harpy is still lying on the ground. She hasn''t moved since she fell. Hope rises in my chest maybe she''s bleeding out.
Maybe I have a chance.
If I can oust her if she dies first, and I get a burst of durability... I remember how Tough Skin healed me.
Seconds tick by. I bite my lip to keep myself from passing out. I grind the stump of my left arm into the dirt for that sharp spike of blistering pain, hoping against hope I can thread that edge of pain and unconsciousness.
I think about the Integrators. I think about the body of that little crow, the head torn clean off. I think about the way the mother''s arms wrapped around her child in the moment of her death.
My anger grows, but my vision fades.
I only barely see the notification, a second before I slip into nothingness.
[ You have defeated an Elegy of the Lost (Rank E)! +7 Strength credits. +33 Durability credits. +17 Reflex credits. +15 Speed credits. +4 Firmament credits. ]
Durability credits. Spend.
[ Are you sure ]
Yes!
[ 38 Durability credits spent! Rolling for results... ]
[ CRITICAL ROLL. ]
Chapter 5: And Again
Chapter 5: And Again
[ CRITICAL ROLL. ]
The words are vibrant and bright, almost impossibly clear in my fading vision like it''s intruding directly on my mind. I don''t have the energy to process what it means. There''s more to rolling for a stat-skill than I thought there was, clearly, but whether the possibility of a crit is influenced by the amount of credits banked, pure luck, or something else, I have no idea.
I''m waiting for the list of skills to appear. It takes agonizingly long, and I have to hold on to consciousness for every precious second it takes.
When the interface finally shows up, the sight is almost beautiful.
[ Critical Bonus! All existing Durability skills will be improved. ]
[ Tough Skin (Rank F) has evolved to Tough Body (Rank E)! ]
[ Select between:
CRIT: Post-Battle Recovery (Rank C) > Second Wind (Rank B)
CRIT: Improved Healing (Rank D) > Rapid Healing (Rank C)
CRIT: Empowered Block (Rank D) > Momentary Shield (Rank C)]
I''m not nearly coherent enough at the moment to think through my choices. I can practically feel my life ebbing out of every open wound. It''s a struggle just to keep my eyes open.
Highest rank.
[ Second Wind obtained! ]
All around me, Firmament thrums. It''s heavy enough to make my teeth ache, and force tears out of my eyes; the sensation is not unlike having freshly cut onions pressed directly against them.
But that thrumming is drowning out the pain, and I realize what this is.
Tough Skin Tough Body, now is activating, and just like before, it''s closing every open wound across my body. It''s a relief when the pain from my missing arm begins to fade, and even more of one when I find the rest of my aches and pains being smoothed away.
It doesn''t give me back my arm, but that doesn''t matter. I can move my legs again, and I now have one more skill up my sleeve.
Second Wind.
The skill clicks into ce like I''m meeting an old friend, and an invigorating rush of energy pours into my body. I''m on my feet before I''m even conscious of the fact, rushing straight towards the harpy that had tried to kill me.
And then something unexpected happens. The skill continues. A phantom arm manifests, pure Firmament forming into a perfect replica of my old arm, though colored a transparent blue-gold; its hand is formed into a fist, and it is thrumming with power.
The harpy doesn''t turn around in time. She''s too busy with this distorted cackle as she prepares for yet another scream, this time aimed at a hapless crow that''s lying motionless on the ground; a small part of me can''t help but notice that she''s being much more thorough about killing the crows than she had been about me.
I''m not a priority.
It''s good to know, at least, even if it''s another scrap of fuel to feed to that burning me of anger.
My phantom arm connects with the spot on her back right between her wings. It''s not the best punch my strength is still baseline human, after all but the Firmament does something, and it''s enough to disrupt her own technique and knock her forward. The scream peters out as a pathetic puff of dust and dirt on the ground.
My scythe is still stuck in her chest, and it wobbles awkwardly in ce as she spins around to face me. I try to reach for it, but she ws at me, sharp talons glinting in the sunlight.
I raise my phantom arm, gritting my teeth. I half expect those talons to dig straight into the false flesh, tearing it apart.
But it holds. Her talons nce off like she''s struck at iron, and for a moment, she looks surprised; it''s the most expression I''ve seen on any of their faces thus far. It doesn''tst for long but it doesn''t need to.
I grab her by the arm, my Firmament hand buzzing strangely against her skin, and yank. She''s off-bnce enough that she puts up almost no resistance. My remaining arm makes a grab for the scythe in her chest, and I twist, forcing it deeper, towards her heart.
[ You have defeated an Elegy of the Lost (Rank E)! +1 Strength credit. +2 Durability credits. +2 Reflex credits. +3 Speed credits. +3 Firmament credits. ]
Less Firmament this time. I spare a brief nce for the crow she''d been about to scream at, but they''re nothing more than a corpse, now. There''s not a hint of movement in those feathers.
His spear is lying next to him, but it''s broken, a useless pile of sticks and twigs with one small, particrly pointy stick near the end.
I move on.
There are a dozen harpies. I''ve killed two of them; that means there are ten more, all across the vige. I see perhaps four of them, stalking around the homes, peeking into each hut. They haven''t noticed me yet. I hear another three the echoes of pained cries from the crows, and more screams from the harpies. I hear the sounds of desperate battles breaking out and ending shortly afterward.
The other three are likely hidden in the huts themselves. I don''t waste any more time on observation I rush forward again, not bothering to hide my presence. Stealth might be smart if this were myst chance, but it isn''t. If anything...
I make as much noise as possible, trying to draw their attention, but it doesn''t seem to work. Whatever reason they had to fight me before, they seem to have lost it, now; their targets are in front of them, and they''re more interested in their prey than in me.
The closest harpy is poking and prying at a crate on the ground. I can hear soft whimpering soundsing from within the box, and I see the harpy cackling wildly as she stabs her talons in through the wood. Before I can reach her, she gives it a hard kick, sending the box soaring into the air and tumbling down.
Despite everything that I''ve already seen, I''m not quite prepared for what I see after.
There''s a kid hiding inside. Of course there is; none of the adult crows could have fit into a box of that size. He''s sent sprawling out, clutching on to a little brightly-colored stick that looks like a toy it''s sent flying as he frantically ps his wings, trying to stabilize himself in the air.
It doesn''t work. He''s upside-down, and his legs are tangled in the box. I can already see what''s about to happen, and I veer my course, sprinting as hard as I possibly can.
It''s the wrong thing to do, perhaps, to get distracted by this. But you''re never quite prepared. Not even when you''ve seen it before and I haven''t. I''ve seen the aftermath. I haven''t seen it happen.
He hits the ground before I can reach him, and I hear a sharp snap; the box crashes down over him, and his body goes still.
I grip my scythe hard enough to turn my knuckles white, and turn my attention to the harpy.
She seems to recognize me as a threat.
Good.
A burst of speed takes me to her, and she only barely deflects my scythe with her talons in time; I don''t bother trying to correct my course, instead twisting it to lock down her hand and sending my spare hand towards her face. It''s my flesh hand. I feel bone crack underneath my knuckles, sharp and satisfying in the wake of my anger. It sends her sprawling.
My phantom arm flickers, and a certain exhaustion begins to return, but my anger res bright still.
I remember reaching the hospital toote. I remember bursting through the door just a moment after the doctor deres my brother dead. I remember how still he was, lying in that bed.
She''s back up on her feet, too fast for it to be anything other than a skill. She throws herself at me, a certain manic glee in her eyes; her talons are red with blood. I swing the scythe at her, and she weaves out of the way, but I turn it into a kick that cracks two of her ribs.
I know how to fight. I''ve taken the lessons. I needed something to distract me, after...
[ Thest of the Cliffside Crows have died. You have failed the raid Lost Harpies (Rank E). Resetting. ]
I feel a familiar thrum rising around me.
This time, it''s attacking me. I feel it squeeze down on me with a pressure beyond anything I''ve felt before.
Intellectually, I can guess what''s happening. The interface is killing me, because that''s how time resets. Why it doesn''t do that directly is a mystery for a less angry, less adrenaline-filled version of me.
All I care about is that this child-killer isn''t dead yet.
Fuck you. Second Wind.
I half expect the skill to fail. I half expect the interface to stop me, to prevent it from circumventing its rules; instead, a familiar, opposing thrum grip me in its threads, filling my body with vigor and raw, rushing Firmament.
At the same time, a dizzying force grips my skull, making me stumble. I''m not supposed to use the skill like this, I can tell I''m straining it.
My lips twist. I don''t care. I advance on the harpy, and her expression turns into something approaching fear; she tries to move, but she seems locked in ce by the pressure, too. The interface presses down harder around me, an immense force pushing down on what feels like my very soul. I see a blue-gold aura rising out of my skin, the same color as the phantom arm that Second Wind had created earlier.
I take another step forward, but my vision''s already fading. Second Wind, I insist again, and I feed something to the skill; it responds by brightening the aura around me, resisting. I''m almost close enough. She isn''t moving now. It''s like time is standing still. If I can just push the scythe through her eye
The interface pushes down a third time, and this time, it brooks no resistance. I feel an immense force open up, and for a split second it''s as though I''m gazing upon something impossiblyrge. An open sky, an unending mountain.
The weight of a.
It crushes me like I''m little more than a gnat, even with the thrum of Second Wind around me, and I die for the sixth time.
[ You have died. +6 Strength credits. +15 Durability credits. +2 Reflex credits. +12 Speed credits. ]
[ Loop 6 terminated. ]
[ Status:
Name: Ethan
Durability Skills: Tough Body (Rank E), Second Wind (Rank B)
Firmament Skills: Temporal Echo (Rank D)
Credit Distribution:
Strength: 21
Durability: 17 (47 banked)
Reflex: 30
Speed: 37
Firmament: 9 (2 banked) ]
Chapter 6: Two More Tries
Chapter 6: Two More Tries
Awareness filters in, and I force myself to roll out of the way just in time. Something in my body aches, like I''ve pushed it too hard; I''ve never started a loop like this before, but I don''t have time to think about it.
Two tries left.
I don''t bother with Temporal Echo. I can use it I can sense it in the way the skill resonates, some strange feeling deep in my mind. I can call up the version of myself from the fifth loop and have him take care of the mantis.
But there''s no point. I don''t even take a step back this time.
I don''t need to run if I know exactly what the mantis-monster''s weakness is.
Chitin snaps with a crack, and I pull the scythe out of the ground. I have leverage the mantis doesn''t I can twist it out. It swings its other hand at me, and I try to dodge. I still have some memories of how this mantis behaves, how it fights. I have an advantage here.
I don''tpletely manage it. I''m rattled, and the ache within me is persistent. I don''t know what it is, but I have a good guess: the use of Second Wind, straining again and again against the interface''s crushing power...
It''s a new goal to put on my map. I need to find a way to stop the interface from doing that.
Thankfully, Tough Body handles what little of the attack I do take, and it nces off my arm, leaving only the thin red line of a shallow cut. My movements are almost mechanical I force myself to climb up the mantis, remind myself that it''s a threat, even though my thoughts are still focused on the crows and what was done to them.
The scythe plunges into the mantis monster''s eye, and I feel nothing.
[ You have defeated a Broken Horror (Rank E)! +1 Strength credit. +1 Durability credit. +1 Reflex credit. +1 Firmament credit. ]
It''s not enough.
The credit rewards are decreasing as I get better, and the mantis is distinctly weaker than its harpy counterparts, even though they''re at the same rank. It''s still an improvement over using Temporal Echo, I suppose; I don''t seem to get the credits for anything my echo does. It''s a tool in a fight, but not a recement.
But even doing this myself, it''s not enough. There are twelve harpies, and it took me everything I had just to kill two. I didn''t even get a Speed credit for this one, and that''s the one I need to bank next.
I take a breath.
The air around me thrums, and I ignore it, calling up the interface map. There''s a small line over it now, with small hour markers designating little sections and a green dot slowly moving along it. A red dot at the twelve hour mark isbeled with Lost Harpies (Rank E).
A small hope begins to die when I see it. The raid is going to trigger whether I''m there or not, it seems, and I can''t avoid it just by going somewhere else. I''d thought that if the battle was too rough, I could evade the raid entirely, and focus my efforts on getting stronger before I tried again. Or, alternatively, if I could just manage to survive, then I could spend the rest of the loop training, giving myself more time.
But the interface has me cornered. The raid looks like it''ll trigger no matter what I do, and it kills me if I fail.
It puts me in a time loop and then it gives me a time limit. There''s a certain irony in that.
Just in case, I ask. "Is the Lost Harpies raid triggered by proximity?"
There''s a small pause, as if the interface is deciding whether or not it should answer me, and then:
[ Raids are set events that happen based on the amount of time that has passed since thest reset. ]
Figures. I try not to dwell on it, and instead set out towards the Cliffside Crows; the rank on the map still reads as N/A, which tells me that danger rankings don''t take raid events into ount. Raids are just things that happen.
Just another thing to be wary of.
There''s something about this loop that feels... different. I can''t pinpoint what it is exactly. Maybe it''s just that ache inside of me, that strain from using Second Wind the way I did. I don''t think that''s what it is, though. Now that I''m thinking about it, my fifth loop felt much the same, and there was a pressure that was missing in my sixth loop that''s now back in the seventh.
Nothing is obviously different, though. I keep an eye out as I traverse through the now-familiar forest, a little put off by how easily I''ve adapted. I try to move quickly I want to push Speed to at least fifty credits before banking it, and I''m close to that milestone but I don''t want to exhaust myself before the raid, especially since I suspect Second Wind won''t be so easy to use again.
Plus, I want to learn whatever it is that old crow said he''d teach me. Maybe he''ll know what the deal is with Firmament. He''d said something about how my Firmament was weak...
...I never did ask for his name.
It doesn''t take me that long to reach the Cliffside Crows again, though I have to stop and gather some food and drink on the way. My clothing snags on the wood and branches as I do so, and I grimace in irritation this is going to be a constant problem, since my clothes reset every time I die, and I was wearing pajamas when I fell asleep.
At least I''m wearing my shoes. I certainly hadn''t worn them to bed. A small mercy on the part of the Integrators, perhaps.
I don''t thank them for it.
Unlike before, I don''t get immediately osted by the old crow, perhaps because this time it''s still early morning when I arrive. The vige is considerably more lively, though instead of the crows all being inside their huts, they''re outside, moving around and chattering brightly with one another.
I see a mother washing someundry in a river that runs off to the east, in a direction I haven''t been yet. I see two adults challenging one another off to the left, squawking at each other and dancing around what looks like a small box on the ground. I see some children ying near the center of the vige, in what could charitably be called the vige square.
They''re kicking a ball that looks like it might just be a bunch of forest debris gathered into the rough shape of a sphere; there are twigs, leaves, and no small amount of dirt. It''s surprisingly durable, given that fact. I''m surprised it hasn''t broken apart already, and that it''s light enough to kick at all. Another Firmament enchantment?
And then I notice something, and my breath leaves me for a fraction of a second.
One of them is holding a colorful stick.
I see his face more clearly, now bright and innocent, with surprisinglyrge eyes and I try not to think about his neck snapping as he hits the ground, the crate crashing down over him. I grip the mantis scythe in my hand just a little tighter.
I need... I need to find the old crow.
The moment I step into the vige, half the crows around me stop, staring at me curiously. The kids keep ying they don''t seem to care that I''m here but an older woman approaches me. I assume. I''m not great at identifying crow age.
"You!" she says, and for a moment I worry that she remembers; that she thinks that I failed them. There''s no reason that should be the case, but the interface hasn''t shown a great respect for the rules of time so far. That worry dissipates when she continues. "Trialgoer?"
"Yes," I confirm. Hopefully the rest of the vige shares the old crow''s sentiment about helping me.
"Good!" the old woman fluffs her feathers. "Name Mari. Yours?"
"Ethan." I pause for a moment, and she looks at me expectantly. "Pleasure to meet you?"
I don''t know how I''m supposed to greet crow elders. Obviously, the greeting isn''t exactly right, because she snorts at me and ps her wings twice, as if agitated. "Bah. Don''t know what I expected. Younglings."
"Is there... something else I should have done?" I ask politely. I can''t help but feel like I''m wasting time, though I still remember the fight, the people of this vige dying all around me.
But I doubt she''s going to be more inclined to help me if I''m rude.
"Bah!" she says again, and this time she waves her wing in a more conciliatory sort of gesture. "Can''t expect Trialgoer to know our ways. Come! Tarin wants to meet you!"
I hope Tarin is who I think it is.
She brings me to a very familiar-looking hut I pay attention to where in the vige it is, this time, even though most of the huts look the same. If I have to try to beat the raid a third time, I''ll run directly to his hut. Save as much time as I can.
"Well?" Mari squawks at me impatiently, and I realize after a moment she''s been waiting for me to enter first. I duck into the entrance of the hut, pushing the folds of cloth away, and she walks in imperiously after me.
There''s no sign of the old crow, but Mari doesn''t seem to care. "Husband!" she calls, and when there''s no response, she sighs.
I feel a familiar thrum, and watch as Mari takes an even deeper breath. I p my hands over my ears just in time.
"HUSBAND!"
Even with my hands over my ears, the call is loud, and the shockwave pushes me back a bit.
But not a single piece of furniture moves, to my surprise. I blink they must be far more reinforced than I thought.
A pile of nkets in the corner that I''d assumed to be exactly that suddenly shifts, and I watch a familiar old crow climb out. He makes an irritated sort of grumble. "Was having good sleep," he mutters. "Noisy."
Mari smacks him over the head. "Trialgoer here."
"What?" The old crow Tarin, I remind myself looks around wildly. Right past me. "Where?"
Mari sighs. "Eyes."
"Oh." A weaker sense of power, focused on the old crow''s eyes, and he looks at me. "Aha! Trialgoer! Come! There is much to learn!"
And then he pauses and frowns. "Wow. Your Firmament weak. Much work needed."
I actually feel a little offended this time, but I shake my head. "We don''t have time," I say, and something about the urgency in my voice seems to reach him, because he sharpens a little bit, staring at me. I''m not sure exactly what to tell them telling them that I''ve been going back in time might be a little awkward, but for all I know, they already know about the nature of the Trial so I opt to cut to the heart of the matter. "There''s going to be a raid soon. In about..."
I check the map. "Ten hours," I say. It had taken me about two hours to get here, even moving fast. I was less tired than I thought I would be for two hours of exertion I''d been pushing myself pretty hard. An effect of Tough Body?
"What raid?" Tarin squawks at me, cocking his head. I take a moment to parse his question.
"Harpies. Twelve of them. Theye down from the cliff"
"No. What raid?" Tarin repeats. "Raid is food? Raid is water? Exin!"
"A raid is an attack." I clench my fists, frustration boiling over for a second not frustration at him, but at the situation. Tarin''s talked about their being used for the Trial, and about it being an honor, but it''s sounding more and more like they haven''t really been filled in on the nature of the trial. "Twelve harpiese down and attack the vige in ten hours. You need to evacuate your vige. I can''t protect you all, and you can''t fight them off."
Tarin stares at me. "You sure."
It''s not a question. I nod, and he narrows his eyes at me. "How you sure?"
"I... I''ve seen it." How am I supposed to answer that question? "I know it sounds ridiculous, but it''s part of my Trial. I have to go through things again and again. I''ve been here. I''ve fought. You all we all died."
If they evacuate, I''ll have more time. I only failed the raid when they were all dead. If I just had the time to fight them all...
Maybe if we run. Maybe if we all run, we won''t fail the raid. It''ll give me the time to train until I can take out all twelve of the harpies, and Tarin can help me train.
As long as I can convince him what I''m saying is true, anyway.
Chapter 7: Training
Chapter 7: Training
Surprisingly, it doesn''t actually take much effort to convince him. Tarin gives me a single sharp nod, interrupting my thoughts on what the best means of convincing him will be. "Okay. Raid happening. Need fight. Exin how we die?"
I''m a little thrown for a moment, mostly from how quickly Tarin seems to ept it all. "I... didn''t see most of it. I was fighting." I pause, and think back to what happened. The spears the crows were using failed and judging by how the furniture here resisted Mari''s shout and I didn''t, even with Tough Body, I''m guessing the basis of their fightinges from Firmament enchantments. "But before the Raid started, something happened with Firmament. All the enchantments broke."
Tarin''s gaze almost pierces me. "All?"
I hesitate. "I don''t know if it''s all, exactly," I hedge. "But the furniture stopped... working. And the spears you use broke apart." I remember the spear I''d seen next to one of their fighters, little more than a pile of disparate parts.
Tarin makes a disgusted noise. "Of course. Only way to beat crows. Cheating."
"You said you wanted to train me," I say, trying to move the conversation along. We have time, still, but I can''t help but feel like it''s ticking away. What if the harpies just appear on top of us, no matter where we are? "Can we run and train? If I can get strong enough to beat them, I can stop the raid."
"You?" Tarin scoffs. "You think you stop raid by yourself? Crows can fight."
I stare at him. My mind involuntarily shes back to the end of thest loop at the image of their bodies scattered haphazardly on the ground, wings torn off and necks broken.
"You died," I say. I hadn''t seen Tarin''s body for myself, and I''m sure they can defend themselves, if what I''ve just seen of their abilities are right. I''m not sure how they were defeated so quickly. But the raid only ended because all of the crows died.
"Because raid cheat," Tarin says, crossing his wings in a remarkably human gesture. "Now we prepared! We know. We can fight. Crows do not run."
I don''t know how to respond to that, either. It''s stupid, I want to say they''re signing a death sentence for themselves. Even if I take him at his word, he''s putting too many people in danger.
Maries to my rescue, smacking her husband on the head with a wing. "You not run, but children need run." She considered it for a moment. "We hide them. Far away. Harpies raid here, will not get to children. You tell us more about your Trial. Integrators did not tell us much."
"You need to train me." The words escape my mouth before I think much about them at all; not a true response so much as it is an expression of where my thoughts keep ending up. No matter how many strategies Ie up with, it circles back around to the same thing.
I''m weak.
I''m stronger than I was, but that doesn''t mean much in the face of what I have to fight. I have no idea what the true scale even is. I don''t know what a rank S monster would look like, or how it would fight. I don''t know how much power the Integrators can wield.
In the face of all this, I find that I have trouble letting go of the idea of protecting the crows by myself. It seems entirely reasonable that they should help me in the fight, that I should work with them to protect their home, rather than put the entire thing on my own back. I''m not sure why I''m so intent on doing it by myself. If they have to fight...
I shouldn''t be worried. If they die, theye back. They don''t have the option to give up like I do as long as we seed, no death should be permanent for them.
But that seems like too much of a risk to take, still. The Interface is more than willing to break the rules, and it has enough power to remove the vige entirely. If it wants to remove specific individuals, I have no doubt it can.
"Of course we train you!" Tarin interrupts my thoughts. He seems almost offended by the idea that he won''t. "Hestia is ours, yes? We passed Integration! Trial is an honor, but Trial destroying."
He''s already told me this, but I focus on his words. "You went through Integration?"
"Of course!" Tarin puffs out his chest, then detes a bit. "Well. Not me. Other heroes. One crow, six others."
There''s so much I want to ask. Their has been through Integration, and this is the reward? Do they all have ess to their own Interface? I haven''t seen Tarin or any of the crows making use of an interface, but maybe it isn''t all that obvious I''ve never seen what it looks like from the outside.
But the questions, it seems, will have to wait. "No time for questions!" Tarin says, as if reading my mind. He nudges at me to put down the scythe I''m still holding and clutching like a lifeline, and I put it to the side, vaguely embarrassed; then he pushes me out towards a small clearing set aside beside his home. There are little wooden training dummies set up there, and I wonder how I didn''t notice them before.
They''re not... particrly aesthetically pleasing. More a lump of leaves in the vague shape of a crow. But I''ve seen what the crows can do with their Firmament, so I imagine there''s more to it than meets the eye.
"Hit!" Tarin says, pointing. "Need to see what you can do."
No time like the present, I suppose.
I could spend more time trying to convince them to run, but it feels like a waste of time. If I fail, I''ll have wasted all the time in this loop trying to make that n work. I could still earn some credits by fighting the harpies as they fall...
...but this is going to be the route that earns me the most, regardless.
My resolve firms.
I have time. I''m going to make the best of it.
I don''t have any Strength skills, so as far as power goes I''m nearly baseline human; I didn''t walk into these training grounds in any of my previous loops, so I can''t make use of Temporal Echo. Second Wind is a waste to use, and there''s an ache at the base of my skull that tells me using it is a waste of time.
Tough Body puts me above baseline human, though, and that means I can be... a tiny bit reckless as far as self-injury goes.
I dash forward, putting on as much of a sprint as I''m able leaning forward until my weight nearly tips me over entirely. Right as I reach the pile of leaves masquerading as a training dummy, I turn my sprint into a flying kick. It''s a bit of a clumsy move, but I''m confident it''s enough to break several nks of wood. Without Tough Body, I''d be worried about breaking my foot. The pile is no doubt Firmament enforced...
...it is not.
My kick blows apart the pile of leaves like I just kicked at an actual pile of leaves, only with the full force of my weight and sprint attached; Ind in a sprawl on the ground, tumbling a few times and groaning.
At least this will be good for Durability. It doesn''t hurt as much as it should, with Tough Body reinforcing both skin and bone, but it''s not a pleasant tumble nheless.
I re back at Tarin, who grins back at me unrepentantly. "Must learn!" he barks at me. "You sense Firmament, yes? You not sense Firmament in practice dummy?"
I pause.
I... had not.
"Your Firmament weak," he continues, and this time it doesn''t sound like an insult; he strides over to me and gives me a firm poke in the chest with a wing. The feathers don''t bend like I''d expect. It feels like he''s poking me with a steel rod. "Because your Firmament unstable. Is strange. Is abnormal. But abnormality good. Means you sensitive to changes in Firmament. Means you should sense this."
There''s a thrum in the air again, this time gathering into his arms I start to bring my hands up to my ears, expecting him to shout, but it feels different. More directed. It feels closer to what the harpies do with their screams.
It''s nothing more than a feeling, but I dodge out of the way just in time. Tarin''s shout doesn''t do anything more than st a small puff of dirt into the ground, but he still stares at me with a look of distinct satisfaction.
"Pah," he says. "I gave you warning."
"Barely," I mutter.
"But good!" Tarin grins at me. "Good reaction. Will save your life."
It''s already saved my life several times. I hadn''t realized that being able to sense Firmament was special in any way, and now I wonder what''s the default for all these other species. Earth doesn''t have Firmament, as far as I know, unless the arrival of the Integrators changed things.
Tarin shakes me out of my thoughts before I can dwell too much on it. "Too much thinking!" he deres. "You have something special, yes? Firmament out of bnce. Keep it that way. Bad advice for most, maybe good advice for you. Depends." He gives me a critical eye, looks me up and down, then nods. "Better to try."
I have no idea what any of that means, but I don''t have time to ask any questions he suddenlyunches himself at me, so quickly I barely have the time to react. He''s spry, for an old crow. Firmament sings underneath his wings, and I have to duck and roll to avoid them mming into me.
I wonder if he knows how durable I actually am.
He doesn''t seem to care, though. The old crow seems delighted at the fact that I managed to dodge, and spins around, ring his wings to halt his momentum. One p sends him flying towards me again, his talons only skimming off the dirt this time he''s somehow even faster than before.
I need to fight back.
Running and dodging is only going to work for so long, and he looks like he intends fully on speeding up for as long as I keep managing to dodge him. He seems like exactly that kind of mentor figure, anyway.
How do I catch him off-guard?
I need something that he hasn''t seen before. I need something he doesn''t know I can do. Second Wind is out my skull throbs at the idea of using that skill but Temporal Echo...
Not here. I can''t use it here.
But I can lead him away.
I throw myself out of the way of his wings, the tips of his feathers missing my neck by a hair''s breadth; I can''t help but grimace, imagining what that might have done if it had actually hit my neck. Nothing good, probably. For all that this is a spar, it''s still dangerous... Maybe they have healers.
I''m angling towards the edge of the training area outside his hut. There''s an area nearby filled with the energy of Temporal Echo, which strikes me as something I could perhaps use to navigate. If I can use it to trace my path...
A thought for another time.
I fail to dodge the third attack. I feel him gathering it, but by the time I''m able to react to it, he ms straight into me; the hit is lighter than I expect, but it''s still enough to send me flying a few feet into the air. I roll a few times, intentionally bringing the old crow closer to Temporal Echo.
Come on...
There''s an audience, now. I''m vaguely aware of the crows that have gathered to watch; they''ve all kept a respectable distance away, thankfully, or I''d be a lot more worried about fighting openly like this. As it is, I don''t have the time to spare a thought for them.
Tarin throws himself at me again. He isn''t even varying his attacks he''s testing me, trying to see how long I can go just dodging. Trying to see how resilient I am.
Or maybe he''s calibrating. I don''t fail to notice the way this attack is a little slower than thest. It''s just within my ability to dodge, and I desperately twist myself out of the way.
Doesn''t matter if I''m off bnce.
I can feel the threads of my past clearly, here, and Tarin''s directly in my path. This is where I remember trying to run out of the vige, leading the two harpies I was fighting away.
With a thought, I push on the skill, and Temporal Echo burns.
Chapter 8: Ready Or Not
Chapter 8: Ready Or Not
I don''t need the skill to do much. I need it to push Tarin off bnce and give me an opening.
This version of my past self is more than enough.
Firmament gathers in a sudden wave, and I see the way the old crow''s attention suddenly shifts, confused by the sudden manifestation. I don''t waste the opportunity. I charge at him, trying to distract him, to push him into the path of my old self.
It just barely works. He lifts a wing to deflect the swing of my fist, and my knuckles collide with his feathers like they''ve collided against steel; at the same time, a brilliant blue zes into existence opposite him, Firmament spinning into solidity. My copy has none of the awareness that I do it barrels into Tarin like it doesn''t see him.
And then something different happens.
I feel a sharp snap, like a temporal thread blurring and cracking. A wordes to mind before the moment evenpletes, and my copy fades out of existence.
Paradox.
I''m creating temporal clones, of a sort, and it can''t sustain itself now that its path has been changed. It''s a good limitation to be aware of. The well of power here isn''t gone I can call that same copy out again, make it run into Tarin again but an echo doesn''tst once it''s thrown off its metaphorical tracks.
I take advantage of the moment to spin, using one hand as leverage and the other to grab the top of Tarin''s wing. In one smooth motion, I toss him onto his back. It takes surprisingly little effort to move him. His bones are light, and without reinforcement...
He hits the ground with a thump, and around us, there is silence.
And then a little crow pipes up. "Woooow," he says. "That was cool! Can you do that again?"
"Pah!" Tarin says. He gets up, dusting himself off; a small puff of Firmament pushes off the dirt on his back he can''t quite reach. I flinch a little bit, and he stares at me with a grave look in his eyes. "Crows only lose if opponent cheat," he says, and then he gives me what I''m pretty sure is a smirk. "Good! You learn."
I grin back at him, but internally, my mind is spinning. The level of ability Tarin''s disyed here is beyond anything I sawst loop. I separated from the rest of the crows pretty quickly, so it''s easy to imagine that there are things that I missed...
...like maybe it''s not just enchantments being suppressed. Tarin seems to notice the look on my face, and he gestures for me to follow him. I nce back at the crowd, a warning on the verge of my lips.
But if Tarin says he''ll handle it, he''ll handle it. If he doesn''t... I have one more loop to make things right.
"Integrators give you interface, yes?"
I''ve been expecting Tarin to bring up the uing raid. I''m surprised when he brings up my Firmament instead. He''s mentioned a couple of times that my Firmament is weak, and thistest iteration he''s mentioned that it''s unstable; I don''t know what either of these things mean, but I do know that if sensing Firmament is something rare, then I''ve got an advantage other people don''t.
"Yes," I answer. He nods.
"Not everyone get Interface," Tarin exins. "Trialgoers get Interface. Few chosen ones, if working for Integrators directly, get Interface. Interface does impossible things with Firmament. Like that." He gestures with a wing to where I''d fought with him outside.
"Normal Firmament just reinforce." He taps his wing again, and this time there''s an almost metallic ng as one wing smacks against the other; the next strike produces the sound of feather-against-feather. "Same as your Durability credits, yes? But basic. High rank skill, pure Firmament cannot copy."
I open my mouth to ask a question, but Tarin holds up a hand, and his expression grows grave. "Interface secrets unknown to us," he says. "Integrators give slowly. Integrate slowly, they say, or go pop. We know Credit categories. Is all. Understand?"
"Sure," I say, frowning slightly. My voice sounds strangely hoarse to my ears scratchier than it should be.
"But," Tarin continues. He stares at me with a piercing sort of gaze. "Still need to condense Firmament, yes? Stronger Firmament, use more Interface skills without tiring."
I think back to the dizziness and throbbing in my head from my overuse of Second Wind; this certainly exins some of that. I still feel a tiny bit of that ache, even now, but strangely it hasn''t been exacerbated by my earlier use of Temporal Echo.
"How do I condense Firmament?"
Tarin gives me a look that I can only interpret as spective. A lot of the energy he''s been showing me bleeds away, and now there''s something deeper in his gaze a cunning I haven''t seen from him before.
"What is Firmament?"
I blink. "I don''t know," I answer. "Some kind of energy. On Earth, we''d probably call it magic."
"Ah," Tarin raises a feather. "But crows have word for magic, too. Why we call Firmament? Why not magic?"
"I don''t know." I bite back the frustration in my voice. Time''s running out. A quick nce at my interface tells me we have about nine hours left, and that''s more time than I thought, but it''s still not enough.
"Firmament unnatural." Tarin jabs that feather at me, and I wince, half-expecting it to be solid as iron; instead, a soft feather graces the center of my chest, and he looks at me with a deep gravity in his eyes. "Firmament from Integrators. Soaks into, into people, see? Different for each. Different, different Firmament."
He''s trying to tell me something, I feel like. I furrow my brows slightly, trying to understand.
"You different from crow." Tarin brings my mind back to the conversation. "What you call yourself?"
"Ethan?"
He gives me a withering look. "Species."
"Human," I rify, embarrassed.
"Human different from crow," Tarin continues. "Crow Firmament condensed by creation. We make things, Firmament get stronger. We progress, Firmament stronger. Human? Don''t know. What you need different from what crow need. Understand?"
"Yes." It makes sense to me, but it doesn''t help. I can''t even sense any Firmament inside myself, for all that my ability to detect it appears to be unusual. "How do I know if my Firmament is getting stronger?"
Tarin takes a moment to consider the question. "You use skill just now," he says, pointing again to the outside of his hut. "You use before? Skill stronger now?"
I remember the way the Firmament zed into existence. It''s a fair bit brighter than thest time I used it, but I don''t know what I''ve done to make it different. "It was stronger," I admit.
Tarin nods. , species, you," he says, listing each item off on his feathers. "Progression different for each. You and other human? Progress differently. But Firmament has stages. Progress enough, you feel change. When you feel change, you must embrace it. Condense it. Important. Understand?"
"I don''t know what condensing it means," I say.
"Make harder. Make stronger." Tarin frowns. "Bring into alignment. You can choose. Tarin thinks you keep your instability. Is strength. But your choice. Firmament aspects not well known."
"Right." I''ll keep that in mind, but none of this seems to be helpful now. I''m itching to leave, to start doing something that will at least give me the credits I need. The spar with Tarin will have helped, but I won''t know how many credits it''s gained me until I trigger a credit reward.
"Ethan." Tarin''s voice stops me in my tracks. Something in his tone is almost... sad. "You see me fight, yes? But harpies still kill me."
What a question to have to answer.
"I... I didn''t see you fight the harpies," I say. "Only just now."
But the truth hangs in the air between us Tarin is capable. More capable than I am. If he died, then there''s more to the raid that I don''t understand.
"Your Trial is repeating Trial, yes?" Tarin says, his gaze drilling into me. It''s still surprising to me how easily he seems to have epted the nature of my Trial, but then I don''t know what he''s used to as far as the Integrators go. Maybe this kind of thing is normal for them. "But this urgent. You anxious. Why?"
I grimace. I should have exined this earlier. It slipped my mind I didn''t think I had to exin any more than that there would be a raid on the vige. "My Trial is a time loop," I say, a little reluctantly; the words sound ridiculous when said out loud, but Tarin doesn''t even flinch. He seems barely surprised at all. "But the Interface says that I only get three chances to stop this raid. If I fail... it says your vige will be removed from my map. I don''t think it just means my map will stop tracking you."
Tarin''s expression darkens, and I realize that I''ve underestimated him.
His speech is a little strange, but it''s just a quirk of the trantion, nothing more. Underneath that speech is a sharp intellect. He calls it an honor to be chosen to host a Trial, but given his willingness to train me, and everything he''s told me so far...
I think he knows exactly what Integration means for his. But he''s holding it back. Why?
Are the Integrators actually watching?
The expression is gone in an instant, and he goes back to light and friendly. "Maybe Integrators just punish you! Make map less useful," he says, his voice surprisingly jovial for what I''ve just seen on his face.
"I think you should consider running," I say quietly, my voice perfectly serious. Tarin shakes his head, slow, almost invisible.
"Against the spirit of the Trial," he says. A quiet anger burns in me the nature of the raid itself is against the spirit of the Trial. But I don''t say anything, because there''s a look in his eyes that seems to be telling me not to say anything more. "We fight! But... stay close, yes? Then you know why we fail. Then you can tell me."
"If we don''t win this time."
"If," Tarin agrees, but he seems convinced that we won''t. "You tell me how Mari and I met next time, yes? Then we get started fast."
"How did you meet?" I blink. Tarin grins at me.
"She threw rock at my head." He shows me a patch on his head where his feathers are just entirely missing, but he seems startlingly proud of it. "Was very good courting rock."
I do not know how to respond to this, and Tarin seems to enjoy my difort. He grabs me by the hand, tugging me along. "Come!" he says. "Need to train you a bit more, yes? Sparring help? We get everyone ready. And hide children! Must find good ces."
I remember the crate, the way the harpy kicked it up into the air. I wince. "Not the crates," I say. "Somewhere they can still escape and run if they''re found. And with each other."
I don''t know if that would actually help. Maybe a quick death is better, but I can''t imagine that''s how I would want to die, in the dark and alone.
Tarin seems to sense what I''m thinking, because he gives me a firm nod. "We have ce," he says. "We keep some guardian crows with them, yes?"
I don''t know if that''s enough, but I nod anyway.
It will have to be.
Chapter 9: Take Two
Chapter 9: Take Two
I spar a few times over the course of the next few hours. Tarin is astonishingly spry and quick on his feet, and recovers in mere moments. It''s an effect of his Firmament, he''s exined, though his maniption of it isn''t particrly involved.
Apparently, basic Firmament maniption is avable to just about anyone on an Integrated. The Interface and its ess to particrly advanced skills, however, are only gifted to Trialgoers.
Unfortunately, basic Firmament maniption isn''t part of the package afforded to me, Trialgoer or not. I give it a go a few times, try to see if I can bend my mind to manipting the thrum of Firmament around me, but eventually I give up there''s only so much time left, and as much as Tarin seems confident I''ll be able to get it, spending time on something with no guaranteed results feels like a waste of time.
At least by sparring against Tarin, I''m guaranteed credits.
The distribution of them still isn''t exactly clear to me, and although I''ve asked the Interface a few times to rify exactly how the credits are distributed, it refuses to tell me anything more than what it''s already told me. With that in mind, sparring seems like the best thing I can do. Tough Body keeps me refreshed and able to recover quicker than normal, though not nearly as quickly as Tarin can. It''s enough to get several rounds in.
But the time of the raid ising up, and the air is getting tense. It''s not just me, either I can see several of the crows looking up nervously towards the cliff, waiting for the signal.
The message is out by now. I''ve seen mothers herding little crows far away from the cliff, and a few of them seem determined to get as far away as possible; they''lle back if the raid is won, they say, but not before. Tarin seems worried about them, but he isn''t able to stop them from leaving.
I only hope the Interface doesn''t cheat. I remember what Tarin said before, and it ignites a cold me in my chest.
Against the spirit of the Trial.
It''s not something he''d say without reason. The implication in it, if I read between the lines right, is that ying outside of the rules set forward has consequences or maybe just that there isn''t a point. Maybe the Integrators are so powerful that trying to work around their rules doesn''t actually help.
It makes sense. I can see the way I''ve been hemmed in to doing this in just three tries, the way I''ve been forced to do it quickly. I can''t just avoid the raid. I can''t keep myself alive after the raid, training and preparing myself for the next attempt.
The moment I was told I had three attempts, I had, effectively, twenty-four hours until the Cliffside Crows were erased entirely.
I take my mind off of the uing raid and nce to Tarin. "Rest," he squawks at me, noticing my gaze. One winged arm pushed a bowl of water towards me, and then a bowl of fruit; I ept both gratefully.
The fruit is strange. It''s not something I''ve seen just going through the forest Tarin tells me it''s hard to find, and even harder to prepare. It''s only avable in the uppermost branches of the tallest trees, and where the leaves are sparse and mostly plucked clean by other, lesser birds.
The raw fruit is just a vaguely spherical shell covered in streaks of red and yellow. It''s something like a malformed apple, I suppose. Cracking it open is apparently difficult it requires a precise application of Firmament because the shell itself is deadly poison, and breaking it incorrectly drips that poison into the inner fruit.
Break it properly, though, and the inside is delicious and apparently deeply nutritious. I''m not sure how well crow nutrition maps to human nutrition, but I take the offering for what it is, and chew on the sweet, surprisingly stringy flesh as I wait. It''s been scattered with a thin powder that adds just a hint of tartness, apparently a specialty of Mari''s, and then roasted to add a richness of vor.
All of this Mari exins to me, chattering away as she breaks open yet another one of the fruits, gives it a quick pass over an open me, and then sprinkles it with seasoning and serves it to a grateful guard-crow. It''s her way of tucking away her nervousness, I can tell, and it''s... it''s maybe a little more than that.
I see it in her eyes. She isn''t sure I''ll win.
Maybe she wants a small piece of the vige to stay with me if I fail. A small part of their culture, forever remembered in a tiny fragment of what was. Does it say something, then, that if her vige is to be remembered, her choice is to be remembered in food thatforts and heals?
I stare at the cliff and wait, lost in silent contemtion. It''s about fifteen more minutes until the raid starts, and no one is in the mood for any conversation. Even Mari''s chatter has petered off.
And then that small earthquake hits the rumble that indicates that the raid is about to begin. Tarin nces at me, and I give him a slight nod; he pokes at the bowl he''s holding, and scowls as it falls apart.
One of the guard-crows, standing with them, tosses aside the now-useless spear. He seems to shiver slightly, then shakes his head, looking slightly panicked. The figures above the cliff have appeared, though they''re distant shadows in the sky, only barely visible in the purple re of the sun.
[ Warning: You are in range of a Raid! ]
I snort at the phrasing. It''s not like I was given a choice. What am I meant to do? Run away?
[ Rank E Raid Lost Harpies proceeding! You have two chances to beat this raid. If you fail, Cliffside Crows will be removed from your map. ]
Sure. Thanks.
I pick up the mantis-scythe that Iid out beside me and tighten my fist around the makeshift handle.
"Sir," a crow says nervously. I''m a little stunned by the ent the trantor gives him. Is that a British ent? Why? "Our Firmament is being suppressed."
Tarin''s eyes darken. "Feel it too," he says. "Pushed down a whole level. Cheating. Again."
"What... should we do?" The other crow''s voice is hesitant, nervous. I don''t me him. The harpies are circling, but starting to spread out.
"Vige still need you," Tarin says, fixing the crow with a stern stare. He softens a little when he sees the way the crow''s branch trembles in his arms. They''ve all kept their spears with them in case they can fight the disenchantment somehow, but as a backup thanks to my warning they''ve brought along thick, heavy branches, to use as improvised clubs. It won''t be better than the spears they''ve been training with, but it''s certainly better than nothing. "You can fight?"
The crow seems uncertain for a moment, but then he steadies his resolve, letting out a breath. "They won''t get the best of us, sir," he says.
I feel sorry for him. He looks young barely out of adulthood. He shouldn''t have to do this.
None of them should.
The harpies above are spreading out, just as they didst time. I tried my best to tell Tarin where and how theynd, but I wasn''t in a position to see all of themst loop. It''s the reason we''re situated where we are now, at a small cavern a short ways up the cliff. It''s surprisingly hidden from above, a fragment of rock shielding us from immediate view, and it''ll give me a good vantage point to see where the harpiesnd in case we don''t seed in one attempt.
That''s what this is. That''s what this wasst time, too nning for the next attempt while trying to win the current one. If this one fails...
It''ll be time to go all out. No more being careful, trying to prepare for the next loop.
For now, we wait.
The harpies dive past us in short order I see and record the way they spread out, five points across the vige to hem them in. There''s two to each point, and the final twond nearly in the center of the vige. Tarin''s scattered a few crows down there to help defend, but they won''t be much use with their Firmament suppressed. We have to hurry.
Tarin apparently feels the same way. "Go!" he squawks, and all five of us up on the cliff immediately leap off. I''m not that confident in surviving a fall from this high, even with Tough Body giving me additional durability, but fortunately the giant crows can glide; we''ve already tested this. Two of them grab me by the arms, and I grit my teeth as I feel their talons pressing into my skin.
They drop me off next to a set of two harpies, and then I don''t have time to think.
I''ve seen in thest iteration that given a crow to focus on and me, they''ll target the crows. It''s easy enough to guess why: the nature of the Trial I''m ines to mind.
It''s a Willpower Trial. They won''t be testing my will if they''re not killing people in front of me.
A heat spreads through me.
Anger, at least, isfortable and familiar.
I have tomend the crows carrying me they drop me off almost exactly on top of one of the harpies. Keeping my bnce in the air is a little harder than I expect, and I tumble a little bit too far to the right, but that doesn''t matter. The harpy I''m aiming for is well within range of my scythe, and I strike out right as I hit the ground.
I''m unbnced, of course. It''s not a maneuver that I''ve bothered practicing, and so when I hit the ground I fall into an uncontrolled roll; I have to let go of the scythe so I don''t identally stab myself, but the pain is thankfully dull, and nothing in my body breaks.
The harpy screams.
A normal scream, not a Firmament-enhanced one. I''ve scored a heavy gash across the harpy''s shoulder, and her attention is on me, now; the crow guard standing nearby is engaged with the other one, and with prior warning about their screams, is doing much better against her.
I focus on the one I have to fight.
She''s off-bnce enough that I have the time to scramble for my weapon, but a gathering of Firmament in the air tells me I have to dodge almost as soon as I grab it. I force myself to twist almost unnaturally, groaning with the effort, and just barely manage to dodge the oing scream.
This time, the shockwave and st of dirt isn''t enough to knock me over, and I charge.
I know what to expect this time.
Harpies favor screaming as their attack, followed by kicking; they can attack and scratch with their arms, but that doesn''t pose nearly as much danger to me at the moment. Tough Body increases the effects of Tough Skin to the extent that des are more likely to bruise than actually cut me, let alone their dull talons.
I sweep a kick at the harpy''s legs, and she leaps up into the air tounch a powerful kick straight towards my face; I step to the side, curving my scythe down and towards her neck. I see her pping her wings, trying to shift aside in midair, but I twist along with her.
My scythe cuts into her neck.
[ You have defeated an Elegy of the Lost (Rank E)! +14 Strength credits. +16 Durability credits. +20 Reflex credits. +27 Speed credits. +2 Firmament credits. ]
It''s almost insultingly easy. I think back to the trouble I had justst loop and grimace.
The sparring with Tarin''s definitely paid off, at least. I look at the points, considering whether or not I should just spend them now
but a cry of pain nearby pulls me back into the game, and I grab my scythe.
Again, it''s almost insultingly easy.
[ You have defeated an Elegy of the Lost (Rank E)! +1 Strength credit. +1 Reflex credit. +2 Speed credits. +2 Firmament credits. ]
The harpy''s already distracted by her battle with the guard, and with him distracting her, all I have to do is run up. I''m fast about it he''s on the verge of losing, and I can see the fear in his eyes; his club''s been knocked out of his hands.
I sink my scythe into her heart before she finishes her scream.
I have to run clockwise around the vige to get to the next one, but it''s not too far. This harpy''s teamed up with her partner instead of splitting up, and the singr crow left here to fight is struggling. I won''t get there in time.
But my Temporal Echo will. This is where I foughtst loop. It''s where I swung my de blindly, hoping to have an opportunity to use it this loop.
[ You have defeated an Elegy of the Lost (Rank E)! +1 Speed credit. +1 Firmament credit. ]
The fourth harpy is distracted by the sudden ze of blue cutting a scythe directly across her partner, and I''m able to easily take her out.
[ You have defeated an Elegy of the Lost (Rank E)! +1 Firmament credit. ]
The credit rewards are decreasing, but it doesn''t matter. We''re doing well. It''s surprising how much easier this raid is with just a little bit of preparation and cooperation
"Ethan!"
I recognize the yell.
I recognize the fear and anger in it.
It''s Mari, and she''s calling for help.
Chapter 10: Melody
Chapter 10: Melody
I spin and charge for the center of the vige, where I know both Mari and Tarin are. A part of me desperately hopes I''m not toote, even knowing that I can''t be that there will be another chance. Seven loops, it seems, are not quite enough for the brain to recognize that there will be other chances.
But then I don''t want to act like there''s always going to be a chance in the future, do I? Sometimes there won''t be. The Interface has made that very, very clear.
Which means it''s time to use the points I''ve been holding on to.
[ Are you sure you wish to bank 67 Speed credits? ]
Yes. I''m going to need to find a way to turn off that confirmation prompt. I suppose it''s useful, but still.
[ 67 Speed credits spent! Rolling for results... ]
[ Select between:
Rapid Oscition (Rank C)
Firestep (Rank C)
Kic Transfer (Rank C) ]
Despite my hopes, there''s no critical roll this time. I suppose it''s a bit much to ask for.
Kic Transfer and Firestep are both presumably better than Rapid Oscition; thetter sounds too situational, even beyond the fact that I''m not sure what it even does besides make me vibrate. Firestep seems more immediately helpful, assuming it makes me faster, and Kic Transfer seems like the type of skill that would have a lot of broad applications...
Damn. This is the first time I''ve really wanted both skills. Hopefully I''ll get another chance to pick, but Firestep is more immediately useful, both now and for the foreseeable future.
As long as I don''t set the forest on fire, anyway.
[ Firestep obtained! ]
I activate the skill as soon as I get it, feeling Firmament suddenly churn to life inside of me. The reason for the name of the skill bes immediately clear the Firmament it uses is hot, burning inside of me like I have a furnace boiling just underneath my skin.
Every step I take is excruciating. But they''re fast, too. They channel a power I still don''t understand, blurring my feet beneath me and leaving a literal trail of fire in my wake. I can feel the small trickle of Firmament I''m leaving behind, and even that small trickle is enough to burn ferociously.
Fortunately, the ground beneath me is simple dirt, and I don''t have to worry about the fire spreading. I catch some of the crow guards staring at me ck-jawed, and some harpies turn towards me, recognizing me as a threat, but I ze past them all.
I only have a second to process the sight I''m seeing in front of me.
Mari is struggling, her throat gripped in the hands of a harpy that looks exactly like all the others and yet the sheer strength of the Firmament I feel radiating off of it is wrong. It''s a step above everyone else. Mari is putting as much as she can into her wings, trying to tear off the harpy''s grip, but with her Firmament suppressed and half of it keeping her neck intact and reinforcing her lungs...
She''s stronger than most of the others in the vige, but she''s not strong enough.
Tarin''s upied. There''s a second harpy that''s radiating a simr amount of Firmament, the thrum in the air powerful and chilling. He''s not exactly doing better than his wife, either. Mari is rtively unscratched, but Tarin is bleeding all over, deep crimson clumping his feathers together, and his breathing is hard andbored. He can''t spare a second to even look away from the harpy he''s fighting they''re both moving so fast it''s hard for me to keep up.
This... this exins why the crows all died so quickly in thest loop. I should have realized.
Where there are raids, there are raid bosses.
With the crows prepared, they canst a little longer, but
I''m wasting time.
Firestep is still active, burning away under my skin, and I charge forward in a burst of speed, targeting the harpy holding Mari by the throat. She seems willing to wait, taking a certain sadistic pride in watching the crow''s life ebb away. It''s more intelligence than I''ve seen from any of the other harpies.
Fortunately for me, that intelligence takes away from pure animal instinct. One of the other harpies might have noticed an angry, partially-on-fire human charging towards them; this one does not, and my fist crashes into her face with all the Firestep-fueled force I can muster. Fire trails behind my fist as it does, carrying with it a blistering heat.
It''s a powerful blow. I know it''s a powerful blow, and for a moment when the sound of a sharp crack rings through the vige I think that I''ve won. I think that I''ve broken her neck, and that the rest of the raid will be easy.
It''s my mistake, of course. It''s only when the pain filters in through the haze of Firestep that I realize that crack isn''t the sound of her neck breaking. It''s the sound of my hand, my knuckles fracturing and splintering under the force of my own blow.
Even with Tough Body, it''s not enough.
Second Wind.
I don''t have time to be crippled by the pain of a broken fist. Blue light springs to life, cradling my broken fingers and washing away the pain, and I swing with my other hand, the one holding the scythe. The n had been simple: the first blow was meant to stagger her and force her to let go of Mari, and I''d wanted to follow it up with a second strike to slit her throat and kill her.
But now my first blow''s failed. The scythe glows with my Firmament, Second Wind reinforcing it, and the edge of the de gleams wickedly as it streaks towards her neck. It cuts into her neck just barely I can feel it threaten to tear its way out of my hand and snap in half, and it''s only Second Wind that holds it together
But she spins rapidly, swinging Mari towards me to catch me in a heavy strike. I hop backwards to put myself out of range of retaliation, leaving more fire in my wake, and in response the harpy simply throws Mari at me.
At thest second I correct my course and steady myself, allowing Firestep to fall away and catching Mari as best I can without being knockedpletely over. She gasps for breath as I steady her, huffing a word of thanks, but my eyes aren''t on her. They''re on the harpy.
A second of distraction means death. Death isn''t permanent, but I haven''t found out everything I can. I need to make sure the harpies have no more surprises in store for me. This is thest chance I''ll have to gather information.
It''s three against two, and that''s going to have to be enough.
"Together!" Mari squawks, and I nod in agreement. She knows as well as I do what''s at stake here. I switch the scythe over to my dominant hand, noticing for the first time the way my Firmament reacts as it moves from one hand to the other. Second Wind keeps me intact for as long as the skill is running, and it tries to extend to whatever I''m wearing and holding as well.
It''s like discovering I have control of a muscle that I didn''t know I had. It''s a difficult muscle to flex, certainly, but with what little focus I spare I force just a little more Firmament into the scythe.
I''ll need it.
The harpy smirks at us, perfectly confident in her own power. Tarin groans to the side, a half-scream emerging from his beak as talons cut deep into his chest but he stands again, staggering to his feet, and squares off against his opponent.
The blood around him is almost a puddle, and none of it is the harpy''s. He seems alright for now, but he''s keeping himself alive through Firmament and determination and little else. If he doesn''t get medical attention...
Mari bursts into action, and I follow suit.
We need to take care of what I''ll call Harpy 1 fast. Tarin won''t hold off Harpy 2 for much longer.
Harpy 1 isn''t just going to let us charge at her, of course. I see the way Firmament begins to build in her throat, and I dart out of the way. "Dodge!" I call, and Mari trusts me immediately, swerving to the side; the scream that bursts out of Harpy 1''s throat is several times more powerful than the other, lesser harpies. It''s a solid block of sound that digs deep into the dirt and sts out a shockwave powerful enough that both Mari and I are knocked away. Tarin stumbles, and Harpy 2 is sent sprawling.
It''s a moment he can capitalize on, but we don''t have time to assist. Harpy 1 is already rounding on me, kicking up a solid cloud of dust as she darts in my general direction. I grit my teeth and activate Firestep again, charging to meet her. I''m trusting Mari to back me up
and she does exactly that. She ms into Harpy 1 like a beautiful, winged meteor, her Firmament wrapped around her like a shield. It''s not quite enough to knock the harpy entirely off course, but it''s enough to slow her down, and it gives me just enough time to react to the talons thate up to eviscerate me.
I step to the side, grabbing her by the ankle and pulling. My scythe glows with Firmament and speeds towards her neck, and for the first time I see a flicker of panic enter her eyes. She lets her other leg slip and falls, gravity assisting her with the dodge I try to react, to angle my scythe down, but it''s just enough to slice deep into the flesh under her chin and not quite at her neck.
Even then, there''s a surprising amount of resistance.
I have to be quick. Second Wind isn''t going tost forever, and I don''t want to push it like I didst loop. Even Firestep is starting to fade from my veins.
Thankfully, I''m not alone. Mari''s wing cuts towards Harpy 1''s throat like a vengeful god, and at thest second I reach out, my hand brushing against her wing. I treat it like an extension of my own body, the way I had with the scythe, and my Second Wind Firmament reaches out to envelop her wing.
It''s pure instinct that drives me to do this, and I see from the look of surprise on Mari''s face that she hadn''t expected it. But it works: her wing slices through Harpy 1''s neck like butter.
[ You have defeated a Lament of a Sister (Rank D)! +10 Strength credits. +3 Durability credits. +6 Reflex credits. +12 Speed credits. +9 Firmament credits. ]
The name makes me freeze. A horrible suspicion worms its way into my mind.
Right on cue, Harpy 1''s corpse begins to flicker with Firmament.
This time, the thrum is loud enough to be audible, and within that thrum I hear a song: an old, grief-stricken song, sung through a melodious voice.
There''s nothing I can do about it when the air, thick with Firmament, whirls towards Harpy 2. Even Tarin seems to sense that something is wrong he jumps back warily, just in time for that Firmament to wrap into Harpy 2.
It''s almost like an embrace.
But the effect is nothing like that of an embrace. Harpy 2 grows angrier than ever, and the sheer weight of her Firmament pushes out across all three of us. I''m the only one that''s really affected Mari and Tarin don''t seem to notice, but they do recognize that Harpy 2 is a bigger threat now.
I don''t think they realize how much. Second Wind and Firestep are both tapering off, and another activation is going to strain my Firmament again.
It''s three against one, but I don''t like our odds. On cue, Harpy 2 gathers her Firmament. I scramble to get out of the way, yelling for Mari and Tarin to do the same, but whates out of her mouth isn''t a scream at all.
It''s a song.
A song with an impossible weight to it, dangling over us like an inescapable trap and then it descends, crushing all three of us in a single, grisly instant.
[ You have died. +4 Firmament credits. ]
Chapter 11: Culmination
Chapter 11: Culmination
I wake up, roll out of the way, and activate Temporal Echo. With diminishing returns being what they are, it''s no longer worth fighting the mantis myself and besides, I don''t trust myself not to make a mistake. My mind is still spinning, going over thosest few moments again and again.
It''s not just the song. It''s not just the implication behind the names of the two monsters. It''s also very much those two things, but
I gained Firmament credits. Why?
No matter how much I roll the thought around in my head, I don''t know. Maybe it''s the number of Firmament abilities I used, but if it''s possible to gain Firmament credits through practice, then the gains should all be folded into Harpy 1''s death. Maybe it''s the fact that I faced off against an opponent a full magnitude stronger than I am.
That''s the best guess I have at the moment. Harpy 2''s song is eerily simr to the way the Interface crushed me two loops ago. I don''t think they''re necessarily rted, but...
[ You have defeated a Broken Horror (Rank E)! ]
Not even a single Firmament credit. I grimace and let my Temporal Echo fade away, picking up the scythe and forming a n of action. I''d expected that anyway, with the diminishing returns.
If we''re going to defeat the harpies, we''re going to have to kill both Laments at the same time. There''s no more time for training, no more time for hesitation I need to use every single one of my assets.
Which means it''s time to bank everything.
I nce over my stats, hesitating for a second. But I don''t want to bank everything midbat. It''s hard enough as it is to figure out what every skill does, and I want the time to pick through my choices, not just pick the first one that fits my situation.
It feels... almost like a waste? But I think it''s time.
I start with Strength.
[ 47 Strength credits spent! Rolling for results... ]
[ Select between:
Crystallized Strength (Rank C)
Adrenaline Rush (Rank D)
Strength Enhancement (Rank D) ]
I''m starting to see a pattern for these credits. Nothing concrete, and some of my data doesn''t fully line up; my first Firmament skill is ridiculously highly ranked for the amount of points put into it, if the pattern so far is any indication.
I pick the higher-ranked skill for this one. I can''t tell much from the names alone they all seem to be generic enhancements, and one of them is literally named that so all else being equal, I''m going to assume the one with the highest rank will do the most for me.
[ Crystallized Strength obtained! ]
Next, Durability.
[ 37 Durability credits spent! Rolling for results... ]
[ Select between:
Steel Body (Rank D)
Frozen Moment (Rank D)
Barrier (Rank D) ]
I take a moment to think about this one.
Steel Body would be unterally useful; it''s the upgrade to Tough Body, if I had to guess, which means I''ll naturally get it if I can upgrade that skill again. Frozen Moment is vague, but might protect me for a fraction of a second. Or freeze everyone around me, but that doesn''t sound like a Durability skill.
Barrier is the most obvious of them all, and strikes a nice bnce between Frozen Moment and Steel Body. A general upgrade would be good, but I doubt it''s going to be good enough, and I think I can get it by other means. Frozen Moment is... risky. If I get a good Reflex skill, I might be able to use it well, but if the moment ends too early or I mistime it then I''m screwed.
A barrier I can keep up, and I might even be able to use it to protect Mari and especially Tarin. I doubt I''m taking out those two harpies by myself, as much as I''d like to.
[ Barrier obtained! ]
My first Reflex skill is next.
[ 58 Reflex credits spent! Rolling for results... ]
[ Select between:
Mental eleration (Rank C)
Automatic Reflex (Rank C)
Danger Sense (Rank C) ]
This one is... interesting. Mental eleration is the most broadly useful, whether it''s an active skill like Second Wind or a passive one like Tough Body. Automatic Reflex... presumably allows me to automatically respond to an input stimuli with any chosen skill or action? It''s hard to tell; the names are vague. If I''m right, it''s not a bad skill to use inbination with something like Barrier or Frozen Moment, but also not independently useful.
Danger Sense is something I can already do, to a certain extent. I have ''unstable Firmament'', whatever that means, and the apparent result of that lets me sense it when Firmament is umting. It would be helpful for exploring something like the Fracture, so an enemy doesn''te out of nowhere and bludgeon me to death, but it''s not as immediately useful for the uing fight.
Mental eleration it is.
[ Mental eleration obtained! ]
Speed I only have twelve points in, but I bank them anyway. I want every advantage I can get.
[ 12 Speed credits spent! Rolling for results... ]
[ Select between:
Triplestep (Rank E)
Inertial Deepening (Rank E)
Directed Speed (Rank E) ]
Triplestep sounds generally useful for movement and travel, if I take the name literally. I have no idea what Inertial Deepening means, but if I had to guess... it makes it harder for my inertia to be changed. It would take more energy to slow me down, or to start moving me.
Directed Speed... might make me move faster in a specific direction? Like Triplestep, but less generally useful, and maybe a little faster in return.
Inertial Deepening is the most interesting of the three, but Triplestep is broadly useful. I suspect a Rank E skill isn''t going to help me that much in the fight against the harpies, anyway.
[ Triplestep obtained! ]
Last but not least... Firmament.
It''s been a while since I picked up myst Firmament skill. Temporal Echo is the only skill I have that doesn''t match all the data I have on credit distribution and skill rank. There are a few reasons I can think of for that maybe I got ridiculously lucky, for example. Maybe it''s the nature of the Trial I''m in. It''s a Rank SSS Trial, and I can only assume that the rewards aremensurate.
Assuming there are rewards at all.
Alternatively, it might be the situation I''m in. It hasn''t escaped my notice that the first three Firmament skills I rolled for were all in some way rted to the fight I just had. I have no doubt that Temporal skills, such as they are, are higher rank than their counterparts; if the pool of skills it''s pulling from is more limited...
But this is all spection. I have twenty-nine Firmament credits. If the credit distribution I''ve been seeing is anything to go by, I''d expect to get a Rank D skill from this, with maybe a small chance at getting a Rank C skill. Considering how useful Temporal Echo has been and has the potential to be...
It''s worth it to bank now, I think. A Firmament skill might change everything.
[ 29 Firmament credits spent! Rolling for results... ]
[ Select between:
Temporal Echo (Rank D)
Firmament Maniption (Rank D)
Sonic Scream (Rank D) ]
I stare at my selections and frown.
It''s evident that Firmament skills pick from my experiences Temporal Echo, Firmament Maniption, and Sonic Scream are all direct from things I''ve been doing. Presumably Firmament Maniption will make things a little bit easier, and maybe allow me to move around Firmament that isn''t my own. Temporal Echo... I don''t know what getting a copy of Temporal Echo is going to do. It''s good to know it''s possible to get skill duplicates at all, but what a skill duplicate does...
"What does getting a duplicate of a skill do?" I ask, just in case.
This time, there''s no response.
I don''t want Sonic Scream. It''s a good ranged skill, and might even be something that would be useful in my kit but I don''t see a good variety of uses for it. It''s an offensive skill and nothing else, and that''s not bad, but... I find myself wanting more. Maybe if I have the points to spare, one day.
Firmament Maniption would give me something like what the crows can do, reinforcing and strengthening specific body parts; hopefully, I won''t have to have Second Wind active to be able to sense and move Firmament.
I already know what Temporal Echo does. I don''t know what getting it again would do but I''ve seen a skill getting upgraded, so I assume it would do something simr. It... feels like a lot to gamble on. There''s more to Temporal Echo, I know there is; every time I touch on the skill it gives me a sense that it can be deeper, that it can do more.
Do I want to spend my points on the gamble that an upgraded Temporal Echo will let me do more? Or do I keep the skill as it is, exploring it to its limits until I''m forced to upgrade it?
I linger longer on this choice than the others. Firmament Maniption feels like the best choice, but something about Temporal Echo is calling to me.
On the other hand... I''ve gotten Temporal Echo more than once already, and with less points spent. If I can get a copy for less points, then I should. I''ll have to test it out, but all signs point to the idea that getting Temporal Echo for the third time shouldn''t be that hard.
Firmament Maniption it is.
[ Firmament Maniption obtained! ]
I take a moment to look over my new skills and consider the results. The rating scale I have in mind seemsrgely urate under ten for F-rank skills, under twenty-five for E rank skills, under fifty for D-rank... under a hundred for C-rank, though I have no proof of that.
There''s some chance of rolling a skill that''s at least one rank higher than your current bracket. Critical rolls boost the rank of a skill, and clearly something happened to let me get a D-rank Firmament skill so early on in the Trial. I don''t know what to make of that yet, but I''m banking on it happening again.
Of the five categories, Durability is the closest to that hundred-point milestone. I should consolidate that as soon as I can what happens when I hit a hundred points banked is a feature of the Interface I''m still not sure about, and the sooner I understand it the better. All I remember is something about a bonus.
I''ve gained Crystallized Strength, Barrier, Mental eleration, Triplestep, and Firmament Maniption. But getting new skills is one thing. I have to test them out, get used to them...
The best way to do that will be through practice. I''ll spar with Tarin again, if he''s willing, but first, I need to make sure these new skills aren''t going to kill anyone.
Or trip me up.
I start towards the nearest tree, and note the difference almost immediately.
Firmament wraps around my feet when I move. What should take thirty steps takes only ten, and I''m suddenly right next to the tree, deep-purple wood towering over me. I take a breath and invoke both Barrier and Crystallized Strength, dual Firmaments ringing inside of me a sh of blue surrounds my fist, and I feel more than I see the effect of Crystallized Strength, like attice of Firmament wrapped around every fiber of muscle.
It''s painful.
But when my fist hits the tree, it does so with an explosion of sound. Bark shatters outwards, a solid half of the trunk cratering inwards; the entire tree sways, and I hear the telltale cracking of wood as it begins to topple. I note the line it''s about to fall in, and realize it''s going tond almost directly on top of the mantis'' corpse.
I Triplestep, realize halfway across that it won''t be enough, and move up a level to Firestep; thepounded speed takes me to the mantis'' corpse in an instant. I pick off the scythe, use a burst of Crystallized Strength to yank off the other one with a crack, just in case I need it, then nce up.
The tree falls towards me, almost in slow motion. Mental eleration.
Curious, I wait for it to fall, stepping just a hair''s breadth back and letting the tree breeze past in front of me. Another Crystallized Strength, this time backed with Firmament Maniption to pack as much Firmament as I can into my arm, a Barrier to protect my skin...
The Barrier I used breaks from the sheer force of the blow. My knuckles bleed, but the Barrier''s protected me from enough force that none of them are broken.
The trunk of the tree cracks in half from the sheer force of the blow, and the entire thing rotates,nding almost forty-five degrees off from the power of my fist alone.
I stare at it for a moment, and then let myself feel a bit of hope.
Third try. Last try.
I won''t let them down.
[ Loop 8 in progress. ]
[ Status:
Name: Ethan
Strength Skills: Crystallized Strength (Rank C)
Durability Skills: Tough Body (Rank E), Second Wind (Rank B), Barrier (Rank D)
Reflex Skills: Mental eleration (Rank C)
Speed Skills: Firestep (Rank C), Triplestep (Rank E)
Firmament Skills: Temporal Echo (Rank D), Firmament Maniption (Rank D)
Credit Distribution:
Strength: 0 (47 banked)
Durability: 0 (84 banked)
Reflex: 0 (58 banked)
Speed: 0 (79 banked)
Firmament: 0 (31 banked) ]
Chapter 12: Third Try
Chapter 12: Third Try
This time, I head for Tarin''s house immediately. Triplestep lets me reach the crows in record time I reach the Cliffside Crows in just under an hour, leaving eleven on the clock until the raid begins.
Tarin, I know, is still asleep. But there isn''t any time to waste, and so I barge into his home uninvited, and then copy Mari''s trick. Firmament flows into my lungs, courtesy of Firmament Maniption.
"Tarin?" I ask.
...Okay. Maybe using Firmament isn''t quite as simple as just shoving energy into my lungs and hoping for the best.
Still, the crow seems to recognize that I''m in his home. He bursts out of the pile of hay, ready to fight, and then looks utterly baffled when he sees me standing there.
"Who you?" he asks.
"I''m a Trialgoer," I respond, figuring that''s the best way to introduce myself. "I know this is sudden, but your vige is about to be attacked."
"Trialgoer!" Tarin says, suddenly excited, before his expression switches to a frown. As best as I can read it, anyway. Beaks aren''t particrly good for frowning. "What you talking about? How you know my name?"
I should probably start from the beginning. I''m not actually used to this, for all that I''ve met them twice now.
"My Trial is temporal," I exin quickly. "Every time I die, I''m sent back in time. I''ve done all this before been here, spoken to you and your wife, everything. We get attacked by harpies in about eleven hours in a raid as a part of the Trial. I need your help to get the vigers ready."
This time, Tarin is notably more suspicious of me. It''s probably rted to the fact that I barged into his home without knocking though in my defense, the door to his hut isn''t particrly... a surface I can knock on. It''s a strip of cloth, and there''s no bell attached to the front that I''ve seen.
"Prove it," Tarin says, and fortunately, I remember what he told me in thest iteration.
"You told me to tell you how you met Mari," I say.
"And how did we meet?" Tarin asks. He somehow manages to look excited and skeptical all at once, his wings folded in front of him but his entire body standing on tiptoes. He wants to believe me... and there''s a certain sharpness in his eyes, now that I''ve spoken to him a little more. I can read him a little better.
"You said Mari threw a courting rock at you," I tell him, and he trills with delight.
"Yes!" Tarin ps his wings together. "It was very good courting rock. You know where Mari? Best if she help!"
"I think she was around the edge of the vige," I say, because that''s where she approached mest loop. But that''s something that happens about an hour from now. "I don''t know where she is now, though."
"Bah!" Tarin says. "I find. You wait!"
He takes three steps, and then immediately trips over a chair. I stare for a moment.
"Tarin," I say, remembering another thing from thatst loop. "Your eyes...?"
"Ah!" Tarin doesn''t move from his position, half-nted into the floor but there''s a sudden sense of power, and he''s much steadier when he does get up. He ps his wings once, then darts out of the door.
A secondter, I hear a sense of power, and cover my ears in preparation for the thundering "Mari!" that echoes across the vige. It''s almost a wonder that nothing breaks, but I''ve seen the strength of their Firmament enchantments by now.
What''s a bit more surprising to me is how everyone outside looks entirely unperturbed. Is this just something they''re used to?
Mari returns in short order, and to my surprise starts fussing over me. She seems almost grateful for some reason, though I can''t imagine why. Tarin stands behind her, looking inexplicably proud of himself.
...I don''t ask any questions.
Mari''s insistent on getting all of us food and a drink, and I don''t protest. Thest several loops have just about wiped all memory of how pleasant it is to sit down and have a warm meal, and while the stakes are dire, the meal is also an opportunity to talk.
And so I do. I tell them about the specifics of the raid the number of harpies, where each of themnd, and the specifics of how the raid appears to suppress their Firmament capabilities. That knowledge makes Tarin and Mari both darken a bit.
"Of course they cheat," Tarin mutters. I stare at him for a moment, seeing that spark of sharpness in his eyes again but he notices me looking at him, and he points a wing at me.
"Your Firmament unstable," he tells me. "You know already? I tell you?"
I note, with some relief, that this time he doesn''t outright call my Firmament weak. "You did," I confirm. "You told me to keep it. I can sense what other people are doing with their Firmament better that way."
"Yes," Tarin nods. "Your Firmament is your strength. Unstable Firmament rare! Your thing? Or... what you call yourself?"
"Human," I say, this time catching on to the question.
"Or human thing," he continues. "But! Not important. Yet. Maybeter in Trial, yes?"
I don''t know what might happenter in the Trial, but I nod, taking him seriously. His world has already encountered the Integrators and their Trials, after all. That information seems prudent.
"More importantly," I say, catching both their attentions. "There''s the two harpies that attack the center of the vige."
Both crows listen attentively as I describe the two Laments and what they''re capable of. They seem equally agitated when I describe the trouble they had fighting off the Laments, dering it a cheap trick to fight them with their Firmament suppressed so heavily and I don''t disagree. It''s clear that this is a cheap trick on the part of the Integrators, making the Trial artificially difficult for me.
They''re trying to force me to make a mistake.
"Need to kill them at the same time," Mari squawks, and I agree.
I''m still not confident I can do it alone. I''m stronger now by a full order of magnitude, but it remains to be seen if that will mean anything against the harpies.
It should. I''m hopeful.
We will see.
It''s almost time for the raid.
I''ve practiced as much as I dared to with Tarin. He''s still more than able to keep up with me, despite how much I''ve grown. It makes me wonder exactly how much the Integrators suppress him and his wife during the raid. I can defeat any one of their guards fairly handily, now, but Mari and Tarin themselves?
They''re forces to be reckoned with.
We''ve got a n mostly set up for the uing battle. Now that Tarin and Mari each know what to expect and what the harpies can do, they assure me that they''ll be able to hold on long enough for me to take care of the other ten harpies. Firestep and Triplestep inbination both give me tremendous speed but the longer I take, the harder it will be for Mari and Tarin to help me out in the fight itself.
I have to pace myself. I can''t wear my Firmament out entirely Tarin''s warned me that the strength of my Firmament doesn''t yet match up to the variety of skills I have avable, and if I push it too hard I might find it more difficult to use Firmament right when I need it.
So I resolve not to do that. Speed is the priority, and most likely more than enough to deal with the base Elegies, along with my scythe. I''ll save Crystallized Strength and the like for the Laments.
I''ve asked the Interface if any crow deaths will persist past the raid, but it hasn''t given me an answer. I don''t want to make any assumptions about it. There''s no reason that would happen nothing in the phrasing of the raid that indicated that would be a possibility and yet I find myself still paranoid about it nheless. The Integrators strike me as the type to be petty.
I''m distracting myself with thoughts.
We haven''t bothered hiding halfway up the cliff this time, since we know where all the harpies willnd. Instead, we''re hiding. I''m enclosed within the hut that''s closest to the firstnding spot, near the northern edge of the vige.
[ Warning: You are in range of a Raid! ]
There we go. It''s time. I don''t need to give a signal Tarin''s made sure everyone knows what the small earthquake that apanies the start of the raids means. He''s made sure they''re aware that their weapons will be useless and their Firmament suppressed.
So many of them are fighting anyway. So many fighting to protect their homes, their children. More than before, even, because now they know their warriors won''t be enough, and even the nonbatants have taken up arms.
[ Rank E Raid Lost Harpies proceeding! You have one more chance to beat this raid. If you fail, Cliffside Crows will be removed from your map. ]
One more chance.
Firestep. Triplestep.
I dart out of the house, mes burning around me, just as the first harpiesnd. My scythe restsfortably in my right hand, and a small push with Firmament Maniption sends a trickle of Firestep down into the scythe, too. It imbues it with a little more speed, a little more offensive power...
I cut clean through the neck of the first harpy before she realizes what''s happened.
[ You have defeated an Elegy of the Lost (Rank E)! +5 Strength credits. +1 Reflex credit. +5 Speed credits. +1 Firmament credit. ]
Diminishing returns suck, but all that sparring with Tarin''s paid off a bit. I just need a single quick roll to test an idea.
[ 1 Firmament credit spent! Rolling for results... ]
[ Select between:
Temporal Echo (Rank D)
Tree Punching (Rank F)
Sparring (Rank F) ]
I was right. I select Temporal Echo without a second thought. I''m already fighting the second harpy as I do this, sidestepping past her scream and cleaving my scythe through the center of her skull.
I grimace at the sight. I''m not doing that one again.
[ Temporal Echo obtained! ]
[ Temporal Echo (Rank D) has evolved to Temporal Fragment (Rank C)! ]
I doubt banking any of my other credits will help me now, but this will have to be enough.
Now I''m ready.
Chapter 13: Boss Fight
Chapter 13: Boss Fight
The ten harpies around the borders of the vige pose almost no threat to me now. It''s almost disconcerting to think about how quickly I''ve grown and yet I don''t know if it''s enough.
None of the other kills give me a single credit, and it''s both disappointing and a relief at the same time. Disappointing because the credits will keep me alive, of course, but a relief because I do not ever want deaths to mean nothing more than a number of points to me. Monsters the Elegies might be, but there''s very clearly something more to them, if the names are any indication.
Mari hasn''t shouted for me yet, so presumably things haven''t gotten too bad, but I race towards them as soon as I''ve cleared the tenth Elegy anyway. This is the shakiest part of the n Tarin and Mari are both very capable fighters, even suppressed, but I''m very conscious of the fact that the harpies were toying with themst loop. The image of Mari, caught in one of the Lament''s arms and struggling for breath, shes in my mind. The thought of Tarin covered in scratches and cuts, ck, almost ichor-like blood pooling beneath him...
But they''d been unprepared back then. A little more preparation and foreknowledge and they might be more of a threat to the harpies...
Which means they might, in turn, push the harpies into being just that little bit more dangerous.
Sure enough, I nearly trip over a hole gouged into the ground as I arrive. Mental eleration allows me to correct myself before I do, and gives me the time to take in the state of the fight.
It''s not going as well as I''d hoped.
The holes gouged into the grounde from the harpies'' screams and there are many of them, scattered across the battlefield like pockmarks. Mari and Tarin are holding their own, but it''s clearly taxing for them to do so. Without the Firmament sense I have, they have to dodge out of the way the moment either harpy opens their mouths, and it''s clearly wearing on them.
Just like before, Mari and Tarin are a little outmatched. The information I was able to share helps, but it''s not enough to make the fight a fair fight. The important thing is that they can fight defensively their goal isn''t to win, it''s to stall long enough for me to arrive, so we can fight them together.
It''s a strategy that''s paid off. Tarin doesn''t seem nearly as injured as he wasst iteration, and Mari is standing a half-step in front of her husband, protecting him.
"Trialgoer Ethan!" Tarin calls, noticing me. "Finally! You ready?"
I''m not. But it''s not like life ever waits for you to be ready, does it?
I dash in, mes lighting up my heels. I go for the Lament on the right, and Tarin and Mari go for the Lament on the left.
Crystallized Strength. Barrier.
Firmament floods into my muscles, and Firmament Maniption guides it specifically into my arm. It explodes into a glowing, fractal pattern, visible underneath my skin.
The Lament''s eyes widen.
This time, when my fist connects with her face, her head snaps back with a powerful crack.
It''s not actually enough to break her neck, of course. Her nose is smashed in, though, dark-red blood trickling down around frighteningly sharp teeth. I try to follow up with the scythe, the ded weapon whistling towards her neck, but she manages to recover surprisingly quickly a powerful kick forces me to step back, and the wind it creates is strong enough to blow my hair back.
She grins at me. She actually grins, the look in her eyes wild and desperate, and something about it twangs against one of my skills.
Temporal Fragment resonates.
I don''t have time to ponder. I give activating it a try, but the skill resists my attempts and before I can try again, sheunches herself at me, and I''m forced to throw myself into defense.
Barrier!
A secondyer of blue manifests around me just as she strikes, and just in time her kick is powerful enough to shatter the first barrier and crack the second, and the force of it still sends me sprawling. I grit my teeth and spring to my feet as quickly as I can, swiping forward at her with my scythe. Without Firmament empowering it, it might as well be a stick but she''s cautious of me, now, and she jumps out of the way, her eyes tracking me warily.
Good.
I can''t spare the seconds to track how well Mari and Tarin are doing. Well enough, I think, from the glimpses I catch of their fight it''s clear that the two of them are much more practiced fighting together, and as a single unit against another opponent they''re absolutely terrifying. Mari covers for Tarin, blocking every move he can''t dodge, and Tarin moves with frightening speed, inflicting small but increasing wounds.
The Lament I''m fighting charges at me again, and I narrow my focus down to just her. Mental eleration slows down the fight just enough that I have time to process and optimize.
She throws a hooked strike at my right, aiming to catch me across the face with her ws. I step to the right, pushing her arm to the left and forcing her to overextend; it throws her off-bnce. A reinforced swipe with the scythe tears away at one of her wings, cutting deep into muscle and tissue halfway through the cut, the scythe gets stuck, and she simultaneously pivots, throwing a backwards kick at me.
I manage to get both arms in the way just in time, but even with a Barrier in ce, it smashes through and then cuts one arm through to the bone. A re of pain burns through my arm, and I grit my teeth. Barrier.
A new flicker of blue takes the ce of the old, broken one.
It''s not the best exchange, but one of her wings is half-dismembered. The whole thing is flopped over awkwardly, weighing her down on one side. I take the opportunity to strike, flooding myself with Crystallized Strength again, shaping a Barrier right at the edge of the scythe
I sense the building Firmament at thest second, and twist out of the way, just in time for a powerful shockwave to gouge another hole in the ground. The impact once again sends the other Lament sprawling, and I make a connection.
Their attacks are more effective on each other.
It happenedst iteration, too, but I didn''t make the connection before. Mari and Tarin capitalize on it almost immediately, a flurry of wings and feathers descending on the other harpy I call out a warning as I feel Firmament building up, and they jump back just in time to avoid the st of sound that arcs into the sky and then I have to focus on my own fight again.
But I''m calcting. This gives us the opportunity we need. If we can throw them both off at the same time, aim their attacks close enough at one another...
"Guys!" I call. "We need to aim them at each other! Their screams"
I have to stop talking to dodge a blow. It barely skates by my barrier, and for a moment I think I see sparks skittering off as talon slides against Firmament. But I can see both Tarin and Mari have gotten the idea they''re adjusting, rotating so that the Lament they''re fighting is facing me, and I do the same.
With our backs facing each other, I have no way to see what the other Lament is doing, or to track Tarin and Mari''s fight I have to rely on my sensitivity to Firmament. I keep the Lament I''m fighting distracted, dancing out of the way of her strikes and fighting defensively for the moment, trying to bait out a scream.
Eventually, frustrated, she opens her mouth. I feel the Firmament building in two ces, not one.
"Dodge!"
It''s pure instinct that allows me to flood my lungs with Firmament in just the right way. It''s not necessary Tarin and Mari likely would have heard me anyway but the pure urgency in my voice gets them to dive out of the way anyway, and I do the same. Twin beams ofpressed sound strike right in the center of the vige, ringing out like a gong.
The resulting shockwave sts all three of us back, and sends the two harpies flying.
I push myself past the ringing in my head and get up, staring out at the Lament that I''m supposed to kill. Her wings are in tatters. The st of sound has somehow ripped gashes open in her skin.
I have no doubt that the other Lament is in a simr state. They''re already on the verge of death. It would take just a single strike
A sudden spike of Firmament tells me to look in the other direction. Mari and Tarin are headed towards their Lament, but not quickly enough.
Dread mounts in my heart as that Lament lets out a defiant screech. Far away as I am, I still see the look in her eyes filled with hatred, anger, and no small amount of grief. I don''t get the time to wonder what that''s about, because the screech is filled with Firmament, and it''s aimed directly at her own chest.
Shit. I start running before I even see the results. I know exactly what she''s doing, and it seems like Mari and Tarin get it, too, because both of them pivot and try to catch up to me.
Triplestep. Firestep. Crystallized Strength.
I''m faster. I kick off from the ground hard enough to leave a divot in the dirt, speeding towards the second Lament at speeds that Mental eleration can barely keep up with. I grip my scythe tight in my hand.
Second Wind.
No reason to hold anything back now. I flood the scythe with Second Wind Firmament, even as I approach her. I can feel the Firmament cloud produced by the death of the first Lament behind me, catching up with me. Outspeeding me.
It''s faster, but I''m closer.
We hit the second Lament at almost the same time, and my scythe cleaves partway into her neck.
It stops at the bone, right as Firmament res to life around her, and a shockwave of power forces me back.
Chapter 14: New Feature Unlocked
Chapter 14: New Feature Unlocked
We''re on a timer.
I know this because the Lament''s neck hasn''t healed from the Firmament infusion. She''s still bleeding, and bleeding profusely I suspect it''s somebination of Firmament and pure willpower that''s keeping her conscious right now. Her neck is ruined, so my hope is that we don''t have to worry about the song.
We just need to oust her. That''s the key. Survive until she bleeds out.
The Lament if that''s what she still is doesn''t open with her song this time. She glowers down at us, a certain purity of hatred gleaming in her eyes
She flickers.
Mental eleration screams.
Barrier!
I try to step out of the way even as shimmering blue flickers to life around me. Firestep and Triplestep still swirl around my feet, so when I dodge it''s with an impossible speed, and yet the Lament smashes into me with a force that sends me spinning. It''s only the Second Wind Firmament still running through me that keeps me intact and conscious. It gives me a certain metaphysical weight, and that weight throws off Lament just slightly, forcing a portion of her own strike to rebound against her.
For a moment, she wavers. For a moment, she seems stunned that I''m not dead, shredded into little pieces of gore on her ws. She stares at me in something like disbelief.
I activate Temporal Fragment.
Whatever resonance the skill has with the Lament still isn''t quite responding to me, but the center of the town is filled with a fragment of me from the previous loop some of the spars I had with Tarin and the first battle against the Laments both took ce here. It''s the perfect ce for me to spring a trap, and the upgrade from Echo to Fragment seems to let me call forth not one but two copies of myself a fact I immediately exploit.
From one side of the Lament, an echo bursts to life, fragmented blue copsing into a visible copy of my body. It swings a fist towards the Lament, roaring in impotent anger. I know for a fact the echo won''t quite reach the harpy; it''s improperly ced, and the harpy isn''t standing in the exact same spot as before.
That''s not important, though. It''s a distraction for the echo that res to life behind her.
Just like before, with Tarin.
I don''t need either echo to kill her I don''t expect that to happen in the first ce. I wasn''t nearly powerful enough to even hurt this version of the Lamentst loop. But the game we''re ying is one to keep her stalled, and in that way, both of my echoes serve perfectly.
The first echo is sted back by a swipe of her wing; the force of the wind it generates blows that fragment of myself into the air, and I wince at the mental snap that apanies the generated paradox. The one behind her startles her, taking advantage of her inability to sense Firmament; it barrels into her with force. Not enough to bowl her over, maybe, but enough for her to spin around and react in pure instinct, kicking into the echo''s body with enough strength to cave its chest in.
I wince a bit at the sight. It''s astoundingly real. It''s not just a ghost of me that evaporates as soon as it''s struck I get to watch as it copses, bright blue blood oozing out of it, ribs clearly broken and heart crushed.
Then it fades away. After it makes sure to properly traumatize me.
Not that I have the luxury of thinking about the nightmares that sight will give me.
Tarin and Mari are both staying back, eyeing the Lament warily; they''ve both heard what I said about what it can do, and they know not to rush in blindly. There''s no doubt they see the same thing I do, though it can''t use its song with its throat so thoroughly destroyed. Mari can''t defend against any of its strikes, which means it''s up to Tarin''s more speed-focused Firmament to distract the Lament.
I''d rather not involve either of them if I can help it, but I have to be careful about how I y this, too. I''m already feeling the strain of using Firmament as freely as I have been the numerous skills I''ve been using are undoubtedly easier to stack than mming Second Wind three times as I did a couple loops ago, but it''s still not advisable.
And at the end of the day, if I die, it''s over for all the crows. Tarin and Mari aren''t disposable, but they know the stakes as well as I do, and I see the glint of hardened determination in their eyes.
It parallels the hatred in the harpy''s.
She seems to know what the stakes are, too or maybe I''m projecting. Where all the harpies before have focused on the crows over me, this time, she targets me and me alone. Mari''s attempt to get in her way doesn''t even faze her, and Tarin can''t do a thing to stop her; both crows are blown back as the Lament flickers again towards me, legs outstretched in a flying kick.
Temporal Fragment.
It''s morbid, but a copy of me appears in front of me, made of Firmament emting flesh and bone. The harpy tears it apart in a second, but it bleeds her momentum better than a Barrier can, even if the paradox-bacsh is worse for me.
Better a headache than death, I think. By the time the blue-tinted gore has faded away, I''m out of her sight, running to lure her into the path of another fragment; Firestep and Triplestep are fading, and I''m hesitant to refresh them just yet.
What I have is enough. Just barely. She''s beginning to g, I think her skin is paler than before, and her lungs pull in air through her ruined throat in ragged gasps. She gives me a harsh, bloody smile, and I don''t have time to think about why I throw myself out of the way just as she flickers again.
I need a n. A better n than this, relying on instinct and Mental eleration to let me dodge out of the way; I''m barely keeping up as it is. I feel like the answer has to be in Temporal Fragment, in the strange resonance I feel between the skill and the Lament, but focusing on that skill needs time
Barrier!
and the Lament, rather predictably, isn''t giving me that time.
A trio of Barriers form in front of me as Iyer the skill on top of itself, and Firmament Maniption on top of it concentrates their defensive power into a single ne rather than a wraparound shield; the Lament hasn''t shown the ability to circle around mid-charge, and I''m trying to conserve my limited Firmament. The headache is starting to form in earnest, now, and that along with of theck of time I have to focus, along with the need to optimize myself defensively
The Lament ms into my barriers, using her wings to stay afloat; her first kick cracks the first barrier, but she doesn''t stop there. The second kick shatters the first barrier and breaks the second, all in one go, pushing me back.
I have a realization.
I''m ying this too safe. I don''t need to optimize myself defensively; that''s pushing me closer and closer to getting killed. What I need to do is avoid dying. That ends the raid. Anything short of death I can handle. Have handled. Seven loops haven''t made mepletely immune to the thought of pain or death, but they''ve certainly helped.
The third kick breaks thest barrier
Crystallized Strength
and I grab her by the leg.
Even with Mental eleration, I barely manage it the impact shatters the bones of my arm, Second Wind having long since faded away, and I have to bite back the scream of pain that follows. I pull up, rotating her just enough that her wings fail to keep her afloat, and as she crashes into the ground I step forward and crush my intact fist into her already-broken nose.
She ils wildly, battle-instinct reced with the need to get away from the source of pain, and I take a moment to focus on my skill.
Temporal Fragment.
This time, whatever piece of the harpy that resonates with the skill responds, and the world fades away.
Let this give me enough time. I just need to survive until she bleeds out.
"A-are you okay, sis?"
It''s the voice of a little girl. I see her waddling into view, tiny wings ring out and throwing her off-bnce, forcing her to course-correct. She''s very determinedly wandering over to...
...oh. Oh no.
Right at my feet or metaphorical feet, seeing as I don''t have a body in whatever dream-state I''m in is an older harpy, maybe neen years old to the little girl''s five. She''s copsed on the ground in a pool of blood, and one of her arms is torn off.
"S-sis?"
This is the harpy I''ve been fighting. Not the older woman lying on the ground, but the younger one, the little girl staring with wide eyes at her older sister. I see the tears starting to gather in her eyes. She''s not quite old enough to understand not entirely but she knows this is bad. This is the first time her older sister hasn''t responded to her immediately.
Above them both, a figure scoffs. I can''t make it out in the vision. It''s shadowed, almost like it''s censored, or maybe irrelevant to the memory. I do see the way the figure smiles, and I feel an unfamiliar rage boil through me.
It''s not my own, for once, though I feel my own anger rise in sympathy, and for a moment, I understand.
And then the fragment fades.
I don''t know what I just did. The harpy beneath me is staring up at me with wide, glossy eyes, and it takes me a moment to realize that she''s dead; the fragment caught both of us up within it, and she bled out in the time that memory took to y. It''s almost... anticlimactic, though I let the relief pour through me as I notice the words in the air.
[ You have defeated the Grief of a Lost Sister (Rank C)! +20 Strength credits. +17 Durability credits. +31 Reflex credits. +40 Speed credits. +20 Firmament credits. ]
[ You have defeated the raid Lost Harpies (Rank E)! Bonus +40 Firmament credits awarded based on performance. ]
"We did it," I say, a little numbly.
It''s a victory, I know it is. But my mind is spinning, and I''m suddenly aware that that use of Temporal Fragment whatever it was tore out the rest of my Firmament and wrung me dry. I''m empty, and without my Firmament, my body is falling apart.
It''s not like I took no injuries in that fight. There''s no part of my body that isn''t bruised. My left arm is shattered. I have internal injury upon internal injury, most likely, though I can''t say what exactly is bleeding.
All I know is that without Firmament, both Tough Body and Mental eleration aren''t working, and everything feels... slow. My body feels like it''s falling apart, probably because it is. I can''t help but wonder where Tarin and Mari are.
To my right, I hear quiet sobbing.
No.
I try to turn my head. It takes monumental effort, and a small, stupid part of me tries to activate Second Wind, but nothing happens; I''m entirely drained. Instead I have to turn my head as slowly as I can, even as I feel my body disintegrating beneath me.
Mari''s kneeling down, holding Tarin''s body, and quietly crying over it. She seems to sense my gaze, somehow, and I don''t know how, but the crow somehow musters the energy to look at me and say thank you for everything.
I don''t understand how she can say that, when she''s holding her own dead husband. She even looks like she wants toe over to me andfort me. That''s... kind of her. That''s almost unbearably kind of her.
I hope, with every fiber of my being, that Tarin will be okay when time resets.
[ You have died. ]
[ New feature unlocked! You may now utilize the Hotspot Tracker. It will highlight areas on your map that may be of interest. ]
Chapter 15: Fragment
Chapter 15: Fragment
When the next loop begins, I die again.
It''s not too much of a surprise, I suppose, with my Firmament drained as severely as it is. I can feel small pieces of it sparking to life, trying to collect into Tough Body and give me a fraction of resistance, but all that happens is that the mantis or Broken Horror takes slightly longer to kill me. The scythe stops halfway embedded inside my skull, and I take a little too long to die.
On the other hand, it''s more time for my Firmament to recover, so there''s that.
The next loop, I try a little harder to move out of the way, forcing my body to move with an agility it doesn''t quite feel up to yet. I''m not entirely sessful, and I die again.
On the third try, that strange crackle of Firmament reappears, and it gives me just the jolt I need to roll out of the way; I spit the metallic tang out of my mouth, and force myself to redo the fight. It''s fortunate the first thing the mantis does is get its scythe stuck in the ground, because I''m in no state to fight it properly; as it is, however, I manage to bury the scythe into its brain with some effort, and roll over onto the ground, panting.
If the loop ever lets me change my ''designated location'' or spawn point, whatever I''m taking it. As long as it''s not somewhere worse.
I don''t know how long I sit there, but it''s not for very long. The charge in the air seems to help my Firmament recover, and there''s nothing physically wrong with my body, so I eventually force myself to my feet and start walking.
Not in the direction of the crow vige. I don''t... I don''t think I''m ready to find out. Not yet.
I let myself wander. There''s too much for me to think about, and I don''t know what to make of any of it, I need to just walk. I''ve walked for almost a full hour before I realize I''ve turned myself around, and am now walking in the exact direction of the clearing where I first encountered the mantis-person.
My steps slow. Is this where I want to go?
...Yes. It is. I don''t know why, but acknowledging a death feels right, even if it''s not Tarin''s.
I walk. I take a moment to absorb the sights to breathe in the smell of the forest around me, to pay attention to the. I''ve yet to take the time to appreciate how different this ce is,pared to Earth. I''ve been in fight-or-flight mode pretty much as soon as I entered the Trial, no thanks to the way the Trial itself started, but I can''t keep that up forever.
I haven''t even slept. I grimace a bit at the reminder, rubbing my temples. I''m not... tired, exactly. The reset makes me feel alert and awake. But I can''t help but wonder if maybe I should sleep anyway; my mind is clearly exempt to some degree, and it''s going to need the time to process.
Watching Tarin die is, in some way, a reminder of that need to sleep. I didn''t manage to get to know him for long, but he and his wife both made it a point to take breaks. There were moments during our spars where he''d take the time to entertain a child, whilemanding me to rest and take a drink of water.
They''re good people. They don''t deserve whatever the Integrators have done to Hestia.
I still don''t know how he died. I don''t remember the harpy throwing anything his way, or any stray attacks hitting him. Maybe it''s internal wounds from his time fighting the Lament with Mari; it would make sense... Or maybe something else happened. Something I didn''t see, that Mari didn''t get the chance to tell me about before the reset hit.
But specting doesn''t help me.
I just take the time to appreciate the he called his home. The purple skies above me are strange and foreign, and the orange leaves on the trees even moreso; the ground is filled with the bristles of strange, prickly nts, things that look something like a cross between a fern and moss, with fuzzy-looking leaves and thorny stems. Every so often, there''s the quiet song of a bird, or the buzz of an insect.
It''s surprisingly peaceful.
And then I walk into the clearing, and almost immediately stumble, stopping in my tracks.
The mantis is there.
They''re leaning against a tree, their breathing shallow and uncertain. That they''re still alive at all is a miracle, although I don''t really remember how long it was in the initial loop when I first found them.
Like before, they seem to sense my presence, and they open their eyes.
I hadn''t brought the mantis-scythe with me this time. I''d had too much on my mind, and bringing a weapon hadn''t seemed particrly important I''d made it a point not to wander too far from the starting point anyway.
It''s a coincidence, but it probably does help that I''m not holding the body part of a dead bug that bears a remarkable simrity to them, because they observe me for a moment and speak, surprisingly candid.
"You''re... new," they say. The words are familiar, but they''re not stay away. That''s promising. "I don''t usually see new things."
"I''m going through the Trial of the Integrators," I say, because those are the words I didn''t get to sayst time. I don''t know what''s giving me this second opportunity, but I don''t want to waste it. If I''m right, and the mantis is going through something simr...
The mantis just looks at me. I can''t quite read their expression it''s somewhere between tired and surprised, some mixture of suspicion and hope. "Funny," they say, and they manage a small, hackingugh. "So am I. But this is it. I give up."
"You don''t have to," I say, because I don''t know what else to say. This isn''t something I''m experienced with; I don''t know how tofort people that have given up. That''s a job for a crisis counselor, not... not me. "We could try to take on the Trial together. You don''t have to be alone."
The mantis looks at me and gives me something I''m certain is a smile. "That''s a nice thought..."
They''re fading away.
In that infinitesimal second between life and death, only noticeable because Mental eleration is once again active, I feel the barest flicker of resonance with Temporal Fragment and without thinking, I activate it.
He was a painter.
There''s something about this resonance that''s so much more present than a simple vision. I''m connected to the mantis in a way I can''t describe like a small part of myself is him, experiencing what he''s experiencing. It''s part of the reason I know and understand his joy, his love for art and painting.
The other part is the enormous canvas in front of him.
I''m looking at things through his eyes, I think. It''s strange. One eye shows things in a multitude of beautiful colors that I can''t describe. It throws the environment around into a dazzling spectrum. I don''t have names for some of these colors.
The other eye sees things in a dim, muted way that''s the rough equivalent of human vision. I see the mantis peering through his augmented eye, using it to pick out flecks of color in paint that would otherwise be invisible.
In front of him is a painting that, to my human eyes, would be a beautiful ssh of abstract art paintsyered over one another with no real rhyme or reason, still pleasant to the eye but never forming any particr shape.
To the mantis'' eye, though...
There''s a painting within a painting an image hidden in little flickers of glowing paint, only visible when the sun catches off the canvas at just the right angle. He shifts slightly, and that second painting bes suddenly startlingly present silver and gold marking a defined silhouette of a flower. The edge of every petal is etched in kes of gold, and delicate stamens reach out in blueish-silver.
I''m not one for art. I appreciate it, but it''s not something I''ve ever really been able to make a connection with, no matter how much I try. With a small piece of myself connected to the mantis, though, I understand.
I understand how much this means to him. It''s an extinct species of flower on his, I understand. He''s a biologist of some kind. He works on restoring these extinct nts, and in his spare time, he paints. He''s never shared his art with anyone.
The scene shifts.
He''s in the Trial now. The feeling I get from him is harder, more rugged; he''s been shaped by his experiences through the loops. There''s a small part of him that''s still the artist, the painter, the biologist but that part of him is muted, buried beneathyers ofbat-hardness and grief and regret. This is someone that''s fought and killed.
He''s facing off against somethingrge. Another monster. Not one I''ve encountered before, certainly. It''s a cross between a centaur and a spider, wicked limbs of metal emerging from its back. It''s fast, for all that it looks physically awkward and bulky. I can barely keep up with the fight.
I wouldn''t be able to keep up with the fight at all, if not for my connection to the mantis. My shared perception lets me capture pieces of the fight in shes, impressions. Metal shing against metal, sparks flying; Firmament being thrown around, the volume and degree of it far beyond what I''m capable of or have even seen. I see a brief impression of the mantis stepping forward, and forcing flowers to grow out of the centaur-thing''s skin, the roots digging in and I see a retaliatory wave of Firmament that multiplies the gravitational pull the mantis is experiencing tenfold.
And then something happens.
I don''t know what that something is. It''s beyond me by a mile, in a way that brings to mind what it felt like when the Interface pressed down on and killed me when I failed a raid. Even with me sharing the mantis'' vision, I can barely perceive it. It''s a shadow in the distance. A giant. It''s something that''s stretched into the world, entrenched deep within time and space.
It''s an attack, but it''s something far beyond anything the centaur should be able to do. It reaches out, and the mantis tries to dodge, to flicker out of the way; I feelyer uponyer of protective Firmament wrap around him
but it rips through that protection like paper, and his eye, the one that sees all those extrayers of color, is obliterated.
The scream echoes in the vision. That single touch kills him, and he loops.
But when he wakes again, he''s still blind in one eye.
Even through the vision, I feel his despair.
And the vision fades.
This time, there''s something intangible that stretches between us as the vision breaks off. I''ve connected with the mantis on a deeper level than I did with the harpy, for no particr reason that I can say except the harpy was a ''monster'', and the mantis appears to just be a looper in his final loop.
Maybe that''s the connection. Maybe it only allows me to fully connect with someone that''s left a huge imprint on the timeline, like any Trialgoer here would.
Temporal Fragment is still going. The skill is doing something, though I''m not nearly skilled enough with Firmament to understand what. The bond between me and the imprint of the mantis stretches out, and a thinyer of Firmament coats the bond, seeping into it.
Not my own Firmament. It''s from the Interface, I think. The feel to it is different, distinct from the feeling that Temporal Fragment itself gives me.Something about it feels... wrong. It''s washing out any real trace of the mantis, leaving behind only a sterile connection.
I get the feeling that I have a fraction of a second to do something about it.
I react without thinking, reaching out with Firmament Maniption and injecting my own Firmament to protect what remains of the mantis'' presence. It''s precious, I think. It''s someone''sst moments, and those are always precious. I don''t know if it''s the right thing to do, but it feels infinitely more wrong not to do something about it.
And then the skill fades entirely, and I stagger.
The mantis is dead. Time doesn''t stop when I''m in one of those visions, but both of the people involved are caught up in its flow. My hope is that the mantis died while we were watching him paint. Let his final memory be one of joy, at least, and not the despair he felt fighting the... whatever that thing was.
I sigh to myself and quietly begin to bury his corpse. It''s a distraction, at least, from what I''ve just witnessed. From the thought of what might have happened to Tarin and the rest of the crows. From the idea that I might be stuck here as long as the mantis was, slowly losing the things important to me.
How many people have the Integrators done this to? How many raids have others failed, causing viges and people to be wiped off the map?
Anger is a good response, but it''ll onlyst for so long.
I''m distracted again from my musings by a sudden tinny voice.
"Hello," it says, and I blink, startled. I look around.
Standing right on my shoulder is a miniature version of the mantis, looking almost exactly like one of my temporal clones sheathed in a faint shimmering blue. "My name is Ahkelios," he says with a small bow and a cheery smile. "Might I ask where I am?"
Chapter 16: Friend
Chapter 16: Friend
I have a lot of questions, obviously, but it seems more important to answer the mantis Ahkelios'' question.
"You''re on Hestia 307B," I say, and then add, "I''m Ethan."
I assume he''s asking about the, at least. I don''t have a clue what the particr forest we''re in is called, and I''d never asked...
I wince before I think about Tarin. I should head back to that vige. Soon, I tell myself.
Part of me knows I''m just avoiding it.
"I see. It''s a pleasure to meet you, Ethan!" The tiny mantis is remarkably cheerful. He ponders my response for a moment, and I take the opportunity to examine him.
He really does look like a copy of the corpse in miniature, as morbid as that is. Sans the bleeding and the critical wounds, of course. Even his eyes appear entirely intact, with not a shred of evidence to show that one of them''s been gouged out. He looks younger, too, though I''m not exactly an expert on the age markers of his species. The insectoid tes are a little closer together, less defined.
I wonder, for an absurd moment, if I should be covering his eyes so he doesn''t see his own corpse. I''m pretty sure it''s him, anyway. He doesn''t seem to have noticed it, but it''s only a matter of time. It''s still only half-buried, after all, and the dirt doesn''t do much to cover up his body. It''s not exactly easy to dig a grave with just a couple of conveniently shaped branches for tools.
His resemnce to a mantis is superficial, now that I can take a closer look. His head is simr, but the rest of his body is distinctly humanoid, with a tiny pair of extra arms poking out of the tiny sleeves on his tinybcoat.
He''s very small, is what I''m getting at.
"What''s thest thing you remember?" I ask. It seems like the most pertinent question.
Ahkelios considers the question for a moment, putting a hand to his chin in a surprisingly human gesture. "...I''m not sure," he says eventually. "I know my name, and I know about the Interface and the Trials. The name you said Hestia 307B that sounds familiar. I don''t remember much about my personal life. I feel like I should be more worried about that."
"Probably," I say, because what else do I say to that? "You know about the Interface?"
"Oh, yes!" Ahkelios gives me a sharp nod. "I know about the Interface, and about the Trials. I can help you, if you like. I think that''s the point of me."
That''s not asforting as he apparently means it to be, judging by the look of pride on his face. I hesitate, considering my next question. "What exactly are you?"
"I''m a fragment," he says. "An iplete copy. I can answer your questions about the Trial and the Interface better than the Interface itself can. I''d say you''ve lucked out,nding on that Fragment skill! Not many people get an assistant this early in their Trial."
"An assistant." My mouth feels dry. "Is there any way we can make you whole?"
"Why would you want that?" Ahkelios gives me a puzzled look. "I might not help you if you made me whole."
"Should be your own choice, shouldn''t it?" I ask. I try not to let my anger bleed into my voice.
It''s not his fault.
Ahkelios doesn''t seem to notice either way. "If you want to do that," he says. "You''ll have to keep upgrading Temporal Fragment. I''m sure you''lle across a solution eventually!"
It''s not aplete answer. I can feel the thread of Firmament that ties him to me; I can cut it off with a snap, the same way I''d cut off any other skill I''ve been granted by the Interface. "What happens if I dismiss you?" I ask.
"I just go into a sort of hibernating state until you call on me again," Ahkelios says with a shrug. "Don''t worry, it''s not painful in any way!"
I grimace. I don''t like this. It''s foolish to reject help at this stage, I''m well aware, so I''m not nning on refusing his help, but...
There has to be a better option than blind eptance.
"We''re partners, okay?" I decide. "You''re not my assistant. I don''t like thatbel. Partners, until I get you back the memories you''re missing, and you decide you want to do something else."
Ahkelios cocks his head. "I am rather bound to you, you know," he points out. "It''s your skill sustaining me. Even if I chose to do something else..."
"We''ll figure something out," I say with a sigh.
I don''t like being put into this position. I think this is the best I can do, for now. "Can you answer some preliminary questions? Do you know how many points I need to bank for the various levels of skills?"
"Oh! Yes, I can help you with that. It took me a lot of loops to figure out, let me tell you." The mantis looks proud for a moment, before a momentary difort shes across his face. "...Quite a lot of loops. Here, I''ll draw a chart out for you."
He hops off my shoulder and onto the ground, and in a second, he''s scratching into the dirt. I wonder for a moment if the trantion function of the Interface works with something that''s being physically carved into the world, but... I''m pretty sure the mantis is carving in English.
It''s rted to what that Firmament did to him, I''m sure. Or maybe it''s tied to the way I injected my own Firmament, trying to protect what was left. I don''t know if that helped, now, but I hope it did I don''t know what he''d be like if I hadn''t done that.
The chart he carves is more or less in line with my expectations, though I hadn''t actually thought about how far the rankings would stretch.
Points: 1-10 : Rank F
Points: 11-25: Rank E
Points: 26-50: Rank D
Points: 51-100: Rank C
Points: 101-500: Rank B
Points: 501-1000: Rank A
Points: 1001-5000: Rank S
Points: 5001-10000: Rank SS
Points: 10001+: Rank SSS
"Every time you bank your points, there''s a chance you''ll get a skill ranked one rank higher than the chart says," Ahkelios tells me. "It threw me off for quite a while, but I''m pretty sure this is the baseline. The closer you are to the next threshold, the higher the chances. If you manage tond a critical roll, it upgrades again, so you have a chance tond a skill of up to two ranks higher in total."
"Any idea what the conditions for getting one of those are?" I ask, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Ahkelios shrugs. "Not a clue!" he says, remarkably cheerful for his words. "Either I never figured it out or I just don''t have those memories."
"Doesn''t exin how I got Temporal Echo," I mutter to myself, trying to ignore the casual reference to his iplete-ness. At Ahkelios'' slightly confused look, I exin whatnded me the skill. He lets out a thoughtful hum.
"Firmament skills are a little stranger than the others, but I haven''t seen them break the ranking that egregiously," he says. "There could be a really, really small chance of getting a skill two ranks higher, but the odds of you hitting that twice and with the same skill are... low."
"Did you ever get a skill like Temporal Echo?" I ask.
"Not that I remember," Ahkelios says with a shake of his head. "My Firmament skills were mostly built around a Sword concept. Lots of cutting."
"Got tired of the forest?" I can''t help but ask, and Ahkelios surprises me byughing.
"Like you wouldn''t believe!" he says, and then he pauses, a strange look settling across his face. I feel our bond shifting slightly the Firmament I''ve injected into it hums, like it''s responding to something.
I hold back a small sigh of relief. It looks like what I did is helping preserve a little bit of Ahkelios. Maybe with time, we can repair the fragment and turn it into something moreplete.
"A Sword concept, huh?" I say. "Do Firmament skills typically revolve around concepts?"
"Somewhat." Ahkelios drums his fingers on his thigh. "The Interface gives you skills rted to what you''re doing, but it''s intelligent about it. The more you tie yourself to a concept, the more likely you are to get skills rted to that concept. It''s a way to give yourself a consistent build, instead of just getting abilities at random."
"We''re in a pretty unique situation, though," I point out. "Time loop and all."
"And yet, it''s a Trial," Ahkelios says. He makes a face I don''t recognize, and for the first time, I feel a sh of distaste flicker through our bond. "The Integrators don''t like giving us much time to rx and gather power. I think... I think I was on the verge of discovering something..."
The mantis trails off, and I watch him, suddenly rmed. The Firmament powering him is flickering I''m beginning to feel a bit lightheaded from Firmament use, but I''m doing my best to keep a hold of the bond. "I don''t think the Integrators have as much control over the Interface as they im," he mutters, the words almost too soft for me to hear. He nces over to that half-buried corpse. "I wish I remembered how I died..."
"...Are you okay? What do you mean?" I ask, but the bond begins to flicker even more, and Ahkelios blinks at me.
"Did I say something?" he asks. "I apologize. I''m afraid I''m still a little disoriented from my summoning."
I sigh.
It doesn''t seem useful to keep pushing, and I don''t want to cause any more distress than necessary. "I''ll talk to youter," I say, as kindly as I can, and Ahkelios beams at me in a disconcertingly friendly manner.
"Of course!" he says. "Any time."
I let go of the skill, and let out a groan of relief as the pressure of holding on to that Firmament vanishes.
I still don''t know exactly what kind of skill Temporal Fragment is. It''s clearly doing more than just giving me a link to my own past it seems like it''s giving me a link to the past in general. If Ahkelios is right, then by upgrading it I might be able to create a stronger link, and give him back his original personality.
I wonder, for a moment, if that would be a cruel thing to do.
He''s failed the Trial. I don''t know when he failed the Trial; given that his appearances have been inconsistent, I have to assume that it''s not recent. Something''s triggering the appearance of his final loop. Maybe it''s a hidden function of Temporal Fragment, but if that''s the case, I don''t know what the trigger condition is.
It might not even just be him.
But if I bring him back... he''ll have to deal with the loss of his people. His, if the Integrators are telling the truth. Keeping him as he is doesn''t feel right either, though, and not summoning him at all...
I frown.
Maybe the best thing I can do is ask.
I spend the next hour sitting there, staring at the sky and letting my Firmament recover. It takes about half an hour for me to feel mostly normal again, and I spend the next half hour finishing up with Ahkelios'' grave. Even if I have a piece of him with me, it feels disrespectful to leave his corpse as it is.
And then I call him up again, because I''ve thought about things a little more, and I''m not quite satisfied with how I left it.
"Hey," I say. Ahkelios brightens as he sees me.
"Hello!" he says. "You called me up again quite quickly! Was there something you forgot?"
"Yes," I say. "Do you actually want to be here?"
"What do you mean?" he frowns.
"Do you want me to summon you?" I rify. "I could use every bit of help I can get, but you''re bound in a way that''s... not right. I don''t want to be doing this against your will."
"I''m a resource! You should use every resource you have"
"Don''t call yourself that."
My voice is tight with anger, and Ahkelios freezes. I feel our bond resonate again, and something seems to settle over him; I don''t know what it is, but the next response he gives me is far more measured.
"...I am, as I said, iplete," he says. "But I have some understanding of who I am. Who I was. I loved life, I think. Even if I''m iplete even if this is all I am I think I''d rather be than not."
"Okay," I say, letting out a small breath of relief. "Good. I''m... d."
I''ll have to remember to bring him out even when I don''t have any questions. I doubt that''s going to be a problem, honestly. I''ve only been around for eleven loops, and it already feels painfully lonely. Anger can only take me so far.
"I got some rest, so I can keep you out for a while," I say. "But I do have a question before we leave. Thest feature on the Interface I unlocked was a Hotspot Tracker. Do you know what that is?"
Chapter 17: Consequences
Chapter 17: Consequences
A Hotspot Tracker, it turns out, does exactly what the Interface says it does it highlights areas of interest. It''s anything from potential raid locations to ces that hold boss monsters; sometimes, there are even puzzles that are just built into the world.
"It sounds like they''re using the whole as a yground," I say, my lip curling slightly in distaste, and Ahkelios inclines his head in agreement. "Any idea if there are any particrly valuable hotspots?"
"I don''t remember my time on Hestia in that much detail," Ahkelios says, shaking his head. "And the Integrators have probably moved stuff around. I''m sure you''ll find something useful if you look, though! The hotspots always have something valuable."
"I suppose." I let out a sigh, letting my thoughts wander for a second. I still need to find the exit. I have no ns on going through the exit just yet, but it''d be better to know where it is, just in case.
And I need to make my way back to the Cliffside.
I let myself linger in the clearing, despite my thoughts. I need a bit of a respite from everything that''s been happening ten deaths in a row isn''t exactly pleasant for me, especially when I''ve spent most of the time running, training, or dying horribly one way or the other.
A little bit of practice won''t hurt, though. I let Temporal Fragment run in the background, giving Ahkelios the opportunity to investigate the clearing. He doesn''t remember much about the, it seems, and so everything is fascinating to him although I notice he gives his grave a wide berth.
I don''t me him. I would have, too.
"This is fascinating," Ahkelios tells me after he''s spent a solid half-hour dissecting a variety of nts. I have no idea what he''s doing, but it seems like he has some rudimentary Firmament control still I can sense the little trickle of Firmament as it scans over each nt. "These nts have much deeper roots than normal. I''d go as far as to say they might be connected to one another."
I open an eye from where I''ve been leaning against a tree, resting, and nce at the scattered mess of petals in front of Ahkelios. "The flowers?" I ask.
"Everything," he deres. "It might all be one nt! Isn''t that fascinating?"
"Are you... sure?" I ask carefully. It doesn''t seem all that likely to me.
"Well, no," Ahkelios admits, frowning and putting a wed hand to his chin. "It might just be these flowers."
I can''t help but chuckle. "It would be pretty cool if they were all just a massive nt," I say. Not just to humor him, either. He''s obviously got some knowledge I don''t have, and it''s nice to think about something that''s not the Integrators or fighting. I can afford a bit of time to myself. "Do you have any ideas how something like that might happen?"
"Do I!" Ahkelios instantly cheers up again. A momentter he''s started to regale me with an in-depth theory that he appears to have constructed in an instant. I stop being able to follow him after about two sentences, but I let him prattle on anyway, a small smile gracing my expression. He reminds me a little of an old friend and one of my old professors, rolled together into one.
Not that that helps me understand any of what he''s saying.
"I''ll be honest, I didn''t understand most of that," I admit once he''s done, and I feel the bond between us flicker with an emotion that I''m pretty sure is equivalent to a pout.
"You should''ve said something earlier!" heins. "I would''ve simplified it."
"You seemed like you were having fun."
"Bah!" He points a w at me. "You call me out when you need me."
And then he reaches out and cuts off the connection to Temporal Fragment himself, doing the equivalent of ending the skill early. I blink.
I hadn''t known he could do that. It''s good to know, I suppose.
I stare at the sky, not bothering to call out Ahkelios again. I haven''t spoken to him for very long, but I''ve shared a bit of his mind, and I don''t think he''s actually angry at me. Even iplete as he is, his enthusiasm is genuine, and I can sense that he appreciates the opportunity to talk about something he''s probably not had a chance to talk about for...
...Well, for however long he was trapped in his loops. Not that he''s told me how long that was.
He might not even remember.
The sun hangs in the sky. It''s nearly noon, I realize; a solid six hours out from the start of the loop, checking the Interface. Hestia''s day-night cycle seems to be roughly in line with Earth''s, which is convenient. I''m not sure I want to deal with inteary jeg.
Of course, for all I know, Hestia''s going to throw me for a loop as soon as night arrives. It''s not like I''ve actually survived a whole day here yet.
I grumble and force myself to my feet.
I''ve been putting off Cliffside for long enough. Time to find Mari... and hopefully, Tarin.
I make sure to gather a few fruits first to settle my growing thirst, and then set off, making sure to avoid any hotspots on the map on the way. I''ll check them out eventually, but... not right now.
The vige is oddly quiet when I arrive, which is the first sign that something''s wrong. I feel my heart tighten in my chest for all my paranoia about permanent consequences, I''ve been telling myself that there''s no real reason to fear.
But there is, really. I''ve spoken to Ahkelios about it, and his words still ring in my ears.
"The Integrators do pretty much whatever they want. If you give them an excuse, they''ll take it. This is a willpower Trial, Ethan, not an ordinary time loop."
Which is about in line with my expectations, unfortunately.
Still, I don''t let the spark of hope fade. It''s not like there are mourning parades in the vige or anything. It''s quiet, but it was quiet the first time I arrived here, too; that time, Tarin found me as I was making my way into the vige, and it''s still a solid five hours before then. For all I know, he''s still sleeping.
I make my way towards his hut, and then I know for sure that something is wrong.
Mari''s outside, talking in quiet whispers to a crow I don''t recognize; judging by her getup, she''s a doctor of some sort. All sorts of herbs and potions are strapped to an inexplicably dirty apron. Mari herself doesn''t look like she''s grieving, but there''s definite worry in her eyes.
It takes her about a second to spot me, of course, and I feel the Firmament suddenly re up around her. I stop in my tracks and hold up my hands.
"I''m a friend," I say.
Mari narrows her eyes. "Trialgoer?"
"Yes." It''s not like lying will do me any good. "Did something happen to Tarin?"
Firmament floods into her limbs, and I wince. Bad choice of words. She''s in front of me so quickly that Mental eleration can barely keep up, a wing held at my throat and talons curled into my arm, hard enough that I can practically feel my bones creaking.
I''ve seen that wing cut off a harpy''s head before, and that was while her Firmament was suppressed.
I''d helped her do that, technically, but still.
"Tell what you know," Mari demands, and I manage a very slight nod.
"That''s what I''m here to do," I say quietly.
She sees something in the look in my eyes, I think, because she pulls back her wing and lets me go. "You know him?"
"It''s a long story," I say. It takes considerable effort to force myself to look into her eyes but I make myself do it, because she needs to see that I care. That I''m just as invested as she is. "Can you tell me what''s going on?"
Mari begins to re at me, like she''s still trying to decide whether I''m lying or not but then she meets my eyes, and something in her softens.
And then she tells me.
Tarin isn''t dead. That''s the first piece of news I hear, and the relief that floods me is so overwhelming I stagger, half-copsing; Mari catches me, to my surprise, though the expression on her face is still hard.
The problem isn''t that Tarin is dead. It''s that he won''t wake up, and not even their best healers can find anything wrong with him.
I take all of two steps into the hut before I realize that I can.
I sense it almost the moment I step within range, and I freeze in ce. There''s a bit of Interface Firmament, the same kind that crushed me when I tried to resist the raid failure. It''s buried somewhere in Tarin, interfering with the normal flow of his Firmament.
"Shit," I say, letting out a breath.
"What?" Mari demands. "You know something?"
"It''s part of the damn Trial." I half-growl out the words, and Mari seems to recognize the kindred anger in my voice, because some more of the suspicion in her eyes fades away. She doesn''t trust me entirely, still, and I don''t me her; this version of her never fought with me.
It doesn''t mean it doesn''t hurt. She''d been feeding me soup less than a day ago. I still remember her in thest moments before the loop ended she''d been thinking aboutforting me.
While holding on to her own dead husband.
I still don''t know how Tarin died. I don''t know if I''ll ever know. Maybe if Temporal Fragment grows strong enough that it lets me peer in on past loops, which seems like a distinct possibility with the skill; there''s definitely more that it hides from me.
But what killed him isn''t important right now. It''s how to fix it. If I can pull that foreign Firmament out of Tarin''s body...
I remember the way the Interface crushed me when I tried to fight it, and I suppress a shudder. Somehow, I doubt that will be nearly as easy as I hope.
"What happened," Mari says. It''s not quite a question, but I hear the willingness to listen in her voice.
"It really is a long story," I say, but she''s undeterred.
So I tell it anyway, starting from the very beginning for the third time.
Chapter 18: Homesick
Chapter 18: Homesick
When I finish my tale, Mari is silent for a long while. I can see she''s struggling with her emotions, and I give her the time she needs. I can''t imagine how I''d feel in her position.
The first question she asks surprises me still.
"No raid this time?" she asks. I pull up the Interface, just to make sure, but there''s no indication that there will be a raid I shake my head.
"There shouldn''t be one," I say. "It''s my first time being here after the raids ended, though, so there might still be some kind of attack... but it shouldn''te with permanent consequences anymore."
"We lucky Tarin not dead." Mari''s voice is t, and she nces at her husband. Tarin isid out on a proper bed instead of in the corner he usually sleeps in, and the slow rise and fall of his chest is reassuring. "Integrators not always kind."
"I''m well aware of that." And bing more aware of it with every loop I live through. "Though Tarin didn''t seem willing to talk about that."
Mari snorts. "Integrators always watching," she says easily, ncing once at her husband. "Not safe to speak. But husband still stuck ina, so it not help him."
I wince slightly. Tarin had hinted, more than once, that the Integrators were watching. He''d walked circles around the topic. Mari is far more direct, and I can''t help but worry that she''ll be their next target though I suppose as long as they''re not given the excuse...
"Is there anything you can tell me about them?" I ask her, and Mari shakes her head.
"Tarin knows more," she tells me. "He hide. Secrets. Knows if he speaks, Integratorse for him."
That''s one more reason to wake him up. I wonder why the Integrators didn''t just kill him, if that''s the case, and Ahkelios'' wordse back to me unbidden.
"I don''t think the Integrators have as much control over the Interface as they im."
"I want to try something," I tell Mari. She narrows her eyes at me. There''s a brief flicker of suspicion followed by a visible effort in pushing that suspicion away she''s making a choice, and that choice is to trust me. It''s both ttering and a little painful to see, all at once. If she only remembered...
...But there''s no need to dwell on that.
I approach Tarin, looking at the old crowying down on a bed of straw. He looks strangely at peace like this, but the Firmament buried within him tells a very different story.
It''s not easy to tell from a distance, but now that I''m close, I can feel the way his Firmament rushes within him. It feels almost like it''s fighting against the foreign Interface Firmament, pushing at it in waves before falling back and circling around to try again.
And the Interface Firmament itself... it''s a small spark, but it''s an incredible amount of power condensed into one small spark.
I try to memorize the exact state of his Firmament. I need to know if this is something that''s going to continue between loops if I have a functionally infinite amount of time, or if Tarin is fighting off something that will eventually consume him, temporal loop be damned.
And then I reach out with Firmament Maniption and touch the spark. My intent is to grab it and try to pull it out.
Instead, the moment I make contact, I''m overwhelmed.
It''s like diving into an ocean of power. What I have is a speckpared to what the Interface''s power contains, even in that single spark. I''m battered back instantly by a turbulent wave of raw power, and it manifests as a searing headache.
I stagger backward, staring at Tarin''s sleeping body. Mari catches me like she''s been waiting for it, like she knew this would happen.
Only one wordes to my mind.
"Shit."
I''m not going to be able to fix Tarin anytime soon.
Mari agrees. She doesn''t have the same ability to sense Firmament as I do, but like Tarin, she''s able to tell how strong someone else''s Firmament is, and how stable it is. She sensed the abrupt spike when I tried to reach out, and the subsequent disarray my own Firmament was thrown into.
"You not strong enough," she told me bluntly, and while I want to argue with her, I can''t. I''ve grown stronger, but not strong enough to beat the Interface.
Not yet.
"What should I do?" I ask her, and she sighs.
"We talk to doctor," she says bluntly. "Maybe she know, now that we know it Firmament problem. But... not easy. And you only one that can help. So... help. Please."
"I''m going to try," I say, my mouth a little dry. It''s the first time I''ve seen Mari this vulnerable. She''s allowed herself to open up to me before, but there''s always been a certain boisterous confidence behind her now she''s just worried about her husband.
"Next time youe," Mari tells me. "You not approach like that. Too suspicious. You tell me story, I help you. Okay?"
"What kind of story?" I ask.
"Story about courting rock," Mari says. She gives me a small grin for once, and produces a small stone; I catch my breath.
Courting rock is a bit of an understatement. It looks ordinary, but the stone is absolutely packed with Firmament Mari''s own Firmament. The sheer force of energy makes me wonder how I didn''t sense it before, but it''s blind to my senses the moment she tucks it back into her feathers.
"One hundred twenty-six," Mari says, and I blink.
"What?"
"One hundred twenty-six days of Firmament in courting rock," she rifies. "I not tell anyone. Not even Tarin. You tell me, I believe you. Okay?"
"Oh." I''m at a loss for words. That sounds like a lot of Firmament, not that I have any context for what the process would entail. "I''ll remember that."
"You better." For the first time this loop, Mari gives me a small smile, though there''s a slight sternness in her eyes. "Trialgoer hard to trust. But I choose to trust, yes? You not betray that trust."
"I will not," I say, nodding, and she suddenly wraps me in her wings. I il for a moment before realizing it''s a hug.
"Thank you," she says, and I quietly nod.
She seems relieved. Like she''s just decided to trust me, and in the same moment decided that I''ll seed; it''s not a level of faith or trust that I''m used to.
It feels, I decide, quite nice.
The doctor''s words are... only marginally helpful. She tells me there''s an herb that might be able to help stabilize any problems with Firmament. It''s rare, she says, and it only grows when enough Firmament has concentrated in an area over time. The resulting nt is not entirely physical. They call it the Phantom Root.
I''m particrly suited to find it, in other words. It''s outright dangerous to run into it, so the crows don''t usually hunt for it themselves; the nt is a barely visible shimmer in the air even at its most powerful. Most of the time, it''s a set of roots embedded in the ground, with Firmament stretching up and out and into the air. Physical contact with that Firmament is, if not fatal, extremely painful and debilitating.
The Phantom Roots are fine to eat, and apparently eating it helps to improve and stabilize Firmament. Of course it does.
"I didn''t even know Firmament nts were possible." Ahkelios sounds absolutely awed when I tell him about it. He hops from foot to foot and rubs his hands together in a gesture that approximates glee, then stops, and a slight shadow crosses over his face. "At least, I don''t think I did."
He cheers up again a secondter. "What an incredible discovery this will be!"
I smile a little at that. We move on. I have a dinner to attend, because it urs to me that I haven''t had a good meal for days, Mari''s soup nonwithstanding. Crow food isn''t entirelypatible with human food and their dishes contain a few too many bugs forfort.
To be honest, it''s surprisingly delicious. The time for the raides and goes, and there''s no alert and no one attacks; an invisible tension bleeds out of me, and Iugh and enjoy my time as much as I can with Tarin''sa hovering in my mind.
After the meal is over, I seclude myself a small distance from the vige, and bring out Ahkelios again. I don''t quite know how the crows will react to him, and I don''t want to deal with the questions just yet.
"Do you have any suggestions?" I ask him.
"Hotspots," Ahkelios tells me. He sits himself on a log, picking a flower to chew on as I talk to him. I wonder if he can actually taste anything in his current state but he seems quite satisfied with the act, nheless. I''m d Temporal Fragment allows him the small amount of agency he needs to interact with the world.
"Hotspots?" I ask, and he nods.
"It''s a good thing you unlocked that part of the Interface," he says. "The Integrators like hiding rewards in hotspots. There''s a good chance that herb is going to be in one of them."
"Have you seen anything like this before?" I ask, because I want to know if he''s at least had to face anything simr. The little mantis screws his face up a bit as he thinks about it, and eventually just shakes his head.
"I can''t remember," he says. "I can''t remember a lot of things. I know things like this have happened to me. I know it''s part of what made me give up. The Trials are... this particr Trial is an incredibly lonely one."
He gives me a small, sad smile, and I don''t know what to say.
"But you''ll find something!" he says. "The Integrators don''t give out challenges without there also being a solution. They like doing that ying with your hope. If everything was hopeless, you''d give up way too quickly, so they make sure there''s always a solution."
"Cruel," I say mildly, and Ahkelios just nods. I''m a little numb to the cruelty of the Integrators, at this point, and I''ve been in the loops for less than a week. The anger is still there, simmering beneath the surface, and I can call it up whenever I need to but for now, all I can think about is Tarin and Mari.
"You''ll find something!" the little mantis tells me, trying to be encouraging. "Just look through the closest hotspots, and I''m willing to bet there''s a dungeon or something you can find a cure in. Or something that will empower your Firmament Maniption."
"Right," I say. I open up the map.
There are a total of three hotspots near the Cliffside Crows. One is halfway between this spot and the Fracture, which I''m sure I''m still not ready for; I''m suspecting the exit might be there, or if not the exit then something useful. The other two are considerably closer, one only a half-kilometer away from where I''m standing now.
I don''t have any supplies. I don''t know how long I''m going to spend at a hotspot, I don''t know what a hotspot entails, and I don''t want to let myself die early from thirst or something when I should be trying to make the most out of each loop.
I''ll need to take a proper break eventually. I''m not an idiot; I know what happens to me if I work nonstop. I''ve done it before.
But not now. Not yet.
First, I''ll need some supplies from the crows. Then I''ll head over to this Hotspot, and see what exactly they''re about.
I leave the Cliffside Crows with a small satchel full of waterskins and fruit. Mari actually looks worried about me, which is a pretty big change of attitude; I don''t know what I''ve done to deserve her trust, exactly, but she seems to have functionally adopted me. She fusses over me for a few minutes before actually sending me on my way.
I won''t lie; it actually feels kind of nice, to have someone care about me like that.
I summon Ahkelios to my shoulder as I walk towards the hotspot, and offer the little mantis a flower to chew on. He seems inordinately pleased with my selection, dering it to be a ''suitable offering'', and I can''t help butugh a bit at his antics. He''s putting on an attitude, I suspect, specifically to cheer me up and damn it all, but it works.
The forest is loud around me. The chirping of insects and the soft, wailing cries of various forms of wildlife fills the air. The dirt crunches beneath my feet, strangely dry. The air feels humid and vaguely suffocating.
I realize not for the first time, and certainly not for thest exactly how alien Hestia is. It''s easy enough to push to the back of my head when I''m fighting for my life, or working on solving the next problem, but in these moments where I have nothing to do but walk and think...
I can''t help but miss home.
Not that my home''s the mostfortable ce, either. In some ways, this is an improvement. I allow myself a wry smile, pulling up the Interface map.
Chapter 19: Common Sense
Chapter 19: Common Sense
I''m just about to cross the border into the hotspot. The sun is low in the sky; it''s the longest I''ve survived in the loop so far, and the evening sky is painted in shades of blue and silver. It''s oddly familiar the closest thing to home so far.
I don''t let myself feel homesick.
There''s nothing particrly different about the area in front of me that I can tell. It''s just more endless forest. But I trust the map more than I trust my senses, at this point, and so I reach for my skills.
I''ve had most of them besides Temporal Fragment turned off, just to let myself rest and recover. Now I activate them again, a loose breath escaping me as I feel the power echo through my body.
Mental eleration. Triplestep. Tough Body.
Not Firestep. Not yet. I don''t feel like setting the forest on fire.
I briefly consider banking some of my points. I have a lot of Firmament credits at this point enough to grab a Rank C skill, ording to Ahkelios'' chart. But another eight points will be enough to push me over the edge into the hundred-credit threshold, and I want to see what bonus I get for Firmament.
I''m in a simr situation for Speed and Reflex. I have enough points to break past the hundred-credit threshold, but I''m five points away from a guaranteed Rank C skill for Speed, and eighteen away for Reflex. I don''t know exactly what kind of danger I''ll be in yet, so...
I''ll hold on to the points for now.
I step forward into the hotspot, and almost immediately, the wind picks up. I tense.
Color drains from the world. It starts with the sky, lc purple physically draining away and leaking down into the trees like it''s a two-dimensional canvas. Purple bleeds into vibrant orange, and then the orange trickles down the trunks of each tree, pooling onto the ground in thick, viscous puddles.
Everything is in grayscale. I stare at it for a moment, nonplussed, and nce at Ahkelios.
He''s still glowing the light blue of Temporal Fragment, at least, though he seems just as stunned by the sight in front of us.
"I''ve never seen this before," he mutters.
"Maybe you just don''t remember it?" I suggest.
"Maybe," he allows. "Be careful. Those are probably traps."
"Or monsters," I mutter. I take a quick step back, just to see if this is something I can escape; I need to know what my options are. I''m not at all surprised when my back hits a solid wall. I nce behind me to see a deep-red barrier that fades into invisibility as I step away from it.
"Can''t get away from hotspots once you enter them?" I ask.
"Sometimes," Ahkelios confirms. He sounds vaguely embarrassed. "Sorry. I didn''t remember that detail."
"Eh." I shrug. It''s not like I was particrly intending to retreat, but this restricts the amount of space I can fight in.
I take a moment to observe the scene in front of me. Besides the strange puddles of mixed color on the ground, everything else about the forest seems normal. A quick Firestep leaves a trail of bright-orange fire behind me, licking at the leaves and burning them into ash.
I watch it for a moment, just to see if anything happens with the color. As the Firmament leaves and the Firestep bes ordinary fire, the color drains out of it, oozing onto the ground in a tiny puddle.
I frown. "Only things with Firmament keep their color," I say out loud. "Is this supposed to be some kind of puzzle?"
"Keep going," Ahkelios advises. "There''s usually something in the center of a Hotspot. We won''t find anything at the edges here."
I shrug. I give the pools of color on the ground a wide berth I might not know what they are, but it seems foolish to just touch them. I do find a long stick and poke at one of them with it, but all that really happens is that some of the gooes off onto the stick.
"It''s almost like paint," Ahkelios mutters to himself. "I wonder if I could use it to paint something..."
And that statement makes me realize that this particr Hotspot might have more to do with Ahkelios than I had initially thought. Just how closely are the Integrators watching?
The radius of this Hotspot is arge one. Even with Triplestep active, it takes a few minutes for me to start to approach the center but I don''t have to get all the way to the center. The source of the color drain bes obvious once the trees begin to part. In the center of the clearing is what I can best describe as a massive, obsidian obelisk, absolutely radiating with Firmament.
"Any idea what that is?" I ask, and Ahkelios shrugs.
"Nope!"
Figures.
I watch the obelisk for a while, trying to determine if any part of it is a trap. The Firmament it''s radiating isn''t consistent every five seconds or so, there''s a near-solid pulse of it that''s almost blinding to my senses, so much so that I take a physical step back the first time I see it.
It exins a lot about the clearing, at least. There''s almost nothing in about a fifty-meter radius around it. I toss in a stick, just to see what happens, and when the Firmament washes over it...
There''s nothing left.
Okay. Avoid the deadly wave of Firmament. Good to know.
I take note of everything I can, just in case I have to do this again. It''s fourteen hours and twelve minutes after the start of the loop, ording to the timeline tracker on the interface. I can''t measure the exact distance from the obelisk, but I can take note of exactly where the dome of Firmament seems to end there''s a half-dissolved tree I can use as a marker. One branch in particr splits off and then immediately ends, the ends of the branches stained a dark ck like they were burned by contact with the obelisk''s Firmament.
I pause.
Something''s strange about the Firmament inside the death-radius.
I narrow my eyes slightly, and try to tap into my senses just a little more. Firmament would be a little more obvious to me, normally, but the obelisk is emitting a level of it that''s suffocating my ability to sense anything else in detail.
And yet... there it is. Right next to the obelisk, the faint sense of a pattern, Firmament distributing in branches out above the ground.
It''s the herb the doctor was talking about. The Phantom Root. I''m almost certain.
I could try to dash in. The distance doesn''t look impossible to cover using Triplestep, and Firestep on top of it should make it rtively safe; I can run in within thirty seconds and make contact with the obelisk. Just retrieving the Root won''t be enough there''s that barrier around the Hotspot I need to think about.
But I don''t know if the challenge is just to reach the obelisk in time, and I might be toast if I can''t get back out of the radius before it explodes again. We''ll chalk that particr idea up as ''let''s do that if I have no other options''.
I''m not particrly eager to add ''roasted by pure Firmament'' to the list of ways I''ve died.
There is one thing that I fail to notice at first, though.
There are no pools of color around the obelisk.
The absence of something is so much harder to spot than the presence of it. The grayscale world is ufortable to look at, but everything about Hestia is so alien that it''s harder to pay attention to what should and shouldn''t be there. There are some pools that exist just outside the radius of the obelisk, but they''re not close enough for the Firmament to touch them.
At first.
The radius is increasing ever-so-slightly with every pulse. I notice it when a branch suddenly copses, the joint eroded by the obelisk''s Firmament and that same pulse of Firmament marks the moment when the radius isrge enough that to brush against one of those pools of liquid color.
In the same moment, Ahkelios stirs on my shoulder, suddenly frightened.
"Hide," he says, and I blink. I open my mouth to question him, but then think the better of it if he''s telling me to do something, he probably has a reason. I dart back into the trees and the foliage, hiding behind one of the tree trunks. It''s not the best hiding spot, but it''s the easiest one to get on short notice.
A momentter, I feel a presence. Two presences, really.
One of them emerges from the pool of color. The touch of Firmament stirs it up somehow, and the liquid rises, forming into a vaguely humanoid shape. I don''t have time to look too closely at it, because a second presence quickly arrives, and that one is...
That one is familiar.
It''s a crow. Not one I explicitly recognize, but somehow familiar, nevertheless. He is, rather notably, wingless; powerful-looking, and built with muscle, but if he''s ever had wings then he''s lost them.
I wonder if I should be sympathetic, but Ahkelios'' fear makes me cautious instead.
"This Hotspot is an anomaly," the crow mutters, ncing around. He stands right in the clearing next to the obelisk, and doesn''t seem to be bothered by those pulses of Firmament at all it crashes against his feathers and bounces back, like the sheer solidity of his presence can''t be affected by anything as meaningless as the ocean of power pouring out of that obelisk. "Come out, Trialgoer. I know you''re there."
A moment passes, and then he adds: "Don''t make me look for you."
The threat in his voice is hardly subtle, and I feel Ahkelios cowering against my shoulder. I reach out and dismiss the skill, allowing the Fragment to fade away with something like gratitude echoing down the bond; I''m not sure why Ahkelios reacted so strongly to this crow''s presence, but now isn''t the time for questions. I can always ask themter.
Then I step out from behind the tree.
"Ah, there you are," the crow says. He looks... bored, forck of a better word. He gives me a slightly disgusted once-over, then shakes his head. "Really? You''re the new Trialgoer? You''re so... naked. Where are all your feathers?"
"I don''t have any," I answer automatically. My mind is racing, trying to pinpoint who this crow is. He''s nothing like the ones at the Cliffside, except he does look familiar, and it only takes me a moment to realize why.
He looks like Tarin.
A younger version of him, but still. I think back to how Tarin had been so cautious with his knowledge about the Interface, and I wonder if this is why.
"Whatever," the crow mutters, shaking his head. The liquid pool of color lets out a guttural sort of roarplete with a wet sort of burble, and charges towards the crow; he nces at it in irritation, then waves a hand at it.
I sense the rapid movement of Firmament, but I don''t see what happens to the liquid monster. It''s just... gone.
"So!" The crow puts his hands on his hips and stares at me. "You want to tell me how you activated this Hotspot? This shouldn''t be here."
"What are you talking about?" I ask. "Who are you?"
The crow sighs. "Making this more troublesome than it needs to be," he mutters, half to himself. I don''t like or trust him, partly because Ahkelios doesn''t, and partly because of the way he''s talking. He looks so much like Tarin that I want to, but that''s not a good enough reason to trust him.
Well, the other reason is that Tarin didn''t mention him, so I automatically think he''s probably an asshole.
"My name is Naru," he tells me inly. "I am the seventh sessful Trialgoer in Hestia, performing basic maintenance for the Integrators. This Hotspot was used in the fifty-seventh Trial, and should not be here. You have done something to the Interface, and I would like to know what, so I can report back. If you make this take longer than it needs to, it will be very unpleasant for you."
I stare at him for a moment, speechless.
He''s working with the Integrators.
That much was fairly obvious, I suppose, but he''s just so... casual about it. Like there''s nothing wrong with it.
"Do you know Tarin?" The words leave my mouth before I think them through, and he freezes.
That''s about the moment I realize I''ve made a mistake. His voice turns low, dangerous.
"What do you know about him?"
"He helped me in the Trials." I should be afraid. Every part of me knows I should be afraid. Naru is beyond me the same way the Interface is a whole magnitude of scale beyond anything I can reach right now.
But those are the key words, aren''t they? Right now. As long as he can''t do anything permanent to me... and that''s a dangerous assumption to make, so I''m not making that assumption. I probably shouldn''t antagonize him.
"Of course he did." Naru rolls his eyes, and the danger fades away from him. It''s like he was only worried that I knew too much about him he doesn''t care that I know Tarin personally. "Sentimental old fool. Sometimes I wonder how he''s my father."
"He''s in a ," I snap, my words sharp and angry, and he gives me a bored, confused sort of look.
"And?"
Okay. Remember that part just now where I said I shouldn''t antagonize him? I''ve changed my mind.
Crystallized Strength. Firestep. Barrier. Firmament Maniption.
Thest step is improvised. If there''s anything I''ve learned about the loops, it''s that anything that happens to your Firmament seems to carry over between loops. It''s been true for me, and it''s been true for Tarin.
And then I punch Naru in the face, forcing as much Firmament as I can directly into his stupid bird brain.
Chapter 20: Bird Brain
Chapter 20: Bird Brain
Naru stumbles backwards, clearly stunned. It''s not like I''ve done any actual damage to him the raw Firmament pumping through him is enough to deflect my fist, and it''s only the use of Barrier that prevents me from breaking my fist again.
It''s satisfying, though. Especially the look on his face thisbination of stunned and outraged, his feathers puffing up around his face in a way that looks utterly ridiculous.
The Firmament I tried to inject into him is, unfortunately, useless. I me it on him having a thick skull; I might as well have tried to puff air aggressively at him, for all the effect I had.
Still worth it. What an absolute ass. I''ll have to practice more if I want to get that technique working.
Naru smooths out his expression after a moment, doing his best to look unruffled and unbothered. "Interesting," he says.
I don''t like interesting. I didn''t punch him to be interesting. Naru gestures in the air, like he''s pulling up his own version of the Interface, and frowns at it.
"It''s been eleven loops and a few days... You''re stronger than I would expect for that amount of time." Naru frowns. "But it''s not that impressive," he adds, like he needs to make sure my ego stays in check. I try not to roll my eyes, and he makes a noise not unlike the sound of a human clicking their tongue.
When I don''t respond, he continues. "This must be the first time we''re talking, or you wouldn''t have punched me. Or I suppose you could be very stupid. Not unlike some of your fellow Trialgoers. One of you died on the second day of their Trial, can you believe that?"
He gives me a nce, like he''s trying to bait a response out of me. I stare at him, keeping my expression carefully nk.
Inside, my mind is racing. Whether he''s aware of it or not, he''s given me a crucial piece of information the time loop is restricted in its scope. The rest of the Trials are still running, and people are dying.
I don''t have as much time as I''d hoped.
Naru seems to misinterpret my silence as fear. Heughs a single, shortugh, and then waves an arm dismissively. "You are, at least, clever enough not to respond to that," he says, and then a note of something more serious enters his voice. "But I do need answers. Why don''t you tell me about how this Hotspot appeared, and we''ll pretend you didn''t try to kill me?"
It''s not like I know. But I don''t tell him that. It''s the one piece of leverage I have over him.
"Why don''t you tell me why the Integrators are targeting Earth?" I challenge him instead. "You can''t tell me the Interface is actually meant to reward us, and frankly, I don''t believe that they''re testing us with the Trials. They want something."
"I don''t know, and I don''t care." Naru shrugs. "I was rewarded enough."
I suppress the wave of disgust at that statement. Tarin and Mari are both wonderful people. What happened to Naru to make him this way?
He''s not the only person on Hestia that passed their original Trial, either; that''s something I''m going to have to be wary of. Tarin told me as much, and I wonder now if he''d meant it as a warning. There are others here, likely working for the Integrators, likely to be just as or even more powerful than Naru himself.
Though whether they feel the same way about the Trials as Naru does remains to be seen.
"Why was I chosen?" I ask instead. The original message from the Interface imed we were randomly selected, but I don''t believe that, either; if the selection was truly random, something like a quarter of us Trialgoers would be children. They''d end up with infants in the pool, even.
Also, I''m just lying to see if he''ll slip up. It''s entirely possible it''s a random selection from a limited section of the poption
"I''m not in charge of Trialgoer selection," Naru says, and I resist the urge to smile. "Besides, you should be grateful. I started my Trial nearly being eaten by arge cat."
I got stabbed by a giant mantis four times in a row, but you don''t see meining about it.
"Now, are you going to tell me how you activated this Hotspot?" Naru nces around. "I don''t really want to be here for too long. The air makes my feathers itch. And it''s too close to home."
"Why aren''t you worried?" I snap. "Tarin''s your father! Mari''s worried sick over him!"
Naru gives me a t look. "I don''t owe you any answers," he says. "If you aren''t going to cooperate, I''ll just take you with me. We need to investigate why exactly you''re so strong, anyway, so I guess I''m going to have to do that anyway. Don''t worry we''ll make sure you don''t remember a thing. Gotta keep to the spirit of the trials, after all."
He smirks at me.
He moves so much faster than I can. Mental eleration does almost nothing to help. I catch the briefest of flickers, and then my throat is suddenly caught in his talons, a thinyer of Firmament stretching over my body like a perfectly hard seal.
I can''t move, no matter how much I strain against it. He gives me just enough leeway to speak.
"Last chance to give me an answer," Naru says. His tone is almost yfully friendly. "I might take it a little easier on you if you did. Leave myself a note to only catch you in two or three loops, instead of doing it in this one. Give you a little more time. What do you say?"
"I''ll give you answers when you tell me why you don''t care about your parents," I snap back at him. "I watched Tarin die."
...I give away a little more than I intend, with that one. Naru doesn''t seem to think much of it he just gives me a disgusted look, as if he can''t believe he''s having this conversation. Then he lets out a long-suffering sigh, and obliges me with a response.
"It''s the nature of the Trials," he says. "They knew what they were getting into when Hestia was selected to host a Trial."
God, I can''t wait to punch him again. Preferably harder. I''m going to invest in Strength skills just so I can punch this guy in the face more effectively. I don''t bother keeping my disgust out of my voice when I respond.
"No, they didn''t," I say. "And neither do you."
Naru rolls his eyes, his voice tinged with distaste. "You sound just like my father," he says. "We don''t know enough about what the Integrators want. We don''t know what they''re doing. Who cares? We get power out of it. Isn''t that enough?"
I stare at him, ande to a conclusion.
I need to die.
I need to do it quickly, before he can leave a note for himself. I''ll figure out what to do about the Hotspot and the Phantom Roots in the next loop, when Naru has no idea who I am and what I''ve learned from what he''s said, he seems to be a part of the loops. As long as the Integrators don''t tell him what happened this loop...
That''s a long bet, but it''s better than nothing. I don''t think I''ll be getting anything else out of this conversation, and the longer it goes, the more likely he''ll capture me. He''s faster and stronger than I am.
But he''s arrogant. His ego hinges on his power.
"Power? Knowledge is power. You don''t even know why this Hotspot is here," I tell him, feigning exasperation. "I bet the Integrators know. They''ve been watching me. Between the two of us, it sounds like they just don''t trust you."
His grip on me tightens. Without Tough Body, I''m sure my windpipe would be crushed already not that it would take him much effort to crush it if he wanted to. "You should watch your words," he advises.
"More than you watch your parents?" I try to amp up the biting sarcasm in my words. Maybe I''ll roll a Firmament skill for it.
I see the rage sh across Naru''s eyes. He''s apparently not used to dealing with lippy humans.
Getting my throat crushed has never quite been so satisfying. It helps that he looks briefly horrified and angry with himself not that I can tell very well, with my fading vision and all.
[ You have died. +12 Strength credits. +21 Durability credits. +7 Reflex credits. +3 Speed credits. +4 Firmament credits. ]
Neat. I got some Firmament credits again, even without killing. I''m going to have to figure out how that works sometime.
I should probably be a little more concerned about how easy it is for me to ignore the pain and trauma thates with dying. I''ve only died what, eleven times, now? That shouldn''t be enough for me to get used to it. But I have, functionally; there''s only so many times I can wake up with the terror and adrenaline of having my skull crushed or a de pushed through my heart.
Now I just roll out of the way and take care of the mantis-monster with a single cast of Temporal Fragment, echoing back to my fifth loop, and then I stare more closely at the corpse of this monster.
There are a lot of simrities to Ahkelios. I don''t exactly want to bring the mantis out just to stare at his own corpse, but this isn''t exactly his corpse, is it? It''s a twisted version of his past, if anything. Or a manifestation of the thing that made him give up. Or...
I still don''t know what it is. I don''t know what those Laments and Elegies were, either, except they seemed the same in some way a manifestation of something. Ahkelios'' words echo back to me, his suspicion that the Integrators don''t have full control.
I''m starting to think that understanding what these monsters truly are will be a crucial piece of the puzzle.
The echo of Firmament in the air that I''vee to associate with Ahkelios'' presence as a looper isn''t there, and I still haven''t established any kind of pattern. I don''t know what makes Ahkelios''st loop manifest. When I check the clearing, it''s empty, with not a trace of his body whether that''s because I''ve created a connection to his fragment already or because this just isn''t a loop where he''s going to appear, I don''t know.
I leave a flower in the spot where I buried him anyway, and then think about what to do next.
The obvious next step is to talk to Mari again, and see if there''s anything she can tell me about her son. I''m early enough in the cycle that I think she might not even have checked on Tarin yet it gives me an opportunity to get to her and talk to her before she does.
As for Naru... he''s an asshole. That much we''ve firmly established. But I''m going to need to get past him. Either I wait him out and I don''t know if that will work; it depends on whether he''s waiting for me or not or I find a way to bait him into leaving.
There''s more I need to understand, too: he''d said the color-pooling Hotspot was used in the fifty-seventh Trial. How many Trials have there been on Hestia?
I know someone that might know the answer to that question.
Ahkelios springs up as I activate Temporal Fragment, his mantis-form bnced steadily on my shoulder. He hops up onto a nearby log as I try to find the right words to broach this topic.
"You recognized him, didn''t you?" I say.
Ahkelios nods, but it''s a restrained nod. He''s not as eager to speak as he usually is. I''m no expert with mantis bodynguage, but the feeling of fear resonates down through our bond, followed by aplicated feeling that trantes roughly to ''really doesn''t want to talk about this.''
He does anyway, after gathering himself for a moment. "I don''t remember the specifics," he says. "But I think he hurt me. A lot."
I''m not surprised, but I feel something in my chest tighten in anger anyway. "Do you remember that particr Hotspot?" I ask. "He said it was supposed to be from the fifty-seventh Trial. Maybe that was yours?"
"If it was, I don''t remember it." To his credit, Ahkelios gives the topic serious consideration, but eventually shakes his head in frustration. "I''m only a small piece of myself."
A fragment. He doesn''t say it, but I hear the words anyway.
"Are there others like Naru?" I ask instead. "He said he was the seventh sessful Trialgoer. There have to be others on the."
"There are." Ahkelios pauses, straining to recall something, and I give him the time he needs. "There are... ten in total, I think. Naru is the physical one. There''s one that can fuck with your mental Firmament. She''s terrifying, but she doesn''t usually show up unless you do something that really disrupts the loop. That''s all I remember."
Shit. That''s important information. "You think Mari will know more?"
"I don''t know who that is?" Ahkelios tilts his head at me. Right. I haven''t introduced him to the crows yet. "Are they a local?"
"She is, yes," I confirm. "I uh... I think she''s Naru''s mom."
Ahkelios visibly winces. "Oh."
"She''s nice, don''t worry." I give the mantis an encouraging smile.
"If she''s a local, she probably knows a bit about Hestia''s Trialgoers, but the Integrators aren''t very public about what they can do," Ahkelios cautions. "Name, species, appearance stuff like that is pretty public. But their abilities are locked up pretty tight."
"Right," I sigh. "That would be too easy."
Ahkelios gives me a smile. "You''ll figure it out."
I raise an eyebrow, and I don''t think when I speak next. "Is that really you speaking, though? Or just the Interface?"
Ahkelios falters slightly, and I see something that looks like genuine pain and worry in his eyes. "...I don''t know," he says.
I feel a bit like an asshole when he cuts off his own connection, there, his Firmament fading into atmospheric noise. I shake my head and force myself to my feet. I''ll find him some cool nts or something to apologize I''m clearly still shaken from my encounter with Naru.
But first, I want to talk to Mari. Let''s see what she can tell us about her son.
Chapter 21: Another First Meeting
Chapter 21: Another First Meeting
As early as I am, the Cliffside Crows are still pretty active. I see the kids ying in the town center as usual, and just like before, Mari approaches me while I''m looking around the vige, seeing as I didn''t head directly towards Tarin''s hut.
"You!" she says. It''s just like the first time she greeted me. "Trialgoer?"
"I need to talk to you," I say. I know from experience her force of personality is overwhelming; if I just say yes, she''s going to drag me to Tarin before I get the chance to exin, and that''s just going to cause more problems than I want to deal with this loop. Part of it is that I''m still on edge Naru''s not here, but he''s close by, or he will be. If things proceed the same way, and they should...
The Integrators being external to the loop is aplicating factor. It means that at any time, they could send Naru or any one of the Hestian Trialgoers a message, and it might throw off my ns for a loop. It''s not something I can anticipate or n for.
Not yet.
Tarin was careful with how he phrased his words, and I''ll have to be, too.
I realize after a moment that Mari''s been staring at me, and I''ve been too busy ruminating about the Integrators and the Trialgoers to register her response. I give her a slightly embarrassed cough. "Sorry," I say. "I got distracted."
"You want meet husband?" she says. "He know Trial. He help!"
"He''s..." In aa. "Not who I need to talk to."
Mari stares at me for a moment. I see something flicker in her uncertainty, then concern, then a few other emotions that sh by too rapidly for me to catch; I feel her Firmament rising for just a split second before she quells it.
"You said you spent one hundred and twenty-six days on Tarin''s courting rock," I tell her, in case it helps.
She stares at me for a moment more, and then bursts into cacklingughter.
"Tarin idiot," she says, with something like gleeful adoration in her eyes. "Courting rock just rock! I throw at him because he noisy. Then hee up to me, starry-eyed, and tell me he ept."
She shakes her head, smiling affectionately. "I ept too, of course. Tarin handsome. Smart, too, but stupid in heart. But I stupid in heart too. I tell you one-two-six? I y prank on you. But it tell me I can trust you."
...Well, now I feel kind of foolish. But Mari is smiling at me with a familiar sort of smile, and I can''t bring myself to...
"But why you say I talk to you?" Mari continues, and she frowns a little. "We find Tarin. Good to talk with him! He help."
"We can''t," I say softly.
Mari tilts her head at me, not understanding. "Why not!" she says. "He there! He in house. Sleeping. He always sleep for the whole day, silly husband..."
She trails off. I think she sees something in my eyes, then, or she catches on to the demeanor I''ve been carrying all along; I think she might have caught it earlier, even, and just tried to deny it. She doesn''t want to believe that something might have happened.
"...Trial hurt Tarin?" she asks, just to confirm, and I give her a slight nod.
She rushes off without a word.
I follow her, but I don''t rush after her. She needs time to find him, and to understand what''s happening in her own terms. I don''t think anything I can say will really help her. She''ll find him sleeping, find that she can''t wake him up... and we''ll figure out where to go from there.
Hopefully, she''ll still be willing to talk to me.
When I reach their hut, the curtains are closed, and Mari''s whispering fiercely with a doctor outside. She res at me when I arrive not with anger, but with this sort of frustrated impatience. "You wait," she snaps at me, and then visibly seems to try to withhold herself. "...We talkter. I need understand what happened."
I only nod, and she gives me a grateful look in return. I can exin what happened, really, but looking at her...
I think she needs to put in the work herself before she can ept whatever answers I have to give her. In the meantime, there''s something else I need to do.
It takes me almost half an hour of foraging in the forest to find something I think Ahkelios will genuinely find interesting. In the end, I find something I think he might not have already studied: a small patch of moss growing in the bark of a tree. It wouldn''t have caught my attention at all if not for the faint sense of Firmament wafting off of it, this time reminiscent of a scent instead of any of the other ways I''ve seen Firmament manifest.
Not for the first time, I wonder what Firmament is. It''s a far cry from what I''ve seen in depictions of magic. It doesn''t seem like any singr type of energy the only thing I understand about it is that I can sense it, but I''ve sensed it in a dozen different ways. A buzz, a tingle in the air, a sense of power, a sh of heat, a moment of speed...
And now a scent. A pleasant one, too. I stare at this small piece of moss, and I swear it smells like homecookedsagna. Of spiced meat and rich sauce and freshly baked cheese. It''s my favorite food. I haven''t had it in a long, long time, and suddenly my mouth is watering.
...I tear the piece of bark off the tree, using a sh of Crystallized Strength to help my fingers dig into the wood. I don''t need to drool over food right now.
But I do need to eat and sleep. The physical need isn''t there, but I''ve been processing things non-stop for days; there''s an exhaustion there that''s not physical in nature. Even if the reset eliminates my need to sleep, I still need time to process.
But there''s so much to do. I can''t help but wonder what state the Trials are in. How long do I have, really, until humanity passes or fails the Trials? How many people have been lost already?
The loop gives me an advantage in my Trial: I can''t die unless I give up. But at least fifty-seven people have given up already, if what Naru said about the fifty-seventh Trial is correct. I doubt anything about this Trial is as simple as it seems on the surface.
...I''m putting off talking to Ahkelios again.
Temporal Fragment.
The mantis manifests in front of me, in hues of blue and flecks of gold. His arms are crossed, and he res at me with a pouty sort of anger.
"I was kind of an asshole back there," I say without preamble. "I''m sorry. I got you a nt to make up for it."
Despite himself, Ahkelios perks up. "Is it a good nt?"
I chuckle slightly. "You tell me. You''re the nt expert."
I present to him the ripped-off bark with the little bit of moss on it, and he turns up his nose in a surprisingly human gesture. "You ripped it off! It isn''t as valuable if you rip it off. I need to study how it''s feeding on the tree. And it''s just a piece of moss!"
"It''s emanating Firmament," I say, trying to cate him. He''s twitching, though, and barely restraining himself from giving it a once over. "And it smells like an Earth food."
"What? No it doesn''t. It smells like... my favorite..."
Ahkelios trails off, then cautiously hops over to take the piece of bark into his hands but not before he points a finger at me, half-threateningly. "You are forgiven," he says dramatically. "For now."
"I know, I know," I say. I can''t help but smile a little, despite his words; he''s clearly just pouting, now, and he''s climbing back up onto my shoulders without any hesitation or difort.
I should be a little more careful about what I say around him. I''m just still worried about how much the Interface has messed with his agency. He''spelled to be helpful, to some degree, and the way he phrased his words about getting an assistant suggests that mine isn''t the only skill that can do something like this.
"I am sorry," I add, my voice just a bit softer, and Ahkelios pauses in his fiddling with the piece of bark on my shoulder.
"I know," he says. "I''m a little worried about it, too. But it''s something I don''t want to think about for now, until we find a solution, so let''s just... not talk about it. Please?"
His voice is almost pleading. I acquiesce without a word, changing the topic with only a slight nod to acknowledge what he''d said.
"How about we go introduce you to some birds, then?" I say. It''s about time I introduce him to Mari. I''d wanted to introduce him to Tarin, too, but... that cer. After I save Tarin.
"Uh... birds?" Ahkelios suddenly looks awkward. He looks down at himself at the small size of his body, presumably, at least in this form and then at me. "They''re not going to try to eat me, are they?"
"What?" I blink. "No."
Then I actually think about it. I had eaten a dish from them, and it had contained a number of insects. Ahkelios is giving me a skeptical look. "...Maybe?" I say, and he gives me a t stare. "You''re made of Firmament, they''re not going to be able to eat you!"
"I don''t want them to try," heins.
"I''ll make sure they don''t," I promise, and he seems to rx a bit at that. He still gives me a re, though, and he hugs the piece of tree-bark and the moss on it close to his chest.
I find myself suddenly wishing I could''ve introduced him to Tarin. I''m sure the old crow would have gotten a kick out of him.
Just another reason to save him.
Chapter 22: Angry Birds
Chapter 22: Angry Birds
Mari''s standing outside her hut when I return, and from the look she gives me, I assume she''s been waiting for me for a while. She doesn''t seem angry at my absence, at least she just nods at me, all business-like, and gestures with a wing into her home.
"We talk," she tells me. "What your name? You know me, I not know you. And who that?"
She points at Ahkelios, sitting on my shoulder and looking incredibly nervous.
At least she''s not trying to eat him.
"My name''s Ethan," I say. I''d almost forgotten I hadn''t introduced myself to her this loop; it''s hard to keep them all straight, sometimes. There''s a part of me that wants to act friendly with her, like I''ve already met her, and I have to remind myself that this version of her has never met me; the Mari that fought with me to protect the Cliffside is gone.
...Now is probably not the time to get existential. I nod towards the glowing mantis on my shoulder. "And he''s Ahkelios. He used to be a Trialgoer, too."
Mari''s gaze sharpens, and she looks at him with renewed interest, and no small amount of suspicion. "...Hestia only one Trial," she says, but she doesn''t sound certain about it.
"We have a lot to talk about," I say, in lieu of a full response. She frowns at me, contemtive.
"Okay. We talk inside."
I have to be careful with what I say. Tarin had been careful, too, and it surprises me that Mari doesn''t already know everything he does that he hadn''t found some quiet moments to tell her about it. They''re both frighteningly intelligent behind the strangely tranted speech, I''m pretty certain; there''s a quickness to the way Maries to conclusions that tells me she''s an old hand in more ways than one.
But now I have to figure out what I can say. I decide to start with the most important information. I can see the worry in Mari''s eyes; she wants to know what happened to her husband.
"My Trial is a time loop," I tell her. "I have to go through events again and again. Your vige was attacked during one of those loops, and Tarin was killed during a loop. Right now, he has Interface Firmament inside him, and he''s doing everything he can to fight it off."
Mari''s face does... aplicated dance of emotions. Anger is prominent among them, and then fear, and then a furrow of determination; she settles on thatst one. "You find fix?" she asks. Straight to the point. "Or I find?"
I appreciate that she doesn''t immediately put the onus on me, although I feel guilty about Tarin''s death. I still don''t know what caused it. "I spoke to your doctor," I say. "She says Phantom Roots might help that Firmament herb? It''s hard to find for you, but I can sense it; apparently humans or maybe just me are better at sensing Firmament."
"But," Mari says, and I wince a bit.
"But," I echo. "I found it. It''s over down south, inside a Hotspot, which is like a Trial-specific challenge. The problem is that... there''s a crow called Naru that attacked me while I was in there."
I watch Mari''s face carefully when I say Naru''s name. I''m expecting a look of recognition, of worry, or maybe confusion; maybe she doesn''t know who Naru is at all.
What I''m not expecting is the look of pure rage, of utter contempt. The intensity of it is enough to make me take a step back, startled, and Ahkelios cowers behind a bit of my hair, as if it''ll protect him. I almost put a hand over him protectively, but none of Mari''s anger is directed at me.
"Naru," she says, and I swear there''s a flicker of red in the air around her, like her Firmament is responding to her emotions.
...There''s some family history here, clearly. Mari visibly forces herself to calm down, holding up a wing so that I''ll give her a moment, and I dly do; I have to help Ahkelios, anyway, who''s on the verge of dissipating himself so he doesn''t have to deal with the scary birddy.
"She''s nice, I promise," I murmur, keeping my voice low, and he gives me a look that''s absolutely affronted.
"She could kill you by looking at you!" he hisses.
I blink at him. "...Can she?"
"I don''t know, but it feels like it!"
I sigh and try to give him an encouraging smile. "She''s got a good reason to be mad, but she''s not going to hurt you or us. I''ve fought with her before. It''ll be fine."
"You two loud," Mari caws at me, wings crossed across her chest. "Rude."
...Right. I cough, embarrassed. "Sorry."
"Sorry," Ahkelios echoes, dipping into a quick bow. Mari snorts, but she seems more amused than anything else; after a moment, though, she sighs, and sits herself down on a chair with a heavy thump.
"Naru not... not supposed toe back," she said. "We told him. He noe back. Cannot. Killed... too many of us, when he came back."
My throat tightens a little. I see the expression on her face the grief of a mother, the anger thates with disappointment. It''s an all too familiar expression but I force that thought to the back of my head. Now''s not the time, and the situation is... very different.
"Not on purpose," she adds, when she sees the look on his face. "Interface change people. Naru... He turn the wrong way, hit someone wrong... st. Someone make him angry? St. And he too proud. Say not his fault. He not try."
The anger builds in her voice again, but this time it''s controlled. Ahkelios doesn''t seem afraid, this time. What I sense from him instead is something like sympathy and familiarity.
I wonder if he''s seen all this as well. He''s been through the loops. He''s fought on Hestia. He doesn''t remember much of what he''s experienced, but... maybe all of this is a repeat, for him.
I don''t know if I''ll ever find out.
"You not fight Naru," Mari says. "I go."
"Wait, what?" I say, startled. That''s not where I was expecting this conversation to go. "You shouldn''t"
"We in loop, right?" she says, impatient. "My death not matter. I fail, you tell me try again. He my son. I talk to him."
"Thest time one of you died you got stuck in aa!" I don''t know if that''s because of the raid, but that''s not a risk I''m willing to take. Mari and Tarin both are the first friends I''ve made in the loop. I haven''t known them for long, and they always forget about me, but I don''t want both of them weighing on my conscience. One is bad enough.
"And?" Mari demands. "You want fight Naru? He squish you into grubcake. Like tiny baby crow. You want that?"
I stare at her in disbelief. I don''t even know how to answer that. She''s not she''s not wrong, exactly; the amount of power Naru wields is far beyond even the Lament at her best. I''m not going to be strong enough to beat him any time soon.
But I do have time. Not a lot of it; not if the other Trials are happening in parallel. But rushing will only cause bigger problems. The nature of the loop allows me to make mistakes, but not indefinitely. There''s too much still up in the air.
It doesn''t mean I want to let her do this. As far as I''m concerned, it''s a suicide mission. Even if it''s not maybe that crow isn''t psychotic enough to kill his own mother, which frankly seems like too big of an if to me I''m not sure what we''re going to get out of it.
If I follow her into the Hotspot, Naru will know something is up. If I don''t, then we''re back right where we started; Ahkelios and I are the only ones that really carry information between loops at the moment. Us and the Hestian Trialgoers, I suppose, given their ess to information outside the loop.
I don''t like that. It makes things dangerous. But I''m banking on something Tarin said not too long ago: they have to keep things in the spirit of the Trial. I''m not going to rely on that, obviously, that would be stupid. They''ve broken the rules here and there already. What happened to Tarin was the rules being bent.
And yet... Naru had no idea how strong I was before he checked. He still needs answers from me he needs to know why the Hotspot is active. He doesn''t seem to know about Ahkelios.
Something doesn''t add up, and I''m thinking that in his own way, Tarin may have left me a hint.
"I know it dangerous," Mari said. "I not fool. But Naru my son. I not asking stranger to fight him. I not asking stranger to die to him. I not care if you in loop. This is job for me."
I can''t change her mind.
The glint of determination in her eyes is fierce, and she isn''t going to listen to anything I have to say. I don''t even have a good argument, really. Mari''s strong when she''s not being suppressed stronger than I am, even with all the skills I''ve earned and while I don''t think she can stand toe to toe with Naru, she''dst longer than I can.
There''s one thing I can do. If I kill myself right now and restart the loop, she won''t remember her ns; she won''t go off on a mission that might get her killed.
I hesitate.
Like before, I have no real reason to be paranoid. No death outside of a raid has ever carried over, and I don''t think it''ll start now but I struggle to get myself to ept that. I''ve lost people before, even outside of the loops, and it''s hard.
Mari makes the decision for me. "I go now," she deres, and I speak without thinking.
"I''ll go with you," I say. "If you really have to go, then fine. But I''m not letting you go alone. I need to at least see what happens, or it''s not going to matter in the next loop."
Mari stares at me, and her eyes narrow. "You hide first," she says. "If he find you, fine. If not, you watch. You noe out. No matter what Naru do. You understand?"
...That''s ominous. What does she think her own son is going to do to her?
"Yes," I say.
I''m not sure I''m telling the truth.
As we approach the Hotspot, still on my shoulder, Ahkelios finally speaks up. "Do I get a choice in this?" he demands.
"I mean... sure?" I stare at him. "What do you want to do?"
"Stay behind and figure this moss out."
"Ahk..." I sigh. "I mean, sure, you''re your own person."
"Yessss." He pumps a tiny mantis fist in the air, a remarkably human gesture. "It''s moss time!"
I let him off my shoulder, but I''ve walked no further than ten meters away before he disappears and reappears right back on my shoulder. We have to walk back to grab the strip of bark for him, and I get the distinct sense he''s pouting.
Mari seems amused, by contrast. But there''s a tension in the air. The Hotspot looms ahead of us. I''ve already warned her what to expect with the colors and the Firmament. ording to the Timeline Tracker, Naru will show up soon.
It just remains to be seen how he''ll react to the meeting.
Chapter 23: Mother and Son
Chapter 23: Mother and Son
The color drains away the moment we step into the Hotspot, just like before. Unlike me, Mari doesn''t seem impressed at all she barely gives it a nce before she stomps her way deeper into the Hotspot, like she''s nning to tear her way through it. I stay a good distance behind her, as per the n that I''m absolutely not nning on keeping to.
"Are you sure about this?" Ahkelios whispers to me. "This could go really wrong!"
"About as sure as I can be," I whisper back.
I don''t actually know what Naru will do. Everything hinges on his actions I can''t n for a situation I''ve never seen before. But I do know how Naru fights, and unlikest time, I now have a Temporal Fragment I can call upon.
I also have Ahkelios, who, now that he''s forced toe along, appears to be determined to be helpful. I''m not sure where that''sing from, considering how afraid he wasst time; I try to remind him that he can back out if he needs to. I''m not interested in traumatizing the onlypanion that can remember me between loops.
But I''m not going to stop him if he wants to help, either.
It takes a bit longer before Naru shows up, this time. I worry for a while that he won''t show up at all that he''s been told not toe again, now that I''m aware that he exists. Or that I''ve done things differently enough this loop that he won''t get whatever alert he got that brought him here in the first ce.
But Mari doesn''t seem worried. She stands with her wings folded just at the edge of the radius of the obelisk''s Firmament pulses, looking for all the world like she was ready to punch her son out of the sky.
...Which happens in a much more literal way than I expect. I feel the Firmament spike before I see her do anything. Then she waves a wing, and there''s a loud, startled squawk in the air; Narues barelling down through the sky and crashes into the dirt. I''m amazed that Mari''s done anything to him at all.
"Naru," she says. "What you been doing? Helping Integrators?"
"What are you doing here?" Naru says. He doesn''t seem that affected by the fall. He pushes himself to his feet, and his gaze flickers around the clearing, suddenly suspicious; I feel the spike of Firmament in his eyes.
I duck behind a tree, praying he doesn''t see me. It''s not time for me to interfere, yet. I need to find the right moment.
Thankfully, enhanced eyesight or no, he doesn''t appear to be able to see through solid objects. "Did you juste here by ident?" he demands. "Are you following me?"
"You not answer question." Mari is stoic. Her expression doesn''t flicker.
"You kicked me out," Naru half-snarls. He recovers from the fall, but it takes him a moment I realize that something about his Firmament is a little off, this time. Is it something Mari did? Her ability to knock him out of the sky is deeply unexpected; she''s never disyed the ability to do anything at range. "What did you expect?"
"That you learn!" she snaps. "Not go back to Integrators! They using Hestia!"
She''s not even trying to hide it, at this point. Her husband is clever and wily Tarin hides what he means throughyers, and I still wonder if he''s told me something important already, and I just haven''t realized it yet. Mari, on the other hand, is proud; she says what she means, and she doesn''t give a damn about who''s around to hear it.
Maybe it helps that she''s seen what happened to Tarin anyway, despite how careful he was.
"Oh, please," Naru says. He dusts himself off like he wasn''t just yanked out of the sky like a wailing child; I wonder for the first time how he flies, if he doesn''t have wings. A Firmament skill?
I''m suddenly very interested in the array of skills he has. Like me, he has ess to the Interface. He''s likely seen a far different set of skills. What makes his build different from mine?
How can I exploit it?
I''ll have to keep it in mind.
"It''s not like we can do anything against the Integrators even if we wanted to," Naru continues. "You''re just going to have to ept it. They can do whatever they want with Hestia, and the sooner we join them, the better. No one on this can even scratch me now."
"Except other Trialgoer," Mari says. It reminds me that I wanted to ask her about those other Trialgoers; her insistence on confronting her son had startled me into forgetting. "You weak, for Trialgoer. Like baby crow."
Naru snarls. It''s the most angry I''ve seen him, even when I provoked him. Mari knows how to get under his skin, clearly. Or get under his feathers. "Still strong enough to beat you, mom."
"You want bet?"
I was really hoping this wouldn''t lead to a fight.
Hoping, but not expecting. I''ve got a pretty good idea the type of person Naru is, and while I''ve seen Mari be fierce andpassionate in equal measure, this is definitely her fierce side. She isn''t willing to budge an inch.
The problem is that Naru outsses her by a mile. I can feel that in their Firmament, even as they both cycle it to begin to get ready for a fight. Naru is a mountainpared to her, and although she knows some tricks I''m going to have to ask her how she knocked him out of the air like that I cannot imagine that those tricks are going to be enough.
"Get ready," I whisper to Ahkelios. I don''t know exactly what''s going to happen, but I need to be prepared for it. Mental eleration is working at full capacity, and I have Firestep and Triplestep active. The moment I move, I''m going to burst forward.
It''s not likely to be enough to catch Narupletely off-guard. It''s not likely even going to be enough to beat him. I''m not after either of those things, really.
What I''m after is information.
Mari''s admitted she doesn''t know that much about what her son is capable of. I asked her about it, on the way to the Hotspot; Naru''s secretive about the full extent of his capabilities. I know what she''s told me about what he did to the other crows at the Cliffside, and that speaks to enormous physical capability, but aside from that?
Nothing.
I need to know what he can do before I can begin to formte a n of action. I won''t be able to find everything he can do, but even the smallest trick, if he''s surprised that''s going to help me find a way to beat him for real.
For a long moment, neither Mari nor Naru move. I wonder if they''re even going to fight at all, or if one or both of them are going to back down; I have to admit I''m not exactly eager to see another familye to blows.
But Naru makes the first move. I get the sense that it''s what Mari was waiting for that she doesn''t want to be first.
The younger crow springs forward in a flicker of movement. He''s holding back, I''m pretty sure. He knows the nature of the Hestian Trial, and he knows for a fact that any death won''t be permanent, but I suppose that he passes the very, very low bar of not wanting to kill his mother.
It doesn''t stop him from mming a punch straight towards her gut.
Mari, by contrast, doesn''t move much. She takes a single step forward and focuses all her Firmament into a singr point. I hear a soft grunt as she takes the blow on her stomach, but the maniption of Firmament is so precise that the blow does little more to her. Even Naru seems startled he takes a step back, automatically bringing his arms up to prepare for retaliation.
So of course, she kicks him in the groin.
The subsequent caw is startling. I wasn''t even aware that would be a point of weakness for their species it''s not like the Earth analogue has anything remotely simr but evidently, their species does. The expertly-controlled Firmament is enough to actually damage him despite the sheer amount of Firmament he has loaded into everything.
So of course, that''s when I make my move. He''s feeling vulnerable right now. He''s been hurt in a way he hadn''t expected, and he''s trying to recover. I''m well aware of what that feels like. It''s the perfect time to make him panic. Off-bnce, you don''t have the time to fully process everything that''s going on. I''m sure he''s got something like Mental eleration, but his guard isn''t fully up...
"Ahkelios," I signal.
Temporal Fragment res to life. The tiny mantis on my shoulder shoots forward, utilizing his own Firmament in a way that I hadn''t known he could do until now; it trails behind him like a stream of visible light. He makes a visible effort to move away from me before he activates whatever skill he''s using, too, so he doesn''t give away my location.
The other function of Temporal Fragment causes no such worry. Naru is standing, rather conveniently, in a spot that''s almost exactly where I''d punched him before; it helps that Mari was standing in just the right spot to bait him there. Pure coincidence, this time around, but I''ll have to remember it for the future.
In any case, a temporal clone shimmers into existence just a few feet away from Naru, and several things happen at once.
Naru looks up from between his arms. His brain is scrambled, clearly he''s trying to cope with what his own mother just did, and he''s failing to contain his own rising anger and so when he sees a streak of blue zipping towards him, he reacts with pure instinct. A wave of an arm sends a kaleidoscope of colors ringing out of his fist, crashing into Ahkelios and near-instantly dissipating the skil; I feel Ahkelios'' presence disappear abruptly.
He''s fine. His form was disrupted, but my bond with him is entirely intact. I''m more interested in exactly what that rainbow-wave did it seemed to fundamentally alter Firmament in some way, distorting Ahkelios'' physical form and dismissing it. I''ll have to keep it in mind: it looks like an all-purpose Dispel, forck of a better word.
Then he looks up, and he sees my temporal clone charging at him. He takes a step back and nearly falls backwards; he waves an arm again, but nothing happens. I take a note there: That Dispel likely has a cooldown. He reaches for it as a reflexive defensive skill, which makes perfect sense, but if I can trick him into wasting it on something that won''t hurt him...
That''s one piece of information.
The punch doesn''t do anything to Naru, but I don''t expect it to; the temporal clone vanishes a secondter in a sh of paradox, and Naru stares at the spot where it disappeared. He whirls back towards Mari. "This is a trick," he says. "You''re working with the Trialgoer!"
Mari gives him the most deadpan stare I''ve ever seen from her. She looks mildly annoyed that I interfered, but not too annoyed; more just begrudgingly understanding. "I not say I not work with Trialgoer," she says. "What trick? You just stupid."
Naru''s expression of disbelieving anger is, honestly, the highlight of my day.
Chapter 24: Planning
Chapter 24: nning
I need to figure out my n. I''ve revealed myself, in a manner of speaking, which means that no matter what happens a confrontation is probably inevitable; I''d like to be ready.
In fact, I''d like to make the first move. This is an opportunity for me the fight with the mantis-monster at the start of the loop no longer gives me credits. I need to push myself to earn more, especially now that I know my time is limited. If I''m going down here, I need to go down earning as many credits as possible.
"Where Trialgoer?" Naru demands. I notice the change in his speech, the way he''s too flustered to speak in that prim-and-proper way he''s no doubt learned from his elevated status. He notices it too, and visibly grimaces, forcing himself to speak ''properly'' once again. "Don''t think I don''t know he''s here somewhere."
"Obviously you not know, otherwise you not surprised," Mari snorts. "Trialgoer not important. I want know why you here. What so special about this ce? You know what happen to Tarin?"
"I don''t know and I don''t care," Naru growls. "You two stopped being my parents when you kicked me out."
Mari''s gaze hardens. "You hurt vige. We not want to kick you out, but you not learn. What you expect?"
"I expected my own parents not to abandon me."
"Abandon?" Mari folds her wings across her chest. "We tell you youe back if you learn control. If you stop killing crows. But you not stop. Now we here."
She''s being surprisingly calm about the fact that her son has killed others in their vige. I''m not sure all the vigers would be nearly as epting about weing Naru back. Maybe that''s her blind spot or maybe she just knows something I don''t. Maybe there was more to that whole situation.
I can only barely watch what''s happening. I''m hidden behind a tree and peering out between some leaves, but it''s not perfect coverage. I have to flinch backwards and hide again the moment Naru starts scanning the horizon, looking for the Trialgoer he''s certain is here.
And I''m thinking.
I''m not powerful enough to beat Naru. Mari and I together won''t be powerful enough to beat Naru not as we are right now. She has some leverage over him, being his mother and all, but I doubt it''s going to be enough to stop him from killing me.
I need to get my hands on the Phantom Roots. Ideally, if I can the Hotspot this loop, there won''t be a reason for Naru to investigate at all, and I won''t have to deal with him on subsequent loops. The gimmick for the Hotspot is fairly obvious a slowly expanding circle of deadly Firmament that converts each pool of color it touches into a deadly monster which means that this is a time-based puzzle more than anything.
That picture doesn''t feelplete, though. There''s no challenge to it. If I''m right, then all I have to do is dive in as quickly as possible and touch the obelisk presumably, that''s my goal. What do I have to do? Destroy it?
That''s a probable solution.
I use Temporal Fragment and summon Ahkelios again. It''s a little draining, calling him out so soon after he was forcibly dissipated; I wince at the small spike of pain in my head.
"Hey," I say, keeping my voice low. Naru''s no doubt listening for anything abnormal, and I''m not certain even speaking softly will stop him from listening in. If he does hear me, though, he doesn''t react to it. I keep my words vague; I don''t want Naru to know Ahkelios is a former Trialgoer. "Do you know how toplete this Hotspot, by any chance?"
"I''m not sure." Ahkelios picks up that small piece of bark I''ve given him, then climbs halfway up the tree, sitting with a tiny hand pressed to his chin. He doesn''t seem at all bothered by the fact that he was just killed though I suppose that only makes sense. "But I think I recognize some of the inscriptions on the obelisk."
That''s a start. "Where from?"
"You''re not going to like the answer."
I give him a look. "Just tell me."
"There''s a ce up north called the Fracture," he starts, and I suppress a groan.
Of course the Hotspot is connected to something else. Of course it is. That it happens to be one of the ces I''ve already been is even worse; it makes me wonder how all of this is connected, or if it''s just somehow a coincidence.
I suspect there''s an easy way toplete the Hotspot: destroy the obelisk, and the Firmament waves stop. Color returns to the world, and I get a reward. Presumably, that''s how we''re expected toplete it.
On the other hand... There might be another way. If I''m right, and this is one of Ahkelios'' Hotspots, then his memories are almost certainly relevant. Going to the Fracture first probably leads to better rewards, considering the lengths I''d have to go to toplete it that way.
And it might put me in a better position to fight Naru.
I have to keep in mind that we don''t have that much time. Tarin''s battle with the Interface Firmament is continuing, and as far as I know, it doesn''t get reset by the loops. I''ll have to check in on him properly to be sure, and I''m nning to do that as soon as the next loop rolls around, but for now...
I''ll make my decision when I see how he''s doing. If he canst, going through the Fracture might represent a better chance for us all. I''m much stronger than I was, after all; the Fracture will represent a challenge, but it might not be an impossibility.
Rank C, though. About the same level of strength as the harpy I only beat because I ripped her throat open before she evolved. Hopefully, the golems aren''t that high a rank, and the danger ranking is about something else hidden in the Fracture.
Naru and Mari have been talking, but it''s more me and usations being thrown back and forth. I''ve tuned it out, but now I force myself to pay attention again; there''s something in their tones that tells me something is about to happen soon.
"You not learn." Mari repeats those words, but this time, there''s something heavy and regretful in it like she finally understands that changing her son''s mind is going to be impossible. Naru res at her in response, full of stubborn pride and arrogance.
"I don''t need to learn," he says snidely. "I''m respected among the Integrators. I''m respected among the Great Cities. You''re the only person that doesn''t respect me, mom. You and dad."
"The Great Cities," Mari says. She looks disgusted by the mention of them. She and Tarin never mentioned them to me, but I suppose it makes sense; I doubt the isted vige of the Cliffside Crows is the only bastion of civilization in all of Hestia. "They say they great, but they not fight Integrators. They just ept."
"Why would they?" Naru snaps, irritated. "You keep talking about fighting the Integrators. Fighting them is pointless, mom. They brought us power. The world has changed, you just haven''t learned to deal with it."
Mari shakes her head and looks, for a moment, utterly disappointed. I feel a pang in my heart the familiarity of that expression stings, even when it''s not directed at me. "I tired of pretending to be happy," she says quietly. "They take my husband. They take Tarin. And even when they take Tarin... You not understand. You not care."
She takes a breath. "You not my son."
Naru takes a step back, as though struck. I grimace a little. I''d sort of assumed that was the situation they were in already, but it sounds like there was a lot of denial all around; everyone in the family trying to convince one another they were right, and not quite epting that they would neverpromise on who they were.
Part of me feels bad.
Most of me just thinks Naru is an asshole, and that Mari is right to do this.
I don''t know if her words unlock something within Naru, but when the fight begins again, it''s fierce. Naru doesn''t hold back, this time I see him moving, and even with Mari moving all her Firmament to block it, she''s blown back, smashing through several trees in the process.
It''s time. No more hiding. If I want to gain credits if I want to survive this fight as long as possible I need to start fighting while I have Mari''s help, or Naru will crush me in a second.
I need four more Firmament credits. I don''t yet know what gets me those credits besides killing, but I do know that it tends to happen when I face something much more powerful than I am.
Four more, and I hit that first milestone one hundred points of Firmament banked. I need to know what that does.
Now to figure out how to survive long enough for all this to matter.
Second Wind is the most powerful skill I have, and it''s resisted even the force of the Interface pressing down on me before. It can''t do it forever, but if I cast the skill now, instead of waiting for him to kill me...
Second Wind.
Firmament res up across my body, blue tinged with flecks of gold. I can feel it reinforcing everything about me. To my surprise, the Second Wind Firmament flickers down the bond I share with Ahkelios, too, and the mantis gains tiny flecks of gold all over his body; he looks down at himself with surprise.
...I need to spend some time working directly with these skills and understanding them. It''s be clear to me that each skill can have hidden depths Temporal Fragment is an obvious example, but Second Wind''s interaction with Ahkelios is yet another.
It''s unexpected, but I can use this. "Do you still want to help?" I ask him, and he gives me a determined little nod; I sh him a small grin. "Then go for his eyes."
If Ahkelios is as reinforced as I suspect Second Wind will make him, then he might as well be a tiny, homing bullet.
Triplestep. Firestep.
I have to keep Naru''s Dispel ability in mind. I''m not expecting to kill him not yet. I want to use him to earn as many credits as I can. For that to work, I need to survive against him as long as I possibly can, which means I can''t let him Dispel my Second Wind.
Mari emerges out of the brush with a terrifyingly powerful screech, her muscles all bunched up beneath her wings. She looks ready to smash Naru into the ground. Her eyes meet mine for a fraction of a second, and she gives me a small, slight nod; I don''t know if she understands what I''m nning, exactly, but I understand the message anyway.
She''ll be fighting with me once more.
For all that thest time we fought together was technically just about a day ago, it still makes me feel a pang of nostalgia.
She dashes forward. She''s faster than me, more powerful than me. Ahkelios can almost keep up with her, maybe because he''s got a body of pure Firmament; he darts in an erratic pattern towards Naru, yelling some gibberish loudly. I''m pretty sure I hear "Photosynthesis!" and "Chlorophylls!" in his battle cry.
...I''m going to ask him about thatter. For now, it''s time to do my part.
Crystallized Strength. Barrier.
I''m the third andst one to strike Naru, the force of my blow cracking across his face at the same moment Mari strikes his stomach and Ahkelios flies directly into his eyes.
Chapter 25: Four Way Battle
Chapter 25: Four Way Battle
Naru looks thoroughly unimpressed, except for the part where he sputters and waves his hands around at the pest flying repeatedly into his eyes.
It''s more or less in line with my own expectations. I dart backwards quickly, wary of retaliation, and even with that preemptive dodge his strike ms me in the chest hard enough that I can feel my ribcage caving in. It''s only Second Wind that keeps me alive, heart and bones quickly forming out of Firmament and keeping my blood pumping.
Second Wind dampens the pain, too. I see the surprise in his eyes when I stay standing, and despite the difficulty I have breathing Second Wind is not perfect I force myself to grin.
I''ll make him think I''m stronger than I am. I''ll make him hesitate. Unlike before, with Mari and Ahkelios harassing him, he doesn''t have time to check his own Interface; he won''t know exactly how many loops I''ve been through, so he can''t be entirely certain about my strengths.
Not that the number of loops tells him that much, really. I dash forward, feeling the mes of Firestep ignite beneath my feet.
There''s more to Firestep that I haven''t fully uncovered yet. The skill is weak for a Rank-C skill; it makes me about ten times faster to Triplestep''s three, and while that''s good, it doesn''t feel like the upgrade from Rank F to Rank C should. Rank C takes five times as many points, and leaving fire behind me isn''t exactly useful in a fight.
Not unless there''s more to the skill. It''s not just a glorified firesetter, is it?
I''d noticed this before, the first time I was in this Hotspot. My Firestep Firmament kept a hold of its color up until the Firmament drained out of it, leaving behind nothing but ordinary fire. I might be able to use that Firmament to my advantage it is, after all, technically my Firmament.
No better time to test it than now, in the middle of a fight that could kill me, I think sarcastically but I''m not faking the grin that''s stretching across my face.
I''ve always been good at this.
Naru tries to focus on me, but his mother makes it nearly impossible. Mari rockets towards him, barrelling in his direction with the force and inevitability of a train, and he crosses his arms in front of his chest to defend himself.
The force of the blow still craters the ground, and blows back a few of Naru''s feathers. He doesn''t look hurt, but he''s looking steadily more annoyed.
Ahkelios, meanwhile, darts in and out with astonishing speed stinging his eyes again and again. Naru is frustrated enough by this that he swings a fist at Ahkelios, but without a Dispel empowering his blows and Second Wind reinforcing Ahkelios, his attempts are almost entirely ineffective.
Ahkelios proves very, very good at being a distraction. He res his Firmament brightly at random intervals, almost searing one moment and then dim to the point of near-invisibility the next; it''s clever, I realize. All the physical defenses in the world don''t protect Naru from the overstimtion of bright, shing lights that insistently fly into your eyes.
Ahkelios is also still yelling out random nt biology words, which I figure is part of the whole distraction thing.
The strange thing is, that strategy is working. Naru''s looking more and more overwhelmed whatever Reflex skills he has, they don''t seem to cover multitasking. His ability to track Mari, Ahkelios and I seems severely diminished, and he catches a powerful blow in the side from Mari.
Even with his impressive reserve of Firmament, he''s sent flying. This time, it''s his turn to crash through several trees, their wooden trunks cracking apart with a loud creak that echoes throughout the forest.
"Trialgoer!" Naru yells. I don''t know why he''s yelling at me but his eyes are wild and crazed, and I realized we''ve pushed him past his breaking point. The anger in his eyes is frightening.
And yet...
They don''tpare to the pain in Mari''s. They don''tpare to my own anger, the thought of this crow betraying Mari and Tarin like that. I''ve known them for all of two days, at most; I know how good they are. I know how hard they try.
And maybe that''s unfair of me. I certainly don''t know everything about them; I haven''t known them for long enough. But Naru hasn''t said a single word in his own defense he''s only made grandiose ims about the power he''s gained, and the benefits of working with the Integrators.
As far as I''m concerned, Naru is throwing everything they are everything they''ve done back into their faces.
Maybe part of my anger is because I wish I''d had parents like them.
I shove the thoughts to the back of my head, turning them into fuel for the battle. I run straight towards Naru, igniting Firestep Firmament in my wake.
Strangely, it glows brighter and stronger than before. It''s almost like it''s responding to my thoughts, my emotional state; it wavers like it''s being blown forward by an invisible wind, creeping slowly towards Naru, the mes rising higher and higher.
This time, the Firmament isn''t dissipating. Not while my mind is focused on the skill, stoking the mes.
A Speed skill, I realize, doesn''t just have to be about speed.
Naru flies back into the circle so fast that I don''t have time to respond to his presence, and his fist catches me in the face. I feel my bones cracking, but Second Wind holds everything in ce as I tumble in the dirt.
For a moment, all I see is a chaotic mess of ck and white. Ie to a stop lying on my back; Naru is trying to follow up with a second blow, but both Mari and Ahkelios are on him, distracting him just enough that he can''t.
It gives me just enough time to get back to my feet. Firmament-fueled fire is all around the battlefield, flickering an ominous orange in the midst of the colorlessndscape.
Naru isn''t paying attention. The fire creeps closer to him. I don''t need to do anything tomand it: they move almost of their own volition now, as if they have a target. They leave charrednd in their wake as they move, but strangely, they don''t spread; not while my Firmament is still in control.
And since Firestep isrgely acting on its own... I decide to try something new.
It''s clear that my skills have some amount of flexibility to them. I''ve been thinking of them as buttons I to that output an effect, and I''ve been proven wrong on that count. That means there''s a more effective way to use my skills. Even beyond Firestep which I don''t fully understand just yet there''s my current bread-and-butterbination, Crystallized Strength and Barrier.
But if all I''m doing is forming a globe around my fist, I''m not using it effectively.
This time, instead of just forming a barrier around my fist, Imand the Firmament to shape itself into something more damaging. It''s still a barrier that protects me from being directly hurt by my own strength but now that barrier is shaped like a heavy spike, and I allow myself a small grin of satisfaction.
Naru''s still distracted. He stays distracted, right up until the moment I swing my fist at him, Barrier Firmament glowing brightly with a sharp, pointy end to it.
There''s a certain instinct I''m relying on, here. I call that instinct "do everything you can to protect your eyes". Ahkelios has spent the entire battle harassing him and targeting his eyes specifically so now when there''s basically a needleing straight towards his eyes, the Dispel is instinctive.
I dart backwards, having expected the response; the rainbow Firmament touches my barrier and shatters it in an instant. Crystallized Strength falters a secondter. I feel my headache spiking.
Second Wind wavers... but it doesn''t break. I''d gotten out of the way in time, and the Dispel only brushed against me rather than going through me.
The Firestep Firmament reaches him a secondter.
I''m not sure I expect it to do much. None of the physical blows I''ve used on Naru do much of anything, and even the non-physical ones like the pure Firmament sting out of the Hotspot''s obelisk barely affect him. But it''s a new form of attack, and something I''ve never tried before; I want to see what it does.
In that regard, it exceeds all my expectations.
Maybe it''s because the target of my anger is Naru, but the mes re brighter and brighter as they approach him and then Naru flinches backwards, stumbling, as though the heat''s actually burned him. His eyes take on a wide, panicked sort of look as he waves a hand ineffectually at the mes. The Firmament fire catches onto his feathers, igniting them and burning into his flesh.
For the first time, Naru screams. The sound almost makes me take a step back something about it is raw and primal, nothing like what I would have expected the mere touch of fire to do to anyone.
Then the air around him cracks. He''s used a skill. I don''t know what the skill is, but it craters the ground, force exploding outwards from him like he''s set off a bomb; the force of the blow is enough to send all three of us flying back and snuff out the fire around him.
I grit my teeth.
For all that the skill clearly caused him pain, he doesn''t look actually injured. I''m not sure I understand exactly what kind of injury it inflicted on him, but he''s breathing more heavily, his eyes clouded with a mixture of anger and pure instinct. Heshes out, and the blow catches Mari in the chest.
This time, it''s so quick she doesn''t react in time.
I hear the sound of her bones cracking, on top of the sound of trees breaking, and realize that we''re running out of time. I''m not letting her die here. Not while she''s in the Hotspot and technically part of the Trial.
Barrier. Crystallized Strength.
And because Second Wind is starting to run out, the skill wavering, my vision blurring and my chest starting to burn with pain
Second Wind.
I''m not going toyer the skill more than once. The effects of overusing my Firmament have been made clear to me, and I''m not interested in losing multiple loops to the mantis over and over again. Even with just this, I know I''m going to have a headache for most of the next loop, but that''s a cost I can ept.
I rush towards Naru, throwing all the force I can into every blow against him.
It doesn''t do much. Even with Barrier formed into a single spike, or a de no matter what shape I imagine or how sharp I make it I can''t achieve anything more than a shallow cut.
But a shallow cut is more than I''d achieved before. It''s progress. It''s movement.
Naru grabs me by the arm. The way he moves is deliberate. He knows what Second Wind is, I think. He knows what it does. He twists my arm unnaturally, one fist pressing at my elbow, straining agains the Firmament that''s reinforcing it
My arm snaps.
I swing my other arm at him.
He catches that fist, too, but my leges up to kick him between the legs in an echo of what his mother had done, and that he doesn''t catch, because Ahkelios chooses that moment to fly into his eyes once again. Naru doesn''t flinch. I don''t have nearly the power his mother does, and so his body is like steel when I try to break it.
But I try anyway.
He breaks my leg, and I kick up into his stomach, driving myself into the ground. He lunges at me, trying to w at my face, but Second Wind keeps me going, keeps me moving. I think, for a moment, that I see a sh of difort sh across his face. He doesn''t understand how I''m still going, how I''m still fighting.
I doubt he ever will, I think, as Second Wind fades away into nothing.
[ You have died. +26 Strength credits. +42 Durability credits. +12 Reflex credits. +19 Speed credits. +4 Firmament credits. ]
Myst thought is that I have just enough points to hit a total of one hundred banked into Firmament.
I don''t know what that''ll get me, but I hope it''s something I can use to wipe the damn smirk off of Naru''s face.
Chapter 26: A Firm Headache
Chapter 26: A Firm Headache
I was, unfortunately, right about having a ring headache in the next loop. It''s all I can do to roll to the side and activate Temporal Fragment, and even that takes a lot out of me; the pulse of pain in my head spikes, and I lie there on the ground doing nothing, letting my temporal clone do all the work.
It''s a choice I regret slightly when the mantis-monster half-copses onto me. It doesn''t hurt, thankfully; Tough Body is more than enough to handle a vaguely heavy monster falling on top of me.
It is, however, annoying.
I lie there for however long it takes for my headache to fade away. I think I fall asleep at some point the sun has moved in the sky when I open my eyes again, and when I take a look at the Timeline Tracker in my Interface, it looks like around four hours have passed. The corpse of the mantis-monster is in a frankly disgusting state. I drag myself away from it.
I consider banking the Firmament points now and seeing what it does, but I''d rather do that after I hit Cliffside. The thought of doing it now, next to a corpse, somehow doesn''t appeal to me.
Besides, I''ve seen that the rewards are always based on what I''ve done. If I do a little more, maybe I''ll get a little more in turn. Even if that little more I do is nothing more than a conversation with Mari.
I probably shouldn''t show up to the Cliffside like this, though. I''m covered in mantis blood. I can only imagine what Mari will think. There''s a river near the Cliffside that I can wash myself in; as long as I make sure to do it downriver so a bunch of mantis blood doesn''t flow into theirundry, I''m pretty sure I can get away with falling asleep under a corpse for four hours.
Probably. I''d kill for some soap right around now, honestly.
A part of me wants to call out Ahkelios and ask him about the mantis monster, but I decide not to do that just yet. I''m not fully recovered on my Firmament, and more importantly, I remember his initial reaction to me when he saw me covered in blood. I doubt his reaction will be the same, but I still don''t want a repeat of that urrence.
So I only call him out when I''m in the river and have thoroughly washed out most of the blood. I can''t do much about the stains it''s left on my clothes it''s not like I have anything to change into and I find myself shivering when I step out of the river. It''s not as cold as it could be, thanks to the effects of Tough Body, but this still isn''t pleasant.
"Ahkelios," I say.
Ahkelios appears in the air as I tug on the skill, and he immediately nces around expectantly. His face falls when he can''t find his favorite piece of bark. "I forgot that we don''t get to keep things between loops," he grumbles.
"I kind of forgot, too," I admit, feeling slightly awkward. A physical gift isn''t all that useful if he can''t keep it. "I think I remember where I found it, though. We can go back if we have time."
"Really?" Ahkelios brightens almost immediately. I can''t help but chuckle I wonder if this was what he was really like, beneath the despair that the loops had evidently forced on him. Some of it might be the nature of the skill itself, ''persuading'' him to be helpful in any way he can, but...
A lot of this seems genuine. Like he''s just a good, simple man that takes joys in the simple things. Maybe that''s why he went into the fields he did.
"Yeah," I say. "Here, I''ll make a mark for it on my map, so we remember to go back."
The Interface is, if nothing else, convenient for basic things like that. I leave a marker in the approximate area I think I found the bark; it won''t be exact, but I''ll remember better once we''re in the general vicinity.
"By the way," I start. "Were you yelling out chlorophyll while fighting Naru?"
Ahkelios has the grace to look briefly embarrassed. "I figured it would confuse him."
"Well, it confused me, but I''m not sure Naru is smart enough to get confused," I say dryly. "I don''t think he was paying much attention."
"At least I distracted him," Ahkelios argued, and I grin at him.
"That you did," I say. "And you did a damn good job. We didn''t beat him, but... I think we''ll get there. Soon. A few more loops, a few more challenges..."
"Are you going to go to the Fracture?" Ahkelios asks, and I pause in thought.
"I need to see how Tarin is doing," I say finally. "And Mari. I need to make sure they''re fine. If it looks like I have the time, I''ll go to the Fracture and see if I can find what you''re talking about. If it turns out I''m running out of time... I think I can get Mari to distract Naru long enough that I can grab the Phantom Roots. Hopefully that will be enough to actually help Tarin."
Ahkelios nods, apparently on board with the n. I pull myself to my feet the wet clothes are going to be ufortable to travel in, but it''s not like I have much of a choice.
Time to go back to the Cliffside, and see how Tarin and Mari are doing.
Mari is... fine, in a manner of speaking. I''d been a little worried, since I''d lost sight of her at the end of thest loop, but she''s not dead. Nor have the Integrators interfered with her, as far as I can tell.
She is different this loop, but that''s the effect of the Firmament strain more than anything. When I find her, she''s much grumpier than usual.
"I headache today!" she barks at me when she sees me. "No time for Trialgoer. You go talk to husband. He help you."
She doesn''t know that Tarin is in aa yet, and... I''m not sure I should tell her. I could just enter his hut and check the state of his Firmament; that was one of my goals ining here. But I don''t want to spark some sort of misunderstanding. I can only imagine how it''ll look if she catches me leaving the hut and Tarin in aa.
"I need to talk to you," I say quietly.
Maybe there''s something in my voice that convinces her to listen, because she takes a second nce at me, and something in her demeanor changes. She grumbles in annoyance, but that doesn''t stop her from leading me to a secluded corner away from her home, I realize.
I wonder if she''s instinctively trying to protect Tarin.
It takes me a moment, but I exin to her the nature of the Trials, starting with the prank she yed on me. Her expression stays uncharacteristically serious the entire time she doesn''t interrupt me, doesn''t say a word, not even when I mention Tarin''sa. She only reacts when Naru''s namees up, and I see a visible tightening in her face.
But she keeps her anger controlled and lets me finish the story.
"I go check on Tarin first," is the first thing she says, and I nod. I get up to follow her, but she holds up a wing. "You wait. Youe check him after. I make sure you tell truth. I fast. You no worry."
Indeed, she''s a lot faster thanst time. I see visible distress in her eyes, but also a certain determination.
Maybe something''s carried over. Or maybe hearing about her son has changed something.
"Naru idiot," she tells me. "Foolish child. Blinded by power."
I wait. She seems like she has more she wants to say.
"But he not always like that," she finally says. She slumps slightly. "I not know where we go wrong."
"The Trials push people to their limits," I say quietly. "It''s what they''re designed to do. I don''t think you did anything wrong, it''s just... the Integrators know what they''re doing. They know how to break people."
Mari nods, but my words don''t seem like they''re much of afort to her. "You go check," she says after a moment. "I stay here. I need think."
She wants a moment to herself, in other words. I acquiesce, and make my way into the hut to check on Tarin.
He''s... fine. The Firmament battle is still raging within him, but it doesn''t seem to be much worse than it was before; the Interface has gained a little ground, but not by much.
Tarin''s a fighter in every sense of the word. I let myself smile a small, rueful smile.
I hope I get to talk to him again.
"He''s not doing much worse," I tell Mari as I step out of the hut. She seems lost in thought; she''s sitting on a log, staring out into the horizon, and she jumps a little when I speak before abruptly rxing again.
"That good," Mari says. "Husband strong. Can fight for days. Have seen him fight for week, even."
"I didn''t know him for long, but I did spar with him a few times." I give Mari a faint smile. "He kicked my ass."
Mari snorts. "Of course. You new Trialgoer. Still weak. Firmament unstable." She pokes me in the chest with a wing, and I chuckle.
"Fair enough," I say.
We sit in silence for a moment. I''m thinking I''ll head out to the Fracture next if we have time, then I want to make sure we deal with Naru. I don''t want him to be a problemter in the loop. If Hotspots aren''t persistent, meaning that they stop appearing once Iplete them... this is the only way I have of guaranteeing that one of Hestia''s Trialgoers appears this early in the loop.
Though I suppose if I take him out, he might just be fine the next loop. I''d have to take full advantage of the one loop where he''s gone. I file that thought away.
"Mari," I say. "I''m going to bank some of my Interface credits. I don''t know what''s going to happen when I hit a milestone. Can you make sure nothing goes wrong?"
Mari nces at me. "You very trusting," she says after a moment. I stare nkly. I could say the same of her. "We fight together?"
"More than once," I admit.
The crows have always been particrly willing to listen to me when I tell them about the Trial, now that I think about it. I doubt it''s always going to be this easy the idea of a time loop is no doubt going to be much harder to believe for most. But for whatever reason, Tarin and Mari have always believed me nearly immediately.
"Strong bond," Mari remarks. The smile I give her is weak. It''d be a strong bond if she remembered any of it, but she doesn''t.
She seems to notice my look, and she rolls her eyes. "I not remember, but I still feel you trust me," she says. "It matter. All things matter."
I suppose that might be true.
She waves an irritated wing at me. "You bank points now! Not doter. Later you forget. Do now, I watch. I want see what happens."
No time like the present, for sure.
[ Are you sure you wish to bank 68 Firmament credits? ]
Yes.
[ 68 Firmament credits banked! Rolling for results...]
[ Select between:
Color Drain (Rank C)
Resonant Pulse (Rank C)
Weaker Dispel (Rank C) ]
[ You have unlocked an Inspiration. Bonus willmence once skill selection has taken ce. ]
Chapter 27: Inspiration
Chapter 27: Inspiration
I try to ignore the text about the Inspiration, and focus first on the choice I have to make. I have no idea what an Inspiration is, but it sounds important. A part of me is excited but that doesn''t mean I want to rush my choice.
The problem is the names are so vague.
It helps that I know that they''re associated, in some way, with everything I''ve been through. The names make it obvious, even. Color Drain is clearly associated in some way with the strange, color-leeching effect of the Hotspot; I''m not sure what it means in terms of a Firmament skill, though. If I assume it''s in any way simr to what was happening in the Hotspot, then maybe it''s something that drains the color out of things, allowing me to imbue it with Firmament and turn it into a monster that will fight my enemies for me.
Or, if I take the name very literally, it might just let me pull the color out of things. I can''t imagine that''ll be the sole use of the skill, though. It''s be increasingly clear that the skills tend to be a little more than they seem.
Resonant Pulse might be something simr to what the obelisk did in the middle of the Hotspot. It might also be the skill Naru used when I set him on fire, the one that cratered the ground and snuffed out my Firmament. Either way, it''s probably an area-of-effectbat skill that''s focused on me at the center, which makes it a great midrange option that fills out my kit for when I have to fight groups of enemies.
Thest one, Weaker Dispel, is clearly based on the Dispel ability that Naru used against me. It''s a useful card to have, but the drawbacks are very clear in Naru''s case, he became over reliant on it in a sort of catch-all reaction to anything he thinks might hurt him.
Weaker Dispel is... a weak option for me, I think. Not because it''s not useful, but because it''s not useful to me, especially while I''m in this Trial. Its ability to dissipate Firmament use is marred by the fact that this version of it isbeled as weaker, and the Trial forcing me to loop through time when I die allows me to prepare myself against any surprises. I can, with some rare exceptions, just take the death and allow it to inform the next loop.
I might also be able to replicate the effects with Firmament Maniption, with a few more ranks in it. I''ve seen how Naru''s skill works. Dispel fundamentally works on things reliant on Firmament, so if I can reproduce it with Firmament Maniption...
That leaves Color Drain and Resonant Pulse.
Color Drain is a gamble. Resonant Pulse will almost certainly be useful; Color Drain might be useful, if I''m right about what it does. I don''t doubt that any Rank C skill will be useful in some way, shape or form, but I don''t want to risk it when Tarin''s life is technically still on the line.
I''m about to make my choice when I remember I''m not alone. I hesitate for a moment, then call out Ahkelios, bright blue shing to life on my shoulder. Mari nces up at the sight, but just cocks her head at me.
"I have to choose a skill, first," I say. "I have three choices. Color Drain, Resonant Pulse, and Weaker Dispel. Do either of you know anything? Any suggestions? I''m leaning towards Resonant Pulse, but..."
"I not know what Interface call skills," Mari says. "But Resonant Pulse familiar. Naru use skill, I think."
That answers that question.
"I think I know Color Drain," Ahkelios says thoughtfully. "It''s kind of a skill that weakens things. Lowers the strength of Firmament, weakens the structural integrity of things, that kind of thing. I think the specific color you drain changes the properties of the drain, too?"
...It''s a good thing I thought to ask.
With that information, I change my mind. Color Drain seems like a more versatile skill overall.
[ Color Drain (Rank C) obtained! ]
[ Inspirationmencing. ]
The world warps. I stagger forward, and it''s only the fact that Mari doesn''t react that tells me whatever''s happening to me isn''t real not in a literal sense, anyway.
Color washes out of the world, not unlike how it had looked within the Hotspot. For a moment, everything feels empty, dead. I reach within myself to touch on my bond with Ahkelios, hoping to draw something from that but even that bond is somehow muted.
I am alone.
The world is frozen around me. Mari doesn''t move, and neither do any of the other crows in the vige. Every leaf is still, and every cloud in the sky has ceased to move. Even the relentless heat of the sun feels like nothing more than a dull warmth on my skin, and that sensation, too, is quickly fading.
What is this? It doesn''t feel like a reward.
But I stay calm. The Interface has been fair about its rewards, so far. There''s no reason for me to expect that to change. Either this is a test in which case all I need to do is figure out what it wants from me to pass or there''s something obvious that I''m missing.
"Interface," I try. "What am I supposed to do?"
Silence. The Interface hasn''t been particrly useful about responsestely, but I suppose I don''t really expect any different. I figure this must be some kind of puzzle that I''m meant to solve, but with no idea of what the pieces are
"Ah, there you are! My deepest apologies for beingte."
I jump, startled, and reach for Triplestep to put some distance between me and whoever had spoken but the skill fails. Whatever this liminal space is, my skills don''t work correctly here.
I spin around anyway, and take a few steps back from the figure standing behind me. He''s smiling pleasantly. I can''t express how strange it is, to find a figure just smiling at me in the midst of everything else being frozen.
It''s hard to describe him, exactly. I can barely tell whether he''s organic or synthetic his body is a stonelike deep blue, his bare arms decorated in golden filigree. Glowing pearls decorate his flesh like jewelry.
His head is strange, too; the top of it is almost disc-shaped. He wears bright, expressive eyes, though, and a pleasant smile adorns his lips. He''s dressed in a single long vest decorated in the same golden filigree that runs along his arms, and it merges into white, ceramic-looking armor.
It mighte as no surprise that I don''t trust him.
The stranger doesn''t notice. "Temporal bands, you see," he says, his voice cheerful. "Quite difficult to navigate, especially if you''re on the outside. But the Interface demands what the Interface demands, and what it demands now is that you gain an Inspiration! Isn''t that exciting?"
"I don''t know what an Inspiration is," I say. I keep my eyes fixed on him. I don''t actually sense any Firmament from him but everything about where I am is strange, and my connection to my own skills is muted. I''m not sure I''d sense anything even if he were filled to the brim with Firmament.
"Right, right, you haven''t had the exnation." The stranger waves a hand cheerfully, then sticks it out, though a little bit awkwardly. "One thing at a time. Where are my manners! My name is Gheraa. I am the Integrator in charge of your Trial, and I am delighted to meet you."
The delight in his tone is ufortable. It''s like he''s putting on a show. But then of course he is.
The Integrators are always watching.
"You don''t have to introduce yourself, of course," the Integrator says when I don''t reach out to shake his hand. Gheraa. Whatever. "Ethan Hill, two thousand, nine hundred and fifty-first candidate... Among thest to be chosen. I''m quite pleased with my selection. You''ve been a remarkable participant so far."
There''s something in his tone that gives me pause, but it''s his words that catch my attention. "The Interface said the selection was random."
"It was!" Gheraa smiles brightly at me. "We randomly picked out candidates and then selected the best of the best."
"So you lied."
"That''s rather hurtful, but if that''s what you want to call it..." Gheraa shrugs. He doesn''t seem put off by my distrust or hostility; if anything, he seems to revel in it. "But we mustn''t waste time! These Inspirations take quite a lot of Interface energy, you know."
There''s something about the way he says that that catches my attention. The way his words linger on the idea of Interface energy. I narrow my eyes slightly. I don''t know if he''s telling the truth, but that''s something worth noting that the Interface''s energy might be limited.
"So now you make your choice!" Gheraa gestures in a dramatic flourish, the stone of his arm briefly splitting apart to reveal a crackle of yellow energy. "For the Inspirations you have earned..."
There is a crack. An echo. Something resonating through the air, so powerful and deep I can feel it in my chest; for a moment, I feel as though I cannot breathe.
And then, in front of Gheraa, I see two options.
One looks like a flower. It is, technically, wearing the shape of a rose but every petal is a different color and pattern. One is silver with lines of gold, another purple with swirls of orange. At one-second intervals, a petal falls, only to be reced by a new, unique set of colors.
[ A Flower for the Broken ], it says.
"For your efforts in gaining an Assistant so soon," Gheraa exins, making a grandiose gesture towards the rose. He sweeps forward in a mocking bow, presenting the rose to me. "For you, my good sir."
I stare at him, then turn to look at the second option.
It''s a single feather. There''s an iridescent sheen to it, and it flickers with a strange blue-green every time my gaze shifts.
[ The Feather That Trusts ]. I suppose that''s as urate a description for the crows as any; they had been rather exceptionally trusting...
"For passing your very first Raid," Gheraa exins, unnecessarily. "Impressive work. You''re the fifth Trial participant to seed."
Among three thousand participants, that doesn''t sound so bad. I wonder who the other four are.
I stare at my options, then nce at Gheraa, ignoring hismentary. "Are you going to tell me what they do?"
"I think it''d be far more interesting if you found out on your own, don''t you?" Gheraa says. I raise an eyebrow, disagreeing, and he sighs.
"Very well," he says, affecting disappointment or at least, he tries. By the excitement in his voice, I suspect he''s been waiting to do this all along. "Inspirations are modifiers, my dear friend. They allow you to alter the effects of your skills, sometimes to drastic degrees. Isn''t that exciting! You keep the base effect, but you add on something new. For example, your friend Naru has a Strength Inspiration known as [ The Trembling Meteor ]. It increases the range of his abilities and gives him more control over fire. He used it to modify his Shockwave skill and nullify your Firestep. Isn''t that just neat?"
I narrow my eyes. I don''t know if he''s telling me the truth, but if he is, that''s a load of information he''s just... given me freely. Gheraa stares at me with a happy smile, his eyes perfectly innocent; it''s like he''s putting on a show.
The question is who that show is for.
I stare at my options while Gheraa waits patiently, and think about what he''d said. These are the Inspirations you''ve earned.
"Are these the only Inspirations I can choose from?" I ask suddenly, and Gheraa grins at me knowingly, as though he''s been waiting for this the whole time.
"I thought you''d never ask."
Chapter 28: Choice
Chapter 28: Choice
Gheraa snaps his fingers, and the air pulses; this time, it''s strong enough to make me stagger beneath the weight. The two initial options are still there, but the two new ones that appear feel strangely heavier. Gheraa holds one in each hand, and he does it carefully, reverently.
Above one hand, I see shards of ss, divided into four perfect quadrants. They shimmer with a strange light, and the Interface''s name for it is the longest I''ve seen yet.
[ The Mirror Twice Shattered ]
"We begin with the past," Gheraa says. There''s an abrupt change in the tone of his voice like he''s now speaking to a camera. The so-called mirror floats above his hand, shimmering in the light, and I catch a glimpse of myself; in every quadrant, I look a little different.
Determined. Angry. Sad. Frightened.
"You''re quite the contradiction, aren''t you, Ethan?" Gheraa looks me up and down, and I see something in his eyes, though I can''t make out what it is, exactly. An apology? He hums. "Determined and resilient, like a little cockroach... But . Almost toopassionate. It''s a bit artificial, don''t you think?"
He smiles at me, his expression entirely genial. I try to ignore the way I freeze at his words.
"You know what beingpassionate is supposed to be like," he says, like he''s enjoying exposing me. These are thoughts I''ve never shared with anyone uncertainty that mypassion is real, when it feels so forced; uncertainty that my empathy is . "That''s the person you''ve chosen to be. But you worry so much that what you''ve chosen doesn''t match who you are, on a deeper, fundamental level... You''ve been broken and reforged twice over, and you worry it''s left scars."
I stare at Gheraa, and clench my fists. I see his expression flicker, but it''s gone almost as soon as I notice it.
I take a deep breath and calm myself. I''ll think about thister. What he''s saying isn''t wrong, but it''s also something I''ve been working on. Before this before the Trial I was better than I had been in years. I can''t say dying four times in a row helped, but I like to think I''ve been dealing rtively well.
"And now for the present..." Gheraa hums. He lifts up his other hand, and above it, Firmament crackles.
I can''t see it. But I can feel it, dense and powerful, despite everything else being near invisible to my Firmament sense. It whirls into the shape of a dagger, a sword, a hammer.
The Interface''s words above it areparatively simple.
[ A Weapon Forged And Wielded ]
"You''ve forged yourself into quite the weapon, haven''t you?" Gheraa says. His voice is yfully condescending. "I was impressed with the way you handled that Raid. Only three tries, and you still managed to pull victory from the jaws of defeat... Or maybe you got lucky. If it''s luck, then your luck hasnded you quite the Inspiration. The Weapon is one of the most powerful Inspirations we''ve seen far greater than the personal Inspirations."
I stare at the Weapon, and then at Gheraa. Something tells me to step forward and take the Weapon, to use it and wield it against the Integrators. It''s a powerful voice that thrums in my head, urging me to step forward, to take it. I''ve taken a full step forward before I realize what I''m doing and force myself to a stop, ring firmly at Gheraa.
His expression is innocent. There''s something about the way he phrased that one of the most powerful Inspirations we''ve seen. Not all Inspirations are unique, and this one has been seen before; other people have picked it up, even.
"...Does Naru have this Inspiration?" I ask after a moment. Gheraa cocks his head at me.
"Now that would be telling, wouldn''t it?" the Integrator says, nodding to himself. I stare at him for a moment more.
A Weapon Forged and Wielded. The first two Inspirations presented to me have nothing to do with me, and have more to do with my aplishments; Gheraa has made it clear, however, that thetter two the Mirror and the Weapon are both direct representations of me.
But the Weapon doesn''t feel right, exactly. It doesn''t feel like what I am; it feels like what the Integrators want me to be. Not a representation of the present, but of the future.
"I don''t suppose you can tell me what each Inspiration does?" I''ve more or less made my decision, but I want to be certain. If he can tell me just a little more, I might change my mind.
Gheraa smiles. "Not even if I wanted to," he says. "Even the Weapon is different, when ced into different hands. Your Firmament changes the nature of an Inspiration."
That''s not exactly useful.
"Then I want the Mirror."
"Oh?" Gheraa cocks his head at me. He doesn''t seem upset, though he does nce up into the air, as if someone is speaking to him. I notice the smallest of winces, but when he looks at me, there''s no hint of any distress just gleaming interest. "What an interesting choice. Well... I wish you luck."
Strange. He sounded pleased.
The world shes bright, and shatters into four.
In one dream, I am determined. I''ve been held up in school, by my coach who simply refused to believe I had an emergency, and physically barred the door; I leapt through the window instead, crashing down through trees and branches to limp out of the school and hail a cab.
In another dream, I am angry at the world. I remember being like this in the days after my brother''s death, ruminating solely on the unfairness of the world atrge. I remembershing out at everyone that dyed me and made me just that little bit slower in getting to see him before he died.
I remember punching my coach. It''s a satisfying memory, even now.
In the third dream, I am despondent. The house feels empty without him, and neither of my parents speak to me much; they are grieving in their own ways. My mother gives me brief, usatory looks, and I know she mes me for his death. My father doesn''t, but he doesn''t have the energy to defend me.
In thest dream, I am frightened. I''ve made my way out scavenged enough money through odd jobs and scraping together all the savings I can. It''s barely enough for a down payment on rent.
For the first time, I am alone, and it is overwhelming. Frightening.
I wake up, in a manner of speaking. I was never really unconscious, but the process of gaining the Inspiration appears to have embedded something in me. Color returns to the world around me; Ahkelios and Mari are both staring at me, concerned.
"Your Firmament strange," Mari squawks at me. "What happen?"
I hold up a hand to get a moment to myself. Something inside me continues to churn, my Firmament sense telling me that the Inspiration is not yet , although it''s settling quickly. I might have an opportunity here to modify it.
The dreams aren''t the full picture. For all that they''re things that happened for all that they do, in fact, reflect my past they don''t carry the most important fragment of all.
Getting away from my mother''s angry looks and my father''s drunken nights started me on the path to healing. That was the reason I''d done all of it. It was what I needed to stop ming myself. For the longest time, I thought myself responsible for them that I needed to help them heal, too but I couldn''t do that without helping myself first.
The Mirror showed me four of the most significant moments in my life. It didn''t show me the fifth the one where I got over it all.
I suppose that''s because something like that never really happens in a single moment. It was a dozen small things; learning to smile again, tough again, making myself stop in the street to talk to a beggar and give him some food, instead of walking past. Talking to a therapist, engaging with the world.
My past isn''tplete without those moments. The Mirror is still coalescing inside of me, and as I think about how I''ve gotten this far, something within it seems to resonate. A fifth fragment forms, and settles among the other four.
"I''ve already been through that particr character arc, thanks," I mutter to myself, and when Mari gives me a confused look, I chuckle. "Don''t worry about it."
"I watch your Firmament," Mari says. "You stronger now. But your Firmament more unstable."
I flex my fingers, calling upon Firmament Maniption and gently twisting a stream of my own Firmament into a helix above my hand. The amount of Firmament I move isn''t enough to be visible, but it does feel surprisingly... lighter. Easier to manipte.
"I just got an Inspiration," I say. "It''s an Interface thing, apparently. I had to speak to an Integrator, but... he said I can use it to modify my skills?"
Mari frowns. "You trust him?"
"Not in the slightest," I say. "But there was something weird about him for sure. I think there''s more to the Integrators we don''t know about. He told me something... He told me one of Naru''s inspirations is something called The Weapon Forged and Wielded. I didn''t take it."
"Hm." Mari frowns. "That sound right. Sometimes I see Naru''s Firmament change. Be wicked. It good you did not take."
"That''s what I thought," I say with a sigh. It seems even with the Interface, I may need to be careful. Hopefully, I won''t have to deal with too many poisoned rewards I''m not even really sure the Weapon was poisoned the way I suspect.
I could be wrong. Or it could just be an Inspiration that makes you thirst for power, for growth, in which case I can aplish that all on my own.
"You need test your power," Mari deres. "You not go and fight without testing. That suicide."
"Not like dying in this loop matters that much to me," I mutter, and Mari gives me a severe look.
"That dangerous way to think," Mari says. "What you do after Trial? You forget you not invincible? Dangerous! You not stupid. We spar. You learn Inspiration thing. Then we talk. You need figure out better n than fighting Naru. He too strong for you."
She sounds like she''s figured everything out. Mari speaks with the conviction of someone that''s decided on a path and won''t be budged from it. She''s not wrong, though; it''s something I''d already started thinking aboutst loop. If I make Naru my target, I''m not going to be able to cure Tarin in time, even if I train in the Fracture. He''s leagues ahead. I only got the better of him because he has anger issues.
Distract, get the nt, and finish the Hotspot? That way, I won''t have to deal with him in future loops; he won''t get the alert that brings him here in the first ce. Gheraa''s mention of temporal banding being difficult to travel through makes me think that Naru''s ess to outside information is more limited than he made it sound, and that matches with hisck of information on me in our second encounter.
"Does that mean I get to watch Mari beat you up?" I''d forgotten Ahkelios was there. He looks way too excited for this. "I''m going to go find some flowers to munch on while you fight. Wait for me!"
He zips away, and I stare at Mari.
"He also not stupid," Mari says, and grins at me. I swallow.
Chapter 29: Spar
Chapter 29: Spar
Mari and I are positioned across each other in a makeshift arena. She''se up with rules for this spar, this time it''s different from the time I trained with her and Tarin in preparation for the Raid. ording to her, it''s because this time I don''t need to get strong as fast as possible; I just need to understand the skills I already have.
And the Inspiration, which throws a whole other curveball into my Firmament skills, if Gheraa was telling the truth about them. I don''t think I can apply the Inspiration to any other category of skill I''ve tried. It''s like trying to force a square through a round hole; it doesn''t work.
But when it does...
I have three Firmament skills at the moment Color Drain, Firmament Maniption, and Temporal Fragment. My understanding of each is fairly limited.
Color Drain, ording to Ahkelios, allows me to drain specific colors out of things, with different colors corresponding to different effects. I don''t know what those effects are, yet, and the only thing Ahkelios remembers is that red probably corresponds to Strength.
Firmament Maniption is pretty much just what it says on the tin. I have no idea how an Inspiration like the Mirror could possibly modify it, though I''m looking forward to finding out.
Temporal Fragment is by far the most nebulous of the three, and I suspect that has something to do with how the Interface offered it out of line with its usual credit-to-skill-rank ratio. I''m grateful for it, considering its versatility, but that only means I need to understand it more I might be missing something important. I probably am missing something important.
Which brings us back to Mari''s rules.
"I tell you rules," Mari says sternly. She folds her wings across her chest. "If you break rule, we train longer. We train until you no break rule. Then we eat and you take break. Okay?"
"Right," I say.
"Rule one!" Mari points at me in a way I think is unnecessarily dramatic. "You no use same skill or skillbination twice. Use Inspiration, or think of new way to use attack."
Reasonable. I grimace when I think about how I''d only thought of Firestep being more in the middle of a fight with Naru. I need to be more aware of what my skills can do, and I haven''t taken the time I should to figure them out.
"Two, you not hold back," Mari says. "I strong enough to take you."
She is ridiculously strong. The Raid had suppressed her to an absurd extent; the fact that she''s able to hold her own against Naru though she''d said Naru was almost certainly holding back tells me she''s beyond me, even now. I wonder if the crows would''ve been able to deal with the Raid properly, if the Interface hadn''t actively suppressed their Firmament.
Probably. I remember Tarin saying something about that. Hestia''s overwhelmed by monsters, and they just want the Trial to be over, so they can have the to themselves again.
"Three." Mari''s expression is serious. "You not hurt vige."
"What?" I blink at her, stunned. "I would never."
"It important rule," Mari says, not budging. "You agree?"
There''s a look in her eyes that makes me understand where she''sing from, a little. She has no reason to think I''ll hurt anyone, obviously, but she''s also clearly had a past with Naru, and maybe that''s where all this ising from.
"Yeah, of course," I say. I''m not going to argue with her about something I''m not going to do anyway. "I have a question, though."
"Question?" Mari cocks her head at me.
"Why are you and Tarin so much stronger than the others?" I ask. It''s a question that''s been on my mind. "Not that I''ve fought any of the others, but during the Raid..."
Mari considers the question for a while. "You beat me in spar first," she finally says. "Then I tell you."
Beating Mari in a spar is easier said than done by which I mean I don''t think it''s something I''ll be able to do this loop, or for the next several loops.
At least Ahkelios is enjoying himself. I''m pretty sure he''s shoveling handfuls of moss between his mandibles, and while I''m curious about how that works when he''s a fragment made of nothing but Firmament, I decide that''s a question I''ll deal withter.
First, I have a scary bird mom I need to fight.
Mari wants me to be creative in the spar, but her own bag of tricks at least what she''s shown so far is pretty limited. She''s a powerhouse in the strength department, but not nearly as fast as her husband; where she excels is her Firmament control. It''s a force multiplier that lets her hit above her weight ss, and she knows exactly how and when to move her Firmament.
Case in point: When I start with my basic move, the Barrier-Firestep-Triplestep-Crystallized Strengthbination, she simply tanks it. I feel a massive spike of Firmament right over the area I''m about to hit, and although I try to shift my strike to amodate, she simply moves to match me. Punching her is like punching feathers made of steel, and I''m very d I decided to use Barrier.
Mari doesn''t even bother fighting back. She stares at me, like she''s waiting for me to throw my next punch, and I think about what I can do.
There''s Firestep. Firestep had hurt even Naru, when I used it, and I don''t understand why; that entire aspect of the skill is hidden to me. But I''ve used it, and now the mes behind me are raging with Firmament. I coax them forward, trying to recall the state of my mind during the fight; a determined sort of anger, glowing brightly, with a target.
It''s hard to aim that target at Mari, considering all she''s done for me, but the mes respond to my will anyway. They''re not as strong or as bright as they were against Naru, but consciously focusing on them clearly makes a difference. Mari looks at the mes, and then raises an eyebrow at me, as if to say ''really?''
"I don''t really understand that skill yet," I say. I''m not sure why I feel the need to defend myself.
Mari steps forward into the mes, and I almost reach out and pull her back. I remember what those mes did to Naru I remember him screaming.
But Mari doesn''t react at all.
"Hm," Mari says. "mes tickle. Not strong."
What?
Why?
The mes of Firestep clearly have an emotionalponent to them. Maybe what they did to Naru; he''s not as in control of his emotions as Mari is. That''s not exactly a theory I can test.
"Oh," Mari says. She looks up at me, and her eyes are bright; I take an instinctive step back. "mes burn heart."
That''s... a vague statement. I don''t have enough time to understand what she''s saying, because she suddenly rockets towards me, and I have to put everything I have into defense.
Barrier!
The barrier shatters beneath her strength, though it does manage to slow her down; I''m already Triplestepping away, this time avoiding Firestep so I don''t repeat whatever it''s done to her. She doesn''t look like she''s lost control, exactly, but she doesn''t look happy.
"Hey, uh, do we need to stop"
I barely dodge her next attack, which is a kick thatnds hard enough to leave a dent in the ground. I''m pretty sure she''s not trying to kill me I''ve seen her fighting harder than this but she doesn''t seem like she''s in the mood for talking.
Fine. Let''s figure this out.
Color Drain.
Ahkelios tells me that red should be strength, and Mari''s primary ability is her strength and reinforcement. The problem is that there''s not much red on her at all. Her feathers are a dull gray, and they shift to a dark turquoise as the red bleeds out onto the ground; she stumbles slightly, catching herself, but still darts towards me with enough Firmament in her wing that I know getting hit will hurt.
I''ve already used Barrier and Triplestep. Temporal Fragment.
I''ve been around this vige enough that there are echoes of me everywhere, just going around the vige; the one I grab isn''t one that was doing anything, just enjoying his soup. I see Mari hesitate for a fraction of a second beforending her blow, looking up as if to make sure I''m not the echo and then her blownds, and my echo''s head ispletely detached.
I wince as the paradox whips away the Firmament clone a secondter, and it dissolves into nothing.
"Ew," Mariments. I don''t disagree, but I''ve let her take the offensive for too long. I call on Temporal Fragment again, and for the first time, I reach for the Inspiration within me.
The Mirror Twice Shattered Temporal Fragment.
It feels, for a moment, like time slows down. Five options present themselves before me, the initial four and the final one that I cobbled into the Mirror.
I make my choice.
Anger.
I feel energy drain out of me in a sh. The Fragment clone that forms this time burns with a furious red. Mari lets out a startled squawk as it swings towards her for a moment, I almost think it''s alive, moving under its own will. Then I realize that this is just another moment from my past, transposed in location.
I recognize myself, vaguely. I''m pretty sure this is from the moment I punched Naru in the face the first time. I remember the boiling anger I felt in that moment how I couldn''t understand how little he cared about his father. I''d only known Tarin for a short amount of time, and I cared more about him than his own son.
Faced with an image of myself from the outside, I''m struck for a moment by how pissed I looked.
Then the blow from my temporal clone pushes Mari back, the force of it immense despite her reinforcing Firmament. She lets out a startled caw as she twists, half-pping a wing to bnce herself again. She gathers herself andunches forward, cutting out with a wing to dissipate the clone.
Before she can, I forcefully interrupt the skill, cutting into it so the clone fades into nothing. Mari''s swing hits nothing but air, and she stumbles, thrown off bnce.
I''ve learned two things.
One, the Mirror is an incredibly versatile Inspiration. If I''m right about its use, then I''ve essentially got five different Inspirations folded into one. I can''t help but wonder how powerful the Weapon would have been.
Two, using an Inspiration is exhausting. I''ve only used it once, and I feel like I''ve just fought through half a Raid. I''ve got maybe one more Inspiration in me before I copse.
So I use it, of course.
The Mirror Twice Shattered Fear. Temporal Fragment.
Proper testing requires that I pick the same skill, and simply reflect it through a different part of the Mirror. I prepare myself for the drain, and use my Firmament sense to watch for what an Inspiration actually does.
Firmament gathers. It rushes through me, through the part of myself that feels like the Mirror, and something about the Firmament fundamentally changes.
A yellow Fragment clone coalesces out of the air.
In the same moment, I nearly copse. Even prepared, the drain that roars through me makes my vision go gray at the edges. The Mirror drains something fundamental from me.
Mari''s eyes flicker to me, concerned but she doesn''t have time to help me, because the Fragment clone flickers into action, moving so quickly I can''t track it. I can''t even tell what moment in my life it''s from. I do see that its path crosses with Mari''s, and she doesn''t have the time to move her Firmament to block.
It bounces off of her, thankfully.
That''s about all I see before I slip into blessed unconsciousness.
Chapter 30: The Basics of Imbuing
Chapter 30: The Basics of Imbuing
When I wake up, I roll to the side immediately, my eyes snapping open as I prepare for the mantis'' arm to scythe down towards my face but instead of dodging an attack like I''d expected, I just fall off a bed of straw and onto the ground.
"Ow." I groan. The straw isn''t exactly far off the ground, but I''m pretty sure I banged my elbow on a rock.
And my tailbone. And most of my other bones, really. I''ve never really paid attention to how unreasonably rocky dirt usually is.
Tough Body dulls most of the pain, thankfully.
"You awake," Mari says. She peers over at me from the chair she''s sitting in and snorts. "Why you roll onto ground? Straw perfectlyfortable."
"It wasn''t exactly voluntary." I gingerly drag myself back into the makeshift bed. I expect it to be scratchy and ufortable, but to my surprise, it is actuallyfortable there''s a thinyer of Firmament over it that molds itself to my body, protecting me from the actual texture of the straw.
I''m still exhausted. My entire body aches, even though I didn''t push it very far. Inspirations are much, much more taxing than I''d anticipated.
But powerful, too. I shouldn''t have been able to push Mari back not with her actually trying.
"You need rest more," Mari says unnecessarily, and I groan.
"I know," I grumble.
"But you win," she adds. I nce over at her, and she''s very studiously not looking at me.
"Did I?" I ask doubtfully. "I don''t think we established a win condition."
"You push me back," Mari says. "I consider it win. You take."
"Does that mean you''ll tell me how you and Tarin are so strong?"
Mari is silent for a moment, and I almost take it as a no. It''s only when she walks into view that I realize she was grabbing me a bowl of grub. It''s a strange, soupy mixture of indiscernible liquid and bug parts.
...I eat it anyway. I''m ravenous. And it''s surprisingly delicious. Mari grunts with approval, and while I''m eating, she begins to speak.
"I not know if I tell you before," she says. "But different species have different FIrmament. Yes?"
I nod. Tarin mentioned something along those lines before. Crow Firmament is strengthened by creation, specifically; by building things.
"Crow Firmament stronger when we create. But there is trick, see? Build big,plicated thing, stronger Firmament. Build small, simple thing, Firmament also stronger. Better to build many small things."
She gestures to the home around them. For the first time, I realize it''s filled with dozens of tiny knickknacks, most of which look like they''re cobbled together from literal sticks and stones.
"We build lots," she says. "All crow do. But part of crow strength is... we can transfer. We put Firmament into thing, thing be stronger. But we also put Firmament into each other. You understand?"
It''s starting to make sense, now. "Everyone gave you and Tarin their Firmament?"
"Yes," Mari nods at me. "Firmament stronger when in one person. Vige must choose guardians. They choose Tarin and I. We strong."
"What about Naru?" I ask the question before I can stop myself.
Mari is silent for a long moment, and I worry I''ve offended her. But she shakes her head, and the smile she gives me is a sad one.
"We not give him our Firmament," Mari says. "Naru expect it. Waiting for Firmament. But he not ready. Then Trials happen."
I grimace. "He''s had a powerplex for a while, then."
"Trial make it worse," Mari sighs. "But yes. I not know how fix. He grow up with... expectations. Son of vige leaders. We try teach him, but he not learn. Maybe we not teach him enough."
"He''s got to take responsibility for his decisions at some point." I don''t know how he was raised; maybe Mari and Tarin did make mistakes. But there''s only so many times that can excuse him, and Naru''s somewhere far, far over that line.
"You not wrong." Mari is silent for a moment. "You want learn?"
"Learn what?" I ask, startled at the sudden question.
"Firmament," Mari says. She gestures with a wing. "How crow put Firmament into stick. Effects different if Firmament different. Many different methods, also. But crow way strongest."
...Now that I''m paying attention, I think every single straw in the bed I''m sleeping on is individually imbued with Firmament.
"I''d like to," I say. Mari smiles at me, a glimmer of something in her eyes.
I wonder, for a moment, if she sees in me the son she wished she had.
Firmament imbuement is both easier and harder than I expected.
Mari''s a strict teacher. She hovers over me as I struggle to do as she instructs which is a vague ''push your Firmament into the object.'' For all that moving Firmament around is easy with Firmament Maniption, something in the object resists when I try to force my Firmament into it.
"All things have Firmament," Mari instructs. "Most things just weak. But even weak Firmament hard to ovee, if Firmament belong to object."
"Is that why everyone doesn''t just imbue their leaders with Firmament?" I ask, and Mari is silent for a moment.
"It matter of trust," she finally says. "And crow Firmament suited for it. Other species... not so easy. Can do. But harder. Need more trust."
"I see." I grunt, still trying to force my Firmament into the stick I''m holding. You''d think it''d be easier to stuff Firmament into a damn stick, but the innate Firmament of the stick resists me surprisingly well.
It takes a mental shove to actually force my way past the metaphorical wall, and I let out as gasp of relief as my Firmament suddenly floods into the stick
it cracks in half.
Mari smirks at me. "Not easy."
"No kidding," I grumble, eyeing the pile of sticks she''d brought. I''m starting to understand why she brought a giant pile of sticks.
But I figure it out on the second attempt. I match my breathing to my flow of Firmament, pulsing waves of Firmament at the stick instead of pushing relentlessly at it; the moment a wave strikes, I pull it back, no matter whether I get through the stick''s innate Firmament or not.
My Firmament floods the stick on the fifth breath, and I instantly pull it back as part of the same motion. I open my eyes, feeling the stick humming softly with my Firmament.
Mari looks surprised. "You done? You look like you done."
Right, she can''t sense Firmament the same way I can. "I think I got it."
Mari gives me a suspicious look, then takes the imbued stick away from me. She tests it, first trying to snap it between her wings, then holding it up to her beak to bite into it, which draws a look of absolute consternation from me. She justughs at the look I give her.
"Stick imbued," she mutters to herself after a moment. "How you do? You learn fast."
"I just... pushed waves of Firmament at it," I say. It''s a little reminiscent of the way the obelisk functioned, actually, now that I think about it except the obelisk''s Firmament waves are so strong they still disintegrate anything that touches it.
...Except the pools of color.
Huh. There''s a thought. I wonder if those color-monsters are just another form of Firmament imbuing.
Mari stares at me for a moment more. "You scary," she grunts. "Or your species. I not know. You or your species. Scary."
"Says the crow that can cut my head off with a wing."
"I not cut your real head!" Mari folds her wings at me in a huff, and Iugh. After a moment, herposure breaks, and sheughs too; without warning, her gaze shifts over to the sight of her husband, still lying down in his own bed of straw.
"Wish husband here," she mutters after a moment. "He like you."
"He did." I nce over, too. "I''ll save him."
I mean it, too. It''s as much of a promise as I can make it. The Firmament battle within Tarin still rages on, but it doesn''t seem like it''s progressed; he''s fighting it to a standstill, which gives me more time.
I''m d for it. I wonder if some part of him knows what I''m going through what I have to fight.
Probably not.
"Now!" Mari deres. "You look closely. You sense Firmament, yes? What stick feel like?"
I take a moment to parse the question, my eyebrow twitching, then reach out with my Firmament sense. I grasp what she''s saying almost immediately.
Forck of a better word, the Firmament is leaking. I can feel it oozing out, slowly but surely; at the rate it''s moving, I imagine the imbuement will be gone in a day or two.
"This where you need trick," Mari tells me. "Firmament need anchor, see? Most people anchor Firmament in rock. Rock holds Firmament well. So people use sticks with stones tied to them, or put stones all over item."
"But you don''t need to do it," I say, and Mari grins at me.
"Crows clever," she says proudly. "We tie Firmament. You watch carefully, yes?"
I tilt my head. I watch as she picks up a stick and carefully threads her Firmament into it; unlike me, she''s learned the exact amount of force she needs to apply, and she''s able to push the right amount of Firmament into it and then withdraw in a single attempt. I feel the stick pulsing with Firmament.
Then so subtle I wouldn''t have noticed it at all, if not for the fact that she''s told me to watch carefully I watch a thin piece of Firmament thread itself off. It wraps itself around that innate Firmament in the stick, coiling around it and then slipping into the loop it''s created.
She''s literally tying a knot.
The word anchor makes a lot more sense now.
"Now you try," Mari says, her eyes glinting. She looks almost too eager for me to give it a try. I give her a suspicious look, then pick up a stick; I pulse my Firmament at it in waves.
One. Two. Three
On the third pulse, the innate resistance falls through, and my Firmament floods the stick. I pull it back immediately, and maintain only the smallest of threads, a tiny connection to my own Firmament.
And then I set about tying a knot.
It is, it turns out, a lot harder than it looks.
At the scale I''m working at, Firmament is surprisingly... slippery. It''s difficult to keep it in the form of a thin thread, let alone manipte that tiny thread to loop around itself. Tying it around the stick''s own Firmament is basically out of the question for me. I sweat as I practice just coiling the thin thread of Firmament into a loop, twisting the end over itself again and again.
The look Mari gives me is almost infuriatingly smug. I level a re at her, and if anything, she seems to get even more smug.
"It not easy," Mari says. "You keep trying. You get fast! I believe. Maybe take you a month, if you fast."
Like hell.
I''m almost sure I''m not going to be able to do this in a single day, though. As simple as the task is, I feel the Firmament slipping out of my grip again and again, and it does it more and more easily as I get more frustrated. My head begins to pound from my overuse of Firmament Maniption.
Finally after a full hour of doing this I give up. I sit back, panting.
I''ve managed to nudge the Firmament into a full loop, at least. The only part I have left to do is to thread it through itself... and to do it while the stick''s own Firmament rests in the center of the loop, which is a whole otheryer ofplication. The presence of that stick Firmament seems to mess with Firmament Maniption, making my control of it a little less granr, like it''s interfering with my control somehow.
I grumble.
Mari''s been cooking, I think. She gave up on watching me sweat over the stick after about five minutes, and set about gathering fruits and making that soup again. It''s only when I sit back with a sigh that she nces up at me, and she grins.
"You done?" she asks. "You not seed, right?"
"Don''t remind me," I grumble.
"Crow take years to seed," Mari snorts. "Even basic imbuement take months. You already scary fast. No need faster."
I stay silent at that. I don''t know if that''s true. The Trials are still happening, and for all I know, humanity is dying off by the second.
I can''t let myself rx too much. I can''t. I need every advantage I can get, and imbuement is only one of them.
Mari seems to sense my thoughts on some level, because she sighs, and sits across from me. In a wing is a bowl of that fruit-soup she served me a few loops ago, and she offers it to me; I take it gratefully. I hadn''t realized how hungry I was until this moment.
"Moving Firmament tiring," she tells me. "How you feel?"
"Frustrated," I grumble. Mariughs at me.
"Good," she say. "Frustration good for crow! Learn faster."
"I''m not a crow," I point out.
"You honorary crow. I find you wings. We tape on your back. Use Firmament. Will look very handsome. Trust."
"I''d rather not," I say. I can''t tell if she''s joking. She maintains a look of perfect seriousness for a moment more before the feathers around her eyes crinkle, and she cackles the way only an old crow woman can.
"I joke!" she says, unnecessarily. "You look strange if feathers, yes? Like naked crow."
"I''d rather not look like a naked crow," I say dryly.
"Yes," Mari agrees. She settles down after a moment, grabbing a bowl of her own soup, and her expression turns quietly contemtive; after a moment, she lets out a sigh. "Okay," she says. "We need talk now. We need decide what you do next."
Chapter 31: Fracture
Chapter 31: Fracture
"We?" I ask. I''m not sure when she''s inserted herself into my ns for what to do next. I''m not exactly opposed to it, but I''m a little thrown off.
"We!" Mari says, and gives me a look that can only be described as a cross between legitimately concerned and dumbfounded. "You decide yourself?"
I grumble. More minds are better. I take a moment to summon Ahkelios the mantis had decided he was bored about halfway through my attempt to imbue the stick with Firmament, and dered that I should summon him when I''m doing something interesting again.
Rude. But I can see why it''d be boring for him.
"Are you done?" Ahkelios says, peering down from my shoulder. "Ooh! Food!"
Before I can stop him, he dives into my soup. I gape at him, amused and offended all at once. "Ahkelios!"
"Always wanted to see what it''d be like to bathe in a bowl of soup," Ahkelios says cheerfully. I stare at him. "What? You haven''t?"
"That''s besides the point," I half-growl at him. "You can''t just swan dive into my food!"
"I''m made of Firmament. I''m very sanitary, I assure you. If anything, I''m killing all the bad germs." Ahkelios makes a show of kicking back in my soup, and I sigh.
Mari seems amused maybe strangely fond but she drags the conversation back to the subject at hand with the skill of someone who''s had practice at doing this. "We need decide what you do next," she says. "I not remember this after your loop. So... Need good n. n that not change much."
"I need to get those Phantom Roots for Tarin." I frown. "I can look for a different one that isn''t in the color-draining Hotspot. I shouldn''t have to worry about running into Naru there."
"Roots rare. You search. But might not find." Mari considers this option for a moment, to her credit. "Tarin still resist?"
"I don''t think he''s getting worse, at least." I cast a worried nce over to the crow in question. I don''t know how long that state willst.
"Tarin strong. He fight until he cannot fight. If he not getting worse, will take long time for him to get worse," Mari decides. She speaks with a conviction in her voice that I''m not sure is reflected in her eyes I catch the way she nces over to Tarin for a split second, like she''s worried about him too.
I grimace. There are a lot of things I have to consider. If this was a true time loop, I could afford to spend multiple loops searching through different Hotspots, or different Firmament-heavy regions, but...
It''s not. Every moment I spend not training is a moment other people are dying in other Trials.
Not for the first time, I wish I had ess to the full Interface. If there''s a feature that lets me ess other Trials, talk to people back on Earth, or even the Integrators themselves...
"I shouldn''t be wasting time anyway," I say. "We know there''s a Root in that hotspot. We just need to get past Naru."
"You have n?" Mari asks me. "You not beat him soon. Training with me not help you much. You need danger for credits."
"I''ve noticed that trend, yes." I didn''t get nearly as many points from sparring with Mari and Tarin than I did from fighting with the harpies, even though Mari and Tarin were objectively more skilled opponents. "Maybe if you can distract him?"
"Weren''t you going to go explore the Fracture first?" Ahkelios pipes up curiously. He''s mostly been listening to the conversation up until now.
"If it helps me get more out of that Hotspot, I should." Especially since the Fracture will count as training. The problem is that I don''t know if I''m ready for it yet it''s ssified as a Rank C area, and I don''t have any reference point for where I stand.
"Ahkelios, do you have any ideas how the system ranks danger?" I ask. "I want to make sure I''m ready for the Fracture, but it doesn''t exactly rank me, so I don''t know how I''dpare."
And the Rank E Raid had a Rank C boss that I was only able to beat because I injured her while she was still a rank lower. That, I recognize, is basically a fail state for the Raid. I''m probably not meant to beat the harpy when it reaches Rank C.
But that still means I might have to face a Rank A threat. Fail state or not, I need to be careful about fighting anything that can mess up my Firmament, since I''ll lose multiple loops to it if I do.
The Inspiration will help. More than that, though, I have time here to prepare. If I can make sure I get this done in one try...
An idea strikes me. I''ve just spent an hour trying to learn how to imbue Firmament. I haven''t gotten a handle on anchoring that Firmament yet, but I can definitely do the enhancement, and it''llst at least a day.
That is, hopefully, more than enough time. And if I go to the Hotspot , Naru might not even be there. That''s something I should consider as well.
And then there''s a third thing.
"Mari," I ask. "What happens when I imbue other types of Firmament into something?"
Mari cocks her head at me. "What you mean?"
"You imbue your own Firmament into objects, right?" I start. "But my Firmament changes when I use a skill. The Firmament for Firestep is different than the Firmament for Tough Body, and all of that Firmament is different from my own, personal Firmament. So what happens if I imbue a skill into an object?"
Mari frowns at me. "I not know," she says. "Not everyone have Interface, remember? Only Trialgoer."
My eyes gleam.
"Onest question." I''d almost forgotten, in light of everything else. "What did Firestep do to you? You seemed to get kind of... angry, when I used it."
Mari''s expression darkens a little, and I almost take an instinctive step back, for all that she''s sitting down. It''s a reminder of the same expression she wore when the skill first began to burn her.
Then she sighs.
"That skill weak and strong," she says bluntly, which is entirely unhelpful. "Fire burn not... physical. Burn guilt. Shame. If you do thing you know is wrong, it hurt you for them."
Oh.
That exins why Naru screamed. Mari waves a wing at me dismissively before I can apologize, mistaking my look of realization for a look of contrition.
"It not hurt me much," she says. "Just make me grumpy. Remembered some annoying things. You use before?"
I grimace. She''s observant. "I used it on Naru."
"It work on him?" Her eyes are interested, now.
"...He screamed."
"Hah!" Mari snorts and folds her wings. "I not see him scared for long time. Maybe good to put some fear into him. He too arrogant. Angry. Maybe I speak to him when you go Fragment."
"That''s not a good idea." I remember what happenedst time. "Please don''t."
Though the practical part of me whispers that it won''t really hurt her. That whatever happens, as long as she doesn''t die as part of an Interface event like Tarin did, she shoulde right back in the next loop. If she confronts Naru while I''m in the Fracture, and Naru is gone when I visit the Hotspot... It''ll give me the time to get the Phantom Roots and hopefully heal Tarin.
But there''s also a dozen other ways this could go. I might not need Mari to visit the Hotspot at all; maybe Naru will leave after a few hours, and I''ll be able to harvest the Roots without her needing to face her son again. I know from experience there''s nothing but pain lying down that path.
"You serious." Mari looks at me, and there''s an evaluating sort of frown in her eyes. I nod.
"You already tried talking to him. It doesn''t go well." I cast my mind for more words to convince her, but that seems to be all she needs; she nods at me once, and then sits back down on her chair and starts drinking her soup aggressively.
That''s... a better response than I was expecting. Somehow, I haven''t fully registered that she''s chosen to trust me, yet, and a part of that is just listening to me when I ask her to do something.
Having that trust is nice.
"I need to figure out if waiting Naru out is a reasonable option," I say. "So going to the Fracture first makes the most sense, anyway."
"You need help?" Mari asks. I grimace.
"No," I say. "Not until I have a better idea of what happens there." If a raid starts and Mari dies in it, I''m going to have two problems instead of one and I don''t know where to find more Phantom Root.
"But you ask if you need," Mari says, her eyes drilling into me. I nod.
"Sure," I say.
But only if I really need to. I''ll get more credits if I push further on my own.
I just need to be careful.
I start by preparing a basic weapon for myself. Mari lends me a few stones that will hold on to my Firmament better apparently, they''re precious vige artifacts, but when I protest she rolls her eyes and tells me the loop will reset them anyway.
I mean, she''s not wrong, so I shrug and take them.
The main question is what imbuing something with skill Firmament is going to do. A basic imbuing makes an object stronger, tougher, and harder to break; a bit of maniption on the part of the imbuer can make the object take on a variety of different properties, from making something soft andfortable to sharp and deadly.
That''s basic Firmament, though, the kind that everyone has. What happens if I imbue a stone with Firestep? Or Crystallized Strength? Or Temporal Fragment?
There''s only one way to find out.
The process, though, is exhausting. It''s one thing to use the skills as is it''s entirely another to activate the skill, and then force the Firmament to do the opposite of what it wants to. Firestep Firmament wants to move to my feet, and it takes an effort of will to force it into the rock instead. Crystallized Strength wants to flood into my muscles. Temporal Fragment is the only one that goes into the rock I give it easily, like it''s just waiting for an anchor.
I have absolutely no clue what any of these rocks do, and given the difficulty involved in making them and my growing headache, I don''t want to test them on Mari. Better I test it on the golems in the Fracture. Better economy of Firmament.
There''s always next loop, after all, as much as I''d prefer not to die.
The Fracture looms before me. It looks just like I remember it a long stretch that looks like a crack in the desert, with structures built into the walls deep, deep within the chasm. I call out Ahkelios, who peers down into the crack with a tiny, slightly-trembling body.
"Is this the right ce?" I ask.
"Yes!" Ahkelios clings to my hair tight enough that it almost hurts.
"...Are you okay?"
"I might have died here more than once. From falling."
I chuckle. "I won''t let you fall," I promise. I can always cancel the skill if he starts to fall anyway although he''s perfectly capable of flight in his Firmament form, so I can''t imagine it''ll be an issue. It''s important to him, though, so I make the promise anyway.
And we descend into the Fracture.
Barrier. Crystallized Strength.
This time, the golem that darts out thunks into my Barrier instead of smashing my skull in. The force of the blow threatens to force me to my knees, but Crystallized Strength burns within me, and I dig my heels into the dirt and rock instead.
I smile grimly.
Good. I can do this.
Chapter 32: Sparks
Chapter 32: Sparks
The worst part about fighting a golem is that it doesn''t really have any emotions I can exploit. It''s not like fighting Naru, who I can goad into anger pretty easily or the harpies, who seemed focused on causing as much pain and misery in Cliffside as possible. As far as I can tell, these are either the natural defense mechanisms in the Fracture or an entirely new type of monster that I haven''t fought before.
I''ll find out soon enough. Color Drain.
This time, I pull on the color yellow. I don''t know what it''ll do, exactly, but the golem is colored like sand; yellow is the most dominant color. It oozes out of the construct into a puddle on the ground, leaving behind a stone-gray golem glowering down at me, raising a hand to smash me into the ground.
Slowly. So slowly that I can step out of the way, even without Triplestep. Mental eleration is helping, but it certainly looks for all the world like it''s attacking me in slow motion. Part of me is almost tempted to see how hard the blow will be to block, with nearly all the velocity drained out of it, but considering I don''t know exactly how long Color Drainsts...
Yeah, no.
Now that I have the time to look at it you know, without having to worry about getting my skull smashed in I realize that it''s a lot more intricate than I''d initially thought.
The golem isprised of six individual carved blocks, attached to each other with nothing but Firmament. The central block looks almost like a processor of some kind the design carved into it is intricate, starting from a gem held in the center of the chest and curling out towards each limb, with a particrly dense structure of curling lines leading towards the golem''s head. Each limb is a single carved piece of stone, with not two but three joints that let it bend at unnatural angles.
I''m going to have to watch out for that.
Fortunately for me, it seems that this golem is the sole guardian I have to fight before entering the structures built into the side of the Fracture. I have no doubt there will be others, but I''m not sure I can handle a group of these, even with all the skills I''ve gained.
Since I have time now, though, I''m going to figure out its weaknesses. The most obvious target to exploit is the gem in the center of its chest.
Barrier. Crystallized Strength.
A shaped Barrier, formed into the shape of a spike; Crystallized Strength to fuel the raw power behind the blow. I Triplestep forward, aiming directly for the gem in the center
but instead of shattering it, my blow slips to the side, catching the corner of the seam where it''s embedded instead. My blow is still powerful enough to chip away the stone, but it''s not enough.
It''s not surprising that a stone golem is durable, I suppose. I grit my teeth, hopping back, and spare a nce for the pool of yellow on the floor.
The color is oozing back, slowly but surely not climbing back up the golem''s leg like I''d expected, but sort of fading away from existence while the golem slowly regains its hue.
There goes my ns for bottling or barricading the color after I use Color Drain. There''s a danger here, too. I can''t let myself get used to any speed the golem fights at, because it''s slowly going to get faster.
That''s fine. Next target.
I could chip away at the stone around the gem-core and eventually pull it out, but it''s going to take several blows for me to be able to do that, considering how little I was able to damage it. I go for the next most obvious target instead the carved lines that carry Firmament to the head and limbs.
The cluster of lines heading towards the head, first and foremost. I rocket forward, this time powering myself with both Triplestep and Firestep; the secondary effect of Firestep isn''t going to be useful here, considering it''s made of stone and I doubt it has any guilt the Firmament mes can take advantage of, but the extra speed helps. The Barrier forms around my fist, and I m my hand into the cluster of golden lines above the gem.
Once again, a small piece of stone breaks off. A golden light falters, flickering out.
I realize as half the lines of gold turn abruptly red, and the gemstone snaps from blue to that same shade of angry crimson that there was a second possibility.
I leap backwards, Mental eleration speeding me up just enough to react in time. The yellow on the floor fades out almost entirely I can almost feel the golem''s Firmament pulling, dragging back its speed and somehow enhancing it even further. There''s a twist in the Firmament that feels almost like
It feels almost like it''s using a skill.
Do these things have ess to the Interface?
I don''t have time to think about it, because it rockets towards me and it''s all I can do to put up Barrier after Barrier. The golem smashes through two of them at once, halting only on the third and cracking the Firmament of it; I feel amensurate ache in my mind. I''m straining my Firmament already.
It has eyes, I realize. They glow at me through the light of my Barrier, crackling a fierce burgundy red. They were just crevices in the stone, before, less noticeable than otherwise.
"Don''t go for the crystal or the Firmament circuitry," Ahkelios supplies helpfully. "It makes them go berserk."
"You don''t think you could''ve told me that before I did both those things?" I grit my teeth. I use a second Color Drain, but it feels like trying to squeeze water from a rock; the raw stuff of its Firmament is resisting me, somehow.
But it''s not resisting me enough. I tug at it with raw willpower, trying to drain the red from it in the hopes that I can disable its berserker state.
The process is slow.
I have to keep dodging. There isn''t that much space on the tform I''m on basically about two lengths of a person which means I have to be careful about where I''m dodging, too, lest I slip and fall into the chasm. I think it might actually be survivable, now, with appropriate use of Barriers and Second Wind, but I''d still really rather not fall down there.
Especially if Ahkelios himself didn''t survive it, now that I think about it.
Triplestep and Firestep are almost dangerous to use inbination here. A step too far nearly brings me over the edge, and it''s only a rapid Barrier behind my back that prevents me from falling over the edge; I use it to stabilize myself, and then I''m immediately forced to dive underneath an oing blow that smashes through the barrier
Wait.
I don''t need to kill it.
We''re on a tform that''s about two lengths of a person. The golem itself is basically one-and-a-half lengths,unching itself about in a berserker rage, and it''s carrying a hell of a lot of momentum with it. There''s a sheer force of Firmament it uses to stop itself, to change directions.
Right now, it''s stopped, right at the edge of the tform we''re on. The abyss of the Fracture yawns precariously behind it. It''s turning around to grab me.
I reach for the Firestep stone in my pocket.
I don''t know what I''m doing, exactly. I haven''t tested these stones, and I don''t know what they do; if it didn''t take me so much energy to imbue, it would''ve been better for me to test it out with Mari. It''s possible that all I''m going to do is speed it up, and that''ll spell a death for me, a fate I''m really hoping to avoid. I want to go back to the Hotspot this loop, see if Naru''s still there.
But also...
I smash the stone against its fist as it spins towards me, and it keeps spinning.
Firestep Firmament spreads into the golem. Part of that, I think, is the construction of the golem itself those lines carved into its body are specifically made to carry Firmament, and it''s almost immediately overtaken by Firestep. mes re to life around it, but they don''t do anything to the golem.
What does do something to the golem is the fact that it no longer has the Firmament to stop itself. Pure Firestep courses through it, and it spins even faster; I have to take a step back, to avoid being hit...
But a piece of the ledge crumbles. The golem misses a step on the second spin, trying desperately to stay stable.
It tips, and it falls.
In the depths of the Fracture, about thirty seconds after it tips off the edge, I see a sharp sh of light. Shortly after that, an echoing bang ripples up the walls of the Fracture, triggering a small avnche of stone to fall from the more fragile ledges. One of them, I think, falls apart entirely.
[ You have defeated a Fractured Guardian (Rank D)! +21 Strength credits. +17 Durability credits. +15 Reflex credits. +30 Speed credits. +10 Firmament credits. ]
A Fractured Guardian. And less credits than I''d hoped, for all that I''d trained with Mari.
Something about that name tugs at my brain. I almost try to reach out to it with Temporal Fragment before I realize its remains are far out of reach. Ahkelios peers over my shoulder, still half-clinging to my hair.
"I wish I''d thought of that when fighting them," he remarks.
"How did you beat them, then?" I''m curious. Ahkelios is silent for a moment, then shakes his head slightly.
"I don''t remember," he says. His voice is soft missing a lot of its usual cheer. Not for the first time, I realize that missing so many of his memories, and being aware of it, has to be ufortable for him.
I wonder if that''s why he was so silent during the battle. He''d been so eager to help when it was against Naru, but I''d barely heard anything from him during this fight.
"Is there anything you do remember about the Fracture?" I ask. I try to keep my voice gentle. "Anything at all."
"There''s something really deep down." Ahkelios'' voice is uncertain. "Really... really deep. I don''t think you should go that deep. Not yet."
"The Fracture is just a Rank C danger, isn''t it?" Not that I''m capable of handling a Rank C just yet, but the way Ahkelios is talking about it...
"There are levels to it. If you go deeper, you''ll discover a deeper section." Ahkelios shakes his head quickly, and clings tighter to me. "There''s something special about the Fracture. I know I discovered something, I just... I don''t remember what. Was it the first location you found?"
"It was." I''d been traveling at random, I''m pretty sure, but from the look on Ahkelios'' face...
Ahkelios is silent for a moment. "...Stick to the upper level. The part you want is a trantion stone. It''s in one of the rooms in the northern section of the Fracture. I think there are some traps, but I don''t remember what they are."
He trails off, and then more quietly, he adds: "I''m sorry I can''t help more."
"Hey, it''s fine. We''ll go look for some nts for you when we get out of here, alright?" I say. He brightens a little at my words, but notpletely.
"You have more important things to worry about," he says.
"I don''t know about you, but I don''t want to die to something stupid because I didn''t take five minutes to rx." My tone is dry. I''ve been there before. Not the dying part, obviously.
Ahkelios fidgets. "Let''s focus on the Fracture for now. I''ll try... I''ll try to be more helpful."
I watch him for a moment. "Would you prefer it if I dismissed you? I"
"No!" Ahkelios sounds almost panicked at the thought, and I pause. "No. I''ll be fine. I need to face this."
"...If you say so." I''m concerned, but I''ll respect his wishes.
The Fracture looms in front of me. For the first time, I''m standing in the depths of it so to speak and I''m not dead. I can feel the walls radiating with umted heat. The makeshift homes built into its sides practically beckon me forward.
It''s not immediately obvious, but buried among the heat and the sand and the dust...
I sense Firmament. Tiny sparks of it, scattered all throughout the ruins.
"Come on, Ahkelios," I say. The headache of Firmament overuse is already starting to dissipate I didn''t push myself too far, that time. "Let''s see if anyone''s home."
That, and I want to bank some credits. I''ve got more than enough by now, after all.
Chapter 33: Shards
Chapter 33: Shards
The biggest question for me is whether or not the Fracture is popted the way the Cliffside is. Everything indicates that it isn''t. I imagine that at least one person would have responded to the sound of me fighting the Fractured Guardian if it were popted, and the floor in here is covered in ayer of dust besides.
It doesn''t look like anyone''s been here for... I don''t know how long.
"This ce is creepy." Ahkelios shivers against an imaginary cold. I frown slightly, reaching out with my Firmament sense to see if there''s anything out of the ordinary.
Nothing. Just those same sparks of Firmament in the distance, some pulsing a little brighter than before, and others a little dimmer; they ebb and flow like a tide. I''ve never felt Firmament quite like this before.
I try to sense the trantion stone Ahkelios had mentioned, but if it does have Firmament, it''s not different enough from anything else for me to pick it out at this distance.
"Why do I need a trantion stone, anyway?" I walk into the first house the golem had spun out of. It''s... sparsely decorated, to say the least. "The Interface trantes everything for me."
"Most of the time." Ahkelios shakes his head. "Some things it doesn''t. Because it''s part of the Trial, you see."
"Of course," I sigh.
But maybe there''s another reason it trantes some things and not others something that runs deeper than the Trials themselves. Ahkelios has already said that the Integrators aren''t in full control of the Interface, and if we take that together with the mention that there''s something unique about the Fracture, and the strange way Gheraa behaved when I met him...
As I think this, Ie across the alcove the stone golem must have emerged from. It''s a recess carved into the wall, decorated with the same intricately carved lines that were on the golem itself. Residual Firmament still thrums along the lines, and I tentatively reach out with my Firmament sense, wondering just how much I can understand.
Not much, it turns out. The alcove is clearly a charging station of some sort, but that''s about all I can glean from it; if there''s a reason that the lines are organized the way they are, I have no idea what that reason is.
Everything else about this house is almost eerily domestic, considering the deadly golem that burst out of it. There are tables, chairs, and shelves, all carved from the same pale-brown stone; it''s incredibly in, now that I think about it.
If this had been lived in, even if it had been abandoned, I would expect to find decoratives. Maybe the remnants of the frame of a painting, or something carved onto the walls. Instead, the room is devoid of anything decorative as can be, like it''s a mockup of a living space more than an actual living space.
It smells like old, musty dust, and my footsteps echo in the empty space.
"I have no idea what to make of this," I finally say out loud. I nce at Ahkelios, who stares curiously around from my shoulder. "You have any ideas?"
"It looks lonely," he says. He peers around, still clinging close to me.
He''s not wrong. There''s something kind of lonely about a home that looks like it should have been lived in. There aren''t even any of the facilities I would expect out of any organic species no restrooms, no beds, nowhere to cook...
I wonder if this was the Fractured Guardian''s home.
Was that thing alive? More than it had seemed?
"There''s nothing in here," I say atst. The Firmament charging the alcove leads off into the distance, further into the Fracture; I won''t find its source here. I doubt I''ll even find its source this loop, in all honesty. If I reach out as far as my Firmament sense extends, I can vaguely sense the lines of Firmament heading downwards, and I''ve already determined I have no ns of going too far down this loop.
Or... almost nothing none. I frown.
Those sparks of Firmament I sensed are still ebbing and flowing and one of them is nearby, too dim to be sensed until thetest pulse. I follow my sense of it, walking over to the empty-looking shelf.
I have to stand on a chair to see it, but it''s not empty. There''s a small fragment of what looks like pottery on there, incredibly out of ce in the otherwise mostly-pristine room. Even if I''d spotted it, I doubt I would have given it a second thought without my ability to sense Firmament, because now that I''m close to it...
The Firmament within it is anchored, not unlike the way Mari taught me how to anchor Firmament but the knot is by far the mostplex thing I''ve ever seen. More than that, I have no idea what type of Firmament it is or what it''s doing. It feels old. Older than anything I can imagine.
Ahkelios has climbed his way up to the top of my head so he can stare at it. "Why''re you looking at a rock?" he asks.
"Because there''s Firmament in it," I answer, distracted. Now that I think about it, I suppose other Trialgoers might not have paid attention to this at all not if sensing Firmament is something unique to having unstable Firmament, or whatever it was Tarin had said.
But what is it?
I reach out and pick it up, turning it over in my fingers briefly. It doesn''t seem to react to my touch at all; it continues that faint pulsing of Firmament. I''m about to pocket it forter experimentation when Ahkelios mbers curiously down my arm, poking at it
and abruptly vanishes.
"Ahkelios?!" I''m startled.
Thankfully, he pops back out of the fragment a secondter, looking awed. "Whoa," he says. "This thing has a skill in it! Or, uh, part of one, anyway."
I stare at him. "I have many questions. Like ''how did you do that'', ''how do you know that'', and ''how do I get the skill''."
"I dunno, and I dunno, and I think you have toplete it?" Ahkelios puts a hand to his chin. "I bet Mari can help you. This looks like an imbuing thing."
It really does. I try reaching out with Firmament Maniption, but the knot of Firmament inside it is soplex that I don''t want to touch it for fear of unravelling the whole thing so I pocket it instead.
Yet another reason to survive this loop.
It''ll be a few more minutes before Ipletely recover from the Firmament strain of thatst fight, so I sit myself down in one of those stone chairs.
They''re about as ufortable as they look. I pull up the Interface, ncing over it with some trepidation.
[ Loop 13 in progress. ]
[ Status:
Name: Ethan
Strength Skills: Crystallized Strength (Rank C)
Durability Skills: Tough Body (Rank E), Second Wind (Rank B), Barrier (Rank D)
Reflex Skills: Mental eleration (Rank C)
Speed Skills: Firestep (Rank C), Triplestep (Rank E)
Firmament Skills: Temporal Fragment (Rank C), Firmament Maniption (Rank D), Color Drain (Rank C)
Inspirations: The Mirror Twice Shattered (Firmament, Unique)
Credit Distribution:
Strength: 84 (47 banked)
Durability: 97 (84 banked)
Reflex: 66 (58 banked)
Speed: 97 (79 banked)
Firmament: 10 (100 banked) ]
On the one hand, it''s nice to see how far I''vee. On the other... I grimace. Talk about decision paralysis.
Every single category other than Firmament can be used to trigger an Inspiration right now, assuming that the rewards are the same for reaching the hundred-credit threshold in the other categories. I don''t want to touch Durability and Speed they''re so close to giving me a guaranteed Rank B skill that I can''t help but feel it''ll be better if I just wait those three points out.
Between the others, Mental eleration has proven enormously useful, and I imagine a Rank C Reflex skill on top of an Inspiration should be another game changer for me. Strength isn''t as close as Durability and Speed are, but it''s close enough that I want to wait but given my main opponents in the Fracture are those Fractured Guardians, and even Crystallized Strength is insufficient to really hurt them...
"I think I''ll bank Reflex first," I say, half to myself and half to Ahkelios, who is peering straight at my Interface. The status screen is apparently fully visible to him. "What do you think?"
"Sensible," the mantis says, nodding seriously. "The gap of power between ranks goes up as the ranks go up, so waiting for a guaranteed Rank B skill is going to benefit you more, but you can''t wait forever."
"And Reflex is slow to train." I sigh. I suppose I could try to hone it by doing nothing but dodging an opponent''s attacks, but I had been doing that with the Fractured Golem; apparently, that hadn''t been enough to me more than 15 credits.
Maybe there''s a better way to train it. I''ll have to pay attention to how far I need to push myself before I really start gaining credits in that category.
[ Are you sure you wish to bank 66 Reflex credits? ]
Yes.
[ 66 Reflex credits banked! Rolling for results... ]
[ Select between:
Foreknowledge (Rank C)
Intuitive Analysis (Rank C)
Enhanced Perception (Rank C) ]
[ You have unlocked an Inspiration. Bonus willmence once skill selection has taken ce. ]
"Foreknowledge, Intuitive Analysis, and Enhanced Perception," I read out loud. This particr window Ahkelios doesn''t seem to be able to see; he waves a hand in front of his face, as if irritated that he can''t see it. "You know anything about those?"
"I don''t think I ever got Foreknowledge as an option," Ahkelios says. He hops onto the table and frowns thoughtfully. "Intuitive Analysis and Enhanced Perception are both really good, but Enhanced Perception takes longer to get used to. They function best together, actually, so you might want to hope you get another instance of Intuitive Analysis."
"But what do they actually do?"
"Intuitive Analysis filters information for you and then fills in the rest with data from the Interface," Ahkelios says. "It''s not entirely intuition-based like the skill name implies but the more you understand something, the more information you can get about it."
That sounds useful. Especially if I can use it on skills themselves before I get them. Even if I can''t, being able to tell what the Fractured Golems are doing, or what Naru skill Naru might be using... That''s an attractive prospect.
"It does mean that you won''t get as much information if the Interface doesn''t know something," Ahkelios adds. "It''s rare for that to happen, but it does happen. Especially around the Fracture."
"Which is right where I am, of course," I grumble.
"Enhanced Perception is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It makes you capable of processing a lot more information at the same time. It can be a bit overwhelming at first you have to learn to filter out information all over again but it can be incredibly useful."
I feel like that''s something I can already train on my own. It''s a bit of an arrogant thought, and I''m sure the Firmament skill would be far more effective, but a part of me is almost reluctant to pick it up. Maybe it''s pride.
It won''t stop me from picking it up if I think it''s the most useful one I can get, though. I''m still leaning towards Intuitive Analysis, just because it''s a way of getting information I wouldn''t be able to get otherwise.
But then there''s Foreknowledge.
Ahkelios hasn''t seen the skill before, but the name itself is pretty telling. Since it''s a Reflex skill, I assume there''s some simrity with Danger Sense, which I remember getting as an option thest time I banked Reflex. Foreknowledge is a lot more vague, though; the implication there is maybe that it will let me learn about more things than just danger in advance.
I''m tempted to pick it, if not for the simple fact that I''m in a time loop. Foreknowledge is just a function of dying and waking up again. It''s not perfectlyparable, obviously, but it''s close enough to make me pick something else.
Intuitive Analysis.
[ Intuitive Analysis (Rank C) obtained! ]
[ Inspirationmencing. ]
Chapter 34: Truesight
Chapter 34: Truesight
This time, instead of color draining from everything around me, most of my surroundings dissolve into nothing. I see only a small circle of stone around me, and beyond that is empty darkness.
Gheraa appears before I can question it. "Back so soon!" he exims. "I was prepared for you this time. Got all the temporal bands lubed up and ready."
I stare at him.
"You''re in a strange spot this time, aren''t you?" he adds, looking around curiously at the darkness that surrounds us. "Best be careful. This sort of thing doesn''t happen often."
"What sort of thing?"
"The Interface not being able to fully reproduce whatever environment you''re in," Gheraa says mildly.
Now that''s interesting. There''s something special about the Fracture, then, possibly even beyond what Ahkelios had thought. Why does it interact with the Interface in such a unique way? Gheraa interrupts me before I can ruminate any further on it.
"So!" he says cheerfully. "I''m sure you want to know your options?"
"All of them, please," I say dryly.
"As you wish." Gheraa bows towards me and takes several steps back my eyes narrow when I notice that he''s limping ever-so-slightly. The impulse to ask him if he''s okay rises, but there''s something about his demeanor and the way he''s trying to hide it...
The Integrators are always watching.
I don''t ask.
Gheraa sweeps a hand forward, and this time, three options glimmer into existence before me. They''re not nearly as dramatic as the Firmament Inspirations were these ones glow with electricity, each one tinted a dim blue.
The first option is a small ball of electricity, asionally ring out with trails of energy. The Interface calls it the [A Primal Spark].
"All sapient life begins with a spark of intellect," Gheraa tells me. He wanders along with my gaze, ying with the spark and allowing it to dance between his fingers, like he''s showing off its abilities. "What could you do with it in your hands, I wonder?"
The second option is, as far as I can tell, a blob of... numbers. It''s almost dizzying to look at I have to squint to make out any of them at all. This one is dered as [The Underlying Principles].
"Math!" Gheraa sounds almost unbearably excited about the word. I have an unpleasant shback to a math teacher that was about as excited. "ess to the underlying mechanisms of the skills themselves. Quite the powerful Inspiration, if I do say so myself."
I don''t disbelieve him, exactly, but I also think he might be a little biased.
The third option manifests as an eye, spinning rapidly around as Gheraa moves a finger around it. It tracks his finger no matter where he moves it, and he hums, as if delighted in ying with it. [The All-Seeing Eye], it''s called.
...If it''s all-seeing, it''s not very good at it, considering how much it''s struggling to keep up with Gheraa''s finger. I almost feel bad for it.
"Interface skills often run much deeper than we think," Gheraa exins. "The Eye lets you see just how deep they run, and where they might connect. It''s quite unique among Inspirations, I must say, although we have seen it before."
Is it just me, or is he... telling me what these Inspirations do?
He''s not really being specific about it, but he''d told me almost nothing thest time. This time he''s almost incorporated it into his show. It''s not so much information that he''s telling me outright what they do, but I can make informed guesses based on what he''s told me.
The Primal Spark can be used to imbue a skill with its own intelligence, probably, allowing me to automate them. Powerful, particrly inbination with something like Temporal Fragment, but I haven''t been able to use an Inspiration outside of its category so far.
Underlying Principles is very... abstract. If it''s what Gheraa is implying, then I imagine it''s an Inspiration that lets me directly modify the variables that go into any given skill. Powerful, though something that requires a lot of thought and understanding. It''s definitely tempting.
And then there''s the All-Seeing Eye. If I understand what Gheraa is saying correctly, then he''s telling me I can use it tobine skills?
The trouble is that all of these Inspirations are useful, this time around, and I know enough about them that the decision is difficult. I frown a bit, then nce at Gheraa. "Will I be able to choose these Inspirations again?" I ask. "Once I hit the next milestone."
"Of course!" Gheraa smiles broadly, twirling a cane. I have no idea where he''s gotten the cane from. "Your selections are always avable to you. But I''m sure you''ll have unlocked much better Inspirations by then."
Maybe. But these three Inspirations already seem incredibly powerful in their own right.
"The All-Seeing Eye," I decide. If I have to pick one of them first, it might as well be the one that increases both power and versatility. Primal Spark makes my skills powerful utility skills, if I can have them running with their own mind in the background; Underlying Principles might allow me to tweak skills into more powerful ones, depending on my circumstance.
All-Seeing Eye is the vaguest of the three, but if I canbine skills, then I''ll have better versatility and power, depending on the skills Ibine.
"If you''re sure!" Gheraa doesn''tment on my choice at all, but he does grab the eyeball with his hand. I wince a bit at the sight, and then my eyes widen as he approaches me.
"Don''t worry, this won''t hurt a bit."
I wake from the Inspiration, groaning, one hand reflexively grabbing for my left eye. It feelspletely normal, thank god.
"The bastard shoved the eye into my eye," I grumble. I don''t want to think about how that had felt. For all that that was an Interface simtion, the sensation of my eye being reced had felt very much real. It didn''t hurt, thankfully either Gheraa or the Interface must have suppressed the sensation of pain but that didn''t stop it from being deeply ufortable.
Ahkelios, to his credit, looks concerned for me. "Who did what now?" he asks, and I take a moment to calm my pounding heart before I borate. The mantis looks appropriately disgusted, shivering at my description of what he''d done. "I hope I never meet an Integrator," he deres.
I decide not to mention that he probably already has.
I nce around. The Fracture is still rtively silent there''s no sign that any other golems are activating. The asional crack echoes through the chasm, and I wince a little every time I hear one, but it doesn''t look like the entire thing is on the verge of copsing. I try not to think about it; it''s not like I''ll be able to do much if it does copse.
Instead, I focus on the Eye. I need to test it out. Inspirations are exhausting to use, but trying to figure out how to use one in the middle of a battle outside of a friendly spar is asking for trouble.
"You have any idea what the Eye does?" I ask. There''s a feeling of strange Firmament settled over my left eye, and I''m pretty sure that''s the new Inspiration. I just have to nudge at it...
"No," Ahkelios says, but he looks vaguely ufortable. I wonder why, before I remember what his corpse had looked like.
Right.
"I''ll figure it out," I say. Hopefully whatever was done to him is reversible. I don''t even know if he has his full eyesight right now, and I''m not sure how to ask, but all of that is a question forter.
For now, I activate the Eye and use a simple skill in conjunction with it.
Barrier.
The skill flows out of me but it''s slow, moving like a cier instead of the lightning-fast activation that usually urs. For a moment, I''m afraid that I''ve been tricked that the Eye is nothing but an Inspiration that worsens my skills and makes them nearly useless.
And then I pay attention to the way the Firmament is flowing, and I frown.
It''s not that it''s slow. It''s more like it''s waiting.
Barrier Firmament is tricky. The skill is a rapid one, as it has to be in order to be effective at defending me from anything and it usually moves so fast that unless I prepare myself ahead of time, I don''t get much opportunity to shape it. Now that it''s slowed down, I can actually see how open it is to maniption. It''s a basic skill, and the Firmament feels almost like it''s eager to ept anything else and twist it into its form...
Anything else. It doesn''t even have to be a Reflex skill.
On impulse, I choose Crystallized Strength, for the simple reason that I need stronger barriers. The skill flows out of me, and the two twist together in a way that I hadn''t seen was possible before but with the Eye, nudging them together with just the slightest bit of Firmament Maniption is almost child''s y. Individual segments of Firmament lock together like pieces of a puzzle.
In front of me, a shining disc of Firmament materializes.
Intuitive Analysis stirs. The crystalline barrier in front of me is a Crystallized Barrier, a result ofbining Strength and Durability skills in a way the Interface doesn''t directly support.
[ A new Skill Fusion has been found. Would you like to log the results into the Interface? ]
The Interface chooses this moment to pipe up, the text ring brighter than usual in front of me. I stare at it, my jaw tense; Intuitive Analysis is still working in the background, and through it, I get a sense of what the Interface itself seems to think.
This is a new result. It''s eager to log it and categorize it into a database. That database will make the skill avable to everyone that uses it, which on the one hand will make it avable to all the other humans going through the Trial, and on the other...
On the other, it''ll also ce the skill directly into the Integrators'' hands.
Not that it matters. Crystallized Barrier is an upper Rank C skill, Intuitive Analysis says; the Integrators will have much more powerful skills up their sleeves. They already know I have the Eye, considering Gheraa facilitated my selection of it, so it''s not like I can hide the fact that I canbine skills from them.
"What will logging the results do?" I ask warily. I half expect the Interface not to respond, but Ahkelios surprisingly pipes up.
"It makes it so that you can just use the skill," Ahkelios says. "That way, you don''t have to use your Inspiration to get it every time."
Then he blinks, looking confused. "How did I know that? That''s not a memory."
Because you''re connected to the Interface. Intuitive Analysis supplies the answer. I stop myself from actually saying those words out loud, promising myself to talk to Ahkelios about itter, and focus on what to do with Crystallized Barrier.
Crystallized Barrier is a skill that gets stronger the more I use it. The Crystallized part that''s true for Crystallized Strength as well refers to the skill being a culmination of all past uses of the skill,yered on top of itself.
That means I want to use it as much as possible. That won''t be possible if I have to use it via Inspiration every single time...
Fine.
[ Crystallized Barrier (Rank C) obtained! ]
[ Chat feature unlocked! You may nowmunicate on a limited basis with other Trialgoers. Please note that this feature is still in beta and may experience asional downtime. ]
Chapter 35: Names
Chapter 35: Names
"asional downtime indeed," I say dryly. I stare at the chat interface. It''s a list of every single other Trialgoer,beled by, Trial, and number; some of the names are crossed out, which is a distressing thing to look at, and the others...
Well, the problem with the chat feature is that I can''t interact with it. The entire screen is grayed out. There''s a message sitting right on top of the screen.
[ Temporal band interference too great. Please stand by. ]
Talk about a disappointment. I''d been hoping to speak to some others, maybe get a bit more information about what the Integrators are up to and what the other Trialgoers might have gleaned from their encounters with them, but it looks like that might not be a possibility. I''ll check in asionally, just in case.
If nothing else, it gives me a way to check on how the other Trialgoers are doing. The majority of them are still alive, and that, at least, is a relief. I scroll through the list a few times. It''s not a surprise that I don''t recognize any names, but...
Five dead so far.
More than I''d hoped, less than I''d feared.
Resha Goodwin. George Halloway. Lu Xin. Ciaran Byrne. Inaya Devi.
The names are meaningless to me, but I take a moment to memorize them anyway. It doesn''t feel right not to. I don''t know how many people even know that they''re dead. Do they have family waiting for them? Friends? How much do the people back home know about what''s going on?
"Are you okay?" Ahkelios'' voice sounds oddly subdued. He''s standing on the table, looking up at me with concern, and I can''t help but feel a small surge of affection.
It''s nice not to be going at this alone.
"I''m fine," I say. It''s only a small lie. Ahkelios seems to sense it, though, because he immediately gives me a severe look and crosses his arms across his chest; Iugh a little at how absolutely pouty he looks. It''s incredible how well human emotions trante across alien bodynguage or maybe that''s the Interface at work again. "I''m just looking at how many of the other Trialgoers have died already. It doesn''t feel like I have a lot of time."
Ahkelios grimaces a little, then sits down on the table. "I don''t remember much," he says hesitantly. "But I do remember the first time I unlocked the chat feature... Over half of my''s Trialgoers were gone. Just like that."
"Do you know if your passed?" I ask.
Ahkelios shakes his head. "I gave up before I ever found out," he says, his eyes briefly distant. "I hope they''re still out there. I can''t imagine..."
He doesn''t finish the sentence, but I can feel the sentiment radiating from him. Sometimes I forget that he''s been through all of this, too, even if his memories onlye to him in bits and pieces.
"You should tell me about what your home was like," I offer. "Your people, your culture. I mean, we''re two different species meeting for the first time, right? I feel like that gets a bit lost in the whole Trial thing."
Ahkelios gives me a small smile, like he knows what I''m trying to do, and shakes his head. "I don''t remember enough," he tells me honestly. "But I want to. As soon as I remember more."
"It''s a promise," I say. Just means we''ll have to figure out how to restore him sooner. I hold a fist out to him, more on reflex than anything else, and to my surprise, he fistbumps me.
I guess some things transcend cultures.
I pull myself to my feet. Using the Eye doesn''t seem to have tired me out as much as using the Mirror; if I had to guess, there are qualitative differences between Inspirations. I check my status just to be sure the Mirror had been marked as (Firmament, Unique).
The Eye is marked as (Reflex, Rank A).
"Reflex doesn''t seem to be all about mental speed," I mutter, half to myself and half to Ahkelios. "The skills and Inspirations I got were all rted to the mind, but..."
"The categories have fuzzy borders," Ahkelios agrees. "I think it''s a trantion thing. I wouldn''t put too much thought into it."
"Hm." I''m not sure I agree, but I don''t disagree enough to argue with him at the moment. I take onest look around the empty room we''re in, reaching out with my Firmament sense in case there are any fragments I''m missing...
As far as I can tell, the room is empty. I take a sip of water from the satchel Mari had forced into my arms, and then step back out into the chasm that was Fracture.
The air is different. It puts me immediately on alert. There''s an electrifying tingle in the air that wasn''t there before, and I don''t know what could possibly have changed. My Firmament sense is ring up.
Strangest of all is the fact that none of this was clear to me until I stepped back outside.
I fall into a slightly more cautious stance. Mental eleration is always active, but I push a little bit more Firmament towards it, just in case I need to react to something. Intuitive Analysis isn''t reporting any problems, but it is telling me that something dangerous is afoot. Whatever that something is, it isn''t anywhere near me, but it''s present.
When nothing happens for the next minute, I start moving and searching.
The next house ispletely empty. One of the charging alcoves is present, the one that''s presumably meant to house a Fractured Guardian, but there''s no hint of a Guardian in it. The lines of Firmament within the alcove are dead, and on closer inspection, I realize that the lines have been worn off intentionally, it looks like.
There''s a pile of rubble in the room.
I very carefully avoid thinking about it, and move on.
The next few homes I check are simrly empty. The tingle in the air makes it difficult to sense the sparks of Firmament that were so clear before; it''s like the whole Fracture is saturated with Firmament, and it makes my ability to sense it almost useless. It''s a little more muted in the homes themselves, at least.
It''s in the fifth home that I find something different.
This one is decorated. It''s not colorful; there isn''t much in the way of color here. Everything is made out of the same pale-brown stone. But there are carvings decorating the walls, deeply intricate carvings that don''t just look like lines of Firmament; there are rocks on the ground that look... worn, forck of a better word, the edges rubbed away until they form perfect, t shapes. Some of them are stacked on top of themselves in precarious towers.
There is a Fractured Guardian here, sleeping in its alcove. I tense, but it doesn''t move or react to my presence, and no one else is here.
"Ahkelios..." I say slowly. The little mantis climbs up to my shoulder from where he was clinging to my back, peering around the room in silence.
"Do you think they''re alive?" he asks.
"I don''t know," I say. The one I fought hadn''t seemed that way, but then it had also been berserk and attacked me immediately; it probably wasn''t a good example of the Fractured Guardians as a whole.
"Let''s leave this one alone?" Ahkelios suggests uncertainly, and I nod. There isn''t any Firmament here to indicate there might be a skill shard anyway. I step outside, feeling that electric tingle of Firmament settle across my skin again
Intuitive Analysis res. I feel that tickle of Firmament suddenly be something more, something originating from deep within the Fracture.
I dart backwards and react with pure instinct. Barrier. Crystallized Barrier!
The two barriers sh into existence. The first one evaporates almost instantly from the pure Firmament that radiates out from deep within the Fracture, a st of pure-white that I imagine must be visible for miles around; the Crystallized variant cracks, but holds. I use the time it grants me to call up another two Crystallized Barriers, gritting my teeth at the pressure it exerts on me.
The Firmament st is directed upwards, which is the only thing that saves me. What I''m dealing with isn''t the st itself it''s the dregs of it, the spare pieces of energy that radiate out to the sides.
But I have to hold the barrier for what feels like an entire minute, and it''s a strain on my Firmament. I feel the first Crystallized Barrier finally break into nothing, and I''m forced to take a step back so I can make a third; even through the two Barriers in front of me I can feel the sheer heat of Firmament pressing down on me.
But eventually, it fades.
I''m left panting. Ahkelios is clinging to me, eyes wide with terror. "I don''t remember anything like that," he says, his voice half a squeak.
"What was that?" I mutter. I step outside, staring up into the sky; there isn''t a trace of the Firmament anymore. The stone around me is scorched, but nothing seems overtly damaged by the Firmament; it''s enough to hurt anything organic, but it doesn''t seem to do much to stone.
"We should hurry," Ahkelios says, looking around nervously. "If Naru is investigating anomalies..."
"Right. He mighte here."
There''s the sound of stone scraping on stone, suddenly, and I nce behind me. The Fractured Guardian ising to life. I tense up again, ready to fight if it attacks but instead of attacking me, I watch as it hurries over to its little towers of stone, as if worried that they were knocked over.
It seems... surprised that they aren''t. It looks around slowly, until its gazends on me, and then it gives me a small nod.
I don''t know what I''m supposed to make of that.
It stops paying attention to me there, and I grimace, forcing myself to get going. If Naru if any of the other Hestian Trialgoers are on their way here I need to make this quick.
The trantion stone is, I think, at the far end of the Fracture. I stop looking for other skill shards for the moment, deciding that it''s not worth my time; the single shard I have will be enough for Mari to examine if I manage to bring it back to her, but right now, I need to sessfully bring it back to her to begin with.
Intuitive Analysis agrees that the stone is probably at the far end of the Fracture, so I ignore all the homes to the side and just book it as fast as I can. Triplestep and Firestep carry me, the mes of each step dying on the stone surprisingly quickly; there are a few Guardians that leap out of their homes, looking to attack me, but with my stacked skills it''s easy to dodge out of the way.
Hopefully, they don''t follow me.
The far end of the Fracture where I suspect the stone is looks far grander than all the other generic homes built into the side. It''s hidden in a crevice, and so isn''t visible from outside the Fracture, but it looks almost like a temple. The pirs surrounding the doors are intricately carved, and there are swooping lines of architecture that flow into one another like the curves of a river.
It''s an awe-inspiring sight. I''m tempted to spend a moment to take it in, but with the potential threat of someoneing to investigate the Firmament burst, I just push open the doors and hurry in.
The walls glow with Firmament. There''s a stone at the end of the hallway, but in front of the stone is a statue a more decorated, more intricately designed version of the Fractured Guardians.
I sigh, and settle into a stance.
I probably should have expected that a temple like this would have an equivalent boss fight.
Chapter 36: Approach
Chapter 36: Approach
There''s a part of me that thinks I should attack immediately, before the Guardian has had time to power up. There''s another part of me that hesitates, because I know now that the Guardians are not all hostile, and I don''t want to force myself into a fight I don''t have to fight.
In the end, I gather all the Firmament I can and wait. I still have a headache I''m not fully recovered from defending against the Firmament st but I''m capable of fighting. I can still use Second Wind.
In the worst case, I''ll grab the trantion stone and flee. Simple.
Probably not that simple.
Ahkelios trembles a little on my shoulder, but he''s putting on a brave face. We have the basic n of "go for the eyes" I''m not sure if the eyes are vulnerable points at all, but the golem surely has them for a reason. If I have to run, Ahkelios can distract him, and he''ll be pulled back to me once he reaches the distance limit of the skill.
The Guardian rumbles to life, finally; the Firmament that gathers in its eyes is not the angry red of a berserk Guardian, nor the empty eyes of an attacking one. It glows with a surprisingly gentle yellow, and though I brace myself against an attack, nonees.
Instead, it watches me, its eyes scanning me with scrutiny. The pirs around me continue glowing with Firmament, intricate patterns glowing along the carvings. There are murals here, I realize, though I can hardly make sense of them something that resembles a heart, and long threads of Firmament growing from it, extending all across the temple''s walls.
I take a slow step forward, and the Guardian mirrors my movements.
"Ahkelios?" I say. My voice is quiet, but it still echoes in the emptiness of the temple; the mantis looks up at me. "Do you remember this at all?"
"No, when I was here the temple was... empty..." Ahkelios trails off as he speaks, and then he shakes his head and speaks more firmly. "This wasn''t here when I visited. Or at least, it didn''t wake up."
"That just brings up more questions," I mutter.
The Guardian continues to stare at us. I hesitate, looking up at its immense form; the other Guardians are only a little taller than I am, but this one stands at nearly three times my height. I''m not sure I''m confident in my ability to survive a fight with it.
I just don''t know why it''s just standing there. Is it waiting for me to take the stone?
I step forward again, and I cross some invisible line; Firmament res to life around me.
I freeze. The Guardian leans down, staring even more closely at me. I imagine for a moment that I can feel the heat of its breath on my face as it considers my presence.
"Why are you here?"
Its voice thrums deep with Firmament. I nod towards the trantion stone, held up on a pedestal and lit by a single beam of light filtering in from the ceiling; it''s an ordinary looking thing, and I''m not sure why it''s here, in a ce so grandiose-looking.
"I''m looking for that," I answer, inclining my head slightly towards the stone. The Guardian continues to watch me, fragments of stone trickling down its body as it keeps unnervingly still.
"Why?"
"Apparently, it''s the key to a Hotspot," I say. I''m not sure if those words will have any meaning to the Guardian, but I don''t feel particrlypelled to lie. A giant construct inside what is apparently a temple, filled to the brim with Firmament, whose purpose is apparently to ask questions to visitors?
Lying seems like a bad idea.
"I need something inside the Hotspot," I add, which is true, although I don''t need the stone for that. "And I want toplete it... properly. So I can get the most out of it. Apparently the rewards are better that way."
Which sounds rather selfish, now that I think about it. The golem''s eyes begin to grow a deeper red, and I hurriedly add: "I need that power to save my. A lot of people are dying in the Trials."
The red fades away, back to a cid yellow. The Guardian contemtes me. "You seek power. But you seek power in order to protect."
"He does!" I don''t actually get a chance to respond Ahkelios does. He folds his arms and res at the golem. "I can vouch for him."
...The little guy is trembling a bit still. I think about howrge the golem must be for him he''s already many times smaller than his normal form. Does the whole world just seem terrifyinglyrge to him? It sounds difficult to adjust to.
The golem''s gaze turns to regard Ahkelios for a moment. "Apanion," it murmurs. It sounds strangely surprised. "Very well. Take your artifact."
Artifact?
I hesitate a moment more, but I don''t have much time to waste. I hurry forward and grab the stone off the pedestal, grunting at its weight. It''s surprisingly heavy, but it''s nothing I can''t handle with a small burst of Crystallized Strength. There''s a faint vein of Firmament running through it, anchored deep within the stone.
The Guardian watches me. It doesn''t help, but it seems perfectly willing to let me past. I stop before I leave. "Can you tell me anything about the Fracture?" I ask. "What is this ce? What is it for? Who lived here? Why does the stone rte to a random obelisk out in the wilderness?"
The Guardian regards me. For a moment, I''m worried that it won''t answer me at all that its performed its function and isn''t alive any more than an automated test is.
But then it rumbles to life again, and the Firmament-rich voice pours forth. "The Fracture is the beginning of the Way. It leads to the Heart. All things are connected through the Heart."
"What is the Heart?" I ask. It''s rted to the mural on the wall, I''m sure of it.
"You will find out in time, Trialgoer."
Damn cryptic answers.
I race out of the temple, carrying the trantion stone with me; Triplestep and Firestep are poured on as much as I can. Tough Body works to keep my stamina up even as I lug the heavy stone around. Strangely, none of the Guardians that attacked me beforee out to attack me again, and I wonder if that has something to do with the way I dealt with the temple''s Guardian. Maybe they''re linked.
But I don''t have that much time to wonder, because I can feel Firmament in the sky. It''s foreign, it''s fast. I don''t think it''s Naru, but whoever it is...
I don''t want to be spotted.
I turn off Firestep. I don''t want to alert whoever it is to my presence, and leaving a trail of fire everywhere I go is no doubt going to draw attention. It takes another moment of thought before I quickly dart into one of the side-homes, which just so happens to be the one with the little stacks of rocks; the Guardian within it is very carefully stacking up a third tower.
It looks at me when I enter, but it doesn''t bother me, for which I breathe a sigh of relief. I stay tense, though I still feel the Firmament presence above us.
"What''s wrong?" Ahkelios asks, oblivious, and I shush him.
"Someone''s here," I say. Now that I think about it, he was able to sense Naru, back when we were in the Hotspot. Can he not sense this one?
Ahkelios frowns, apparently wondering the same thing. He strains for a moment. I feel the presence diving lower and lower, until it crosses the very top of the Fracture
and at that moment, Ahkelios goes very, very still. He gives me a small nod, and I nod back at him.
The person above is most likely one of the Hestian Trialgoers, and if it isn''t, then it''s someone else whose Firmament is strong enough for me to sense even from within the Fracture. I''m not eager to confront them. If I''m lucky, they''ll investigate, and then leave; if I''m not...
Well, I have to be prepared for a confrontation. My headache, at least, has mostly dissipated.
Ahkelios and I both stay tense as the presence descends into the Fracture. Itnds nearby, though not directly on top of our building. It''s a few blocks away, and steadily getting closer.
I try to quell my own Firmament, pull it in so it isn''t as noticeable. Ahkelios dismisses himself, fading away into nothing; I''m startled, but it''s probably for the best, given the situation.
Behind us, the Guardian continues stacking its rocks, either oblivious or uncaring. I worry that the faint hum of Firmament from it will draw the intruder''s attention, but there''s little I can do about it. There''s plenty of Firmament all around us, and if they can sense Firmament...
I hear footsteps, and I still my breathing.
The footsteps are heavy. They sound like footsteps from someone wearing heavy armor; there''s a discernable nk of metal with every step they take, though there''s also an apanying rattle I can''t quite ce. I grit my teeth. I don''t expect to escape notice, at this point; my best bet is to have a n to run, because if this person is as strong as I think they are
a heavy thump, right outside the doorway. A shadow falls across the light, and I get my first look at the intruder. It takes me a moment to parse what I''m looking at.
Heavy armor is... only partially correct. As far as I can tell, the creature standing in front of me isn''t organic at all. It has mechanical joints, fully exposed to the air, and a core that''s glowing with purple Firmament.
It''s sleek, I''ll give it that. A sleek design, made of matte-ck metallic tes ovepping one another. Trickles of light flicker out from beneath each te, like there are tendrils of electricity shing about beneath its armor. Four separate lights on its head serve as eyes, or at least mimic the idea of eyes. I''m not sure how functional they are, considering they''re emitting light instead of absorbing it.
Maybe the actual eyes are somewhere else.
Some of the ting on its head flickers as it peers into the room. It has to bend down to do it it''s a good eight feet tall, and it can barely fit inside. The metal scrapes against the stone doorway, causing rock to crumble into dust, and I tense. Part of me is tempted to summon Ahkelios, but I don''t want to startle it into attacking.
I want to know what it is, first.
If nothing else, I know what the rattling sounds are. It''s holding a chain between its hands, I think as a weapon; the heavy metal links are slung over one of its shoulders, fitting snugly between two tes.
It stares at me. "You."
"Hi." I feel a little foolish, but I''m not sure how else I''m supposed to greet it.
"You are the Trialgoer." Not a question. A statement. I''m tense, but I have nowhere to run; it''s blocking the only exit there is. I need a different strategy. Maybe I can break through the wall?
I should have kept running, I think. But running would only have made me more exposed, more vulnerable; I don''t think I had the information then to decide that was my best course of action. The likelihood of the intruder checking the one house that I was in...
"Maybe I am," I deflect. "What about it?"
The robot I think it''s a robot, though it looks startlingly out of ce amongst everything else stares at me. The ting on its head moves up, then back down again in a pattern that''s almost like a wave. It''s almost reminiscent of breathing.
"I am here to investigate the recent energy burst." The robot''s voice is short and clipped. "Do you know anything about it?"
"No," I say. "Is that all?"
Please say yes.
The robot stares at me for a moment more. Its Firmament core swirls, and I sense something strange within it for a fraction of a second a flicker of red, of yellow, of green and blue and then it''s washed away in purple once again.
"No," it says. "You are an anomaly. Pleasee with me for analysis."
And it reaches for me, like it''s nning to just pick me up in a single hand.
Chapter 37: End of a Rope
Chapter 37: End of a Rope
I''m running through a number of ns in my head, discarding most of them as quickly as theye. Mental eleration helps me and gives me more time; the robot isn''t moving particrly fast, so the full second it takes gives me what feels like a minute to think.
Barrier and Crystallized Barrier are both useless here. Crystallized Strength is probably useful, but also unlikely to be enough against something like this the robot looks heavy even before putting its Firmament into ount. I suspect it''ll be able to resist anything I do and more.
Mental eleration and Intuitive Analysis are both useful, but they''re both mental skills. Great for giving me time to think and adapt; not useful in the now.
Triplestep and Firestep might help me get away if I can get past it, but I felt how fast it was moving I don''t think running is the best option, here. Hiding, maybe, but it was able to track me down somehow. The skills can act as force multipliers to any attack, but that presumes I have an attack that''s strong enough to begin with. Robot or not, this thing feels like it''s at least as strong as Naru, and an attackbining all my speed skills and Crystallized Strength didn''t even make him step back.
Tough Body and Second Wind. Good for survivability if I need it, not useful right now.
Firmament Maniption. The robot is practically emanating Firmament; its entire core is nothing but Firmament. I could try to twist it to my will, but I suspect doing that will be like trying to manipte someone else''s Firmament. Intuitive Analysis tells me that pits our rtive Firmament strengths and willpowers directly against one another, and losing that battle might shatter my Firmament base. I don''t know what that means, but it sounds dangerous.
Temporal Fragment and Color Drain.
Ahkelios might seed in distracting it. Other temporal clones are out of the question; the only echo I have here is the one that entered the Fracture in my fifth loop. It never got this far in. Color Drain might be useful, if I can sap its strength and speed out of it, but the primary thing that I want to drain is weight. I don''t know what color that is yet, and I don''t know if it''s possible.
I could ask Ahkelios and see if he miraculously remembers.
An Inspiration might help. The Eye can help mebine any two skills, and with the Mirror I can pull out other temporal clones from different moments in my life; an Anger fragment,bined with my own efforts, would probably at least triple my effective strength. But that had only been enough to throw Mari off-bnce, and Naru is stronger than her still...
No matter how I think about it, I just don''t have enough raw power. I grit my teeth. I don''t want to end the loop here not if I can survive. I want to get back to Mari, show her the stone and the skill shard; I want to check the Hotspot again and see if Naru has left.
There''s too much to do this loop to lose it to a robot that came out of nowhere.
The robot''s hand is halfway across the room now, closing in on me. Mental eleration continues to stretch out the seconds, buying me precious time. I race through my options, trying to find something that will help; maybe somebination of Inspirations and a new skill, like a Temporal Fragmentbined with Crystallized Strength
There''s an electric tingle of Firmament in the air, the exact same sensation that led to the first st. This time, it''s strong enough that I can feel it even through the stone.
And that puts something new on the table. If I can push it just a little bit off bnce if I can just shove it into the uing Firmament st, and disorient it enough that I can run, or kill it outright...
That''s a better n than anything else I''ve got. If I can''t muster the strength myself, why not use my environment to do it for me?
Now I just need to time everything right.
I milk every second I can get from Mental eleration. I twist away just a fraction of a second before the robot-thing''s hand brushes over my shirt, elongated fingers leaving a heavy crackle of Firmament thatshes against mine. Triplestep takes me to the farthest corner of the room I can manage.
"You are fighting," the robot thing says. It''s a statement, not a question, and it sounds puzzled, as if it doesn''t understand why. "Please do not resist."
"Not really an option for me," I say dryly. "Maybe you stop trying to capture me instead?"
"My directives do not allow me to." Its answer is simple, though strangely worded but before I can think on it, it twists its way into the room, contorting its body to fit through the doorway. The rock crumbles and cracks as the robot forces itself through, and the golem still off in its corner makes a distressed sort of grumble as the stacked rocks teeter and fall apart.
I don''t have the attention to spare for it. Firmament crackles across the metallic tes, like it''s preparing for an attack, and it''s pure instinct that makes me call up a Crystallized Barrier
A zing shield of crystalline Firmament forms in front of me, and only just in time. Electricity sts into it, yellow energy skating off each facet of the barrier and scorching into the walls and floor. The barrier cracks, but somehow holds.
My only advantage here, I realize, is that this thing doesn''t want to kill me. It wants to capture me, and so there''s a limit to the amount of force it can safely use. But I have to y this safe if I threaten to kill myself, it might decide to leave a message for its next iteration to hunt me down, and I cannot threaten the fundamental safety of my loops. It''ll mean I have to spend every second running, every second trying to avoid capture.
Of course, it might have left that message already. If it has, I can''t do anything about it, so I don''t bother considering that. I''ll deal with it if ites down to it.
"Another anomaly." It actually pauses, analyzing my shield, and I let it. Firmament is still building in the background. Every second that it wastes is precious to me.
"What''s so anomalous about me?" I ask. I don''t really care about the answer, but strangely, the robot-thing actually pauses, as if to think about its response.
I use the time to prepare.
I need to use the Mirror Inspiration here. I''d stack it if I could, but my Firmament is weak, and I don''t want to exhaust itpletely. I still need my Barriers to protect myself from the st.
Crystallized Strength.
The skill resists me when I try to use the Mirror on it. It flows from me, but there''s a gap where I would otherwise be able to apply the Inspiration like something about it is ipatible. I grit my teeth, fighting it, trying to force the two together. Firmament Inspiration, Strength skill.
For a moment, it almost seems to work. I feel the Inspiration brush against the Firmament of the skill, and it flickers into a dull red
but just as soon as I manage it, it forces itself apart again, and settles into my muscles. The crackle of Crystallized Strength fills me instead. I''m disappointed, but this isn''t a failure.
Not yet.
"Anomaly: Firmament. Firmament instability exceeds expected standard deviation within species and stress markers. Further analysis required," it tells me, and then it repeats itself. "You are fighting. Please do not resist."
Firmament is still building in the background. It''s stronger than it was before, now, but Intuitive Analysis tells me it''s still a few seconds before the st actually takes ce.
It whips the chain it carries towards me. The end of the chain uncoils itself like a living thing, moving to wrap around me, presumably to capture me; I wonder if that''s the purpose of the thing. Mental eleration has a hard time keeping up with it, but it just barely manages, and I Triplestep, ducking low to avoid the chain
except it curves to follow me, moving faster than I can
Color Drain.
I''m lucky that there''s a crackle of yellow Firmament running down the length of the chain. I drain the speed out of it, the Firmament pooling into a useless puddle of yellow on the floor, and it slows it down just enough that the chain cracks against my ribs instead of wrapping around me.
It still hurts. I''m pretty sure it breaks a rib.
But I''m alive.
I see the robot-thing gathering Firmament to use a skill. I feel the Firmament in the background gathering even more, Intuitive Analysis telling me that the Fracture is just a second away from bursting with Firmament, even more powerful than before.
Now or never.
Color Drain. Color Drain. Color Drain.
There isn''t much color I can actually drain out of it. I target every color I can red, because I know it represents strength, even though there''s barely a hint of red on it; yellow, from the crackle of the Firmament beneath its tes; purple, because that''s the color of its core. All three of those colors ooze onto the ground, and it reacts, but it reacts slower.
Crystallized Strength still flows through me. I Triplestep and Firestep forward, feeling mes light the ground beneath my feet; a Crystallized Barrier forms around my fist so I don''t break it on the ted metal. I see it move to react, metallic tes actually shifting on its body to block the impact of my blow.
Mirror. Temporal Fragment.
A zing red copy of me bursts forward in the same moment my punchnds. The temporal clone ms an empowered fist directly into the same spot onto the robot''s stomach, Firmament ovepping briefly with my own.
Toote, I realize the chain it holds is still ck, the end of it lying on the floor behind me. Toote, I realize that as the force of my punch forces it backwards through the doorway, it''s retaliating.
The chain whips towards the back of my head, even as I turn around to meet it. I don''t know if he''s trying to kill me in revenge or reacting out of instinct, or just trying to disable me. I do know that I don''t have the time or the speed to react. Mental eleration gives me the time to notice it, but even though I''m trying to call up a Barrier of some sort, I''m tugging on a nearly empty pool of Firmament. A half-formed Barrier materializes and is instantly shattered again.
I can''t stop it.
But the chain never hits.
There''s a crunch of metal-on-rock, and I hear the sound of stone shattering; I nce behind me, only to see that the golem that was in this room has somehow stepped in front of the chain, and lost an entire arm for it. It doesn''t seem to care it res past me at the robot, which is still tipping over backwards.
And then the Firmament st explodes outwards across the Fracture. I try to call up a Crystallized Barrier, but it fails, too.
Thest thing I''m aware of is a shadow in front of me. Then the sheer energy of the st whips away my consciousness.
Chapter 38: Questions
Chapter 38: Questions
When I wake up, I roll to the side. It''s an automatic reflex by now, and it''s only when I crack my elbow against stone that I realize that I''m not, in fact, about to be stabbed in the head by a giant mantis; I breathe a sigh of relief, and then look around, trying to take in my situation.
I''m in... no small amount of pain. The ache is only obvious when I move and my skin scrapes against the stone, and then I wince as I realize that I feel like most of my skin is sunburned. It''s an angry red, when I pay attention to it.
I''m in the same room. Half of the stone is scorched ck. I''m alive, somehow, but I''m only alive because...
The golem.
I jerk awake fully, sitting up and wincing as a wave of pain shoots through my body. Most of it is skin-deep, but my shoulders feel like they''ve each taken a sledgehammer and there''s a persistent, familiar ache in my head that tells me I''ve strained my Firmament too deeply.
I almost wish the Interface had mana values. At least that way I''d have a better way of tracking how close I am to running out of Firmament besides how bad my headache is. Maybe it''s a feature I can unlock, or maybe I can work on a solution myself...
There''s nothing around me. I''m half-expecting to find the golem in the corner of the room, stacking its rocks, but I can''t even find the polished stones it was stacking; the only thing remaining in the room is the trantion stone I''d picked up earlier, sitting innocently on the floor. I wonder if the Firmament st eroded everything else, though I find the prospect strange. I would expect far more damage to the walls and floor if the st were capable of that kind of damage.
Good thing it didn''t damage the trantion stone, at least. That thing looks as pristine as ever.
After a short pause and a grimace as I prepare myself, knowing this will hurt I call on Temporal Fragment and bring out Ahkelios.
Ahkelios is silent when he first appears. It''s uncharacteristic of him. He takes in the room slowly, hopping up onto my head to survey the whole room, and then looks at me seriously.
"It found you?" he asks. He looks almost guilty.
"It did," I confirm. "It was some sort of automaton. Did you ever fight anything like that?"
Ahkelios rxes a little when he realizes I''m not angry at him for disappearing. "I don''t think so," he says carefully. "I tried not to interact with the Integrators much."
"If only I had that choice," I say dryly.
Gheraa, Naru, and now this robot-thing. Meeting an Integrator is fundamental to earning an Inspiration, but Naru being sent to investigate a strange Hotspot, and then this robot-thing investigating an unusual burst of Firmament...
It could be a coincidence, but I''m starting to think it isn''t. They keep telling me I''m an anomaly. Naru thinks I''m growing too fast, and the robot said my Firmament was too unstable. Something about my loop seems to be fundamentally different.
"What happened?" Ahkelios asks. He nces around at the ckened room, and I get the strange impression that he''d be wrinkling his nose if he had one. "Did it do this?"
I shake my head. "The Fracture erupted again," I say. "I pushed it in. Still have no idea why the Fracture''s doing this, though, and it doesn''t look like the Integrators know either. I don''t suppose you have any ideas?"
Ahkelios shakes his head mutely.
Now back to the question of how I survived.
There''s no sign of the golem anywhere. There''s ash on the ground, but the ash isn''t nearly thick enough to be the remnants of the golem and if the st had been powerful enough to turn it to ash in the first ce, I can''t imagine I would have survived. I take a breath, nearly choking at the overwhelming smell of burnt stone, and then take a step outside.
Somehow, I''m not entirely surprised to see the golem there. It looks... damaged. Fragments of stone have chipped off its shoulders. It sits with its legs dangling over the Fracture, staring up into the sky.
I sit down next to it, and it doesn''t move.
Ahkelios is silent, and I appreciate that he doesn''t interrupt the moment. I wonder if I''m projecting emotions onto the golem. It''s sitting and staring in a way that seems almost longing. I imagine it''s never been out of the Fracture the charging alcoves, the murals, the stacked stones they''re enough to tell a story. I wonder how far it was able to make it before it needed to go back for charging.
But maybe those emotions are too human. They don''t exin why the golem chose to save me.
I sigh, and lie back onto the ground. The stone is still warm underneath my back. It''s ufortable, especially with my bones and skin aching as they are, but I don''t really care at the moment.
"It''s dead, isn''t it?" Ahkelios asks me after a moment, and I tilt my head in a slight nod.
"I can''t sense any Firmament from it," I say. "The charging alcove is dead; the Firmament st burned away all the circuitry it could''ve used to charge up."
"That''s sad," Ahkelios says. He hops off of my shoulder and up onto the golem''s, peering up at its face. "Do you think it just wanted to see the sky before it died?"
"I think so," I say. My words are soft. I imagine what it must have done blocked me from the worst of the st, then looked up to see that its alcove was destroyed. It put me down carefully, in a part of the room that wasn''t glowing with heat, and made sure I was safe.
Then it went outside to look at the sky onest time.
I feel a muted sort of sorrow. Ahkelios clearly feels the emotion much more keenly. I see him pressing his forehead against ckened stone, looking distressed, before he hops off of the golem and rejoins me on my shoulder. Together, we lie on the stone for a minute, staring up at the sky.
The loop will bring it back, of course. But it didn''t know that when it chose to make that sacrifice, and its choice of final moment says a lot.
"Let''s go back," I say finally. The trantion stone is still sitting in the room. I have my skill shard in my pocket, along with the two other Firmament-imbued stones, though they feel like just ordinary stones now. The imbuement must have unraveled at some point.
Even as I leave, though, I know I''ll being back to the Fracture.
Maybe not soon. Rank C or not, there''s something happening here that''s beyond me. But there are too many mysteries here to leave unanswered, and what I suspect is a clear connection to the Integrators.
Hestia 307B.
That 307B has to mean something.
If there''s anything I''ve failed to consider about the Fracture, it''s the stairs. Walking down a long flight of stairs into a chasm-city is one thing. Walking back up, even with Tough Body keeping my stamina up? Torture.
"I''m d I''m not the one that has to do this," Ahkeliosments from his perch atop my head. I grumble, briefly consider giving him the finger, and then decide that I''m too tired for even that. It''s funny how different this is from training.
Triplestep shortens the time I spend climbing back up the stairs, at least.
I keep a metaphorical eye up for another buildup of Firmament as I do so. There''s obviously something causing these Firmament eruptions, and there isn''t much in the way of shelter if I''m just climbing up. Nothing seems to stir, however.
It''s when I''m halfway up the steps that my blood runs cold. I double check the Interface.
There''s no message for defeating the robot. No credits gained. No death confirmation.
I hadn''t even considered the possibility that it might survive. The Firmament st had scorched everything, and I''d assumed that if it had managed to survive, I''d either be captured or dead. I curse myself I should''ve checked it first thing but hopefully, there''s still time. If I haven''t been captured yet, then my best hope is that it''s half-alive somewhere, disabled and unable to chase after me.
I''m not willing to bet this loop on that, though.
Without a word, I speed up. Ahkelios clings to my hair to avoid falling off. "Hey!" he starts toin, but then he seems to sense the urgency in my steps. "Is something wrong?"
"I don''t have an Interface message about the robot that attacked me," I say grimly. "It might still be alive."
"After that?" Ahkelios, at least, sounds as stunned as I do. Strangely enough, that''s almost a relief for me it means that I''m notpletely off with my understanding of the Firmament power scale. The idea that I might be is somehow more worrying.
Then again, considering the robot had apparently survived...
I pick up speed. "Maybe it just doesn''t count since all I did was push it in?" I suggest.
"Assisted kills give you less credits, but they still count," Ahkelios asserts. The worry in his voice is almost infectious, but I keep my focus on running; the adrenaline makes the stairs less exhausting, at least. I''m almost at the top. "Anything with Firmament should count if you helped defeat it."
Well, that''s not promising. I speed up a bit, ignoring the burn in my legs; I spare only a second to bring up the Interface and nce at the Timeline Tracker. It doesn''t look like I was out for very long two hours, by my estimation, and that''s corroborated by the setting sun in the sky.
It''s the longest I''ve ever been alive in a loop, and I intend to keep it that way.
Fortunately, despite extending my Firmament sense as much as I can, I don''t sense any hint of the robot''s return even as I exit the Fracture. My lungs are burning by the time I do so, and I don''t stop; instead, I bring up the map and orient myself so that I''m headed straight towards the Cliffside Crows.
"Don''t push yourself too hard," Ahkelios says, worried; he''s clinging tightly on to my shoulder so he doesn''t fall off, not that he has to worry about it, with the range limitation of Temporal Fragment. I don''t have the breath for a response, so I just push Triplestep even further, taking long strides into the alien forest.
There''s a small part of me that worries that all I''m doing is leading it to the Cliffside. But if it manages to follow me, this loop is doomed regardless.
I run faster, trying my best not to leave too much of a trail.
Chapter 39: Cliffside Home
Chapter 39: Cliffside Home
When I get closer to the Cliffside, I stop using Triplestep and pull in my Firmament again. I still have no idea if that actually does anything clearly it didn''t stop that thing from tracking me down back in the Fracture but doing something feels better than doing nothing. I''m no forest survivalist, either, so while I make some attempt to cover up my tracks, I doubt I do a very good job.
Ahkelios seems to approve, though. That, or he''s just fascinated by the close look at the''s flora.
Enough time has passed that the adrenaline has begun to wear down, and I let my racing heart slowly settle. At this point, there''s little more I can do to keep that robot away from me; either my attempts have seeded or failed, and I''ll deal with the consequences when theye.
The vigees back into sight, along with the burble of the nearby river and the smell of wet feathers. I hear loud caws in the distance, the shrieks of children as they y.
Everything''s still intact. Thest part of me rxes, and I let out a breath.
Now to find Mari and check up on Tarin.
It doesn''t take me long to reach the vige. "Hey," I say to the first crow I see. Her face is oddly familiar to me, though I don''t know why. "Do you know where Mari is?"
"In hut!" the crow waves in the general direction of Tarin''s hut, and I set off. That''s another point of relief for me; I''d been worried Mari would go against what we''d agreed on and head into the Hotspot. I suppose this iteration of her doesn''t know exactly where it is, though.
Halfway to the hut, I stumble slightly as a memory returns. I do know where I''ve seen her before. In one of the early raid-loops, torn apart and bloody on the ground, having fought in defense of her vige...
"Ethan?" Ahkelios asks me, worried. His voice brings me back into the present, and I give him a half-hearted smile.
"I''m okay," I say.
I''m probably not entirely okay. But it''s not like I have ess to a therapist here, so the best I can do is monitor myself and make sure I don''t spiral. Having Ahkelios helps, I think; in fact, I think he''s been helping, even unintentionally. There''s something about the bright way he approaches things, the simple joy he gets from studying (and eating) ntlife.
Part of me is a little worried about what might happen when we restore more of him. He''s clearly been pushed to the edge in his own Trial.
Hopefully, I can be there for him the way he''s been here for me when that timees.
Still lost in my thoughts, I knock briefly on the outer wall of Tarin''s hut, and wait for Mari''s squawk of inquiry before I push the ps of the doorway apart and poke my head in. Mari''s sitting by Tarin''s side, pressing what appears to be a wet leaf to his head. Whatever liquid she''s using soaks his feathers and soaks down onto the ground.
"It Firmament water," she says when she looks up to see me. "It help him. I think."
"Is he doing better?" I almost ask if he''s doing worse, but this seems like a better way to phrase the question.
"Not better. Not worse." Mari hesitates. "Maybe. You check. You sense Firmament."
I nod and step forward, leaving the trantion stone I''m carrying on a side table; Mari''s gaze is drawn towards it, but she doesn''tment. Instead, she watches me intently as I approach Tarin.
The closer I am, the clearer the picture of his Firmament. I ce a hand on his chest, feeling the thumping of his heart against his feathers. It''s a strong, powerful heartbeat.
The picture underneath, though... I wince. It''s worse. Noticeably worse, even, which is worrying because it implies that the Interface Firmament has been speeding up. Mari seems to recognize my expression, because she slumps slightly.
"Firmament water not help," she says.
"I don''t know," I hedge. "Maybe it stopped him from getting even worse. But he''s... definitely not getting better."
We''re not even guaranteed that the Phantom Roots will cure him. I quash my own feelings of fear and give Mari what I hope is a reassuring smile. "We''ve got this, though."
"Stupid Integrators," Mari mutters, folding her wings, and I get the distinct impression that she''s redirecting her grief into something more productive. I chuckle slightly.
"Stupid Integrators," I agree.
"You bring back stone?" Mari changes the subject rather abruptly, looking over at the trantion stone I''d ced. I nod and get up from my seat, retrieving it.
"I don''t really know what to make of it," I admit. "There''s a lot of Firmament inside it, and it''s coded in a specific way. I also found this." I dig around in my pockets to bring up what I''m calling a skill shard for now. "It feels a lot like when I imbue a stone with a skill."
"Hmm." Mari frowns first at the trantion stone, and then at the skill shard I''ve brought her. She touches the tip of a wing to the trantion stone first, and narrows her eyes. "Big. Complicated imbuing."
"Tooplicated?" I ask, although I feel like I know the answer.
Mari grins at me. "Not for crows. Crows better."
For all her ims, Mari tells me it''ll likely take the better part of a day to figure out how the trantion stone is meant to work. From what she tells me, there''s a specific way of threading Firmament through it and while she can''t sense Firmament the way I can, she apparently can gently flood an imbued item with her own Firmament, mapping out its pathways.
She all but shoos me out when I suggest I do it instead. Apparently, someone inexperienced doing that can irreversibly damage an imbuement. I am told, in order, that I should get to know some of the other crows, eat some food, and get some sleep.
Sleep is tempting.
I don''t know that I want to get closer to anyone else at the moment. Every person I get to know is another person I lose when time loops around; another person that has to get to know me all over again, even though I know them. I''m already dreading the next loop, where Mari will forget who I am all over again.
But I''m determined not to distance myself from everyone just because of that. That sounds like the beginning of a dark path.
...And I suppose I''ve just argued myself into a corner.
I sigh to myself. As apromise, I position myself next to a group of crows that are sitting next to a campfire, eating and chatting amongst themselves; the sky is dark enough now that the heat of the sun has faded, leaving the glimmer of the stars to take up the night sky.
Even the night sky here is unfamiliar. There are two moons, for one thing, each casting a pale blue down onto the forest. I see only a half-sliver of each of them, lit up by the Hestian sun. The stars here form different patterns than the ones I''m familiar with. I examine them for a while, Ahkelios on my shoulder, and I wonder for a moment if the golem that sacrificed itself had ever looked up at the same night sky. Ahkelios seems a bit wistful, too he doesn''t say a word, but he seems to sense what I''m thinking.
And then there''s everything else.
I don''t hear the chirping of crickets or the croaking of frogs. Instead, I hear the warbling cry of some nocturnal creature, a meaningless, surprisingly musical tune. There''s something that sounds almost like a rattle, filling the trees. There are flickers of light between the leaves, matching each rattle; they flicker between orange and red and blue, a strangely beautiful dance in the night.
"I suppose I should appreciate what I''ve got," I mutter, half to Ahkelios, who perks up a little to listen to me. "How many humans get to personally see another?"
"Three thousand," Ahkelios answers, and I chuckle. He''s not wrong.
It''s unfamiliar, and that unfamiliarity leaves me a little homesick but that doesn''t mean what''s here isn''t beautiful in its own right. I''ve met some amazing people in my time here, too.
Things could be worse, I tell myself. But it''s hard to forget about the stakes. I can''t forget about the stakes.
I take a nce at the Chat function, just to make sure no one new has died. It doesn''t seem like anyone has, but the five lingering names are still a reminder that my time isn''t as free as I''d like it to be. If it were all a true time loop...
I should train.
Mari''s gifts are still in my pocket the stones that are particrly good for imbuing. I feel a little guilty about destroying one of them, but it had been my only idea at the time
I feel a tugging on my shirt, and realize that one of the littler crows has wandered over to me.
"Are you gonna imbue?" she asks excitedly. "I wanna watch! I watch?"
I chuckle. "There''s not much to see," I say. It''s not like Firmament Maniption is a particrly visible skill.
"I wanna watch!" she insists, and she starts pulling me over towards the campfire, where the other crows are looking at me encouragingly. Ahkelios is perched on my head, but no onements on his presence or tries to eat him, although he looks a little nervous at first.
When he stops being nervous, though, he joins in. "You should show ''em!" Ahkelios agrees. "Put me in it!"
"Ahkelios, I''m not putting you into a rock."
"Yeah, you''re right, I''ve changed my mind. I don''t want to be put into a rock."
I snort as Ahkelios backtracks, clearly having spoken before he thought. I nce up at the crows they all seem eager enough.
"Alright, alright," I say. I''m not sure what they''ll get out of watching me, but I might as well try. It does count as training, anyway, since imbuing is something new to me. Maybe I can get some Firmament credits out of it thest Rank D creature I fought gave me eight Firmament credits, and the golem in the Fracture gave me ten. It''s possible the other two came from imbuing.
I pull a stone out of my pocket and focus, bringing Second Wind to bear. If there''s any skill I need a backup of, it''s that one. The crows gather around to watch in fascination, though I don''t think any of them can even sense what I''m doing.
I take a breath.
Second Wind.
The skill is even harder to manipte than the others I''ve already tried. Part of that, I think, is because Second Wind is a Rank B skill it''s the strongest skill I have by far. I feel the skill surge to life within me, Firmament attempting to saturate my body; a blue-gold glow begins to rise from my skin, drawing awed cries from the adult crows watching me and excited squawks from the little ones.
Slowly but surely, I force it back down, gritting my teeth. It takes sheer force of will and effort to go against what the skill wants to do. Using the skill normally is as easy as breathing, but trying to force it to move the way I want is like trying to force myself to breathe underwater. My every instinct rebels against it.
And yet slowly, but surely I manage it. Inch by inch the Firmament gathers into one spot in my body instead of saturating it, and for a brief moment I lose control. That brief moment causes my arm to shine brightly with Firmament, flecks of gold shining a good few feet away from the main manifestation.
For a split second, it looks like we''re surrounded by stars.
And then I wrestle my Firmament under control again, and force it into the rock. I try to tie it up, to anchor the skill, but every time I try it slips back out of my control and tries to slide back into me; eventually, I give up, panting. The rock shines with flecks of gold that weren''t there before, the asional flicker of blue appearing between its cracks.
"Whoa," one of the crows says. I don''t recognize her, but she''s young a child. She reaches out. "Can I have it?"
Her mother smacks her on the head. "You not take Trialgoer''s stone!" she scolds. Iugh, letting myself fall back onto the dirt as the crows chatter around me.
I don''t know why, but it feels like I''ve aplished something. A milestone. Pushing my Firmament like that, forcing it to move it''s done something to my Firmament.
I''m just operating off of feel, of course. I could be entirely wrong. But for now, I''m satisfied with what I''ve done.
Chapter 40: A Good Nights Rest
Chapter 40: A Good Night''s Rest
The sheer exhaustion that washes through me after I finish that imbuement isn''t something that I''m prepared for. I join the crows for a quick dinner most of my disgust by the more insect-based diet has begun to settle by now and then one of the crows invites me back to his hut, seeing as I don''t have a ce to sleep. He''s the father of the little crow that brought me over to their campfire, I think.
"Are you sure I won''t be intruding?" I ask again, and he waves it off.
"No, no," he insists. "Nori not have many friends. Your presence good."
"What about you?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. I''m not exactly the right age to be a good friend for his daughter.
"...I not have many friends either." The crow looks down. "My name Virin. Wife dead. Other crows... worried. Hard to talk to."
There''s a story there, I suspect, but I''m too tired to dig into it. "I''m sorry," I offer instead, and he waves me off.
"It old news," he says. "Trying for something new, now. But hard. Helping Trialgoer seems like good start."
I chuckle. "I didn''t want to sleep in Mari''s hut," I admit. "Mostly because she''s a little scary when she''s busy."
Virin shudders. "You not see Mari when she really scary," he says. Somehow, I doubt that''s true. I''ve seen her wing slice the head off a harpy. But Virin doesn''t know I''ve seen that, so... fair enough.
The bed of straw he has in his little hut isn''t exactlyfortable not nearly asfortable as Mari''s, anyway. There''s some imbuement in the straw that abates the itchiness and scratchiness of it, but it''s a halfhearted job at best; I can feel the Firmament moving around restlessly.
Out of curiosity, I take a small poke at it with Firmament Maniption, and it seems to almost immediately settle. The straw almost seems to rx beneath me at the same time, bing morefortable.
Huh.
Nori''s off in her own little corner. Virin''s built a kind of hanging-nest for her, a bed that dangles from the ceiing in a cozy little swing in the corner of his hut. She hugs a small doll to her chest, a matted little thing with a single stone as an eye and leaves to serve as feathers; it''s worn down, but I sense the smallest trickle of Firmament from it.
Virin, on the other hand, is just sitting at his desk. He''s poking around at a few sticks and stones.
"Not going to sleep?" I ask him. There isn''t exactly another bed around, now that I think about it.
"It hard to sleep at night." Virin gives me a rueful smile. "No worry. I work. You sleep."
"What''re you doing?" I peer over at the collection of stone on his desk. There''s Firmament here, but for the life of me, I can''t tell what he''s trying to do with it. It seems like he''s just imbuing objects with raw Firmament, reinforcing them slightly but doing nothing else.
"Practice," Virin exins. He shifts a little so I can sit in next to him, and I watch as he picks up another stone; with a quick deft move, I feel a thread of Firmament push into the rock and then tie itself off. It''s faster than even Mari''s own imbuements, and I stare at him in amazement. "I help maintain weapons. Need to be good at imbuing."
"Can you teach me?" I ask, and Virin looks at me, surprised.
"Imbuement not easy," he says. "You Trialgoer, no? You have Interface. Interface give you plenty?"
"I need every advantage I can get," I say with a shrug.
But there''s more to it than that. The Interface is an easy route to power, but it''s clear that the Firmament phenomenon is distinct from the Interface; the crows here are able to use Firmament even without it. That makes me think that there might be a whole unexplored niche some way to take advantage of the Interface.
I need to get ahead of the Hestian Trialgoers somehow. They''ve had the Interface ever since their own Trials. If I don''t think outside the box and find something, they''re going to overwhelm me, every single time. I''m not always going to have a convenient Firmament explosion to shove my enemies into.
"If you sure." Virin looks uncertain, but more than willing to teach me; I get the feeling he''s lonely and just wants someone to talk to. "You can enchant, but cannot anchor, yes?"
"Yes," I confirm.
"Three stages for imbuement," Virin says. He lifts a wing, counting them off on his feathers. "Enchantment. Anchor. Enhancement. Enchantment easy; you put your Firmament into object. Some things harder to enchant, some things easier. Different things have different resonance."
Virin picks up a rock and hands it to me. "This rock easy to enchant," he says, and gestures for me to flood it with Firmament; I use Firmament Maniption to draw a little of my own Firmament into it, and it passes into the stone like it isn''t even there.
"It is," I agree.
"Now this," Virin says. He picks up a slightly different rock; there are flecks of purple-ck in it. I try to push my Firmament into it, and I''m surprised when it resists. It''s like trying to push myself through a wall. Greater force of effort results in only a tiny fraction of my Firmament making it into the stone.
Virin is staring at me with his wings folded, one brow slightly raised, and I swear there''s an equivalent of a smirk ying on his beak. "Not easy, yes?"
"Much harder." I frown. "What makes it so different?"
"I not know." Virin takes the stone back and taps it slightly, then does something with his Firmament in a sh, the stone is suddenly flooded with his energy. He radiates no small amount of smugness when he''s done, and tosses the stone over to me to look over. "Different material, different resonance. Firmament different for everything, maybe? You want enchant material, you need match resonance."
Which is undoubtedly the thing he did with his Firmament. "How?" I ask.
"Practice." Virinughs at the look on my face, then takes another simr-looking rock and presses it into my palm. "It hard to exin. You... vibrate Firmament. Change essence. Will take time, yes? Not easy to do."
I grumble, but acquiesce. I''ll have to take some time to test out this idea of Firmament resonance, I decide; pushing Firmament into things has always been possible to varying degrees, but clearly there''s a whole realm to it I haven''t begun to understand yet.
The next time I die, I''ll take a moment to check out the mantis-monster. It has to use Firmament from what the Interface told me early on, all ''monsters'' use Firmament to some degree. Maybe I''ll find some way to use its parts, as macabre as that idea might be for Ahkelios.
Speaking of which... I look around for the mantis. He''s found himself a perch somewhere up near the ceiling, apparently; I can spot the faint glow of his form as he snores away. Virin follows my gaze and chuckles.
"He friend?" he asks. "He very quiet."
"You should see him when we''re alone," I say. Now that I think about it, he does tend to be a little more quiet around the crows; I wonder why that is. Maybe I''ll ask him about it tomorrow along with whether or not he''s ever experimented with Firmament imbuement.
"He shy?" Virin looks at the mantis thoughtfully. "What he like to eat?"
"Flowers, usually," I say dryly. "You should see him munching away on them."
Virin hums thoughtfully and nods to himself. "Good, good," he say. "You go sleep now. Practice with stone. I see you in morning, okay? I go run errands."
"In the middle of the night?" I ask, but he''s already wandering out through the ps of his hut. He moves surprisingly quickly when he wants to. I shake my head and climb back into the makeshift bed of straw, rolling the rock around between my fingers; every so often, I try what Virin suggested, twisting Firmament Maniption around to try to force some of my Firmament into the stone.
I don''t seed, but it''s a surprisingly meditative exercise. Before long, I fall asleep.
I wake to a notification.
[ You have defeated a Mechanical Remnant (Rank E)! +33 Strength. +106 Durability. +38 Reflex. +44 Speed. +12 Firmament. ]
I stare at it uprehendingly for a moment, and then another two roll in.
[ You have defeated a Mechanical Remnant (Rank E)! +1 Firmament. ]
[ You have defeated a Mechanical Remnant (Rank E)! +1 Firmament. ]
What in the world...?
No other notifications appear, even though I stare warily at the Interface for a solid minute or so. Eventually, Ahkelios who is apparently already awake climbs up onto my shoulder and pokes at my hair.
"What''re you staring at?" he asks.
"You can''t see?" I tilt my head towards the Interface.
"I can see your status, but not any of your notifications." Ahkelios grumbles. "It''d make it a lot easier if I could see the whole Interface, but noooo..."
I chuckle a bit. "It says I defeated a Mechanical Remnant," I answer. "Three of them. I''m trying to figure out what that means."
"Something to do with that robot in the Fracture?" Ahkelios asks, and I nod.
"That''s what I''m thinking. But three of them? And that thing has to be higher than Rank E."
"Huh." Ahkelios frowns. "I have no idea, then. I have to say, your loops are weird. Mine were never this exciting."
"Exciting is one way to put it." I nce at Ahkelios, catching a glimpse of his expression; he certainly doesn''t seem excited. There''s something a little mncholic about his expression, if anything. I pat him on the head, and he jumps a bit at the movement.
"I''m not a pet," he protests, then pauses. "...But don''t stop, please."
I snort.
Virin chooses that moment to return. He shoulders in through the ps in his doorway, carrying arge tter he seems surprised to see me awake and starles, nearly dropping the whole thing. Fortunately a small burst of Firmament keeps him stable. "You awake!" he says. "Good morning. I not expect you to wake up so early."
"Is it... early?" I peer past him to the outside. It looks like it''s almost midday, if anything.
"Early for crow!" Virin says cheerfully. "Not early for Trialgoer, maybe. Crows very sleepy. Or maybe just this vige. I not so sleepy."
I can''t help but chuckle a bit at Virin''s enthusiasm. "Exins why Tarin always wakes up sote," I say.
"Maybe he just sleeping in. ying big prank." Virin leans in as if in a conspiratorial whisper. "He wake up andugh at uster. You see."
I don''t respond to that. Virin carries on as if nothing is wrong, but I can see in the hunch of his shoulders that he''s worried about Tarin the whole vige probably is, now that I think about it.
"You guys care about him a lot," Ahkelios says softly, his voice strange. "He must''ve been a good chief."
"Yes. Good chief. He is good chief." Virin gives Ahkelios a sharp gaze, and Ahkelios flinches slightly.
"He is," Ahkelios says, correcting himself.
"Mari ready to see you, by the way," Virin says. He pushes arge bowl at me, and then a smaller one at Ahkelios therge one is some sort of grub-soup that looks like it''s been freshly cooked. It''s surprisingly devoid of any insects. Ahkelios'' bowl, meanwhile, is filled with a variety of flowers and ntlife.
And a few bugs, more as a consequence of them living on the flowers than anything else. Ahkelios doesn''t seem to mind he brightens when he sees the bowl, and immediately sets about devouring them, just as I take a sip of my soup.
"She say youe see herter." Virin adds. "She need sleep. She stay up all night. I need sleep too! So you go find her once you finish eating, and if she still sleeping, you no wake her up." He pauses, considering his words for a moment, and then shes me a cheeky grin. "Or you wake her up. I need wake up too. I think noise will help me."
Note to self: Do not wake Mari up.
Chapter 41: Translation Stone
Chapter 41: Trantion Stone
I dig into my soup as Virin lies back into his bed of straw but almost immediately, he sits up again, his eyes wide. "You fix my bed!" he says. "How you fix?"
"I just... kind of tried to move the Firmament around a bit?" I say. "It all settled once I did. I''m not sure."
"It not easy to move other people Firmament," Virin mutters. "It hard, actually. And this bed experimental. I use new Firmament. Harder to anchor. But you anchor it?"
"Not on purpose?" I certainly hadn''t tried to tie it down the way Mari had suggested; I don''t have nearly the skill needed to anchor it down to every individual piece of straw.
"No, not anchor..." Virin runs his feathers over the straw, concentrating. "Stabilize? Firmament not stable before. Why stable now?"
I start to answer, but Virin isn''t even looking at me I don''t think he''s paying attention. He''spletely lost in the mystery of how I apparently fixed his bed. I watch, amused, as he starts muttering to himself and pulling out individual pieces of straw, brushing over them with Firmament as though he can better understand what I''ve done.
Good luck to him. I don''t even know what I did. Maybe it has something to do with the instability of my own Firmament.
Eventually, though, Virin seems to fall asleep while still muttering to himself. I chuckle a little at the sight his beak is buried in the straw. Every so often, he shifts, scratching at his belly and then muttering something about Firmament imbuement; it only stops when Nori tosses down a stick from her nest up in the ceiling and somehow manages to nail her father right in the head.
"I guess she''s used to it?" I remark to Ahkelios, amused. The mantis nods very seriously to me.
"Sleep is important," he says. "She must have picked up the skills necessary to survive."
I snort. "Where''d you get your sense of humor from?"
"My father," Ahkelios replies immediately. "And he got his sense of humor from his father''s father"
Ahkelios shuts up as another stick appears in Nori''s little nest, and focuses on eating his flowers. I snicker a bit to myself and continue sipping my soup, enjoying the quiet warmth of the morning.
I''m worried about the notifications in the system, of course. I''m worried about the Trials. I''m worried about the bursts of Firmament from the Fracture, and I''m worried about Tarin.
But this is the longest I''ve ever survived in a loop, and just for a moment, I want to appreciate the quiet morning.
Eventually, I finish my food, and I pile it together with Ahkelios'' leftovers the mantis doesn''t even need to eat, and most of the flowers he nibbles on either get disintegrated by his Firmament or fall through his body. He seems happy enough, though, and I gather the scraps into one of the bowls and put them both to the side. I''ll clean them once I''ve had a chance to visit Mari.
Speaking of which... I''ve given her enough time to nap, I think.
The vige is pretty quiet, even aste in the morning as it is. There are a few crows up and about, chatting to one another or doing theirundry by the river, but by andrge most of them still seem to be asleep. I make my way to Mari and Tarin''s hut without much disturbance at all, and knock on the wall of the hut.
Gently, just in case Mari''s still sleeping.
"Trialgoer!" Mari bursts through the makeshift door, startling me and nearly bowling me over. "Youe in!"
She doesn''t give me much of a choice. She grabs me by the wrist and pulls me in, and I wonder for a moment exactly how much sleep she''s gotten; even Ahkelios is grabbing on to my hair just to stay on, squeaking in surprise at the suddeness of the movement.
I don''t understand why she''s so aggressive about this until I see what''s happening inside the hut. The trantion stone sits at the center, flickering softly with purple light and floating a good two feet above the ground.
"Uh," I say. "Is that supposed to happen?"
"Of course!" Mari says irritably. "What you take me for? This ancient relic. All ancient relics float and glow. Common sense."
I want to question this, but Mari doesn''t give me much of a chance. She jabs a wing at the floating stone, in particr to a little ring that sits at the top of it, flickering with that same purple.
"This Firmament indicator," she exins without preamble. "Trantion stone trante when it make contact with ancientnguage, but it take time. When ring full, trantionplete. Then Trialgoer add Firmament, and stone will trante."
I blink. "You found all that out overnight?"
"I very good," Mari says, sounding incredibly smug. "Mostly it activation sequence that take time. Activationplicated. Need. code. I not know code."
"How''d you activate it, then?" I can''t help but ask.
"Need understand underlying structure. Then can figure out what code is." Mari puffs out her chest a little. "Code strange, though. It crow word. I not understand why."
I blink at this. "What was the word?"
"Old crow word. Aarivari." The Interface doesn''t trante the word, to my surprise; Mari seems to notice my confusion, and attempts to trante. "It mean... Knowledge. Purpose. Understanding."
"Makes sense, for a trantion stone," I mutter. Ahkelios makes a noise of agreement, peering curiously at the stone. I wonder how much of it he remembers, now that it''s activated. For that matter, how did he figure out what the activation word was?
He seems to be quieter than usual contemtive, almost. I''ll ask him more about itter.
"Is that it?" I ask. "I just take it, bring it to the Hotspot, and wait for the ring to fill itself?"
Mari nods firmly. "You trust. It work."
"I believe you," I chuckle. I stare at the stone, wondering how I''m even going to pick it up it''s still floating there, and I''m half-worried that I''m going to damage it if I try to touch it. But Mari doesn''t stop me, so I grab it and fold it beneath an arm.
It''s still glowing, and it feels warm against my skin, but it''s not ufortable.
"Any sign of Naru?" I ask, and Mari shakes her head.
"Idiot son note here," she says. There''s no small amount of bitterness in her voice. "You careful. Maybe he still in your Hotspot."
"He''d have to spend an entire day in it," I mutter. I don''t know Naru well enough to know if he would, but he seems impulsive and aggressive; I can''t imagine him staying in one ce for long.
"You not want me toe with?" Mari asks.
"Not this time." I shake my head. "I don''t know where Naru goes after he leaves the Hotspot. If he decides to pay the vige a visit, I think you should be here. Especially since Tarin''s..."
I nce at the crow. He''s still fast asleep, looking for all the world like he''s perfectly healthy if it weren''t for the storm of Firmament raging inside him, I wouldn''t know anything was wrong at all. Mari tenses a little bit at my words, and nods.
"I stay here. Protect vige and Tarin. You stay safe." The way she says it, it''s more of amand than a request.
I lift two fingers in a mock-salute. "Yes ma''am," I say.
Mari snorts and shoos me out of the tent, but not before I catch her smiling.
Carrying the trantion stone with me to the Hotspot is ufortable, but not unbearable. Ahkelios and I make the journey in rtive silence, stopping only to take the necessary breaks. Ahkelios seems lost in thought, and I don''t want to interrupt him I have my own worries. The notifications, for example, still hover in my mind.
Mechanical Remnant. What is that, exactly? And how did I defeat one of them?
As I ponder the question, I nce over my status. I''ve gained a number of credits from my unexpected ''defeat'' of those remnants, and I might have to put them to use either now or in the Hotspot, especially if Naru is still there. I''m not particrly inclined to get captured.
[ Loop 13 in progress. ]
[ Status:
Name: Ethan
Strength Skills: Crystallized Strength (Rank C)
Durability Skills: Tough Body (Rank E), Second Wind (Rank B), Barrier (Rank D), Crystallized Barrier (Rank C)
Reflex Skills: Mental eleration (Rank C), Intuitive Analysis (Rank C)
Speed Skills: Firestep (Rank C), Triplestep (Rank E)
Firmament Skills: Temporal Fragment (Rank D), Firmament Maniption (Rank D), Color Drain (Rank C)
Inspirations:
The Mirror Twice Shattered (Firmament, Unique)
The All-Seeing Eye (Reflex, Rank A)
Credit Distribution:
Strength: 117 (47 banked)
Durability: 203 (84 banked)
Reflex: 38 (124 banked)
Speed: 141 (79 banked)
Firmament: 24 (100 banked) ]
...I am incredibly tempted to bank them all right now. The only reason I resist the urge is because I want to reserve at least one of them for the Hotspot itself; banking any of these will trigger an Inspiration, a meeting with Gheraa. I''m not sure I''m ready to meet him again. I need to be prepared, toe up with the right questions, to probe what his intentions and the intentions of the Integrators are.
And there''s a second reason, too. The time stop effect of the meeting might be useful to buy me time to think. It feels like a waste to squander an opportunity like that.
But I should decide what I want to bank next.
Speed and Durability are well on their way to reaching 250, which is the number of points I need to get a Rank B skill, though Durability is closest. The only one of those I have right now is Second Wind, and it''s one of the most powerful abilities I have, if somewhat limited in scope. I''d like to keep aim to get at least one Rank B skill, and a Speed one might be the best one to get, especially with how much running I seem to need to do.
I already have Second Wind for Durability, along with Crystallized Barrier, which will only get more powerful with each use. I''m mostlycking in offense, which means the next stat I bank should be Strength.
If the Hotspot calls for it, I''ll bank Strength. I''ll save the Durability Inspiration for a proper meeting with Gheraa hopefullyting another Rank B or even a rank A in the process and I''ll also try to save enough credits for a Rank B skill in Speed.
Okay. That''s the n, then.
The edge of the Hotspotes into view. As before, color drains away from everything, collecting into sticky pools on the ground. This time, however, I have the trantion stone with me and it stays unaffected, glowing purple with Firmament.
There''s just one small problem with that.
I''d forgotten how those color-pools reacted when they were first struck by the Obelisk''s Firmament, and I hadn''t considered how they might react to other forms of foreign Firmament. Apparently, the trantion stone counts, and it''s emanating waves that I can''t stop even with Firmament Maniption. They''re weak, but they''re there, rippling out through the hotspot.
And all around me, pools of color start to rise.
"Oops," I mutter.
"Oops," Ahkelios agrees. He sounds significantly more nervous than I do.
Chapter 42: Hotspot Activity
Chapter 42: Hotspot Activity
I act quickly. There are puddles of color rising all around us into oozing monsters it''s almost disorienting. They''re the only sources of color all around me. There''s a heavy, thickset ooze-creature a few steps ahead made of a deep, mauve sort of purple, the same purple that tints the wood of the Hestian trees; there are whip-thin creatures that are barely humanoid, with stringlike arms and legs made of all the different shades of fall. The forest detritusbines into a muddy brown, creating bloblike creatures on the ground that stretch themselves to move forward, leaving flickering trails of brown Firmament that fade into nothing.
And that''s only a small fraction of the creatures that are starting to appear. Fighting all of them almost seems like a pointless task, one that will tire me out needlessly, but I remind myself that I need to fight. If beating one of them grants me credits...
"We should find out if Naru is still here," Ahkelios says. He''s noticed the way my fists have clenched. "Don''t touch them directly. You''ll need a weapon."
I don''t have one I didn''t bring the scythe with me this loop. I nce around and pluck a small branch off the ground, sending a burst of Firmament into it to reinforce it; it''s a minor imbuement with no anchor or enhancement, but that doesn''t matter. I only need it tost as long as I''m in the Hotspot.
"Just checking," I say. "What''s going to happen to me if they touch me directly?"
Ahkelios shudders a bit. "They eat your color," he says. "It''s not fun, trust me."
That''s vague, but considering that I''ve seen what happens when I use Color Drain, I''m willing to take that at face value.
Short term n: Go straight for the obelisk. Kill any of the color-oozes in my way. If Naru''s still here, we deal with him; if not, we use the trantion stone on the obelisk, and see if these oozes are worth killing. If I get enough credits for killing them...
"Ready?" I ask Ahkelios, and he nods.
Triplestep. Firestep.
I''m still not used to how fast thatbination of skills makes me. Mental eleration makes it easy to handle, but it''s still so much faster than I''ve ever been able to run. The ground flies beneath my feet, and in no time at all I''m in front of my first target.
Crystallized Strength.
The sharp pain of crystallization runs all the way up along my arm as I concentrate the Firmament there. This time, I don''t bother with a Barrier I have the stick I''m holding to take the brunt of the blow. I swing the stick as I dart past the thick purple ooze, injecting another spike of Firmament into it to make sure it doesn''t shatter
the ooze takes damage. I can feel it; the Firmament within it gets jumbled up for a fraction of a second, and it flinches, its entire body shuddering.
And then the ooze grips the stick I''m using, its flesh clinging on like glue, and yanks it out of my hand.
I don''t waste time. I let go of the stick before the ooze can cover my hand and grab a handful of dirt off the ground, haphazardly forcing Firmament into it before lobbing it as hard as I can. Crystallized Strength together with that brief reinforcement keeps the clump of dirt together as it rockets towards the ooze.
It thunks into the center of its chest, and the whole thing staggers back, leaving chunks of purple behind on the ground. Strings of purplesh out from its fingertips, arcing through the air towards me, and I twist out of the way of them just in time. They''re sharper than they look, considering how they pierce straight through the trees behind me.
Mental eleration is working overtime. Asrge as this monster is, it''s fast and flexible, and it doesn''t bother following any of thews of physics. It''s freely able to change its shape, so it isn''t limited the way most humanoid fighters are...
...Wait. I''m an idiot.
Color Drain.
I know exactly what color to drain from it, too, because the whole ooze isposed of just the one color. I feel it resist the effects of the skill it''s good at resisting it, too, and it forces Color Drain to consume far more Firmament than it would otherwise just to leech all of that purple out of it but it does work.
The purple is dragged out, and unlike most of my other enemies, this time, the ooze simply copses.
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +7 Strength. +3 Reflex. +3 Speed. +2 Firmament. ]
The confirmation that they give me credits is a joy. I grin fiercely.
I''m going to have to fight my way to the obelisk, but at least it''s going to be fun.
Losing myself inbat is a pastime that never gets old.
Not that I do it all that often, of course. It''s not every day that an apocalypse is visited on Earth. But there''s a small part of me that revels in fighting like this, in having to battle it out for my life; there''s a part of the experience that''s almost meditative.
Drop the trantion stone. Swing. Dodge. Pick up a bunch of rocks off the ground, and imbue them with Firmament; toss them with enough force to make a bunch of holes in the slime you''re fighting.
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +3 Strength credits. +3 Reflex credits. + 2 Firmament credits. ]
The credit rewards get lower the more of them I beat, but there''s enough of them that that doesn''t matter.
"Behind you!" Ahkelios calls. He darts away from me as a distraction, a bright source of light and Firmament, and I use the moment of distraction to enact another Color Drain.
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +4 Strength credits. +1 Durability credits. +2 Speed credits. + 2 Firmament credits. ]
A Barrier blocks off a blob of slime that gets lobbed at me I notice it toote to dodge, so I react the only way I can. The liquid slime sshes onto the Firmament barrier and smears itself across it, then starts to eat into the Firmament.
Something about the sight creeps me out. I shudder slightly, and turn my attention to the slime that threw it at me.
It''s a bright neon-green. I don''t know where it got its color from I''ve never seen this particr color in the Hestian forest. The monster itself is a spiderlike slime, with eight spindly legs emerging from a central, wobbly body; on top of its head is a horn it seems to be using tounch the slime balls at me. I dart towards it, and this time I don''t bother grabbing a stick.
Barrier.
I shape the Barrier as it forms, using Firmament Maniption and my natural ability to control my Firmament to guide it into the vague shape of a knife. I keep a protective film around my hand so none of that ooze gets on me, and I swipe it straight through its head, even as it tries to dodge.
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +1 Strength credits. +5 Reflex credits. +2 Speed credits. +2 Firmament credits. ]
It''s nice that the number of Firmament credits I''m getting isn''t going down. I''m making good progress, too the obelisk is almost in sight, and most of the slimes aren''t actively targeting me. I have to get within a few meters of them for them to even notice me, which makes avoiding them... not easy, exactly, but doable.
The problems mostly happen when I have to maneuver a lot to fight one of them and inevitably end up drawing more. Barrier is my friend in those cases, though. Barrier and Color Drain.
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +5 Durability credits. +2 Reflex credits. +2 Firmament credits. ]
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +2 Durability credits. +1 Reflex credit. +2 Firmament credits. ]
And then the obelisk is in sight. The trantion stone is back under my arm, still emitting those waves of Firmament that make this Hotspot so much more dangerous but I suppose that''s the point. I wonder how Ahkelios ever found out that he needed the stone for this Hotspot in particr. Was it just luck? Had he just been carrying the stone around because it interested him?
I could see him doing that, somehow.
There''s no sign of Naru. I''m almost surprised by how relieved that makes me feel, although I know I''m not exactly out of the woods Naru might very well only appear after the Hotspot is activated by someone entering it. Given that I haven''t sensed him so far and I''ve been fighting for a solid half-hour, though, I imagine it''s unlikely that he''ll show up.
Now to time myself carefully.
The Firmament pulses areing in thirty seconds apart. I can dart in with plenty of time to spare, but I need to leave the trantion stone there to start the trantion process; I have to assume the stone will be undamaged by the Firmament waves emitted by the obelisk, unless the process takes less than thirty seconds.
...Or maybe I should test it first. Just in case.
I let the corner of the stone brush against one of the Firmament pulses from the obelisk. Thankfully, it seems entirely undamaged, and I breathe a sigh of relief, then steady myself and prepare to run.
Twenty-nine... thirty!
I activate both Triplestep and Firestep, leaving a trail of Firmament me in my wake as I dash towards the obelisk. As I get closer, I can make out the runic inscriptions that must be the so-called ''ancientnguage''. I don''t waste time trying to decipher it myself instead, I touch the trantion stone to one of the runes, pausing just long enough to make sure the Firmament circle has begun to fill out. Then I leave it there, still touching the obelisk, and dart back as fast as possible.
And now... to wait.
While fighting off more of these Forest Slimes, because they''re back, and they''re back in full force.
Chapter 43: Survival
Chapter 43: Survival
The ring isn''t filling up nearly as quickly as I would like.
The Forest Slimes aren''t difficult to kill, exactly. Color Drain nearly instantly takes care of them, although I use it sparingly because it''s more taxing to use than my other skills; a well-aimed punch full of Firmament through their heads also seems to do the trick, as long as they don''t react in time. If they do, they can split themselves apart before I even hit them.
But it''s taxing. It takes all my concentration to keep dodging their attacks. Everything they do is unpredictable their bodies are nearlypletely malleable, and I have to watch out for attacks from nearly every angle. More than once, a Slime nearly catches me off-guard by digging tendrils into the ground and shooting them up towards me.
If it wasn''t for Ahkelios'' watchful eye, I would have been killed a dozen times over, I suspect.
"Behind you!" the mantis yells out, and I spin around just in time to see a sharp spike of Firmament-enhanced slime headed directly for my head. I twist out of the way, using ast-minute Barrier at an angle to deflect it away from my head; it shatters the Barrier, but it still manages to change its course enough that it scratches my cheek instead of impaling me through the eye.
"Thanks," I say, although I''m so out of breath I barely have the time to breathe the words. Tough Body isn''t helping me here whatever those Forest Slimes are doing, they can reinforce themselves so much that they''re cutting through me without much resistance. Barrier provides only the smallest bit of resistance. Crystallized Barrier would help, but it takes a fair bit more concentration and Firmament to use
"Focus," Ahkelios admonishes me. A secondter, he leaps off my head and towards a Forest Slime''s attack, and I feel him concentrating a tiny amount of Firmament in his hands and feet; in a split second, he unleashes a spinning kick that ripples down the entire tendril.
There''s a moment of resonance, and then the Firmament just falls apart; the tendril falls to the ground as just empty slime, dead and lifeless.
The actual Slime is still perfectly alive right behind him. It makes what I assume is a burble of anger, and then rushes towards him, but not before I step over him andnd a Crystallized Strength-boosted punch right in his face. Two Barriers shaped to either side of my fist st through the Slime as it tries to split apart to dodge my attack, and I watch in grim satisfaction as it copses to the ground.
"Have you always been able to do that?" I ask, ncing at Ahkelios. The little mantis is wobbling on his feet like he''s drunk, and I spare a second to pick him up off the ground before a Slime steps on him. A kick through the head dispatches that one, Triplestep elerating it enough that it doesn''t quite have time to dodge.
"I dunno," Ahkelios says. He clings on to my hair. "Woooow. The colors are pretty."
"Weren''t you just telling me to focus?" I say. I pull out a Crystallized Barrier to block three simultaneous bolts of slime, orange-purple-blue sshing violently against the crystalline wall; it cracks, but doesn''t break.
"That''s right!" Ahkelios agrees immediately, so quickly I''m almost suspicious. "You... you focus. I''m gonna sleep. It''s... it''s moss time. Comfy, tasty moss."
I don''t get a chance to respond to whatever he just said, because he abruptly cuts the connection between us and dispels himself.
Evidently, fighting like that is costly for him. We''ll have to figure out a n for how he can participate in battles, if he wants to. Figure out his exact limits, and whether we can train them
A whip nearly shreds through the skin of my cheek, and I''m reminded that I''m in the middle of a battle. The trantion stone is about half-done, although I''m well out of range of the Firmament bursts and moving ever-further. It seems that the more the obelisk is tranted, therger the bursts get and in turn, the more Forest Slimes are dragged out of the Firmament in the ground.
I''m nearly surrounded by them, by now, and I grit my teeth. I need a n. Without Ahkelios to watch my back, my survivability is cut nearly in half; I might pride myself on being perceptive, but I don''t have eyes in the back of my head.
Based on the rate the trantion stone''s ring is filling up and that thing is hard to see from this distance it should take another ten minutes. I''ll have to fight defensively. There are too many of them for me to be proactive in taking them out, and I still don''t have any good area-of-effect options in battle, which is something I''m regretting.
If I have to fight defensively...
I turn tail and run. Might as well have something to my back, and if the edge of the Hotspot is as much a barrier to these Forest Slimes as it is to me, then I won''t have to worry about being killed from behind.
If nothing else, this is proving excellent for earning those credits.
The Firmament pulses from the obelisk have almost reached the edge of the Hotspot. I''m alive still, although I''m not exactly at my prime; my breathing is ragged, and I''m not sure how much of that is my being out of breath, and how much of that is the hole in my chest.
At least it''s a small hole. I''d managed to slice off the tendril before it did too much damage, and I think Tough Body is keeping me together and alive. I''m not sure how survivable "hole in chest" normally is, but apparently my Firmament-enhanced body can handle it.
What it can''t handle are those Firmament pulses. They''re getting close enough now that I have barely any room to maneuver, and the time between each pulse has gotten so low it''s nearly a constant hum instead of a wave of deadly Firmament. I have a Crystallized Barrieryered around me, and I use Color Drain to take out the worst of the Forest Slimes dodging is less draining, but I''m not exactly in an ideal position to dodge. Even breathing hurts, let alone moving.
"Come on..." I mutter to myself. I can''t tell if the trantion stone is done I can''t see it from here but I can''t even approach it as long as the obelisk is this active. I have to hope that the Firmament pulses will die down once itpletes, or that the obelisk will simply reset itself before the pulse reaches the boundary of the Hotspot.
Right as I think this, the pulses waver and stop.
I don''t hesitate. I''ll die if I do so I pour every effort into going for the obelisk and the trantion stone.
I just have to get there before the pulses start up again.
Dodge to the side. Twist to barely avoid a tendril, then duck to avoid a swinging whip. Create a wafer-thin Barrier around my body so I skid, sliding across the dirt and just barely missing not one, not two, but three different Forest Slime projectiles, thest of which sshes onto my Barrier and hisses ominously. Employ Crystallized Strength defensively instead of offensively, leap high and across three different Forest Slimes...
If not for Mental eleration, I would be dead three times over.
I can feel Firmament building in front of me, which means I don''t have much time before the next pulse. I can also see thepleted ring on the trantion stone, which means that all I need to do is inject Firmament into it and hope that does something.
I''m not going to get there in time.
All-Seeing Eye. Firestep. Triplestep.
They''re two different Speed skills, which makes it easier to see how tobine them even without Intuitive Analysis. With it, merging them is almost pitifully easy, so much so I wonder how I hadn''t seen it before. I suppose that''s the point of the Eye.
[ A new Skill Fusion has been found. Would you like to log the results into the Interface? ]
Yes.
[ elerate (Rank C) obtained! ]
elerate.
It''s thest boost of speed I need. I feel elerate''s Firmament wrap around me when I use the skill, sting me forward inbination with Triplestep and Firestep and leaving a streak of me floating in the air; it''s so much faster than what I''m used to that I nearly shoot right past my target. I slow down a second before I do so, brushing my fingers across the trantion stone and using Firmament Maniption to inject a burst of Firmament directly into its core.
Please let Mari be right.
Several things happen all at once.
First, the pulse from the obelisk dies down, and I sigh internally with relief I will not add evaporation to my list of experienced deaths today.
Second, the trantion stone shines brightly with Firmament. I feel that Firmament reach out and connecting with my own, granting me understanding; suddenly, the glyphs on the obelisk go from nonsensical to understandable.
Third, a different pulse starts up. This one travels from the trantion stone into the obelisk, and I feel it resonating with a different kind of Firmament. Intuitive Analysis tells me whatever it is, it probably isn''t deadly but that doesn''t matter, because as the obelisk begins to resonate, it cracks, and I haven''t had the time to read the darn thing.
Time for a rapid, split-second decision.
[ Are you sure you wish to bank 132 Strength credits? ]
Yes.
[ 132 Strength credits banked! Rolling for results... ]
[ Select between:
Primal Fist (Rank B)
Concentrated Power (Rank B)
Crack the Skies (Rank A) ]
[ You have unlocked an Inspiration. Bonus willmence once skill selection has taken ce. ]
The cracks are spreading. I need to choose quickly. Intuitive Analysis kicks in.
Primal Fist is simple. It''s a skill that fills my arms with Primal Firmament, not that I know what that means; what I do know is that it''s a magnitude stronger than Crystallized Strength. A basic upgrade, with potential down the line for me to figure out what I can do with Primal Firmament.
Concentrated Power is interesting. It allows me to essentially build up power for as long as I can concentrate on the skill, with an upper bound that''s roughly equivalent to an S-rank skill if I''m willing to concentrate for several days.
Crack the Skies has more vaguely defined limits than the other two. For one blow, it gives me enough strength to ''crack the skies'' defined as a sonic boom.
Crack the Skies is the most powerful, but Concentrated Power has the greatest versatility. It synergizes well with the time loop and my ability to prepare, even if waiting to build up power sounds aggressively boring. More than that, Intuitive Analysis tells me it should be able tobine with nearly any other skill if I use it inbination with the Eye, allowing me to empower almost everything given time to prepare.
I''m still tempted to pick Crack the Skies, because raw, immediate power is tempting, but I grit my teeth and choose.
[ Concentrated Power (Rank B) obtained! ]
[ Inspirationmencing. ]
The world freezes around me. The obelisk is intact, though the whole structure is run through with tiny cracks but the trantion stone''s effects are still active, and I can read.
I breathe a sigh of relief, and start scanning through what it says.
Chapter 44: Diary of an Ancient Relic
Chapter 44: Diary of an Ancient Relic
It is the 4,625th day of Awakening.
I am afraid.
The Elders tell us that all will be well, that the Record we are creating is merely educational but I can feel in the Firmament that there is a great changeing. I do not know what that change is, but I fear it will spell the end of everything I hold dear, and I am afraid.
Perhaps this is irrational of me. I have little evidence to support these thoughts. The Seers have sounded no rms, and our people are all healthy. My two sons flourish in their sses. They excel with the Firmament, creating wonders previously unheard of. Perhaps the fear I feel now is simply the fear of an old woman, and yet...
Every day, the trees seem a little more dead. Every day, the sky loses a little more color. I have been to the Healers, and I have been told that my eyes are fine; all three of them are perfectly functional.
I do not know what I am seeing. I do not know why I am the only person that sees it. The Awakening could be the cause, and yet I show no other signs of being Awakened. My Firmament levels remain stable, and there is no hint of a phase-shift or any of the associated phenomena. I have to assume what I feel is mere paranoia, and yet...
And yet.
Only time will tell.
It is the 4,670th day of Awakening.
I have begun to track the color-loss phenomenon. Unfortunately, objective measurement proves impossible luminal scans exhibit the same loss of color as the objects they depict, making them unreliable, and my own memory is hardly an objective means of measurement.
What I have discovered, however, is that this color loss appears to corrte directly with properties that are objectively measurable. Identifying the property that is affected is hardly trivial, but I''ve been able to iste a few undeniable ones that even our best Seers cannot exin.
Which means they have to take me seriously. I have been promoted to Seer myself, though the particr means through which I am able to observe this phenomenon is still unknown. It is one of our primary research objectives
I am... still afraid. But I am also excited. I may contribute to one of the biggest discoveries of our lifetimes. My sons are proud of me, and both are applying to work on this project with me. I am proud of them too, although I have not said it. They have grown into fine young men.
It is the 4,700th day of Awakening.
The Record is still crucial, I am told, though the Elders do not exin why. I do not mind there is something soothing about inscribing my thoughts into the stone. The Firmament hums as it wears through eachyer, creating a resonance I have not encountered before; I wonder if the material for this stone is special.
We have made... a limited amount of progress in understanding the color-loss phenomenon. It does appear that the scope of it is limited. It does not extend outside our city. For me, at least, there is a clear line beyond which the world is bright and vibrant; I had almost forgotten how beautiful a world full of color is.
Everyone I speak to insists the world they live in remains just as vibrant, but they can no longer deny that things have changed. Formerly durable objects are breaking far more frequently, and our technology is not as reliable as it should be. Some among us have called for an evacuation of the city, though the Elders and most of the Seers think this is foolish.
I do not know where I stand on the matter. I think I may apply for leave, however. I would like to see the flowers outside the city in full bloom; I hear they are especially beautiful in the light of our moons, when both of them are full.
It is the 4,730th day of Awakening.
I am, once more, afraid.
We cannot evacuate. It is uncertain the exact moment this happened, but it appears that a boundary has been established around our city a boundary that matches the same invisible line only I can see, where the world of color splits from the world without. We cannot leave, and we cannot make contact with the world outside. The Elders have long ceased to respond to us, even before the boundary appeared, and I wonder if they perhaps knew that this might happen.
It is suspicious that not a single one of them remains in the city.
The Seers that remain are divided. Many of us wish to search for a solution to break this barrier so that we may escape. Our home is crumbling around us. Our buildings can no longer stand tall. They sag on weakened supports that threaten to copse. Our windows no longer let in the light, and our mirrors no longer reflect our forms.
There are those among the Seers that believe we simply need to adapt. We can find new materials that have been less affected by the Change and build a new world around it. They are not incorrect, but to get the poption to give up their homes...
It will be a hard task to bear.
I do not know why I continue using the Record. I feel the Elders have betrayed us, and I am not the only one among the Seers that believe this. But if nothing else, I wish for my words to live on, and for my love for my sons to live on.
They are both good men. I wish they were not trapped here with me.
I wish I could see the flowers again.
It is the 4,800th day of Awakening.
We have made no progress, and our supplies have dwindled; our crops no longer grow properly. Others report that they have glimpsed, in passing, the world that I see in the moments just after dawn, when the sun peeks over the horizon and casts its rays over the city. For a fraction of a second, they see a city filled with gray, one that has lost all color and vibrancy.
It is the world I have been living in. It is... difficult. I make regr trips to the edge of the city to gaze into the forests that surround us. It is a reminder of what the world should look like.
I am thinking I will build a home there. At least that way, I will see the world of color every morning. I may not be able to touch it, but perhaps that will be enough.
It is the 4,900th day of Awakening.
A hundred days have passed since thest Record. The decay has grown exponentially we are no longer able to see outside our city. A pitch-ck darkness surrounds us. Everything within, however, remains perfectly lit. The Seers are baffled, and the citizens are doing their best to contain their panic.
My sons have taken on leadership roles in the crisis. I could not be more proud of them. The elder, Juri, now helps to break up the conflicts that have been erupting more frequently between our people. Tensions are high, and I cannot me them.
The younger, Yarun, has learned medical Firmament techniques, and applies them to healing and preventing the spread of disease. He is a kind man I have seen him more than once, both as his patient and as his mother.
They both seem so tired, but so determined. I wish their lives could be more than this.
Breakthrough.
It is the 5,000th day of Awakening, and we have discovered the source of this.
It is a Firmament phenomenon, although this knowledge is nothing new. Strange types of Firmament aremon, and it is the only thing that could be responsible for such a widespread change. What is lessmon is for one type of Firmament to be this insidious.
A fellow Seer, Reysha, was the one to identify the particr phase of Firmament. Because I was the first to identify this phenomenon, she theorized that I was especially sensitive to the Firmament that was causing all this; again, nothing new, but nothing we could work with.
But Reysha took it a step further. There is a pattern of Firmament fluctuation within me that appears to respond to changes to Color Drain Firmament, as we havee to call it. She isted the fluctuation, then inverted it, and created a sample of Firmament that appears to drain all color within it.
With this, we can locate the source. Our Firmament sensors indicate there is something underneath the city emanating this Color Drain Firmament. The expedition begins tomorrow, and I will be on the team, as I am the only one that can sense dangerous changes in this Firmament.
I am... still afraid. But I am excited. I have not seen color for many days, and it seems there may be hope at the end of this nightmare.
It is the 5,002nd day of Awakening.
The expedition failed. There are creatures underneath the city that the Seer team was not prepared to fight. We have lost two of our number.
Uzar and Zenith. May your names be remembered.
We will bring both Juri and Yarun on our next attempt. I hesitate to bring them into danger so quickly, especially when Juri has so recently bonded... I am sure Varus will understand. The stakes are high, and he is no fool.
It is the 5,004th day of Awakening.
Varus and Juri make an incredible team. I would be ashamed for not including Varus in the expedition to begin with, were it not for the fact that I did not know he could fight. With his assistance, the creatures within our sewers were no match, and Yarun was able to identify and counter many of the traps that threatened to consume us.
It is strange. The sewers beneath our city no longer match the ns that are on record. There are dead ends where there should not be any, and areas where the brick appears to have grown into the dirt. There is something about this that is almost... root-like.
No coincidence, then, that housed in the center of all these Firmament fluctuations appears to be arge, Firmament-imbued tree. Its branches dig into the walls of our sewers, and its roots fade into brick and concrete as they merge with the floor.
I do not know what to make of this, and neither do the others. Reysha and a number of the other Seers are analyzing it as I make this Record. We have sealed it off in a containment unit, but the barrier has not dissipated, nor have the colors returned Color Drain Firmament is more virulent than expected.
I fear there are more questions now than ever before.
It is the 5,010th day of Awakening.
The rogue Firmament has been partially contained, though the process was difficult. We can see the sun and the stars again for the first time in almost a year. There is weeping in the streets. Hope, though small, rises once again.
There remains no sign of outside assistance. No messengers havee to our city borders, to see what has happened to us. No family members, demanding to see their mothers and fathers, their brothers and sisters. It is strange our people are not so easily cowed. Only the Elders could aplish istion to this degree, and I cannot fathom why they would.
It is no matter. We continue to explore the Underground the root system expands every day, and more and more of us need to be recruited to fight against the color-oozes, lest they break into the city and wreak havoc. Juri and Varus are heading the recruitment efforts, assigning quests to those brave enough to delve.
We have discovered more of the trees. There is no singr source, which exins why we cannotpletely contain the effect; more of them grow by the day. Cutting one down lessens the effect, but there are too many, and they are constantly growing. The efforts to establish Delve teams are of great assistance, but...
I do not know. The running theory is that there is a singr source at the center of aplex rootwork. A single source is our greatest hope. It is something we can target and destroy, so long as we can find it.
I only hope that we do.
It is the 5,020th day of Awakening.
What hope has grown has begun to wither. There is little to report, so I will use this Record to speak of my personal matters. I hope if this Record is found, it will honor the memories of those I love.
Varus has grown to be a part of the family. Yarun looks up to him, I think he has begun to train his ownbat skills, while developing his talents with medical Firmament.
It hurts my heart that our once-proud city has be a battleground where we must fight to survive. But if we must fight, then I am d to be fighting amongst the most amazing people I know.
Let my children be remembered for more than their talents. Let Juri be remembered for his love for knitting, though hecks the talent; Varus wears his sweaters anyway, overge and badly put-together they might be. Let Yarun be remembered for his love for books of adventures and exploration, and his wish to see the stars.
Let Varus be remembered for the joy he finds in painting. He has lost the most, perhaps, in this world we now live in. But he still paints, finding beauty in gray and monochrome, putting together the shades like a masterwork craftsman.
This may be my final entry. There is little space left in the Record. Tomorrow, we dive once more Underground, and this time we will not leave until we find the source. The city''s supplies are dwindling, and we cannot afford to hold out any longer.
If there are no further entries, assume that we have failed.
I stare for a moment after I''m done parsing all the text on the obelisk. It''s written in a small, tiny script, burned into the stone with Firmament I don''t recognize the stone itself is remarkable, though I''m not able to sense it with any particr fidelity in the time-stopped world of an Inspiration.
Speaking of which...
Gheraa''s voice sounds behind me, tired and amused. "This is abuse of the Interface, you know," he says. "Inspirations do not exist so you can stop time and read."
"Didn''t agree to your terms of service, so I don''t particrly care," I say dryly. "That''s what happens when you drag people into deadly Trials."
I finally turn around to face Gheraa and abruptly stop. He looks... beaten up. The golden lines that trail down his cobalt-blue skin flicker with dark-brown stains, and the smile he gives me is bruised and weak.
I stare for a moment, speechless, before I finally find the words to speak. "What happened to you?"
Chapter 45: Avoidance
Chapter 45: Avoidance
It''s a beat before Gheraa responds, like he wasn''t expecting me to notice or care. It''s a beat I''m familiar with and one that makes a familiar heat grow beneath my skin anger at the Integrators, for all that Gheraa himself might be one of them.
It doesn''t mean I trust him, but I''m intimately familiar with this.
"Nothing, nothing." Gheraa waves a hand dismissively, the movement only slightly ruined by the slight wince. "Give a man his dignity, will you? Just because I don''t dress for the asion one time..."
"That''s not what this is, and you know it." My voice is sharp maybe sharper than it should be.
In the back of my mind, I know this could be a ploy to gain my sympathy. I do not trust the Integrators, and perhaps more importantly, I cannot trust the Integrators; the stakes are too high for me to make a mistake.
But Gheraa is an individual, even if he''s part of a faction I can''t trust. More than that, I don''t need to trust someone to try to help them. I can''t ignore the way he''s limping, the tant bruises on his neck and arms. It''s been less than twenty-four hours since thest time we''ve met. How much could have changed in that time?
For a moment, Gheraa''s expression changes. He looks at me with an expression that''s suddenly serious, and I see the slight shake of his head. Don''t push this, he seems to say, and I understand why, but I still clench my fists.
Figuring out a way tomunicate without the Integrators watching has just gone much higher up on my priority list. Not that it wasn''t high already.
"I''ll make sure to dress well next time, since you insist," Gheraa says, letting out a dramatic sigh. He sits back on a makeshift Firmament tform that suddenly appears beneath him, molded perfectly to his back, and somehow manages to manifest a cane of Firmament as well. Threads of gold snake down his arms to cover up what look like bruises, and a thin, golden mask appears over his eyes. He sweeps into a deep bow, only barely hiding his wince. "Is this better?"
"No," I say, as dryly as I can manage. "...I hope you know what you''re doing, Gheraa."
"You said my name!" Gheraa beams. "Are we on a first name basis, now?"
"Absolutely not."
"Very well, Mr. Hill." Gheraa looks disappointed. "I suppose you''ll be wanting your Inspirations, then."
I eye the Integrator. "Mr. Hill is somehow even worse. I''ve changed my mind. You can call me Ethan. And yes, show me the Inspirations."
"Very well, Ethan," Gheraa says, putting absolutely unnecessary stress on my name. I roll my eyes. It''s obvious that a lot of Gheraa''s behavior is an act he doesn''t even hide it.
Gheraa gestures, and three artifacts spawn in front of him, threaded together by golden Firmament.
The first looks like a wrench. The Strength that Binds, it''sbeled, and Gheraa''s introduction of it is simple. "You''ve spent a good deal of time attempting to imbue Firmament into objects," he says. "This Inspiration increases the force of your Firmament. You can use it to improve the strength of your skills directly, but you can also use it for imbuement."
He''s not even hiding that he''s directly telling me what they do now. I wonder if that has anything to do with what''s changed since thest Inspiration. If he notices my concern, he doesn''tment on it, moving immediately on to the next
Golden Firmament glitters along an edge. It''s sharp unbelievably sharp, so much so that even the simple perception of that edge feels like it''s cutting into my eyes. I blink away the tears that threaten to form at the pain, and Gheraa looks on in sympathy.
"The de," he tells me. "It''s a transformative Inspiration. It allows you to add de Firmament to your Strength skills and give them exponentially higher cutting power, even if all you''re doing is punching."
"And if I use the Eye?" I ask, a note of challenge in my voice. Gheraa raises an eyebrow.
"Then you may be able to make itpatible with other categories of skill," he says. "I wouldn''t count on it while you can barely look at it, though."
I grit my teeth, looking pointedly away from the de. "What''s the third option?"
Gheraa gestures. In front of him, in the space where the third Inspiration should be, there is instead an empty void what feels like a hole in reality, sucking away at everything that surrounds it. I stare at it for a moment, barely aware that I''m stepping closer until Gheraa speaks and snaps me out of it.
"The Void," he says. He sounds... surprised? Worried? Angry? Some mixture of the three, although it''s hard to tell beneath the pull of the Void Inspiration. "It represents... hunger. Eagerness for growth. It sucks in everything it possibly can to grow. I would be cautious with this one; it is known to affect those that choose it."
And yet it''s calling to me. I can sense exactly what Gheraa is talking about the Void represents infinite potential for growth. It''s manifesting as a roaring in my ears, seductive whispers that tell me of how much I could stand to gain if I integrate it with my own Firmament.
I close my eyes, but even with my eyes closed, I can sense its pull. I try to ignore it.
None of these Inspirations are bad, except perhaps the Void. The Strength that Binds sounds like I can use it to directly improve any of my Strength skills, and it has the benefit of improving my ability to imbue things if I make that a regr part of my arsenal.
The de is powerful and cutting in the same way that the Void is, except it''s more... personality-neutral. It doesn''t seem to have much of a mind of its own at all, except perhaps the raw desire to cut. But it doesn''t really care what it''s cutting, and would be just as satisfied cutting apples as it would be cutting bodies.
The Void is... the most dangerous of the three by far. The most worrying.
It''s also the most tempting.
The Void whispers its exact capabilities to me. It will let me absorb almost any Firmament I''m up against and integrate it into whatever attack I''m Inspiring with it. More passively, it elerates the rate at which my Firmament grows by absorbing trace amounts of environmental Firmament. It''s the first Inspiration I''ve seen that has a passive effect, and it''s tempting.
I''m silent as I deliberate, wrestling with myself over the choice.
The de, I think, is something simr to what Ahkelios has. I wonder if using it is what exhausted his Firmament so deeply I still don''t know what he did, though I intend to find out when I have a moment. Unfortunately, this timestopped space doesn''t afford me the ability to summon him, so I can''t ask him any questions.
He did mention focusing on a Sword concept, though. Picking the de concept would be redundant if he already has simr skills.
That leaves me with the Strength that Binds and the Void. I take a step closer to the Void Inspiration, and Gheraa takes a half-step in front of it, almost protectively. There''s a flicker of panic in his face before it''s smoothed over. "You do have three options to choose from!" he reminds me. "The de is quite a powerful Inspiration, you know."
"I don''t suppose you''re hiding any extra Inspirations from me this time?" I ask. Gheraa flinches a little and shakes his head.
"This is all you''ve got for this one," he says.
"I want the Void." The words slip out of my mouth before I even think them I force myself to freeze before I step even closer, brushing past Gheraa and grabbing the Void Inspiration. I do not like what the Inspiration is doing to me. I do not like that it seems to be forcing me to choose it. It''s clear that it has some kind of impact on my mind, and if this is what it can do without being integrated with me...
...and yet, I need an advantage.
"Are you sure?" Gheraa asks. His voice is quiet, this time, serious. He''s still standing in front of the Inspiration like he''s shielding me from its effects, and my mind is indeed quieter, so perhaps he is.
Picking the Void is asking myself a simple question: Can I resist its effects?
"Step aside, please," I say, and Gheraaplies. He remains silent as I approach the Void and hover a hand over it but I don''t choose it. I let the voice of the Inspiration wash over me.
take, it says. hungry. take. grow. need more. need more. need more need more need MORE.
Hunger grows in the pit of my stomach. I see myself strong enough to tear Naru apart to rip off his feathers and punch through his skull. I see whole cities kneeling before my might, forced to bend to my will. I see myself with the power to crack a.
The feeling that surges forward is not desire. Disgust, hot and angry, curls in my chest, and I take another step forward.
No. I wrap the words in the force of my own Firmament, weak though it is in this Integrator generated space. Raw power of its own isn''t the kind of strength I need, though it will certainly help. I take the lead. If the Void wants more, I will give it more, but I will give it more on my own terms.
No hunger for power. No endless quest for blood.
I need the power to right the wrongs that have been done.
The Void... hesitates.
what, the Void says. what.
It''s confused, but it seems open to listening. More importantly, I''ve learned that I can overpower it with my own will. I respond with a simple answer.
I will show you.
I wrap a hand around the Void, and catch just before the Inspiration isplete, and the Void is integrated with my Firmament a glimpse of Gheraa''s expression.
He looks stunned and confused, but in the smallest way, he seems hopeful.
I grin, and the world resumes around me.
Chapter 46: Rewards
Chapter 46: Rewards
The obelisks cracks to pieces, crumbling into so much dust before me; in the same breath, color slowly returns to the world. I blink away the tears a few times, struggling against the sudden re apparently, protection against light isn''t something that Tough Body ounts for.
There''s a moment where I hold my breath, waiting for something to go wrong for a monster to attack, or for Naru to show up, or even for that robot-thing I fought back in the Fracture to attack me.
But there''s nothing.
The soft sounds of the forest surround me the rustling of leaves, the quiet chirping of insects. I am, for the moment, not dead or in danger, and the adrenaline crashes around me; I flop back onto the dirt, staring up at the sky.
The Phantom Roots are nearby. I can feel the Firmament extending up out of the ground, thin tendrils grasping for more; it feels stronger than it did when I first entered the Hotspot this loop. The Firmament pulses from the obelisk must have empowered it a bit more. Hopefully, that means it''ll be more effective when it''s given to Tarin.
With a small thread of will, I summon Ahkelios. The little mantis appears on my chest, stumbling a little like he''s drunk, and then abruptly righting himself and looking around. "Whoa!" he says. "You did it!"
"I did," I say. I haven''t even checked my notifications yet my entire body is sore. I''m giving myself a moment.
Ahkelios, on the other hand, doesn''t seem as willing to wait. He climbs up onto my face, prompting me to yelp and bat him away, though he just nimbly dodges my hand. "Hey!" heins.
"Don''t climb onto my face," I retort.
"It''s morefy here!" Ahkelios says. "Come on, let''s see your notifications. What''d you get? I didn''t get to read the whole obelisk, but I know I got something good. I don''t remember what, though."
"Can''t you be a little more patient?" I grumble, but I pull up the Interface anyway.
[ Congrattions onpleting your first Hotspot! As a reward, you have been granted +10 Firmament credits. ]
"Seems a bit low," I mutter. Ahkelios waves it off.
"It''s just a bonus forpleting your first Hotspot. The real reward is forpleting it."
[ Forpleting Hotspot 12B, "The Color That Fades", you have gained the following:
Dungeon ess: The Empty City (Special, Rank S)
+30 Strength credits. +30 Durability credits. +30 Reflex credits. +30 Speed credits. +30 Firmament credits.
Firmament Skill: Tetrachromacy (Rank C)
For fullypleting bonus objective: Trante the Record, you have gained the following:
+50 Firmament credits.
Firmament-bound Item: Chromatic Root
Firmament-bound Weapon: Chromatic Threads ]
I stare critically at the list.
For one, that''s a lot of credits. I''m going to need to bank them sooner rather thanter there''s a point at which it''s no longer worth waiting for the next milestone, and I think I''ve almost reached it.
For two... there are several things here I''ve never seen before.
First is that the Interface has names for the Hotspots. That''s not mentioned in my map or in any previous notification; much like with monsters themselves, it seems I don''t get the name until I''vepleted the Hotspot in some way. I''m hoping there''s a way I can ess those names ahead of time through the Interface it''ll be nice to have some clue about what I''m about to be up against.
Second is the dungeon ess. There''s been no mention of dungeons before, and it seems almost like a specialized form of Hotspot. Either way, a Rank S dungeon is not something I''m going to be able toplete anytime soon, so it goes right to the back of my to-do list.
Third, Firmament-bound items and weapons. Those are new to me as well. "Are these what you were talking about?" I ask, ncing at Ahkelios.
The little mantis huffs at me, crossing his arms. "I can''t see your notifications," he reminds me. "You gotta read them out! Come on, I want to know what you got."
Right. Iugh a little at Ahkelios'' excited expression, and list out my rewards for him, starting with the credits and the Firmament-bound items; it''s amusing the way his eyes get wider and wider.
"That''s way more than what I got," he says, sitting down on my nose. I go nearly cross-eyed trying to keep an eye on him, and wave him off; he floats up into the air with an irritated buzz. "No fair."
"Anyments?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Firmament-bound items and weapons are things you can summon at will out of your Interface," he says. "They respond strictly to your Firmament, so they can''t be stolen from you. They can be damaged, but only if they''re hit hard enough to disrupt the Interface''s blueprint. If they''re just broken, you can re-summon them at will."
"That''s convenient," I mutter. "Any chance I can bind my own items like that instead of having to wait for an Interface reward?"
"Not until you unlock the feature, and that''s ate-stage reward." Ahkelios looks away for a moment. "I don''t think I got it until it was toote to matter."
"Any chance you remember how to unlock it?" I keep my voice gentle, but Ahkelios shakes his head.
"I''ll try," he promises. "I can''t promise anything. I think I understand what the Interface did to me, but working around it is... not easy."
"Is that what you did back there?" I ask. "When you fought off the Forest Slime?"
"Kind of." Ahkelios puts a hand to his chin in thought. "I thought I could ess my old stores of Firmament, and... I sort of did? It''s hard to exin. But it took a lot out of me."
"Be careful doing that next time," I say, and Ahkelios nods.
"I didn''t know it would take so much out of me, but it''s good to know we have that option, right?" he suggests. He looks so innocent that Iugh, holding out a hand for him to fist-bump; to my surprise, he responds, a tiny insect fist bumping against my own. "Good to know we have that same custom, too!"
I can''t help but smile. "Whatever you did, if it let you draw from yourself at your prime... it might be our way to get you all the way back. We''ll have to work on it together."
Ahkelios beams at me. "I''ll tell you all about itter! But you still have other rewards, right?"
"Dungeon ess and a Firmament skill," I confirm.
"A dungeon!" Ahkelios ps his hands together excitedly. "The Sewers, right?"
"No?" I tilt my head. "The Empty City. Rank S."
"Why are your rewards so different?" Ahkelios folds his arms across his chest. "I don''t think you solved it faster than I did. Did you read more of the obelisk or something?"
"I read the entire thing," I say. "Does that make a difference?"
"The entire thing?" Ahkelios blinks. "The obelisk crumbles the moment the trantion stone is done. I barely got two entries even with my mental eleration skills."
"Oh, yeah, I just triggered an Inspiration so I could read the whole thing." I shrug. Ahkelios stares at me, his mandibles spread wide in what I''m pretty sure is his species'' equivalent of a jaw drop.
"You did what," he says, and then he promptly flies a step away so he can sit on the ground and put his hands over his face. "Oh for the love of why didn''t I think of that."
"You might not have had the points?" I say awkwardly.
"I had the points." His voice is muffled. "I just didn''t think of it."
"At least now you''ll know what it says?"
"It''s not the saaame." Ahkelios whines a little. "I guess that exins why you got ess to a different dungeon. It sounds like you get ess to the whole dang city. If it''s rank S, you shouldn''t try to explore it yet."
"I wasn''t nning to," I say dryly. "Is there any particr way I can ess the dungeon?"
"You can get there from your Interface," Ahkelios says. "It''ll open up a portal for you. But uh, again, you probably shouldn''t do it yet."
"A portal." I hum in thought. I wonder if there''s a way I can exploit that. "Why not? Am I going to get attacked as soon as I open the portal?"
"No," Ahkelios says, although he says it reluctantly, like he can tell I''m nning something. "It usually opens in a safe spot."
"And the dungeon instances are the same between loops?"
"You keep progress between loops, if that''s what you''re asking. All monsters that you don''t kill will regenerate, though."
"Got it." There''s some way I can use that, I''m sure, although I can''t think of anything right now. "Does it cost me anything to open or close the dungeon portal?"
"Time, I guess?" Ahkelios screws his face up in thought. "There''s a cooldown, I think. Twenty-four hours. Other than that, it doesn''t cost you anything."
"Good," I say, grinning.
There''s a slight pause.
"Ethan?" Ahkelios peers at me.
"Yes?"
"Why are you grinning like that?"
"Like what?"
"You look like you just found a rare flower and you''re nning to keep it all to yourself."
"...I promise you, Ahkelios, if I find a rare flower, you''re the first person I''ll share it with."
It takes me a moment to gather myself, but I''m on my way back to the Cliffside Crows. Ahkelios sits on my shoulder, and the Phantom Root is held carefully in my hand it''s incredible how such a small thing is able to emanate so much Firmament. I can sense the Firmament tangles embedded in every fiber of the wood. It''s a part of the thing, and the closest thing to living Firmament that I''ve seen.
I''m not sure how it''ll help Tarin, but I''m looking forward to finding out.
I can''t help but feel nervous, though. There are a few things on my mind one is that I haven''t yet told Ahkelios about the new Firmament skill. I''ll have to eventually, but... I remember what I saw of his past. Tetrachromacy speaks for itself even without Intuitive Analysis to exin it to me. It gives me the ability to distinguish between more wavelengths of color. It''s the exact thing that Ahkelios lost, and I don''t know how he''ll feel about me acquiring it as a skill.
Where Intuitive Analysis doese in handy is that it tells me that the skillbines with Color Drain to allow me to identify what draining a particr color does, which cuts through a lot of the busywork I''d need to do to identify the colors that corrte with different debuffs.
Another are the notifications about Mechanical Remnants. There''s been nothing new since thest ones, and that only makes me more concerned. My best guess is that this has something to do with that robot I pushed into the Fracture''s explosion, but I don''t understand what, and I''m nervous. It feels like there''s a clock ticking in the background.
Ahkelios is clearly aware that something''s wrong, but he doesn''t seem to know how to bring it up. "Do you want to tell me the rest of what was on the obelisk?" he asks me. "Was it sad?"
"It was pretty sad," I admit. I can let him think that''s what''s bothering me.
And so, on the way back to the Cliffside, I regale him with the tale of the unnamed mother, who remembered to name everyone except herself, in her attempt to make sure they would all be remembered.
Maybe we''ll find her name when I explore the Empty City.
Another to add to the long, long list of goals.
Chapter 47: Healing
Chapter 47: Healing
I head straight to the healer-crow when I return. She seems surprised to see me she pokes her head out of the p to her hut with a squawk, and takes a second to identify who I even am. I wonder if I''ve caught her in the middle of a nap. Her feathers are ruffled, and she wraps the p to her hut around herself like it''s a towel.
"Trialgoer?" she says. "What you want?"
"I''m here with what you needed," I say, holding up the root I''m holding. She stares at it, then at me.
"What that?" she asks, clearly confused. It''s a beat before I remember that I didn''t speak to her this loop.
"It''s a Phantom Root," I rify. "Medicine for Tarin''s Firmament disruption."
"Phantom? You sure? Phantom Root rare," she says. "It look like random garbage."
"I''m sure," I say, faintly amused. The root does look like just a small piece of wooden detritus I''d happened to pick up; if not for my ability to sense Firmament, I would never have thought it to be anything significant.
She considers me for a moment, then nods sharply; one wing darts out to grab on to the root and pull it back behind the p. "Okay. I work on medicine. I go see Tarin after. You wait with him. Okay?"
She doesn''t wait for a response. For all that the entrance to her hut is a p of cloth, she somehow manages to m it in my face, and I blink rapidly and step backwards. Ahkelios snickers on my shoulder.
"I think you interrupted her," he says, his voice teasing. I roll my eyes. I''d been trying very hard not to think about what she might have been doing.
"Whatever gave you that idea," I say, and Ahkelios gives me what looks like the absolute smuggest grin. I sigh, and move away from the hut.
It doesn''t take me long to find Tarin and Mari''s home again. Mari stands just outside of it, yelling at some poor crow that''s cowering in front of her it''s one of the vige guards, I think. I recognize him from one of the early loops...
...I grimace a little. I recognize him as a mangled corpse, mostly. It''s not a pleasant memory, and I try to wipe it from my brain as I approach.
"Trialgoer!" Mari snaps her head up as soon as she notices me. "You tell crow he being foolish!"
The other crow looks absolutely devastated, the poor thing. "Not foolish," he protests weakly. "If Naru is around, we need to seek protection from the Great Cities. We can''t fight him alone."
"We not need Great City protection!" Mari res at him, and he practically shrivels. "Trialgoer!"
"I found the Phantom Root Tarin needs," I say, opting not to take a position in this particr argument. On my shoulder, Ahkelios mutters something that sounds suspiciously like ''wise''. "I gave it to the healer. She says she''ll be over shortly."
Mari brightens and pushes the guard-crow out of the way; I still don''t know the poor guy''s name, but I''m starting to feel sorry for him. "Shee now?"
"She''s... busy." I try not to borate. "But she''ll be over shortly, I think. I gave her the root."
"Good, good," Mari mutters to herself, then grabs me by the arm, pulling me with her with an absurd amount of strength. "We go see Tarin. Make sure he not getting worse."
"Look, Mari, I''ll go to the Great Cities myself," the guard-crow says; he seems desperate not to give up, and I wonder why. I watch him more closely I can see the fear in his eyes. He''s genuinely worried about Naru. "Just give me some supplies."
"Why are you so worried about Naru?" I ask. Mari sighs.
"You not listen to him," she says. "He foolish. He see Naru fight, he know Naru angry at us. He scared."
"Because I know what he can do," the guard-crow argues, but he shifts ufortably on his feet. There''s something else. Something he''s not saying? "Please, I''m not asking you to send anyone with me."
Mari opens her beak, exasperated, but I speak before she can. "There''s something you''re not telling us," I say. "I don''t think Mari can make a decision if you don''t tell us what''s really bugging you."
The guard-crow stares at me nervously. "I-I don''t know what you''re talking about."
I sigh. "What''s your name?"
"Rotar," the crow says. He shifts his weight between his feet again, then tries to straighten his back, although it doesn''t do much to hide how nervous he is. Mari''s stopped looking like she''s about to explode instead, she''s watching this Rotar with interest. Apparently, she hadn''t picked up on his behavior before, but now...
"Rotar," I repeat. "Have you been in contact with Naru?"
"What? No!" Rotar shuffles backwards. He doesn''t look guilty he looks genuinely rmed, like the thought of talking to Naru is horrifying to him. "I I can''t exin. It''s going to sound stupid. And Mari will kill me."
"I not kill you," Mari says, sighing. "Maybe I judge too fast. But you need exin. Journey to Great Cities dangerous. One crow not make it alone. I send you, you die. I send group, we not have guards. You understand? Choice not easy."
"I..." Rotar fidgets a little bit, wringing his wings together. "I understand, but it''s going to sound ridiculous."
"Try me," I say dryly.
"I''m from the Great Cities," Rotar says. "Mari already knows that part. One thing we have is these little divination gadgets that predict the level of danger we''re in. I''ve been keeping an eye on mine, and the number''s been going up. I don''t know why, but either there''s something wrong with it or it''s Naru, right? Either way, I have to go to the Great Cities for help."
I can think of several possibilities besides Naru, actually, but I don''t say anything. Mari frowns beside me. "I tell you to throw away that thing," she says. "It not good for you."
"It''s thest thing I have from my home..." Rotar looks down. Mari eyes him for a moment, looking distinctly unimpressed, before her shoulders sag.
"Trialgoer?" she asks. "You know what he talking about?"
"No," I say, shaking my head. "This is the longest I''ve ever survived a loop. I might find out if I stay alive long enough, but..."
There''s not exactly any guarantee that''s going to happen. Rotar looks between the both of us, looking lost and confused. "Loop?" he asks.
"It''s a long story," I say.
"You go back first," Mari says to Rotar; the crow seems relieved that she doesn''t seem angry at him anymore, even if he detes a little at her dismissal. Her next words make him perk up again, though. "You need help to reach Great Cities, yes? Maybe I send Trialgoer with you. I talk to him first. You wait."
"Please help me," Rotar says. He bows deeply to me which mostly serves to make me ufortable and then runs off towards his hut, somewhere in the eastern side of his vige; I stare off in his general direction, then raise an eyebrow at Mari.
"I don''t know how to feel about you volunteering me for that," I say.
"Bah," Mari says. "You not want to go, you not go. But I see your face. You think this interesting."
Well, she''s not wrong. "He has something that can supposedly predict oing danger. I''d say that''s pretty interesting."
"City trick," Mari grumbles, but she doesn''t dispute my point. She gestures for me to follow her into the hut, and I duck in after her, my eyes going towards Tarin''s sleeping body.
The old crow is still resting in the same position on his bed of hay. His feathers are duller and more lifeless than I remember, and I can feel the force of his Firmament in its battle against the Interface; it''s weaker now than before. I wonder what this means for him, even if the treatment seeds. Is he going to have to spend the rest of his life fighting the Interface?
"You happen to know any other ways we can help him?" I whisper to Ahkelios, and the mantis shakes his head.
"I didn''t even know all this was possible," Ahkelios whispers back. He looks down and away. "I didn''t spend a lot of time talking to any of the locals, or checking up on them between loops..."
That surprises me. "You didn''t?"
"I didn''t want to get close to anyone," Ahkelios says. He sounds regretful. "And everyone is so... different? I had so much to worry about already. I just... never got around to it."
"Right." I wonder how many Trialgoers did try to connect with the local popce; I suppose there''s not that much of a reason to. I nce at Mari, who''s already sitting by her husband with a wing gently stroking his feathers, and I take a seat next to her.
"He getting worse," Mari says softly. "Was sudden. Good thing you came when you did. I worried... I worried you note back. Next loop, I not know what happen to him."
I grimace a little. I hadn''t thought of what that might be like for her waking up to see Tarin getting a little worse every loop, but not being aware that he''s worse; only knowing that he''s suddenly near-death from being perfectly healthy the day before...
"Let''s hope the medicine works," I say softly.
Right on cue, the healer-crow raps sharply on the outside of the hut. She doesn''t wait for Mari''s response she pushes her way into the hut immediately, holding a bowl in one wing and a paintbrush in the other. Mari doesn''t seem surprised, and I scoot back to let the healer take her ce by Tarin''s side.
"Your root good," she tells me half-grudgingly, as if she''d been expecting me to be lying about the root. "I make medical paint. I paint on Tarin now, yes? You get ready."
"What am I getting ready for?" I ask.
"We push out bad Firmament," the healer-crow says, exasperated. "You get ready to fight."
Chapter 48: Interface Woes, and Ripples Through Time
Chapter 48: Interface Woes, and Ripples Through Time
"Whoa, whoa," I say, holding up both of my hands. It''s not that I''m against fighting it''s that I''m not prepared. This is the first I''m hearing of this. The Interface is a massive, powerful thing that the Integrators control, and I''ve tried directly fighting it once to no avail; I can''t imagine a second battle will go well, no matter how much I''ve grown since then. If I''m going to fight the Interface, I need to bank all my credits, get every Inspiration I can, try out everybination I can make with the All-Seeing Eye...
...Except there really isn''t the time to do all of that, is there? I can bank all of my credits, certainly, but I don''t know howparable this fight is going to be. I don''t know anything about this uing fight.
"You scared?" the healer-crow asks, shooting me a withering look. I look at Mari for help, but she''s distracted looking after Tarin. Ahkelios pokes me in the cheek with a hand and shakes his head.
"He''s not scared," he says confidently, puffing out his chest.
I mean, I''m not, but I don''t like Ahkelios answering for me. "I just need to know more," I say. "Shouldn''t we take him outside? We don''t want to damage the hut, or hurt anyone, right?"
"No need," the healer-crow says, shaking her head dismissively. "Willpower fight. You help Tarin fight Firmament. Mari and I help. It lose."
"Because Tarin was already fighting it off on his own," I guess. Healer-crow gives me a sharp nod, but doesn''t spend any more time on my questions; she''s already dipped that paintbrush into the paste she made with the Phantom Root. It''s a strange, sickly-green sort of color, and she paints a circr streak on his forehead, then his chest with a quick, skilled motion.
Lacking anything else to do, I pay attention to what I can tell is happening with my Firmament sense. The paste itself is filled to the brim with the Phantom Root''s Firmament, and what''s particrly interesting is that the nature of it doesn''t appear to have changed. For all that the Root''s been mashed up, its Firmament remains entire intact, and I can sense small tendrils of Firmament reaching out like the branches of a tree not unlike a miniature version of the Root when it was still nted back in the Hotspot.
All this changes when it''s painted onto Tarin''s feathers. I can feel those fments of Firmament reach down into him, pulling Firmament out and into the paste somehow, it''s doing this intelligently, picking out only the foreign Firmament and concentrating it into a pulsing mass on his chest.
If nothing else, I can certainly see why the healer said there would be a fight.
The Interface Firmament is an ugly, misshapen blob, though it''s not nearly strong enough for me to see it beyond a faint misty haze in the air. I hesitate only a little before diverting some of my Firmament towards the new skill, Tetrachromacy.
A burst of color emerges, just above Tarin''s chest. There''s a little more resolution to it than my Firmament sense offers, and so I see what''s happening in much more detail the way the Interface is being slowly drawn out of him through the two circles and into the air above him. Contrary to my Firmament sense, it doesn''t quite sit on his chest. What I''d parsed as a blob is instead a shape that''s slowly getting more and more humanoid.
Tarin is stirring, though, so I know this is working. I prepare myself, though I''m not sure what exactly it is that I need to do I sense both Mari and the healer-crow cycling their Firmament and bringing it to the forefront, so I attempt to mimic the motion, using Firmament Maniption to cycle it through my body and up to the surface.
The change is immediate.
It''s like every sense sharpens immediately. It''s nowhere near as powerful as the skills I have, of course; even Tough Body provides more of an upgrade than this does. But I feel more, with Firmament coursing through my body. Just a little bit more durable, just a little bit stronger, just a little bit more perceptive. Every brush of wind against my clothing is like a spark in my mind.
The Interface Firmament continues to gather above Tarin. The healer-crow narrows her eyes at it, and then at me.
"You not fight it now," she says, warning me. I tilt my head in a slight nod. I hadn''t been nning to. If they hadn''t tried to disrupt it already, there must have been a reason, and that reason is probably rted to the tiny tendrils of Firmament that continue to fuel it.
Tarin stirs.
The old crow shifts in his bed, probably for the first time in days, and then lets out a small groan of difort; the healer-crow and Mari react almost immediately, and I''m only a split-second behind. Both of them shoot a wing forward, plunging it into the mass of Firmament and flooding it with their own. I join in a secondter, pushing all the Firmament I''ve collected into my hand and into the foreign mass once I see what they''re doing
and there is a resonance.
I feel it a moment before either Mari or the healer-crow do, although I see the rm on their faces. I see Tarin suddenly sit up, his eyes sharper than I''d expect for having been unconscious for days, and he forces a flood of Firmament out of his body far in excess of anything I''d thought he had. That Firmament spikes into the mass of Interface Firmament, and it res, turning into a chaotic jumble of raw power that sucks greedily at all three of us.
For a moment, I resist but Ahkelios pokes at me and shakes his head. "I know what this is, I think," he says, his voice tinged with a small amount of wonder. "Let it take you. Trust me."
Do I trust him?
Yes.
The Interface Firmament draws on me, and I let it, staggering forward as it pulls until there''s almost nothing left save for a small core remaining inside me; the rest charges into the Interface, mixing and pulsing, a thin thread connecting me and the Interface Firmament and then Ahkelios.
My vision pulses, and then I''m standing in an empty void. Ahkelios still stands on my shoulder, looking around in wonder, though he clings a little to my shirt as he looks around.
"It''s a phase shift," Ahkelios says. "Your phase shift. I didn''t think it''d happen this early..."
There are sparks off in the distance. One of them is enormous, and growingrger by the second; it''s an off-bluework of Firmament that stretches off into the distance, farther than the eye can see. The others are smaller one a pitch-ck bundle of Firmament, another lc purple, and the third a vibrant forest green.
Somehow, I know exactly what they are. Tarin, the healer-crow, and Mari respectively; their Firmament donations lie in this void-space, shifting erratically around therge pir of Interface Firmament.
"What''s a phase shift?" I ask.
"It''s a shift in the quality of your Firmament," Ahkelios answers quietly. "The first one is almost always random it happens when you''ve aplished something that''s personally important to you, and you''ve gathered and trained your Firmament enough to make it happen. A phase shift isn''t as important for an Integrated user like yourself as much as it is for non-Integrated users like Mari and Tarin, but it''s still a significant change..."
"It takes six months for your first phase shift, usually," Gheraa pipes up. I startle, taking a step back and ncing around but I don''t see him anywhere. It''s just his voice echoing within the void, and he sounds regretful when he speaks again. "Sorry, I can''t join you in this one. It''s purely mental. But I can give you advice."
"I''m not sure I should be listening to your advice," I mutter. Gheraa is silent for a minute.
"In matters of the phase shift, we Integrators do not lie," he says, though there''s a note of something in his voice. I''m not sure what it is. It''s unfamiliar, certainly. There''s an undercurrent of bitterness in his voice that I do not recognize, and I wonder how different he would look if I could see him. "And I am sure yourpanion would tell you if I did."
"I will!" Ahkelios says defiantly, crossing his arms. Then he cringes slightly as if he''s expecting lightning to strike him, and lets out a small sigh of relief when it doesn''t. I chuckle slightly and give him a small pat on the head.
"Listen carefully. You are new to phase shifts, but you are also extremely lucky. Your first phase shift determines the baseyer of your Firmament, and most individuals only get to make use of their own. You have three Firmament users with healing, earth, and speed cores to help you, and you have a massive pir of Interface Firmament to help you out. This has quite literally never happened before.
"The Interface is a unique thing. It can handle all different types of Firmament and transform them in ways that are impossible for any individual species. Itbines the strengths of every living species it has ever recorded, every"
A small pause. "...I cannot say," he says, a small hint of regret in his voice.
"But before you lies an opportunity. For every piece of Firmament you can hold, your baselineyer of Firmament will be stronger. You will be able to raise yourself to greater heights, to handle greater skills.
"Begin by approaching the Firmament cluster. Keep your own Firmament at the ready, guarded, around you. The Firmament may be adversarial and fight you, or it may be cooperative and join with you. You will have to fight it with your willpower or with your fists, whichever works more easily for you. Understood?"
"Any lies?" I mutter to Ahkelios, and the little mantis shakes his head. I don''t think so, he mouths.
"I''m hurt," Gheraa says, although he mostly just sounds tired. There''s maybe the smallest hint of teasing in his voice, mixed in with more mncholy than anything. "There isn''t much time left. Go."
I go.
The Firmament sparks are much bigger than they seemed in the distance the pir of Interface Firmament looms above me, stretching out into the sky. Even the sparks from Tarin, Mari, and the healer-crow whose name I still don''t know arerger than I am. Out of more instinct than anything else, I head for Tarin''s spark first.
I don''t want it to fade. If he needs his Firmament, and I can give it back to him...
As my hand makes contact with the pitch-ck, sparking mass, though
Trialgoer? I haven''t heard Tarin''s voice in so many loops it''s almost unfamiliar, though I almost stagger with the relief I feel when I hear it. Trialgoer! You here! What happen? I remember raid. I not remember what happen after.
I''m startled. I''d forgotten for a moment that this was a different loop that he shouldn''t be able to remember me and yet it appears that he does, even if his memories are from several loops ago. I''m briefly overwhelmed; I''d expected him to forget, and I''d just wanted to make sure he wasn''t permanently dead.
"You died," I say quietly, and Tarin''s Firmament stills.
Oh.
Chapter 49: Phase Shift
Chapter 49: Phase Shift
It''s a moment before Tarin gathers himself again, and I don''t me him. My own mind is awhirl with thoughts, the main one being about Tarin''s memory of all this. I''m under no illusions about it; there''s every possibility that he might not remember anything into the next loop, but the fact that this is possible at all, outside of exceptions like Ahkelios...
It makes me think it might be possible to reproduce this. But I''m thinking too far ahead first, I need to figure out all the rules. I''d ask Gheraa, but if he''s on my side, then he would have told me already if he were able. If he''s not, asking him for the rules is only liable to give me false information.
Though I think there''s a part of me that''s epted that Gheraa means me no real harm. He''s ying a part, certainly, but everything in me tells me that he''s ying that part to my benefit.
I still don''t entirely trust him, but... I''m willing to give him a chance.
I think.
But that''s a possibility for the far future.
Tarin speaks again, his mental voice tinged with abination of hope and worry. We beat raid? How I die?
"We did beat the raid, and I don''t know," I answer. Tarin''s Firmament pulses erratically at my response, and I borate, trying to calm him down. "I died shortly after you did, time did the looping thing, and when I came back, you were in aa and the Interface was trying to kill you. Permanently. You''ve been fighting off the Interface this whole time."
His Firmament settles a little bit. I win? Tarin asks, his voice tinged with anxiety, and I almostugh. That''s his concern?
"Well, with a little bit of help," I say. "We got you some medicine made with Phantom Roots. Took me a bit to get it, let me tell you."
I win, Tarin says. I can feel the old crow nodding away, satisfied with himself, and I can''t help the slight smirk that steals across my face.
"Missed you, you old fart," I say.
I not fart! Tarin sounds absolutely offended. I can almost picture him ring his wings and huffing at me in outrage. You not call me fart!
"It''s a term of endearment," I protest.
...Weird term. Suspicion radiates off of Tarin''s Firmament. To be fair, I don''t know why I called him that an old impulse from an old friendship, I think. There''s an old man he reminds me of.
I not old, Tarin sulks, and Iugh.
"Fine, fine. I missed you, is my point," I say. "I''m in the middle of a phase-shift, apparently. You know anything about that?"
Of course I know. Tarin manages to project the mental image of folding his wings across his chest, in a gesture I''m certain he inherited from Mari. I sense. You talking to me mid-shift. I proud! No one phase-shift so fast! Not even Na
Tarin cuts himself off, his Firmament going silent. Harder to hide things in thought-speak, he eventually says.
"I can imagine," I say dryly. "I''ve met Naru. Don''t worry."
You meet him? rm res around Tarin again, coalescing into fear and concern. He hurt you?
"Not permanently." I grin, because it''s the best thing I can do. Tarin doesn''t need to know the specifics of how Naru hurt me, or how he''d fought with his mother and probably killed the both of us. "I got better."
You loop, Tarin says. It''s half-usation, half-realization. I nod my head slightly it''s not like I didn''t expect him to conclude that much, he just doesn''t need to know the specifics. Then, realizing he probably can''t see me, I respond verbally.
"Yes," I say.
Okay. Now not time for discussion about... son. Tarin hesitates a second before using the word. You phase shift. I tell you rules. You understand?
"Yes. Go."
Tarin''s Firmament flickers. Good. Phase shift happen when Firmament reach new quality level. Time in phase shift different. You start new thing, time slow down. You do nothing or keep doing old thing, time slowly speed up.
"Meaning when we started this conversation, time was slower, but the longer we talk, the more it speeds up?"
Yes. Good. I can hear the approval in Tarin''s mental voice. Different exnation. Phase-shift realm not stable. New actions increase stability, otherwise stability always decreasing. Important to understand.
"Got it."
You lucky. Four Firmament sources. Each one increase stability. But you need affinity, yes? I help. Mari help. Akar... up to her. She help, probably.
Akar is the healer-crow''s name, I imagine. "But the Interface will fight me."
Yes. Tarin''s voice grows firm. You touch all crow Firmament first. We help. Then you touch Interface Firmament, and we fight together. When we beat, you absorb heart.
"Heart?" I ask. I can almost see Tarin grinning at me.
Heart, he says. He''s definitely enjoying my difort. I''ve changed my mind; I''m going back to calling him an old fart. You go now!
Tarin doesn''t give me much of a choice. The pitch-ck Firmament that represents him suddenly gathers into a flickering mass, and dives into me before I can do anything more than make a passing attempt to dodge it more out of reflex than anything. He surges into me, Firmament pouring into my body, and I stagger backwards.
Now that Tarin''s exined it, I can feel the phase-shift decaying. It''s at the furthest edges of this mental space, but there''s a barely-perceivable shift, an odd sense of fraying at the edges.
I dash towards Mari, and brush my fingers against forest-green Firmament.
Trialgoer! Mari''s voice is loud and demanding and full of worry; it strikes me with full force how much she cares, for all that she hasn''t known me for that long. Here in the not-space of the phase-shift, I can feel that she thinks of me in some way as who Naru could have been, and isn''t that a painful thought. You phase-shift!
"I need your help," I say, because I don''t know what else to say, at the force of emotion thates with her voice.
Yes, Mari answers immediately. I wonder how much she remembers, to trust me this much. She shouldn''t remember anything, and yet...
Maybe a small part of her Firmament remembers. Or maybe it''s wishful thinking.
There''s no need for talking, no need for negotiation. Her support flows into me, and her Firmament gathers into a swirling mass of vibrant viridian energy that spins into the air and then wraps itself around me protectively, then hardens into something harder than steel.
Armor. I test my movement, finding myself entirely unobstructed; my hand rings with a metallic ting when I strike my arm. The fraying for the phase-shift hasn''t progressed much, but I suspect I''m going to need my time when fighting the Interface so I move on quickly.
"Akar," I say. Her firmament is lc-purple, and now that I''m closer, I can see that there''s a roughness to it the harsh scars of someone who has seen more than they wanted. The Firmament itself is soft and gentle, but there''s a hard exterior that''s hard to break. "I need your help."
You phase-shift? Akar grumbles at me through her Firmament. Lucky. Not even crow this lucky. Three crow to help! You know Mari? Mari had two!
"I''m sorry." I don''t actually have anything to apologize for, but apologizing seems to ameliorate her grumbling; I can practically feel her Firmament settling.
At least you polite, Akar tells me. Mari not so polite. You know what she do? I not help her, she try to fight me.
I... can imagine Mari doing that. "She''s probably better about it now?"
Only because I win. Akar''s satisfaction is a curling smirk through her Firmament. But she stronger than me now. I help you, you tell her I kick her butt. Okay?
"...Sure?" I don''t understand that request, but if that''s all she wants...
Good. That seems to satisfy Akar. Her Firmament surges up, into the sky, and then rushes down towards me like lightning. Unlike lightning, there''s no sound or bright sh of light instead, it strikes one of the metallic gloves made of Mari''s Firmament, and the two Firmaments blend into a sky-blue gauntlet that goes all the way up to my elbow.
I stare at it for a moment, then nce at Ahkelios. "Is this what I''ve been relegated to?" I ask rhetorically. "The guy that punches things?"
"Oh, now you remember I exist." Ahkelios grumbles. "I feel like you''re figuring that out a bitte."
He has a point. I don''t mind that definition, exactly, as much as I''d love more of the magic thates with Firmament skills.
But for now, I have something different to focus on.
Tarin''s Firmament is churning inside me. Mari''s Firmament protects me, and Akar''s Firmament is a gauntlet of power on my hand. I stare at the final pir of Firmament, so muchrger than all the others a small fraction of the Interface itself and feel a strange calm settle within me.
I am in thest moments of the phase-shift. It''s now or never.
I step forward, and press a hand against that pir of blue Firmament.
To say that the immensity of what presses down on me in that instant is overwhelming is to understate the sheer magnitude of what the Interface is. By all rights, it should have crushed me like an insect the only reason it doesn''t is because this fragment of it is a small piece of the whole.
I try, for a moment, to understand. To use this moment to piece together what the Interface is, the reason for its existence.
All I glimpse is something iprehensibly ancient before my own Firmament surges, as if in self-defense, and the connection is lost.
Before me, the pir of blue Firmament coalesces into a mockery of something humanoid. It''s awork of blue fments more than it is a solid shape within the center is a pulsing blue heart, pumping Firmament through makeshift veins.
And that''s all it is. A walking creature made of awork of veins of Firmament. It stares at me for a moment, something in its gaze ufortable for all that it doesn''t have eyes or a mouth
and then it rushes towards me.
Crystallized Barrier. I try to call up the skill almost instinctively, but the Interface doesn''t exist here, in the mindscape used for the phase-shift. I feel the fment-creature crash into me, mming me backwards and causing me to skid and roll across the white void of the floor; Mari''s armor prevents most of the damage, but I grit my teeth.
I feel Tarin surging within me, urging me forward, giving me speed. ck lightning arches out of my feet as I dash forward, ripping across phase-space to m a gauntleted fist into the fment-creature. It crosses both arms in front of itself in an attempt to block, but there is a distinct crack, and it''s blown backwards, skidding across the floor.
"Whoa," Ahkelios says, perched on my shoulder.
"You think that''s impressive," I say. "Watch this."
ck lightning crackles through my gauntlet, and I allow myself a small smile.
I should be afraid, I think.
But I''m not.
Chapter 50: Foundation
Chapter 50: Foundation
The second set of blows resonates through both of us. The Firmament-creature roars, an erratic, flickering sort of thing, a mouth gaping open in its featureless face with an appearance not unlike television static. I grit my teeth as a sudden headache pounds through me, and Ahkelios clings more tightly to my armor, his entire form vibrating with the force of the roar.
And then he makes an admittedly much smaller roar of defiance. He stands up on my shoulder, even as I''m forced to take a step back; he fuzzes out for a moment, flickering, and then he breathes in
and all the flickering static of the Firmament-creature''s roar vanishes. Ahkelios seems to take it on instead, his arms and legs briefly disappearing into static in turn, and when he speaks, his voice is strained.
"I took on some of the burden," he says, the words half-growled out. "Go, Ethan."
He doesn''t need to say any more. I go.
The Interface fragment is still roaring at me, but this time it''s soundless and there''s no effect attached to it; ck lightning coalesces around my gauntlet again, and I smash it into its face, feeling the Firmament resist for a split second before Tarin''s Firmament sts into it and sends it sprawling. I follow up immediately, his speed running down my body and into my legs to boost me forward.
With my next blow, Mari''s Firmament shines a bright green, and the force of it is tripled. The sheer shock splits the Interface fragment in half, Firmament veins temporarily splitting apart before desperately trying to knit back together; at the same time, its arms turns into des, and it swings blindly at me, trying to stop me.
Trying.
Mari''s armor stops the de before it can connect with the mental flesh that makes up my body in this space. It glows brightly as it does, and I can almost hear Mari''s proud caw as she stops it outright. I take the moment of shock to grip on to its arm with my gauntlet, just below the de, and crush.
There''s a snap. A loud cry of anger, Firmament warbling in an emotion too close to pain. It jerks backwards sharply once, twice and the third time it rips hard enough to tear off a piece of its own arm. Long tendrils of Firmament trail behind its arm like broken strings of cobweb, and the Firmament de half-buried in my armor remains left behind.
Just for a moment. Then it dissolves into nothing, merging neatly with Mari''s Firmament and healing the small hole it had created. The excess flows into me, and I feel it empowering Tarin''s Firmament within me, on top of my own. The ck lightning surrounding me grows stronger.
I don''t give it the time to recover.
I sh forward, and the Firmament around me crackles into a storm. The Interface fragment lifts a hand up to defend itself, snarling in defiance, and my gauntlet smashes into its de; Akar''s Firmament res together with Mari''s, and the sky-blue gauntlet flickers once, pulses
the second de shatters, and I absorb its fragments. This time, Ahkelios res a little brighter, and he lets out a little cry of aplishment; I chuckle slightly at his antics.
"Wanna take the next blow?" I ask.
Ahkelios bounces on his feet, eyes sparking. "Yes," he says.
Before I get the time to say anything else, he darts off, zooming ahead like a bright, tiny meteor of Firmament. The Interface fragment doesn''t pay attention to him,zily sidestepping as it tries to rush towards me again.
A mistake, of course.
Ahkelios turns rapidly and ms into it from behind, rocketing it forward directly into my fist; its head splits apart again from the force of my blow, and it struggles to put itself together. I feel it reaching out, tugging more power from the Interface towards itself.
And though I make no move to do it, my own Interface responds.
It has no physical presence here, in the space of the phase-shift but I feel it emerge like a seed buried inside my soul, suddenly stretching out from me. Fments of dark blue reach out from my fingers, empowered by different glittering sparks of green and ck and purple; it reaches up, into the sky, and it cuts through those tendrils connecting the fragment with the greater Interface.
I don''t have time to wonder what that means, because the moment it does, the fragment goes berserk. Its form flickers for a moment, unstable without ess to the greater structure of the Interface.
Then it begins to grow.
"Phase two," I say. I feel the Firmament within me pulse in response, readying itself for a second battle.
Ahkelios, on the other hand, can''t resist the urge to snark. "What, have you fought Interface monstrosities before?"
"I''ll have to show you some Earth media sometime," is all I say in response. The tendrils of Firmament that make up the fragmentsh outwards erratically, and while I''m confident Mari''s Firmament will protect me, I''m hesitant to walk blindly into it. Instead, I wait for an opportunity. I''m obviously not going to wait for the transformation toplete, but
There.
Ahkelios reacts faster than I do. He shoots forward ahead of time, a bright little star that darts out to the right and distracts the fragment just long enough for me to get in through the window of opportunity. I duck under oneshing tendril, jump over the next, and catch the third one on the side of my gauntlet; Ahkelios'' distraction means I don''t have to deal with the fourth, fifth, or sixth tendrils.
At the center of it all, Firmament knots into a structure that looks almost like a ribcage though very far from a human one. Within it, a heart of Firmament pulses, locked into a strangely organic shape that thumps and throbs.
I don''t have time for hesitation.
Akar''s Firmament wraps around my fist, Mari''s empowers me, and Tarin''s pushes me forward.
The makeshift ribcage shatters beneath my gauntlet. The heart protests for a moment, beating rapidly, struggling against my grip.
Itsts for only a second before the shape loosens and unravels, and Firmament flows up my arm and into my body
The void around me vanishes. Ahkelios disappears, his Firmament once more relegated to nothing more than a skill housed within my body; the thread that connects us is dim, here.
I am alone.
There is a pearl of Firmament before me. Unlike nearly every other form of Firmament I have seen, it is perfectly calm and stable. It has no color I know it''s there only because I can sense it.
It is, I realize, my own Firmament, coalesced into a single drop before me. Surrounding it are small sparks of blue and purple, green and ck; the Interface, Akar, Mari, and Tarin. They orbit loosely around the pearl.
It calls to me. It tells me to find a truth to find something that will bring all these disparate forms of Firmament together, and distill it into a single core that I can carry forward with me. What I create here will be my foundation, and so it asks me a simple question.
Who am I?
I consider the question. I take my time with it, too. The edges of this space are purely defined, and there''s no hint of the crumbling stability there was before; there''s something about it that reminds me of the Inspiration-space, but more... personal. Less artificial, forck of a better term.
Who am I?
When I lost my brother, and lived through the subsequent years with grieving parents who either med me or didn''t quite know what to do with me, I felt like my world had ended. I made my way through with force of will alone, promising myself to find something better, to build a life of my own. Those events shaped arge part of who I am.
But I am not my trauma.
When the Trials began, I was angry. I''m still angry now, in truth. Days into this Trial, and I''ve only seen more of the injusticesmitted by the Integrators. Naru''s attitude towards his parents, the implications about what the Interface might have done to society on Hestia, the knowledge that people Ahkelios, other humans, that harpy girl I still don''t know much about the knowledge that they''ve been killed in these Trials only serves to infuriate me more.
I clench my fists.
But I''m not my anger, either.
The Trial I''m in would have been much more difficult to handle without Ahkelios. Half of what he does is almost an act, I suspect; he''s yful and charming and a little too obsessed with nts, and some of that he uses to cheer me up or disarm me. He''s good at what he does, too. It makes me wish I could do more for him.
Mari has been impossibly trusting. Every loop, I tell her my story. She''s more angry some loops than others, but she has nearly always just chosen to trust me, to take my words at face value. It''s a trait I suspectes naturally to her, mothering those around her and taking their problems seriously. I''vee to care about her a lot.
Tarin died nearly sacrificed himself in an attempt to protect his vige, even if that sacrifice might not have been intentional. The crow-guards all fight to the death to keep their vige safe. The children in the vige are young and bright-eyed and full of hope for their world, for all that it''s controlled by the Integrators.
And yet... I''m not defined by the people around me.
I sigh, cupping my pearl of Firmament in my hands, and watching the sparks orbit around it.
"This is a stupid question," I say. "There''s no one thing that''s ever going to define me.
"I''m whoever the fuck I want to be."
Firmament pulses. Something falls into ce. Four different types of Firmament join with an invisible pearl in the center, and it bes something solid, something real.
A single pulse of Firmament, newly refined, sts through me.
And when I open my eyes, I''m back in Tarin''s hut. The old crow is sitting up in his bed, staring at me with his beak open.
"Do I have something on my face?" I ask jokingly. He smacks me on the head with a wing.
"You ruin all my furniture!" Tarin huffs. "Now I need make furniture again!"
"I missed you too, you old fart."
"I not fart!"
Iugh, and Tarin grins at me. Then I take a peek at my Interface.
I have a lot of messages to get through.
Chapter 51: Skills and a Chat
Chapter 51: Skills and a Chat
[ Phase-shift has begun. Pausing all Interface functionality until shift has beenpleted. ]
[ Phase-shiftplete. Calcting changes. Removing notification suppression. ]
[ Phase-shift Rank: S ]
[ Firmament base has been established. Ranking function unavable. Information restricted. ]
[ Congrattions onpleting your first phase-shift! Please note that the Interface may take time to fully calibrate to your Firmament base, depending onplexity. New skills offered will be tailored to your Firmament base. ]
"Well, that doesn''t tell me much, considering how I built it," I mutter. I don''t regret it in the slightest.
"Why he talking to himself?" Akar demands, looking between Mari and Tarin. "He hit his head?"
"It Interface," Mari says.
"He call me old fart!" Tarinins.
"I can hear you all," I grumble. It''s more of an affectionate grumble than anything. I''ve grown to like the crows a lot. Ahkelios, sitting on my shoulder, snickers at me, and I give him a yful flick that makes him yelp and scramble to defend himself. I go back to my notifications, ignoring the way Akar immediately starts cooing over Ahkelios and the way he absolutely eats up the attention.
[ Once calibrated, the Interface will attempt to track your progress towards the next phase-shift. ]
[ Due to events specific to your phase-shift, you have been awarded the following skills:
Durability: Verdant Armor (Rank A)
Speed: Intrinsic Lightning (Rank A)
Strength: Amplification Gauntlet (Rank A) ]
That''s a lot of powerful new skills all thanks to the three crows here. I bow my head towards them, suddenly grateful, and they all stop mid-conversation to stare at me.
"What you bowing for?" Mari asks.
"You''ve helped me a lot." I shift slightly, ufortable. "And I''m a lot stronger for it. If I don''t thank you now..."
I trail off. I''m running into a truth I''m trying to avoid the longer a loop runs, the more attached I''ll get to the people within a loop. I don''t try to avoid interacting with others; that seems like a long and lonely road, and one that will detach me from the realities happening within a loop.
But losing them every time I loop is almost worse.
"Stupid," Mari snorts, but she''s hiding the fluff of her feathers that I know means she''s pleased.
Akar doesn''t react nearly as much, not knowing me as well, but she seems sort of gruffly epting. "You more manners than Tarin," she says.
"What day today? Tarin roast day?" Tarinins. He hops experimentally, kicking out a leg I''m surprised when I see a sh of ck lightning trail behind his kick, something I hadn''t seen before and then I realize it''s abination of the phase-shift and Tetrachromacy making me even more sensitive to Firmament. "Good you grateful! You not forget us, yes?"
"I don''t think I could if I tried," I say with augh.
Ahkelios, perched on my head, chooses this moment to pipe up. "I''ll make sure he won''t forget! Every time he does, he''s going to owe me moss."
"I still owe you moss," I say dryly.
"He''ll owe me twice the moss."
"I don''t think there''s that much moss in this forest."
"He''s ndering your forest," Ahkelios cries, pointing at me dramatically, and Iugh along with all three of the other crows even Akar, who seems amused and delighted by the little mantis'' antics.
But the moment of lightheartedness passes quickly. There''s a lot we have to talk about and a lot I need to test before I''m ready to head out towards the Great Cities. Ahkelios seems to sense the change in my mood, and he settles back down on my shoulder, the look on his face growing serious.
"We need talk." Tarin''s the one to break the silence, surprisingly. He stretches gingerly, then squawks a bit as one of his joints pops and he scares himself; his wife smacks him on the head with a wing.
"You take shower first. Then talk," she scolds him. Before Tarin can protest, she physically picks him up, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck in a single hand. Tarin ils in protest, but rather noticeably doesn''t fight back.
Then she walks out of the tent, still carrying him with her. I stare after them with a slightly raised eyebrow before Akar draws my attention with a wave of her wing.
"I not think I need to join in," she tells me. "I need do work. You call me if you need me. If you find more rare herbs, you bring to me. Okay?"
She doesn''t wait for a response. She stalks out of the hut, leaving Ahkelios and I standing alone in the middle of it all.
I blink. "I wasn''t expecting that," I admit, sitting down on one of the chairs to wait for Mari and Tarin to return. Ahkelios shrugs, hopping off my shoulder and onto the floor in front of me. "...Where did you get that flower?"
Ahkelios points to a bouquet someone had left for Tarin. "He wasn''t using it," the mantis says, shrugging, and munches happily on a petal.
I chuckle. "Any thoughts about how all this went?"
Ahkelios looks up at me seriously. "You need to take a moment to slow down," he advises after a moment. "I know you''re worried about the other Trials, but you''re wearing yourself thin chasing one problem after another. You have a bunch of skills you can try to merge with the Eye, you need to figure out all your new ones..."
"I know," I sigh. There are so many things to keep track of now the new dungeon ess is one of those things. I slip a hand into my pocket, feeling the sharp shard of stone that still sits there. "...Ah, shit, I didn''t give Mari the skill shard to look at."
"Oops." Ahkelios shrugs he doesn''t seem particrly concerned. "You can hand it to her when she gets back, right?"
"As long as she does it before I head off towards the Great Cities. You have any idea what they''re like?"
"No." Ahkelios shakes his head. "I think I heard of the Cities... but honestly, I was trying to find the exit to the Trial for most of my time here."
"You never found it?"
"No. I would''ve left as soon as I did." Ahkelios is silent for a moment. "The Trial wears you down after a while. I don''t think I was ever as adaptable as you are to all of this; I think I let it break me down, make me crueler..."
"You don''t seem very cruel," I say, though I know it''s not much of a help.
"It''s what happens when I get most of my memories locked away." Ahkelios looks down. "If I get them back and I change... what''s going to happen to us?"
"What do you mean?" I ask, although I have a good guess.
"We''re friends now, right?" He waits for me to nod in confirmation, then sits down on the floor, curling up slightly. "What if I''m not the same when I remember everything? What if I be someone... I don''t know, more cruel, or more angry with the world..."
I''m silent for a moment. "I got a skill, you know, at the end of that Hotspot," I say quietly. "I haven''t told you about it yet because I didn''t know how."
"What was it?" Ahkelios looks up at me.
"Tetrachromacy. Rank C." I see Ahkelios flinch slightly at the words. I''ve never asked him how much he can see in this form it seemed like an inappropriate question. I try to find the words, to figure out what to say next, but Ahkelios beats me to the punch.
"I''m happy for you," he says quietly. "I hope you use it well. I can teach you, if you like."
"I''d love that," I say, shing Ahkelios a tiny smile. He looks so... he is small, of course, an effect of Temporal Fragment as it bound him to me, but now he looks vulnerable, pained in a way I can''t heal.
He seems grateful, at least. Grateful for what, I can''t say maybe me not making a big deal out of it, maybe just the quiet eptance in the conversation.
I need to try to find a way to share the skill with him, I think.
"Will you teach me how to paint sometime?" I ask him after a moment. He looks up at me, surprised, and then seems a little embarrassed.
"I mean, I can, but you have bigger worries..." He sounds strangely hopeful.
"We''re going to have downtime sometimes," I say. "And hey, we''re in this together, right?"
"Yeah." Ahkelios nods, as if to convince himself. I hesitate a moment.
"Do you... want me to avoid talking about your eye?" I finally ask. I''d considered dancing around the topic, but it seems easier and better to just ask; if we''re both being vulnerable, then now''s the best moment.
Ahkelios, to his credit, doesn''t respond immediately he takes the time to think about it, before slowly shaking his head. "I don''t want to avoid it before I remember it all," he says eventually. "If we''re going to work on helping me remember everything... it''s better if I deal with my issues before theye back."
"Okay," I say.
And that''s all I say a quiet acknowledgement of the way he''s choosing to deal with his problems. The silence stretches between us, but Ahkelios scoots around on the floor until he''s leaning with his back against my ankle, a quiet acknowledgement of our friendship.
I smile at him, small, and let him munch on his flowers in peace, taking the opportunity to look at my Interface instead. There''s a notification I missed before.
[ Due to events specific to your phase-shift, the Interface will now grant you a choice between four skills instead of three when banking your credits. ]
Great more decision paralysis.
Not that I''mining, really. I take a nce at my stat sheet, trying to see the options I have avable and what I need to investigate.
[ Loop 13 in progress. ]
[ Status:
Name: Ethan
Strength Skills: Crystallized Strength (Rank C), Concentrated Power (Rank B), Amplification Gauntlet (Rank A)
Durability Skills: Tough Body (Rank E), Second Wind (Rank B), Barrier (Rank D), Crystallized Barrier (Rank C), Verdant Armor (Rank A)
Reflex Skills: Mental eleration (Rank C), Intuitive Analysis (Rank C)
Speed Skills: Firestep (Rank C), Triplestep (Rank E), Intrinsic Lightning (Rank A), eleration (Rank C)
Firmament Skills: Temporal Fragment (Rank D), Firmament Maniption (Rank D), Color Drain (Rank C), Tetrachromacy (Rank C)
Inspirations:
The Mirror Twice Shattered (Firmament, Unique)
The All-Seeing Eye (Reflex, Rank A)
The Void (Strength, Rank Unknown)
Open Dungeons:
The Empty City (Rank S)
Credit Distribution:
Strength: 30 (179 banked)
Durability: 256 (84 banked)
Reflex: 101 (124 banked)
Speed: 194 (79 banked)
Firmament: 156 (100 banked) ]
This list is going to get... very inted, I suspect. I''m hoping there will be a way to consolidate skills at some point the Eye just adds to my list, which means this is just going to keep growing. Remembering every option I have is already getting a bit untenable, so skill consolidation is something I''m going to have to look at soon.
For now, I just y around with Tetrachromacy, feeding more Firmament into the skill and watching the flow of Firmament around me, the way every piece of furniture in this hut is embedded with it.
There''s a qualitative difference. It doesn''t take nearly as much will to move my Firmament, and it flows significantly more smoothly through my body.
I wonder how different my next fight will go.
Chapter 52: Crows and Cavalries
Chapter 52: Crows and Cavalries
It''s some time before Mari and Tarin return. Ahkelios and I spend the time talking about anything and everything, from our experiences back on our homes to the builds I could potentially try to work towards. He tells me a little about his Sword concept, which does little except convince me that that''s absolutely not the path I n on taking.
He doesn''t try to convince me to take that path either, to be fair. He seems to regret it. Ahkelios stares wistfully out through one of the windows in the hut, a finger tracing shapes on the ground, and after a moment I recognize the shapes he''s tracing as a sketch a messy outline of the clearing he died in.
The fact that it''s even recognizable in the dirt is impressive to me.
Mari chooses that moment to burst through the door, carrying a sopping-wet and cawing Tarin in her arms. "We back!" she announces cheerfully, and then unceremoniously dumps Tarin onto his bed. The old crow groans a little bit, pressing a wing against his back.
"If you not careful you put me ina again," he grumbles.
"You more durable than that!" Mari scoffs.
"Were you carrying Tarin that entire time?" I ask, eyeing Tarin and then Mari, who puffs out her chest in pride. "Mari, that wasn''t apliment."
"Bah!" she says. "You not know how hard it is to carry angry old crow around. Itpliment."
I... suppose she has a point? She''s not technically wrong. Tarin pushes himself up off the bed, dusting off imaginary dust with his wings and somehow scowling with his beak, although it''s more yful than anything else.
"Clean now!" he squawks. "We need talk. You can talk?"
There''s a measure of concern in his eyes, though it takes me a moment to realize that he''s asking me if I''m okay to talk. Iugh a little. "Ready as I can be," I say.
"You meet Naru," Tarin says, his expression settling into something serious. "You have question?"
"You could call it that." I want to know how he ended up like that, but it seems like a rude question to ask, and the answer is fairly obvious in and of itself the Trials must have done a number on him. "...What was his Trial?"
Tarin''s face darkens. "He climb tower," Tarin says. "Need to reach top."
"That doesn''t sound so bad." Judging by the expression on Tarin''s face, there''s moreing.
"He need fight to reach next floor of tower." Tarin pauses, trying to find the words. "One boss per floor. He not strong enough to beat boss. Not many ways to grow. People on floor not want help him. So he fight them to gain credits."
"Ah." A realization settles in. "But he can''t get Firmament credits that way."
Sort of. I remember getting four credits here and there from various deaths despite not actually killing anyone or anything but I still don''t know how to reproduce that. The majority of my Firmament credits havee from...
"Not unless he kill," Tarin says heavily, echoing my thoughts. "He talk to us. Use chat. We tell him not do that. But Hestia Trialgoers all dying. He one ofst ones left."
"I can see how that can change a person."
"He weak," Mari scoffs from the side. "Coward. Could have trained more, but took easy option. Killed. Now he forget how not to kill. He hide behind his strength."
Tarin res at her, but there''s not much heat in it. "...Mari not wrong."
What they''re painting for me is a picture of someone who grew addicted to power after being forced to gain it. I wonder why Naru didn''t just ally himself with those on the tower but I suppose that takes a measure of trust.
I''m lucky, I remind myself. Mari, Tarin, and the rest of the crows they''re extraordinarily trusting for all that I''m a stranger to them. I doubt things will remain this way once I head out into the wider regions of Hestia, especially the Great Cities that the crows have mentioned here and there.
"I sorry he kill you," Tarin adds after a moment. I can''t help but snort out augh at that.
"Not your fault," I say. "I got to see Mari kick him between the legs. That was pretty great."
"You telling me I missed that?" Tarin exims, and at almost the same time, Mari lets out an irritated caw.
"I angry I not remember that," she says when I look at her. Iugh.
"The look on his face was pretty great," I say. "But speaking of remembering..."
I nce at Tarin. He still remembered thest loop he was in when we spoke during my phase-shift; I assume he still remembers it now. "You remember," I say. "How?"
"I not know." Tarin looks away. "Your friend know?"
Ahkelios blinks. "Who, me?" he says. "I have no idea. I didn''t even know he remembered thest loop. That''s really weird."
"Never happened to you, I take it?"
"No." Ahkelios pauses in thought. "Maybe it''s something to do with the way the Interface tried to kill him? He wasn''t supposed to survive that, right?"
"Interface weak," Tarin scoffs. I raise an eyebrow at him, and he studiously ignores my gaze until he finally relents. "...Okay. Interface not that weak. But I strong."
"Stronger than you look, I think," I say, and Tarin waves me off.
"Strong," he repeats. "Not strong enough. Integrators always watching."
It''s not the first time he''s said that. I stare at him for a moment, and he ruffles his feathers a little in difort. I wonder how involved he is with the Integrators, exactly.
"We''re not going to be able to get much done if we try to hide from them forever," I say eventually. "If it didn''t work before..."
Tarin is silent, and then he sighs.
"Integrators hard to fight," he says. "Because they watch. But maybe this different. You say you in loop, yes? It harder to watch things through loop."
Gheraa had said something about temporal banding. "You know something about what the Integrators want?"
Tarin points down. "They want Hestia."
"Don''t they already have Hestia?" I frown. "The entire''s under their control. They''re using it as testing grounds for their Trials."
"No." Tarin frowns and struggles to find the words for a moment. "They want Hestia. They control...nd. People. But not heart. You been to... big hole?"
It takes me a moment to figure out what he''s talking about. "The Fracture?"
"Interface call it Fracture, yes," Tarin says, looking relieved. Presumably because he won''t have to keep calling it the ''big hole''. "Better name. Fracture leads down, yes? To heart."
Oh, good. I''d been worried he just meant that the Integrators hadn''t broken the spirit of the people, or something. That would be a good thing, but it''s also not really information I can use. "The Fracture leads somewhere important?"
"Yes." Tarin stops, and Mari rolls her eyes from her position sitting next to him on the bed.
"He too scared to talk," she says, smacking him on the head with a wing gently although Tarin still rubs his head and scowls yfully at his wife. A momentter, he flops backwards into herp, and she snorts as she pets him on the head. "He dive into Fracture once. Escape with his life. But barely."
"The Fracture is something old," I say. I''ve gathered that much. "Older than civilisation here?"
"Old," Tarin confirms. "We not know how old. I not go all the way down. But deep Fracture... dangerous. Very old mechanisms, very old creatures. Integrators want control, but they not able to go deep."
"Why not?" I ask. "They''ve got to be stronger than any of us, right?"
Even if the Interface doesn''t belong to them, the Interface is strong. They''re presumably powerful enough to control elements of the Interface, and they have to be stronger than their Trialgoers if they expect to control them.
"I not fight them before," Tarin says, shrugging. "But it not matter. Integrators not able to control heart. Need Trial for it."
"Why?" That doesn''t make sense to me. The Trial is needed to control the heart of Hestia? "Do alls have these... hearts? Are all Trials targeting them?"
"I not sure." Tarin hesitates. "But... I think yes. Hestia close to Source, I think. Heart very strong. Other hearts easier to conquer."
"Source?" I have so many questions.
"The Source of the Interface," Ahkelios speaks up, surprisingly. "Given that we suspect the Integrators don''t haveplete control over it, it has toe from somewhere. How do you know all this, Tarin?"
Tarin shrugs ufortably. "I fall into Fracture. I fall in... deep. It give memories. But memories... fractured, iplete. Not always there. It clear now, might not be clearter. So talk now is important."
"The heart of the..." I muse. "It''s rted to the Trial, I have to assume. Hestia''s has something to do with time?"
Tarin looks worried. "That exin why they want Trial here so badly."
"You aren''t sure?"
"I not know that much." Tarin throws up his arms, and identally smacks Mari in the face; she squawks and swats his wing away, and I can''t help the slight smile at their antics. They make a good couple. "I try tell others before. But they disappear. So..."
"Ah." He''d been scared to talk about it before, then. As a Trialgoer, I assume I''m rtively immune, or else the Integrators would be trying to get rid of me already.
I''m starting to put together a little more of a timeline, although not everything''s clear yet. "Did Hestia always have Firmament?"
"It not called Firmament before Integrators." Tarin answers this question quickly. "It not the same before Integrators. Before, Hestia have... less. We crows call it the Wind. We put Wind into our bodies, make us stronger, see? We put Wind into items, make them stronger, too.
"After Integrators arrive, it be stronger, but harder to control. Be... heavier. They add something. They call Firmament."
"Right." I organize my thoughts, taking into ount the information I got from the obelisk in that Hotspot. It''s clear there was another civilisation here, although not clear that that civilisation is necessarily the first. "Ahkelios, did you have anything simr on your?"
"Only in legends." Ahkelios sounds thoughtful. "I think we called it the Light. There are a lot of children''s stories about people wielding the Light and empowering their des with it. I used to love those stories."
There''s a pattern there. We have those same stories on Earth, too, except we call it magic and mana; I don''t know if this is important, but I file this pattern away anyway. The crows are different in that they were outright actively using the Wind, while for Ahkelios and I our respective forms of Firmament became nothing more than legend.
Or something like that.
"So the Integrators want the Heart," I say. "We don''t know what it is, or what it does, but we know it''s probably at the bottom of the Fracture. The Trials are something used to try to control the Heart of a, presumably in some way that integrates it with their Interface, hence their name and what they''re doing. Do I have that about right?"
"It close enough," Tarin says.
"The Hotspot basically told us there was another civilisation here before," I continue. "But my only guess from that is that the Interface creates skills out of phenomena that actually happen. And then there''s Gheraa..."
"Gheraa?" Tarin cocks his head.
"The Integrator in charge of my Trial." I grimace a little bit, then exin my encounters with the Integrator; Tarin and Mari both listen in silence.
"So you not know if you can trust him?" Mari asks, and I nod. She snorts and fold her wings. "You not trust him. He Integrator."
"He seem like he help Ethan," Tarin argues.
"Integrator trick."
"He get hurt."
"...Also Integrator trick."
"Guys," I interrupt. "I haven''t made any decisions about trusting him. But even if he''s only pretending to be on my side, I can use that and if he''s not pretending, then he''s someone that needs help.
"I don''t have to trust the Integrators to want to help someone being hurt." I clench my fist. "My phase-shift was about figuring out my foundation, and I decided I''m going to do whatever I want. Right now, I want to get Gheraa out of there. If he''s an enemy, that will screw with his ns; if he''s not, then I''ll have rescued him."
"You not want to leave him inside to help?" Mari asks me, and I shake my head.
"We have a lot to figure out. But first opportunity I get, I''m pulling him out."
Chapter 53: Skill Prep
Chapter 53: Skill Prep
Mari''s skeptical of my n, if only because I don''t have any idea where to even begin. Gheraa isn''t anywhere near the. I speak with a confidence I don''t really have, but it feels wrong to do anything else to leave something like this to chance. I need to state the goal so I can try to work towards it.
At least Ahkelios is excited. He pumps his fist in a silent cheer, as if invigorated by my words, and I chuckle slightly at his antics. Tarin gives me a nod, and while Mari scoffs, I do see the look of reluctant respect in her eyes.
"I need your help with something else," I add. It''s something I forgot about. I pull the skill shard from the Fracture out of my pocket and hand it over to Mari, whose eyes widen as she runs her feathers over it clearly she senses something I don''t. "I think this has something to do with Interface skills. Think you can figure it out?"
"What you take me for?" Mari scoffs, but I see her eyes gleaming. She''s excited. I grin at her, and she fluffs her feathers up as she heads over to the makeshift table and chair in the corner, pushing Tarin''s head out of herp; he ils and flops over with a reluctant squawk, and I chuckle at the sight.
"You good," Tarin tells me once he seats himself back on his bed. "...Wish Naru more like you."
I don''t know how to respond to that. "...I wish I could help," I say eventually. I doubt I can figure out how to change Naru. Even with a time loop, some people can''t be saved, and while I could certainly give it a try...
Tarin shakes his head, as if sensing what I''m thinking. "No. You not help him. It waste time," he says quietly. "You fix Integrators and Trials. Naru our responsibility."
"I might have to fight him again," I say. I don''t finish the thought. I''m not in a position where I can fight him while holding back, and I certainly can''t do anything less than fight to kill.
"Then you kick his feathery butt, and tell him Tarin say hello," Tarin says firmly. It''s so unexpected that I bark out augh. Tarin grins at me, delighted by my reaction, but eventually settles back into a more serious expression. "...You do what you need. I not me you."
That means more to me than I''d expected. I nod at him, and he nods back, though there''s something indiscernible in his eyes. A bit of mncholy, maybe. eptance that he''d lost his son a long time ago.
I don''t know how to feel about that.
"Do you think you''ll remember all this into the next loop?" I ask.
"I not know," Tarin answers honestly. "I hope so. But... maybe it bad if I do. If Mari not remember also. Maybe it better if we both forget."
That''s an answer I respect, but it''s... sad. I''ve seen so much more of the two of them now, and the idea of talking to them once again, neither of them knowing who I am I don''t think I''m prepared for it.
Not that it matters. The Trial is my primary focus. If Tarin''s right about what the Integrators want, then I need to find a way to either protect it from them, or take it for myself. Preferably while tricking them into thinking I''ve passed their Trial.
But that doesn''t mean I can''t spare the time to figure out a way to let them both remember. I doubt I''ll be able to do that this loop, but I do know that I want them as allies. They''ve proven themselves to me.
"Anyway!" Tarin announces loudly, and I wonder if he knows what I''m worried about. "You need test your skills! You get new skills, yes?"
If nothing else, I have to admit: Tarin knows how to distract me. I do have a lot of new skills, I have credits to bank, and I have an Eye to use.
Time to get started while Mari figures out that shard.
I could start by banking my credits, but I''m not sure I''m ready to see Gheraa again. I want to be ready to extract every piece of information I can including how to get him away from the rest of the Integrators if I need to. That means I have to figure out the right questions to ask, and hope that he answers them.
For now, I have three new skills granted by the phase-shift that I''m eager to explore. Amplification Gauntlet, Verdant Armor, and Intrinsic Lightning. It''s fairly clear from their categories and my experience with them in the phase-shift what they do, but I still let Intuitive Analysis take the reigns and give me all the information it can, just so I''m not missing anything.
The Amplification Gauntlet manifests a stream of lc-purple Firmament around my fist, taking the rough shape of a gauntlet. It''s not as defined as it was during the phase-shift, but it does quite literally amplify every movement I put into it. An experimental swing of my fist sends my entire body sprawling after it as it generates more momentum than I''m prepared for, and Tarin cackles at me while I grumble.
Good to know, though. That means I might be able to use it to change my trajectory and dodge things midair. If I use Crystallized Strength andbine it with the Gauntlet, I can probably change directions on a whim. I might even be able to fly.
...I can''t deny a small bit of childish excitement at the thought.
"Your skills are so much cooler than mine were," Ahkeliosments, peering over my shoulder at the Gauntlet. "All the ones I remember are about cutting."
"Didn''t you say you were focused on a Sword concept or something?" I ask.
"I wanted a consistent build," Ahkelios grumbles. I chuckle a bit.
For the next tests, I have to leave Tarin''s hut. Intuitive Analysis tells me that the Verdant Armor is more effective when there''s more life-aligned Firmament around me, and that means I have to be surrounded by the forest. It''s more of a situational skill than I would like, but I''m sure I can find ways around it.
If nothing else, a small bonus of working in the forest is that Ahkelios is really excited about having the time to look into all the nts he can. He hops off my shoulder and scrambles up the nearest tree, and I think I hear a faint shout about exotic moss.
I roll my eyes and smile.
Verdant Armor manifests around my body as a barrier of fuzzy green. I''m not sure if it''s just because of Ahkelios that I think this, but it looks a little bit like having a nket of moss cover me. It''s not my favorite look, I admit.
Tarin who''s followed along, on ount of being more interested in me testing Interface skills than in watching his wife poke and prod at a small piece of Firmament pottery throws a branch at me, and instead of bouncing off the armor, the branch... sticks.
I stare. So does Tarin.
"Did you infuse that branch?" I ask.
"I use little Firmament!" Tarin says defensively, which makes me wonder how much damage that branch might have done if I didn''t have the armor. I stare at him in mild reproach, and the old crow just ps his wings at me and squawks. "You strong. Branch not kill you."
Well, he''s probably right about that.
The branch falls off after a moment, and I pick it up and examine it. It is infused with Firmament not with a ''little'' Firmament, but probably not enough to kill me but what''s notable is that there''s a small hole in its infusion that''s slowly leaking out Firmament. That hole coincides exactly with where the branch struck my armor.
Interesting. "I think this armor absorbs Firmament?"
"Oh!" Tarin''s eyes light up. "You want me to try punch? I try punch."
"I didn''t say" I start, but I''m already bringing up my arms to guard, because I know what Tarin is going to do next. Sure enough, he darts at me in a streak of feathers and cawing which seems kind of unnecessary and a secondter, I feel a powerful impact against my forearms.
That''s about it, though. I don''t even take a step back. Tarin''s stopped in front of me, looking up at my armor with interest. It''s eaten a small amount of his Firmament, and in response it appears to have grown little flowers along the point of impact. Since it''s all Firmament, it really just manifests as small wisps of green floating off in vague, blossoming shapes. "It good armor."
"It should be. I think I got the skill from your wife," I say dryly, and Tarin''s eyes gleam.
"Then I hit harder."
"Tarin, no."
Thankfully, this time I manage to say it before he decides to try to crack my armor open. I take the opportunity to run my Firmament sense through the skill it looks like it''s a little stronger where it''s absorbed Firmament, and it''s generally absorbing as much life-aligned Firmament as it can from the surroundings. The efficiency of the life-Firmament conversion is a lot better than what it can do with Tarin''s punch or his makeshift branch weapon.
Hmm. Good to know. It doesn''t strengthen me, but it does improve my defenses, and I might be able to manually inject Firmament into areas I need to strengthen.
Last skill. Intrinsic Lightning came from Tarin, and it''s the one I understand the least. Intuitive Analysis tells me it''s a weird skill that should improve both my mental and physical reflexes, for all that it''s categorized under Speed.
"This one''s from you," I tell Tarin, and the old crow looks almost childishly excited.
"Show!"
Intrinsic Lightning.
A cloak of ck lightning surges through me, settling around my shoulders and flowing down my back; of the three skills, this is the one that feels the most natural to me. It''s also just cool. There''s a certain fun factor in having figurative lightning at your fingertips, and I let myself enjoy it. It''s not like these loops give me that much of a chance to enjoy myself, and I haven''t actually let myself soak in the idea of being able to do magic.
Everything around me feels like it slows down. Every movement feels clean and smooth and easy. Thepounded effects of Mental eleration give me even more time to process things, from the falling off individual leaves from the forest canopy to the gleam in Tarin''s eyes...
Oh.
The gleam in Tarin''s eyes.
He''s controlling himself, I can tell. The lightning in him is more subtle, less violent; I get the feeling he can push it further if he wants to, but he doesn''t. As a result, I can pretty much see him start to take a step towards me, swinging a fist in a blow that I wouldn''t be able to dodge in my normal state.
Now, I just step to the side, letting it swing past me. I let go of the skill, allowing time to resume normally; Tarin spins around and looks absolutely delighted.
"You fast!" he says. "Almost as fast as me!"
"I''d argue I was faster," I say, and Tarin scoffs.
"You phase-shift. That mean you stronger, not strongest," he tells me. "I not strongest. But I fast. My phase-shift foundation is speed. It why I strong enough to fight Interface. Strong foundation, strong core. Understand?"
I''m not certain what I''ve done to earn the sudden lecture, although I think I understand what he''s getting at. Speed is his specialty, and in situations where he can use it freely, he''s probably close to indomitable. And the Interface was... presumably attacking his foundation?
That part I''m not entirely clear on. Tarin can clearly see I don''t entirely believe him. "You use skill again," he says.
"Sure," I say. Intrinsic Lightning slows the world around me, and Mental eleration picks up as I feed Firmament into it. I note that I don''t feel tired, even though I''ve used multiple Firmament skills that would normally exhaust me. There isn''t even the beginnings of a headache.
Tarin moves.
I can''t actually keep track of him. He doesn''t hit me, because I think if he hit me at this speed he''d put a hole through my gut, but he makes it very clear that I still have a long way to go; he bounces from tree to tree, leaving a sharp crack through the wood
I react before I''m entirely conscious of it, springing forward to catch Ahkelios as he falls out of a tree with a tiny cry. Tarin stops, looking sheepish, and Ahkelios looks up at me.
"You know I can fly, right?" he says. I stare at him, and his eyes widen. "I mean"
Toote. I''ve dropped him, and he barely manages to float up before he hits the ground; he somehow manages to both scowl at me and look sheepish at the same time.
"I mean thanks," he finishes.
"Sorry I dropped you," I say with a smirk. He just flies up to my shoulder, holding a piece of moss he''s picked up from the tree. I nce at my Interface.
Now to figure out the Chromatic Threads, and then I''m finally going to bank some credits.
Chapter 54: Use Those Credits
Chapter 54: Use Those Credits
I''d almost forgotten about the Chromatic Root and Chromatic Threads, wrapped up in the rest of the rewards as I was. I''m not sure what to do with the Root, but I''ll maybe consult with Akar about it she probably has the most experience with herbs and nts.
Or Ahkelios.
Yeah, I''ll ask Ahkelios first, or the little guy will never forgive me.
The Threads... I don''t know how to summon them, exactly, but the moment I think about it, I feel a mental button make itself avable to me. It''s not dissimr from the feeling of a skill activation. I press on it, feel a strange warping sensation as my Firmament twists
and a set of threads, each tied around a finger on my right hand, manifests. They glow strangely, flickering with rainbow hues; what stands out immediately is the way the Firmament all along the threads are perfectly in tune with me. Firmament Maniption moves both the Firmament and the thread easily, meaning this is the type of weapon that gives me excellent control.
...I''m not entirely sure how I feel about fighting with threads, though. I like the Amplification Gauntlet better.
"What that?" Tarin says curiously. He waddles over, peering closely at the threads tied to my hand, and then makes a whistling sound deep in his throat. "Oooh. Weird Firmament."
"What''s that supposed to mean?" I ask, suddenly feeling protective of the threads.
"Not bad thing!" Tarin holds up his wings in mock-surrender. "It just weird. Feel... pure? Usually it hard for me to sense Firmament. But this easier to sense."
"Huh." That''s not a good thing. The advantage of using threads is that they''re hard to see it defeats the purpose if they''re both glowing and easily sensed to anyone with an affinity with Firmament. "It''s supposed to be a weapon. You think it''s useful at all?"
Tarin pokes at it curiously, then tests it against a feather reinforced with Firmament. Both of us stare as it cuts through the feather easily.
"Yes," Tarin says firmly.
I agree. Reluctantly.
"I''ll have to practice with it so I don''t cut myself in half," I mutter, and Tarin nods vigorously in agreement.
"I not spar with you for this. You ask your mantis friend."
"Wha?" Ahkelios looks up from his moss, then to the threads, then to Tarin. "...What are we talking about?"
"We''ll discuss itter," I say dryly.
Knowing what the Threads do is helpful, insofar as it''s information I might need when picking my next skills. I nce at my Interface again, just to see what my credit distribution looks like.
Credit Distribution:
Strength: 30 (179 banked)
Durability: 256 (84 banked)
Reflex: 101 (124 banked)
Speed: 194 (79 banked)
Firmament: 156 (100 banked)
Hm.
Durability and Speed will both trigger an Inspiration, and I want to talk to the others about what questions to ask Gheraa first maybe see if there''s a way to explore the time stop more than I already have. That leaves Strength, Reflex, or Firmament to start with.
Firmament is the most attractive one of the three, but it''s also the most versatile. I''ll bank itst, not because I want to, but because it might give me something that could work in synergy with whatever Strength or Reflex skill I get.
Strength... I don''t want to bank that just yet. That''s a Rank D skill if I bank it not the worst, but I could do better.
Reflex is just barely over the mark for a Rank B skill, which is good, because I couldn''t imagine being just one point short. I''d have to wait. Again. I don''t want to.
[ Are you sure you wish to bank 101 Reflex credits? ]
[ 101 Reflex credits banked! Rolling for results... ]
[ CRITICAL ROLL. ]
Oh.
Something surges. The Void Inspiration whispers within me, almost like it''s excited; I feel tendrils of its Firmament reaching out towards the Interface. It doesn''t seem able to affect it I would be worried if it could but it''s an interesting reaction, nheless.
[ Critical bonus! All existing Reflex skills will be improved. ]
[ Mental eleration (Rank C) has evolved to Quicken Mind (Rank B)! ]
[ Intuitive Analysis (Rank C) has evolved to Inspect (Rank B)! ]
[ Select between:
CRIT: Psychic Defenses (Rank B) > Iron Mind (Rank A)
CRIT: Snap Retort (Rank B) > Witty Banter (Rank A)
CRIT: Premonition (Rank B) > Foreshadowing (Rank A)
CRIT: Slipknot (Rank B) > Tripwire (Rank A) ]
The options spool out before me, and I nearly pick Iron Mind instantly. Inspect tells me it solidifies my mind against mental intrusions, and if there''s any thought I despise, it''s the idea of being controlled particrly since it''s an active threat I''ve had to worry about. Naru ims the ability to wipe my memories after interrogating me, and a defensive mental skill is exactly what I need to counter that.
Except I don''t know for sure that even a Rank A skill would be strong enough. It''s better than nothing, but...
I at least let Inspect tell me about the other two skills.
Witty Banter is apparently something driven by a unique form of Firmament that builds itself on the metaphysical bond between two opponents. It''s strengthened by emotion and creates a sort of resonance that amplifies the damage I can do. It''s... amusing? And would likely be effective against Naru.
But I''m not sure that''s how I want to fight. It''s the type of thing that will put me in the wrong frame of mind I won''t take battles as seriously as I should. It''s also not going to be effective against monsters or anything that doesn''t talk or understand what I''m saying.
Then there''s Foreshadowing.
Premonition in itself is already an upgraded version of Danger Sense, apparently. Foreshadowing is the third in that line of skills. Each increase in rank gives you more information about the uing danger; Danger Sense just tells you that it''sing, Premonition gives you a direction and a threat level, and Foreshadowing gives you an idea of what the threat is.
It''s a good skill. But the time loop itself already gives me that exact ability, and while I can''t rely on it forever...
The idea of having better mental defenses is far more attractive to me right now. Especially since I doubt my encounters with Naru were myst.
Last but not least, Slipknot and Tripwire. They''re the strangest of the four, no doubt a result of the particrities of my phase-shift. Inspect tells me that Slipknot is a skill that allows me to essentially create a checkpoint and jump back to it, in a slightly more restricted form of teleportation; it triggers when I''m in too much danger, pulling me back to a point of ostensible safety. Tripwire is a thin line of Firmament that I can leave behind, allowing me to jump back not only to the starting point but also to any point along that line depending on the danger it detects essentially allowing me to hop back and forth to evade a pursuer.
They''re interesting skills, not just because they''re so different from typical Reflex skills, but because I wouldn''t categorize them as Reflex at all they seem like Speed skills to me, given the teleportation effect built into them. I understand why they''re Reflex skills, though. They''re responsive. They''re built for me to escape situations, to react to them.
And I badly, badly want Tripwire. It would be perfect for evading both the automaton in the Fracture as well as Naru. It''s just...
I don''t want them badly enough to give up the mental defense Iron Mind would offer.
I really hope I roll them again.
Iron Mind.
[ Iron Mind (Rank A) obtained! ]
I feel the change almost immediately. Firmament surges up and settles down into the base of my skull, shifting erratically for a moment before stabilizing into something firm and reflective. It''s not a skill I can test immediately, but I feel myself rx, nevertheless.
Apparently Naru''s threat has been weighing on me more than I realized. I sigh, nce back at the Interface again, and resolve myself to continue. Next on my list is Firmament, and I bank those credits with a thought.
[ Are you sure you wish to bank 156 Firmament credits? ]
[ 156 Firmament credits banked! Rolling for results... ]
[ Select between:
Imbue (Rank B)
Temporal Static (Rank B)
Mimicry (Rank B)
Fireball (Rank B) ]
For a moment, looking at the list, my mind nks. Fireball? I haven''t done anything rted to fireballs, and it''s the closest thing to traditional magic that I''ve ever gotten from the Interface.
...Maybe it''s a result of the phase-shift.
Still, as much as it''s tempting to pick it up, I don''t think it''s the most helpful skill for me as I am right now. Even disregarding the fact that a fireball is less than optimal to use in the middle of a forest, there''s the fact that Imbue and Temporal Static are far more interesting.
Inspect tells me Imbue is a skill that helps me imbue items directly, much like Mari was trying to teach me to do. It takes over most of the work and simplifies the process, although strangely, most experienced craftsmen apparently refuse to use it. I keep that in mind as I look over Mimicry.
It''s pretty much what it says on the tin. Like Fireball, it''s one of the stranger skills I''ve been given the option to take; it gives me the ability to mimic other things by projecting Firmament over my skin. It''s effectively a powerful illusory skill.
It''s unique, but hiding isn''t exactly my strong suit, or my style. It''s the type of skill I would want to pick up in the future, but not something I need now.
As for Temporal Static, it''s... strange.
It''s a skill that messes up time in an area, slowing it down, speeding it up, and even reversing it in random pockets. It would be far more powerful if I could control it as it is, there''s a chance it will disadvantage me just as much as my opponent.
Except that my ability to sense Firmament and my ties to the skill will give me a slight advantage. I''m certain I can use it, and use it well.
Of the four, it feels like my best option not only because I need something that gives me more area control, but also because I might be able to learn something from it. A quick discussion with Ahkelios and Tarin reveals they both agree, and so with some regret in my heart, I pick Temporal Static.
[ Temporal Static (Rank B) obtained! ]
I do tell myself I''ll get a Fireball or other magic-esque skill when I have the opportunity, though, just because I want one.
Next on the list... the Chromatic Root.
"Hey, Ahkelios," I say out loud. The mantis looks up at me expectantly, and with a thought, I call upon the Interface and pull out the Chromatic Root. It emerges out of thin air as a strange, ck, branch-looking thing that twists and coils in a way that''s ufortable to look at. Tetrachromacy reveals just the slightest shimmers echoing along the edges of the root, but it doesn''t look anything like the Chromatic Threads, and something about it still feels wrong. "Do you know what this is?"
"No?" Ahkelios says, then his voice turns yfully usatory. "Did you burn a nt?"
"No," I say with augh. "It''s the reward from the Hotspot. The Chromatic Root. I was just wondering if you know what to do with it."
"I don''t think I ever got anything like that..." Ahkelios slowly realizes what I''m saying. "Are you saying this is a nt?"
"Assuming the Interface isn''t lying."
"Fascinating," Ahkelios murmurs. He hops up onto the Root, then promptly hops off, wincing as though it''s burned him. "Ow."
"Are you alright?" The Root isn''t doing anything to me, I don''t think, but if I use my Firmament sense I can feel something strange going on with how it interacts with things, including Ahkelios. I just can''t tell what it is.
"I''m fine," he says. "Um, can you let me study this for a while?"
"You''re the expert," I say with a chuckle. "Just let me know what I can do to help."
"I don''t have any of my tools," Ahkelios mutters, half to himself. "I can simte some of them with Firmament..."
I try Inspect while Ahkelios is talking, but it doesn''t give me much information. It''s not useless, exactly, but all it says is that it''s to be used in the Empty City; that doesn''t tell me how it''s useful to me if I want to use it now. Just because the Interface has a n for how it wants me to use its rewards doesn''t mean I want to y by its rules, and judging by the feel of the Firmament within it, it''s powerful.
Powerful enough that the Void Inspiration is reacting to it.
It''s subtle enough that I don''t notice it until I pay attention, and then I cast a mental nce inward, concerned. I still don''t know how to use the Void Inspiration, exactly, and it''s one I''m a little worried about using. The reaction isn''t strong, not yet, but I keep a close eye on it.
This is good. I want it to pay attention to this moment.
It''s all a part of my n.
"Ethan," Tarin says. He pokes me with a wing. "Your smile worry me."
"What?" I blink. "I''m fine! Let me enjoy this moment. It''s not like I''m nning anything evil."
"Okaaaaay." The old crow deliberately drags out the word, narrowing his eyes at me. He does not break eye contact with me as he walks backwards and sits down on a stump. I just stare at him, then nce back to Ahkelios, who''s muttering to himself and looks like he''s staring at the root through a giant magnifying ss.
...Time for a change of topic!
"I''m going to see Gheraa again soon," I mention. "Do you have any ideas what I should ask him, if anything? What can I say without breaking his cover?"
"Ask more about Integrators," Tarin says immediately. "That not suspicious. Ask about culture, goals. Curiosity natural. If he smart, he give you information when he answer."
That works for me. I take a breath.
Between Durability and Speed, I have far more Durability skills and I can push for a Rank A skill besides, if I keep collecting credits. So for this, I''m going to bank Speed.
[ Are you sure you wish to bank 194 Speed credits? ]
[ 194 Speed credits banked! Rolling for results... ]
Chapter 55: Integrator Interview
Chapter 55: Integrator Interview
[ Select between:
Warpstep (Rank A)
Misced Aura (Rank B)
Sunder (Rank B)
Somatic Discharge (Rank B) ]
[ You have unlocked an Inspiration. Bonus willmence once skill selection has taken ce. ]
I pause as I look over my options.
Warpstep is an obvious choice. The other three are interesting, and far different from other Speed skills I''ve seen before. I wonder how much my phase-shift has changed, exactly.
Misced Aura, ording to Inspect, is a skill that allows me to be in two ces at once it''s not unlike Temporal Fragment in that regard, though obviously the conditions for the skill are different. Unlike Temporal Fragment, the Firmament clones created by the skill are weak and are unable to do significant damage. It''s the type of skill that''s more for utility thanbat.
Sunder wraps me in Firmament and then moves me so fast it creates a tear in space, held open by Firmament. It''s a monumentally powerful skill for its rank, held back only by the utterck of control I''ll have over it. The skilles with no way to actually control the destination, and ording to Inspect, others with the skill have died trying to use it.
Yikes. It''s a skill I''d only ever be able to use with the Eye, maybe, if Ibine it with something that gives me more control.
Somatic Discharge, unlike most Speed skills, rips all the speed I''ve umted out of me and discharges it into the air; it allows me toe to an instant stop, which is something I''ll most likely need as I umte Speed skills. It''s easy enough to stop when I have a lot of space to move, or when I''m using someone as a punching bag and can transfer all my momentum to them; if something appears directly in my path and I''m not prepared, I might get crushed against it.
And then there''s Warpstep.
Warpstep is simple. It''s a more bnced version of the other skills, and is basically a short-ranged teleport option that isn''t limited by line-of-sight. As long as I know my destination, I can get there. It doesn''t go very far, with exponentially increasing Firmament costs beyond a range of ten meters, but that''s good. That''s more than enough to change a battle.
Once again, I''m stuck between a number of good options. As good as Warpstep is, I still want Somatic Discharge for its synergy with other Speed skills and for the potential it could have if I study it, or learn how to force it onto others. There''s some leeway with skills, if I can learn how they work and use Firmament Maniption to replicate most of the effects...
I sigh. Hopefully I''ll roll it again.
[ Warpstep obtained! ]
And just as before, the world freezes around me.
This time, it takes a moment before Gheraa appears. I''m worried for a moment, considering the condition he was in thest time we spoke part of me worries no one will show up at all, or a different Integrator will show up, and all my ns will have been for naught.
Thankfully, Gheraa does eventually show up, and he doesn''t look like he''s worse for wear. I do notice his clothes are different he''s wearing a longer suit-trenchcoatbination that covers more of his skin. The white and gold is pristine and fancier than anything I''ve seen anyone wear.
"I got new clothes," Gheraa says, grinning at me. "Do you like them?"
I say nothing. The fact that he''s hiding any marks he might have isn''t lost on me.
"Oh,e now, don''t make my job harder than it has to be," Gheraains, heaving a dramatic sigh and leaning on a cane he conjures out of nowhere. "You''re already giving me so much work. Do you know how many other Trialgoers have unlocked this many Inspirations this quickly?"
"Chat isn''t working for me, so no," I say dryly.
"Right! We''re working on that. It should be up soon." Gheraa sps his hands together. "The point is, not many. But! Allow me to present you with your Inspirations, dear sir"
"Gheraa," I interrupt, and maybe there''s something in my tone of voice, because Gheraa''s entire body freezes in response. He doesn''t quite meet my eyes, and waits for me to speak. "Do you mind if we just talk for a bit?"
"Well." Gheraa clears his throat. "Ahem. I mean. It would be improper. But I would not be opposed."
I see the lines of relief in his body, though. Maybe his bodynguage isn''t fully trantable to human but he visibly rxes, and there''s a furtive nce up towards the sky. "Inspirations are expensive, though!" he adds hastily. "So we must not dally too long."
"Surely the Integrators will be d for an interview with one of their star Trialgoers?" I say, putting on a fake smile. From what I''ve gathered, and if what Gheraa says about me being exceptional is true...
Gheraa brightens visibly. "Aha! You''re willing to answer questions, then?"
"Only if you''re willing to answer mine." I hum. "Tit for tat. How about that?"
"There are secrets I''m not allowed to reveal," Gheraa says. "But as long as you don''t ask me about any of those..."
"I''ll be careful," I say.
Golden Firmament flows out of Gheraa body, and he conjures a makeshift stage,plete with two chairs and a fake microphone. I stare at the setup for a moment then at Gheraa, who is beaming at me and shake my head. "No."
Is he pouting? He looks like he''s pouting.
"We''ll talk normally," I add. I find a log and sit down on it, and wait for him to do the same, which he does eventually, though he grumbles about it the whole time. There''s a lot of his behavior that I can tell is still an affectation, though in some regards I see him actually rxing.
It probably helps, the fact that the other Integrators aren''t here. Even if they''re watching. I might not know the specifics of what''s going on with him, but I recognize the signs of abuse easily.
"I''ll start," I say. "What are the Integrators like?"
"I''m d you asked!" Gheraa says, and considering the tone he adopts, I can tell almost immediately this is a practiced spiel. I don''t mind it gives me information. "The Integrators are your saviors, of course."
I resist the urge to roll my eyes and point out that the Integrators are also threatening to destroy Earth.
"We are an old, enlightened species. You may have noticed that we are not organic." Something in Gheraa''s tone changes, and I straighten my back slightly, paying attention to what he''s saying. He holds an arm out to me, and I watch the strange, stonelike material glimmer with golden Firmament. "But we are not machine, either. We are living, solidified Firmament."
That''s something new. I can''t tell if he''s telling me the whole truth, but there''s definitely something to his words. If the timestopped world wasn''t so restricted, I''d be testing Firmament Maniption out on his arm.
Then again, he might not appreciate that.
"We travel the cosmic skies, spreading that same enlightenment to other worlds." This part I''m pretty sure is a lie the definition of enlightenment is too vague, and there''s the smallest hint of disgust in his voice this time, when he says the word ''enlightenment''. "We consider it a sacred duty, you see."
"I''m sure you do," I say. There''s not much else I can say to that without being antagonistic, and I don''t think Gheraa needs that right now. "Do you just have a ship hanging out above the or something?"
"It''s my turn to ask a question," Gheraa says, and I mutter a small curse while he smirks at me. "So! Ethan, Trialgoer extraordinaire. Any words for your fans?"
"I have fans?" I ask. Gheraa opens his mouth, and I hold up a hand. "Rhetorical question. I don''t care. My actions will speak louder than my words ever will."
Gheraa closes his mouth and nods. "Fair enough," he says. "Do you want me to answer your question now?"
"Please."
"We are located on every that we have enlightened, and every that is in the process of Integration." This one isn''t some pre-prepared answer Gheraa''s tone is different. I wonder if this is something he''s even supposed to tell me. "Firmament allows us to keep our city connected to every at once, although it takes arge surge of energy for us to be able to connect with a new."
The change in Firmament. Tarin described the Firmament on Hestia changing in some fundamental way when the Integrators arrived. More than that, Gheraa didn''t say that they were above thes he said that they were on the.
Their city''s somehow linked to every Intgerated at once. That makes things easier for me, if I want to pull Gheraa out.
I just need to figure out a way to break in.
"Next question," I say.
"We''d love to know more about what drives you so much," Gheraa says. I wonder if he''s telling the truth, or if this is just something he''s personally curious about there''s something about his tone of voice, the way he shifts his posture forward. "You''re dealing with one of the hardest Trials we Integrators have ess to. Others have given up much earlier than you did. Of course, others havested much longer, but you''ve adapted to this Trial the most easily by far. What makes you so driven?"
I give myself a moment to mull over the question. Gheraa doesn''t seem to be in any rush, surprisingly, so I take my time; there are some limits on the answers I can give.
The easiest answer is anger. I''m angry at the injustice of the Trials, at what they''ve inflicted upon those they im to enlighten. I''m angry because they''ve threatened my home, and as imperfect as the Earth is, the Integrators have no right to it. But I have a feeling that''s not the answer Gheraa is looking for and more than that, it''s not an answer I can give if I''m being watched, as the whole interview thing implies.
So I search for a different answer.
"I''m driven because I don''t have any other choice," I finally say. It''s close enough to the truth. "Because the alternative is worse in every possible way. Sometimes you don''t need more of a reason than that."
Gheraa looks away from me. He''s uncharacteristically silent for a minute, and I don''t interrupt him; I don''t know what''s going through his mind, but it looks like it''s something important to him.
When he does eventually respond, it''scking a touch of his characteristic enthusiasm, although he''s clearly trying. "Well," he says. "Thank you for the answers! I think that''s enough for today, don''t you? Why don''t you check out your Inspirations?"
I watch Gheraa for a moment.
"If you''re driven because there''s no other option, though, it can feel pretty lonely," I add. "It helps to have friends."
I''m only able to cope as well as I have been because of Ahkelios, Tarin, and Mari. I''m under no illusions about being a self-made hero I''m where I am because they chose to help me, in their own ways. It''s possible I would still be here without them, but I doubt I would be nearly as far.
Gheraa''s shoulders stiffen slightly. "And if one cannot find them?"
"Then it''s a good thing I''m here, isn''t it?" I sling an arm around Gheraa''s shoulders. I feel them stiffen even more, and the Integrator almost flinches away in a reaction I know is defensive but he''s not angry, it looks like. I''ve gotten my message across.
Gheraa takes a deep breath.
"Here are your Inspirations," he says, studiously avoiding my gaze.
He does look a little relieved, though.
The first Inspiration appears as a crackle of lightning surrounding an empty void. It hovers above Gheraa''s hand, spasming erratically.
Inspect triggers on it, surprising me.
More than that, the Void Inspiration within me reacts.
Chapter 56: Need for Speed
Chapter 56: Need for Speed
more, the Void Inspiration whispers. more?
"Not yet," I tell it quietly, like it''s a pet. I wonder if there''s a reason I''ve only heard its voice within this time-stopped space meant for choosing an Inspiration. I would have expected to hear it speak before now, but then again, maybe it''s just getting used to... existing.
okay, it says, and it recedes back within me, surprisingly obedient. Gheraa stares at me, eyes slightly widened, though he doesn''t say a word. I wonder if he can tell what happened.
Inspect tells me that this Inspiration is the elerator. The name itself is self-exnatory, although I find myself wondering about the Void and its reaction to it.
brother, the Void speaks, almost as though responding. sister.
Interesting. A... sibling power?
"The elerator," Gheraa introduces unnecessarily. "It veers on the side of dangerous, but it can speed up any expression of Firmament. With it, you can turn a shield into a weapon, or change a short-ranged skill into a long-ranged one."
I can''t think of many skills it could apply to at the moment, as far as range goes. Maybe if I had taken Fireball. But that still makes it useful, and the Void''s reaction to it makes me inclined to pick it.
Gheraa waves a hand again. This time, the Inspiration that appears is a vibrating oscition in the air. "The umtor," he says.
I know. Inspect speaks to me, telling me what it does; as I move, it echoes my speed, using it to fuel its own store of Firmament that I can then use to fuel other skills. It''s a perfect skill for a speedster.
"It umtes Firmament based on your speed," Gheraa tells me.
I wonder why he doesn''t know that I know. He should have full ess to my status, full awareness of everything I can do. There''s a chance he''s just distracted, I suppose there''s clearly plenty on his mind but maybe there''s something else going on.
"Useful," I say, and Gheraa inclines his head in a slight nod. He''s definitely distracted.
Another wave of his hand spawns an erratic, flickering tree, its branches jumping from one position to another in a dizzying, moving disy. I look away before it gives me a headache. "What is that, a quantum tree?" I ask.
"It is exactly called the Quantum Tree," Gheraa says. He sounds amused. "It allows you to change the path of one of your skills, as if you had used it differently."
Inspect confirms his words, so I at least know he''s telling the truth. It''s essentially minor temporal maniption change how I used a skill a short time in the past.
"Is that all the Inspirations?" I ask, and Gheraa nods at me.
Nowes the time to make a decision. Again.
The elerator, the umtor, and the Quantum Tree. It sounds like the start of a joke something about walking into a bar. Of the three, the elerator feels like the most directly useful, not in the least because it''s apparently the Void Inspiration''s... sibling.
Whatever that means.
But the others aren''t useless. The umtor affects Firmament, which presumably means it''s something that willst across loops it could potentiallybine with Concentrated Power for a very powerful blow, should I ever find myself in need. And the Quantum Tree is the most directly powerful, because what''s more powerful than time maniption?
"Any thoughts?" I ask absently. Gheraa startles, as though he hadn''t been expecting the question.
"Oh my," he says. "Interested in my opinion now, are you?"
His voice is teasing, but I''m not in the mood for a joke. "I''ve decided to trust you," I say. And it''s true, I realize as I say the words. It''s not that I won''t be prepared for any eventuality, but if I''m going to do this, I need tomit to my n.
Gheraa hears my words, and he barely manages to hide a flinch. There''s a subtle widening of his eyes, a small breath let out between his... well, they''re not lips, but whatever passes for his mouth.
Being trusted means something to him, evidently.
"Well," he says, gathering himself. "If you want my opinion, you should get the elerator. The umtor does something you can already do with Concentrated Power, and if you manage to evolve Firmament Maniption or even just train it for a while, you can pretty much replicate its effects. The Quantum Tree is powerful, but it''s incredibly difficult to control. I''ve seen Trialgoers die using it."
Ouch. Once he tells me this, information spools out to me through Inspect the Quantum Tree forces you to look at all possible branches at once and make a split-second decision. Make the wrong choice, and you might end up casting your Fireball at your feet instead of actually at your opponent.
Or inverting it into yourself. Apparently that''s happened at least once.
That caveat along with the fact that the elerator is apparently rted to the Void Inspiration makes my decision for me. The Void swirls within me, reacting with excitement as I reach for the elerator.
brother, it says. sister. joining us? we hunger together?
"Not quite how I would put it," I say dryly.
"Who are you talking to?" Gheraa looks at me, confused.
I chuckle. "Don''t worry about it," I say. I hesitate a moment before I grab the Inspiration, giving Gheraa a considering look. "...Is there anything else we should talk about before I go? We may not get many more opportunities like this."
Gheraa hesitates. There''s something he seems to want to talk about but eventually, he shakes his head. "I have to prepare," he says, the words a half-whisper, as if he can''t believe he''s saying it himself. "Next time. I''ll be prepared... next time."
I nod at him. "Next time," I echo.
I grab the elerator. Lighting and void flickers into my body, and the world resumes around me
"Ethan!"
Tarin''s hovering over me, and I''m confused for a moment. Why is he above me? Why am I looking up into the sky?
Why does Tarin look so worried?
"Ethan! You awake," Tarin says. He sounds distinctly relieved. Was I unconscious? "I thought you dead."
"What happened?" I ask. I notice Ahkelios isn''t anywhere nearby his Firmament bond is pulsing within me, like he''s eager to be summoned, and I spare a moment''s concentration to pull him out. Ahkelios spawns on my chest, frantic.
"Ethan! You''re okay," he says, relieved.
"Will someone tell me what happened?" I ask, but even as I do, I can already sense it. The Void and the elerator are mingling within me, somehow. They''re not merging, exactly, but they''remunicating, dancing around one another, and every time they get too close, they draw a massive amount of my Firmament into themselves.
Guys, I say. Stop.
They stop. Instantly.
...Weird.
"You copse," Tarin says. "I see lightning around you. Then you fall down. Almost hit your head! You lucky I here."
I manage a chuckle at that. "Thank you, Tarin."
Internally, I''m more concerned about whatever''s going on with the two Inspirations. I haven''t tested out the Void yet, and I''d been nning to after spending my credits; now there''s apparently been a significant change of... some sort. It''s hard to quantify. Inspect doesn''t tell me that there''s been any change, but Inspect only tells me things that the Interface itself is already aware of.
I''m going to test you out, I tell the Void, because it seems intelligent in some sense. It''s only polite. I feel the Inspiration leap around within me in almost childlike excitement.
hungry, it says. food?
I remember the promise I made when I first acquired it.
Food, I say. But remember what I said.
"Tarin," I say out loud. "Let''s spar."
Tarin shoots me a look full of skepticism. "You hit in the head?" he asks. "You just fall over. Not good time for spar."
I grin at him, and trigger Crystallized Strength, then stack it Concentrated Power; I feel the telltale crystalline power surge into my arm, and then a distinct series of cracks as more and more Firmament begins to build within it.
Tarin seems to recognize what I''m doing, to some degree. Maybe he doesn''t know the exact mechanism, but he does know that what I''m doing is dangerous, and that he needs to stop me. I feel a surge of Firmament from him, watch as he vanishes from sight
he''s moving with incredible speed, directly towards me
and the problem with that, of course, is that it''s predictable.
I don''t hit him directly with the punch. I don''t know how strong thatbination is, or how much of an effect a few seconds of Concentrated Power has. The Void is straining within me, flooding into my arm and Inspiring it, and it stacks with Concentrated Power by sucking in all the Firmament in an area around my arm.
Tarin stumbles. I can almost feel the moment his Firmament is drawn out of him, forcibly dragged out by the void and locked further in my arm, built upon everything else. I spin around so I don''t hurt him with the subsequent blow
Crack-BOOM.
There''s a sound and a sh of light that I think means I broke the sound barrier with my punch. I stumble back a little, shaking off the ringing in my ears Tough Body keeps me protected, but I hadn''t been prepared for it. Tarin is staring at me with his jaw wide open.
"Whoa," Ahkelios says, apparently less starstruck but nevertheless impressed. "It''s like that thing my cousin can do."
I blink and nce at him, and he grins back at me; Iugh. Trust him to bring me back to down to earth in a second. Metaphorically, anyway.
"Strong skill," Tarin says, peering at the scattered leaves and forest detritus left behind by the force of the punch. "Hard to use?"
"A little," I admit. My hand''s a little shaky, and my Firmament is more drained than it normally would be from a single punch. Noteworthy, though, is the fact that I''m still standing. I think I could keep fighting at this pace for a solid few minutes.
Not so long ago, just one punch like that would have taken everything I had, and left me with a searing headache besides. I''d be left barely able to fight afterwards.
hungry, the Void whispers within me. The elerator swirls, radiating discontent; it didn''t have an opportunity to help, and I think it feels... jealous? Of its brother.
I sigh. I didn''t sign up to babysit my Inspirations. You''ll get more foodter, I promise. There''ll be plenty of opportunity if I have to fight anyone like Naru again.
For now, I have more experimentation to do. There''s an ache in my eye, like the All-Seeing Eye wants to be used; there are a number of skills I canbine, and now''s probably the best time to do it.
So I activate the Eye, and let my skills surge through my body, looking forpatibilities.
Chapter 57: Skill Combos
Chapter 57: Skill Combos
The first thing I want to try is the skillbination I was able to glimpse before, just for a second. I''d been able tobine Firestep and Triplestep into elerate but in the process, I''d noticed something strange. There was another way the two skills could bebined.
I let them thrum through my body, trying to figure it out without the help of the Eye, at least at first. Without it, though, the Firmament is nothing more than energy pouring through me. I don''t see the individual pieces that lock into one another, the way that energy can be fused into something new.
I try for a while anyway, because I don''t want to rely too much on these Inspirations. There''s a moment where I think I see it just the smallest glimpse of the underlying mechanism that the Eye makes so easy to see.
But it vanishes just as quickly, and my head is throbbing. I grumble. Maybe I''m not ready to do this by myself yet... but I''m definitely going to try again.
For now, I activate the Eye.
[ A new Skill Fusion has been found. Would you like to log the results into the Interface? ]
Yes.
[ shstep (Rank B) obtained! ]
Inspect.
shstep is fairly predictable in effect it moves me at great speed across a short distance, leaving a trail of fire in my wake. Where it differs is in sheer speed and Firmament efficiency. It uses less Firmament to do the same thingbining Triplestep and Firestep does, gives me about twice the speed of those two skillsbined, and can''t be stacked with either of its lesser skills.
That works for me. Less skills to think about in battle, if there''s one skill that''s objectively superior.
What''s interesting is where it differs from elerate. elerate is simr they both keep the fire element from Firestep but unlike shstep, elerate can be stacked with its parent skills. It ramps up over time, making it a little more suitable for long-distance travel, especiallybined with Triplestep and shstep.
Unfortunately, I can''t stack it with shstep itself. shstep is barely a travel skill at all. As efficient as it is, the skill burns itself out in seconds, untwisting in some fundamental way that can''t be supplemented just by providing it with more Firmament.
There is, I realize, so much more to learn about Firmament.
I look over my skill list, pondering which other ones might be good tobine; as much as my Firmament base has improved, I can tell I can only handle a few more skillbinations before I start to wear it down I''ve been doing a lot with my Firmament today.
It''s still a far stretch beyond what I''ve been able to do before, though. I would have exhausted myself hours ago before my phase-shift.
My skill list, at the moment, looks like this:
Strength Skills: Crystallized Strength (Rank C), Concentrated Power (Rank B), Amplification Gauntlet (Rank A)
Durability Skills: Tough Body (Rank E), Second Wind (Rank B), Barrier (Rank D), Crystallized Barrier (Rank C), Verdant Armor (Rank A)
Reflex Skills: Quicken Mind (Rank B), Inspect (Rank B), Iron Mind (Rank A)
Speed Skills: Firestep (Rank C), Triplestep (Rank E), Intrinsic Lightning (Rank A), elerate (Rank C), Warpstep (Rank A), shstep (Rank B)
Firmament Skills: Temporal Fragment (Rank D), Firmament Maniption (Rank D), Color Drain (Rank C), Tetrachromacy (Rank C), Temporal Static (Rank B)
It feels pretty good to have a more rounded out skill list now, as much as it''s getting crowded. I run Inspect and the Eye through the list, feeling out the skills that are the mostpatible.
Concentrated Power ispatible with almost everything it''s the reason I picked the skill to begin with. It feels like an empty vessel just waiting to be filled, and while normally it would only ept force, the All-Seeing Eye allows me to make the adjustments that would be needed for it to hold other, more nebulous things.
In many ways, it''s essentially a weaker version of the umtor Inspiration. The issue with it is that I have to fuse the skill before I can use it, instead of being able to just pull it out mid-battle like I would have been able to with the umtor.
So I pick the one that I imagine will be the most useful: Quicken Mind. I can forego my ability to think fast for a while, build it in the background, then unleash it when it''s time forbat; that will give me plenty of time to react to opponents, even when they''re faster than I am.
The skill clicks into ce.
[ Compounded Mind (Rank B) obtained! ]
That makes two Rank B skills. I whistle this is rounding out my capabilities nicely.
"Why you smiling like that?" Tarin demands from the background. "It scary."
"He just does that sometimes, don''t worry about it," Ahkelios whispers to him. I don''t know when Ahkelios moved, but he''s currently sitting cross-legged on top of Tarin''s head. I feel like he''s judging me.
Oh well. At least they look like they''re having fun.
The Eye spots apatibility with Crystallized Barrier. The skills don''t interact as cleanly this time Crystallized Barrier already allows itself to be built up over time as its strength ''crystallizes''. What it can do with Concentrated Power isyer the shield over itself, in a way that strengthens and reinforces everything it can do. I just have to use the new skill several times in quick session.
[ Hexfold Shield (Rank C) obtained! ]
That''s a Reflex skill and a Durability skill. I nce through my Speed and Firmament skills, hoping to round it all out with a powerful option for each.
elerate is a skill I haven''t tested out yet it''s mostly for long-distance travel, and not really as useful inbat. It''s a very Firmament-efficient skill that makes me go faster the longer I travel, ording to Inspect. Concentrated Power wouldbine with it in a way that''s very simr to how it wouldbine with Triplestep, Firestep, and shstep. Essentially, I''d just burst forward in a violent and uncontroble sh of speed.
Not exactly what I''m looking for.
Intrinsic Lightning, though? I can store it up if Ibine the skills give myself a burst of immense physical and mental speed. The only problem is that Inspect tells me the resulting skill will be incredibly taxing; for all the wonders Firmament can perform, my body isn''t physically ready for it. It''s the same reason I need a Barrier to protect my fists when I''m fighting at full strength. My body hasn''t actually caught up to my Firmament.
Still, it seems worth it.
Intrinsic Lightning is harder tobine than the other skills. It writhes and twists in my grasp, even as I force it together with Concentrated Power. I feel my Eye throbbing as it works overtime to keep track of every little twist and change, and I slowly manage to coalesce the two skills into one.
[ Lightning Rod (Rank A) obtained! ]
It''s only when I go to try tobine Concentrated Power with a Firmament skill that I run into a problem the eye doesn''t spot anypatibility. There are shes here and there, but even with the Eye, it proves almost impossible to keep track off; every Firmament skill is different, in function and foundation and form. They change, rapidly, even during use. All the other skills are structured, in a manner of speaking, but Firmament skills move almost like they''re alive. It''s worse than Intrinsic Lightning.
I strain for a while, but I stop when my head begins to pound, and shake my head with a grimace. Maybe I''ve made enough progress today.
"Or maybe I haven''t made enough," I say out loud.
Tarin stares at me, then looks up, cross-eyed, at Ahkelios. "You think he hit his head when he fall down?"
"I can hear you," I say.
"I hear you too!" Tarin retorts. Ahkelios hops from Tarin''s head up onto mine, then pokes me in the head.
"You need to take the time to figure out how to fight with what you already have," Ahkelios says. "New skills aren''t going to do you any good if you get paralyzed with indecision in the middle of a fight. Take a break, practice with them, and figure out all their little tricks. Then you can start making new skills."
I grumble. Mostly because he''s right.
If nothing else, I know I''m stronger than before. Naru, on the other hand, is limited he can''t grow stronger while he''s trapped in the loop. None of the Hestian Trialgoers can.
That gives me an advantage none of them have. When theye, I''ll be ready for them.
I should be taking a break, ording to both Tarin and Ahkelios. Mari''s still off in their hut, trying to figure out what''s going on with the skill shard I passed on to her apparently, it''s ''interesting'' and ''almost crow'', although I have no idea what that means.
Instead, I''m practicing. Ahkelios isn''t wrong about needing to figure out my new skills. Even with Quicken Mind to buffer my decision making even with it being vastly better than Mental eleration in a way that''s difficult to quantify, except that it feels like the world slowing down rather than my brain speeding up I keep tripping up. shstep is far faster than I''m used to, Warpstep is unbelievably disorienting, and Lightning Rod drains me so much that I''m left panting on the ground after a second of usage.
One second. I can''t help but wonder if there are some inefficiencies in the skill I could smooth out. Maybe the Eye isn''t perfect, and there''s more I could do to even out thebined skill.
But even if that''s the case, a lot of it is down to my still-baseline-human body. A better Durability skill than Tough Body will help, but the truth of the matter is that I worry about getting too durable.
"Stupid," Tarin says when I voice that concern. "You too squishy. Need more protection."
"He has a point, actually." Ahkelios hops down from my head to look up at me. "You''re worried about the loop, aren''t you?"
"Time only resets if I die," I agree reluctantly. "I don''t know any other way to force the loop to reset right now. If I get a regenerative skill that''s too powerful, or something that makes me physically invulnerable, I might not be able to loop anymore."
"That not bad, right?" Tarin says. He folds his wings. "You not loop, I not forget. We stay friends. Is good."
He''s not wrong, technically, but there''s an important detail he''s kind of glossing over.
"You''d still be dead if not for the loop," I say quietly.
The fact of the matter is that the loop is a tool, and I have to use it as such. The Hestian Trialgoers like Naru, and presumably the others, though I haven''t encountered them yet are still stronger than I am. Looping gives me power, information, and the ability to revert events; it''s not something I can afford to give up.
It''s probably too early to worry about that, anyway. I''m probably still a few steps away from functional immortality. I basically just need to be less durable than I am strong.
It''s a bit of a morbid thought, I have to admit.
Tarin doesn''t seem to have a response prepared, so I go back to experimenting with my skills. There''s one aspect of Warpstep that I haven''t tested, and it''s one I''m a little apprehensive about testing but it''s better to test it now than in actualbat.
It''s a simple question: Will Warpstep let me teleport inside a solid object? If it does, what happens to me?
I extend a hand. Worst that should happen is I''ll lose part of a finger. I don''t intend to die for an experiment.
Warpstep.
I pay attention to the way the Firmament moves this time. There''s a powerful surge of Warpstep Firmament, both where I''m standing and another at my destination. Which is... interesting. There''s no travel time involved. Firmament just appears, silhouetted in the rough shape of my body, positioned exactly where I intended.
There''s a moment of disorientation as I''m instantaneously disced
there''s a sharp crack
and I reappear at my destination.
Three observations.
One, my finger isn''t broken.
Two, there''s a hole sted open in the tree, around where my finger would have been.
Three, the whole ordeal cost an enormous amount of Firmament. I can sense the tree''s own intrinsic Firmament like it''s been torn apart just around where the hole is, so if I want to Warpstep into something, I have to tear apart its Firmament defense.
That''s cool, I decide, and promptly tip over. I hear a half-worried, half-angry caw from... Mari? I think that''s Mariing to look for us.
Oops.
And then I slip into blessed unconsciousness. Again.
Chapter 58: New Journey
Chapter 58: New Journey
"You reckless," Mari says. She stares at me, wings folded across her chest. I''m sitting meekly on Tarin''s bed, the straw beneath poking ufortably into my skin, which I have to believe is intentional, considering howfortable it normally is.
Also, Tarin is sitting on her head. Why the heck is Tarin sitting on her head?
"Why is Tarin sitting on your head?"
"That not the point!" Tarin points at me dramatically. I try very hard to take him seriously, I do, but... again, he''s sitting on Mari''s head.
I mean, her shoulders, technically, but that''s not the point.
"He want to be tall." Mari looks both exasperated and amused. "I tell you it distract him."
"It not the point," Tarin insists. "You need be more careful."
I mean, they''re not wrong, but also... does death really matter to me? All it means while I''m here is that I''ll be sent back in time. It won''t be without loss I''ll lose this version of Mari and Tarin
It''s around then that I realize that I do not, in fact, want to die.
Not that I wanted to die to begin with. But the next death will cost me. It will happen, there''s no way it won''t, but as long as I can dy it...
"Sorry," I say, as contritely as I can manage. "I didn''t do it on purpose. The skill just drained a lot more Firmament than I was expecting, and I figured it was better that I test it while I was safe."
That logic, at least, I still believe is correct. Tarin looks a bit mollified by this, and climbs off of Mari''s shoulders. "I scared you just training yourself to death," the crow mutters. "You careful. Loop is... dangerous. For your mind."
That I''m well aware of already. "What did you find out about the skill shard?" I ask, trying to change the subject.
Mari eyes me, as if trying to figure out if she wants to let me change the topic, and then sighs. "It interesting," she admits, almost begrudgingly. "But iplete. I think it is... blueprint. But not for skill."
"Not for a skill?" I frown. I''ve been calling it a skill shard because that''s what I thought it was a crystallized portion of an Interface skill. It feels like a skill. "What''s it for, then?"
"Blueprint for skill... foundation." Mari seems to struggle to find the work. "Basic blueprint. Like forest floor. Can grow skills on it."
My eyes widen a little. The Void responds, swirling up in eager reaction to the twinge of greed I feel. "It lets you make skills?"
"Maybe." Mari frowns at me, probably because she can hear that bit of excitement in my voice. I don''t know why. She should be excited, too; making a skill is going to benefit people without the Interface more than it will benefit me. It''s a start to having something that will let the people of Hestia fight against the Integrators...
Or maybe I''m thinking too big too fast. "I''ll find more shards first," I say.
"You keep this one." Mari presses the shard back into my hands. "Bring back to me. I remember, I not remember, it not matter. I help."
I''m touched. "I will," I say. She didn''t really need to say it out loud, even. The crows have always been more trusting than they perhaps should be.
...It makes me think about how Naru turned out so different. He''s a product of his environment, to a degree although his choices are still his own and I worry a little about how much the Trial might change me.
But there''s no point worrying, is there? Like the crows, I just have to trust. In myself, and probably in them and Ahkelios to pull me back from the brink if I start going weirdly power-hungry.
The fact that the Void stirs within me at the thought is not entirely encouraging.
"Hey, Ahkelios," I whisper. "You''ll stop me if I start bing power-hungry, right?"
"You''re not already?" The mantis gives me a nk look, poking his head down over my hair so that he''s staring at me while upside-down. "I mean, if you start bing evil, I''ll try to stop you. But I''m not exactly..."
He gestures to his ethereal self. I shrug. "We''ll fix that," I say, with a confidence I don''t entirely feel. Ahkelios doesn''t look entirely convinced, but he does look appreciative.
Okay, well, now to store that skill shard in a way that will let me keep it across loops. "You said the Empty City should remain the same between loops, right?"
"Yes?" The way Ahkelios responds turns it into a question.
I feel for the mental button that lets me open the up the dungeon.
[ Would you like to open The Empty City (Rank S)? ]
"Nothing''s going to jump out at me from the portal, right?"
"The starting area of a dungeon is always safe, but"
"Good!" I interrupt cheerfully.
Yes.
I feel the Firmament before I see its effects. A massive flood of Interface Firmament, somehow twisting the space in front of me and doing something that''s nearly invisible to my senses it''s aplex knot ofplicated interactions that somehow connects the space in front of me with a deeper, underlying ne. For a moment, I sense a sheer, staggering depth of consolidated reality, stacked on top of each other like tes.
But as soon as I sense it, it vanishes. The portal ripples open in front of me without so much as a crackle of power, the edges vanishing smoothly into the space of Tarin''s hut.
"What this?" Tarin asks. He goes to peck at the edge of the portal, and I ward him off with a hand.
"Tarin! No!" I protest. I toss the skill shard inside well, I do it a little more carefully than toss and thenmand the Interface to close the portal again.
It ripples out of existence. Tarin looks affronted. "It not hurt me."
"I didn''t want to risk it," I say. I don''t know for sure, but I feel like the edge of a portal should be unbelievably, infinitely sharp. Maybe that''s something I should test. I could use this dungeon as a weapon, and not just as an inventory.
...Thoughts forter.
"But," Ahkelios continues, ring at me. "You can''t stay in there and stay safe. There''s some sort of timer it stops being safe after about an hour. After that, it''ll be safe again only after you die."
"That feels like a stupid rule," Iin.
Ahkelios just shrugs. "I didn''t make them," he says.
"What that." Mari''s voice is t. Not upset, just stunned. "You open portal?"
"It''s an Interface thing. I figured I can use it to store things I need to bring with me to the next loop." I pause. Now that I think about it... "I guess I could use it to try to bring people with me to the next loop? Maybe?"
"They will die," Ahkelios cautions. "It''s an S-Rank dungeon."
"But the starting area is safe."
"For an hour." Ahkelios folds his arms. "Are you going to die immediately after sticking them in there? Can you guarantee they''ll stay put? How much time do you waste waking up at the start of a loop?"
"None?" I try. And then, more firmly: "None. The loop timer starts at 00:00 when I wake up. I''d know if I woke upte."
"Fine." Ahkelios concedes.
"The rest of the points are good, though, and I don''t know if the Interface will even let me." I frown. "Did you ever try bringing anyone into a dungeon with you?"
"No." Ahkelios'' reply is short. He hesitates for a second before he continues. "...I never really had any allies during my loops. It probably would have been better if I had."
I don''t know what to say to that.
"Portal feel wrong." Mari frowns, saving me from the trouble if finding a response. "It dangerous. You careful."
"I will," I promise.
She continues staring at the spot the portal was in, a slight, contemtive frown on her beak and a furrow in her brows. I''m about to ask her what''s wrong, but I''m interrupted by a frantic knocking on the side of the hut Rotar pokes his head in, looking frantic and holding apass-like device with his wing.
"Danger," he says. "Danger!"
The needle on it is spinning wildly. I don''t know what that means. I exchange nces with Mari and Tarin I don''t sense any strange Firmament as far as I can see, and Mari and Tarin don''t seem to think anything is wrong, either. There aren''t any new notifications on my Interface...
Maybe it''s about time I leave and see what these Great Cities are all about. I''ve done about everything I can here, anyway.
"Let''s go, Rotar," I say, in as calming a voice as I can. "It''s probably just malfunctioning. We''ll get you to the Great Cities and get it fixed."
"But what if something''s ," Rotar insists. "I-I don''t want to leave people here behind if they''re in danger. We should all leave! That''ll keep things safe for everyone"
"Rotar." Mari''s voice is kind but exasperated. "We not move entire vige for Great City device. Travel not easy. Travel dangerous. We move, crows die. We stay, crows maybe die, maybe safe. You understand? Even if you right... It risky."
"IBut" Rotar fidgets with his wings in a way that strikes me as adorable. "But if I''m right"
"I strong, right?" Mari says. "Tarin strong?"
"Yes," Rotar says, though with a bit of hesitation and uncertainty.
"You think we beat danger?" she asks. Her voice is calm, patient. I''m impressed, actually. Rotar is visibly wilting, the panic not gone but suppressed.
"I don''t know," Rotar says. "But I think you have a better chance than most. Even if Narues back... You''ll be able to calm him down, right?"
Tarin huffs. "Mari kick him in nuts!" he proims loudly. "He too embarrassed toe back!"
Well, that didn''t happen this loop. But Tarin''s chest is puffed out in pride, Mari isn''t correcting him, and Rotar looks... somehowforted? Weird.
"Is time to go, I think," Mari says. "Trialgoer. Ethan. You help Rotar? Go to Great Cities?"
"Of course." I don''t actually intend to look for the exit yet. I need so much more strength before I''m ready to fight the Integrators...
But the Interface is there, and the chat is there, too, reminding me exactly how much is at stake. I have to grow, and I have to grow fast. Maybe something in the Great Cities can help. If not? Well, I know exactly where I need to go, anyway.
Deep, deep into the Fracture.
Mari insists on preparing me far too much food before we''re actually ready to leave. I protest, because I don''t know how we''re going to carry all this food, but she just points out I can shove all of it into my portal.
Which I guess... isn''t wrong. I''m basically using the thing as a personal inventory, anyway. Why not.
It''s too bad it doesn''t also preserve food. Probably.
Rotar is waiting for me at the edge of the vige, bouncing anxiously on his talons. "Are you ready to go?" he asks. "I''m ready to go. I''d like to go, please."
"I don''t even know where the Great Cities are," I say dryly. "But yes, I''m ready."
"This way." Rotar takes off before I can stop him. Keeping up with him is easy, thanks to Triplestep I don''t need to use a more powerful skill at the speed he''s going at but even Triplestep feels... faster. More efficient.
Benefits of a phase-shift, I suppose.
"You''re very worried about this," I observe. He''s not as panicked as before, but there''s a sort of determination in his strides, a glint in his eyes that tell me this is not just important, but Important. I wonder how he felt during the harpy raid, and what his divination device told him.
"That vige took me in when my own n abandoned me," Rotar tells me. His voice is surprisingly controlled and matter-of-fact, for all that he''s speaking between heavy breaths. "I can''t let them down. Not again."
That catches my attention. "Again?"
"I don''t want to talk about it." Rotar looks down, away. "Sorry, I just... I don''t know you that well yet. Another time?"
"Of course." I don''t push it. I see the weight of guilt in his shoulders.
I guess we all have our stories.
Now to write a new one.
Chapter 59: A Classic Interruption
Chapter 59: A ssic Interruption
We travel for half a day before we have to stop and take a break.
Not because I''m tired. Rotar''s pushed himself to the edge and beyond, and it''s when he starts panting loudly with his tongue hanging out of his mouth that I decide he''s had enough, and make us stop. I get him some of the water Mari so generously provided, then set up a nice bed of leaves for him to copse into.
"We need to pace ourselves better," I tell him out loud. I mostly just mean he needs to pace himself better, but I figure he won''t feel as bad if I say ''we''. "We''ll get further faster if we pace ourselves. Push too hard and we''ll spend too much time resting."
"I know. I''m sorry." Rotar looks down and away. "I just..."
"It''s fine. You don''t need to tell me." I sigh, and sit myself next to the crow. "I can probably carry us both a good distance, if you don''t mind that."
Rotar looks at me. "Are you that strong?"
"He wasn''t a few days ago!" Ahkelios replies cheerfully for me. I roll my eyes and agree, albeit with an exaggerated sigh.
"I guess the Interface is everything it ims to be, then," Rotar says, sagging. "Wish I got picked."
"No, you do not," I say almost immediately, with a touch of ferocity in my voice that surprises even me. Rotar even flinches away slightly from me when I speak though he steadies himself again.
"It''d make things easier," he insists. "If I was like Naru..."
"If you were like Naru," I say. "Would you be helping him, or helping the vige?"
Rotar makes like he''s about to respond, and then falls silent as he actually considers the question. I wonder if he was around early enough that he met Naru before he was picked for the Trials.
In the silence, I make it a point to look around. We''ve made it a fair distance now from the Cliffside Crows, and everything here is... different. The forest is sparser here, with a little more space to see everything around me not that I recognize anything regardless. The nts here are all unfamiliar to me, with the exception of one that looks a little bit like a giant venus fly trap.
I resolve not to step near that one.
"Ahkelios, can you keep a lookout?" I murmur to the mantis. He wordlessly hops up onto my head, saluting me with a single insect armde, and I allow myself a small smile at his antics.
Then I close my eyes, and sink into myself.
The Void Inspiration has been surprisingly inactive. Even the one time it spoke, back when I was selecting a new Inspiration, it hasn''t tried to take me over. After the first moment where it hit me with the hunger, and I cowed it with my will, it hasn''t done anything.
Part of it, I think, is that it was sleeping. It feels a little like that now dormant within me, waiting for something.
Waiting, I think, because I made it a promise.
Its sibling is not nearly so calm. The elerator flits around within me, always curious, always excited about every little thing; it would be distracting were it not only noticeable when I focus my attention inward. I haven''t experimented with the Void at all, and the elerator is new to me.
I consider that I might be afraid.
It''s not a conscious emotion. The Void to me strikes me as almost... childlike. Consumed by its hunger, yes, but also curious and eager to listen. It''s possible that others only fell to it because the sheer force of its hunger was able to overwhelm its users, but I haven''t felt any of those effects...
Yet, I remind myself. It does me no good to allow myself to be arrogant. I should take an opportunity to test both the Void and the elerator soon, to be sure that I can handle them when I need them and at the thought, I almost swear the Void... shivers.
I narrow my eyes slightly, but I let it go. There''s not much I can do if it''s monitoring my thoughts, and if it''s nning something...
My thoughts trail off, and I nce around again.
It''s strange, now that I think about it, that everything is so silent. That the forest is so empty. There should be wildlife. There should be birds in the trees, insects chirping or flying into my face.
"Why is it so quiet?" I mutter, half to myself. The words capture Rotar''s attention anyway, and he sits up, looking around.
"That''s weird," he says. There''s a lilt in his voice that makes the statement sound like a question. "There''s usually more animals around here. I remember getting attacked by a bear once."
"A bear?" I repeat, a tinge of incredulity in my voice. "Is this a trantion thing? This has to be a trantion thing. You don''t have bears here."
"Large mammals that can maul you half to death?" Rotar says. "Five eyes, hexapedal, enough Firmament in a w to tear down a tree?"
"Okay, it''s a trantion thing." I shouldn''t be feeling relieved. This sounds much worse than bears. "Can we call them something else?"
"The vige crows call them lightws. Because their ws glow when they''re preparing to strike, and because you can use the ws to light fires."
I remember Tarin telling me about the Integrators'' use of Hestia for their Trial, and how the introduction of monsters into Hestia''s ecosystem has messed things up for them. Possibly permanently, now that I think about it. "Are they... an Integrator thing?"
"Oh, no. They''re a normal Hestian species." Rotar frowns for a moment, thinking. "The w thing might havee from the Integrators arriving and doing their thing, though. A lot of local species did change dramatically when Hestia was Integrated."
Well, that doesn''t bode well for Earth. My mind shes back to the mantis-monster and the harpy-monsters both of those are clearly different from the other monsters I''ve encountered, like the Forest Slimes in the Hotspot or the Fractured Guardians in the Fracture.
But more importantly... there are no lightws here. And that worries me more than it should.
"Are you feeling better?" I ask abruptly. "We should probably get going."
"Uh, sure," Rotar says. He looks around a bit nervously, sensing something about my voice. "Something up?"
"I''ve learned that the absence of something can be as dangerous as the presence of something," I say dryly. I don''t want to stay here longer than I have to
Rotar stands up. The act of standing up saves him, because a fraction of a secondter, an arrow thuds into the leaves, flying through where his head had been only a moment ago.
Alright. Now''s as good a time as any.
elerator. Quicken Mind.
I feel the Inspiration take hold, the buzzing presence within me suddenly expanding and gripping on to the skill that is Quicken Mind. I can almost immediately sense the dizzying Firmament strain as the elerator starts sucking up everything it can to power itself, and in turn, Quicken Mind speeds up... and up... and up.
The Void reacts, but in my elerated state, even its reaction is slow.
The problem now is that I can''t move nearly as fast as I can think. But that''s fine I only need a moment to think. To trace back the arrow to where it was fired from.
There''s Firmament embedded in the arrow, but I hadn''t sensed any Firmament while we were walking, which in itself should have been a warning sign. Now that it''s been fired, I can sense a thin trail of leaking Firmament as it traveled through the air, though it''ll dissipate in an instant. That''s more than enough, though, because it draws a clear line for me to follow.
I''m worried about leaving Rotar alone. There''s no guarantee that whoever fired the arrow is the only assant we have. I also can''t bring him with me, because at the speeds I''ll be going I''m worried I''ll snap his neck. Firmament skills don''t have nearly as many secondary protective effects as they should.
Okay. n of action.
Hexfold Shield.
Firmament drains out of me, and I see hexagonal panels unfold around Rotar, a thin barrier of blue Firmament. It drains me less than I''d expected it to I suppose that''s the whole point of this particr skill. I use Hexfold Shield five more times, feeling the barrier strengthen as it reinforces itself with every additional burst of Firmament.
I have about half my Firmament left, still, even with elerator''s drain. It''s so much more to work with than I had before. I turn off the elerator, turn towards the line I traced back, and
Warpstep. Warpstep. Warpstep.
I don''t know exactly where whoever attacked us is, but I need to disorient them so they can''t track me. I flicker towards the source of the arrow, tracing a zigzag pattern and gritting my teeth against the disorienting sh of imagery that bombards me with every teleport. I need to look around for long enough to secure a safe spot to teleport to, but I make sure I''m not looking where I intend tond.
I might be overthinking this, but considering whoever attacked us stayed perfectly hidden, and nearly killed Rotar...
There.
There''s a sh of white up in the trees. It''s well-hidden, so much so that I wouldn''t have spotted it if not for a telltale hint of Firmament. One moment, there''s nothing, and the next there''s just the slightest fragment as it''s nudged into an arrow.
And that''s enough for me.
Warpstep. Amplification Gauntlet.
Purple Firmament wraps itself around my fist, but I don''t give it time to finish forming before I send it crashing into whatever''s hiding in the trees. There''s a time for talking, and that time is long past when you start off by shooting an arrow at my friend not in the least because, although I hate to admit it to myself, I''m afraid of losing this loop.
There''s a sharp crack. It doesn''t sound like bone. I feel my fist m into something solid, throwing it out of tree and down into the open; I hop down after it, letting Tough Body absorb the impact and staring at my opponent.
I can''t tell who they are. They''re dpletely a strange metallic alloy that borders on ceramic-white; it''s made of segmented panels that conform perfectly to their body. They''re humanoid, I can say that much, but any features they might have arepletely obscured by the helmet they''re wearing.
The panels expand and contract, almost like they''re breathing. Every time they contract, they reveal a thin stream of ominously ck Firmament beneath, and it''s the only time I can sense any Firmament from the construct in front of me at all; when they close again, they''repletely dead to my Firmament senses.
What is this?
They''re standing still, one foot stepped half-back in a battle-ready stance. They''re... waiting for me? The bow they''re holding is broken in half that''s the crack I heard earlier. Either they tried to block with the bow, or I just happened to punch them through the bow.
The armor looks... mostly clean. Untouched. I didn''t crack it, even with the Amplification Gauntlet.
Stay calm, I tell myself.
But for the first time since receiving it, I feel the Void Inspiration within me stirring.
And it is hungry.
Chapter Announcement (for other book) + deleted content (for this book)
Chapter Announcement (for other book) + deleted content (for this book)
My other book isunching on Amazon! It''s pretty different from this story, but I''d still appreciate it if you guys took a look at it. Here''s the blurb:
Four friends work together to break the system and make the world a better ce in this cozy, fun-filled fantasy-adventure filled with twists and turns.
In the Prime Kingdoms, the system dominates everything. It dictates ones strength, skills, and power. It spawns dungeons and guides the actions of their monsters. But every system has its limits, and its about to push four oddball adventurers to theirs.
Theres Derivan, an enchanted suit of armor in the middle of an existential crisis. And theres the tanklike half-orc Misa, who loves exploiting the system but misses her familyunlike the anxious-but-lovable Vex, a lizardkin wizard whos run away from his own. Then theres Sev, a cleric who would rather have tea with his god than worship him. None are prepared when a simple quest goes off the rails, interrupted by the appearance of a mysterious dungeon linked to each of them.
Something is deeply wrong within the Prime Kingdoms. The system is malfunctioning, and the world itself seems to be falling apart. If Derivan, Misa, Vex, and Sev hope to survivelet alone determine the source of the chaosthey must rely on their trust for one another, share their secrets, and perhaps even engage in a bit of healthymunication.
Now if only everyone else would do the same...
(It might sound light, but there''s plenty of existential horror packed somewhere in there.)
Or, as I say in an announcement elsewhere: "It''s a very D&D-inspired, character-focused LitRPG that tiptoes around cozy interactions and vague (but increasingly worrying) implications of existential dread. The system in this story exists for a reason, and our adventurers are going to find out why. Eventually."
It''s free on Kindle Unlimited, and the narrator is Travis Baldree himself (other people would list all the famous LitRPGs he''s narrated or whatever, but personally I really like Legends & Lattes, so I''m just going to mention that). Links here:
Kindle/KU: https://geni.us/TheFabricOfReality
Audible: /pd/The-Fabric-of-Reality-A-LitRPG-Adventure-Audiobook/B0C8ZQ8F8V
Also, I''m having an AMA on the r/litrpg subreddit, so feel free to ask any questions you have for me (about this release or otherwise) here: /r/litrpgments/159cuzs/ama_with_silver_linings_author_of_the_fabric_of/
In DRR-rted news: This was the original ending to Chapter 51, and would have led down a side-arc for a couple of chapters that... didn''t really have much to do with the main plot. It was fun to think about, though! Who knows, something simr might still be canon. Hidden under a spoiler in case you don''t want to read it since it may be relevant in the future:
And then there''s the chat. I fear opening it up, almost. Every time I do, I''m worried I''ll see another name crossed out, another death.
Except this time there''s a message waiting for me.
[
CrownFall274: hey, u there?
CrownFall274: i need some help
CrownFall274: my trial has this weird fukin puzzle in it
CrownFall274: also a cat. im not sure what the deal with the cat is
CrownFall274: anyway can u help me out
CrownFall274 has sent attachment.embod
]
I blink. That''s... different.
"Hey, Ahkelios," I say. "Any idea what this is?"
Chapter 60: The Void Giveth, and the Void Taketh Away
Chapter 60: The Void Giveth, and the Void Taketh Away
There are no words to describe the feeling that the Void Inspiration suddenly exudes. It doesn''t speak, like it has a few times when trying to convey something to me. Something within it is suddenly raw and animalistic, and I feel the elerator begin to zip around again, as if in excitement.
I don''t know what''s triggered it. I don''t know what makes this source of Firmament so different from all the others; why the Void remainedrgely dormant until now. Maybe it just took this long to wake up.
But the urge to step forward and crush is overpowering, not in the least because it aligns exactly with what I already want to do.
That''s the only reason I resist, at least for now. I''m stubborn, and if I feel like I''m being forced to do something, I no longer want to do it. It''s not a trait I''m proud of, but a little hesitation is probably warranted if the semi-eldritch presence within you wants you to do something.
Like when you picked the elerator? I ask myself semi-sarcastically. But that''s different. Or something.
"Ahkelios," I say. "Any idea what this is?"
"I don''t..." the mantis''s voice is soft. He''s been a bit quiet, now that I think about it, and there''s a small strain in his voice that sounds almost like he''s in pain. "It''s dangerous. Be careful."
I spare a moment to worry about Ahkelios, because my opponent still isn''t doing anything, but then I focus myself, and let everything else fall away. I''ll ask him what''s upter.
Crystallized Strength. Amplification Gauntlet.
The double-activation makes the subsequent strike twice as powerful as before. I don''t bother with a speed skill for now. I want to see how the construct reacts. Right now, I don''t even know if it''s a person.
Rush forward three steps. Rotate the hips back and swing, throwing your full weight into the punch. Even before the Interface, I knew how to throw a good punch.
The construct drops its bow at thest moment, then crosses its arms to block the punch. It doesn''t dodge. The impact rings into the metal it''s wearing, and the Amplification Gauntlet thankfully protects my hand from being torn apart by the force of the blow.
Every panel on its body res open as it absorbs my punch, revealing the dark Firmament within, and the Void within me roars.
It channels itself into my skill before I can stop it. Threads of ck etch themselves into the lc purple of the Amplification Gauntlet, pulsing almost like veins; I can feel the Amplification Gauntlet reacting, trying to destabilize and dissipate, but something about the Void keeps it held together. Those threads spear into the openings on the creature''s suit, diving into the pitch-ck Firmament and drinking greedily.
The effect on the Gauntlet is almost grotesque. It bulges unpleasantly, like it''s taking in more Firmament than it knows what to do with, and more threads of Void leak into it to hold it together.
All of this happens in less than a fraction of a second, before I have time to react. It happens in that instant of impact where my gauntlet is still in contact with its forearms.
I try to pull it back. It''s more instinct than anything else, a reaction to one of my own skills going out of control; I have to grit my teeth to do it, because forcing it back through willpower feels a little bit like tearing my own skin off, or forcing your hand to stay in contact with a stove. Everything in me is telling me to just let the Void do what it wants, and only the smallest part tells me no.
I try to see it as practice. I''ll have to reign it in someday, after all.
The punch itself doesn''t affect the construct much, but the Void does. It''s reached into my opponent and pulled out something vital; whatever I''m fighting stumbles backwards and then copses onto its ass, and a few of those hexagonal panels fall off into the dirt.
Not a construct. Where the ck Firmament has receded, I see... chitin. Someone else like Ahkelios? But the color is wrong; this is a light brown, and the carapace is shinier and harder than the living version of Ahkelios that I remember. That, and there shouldn''t be two of his species here.
Unless I''m wrong, of course.
"Wait, don''t kill him," Ahkelios suddenly says, a note of panic in his voice. "Don''t"
"I''m trying," I say, gritting my teeth. I shouldn''t really be trying at all. If I killed whoever this was, they would deserve it. But I have questions, and I need information, and whatever the Void''s already done, it''s drained them enough that they don''t look like a threat.
Maybe the Void won''t kill them. Maybe it''ll just drain the rest of the Firmament in the suit and be happy with that. I touch on the Inspiration within
HUNGER, the Void screams, and I shut myself off from it hurriedly.
No. In the state it''s in, it''s going to consume everything and more if I let it. There''s no distinction between friend and foe here. It wants everything, even my Firmament, even the still-active Amplification Gauntlet that should have long faded away by now.
I focus my will and pull, focusing all my effort on a single thought, like I did when I was choosing the Inspiration in the first ce.
No.
The word resonates within me. I empower it with my Firmament, a pure, distilled drop pulled from somewhere within that I don''t quite fathom yet, something rted to the phase-shift that changed the very core of my being. The Void trembles beneath my will, the Amplification Gauntlet flickering, the threads of ck slowly receding.
It absorbs the Firmament imbued into my will, and finally, finally, it goes silent.
The Gauntlet vanishes. I copse onto the forest floor and nearly heave, something in me deeply nauseous, but Ahkelios tugs at me. "Get the suit off him," he says, his voice urgent. "Hurry."
I can see that ck Firmament slowly creeping up again. What the Void did here won''tst long. The armor seems alive in a way that''s distinctly ufortable, radiating ominous Firmament that''s almost certainly rted to the Void in some way.
I do as Ahkelios says. I don''t know exactly what''s happening here, but I have my suspicions especially watching the way the Firmament creeps across bare carapace, digging in in a way that looks almost painful. It takes effort, and no small amount of Firmament, but I rip each panel off.
The person that lies underneath is... well, the closest Earth analogue would be an ant, but that''s a poor descriptor. They have the antennae and thergepound eyes, and it''s what they remind me of. They also have a mouth how that works with their carapace I have no idea and two sets of arms, folded together in the suit in a way that couldn''t have beenfortable.
"You wanna tell me what''s going on?" The words are directed at Ahkelios. Our ant... not friend. Prisoner? Is unconscious, and therefore can''t answer any of my questions at the moment.
"I''m trying to remember." Ahkelios winces a little bit, clutching his head; his gaze is stuck on the hexagonal panels I''ve since torn away. "That''s... a punishment? It''s a punishment. I fought them before, and I had no idea... and then I found out."
"And what kind of punishment is it, exactly?" There''s a distinct chill in my voice. I know the answer before I even ask, but I ask anyway, because some small part of me hopes that this is anything other than what I think it is.
"That armor is a Voidsuit," Ahkelios says. His voice is distant, like he''s remembering. "It traps people. Uses them as puppets."
Yep, it''s exactly what I think it is. It exins why the Void Inspiration reacted so strongly to it, too, though I don''t know how to feel about it being used for control. I''m not surprised, I suppose. "Integrator tech?"
"Repurposed Integrator tech," Ahkelios says. "I never ran into the people that were sending them out. I don''t know their stories."
There''s a flicker of guilt in his voice.
I don''t waste any more time Rotar is still inside my barrier back there, and there''s every chance that this isn''t the only Voidsuit assassin sent after us. Or after him, perhaps: that arrow was very targeted. I hesitate for only a moment before I toss the ant''s body into the Empty City, mentally starting down a clock. Leaving them here doesn''t seem like the best idea I have questions for them, and I can''t afford to have them wake up while I''m carrying them. Not if they might still be an enemy.
It''s not the safest ce for them, but I don''t see many other options.
shstep.
There''s no need for subtlety this time. I dash back towards Rotar, who is thankfully still intact and sitting behind my barrier, although he looks scared. I don''t me him. I reach forward, grabbing him and hauling him along with me, reducing my speed to a mere Triplestep so I don''t hurt him in the sheer whish of speed. Then I step it up again, dashing forward and out of the area.
Rotar barely has the time to squawk in surprise. I feel him gathering the Firmament to defend himself and attack me a fraction of a second before he realizes who I am; then he sags, the look of terror fading from his face.
"Warn me before you do that!" he protests. The words are lost in the wind, and although I don''t have time to reply, I do manage to look down and give him a dry, deadpan look.
Which almost causes me to crash into a tree. Note to self: don''t look away while running at these speeds. That should bemon sense, Ethan.
Once I''m a little more assured of Rotar''s safety I''m not exactly worried about my own I switch again to Triplestep, so that I''m not leaving a charred trail of grass and dirt behind me. We''re far off course to the Great Cities now, enough so that anyone tracking us shouldn''t be able to find us just from drawing a line from the Cliffside Crows to the nearest City.
It''s still some time before I actually put Rotar down, though. I want to make good distance, and I make sure that this time, there are actually animals around birds and wildlife I have no words for, including something that looks like a cross between a rabbit and a deer.
Those animals flee at my presence, but I can still sense them hiding nearby. Good. It feels... safer.
"What was that?" I ask, directing the question to Rotar. He''s been silent for most of the trip first afraid, then contemtive, as he no doubt tries to figure out what happened. He doesn''t answer me for a moment.
"I don''t know?" he tries, and then detes after a minute. "I think that was a soldier from one of the Great Cities. I don''t know why they would be here, though. And I don''t know why they would try to kill me."
"Any chance they were targeting me instead?" I ask. I am the Trialgoer here, after all.
"Maybe." Rotar seems uncertain at best. "There are reasons they might target me. I was once a researcher in the Great Cities, and although they allowed me to leave, I technically know many of their secrets. They might want me dead to prevent me from being captured by their enemies, or they might want to recapture me..."
"I don''t think that arrow was set to capture," I say dryly. Rotar just looks at me, confused.
"How does one set an arrow to capture?"
"Nevermind." I shake my head. That''s not important right now. "I have them. We can ask them whatever questions you need."
Speaking of which, it''s about time to let them out. It''s been about an hour.
I really hope they didn''t decide to move.
Okay. A reminder for myself, in decreasing priority: Question the ant. Talk to the Void Inspiration and find out what happened. Get to the Great Cities.
[ You have defeated a Mechanical Remnant (Rank D)! +52 Strength credits. +31 Durability credits. +66 Reflex credits. +60 Speed credits. ]
...And figure out what''s going on with that. The rank of the Remnant notification has increased, I notice. That''s concerning. I should be happy about getting credits without needing to kill anything or die myself, especially since I haven''t had much opportunity to gain them, but I''m mostly worried instead. It feels like it''s building up to something.
But there''s nothing I can do about it, so I move on.
[ Are you sure you want to open The Empty City (Rank S)? ]
Yes.
Chapter 61: Feeling Antsy
Chapter 61: Feeling Antsy
The portal to the Empty City ripples into existence in front of me, and I note with some relief that the ant is, in fact, still there. They seem barely conscious, and with a small bit of rm I notice that their Firmament is all haywire there are flickers of Void still within them, though those traces are small enough that it doesn''t seem to awaken the hunger within me.
I''m not sure what else I expected, I suppose. There isn''t much time left before this area bes dangerous, so I reach in and drag the ant-person out.
I wonder in the back of my mind if I should stopparing all these species to various Earth animals. Mari and Tarin have been referring to themselves as crows this whole time; it''s no doubt some feature of the trantion function, but it seems a little demeaning.
Not that any of that is the point.
Rotar watches in a mixture of fascination and fear as I drag my so-called prisoner out and carefullyy them down onto the forest floor. There''s a flicker of recognition in his face.
"You know them?" I ask.
"I... no." Rotar hesitates. "Not really. I recognize the species. A lot of them are used as soldiers for some of the factions in the Cities. They''re kind of, uh... scary. Big and intimidating."
"What''s their species called?" I ask, notmenting on the ''big and intimidating'' thing. They''re about the same height and size as I am, and Rotar is on the smaller side for a crow.
"They''re called morphlings," Rotar says. "They have a few different forms they can change into it''s part of what makes them so useful as soldiers. They can serve basically any role."
"Right." I kneel down next to the morphling. We don''t have any more Phantom Root on hand, though this time the Firmament ravaging within them isn''t the Interface; I assume there won''t be any permanent consequences for this...
But I don''t see a way to fix this. Not without talking directly to the Void. I''ve been avoiding it a bit, I realize. For all that I took it because I was sure I could avoid it controlling me, there''s been a small amount of worry coiling around inside me.
No more of that. Especially if it''s going to pull things like this.
Void.
Intentionally activating the Inspiration feels far different from it activating itself. Instead of being a roaring beast, it''s a small presence within me, reaching out with tiny feelers almost as though it''s curious. Then it withdraws, as though confused, and I realize I haven''t given it a skill to attach to.
Concentrated Power.
Easy enough. I feel Firmament begin to gather in my arms and legs, empowering me slowly. I''d have to hold this skill for hours to make it stronger than my normal Strength skills, though it''s a rtively easy skill to hold it doesn''t really take any concentration. I imagine I''d be able to keep it on even while asleep.
With the Void, though...
The Inspirationtches almost eagerly on to the skill, threading itself through the pulsing Firmament like it''s a lifeline. I feel the impact almost immediately as the Void begins to draw on the Firmament surrounding me. Concentrated Power is growing almost twice as fast, and that''s without me intentionally drawing Firmament out of anything.
hungry? the Void says it as though it''s a question, although I can feel the hunger from it. tasty.
d you''re enjoying the meal, I answer from within. Mostly because I think if I said that out loud it would scare Rotar. Want to tell me what you did to this poor morphling?
I get the distinct impression that the Void is... licking its lips. Not that it has any to lick, but it somehow manages to convey that sensation, along with the stretching sensation of a grin. It''s unpleasant. tasty, it says again, which is about as far away from a useful response as I can imagine. i eat.
That''s... almost a hint. I lean down by the morphling''s body, examining their chitin more closely, and then focus exclusively on my Firmament sense.
Everything inside the morphling''s body is chaos. It''s hard to make out exactly what''s happening, but it''s simr to what was happening to Tarin so much so that I wonder if the Void learned from it, somehow. There''s almost nothing I can make out of what''s happening in there.
I let my senses narrow further, focusing on just the Firmament in the morphling''s head, then their antennae, and then just a single point on the tip of an antennae. It''s only then that I can even catch a glimpse of what''s happening.
No wonder the Void is so satisfied and docile. I get the impression that it''s purring, almost, even as it lends me its power. There''s barely any strain on my Firmament.
It''s still feasting.
There are tiny pieces of Void Firmament left stuck within the morphling, and they''ve manifested forck of a better term tiny mouths,tching on in an almost parasitic way to the morphling''s Firmament. It''s fighting like an immune response, bucking and twisting to try to throw off the Void, but it only works in bits and pieces. I can''t imagine how this feels.
Enough. Inner voice or not, it''s cold and angry, and I feel the way the Void stills in response to me. Let them go.
hungry, it tries to say, defiant.
It''s strange. I can''t sense how that Firmament is being transferred to me or to the Void. I can sense that it''s being consumed, but I don''t sense any equivalent growth in my own strength which makes sense, since I''m not the only user of this Inspiration nor do I sense that Firmament being sent anywhere.
I''ll feed youter, I say, electing not to argue for the moment. Let it go now.
Thest word rings with Firmament emphasis. I feel a drop of my Firmament being swallowed up by the Void, as though it''s trying to defy me but just as soon as it swallows that piece of my Firmament, it shudders strangely within me, and I feel it pulling back.
...moreter, it says.
Is that all it wants? A piece of my Firmament?
I don''t care about why in the moment. I just need it to stop doing whatever it''s doing to the morphling. Fine.
hand, the Void instructs, and I reach out to press my hand against the morphling''s shoulder, sensing the intent behind the instruction. The chitin feels warm against my fingers. I can almost feel the pulse of blood beneath, which makes this rank up there amongst the strangest things I''ve experienced sinceing to Hestia.
The Void reaches out, tiny tendrils through my fingers, and dives deep. The morphling''s body lurches Rotar hurries over to try to keep them still, and Ahkelios helps, extending a small of his borrowed Firmament over the morphling''s limbs to keep them down.
I wince in sympathy. From what I''m sensing, this seems... ufortable.
The Void entwines itself through every fragment of the morphling''s being, and all the fragments of Void Firmament left stuck within it attach itself to the tendrils. I wonder, briefly, if it could have done something simr to help Tarin but the Interface is a whole degree of power higher, and the Firmament here is being cooperative. It only takes a minute or two before all the Firmament ispletely extracted.
I deactivate the Inspiration, though I leave Concentrated Power running. Just in case.
"They should wake up soon," I say, although I''m not exactly certain about it. The morphling''s Firmament is settling, but it looks damaged. Whether that damage is so extensive that they can''t wake up...
They begin to stir, and I wipe the thought from my head, stepping in front of Rotar just in case. I''m sympathetic about them being puppeted around by a Voidsuit, but I still don''t know who they are.
...And they barely seem to, either.
When the morphling wakes up, they look around for a bit, as though lost; they don''t move to attack, though I keep my center of gravity low and my arms ready to defend. I can''t help the pang of sympathy I feel, though.
I recognize that look, even across species. It''s the look of someone with nowhere to go.
"Please," the morphling says. Their voicees through the Interface with a slight ent, though I can''t ce where it''s from. Asrge as they are, the tone that emerges is gentle and soft and airy, in sharp contrast with their otherwise intimidating frame. "I want to go home."
"Where is that?" I ask. I try to keep my voice low, more out of instinct than anything else. Like I don''t want to frighten them. It''s their posture, the way they hunch in on themselves like they''re trying to protect themselves from the world.
I recognize that, too.
"Up," the morphling says simply. They look up at the sky, and I see the look of crushing disappointment on their face when they see nothing there. "...Gone, now. Our home. Broken."
I don''t know what to say to that.
The morphling slowly gets up, pulling themselves to their feet and staring gingerly at their own four hands. They flex them slowly, clenching them into fists and then rxing them again, as though wondering at having control over their own bodies once more.
"I remember," they say, softly. There''s a lot of meaning buried in those two words a lot of anger, though that anger doesn''t seem directed at me. "It has been so long. Thank you. I owe you a debt greater than you could ever know."
"I think I also almost killed you, so it sort of evens out," I say dryly, mostly because I don''t know what else to say in the face of such genuine gratitude. I mean, what am I supposed to do, say you''re wee? That seems... insufficient, somehow. And ''no problem'' is even worse.
"I would have preferred death to an eternity in that cage." The morphling is still barely looking at me, but they finally do, and they seem briefly taken aback. "I do not recognize your species... You are someone new? A Trialgoer?"
"Why does everyone figure it out instantly?" I ask. It''s a rhetorical question; evidently, as many species as there are on Hestia, humans are still distinct enough that they''re immediately recognized as foreign, and apparently there''s only one source of foreign species here.
"You are different," the morphling says simply, confirming my suspicions. "It is enough. And your friend..."
"Rotar," Rotar supplies.
"Ahkelios!" the mantis says, perched atop my head. The morphling blinks slowly this is the first obviously non-ant anatomy I see, with the way their eyelids close horizontally acrossrgepound eyes.
"I am they who are called K''hkeri," the morphling says, sweeping into a slight bow. "You are..."
"Ethan," I say, wondering how I''d ended up being thest one to introduce myself.
"Yes." K''hkeri whose name trips across my tongue when I try to pronounce it, even mentally tilts their head slightly. "Your friend. He is... a crow?"
"Is that actually the species name?" I ask, because I''ve never asked before. Tarin and Mari have openly referred to themselves as crows, though.
"Interface trantions can be inconsistent," Rotar supplies. "I don''t know what you''re hearing, but we hear the word we use for our species."
Sure, I''ll me the Interface for it. Better than admitting I''ve been calling them an Earth animal. "Makes sense."
K''hkeri, before I can say anything else, bows a deep bow to Rotar. "I am sorry for what we have done to your people," the morphling says. "I want it to be known that what we did, we did not do by choice."
Rotar looks taken aback. "I... I know that," he says, though he sounds off-bnce. I notice now a faint trembling fading out of him, and wonder if he''s been afraid but hiding this entire time. "It''s the fault of the Cities. Not anything you did."
"And yet, we bear the weight of it," K''hkeri says.
There''s evidently a lot of context that I''m missing here. I see the way K''hkeri looks at Rotar, and watch as something invisible passes between them; acknowledgement of past crimes forgotten, perhaps, or something along those lines. I''m curious, but I have more pressing questions.
"Why were you after Rotar?" I ask.
K''hkeri stills. "It was an order," they say, no small amount of disgust suddenly evident in their eyes. "An order from the Serpents. I cannot speak with certainty about their goals, but they wish for the power of the Interface for themselves."
"My research team was heavily involved in Interface research," Rotar says, looking away. It puts into context the way he''d spoken earlier about wishing he''d been chosen for the Trials.
"You used to be one of them," I say, making the connections; I could be wrong, but I see the way Rotar sags, and I know that I''m not.
I''m sympathetic, I think. I''m no stranger to past choices weighing on you, and this one might be worse than most, based on the context.
"Also, I really need someone to exin to me what''s going on," I add.
Chapter 62: Fast Travel
Chapter 62: Fast Travel
So the summary of it all is... simple. I think. It''s a lot of information at once, but I''ve got the gist of things.
The Great Cities, it turns out, are a loose coalition of various cities in the center of this particr Hestian continent, with the very rough goal of appropriating the resources allocated to the Trial for themselves. They have the view that since Hestia is their, and they bear the cost of the Integrators rearranging theirndscape and introducing monsters to their ecosystem, they might as well reap the rewards meant for the Trialgoer.
I''m surprised the Integrators haven''t interfered, but I can''t say I me them. I''d admire them, even, for the tant show of defiance.
Except ording to Rotar more than half of their resources are wasted spying or stealing from one another. Or defending from the underground groups in their own cities that are trying to do the same thing. Or identally blowing up the resources they''re trying to get in wildly reckless experiments.
I''m going to say my admiration stops at ''eh, they''ve got the right spirit, I guess''. I''m not sure how they managed to wrangle themselves into a loose collective and still fight among one another.
The Serpents that K''hkeri mentioned are one of those underground groups. It''s short for the Serpents Beneath a pretentious title if I''ve ever heard one and they are, unsurprisingly, an underground organization that performs research on the Interface. They''re led by one of the Hestian Trialgoers, who as best as I can gather from Rotar is some sort of metallic golem that wants to gift the Interface to all of Hestia.
Sure. Okay.
"And they want you dead because they''re worried you''re going to leak what you know about their ns?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at Rotar. He fidgets, fingering the doom-predicting device he holds in his feathers.
"Yes," the crow says. I guess I can understand why he''s so anxious about the thing if he fears for his life, something like that would be a game changer.
Speaking of which.
"I don''t suppose that thing says we''re not in danger anymore?" I say, peering at it. There''s a chance the danger it was predicting was Rotar''s uing assassination by K''hkeri. But Rotar holds it up, and the dial is still spinning wildly.
"No," he says. He sounds nervous. "We''re still in range of... whatever it is."
"Or it''s malfunctioning," I remind him.
"Pocket oracles are unlikely to malfunction," K''hkeri informs me, and I nce over at the morphling.
"Exactly!" Rotar gestictes wildly at K''hkeri, vindicated by the morphling''s words. "Even if something is wrong with it, whatever damaged it is going to be really dangerous in and of itself!"
In a fit of ego, I wonder if it''s my presence messing with the... pocket oracle. Probably not. "When did it start going haywire, exactly?"
"I don''t know." Rotar looks glum. "I was trying to check it less. I hadn''t checked it for... at least a week. You saw me when I first checked it I went to talk to Mari about it."
That ces the first time we know it was detecting danger at just after I returned from the Hotspot. If I loop again and I manage to find Rotar, I''ll have to see if the pocket oracle senses anything wrong earlier in the loop.
I very carefully don''t think about how I framed that sentence in my head.
"Right," I say instead. "Thanks for filling me in. Maybe let''s hurry to the Great Cities a bit, yeah?"
No one argues.
The problem, of course, is that our group of two three if you count Ahkelios, though he doesn''t need to be ounted for when ites to transportation is now a group of three, with K''hkeri taking the lead. They im to know a ''shortcut'', and neither Rotar or I quite trust them enough to let them take up the rear.
Not that it matters, either way; Ahkelios has taken it upon himself to watch K''hkeri like a hawk. I don''t think he''s looked away from the morphling for the past thirty minutes, and considering how easily distracted he usually is, that''s saying something.
"What exactly is this shortcut supposed to be?" I ask. I nce through the Interface as we talk I have more than enough processing power now to multitask with Quicken Mind, although it''s more akin to just rapidly shifting my attention back and forth.
Two new deaths. Two new humans dead to the Trials. My heart tightens in a mixture of fear and anger.
Seven in total, now. It''s a small number out of three thousand; I would have expected more deaths. But it''s clear that the selection process isn''t as random as they im, so maybe I shouldn''t be surprised.
Especially since my Trial is supposedly one of the hardest, and the single caveat it has is that I can''t die, because I''ll just loop back in time. My mouth tightens into a grim line, but before I can ruminate on it further, K''hkeri speaks.
"It is..." the morphling pauses, as if trying to find the word. "A slipstream of Firmament. It can carry you, if you know how to use it. It is how morphlings travel."
"Are you sure you want toe with us?" Rotar asked. It''s not the first time he''s asked this question I see him wringing his wings together in worry, and I sympathize. The crow knows exactly what the Great Cities did to K''hkeri. That they were so willing to walk right back into them...
"I have nowhere else to go," K''hkeri says simply.
Not much I can say to that.
"I think it''s weird that you want to go back there with us." Ahkelios is pretty vocal about his suspicions; it''s not like the thought hasn''t ured to me, but I''ve chosen to bury that concern for the moment. "If I were you I''d want to go anywhere else, even if I had to do it alone."
"...We are a social species," K''hkeri says after a moment. "Not having any others to speak to is akin to torture. The Voidsuit was one such torture."
It just keeps getting worse, doesn''t it? Even Ahkelios goes silent at that, though I notice he doesn''t look away from K''hkeri, which is... probably for the best.
A Firmament slipstream.
The more I learn about Firmament, the more aware I am that I''m vastly out of my depth.
If nothing else, I''m curious to see how this will work.
As long as K''hkeri isn''t leading us into a trap, that is.
Concentrated Power is still active, and I''ve seen no reason to turn the skill off. I''m stronger than I''ve ever been right now, even if that strength is only going tost for a single punch. With the Amplification Gauntlet, I would estimate this to be enough to hurt Naru, so if there is a trap, I''m as prepared as I can be.
"We are here." K''hkeri''s voice is soft. They spread all four of their arms out towards an empty space marked only by a small circle of stones on the ground; the stones look old and worn, with dirty moss creeping over them. Rotar looks at it, confused, and I focus on my other senses.
There is something strange in the Firmament here. Not something I would have noticed without K''hkeri here to guide me. It''s almost like a small slit in the air where the Firmament isn''t quite aligned with itself and if I pay attention, I can see why.
The small traces of ever-present Firmament in the air are disappearing and reappearing, like they''re falling out of reality just for a second.
"Slipstreams are normally quite difficult to travel," K''hkeri says. "But you have me as a guide."
With that, they step forward, and I witness firsthand why their species is called a morphling.
Carapace cracks and shatters, and K''hkeri grows. Taller, mostly. They stretch upwards, their features growing thinner and their four arms melting into two;pound eyes shrink and split, separating into six distinct ones.
Itsts only for a moment, and then chitin snaps back into ce, and I''m faced with an entirely different version of K''hkeri.
"I find most other species are ufortable when we change," K''hkeri says. Even the voice is different. "For yourfort, I will introduce myself again. I am she who navigates the streams Ikaara."
I blink. "For myfort?" I ask. "I''m fine if you want me to keep referring to you as K''hkeri. I know how shapeshifting works."
"With morphlings, our identity also experiences a shift," K''hkeri or Ikaara, I suppose exins. "The names help us stay distinct. Not all morphlings adopt the custom, but I find it keeps the memories nicely sorted."
"Ikaara it is," I say. I wonder how many forms she can change into. "Want to tell me why you changed?"
Ikaara cocks her head slowly, considering the question. "...Slipstreams are most easily navigable in these forms," she finally says. "With it, we can see where the streams lead. Losing yourself in a slipstream is a quick way to find yourself very, very lost, and asionally torn apart."
"Slipstreams are dangerous, got it," I say. Poor Rotar looks terrified. Ikaara rolls her shoulders as she stares at the slit in the air then thrusts both of her hands forward and pulls.
There''s a strange Firmament I don''t recognize at y here, strung along her fingertips like the threads of a cobweb. It sticks to whatever the slipstream is made out of, and she tears it open like it''s paper.
What I see beyond is... hard to describe.
Tetrachromacy activates itself, sending Firmament up to my eyes it urs to me that this is likely what Ikaara needs this form for. I go from seeing a dizzying array of nothingness to a vibrant stream of Firmament in colors I find impossible to name, all vanishing into a single point in the center.
Ikaara touches on that point like it''s nothing, even though the pressure of all that Firmament looks to me like it should crush her.
"This way," she says. She holds out a hand. I nce at it, shrug, and ce my hand in hers; Rotar joins us so that we''re all holding hands around the slipstream. Ahkelios perches on top of my head, watching curiously.
"What now?" I ask, but almost as soon as I finish asking the question, Ikaara steps... sideways.
Not literally sideways. Firmament gathers around her, and she moves in some direction that was invisible to me until the exact moment she moves; suddenly, I perceive an entirely new direction, an entirely new spatial dimension.
It is, incidentally, very difficult to describe moving in four dimensions.
I feel the Firmament moving around us. The scale of it is immense, farrger than I can hope toprehend; I can''t tell if it epasses the continent, the, or every single in every single star system in the gxy. There''s an immensity that destroys my sense of scale.
Rotar is disoriented, and I feel him trembling slightly; I grip his ws reassuringly not that I''m much better off. I have no idea where we''re going.
Ikaara, on the other hand? She floats forward like she''s perfectly at home. She knows exactly where to go, exactly where to step, and Firmament parts in front of her like she''s doing nothing more than opening curtains over the windows.
There is a certain raw beauty to the sight, and yet... I get the sense that something is wrong.
Ikaara leads us forward, and I stop paying attention to her, casting my mind about to try to understand that strange sense of wrongness that suddenly aches within my chest.
It takes me a second to understand that the reason the sense ising from my chest is because that sense of wrongness ising from within.
It isn''t the Void. It''s the Interface.
The Interface... does not like the slipstream.
Chapter 63: END OF BOOK 1 - Temporal Storm
Chapter 63: END OF BOOK 1 - Temporal Storm
"I think we might have a problem," I say. The ache in my chest is only growing, and with it, there''s a distinct sense of dread. I''m not sure if the dread ising from me or from the Void, which has very much decided to start paying attention to current circumstances and is now emanating a distinct feeling of hunger.
Ikaara stops. When she speaks, her voice is strange. "It is difficult to navigate the currents, especially with two passengers," she says to me; the words are distorted by a stray rush of dense Firmament moving past us, and I have to blink several times to get rid of the afterimage imprinted onto my retinas.
Briefly, I consider turning off Tetrachromacy but no. I''m trying to learn. I need to know what Ikaara is doing here, in case I need to do it on my own. Right now, I have barely a clue.
"The Interface is reacting to the slipstream," I say with a slight grunt. Ikaara observes me, six eyes blinking alternately, and I feel her gaze like she''s looking through my skin.
"The slipstreams are usually only navigated by us morphlings," Ikaara says, her voice faintly distracted. There''s a small undercurrent of worry there, though. "We have never brought an Interface user in here before... But it should not be reacting to your Firmament regardless."
"You better not have tricked us," Ahkelios says, folding his arms.
Ikaara shakes her head, then presses one hand solemnly to the upper left corner of her chest. "I would not," she says.
She doesn''t seem to be lying, though I don''t have much attention to spare right now. The ache in my chest is growing, and the Interface pulls itself up in front of me.
[ Warning: Temporal overload detected. ]
rity ms into me. It''s not the Interface that''s reacting to the slipstream not exactly. It''s whatever part of the interface is tied to the loop.
"It''s temporal Firmament," I manage to say, gritting my teeth through the growing pain in my chest.
Ikaara''s eyes widen. "You have temporal"
She doesn''t get to finish.
Firmament erupts out of my chest, leaving me folded over and coughing, a sudden, searing pain shing into every particle of my lungs. I copse, letting go of Ikaara and Rotar, and I recognize almost immediately that that is a mistake, because the current of Firmament surrounding me catches me in its grip, and I realize, abruptly, exactly how much Ikaara was doing to keep us stable.
The current of Firmament around meshes about wildly in thousands of violent tendrils, at speeds so great that Quicken Mind doesn''t help me even slightly. I reach for the elerator, hoping to boost it further, but even with the increased speed of mind I can barely perceive a difference.
How was Ikaara holding all of this back? It looks impossible to me. Firmament moves around like a chaotic storm, and I''m sent tumbling along with it, down what I''m sure is a very, very wrong path.
All while temporal Firmament continues to writhe around me, interacting with the slipstream''s Firmament and somehow as best as I can tell being amplified. The chaos of the slipstream merges with the Interface''s temporal Firmament, and while the Interface itself doesn''t appear to be in any danger of running out, it doesn''t really matter. The real and present danger is that that chaotic temporal Firmament is throwing me around like a rag doll.
Worse than that, it''s gathering. Tetrachromacy lets me see what looks like sparks and shes of magenta lightning, which as far as I can gather is lightning made out of time. My head aches from trying to process and understand.
Hopefully Ikaara and Rotar will be fine. I need to focus on surviving this especially since whatever''s going on has something to do with time.
I don''t know if I''ll loop correctly if I die here.
Think. Ikaara was doing something to navigate the slipstream. I don''t have ess to the same Firmament she does, and I don''t know how to produce it. She changed into this form because it had a better way to sense Firmament, and I do have that to my advantage.
Quicken Mind doesn''t help. elerator doesn''t appear to help, either. Processing speed won''t help me out here. Ikaara''s demeanor is calm, rxed; whatever she''s doing, she''s not relying on split-second reactions to make it work, but it does require her focus.
Crystallized Barrier. I try it, just in case it can protect me from the Firmament all around me, but it nearly instantly shatters as it manifests. I grit my teeth.
I''m not close to death. I don''t want to use Second Wind yet.
My various speed skills won''t help me here; I don''t have anywhere to go. I try Color Drain, but it steals only a fragment of the Firmament''s energy before it fails and copses. There''s too much here for me to drain.
There is the Void. The Inspiration seems attentive. It''s lurking within me, waiting for me to call on it. It hasn''t tried to take over, and it doesn''t seem hungry.
Verdant Armor fails. I don''t even want to try either of my temporal skills. Ahkelios appears to have dissipated at some point in the stream of Firmament, though I feel the bond with him still secured within me that, at least, is a smallfort.
What else can I do? What was Ikaara doing?
She needed to sense the Firmament. I can sense Firmament. What are we doing differently?
All-Seeing Eye.
The purpose of the Eye is ostensibly to help me see connections. It lets mebine skills because it lets me see the ways in which two skills can fit together, because the two things are otherwise a chaotic mess.
Just like the slipstream.
As soon as I use the Eye, I see it. It''s hard to notice, in the chaotic array of Firmament, but there is in fact a path that''s rtively clear it''s just a path that''s constantly moving and shifting. The Eye lets me predict where the path will open next, to some extent...
There is a temporal storm still gathering above me, made of stolen temporal Firmament. I don''t want to find out what''s going to happen if I get struck by a bolt of time.
Warpstep.
As soon as I see an opening with the Eye, I teleport into it, sparing only a second to look for the next one. The constantly shifting nature of the Firmament maze makes it difficult, like staring into static and trying to see a picture within that static, but I just barely manage it.
Warpstep.
It''s painful. My chest still aches, and the Firmament in my body has gone haywire, no doubt as a result of whatever strange reaction there was between the slipstream and the temporal nature of the loop. It urs to me that this may be what Gheraa was talking about when the Integrator mentioned temporal banding; he''d mentioned it made it difficult for him to visit.
Warpstep.
I stagger. There''s blood on my hands, though I don''t remember when it got there. It doesn''t look like my blood. There is a phantom hole through the right side of my abdomen, and I observe this with a detached, clinical efficiency.
I am still surrounded by chaotic Firmament. The temporal storm continues to gather.
Warpstep.
There''s an exiting up. I think I''m missing an arm, but I don''t know when that happened, either. I don''t bother using Second Wind, because it''s back a momentter.
It''s... temporal banding? The knowledge doesn''t seem like it''s mine. I''m experiencing moments from my future, or maybe my past. The temporal storm continues to gather.
Warpstep.
I''m at an exit.
A bolt of temporal Firmament shes towards me.
elerator. shstep.
I exit the slipstream andnd on deste, broken rock, tumbling and rolling several times over beforeing to a stop. There aren''t any signs of trees around me, but then there''s no sign of any life, either. There''s just... an empty nothing.
Good news: The sky still looks like Hestia''s sky.
Bad news: The time of day is different.
My Firmament is exhausted, but I call on Temporal Fragment onest time, bringing up Ahkelios'' miniature form to join me in what is, as far as I can tell, a barren desert.
"Any idea where we are?" I ask. My voice is hoarse.
"I think you should be more worried about when we are." This is the first time I''ve heard Ahkelios speak with such grim worry in his voice. "Check the Interface."
That was my next step, anyway.
[ You have defeated a Mechanical Remnant (Rank D)! +32 Strength credits. +51 Durability credits. +69 Speed credits. +27 Reflex credits. +20 Firmament credits. ]
A lot of which are my rewards for my actions, rewarded because I ostensibly defeated a Mechanical Remnant. I still don''t know why the system is reporting these, except that it likely has something to do with the automaton I threw into the Fracture.
And then... many more messages. So many more messages. I don''t even get credits for them.
[ You have defeated a Mechanical Remnant (Rank D)! ]
A ton of these messages.
[ You have defeated a Mechanical Remnant (Rank C)! ]
Less of these.
[ You have defeated a Mechanical Remnant (Rank B)! ]
The rank, I notice, is slowly increasing.
[ You have defeated a Mechanical Remnant (Rank A)! ]
Only one of those.
My eyes drift to the Timeline Tracker on the interface. It reads:
92:17:23
Ny-two days, seventeen hours, twenty-three seconds. I''ve been disced in time. A quick check of the Earth ''chat'' shows no changes, so the temporal changes are likely local, limited to Hestia. I''ve pretty much already established that, but considering what happened, I figure it''s better to be safe.
None of this feels quite real to me yet. I''m going through the motions. Adapting to being dumped into the Trial? Sure, I can do that. I was forced to do that. But this...
At least now I know, I suppose. I''ve learned some crucial information. I keep going through the motions. The map is very, very zoomed out when I check I''m on another continent on Hestia entirely. The markers for the Cliffside Crows is gone.
"Ethan," Ahkelios says, sounding worried. No, scared? He sounds scared.
There''s a rumble in the earth, and a very, very familiar sense of Firmament overwhelmingly powerful and growing by the second.
That can''t be right, I think. I''m nowhere near the Fracture. It''s on another continent. But it feels like the Fracture, like that st that was sent up into the sky.
I notice, for the first time, that the shape of the continent the Fracture is on is different. Half of it is missing.
There''s a bright light on the horizon growing by the second. I take a second to parse what it is, and what''s probably happening. I nce at the Interface''s map once more and see a crack, spreading through the map, racing directly for me.
Fuck.
The ground cracks and splits beneath me, and I am swallowed by Firmament.
[ You have died. ]
[ You have unlocked a new feature: Doomsday Tracker. This Interface feature will track all events that may affect the time at which Anomaly 006 urs. ]
[ You have unlocked the knowledge database of Anomaly 006, kept by other Trialgoers. ]
[ For encountering an Anomaly, you have been awarded 50 Firmament credits. ]
[ Warning: New anomalies detected in loop. ]
When I wake up, it''s with the de of a mantis arm descending on my head.
END BOOK 1
Chapter 64: Book 2: One More Death
Chapter 64: Book 2: One More Death
You don''t really get used to death, no matter how many times you do it. I''ve died thirteen times, and all thirteen of them have hurt. Thest death hurt... less than usual, because I was fortunate enough to just get sted apart, rather than stabbed, torn apart, or crushed.
This is a weird thing to think about, I know. It turns out Quicken Mind really is a lot better than Mental eleration. So much better it gives me time to stare at the de headed towards my head and ruminate, instead of engaging in my usual dodge-and-roll.
Why not do something different this time?
Barrier.
I have Hexfold Barrier and Crystallized Barrier as offshoots of that skill, but considering the monster that''s trying to stab me through the brain is a Rank F monster, I''m not too worried about it. The mantis-creature''s arm ngs roughly into the barrier and deflects off of it, mming into the dirt instead.
This time, the angle is different. This time, it doesn''t get stuck. It rears backwards with a roar, drool and spittle flying out between its mandibles and sizzling on the dirt.
"Ahkelios," I call, and use Temporal Fragment.
The bond between us resonates and springs to life, and Firmament is drawn out of me into the shape of a tiny, lively little mantis-person. He''s been a goodpanion to me, for all that part of that is apparently enforced by the Interface. I still have to make good on my promise to find a way to free him.
This seems like a good start.
Ahkelios doesn''t seem to think so, though. Instead of facing the mantis that''s intent on killing me, he turns to me and folds his arms.
"Are you okay?" he asks. "That was really sudden. Aren''t you worried about"
I leap out of the way as the other mantis the giant one trying to kill us, not that there are any other mantises around besides these two stabs towards me.
"I''m trying not to think about it," I say casually.
I am worried. Mari isn''t going to remember who I am. Tarin... there''s a chance Tarin will, but even then it''s only a chance. I cured him in thest loop, and he remembered, but his Firmament had been stuck in one state because of what was keeping him in aa to begin with. Now that I''ve cured him...
There''s no good oue here. If he remembers, he''s destined to remember all of my loops he''s bound to me, in that sense. And if that''s true, then he''s going to be moving on without his wife.
For his own sake, I almost hope he doesn''t remember me. I wrench my mind away from the thought.
"Maybe we should deal with the giant mantis trying to kill us first?" I suggest, and Ahkelios gives me a scowl. It''s one of his ''this isn''t over'' scowls.
"I''m trying not to think about that and why it looks like me," he grumbles. "What do you want me to do, fight it?"
"I''ve seen what you can do," I confirm. "And it''s... probably rted to you somehow, right? Maybe if you kill it..."
"Morbid," Ahkelios says, but I notice he doesn''t fight me on the matter. He agrees, I think. It''s barely noticeable, but there''s... a resonance? Something that''s reacting in the Firmament Ahkelios has and the Firmament that''s core to the mantis-monster attacking us.
I still don''t know what these monsters are, exactly.
Ahkelios leaps off of my shoulder and takes full control over his Firmament. He turns into a streak of light, sting off my shoulder and directly towards the de that''sing towards me.
I don''t bother to dodge.
The force of his kick simultaneously shatters it and rips it off of the mantis-creature''s arm, the joint detaching with a sickening pop. Then heunches himself like a bullet, spinning right underneath the monster''s chin and up through the top of his head, shattering the top of his carapace and emerging covered in...
I grimace a bit and call up a Barrier just as Ahkelios shakes himself off. I don''t particrly want to get brain sttered onto me this early in the loop. Ahkelios is made of Firmament nothing can stick to him but me? I still need to take a shower every now and then, and there are only so many rivers here.
"You''re the one that wanted me to fight it," Ahkelios says smugly, and I sigh.
"I suppose I am."
[ You have defeated a Broken Horror (Rank E)! ]
No real reward. It''s too weak now to give me much of anything. I nce at Ahkelios, then to the corpse of the monster. "Anything different?" I ask.
"No?" Ahkelios frowns a bit. "Is something supposed to be"
Before he canplete his sentence, I sense a fragment of that Firmament still within the mantis. I sense a small reaction from Temporal Fragment, rapidly fading.
So I use Temporal Fragment again.
Temporal Fragment is probably one of my strangest skills. In its base form the first version of it I received, Temporal Echo it lets me create a clone of myself from a past loop. That echo isn''t capable of any independent thought, but it will repeat whatever actions I took before. It''s a good way to... rey fights, so to speak. Avoid repeating anything I don''t have to.
The Fragment variant retains that capability, but it seems to let me connect fragments of past loops that aren''t my own.
Case in point: Ahkelios, once a Trialgoer on Hestia, whose older self failed the same trial I''m going through. That older version of him faced many traumas this younger version doesn''t remember, I think, but they''re in there somewhere. I notice it in shes, whenever his chipper attitude flickers away and leaves behind something painfully sad.
The only way to fail this particr Trial is to give up. Judging by its difficulty rating...
Well, I suspect not many people have ever passed. If anyone. I''m not sure on that part I don''t know if the Integrators repeat a Trial once someone has beaten it.
Most of this is important to know, because when I use Temporal Fragment this time, the resonance between Ahkelios and that tiny piece of Firmament in the corpse suddenly snaps into ce. My little mantis-friend freezes mid-sentence and mid-air, his eyes growing wide.
I feel two fragments of Firmament merging. There''s a brief moment of resistance, as something that isn''t Ahkelios apparently tries to fight against the intrusion, but it breaks through just as quickly; I feel a distinct change in the Firmament Ahkelios is using. It''s a little brighter, a little stronger.
It still uses my own Firmament as a base, but I think that''s just a limitation of Temporal Fragment in general.
More importantly, Ahkelios has changed in size. He''s a little over double his previous height, still small enough to sit on my shoulder butrge enough that his head reaches up above my ear when he does so. He''s also a little... bulkier?
I try not to imagine aically muscr mantis sitting on top of my head.
"Whoa," Ahkelios says. Even his voice is a little deeper. I''m not sure how I feel about that. "That felt... different."
"A good kind of different, I hope," I say. I probably should have tried this earlier, and I feel a little guilty for not doing so. I''d been worried Ahkelios wouldn''t react well to what appears to be a physical manifestation of his trauma, but if anything, he seems very happy about having the opportunity to punch it in the face. Or drill through its head like a bullet, as it were.
"It''s good," Ahkelios confirms. He flexes his fingers, then his arms, then does a full-body wriggle that I find difficult to characterize as anything except ''cute'', as much as I suspect Ahkelios would hate that designation. "I feel stronger. Moreplete? And the Interface isn''t whispering so loudly into my head anymore."
"Was it doing that before?" I ask, concerned. He hasn''t mentioned anything about it. Ahkelios grimaces and falls silent for a moment.
"The answer is yes, but I wasn''t allowed to talk about it," Ahkelios finally says. "And even now, talking about it... kinda hurts. But I can do it. Don''t worry; I haven''t been forced to do anything I don''t want to do. I just hate that it''s forced at all."
There''s a glimmer of that darker side of him again. The side of him that''s a little angrier, that''s been through more than any sapient being ought to be. The fact that even this side of him is trying to reassure me tells me a lot about his character.
I wonder how many lifetimes he lived through the course of his loops. He doesn''t seem like the type of person to give up easily.
I wonder how many others like him I might meet, if I take the time to look. There''s the harpy that was used to raid the crow vige early on if that particr fragment had a source, I haven''t met it, nor do I have any idea where I would find her, and even if I did...
This loop doesn''t have the same distinct, fuzzy feeling that I''ve noticed was present every time I met Ahkelios in the early loops. The presence of past loopers seems to be brought about by Temporal Fragment and... some distortion of Firmament that I don''t entirely understand. It''s not consistent between loops, unfortunately.
"Did you get anything from the Interface when you died?" Ahkelios asks, as if ufortable with the silence. It''s probably fair. I ept the attempt to change the subject, and nce back at the notifications I received just after dying. The words are still there, glowing firmly in the light of the Interface.
[ You have died. ]
[ You have unlocked a new feature: Doomsday Tracker. This Interface feature will track all events that may affect the time at which Anomaly 006 urs. ]
[ You have unlocked the knowledge database of Anomaly 006, kept by other Trialgoers. ]
[ For encountering an Anomaly, you have been awarded 50 Firmament credits. ]
[ Warning: New anomalies detected in loop. ]
The Doomsday Tracker reads just over a hundred and eighty days. Just about six months before... the entire blows up? What was that? And that doesn''t seem to match the time that was on my Timeline Tracker when I died. I frown, opening my mouth to protest
And then I realize, ncing over the notifications again, that for once the Interface isn''t keeping it a secret.
"ess the database for Anomaly 006," I say out loud. Mostly for Ahkelios'' benefit, really. The Interface seems perfectly capable of deciphering my intent from my thoughts, but then I just look like I''m sitting there and staring intently into the air.
In front of me, words spill out. A lot of them.
[ Anomaly 006
Scale:ary
Origin: The Fracture
Cause: Unknown
Danger Rank: SSS
Anomaly 006 is an event that urs approximately 180 days into the start of the loop, but can ur earlier if the Fracture is disturbed. Note the Fracture is already a major source of anomalies within a loop and should be very carefully interacted with; it is possible for actions taken within the Fracture to end a loop prematurely.
Changelog:
I don''t really know why this is here, it''s not like I''m going to fail this Trial. But I might as well keep a record? At least it''ll help me keep track of everything going on. V''khator
Um. I guess we shouldn''t... we shouldn''t expect to get through this Trial, huh? I thought it was going to be... not hard, anyway. But if other people...
Anyway. I added some notes about how going to the Fracture can trigger this early. I don''t know exactly what causes it, but it''s something deep within the Fracture deeper than I''ve ever gone.
One time I threw a rock in there and it triggered the Anomaly two days early, so be careful throwing stuff into the Fracture, I guess.
Um... I think I''m supposed to sign off? I don''t know if I want to put my name here. Especially if I fail.
Trialgoer 002, I guess. Probably. I''ll add more if I find anything more.
Hi. It''s 002 again.
I don''t know much more, but I''ve figured out that it''s... it''s the whole. I tried running away. It didn''t work.
I don''t know what to do?
Anomaly log has been formatted andnguage has been formalized, with the exception of the changelog.
Cause of anomaly appears to be rted to the temporal Firmament that runs the loop. Theory unconfirmed. Usage of opposing Firmament can dy death, but without a to subsist on, even I cannot survive for long. GHO-R7.
It is possible to temporally disce the exit past the point at which Anomaly 006 urs. This is a problem. Do not do what I did. GHO-R7.
To be clear, what I did was attempt to ess the exit by surviving past the destruction of the. The exit is not destroyed. However, it appears that the exit is capable of altering its position in both time and space, and it has rendered itself inessible to me. GHO-R7.
Wow, that dude was... unlucky, huh?
I haven''t figured out anything more about 006, but I''ll stick anything I find out here, I guess. I dunno, feels like if I do that I''m expecting to fail.
I tried diving deeper into the Fracture but all I got was . So that''s annoying.
]
There''s a lot more to the logs, too. At some point it looks like the other Trialgoers gave up and started logging everything in the changelog instead of the main document, which means I have so much more data to pore through than I should have to...
I sigh.
The data expungement doesn''t surprise me. Not everything in the changelog is rted to the anomaly, and the Integrators probably don''t want me to learn about their other secrets without earning it through the Interface, otherwise we''d all be able to use this one anomaly to share all our secrets. I see a few other attempts by other Trialgoers to do exactly that, too, but it''s all been expunged.
Even a few coded attempts were expunged. The Integrators are thorough. I''m surprised thement about the exit was able to survive, but maybe they don''t want other people trying that.
I think the most worrying part of all this is the sheer number of Trialgoers there evidently have been. Not all of them contributed to the log, I think some of them never survived long enough, for one thing but even then, there are... I''m pretty sure there are hundreds.
How long have the Integrators been trying to get someone to beat this Trial?
"You gonna tell me what you''re looking at?" Ahkelios asks. He''s somehow found his way up onto my head again, and he''srge enough now that he feels like a hat. I sigh.
"A lot of people''sst words, apparently," I mutter.
So many dead to beat this one Trial.
I won''t be the next.
Chapter 65: Book 2: Incoming
Chapter 65: Book 2: Iing
I pore through the logs for a while more, but it soon bes clear that this is a task for another day mostly because this looks like it''s hours of reading, and sitting in the dirt next to the cooling corpse that appears to be a time-twisted distortion of my closest friend in the loops doesn''t seem like a particrly good use of my time.
"Where to first?" Ahkelios asks. I take a moment to think through everything I''ve decided I need to do.
I should meet with Mari and Tarin again, just to find out what''s happened to them after thest loop. I should find out what the Interface meant by other anomalies. I should investigate the Fracture. I should apany Rotar to the Great Cities, because if there are people investigating the Interface there, they might be able to tell me more about how I can jailbreak it.
I n to get Gheraa away from the other Integrators, given all the signs that he''s on my side and all the signs of abuse, but I have no idea how I''m even going to start with that yet. Maybe the next time I bank my stat credits and meet with him.
Naru is a problem. The other Hestian Trialgoers are problems, and I''m almost certainly going to meet with one of them when I head to the Great Cities. That automaton I encountered in the Fracture that is almost certainly the reason I hit the Anomaly ny days in instead of a hundred and eighty? Also a problem.
None of them I know how to deal with yet, exactly. I feel like maybe I should address that robot-automaton first. Something about its behavior struck me as strange.
Then there''s the Empty City a long-term goal if there ever was one. There''s the skill shards in the Fracture, but I''m folding that into investigating the Fracture as a whole...
And whatever''s going on with K''hkeri. I don''t think they betrayed me on purpose there was a distinct look of panic on their face when I got whipped away.
The Interface mentioned new temporal anomalies, which I''m worried about but can''t do anything about for now. The best way for me to be prepared for those is to make sure I''m as strong as I can be, which means I should make sure I bank my credits...
Speaking of which, I should probably check my Interface status again, just to see if I''ve reached any of the milestones I''ve been aiming for.
[ Status:
Name: Ethan
Strength Skills: Crystallized Strength (Rank C), Concentrated Power (Rank B), Amplification Gauntlet (Rank A)
Durability Skills: Tough Body (Rank E), Barrier (Rank D), Crystallized Barrier (Rank C), Hexfold Shield (Rank C), Second Wind (Rank B), Verdant Armor (Rank A)
Reflex Skills: Quicken Mind (Rank B), Inspect (Rank B), Compounded Mind (Rank B), Iron Mind (Rank A)
Speed Skills: Triplestep (Rank E), elerate (Rank C), Firestep (Rank C), shstep (Rank B), Intrinsic Lightning (Rank A), Lightning Rod (Rank A), Warpstep (Rank A)
Firmament Skills: Firmament Maniption (Rank D), Temporal Fragment (Rank D), Color Drain (Rank C), Tetrachromacy (Rank C)
Inspirations:
The Mirror Twice Shattered (Firmament, Unique)
The All-Seeing Eye (Reflex, Rank A)
The Void (Strength, Rank Unknown)
The elerator (Speed, Rank A)
Open Dungeons:
The Empty City (Rank S)
Credit Distribution:
Strength: 114 (179 banked)
Durability: 338 (84 banked)
Reflex: 135 (225 banked)
Speed: 87 (273 banked)
Firmament: 70 (256 banked) ]
I grimace. That''s a long list of skills. It''s urring to me now that I might have been able to use the Mirror Inspiration, back when I was caught in that temporal storm though I''m not sure that would have helped. I need to get used to using all these different skills, and fast; Quicken Mind helps, but not when everything around me is moving as fast as I can think.
If I bank Strength now, I''ll get a new Rank B skill, and it''ll round out some of my offensive capabilities but I want to aim for a Rank A skill. The Amplification Gauntlet is strong enough for now, and I haven''t yet encountered something I need more physical strength to beat.
Durability will... also get me a Rank B skill. I need a total of five hundred credits to guarantee a Rank A skill, if Ahkelios''s information is right; the gap between Ranks B and A is muchrger than I''d initially thought. Still, it shouldn''t take me too long to get to the next milestone, and I have plenty of Durability skills already.
The only problem is that Durability is the only stat category for which I don''t have an Inspiration. I''m... sort of waiting for Gheraa, on that one. Thest time we spoke, he said he would prepare for the next time we met. I don''t know if he''s had enough time, yet, since I''m rtively sure the temporal storm I got caught in was localized to Hestian time.
If it hadn''t been, there would be far more humans dead, and there hadn''t been when I checked. Ny days is a lot of time.
Reflex is the most tempting stat to bank immediately. Getting my mind to work faster is an eptable temporary workaround to the problem of having too many options; the problem is that it doesn''t scale well. If I meet someone that''s faster than I am, and I have to spend everything I have just to keep up...
Oh well. It''s better than nothing. Another four hundred points in Reflex are going to take me too long to get, I think.
[ Are you sure you wish to bank 135 Reflex credits? ]
[ 135 Reflex credits banked! Rolling for results... ]
[ Select between:
Premonition (Rank B)
Analyze Moment (Rank B)
Reflex Barrier (Rank B)
Quicken Mind (Rank B) ]
I narrow my eyes and stare at the list contemtively.
"Uh," Ahkelios says. He peers over my shoulder at the invisible box I''m staring at. "You want to tell me what you''re looking at?"
Oh, right. "I rolled for a Reflex skill," I say. "It gave me Premonition, Analyze Moment, Reflex Barrier, and Quicken Mind as options."
"Don''t you already have Quicken Mind?" Ahkelios asks. "You should get that. It''ll upgrade the skill again."
I hesitate. "Maybe," I say.
I''m not sure that''s the best option. It''ll help me in battle, and it''ll help offset the fact that I''m not yet used to using the full range of my abilities, but I want to round out my capabilities a bit more. I have blind spots, shown very clearly by the fact that I was so thoroughly caught off-guard by the slipstream. Not thinking fast enough isn''t one of my blindspots.
Premonition has shown up before. It''s a weaker version of Foreshadowing, and will warn me if there''s danger headed my way, what direction it''sing from, and exactly how dangerous it is. It''s a powerful skill in its own right, and importantly will prepare me against ambushes like K''hkeri''s attack on Rotar.
More than that, it might actually have been able to warn me that stepping into that Firmament slipstream would be dangerous for me. I need something that will warn me of uing danger, especially if...
...especially if I''m not prepared to lose a loop.
I try not to think about how Tarin and Mari are probably doing.
Analyze Moment is essentially a form of perfect recall. It lets me go back to a memory after the fact, exploring every facet of it for information. It''s another way I could have fully interpreted that obelisk back in the Hotspot, I suppose, and it''s a useful skill to have, but I''m not convinced that I need it right now.
Reflex Barrier just automatically calls up a powerful barrier of Firmament if something is about to kill me. It''s stronger than any of the barriers I can call forth on my own with my Durability skills, but it needs time to recharge. Something like a ''get out of death free'' card. Nice to have, but Inspect tells me the recharge time is a long one, and if something is good enough to kill me once, I''m not sure it''s going to make the difference.
Quicken Mind will evolve into a new skill that will let me think faster. That one''s pretty straightforward.
"I want to take Premonition," I tell Ahkelios. Maybe it''s a foolish choice. It''s the idea that I might lose a loop before I''m ready for it that makes my decision, here as consequence-free as the loops technically are, I... clearly have a lot to lose when I loop.
I probably can''t hold off my next death forever, but I can try, and Premonition will help me more than anything else.
"Are you sure?" Ahkelios looks a bit dubious, but I think he sees something in my expression, because something in his eyes soften. "It gets easier, you know."
"I don''t want it to," I tell him. I''m telling the truth, too, though I only realize it as I say the words. I don''t want it to get easier to leave people behind, to make friends and then lose them; that seems like a ticket to slowly not caring about any of the events that happen within the loop, to letting myself see people as pieces of a four-dimensional puzzle.
I don''t want that to happen. I''ll cling on to whatever vestiges of humanity I can. It''s the only thing that''ll keep me sane through all this.
[ Premonition (Rank B) obtained! ]
"...Maybe that''s for the best." Ahkelios looks like he wants to argue with me for a moment, but he acquiesces after a moment of thought, to my surprise. There''s something sad in his eyes. A fragment of a memory, swimming back to the surface. "I remember a little more about my loops now."
"Do you want to talk about it?" I offer. It only seems fair. Ahkelios is the onlypanion I get to keep across the loops, the only one I can call forth at a moment''s notice. I haven''t been looping for that long, but it''s abundantly clear to me that having him around keeps me sane.
"...No," Ahkelios decides. I can tell he''s conflicted about it. "Not yet. I don''t remember enough yet."
That''s a lie, I think.
But I don''t call him out on it. If he wants to keep this to himself until he''s ready, he can.
"I''m going to go see Tarin and Mari," I say. I want to get that out of the way first. "We need to check if Rotar''s pocket oracle is already broken or if it''s something that happens partway into the loop, and... I want to find out if Tarin still remembers."
Ahkelios is silent for a moment. "What are you going to do if he does?"
"I don''t know." I sigh, pushing myself to my feet and gingerly noting that nothing feels sore or broken. It''s strange how feeling okay is suddenly a foreign feeling; I hadn''t even realized how many aches my body had umted up until the reset. I must''ve been more injured than I thought.
I still don''t have a healing skill. Yet another reason to get that Durability upgrade; if I can draw a healing skill again, it''ll solve the problem of long-term damage in loops. I''m lucky I haven''t fallen sick yet, honestly.
Or maybe it isn''t luck, and the Integrators changed something about my immune system so I don''t spend all my loops sick and dying. Who knows.
For now, it''s time to make my way back to the Cliffside Crows.
shste
As the burst of speed takes me, Premonition activates. My eyes widen. There''s a force barreling towards me, and it screams danger.
Warpstep!
There''s no quick way to change directions when I''m moving that fast, so I teleport away from the point of impact, but even with that moment of disorientation, I don''t miss the cracked crater torn into the ground. Even with the distance I''ve created, I''m blown backwards by the shockwave, and my back cracks into a cactus-like tree with a thump. Tough Body protects me, but that doesn''t mean it doesn''t hurt. I grit my teeth.
What just attacked me?
The dust clears. I see scales, first, then the telltale silhouette of a tail; a snarling maw attached to a distinctly draconic looking body, twisted and malformed though it is. One half of its body is trying to be quadrupedal, and the other half is trying to be bipedal.
Perhaps the most notable is the scar over its heart.
Definitely an Interface monster. Like the mantis we fought only moments ago. Like the harpies that attacked the crows in the first Raid I encountered.
Why is this here?
Chapter 66: Book 2: Breakfast
Chapter 66: Book 2: Breakfast
Before I can react, Premonition activates again, and I leap out of the way just in time; the monster crackles through the air, static Firmament bursting out of every scale in a cloud of bristling energy. I try to ignore the way the cactus cracks, and wrack my brain to understand what''s happening.
[ Warning: New anomalies detected in loop. ]
That has to be it. I''d assumed those anomalies were directly rted to the actions I took in thest loop evidently, that assumption was incorrect.
No time to dwell on it. This new enemy is fast. Premonition is the only thing allowing me to keep up with it, and I don''t know if it would have been easier with the upgraded version of Quicken Mind.
Crystallized Barrier. Hexfold Shield.
Firmament pours out of me to form a crystalline wall, followed by several casts of Hexfold Shield in quick session. I don''t know exactly how strong this thing is, but I don''t feel like dying this quickly into the loop.
"What is this thing?!" Ahkelios yells at me. He''s doing a remarkable job of controlling himself. I hear some panic in his voice which surprises me, considering how well he''s handled himself against most of our other opponents so far but I also recognize the pulsing Firmament that indicates he''s about to try something himself.
Premonition activates.
I swing the barriers around just in time to meet the dragon-centaur I really don''t have a better name for it head-on, wincing as it pierces through my Crystalline Barrier with a thunderous crack that sends shards of Firmament flying. The Hexfold Shield afterward manages to stop it, but only for a moment. I feel the sting of Premonition again, see its tail swinging around to swipe at me
Verdant Armor.
Green Firmament swirls out of the air and settles around my shoulders, coalescing around my body as solid te armor. I feel almost immediately the draw of Firmament as it pulls from everything around it, but Premonition still res a warning, and I let out a snarl as I try to draw on everything I can.
The Void Inspiration surges within me. I see the tips and edges of the Verdant Armor turning ck as Void-tinged Firmament spreads throughout it. The strength of the armor abruptly multiplies and magnifies as it pulls everything it can out of everything around me; I see leaves around me drying and cracking, and nts in a small radius almost instantly withering.
Verdant Armor res brighter just as the dragon-thing''s tail ms into me. I skid backwards, letting the momentum toss me away and trying to catch my breath. Even with all the protection I have, I can feel the sting of the blow; whatever this thing is, it''s strong. Stronger than any other monster I''ve fought before, except perhaps Naru and that robot-thing in the Fracture.
I can''t stay on the defensive. I take a breath andbine Crystallized Strength, Amplification Gauntlet, and Lightning Rod for the speed boost. For good measure, I activate the Mirror Inspiration, feeling a deep anger reflect from myself and into my skills.
I won''t have much time. This strains my Firmament usage to its limits; the Mirror and Lightning Rod are both difficult to use and even harder to maintain, especially on this many skills at once.
ck lightning courses through my body, then turns a silver-red. The Amplification Gauntlet does the same, gaining a faint crimson glow. The quality of Firmament changes, bing something deeper and more profound.
The dragon-thing charges at me.
This time, Premonition doesn''t activate.
I swing my arm forward, feeling thebined skills coursing through my body. At the same time, Ahkelios does something strange, shing forward and briefly merging himself with my gauntlet. I have no idea what he''s doing, but I feel something about the gauntlet solidify, like it''s been stabilized from within.
And then I hit the monster.
The Amplification Gauntlet provides some protection against the sheer force of my blow I think I hear the air cracking around my fist as it ms into the dragon-thing''s face, its own momentum working against it on top of everything else. I prepare myself to counter whatever it does in return, mentally going through my options...
...except it doesn''t do anything.
I blink.
Ahkelios forms again out of my gauntlet, this time distinctly exhausted. He''s panting even though he doesn''t need to breathe, and he''s half-doubled over, heaving.
"Are you... alright?" I ask. I''m not much better off than he is. I keep a wary eye on the monster, which is currently standingpletely still, and also not breathing. There''s text on the Interface, but I don''t dare look away to observe it.
"I''m fine," Ahkelios says in between breaths. "That was just more tiring than I thought it was gonna be. It''s dead, by the way."
"It doesn''t look dead." I mean, it does, but only because it''s not breathing and standingpletely still. I have a feeling if I push it it''ll topple over.
I nce at the text. Sure enough, the notification is there on the Interface.
[ You have defeated a Guilty Chimera (Rank B)! +102 Strength credits. +57 Durability credits. +42 Reflex credits. +5 Speed credits. +20 Firmament credits. ]
That''s a lot of Strength credits. Stacking my skills the way I did must have stretched me far beyond what I''ve been capable of so far. My head is throbbing with pain, probably from stacking Lightning Rod with the Mirror; the Inspiration''s cost seems to scale with the skills I use it on, and with Lightning Rod already being incredibly draining...
I''m lucky I''m alive.
"It''s dead," Ahkelios says again. He straightens, groaning and doing a little stretch. "Wow, that really sucks. Your gauntlet is really tight. You should make more space in the thing."
"Care to exin what just happened?"
"You stacked a bunch of different Firmament skills, right? You would have broken your hand again if I didn''t do anything the gauntlet isn''t strong enough to protect you from what you did. I just made sure you didn''t break your hand."
"That doesn''t exin why it''s dead," I say. "It looks fine."
"You scrambled its brains." Ahkelios nces up at the monster and shudders slightly, hopping up to settle on my shoulder again. "Whatever it is, it''s got a really tough body, but all that rigidity doesn''t really help if the force can''t go anywhere. It wasn''t made to take a hit like that."
Oh. That''s... morbid. I take a step back from the monster''s corpse, now significantly more disturbed by my own abilities.
"It''s a good thing, though!" Ahkelios adds, as if noticing I''m disturbed and trying to cheer me up. "You beat it!"
I roll my eyes a little, but he does manage to pull a small smile from me. That smile quickly fades as I nce over the monster''s corpse again. "This didn''t happen in any previous loop," I mutter.
And what is it, exactly? My best guess is that it''s linked to yet another former Trialgoer. It would make sense. Ahkelios being able to draw on that mantis-monster more or less confirms the connection between them, and therefore the potential connection between Trialgoers and these monsters; the Anomaly logs tell me that there have been a lot of people trying to beat this particr Trial
A rustle sounds in the leaves. Premonition activates again, and this time it pings on to not one but three distinct presences that all feel like the chimera I just fought; what''s worse is that they''ve surrounded me in a three-pronged attack. Was the first one just bait?
Warpstep. The strain makes my head throb, but I don''t have much of a choice; I use Warpstep to head straight up, so I can see past the foliage and pinpoint exactly where the attacks areing from, and if there are any more of them I should be worried about. I need to use it twice to create enough distance.
The good news, I decide when I look down, is that there are only three of them. That I can see.
The bad news is that they''re all clearly as strong as the first, and I''m not sure I''m equipped to deal with three Rank B monsters at once. My defeat of the first one was a result of abination of skills that were taxing to use. I might be able to pull it off one more time, but I can''t imagine two without falling unconscious. If there are three...
"Ahkelios?" I say out loud. I can, interestingly, use elerate to keep myself floating in the air, though not forever. Unlike its parent skills, the direction I use it in doesn''t have to match a direction I can physically move in.
Which is convenient, because it allows me to have a conversation in the air, and the chimeras don''t look like they have a way to attack me this high up. Ahkelios looks about as worried as I do. "I''m not sure I can do it again," he warns. "Maybe one more time, but after that I''ll be tapped out. If I force it again it''ll damage my Firmament and you might not be able to summon me again for a while."
"Don''t force it," I say immediately. It''s not worth that. I''d rather cut my losses and lose this loop I don''t have anything particrly important that I''ve gained so far. I still don''t want to die, but if ites down to it...
I let myself fall, and bleed momentum at thest second with another Warpstep. The chimeras snarl as all three of them turn towards me.
At least they''re not surrounding me anymore.
I take a quick mental note. The three of them are different, though on the surface they seem mostly the same; the cement of scars on their bodies don''t quite match up.
One of them has what looks like acidic drool spilling from its open mouth, dripping onto the floor and eating up the organic detritus in a cloud of acrid smoke.
Another has invisible ripples around it that feels like some sort of heat-adjacent Firmament, proven by the way some of the drier leaves catch fire as it steps on them.
The third one is cold. Air condenses into liquid and then freezes into ice around it, leaving small crystals and snowkes wherever they walk. Its breath is a cloud of vapor, too, obscuring most of its face.
I''m reminded of the almost electrical Firmament bursting out of the first one''s scales, the way it tore into everything around it. I shudder. Without Ahkelios to boost my gauntlet...
They''re waiting. I can see them starting to circle around, like they''re trying to subtly surround me again. There isn''t anything subtle about their movements, but that worries me the first one was blindly aggressive, and these ones are waiting. It''s like they''re learning.
If they are, that''s no doubt a part of why they''re B-ranked monsters. I feel like the first one was a little too easy to kill for its rank.
My gaze flicks to my Interface as I call it up, trying desperately to find a betterbination of skills that could help me out here. Maybe the Void-Verdant Armorbination again for defense, with the sheer amount of Firmament these monsters are emitting. If I activate Lightning Rod now and keep it activated, I can move faster than I ever could by just stacking my speed skills...
Except Lightning Rod still drains me. If I use it, I need to make it count.
I take a breath and let the Firmament crackle through me. It''s do or die, at any rate
I hear thest thing I expected to hear: A loud, cawing scream. A blur of ck feathers ms into one of the chimeras and sends them both sprawling, and I sense a very familiar crackle of lightning Firmament.
Off in the distance, I see another crow, big and bulky and holding an arm up like she''s just fired her husband off into the chimeras, living cannon style. Which I''m pretty sure is exactly what she did.
...and also I think her bicep is smoking?
I have no idea what to say or how to process this, so I go with the first thing thates to mind. "What the hell, Tarin?"
Chapter 67: Book 2: Reunited (and it feels so bad)
Chapter 67: Book 2: Reunited (and it feels so bad)
"Ethan!" Tarin squawks at me, dusting himself off like he hasn''t just been tossed like a cannonball directly into monsters that could kill him with a nce. I know he''s strong, but I don''t know that he''s strong enough to survive a direct blow from any of these. "You here!"
"Where else would I be?" I ask. I honestly haven''t fully processed the situation yet. Thankfully, the chimeras appear to be just as stunned by Tarin''s appearance as I am, and they''re looking at each other like they don''t quite know what to do. It doesn''t help that Mari is rapidly approaching and looks very intimidating.
I have so many questions.
"I have so many questions," I add, because it feels like I have to say the words out loud, and also because none of the chimeras are attacking and it gives me time to be as incredulous as I want to be.
"No time!" Tarin says. "Mari! Throw him!"
"Wha do not throw me!" I protest. Mari''s already charging towards me, althoughpared to me she''s not exactly fast. I Warpstep away just as she approaches, and she folds her arms, looking vaguely annoyed.
"This Trialgoer?" she asks. "How I throw him if he run?"
I wince.
I''ll admit that I''ve been harboring something of a hope that Mari''s somehow been able to remember. It was always a possibility that Tarin would remember, considering the circumstances surrounding his death and his retention of that first loop when he woke up. Mari, on the other hand...
I don''t know. I guess when I saw her, I let myself think that she''d been able to figure something out. Maybe using a Firmament imbuement inspired by the skill shard I''d given her to study. I didn''t know what she''d been doing while I was traveling with Rotar toward the Great Cities; there was every chance that she''d pulled off a miracle.
But her words paint the painful truth: she doesn''t remember me at all. More likely than not Tarin''s the one that dragged her here, asking for her help, and she went along with it. Because that''s what she does. That''s how much the two of them trust each other.
It was how much she''d chosen to trust me, for as little time as she''d known me.
Something must have shown in my expression, because Ahkelios hops down from my shoulder to look at me with concern. "Ethan" he begins.
"I''m fine," I say. My voice is a little rougher than I intend. I shouldn''t have let myself hope that she''d remember. It would have solved so many problems. If she doesn''t remember... This puts Tarin in a difficult position.
"Ethan!" the old crow in question squawks at me. "You let Mari throw you!"
"I do you want to exin why?" I ask. I have to throw myself out of the way of one of the chimeras, who have evidently gotten tired of waiting for us to finish talking to one another; whatever wariness they had at the introduction of two newbatants bleeds off, and they go back to circling us, Firmament radiating even more powerfully from them in what I assume is an attempt at intimidation.
"Too many! We run!" Tarin seems exasperated that he has to exin this at all. A part of me nearly instantly rebels at this suggestion I can kill at least one more of them with Ahkelios''s help, and with both Tarin and Mari to help me out I''m sure we can take out the other two. Tarin res at me as this thought enters my head, apparently able to read what I''m thinking. "No fight! Not just three!"
There''s more. I narrow my eyes. I didn''t see anything when I went up into the sky earlier. The canopy does obscure some of my vision, but I should have been able to sense anything else hiding with my Firmament sense, at least...
While I''m distracted and thinking, Mari picks me up in a single hand, making me yelp in consternation though this time I don''t fight her. I feel a massive burst of Firmament, and only just manage to coalesce my Verdant Armor around my ribs before I''m tossed handily up through the forest canopy. Straight towards the crow vige.
I have to admit, her aim is pretty good.
The problem with this n, of course, is that it leaves the two of them alone against whatever remains of the crowd of chimeras they have to face. I don''t know what possessed Tarin to think this was a good idea, but I trust that he has a n that''s a little moreplicated than ''throw Ethan as far away from the fight as possible''.
Probably.
I wrap myself with elerate, which is about the best I can do at this point, feeling the speed at which I''m flying through the air counterintuitively increasing. I reach out with my senses, probing into the forest; if there are other chimeras, I should be able to sense them with focused effort, even if they''re hiding from me...
There. It''s astonishingly subtle. The forest lights up in a wash of glittering Firmament, spread just far enough apart that it looks like ambient noise; the only reason I spot it at all when I''m paying closer attention is that their camouge is repetitive. It''s the only semnce of order in the otherwise chaotic movement of Firmament.
There are at least a half-dozen of them still, hiding in the trees. They weren''t yet getting ready to pounce, or Premonition would have reacted, but... Premonition won''t help me if the first group manages to exhaust me enough.
Tarin''s definitely saved me here. What I want to know is how they''re nning on saving themselves.
I catch a glimpse of them off in the distance. ck lightning courses through Tarin''s wings he doesn''t try to fight any of the chimeras, although he does dodge their movements effortlessly. Mari seems prepared to fight; even at this distance, I feel the sheer weight of her Firmament. Even she looks like she''s mostly using it defensively, though, sting chimeras out of her way more than actually trying to kill them.
They''re out of all our leagues, in these numbers.
What astonishes me is when Tarin picks up his wife and starts running, sting through the foliage at mach speeds fast enough that he''s actually catching up with me, even with the force of Mari''s throw and elerate increasing the speed of my escape. Not for the first time, I wonder how the first raid would have gone if Tarin and Mari hadn''t been so thoroughly suppressed by the Interface.
I am maybe just now realizing that I don''t actually know how powerful they are. The closest I''vee to seeing the full extent of their strength is when Mari fought Naru, and I''m rtively certain they were both holding back in that fight.
Food for thought, I suppose.
"Uh, Ethan?" Ahkelios stares at me. "I think we''re supposed tond now."
I blink, nce down, and realize we''re almost over the crow vige the Cliffside Crows, if I''m going to go by what''s denoted in the map. I grimace and shift the direction of elerate so that it points me down instead, trusting in my Verdant Armor to take the impact of a fall without much taking much damage. I''ve survived a punch from a Rank B chimera; I should survive something as simple as a fall.
...I reverse the direction of elerate before I hit the ground anyway. I''m not really eager to smash into the ground and roll halfway across the vige, and I don''t think Mari will be pleased with the amount of damage I''d likely do in the process. Tarin''s another matter entirely; I feel like he''s more likely to call it training.
I still hit the ground hard enough to bounce, and I il awkwardly in the air for a second before Ind again with a thump. I groan. The armor''s definitely protected me from any damage, but it also makes me feel like I''ve been rattled around in a can of Firmament.
Which, to be fair, is more or less exactly what happened.
By the time Ie to a stop, Tarin and Mari have managed to catch up. The sight of the two of them is almostical Mari''s bnced precariously on her much smaller husband''s back. It''s only with my Firmament sense that I can tell that they''re both using a remarkably skillful intery of Firmament to keep themselves bnced.
"Trialgoer!" Tarin says cheerfully, and then proceeds to dash forward and pull me into a hug. There''s actually a slight ping from Premonition there not because he''s nning to hurt me in any way, but because the speed at which he dashes forward is enough to impact my Verdant Armor and send a ze of crackling, lightning Firmament through it. "Ah! Forgot Firmament. Sorry. Ethan! I remember!"
"I know," I say. I hug him back, but I don''t sound nearly as excited as Tarin does, and he notices. I nce at Mari, who''s standing a little ways back with her wings folded across her chest and a slight look of uncertainty; she doesn''t know how to react to all this.
"You not worry!" Tarin tells me. "I exin to her already. She know!"
"Trialgoer in time loop," Mari grunts. "Now husband also in time loop. Yes?"
"Yeah," I agree. She opens her beak, and I speak up before she can, anticipating what she''s about to ask. "Tarin only got into because of an ident where he died during what the Trial calls a Raid, and he almost died permanently. The Interface tried to make him stay dead. I don''t... I don''t know how to bring you into the loop as well."
Not without risking a permanent death on her part, anyway. I haven''t triggered another Raid yet, but there''s no guarantee that she''ll be able to fight as long as Tarin did. I don''t even know if the Phantom Root is still there, reset along with the loop. I should probably find out.
Mari closes her eyes and takes a breath. "Okay," she says simply.
"Why you tell her I die!" Tarin demands, the old crow putting his wings on his hips in a way that resembles a small child throwing a tantrum. "That not cool."
"I think your wife thinks you''re plenty cool enough, Tarin," I say dryly.
I''m not sure he''s realized the implications yet. That, or he has, and he''s just forcing himself not to think about it. Mari, on the other hand, is doing a much poorer job of hiding her emotions.
"We should try to figure out what to do next," I say with a small sigh. I don''t know how to broach this topic with her, and Mari doesn''t seem to want to talk about it any further. "I was headed towards the Great Cities with Rotar..."
Tarin remembers why I headed north with Rotar, but Mari doesn''t so I exin the situation with his pocket oracle again, and then continue on to exin the ambush by K''hkeri and the Voidsuit they were shoved into, their agreement to help us, and the way the Firmament slipstream had reacted to the Interface and the temporal Firmament intrinsically tied to me. While I speak, I feel my Firmament slowly recovering.
It''s... significantly faster than it''s recovered before. Rted to the phase shift, perhaps.
When I''m done talking, there''s a long silence. "That exin why you gone so long," Tarin says thoughtfully. "I worry something happen. Was going to find you. Went to Great Cities! Mari stayed back to look after vige. But you not in Cities. No one see funny pink featherless biped. I sure if they see you they remember, so I thought you not reach Great Cities. I look around, but you hard to find."
I... don''t know how to respond to that. The idea that Tarin actually came looking for me touches me unexpectedly, and I don''t say anything.
"Mari worried too!" Tarin adds hurriedly, as if he''s concerned that my takeaway is that Mari didn''t care enough toe look for me. "She not remember, but she very worried. Keep telling me to go look for you."
I have a really hard time responding to this. I have to swallow a small lump that forms in my throat to find the words.
"Thanks," I say, my voice a little rougher than I want it to be. "I... appreciate that. We should let''s go talk to Rotar, yeah?"
"Yes!" Tarin nods firmly. "We try again. But better, this time. Right, Mari?"
"We try again," Mari agrees. She sounds more somber than her husband does, and when she meets my eyes, I see the glimmer of pain in them.
I''m not sure Tarin realizes the implications of him being in the loop at all. I exchange nces with Ahkelios, who looks equally concerned, and I make a small note to myself I need to try to find a way to bring Mari into the loop.
The sooner, the better.
Chapter 68: Book 2: Loop Anomalies
Chapter 68: Book 2: Loop Anomalies
Rotar is missing.
Tarin and I went to check out his hut, and no one was present. None of the other crows around report any memory of him leaving, and they all seem equally worried. I''m just as worried I don''t know if Rotar was missing at this point in time in any of my other loops. I didn''t meet him until much, muchter.
There''s a chance he''s just not around, but...
No. This stinks of another loop anomaly.
"Do you know where he keeps his pocket oracle?" I ask.
"He keep in box!" Tarin deres. He doesn''t seem as worried as I am, strangely. He hops over to a nearby pile of stuff, stacked so high it''s teetering and threatening to fall over any second; it takes a moment for me to realize that there are invisible lines of Firmament holding it all in ce. There''s all kinds of things in the pile, too, from ss bottles to strange stones to a variety of carvings.
Apparently, Rotar is a much more artistic soul than I assumed. Even Ahkelios lets out a chirp of appreciation.
"Here!" Tarin says, yanking out a box and making the entire pile teeter dangerously I wince back, almost expecting it all to crash to the ground, but those lines of Firmament hold surprisingly strong. Tarin grins at me as if he knows exactly what I''m thinking, then tries to pry open the box. "Hm. It locked."
I reach over, letting my Amplification Gauntlet coalesce around my hand and crushing the lid of the box. "Now it isn''t," I say, in a way that''s probably entirely too smug. Tarin stares at me, looking dismayed.
"What if box special!" he says. "You not just break people''s things!"
"I mean, it''lle back after the loop," I point out.
"Oh." Tarin blinks a few times. "Okay. But if Rotar angry you exin. I not at fault here."
I let out a smallugh at that, momentarily pushing aside my worry about him and Mari. She didn''t follow us to the hut, mostly because three people weren''t needed just to look for Rotar and, I suspect, because she needed some time to herself. I don''t me her.
I take the now-open box from Tarin for a given and admittedly generous interpretation of "open" and pry off the remainder of the lid from the box, and then peer inside with a slight frown. "It''s empty."
"What?" Tarin frowns at me. "That not funny."
"No, it is." I show him the box. "I don''t sense any Firmament from it, either, so it''s not like I identally crushed the thing. I think it just... didn''te back with the loop?"
We were all caught in a temporal storm. I was shoved three months ahead into a moment just before the world was destroyed.
Where did Rotar end up?
I have no proof any of these thoughts are the right answer, of course. For all I know, Rotar woke up with a full set of memories and decided to take his pocket oracle and wander off. But I can''t imagine that in that scenario he wouldn''t have waited for me, unless he started looking for me...
...Or maybe I''m just centering my thinking on myself too much, and Rotar''s retained his memories and wandered off for his own reasons that have nothing to do with me.
Okay, there are two distinct possibilities here. One: Rotar is another looper now, and he''s woken up with a full set of memories and decided to leave his hut with the pocket oracle. Two: Something about the temporal storm we were caught in created another loop anomaly, and he''s... well, something''s happened to him.
He''s not dead. Probably. I hope.
There''s a point against the first possibility: no one saw him leave. Even if Rotar was sent back with a full set of memories somehow, he''s not integrated with the Interface and he doesn''t seem to have the right set of abilities to sneak out like this.
"Do you know if Rotar can do anything stealthy with his Firmament?" I ask. Tarin considers my question for a moment, then shakes his head.
"Rotar smart. But his Firmament not strong. Weaker than most, usually. It why he use little strings instead of full imbuement." Tarin gestures again to the teetering pile of Rotar''s belongings. "Easier to maintain. It much harder for him to hide."
So probably not the first possibility, then. That''s not enough to dismiss it out of hand, but considering I can''t even sense any traces of his Firmament...
"I hope he''s okay," I mutter to myself. Ahkelios makes a small noise of agreement.
"I want to talk to him about all this stuff," the mantis says. "I can''t believe he kept it all from me!"
"...I don''t think he knew you were interested, Ahkelios."
"Well, he should''ve." Ahkelios crosses his arms at me, and I roll my eyes a bit, managing a small smile in response. The little bit of levity is something I need, anyway.
"Let''s head back to Mari and figure out our next options," I say with a sigh. "The way I see it, I either go to the Fracture or I try to make it to the Great Cities by myself, but it looks like traveling is going to be a lot more dangerous now. Are those chimeras all over the forest? How did you know where I was?"
"Crow sense," Tarin says, tapping the side of his head, then chortles to himself. "I kidding. I fast. I remember what direction youe from, start to explore. But I see new monsters. So I run back, bring Mari. I not sure if they also on path to Great Cities, but I think it likely. Ie with you! I scout."
I... hesitate. But there''s no way I can really stop Tarin from following me, and if I''m being entirely honest, I would appreciate thepany. I''m just worried about what it''ll do to Mari.
"Only if you let me study your Firmament," I decide.
"What? Why you want study my Firmament?" Tarin asks, folding his wings and looking at me suspiciously. "You not copy my Firmament. It mine."
"I already have something like it," I grumble, letting Intrinsic Lightning flow through me for a moment; a crackle of ck lightning Firmament sparks through me, and Tarin grins, like he''d been baiting me into doing that. "I just want to figure out why you can remember the loops. Maybe that way..."
I trail off before I continue, mostly because Ahkelios pokes me in the cheek and shakes his head wildly at me. I almost re at him before I realize what he''s getting at, and then I frown. Tarin doesn''t even seem to notice the way I trail off, and instead nods enthusiastically to my suggestion.
"Yes, yes!" he says. "Study my Firmament. Massage back too! It hurt from running."
I stare at Tarin, who is currently facing away from me, as if he''s expecting me to give him a back massage right now.
Then I grab him by the wing and start dragging him out to see Mari.
"Hey!" he protests. "This violence! Help! Help!"
None of the crows that notice the scene bother toe helping, and a few of them even give me knowing smirks.
Apparently this is amon sight in the vige.
"You go Great Cities first," Mari says.
That''s her advice, apparently. She''s listened to the full story as much as I can exin it, with Ahkelios interjecting every time I forget something he considers important. "Why?"
"You need help from Great Cities," Mari says with a shrug. "You say they study Interface, yes? So maybe they help you. Maybe they know more about loop, maybe they not know but can study. Maybe they know what happen to Rotar."
"And the Fracture doesn''t actually have anything else for me besides a few more dead skill shards and a potentially homicidal robot," I mutter. "Yeah, that makes sense."
"I go with him," Tarin says. There''s none of his prior mirth in the statement, and he looks at Mari with the full force of his gaze he''s serious about this, as yful as he was being earlier. "I help Trialgoerplete Trial. Or do what he need to do."
I nce at him. Tarin doesn''t joke when ites to beating the Integrators at their own game, I think. Both Tarin and Mari have good reason to despise them, considering what the Trials did to their son, so it''s not necessarily surprising... But it''s always strange to remember that they have this side to them.
Mari stares at Tarin for a long moment, then nods her head in slight eptance. "Youe back," she tells him quietly. "I stay. Protect vige. New monsters dangerous."
She hesitates. "Maybe it not matter, if time loop around. But I think it matter, yes? We not act like crow lives not important just because of loop. It dangerous habit."
"Yes." Tarin''s agreement is firm. "I help, you stay. Ie back to you! I promise."
"I know."
There''s a quiet sort of eptance in her voice that quickly transforms into something harder and more determined. Mari looks around their hut, and then stands up, gesturing towards the door. "Tarin, you pack. Ethan, you follow. I find food for you two."
That sounds like an excuse to talk to me. It works easily enough on Tarin, who immediately dives into his own pile of stuff to start looking for whatever it is he wants to bring along; I follow Mari out of the hut and towards the nearby river, and wait for her to speak first.
When she does, it''s with a somber tone. "I not even know if this first time you loop," she says, and then holds up a hand when I begin to protest. "I know it first time. I trust. Tarin not good at lying. But... you not tell me anymore about Tarin in loop. Next loop, or loop after that.
"It not really matter if I remember." Mari lets out a sigh, and I watch her shoulders rx as tension drains out of her. Probably because she''s made and epted her decision. "I want help. You tell me about Tarin, it be harder for me to help. You understand? Tell Tarin. He not listen if I tell him."
"I... are you sure?" I ask.
"I sure." Mari looks out at her own vige for a moment. "Tarin and I suspect many things about Trial. We not sure yet. But sometimes... it feel like we in long, long dream. This maybe Tarin''s biggest chance to understand. If you need to tell me, it okay. But otherwise, I not need to know."
"Okay." I take a breath. Mari''s clearly made a decision, and I intend to respect it, for all that I don''t know how exactly I''m going to convince Tarin to go along with this. "Uh, what do I tell Tarin?"
"You tell him it prank." Mari grins, finally, even though there''s still something a little sad in that grin. "He love pranks."
Chapter 69: Book 2: To the Great Cities (again)
Chapter 69: Book 2: To the Great Cities (again)
Tarin''s packed up and ready by the time I get back. Mari shooed me off after our conversation, telling me she needed to go visit some of the other crows in the vige to get our supplies ready. I don''t question her this version of her doesn''t know me as well, and I imagine she still wants some time to herself.
Tarin, on the other hand? The old crow looks surprisingly excited.
"First time you''ve gone out in a while?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at him.
"No! I went look for you, remember?" Tarin crosses his wings, looking indignant, and Iugh.
"Guess you have a point." I hesitate. "Did you find anything interesting in the Great Cities? Anything we should take note of?"
Tarin pauses, then takes a second to think about the question. "I mostly focus on finding you," he says thoughtfully. "But I think I see big fight in city. That about thirty days after we meet."
"How big was the fight?" I ask, more out of curiosity than anything.
"Very." Tarin actually frowns a little as he speaks, which worries me more than anything else he''s mentioned so far, considering he''s talking about a fight. "I think it Trialgoer fight. Hestian Trialgoers... I not sure if Naru there. But many things destroyed. I run."
"You mean you didn''t try to join in?" Ahkelios peeks over my head curiously, which he''s... actually kind of worse at doing now that he''s bigger. It''s not like my hair can hide most of his body anymore.
"I not going to fight Trialgoer. Unless it Naru." Tarin says, huffing. "And finding Ethan more important! Also Trialgoer fight... very strange. I not join even if I want."
"That makes it sound like you tried to join in," I say dryly, and when Tarin doesn''t say anything in response, I groan and stare at him. "Tarin."
"I need see how strong our enemies are!" Tarin says, which is absolutely not an excuse for someone who at the time was not in the loop and from his point of view would have suffered a permanent death if he had been even a little bit less careful. I hadn''t considered that time loop existentialism could potentially be infectious. "And it help, see?"
I don''t think I''m up for a conversation about best practices in time loops right now. It''s not like I''m an expert
To my surprise, Ahkelios speaks up.
"You still need to be careful," the mantis says seriously. "What''re you gonna do if you leave Mari alone, huh? She would''ve had to experience you being missing for two months if you died."
Tarin looks briefly nonplussed. "I not think about that," he says awkwardly after a moment. "I be more careful in future."
"Please do," I say. I haven''t tried this before, but I pluck at the Firmament bond between Ahkelios and I, sending a resonant feeling of gratitude down the line; Ahkelios responds with what appears to be the emotional equivalent of a thumbs up.
I should talk to him moreter, now that he''s regained a little more of his memories and a little more of his agency.
"Do you have any idea what the fight was about?" I ask after a short pause. "I don''t suppose they were yelling their motivations at each other or anything?"
Tarin gives me a strange look. "No, they only fighting," he says. "But I think I see... strange Firmamenting from building. Not from skill."
Now that''s interesting. Tarin isn''t even as sensitive to Firmament as I am, so if there''s something visible to him, it must have been strong enough to be visible to anyone. "Any idea which building it was?"
Tarin shrugs. "If we in city again, I show you," he says . "I remember!"
Well, that''s where we''re headed and it seems like that''s the best I''m going to get out of him. I nce up at the ceiling, a little bit worried that the robot that attacked me in the Fracture is going to show up again. For no particr reason, really. Just a strange impulse, like I''m beingpelled to look at something that isn''t there.
It feels a lot like a premonition.
It''s not long before we''re ready to leave. It all feels eerily familiar, with the only difference being that Tarin is heading out with me instead of Rotar, and Mari is the only one staying behind. We''re bringing out practically the same set of supplies, with a little extra handful of berries that Mari had informed me were Tarin''s favorite and that I would have to ration them.
In retrospect, I feel I should have questioned the berry thing a bit more, but I can''t ask her about it now without Tarin seeing. I''ll probably just ask Ahkelioster.
"You careful, okay?" Mari says firmly. She says it more to Tarin than to me, although she does acknowledge me with a slight nod of her head; I try not to think too hard about theck of recognition in her eyes. She sees me as someone she has chosen to trust, but she doesn''t really see me as the person who saved her husband.
In this loop, I''m the one taking him away from her.
"We careful!" Tarin agrees. "I protect Ethan!"
He says that to reassure her. I see her nce at me out of the corner of her eye, her brow slightly raised, and I hold back a chuckle. It''s not that Tarin isn''t able to protect me it''s that she''s expecting me to pull my weight.
"We''ll protect each other," I say, and some of the tension in Mari''s shoulders bleeds out a bit. She gives both of us a broad smile, sweeping Tarin into a tight hug that I look away from and then giving me a less affectionate but equally gentle one I''ve forgotten how easily these two trusted me, and how much they gave me just on my word alone. Tarin''s one thing in this loop, since he remembers, but Mari...
Over and over, she''s been choosing to trust me. I almost ask her why.
But I don''t.
We depart from the Cliffside Crows with much more fanfare than before the crows are all quite understandably attached to their vige grandpa, and several of them want to dy us a little bit so they can throw a farewell party, but Tarin is very firm about saying no. He doesn''t stop them from crowding around him and giving and well-wishes, and I watch as half the children in the vigee up to give him a tight hug. Tarin gives every single one of them a personalized message about being good.
...Sometimes he also gives them a training regimen, which they seem to be very excited about.
I wait through all of it. It surprises me, but some of the crowse up to me, too, telling me they hoped the trip would go well and that they were excited to see use back. That touches me in an unexpected way. I''d expected resentment for taking someone away from them, but I don''t see any of that. They all just genuinely wish me well.
I''d save this vige from a dozen more raids if I have to. The thought urs to me just out of the blue. It was worth the pain of those loops. I mean, I already would have. But now the thought of the possibility of the Integrators calling down another raid on them of Naru attacking them, or the uing Fracture anomaly wiping them out makes my blood boil.
"You ready?" Tarin says, interrupting my thoughts. Most of the crows save for Mari have retreated by now to give us a bit more space, although quite a few of the children are still waving frantically at Tarin. I notice among them the one kid I saw die during the raid on this vige.
It''s hard to forget these things, sometimes.
"Yup," I say, hoisting the makeshift satchel over my shoulder. I''ve chosen to carry my supplies this time instead of dumping them all into the Empty City. Mostly because I have no idea if it''s safe to open, and Ahkelios isn''t sure if the safe area timer has reset, either. "Let''s go."
Okay, so there is in fact a significant difference between traveling with Rotar and traveling with Tarin, and it''s that this time around it''s hard for me to keep up with him. As fast as I am when I stack all my speed skills together, he''s had years of experience and all his Firmament is attuned to speed; Intrinsic Lightning helps me mimic some of that, turning the main body of Firmament I control into a conduit for speed, but it still doesn''t match up to him.
shstep lets me keep up in bursts. Warpstep is too expensive to use to teleport the distances I need to to be able to keep up with him. elerate... Well, I keep that skill on, because without it I would already have fallen far behind Tarin.
"What wrong?" Tarin calls back to me. "You slow!"
"You''re just ridiculously fast!" I yell back at him.
Ahkelios is clinging on to my hair for dear life. He doesn''t have to, of course the nature of our bond will keep him with me but apparently teleporting every couple of meters is very disorienting for him. Which... fair.
At the pace we''re going, we won''t even need a slipstream. I''m a little worried that we''ll get attacked by K''hkeri again, but although I keep my eyes out and my senses peeled, I don''t notice them around at all. That''s probably for the best, and yet I can''t help but be worried.
K''hkeri is missing. So is Rotar. There are new monsters in the loop, and they''re scattered throughout the forest; the only reason we''re avoiding them now is because of how fast we''re going.
What else in the loops have changed?
Chapter 70: Book 2: Layers
Chapter 70: Book 2: Layers
We''re making very good time. We''ve had to stop for a few breaks, mostly because running at this speed costs a lot of energy even with Firmament. We''ve had to stop a couple of times for the crow equivalent of energy bars which are long, very hard sticks packed together with Firmament that I''ve been assured are edible and that taste like dirt.
I''m not a fan. Tarin, on the other hand, devours his eagerly. Ahkelios just stares at them and then makes a face. "d I don''t need to eat," hements.
I throw an energy stick at him.
Such is its construction that the stick just bounces off andnds in the dirt, remainingpletely unblemished. Theyer of Firmament packed around it keeps it protected not that I''d be able to tell without my Firmament sense. It''s kind of the same color as the dirt.
"You not like?" Tarin asks. "It good!"
"It''s not my thing," I say, as diplomatically as I can. I''m considering grabbing some of my previous supplies from the Empty City, no matter the risk. That''s ast resort, though. I can probably still forage for fruit.
"More for Tarin," Tarin says with a shrug, and goes back to chomping down on his... nutritional stick. Look, I really don''t know what to call these things.
After a second of staring at him, I decide I can no longer stand seeing him eating what has to be a tasteless stick. I rummage around in my pack, pick out one of the berries Mari gave me, and toss one of them to him. "Here," I say. "Have this too."
At least for the sake of my own sanity.
Tarin brightens as soon as he sees the berry, catching it and tossing it straight into his mouth. I''m... I''m not sure he even chews. "Traveler berry! Mari give you?"
"Yes?" I say, not knowing how to react.
"Yessss." Tarin does not borate, and promptly flops over onto the ground.
Iugh a little at his antics. We have some more time for a break, here; I''m not fully recovered yet. I feel my Firmament well slowly refilling, and I let myself focus on the sensation, forck of anything better to do. I want to familiarize myself with its use. There''s so much that it''s clearly capable of doing, and yet I know little to nothing about it. Gheraa has told me that his people the Integrators are made entirely of the stuff.
Living, solidified Firmament. I nce briefly at Ahkelios, who has wandered off to examine some of the nearby flowers; I see him poking away at them, and then letting out a startled yelp when a strange, buzzing thing pokes its head out of the flower and nearly stings him. I have to stifle a chuckle at the sight.
But the Integrators are not so different from Ahkelios as he is now, are they?
There are differences, though. The Integrators don''t look like they''re made of Firmament at all except for the traces of glowing light along their bodies, there''s not much of an indication that they''reprised of the stuff. My Firmament sense is dampened in the Inspiration-space, or at least tuned so that I can only sense specific things. I can always feel the Inspirations Gheraa offers me.
Everything else he does? Not so much.
The point is, if what he''s told me is true, then the Integrators are packed with enough Firmament to look and feel like solid stone. That''s a terrifying prospect. I''ve seen Firmament gather in quantities that burn so bright they''re hard to look at. I''ve never seen Firmament so intense that it just solidifies.
And what does it mean that they''re made of Firmament, exactly? Are they enacting the will of the Firmament does Firmament have a will in that way? Or are they artificial creatures, created from another species entirely?
All questions I don''t have the answers for. I might be able to speak to Gheraa soon, but...
I nce at my credits.
[ Credit Distribution:
Strength: 216 (179 banked)
Durability: 395 (84 banked)
Reflex: 42 (360 banked)
Speed: 92 (273 banked)
Firmament: 90 (256 banked) ]
Close. The n is to bank Durability the moment it reaches 501 and guarantees me a Rank A skill. If I''m lucky, I''ll manage to roll my first Rank S skill from this, and a Rank S skill in Durability will do a lot to stop me from having to loop.
...Maybe I should get Tarin to punch me a few times so that the next time I get credited points I get more Durability.
But that''s not likely to help that much; I already know that training is less effective than in a real fight. I''ll have to go out of my way to take more hits, and that''s going to be dangerous in itself.
Just a hundred and six more points. One hundred and six until I get a new Durability skill, an Inspiration, and Gheraa can give me answers.
I hope.
I bring my attention back to the way my Firmament is moving within me. I try to understand how, exactly, my Firmament refills there is clearly a limit to how much I can bring to bear, how much I can use at any given time. The more I force it when I''ve depleted my stores, the worse the pounding in my head. Presumably, if I force it hard enough, there is a risk of real damage. It''s one of the few types of pain that survive across loops.
There''s something of... not a core, exactly. There''s no singr source, no hard lump of energy sitting somewhere in the center of my being that absorbs and emits Firmament. But as I sweep over it with my Firmament sense, I realize that there is a resonance. I''m attuned to it almost automatically, and it affects everything I can see within myself.
But if I shift it, just a little bit...
I can see a little deeper.
Firmament is made of , I realize. It''s almost like a fractal every individual piece of my Firmament is the same no matter how I separate it or pull it apart. The outermostyer is the one I usually see, and theyer that all my Inspirations rest on; I can feel the Void thrumming curiously as I brush my senses past it. The elerator does the same, though the feeling I get from it is less curiosity and more... anxiety?
Concerning. I haven''t exactly been able to speak with that Inspiration, though; the Void seems wholly unique in its ability to speak.
I shift my senses slightly, and feel my mind sinking deeper.
This is theyer where my Firmament instability is the one Tarin called out. It''s uniquely disorienting to be examining a part of myself with that very same part of myself; thendscape around me is constantly shifting, reacting to every tiny change in Firmament around it. It''s hard to tell, exactly, but I can sense two distinct areas where Firmament gathers. They feel like distinct opposites in nature, somehow, and the field created by them creates this zone of instability.
It bears further investigation... but looking at it for this long is already making me sick, with the way it vibrates in response to me even looking at it, which increases the intensity with which my Firmament sense scans it, which causes it to vibrate even more
Nope. One moreyer down.
The thirdyer I feel is intimately familiar. I can feel traces of Tarin''s ck Firmament here, along with a small fragment of Akar''s lc purple and Mari''s verdant green...
Seeing that gives me pause.
The feeling of Mari''s Firmament here is achingly familiar. This came from the version of her that knew me, and this piece of Firmament hasn''t changed. It''s like a small piece of my memory of her, preserved in the depths of my Firmament. I am... surprised by how grateful I feel for it.
Theyer itself is moreplicated than just the presence of those three influences, though. There''s arge pir of Firmament that feels simr to the type of Firmament I''vee to expect from the Interface, and then there''s a smaller pearl of Firmament here that just feels like...
Well, it just feels like me.
This piece of Firmament is nearly solid to my senses. If it were possible for me to reach out and touch it, I almost suspect it would be solid that it would interact with my senses the same way the Integrators would. I''m not sure if that means something. If it does, it... it might mean that the Integrators were built. Engineered. Created with intention, using building blocks pulled straight from loweryers of Firmament.
I push that thought to the side for the moment, and try to move deeper
For a moment, I glimpse something. I see a barely-formed fourthyer of Firmament, made of nothing but bare strings of possibility, like a web that''s just barely begun to be built. Between the strands of possibility are
The moment I try to perceive it, my Firmament sense snaps, forcing me backwards in a way that makes me flinch; for a moment, a fiery pain erupts in my skull, although it fades just as quickly. I''m left blinking away spots from my eyes.
What was that? Even trying to remember what I''d glimpsed causes the headache toe back, though not nearly as bad as before. I shake my head a few times, trying to get rid of the lingering pain, and then realize that there''s a notification waiting for me.
[ Firmament calibration attempt: Stalled at 70%
Anomalies found in Firmament base. Unable to proceed. Backup procedure initiated.
The Interface will evaluate your Firmament base by simting a close, non-anomalous model of your Firmament base. There may be minor inuracies in presented data.
Firmament base attunement: 62.3%
Progress to next phase-shift: 16.2% ]
That''s... interesting. I''m not sure what it is that''s so anomalous about my Firmament base. Maybe it''s the presence of Interface Firmament within it? I did achieve my first shift while fighting off the Interface for Tarin.
Or maybe it''s rted to the Firmament instability in the secondyer.
The progress percentage is obvious, but the attunement the Interface mentions is not. I frown slightly. Does that mean I''m not fully attuned to my own Firmament base?
...It''s probably best to ask Tarin.
"Hey, Tarin," I say out loud. "Any chance you know what attunement with my Firmament base is supposed to be?"
Tarin rolls around to look at me. "Wha?" he says, half-slurring the word. "''Tunement... ''tunement good! More ''tunement... more better."
I stare at him.
"Is he drunk?" Ahkelios asks me casually. I just groan.
Dammit, Mari.
Chapter 71: Book 2: New Locations
Chapter 71: Book 2: New Locations
It turns out that Mari knew what she was doing. Sort of.
Tarin can still move fast while he''s... drunk. Or high. I don''t exactly know what those berries did to him, but he seems to be enjoying himself a lot. The key thing here is that the traveler''s berry as he called it does slow him down. It just puts him mostly on par with me in terms of speed.
It''s a little embarrassing, but without me straining my Firmament to its absolute limits, we actually make better time.
[ You have discovered a location! Location found: The Tired Ruins (Rank B) ]
[ You have discovered a location! Location found: Haunted Vige (Rank C) ]
[ You have discovered a location! Location found: Spawn Pit (Rank A) ]
[ You have discovered a location! Location found: Quiet Grove (Rank N/A) ]
It''s been a while since the map''s explicitly called out that I''ve found a new location. At the speed we''re going at, we pass by several structures and strange anomalies, all of which are apparently just on the path towards the Great Cities. The Tired Ruins look like the remains of a sagging stone castle, strewn about a massive field that stretches over the horizon. Empty suits of armor wander it, some of them missing entire pieces. Which is how I know they''re empty.
The Haunted Vige is... pretty much exactly that. What''s worrying to me is that it looks remarkably simr to a clone of the crows'' own vige, except darker and without any of the life that the crows bring to it. Everything is painted in shades of muted blue, and theyer of dust tells me that no one has been here in a while.
Thankfully, the monsters that roam it are not ghostly crows. They look, if anything, like rotating orbs of ghostly energy. I can sense the Firmament radiating from them. I almost want to stop and fight them, but Tarin keeps going when I try to get him to stop, and I make a frustrated noise in my throat and follow him.
The Spawn Pit is... pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Tarin and I fly over it, and we see no small amount of snake-creatures writhing around within it. I shudder a bit and cloak myself in a Barrier.
The Quiet Grove is where we finally choose to take a break. I''m surprised the Interface marks it as a location at all there doesn''t seem to be anything interesting here, it''s just a small cluster of trees that sits in the middle of a field. It''s as good a ce as any to stop for a break, and so that''s what we do.
And it''s only when we''ve been here for a while that I realize the likely reason this ce is marked the way it is.
There''s something here.
It''s a strand of foreign Firmament, because of course it is but what''s interesting about it is that my Firmament sense doesn''t pick up on it in the usual way. It manifests as a low hum in my ear, reverberating like the beats of a distant drum, inaudible to anyone except to those with a particr sensitivity to Firmament.
"There''s something here," I say out loud, mostly for Tarin''s benefit. The sound vanishes almost as soon as I speak.
"What you mean?" Tarin asks me, and I hold up a hand to shush him. He bats my hand away indignantly. "Ethan! You not just say something here and then not tell me what!"
Evidently, he''s still a little drunk.
"It''s a sound. I''m trying to find it again," I say distractedly. The soundes back whenever either of us aren''t talking. Maybe the name Quiet Grove isn''t a reference to how loud the grove is. Maybe it''s an instruction.
Or maybe I''m applying too much logic to the absurdity of the Interface.
Ahkelios, to his credit, isn''t making a sound, although I can tell he''s curious from the way he squints at the air around us no doubt trying to sense whatever I''m sensing for himself. He doesn''t seem to be having much luck in that regard, but I leave him to it.
What I don''t understand is what this is supposed to be. A puzzle? A secret? Something that''s always been on Hestia, hidden away until it was marked by the Interface?
The sound shifts.
The longer we''re silent, the louder it sings; Firmament hums through the air at me, weaving itself into a quiet song that aches with nostalgia and familiarity. It''s clear enough to my ears that I nce to both Tarin and Ahkelios, to see if they can hear what I''m hearing but neither of them are reacting to the song that''s ying.
Just me, then.
Under my breath, I begin to hum along with it.
It''s more a subconscious than anything; it''s not like I''m intentionally trying to burst into song. But Tarin''s eyes widen as soon as he hears the first few notes, and he practically tackles me, a feathery blur burying itself into my abdomen and sending me sprawling. The Barrier I called up reduced the impact enough to prevent me from bruising, but...
"Ow," I say inly. It doesn''t hurt that much. "What gives, Tarin?"
"You hear song!" Tarin looks both excited and worried all at once. "Here?"
"Yes?" I confirm. It''s not like I''ve heard this anywhere else.
"Song is big." Tarin focuses on me, his gaze suddenly razor sharp. "You not sing the song. It special. For you only, understand?"
"But what is it?"
"Song..." Tarin pauses, trying to find the words; he fluffs up his feathers in agitation as he does so. "Song is message. Song is prayer. Song is heart."
It takes me a second to make the connection. "Like... Hestia''s Heart? The Heart of the?"
"Yes!" Tarin nods vigorously, relieved that I''ve picked up what he''s trying to say. "You hear song, it only for you to hear. Not for you to share."
"But it''s just... a song. What am I supposed to do with it?"
"Listen," Tarin says. "No more talking! You listen. Hear Hestia''s Heart. Yes?"
"Fine," I grumble. It''s not like he''s giving me much of a choice.
I close my eyes. It helps a little, I think. I hear Tarin move away to give me more space, and my Firmament sense tells me Ahkelios moves with him. The noise they make fades away, and the Quiet Grove''s silence once more settles over the grove.
Slowly, the song begins again. I hear it in trickles: a slow, drumming beat at first, and then an emerging melody that aches with the sound of a forgotten childhood, a lost friend, a past lover. It feels almost like I''m listening to someone else''s private, mournful song.
But it''s the Heart, ording to Tarin. The Heart of the the thing the Integrators are after. The point of the Trial, hidden deep within the recesses of the Fracture, which is also the origin of what the systembels Anomaly 006. The explosion that rips the apart.
Tarin tells me this is a message, so I listen closer, trying to peer through the song into whatever the Heart might be trying to tell me. Part of me feels a little ridiculous doing this. But it''s no more ridiculous than anything else I''ve done since arriving on this, so it''s hardly a surprise when something changes.
My earlier practice with Firmament helps. There''s something to the music yers hidden within the Firmament, just below the surface of the song. If I focus my senses and tease it apart...
There is a message in there. A whisper beneath the song, so quiet it''s hard to make out.
So quiet it''s only audible in a ce specifically created to be silent.
That''s what special about the Quiet Grove, I think. It''s not that the ''quiet'' part of its name is an instruction, or even that the Interface chose to dignify this random, calm spot in the middle of nowhere with a location name. It''s something about the Firmament that runs through the trees and around the edges of the grove, sucking up every spare bit of sound so that not even the rustling of the leaves and grass can be heard.
The ce is quiet. The name is quite literal.
More importantly, I hear what the Heart is saying.
dying, it whispers. help
Am I supposed to respond to it? I don''t know how. The way it speaks through Firmament is entirely foreign to me, and although I make an attempt to reach out with Firmament Maniption, the degree of control it takes to attune Firmament to sound is... somewhere far beyond me.
It doesn''t matter, anyway. The Heart continues, the tone of its voice shifting, as if surprised.
pawn of the Integrators, it says. you hear me
...It''s probably better that I can''t respond. My fists involuntarily clench at being called a pawn, when I''ve worked so hard to be anything but and at the same time, a new fear blooms within me. Have I been ying into their hands this whole time?
A short pause, and the Heart continues, sounding almost... amused.
no, not pawn, it hums. you make your own path through the storm. perhaps you will be different
listen well, not-pawn
i have lived through this cycle many, many times
so many i have lost count
but it is close to three hundred
perhaps a little over
if you wish for things to be different
you cannot walk the same path
i see you have already begun to do things differently
but it will not be enough
seek out the echoes from the cycles of the past
break the hold of the Interface
you have found one of them
there are many, many more
you do not need them all
but you will need some of them
if you are to face what lies ahead
The Heart''s words are whispered and airy, sung to a cadence that''s akin to the lyrics of a song. It''s actually a little difficult to follow. It pauses there, as if to give me a moment to process what it''s said, and then it continues.
i havee to know the Integrators well
they are many
but they are not the same
their Firmament is so old
so broken
some breaks are better than others
if you have found an ally, keep them close
but look for the cracks
also, your two lost ones are temporally dislocated
they are safe but lost
you may need to find them
good luck
The song fades, and my mind is left awhirl with thoughts.
It sounds like the Heart approves of Gheraa, for a certain definition of ''approve''. The mention of the two lost ones are almost certainly K''hkeri and Rotar; it''s a relief to know that they''re alright, but much more concerning to know that they aren''t just going to reappear.
Temporal dislocation doesn''t sound like a healthy condition, but it''s not like that gives me any leads on how to find them.
"Alright," I say out loud. "I''ve heard its message. I don''t think any of it is something I needed to keep a secret." I nce at Tarin, who shakes his head vehemently.
"Secret!" he insists, and then, softer, "Integrators watching."
On that note, I suppose, he has a point. I shouldn''t talk openly about everything, especially not its words about the Integrators.
But there''s something else weighing on my mind. The words the Heart opened with.
i have lived through this cycle many, many times
so many i have lost count
but it is close to three hundred
perhaps a little over
I''ve seen that number before. I remember how the Interface introduced me to this world, back when I was first summoned and tossed into the Trial.
[ Wee to Hestia 307B! ]
What if that three hundred and seven records the current cycle Hestia is in?
That''s three hundred and six other loopers. Three hundred and six times the has been through the same Trial, over and over.
"Hey, Tarin," I say. "How many Trialgoers have been on Hestia?"
I hope I''m wrong. But I''m thinking about it now, and while Naru has mentioned that the has been through other Trials, and is clearly aware of it... Tarin hasn''t. Mari wasn''t aware, either,st time I asked. But Tarin''s a little more well informed, so perhaps
"What you mean?" Tarin frowns at me. "Hestia only get one Trialgoer! You first Trialgoer!"
Nope. This is exactly what I think it is.
This''s been through this cycle three hundred and six times.
Tarin and every other person in the loop, save for the Hestian Trialgoers have lived through three hundred and six sets of loops, one for every Trialgoer that has ever been on this.
I should have made this connection before.
An cold anger burns in my chest. It''s not like it was ever really gone, but the me is brighter than ever.
"Are you alright?" Ahkelios is the one to ask that question. It''s the first time he''s spoken in a while, and he looks at me like he''s nervous, or... or afraid.
I don''t want him to be scared of me.
I let a breath go. I can talk to him about this when I''ve calmed down a little.
"Let''s get to the Cities," I say.
This doesn''t change my goals. But it does paint in stark colors exactly what has been done to this and its people. It tells me what the Integrators will do to the Earth if we pass their Trials... and honestly, I suspect now that their condition about destroying the Earth is a tant lie. They want to use Earth the way they''re using Hestia.
Neither Tarin nor Ahkelios argue, perhaps sensing my mood. Firmament flows through me as I activate every speed-rted skill I can that won''t instantly drain me, and we shoot off through the grass towards the Great Cities.
So much to do, so little time.
Ironic.
Chapter 72— Book 2: The Great Gates
Chapter 72¡ª Book 2: The Great Gates
I appreciate the silence as we speed through the scenery. Both Ahkelios and Tarin can see that I''m not in the mood to talk, and while they seem like they want to ask me what''s on my mind, they''ve both chosen to give me space for now. I appreciate it I''m not sure I''m ready to confront the whirlwind of thoughts that are still running through my mind.
Naru mentioned that the Hotspot we encountered was from the fifty-seventh Trial. That implies that Ahkelios was the fifty-seventh looper, and I can probably check by going through the Anomaly logs, assuming he left any. There are other possibilities fifty-seventh might mean the fifty-seventh out of Earth''s three thousand Trialgoers but that seems like a stretch, especially with how clear it is that Ahkelios is rted to the Hotspot. He''s got memories of it, after all.
So I''ve always known that there have been many, many Trials on Hestia. I just didn''t consider that there had been over three hundred. The number is chilling to me, because that number represents more than three hundreds more than three hundred civilizations that have been approached by the Integrators.
It also represents more than three hundred attempts to beat this Trial.
I''m not being told everything. The Trial has to be something more than just willpower, if that many people have failed.
My ruminations aside, it''s not much longer before one of the Great Cities appears over the horizon. Apparently, we''ve already covered most of the distance at the speed we''ve been going. I still don''t expect the sheer scale of it, though; what begins as a dull, matte-gray line quickly rises over the trees, and eventually towers taller than some of the skyscrapers I''ve seen on Earth.
Tarin and I slow down, mostly so we aren''t approaching the wall at full speed. I doubt the guards will react well to two Firmament-enhanced individuals rocketing like bullets towards their walls. Good thing, too, because as soon as we stop, we''re approached by one of the guards.
He isn''t wearing a voidsuit, to my relief; I don''t have to worry that I''m interacting with someone that''s being physically controlled through Void, let alone the reaction that the Inspiration would have to that. Instead, he''s wearing a set of heavy te armor that''s shimmering with a denseyer of Firmament I can feel theplexity of the anchoring through my Firmament sense.
And yet it''s distinctly different from how the crows do it. There''s no anchoring point to tie the Firmament into the object. Instead, it feels like the Firmament has been shaped and weaved in such a way that its shape conforms to the armor. On top of that, I can sense otheryers and types of Firmament coursing through the wovenwork.
Now that I think about it, Virin only ever helped me with the enchantment stage of imbuement. There are still the anchoring and magnification stages. I''ll have to talk to him again when I get the chance I need every advantage I can get.
"Ahem," the guard says, and I realize I''ve been staring at his armor for a while. Tarin snickers at me, and I roll my eyes. "State the purpose of your visit?"
Tarin answers for me, thankfully. I''m not quite ready to talk to anyone yet. "We here to tour!" he says, puffing his chest out proudly. "We hear great things about the Great Cities, see? We want see for ourselves. So we here."
"Right." The guard doesn''t look like he believes Tarin. He folds his arms across his chest, scanning Tarin closely, and then turning his gaze to me.
And then his eyesnd on Ahkelios, and I tense.
"What is that?" the guard asks.
Before I cane up with a response, Ahkelios speaks. "I''m not a ''what'', I''m a ''who''!" he deres indignantly. He crosses his own arms, mimicking the guard''s own stance, except his stature makes him look patently ridiculouspared to the guard. I start to ready myself to use my skills; Quicken Mind, to ready myself for anything the guard does...
...but Premonition isn''t activating. There isn''t danger here?
"Hah!" The guard bursts into guffawingughter, his entire attitude suddenly changing. "I see. You''re entertainers! From one of our vassal states, I assume? I know one''s popted with a lot of you crows, although I have no idea what either of you little friends here are. Picked up a stray, did you?"
Despite myself, I rx. Being called a stray isn''t great, but it''s better than any of the myriad of other reactions this guy could have had. It does strike me as strange that he doesn''t immediately recognize me as a Trialgoer it''s a possibility I forgot to consider, and one that I''m regretting now, except Tarin doesn''t seem at all concerned about it.
Tarin and Mari both recognized almost immediately that I was a Trialgoer. What''s different here?
Maybe the poption on Hestia is a lot more diverse than I''d initially assumed. I''ve already seen crows and morphlings, after all, and I have no idea what species this guard is; most of his features are hidden behind his armor. He''s humanoid, but that''s about all I can identify even the helmet has an obscuringyer of shadowy Firmament that hides everything except his eyes.
They''re strange eyes, though. Chromatic. Not a morphling or a crow, then, unless there''s something I don''t know about either of those species.
"Not stray!" Tarin says, to my surprise. "He friend. He help me, understand? What word... Ah! Apprentice!"
Well, I''m d Tarin''s standing up for me, at least.
"I train him!"
Mostly d.
"City has training facilities, yes?"
Maybe not that d.
"Of course, of course," the guard says, not questioning anything Tarin is saying at all. It''s a wonder this city hasn''t been invaded yet.
But maybe that''s what this is. They aren''t paranoid about attackers because they have no reason to be; that armor the guard is wearing is already stuffed with more Firmament than I could hope to generate on my own, and if every one of their guards has something like that, then they don''t have much to fear from the outside. I''m not exactly familiar with Hestian geography or most of thendmarks on this continent, so it''s possible they''ve just had a long, extended peacetime.
If they''re not scared, though, why the massive wall?
I remember what Rotar''s told me about the Great Cities that they''re a loose coalition of cities clustered around the center of the continent. Presumably, this is one of them. I probably should''ve asked Tarin for a little more information about the specific city we were headed to first.
Then we get to the Gates, and everything makes a lot more sense.
The wall isn''t surrounding a city like I''d assumed. This is a massive wall that encircles a giant section ofnd, within which the Cities reside. I wonder for a moment what the point of the wall is, and then I remember what Tarin told me about the number of monsters seeded on Hestia because of the Trial. Maybe they built it to defend themselves, and since this is still early in the cycle and the first loop they haven''t had to actually fight anything yet.
I think about the chimeras I had to fight.
Yet. Even with their armor, if enough of those decide to try to break through the walls, I''m not sure they can fight them all off. That, and I doubt the chimeras are the only monsters roaming Hestia. I''m surprised we didn''t run into anything on the way here, but at the speeds we were going, I''m guessing we blew past the majority of the monsters that would otherwise have chased us down.
The gate itself is a transparent barrier of Firmament. It''s dense and thick, too, stronger than almost anything I''ve encountered short of the st in the Fracture. Part of me wonders how it''s being maintained, but considering the entire wall seems to be charged and imbued with Firmament, part of me suspects that this is just a project that they''ve been working on for a long, long time.
In stark contrast with the Firmament-enhanced gate and the sheer scale of the wall, however, is the outpost of guards that stand around just outside the gate. They have a scattered set of tents and wooden furniture that looks like it''s been sitting out in the open for years and barely maintained. It doesn''t stop the five other guards from lounging about in those seats, each d in an identical set of armor and a glimmering rod tied to their hips.
Huh. The guard leading us has that rod conspicuously absent.
Strange.
"Alright," the guard says. "We just need you guys to register with us. One sample of Firmament for tracking, and you can be on your way to wherever you''re headed."
A sample of Firmament? I don''t like the idea of being tracked.
"Andos," another guard calls. She I think she''s a she, anyway gets up from her seat and strides over, then folds her arms across her chest. She''s a little taller than the others, and now that I look more closely, her armor is different in subtle ways. There''s a symbol etched into the chestte that''s only visible when the sun catches on it just right. "Did you clear them for entry?"
"Almost done, Qura!" the guard that''s apparently named Andos replies cheerfully. "They''re just entertainers. A crow and his... whatever that is. His apprentice. What are you, anyway?"
"Human," I say dryly. It''s not like they''ll be able to get anything from the word; it''s foreign to them.
"Human!" Andos says cheerfully. "A crow and his human."
"Please don''t refer to me like I''m a belonging."
I don''t really care either way, in truth. I''m busy trying to think of a way to avoid this I don''t really want to give away a piece of my Firmament for them to use, especially with the Interface so tied up with me. Rotar''s already told me that the Cities are interested in exploiting the Interface specifically; if they know that I''m the Trialgoer, I''m going to be a target. How do I avoid this?
"How do you take a Firmament sample?" I ask, partly to distract them and partly to buy myself time. Andos walks over to a nearby crate and pulls it open, neatly ripping off the lid and a chunk of the crate with it. I wince at the sound of the wood cracking and splintering.
"With this!" Andos says. He spins around and flourishes a small crystal at me. "All you have to do is imbue it with a piece of your Firmament. Simple! Give it a try."
That actually is pretty simple, but that doesn''t mean I want to do it.
Firmament Maniptiones in handy here, along with just the lightest touch of Void; the Inspiration feels sleepy, forck of a better word, but it doesn''t mind lending me its power to draw a little bit more Firmament out of the air and into my arm. Then, as I take the crystal from Andos, I flood it with that ambient, passive Firmament.
The crystal turns green and I can almost swear it makes a ding.
"There you go!" Andos retrieves the crystal from me, digs around in the crate for a fresh one, and then hands it to Tarin. I try to weave another piece of ambient Firmament frantically, but before I can do anything, Tarin takes it and floods it with his traditional ck Firmament. It crackles with electricity.
I wince. Hopefully that won''te back and bite us.
"Wooh, that''s a lot," Andos says, whistling. He takes Tarin''s crystal back, then walks off with both our crystals, grabbing a strange-looking... I mean, it looks like a gun, except it has prongs instead of a barrel. "Names?"
"Tarin," Tarin says.
"Ethan," I say. I wonder why he''s not trying to get a sample of Ahkelios'' Firmament. Does he assume he''s just my pet?
...Probably.
Andos clicks the trigger of the gun, sending some Firmament into it at the same time; the prongs fill with energy, and a secondter, both crystals are imprinted with our names.
I can''t help but feel like this was almost too easy. Qura''s staring at me, and I get the strange sense that she''s frowning, but she doesn''t say anything further.
"Well," Andos says. He hands us both a small medallion stamped with an image of... what looks like some type of bird. "Here are your passes to the Cities. They''ll let you pass through the gate. Let me know where you''re going to have a show sometime! I''d love toe watch."
"We send message back to guards!" Tarin says, dragging me along with a wing. "Must see cities first. Then decide."
"Sounds good!" Andos says cheerfully, and a fraction of a secondter the sound of his voice is swallowed by the barrier of Firmament that envelops us. Ahkelios actually flickers within the density of it, though he isn''t forced to stay outside like I''d worried might happen.
And then we''re through. The walls stretch behind us, protecting us from the monsters outside.
Or, you know. Protecting them from us. More fun to think about it that way.
Chapter 73— Book 2: Isthanok, the City of Broken Glass
Chapter 73¡ª Book 2: Isthanok, the City of Broken ss
The Great Cities, Tarin exins, are a set of seven cities situated inside the Barricade, which is apparently their name for the massive wall that encircles this section of the. The cities are numbered one through seven, though the numbering is unofficial officially, the city we''re headed to is called Isthanok. The City of Broken ss, they apparently call themselves.
I can see why. As more and more of the cityes into view, I find myself squinting against the re of the sun Isthanok is practically a mirror of its name. Its architecture is a dizzying array of disconnected structures, some of which I''m certain are just floating in the air; while the material of each building is technically opaque, they''re reflective and built in such a way that they reflect the sky.
In other words, the buildings all look like transparent shards of ss, hanging in the air.
I have to give it to the architects of the city they really know how to stick to a theme, even if that theme is painfully blinding at times.
"Use Firmament!" Tarin caws at me, and I nce over at him. There''s a thinyer of protective Firmament packed over his eyes.
"Right," I say. I follow suit with Firmament Maniption, and immediately the re of the city eases. This must be how anyone else is able to navigate in the city.
There are no further walls or guards we have to pass through to enter Isthanok; apparently, as long as you''re past the Barricade, security between cities isn''t a concern. Considering what Rotar''s told me about how much they spy and steal from one another, I find this strange. Surely they''d bother to have a little more security?
It doesn''t matter, I suppose. I''m content with being mostly ignored save for the strange looks that Isthanok''s residents asionally toss at us. We make an odd trio, so I''m not surprised. For my part, I find myself fascinated this is the first time I''ve been in a fully developed city on Hestia, and I''m not sure what to make of it. It''s almost enough to make me forget about my concerns.
You know, almost.
The residents of Isthanok for the most part wear sleek, light-gray outfits that catch on the light and shimmer with a pearlescent sheen. High cors outlined by dark-ck fabric stand out against the otherwise pastel tones of the city, lending a sharper, formal note to the overall look. It makes me feel underdressed, and I make a face; Tarin, on the other hand, doesn''t seem to care.
He''s leading me through the streets with purpose, so I assume he knows where he''s going. I turn my attention to further observation instead, trying to note down everything I might need to know in future loops.
Most of the people that live here are of a singr species. I have to blink a few times before I ept that their appearance isn''t an illusion every member of their species looks to be made out of silver-gray smoke. That smoke fills out an otherwise humanoid shape, and they appear to express themselves with little screen-cors that disy their emotions.
The ones walking alone have those screen-cors turned off. The ones talking to one another have their screens flickering between a rapid array of different emotions, merchants calling for people to purchase their strange, bell-looking items have happy faces stered onto their cors, in what I assume is an attempt to look friendly.
"Silverwisps!" Tarin exins when I nce at him. "They build city."
It makes sense. Isthanok reflects their apparent aesthetic. It''s beautiful in a one-note, one-color sort of way, as long as I''m standing still but when I look around, light catches on the edges of buildings and clothing and on the crystalline nts that litter the streets, and the city bursts into iridescent color just on the edges of my vision.
For all the ethereal beauty of the city itself, though, it sounds just like any other city I''ve been to. No cars or buses or obnoxiously loud engines, certainly, but the hustle and bustle is ever-present; the silverwisps'' voices are light and airy, but they fill the air, and the few non-silverwisp species here make up for the rest of the auditory spectrum.
"Ethan!" Tarin calls, and I speed up my steps; I''ve seen so lost taking in the city that I''ve fallen behind.
Ahkelios grips at my hair, insectoid hands grasping tight and almost hard enough to pull them out by the root. I wince and stop, and after a few more steps, so does Tarin, who''s frowning. "Ahkelios?" I ask. "You okay?"
"I just..." the mantis takes a shivering breath, then holds it, even though he doesn''t need to breathe. I don''t say anything. "Give me a moment."
"Sure," I say, ncing at Tarin. "You want a better seat?"
"Y-yeah." Ahkelios mbers off my head and onto my proffered hand, where he curls his knees up to his chest and stares at the city in a remarkably human gesture. "This ce is beautiful. I never saw it when I was..."
Alive, is the implied word there. A few nearby silverwisps stare at us and mutter amongst themselves, but I pay them no mind; they''re hardly the first to have stared since our entry to this city. We''re an unusual trio. I''m surprised no one has approached us yet.
"Where are we headed, Tarin?" I ask, mostly to fill the silence while Ahkelios drinks in the sight. I probably should have asked earlier, anyway.
"Old friend!" Tarin says, pping his wings a little in emphasis. "Good friend! She help. She helpst loop, too!"
"How is she going to help?" I ask, stifling a chuckle. Tarin''smunication could use a little work.
"She expert tracker." Tarin nods to himself, satisfied with his exnation. "We find Rotar."
That''s a pretty good start, honestly.
"I''d like to find out more about the Integrators, if there''s anything about them here," I say. Some of the silverwisps nearby still and nce at us, and I abort the rest of the sentence I''m not going to talk about researching the Interface in public. Not when Rotar made it very clear that information about the Interface is at a premium here.
Fortunately, they lose interest in us quickly enough, and Ahkelios mbers back up onto my head. "Thanks," he says quietly.
I just nod. It''s the least I can do for him.
The ce Tarin drags us to is some kind of shop. a more run-down section of Isthanok. Further to the north, past gleaming ss and pristine pirs, is a part of the city that isn''t quite so bright I let the Firmament fade from my eyes, blinking away the strangeness of the sensation. It isn''t that this part of the city ispletely abandoned some of that ethereal beauty is still there. But there''s dust on the walls and cracks in the mirrored streets; whatever maintenance is done everywhere else, it''s not done here.
Tarin ducks through a hole in the fence that acts as a boundary here, yelping as it catches on his feathers. I follow him through, and almost as soon as I step past the hole, I''m sted with noise.
There''s a thin barrier of Firmamentyered around the fence that prevents sound from getting through, and I can guess why. The people here are far more lively. Silverwisps run around, dancing and ying with Firmament mes that bounce effortlessly between them; there are significantly more non-silverwisps here, too, either talking animatedly or sharing in brown-orange glop that I assume has to be a popr dish with how many people are ravenously consuming it.
Here and there, small figures dart around. They''re not silverwisps, I don''t think, and I wouldn''t spot them if not for Quicken Mind and my Firmament sense there are a few people using a stealthy-feeling kind of Firmament to move around, flickering into existence only briefly between steps. I observe them for a moment, tense, but they don''t seem particrly interested in me; I''m not sure what they''re doing, really.
"This way!" Tarin calls, and I start after him again.
He leads me to what looks like a once-floating shard of Isthanok that has crashed onto the ground it''s a spire of rusted metal erupting from the ground in jagged shapes, roughly piled together into what I think forms a shelter, although it''s not exactly encouraging. There isn''t even a door, and yet Tarin ducks happily into one of the gaps between the shards.
I follow behind him, albeit much more cautiously. The hole''s small enough that I have to be careful not to cut myself on the edges of the building. The interior is dark and musty; the dim light emitted by Ahkelios'' Firmament is the only thing that lights up the small tunnel ahead of me. Tarin''s a little further ahead, squeezing his way through and greeting someone enthusiastically.
"Miktik!" Tarin says enthusiastically. I emerge from the tunnel in the debris a little after him to find what looks like a jury-rigged workshop, filled with rusty tools and Firmament-powered machinery. I''m not sure half of it even works, from the feeling I''m getting from them; it feels like their imbuements are badly damaged in some way. Loose threads of Firmament trail out from them, dissipating into the air.
"Tarin?" a low, suspicious voice hisses, and I nce around for the source of the sound. It takes me a moment to see who''s talking, mostly because I''d dismissed her as a ball on the ground at first.
Miktik I assume that''s her name looks... well, she looks like a giant pill bug. Which is still small, to be clear; she barelyes up to Tarin''s hips, and Tarin''s small for a crow as it is.
Huh.
This is the first species with a non-humanoid body n that I''ve encountered, I think. I suppose I should have expected it.
"Tarin!" Miktik says, suddenly sounding a lot more excited, and with a smooth ejection of Firmament sheunches herself off the ground and onto her desk. "Hello! What brings you here? Are you visiting? Is Mari with you?"
"Mari not with me," Tarin says, shaking his head. "She protecting vige! Ie for help. Crow go missing. You help find?"
"Happy to!" Miktik says, and then she pauses. "Usual payment, yes?"
"I not as good as Mari. I try?" Tarin offers. Miktik shrugs that''s the best way I can describe the motion, because every chitinous segment of her body raises partially before settling back down again.
"Good enough for me!" she says cheerfully. "And your friend there who''s he?"
"He Ethan!" Tarin says, and then before I can stop him, he leans in to whisper in an exaggerated, conspiratorial tone. "He Trialgoer."
Chapter 74— Book 2: —Advanced Technology
Chapter 74¡ª Book 2: ¡ªAdvanced Technology
In retrospect, a quick discussion with Tarin about information security would probably have been a good idea, although I understand that he trusts Miktik implicitly. My understanding doesn''t stop me from putting a hand to my face, nor does it stop Ahkelios'' own incredulous groan.
"Tarin," I say. "You can''t just tell people that."
"Why not?" Tarin asks. "Miktik friend!"
"He''s right though!" There''s entirely too much cheer in Miktik''s voice, for all that she''s agreeing with me but I suspect that''s just how she is. "I''m happy you trust me! But you should be careful. The Great Cities have a lot of people listening." She pauses. "Less here, though! I paid a lot of chips. Got this ce chock-full of privacy-enhancing Firmament."
She wriggles so that her shell taps the wall, as if for emphasis. Now that she mentions it, I do feel a subtle current of Firmament circting all throughout the building. It''s weaker than most imbuements I''ve seen, but it also does something I''ve never seen any other imbuement do. Any Firmament thates into contact with it, as long as it''s weak enough, gets swept up into the current and added into it.
"Bah!" Tarin grumbles, but he doesn''t have an argument for her, evidently. Instead, he changes the subject. "What you want me to fix?"
"Ah! Yes!" Miktik suddenly looks excited. She scampers over to a nearby shelf and begins digging through a box, and I watch as she uses a mixture of limbs and Firmament to drag out an assortment of different items, muttering to herself as she does so. I notice a mirror, an orb of ss inscribed with strange symbols, a... I''m not describing that one, two mechanical boxes that whir and hum ominously with every movement, one of which begins to glow red before she sets it down...
I take a surreptitious step away.
"No idea what that one does!" Miktikughs. "But I think it''s fun."
"That''s a bomb, right?" Ahkelios whispers to me. "That''s very obviously a bomb."
"I''ve never seen anything look more obviously like a bomb in my life," I deadpan. "All it needs is some wires and a timer and it wouldplete the look."
"Oh, don''t be silly, it''s probably not a bomb," Miktik says, because I didn''t bother whispering and because if it is a bomb then I figure she needs to be warned about it. The ''probably'' in her sentence isn''t encouraging, though. "Uh... Hm. Actually, you might have a point! I''m going to put a sticker on that one."
"How haven''t you blown yourself up yet?" Ahkelios asks, apparently deciding to just talk directly to Miktik. She spins around, her gaze zeroing in on Ahkelios and making him shift about ufortably on my head.
"You''re alive!" she exims. "I thought you were decoration."
"You what."
"Some silverwisps use little pieces of animated Firmament as jewelry," Miktik says, turning back to her box and once more digging through it. I''m pretty sure the next item she removes is just a stick, but considering what the crows have been able to do with just sticks and stones, it''s a stick I decide to be suspicious of. "I thought you were that, you know? What''s your name?"
"It''s Ahkelios," the mantis tries to reply to no avail, because at that exact moment Miktik pulls out what looks like a small, metallic pyramid with a chitter of triumph. She ms it ufortably hard on her desk and then looks at us expectantly. Ahkelios sighs. "It''s Ahkelios," he says, repeating himself.
"Pleasure to meet you, Ethan and Ahkelios!" Miktik does a little bow, still bnced on her desk switching to customer service mode, if the tone of her voice is anything to go by. "I am Miktik, inventor, salvager, and tracker. If you find anything strange that you have no use for, bring it to me! I''m sure I can find some use for it."
"I''ll be sure to do that," I say, thinking back to some of the shards I''ve found. I wonder what she''d make of them. "For now, you said you were going to help us find Rotar?"
"Your crow friend, yes?" Miktik smiles. "I will! But I''ll do that after you help me fix this. Miktik always takes payment upfront."
"Should be easy!" Tarin proims. He stalks up to the pyramid-thing she''s put on her desk, stares at it, and then pokes it awkwardly with a wing. "What this?"
"It''s a regtor," Miktik exins. She points over at one of the broken machines in her workshop. "I need it so that thing doesn''t blow up when I turn it on."
She hasn''t even finished her sentence by the time Tarin starts fiddling with it. I sigh I really hope he knows what he''s doing. It sounds like it''s usually been Mari handling the imbuements for Miktik, and while I know a little bit of imbuement thanks to both Mari and Virin''s lessons, I probably still know less than Tarin himself does. I''ve only had ess to Firmament for, what, a week?
I need to be better at keeping track of time.
"I hope Tarin knows what he''s doing," Ahkelios whispers to me, echoing my thoughts, and I stifle a smallugh. Instead, I head over to the furnace that Miktik ims is broken, and nce over it with my Firmament sense.
If Miktik finds what I''m doing strange, she doesn''t say anything about it. The imbuement on this thing is and from what I can tell, it''s broken in a half dozen ces. I can see a pyramid-shaped spot that''s presumably supposed to hold the regtor, but it doesn''t look like it''s meant to be part of the design. Presumably, whoever fixed this thing added in the regtor as a sort of stopgap measure.
I can''t make heads or tails of it, though. I can feel the way Firmament enters the mechanism, and I can feel the way it twists and turns. I can tell that there''s a knot inside the machine that''s supposed to do something Firmament enters it, even passively, and it emerges changed in some ephemeral way that I can''t describe. I try to peer deeper down into theyers of Firmament, to see what''s changing even if I can''t tell how it''s being changed
"Ethan?" Tarin calls, and I straighten. Miktik is looking at me curiously, but I studiously ignore her gaze in favor of finding out what Tarin wants. "Need help," he says, almost begrudgingly. "I not sure where fix needed. Cannot sense."
Tarin looks so put out by this that I almostugh, though I manage to hold myself back. It''s mostly how annoyed he looks with himself for having to ask for help. I take a moment to scan through the pyramid-thing with my Firmament sense and whistle.
It''s not nearly asplicated as the furnace-thing, fortunatelyit''s still within my abilities to understand. There are four knots of Firmament, one for each side of the pyramid, and a fifth, moreplicated knot at the base; I can almost recognize this thing as having been imbued by Mari, considering I''ve seen her imbuements all over the crow vige.
One of the knots, however, hase partially undone. It''s not immediately obviousI have to wait for a moment to pass and watch as the regtor takes in some ambient Firmament. From three sides of the pyramid, the Firmament is passed on to the base and then filtered in some strange way I can''t describe; from the fourth side, about half the Firmament makes it through. The rest leaks out through gaps in the imbuement, subtle as it is.
"This one," I say, pointing it out. "It just needs to be tightened a bit."
Tarin brightens. "Oh!" he says. "Easy!"
I feel a quick sh of Firmament and just like that, he''s done. I try to get a feel for how he does it, given this part of imbuement has always given me trouble the ''anchor'', as Virin calls it but Tarin''s touch is so quick I barely have the time to blink before he''s done. Tightening a knot is probably easier than making one from scratch, but...
I wouldn''t dare do it myself, I think. Pull on the wrong part of the thread and the whole knot unravels, and I wouldn''t be able to put it together again.
"All done!" Tarin says.
Miktik brightens, hopping down and poking at the regtor. "Great!" she cheers. "Let''s test it!"
It only takes her a moment to stuff it into the furnace-thing there''s a panel on the back that she can slot it into. I watch as she does it, and then take a step back when the machine whirs to life.
It''s gathering Firmament. It''s gathering an immense amount of Firmament, even I can see why the regtor is needed but more than that, the way it''s gathering Firmament is reminiscent of...
It''s reminiscent of the Void. And while there wasn''t any Void Firmament before, I can sense that it''s generating it, somehow, converting ambient Firmament into something adjacent to Void. Close enough that it can pull in more and more, and start powering the mechanism within.
This is remarkably close to the technology that was used in the Voidsuits. The thing that was used to control K''hkeri. Ahkelios said he''s never run into the people that were sending those out. It''s not that I think Miktik is involved, necessarily and even if she were, now would be a bad time to press her on it, since we still need her help to find Rotar but this might be a chance to get a little closer to the source.
"Seems to work!" Miktik says cheerfully, oblivious to what I''m sensing. I frown, a little worried that my next question will cause problems, but I feelpelled to ask it anyway.
"Miktik," I say. "Is this Integrator technology?"
Miktik freezes. Tarin looks startled. The workshop is brieflypletely silent, save for the humming of machinery.
"Well," Miktik says, trying to recover. "Miktik can guarantee that it is not not Integrator technology! But you''re a Trialgoer, so Miktik has to be careful. Because the Integrators might be watching you and all."
Does she slip into third person when she''s nervous? I think she does. Tarin, for his part, covers his face with a wing
"Miktik good friend," he says. "Bad liar."
"You''re one to talk. You kind of immediately told her I''m a Trialgoer," I jab back. "But... Miktik, if you have Integrator contacts or a way to get ess to their technology, it could help me a lot. I''m willing to help repair whatever you need."
There. That should both put me closer to finding whoever''s behind the Voidsuits or, failing that, a way to get to Gheraa. Repairing things would be a good chance to really dive into learning about imbuement and enhancement, too.
For her part, Miktik rxes a little bit when I make my offer, then takes a moment to seriously consider it. She''s clearly still hesitant to speak; her antennae wave about above her head uncertainly.
"Miktik doesn''t have an Integrator contact," she says after a moment. "Miktik does have ess to a scrapyard that is used by Integrators. But the scrapyard''s pretty dangerous. I can hide pretty well, but I can''t hide other people."
I can''t tell if she''s telling the truth this is one area the Interface''s automatic trantion doesn''t exactly help me in. She gives me a significant nce. "Let''s focus on one problem at a time," she says. "We''ll find your friend first, and then we''ll worry about the scrapyard and your payment for information on it. Sound good?"
"Yes!" Tarin says firmly, before I can say anything. I re at him. I mean, I was about to say the same thing anyway, but it''s the principle of the matter.
On my head, Ahkelios gives a tiny cheer.
Miktik pulls out what looks like... a slightly different version of Rotar''s pocket oracle. It still looks a little like apass, but where Rotar''s is a t disc, Miktik''s version is a full-on ss orb or it''s made out of some sort of clear stone, anyway. It doesn''t look entirely like ss.
"Alright," she says. "Let''s get started."
Chapter 75— Book 2: —Fortune Telling
Chapter 75¡ª Book 2: ¡ªFortune Telling
It''s hard to describe exactly what Miktik does.
She feeds her Firmament into the orb that part I can read easily enough with my Firmament sense but imbued within the orb is a blob of Firmament that looks nothing like any imbuement I''ve seen so far. It looks almost like a spiderweb. Small strings of Firmament reach out and connect to one another and to the edges of the orb.
Miktik''s will acts as something like a filter. The orb itself passively pulls on all the ambient Firmament around it, dragging it into all the different strings within. I can sense Miktik plucking away at those strings, somehow manipting them so that different types of Firmament get sorted into different strands.
She''s extracting information out of the Firmament around us.
"Don''t you have privacy wards all over this ce?" I ask. "That filters out a lot of the Firmament getting in and out, right? It''s gotta be harder to use if you do that."
"Shh," Tarin scolds me, but Miktik actually looks up.
"That''s why I''ve been having trouble with divinationtely!" she says. She doesn''t exactly snap her fingers, but she does something that''s a rough equivalent, rubbing two of her legs together and producing a spark of Firmament. "I didn''t even consider that! You''re right; we should do this outside."
She scampers off her table, grumbling all the while. "I''m gonna have to make the contractorse back and redo the ward. You''d think professionals would warn about something like that. Would it be so hard to make it a one-way privacy imbuement?"
"We''ll catch up with you!" I call after her. Miktik''s voice fades away as she makes her way through the tunnels of her own home. I look at Tarin with a raised eyebrow, and he concedes with a grumbling sort of huff.
"You know," I say. "While we''re here and Miktik isn''t around next time we loop, how should we meet up? I don''t think you and Mari should be risking life and limb to rescue me from chimeras every loop."
A little bit of scouting will let me evade most of the chimeras, I think, but the best method so far seems to be to just fly over them all and flight is unfortunately not on my list of Interface-granted skills yet. Maybe the next time I bank my credits.
Then again... maybe if I use Crystallized Strength and Warpstep to get enough Air, and then use a few Barriers to keep myself moving?
"Easiest if we meet in vige," Tarin says. "You fight chimeras! It make you stronger."
"I''ll fight one or two, but I don''t think I can fight the entire forest," I say dryly. He''s not wrong, and if I just charge into the next fight without preparation I''m liable to get myself killed but I can''t just spend a few loops doing nothing but fighting chimeras, either.
I mean, I can. It doesn''t sound like a good idea. There''s too much I need to be doing that would also function as training regardless.
"I think I can find a way to get to you," I say eventually. "I''d rather you don''t have toe out to look for me. Can you stay in the vige until I find you?"
"I sleep." Tarin nods. Iugh; he does spend the start of every loop sleeping.
"Just don''t tell Mari about the loop," I add. "We can prank her. Make her think it''s weird that we know so much."
The lie tastes bitter on my tongue. Tarin looks, conversely, awed by the idea though there''s a flicker of something in his eyes that makes me wonder if he knows what I''m trying to do. What Mari and I are both trying to do, really.
He seems willing to go along with it. "Okay!" he says. "I wait. Youe soon. I not wait long. If you take too long I go Great Cities myself."
"Works for me," I chuckle. "Mind going to check on Miktik? I want to talk to Ahkelios for a bit."
This is probably the greatest opportunity for me to talk to Ahkelios about his experiences with the Integrators. Even if the privacy Firmament around this workshop is rtively weak, it''s better than the nothing we usually have.
Ahkelios remains silent until Tarin squeezes his way out through the tunnels, then hops up onto the desk in front of me. "What''s on your mind?" he asks.
"We know other people have looped here," I say. "But... I think that''s what the number behind the''s name is. Hestia 307B I''m the three-hundred-and-seventh looper. There have been three hundred other Trials on this. The entire''s been temporally locked for however long it took the Integrators to run three hundred and six Trials."
Ahkelios doesn''t respond, but his Firmament does flicker slightly in distress. Three hundred is a bigger number than either of us were expecting, I think.
"How do you know?" he asks.
"Back when I spoke to the Heart," I say. "Or when the Heart spoke to me, I guess. It said it''s been through this whole thing a little more than three hundred times. The numbers feel too close to be a coincidence."
Ahkelios closes his eyes. I don''t know what''s running through his head. It''s a long moment before he speaks again. "Then they''re all probably gone, aren''t they?" he says softly.
It takes me a moment to grasp what he''s saying. "...Probably," I say.
I don''t know what''s happened to his. But depending on how long the Trials run, it''s very possible that everyone he''s ever known is already dead. The Integrators never specified how long we have toplete the Trials probably because they don''t care how long it takes, as long as we eventually get to the Heart and if that''s the case, then who knows how many decades have passed since Ahkelios'' Trial?
Centuries, even.
Naru said the Hotspot I explored was used in the fifty-seventh Trial, and Ahkelios has memories of that Trial. ordingly, he''s probably the fifty-seventh Trialgoer, which means there have been almost two hundred and fifty Trials since him. If every Trialgoersts for a month, that''s still twenty Earth years. If every Trialgoersts for a year, then it''s been more than two centuries since he wasst alive. "Do you know how long you were in your Trial?" I ask gently.
It''s not an easy question for him, I sense. Ahkelios winces a little bit, rubbing his head, and I feel the draw on my Firmament increase as he tries to recall. "...Years, I think. I don''t know more than that."
His voice is quiet and subdued far from his usual cheer. I hold out a hand for Ahkelios to climb into, not knowing what else to say, and he climbs up on it gratefully.
"You should tell me about them sometime," I say. "The people you left behind."
Maybe it''ll help in some small way. Ahkelios hesitates before he answers. "I will," he says. "But... not yet. I don''t think I''m ready yet."
Because talking about them will feel final, in some way. He doesn''t need to say the words out loud for me to understand; I''m familiar enough with grief. It''s hard to grieve properly when you don''t even know for sure, and everything about Ahkelios'' situation is uncertain.
We don''t even know if his people ultimately seeded in the Trials.
"Let''s go see what Tarin and Miktik are up to," Ahkelios says, nodding back towards the tunnel-entrance. I nod in silent agreement.
Miktik isn''t very far outside. There''s a small clearing by her workshop full of assorted junk and gadgets, heaped up in disorganized piles, and she''s sitting at the center of them while performing the same Firmament-sorting I saw before. The only difference is that she''s actually doing it slower.
Which makes sense, I suppose. If the Firmament out here is more information-dense, I imagine it''s harder to sort through, but also a lot more useful.
"How long does she usually take?" I ask Tarin. The old crow is standing by the side, digging through one of the piles of junk.
"Not long," Tarin says. "She fast. Unless Rotar hard to find. Then maybe take longer."
"Doesn''t look like she''s anywhere close to done," I mutter. The strings of Firmament within the orb are only multiplying, like her search query is getting more and moreplex. "She hasn''t met Rotar before, right? How does she know how to find him? Is the name enough?"
"Name enough," Tarin says with a nod. "Too many things make harder. More variables. You no worry! She will find."
My concerns are less about her capabilities and more about what the Heart said. Temporally dislocated. It''s possible that they''re just not possible to find yet.
"These are some really strange results!" Miktik says. I blink. Is she done already? "Come take a look!"
Tarin and I both approach her, and she holds out the orb and channels Firmament into it. A half-dozen strings of Firmament spin into light, forming tendrils that look disturbingly like worms reaching out of the ss. I''m not sure what I''m supposed to see, exactly
but then Miktik does something strange, twisting the orb and injecting a different type of Firmament into it. The threads unfold and expand, and reconstruct themselves into a picture of...
"Rotar!" Tarin says excitedly, hopping to the orb to take a closer look.
I, on the other hand, am frowning and Ahkelios is equally silent.
The picture of Rotar that Miktik has generated is surprisingly high-resolution and in full color, but several things about it are strange. For one thing, Rotar and K''hkerior Ikaara, I suppose, in this formare both transparent, like they aren''t fully there. For another...
I recognize the stone buildings, the dangerous-looking stairs. That''s the Fracture.
"What''re they doing in the Fracture?" I ask, frowning.
"Why he invisible!" Tarin ps his wings agitatedly.
"Most importantly," Miktik says. "This is live."
Ah. That makes things worse. Because both Rotar and Ikaara are standingpletely still, frozen mid-step.
Temporally disced. I turn the words over in my head a few times. They look a little like they''re stuck in time, shifted slightly out of alignment.
"They''re moving," Ahkelios says. "Just really slowly."
I blink. He''s right. It''s almost unnoticeable, but they are moving just a little bit, with Ikaara moving just a little faster than Rotar.
They were mid-slipstream when the temporal storm happened. My best guess is that they''re shifted in space and in time, a half-step out from the rest of reality.
"The hell''re we supposed to do about this?" I mutter.
Chapter 76— Book 2: —The Bonds We Build
Chapter 76¡ª Book 2: ¡ªThe Bonds We Build
We learn a few things over the next couple of minutes.
One, Rotar and Ikaara are both safe or at least as safe as they can be. Being half a step out of phase with everything elsees with downsides, obviously, but it alsoes with the upside of nothing being able to interact with them. We first notice this when we realize that their feet aren''t quite touching the ground, and it bes more obvious when a stray dust breeze blows a cloud of dirt right through them.
No telling how they''d interact with Firmament, but given the Fracture explodes with Firmament every once in a while and neither of them seem to be dead, they''re probably not in that much danger.
Temporal Fragment might be able to pull them back into phase, and Ikaara should be able to get them out of the slipstream after that. That''s the first step of the n, anyway. If it doesn''t work, we''ll have to rethink our approach.
Even getting there is easier said than done, though. The Fracture is far from here, and unless we go around or above, we''ll be going through all the chimeras to get there. Tarin can dodge them all with his speed. Me? I''m not quite there yet.
So we''re talking through our options, and Miktik''s telling us a little more about her talent as a tracker.
"I can use it to find anything!" she says cheerfully. "It makes me pretty useful."
"It does, doesn''t it?"
The voice is new. It''s a gentle voice, almost musical in the way it sounds, but something about it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand. I try not to show how startled I am and slowly turn to greet the neer.
Tarin, on the other hand, has no suchpunctions. He lets out a startled squawk. "Who you!" he says, pointing an usatory wing at the silverwisp standing behind us.
Almost as soon as he does, a bolt of Firmament flickers out from that silverwisp. It''s small but it''s dense, and moving fast enough that I''m not sure Tarin would have reacted to it in time even if he had the same ability to sense Firmament as I did. It''s a warning shot the Firmament strikes one of Tarin''s feathers dead-center and blows it clean off, but does no more damage than that. Unless you count the hole it drills deep into the dirt, anyway.
Tarin squawks hops backwards, staring indignantly at his wing. It''s telling, though, that instead of saying anything else he just stares cautiously.
"I am She-Who-Whispers," the silverwisp says. She doesn''t wear the cor that a lot of the other silverwisps use to express themselves; instead, she wears a pendant beautifully embellished with tiny pearls of Firmament, each one swirling with a different set of colors. On the face of the pendant is a small, delicate smile that''s perfectly matched with her voice, and so far removed from the threat of her attack that I immediately distrust it.
Also, those pearls on her pendant. I note with no small amount of concern that all of it feels like Firmament belonging to a person. Multiple people. Ambient, aspected Firmament feels distinct from the unique Firmament that belongs to a person It''s not something I''ve thought about until now
"Ah!" Miktik scurries forward, sweeping herself into a low bow. For her, this mostly looks like bending even closer to the ground, with her antennae also bending with the application of some Firmament. I don''t fail to notice how nervous she looks. "Wee! What brings you to Miktik''s store? You normally wait for my visits!"
"Yes, well, I couldn''t help but feel something interesting happening over here," She-Who-Whispers says. She glides forward, peering with interest at the discarded oracle orb that Miktik''s left on the ground behind her. A flick of her finger, and the orb levitates into the air, curled in a vice grip of Firmament. She peers at it curiously. "The Fracture, hm? Very few people know to call it that."
Shit.
I haven''t mentioned the Trial outside of Miktik''s privacy-imbued walls, but now that I think about it, plenty of people should be talking about the Trial. They know their is going to be used to host one. The words that the city''s spies are going to be on the lookout for are words only a Trialgoer might use.
Like Fracture, in the context of andmark. I should have known those were Interface names Cliffside Crows is very clearly not the name of Tarin''s vige. Even then, though, I didn''t consider that they might be on the lookout for Interface-only names. They''d need to either be backed by a Trialgoer or be a Trialgoer to even be aware of those names.
I look at She-Who-Whispers again and feel myself tensing up even more. There are only a few things she could be, and the pendant of Firmament around her neck is making me lean towards her being one of Hestia''s Trialgoers.
"You are being very quiet," She-Who-Whispers notes. She turns back to smile at me. "I''m just curious where you heard the name, is all."
"It just looks like that," I say. I''m aware the excuse is terrible. Quicken Mind doesn''t give me enough time to find a reasonable excuse. What am I supposed to say, that I heard someone else say it on the street? "Like a fracture in the earth."
She-Who-Whispers says nothing. She examines Miktik''s pocket oracle for a moment more, and then I sense the pressure from her Firmament abruptly increase. A crack appears in the ss.
Miktik whimpers, twitching forward like it''s all she can do not to run forward and wrest her oracle from the silverwisp''s grip. Honestly, I''m barely holding back from doing the same. She''s showing off this is a threat, implied in everything from her calm demeanor to the casual way in which she destroys one of Miktik''s prized possessions.
But she''s also way, way out of my league, and considering what Naru has said these Integrator-aligned Trialgoers can do, I don''t think I want to provoke her. I doubt she''ll be as easy to trick into killing me as Naru was. Even if I need to die...
...No, she''s fast enough to stop me. Inspect tells me that with eerie certainty.
"Miktik, dear," the silverwisp says. "You haven''t been by for your usual visit in a while. Nothing new to show me?"
"Not yet!" Miktik says. I''m surprised by howposed her voice is, because her actual body is shaking like a leaf. Her saleswoman voice is back, though. "Miktik ran into some hups with the fabricator. Just got it fixed, actually! Miktik was going toe in tomorrow."
"I see." She-Who-Whispers hums. She turns around finally, letting the cracked oracle fall from her grip, and I notice Miktik visibly holding herself back from darting forward and grabbing it. "Are these two gentlemen responsible for fixing the fabricator?"
Miktik hesitates, which surprises me. She doesn''t want either of us to be implicated even more.
"We are," I say, cutting in before Miktik can answer and taking the pressure of the silverwisp''s attention off of Miktik. "Is there something we can help you with?"
"I was simply curious." She-Who-Whispers steps forwards towards us, and I force myself to stay very, very still. Premonition isn''t firing, but every other instinct is telling me to run. The fear has crept up on me, but it''s now so abject and unnatural that I automatically reach out, trying to understand.
It takes me a moment. My Firmament sense is overwhelmed to the point of being nearly useless. But I manage to recognize faint traces of her Firmament wrapping around Miktik, Tarin and me.
Intentional. She''s testing us.
"I realize I may have been a little rude earlier," I say, stering a fake smile onto my face. "We should have introduced ourselves. My name is Ethan, and this is Tarin; we''re new to Isthanok. It''s beautiful."
"It is, isn''t it?" She-Who-Whispers agrees. She seems a little surprised by my recovery, and I feel her testing the limits a little increasing the pressure of her Firmament on me, just to see if I react. "I''m d you''ve enjoyed my city. I take it you came here to engage Miktik''s services in finding your friend?"
"We did," I say. My city. She governs Isthanok, then. "She''s been very helpful."
"The Fracture is a rather dangerous ce for your friend to be in," She-Who-Whispers says. "Allow me to build upon Miktik''s hospitality, and lend you one of my soldiers to help retrieve that friend of yours. Miktik will being to my pce tomorrow; the two of you will follow along, and I will grant you your soldier there."
She''s... really making a lot of assumptions all at once. "Did you say pce?"
"I did." There''s a tinge of amusement in her voice there. "It''s thergest Shard in the sky. I look forward to seeing you there. Don''t disappoint me, now."
There''s an implied threat in thosest four words. I feel the strength of her Firmament abruptly increase, even though her expression remains perfectly pleasant. The meaning is clear disappointing her will have consequences.
Not that she gives me a chance to reject the offer to begin with. She disappears moments after speaking, and if she does that through sheer speed, then it''s fast and stealthy enough that I neither feel the wind from her movement nor see her move, even with Quicken Mind. My best guess is that it''s some form of teleportation.
Only once she leaves does the Firmament in the air lighten. It''s like being allowed to take a breath of fresh air. I take a deep breath, Tarin unfreezes from staring at his missing feather, and Miktik gradually calms herself down.
"Rude!" Tarin deres.
"Let''s go back inside," Miktik says. She pauses only to pick up her pocket oracle, tracing one of her legs over the cracked nce and wincing slightly.
I let Tarin follow after her. It''s only then that I realize that Ahkelios has been gathering Firmament while standing on my head gradually and subtly, but now there''s a mass of Firmament he''s holding on to that he''s slowly releasing. I blink, climbing back into Miktik''s workshop before I speak.
"...Ahkelios, were you preparing to attack She-Who-Whispers?"
"She did forget about me," the mantis says thoughtfully. "But no. Well, kind of. I was preparing to hit you really hard and force a reset if I needed to."
I think about this for a moment. It''s a lot less disturbing than it probably should be. "Good call, actually."
"Thank you." Ahkelios preens.
It takes a while for Miktik to settle down enough to talk to us about She-Who-Whispers.
She is, in fact, one of Hestia''s Trialgoers. She''s also a regr and involuntary client of Miktik''s, apparently, and also the contact that gets Miktik ess to the Integrator scrapyard she mentioned. She almost never shows up in this part of Isthanok it is, apparently, too much of an eyesore for her so her presence today was both terrifying and deeply unexpected.
"Involuntary client?" I ask.
Miktik grimaces. "I am... one of the few people in the city that can produce the equipment she wants, and the only one she has leverage on. She''s the reason I got that privacy imbuement installed you saw how she can listen to anything that happens across basically the entire city."
I raise an eyebrow. Two important questions, there. "What exactly does she need from you?"
"It varies." Miktikk clicks her mandibles together, agitated. "Usually it''s recement parts for her pet project she''s working on some kind of elite automaton, I think. I don''t know most of the details. Shemissions the parts from me and I get them to her."
Elite automaton. It can''t possibly be the same thing that attacked me in the Fracture, can it? "What about the leverage she has on you?"
Miktik looks frustrated. "She has an AI core I made. I didn''t sell it to her, I sold it to an old friend of mine but she either stole it or convinced him to sell it to her. I can''t let her keep it."
"Why?" Tarin squawks. "Let her keep! You not let her use you. She evil. She hurt feather!"
"Because the core is basically alive," Miktik says. "I didn''t realize it until after I sold it. It''s alive, and she''s just keeping it in a vault. I can''t... It doesn''t deserve that."
Ah.
As far as reasons go, I have to admit: That''s a pretty convincing one.
Chapter 77: Book 2: Hostage Situation
Chapter 77: Book 2: Hostage Situation
"So she''s holding it hostage," I say.
Miktik''s apparently been checking the core''s position every day she can, and she finds it at the same ce every day, trapped inside a vault. It''s part of the reason she was so devastated when She-Who-Whispers destroyed her pocket oracle slim crack though the damage is, that crack is enough to render the whole thing inoperable for the next few days.
It''s apparently not the first time she''s done it, either. There''s a deep bitterness in Miktik''s voice when she mentions that. I can''t imagine what it''s been like for her.
"I think we not go meet her," Tarin says, though he doesn''t look entirely convinced by his own words. He heard the threat in her words as much as I did. "It trap."
"I don''t think so," I say, and when both Tarin and Ahkelios stare at me in disbelief, I raise my hands defensively. "I mean, look, it''s obviously some kind of trap. But I don''t think she''s preparing an ambush for us in her pce or anything. More likely she just wants to have a spye along with us so she can confirm her suspicions about me or whatever. If she wanted to attack us, she could''ve done it right then and there. Why give us this nning time?"
"She likes ying power games," Miktik says, shifting ufortably from side to side. "It''s probably another one of her games. But... I do think she probably won''t attack you at her pce. It wouldn''t be good for her image, for one thing."
"I can tell," I deadpan. I think through our options. The only alternative is just to avoid ying her games entirely to leave and head for the Fracture, bypassing any games She-Who-Whispers wants to y with us. The only problem with that approach is that she''s fully capable of catching up with us if she wants to. "She''s not going to let us just ignore her invitation, is she?"
"I''ve tried doing that. I''ve also tried just leaving Isthanok entirely. She always shows up anyway." Miktik grimaces. "Miktik hates to say it, but... It might be best to y along. She just makes things worse if you try to get out of it."
Yep. I figured as much. But it''s not as bad as Miktik thinks if we have to y her games anyway, then I''m the one that holds all the cards. It''s not like I''m limited to one try to figure her out. The onlyplication is that if Naru is any indication, the Hestian Trialgoers are all aware of the nature of the time loop.
In other words: I can''t give her the chance to figure out what I''m doing.
Naru''s implied they have the ability to leave themselves messages across loops, but I suspect that ability is a lot more limited than he implied, if he wasn''t outright lying. He''d still be chasing me down if it weren''t. All I need to do is figure out what that limitation is and work around it.
That or free Gheraa. He can probably just give me all the answers I need.
"The scrapyard," I say after a moment. "We still have time, right? Could you show us to the Integrator scrapyard?"
Getting ess to the Integrators isn''t going to be easy, but if there''s anywhere I can start, it''s going to be where they throw their trash. Rotar should be the priority, but She-Who-Whispers seems determined toplicate that, and while I could just reset the loop very pretty words for what I''d actually be doing I''m going to try not to do that for the time being. Just in case that messes with Rotar''s location.
Miktik hesitates, her mandibles jittering strangely. "Like I said, the scrapyard''s dangerous," she says after a moment. "It takes some preparation. I can get you there, but I can''t get you there today. Plus I''ll need a custom-fitted suit for both of you."
"A suit?" I blink.
"You need a full-body protective suit if you''re going to survive in there, or the ambient Firmament will crush you," Miktik confirms. "It''s one of the reasons it''s so dangerous. It''d take me at least a week to get that ready for the both of you, and it''s not cheap, so..."
Miktik looks at me expectantly, and I sigh. Can''t expect everyone to just help the up-anding Trialgoer out of the goodness of their hearts, I suppose. Maybe I''ll just explore Isthanok a little more and see if there are any shortcuts I can take advantage of the loops for.
"That mean we can only do one thing," Tarin says, nodding to himself. "It time for training."
"Tarin, I''m not sure now is the best time for training," I say, holding back a strangledugh.
"It always best time for training," Tarin says, and then levies a surprisingly intense stare at me. "You have anything else to do? Or we just waiting for silverdy?"
...he does have a point.
Tarin leads me out of Miktik''s workshop and back into the city proper, after borrowing a bunch of chips from her. How he convinced her to lend him a small pile of money is something I still haven''t figured out; all I know is that she was adamantly refusing one moment, and shoving piles of it into Tarin''s wings the next.
He looks incredibly smug about it, too.
"Do I want to know what you whispered to her?" I ask.
"I promise she get back more!" Tarin says cheerfully. "We going to put bets on you during training. You make money. Good for us all, yes?"
That''s... actually perfect, as far as taking advantage of the loops go. Not the part where I participate in them, of course, but as long as I get the chance to evaluate the contestants, we could be set for future loops.
"...wait. What kind of training has an entire betting ring set up around it?"
"Isthanokian training!" Tarin says cheerfully. "It sparring!"
I don''t know what I expected.
I turn my eyes towards the building we''re approaching. Like everything else in Isthanok, it''s shaped like shards of broken ss except this building is set up like multiple shards crashing into the ground, creating a crater lined with a mirror polish. The t ground in the center stands out amidst the silver shine; it looks like gravel and concrete, and there are scratches and scuffs marked into the dirt from what I assume are previous battles.
Also a frightening number of burn marks.
"Tarin, this looks like a diator arena, not a sparring ring."
"Yes," Tarin agrees. "You fight here. Make money."
I mean. He''s not wrong. I was just expecting something more formal than a diator ring.
Despite my misgivings, I feel a faint stirring of excitement well up within me. This is an opportunity to fight. I missed out on it when we had to run away from the chimeras, and I haven''t had much opportunity to build upon my creditstely. Durability is tantalizingly close to five hundred, and if I just pretend to be losing and let my opponents beat me up...
"Hey, Tarin," I say. "Think you could get us somest-minute bets if I pretend I''m losing a bit?"
Tarin gives me a grin that''s almost frightening. "Yes," he says. The gleam in his eyes is almost sharp enough to cut me.
I start to ask if he''s done this before, then think the better of it and decide I would prefer not to know the answer.
My first opponent is a construct.
I can''t exactly say what the differences are, but it''s very different from both the automaton and the stone guardians that I encountered within the Fracture. It has properties of both it''s made of stone, but it''s put together the way an automaton would be. Painstakingly carved, piecemeal gears stuck together with Firmament, limbs glowing with some sort of imbued effect...
Well, I should say my first two opponents, really. My actual opponent is what I can best describe as an angry-looking goblin that''s holding a remote control. There''s a bunch of shadowy Firmament swirling skin-tight around him, so much so I can make out his features etched out in Firmament alone.
I think I''m not supposed to be able see him. The Firmament feels simr to some of the stealthier people I felt around the more run-down parts of Isthanok, except they were much, much more practiced with it than this guy. Their Fimament was calm enough that it hid them almost perfectly, and I only sensed it when it was moving.
This guy, though? He''s agitated. He''s piloting a remote-controlled construct and constantly fidgeting with Firmament to get it to work. Even if he was an expert in stealthy Firmament, he couldn''t be more ringly obvious to my Firmament sense.
I have to hide augh. I square up against the construct, giving no indication that I notice him or what he''s doing.
"Begin!"
A bell strikes. I don''t use any Firmament to start with not beyond the basic passives of Quicken Mind and Tough Body. I just start sprinting at the rock-hard death trap like I''m expecting to be able to punch it to death.
Predictably, this stirs up augh in the audience. I just grin.
The first strike knocks me back hard enough that I flip end-over-end in the dirt twice. "Huh," I say. I can''t resist the quip. "And here I thought that only happened in movies."
Tough Body does a lot to protect me, but it doesn''tpletely dull the blow. I hurt. Especially since as much as it prevents me from taking physical damage, it does very little to adjust my pain response topensate.
All it really does is make me feel more alive.
I wipe blood off of my lip and charge in once more.
"Crazy human."
Tarin stared out at the arena, where Ethan was getting knocked back by the construct for the fifth time and standing up again. Even the crowd had fallen silent, with just the asionalugh or boo or cheer emerging from one or two people. For the most part, though? It was like the entire audience was holding its breath.
The first time he''d gotten knocked back, the crowd hadughed. The second time they''dughed again, though theugh was a little more uncertain. The third time was met with confused muttering. The fourth time was met with more.
The fifth time, and the crowd was silent. Tarin knew this meant the crowd was about to turn, which meant this was his best time to make bets but Ethan was making it very hard to look away from the show.
He hoped the human knew what he was doing, he really did. More often than not. Tarin felt like he was just winging it. He''d felt that way ever since he''d fallen into the Fracture and learned at least in part the truth about the Integrators. The memories he''d gained from that time were still fragmented, but they''d been enough to dispel the illusion of benevolence the Integrators built around themselves.
Now all he could do was guide Ethan, and hope he learned to use his power better than Naru did. Fighting against the Trialgoers was a waste of time, but this? It felt like the Crowmother had presented him with the perfect opportunity to make things right. To make up for all the ways he''d failed Naru.
Though Ethan had a long way to go yet, to reach the heights he needed to reach. His achievements looked impressive only if you didn''t already know how far some people had been able to get with Firmament. Even She-Who-Whispers, that upstart... She didn''tpare to what he''d seen in the Fracture.
Now that he thought about it, Mari had always distrusted the Integrators. She had a better instinct for that kind of thing than he did. He thought it might have been better if it had been Mari that was thrust into the time loop with Ethan, rather than himself, but... it was exciting to be participating in the Trial like this.
He just wished he could share it with Mari, really. He was looking forward to telling her all about it, though! He could imagine her reactions already.
Anyway, he was getting side tracked. He needed to ce bets.
"That new guy weird, right?" Tarin said, elbowing the audience member next to him. It was an old, gruff-looking silverwisp that was dressed in fineries so elegant it made Tarin feel like he was underdressed.
"Tell me about it," the silverwisp snorted. "I look forward to seeing him lose."
"Oh?" Tarin''s smile was predatory, though the silverwisp wouldn''t know it. "You want bet? I bet chips new guy win. Many chips."
"Are you kidding?" the silverwisp asked, and then realizing Tarin wasn''t,ughed. "Fine, whatever. Easy profit for me."
"Are you betting on the new guy?" someone in front shouted. "Hell, I''ll take that bet! I bet hests two more hits!"
A third joined in, and then a fourth. Tarin squawked with delight.
At least in this, he knew what he was doing.
Chapter 78: Book 2: One, Two, Three, Go
Chapter 78: Book 2: One, Two, Three, Go
The fight ends quickly and without fanfare. The crowd, I can tell, is disappointed. Me, I''m just grinning like a madman. I made sure to make my victory look like an ident, too, so Tarin should still be able to bet against me in the next match. I wonder how many people he can convince to go double-or-nothing?
It''s almost funny how easy it was, too. All I needed to do was maneuver myself into the right position, and then use elerate when the golem hit me, letting myself get flung just a little bit farther and a little bit faster than I should have. It sends my body crashing straight into the goblin controlling the construct, apparently with enough force to knock him unconscious.
He''s carried away in a stretcher. I''m briefly worried about him, but that worry evaporates when he finds the strength to get up in the stretcher and make a rude gesture at me with both hands. I guess some things transcend cultures.
That, or the Interface just interpreted his hand gestures for me.
Either way, it doesn''t matter. The pain makes it easy to hide how gleeful I''m actually feeling, and I wait in the arena for my next opponent to show up. It doesn''t take long, only this time I find my confidence kind of shaken.
Not because I don''t think I can win, mind you. Just because my opponent is a tiny lizardman a kobold, I suppose, would be the closest analogy and I cannot for the life of me imagine myself punching him in the face.
"Begin!"
The bell rings. Instead of moving, the kobold speaks.
"I am Deathw Bloodseeker," the kobold intones in a voice that''s far too deep for his tiny stature. "You will die by my hand."
I blink. "You''re not under duress or anything, are you?" I ask. "Just checking. Due diligence and all that."
"Deathw Bloodseeker would never capitte to the demands of others," the kobold says dramatically. I nod a few times.
"Right, right," I say. "I hope that''s not actually your name."
Then I punch him in the snout.
I know, I know. I said I''d have problems punching him in the face. That was before he called himself Deathw Bloodseeker. I do have to give it to him he has a thick skull. DB, because I am not calling him Deathw Bloodseeker again, staggers back with a cry. "Coward!" he cries out. "To arms!"
Then he pulls a spear out of nowhere and charges at me. It''s the sudden spike of Firmament before he pulls it out that gives me warning, because when he moves, he moves fast.
Though given Premonition, Quicken Mind, and the fact that I''ve fought Tarin before, it''s probably no surprise that his speed is still well within the range of speeds I can work with. I sidestep the hit, because Tough Body or not, I don''t feel like dealing with being stabbed by a spear. I make sure to stumble when I sidestep, so it looks more like a fearful step away than like an intentional dodge.
Now to figure out how to make this victory look like an ident.
The spar itself has a few basic rules, one of which is easier to exploit than the others you lose if you go outside the circle marked in the arena. I''ve been careful to stay away from that line so far, but now I intentionally lead the kobold towards it. I let the spear nick me once or twice, enough to make it look like I''m losing and struggling to hold on; the right cuts in the right ces can bergely superficial and still bleed very, very heavily, a fact about human anatomy that I''m privy to that the audience is not.
Though forehead cuts are still annoying, because the blood gets into your eyes.
"Hah!" DB cries, having decided he''s won. "Surrender now before your blood takes you!"
I wonder how much of his actions are a show. He can''t be entirely sincere, right? But an arena like this is as much a sport of entertainment as anything else; a huge part of it has to be cultivating a persona that lets the audience know to cheer for you. I haven''t bothered, because I don''t think I''ll stay in this loop long enough for it to make a difference, but maybe in a future loop...
"Not surrendering?" the kobold asks, and thenunches himself at me before I can respond. "En guarde!"
I bite back a snide reply about not having a sword, wonder what exactly caused the Interface to trante quite like that, and then intentionally stumble into DB''s strike. A Barrier to let it nce off my ribs without piercing me, although I make it malleable enough to still smart; I roll with the momentum, pretending to desperately grab on to his clothing and sending us both tumbling...
...with him just a little bit outside the arena line.
I''m not exactly practiced with this, but Quicken Mind allows for a remarkable amount of quick thinking, even while tumbling around on the ground.
The kobold gets up. For a moment, he looks like he''s about to jump right back into battle until his eyesnd on the line that he''s crossed, and his face abruptly falls. "Aw dang," he mutters. And then much softer than his usual voice, he whispers: "Good fight anyway! My real name''s Thys. Are you new here? I don''t think I''ve seen you fight before."
"Pretty new," I admit, trying to conceal how surprised I am by the sudden personality shift. Now I feel kind of bad for punching him. "Good fight. Do you always put on a persona like that?"
"You gotta," Thys says, and then he raises an eyebrow at me. "You were doing it too! No way you''re as bad as you pretended, and you still won. Listen, this is kind of a bad ce to talk about this kind of thing. Meet me in the back if you wanna, okay? Good luck with your next fight!"
Thys hops out of the arena before I can respond, and a horn sounds, signalling for me to get ready for the next fight. The kobold''s enthusiasm is infectious, though I can''t help but grin a little, bouncing on my feet to prepare for the next opponent. From inside my shirt where he''s hiding, Ahkelios whispers to me. "I like that guy."
"I do too," I admit, and then I focus up on the new opponent emerging from the other side of the arena. "Alright, let''s get ready for the next one."
All in all, I fight five opponents before they decide to pull me out of the arena to "reexamine my position in the rankings", which I take to mean that they''ve decided I''m costing them too much money. That, or they''ve received too manyints about me. I''m not sure either way, but I do spot Tarin in the crowd giving me a thumbs up and several other people giving him a dirty look, so I''m not too worried about it.
The only real problem is that this hasn''t been that good for training. I''m sure I''ve racked up a decent number of Durability credits I did let myself get hit far, far more often than I would have in a real fight but none of my opponents were particrly challenging outside of the constraints I put on myself for the battle. That usually means the credit reward is reduced.
Still, it''s much better than sitting around doing nothing, and I won''t know how much I''ve earned until I die. Or actually kill someone, but I''m not willing to do that just to bank my points.
Maybe if I get an opportunity with She-Who-Whispers.
"Ethan!" Tarin crows at me yes, that''s the most appropriate verb to describe how he approaches me. He wraps me in a winged hug before I even get a chance to reply. His eyes are practically gleaming with profit. "We earn so much money. So much."
"Whoa, whoa," Iugh, although I hug him back. "You sure you want to look associated with me? Everyone''s going to think you cheated them."
"Bah! They already think I cheat them," Tarin says dismissively. "They not want bet anymore. Good thing fight stop there. We enough money now, I think."
"And do you have any insights for me in terms of training?" I ask, my tone amused. I''m not even sure if he was watching me fight. I get the impression he spent most of his time watching the faces of the people that bet against me slowly fall into denial and then outrage.
"No! Your opponents too weak." Tarin pokes me with a wing. "Wee back after we save Rotar. You fight stronger opponents. Then I teach!"
I''m not convinced Tarin isn''t just going to make more bets, considering how excited he seems about the idea, but going along with it isn''t going to hurt anything. We''re going to need the chips to make more of an impact in Isthanok, anyway. She-Who-Whispers has considerable power and influence, and in the absence of being able to punch hard enough physically, we can always try doing it financially.
Or something. More resources are better, is my point.
I catch a glimpse of Thys in the corner, peeking at us curiously, and I wave Tarin off. "I''ll see you back at Miktik''s," I tell him. "I want to go talk to someone."
Tarin eyes me suspiciously. "You not tell your secrets!"
"You''re one to talk," I say, raising an eyebrow at him. Tarin gives me an offended caw and wanders off; I shake my head, smiling, then wave Thys over.
"That a friend of yours?" the kobold asks. He does a strange little wave at me, crossing his fingers in a way not unlike the human gesture for luck. "He''s pretty strong, I bet! You think he could teach me too?"
"You heard that part, huh?" Iugh. "He''d probably be willing if you bribed me enough. Should I have asked him to stay?"
"No," Thys decides after a moment. "I can always meet himter! But if you''re gonna fight here, you gotta know the rules. Otherwise they might send people after you." Thys looks at me contemtively. "...Although I''m not sure you''d be in danger if they did?"
I shrug as nomittally as I can. "I wouldn''t know," I reply as honestly as I can. "Can''t know before I fight them, can I?"
"That tells me you don''t live here," Thys says, grinning. "I''ll keep your secret, don''t worry."
We talk for a while. It''s been a while since I''ve talked to someone other than Ahkelios just casually and it''s been even longer since I''ve had a conversation about anything other than the Trial in some way, shape, or form. My focus has been on improving fast enough to make a difference for so long that I''ve almost forgotten what it''s like to have a normal conversation.
Well, about as normal a conversation as talking to a kobold about a blood sport can be, anyway. I had sort of expected the conversation to be about ways to exploit the arena, but I find I''m fine with the way this conversation is going, too. It''s been a little too long, perhaps, since I''ve had just a friendly conversation without heavy stakes hanging over my head.
Not that those stakes aren''t still hanging over my head. This is just one of very few times where all I can do is wait.
I learn a few things over the next hour or so. One is that Thys has something like fifteen siblings, eight brothers and seven sisters. Another is that he and his siblings swap ces in the arena all the time none of the organizers can tell the difference between kobolds, apparently. It''s part of why the persona is so important for them; it''s much easier for them to pretend to be one another when they all have an equally bombastic temte personality to draw from.
I don''t share nearly as much with Thys, which I feel a little guilty about. I can''t talk to him about anything Trial-rted, nor can I really risk telling him about anything I can do. In the end, I just tell him some things about Earth and my life there. I''ve never thought about it until now, but the sheer variety of species on Hestia is apparently because Hestia is something of a hub, and has been since even before the Integrators.
Then Thys asks me when I''ll be back, and I wince.
"I don''t know," I say. "I have to help one of my friends, and that will take me a while. Maybe in a week or two?"
The truth is, of course, that I don''t really know if I''ll be ready even in a week or two. But Thys seems more than satisfied with my answer.
"I look forward to seeing you again!" Thys says happily. "Lemme tell you, most of the other arenabatants here are stuffy beyond belief. It''ll be nice for us to have someone to talk to that isn''t trying to kill us outside the arena."
"I have a lot of concerns about this ce, suddenly," I say.
"It''s fiiine. It''s great! Just try not to get murdered and you''ll do great!"
Well, I can''t say he isn''t optimistic, I suppose.
Chapter 79: Book 2: Connected
Chapter 79: Book 2: Connected
About three minutes after Thys leaves it takes a lot of convincing, and makes me wonder briefly if Thys actually has any other friends besides his siblings someone attempts to murder me. I almost wonder if this is intentional and a part of Tarin''s training, too, but I''m pretty sure it isn''t. Mostly because the would-be-assassin is almostughably weak.
Or maybe it''s just the fact that Premonition and my Firmament sense trivialize that particr method of assassination. Premonition alerts me to a small dart of Firmament aimed at my head, and my Firmament sense quickly locates a shrouded wall of stealth-based Firmament a moment after that.
It''s not hard to stop them. It''s not even hard to make it look like an ident. Trip at the right time, and that bolt of Firmament flies harmlessly part of my head; stumble into the wall, just hard enough to crash into whoever''s just tried to kill me and knock them out of their stealth.
"Oh!" I say, pretending at surprise. "Sorry, I didn''t see you there. Are you alright?"
The assassin in question is a froglike creature that squints up at me withrge, bulging eyes. He looks confused and utterly out of his element. "Yes," he says. "No worry. Have good day."
His voice is rough, like he isn''t used to actually speaking and now that I can get a close, visual inspection of him, there are angry red splotches on his skin that make me narrow my eyes in abrupt concern. I''m not able to bring them up, though. He disappears almost as soon as he''s done speaking, hopping off into a corner and shrouding himself with stealthy Firmament once more.
I don''t chase after him. My primary concern at the moment is that She-Who-Whispers is keeping an eye on me somehow. She''s certainly demonstrated the ability to at least hear what people are saying across the city. If she has the ability to send messages to herself across loops...
Well, I want to make sure her information is wrong. I just can''t give up the entire loop to do that. There wouldn''t be a point, anyway; if I let the frog kill me, She-Who-Whispers wouldn''t have enough time to send back information through whatever part of the Interface lets her do that.
Or maybe I''m being a bit paranoid about this whole thing.
I head back towards Miktik''s workshop, lost in thought. I''m worried about a lot of factors that I don''t have any real information about; a lot of what I''m doing is educated guesswork based on what others have told me. It''s better than nothing, but I can''t help but feel like I''m just floundering around in the dark.
But I don''t have to keep floundering about in the dark. If I make the right calls, if I talk to the right people over multiple loops if I take advantage of the fact that I don''t need to write notes to remember things across loops... I can get the information advantage. Eventually.
I think.
And so begins the smallest spark of a very, very stupid idea.
In no time at all, it''s time to meet with She-Who-Whispers. The invitation arrives in the form of a whispered breath of Firmament.
Meet me in my pce in two hours.
That whisper is everything but simple. There''s something about the Firmament bound into it that wraps around me like a vice, and from the looks on Tarin''s and Mikitk''s faces, they feel it too. There''s a promise embedded in the whisper. An oath. It''s adjacent to apulsion it doesn''t force me to do anything, but it does make it very clear that there will be consequences if I choose not to obey. The Firmament digs into me, promising to cripple, to destroy.
A part of me rails against it immediately. Firmament Maniption rears up around me, mming against the Firmament bindings like it''s a cage, for all the good that does. She-Who-Whispers has Firmament that might as well be iron to a normal, un-enhanced Ethan.
That doesn''t mean I can''t do anything.
Quicken Mind helps. Whatever skill she''s using is powerful, but it''s not fast. At the speeds I can think, it''s enough for me to react, to evaluate, and to try different strategies. in old Firmament Maniption doesn''t work? That''s fine.
Inspiration. Void.
The Void rears up within me, eager to consume. Hungry. It''s been hungry for a while, I realize with a start, and if I hadn''t chosen to feed it then it would eventually have reared its head on its own; I realize with a grimace that I''m going to need to remember to feed it before it bes a problem.
For now, it attacks the binding with a voracious hunger
and just as quickly as it begins, it''s full.
I''m almost stunned into silence. The Void has never been full before. But the Inspiration is emanating a definite sense of satisfaction, and withdraws deeper into me before I can call on it to eat away more of the binding.
There''s a crack in there. The smallest fracture that might allow me room to manipte the terms of the Whisper. But considering the Void is one of the more powerful tools in my kit, I''d been hoping it would have more of an effect.
"I guess that''s where she gets her name," I say grimly. There''s a deep sense of exhaustion beginning to settle just from using the InspirationI''ve taxed myself in some fundamental way. It''s not quite the same as straining my Firmament, though. I wonder what the difference is.
Miktik nods in agreement. "Her Whisper controls a lot of Isthanok," she says. "Even the underground. Especially the underground, maybe."
Tarin does an exaggerated sort of shudder, puffing out his feathers. "It feel gross."
"It does." Miktik''s antennae wave around in difort. I get the sense that there''s more to this she isn''t saying.
"What happens if you don''t listen to it?" I ask suddenly. Miktik grimaces, the tes of chitin on her back shuddering involuntarily.
"Nothing good," she says faintly. "It doesn''t kill youcan''t kill you, as far as we know. But it does hurt. It restricts your Firmament, and it feels like it''s burning. You can''t escape it until you obey."
I let out a breath. "She''s worse than Naru," I mutter. "Are all the Hestian Trialgoers this bad?"
It''s Tarin''s turn to respond. "We not know," he says. "But many."
It almost makes me wonder if there''s a secondary true purpose to the Trials. From what Tarin''s said, the Trials are meant to get the Trialgoers to ess the Heart of a world; it looks like it''s also meant to build them a troop of loyal soldiers. It does seem strange that there are exactly ten Hestian Trialgoers. It''s the bare minimum needed for a to pass the Trials, but I wouldn''t have expected exactly that number to survive.
Maybe they cull it down to ten. I narrow my eyes at the thought, and briefly call up the Interface, looking at the chat
and almost step back in shock.
[ Temporal band interference temporarily bypassed. Chat connected. ]
I don''t even think to check for new names, anyone newly deceased. The names glow in the Interface, temptingly avable. Some of them are listed as not yet having unlocked the Chat feature, and therefore not being able to respond, but...
I can contact almost anyone else in the Trials using this. Anyone else that''s unlocked this same section of the Interface, anyway.
"Ethan?" Tarin interrupts my thoughts by poking me with a wing.
"Sorry, sorry," I say, distracted. "Just... give me a second. I need to look at something on the Interface."
I retreat to a corner of the workshop so I can scroll through the list and look for a name. Anyone I recognize, but failing that, just being able to talk to another human...
"I can see your chat," Ahkelios says quietly. I almost jump; he''s been strangely silent this whole time. "I think... I think I remember seeing this. In my own Trial. It never connected for me."
I don''t know what to say to that. "I''m sorry," I offer.
The mantis shakes his head, hopping down so that he''s sitting on my knee and staring up at the list with me. "Message someone?"
There''s something in his tone, like he wants to see how it could have gone for him. What things might have been like if he were able to contact others. I reach out to the Interface. I don''t need to find someone I know; the odds of that happening are slim to none, anyway.
I just need to talk to someone else from Earth about this.
Fortunately, with the Interface directly transcribing my thoughts into text, messaging is fairly quick and simple.
[ Connecting to: Zhao Ong (aaaaaaaaaa) ]
[ Ethan:Hello?
aaaaaaaaaa:Ah! Hello!
aaaaaaaaaa:Please ignore my username! I selected it while I was in distress!
aaaaaaaaaa:I do not know whatnguage you speak, but supposedly the Interface trantes all of it. It is nice to meet you! You are new?
Ethan:Sort of. I haven''t been able to connect to the chat functionality until recently. It sounds like you''ve been talking to others?
aaaaaaaaaa: Yes! There are dozens of us! We have been contacting people in alphabetical order.
aaaaaaaaaa: When they can be contacted.
aaaaaaaaaa: We are trying to learn as much as we can. It is difficult! All our Trials are very different, and our Integrators refuse to tell us anything.
aaaaaaaaaa: But we think they are lying. ]
I pause long enough to delete my initial response, which was a little more sarcastic than strictly necessary.
[ Ethan: They are. ]
There. It pays to be polite, I hear.
[ aaaaaaaaaa: Ah! You know already. Perhaps more than we do?
Ethan: Maybe. Can you tell me what kind of Trials you''re in?
aaaaaaaaaa: Ah! Yes! I am in a Rank B Trial. It is some kind of dungeon, I think. There are many rooms, and many monsters. I am taking a break at the moment.
aaaaaaaaaa: The others I know of are in Rank A, Rank C, and Rank S Trials. The first one climbs a tower! The second one simply has to fight waves of monsters. Theye every day or so.
aaaaaaaaaa: The Rank S Trial does not talk much. I think she is constantly falling. There are inds she cannd on, and she has not managed tond on any yet. I am worried about her. ]
I wince. She''s been falling for... days, if that''s correct. Sounds like there''s some kind of Interface trick involved.
[ Ethan: How did she manage to unlock the chat, then?
aaaaaaaaaa: There are many monsters that are also falling. ]
I guess that answers that question.
[ aaaaaaaaaa: Can you tell us what you know? ]
I hesitate, deciding how much I can say how much I should say. It sounds like other people have found out much less about the Trials than I have. I''m inclined to tell them everything I know, but while Zhao seems earnest enough, I don''t know any of the others he ims to be in contact with.
And the secondary problem is... some of them might agree with what the Integrators are doing. Naru''s story rings clear in my head, along with what I''ve seen of the Hestian Trialgoers. If I tell them my theories if I tell them that there''s a chance the Integrators are only looking for ten people to enforce their policies on Earth...
That way lies a definite power grab. I don''t want to say too much until I know these people better.
But that doesn''t mean I want them to die. I should still help them I just don''t want them to have a reason to fight amongst each other.
[ Ethan: Only a little. The Integrators are definitely lying. They want the Trials for something else. We need to find a way to get around them.
Ethan: They''re always watching, but they don''t always seem to be paying attention. That, or they think it''s funny when we try to work against them. We can probably take advantage of that.
Ethan: You mentioned your Integrators, so you''ve probably already hit a milestone and earned an Inspiration?
aaaaaaaaaa: Yes! I have one. It is powerful, but very tiring to use. It magnifies skills! Makes them bigger or smaller, beyond their normal limits.
Ethan: Nice. I have a few. You should get Inspect or Intuitive Analysis as soon as possible, if you don''t have them already. They''ll help you figure out what skills you''re going to get before you get them.
aaaaaaaaaa: Thank you! That is useful to know! I have just been guessing. I have a skill that makes my hands buzz very fast. It is not very useful.
Ethan: It''s a Reflex skill, weirdly enough. I think Reflex is just mental skills. We should see if there''s a way to help each other in the Trials. I can''t talk very often my Trial disconnects me from the chat a lot. Can you keep me updated if you find a way to help one another?
aaaaaaaaaa: Of course! You are very helpful. Thank you! ]
I lean back and sigh. I don''t know why, but there''s something like adrenaline pumping through my veins; something about that conversation rmed me. I don''t know what it is. It''s not Zhao himself, I don''t think he seems earnest enough but their circumstances seem so different.
He has one Inspiration so far. That''s not bad, but it''s drastically different from where I''m at. I''ve been assuming everyone else is more or less on pace with me, but if they''re not if they''re further behind then things are going to get much, much harder.
"I think you made the right call there," Ahkelios says. "Not telling him about the Heart."
"Maybe," I say. I''m not convinced. "Let''s go. We have a pce to get to."
And in the Interface, the chat once again disconnects, disying its usual error instead.
Chapter Recap: Book 1
Chapter Recap: Book 1
It begins with a spark of Firmament. A single, tiny spark of one of the fundamental forces of the universe, parallel to all the rules of matter and energy.
Or something like that, anyway. I''m not exactly a scientist.
The void around me burns into focus from that single spark of Firmament. I look around at the clean, baster-white halls, the rounded benches and the perfectly potted nts ced perpendicr to their length.
"Ethan!" a voice calls, and I hold back a sigh at the familiar voice. Gheraa. It''s been a while since I''ve seen him. He''s been on my mind, but with my only means of contacting him being umting an enormous amount of credits, I haven''t really been able to follow up on anything as far as he''s concerned.
"Gheraa," I say, trying to keep my tone polite. I turn around to greet him. The Integrator is dressed even more ostentatiously than before, if that''s possible; a white-and-gold trimmed form-fitting suit, clearly stolen from human fashion and ''upgraded'' with Gheraa''s particr tastes.
"I''ve been asked to conduct an interview to assess how your experience of the Trials have been so far," he says, sweeping into a low bow and manifesting a microphone in his hand. Strangely enough, now that I''m a little better at reading him, I can see all the ways he''s hiding the way he really feels. I can see the grimace he''s hiding in his eyes, the frustration in his shoulders. "Rate your experience so far? One to five?"
"One," I say dryly. Gheraa puts on a faux-shocked expression.
"One? But you''ve gained so much from it!"
"I''ve gained a set of skills I never would have needed in my day-to-day life," I correct, which is more or less true. "Also, you introduced yourselves by threatening to destroy Earth. Not exactly a good first impression."
"You might have a point, there," Gheraa says in a too-cheerful voice. "We''ve had simr responses from other Trialgoers! I''m actually surprised you''re being so polite."
"Would attacking you actually do anything?"
"Nope!"
"Then I''m not going to waste my energy." Not that I would attack him anyway, considering the situation I suspect he''s in. But we''re both ying a role for the metaphorical and possibly literal camera, now.
"Why don''t you recap your journey for us?" Gheraa asks, leaning forward. "Some of us missed key moments in your Trial. Take us through your journey."
I stare at Gheraa for a moment. The look on my face says it all: really? Gheraa gives me a tiny shrug, as if to say "Just go with it, I don''t know why they want this either."
I sigh.
"Well, it all started when you dumped me on an alien while I was sleeping, might I add underneath a monster that immediately killed me."
"Truly one of the entrances of all time," Gheraa agrees. I give him a look, and he shrugs innocently. "Human inte is entertaining."
"Right," I say, and decide to move on before he derails me further. "I suppose one of you Integrators thought it would be funny, seeing as my Trial is a time loop and I can''t actually die."
"Unless you give up."
"Right." I give Gheraa a look. "Unless I give up."
"Or you get your mind broken."
"The fact that you consider that a possibility is worrying," I mutter. Good thing I picked up Iron Mind as a skill. Hopefully it''s enough.
"Anyway. Where was I? Woke up on a foreign, discovered I was in a time loop. Died a lot, because you decided to start me off under a monster. I finally beat that monster, and encountered the dying moments of another looper, which I feel like you put there intentionally to try to traumatize me."
Gheraa studiously avoids looking at me.
"Then I run into the crow vige, which I still don''t know the name of, because the Interface just calls it the Cliffside Crows. They get attacked by a pack of harpies and I watch them all get ughtered."
"Ah, yes." Gheraa hums thoughtfully. "That was a bit controversial among our viewers. Not enough death."
I consider responding to this, and decide not to.
"The Interface calls it a raid," I continue. "I get three attempts, or else the Cliffside Crows get erased entirely."
"A very desperate situation."
I shoot Gheraa a dirty look. "That the Integrators engineered." My tone is sharp. "I only got through it with Mari and Tarin''s help, and even then Tarin nearly died permanently in the process. I had to find a rare herb to help him heal, which was hampered by the fact that Hestia is an Integrated and already has its own set of Trialgoers that have not only passed their own Trials, but apparently see me as an opponent. I would have appreciated a warning."
"What would be the fun in that?" Gheraa grins. I ignore him.
"Naru''s the first one I met. Big, strong crow. Arms instead of wings for some reason. His skills all seem to focus heavily on destruction. Also it turned out he was Tarin and Mari''s estranged son, so that was fun to find out."
"Was it?" Gheraa looks genuinely curious.
"No," I deadpan. "I managed to get away from him. Barely. I did bring Mari to him and she kicked him between the legs."
"A very well-received moment with our viewers."
"Do I want to ask you about these viewers you keep mentioning?" I finally ask, and when Gheraa opens his mouth to respond, I shake my head. "Nevermind. I don''t want to know. Uh, let''s see, what happened next..."
"If I didn''t know any better, I would think you''re trying to finish this as fast as possible so you can get away from me." Gheraa pretends to look hurt.
"Trying to get away from this situation," I correct. "I hate interviews."
Which isn''t a lie. You''d think one good thing about being mid-apocalypse would be not having to go through interviews.
"Anyway. I met Naru because he''s investigating one of the Hotspots that spawned a Hotspot that just so happens to have the exact rare herb I needed to heal Tarin." I stare at Gheraa as I say this, one eyebrow slightly raised. He just whistles innocently. "...That Hotspot also had an obelisk that was emitting pulses of destructive Firmament. Ahkelios recognized the writing on it and said that the key to deciphering it is in the Fracture, so since we couldn''t beat Naru yet, we went there."
"You skipped a step," Gheraa says, leaning forward in anticipation. I sigh.
"Before going to the Fracture I banked some of my points and met you," I say dryly. "That''s when I learned what an Inspiration is."
"How would you rate my introduction? One out of ten?"
"Five." Gheraa looks disappointed, and I relent. "...Seven."
"Good enough," he decides.
"Anyway. The Fracture is where things really started to go wrong. The Fracture itself was emitting sts of Firmament on a cycle, and I had to shield myself against them just to avoid getting disintegrated. It''s also where I met Guard for the first time, the ce I found what I think are partial skill shards, and where I got attacked by golems that felt like they were using skills." Maybe it''s my turn to ask a question. "Do you happen to know anything about that, Gheraa?"
"Nope," he responds, far too casually.
That''s an answer in itself.
"Right." I move on. "I met a Guardian in the Fracture that said some cryptic stuff about the Fracture being a Way to the Heart, which I think has something to do with Hestia''s Heart, although what a Heart is I still don''t know."
"Neither do I," Gheraa says, unnecessarily. I give him a look, then narrow my eyes slightly when I notice the way he''s fidgeting. He''s tugging on his sleeve, but it almost looks like he''s pointing.
I stretch and take the opportunity to nce in the direction he''s pointing in, where an empty Interface window sits, and consider what he''s trying to tell me. That the Heart has something to do with the Interface?
"That''s when I got attacked by Guard," I continue. "I managed to push Guard into the Fracture''s sts which I''m starting to think he somehow let me do and run away. At this point Naru''s had enough time to investigate the Hotspot and move on, so when I go there I don''t have to deal with him anymore, which was... probably for the best."
I don''t know that I could have gotten strong fast enough to beat him and save Tarin, and frankly, I''m d that I didn''t have to find out. "After that I healed Tarin, I went through my first phase shift with help from all the crows."
I hesitate and stop myself before I describe what happened next, because that''s my next meeting with Gheraa, and the one in which I promised I would try to help him. As best as I can tell, he doesn''t agree with what the rest of the Integrators are doing, although he clearly has to put on some kind of show, since he''s being watched.
Now that I think about it, his sleeves are hiding any bruises he might have. I hide a frown before continuing.
"I was going to go back to the Fracture and try to figure out the whole Heart thing, but one of the crows Rotar? showed up and began talking about how his danger-detection divination device is registering a lot of danger. He thought it was Naru, but I''m pretty sure his pocket oracle was registering the literal end of the world."
"Tell me more about this literal end of the world," Gheraa says, leaning forward, fake interest in his voice.
"...When I went into a slipstream with Ikaara and Rotar, it interacted badly with my Interface. Specifically, the part of it that controls the whole time loop thing. Whatever happened, it catapulted me into the future and did god knows what to Rotar and Ikaara."
"The future!" Gheraa sounds impressed. "And this is where you witnessed the end of the world?"
"This is where I witnessed the entire blowing up, yes," I say dryly. "You know. From the Fracture spreading all over the ce. You couldn''t have warned me?"
"That would''ve made things too easy for you." Gheraa clicks a tongue that I''m not even sure he has, then waves a hand at me. I''m abruptly shoved out of whatever pocket of Firmament I''m in and back in reality.
I sigh. Time to get back to the Trial.
Chapter 80: Book 2: The Automaton
Chapter 80: Book 2: The Automaton
She-Who-Whispers calls her home a pce. She isn''t wrong.
Her home is the highest shard in Isthanok. It floats above the city like a mirrored citadel, though with far less regal majesty. Instead, it''s a mess of silver fragments that spike into the air, like debris from a meteorite strike caught and frozen mid-explosion.
I''m not sure what that says about her aesthetic sensibilities. Maybe She-Who-Whispers is making a statement, living in what looks like a frozen disaster dangling over all of Isthanok.
Getting up there is, fortunately, much easier than it looks. Miktik leads us to a shrine hidden near the borders of Isthanok; it''s a small structure with an open roof that''s guarded by two silverwisps. Neither of them say a word when I greet them, instead stepping aside to allow us entry, and inside...
I grimace. Inside is a stained ss floor that depicts She-Who-Whispers in decor that looks rmingly religious. It''s a beautiful work of art, certainly, but my questions about the silverwisp Trialgoer are only growing.
Small motes of light glow beneath the stained ss floor. They re with asional brilliance, lighting up different sections of the image and painting the walls in a dazzling array of colors.
I''m a little tempted to activate Color Drain, just to mess with the ostentatious disy, but I don''t.
That''s for a future loop.
For now, we step onto the center of the floor as Miktik directs, and the motes of light beneath the floor suddenly re as one I feel a surge of Firmamente from somewhere, and the four of us are allunched through the ceiling and towards the pce.
Tarin yelps and ps his wings awkwardly, trying to control his ascent and only really managing to spin in circles. Ahkelios clings tightly to my hair. Miktik... soars through the air about as gracefully as she can, and I do my best to mimic her. As long as I''m not trying to fight the current of Firmament, it''s actually pretty easy to maintain my bnce.
A few minutester, wend at the feet of the stairs that lead up to the pce, miles up in the air.
I just stare disbelievingly at the steps ahead of us. "She couldn''t have designed that to send us to the top of the stairs?"
"Trust me, don''t ask her about it," Miktik says tiredly.
"Next time I fly up here!" Tarin squawks indignantly. I look over at him and stifle augh; his feathers are puffed up awkwardly. He looks like he''s had the bird equivalent of a bad hair day.
"It''ll probably be easier," I agree. "Come on, let''s go."
Power y or not, making it up those steps is pretty trivial with Crystallized Strength to enhance my leaps; I just get Miktik to climb up onto my shoulders before I go. I try not to react to the feeling of fourteen legs digging into my back, and before long, we''re standing before the enormously tall front doors.
They open automatically as soon as we make it close enough, fortunately. I''m not sure my Strength skills would let me open that thing without just breaking off the lower portion of the door.
"Wee, dears."
I nearly jump. She-Who-Whispers'' voice curls around us, a quiet whisper that fortunately doesn''t carry the same weight of Firmament that hermands do. At the same time, as I flick my Firmament sense outwards and expand it, trying to grasp the flow of Firmament in this ce...
My brows furrow. Firmament bounces off the walls of the pce, reflecting and refracting off different facets of not-ss and growing stronger as it does. More than that, it all seems to be moving in distinct, purposeful directions; there''s a current of Firmament leading up, and another one leading down.
I don''t know what this means yet, but this is almost certainly intentional.
"Doe on up. Your gift is ready."
That whisperes with an edge ofmand in it. It''s not just a whisper; it''s a Whisper, backed and multiplied by the power of the Interface. There''s no reason for her to use it here except as a show of force, and I grit my teeth in annoyance.
Void, Imand. The Inspiration is still dozing within me, apparently full from itsst meal; it hasn''t evenpletely digested thest fraction of Firmament it ate from the Whispermand. That suits me just fine. If she''s going to keep doing this, I''m going to collect samples of her Firmament.
Let''s see exactly how this Whisper works.
It takes a bit of coaxing, but the Void eventually reluctantly gives up what small piece of the first Whisper it still has, and then sets about eagerly devouring this new, second Whisper. The two pieces of Firmament don''t feel exactly the same, but it''s hard for me to pinpoint exactly what''s different about them. I tuck the fragment of the first Whisper away in a pocket of my own Firmament.
I''ll do the same with the second Whisper once the Void''s had time to digest.
The rest of her Whisper still coils around me in agitation. The Void is able to only peel off a fraction of Firmament, just as before; I''m just as subject to her so-called punishment as I was before the Void ate away at it, and I''m starting to feel it constrict around me.
Miktik is giving me a worried look. "We need to go," she says.
"Right, right." The grip of her Whisper eases almost as soon as I take a step forward towards yet another flight of stairs. This one, at least, is not nearly as long.
She-Who-Whispers sits at the top of her pce. It''s an odd look for her she projects an image of dainty, delicate woman, sitting atop a throne of ss but the throne is enormous, and the juxtaposition with the kindly look she wears is jarring.
And next to her... The sight almost makes me stumble. It is the same automaton that attacked me back in the Fracture, or if not that one then one that looks exactly like it. It''s the automaton that caused Anomaly 006 to trigger almost ny days early.
It''s docile right now, kneeling next to She-Who-Whispers. Like it''s a knight, and not a terrifyingly powerful robot. I''vee a long way since Ist fought it, but...
"You made it," She-Who-Whispers says, smiling as if she didn''t use her Whispers to bring us here to begin with. "As promised one of my soldiers to lend to you. The Fracture is a dangerous ce, as you well know; I am afraid you will not survive an expedition into its depths without assistance."
"I feel like this is a little too much," I say, feigning a polite, respectful dip of my head. "I''m sure Isthanok needs its services more than we do."
"He is more than capable of doing both," She-Who-Whispers says, smiling beatifically. The emphasis on he makes me blink. It... he''s alive, then, and there''s some level of attachment she feels towards him. "This is just one of his many bodies. Do not worry."
"My name is He-Who-Guards," the automaton says, getting up from his kneeling position and bowing towards me instead. I frown slightly. The same naming scheme as She-Who-Whispers, despite him not being a silverwisp. There''s the same flow of Firmament towards the core in his chest that I remember from our first encounter; just like before, it flickers strangely, a patch of multicolored Firmament appearing buried deep within the purple.
It vanishes just as quickly as it surfaces. It almost reminds me of someone that''s drowning.
"You may call me Guard," the automaton adds. He doesn''t show any sign of recognizing me, at least. He steps forward to stand beside me, and I try not to flinch away from him. "I will ensure that your journey into the Fracture is safe."
I consider this for a moment.
I don''t think there''s any way to avoid bringing Guard with me without She-Who-Whispers catching on, and I''m not certain that I want to. Something about Guard triggered the Anomaly early, and if I bring him with me, I might find out what that is. He''ll quite obviously spy on me for She-Who-Whispers, but that gives me an opportunity to feed her false information, and learn more about her in the process.
I can work with this.
"Thank you," I tell She-Who-Whispers, and then I turn to Guard. "And you as well. I''m worried about Rotar, so any help is appreciated."
"Of course," She-Who-Whispers says grandly. "Now, I really must talk to Miktik about my next order. Leave with Guard, will you?"
Thest sentence is said as a Whisper, and I notice the way Miktik flinches. Just slightly. It shows up as the smallest tremble in her legs, the slight droop of her antennae. She doesn''t say a word to us, keeping herself oriented straight ahead and towards She-Who-Whispers, and it urs to me rather abruptly that something is deeply, deeply wrong.
No. Not abruptly. This is a Premonition.
Shit.
Ahkelios, I think urgently. The bond between us is something I haven''t used tomunicate with him before at least, not in the form of words and it''s not something I''m able to do now, either. What Ahkelios receives is more of a jumble of impressions; Miktik, urgency, separation. We haven''t tested the new limits of Temporal Fragment since his upgrade, and now seems as good a time as any.
She-Who-Whispers hasn''t figured out that Ahkelios is anything more than just a decoration yet, somehow. He''s excluded from her Whisper. He doesn''t have to leave.
"Here," I say, taking him off my head and cing him on the back of Miktik''s shell. "For good luck."
This is really going to stretch the limits of our bond.
Guard follows me as I start heading down the steps, feeling for the tightening of the Whisper''s Firmament with every step I take. When I reach the bottom of them, I feel the Whisper fade away entirely, and I breathe a small sigh of relief. Ahkelios hasn''t snapped back to me yet. The range expansion is something we''ll have to test in more detailter.
"You are stopping," Guard notes. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing," I say dismissively. I nce at Tarin, who''s looking back up the steps worriedly. "Just need a break. Stairs are my mortal enemy, and this ce has a lot of them."
"Your mortal enemy?" Guard sounds curious.
"They''re exhausting to climb," I deadpan. "The absolute worst. Trust me, you''re better off without muscles andctic acid buildup."
The strangest thing happens, then the robot chuckles. It''s a strange, unnatural sound, and it cuts off just as suddenly as it begins; once again, there''s the strange distortion of Firmament in his core. "What was that?" I ask.
"It was nothing," Guard says dismissively. "Do not worry about it."
Right. I let it slide, but my mind keeps churning.
Whatever that was, it''s definitely not nothing.
Ahkelios kept himself as still as possible, which was a lot harder than Ethan seemed to think it was! His Firmament body was hard enough to keep perfectly stable at the best of times, and it was even worse if he had to pretend to be an ornament. He was pretty sure it was safe for him to move a little; it wasn''t like he''d stayedpletely still when he was with Ethan before in the presence of She-Who-Whispers, but he felt like he needed to be careful. He didn''t want to be dismissed before he found out what was happening here.
And something was definitely happening. She-Who-Whispers'' attitude changedpletely almost as soon as Ethan and Tarin left the room; something about her became colder, and icy Firmament crept out from beneath her feet.
"So, you found a Trialgoer," She-Who-Whispers said. "And when were you nning on reporting that to me?"
"As soon as Miktik could!" Miktik said. Ahkelios was pretty sure she was lying; she was doing that thing again, slipping into third person. "Miktik was still with them when you arrived! I didn''t have time to report it yet."
She-Who-Whispers looked Miktik up and down. "Your dy should have burned you quite badly," the Trialgoer mused. "But you seem fine. Did you find a way around my little trick?"
Miktik spread her mandibles to answer, but a sudden increase in Firmament pressure stopped her; she struggled to even gather the breath to speak, and Ahkelios felt the Firmament of his form slowly destabilizing. He tried to hold on. Whatever was about to happen was important, he could feel it.
"Don''t bother answering. I''ll figure it out myself," She-Who-Whispers said. "Tell me everything."
That was a Whisper, Ahkelios knew. He couldn''t borrow Ethan''s senses without him here, but from the way Miktik shook, he could tell it was wrapping itself around her. She didn''t speak, still, though her entire body trembled with the effort.
Something underneath her sparked and died. Ahkelios caught a brief glimpse of it; a triangr piece of metal, glowing red hot with Firmament.
Then Miktik''s ting began to burn, and Ahkelios winked out, dissipated by the force of the Firmament roaring through the room.
Chapter 81: Book 2: The Automaton
Chapter 81: Book 2: The Automaton
Ahkelios doesn''t tell me what happens, exactly. He can''t not with Guard there. Instead he sends filtered images and impressions to me, enough that I have a decent idea of exactly what happened, and everything about it makes my blood boil.
It takes everything I have not to run right back up the stairs. She-Who-Whispers''mand was to leave. It said nothing about whether or not I could go back. Her Whisper has already loosened around me, enough that I can make my way back up without worrying about getting fried.
And yet I don''t move. I remember what happened with Naru. I don''t regret what happened with him. He deserved the punch, and the look on his face was worth it. But here? Rotar and K''hkeri are still at risk.
Tarin and Mari have both told me I''m too reckless. It takes everything I have to hold myself back. There''s a part of my brain screaming that I should try, that I can''t just let this happen, but...
I don''t have the power to fight off She-Who-Whispers right now. I can''t run back up just to punch her.
But that doesn''t mean I can do nothing.
My mind races. She-Who-Whispers clearly cares about how she looks to others. She''s nothing but graceful and polite when speaking with us, and her threats are all veiled threats and subtle gestures. She has a giant castle floating in the sky as a home, and the path to it involves standing on a stained ss representation of her.
"I forgot to ask Miktik something," I tell Guard apologetically. "I''m just going to go back up real quick."
I bound up the steps before Guard can stop me although to my surprise, he doesn''t even try. He just looks at me curiously as I make my way back up, hoping against hope that I''m going to get there in time. Miktik''s said that She-Who-Whispers can''t kill with her ability, or at least has never done so where it would be noticed. I don''t know if that''s an actual limitation of her Whispers or simply part of what she''s chosen to portray.
I knock on the massive doors once before I push my way back in. I haven''t thought of an excuse yet. Miktik is trembling on her legs, trying to stay standing, but there''s barely even a hint of the restrictive Firmament that was just burning away at her. For her species in particr, I think, most of the burns aren''t visible but I can feel the agitation Miktik''s own Firmament is in, as it rushes to try to repair the damage done to her body.
She-Who-Whispers frowns at me. "You have not left," she notes.
"I forgot something," I say, bowing my head apologetically. "I think I might actually need Miktik along for this. She''s the one that tracked Rotar down, and the Fracture''s pretty big and pretty deep. I''m going to need her along in case I can''t find him."
"Hm." She-Who-Whispers stares at me, and I wait patiently. She seems suspicious, but she doesn''t have any proof that I know what she''s done. If she''s clever, she''ll make a note in her Interface to watch out for future ''suspicious'' behavior from me I''ll have to watch for any changes in the next loop.
Which mighte sooner than I expect, at this rate, considering I feel the pressure of her Firmament slowly increasing.
But it lets up before long, and I take a quick, discreet breath of relief. "Very well," She-Who-Whispers says grandly. "You may have two of my subjects instead."
The way she says it makes it clear she believes I owe her a favor for it, and it takes effort for me not to screw my face up in distaste. Miktik scurries over to me, her relief evident, and I give her a slight nod.
"I appreciate it," I tell She-Who-Whispers, and then I pull Miktik back out of the room. Figuratively. I don''t think she needs me to drag her around right now.
I don''t ask her if she needs help. She-Who-Whispers will be able to hear me if I do. I do nce at her worriedly, and she gives me a small nod, as if to say she''ll be fine; this mostly makes me frown, because I don''t know if she''s telling the truth. I don''t know why she''s being so brave for us in the first ce, unless she has a lot more history with Tarin and Mari than I know.
"You don''t actually have toe with us," I say as we head back down the steps.
"I think I have to," Miktik answers. There''s a tightness in her voice that takes me a moment to parse, and I wonder if She-Who-Whispers hasyered yet another Whisper onto her. The thought makes my fists clench, but I say nothing; I just nod in agreement.
We''ll figure this out.
Theyers of Firmament that flow through the castle are still concerning to me. I nce around, trying to pinpoint where they''re going, exactly. I can identify at least two individual rivers of Firmament, one heading up towards She-Who-Whispers'' throne room and the other one down. Where that one is going... I''m not sure.
I stop at the base of the steps, where we rejoin Tarin and Guard. Tarin''s eyes widen when he sees Miktik, and he squawks and steps towards her. "You hurt."
"Miktik is fine," Miktik says, which is maybe the most transparent lie I''ve seen during the loops yet. "We should get going."
Tarin''s about to protest, but Guard speaks up suddenly, rumbling in agreement. "We should."
I don''t protest. I want to get as far away from She-Who-Whispers as possible right now.
There''s a limit to how far I can extend my Firmament sense, but I try to push it as far as we leave. I want to figure out where the Firmament flowing through the castle is going. It doesn''t feel like it''s going anywhere, though; if anything, it feels like it''s just bouncing around the castle, getting inexplicably stronger, and then flowing back out and down towards all of Isthanok...
I almost stop in mid-step as a thought urs to me. It trantes to a slight stumble, and to my surprise it''s Guard that reaches out to steady me. He stares at me in what looks like concern. "Are you alright?"
"I''m fine. I just tripped," I lie.
Guard''s strange behavior aside...
She-Who-Whispers'' castle is a signal amplifier. It''s probably how she listens in on everyone, and it''s probably how she sends down her Whispers across the city, too. It exins the range she has, and it exins why there are two separate rivers of Firmament moving through the castle. It exins why her skill is so strong even at a distance.
The whole castle is a massive imbuement that enhances her core skill.
I don''t know what to do with this information yet, but it''s more information than I had before. My steps are a little lighter as I head back out, step on the absurdunchpad that serves as an exit for the most ostentatious structure I''ve had the displeasure of visiting in all of Hestia so far, and leave.
Isthanok is a beautiful city, but I think I''ve had quite enough of it.
We don''t encounter any trouble all the way back to the Gates. All the way back to the Fracture, actually. The trip is faster than I expected Guard offers to carry all three of us, supported partially on his back and partially by ropes of Firmament that wrap around each of us and keep us securely attached to him.
I''m not exactly enthusiastic about being bound like this, but I don''t exactly have any excuses left to use. Getting back to the Fracture as fast as possible is a benefit, and the speed at which he goes... I think Tarin is jealous, actually.
All this makes me wonder if me pushing him into the Fracture was something I should even have been able to do. He''s clearly a level above all of us.
As much as I want to bring Ahkelios out, I don''t. I don''t want Guard or She-Who-Whispers to know that he''s anything more than a Firmament ornament. Their skill with Firmament Maniption is significantly greater than mine, if the imbuement on her castle is any indication, and I don''t want to risk anything happening to him.
So the trip back to the Fracture isrgely quiet.
Tarin and Miktik are both subdued. Guard isn''t much of a talker, it seems, and I''m lost in my own thoughts. I do spend some time examining the Firmament that runs through Guard I''ve seen it behave strangely twice, now, and I''m still trying to figure out what that means. Considering She-Who-Whispers'' modus operandi...
I really hope this is the Trialgoer that Ahkelios mentioned the one that can influence minds but I have a feeling that it isn''t. She-Who-Whispers just operates in a somewhat simr way, I suspect, which means this is going to get worse before it gets better. The thought makes me grimace.
Countermeasures. Sooner rather thanter. Virin might be able to help me with imbuements that can counter effects like this, and Miktik clearly had something that was able to offset the ''punishment'' effect from the Whisper applied on her. Judging by the vision Ahkelios sent to me, anyway.
We have options.
Guardnds in the Fracture, and the Firmament binding us falls away; all three of usnd quietly on the ground, and I hold up a hand to stop the others from proceeding. "Careful," I say. "Guard, can you head up first? I think the part ahead of us is trapped."
Which is to say, I know the part ahead of us is trapped. There''s a Stone Guardian that will fling itself at us the moment we cross some invisible boundary. I can deal with it now, but I want to see what Guard does.
...Which is nothing.
Guard cocks his head in interest as the Guardian emerges, but doesn''t bother to act. The arm that brained me in one of my first loops simply shatters ineffectually against him. There might have been aser involved, but if there was, it happened too quickly for me to see.
I suppose I should have expected that. Metal versus rock: metal wins. The new age version of rock-paper-scissors, except the scissors have experienced a massive upgrade and now havesers.
"Your friend is further down," Miktik says quietly. "About three hundred meters."
This far away from the noise and bustle of Isthanok and having already pinpointed the feel of Rotar''s Firmament she doesn''t need her pocket oracle to find him, apparently.
Three hundred meters is further down than I''ve ever been in the Fracture before. There''s also an all-too-familiar buildup of Firmament slowly gathering, and I know what that means for us.
"We need to hide," I say. As much as I''m trying to avoid showing off my capabilities, I''m not risking this entire expedition just to do that. We need to get to Rotar. "Something''sing."
"What something?" Tarin asks.
"I can protect us," Guard says.
Miktik doesn''t say anything. She just scurries into the nearest home built into the Fracture''s walls, then peers out worriedly; I gesture for Tarin and Guard to follow.
"Bettter not to risk it," I tell Guard. I can''t exactly tell him I know he won''t be able to take a direct hit from the Fracture''s Firmament emissions. He ducks into the house behind me, his expression mildly puzzled
Hexfold Shield.
Firmament sts out of the Fracture, so bright that my triplicate cast of Hexfold Shield is barely visible against the light. Guard automatically brings up some sort of barrier of his own, a light-purple shield that sections us off entirely, and I disable my own shield as soon as he''s brought up his own.
For a solid ten seconds, Firmament roars up and out of the Fracture, bright and powerful. It''s impossible for us to hear one another, though Miktik tries to speak and Tarin squawks what sounds like something rude. Guard is silent, but his expression is surprisingly focused I see the Firmament within him re, flitting through different hues.
Then the Anomaly ends, and the room is silent but for the leftover ringing in my ears.
"That warning was well-ced," Guard says. He sounds grateful. "I would not have survived a direct hit, I think. This must be what we have been detecting we could not find the exact source. If She-Who-Whispers had notmanded me to guard you, I would have sent a different copy of myself to investigate this."
That''s the most he''s ever said at once. "You''re wee?" I try. Guard nods at me respectfully.
I... don''t know what to make of him, honestly. She-Who-Whispers treats him almost like a pawn, but there are things about that that are strange; the fact that he has a silverwisp name, for one, and that she was particrly insistent that I respect it.
He''s certainly one of her tools, but he''s something else on top of that.
A mystery to file away for another time. Deeper within the Fracture, Rotar''s temporal jail awaits.
Chapter 82: Book 2: Problem Solving
Chapter 82: Book 2: Problem Solving
Even if I hadn''t grown sharply between myst attempt at exploring the Fracture and my current one, Guard and Tarin''s presences are enough to make the first three hundred meters of the Fracture a cakewalk. Guard by himself would probably be more than enough the more I watch him fight, the more I appreciate that me pushing him into the Fracture might have been nothing more than luck.
That, or something else was at y.
[ You have defeated an Abyssal Cicada (Rank A)! +47 Strength credits. +92 Durability credits. +86 Speed credits. +60 Reflex credits. +27 Firmament credits. ]
Presumably I don''t get the full Firmament credit because Tarin and Guard did most of the work on that one. It''s a relief to finally see all of the credits I''ve umted since the fight against the chimeras, though; evidently training in that tournament was good for something.
That, or fighting off Whisper''s... well, Whispers, was enough to award me a good number of credits.
...Calling her just Whisper is probably going to get confusing given her skill is also a ''Whisper'', but I''ve decided she hasn''t earned me referring to her by her proper title. I''d sooner do that for Guard. He-Who-Guards. Whatever.
[ You have defeated an Abyssal Cicada (Rank A)! +1 Firmament credit. ]
I didn''t get to contribute much to that one. I''m lucky I got any credits at all. Guard and Tarin both are focused on defending us from the literal horde of monsters buzzing towards us, with Guard doing the majority of the work and Tarin getting progressively more frustrated andpetitive.
I''d join them, but I think I''d just get in Guard''s way, at this point. That, and I still don''t want to reveal everything I''m capable of to Whisper. I hate to admit it, but she seems to be right I did need his help here. The thought makes my lip curl in distaste.
We''re getting close to where Rotar is, ording to Miktik. I can''t see him in the distance at all, but she insists that he''s nearby, and that he should be visible.
As Guard and Tarin clear out thest of the cicadas, though, Rotar and K''hkeri-sh-Ikaara both be visible. The sight of them is briefly relieving, and then slightly concerning.
They''re not actually standing onnd at all. They''re floating in the air, right above the endlessly deep Fracture.
"You guys might need to catch them once I bring them back," I say. Honestly, I don''t even know if I can. I''m hoping against hope that Temporal Fragment will give me something this is somewhat within its area of expertise, and the skill still hasn''t given up all its secrets.
It''s been a while since I''ve used it for anything besides calling up Ahkelios. I haven''t even used it to bring out echoes of myself; it hasn''t really been relevant. But calling on the skill again feels like reaching for an old friend. The Firmament it uses is unlike anything else I''ve encountered. It rushes up into my skull, granting me sight the ability to reach for any of my past loops and bring forth an echo of myself...
...but that''s not the functionality I want, here and now.
I close my eyes, and reach deeper into the skill.
There''s at least one other ability inherent to the skill I''m aware of. The connection I hold with Ahkelios still thrums within me. Part of the skill is able to reach out to anything that''s out of sync with time and create a connection with it; that''s the part of the skill that I used to connect with both the harpy and Ahkelios.
That''s the part of the skill I need but it doesn''t resonate with Rotar or Ikaara. Not in the same way, at least. The skill knows that they''re there, it just doesn''t respond to them in the same way. There''s no connection I can forge with them because they aren''t an echo or a fragment; they''replete beings caught outside time.
A certainty settles within me, guided by Inspect: Temporal Fragment in its current form cannot bring Rotar and Ikaara back. It can make the connection if I force it, perhaps, but with its limited ability to manifest the things I make a connection with, it can do no more than bring out a partial copy. Like Ahkelios, in some ways, and like my own echoes in others.
I take a breath. Tarin is watching me, worried, and I''m not ready to give up yet. I have my Inspirations, the aspect of the Interface that allows me to modify the function of skills. I have points I can bank. I have skills I can merge.
All I need is time.
The Mirror Twice Shattered. The All-Seeing Eye. The Void. The elerator.
The Void and the elerator are out. The Void will consume everything that Rotar and Ikaara are. The elerator can do little more than speed up the process by which I manifest their echoes, and its link to the Void makes it even more suspect. Both Inspirations seem eager to be used, but I close myself off to them.
The All-Seeing Eye is an Inspiration I use tobine skills. It might help me here if I can find something tobine Temporal Fragment with Crystallized Strength, for example. A way for me topound all the fragments of a person I can pull out, and reconstitute them from the pieces...
...That one''s a little more violent than I would like, and I have no guarantee it would work the way I want it to.
The Mirror Twice Shattered is the unique one amongst my Inspirations. I can mirror a skill four different ways through it, lensing it through different aspects of my past that each rte to one of the basic categories of credit offered by the Interface. In theory, that allows me to use it to convert any skill into a Strength, Speed, Reflex, or Durability skill.
None of that feels like it helps me here.
"Ethan?" Tarin caws, hopping closer. "You can help?"
"I don''t know." My voice is terse. I''ve been banking on Temporal Fragment for this, and I''m only now realizing that I just haven''t really nned enough. Even if I use the Mirror and strengthen the connection I can make with Rotar and Ikaara which is the only one of the Mirror''s reflections I think could work in this situation I don''t know that it''ll give me enough to restore both Rotar and Ikaara. Or even one of them.
But there''s no way to know for sure except to try. Inspect is silent on this one.
I pull the trigger, and the Inspiration surges within me.
Inspirations are fundamentally different from skills in a way that''s always been hard to articte. Now, with a slightly deeper understanding of Firmament andyering, I''m able to see a little bit more of what it does. The change it invokes onto the Firmament happens underneath the surfaceyer of Firmament. The Inspiration is almost like... a filter. A lens that acts upon the deeperyers, twisting and changing its underlying nature, giving it new shape and form and power.
Temporal Fragment burns an angry red within me. Connect, I tell it; I nudge at the part of the skill that resonates with anything out-of-sync with time, the same part of the skill that called me to the harpies, that called me to Ahkelios. The movement is initially slow and sluggish, reluctant but the Mirror makes it surge forward, bright and strong and eager.
I make a connection. Firmament wraps around something impossible and intangible, a moment out of sync with time. Rotar.
It''s... a miscalction.
The first thing that happens with a connection forged through Temporal Fragment is a flood of memories. This time, altered and affected by the Mirror, the memories that rush towards me are fragmented and iplete.
The Mirror is tainted with my own memories, my own emotions. Strength from the Mirrores from my angriest moments and so when it reaches Rotar, those are all the memories that rush toward me.
I see Rotar shouting at an assistant in ab, the background indistinct and blurrypared to the sharp focus on him and his assistant. Rotar''s feathers are disheveled. The coat he''s wearing is stained with splotches of dark brown fluid.
I see Rotar sitting alone at his desk. There''s a deep, burning frustration deep within him; the papers scattered in front of him show diagrams that are utterly unintelligible to me and unintelligible to him, too, if the crushed-up pile of papers is any indication. There''s a shattered mug lying next to him, ss and ceramic just scattered messily on his table.
I see Rotar burning with fury. He punches a wall hard enough that I think he might have cracked the bones in his wing. His assistant cowers before him. Her face is blurred and out of sync with the memory; she''s not the source of his anger, just the person he''s taking his anger out on.
And then... rejection.
That part is Rotar. Temporal Fragment bridges the gap between us, forming a bond that''s not unlike the one I share with Ahkelios, though this one is tinged with the Mirror''s angry red. Through that bond, I can feel a vague impression of his state of mind, his thoughts, his feelings...
He''s angry, and that anger has nothing to do with the Mirror.
I can''t me him. His Firmament rails against the connection that Temporal Fragment tries to form, fighting against it in abination of instinct or self preservation I pull it back just as hurriedly, because I know with a sudden certainty that if I allow this, the connection will be tainted. It will create an echo of Rotar cobbled together from his worst frustrations and angriest moments. It will create an echo of Rotar that is wrong.
The Mirror falls apart. The Inspiration falters. The skill ends.
I stare at Rotar''s frozen body, breathing heavily. The Mirror still takes something deep out of me. I can''t imagine my Firmament would look like anything close to coherent if I examined itsyers now.
"I''m sorry," I say, feeling suddenly drained from more than just using the Inspiration. "I don''t think I can get them out. We''ll need to figure something else out."
Tarin looks crestfallen. Miktik looks... a little sick. Guard isrgely impassive, though I sense sweeping waves of Firmament emanating from him he''s scanning the Fracture for anything that might attack us.
I''m notpletely out of options. Maybe if I stayed here for long enough, threw myself at the problem for long enough if I rotated through every Inspiration and skillbination I have...
But even then, it''s just a maybe. We need something else. A different solution, or a new skill. Maybe an upgraded version of Temporal Fragment, if I can roll it again.
We''ll figure something else out, and we''lle back for Rotar. If he''s gone in the next loop, Miktik should be able to find him again. Nothing here is permanent. I open my mouth to say we should retreat.
But before I can say a word, Guard copses.
Chapter 83: Book 2: When Youre Having Fun
Chapter 83: Book 2: When You''re Having Fun
If not for Quicken Mind, I might have spent a few too many seconds staring, dumbfounded. I can sense no outside Firmament at work here, and Premonition hasn''t alerted me to any new danger. Whatever just happened, it''s something specific to Guard.
I just don''t know what it is.
I do know his Firmament is running rampant within his body. He twitches and jerks on the ground as power so thick it''s almost liquid pours out of him, pooling on the ground as puddles of purple light. Tarin and Miktik both take a step back, Miktik''s antennae waving cautiously and Tarin''s wings held up in front of him defensively.
My thoughts are racing. Maybe this is rted to the Fracture somehow. If I''m right, and Guard is the reason the Fracture exploded early if he somehow elerated the anomaly just by being here then this could be a part of how.
And there''s also the fact that part of me feels sympathetic, I suppose. There''s too much I don''t know about Guard for me to put him in the same irredeemable category as Whisper. There are too many hints that he''s not entirely in control of himself, like so many people around her.
"Guard?" I ask. He twitches a little at the sound of his name, but that''s the extent of the response I get. I reach out cautiously, touching his shoulder and gently rolling him over so I can take a better look at him.
He looks... dead. There''s only the faintest thrum of Firmament left inside of him, flickering weakly, like a me about to falter and die. None of it is the immensely dense and powerful purple Firmament that normally powers his body. Instead, it''s a smaller, multicolored core the same color I see peeking through the purple every so often.
There just isn''t enough of it here to power the body.
Before I can try anything else, though, the liquid Firmament around him starts to move. This time, I do take a cautious step back, and I watch as small shapes begin to form out of the Firmament. These shapes almost look like miniature versions of him, though they''re small and faded and weak.
I pause. Mechanical Remnants? It would fit. I''d need to kill one of them to be sure, and I''m not convinced that''s a good idea
One of the little Firmament shadowsunches itself at me before I canplete the thought, and I bat it out of the sky with an instinctivebination of Barrier and Crystallized Strength.
[ You have defeated a Mechanical Remnant (Rank F)! +5 Strength credits. +1 Reflex credit. ]
I''m surprised I got anything out of it at all. But that confirms it, then these are the things that were periodically dying. Whatever is happening now must have happened back when I knocked Guard into the Fracture, triggering a slow stream of these Mechanical Remnants to emerge from his leftover Firmament.
Except this time there''s no st of Firmament from the Fracture to exin why this happened to him at all.
I look around, suddenly cautious. I realize that I''m being a bit too rxed about theck of warning from Premonition, theck of sensation from Firmament Sense. Miktik and Tarin have good reason to be cautious.
"Did anyone see what hit him?" I ask. Both Tarin and Miktik shake their heads, Tarin with a little more trepidation.
And then as if in answer to the question, a swarm arrives.
It''s hard to describe exactly what the swarm is of. It''s some kind of insect, certainly, but they''re closer to mutated lumps of flesh and chitin. A single long proboscis droops low below their bodies, swaying with the breeze. There''s an iridescent film that coats their bodies, too; it looks sticky. I see a few of them bump clumsily into each other and struggle to pull apart.
They''re slow. They''d be slow even if I was facing them without the Interface and without the benefits of Quicken Mind and my various speed skills they don''t move so much as drift vaguely in the same direction.
Miktik copses. Tarin caws with worry, moving to her side and shaking her to no response; I don''t need to look over at her to notice that her Firmament is fading, just like Guard''s. She''s dead, and she''s died without even a whisper of an attack. I didn''t see anything, and neither did Tarin.
I need to figure out what''s happening. There are only two of us left now, and odds are good this loop is going to end soon. We could run, but with how little information we have, we could very well end up running directly into the thing that''s killing us.
And I''m not sure I''d be able to convince Tarin to leave anyway. The old crow looks devastated.
It''s rted to the swarm. It has to be. They don''t look particrly threatening, and Premonition still isn''t triggering; I don''t know if that''s because they''re not attacking me specifically or because their vector of attack is some kind of blindspot in the workings of Premonition.
Tarin cries out and staggers. He''s the only one so far that hasn''t been instantly downed but his Firmament is suddenly weak and flickering.
Enough. I know it has something to do with the swarm, and that''s all I need. I''ll figure out how this is happening afterwards. Firmament floods my body as I trigger my Speed skills andunch myself at the swarm; at the same time, I call on Ahkelios with a pulse of intent. Temporal Fragment triggers, and the mantis flickers into existence on my shoulder, his little eyes alert andnding almost immediately on the swarm.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Fight?" he asks.
"Yep," I say.
Impact.
My fist crushes the first bug apart with almost no resistance. It''s disgusting, the way it stters against my fingers; I call up the Amplification Gauntlet a second toote to protect me from the ssh of its guts. The second one falls apart, too, and I grimace as it pops like a balloon, sttering warm viscera onto my face.
[ You have killed a Time Fly (Rank A)! +1 Firmament credit. ]
[ You have killed a Time Fly (Rank A)! +1 Firmament credit. ]
Almost no reward, but... they''re Rank A. Theck of Firmament is probably just because there are so many of them, and they''re rtively easy to kill but that makes the danger ranking all the more concerning. What makes them Rank A if they''re this easy to kill?
Is the name a hint? Time. Whatever they''re doing is rted to time. That might exin why Premonition isn''t triggering, why no one is reacting or responding before they''re killed. It might exin why Tarinsted a little longer than the rest why I''m thest one to be targeted. Tarin and I both have a little piece of the Interface within us that keeps us stable between loops. A small fragment of something temporal.
I''m clearly not killing them fast enough, because I feel thest spark of Tarin''s Firmament fade away even as I''m fighting through the swarm. I can already feel something vital being drawn away from me. My body''s a little weaker than before, and my skills aren''t as bright. My Firmament is gging.
Premonition still hasn''t trigg
There.
There''s a spark from Premonition, but I notice something almost immediately wrong this is warning me that Guard is about to get attacked. My gaze darts to the automaton''s body, lying still on the ground, and then jumps to the cloud of flies hovering just above him.
Not above him. They form the outline of him. It''s where he was standing a minute ago.
They''re attacking backwards through time. That''s why Premonition isn''t triggering the effect is happening before the cause. I see something vital get sucked out of thin air and into the flies surrounding Guard, get a brief sense of barrier and separation and protection through my Firmament sense.
They pulled out something vital from him?
They descend around Miktik next. I wonder what will happen if I manage to kill them before they manage to kill her. And I try, I really do. But even though I''m conscious, even though I can think... I can''t move.
I get the faint impression of a singlerge proboscis stabbing into my stomach. There''s nothing there, of course. I reach for my only Temporal skill Temporal Fragment and I can feel something lying there, out of sync with time, sucking vitality away outside the boundaries of causality.
Rude, I manage to think.
[ You have died. ]
Time Flies. It''s a pun.
I stare up at the sky, expecting the mantis scythe to descend upon me any second. I''d wee it, too. I don''t think it''d kill me, at this point not if I use the right defensive skills, or even if I just flood Firmament into my head and neck to reinforce it, the way crows do but it''d be a wee distraction from the fact that the Interface has apparently chosen to name a deadly, causality-breaking gue after a pun.
"Um... You okay, Ethan?" Ahkelios asks. He''s standing on my chest, and he waves his hands over my eyes, worried about myck of response. When I blink, he looks relieved. "Oh, good. I thought you died."
"Time Flies," I say out loud this time. "The Interface calls them Time Flies!"
Ahkelios pauses, and when he speaks again, his tone is measured and careful. "I can see that this bothers you," he says. "But I''m gonna be honest, I have no idea why."
I throw my hands up. "Time flies! It''s a pun based on amon Earth saying. Time flies when you''re having fun."
"Oh." Ahkelios blinks. "I''m sorry for saying so, but I don''t think fighting those things was very fun."
"That''s part of why I''m mad about it, yes," I grumble. I force myself to sit up my body aches in strange ways, presumably because of whatever method of attack the Time Flies use. My Firmament feels a little more unstable than it should, and I briefly hope that Tarin hasn''t been affected in some deeper way due to his connection with the loop.
If nothing else, Whisper probably didn''t get to see much of my abilities, considering Guard was the first one that died. She certainly wouldn''t have had the time to send anything back to herself, even if she wanted to.
"Hey, aren''t we supposed to get attacked here?" Ahkelios looks around. "Where''s the... uh... scary version of me?"
I snort a little at Ahkelios'' phrasing. "I have no idea," I admit. "But you absorbed something from itst time. Maybe it can''te back each loop anymore."
In fact, as I say it, I''m convinced that that''s exactly what happened. Ahkelios has absorbed a piece of that Broken Horror into himself that piece of him no longer belongs to the loop, or to the Interface. It''s been restored to him.
For his part, Ahkelios looks thoughtful. "We should find the others," he says. "There are gonna be other pieces of me lying around, right? Maybe higher ranked ones?"
He sounds a little hopeful at thest part. I narrow my eyes at him, though my tone is yful. "Why do you want higher ranked ones?"
"I was pretty strong before I died, I''m pretty sure," Ahkelios says. He puffs out his chest. "If I get those fragments, maybe I''ll be even stronger! Also, I''m kind of offended that the only me-variant we''ve seen attack you is a Rank F monster."
I can''t help butugh. "I feel like you glossed over a lot of deeply horrifying things in those sentences."
"I went through the loops too," Ahkelios says seriously. "Trust me, glossing over deeply horrifying things is a skill you need to develop."
He''s... probably not wrong about that. I shake my head, smiling in spite of myself. "Come on," I say. "Let''s go find Tarin."
"Can we find some moss first?"
I chuckle. "Sure."
It''ll be a good opportunity to bank some of my credits.
Chapter 84: Book 2: Stressful Choices
Chapter 84: Book 2: Stressful Choices
There''s a certain amount of existential horror thates with having your allies picked off right in front of you, with little you can do about it. In that sense, Ahkelios is right being able to shrug things off is an important skill for someone looping through time.
My thoughts flicker back to the moment every so often, but I''m doing a pretty decent job of not focusing on it, I think. Best to think about the next loop. Best to think about how to counter them.
More likely than not, that involves spending my Firmament credits.
We''re wandering around the area just near the designated spawn point for the moment, Ahkelios so he can search for his moss and me so I have time to look over my status and think about how to spend my credits.
[ Status:
Name: Ethan
Strength Skills: Crystallized Strength (Rank C), Concentrated Power (Rank B), Amplification Gauntlet (Rank A)
Durability Skills: Tough Body (Rank E), Barrier (Rank D), Crystallized Barrier (Rank C), Hexfold Shield (Rank C), Second Wind (Rank B), Verdant Armor (Rank A)
Reflex Skills: Quicken Mind (Rank B), Inspect (Rank B), Compounded Mind (Rank B), Iron Mind (Rank A)
Speed Skills: Triplestep (Rank E), elerate (Rank C), Firestep (Rank C), shstep (Rank B), Intrinsic Lightning (Rank A), Lightning Rod (Rank A), Warpstep (Rank A)
Firmament Skills: Firmament Maniption (Rank D), Temporal Fragment (Rank D), Color Drain (Rank C), Tetrachromacy (Rank C)
Inspirations:
The Mirror Twice Shattered (Firmament, Unique)
The All-Seeing Eye (Reflex, Rank A)
The Void (Strength, Rank Unknown)
The elerator (Speed, Rank A)
Open Dungeons:
The Empty City (Rank S)
Credit Distribution:
Strength: 268 (179 banked)
Durability: 487 (84 banked)
Reflex: 103 (360 banked)
Speed: 178 (273 banked)
Firmament: 120 (256 banked) ]
I grimace a little at how close Firmament is to the five hundred credit mark I''ve been hoping for. Thirteen points away. If I''d taken a few more hits, let myself be smacked around a few more times...
...Or maybe I shouldn''t let the time loop turn me into a masochist.
Right now, the obvious thing to bank is Firmament. I don''t have any other way to handle the Time Flies or any of the other dangers the deeper Fracture holds, if those flies are any indication. Firmament has always rewarded me with a skill based on what I''ve recently been through, so now''s the best time to bank the credits. Wait too long, and I might get a skill in moss-picking instead.
[ Are you sure you wish to bank 120 Firmament credits? ]
[ 120 Firmament credits banked! Rolling for results... ]
[ CRITICAL ROLL. ]
My breath catches. It''s been a while since I''ve seen this. And it''s happening for the Firmament category in paticr.
[ Critical Bonus! All existing Firmament skills will be improved. ]
[ Firmament Maniption (Rank D) has evolved to Firmament Control (Rank C)! ]
[ Temporal Fragment (Rank C) has evolved to Temporal Link (Rank B)! ]
[ Color Drain (Rank C) has evolved to Hueshift (Rank B)! ]
[ Tetrachromacy (Rank C) has evolved to Firmament Sight (Rank B)! ]
[ Select between:
CRIT: Time Punch (Rank B) > Timestrike (Rank A) ]
CRIT: Temporal Sense (Rank B) > Temporal Sight (Rank A) ]
CRIT: Whispered Promise (Rank B) > Whispering Seal (Rank A) ]
CRIT: Sealsight (Rank B) > Sealsink (Rank A) ]
I''m d I got the crit. I really am. But I''m also at least a little annoyed, because... all of these skills are useful. There''s no easy choice here.
Well, there is one easy choice I have no interest in Whispering Seal. Inspect tells me it''s simr to whatever skill Whisper uses to impose her Whispers onto her city; it''s a skill that takes a whisperedmand and turns it into a seal of Firmament that punishes those who disobey. There are far, far more limitations on it than on the version Whisper has. For one thing, Whispering Seal can only be used on one person at a time, and it onlysts for a few hours before themand dissipates.
I''d consider taking it on the grounds that I might learn more about her skill and defenses against it, but I have better options, and I do have a defense against it in Sealsink.
I get the impression that Sealsink is an option only because Ahkelios caught sight of the device Miktik was using to absorb the consequences of her defiance of Whisper. It''s a Firmament sink of some kind whatever punishment Whisper tried to inflict on her was diverted to it instead. Sealsink acts in much the same way; it allows me to create a Firmament construct that will absorb the consequences of me breaking any seals that are ced on me.
Withmensurate consequences if the construct breaks, of course.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Timestrike is amusingly simple inparison. It''s a direct counter to the Time Flies, presumably offered because I encountered and had to fight them. A Temporal Strike allows me to basically punch into the future.
It''s an incredible skill for many reasons other than just fighting the Time Flies. It allows me topletely blindside someone with a hit, for one thing, as long as I can maneuver them into the right direction. Like a few of my other skills, though, it''s a skill that requires setup and nning. Or really good maneuvering.
Temporal Sight is the weirdest of the four. The skill''s name gave me the impression that it might allow me to look into the past or the future, which is so stunningly powerful that if that was actually its function I would choose it without a second thought but that''s not what Inspect tells me.
Inspect says that Temporal Sight will allow me to "see areas of high temporal stress".
I don''t know what this means, and the Interface refuses to borate. The idea that high temporal stress is a possibility at all is... deeply concerning to me, and I can''t help but think that if they exist, then I should have the ability to see them. Especially if there''s a chance they might interfere with my loop.
"Ahkelios," I say out loud, and the little mantis snaps to attention from his little moss-hunt. Iugh at the mock-salute he throws me. "Just a quick question, and then you can go back to your hunt. Do you know what temporal stress is?"
The mantis man frowns, some of his cheer bleeding away as he thinks. I feel a bit of a strain on Temporal Temporal Link now, I guess. The link we share draws a little more Firmament from me as he subconsciously taps into the Interface. Upgraded as the skill is, I can actually feel that process this time.
"I don''t... not know what it is," he says slowly. "I think I''ve encountered it before. An area of high temporal stress is... a ce you''ve made too many changes in too many times.
"As loopers, we cause some amount of temporal stress just by existing. Tarin does, too, now that he remembers. That doesn''t pose much of a problem now, and it won''t pose much of a problem for the foreseeable future but across enough loops, if different things happen every loop, you start causing stress in that particr part of space and time."
Seeing my worried expression, Ahkelios hurries to reassure me. "It''s not something you have to worry about right now. It takes hundreds of loops to even start seeing the effects of temporal stress, and basically a thousand before it starts being dangerous, unless you''re really stressing out the timeline."
"What exactly do you mean by dangerous?" I ask. "What does temporal stress look like? I''ve got a skill that will let me see it, and I''m not sure if I need to take it."
"I don''t think you need to take it right now," Ahkelios says slowly, though he says it with far more hesitation than I would like. "You''ll notice the signs of temporal stress once it starts happening. Things will be different that shouldn''t be different. People will be missing."
I stare at Ahkelios. "Like the things that are happening right now?"
"No, no," Ahkelios says, and then he pauses. "Well... yes. But different. You''ll see temporal... glitches? People rewinding or skipping ahead to their futures. Patches of dirt that are way, way older than everything around them. That kind of thing. The differences you''ve been experiencing are just because you''re a really, really weird Trialgoer."
I groan. "I can''t be that weird."
Ahkelios stares at me. "You''ve had moreplications in two loops than I had across three hundred," he says inly. "My memory isn''t perfect, but I remember spending three hundred loops trying to get past one of the monsters guarding the exit. You''re really weird, Ethan."
Of course I am. "I''m going to take that as apliment."
"It is!" Ahkelios says cheerfully. "It means you might actually beat this Trial."
He''s... got a point, there.
It doesn''t sound like Temporal Sight is going to be useful for me for the foreseeable future. There mighte a time where I''ll need it to avoid areas of high temporal stress, or something, but from what Ahkelios has said nothing I''ve done so far should have stressed the loop enough that it''s a pressing concern.
That leaves me with Timestrike and Sealsink. Timestrike will give me the ability to actually deal with the Time Flies, eliminating what''s arguably one of the biggest dangers in the Fracture and allowing me ess to Rotar without risking the entire loop assuming Rotar''s stayed in the same location and hasn''t strayed.
As a bonus, Timestrike will remain useful afterward. It''s not like the Time Flies are going to be the only threat it''ll be useful against.
Sealsink gives me the ability to deal with one of the Hestian Trialgoers. It won''t do anything but that, unless I encounter other threats that apply some kind of Firmament seal, and while I don''t discount that possibility I can''t pick it just because of it.
It''s just that Whisper is a big threat. Guard being under hermand is just as much of one his ability to deal with Rank A monsters like they''re just chump change is frightening. Tarin''s role when they fought together was mostly as a distraction, pulling attention away from Guard with his sheer speed rather than directly contributing to damage.
"Timestrike or Sealsink," I mutter out loud, and Ahkelios, of course, perks up and looks over at me.
"A skill that lets you punch the future or a skill that lets you get past She-Who-Whispers?" he asks. I nod, and he continues, "why not get Timestrike? We have ess to something that does what Sealsink does Miktik made one. We can just ask her for help."
...Well, he''s got me there. Timestrike it is.
[ Timestrike (Rank A) obtained! ]
"Hopefully that''s the right choice," I mutter. The rest of my skills already feel different Temporal Link makes my bond with Ahkelios stronger, Firmament Control allows me to manipte the Firmament around me even more deftly and with greater force, which I hope will help me with imbuement...
I haven''t tested Hueshift. But Firmament Sight being an upgrade to Tetrachromacy makes a surprising amount of sense, and while it''s not the same as my ability to detect Firmament all around me, it does give me a whole new dimension to explore as far as Firmament goes.
"I''m ready!" Ahkelios announces. He''s holding a handful of moss. I stare at him, wondering how he''s bncing all of it between his arms it doesn''t exactly look like a coherent pile of moss as much as him just grabbing random handfuls of nt matter and shoveling it into his arms.
"You need help carrying that?" I ask, amused.
His face brightens. "Can you help?"
I shrug. "Let''s find out."
I have an idea. With Firmament Control and Temporal Link, I might be able to add a permanent modification to Ahkelios'' Firmament form I just need to integrate whatever I craft out of Firmament into the Link. I call both of skills up in my mind, feeling for the bond between me and Ahkelios and feeling the shape of Firmament within.
And then, using Firmament Control, I begin to weave.
It''s remarkably intuitive, presumably because I don''t need to worry about actual sewing or stitching. All I need to do is force the Firmament into the shape of a satchel, and then nudge that shape into the link that binds me with Ahkelios.
The process is intuitive, like it''s a natural function that I''ve only just discovered. There''s... a lot I could potentially do with this, I think.
Ahkelios, with no ess to my thoughts without me pushing them through the new link, just looks delighted, and begins shoveling his moss into the makeshift satchel I''ve provided him.
Chapter 85— Book 2: Bird Problem
Chapter 85¡ª Book 2: Bird Problem
The next problem I need to deal with is getting to Tarin without having to fight all the Guilty Chimeras in the way. Or, alternatively, I could fight them, and earn myself themensurate credits. I''m so close to my next Durability upgrade I can almost taste it.
I''m in the midst of convincing myself to fight at least one chimera when Tarin shows up, charging into the clearing with blistering speed. There''s a trail of ck lightning that cascades behind him and at least two cracked trees that I can see.
I blink.
"Ethan!" Tarin deres. "You here!"
"Well, yes, I haven''t had the chance to leave yet," I say, slightly amused. This wasn''t even the n we were supposed to meet up back in the vige. Tarin just waves me off, starting to pace around in a circle.
"We lose!" he says. "I not sure what we fight. Bug things? I remember I see bug things. But I not remember how I got hit."
"Time Flies, ording to the Interface," I say dryly. I''m still having trouble with the Interface''s chosen name for them. "Apparently they attack through time, draining the Firmament of their targets. Which is why none of us could defend against it."
Tarin stares at me. It''s the most shocked I''ve ever seen him look his beak hangs open slightly. "Cheaters," he finally manages after a moment, scowling. "Of course they cheat."
Iugh a little at this mirror to Tarin''s words about the Raid on the crow vige, which feels like it was ages ago. Tarin caws at me with irritation, pping his wings. "Why youugh!"
"You said something very simr, once," I say with a small smile. "You don''t remember?"
"What?" Tarin looks confused, and then he snaps his talons. "Oh! Yes! Harpies! They also cheaters. Interface cheat."
"By that definition, I''m also a cheater."
"Yes. But you good cheater." Tarin resumes pacing. "How we fight flies?"
The question takes me back to what I''ve been doing. "I''ve got something that''ll work against them," I say, flexing my fingers. I haven''t actually tested Timestrike. "Or it should. It lets me punch into the future. As long as I know where they''re going to be..."
Tarin stares at me, taking a moment to process what I''ve just said. After a moment, he gives up, throwing his wings into the air. "Interface stupid," he deres. "I not see you for five minutes and suddenly you can punch future!"
"Yep," Ahkelios suddenly chimes in from his position atop my head. "Interface stupid. I can''t believe it didn''t give me future punching."
I sigh. I have a feeling neither of these two are going to let me live that down for a while. "We should figure out what to do next," I say, changing the subject. "I think we need to find Miktik again."
Tarin''s expression darkens. "I not sure I want involve her. She... not deserve what happen."
"I know that." My voice is sympathetic. "But she''s already involved. She-Who-Whispers uses her to build... more iterations of Guard, I guess. And she''s got something that lets her fight the Whispers."
"Oh," Tarin says. It''s a nk sort of sound, at first, like he''s processing. Then he grins wide. "That like Miktik. She find way to fight."
I nod. "If we go back to Isthanok, we have to get to her first. We might be able to borrow her... I don''t know what she calls it. It''s some kind of Firmament sink."
We discuss things a little further, and the n is set. Head to Isthanok, bypass the Chimeras because apparently riling them up too much will make the crows'' hunting territory that much more dangerous and get help from Miktik.
We should probably figure out whatever''s going on with Guard, too.
"How do you know about that?"
Miktik''s suspicious. Of course she''s suspicious. I suppress my groan I remembered to tell Tarin not to get into the whole Trialgoer thing, but I didn''t realize he was going to burst in and ask about the Firmament sink right off the bat.
"A little more discretion, please, Tarin?" I ask tiredly. "You need to be more careful. We don''t want to waste everything we''ve done so far because of one wrong word."
Tarin shakes his head, and his expression is surprisingly serious. He isn''t just blowing me off or barging ahead. There''s something else on his mind? "Miktik," he says. "You not understand. Whisper... Whisper hurt you."
Oh.
I look a little closer at Tarin. His wings are trembling slightly, and there''s a sharpness in his eyes, a near-invisible crackle of ck Firmament that jumps between his feathers. He''s breathing a little faster and heavier than he normally is.
He''s angry.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
He doesn''t get angry very often. I''ve seen him determined, I''ve seen him desperate, and I''ve seen him goof off. The closest I''ve ever seen him to angry is when he''s talking about Naru.
This isn''t about him being reckless at all. This is because he watched his friend die in front of him. It''s because he saw what Whisper did to her and didn''t get the opportunity to talk about it. He''s not stupid he''s never been stupid, really, as much as he wears his goofiness and obsession with training as a mask and right now he''s got a lot of pent-up worry and concern about his friend...
I should have asked how he was doing.
Miktik''s reaction is unexpected. She takes several steps back from Tarin, her legs scurrying beneath her body, and I can see her beginning to curl up defensively. It''s a reflex response she doesn''t believe she''s in any real danger but it''s pretty telling.
"...How do you know about that?" she asks softly.
"I just know," Tarin says. He steps forward, and this time Miktik doesn''t step away, and leans into it when he hugs her. The scene is, in all honesty, a little awkward; Miktik''s species clearly isn''t built for hugging. But she seems to appreciate it. "Why you not tell us? We help. We take you back with us. Our home also yours!"
Miktik looks away. "Miktik can''t," she says emphatically. There''s a distinct anxiety in the way she shuffles about on her feet. "She-Who-Whispers has... she has something Miktik made. An AI core. Miktik can''t leave it with her."
Right, that. I frown a little at the reminder. "Miktik," I say slowly. "Do you know anything about He-Who-Guards?"
"The automaton that helps enforce Whisper''s rules?" Miktik looks confused. "What about him?"
"He''s an AI of some kind, too, right?" I press. "I got to speak to him for a while. There''s something strange about him."
"The iterations of him that patrol the city are usually hiding, and I''ve never had a chance to talk to him." Miktik''s antennae wave about as if in agitation, but she''s a little less nervous now, at least. "Do you think She-Who-Whispers?"
"I don''t know," I say.
There are too many unanswered questions about Whisper and Guard, still. Miktik''s privacy imbuements aren''t powerful enough for me to want to risk talking about investigating them, but I make a quiet, mental note: there''s more going on in this city than is apparent on the surface. I need to figure out what.
Miktik is silent for a moment. "...I don''t know how you two know all this," Miktik says after a moment. "But I''m guessing you have a Firmament power that''s kind of like mine? You can track things down, maybe watch things from afar?"
That''s... about as close as I can get without saying I travel through time. "Something like that," I say reservedly, and Tarin thankfully doesn''t burst in to exin the time loop.
"The Firmament sink I use is still in development." Miktik sighs, unstrapping something from a near-invisible line around the middle segment of her body. It''s a small, triangr device that lets out a beep as it detaches from her, and she holds it up for us to look at. "It''s not very stable. I have to rece it every couple of days. I really want to know how you knew about it."
Miktik is trustworthy. I know she''s trustworthy, because I just watched her get roasted because she refused to tell Whisper anything else she knew about us. But that makes me more reluctant to tell her, if anything; if she hadn''t known anything, maybe Whisper wouldn''t have med her for keeping a secret.
"We can''t tell you." It takes a moment toe to that decision, and I hope it''s the right one. "Do you have more? Could we borrow a couple of them from you?"
Miktik shakes her head rapidly. "Miktik can''t afford to make more," she says, her limbs shifting about on the floor in a way I recognize as nervous. "Theponents are too expensive, especially since I have to keep recing them. I''ll get a shipment in to build one tomorrow, but this one will be burnt out by then."
I grimace. "Is there any way we can help? Or at least watch the process?" I ask. Miktik''s skills don''t lie with imbuement, exactly; it''s the reason she needed Tarin''s help to fix the regtor. Her workshop is full of Firmament-powered machinery and her ability to maintain it is limitedpared to her talent at building. "Maybe we can find a way to improve it."
Miktik goes silent. I see her ncing towards the regtor I know she needs fixed I wonder if she''s thinking the same thing I am. "Miktik isn''t sure. You might be able to help! You can take a look at this one, if you want."
I exchange nces with Tarin, then approach the Firmament sink that Miktik''s holding out to me. It''s not until I have it in my hands that I''m able to sense exactly how it is.
Part of it, I think, is that the individualponents areplicated. Miktik mentioned that theponents were hard to get and expensive and I can see why. It looks like there''s some sort of power source in the center that''s made out of some kind of nt, and that nt has aplexwork of Firmament that stretched out through the device.
The rest of it is a lot of different regtors, as far as I can tell. I''m not nearly practiced enough with imbuement to be able to discern their exact purpose, but there''s some simrity in their construction to the regtor Miktik showed us in the previous loop. The nt-thing in the center pulls at every bit of Firmament around it in a way that''s not unlike the Void, though I don''t sense any of that present in the device.
Instead, it does this by creating tiny vortexes of Firmament. The regtors are presentrgely to help identify what type of Firmament it should draw in, and then there''s a final regtor just below the nt matter that I think serves as the actual sink part of the device. I can sense the few stray pieces of Firmament that wander in being converted into heat and light through aplex array of Firmament.
Well, into heat and light Firmament, but it''s pretty much the same thing. The regtors prevent those types of Firmament from being reabsorbed.
I frown. That''s an immediate issue, isn''t it?
"Doesn''t Whisper use heat-aligned Firmament as the punishment for disobeying a Whisper?" I ask. "It''s notpletely the same, so it''ll still grab some of it, but... this thing won''t be able to absorb the full bacsh."
"That''s intentional," Miktik says. "It can''t absorb the full bacsh or the whole thing would explode immediately."
Ah. Yep, that sounds like a problem. The whole thing is a little tooplicated for me to work with right now, but... I think back to my skill imbuements, and consider my upgraded skill, Hueshift.
I might be able to do something. It''s just too bad I don''t have any material to work with here it looks like everything in Miktik''s shop is meant for mechanical builds, not imbuements.
"You don''t happen to have any stones that are good for imbuements, do you?" I ask.
Miktik tilts her head. "No?" she says hesitantly. "But there are a bunch of stones at the Craven Arena, if you want topete there."
"Oh!" Tarin quips. "That ce we make bets! Ethan good fighter!"
"You''ve been there?" Miktik seems confused. "I don''t remember hearing about someone like him in the Arena..."
"Don''t worry about it," I say, shaking my head.
Chapter 86— Book 2: Thys and Thaht
Chapter 86¡ª Book 2: Thys and Thaht
Once Miktik confirms that Rotar is still in the same ce within the Fracture the process is much faster when we have a general location to give her we head off to the Arena. It''s early enough in the day that it isn''t particrly crowded this time. I''m a little apprehensive about joining. I don''t want to draw attention from Whisper or any of her goons, but she doesn''t have any reason to keep an eye on me right now.
Probably. As long as she hasn''t sent a message back to herself about the whole thing.
...Maybe I should be a little cautious.
I''m not going to be so cautious that I do nothing the whole loop, though. I want to n ahead using information from thest loop, but I''m not actually sure who the contestants are going to be. Last time, we arrived at the Arena close to the end of the day; this time, it''s barely past noon, judging by the position of the sun. My opponents are going to be entirely different.
From what we heard during registration, they''re going to be harder, too. The clerks at registration were pretty open about that, and not in a good way. In the sense that neither of them would stopughing while exining that the afternoon was reserved for veteran fighters.
I convinced them to let me in. I can be very persuasive.
Look, I''m not going to im that in the limited time I''ve been on Hestia I''ve grown enough to fight the veterans of Isthanok
No, I''m going to im that. It''s a little arrogant, but what are they gonna do, kill me?
"I mean, what''re they gonna do, kill you?" Ahkelios says, sitting cross-legged on my head. I''m staring up at a construct that''s two stories tall. Its shell is practically glowing with Firmament, and I can see the lines of different imbuements running through every limb, every attachment.
"Yes actually," I say, gritting my teeth. I use Warpstep to carry me out of the range of a particrlyrge explosion of Firmament. Crystallized Strength isn''t enough to punch through the armor of this thing, and as far as I can tell, the pilot is on the inside, so I can''t specifically target them. Not unless I Warpstep inside the construct itself, and the shield of Firmament seems to prevent that, pushing the stream of Firmament that Warpstep uses to the side and forcing a misaligned teleport.
This is, for the record, also the first time I''ve experienced a misaligned teleport like this. It''s an incredibly disconcerting experience, and the nausea nearly cost me the loop.
So I''ve definitely been a little arrogant, but in my defense... I did win two matches before this. It''s not like I messed up.
"Had enough?" the pilot calls out from within the construct, and I stay silent, my mind rapidly working for a solution. I don''t want to throw out all my skills just to beat this one construct I''m sure I could, if I stacked an Inspiration and my usualbination of Speed and Strength skills but I don''t want to give Whisper too much information about what I can do.
That''s also the reason I haven''t tried Amplification Gauntlet. That''s an obvious Interface skill if I''ve ever seen one.
But I also don''t want to lose.
What else can I do?
I leap out of the way of yet another strike, this time just using Triplestep to carry me out of the path in time; the construct''s slowing down, too. It takes a tremendous amount of Firmament to power the thing, and I imagine it''ll wear itself out before long but I don''t think I can wait that long. The rounds run on a timer, and the time I have is running out.
...Time.
I pause.
This is going to require very, very precise timing.
Iunch myself into the air andunch a Timestrike at the exact level of the construct''s chest; my hand blurs, fueled by temporal Firmament and doing something strange to the fabric of Firmament around me. I don''t have the time to parse exactly what''s happening everything is moving too quickly, even with the assistance of Quicken Mind and I have to Warpstep away to avoid the construct''s punch.
I gaze warily at it, hopping a few steps back, trying to angle the construct just right. Its pilot turns towards me, and I can just hear the smirk in his voice. "Nowhere to run," he says yfully. "Nowhere to hide."
I should probably mention that he introduced himself as Deathw Bloodseeker, and the way he speaks duringbat is not unlike Thys''s performance when I fought him in thest loop. He''s putting up a show.
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"Come get me, then," I say.
I need him to take a few more steps forward. I''ve angled my Timestrike at the exact chest level of the construct, because I''m pretty sure that''s where the pilot is hiding. I''ve timed it to go off in exactly thirty seconds, because it''s only forty seconds until the round ends, and that''s my all-or-nothing move.
Now I just need the construct to move into the right position...
It takes another step forward. I note its alignment, andunch myself up to meet the construct right in the air.
I take a blow almost immediately, but it''s an intentional one. Tough Body and a few Barriers ced around my body let me shrug off most of the impact, and Itch on to the fist that was swung at me. Triplestep sends me running up the arm and towards its head, though I nearly slip a few times, my footing not as sure as I''d like it to be on the slick surface of the metal.
Five more seconds.
The construct isn''t moving, presumably because it''s waiting to see what happens. Every blow I''ve tried tond against it in the past has failed, so the pilot has no reason to believe that this one will be different.
And also because I already got it to punch itself one time with this strategy. That was the first time I used Warpstep.
I kick the construct in the head. I''m not really expecting it to do anything, even though I charge it with Crystallized Strength, just in case and it does, indeed, not do anything.
My Timestrike does, though.
There''s a thud, and then a loud yelp from inside the construct. "Hey!"
So I lost that fight.
The kobold thates out to greet me afterward looks a lot like Thys, but is very clearly not Thys. He''s also a lot grumpier, which is probably fair; the Timestrike I used apparently hit him in a rather... sensitive spot for kobolds. Honestly, all things considered, he''s being rather cordial.
"Sorry about that," I say again. "I just kind of missed."
Timestrike, as it turns out, is difficult to aim.
"One hell of a miss," the kobold says. He grumbles a few more times, mostly under his breath, and then does the strange finger-twist salute that I remember Thys using. "Name''s Thaht."
"Ethan," I say automatically. I remember what Thys told me about his family they all pretend to be the same kobold, at least to the registration clerks. "I thought Deathw Bloodseeker was in thete afternoon bracket?"
Thaht nces at me, scanning me up and down. I get the feeling he''s evaluating me. "Deathw Bloodseeker is ranked ording to the equipment he brings in to test, generally. Sometimes he''s ced in multiple brackets if he''s there to test two different setups. It''s more efficient that way."
"Makes sense." He''s surprisingly open about the whole thing. "Doesn''t that get tiring, though?"
"Eh. We switch out kobolds. No one ever realizes." Thaht shrugs. I breathe an internal sigh of relief; it''s much easier to navigate this conversation if I don''t have to hide that I know they swap in and out.
"You''re being pretty open about it with me," I note. I get why Thys was open with me, but I didn''t exactly make a good first impression on Thaht.
"Hiding it from the actual Arena challengers is usually pretty pointless, partly because Thys is terrible at keeping secrets and partly because most people figure it out from our fighting styles alone," Thaht says. "I''m not trusting you or anything."
"Fair."
Thaht sighs. "What was that, anyway?" he asks, his voice gruff. "We''ve been working on that construct for years. Takes a hard hit to get through that shell."
"No kidding." I almost broke my fist on the thing the first time I punched it, and that was a mistake I wasn''t supposed to repeat. Only coating my fist in a Barrier at thest moment saved it. "It''s just something I''ve been working on. I used up the only bomb I made for it, though."
I''m lying, but Thaht doesn''t need to know that. He still squints at me, looking vaguely suspicious, but mostly impressed. "I gotta say, we don''t see things that surprise us often," he says. "Don''t suppose we could get you to build for us?"
"Who is ''us'', exactly?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Thys and Thaht," Thaht says, sweeping into a low bow. "It''s the shop my brothers and sisters run! Thys and I run it the most, though. I work on the big stuff, and Thys works on the little stuff. He''s usually in the arena testing new things a littleter."
That more or less confirms it Thaht is Thys''s brother.
I sigh to myself. Those names are going to get really confusing. Maybe I shoulde up with some nicknames before this gets really bad...
Eh. I''m sure it''ll be fine.
"Interesting," I say. Thys didn''t mention their shop, but then I didn''t really give him any reason to. "Do you mind if I drop by sometime? Take a look?"
"We''d appreciate that!" Thaht brightens, thest of his sourness leaving his face as if the prospect of getting a new customer far outweighs the annoyance of getting punched between the legs. "We''re usually in the store at night. My brothers and sisters manage it during the day."
I''m almost afraid to ask what their names are.
"Are you open all hours?"
"Nah, but we''ll get the store open for ya." Thaht grins at me. "Especially if you''re a paying customer. You''re gonna have some winnings from this, right?"
"I might have a few chips," I say. Technically speaking, the Arena''s awardse in the form of points, depending on how well you''ve performed. The whole point of me participating in the Arena today was to get my hands on imbuement materials to try to build a better Firmament sink to counter Whisper, which means most of my points are going towards that.
Whatever''s leftover I can throw at chips, but I suspect there won''t be a lot of them left.
Fortunately, there''s still the chips from all the betting Tarin has been doing... as long as he didn''t go all in on my fight against Deathw Bloodseeker. "Do you ever actually lose when you use that thing?"
"Eh. Only by timeout," Thaht says with a shrug. "We''re kind of the Arena champion when we use that construct."
Well. Not the worst opponent to lose to, at least.
I wonder what they need a construct that insanely powerful for. I can''t imagine it''s really just for the Arena, and I also can''t imagine that Whisper doesn''t know about it.
It almost feels like it''s a military device instead of some hobby construct made by a family of kobolds.
Chapter 88— Book 2: Aspects and Colors
Chapter 88¡ª Book 2: Aspects and Colors
"What you mean?" Tarin nces up at me.
"There''s Firmament everywhere, and there are different aspects of Firmament. The imbuement stones arebeled with different aspects. Miktik''s Firmament sink converts one type of Firmament into two more harmless types. How many aspects are there? What do we know about each aspect?"
Tarin frowns. "We not sense Firmament like you," he points out. "But Firmament in everything. All types, yes? Elements, but also abstract. Thought, shape, color."
That makes sense. It''s more or less the same understanding that I have. Every single one of my skills has apletely unique aspect of Firmament, and even though the imbuement stones I saw seem toe in the more traditional elemental variations, I have no doubt there are stranger types out there.
Hueshift can''t work directly with Firmament aspects, ording to Inspect. I''m not convinced the limitations are quite as strict as the skill is trying to imply. There''s some link between aspect and color, even if that link is a little tenuous; if I can make the right changes, and make enough of them...
Well, it''s all just theory for now. I''m hoping I can imbue this Lightning stone with some Hueshift Firmament and make it act as the Firmament converter needed in Miktik''s Firmament sinks. All I need to do is... program the stone to convert whatever type of Firmament the Whisper uses to punish disobedience into something more harmless.
I snort at my own phrasing. All I need to do. I doubt the process is going to be simple.
It''d be nice if Virin was here and I could talk to the crow about imbuement again, but he isn''t. I''ll have to remember to speak to him in the next loop. For now, I have some ideas I can try.
"Ahkelios," I say. "Do you mind helping me out here? I need to test out Hueshift."
"What do you want to do?" he asks, peering at me suspiciously.
"I need a strong source of Firmament so I can see what I''m doing."
"...And you want to try fiddling with me?"
"Please don''t put it like that," I deadpan.
Ahkelios folds his arms across his chest and res at me before finally relenting. "Fine," he says, hopping up onto my knee. "Do you need me to do anything?"
"Just stay still."
Despite Ahkelios''s protests, changing his Firmament is rtively safe. I think. As much as Firmament seems to be tied to the mind of an individual, Ahkelios is a different case his mind is stored within whatever part of my Firmament functions as the core for the Temporal Fragment skill. Or... Temporal Link now, I suppose. The Firmament he''s made of is closer to a puppet he uses to animate himself. Pure Temporal Link, zero Ahkelios.
Well, a little bit of Ahkelios. But it''s an expression of him, not the core of him. Color, not aspect.
Which is important. Temporal Echo was the first skill I''d ever gained, so it''s the type of Firmament I''m most familiar with. And when I reach for Hueshift, it gives me one simple requirement: to alter the color of Firmament, I must be familiar with it. I must know how to use it. The easier it is for me to manipte, the easier for me to change its color. It isn''t impossible for me to manipte Firmament I''m not familiar with, but it will be a lot harder.
I reach for the skill. It feels the same as Color Drain, for the most part, but there''s something new added on to it. I can still feel its old ability to drain the ''color'' of something, but now there''s another mental lever and a little bit more depth andplexity to the Firmament the skill uses; I can feel what it''s going to do. Draw in Firmament, draining it from a target. Change its hue by altering it in some fundamental way. Send it back, if I choose to do so.
Like Inspect tells me, it doesn''t change the fundamental aspect of Firmament I''m working with, just its color. The Mirror Inspiration does something quite simr, but it operates on a more fundamental level, changing the aspect itself into something more aligned with the emotion I''m using hence the word ''mirror'', I suppose. It reflects the skill, changing it in subtle ways. Hueshift doesn''t do any of that.
I take a moment to mentally target the Firmament that makes up Ahkelios''s body. I know the aspect well by now, and the color of it is expressed through his personality, another point of familiarity. We''re close enough that I understand him, at least to a degree. I feel the shape of his Firmament, the hue of it. His personality filters and colors my Firmament, turning it into something brighter. A sky-blue hope and joy, speckled with a yful yellow.
Hueshift.
His form flickers and changes in color to the solid-green of envy, ironically making him look far more like a traditional mantis. Ahkelios makes a noise of indignation and squirms around on my knee. "This is ufortable," he says.
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"Is it affecting you?" I ask, worried despite myself. It shouldn''t have any effect on him.
"No," he confirms, to my relief. "It just feels... not right. Like I''m wearing clothes that are a little too tight."
I considermenting on the fact that his species doesn''t seem to bother much with clothing, and decide not to. It''s probably a trantion error.
"I''ll reverse it," I say. It''s easier to shift the Firmament back in the other direction; it settles easily, like it''s just being pushed back into its natural shape.
Hm.
This gives me a better idea of what using Hueshift is like. It concentrates my Firmament on the part of my body closest to my target in this case, my knee then opens up into what feels like a jaw, mping down around its target and drawing in its color before spitting out the new one.
So all I need to do is...
I hold the Lightning imbuement stone in my hand and activate Hueshift. I target the Lightning-aspect Firmament held within the rock itself first, keeping my Firmament senses alert as Hueshift travels up to my palm and begins to mp down around it. With an effort of will, Firmament Control seizes those metaphorical jaws, stopping the skill in its tracks.
I can''t imagine what trying to do that would have been like if I were still working with Firmament Maniption instead of its upgraded counterpart.
Then, still preventing the skill frompleting, I begin to push it into the imbuement stone. It''s like Temporal Fragment was, in that sense, back when I imbued the stones Mari gave me. Some skills are easier to imbue than others, and I''m fortunate that Hueshift is one of them.
Unfortunately, the Firmament I push into it almost immediately begins to leak back out.
Imbuement stones shallow or otherwise, though I don''t know what rank the ones Mari gave me to experiment with were seem much easier to push a skill into, but by the same token, the stone releases that energy much more easily as well. Mari''s stones didn''t have that issue, but she did call them precious vige artifacts.
Which means my next step, the one I was hoping to avoid, is anchoring. It''s the part of imbuement I suck at the most. I''ve tried the tying-a-knot method the crows use, and that''s incredibly difficult for me to use, nor do I have the years that Mari implied it takes to learn it.
So let''s try something new. Something of my own.
I focus inward on my Firmament sense and block everything else out except for Hueshift and the Lightning stone.
Electricity crackles across the surface of the stone, skipping past shallow pits and racing along the pores. The outermostyer of Firmament is a storm, impossible for the Hueshift Firmament to anchor to without interference; all that innate energy rips across it before it has the chance to settle, acting like a barrier.
I dig the ws of Firmament Control into that surfaceyer of Lightning. With some effort working on a singleyer of Firmament is apparently harder than simply manipting it as a whole I search for weaknesses in that pattern of Firmament, then tear open a small hole. Then I flood that hole with Hueshift, allowing the stone''s inherent Firmament to close back up after it, sealing it within.
In theory, anyway. I hold my breath as I let go of the reins. The stone sits in my hand for two seconds, three, four but there''s no sign of Firmament leakage. No sign of the skill dissipating.
I breathe a sigh of relief.
"Did you do it?" Ahkelios asks, his eyes wide.
"I think so," I say. It urs to me, now that I''ve actually imbued the stone with Hueshift, that I still have no idea how to use it. The stone in theory should be capable of absorbing Firmament and altering its color, but... There''s no consciousness linked to that Firmament. No ability to choose what it does. I frown in thought.
When I activated Hueshift, I was trying to change the stone''s inherent Firmament from yellow-Lightning to blue-Lightning. There was no particr reason for it at the time, but if it retains that programming, then this should work.
I pull a thread of Firmament out from within myself and Hueshift it to yellow, then carefully feed it to the Lightning stone. If I''m right...
The thread turns blue. Good. The Hueshift seems to work even if the aspect of Firmament isn''t the one I was targeting when I used the skill. That''s step one out of the way.
Step two: I need this to work on Whisper''s geas skill.
Fortunately, I still have the small piece of Firmament squirreled away from not one but two of her attempts to use that skill on me; one of them is still being chewed on by the Void, and the other is tucked away in a small part of my Firmament. I draw it out now, examining it with a critical mental eye. It''s not strong enough for me to visually see a color associated with it, so I tag it with Hueshift, feeling for a mental color instead of a physical one.
It''s a dark ck-green, Hueshift tells me. The color of grief and guilt, though why Whisper''s Firmament would be colored that way is beyond me. I can''t quite bring myself to care, either; whatever she''s feeling, it''s no excuse for what she''s inflicting on her citizens.
Still, something to keep in mind. It''s information that might prove useful in the future.
Changing the color of Firmament has proven to alter the efficacy and function of a skill, at least to a degree. There has to be a color that will if not entirely neutralize then at least minimize the effects of disobeying Whisper.
I hesitate for only a moment, and then change the imbuement within the stone, reaching for a version of Hueshift that changes the ck-green of her Firmament into a bright and sunny yellow. I thread the small fragment of her Firmament through the stone, watching as it changes subtly in my Firmament sense, and then...
Well, and then I wrap her geas around myself again, as if she''d just used it on me. What was themand she''d used with this piece of Firmament again?
Oh, right.
Meet me in my pce in two hours.
Seeing as it''s been long past two hours and I''ve never met her in her pce in this version of events...
I feel a sharp, stabbing pain as the Firmament fragment reacts. It''s a small fragment too small to do any significant damage but it still hurts. I grit my teeth.
I better get some Durability for this.
Chapter 89— Book 2: Sensory Delights
Chapter 89¡ª Book 2: Sensory Delights
It takes about an hour for me to hit upon something I think will work. It''s an hour well-spent, considering what it''s going to be used for, but... not a particrly enjoyable hour, I have to admit. Tarin and Ahkelios, initially sympathetic, got more and more amused as time went on. I don''t really me them, but I grumble under my breath nevertheless.
"You wouldn''t be smiling if you were the ones doing this," I mutter.
"But I not," Tarin says smugly, folding his wings across his chest.
"You could always take a break," Ahkelios suggests, relenting. I sigh.
"I''m too close to getting it to work." I frown at the Firmament stone still held in my hands. The feedback from Whisper''s Firmament is nothing more than a dull ache now; the only problem is that I don''t know if that''s because I''ve gotten used to the pain, because the fragment''s been getting weaker, or because the Hueshift strategy is actually working.
Maybe somebination of all three.
The color that works is a royal purple that feels like pride and haughty narcissism not unlike Whisper''s current self. It''s the reason I didn''t try this color until now; I didn''t think that making the Firmament more like her would somehow make it less effective. But it seems to work. The geas still feels restrictive, but not potentially debilitating.
There''s probably a reason the color shift here works the way it does. Something to do with how the skill was born out of her guilt over something, and her current attitude, all haughty pride and arrogance and vanity, is just her way of coping with it. Maybe they''re natural emotional opposites. I don''t know. I never really studied psych.
The point is, I''m pretty sure this will work well enough. Only one way to actually find out, though.
"Hey," Ahkelios says, interrupting my thoughts. "Does anyone else think Miktik should''ve been back by now?"
I pause, my thought process momentarily derailed with concern. Tarin frowns, folding his wings over one another and ncing up at the sky in the general direction of Whisper''s castle.
"We didn''t do things that different this loop," I mutter to myself. "Did we?"
Our approach to Miktik was different, and I took a far more active role in the Craven Arena. We didn''t speak with Miktik about anything outside of her insted workshop, though, so I doubt the first thing is what caught Whisper''s attention. Assuming that''s what happened.
Did the Craven Arena draw her attention? But even if it had, there''s no reason for her to target Miktik, of all people. I''m pretty sure I didn''t mention her name outside her workshop.
"Tarin," I say slowly. "You didn''t mention Miktik to anyone at the Arena, did you?"
Tarin looks at me with an offended, indignant look. "No! I not stupid."
"I know," I assure him. "Just checking."
The third possibility is that the difference in Whisper''s actions have nothing to do with what''s changed about my loop, and she''s managed to get some information back to herself through the Interface. It''s the possibility I''m most worried about, and it seems like it''s the most likely possibility, too.
I can think of a few ces Miktik might be. There''s the Integrator scavenging site she mentioned, but she never told us where it was, and she told us it would take protective equipment to even enter safely. If she''s there, there''s nothing we can do to get to her.
More likely, though, she''s been summoned to Whisper''s pce.
"She didn''t leave a note for us or anything, did she?" I ask, ncing around the workshop. Might as well cover all my bases. I''d feel stupid if I went out looking and it turned out she''d left a note saying she was going on an extended trip or something.
"I not see note." Tarin climbs up onto the workbench, peering at the shelves. I grimace a little as he bnces precariously between all the gadgets scattered around on it. I''m pretty sure I hear at least one crunch, like something brittle and stic being snapped apart. How Tarin managed to achieve that standing on a workbench full of metal gadgets I don''t know.
"If she left us a note, I don''t think she would have stuffed it into her shelves, Tarin," I say dryly. Ahkelios makes a sound that is remarkably simr to a muffled giggle, and I nudge him with a finger, amused.
I give the workshop a quick sweep. Nothing really seems to stand out no signs of a struggle, nothing broken beyond whatever it is Tarin stepped on, and no paper or data te a note might be written on.
Then I see something that makes me frown.
"Miktik''s pocket oracle," I say out loud, walking over to the shelf where it''s sitting innocently out in the open. She wouldn''t have just left it like this. I''m pretty sure it''s one of the most precious things she owns, considering her reaction when Whisper damaged it. When she first pulled it out, she was keeping it on her person. Why would it be on a shelf now?
There''s something here I''m not seeing... so I suppose now''s as good a time as any to try out a new skill.
Firmament Sight.
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The world around me glows in subtle shades that were invisible to me only moments before, and I wince, shielding my eyes against the light. Miktik''s workshop is bright. The walls themselves glow with the privacy imbuement built into it, a rushing torrent of purple-yellow that streaks through the structure of the building and carries off any stray Firmament thates into contact with it. The shelves are a multicolored array of orbs of light, every gadget shining with its own particr Firmament, some of which look terrifying there''s one that''s oozing puddles of red onto the ground and some of which look... well, slightly less terrifying.
On the one hand, using this skill while working on the Hueshift stone would probably have been a good idea. I need to remember I have it. On the other... I''m sort of d I didn''t use it now, because the rest of the workshop would have been very distracting.
I sigh and take a moment to try to parse the blinding array of colors and Firmament before me. Nothing here is physically unusual, and my Firmament sense didn''t detect anything strange, either but Firmament Sight unlocks a whole dimension to Firmament that''s normally quite difficult for me to detect. I can sense a ''color'' associated with a given strand of Firmament, but it''s much more difficult than just sensing its presence. Or even diving down through itsyers.
The point is that I can use Firmament Sight to look for disturbances I can''t otherwise see, and Miktik''s workshop is streaked with disturbances.
It stands out. Muted yellow sshed across the workshop table like a bucket of paint spilled violently; traces of red streaked with a more vibrant yellow pulsing in the air, expanding and contracting in a way that looks a little too organic. Looking at it actually makes me physically ufortable, and I nce away after a moment.
"I don''t think Miktik left her workshop willingly." She wouldn''t have had time to leave a note. Maybe an imprint, left behind in the Firmament? But she wouldn''t know about my ability to sense Firmament on this scale. How would she tell Tarin where she''s going?
The old crow, as if sensing my thoughts, squawks impatiently. "We wasting time. She-Who-Whisper take her, yes?"
"We don''t know that for sure."
"Who else take her?" Tarin ps his wings exasperatedly. "We go find Whisper. Even if Miktik not there, Whisper know. She hear things. She hear Miktik."
He''s got a point there. Ahkelios repositions himself on my shoulder as I make my way back out of the workshop. "Alright, then. Whisper''s pce it is."
Getting to the pce is a little easier said than done. We know where the ''entrance'' is although it might as well be called aunchpad but that entrance is guarded by two silverwisps. Flying up there with Firmament isn''t out of the question but would be particrly noticeable, and I''m not sure I want to find out what kind of defenses Whisper might have to shoot unwanted visitors out of the sky. She''s got a big, ostentatiousunchpad for a reason. No doubt she wants people to use it.
"Why do you think" Ahkelios begins, and then cuts himself off when I give him a reproachful look. "Oh. Right."
Operational security. If we aren''t inside Miktik''s workshop, we have to assume Whisper is listening.
Which is also an opportunity, and I''m counting on it to get us into her pce without kicking up too much of a fuss.
We get to that isted shrine and the two silverwisp guards standing in front of it, and this time, they bar our path. Firmament coalesces between them, forming a solid barrier between us and the entrance to theunchpad.
I could break through it. It doesn''t look that strong. Tarin is clearly thinking the same thing, considering the way he''s looking contemptuously at the barrier, so I cut in before he''s able to just kick his way in.
"We''re just looking for our friend," I say, trying to make myself sound as worried and frantic as possible. It''s not that hard; I am worried. "She-Who-Whispers might know where she is, right? I''ve heard she knows everything that happens in this city"
"She-Who-Whispers cannot spare time to help every single wayward soul thates her way," the guard informs me. There''s no inflection in his voice no emotion and now that I look more carefully, he''s missing the pendant that most silverwisps wear to convey emotional context.
It makes his speaking cadence almost... creepy.
"But I think she might know my friend." I inject a note of desperation into my voice. "Miktik she''s an inventor that has her own workshop, I''m sure some of the stuff she''s built could be useful to She-Who-Whispers"
The guard I''m talking to stiffens only a second or two after I mention Miktik''s name, and I hide the self-satisfied grin as he steps aside. "She will see you," the guard allows. "Be respectful. Do not waste her time."
"I won''t," I assure him. I''m even telling the truth.
For this loop, anyway.
The journey up to her pce isrgely the same. This time, as we soar through the air, I pay careful attention to the way Firmament flows up to the shard in the sky that carries her pce. Firmament Sight helps me in this I see shades of color spiraling through the air, each tinted with a faint shade of joy or mirth or fear or despair.
I wonder how Whisper can stand this. Is she listening to everything the entire city says, constantly? I''m sure some things slip past her. I wasn''tpletely careful with my words in my first loop here, and she didn''t catch on until I was talking to Miktik.
If I had to guess, I''d assume she has a skill that filters for certain words or topics of interest, and ignores everything else. But even then, Isthanok is massive. Filtering for a word like ''fracture'' would return thousands of hits. Whatever way I look at it, she''s listening to far more than any sane being should.
Also, the whole invasion of privacy thing.
She-Who-Whispers is waiting for us in her so-called throne room, and to my relief, I see Miktik beside her, looking none the worse for wear. A little fearful, with traces of yellow in her Firmament, but not hurt.
And Whisper... her aura is tinged with red. She looks angry. The anger doesn''t seem to be directed at me or at Miktik, though, which confuses me as do the flickers of fear-yellow in her Firmament.
I''m suddenly a lot less sure of the whole ''she sent information back to the past and knows I''m a Trialgoer and that Miktik is involved'' theory.
"So," She-Who-Whispers says. She controls her rage as she speaks, and manages to sound perfectly calm, with only the slightest tremor in her voice indicating her mood. "You two im to know Miktik. I imagine you are the helpers she mentioned?"
I notice Miktik nodding rapidly behind Whisper, and open my mouth to reply
"We good helpers!" Tarin bursts in, puffing his chest out proudly. I blink and nce at him. Whisper looks a little bit stunned, too.
Well, if Tarin wants to take charge here, I''ll dly let him.
Because I''m noticing that there''s something''s strange about the Firmament here, and I want to figure out what.
Chapter 90: Book 2: Meeting
Chapter 90: Book 2: Meeting
Whisper was exhausted.
She was exhausted because she had been manually controlling all of He-Who-Guards''s bodies... she couldn''t even remember how long it had been. She was exhausted because she had not been able to sleep, to pause for a break, to do anything besides exert perfect, unassable control over the myriad of automatons patrolling all of Isthanok.
She could do it. She could. She had the power and the strength and the skill, and her mind was quick enough to handle the sensory overload. She''d been bathing in sensory overload ever since she acquired Whispers on the Wind, so it wasn''t like this was anything new.
But she''d underestimated exactly how much He-Who-Guards''s new nature as a construct aided him in exerting simultaneous control over all of his bodies. She wasn''t used to having her perception split across so many different points wasn''t used to experiencing hundreds of hours worth of experiences in just a few real-time hours. She felt like it had been weeks.
It had, in fact, been two days. That realization was when she''d decided to call for Miktik. When she decided to... to ask for help.
There was a part of her recoiling in disgust at the very idea, but her exhaustion prevailed in the end. This situation was not sustainable, nor did she enjoy wasting so much of her time and Firmament on this illusion of normalcy.
And yet even Miktik had no idea what was wrong with He-Who-Guards. ording to the little inventor, he was perfectly fine; there was nothing wrong with any of theponents on his main body.
Has the Trial already started? she wondered. She was hoping she''d have more time. But surely this couldn''t be rted to the Trial she''d told the Integrators that He-Who-Guards was off-limits. No permanent harm was toe to him.
It wouldn''t be the first time they''ve lied to you, a little voice whispered inside her, and she ignored it.
She was good at ignoring that voice now.
She could check if she''d recorded any information for herself, but... no. She''d have to give up some of her hard-earned credits to do that, and she had no intention of losing them. Not when the other Hestian Trialgoers were all still active, and not while there was a new Trialgoer to contend with. He would have little to no chance of standing against any of them, of course, but considering the nature of his Trial, he might not be so new anymore.
All of that was moot, though. She had a far greater concern. She-Who-Whispers shook her head and stared at the automaton in front of her.
Anyone less familiar with He-Who-Guards might not realize that there was anything wrong; he was still powered, and the Firmament that cycled through it seemed healthy.
Yet he didn''t speak. Not even when shemanded it. He didn''t respond to any of her attempts at speaking to him or controlling him. Every one of his bodies that normally patrolled Isthanok were left without anyone to control them, forcing her to take up the reins herself.
The countless threads of Whispers on the Wind suddenly reverberated, her Firmament catching on something relevant, and her attention snapped to it.
Miktik she''s an inventor that has her own workshop, I''m sure some of the stuff she''s built could be useful to She-Who-Whispers
A new voice.
She-Who-Whispers narrowed her eyes. Not just a new voice a new voice that knew her mechanic. What were the odds of that?
"Let them in," she says with a Whisper. Her Firmament carried her words to her guards far below.
Maybe she would spend a few credits to check on her Interface reports.
"We help Miktik fix parts," Tarin borates. He seems to have the situation handled Whisper''s a little thrown off her usual game, for whatever reason, and thatbined with Tarin''s usual boisterous nature is enough for him to take control of the conversation. "You need help?"
"I am investigating a problem," She-Who-Whispers says smoothly.
I''m paying attention to what they''re saying, but only just. There''s a faint trace of Firmament I''m trying to track through my senses. Firmament Sight doesn''t help me here, unfortunately. Whisper''s castle is so flooded with it that what I see is just a blinding array of different colors streaking in and out of every window, with Whisper herself acting as a central point that most of it converges on. It''s hard to spot an anomaly in the midst of all that noise.
Feeling for an anomaly with my Firmament sense, though? That''s a different matter.
I focus on the small trace of Firmament that''s pinging strangely on my senses. It doesn''t feel like what Whisper uses to listen in on everyone, nor does it feel like the ambient Firmament that''s present everywhere. It feels... it feels a little like Guard, but something about it is twisted.
I frown. Not unlike when Tarin was caught in aa when the Interface tried to destroy him after the raid on his vige. But nothing like that happened to Guard this time; as far as I know, he was killed by the Time Flies, just the same way Miktik, Tarin and I were.
Is there something that makes him different?
He''s been killed in the Fracture before, and it''s clear his original death didn''t affect him this way. If there''s something different, it has to either be something about the way the Interface treats him changing, or some facet of the Time Flies that hurt him more than the Firmament explosions that resulted in his first death.
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"This sound like doctor problem," Tarin says in the background, his tone doubtful. He folds his wings across his chest. "Why you not call doctor?"
"It is a mechanical problem," Whisper bites out. Seems like she''s losing her patience.
I try to follow my senses to wherever Guard is. He''s not anywhere near Whisper''s... throne room, forck of a better word. He''s somewhere above this area, in what feels like a specialized room full of strange Firmament
It urs to me that this is much, much farther than I''ve been able to stretch my Firmament sense before. I frown. An effect of my phase shift?
Anyway. Not important for the moment. I close my eyes, trying to focus on what I can identify about Guard and the room he''s in; as far as I can tell, it''s aboratory that''s scattered with... Firmament samples? There are little pockets of Firmament that all feel like Guard''s, and then arger, Guard-shaped pocket that I assume is Guard himself. He''s beenid down,pletely unmoving.
I don''t sense the usual veil of purple Firmament around him. Strange.
"Is there something wrong with yourpanion?" Whisper asks, sounding irritated. Tarin smacks one of my arms with a wing and I snap my eyes open, scowling and rubbing my elbow.
"My apologies," I say. "I didn''t get much sleepst night."
I''m not even sure when thest time I slept was. Maybe time loops aren''t all that good for you.
Whisper doesn''t bothermenting on this. I get the feeling that she would normally punish me much more severely for my perceived rudeness, but she''s thrown off her game at the moment far more concerned about whatever''s happened with Guard than she is about the Trial or the potential presence of a Trialgoer. If I had to guess, though, she at least suspects that this is rted to the Trial in some way.
"Stay here," Whisper instructs no. Not just instructs. I feel the power of her skill seeping into her words, though this particr use of it is a little clumsier than the others. The Firmament going into it feels less well-shaped. If her normal use of it has her intent sharpened like a knife, in this one she''s wielding it like a hammer. Still dangerous, but far less refined.
Seems like a good opportunity to test the modified Firmament sink.
I haven''t actuallybined the imbued stone with Miktik''s Firmament sink yet I don''t know where she keeps the thing, and more likely than not it''s on her person right now. But the stone itself should still work. I just need to use Firmament Control to mimic what her Firmament sink would otherwise do...
Her Firmament brushes against me. I close my eyes.
She-Who-Whispers is gone, presumably to go get He-Who-Guards. That leaves me free to mess with her skill without basically doing it right in front of her. I wince at the sensation of her Firmament prying apart theyers of my own Firmament, trying to bury itself deep within. As much as I try, I can''t stop the skill altogether; there''s too much Firmament packed into it. It''s like trying to move a river.
But I can redirect it.
"Ahkelios," I say quietly, and he seems to recognize what I want him to do. His Firmament melds with mine just as he did when he reinforced my Amplifcation Gauntlet, except this time he does it in a way that seems to augment my Firmament Control skill. His willbines with my own, and together, we carve a channel for Whisper''s Firmament to flow down.
A channel that leads right to the imbued stone in my pocket, of course.
I have to bring up the Void Inspiration to help thebined effort of Ahkelios and I is significant, but Whisper''s skill still threatens to break free from our grasp. With the Void''s influence on Firmament Control, however, the channel we create drags and pulls at the very essence of her skill, forcing it in the desired direction.
So far so good. I''m not trying to prevent the skill from taking. I suspect if I did try that, I would fail entirely. Instead, I''m trying to make sure that when it settles into me, it settles in the way I choose. The output the punishment for disobeying, as it were needs to go to the stone instead of me.
A trickle of sweat drips down the back of my neck. This is putting more strain on Firmament Control than it''s meant for. The structure of the skill is faltering.
But it works, and I release the skill as soon as the new channels are set in ce, heaving a slight sigh of relief.
Tarin shoots me a suspicious look. I give him a thumbs up.
Ahkelios reappears, extracting himself from my Firmament with a groan and flopping facefirst down on top of my head. "That was exhausting," heins.
"That cannot be afortable spot for you," I say, amused.
"Don''t wanna move," he grumbles.
...Yeah, that makes sense. I''ve been there.
Stretching my Firmament sense upward tells me Whisper''s still busy, so now is as good a time as any to test what disobeying her little trick will do with my imbued stone in effect. I take one step, and then two, feeling her geas start to protest. The Firmament within me begins to warm, and that warmth trickles down into the stone in my pocket...
I keep walking.
The warmth is ufortable, but it doesn''t burn. The pain is greatest where the stone is as my imbuement alters the color of her Firmament, dulling the pain and effectiveness of the skill. The difort is significant, don''t get me wrong, but
Miktik is watching me, her eyes wide. I can tell she wants to say something and is only barely stopping herself; she knows anything she says will likely be overheard by Whisper. I consider her for a moment, then point to my pocket and pull out just the tip of the Lightning stone. The look she gives me sharpens abruptly and she nods in understanding.
Silentmunication. Come to think of it, if there''s any kind of rebel faction that''s against Whisper, they''d have tomunicate silently, wouldn''t they? I wonder if the Interface can trante signnguage.
The pain sharpens to the point of being unbearable as I near the edge of the room, and the Firmament in the imbuement stone begins to fray and crack. The outermostyer theyer that seals in my Hueshift Firmament springs a leak, forck of a better term; from that, pure Whisper in the Winds Firmament pours through, carving a burning path of pain into my skin. I grit my teeth.
Then I take a few steps more just to prove that I can.
The pain is debilitating, but it''s not impossible to ovee. There''s a smallponent of paralysis to it as well, so I can''t necessarily rely on my pain tolerance just to fight through it. If she uses this on me while I''m fighting, that second of dy fighting through the paralysis could very well be the difference between life and death.
But it''s worth knowing that it''s not impossible. I stand a chance, no matter how small it is. It''s the perfect use for Compounded Mind, even. The skill that gives me a mental speed boost depending on how long I charge it for.
...I start burning that skill. Just in case.
Then I make my way quickly back to my original spot, feeling the weight of the geas lessen with every step I take. I breathe a small sigh of relief when the pain finally fades entirely. The imbuement stone isn''t even ruined the outermostyer of Firmament is slowly repairing itself, pulling in Firmament from the air to repair the fractures.
My Firmament sense warns me that Whisper is approaching.
"Come with me," she says, as soon as she steps into view. She looks worried. She hasn''t brought Guard with her, either.
...Hm.
Chapter 91: Book 2: Laboratory
Chapter 91: Book 2: Laboratory
I''m pretty sure Whisper is nning to kill us.
Mostly because she''s leading us directly to Guard in that secretboratory of hers. As far as I can tell, his body hasn''t moved. I think she tried to move him, judging by the traces of unusual. Interface-tainted Firmament around him. I also think she failed.
Which is concerning in its own right, but I''m really more worried about the fact that she''s bringing us to her secretboratory. Am I supposed to believe she''s going to let us leave after this?
Her steps are stilted and awkward, hurried. She''s itching to use a skill I can sense the Firmament within her churning in response to both her emotional state and to her aborted attempts at activating a skill. Hueshift detects traces of red and yellow within her Firmament, somebination of anger and fear and adrenaline, and once again I''m left to wonder exactly what He-Who-Guards means to her.
There''s a set of stairs hidden behind her throne, built with an angled frame so that it''s impossible to see without walking right up to the throne and looking around it. There''s nothing keeping it secure otherwise no barriers, no hidden traps. Not as far as I can tell, anyway. The Firmament here is still and silent.
In fact, not even the threads of the Whisper skill are present here. I frown slightly, looking at She-Who-Whispers and at the absence of Firmament around her. Does this mean she deafens herself every time shees in here? That means she has periods of time when she can''t listen in on everyone. I could use that, if I could figure out a schedule for when she usually visits thisb.
The stairs lead up to a crystalline door embedded into the walls of her castle. I watch as she reaches out, bringing aplicated knot of Firmament to a fingertip and tracing it along the edges of the door. From what I can tell, it''s a reallyplicated Firmament lock of some kind her Firmament unravels and interlocks with an imbuement on the edges of the door, allowing her to just... peel it back. Like she''s unzipping a piece of the wall from itself.
I''m not going to lie, it''s fascinating to watch.
Ahkelios leans forward like he''s paying special attention to the zipper-lock, and I focus my gaze past Whisper and into theboratory Guard is being kept in. Where my Firmament sense wasn''t able to capture much detail while I was downstairs, I''m now able to simply see for myself. This room is aboratory, but it also looks like the inside of a hospital. Half of this equipment is medical equipment.
I frown. There''s no sign of anyone that needs medical attention here. Guard''s body is pure machinery and none of it is hooked up to him.
"This is the problem I described," Whisper says, her voice terse. She gestures to Guard, who is lying face-up on a crystalline table; I notice with some rm that pieces of the table appear to have grown into him. Or maybe he''s growing into the table. It''s hard to tell. Metal joins with crystal in a seamless transition that doesn''t even look like it should be physically possible.
I''m pretty sure Whisper didn''t describe anything like this, but I''m not about to say that out loud.
"There''s nothing wrong with him physically," Miktik says. I nce at her in disbelief, and she quickly rifies. "The... corruption that you''re seeing is surface-level. It doesn''t meld with any of his critical systems."
"Do not concern yourselves with the way he melds with the crystal." Whisper''s tone is terse. "I want to know why he isn''t able to move or speak. Can you help or not?"
"I might be able to," I say cautiously. I step forward. Whisper doesn''t stop me, although she does narrow her eyes at me as I pass her by. The resolution of my Firmament sense isn''t very good from all the way downstairs, but now that I''m right next to him...
Geez. His Firmament is a mess. How did it get this way? Tarin and I didn''t get nearly this messed up, and Miktik''spletely fine. What''s different about Guard?
"His Firmament unstable," Tarin says, folding his wings across his chest. I nce at him he''s echoing the words he said to me when we first met. "That why he not wake up. Firmament problem."
"So I surmised," Whisper says. Her voice is cold. "And the solution?"
"It not easy to fix unstable Firmament." Tarin flicks a wing at me as if to tell me to hurry up and examine Guard, and I do so, sweeping my Firmament sense across his body. Up close, it''s easy to tell what''s wrong. There''s a whole chunk ofyer ripped loose from his Firmament, leaving the deeperyers raw and exposed.
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I remember what I noticed back when we first met the purple Firmament that swirled in his core, and the glimpses of multicolored light flickering through every so often. Now thetter is all that''s left. The only traces of purple are lingering fragments and broken threads.
The strength of his Firmament is also noticeably weaker. It pulses and fades in and out, almost like...
"Is he dying?" I say out loud. More to myself than anything but I flinch as Whisper''s Firmament suddenly res, strong enough to visibly manifest as a red-tinged warp in the air hovering above her skin.
"No." Her voice is hard as steel. For a moment, I worry that she''s going to reach out and try to strangle me, but she holds herself back. She stares at me, her gaze sharp. "Exin why you think he is."
Her tone leaves no room for argument, though I notice she doesn''t use her Whisper on me. "His Firmament is weak," I say. "It keeps flickering. Fading. I know Tarin said it was unstable, but it''s more than just unstable, it''s..."
It''s hard to describe exactly what happens with Whisper as I say this. Silverwisps don''t show their emotions visibly. The silver-gray smoke they''re made of doesn''t do much to help them convey what they''re feeling; it''s the reason they wear those little cors with disys on them. It allows them to convey emotional context.
Whisper doesn''t use the standard-issue cor. She uses a pendant decorated like a pearl ne, with a tiny, teardrop-shaped disy hanging from the bottom. The disy doesn''t change.
And yet I feel the raw intensity of her emotional response to this. From the way both Tarin and Miktik flinch, I''m guessing they feel it too. Grief, rage and fear strangle each other all at once, an outpouring of emotion so strong Miktik''s legs fail her. Tarin sways on his feet, and for the first time, I feel the Iron Mind skill I bought kick in, shielding me from the strength of it.
I sway on my feet anyway, mimicking Tarin''s reaction. No need for Whisper to know the tricks I have up my sleeve.
Then just like that it''s over. The intense wave of emotional Firmament fades into nothing, and on the surface, Whisper is once more the picture of perfect calm. "I see," is all she says. She seems to consider saying something more, but then she stops.
Premonition activates, screaming danger. A split secondter, I feel a surge of Firmament, the hairs on my skin standing up in response to the sheer energy. More by instinct than anything else, I release Compounded Mind, letting the Firmament I''ve packed into the skill elerate my perception tenfold. I haven''t had a lot of time to charge it, but fortunately Whisper doesn''t seem to be going for speed. Just overwhelming power.
A pulse of deadly Firmament radiates out from her. She''s already turning to Guard as she does this. I can see her ncing toward her notes, and I put the pieces together.
She''s realized what''s happening to Guard, and she''s decided she doesn''t need us anymore.
Interesting.
He-Who-Guards was dying.
That was the only thing She-Who-Whispers understood from what the strange creature told her. She had never seen his like before, and if she was in a better state of mind, she might have been more suspicious of him. But none of that mattered to her he had confirmed her worst fears.
Somehow, the izkran was back, or at the very least her fix had somehow failed. He-Who-Guards was now in the state he had been in years ago, when the disease had ravaged his Firmament base and stripped it down to almost nothing. If it hadn''t been for the Trials, she wouldn''t have been able to save him at all. Even with all the power she gained from it, the best she could do was give him a half-life.
She nced at her notes. At everything she''d done to try to save him.
Miktik''s AI core helped. The inventor didn''t realize what she''d made. It wasn''t just an AI core; it functioned as a kind of cognitive prosthetic, propping up everything that He-Who-Guards had lost.
(A small part of her whispers that even with all that, He-Who-Guards is not himself. That the Firmament she used to patch him up is controlling him so that he cannot protest. A small part of her knows he would disapprove. But she''s long since learned to silence those parts of herself.)
She had the information she needed now. If all that was happening was that her stabilizing FIrmament had been ripped off of him, then all she had to do was reapply it. But she couldn''t have anyone that had seen Guard like this just roaming around in the streets.
Her options were to kill them or to use Whisper in the Winds to force them into silence.
Miktik she knew she could intimidate into silence but these two others, Miktik''s so-called ''helpers''... there was something up with them. The crow was too confident, and the other creature clearly had an uncanny talent for detecting Firmament. This wasn''t something she''d heard that the ''humans'' as the Integrators called them could do, but...
Hm.
The idea of using her credits on intuition alone stung, but she''d already used some to check and hadn''t caught any messages left by her presumed past self. If she was right, and this creature was the Trialgoer, this was her chance to find out from the very beginning of one of the Trial''s loops.
[ To updt: Miktik helper tg?]
The message had to be short. The longer the message, the more credits it would cost her. The idea was simple; she would kill this creature. If time continued normally, then it was not the Trialgoer, and she would update her log with a ''no''. If she didn''t update the log at all, then she would know that the ''Miktik helper'' was the Trialgoer. Not the most descriptive message, but it would have to do.
And as for how she would kill them... a Focused st would do. Simple and effective. The creature didn''t have a chance of resisting her level of Firmament if it did, it wouldn''t have been so affected by her temporary loss of control.
She charged up her skill and fired.
Chapter 92: Book 2: Gauging Your Enemies
Chapter 92: Book 2: Gauging Your Enemies
I might only have charged up Compounded Mind for a while, but it''s surprisingly effective. Whisper''s Firmament buildup is slow, maybe because she isn''t expecting me to be able to get away in time or maybe just because it''s the nature of the skill she''s using. Either way, with Compounded Mind running, I have about thirty seconds of perspective-shifted time to figure out what I want to do.
Do I let her kill me? If I try to escape, she''ll almost certainly know I''m the Trialgoer; I won''t be able to do that without using several skills. Allowing myself to die here leaves me with the information advantage, in theory.
Faking my death is an option, but the problem there is that I don''t know what skill she''s using. The only way I could fake my death is if she''s going to outright vaporize me with her Firmament. Warpstep right as the skill hits me and I''ll be safe.
Think.
This loop has mostly been an exploratory one. I''ve learned a bit about Whisper''s abilities and the culture of Isthanok, and I''ve gotten a head start on the opponents I have to face if I choose to fight in the Craven Arena. I know how to get my hands on imbuement stones, although
Right. That''s actually a good reason to reset this loop. The stone I have now will work, but not nearly as effectively as Mari''s stones might, if I can get her to lend them to me. Even if I can''t, I can at least run my discoveries about imbuement past Virin and see if he has any insights on improving my process.
It feels a bit like a waste to just let myself die, though. Maybe I should find out how well I can hold up against Whisper, first? If I keep her busy enough, she won''t have time to send herself a message. All I need to do is to let Ahkelios rail me through the head once I''ve gotten a good gauge of her abilities.
He''ll probably be fine with that. It''s not like he hasn''t outright told me he''d do it if it was necessary before.
...Am I really doing this?
I am.
Let''s take a risk for once. I need to gauge where I am on the power scale. I don''t think Naru is a good example, considering his state of mind and the situation when we fought... and by the looks of things, Whisper isn''t in an ideal state of mind, either. But it''s better than nothing.
Verdant Armor''s brilliant green Firmament sprouts from my skin and settles as a suit of armor around my body. I take advantage of the time Compounded Mind gives me toyer six casts of Hexfold Shield, stacking it on top of itself in front of me. A Crystalline Barrier forms just behind it, strengthened from repeated uses into a rock-solidyer of jagged Firmament.
The effect of Compounded Mind fades, and Whisper''s Firmament twists into effect. The strength of her Firmament warps the air around it, somehow darkening the room despite its intense glow. I see her eyes widen slightly in surprise.
She didn''t even consider that I might try to fight back. There''s a realization there, but I don''t have the time to ponder it. Her Firmament ms into my Hexfold Shield and shatters it instantly. Itsers into the Crystalline Barrier behind it, and thatsts for a moment longer; the crystalline nature of it appears to reflect and refract her Firmament, but even then, it''s cracking.
Yeah, I''m not letting that hit me. Warpstep.
I reappear next to her, an Amplification Gauntlet already materializing on my arm. Ahkelios seems to have gotten the idea, and I feel him drawing on my Firmament, turning into a brighter and brighter spark of fiery energy. Miktik''s retreated into the corner it''s clear she''s not a fighter by any means but Tarin has managed to gather himself and is looking warily at Whisper for an opportunity to attack.
Whisper does not react in time. But she doesn''t have to.
The Amplifcation Gauntlet strikes a barrier of Firmament, the force of the impact ringing out like a gong; the sound is a solid barrier of force powerful enough to send me flying back. For a moment, I consider using an Inspiration, but I''m not trying to win, and I don''t want to show all my cards in case she does manage to send a message to herself somehow.
"Trialgoer." Whisper finally speaks. She doesn''t sound angry or surprised, so she must have at least suspected it. "Your strength is surprising. How many loops has it been? Fifty?"
She makes a gesture as if to pull up the Interface
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I can''t give her the time.
I rocket toward her, this time pouring Crystallized Strength and Triplestep into the blow on top of the Amplification Gauntlet; I see her eyes narrowing slightly as she readies herself to take the blow. This time, the Firmament barrier she uses cracks. I feel the solidity of her Firmament give way for just a second before she steps back, and she must have used a skill of some kind, because that single step carries her to the other side of the room.
"You will be still," she Whispers. I feel the Firmament wrap around me, and immediately grab for it with Firmament Control. It''s a struggle to get it into the right alignment, but I try not to reveal the effort it takes.
"Ahkelios," I hiss under my breath. I need him to be a distraction while I work through the geas.
The little mantis doesn''t need any more instruction than that he''s been readying himself ever since he realized what I was trying to do. He shoots off my shoulder, aiming directly for Whisper''s head, and at the same time Tarin takes the opportunity to st toward her. ck lightning flickers along his feathers as he crosses the room in the space of a breath, reinforced wings extended for a strike.
I hear a loud crack.
Whatever happens either happens too quickly for me to see it or isn''t something I can see. I can feel that her Firmament has done something strange, but I can''t tell exactly what. The next thing I know, Tarin''s been sent flying backward, his right wing very clearly broken and his left one mangled.
Ahkelios isn''t having much luck, either. Whisper''s retaliation tears at the link he shares with me, threatening to cut off his source of Firmament entirely; his form flickers briefly before he regains control. His mandibles spread wide before he turns into a streak of Firmament again,unching himself at her like a bullet.
She doesn''t even bother directly striking back. Her barrier deflects him, causing him to crash painfully into the wall. Tarin, meanwhile, can barely move from his spot on the ground I see him fighting through the pain, trying to stand.
I grit my teeth and work faster. Firmament Control finally clicks her geas into ce, channeling its energy into the stone in my pocket.
"Strong," Whisper notes, walking up to me. Her Firmament begins to fade she clearly considers the fight to be over and she regards me curiously. "But weak of mind. Are you afraid to move?"
"No." My words are curt and veiled with anger. I discreetly test the limits of hermand, moving first a finger, then a toe, and then shifting on my feet to see just how much I''m allowed to move before the pain begins to kick in. There is some give to her geases some space left for interpretation. I can still breathe, for example.
Fortunately, Whisper takes my hesitant movement as fear of pain. "Your Trial will be over quite quickly if you cannot handle the pain from a single Whisper," she says, her voice light with a kind of airy amusement. There''s a false kindness in her voice, a sincerity that rings hollow. "Perhaps you should give up now? Save yourself the trouble."
I punch her in the face.
Or, at the very least, I make the attempt. I feel her Firmament surging within me as I make my move, wrapping around me and constricting me trying to dig into me and tear into my Firmament with the aim of causing as much pain as possible. It turns into a blistering heat that pours through my veins.
At least until it''s drawn into the imbuement stone. The makeshift Firmament sink takes that burning Firmament and transforms it into something more tolerable, leaving me with just enough mind to see Whisper''s expression of utter surprise as I take a swing at her.
I let a grin curl up on my lips. There''s something satisfying about seeing her facade break. Her barrier still protects her, but she flinches visibly, taking a step back as though afraid I might actually get through her barrier.
Ahkelios capitalizes on this moment, whizzing past her face as a streak of bright Firmament and momentarily blinding her. I follow up with shstep, nearly matching Ahkelios in speed as another Amplification Gauntlet forms around my fist; and Intrinsic Lightning crackles through my body. I feel the imbuement stone in my pocket heating up and cracking I''m straining it too much. Whisper''s geas is still fully in effect, and the stone can''t keep up with all the Firmament it needs to shift.
But it doesn''t have to. It just needs tost long enough.
Thebination of skills I''m running finally breaks through whatever barrier she has set up, and I follow up the failed initial punch with an actual punch to her face. I encounter something solid somewhere in the midst of the mist that makes up a silverwisp''s head, and her head snaps backward at the force of my punch. The stone in my pocket shatters.
Then she slowly straightens, staring at me, fury in her eyes.
"...I think you might have hurt her pride more than you hurt her," Ahkeliosments, finding his way back to the top of my head.
"You think?" My reply is half-sarcastic. Her Whisper binds me tightly now. I can''t move without debilitating pain ripping through me. I let my hand fall to my side and mask my pain with a look of amusement.
"Still pretty satisfying, though," Ahkelios says, grinning at her intentionally provoking her. I smirk. I can''t help but agree.
"You know what to do, Ahkelios," I say. My intent flows between us through Temporal Link, cleaner and smoother than our wordlessmunication ever has before; I feel his momentary hesitation, and then his agreement.
For thest time this loop, he res into a bright spark of Firmament. Whisper''s eyes widen in realization, and she reaches out to stop him.
She does not reach him in time.
Chapter 93: Book 2: Loop 15
Chapter 93: Book 2: Loop 15
[You have died. +37 Strength credits. +46 Durability credits. +57 Reflex credits. +39 Speed credits. +25 Firmament credits.]
I stare at the death message hovering in front of me for a moment. I can afford to do that now that the Broken Horror doesn''t try to stab me to death at the start of every loop. It''s... disconcerting, the way it''s announcing my death as if it''s all part of some game.
Though that''s exactly what it is to the Integrators, isn''t it?
"Do you think you''re taking dying a little too lightly?" Ahkelios asks, hopping down from his perch atop my head. He doesn''t sound judgmental, just curious.
I give the question a moment of consideration before answering. "I don''t enjoy dying," I say. "But I''m probably a little more okay with it than I should be. It''s just that we''re constantly up against people that are way more powerful than I am, and I need to use every advantage I can get."
"Including the fact that you can reset time by dying," Ahkelios says.
"Well, yeah."
"Can''t say I''d be doing any different," he admits. He sits cross-legged on the ground. "What''re we doing next? We can''t beat her."
"We need to improve on the design of the Firmament sink," I say with a sigh. "Get a better stone from Mari, if she can lend one to us, and if not, we can see if Virin lets us make something better. And I want to see if we can free Rotar with the upgraded Temporal Link."
"Do we need to deal with Whisper?"
The question gives me pause. It''s been an option in the back of my mind, but not one I''ve allowed myself to linger on for long. A little bit because dealing with Whisper feels like a sunk cost at this point, I suppose, but also because there''s so much I still don''t know about what''s going on with Guard and Isthanok, and a part of me wants to find out.
I have to prioritize what''s happening on Earth, to my fellow Trialgoers. Does dealing with Whisper help me do that? I feel responsible for what''s happened to Rotar and Ikaara, but I''ve got Temporal Link now, and along with that a decent chance of getting them out myself...
Then again. I wince, thinking back to the fight deep within the Fracture. As strong as I''ve gotten, Guard is stronger. He can deal with the creatures down there: I can''t. Not yet.
Though I do want to practice on the Guilty Chimeras. They aren''t quite like the Rank A threats encountered that deep within the Fracture, but they presented enough of a challenge when I first fought them especially as a group.
"I think we do," I answer finally. "We don''t exactly need Guard''s help, but it''ll be a lot easier with him around. I still don''t have enough credits to contact Ghaara again. We want ess to the Integrator salvage yard Miktik mentioned she knows about. Isthanok is our best way to get all of those done."
"Yeah, that makes sense." Ahkelios nces away, and I sense his thoughts wandering. I nce at him.
"Something on your mind?"
"Kind of," he admits. The little mantis sits back onto the dirt, his expression contemtive and a lot of his usual cheer fading away. For a moment, he just looks tired... not unlike the version of himself I first met. The looper who had been through too much to keep going. "I''m just thinking about how I never saw all this. I don''t have all my memories of the loops, but everything I do remember... There was a lot of fighting. A lot of monsters. I didn''t have friends. I didn''t discover the Great Cities."
"Does that bother you?" I ask.
"A bit." Ahkelios sighs. "It feels strange, thinking back on it. I don''t know what I was thinking. I should have explored more. I should have been a little more like you."
"I don''t know if I''m necessarily a good role model," I say dryly.
"But you''re determined," Ahkelios says. "You have all these goals and ns, and you''re not perfect, but you''re making progress. You''re getting stronger faster than any Trialgoer here has before did you hear what Whisper said?"
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"She asked if it took me fifty loops to get to where I am, yes," I say. It''s been on the back of my mind. "I''m on the fifteenth loop."
"And you''re already taking on Rank Bs," Ahkelios says. "A few more loops, and you''ll be able to take on Rank As."
"The gap between each rank gets wider and wider, though," I point out. "I''ve never fought a Rank S yet, and I doubt I''m anywhere close to being able to handle one."
"Knowing you, you''ll get there faster than either of us expect." Ahkeliosughs a little, though thatughter isn''t without a small tinge of bitterness.
"...You don''t seem okay."
"I''ll be fine." Ahkelios''s response is a little too quick, and when I don''t respond, he curls in on himself slightly. "I will be. Don''t worry. It''s just... I don''t know, I guess it makes me feel a little disappointed in myself."
My brows furrow slightly. I lean down to my friend, extending a finger toward him as much as he''s grown in size, he''s still small enough that this is the best I can offer him in terms of a hug.
"You had your own priorities, I''m sure," I say. "We don''t have the full picture yet. And honestly, I don''t know where I''d be without you."
"I''m sure you''d have made it just as far."
I snort. "Wouldn''t have gotten ess to the Empty City without you," I point out. "Probably wouldn''t have figured out Hotspots or been able to get to the Phantom Roots in time. I would have died to the first Guilty Chimera we fought if you didn''t boost my Amplification Gauntlet. Even against Whisper and Naru, you distracted them long enough for me to be able to act." I nudge his fist with my finger in a tiny version of a fist bump, which is enough to cheer him up a little. He seems to like the practice.
"Thanks," Ahkelios says. He stands up, patting nonexistent dust off his chitin. "Do you think we''ll find any more fragments of... well, you know, me? I''m still missing a lot of myself."
"I hope so," I say. "Actually... hop up here for a moment. I want to try something."
I hold my hand out to my mantispanion and he hops up onto my palm, giving me a curious look. "What exactly do you want to try?"
"Every stage of the Temporal Echo skill has had new functionality to it," I say with a shrug. "I want to see if Temporal Link lets us figure out where all your other fragments are."
Inspect doesn''t tell me as much as I''d like it to about the new stage of the skill. It just tells me that my connection with asynchronous fragments will be deeper, which covers everything from Rotar to the Time Flies to the monsters that seem to be constructed from the traumas of various past loopers. That''s a lot of functionality I need to discover, and a lot of potential to unlock as long as I can figure out how to actually use it.
I focus on the connection between Ahkelios and I.
His nature as a familiar and a so-called ''helper'' is a fundamental part of the skill something built into the baseyers of it. I can feel thoseyers even now, wrapped around the Firmament that calls itself Ahkelios and guiding it ever-so-slightly in ways to serve the best interests of the Interface. It''s not nearly as all-consuming as it was in the beginning; my encouragement of Ahkelios''s independence along with the growth of his Firmament has allowed him to partially strangle the hold the Interface has on him.
It doesn''t look healthy, exactly. My Firmament sense shows me ces where his Firmament has been rubbed raw, forck of a better word. Layers of Firmament scraped off to amodate the Interface''s intrusive presence.
I don''t really consider what I do next. It''s more instinct than anything else. Firmament Control extends a small portion of my own Firmament and offers it to Ahkelios. Not as borrowed power, not as a way to extend the strength of the skill, not even as a means of boosting Ahkelios''s presence against the Interface. I offer it to him as a gift unthinkingly, a permanent transfer of power.
A small one, yes, but a gift nheless. I feel Ahkelios''s shock as he receives it and it settles into the core of his Firmament, forming a seed of independence. A tiny core of Firmament that isn''t rooted in the Interface where the Integrators hold no power.
Are you sure? Ahkelios''s voice is uncertain. Whatever I just did, it''s created a stronger link between the two of us; I can hear his voice in my mind, now, as clearly as I can hear him speak. I simply reach out with my other hand and gently nudge him, one finger pressing against his shoulder.
Yes.
It''s not even just about needing allies. It just feels like the right thing to do.
None of this is what I really came here to do, anyway. I push deeper into my Firmament sense and into the new intricacies of Temporal Link, searching for something new, something I couldn''t sense before something that might guide me to the remaining fragments. Almost immediately, a vague sense lights up in my senses. Five threads spool out from Ahkelios, gossamer-thin, stretching off into the distance...
I can''t see where they lead. At least one of them appears to be in the direction of the Fracture, but the others are scattered, and extend far beyond what I''ve explored of Hestia so far.
It''s a start, at least.
"Well, we know where to find the rest of you," I say, smiling down at Ahkelios. "We''ll look for it as soon as we can, alright?"
Ahkelios nods. "Let''s make sure your people are okay first," he tells me, his expression surprisingly serious. "And Rotar. And Ikaara."
"And Guard," I mutter, half under my breath and half to Ahkelios. I''m notpletely certain what Guard''s story is, but from the bits and pieces I''ve been able to gather, he might just be another victim in all this.
I just need to find out how.
Chapter 94: Book 2: Old Beginnings
Chapter 94: Book 2: Old Beginnings
I consider fighting the Guilty Chimeras again before heading off, but I feel a little pressed for time there are too many things to do, and I still haven''t seen the chat with Earth connect again. A few other humans have died, from the looks of things, and I''m no closer to figuring out how to escape this Trial than I wasst loop.
Hopefully figuring out what''s going on with Guard and Whisper will help. If nothing else, Rotar''s connections in the Great Cities might be able to get me a better lead on how the Interface works. I haven''t forgotten the message from Hestia''s Heart about needing allies, about needing to break the hold of the Interface.
Getting Rotar back will be a start.
Come to think of it, I haven''t seen head nor tail of the secret societies that Rotar mentioned were a thing there''s no underground rebellion orboratory that I''ve noticed. I haven''t met any other morphlings like Ikaara, either, in or out of their void suits. I suppose Isthanok is the one ce I''m least likely to notice anything like that. It''s a City that''s under constant surveince due to Whisper''s efforts, and she''s got her own army in the form of Guard and his multiple bodies.
I nce around the clearing I''m in. "No sign of Tarin," I say to Ahkelios. "You think he''s going to actually stick to the agreement for once?"
"I bet he just forgot," Ahkelios says, crossing tiny mantis arms, and I snort. He''s... probably not wrong.
If I want to evade the Guilty Chimeras on my own, that''s going to mean figuring out how to fly. Which... I''m kind of ashamed I haven''t already tried, honestly. I''ve managed to stay in the air for long periods of time with variousbinations of skills; I''m surprised I haven''t straight up tried to fly yet.
Warpstep to get me high enough, and elerate to counter the force of gravity. Any sufficiently strong propelling force will keep me in the air as long as I can maintain elerate.
That''s the theory, anyway.
"Hey, Ahkelios?" I say.
"What?" His voice is wary. He probably knows I''m nning something. Triplestep Firmament gathers at my feet as I begin to run toward a tree.
"Hold on tight. I''m going to fly now."
"What do you mean, you didn''t unlock any new ski" Ahkelios''s voice trails off into a yelp and a cry of dismay as I ignore him andunch myself straight toward the tree, Crystallized Strength bunching up around my thighs as I run up, then bounce off, catapulting myself in the vague direction of the crow vige.
elerate kicks in as soon as I''m in the air. I adjust it to counteract gravity so that I''m basically flying in a straight line it''s a little finicky, trying to control it like this, but I''ve done it before. The worst that happens is that I wobble a little as I lose my grip on the exact right amount of force to use, but it''s still easier than I expect it to be.
"This is going surprisingly well!" I have to yell to be heard over the sound of the wind rushing past my face.
Ahkelios doesn''t seem to agree. He doesn''t bother speaking out loud, instead reaching out through our shared Temporal Link so I can hear what he''s saying. "Please stop bobbing up and down like that," he tells me. "I''m going to be sick."
"Can you even get sick?"
"I''m going to be sick metaphorically."
The boost from Crystallized Strength isn''t quite enough to carry me the full distance that required a throw with the full force of Mari''s strength, and even with elerate to mitigate the force of gravity, I still have to contend with the wind slowing me down. I can extend the jump a little further by adjusting the vector of elerate, but it makes more sense to just kick off the ground again, so I let myselfnd
Premonition activates. These things are fast, and they''ve clearly been keeping track of me... somehow.
Crystallized Barrier. I pour more Firmament into the skill than I ever have before, Firmament Control giving me the edge I need to force a raw flood of power into every edge and facet I can. The barrier that forms in front of me looks almost real it takes on an opaque sheen, with a solidity and presence it simply didn''t have before.
Not all of that is from the Firmament I''ve poured into it, either. I can sense the way the skill has grown and evolved every time I used it, every time it''s been broken. That outpouring of Firmament was enough to trigger some fundamental change in the skill.
Thest time I did this against a chimera, it tore through the Crystallized Barrier instantly and was only briefly stopped by the Hexfold Shield after it.
This time, it ms into the barrier and nearly cracks its neck from the abrupt stop to its momentum. I hear one of its many horns snap, and the chimera lets out a roar of frustrated anger and pain, shaking its head wildly. It stares at me with eyes that fume with green-grey Firmament, momentarily retreating to recover. I watch as its scales roil and ripple with roiling energy. There are cracks in its flesh that ooze thick streams of Firmament into the air, and I grimace at the amount of power this thing wields.
Some of this, I know, is just power I wasn''t able to see before. Firmament Sight augments my ability to sense Firmament, and now that I can, I can see how much sheer power this thing is packing.
And it''s still just a Rank B.
I shouldn''t give it time to recover. My Strength skills flow into my arm as I prepare myself to meet it head-on once again. Ahkelios gathers his strength to join with mine, and this time I can feel the way his Firmament spreads out within my Amplification Gauntlet, attice of energy that reinforces and augments my power into something formidable.
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The air cracks around my fist as Iunch myself forward and into the chimera.
[ You have defeated a Guilty Chimera (Rank B)! +43 Strength credits. +15 Durability credits. +21 Reflex credits. +9 Speed credits. +20 Firmament credits. ]
The chimera''s flesh... shatters, forck of a better word. Last time I killed one of these, I couldn''t break through its outer shell; the best I could do was liquify its insides with the energy from my punch. This time, that outer shell doesn''t hold up to the force of my punch.
I recoil a little from the sight. Watching something organic shatter like ss is not pleasant, no matter how used to violence I get in these loops.
"Ew," Ahkelios remarks. If he had a nose, I''m sure he''d be wrinkling it.
"No kidding," I mutter. "We better get out of here before any more of these arrive."
They''re pretty decent for credits still, don''t get me wrong, but I have more important things to deal with at the moment.
The rest of the trip back to the crow vige is uneventful. I have a nearly heart-stopping moment when I find Tarin in roughly the same position I met him at within my first few loops there''s a terrifying moment where I think whatever connection he''s made with the Interface has fallen apart and he no longer remembers the loops. But no he nces up at me the moment he senses my presence and gives a sharp caw of greeting.
"Ethan!" he says. "You take too long! Mari almost not believe me."
"You told her?" I try not to wince. I remember Mari''s request.
"Prank stupid," Tarin says, waving a wing dismissively. "She need know. Then she help, yes?"
There''s something in his tone that strikes me as a little off and now that I look a little closer at him, his bodynguage is a little more reserved. He speaks with just as much boisterous bluster as ever, but he holds his wings a little closer to his body, and doesn''t move with quite so much exaggerated energy.
"It might be kinder if she doesn''t know," I suggest softly. Might as well be honest. It''s not like the prank n was going tost for more than a couple loops, anyway; I''m sure Mari expected me to improvise.
I expect Tarin to deflect me immediately. To my surprise, he doesn''t; instead, he casts his eyes downward and seems to contemte my words before he responds. "Maybe," he says. "I think about it."
That... will have to be good enough, I think.
"So she''s agreed to help?"
"We go see her first!" Tarin deres. "She not even believe me yet! You show her you real, yes? Then we discuss. She help."
"I need some of those imbuement stones"
"Yes, yes," Tarin says impatiently. "You get stone. I can give stone too, you know! You not need Mari."
...He''s got me there. It''s not like he''s any less in charge than Mari.
"You Trialgoer?" Mari says, peering at me. She folds her wings across her chest in a way that reminds me remarkably of Tarin, then sniffs in a surprisingly human-like gesture. "You small. And no feathers."
I''m not sure why she''smenting on my appearance first, this time. "What did Tarin tell you?"
"He tell me you strong!" Mari looks almost offended; she lifts one of my arms and pokes at the muscle there, and I just kind of stand there, allowing her to manhandle me. "But you small."
"The Trial doesn''t exactly let me build muscle," I say dryly. "And is this really important?"
"No, no. I just surprised." There''s a lot of nervous energy about her, just like there wasst time. Mari busies herself by cooking, fanning the mes on the open fire and checking on the dish she''s making. I don''t recognize it. "Tarin say you try to help Rotar?"
"Yes," I confirm. I briefly consider exining Rotar''s entire... situation, but it''s a littleplicated to exin at best. "And there''s something weird going on in Isthanok with that friend of yours. Miktik?"
"Miktik!" Mari brightens briefly, then frowns. "What mean something weird?"
"She''s being ckmailed by the leader"
"WHAT."
...I had almost forgotten that Mari could yell so loudly. I don''t think she even did it on purpose it looks like the Firmament worked its way into her lungs just through her sheer, sudden anger.
"of Isthanok. She-Who-Whispers." I nce surreptitously at Tarin, who''s doing his best to look as uninvolved as possible. Did he leave this part out for me to tell her on purpose?
"You help her, yes?" Mari says fiercely.
"I''m trying." How much of this do I want to exin? The situation isplicated, and half the pieces I haven''t even managed topletely put together yet. It''s clear that everything I''ve witnessed so far is connected if I could just put all the pieces together... "You know about Whisper''s whole thing, right?" I ask. "Her Whispers."
Mari snorts. "Yes," she says. "Coward skill."
Tarin snickers somewhere behind me, clearly in agreement. I have no doubt if Ahkelios were out at the moment he''d beughing as well, but he''s chosen to retreat back into the recesses of my Firmament for the moment, citing ''being tired''. Far be it for me to deny him a break.
"Miktik''s found a way to mitigate the effects of her Whisper, but her invention can''t withstand it for long," I exin. "I''m trying to improve on her design using imbuement, but I''m not good enough yet, and the imbuement stones I use can''t take the strain very well."
Maries to a conclusion rapidly. "You want vige stones?" she asks suspiciously.
"Yes"
"It not help you," she asserts.
I frown. "Why not?"
"Vige stones special." Mari seems to struggle to find the right phrasing. "It for... special imbuements. You use before?"
"You lent me a few. They held a skill charge just fine."
"But you not carry them long, yes?"
"Well, no," I admit. I don''t think I had them for more than a few hours, and certainly not more than a day.
"Stones take imbuement easy. But they lose imbuement easy, too. Cannot lock in enchantment. You say your imbuement have strain? How it work?"
"It takes in Firmament"
Mari holds up a wing to stop me. "Vige stones not work for you. More Firmament will push out old Firmament."
There goes that idea. "You couldn''t have told me that, Tarin?"
"I not know!" he protests.
Which is a mistake, because Mari immediately swivels her gaze to him. "How you not know!" she demands. "It your inheritance!"
"...I forgot."
Mari baps him over the head with a wing, but she does it with surprising gentleness. I see the way Tarin melts a little into even that briefest of touches. These small moments between the two aren''t something I paid that much attention to, before, but there''s a lot of genuine affection in their banter and intery, as aggrieved as she sounds.
"You go see Virin," Mari says, turning to address me. "He better imbuement teacher than me. He help you. Tarin stay here."
The way she says that brooks no argument, and in fact, before I can respond, she''s already ushering me out of the hut. "You go!" she says.
Their hut doesn''t exactly have a door, but the cloth piece they use as a door hardens into something as solid as steel as Mari injects a burst of crow Firmament directly into it. I blink, staring at what is now effectively a locked door.
...Alright, time to find Virin, I guess.
Chapter 95: Book 2: Mistakes
Chapter 95: Book 2: Mistakes
She-Who-Whispers had a headache. This time, her headache was not caused by ipetence among any of her underlings, or even by yet another plot to rebel being whispered about in the dark underbelly of the city where her citizens thought her ears might not be able to reach.
Foolish. She could hear everything that happened within the city, and everything that happened around it. Her range extended further than she let anyone be aware of. The castle she''d constructed helped extend it even further, gathering up stray pieces of Firmament snatched even from the other Great Cities.
No. Her headache this time was not caused by the ipetence of her underlings or the little rebels in her city.
It was caused by her own. Which was the most frustrating part about all of this, really.
[ To updt: Miktik helper tg?]
What the hell did that mean?
It wasn''t that she didn''t understand her own code she did. It was a code she''d developed on the off chance she would have to contend with the Trialgoer that would soon be going through its own version of an Integrator Trial set upon her own. The idea was simple: if there was no further update to the message, then the person she listed was almost certainly the Trialgoer.
Because the Integrators wouldn''t just tell her who the Trialgoer was, where it was, or even what it looked like. They wouldn''t even let her ess any basic information, like whether the Trial had started or how many loops there had been. Not without paying in credits, anyway.
She''d paid the credits to see how many loops it had been and had been both gratified and slightly horrified to see that the Trialgoer was on its fifteenth loop. On the one hand, it couldn''t be too strong yet. No doubt she''d killed it easily, and then failed to update the message because time had reset.
On the other, the thought that she''d already lived through fifteen loops and couldn''t remember any of them frightened her a little. Not that she would admit it, of course.
Back to the problem at hand. It wasn''t that she couldn''t understand her own message. It was that there was no ''Miktik helper''. She didn''t have teeth like some of the organics on this ne, but if she did, she was sure she would be grinding them in frustration. She wanted to strangle her previous self.
It is a time looper, you fool! There is no guarantee it will choose the same role twice!
And it clearly hadn''t, because there was no sign that Miktik had a helper at all. There was not a single whisper she could hear about anyone being spotted even around Miktik. The inventor liked to keep to herself, even moreso now that she was actively working for She-Who-Whispers.
Under coercion, but still.
She-Who-Whispers grunted. She nced at the body of He-Who-Guards, lying still on the pedestal. It still pained her to see him like this, but now that she knew the loops had started, she felt a little less worried. It wasn''t like anything she did really mattered until the loops ended. She had time to find a cure for him.
Unless the Trialgoer chose to give up now, of course. But that was one of the few things the Integrators would tell her about, and there had been no such notice from them.
She-Who-Whispers put her mind back to controlling all of He-Who-Guards''s bodies patrolling around Isthanok. It was a thankless task. She could already feel her headache getting worse.
Even if nothing mattered for the time being, she couldn''t stand the idea that her city would be seen as anything less than perfect. Everything had to keep going just the way it did before.
Everything had to stay perfect.
I find Virin ying with his daughter in one corner of the vige, tossing her high up into the air as she giggles and ils around. I smile a bit at the sight. It''s such a surprisingly normal thing to see, after all the fighting and violence and death. Sure, it''s being done by two oversized crows, but some things transcend species and cultures.
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"Virin?" I call out, and almost immediately regret doing so. I probably should have waited until his daughter wasn''t midair to call out to him, because he jerks, startled, and almost drops her.
Fortunately, gravity is nothingpared to the passives of Quicken Mind and the speed of a Warpstep.
"Sorry about that," I apologize as I set his daughter down on the ground. She doesn''t even seem mad she looks up at me with something resembling awe.
...That, or she thinks I''m a particrly cool,rge, bipedal pet. I haven''t really mastered crownguage and she''s mostly just pointing.
"It it alright," Virin says, breathing deeply and trying to calm himself. He shes me an uncertain smile. "Who are you? I not recognize you. You visitor?"
"I''m the Trialgoer," I say. Virin''s eyes grow wide in understanding, and he draws his daughter a little closer to him. Did Tarin and Mari introducing me to the vige make this much of a difference? I don''t remember any of them being this worried about me. "Uh, I''m not nning on hurting any of you."
"Right." Virin seems a bit embarrassed now; his grip on his daughter loosens slightly. ''What you need?"
"I was hoping you could teach me a little about imbuement." Virin''s eyes light up almost as soon as I say the word ''teach'', and he only gets more excited when he hears ''imbuement''.
"You want learn imbuement?" he asks. "I teach! This way!"
...I don''t remember him being this enthusiastic, either.
Not that I''mining. A slightly amused smile adorns my face as he leads me over to his hut, already gesturing animatedly as he talks about Firmament resonance and material enhancement.
A little bit on impulse, I decide to tell him about the loop. It''ll be a lot easier to exin what I know of imbuement already if I can just tell him that he''s taught me before. Virin''s eyes grow even wider than before as I exin the details, and instead of being disturbed, he seems positively delighted.
"You help me!" he says. "Not now. But when you have time! Some imbuement hard. Thing break. If youe back, it not broken anymore. I not need to worry about breaking things!"
...Fair enough, really. A time loop is pretty much perfect for destructive testing.
"Last time you taught me about resonance," I say, trying to bring the topic back to learning. "Something about some materials being easier to imbue than others, and needing to match the resonance of something to imbue it. Can you do that for me again? I want to see if I understand."
More specifically, I want to see if my stronger Firmament sense as well as the new Firmament Sight skill gives me any new insights as to how this so-called reosnance process works.
I watch carefully as Virin takes a hold of one of his stones, then carefully alters his Firmament so that it slips in easily. I frown. I sense something change, but I''m not sure what.
"Can you do that again?" I ask. Virin seems amused, but heplies.
It takes another three tries before I figure out what''s happening. Ites down to Firmamentyers again when Virin ''matches the resonance'' of an object, he''s manipting theyers of his Firmament so that they align perfectly with theyers of the thing he''s trying to imbue. The moment he does, they slip together, like two pieces of a puzzle; after that, the ''knot'' twists the whole thing up so they can''te apart as easily.
That... makes a lot of sense, actually. I remember my own insights thest time I did this the pattern I noticed in the Firmament, almost like a lock-and-key system. Virin''s method of first aligning theyers makes everything slip into ce.
Hm. Maybe I can apply this to my own techniques. Well, before anything else, I need a point ofparison.
"I want to show you a method of imbuement I developed next," I say. "Can you tell me what you think of it?"
"You make something new?" Virin''s eyes are practically shining with delight. "Show!"
My method of imbuement, unlike Virin''s, is a lot more brute force. I rip the surfaceyer of the object''s Firmament off before pushing my own Firmament in. Now that I have a directparison to make, even without Virin saying anything, I can tell the difference. I''m only operating within a singleyer my method means a lot less Firmament gets pushed into the object.
"Hm." I frown. I''m not exactly happy with this result; I''ve been hoping I discovered something important. "I can see the downsides"
I stop in my tracks as I notice Virin''s expression.
His eyes are wide and his beak has fallen open he stares at the rock I''m holding like I''m holding a live grenade, somehow simultaneously afraid and excited. "What you do!" he asks. "Your imbuement different! Not as much. But more... no word. It easier to reach. Better for channeling."
"It''s more essible?" I ask to rify, and Virin nods rapidly.
"Yes! essible. This imbuement much easier to connect with other things," he says. I think about this for a moment. It does make sense the entirety of my imbuement is packed close to the surface, so foreign Firmament doesn''t need to prate as deeply to be affected by the imbuement itself.
Which makes it almost perfect for my ns, really, except...
It urs to me that I could do both pack a good amount of Firmament in the uppermostyer and intertwine it with an aligned set of Firmament all at once. All the benefits of both, none of the ws.
In theory, anyway.
"I want to try something," I tell Virin. I feel him peering over my shoulder cautiously as I begin to channel both Firmament Control and Hueshift.
This isn''t an imbuement stone like the ones avable in the Craven Arena, but it''ll do for now. I''ll ask Virin about the differences afterward.
Chapter 96: Book 2: Experimentation
Chapter 96: Book 2: Experimentation
Even with my newfound Firmament Control and Firmament Sight, the aligning step is... a lot harder than I anticipated.
It''s not impossible by any means, but it does take an effort of concentration and will that leaves me physically exhausted. The experience is not unlike having to tense every muscle in my body and then having to hold that tension for as long as I can. Firmamentyers resist being directly manipted the way I''m trying to do it.
"Can you show me how you do it again?" I ask Virin for what I think is the fifth time. He''s being remarkably patient with me in fact, he still seems more excited than anything else, really.
"Yes!" Virin says immediately. He pulls out yet another stone and the Firmament within him abruptly flexes, wobbling and abruptly aligning itself with that of the stone. Firmament Sight and Quicken Mind give me everything I need to observe the phenomenon in detail, all the way down to the way theyers of Firmament push each other apart.
The problem is that Firmament Control is still a step less precise than I need to be able to manipte Firmament to that extent of fine precision. I remember the method I first used when Mari taught me imbuement a sort of rocking back-and-forth with my Firmament until it slipped into the object I was trying to imbue and the motion makes a lot more sense now. Every time I push against foreign Firmament with my own, the two end up a little bit more aligned.
What I''m trying to do now is to refine that process. The method I developed works, but only if theyers are already close to being aligned. If theyers are too different, then no amount of rocking can align the Firmament enough to let me imbue the object. And while the imbuement stones I got in the arena were easy enough to push Firmament into, they also weren''t the higher rarity ones.
Based on the names of the rarities, I''m guessing higher rarities are going to get progressively harder to imbue, even if the imbuement will be anchored more deeply and can hold more power.
"I don''t suppose you can help me out here, Ahkelios?" I say absently. I tap on his presence within my Firmament, calling him out with a quick application of Temporal Link. He manifests in his usual spot on my shoulder, already poised to answer even as Virin lets out a startled squawk.
"I thought you''d never ask," Ahkelios says.
"You sound smug."
"That''s because I am. You should''ve asked sooner." I can practically hear him preening. I consider pointing out the fact that he could simply have offered it''s quite clear he''s not entirely unaware, even when he''s ''hibernating'' when the skill is deactivated but honestly, I think I''m just going to let him have his moment. He''s clearly enjoying himself.
"Alright, well..." I hold out my hand and the stone. Ahkelios clicks his tongue, then dives forward, flickering into the stone and vanishing.
Then the room falls silent. Virin is staring at me and the stone, his eyes wide, and he speaks after a solid minute of opening and closing his beak. "Are you, uh... going to exin any of that?"
"I can try, but I think it''d be more confusing than anything else," I say dryly. "He''s an echo of a past Trialgoer created by temporal Firmament and bound by the Interface."
Virin nods slowly. "Forget I asked."
I can feel Ahkelios doing something while his Firmament is bonded to the stone''s. It''s not the same as a traditional imbuement it''s like he''s making it a part of himself, and then adjusting his Firmament to match mine. Which isn''t a very difficult task for him, because he''s basically made out of my Firmament to begin with.
And with that little change, Hueshift locks into the stone Virin provided me, aligned perfectly. Ahkelios pops out a secondter, looking none the worse for wear. Maybe a little tired. He gives me a weary grin and a thumbs-up that I''m not sure where he acquired, then copses back onto my shoulder.
"Thanks, ''Kelios," I say, giving him a little pat on the head.
Now for the second step of the n. Virin is watching me in rapt attention, and I try to focus as I bring Firmament Control to bear. The outermostyer of Firmament here is a little more slippery, a little harder to manipte no doubt because I have to deal with two different types of Firmamentyered on itself.
But the alignment Ahkelios and I performed together works perfectly. Pulling on oneyer pulls on the other, and although it''s harder, it''s nowhere near as difficult as it might have been had the two types of Firmament been even slightly misaligned.
Just like before, I peel back theyer long enough to flood it with more Hueshift, and then seal it shut. Then I stare at the freshly imbued stone critically.
"You know, I never asked, but what rarity would this stone have, if you had to give it one?" I ask Virin. He nces at me, surprised.
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"Rarity?" he asks.
"You know, like... grade. The system categorizes imbuement stones. The two I saw back when I was buying them were ''shallow'' and ''submerged'', which doesn''t make a lot of sense to me, but..."
"Oh!" Virin brightens, clearly recognizing the system, if not the words. "Yes! Firmament quality different. I not know what yours called, but this one... five."
Five. Grade... B, by the Interface''s standards, even if it''s chosen to give the stones an entirely different set of categories for some reason. Or maybe there''s a good reason for that and I shouldn''tpare the two.
"Does the quality make a difference?" I ask. I''m still not sure what these rarities mean.
"Big difference!" Virin agrees. He fishes around in a rickety drawer, filling his hut with the sound of rattling; up in her little nest, his daughter grumbles a bit from the sound. He finally pulls out a nondescript looking stone that''s much smaller than the others. "This weakest type. You imbue before?"
I examine it critically. It doesn''t look that different from the Shallow stone I imbued in thest loop. "Yes."
"Weak stones break," Virin deres. "Good stonest."
"That can''t be the only difference."
"It not," Virin agrees. "But biggest difference. Better stone hold more Firmament. Also... ah... how to say." He pauses, as if struggling for the words. "When stone is good and old, it absorb... memory. Make imbuement stronger."
I blink. That''s new. "You''re telling me higher grade stones will affect whatever imbuement I put in it? What if I don''t want my imbuement to be changed?"
"Then you find stone that match Firmament!" Virin says, as if it''s obvious. "Or you make yourself."
"...I can make imbuement stones?"
"Oh! Yes." Virin doesn''t appear to have considered that I might not know that. He looks at me quizzically. "Imbuement stone hard to make. Need..." He struggles to find a word. "Essence."
I blink. "Ahkelios, can you trante?"
The little mantis still lying half-copsed on my shoulder gives a shrug that nearly makes him fall off. "Never tried making an imbuement stone that I remember," he says. "I''m not sure I even bothered with any of this crafting stuff. Are you sure this is how you wanna be using your time?"
"How did you know how to help me with imbuement if you didn''t bother with it?" I ask, exasperated.
Ahkelios shrugs and, to my surprise, gives me a serious answer. "The whole bonding-with-Firmament thing I can do is new. Something that happens because I''m made of Firmament now, I guess," he says thoughtfully. "Makes it a lot easier to modify something when I''m connected to it."
Something about the way he says that sparks a thought. "Made of Firmament," I mutter to myself. "Ahkelios, you''re like the Integrators."
"What?" The little mantis pulls the most offended expression I''ve ever seen him make and seems to regain all his energy just so he can stand on my shoulder and cross his arms at me. "I am not like the Integrators!"
"I meant that you''re made out of Firmament like they are," I rify. "Which means anything you can do, they can probably do."
Ahkelios''s offended expression fades away, quickly reced by one of delight. "And I can do anything they can do!"
"...That wasn''t exactly what I meant"
"Toote!" he announces. "I''m going to do that phasing thing they kept pulling on me back in my loops now."
I pause and stare at him as he concentrates. Nothing happens.
"I can''t do it while you''re looking at me," he says.
"I don''t think that''s the problem here, Ahkelios."
"Fine," he grumbles. Some of the mirth fades away from him as heposes himself, and I''m reminded that he''s been through a lot more than he lets on. So much of his behavior is... It''s not a front, exactly, but as much as he uses humor to connect with me and cheer me up, I think he uses it to distract himself, too. "So... what do you think that means, exactly?"
"I''m not sure yet," I say. My mind is racing, but I know too little about what the Integrators can do. I''ll need to talk to Gheraa again.
Which means it''s probably finally time to bank those Durability points. I''ve got 548 of those points clogging up my Interface.
Might as well put them to good use.
For the first time in a long, long time, He-Who-Guards was aware.
That awareness was only partially appreciated. It came with a good deal of pain and a feeling of rawness that he would have preferred not to feel. But he was himself, and that was more than he could have said a week ago.
His memories weren''t entirely clear. He knew he''d faced an attack of some sort. He''d felt something beginning to pull at his Firmament. He knew he hadn''t been able to fight it. No matter what he tried, his influence on the foreign Firmament trying to tear him apart failed. It was almost like it wasn''t really there.
He-Who-Guards remembered the brief flicker of awareness that came to him. It was more impulse than coherent thought just the barest flicker of cognizance that told him that he had an opportunity.
He couldn''t quite remember what he''d done after that. There has been something around him, suffocating, that was being damaged, and his instincts had insisted he fight it off. The process had felt a little like pulling off his own skin. He was stripping himself bare, in a manner of speaking. Tearing apart the patchwork Firmament that held him together. That pretended to be him.
Now all of that was gone, and he was free. That freedom meant everything to him.
Even if his Firmament was in tatters. Even if it meant he would be lost; gone forever.
Yet he was holding on, somehow. He wasn''t sure how. The remaining Firmament that formed his core should have long since dissipated, and yet it clung together.
Nearby, he could feel a familiar presence humming to herself, and a cold spark of purple Firmament.
He tried to tell himself that this time things would be different.
He wasn''t sure he believed it.
Chapter 97: Book 2: Key
Chapter 97: Book 2: Key
548 credits. I better get a good skill out of this.
[ Are you sure you wish to bank 548 Durability credits? ]
[ 548 Durability credits banked! Rolling for results... ]
[ Select between:
Impact Reflection (Rank A)
Phaseslip (Rank A)
Imbued Resilience (Rank A)
Chromatic Resistance (Rank A) ]
[ You have unlocked an Inspiration. Bonus willmence once skill selection has taken ce. ]
Inspect.
Impact Reflection is pretty self-exnatory, and Inspect doesn''t tell me anything different from what I assumed from the name alone. It''s a durability skill that allows me to reflect kic energy proportional to the amount of Firmament I put into the skill. It''s a true reflection, too; the impact is fully absorbed and then expelled in the direction I choose.
A simple skill. A good one, too. But while Whisper is dangerous, it''s not her punches I''m worried about.
Phaseslip, on the other hand, is a movement and durability skill rolled into one. Inspect tells me it makes me intangible and thus renders physical blows ineffective, which is an amazing skill that has the exact same problem Impact Reflection does. Physical blows aren''t what I need to be guarding against not at the moment, anyway.
That said... The skill does give me pause, though not because I think it''ll help me endure more hits.
"Phaseslip," I mutter out loud. "You heard of that skill before, Ahkelios?"
"What?" Ahkelios perks up on my shoulder, then shakes his head. "No."
"Shame." I stare at the skill contemtively for another moment more. I haven''t forgotten what I''ve been told about where the Integrators are they live in a section of reality that oveps every world they''ve conquered. The impression I''m getting from the skill through Inspect tells me that Phaseslip does something simr. It pushes me into anotheryer of reality, making ordinary physical attacks slip straight through.
The only question is whether I can modify it enough to pay the Integrators a visit.
Imbued Resilience and Chromatic Resistance are both passives of a sort. The first apparently allows me to imbue durability skills into objects with a kind of auric effect the person holding on to the stone gains the benefit of the durability skill. It''s different from directly imbuing armor with durability skills, which makes the armor itself stronger, but not the user.
Chromatic Resistance is pretty self-exnatory. It''s rted to all the recent experimentation with the color of Firmament and offers me partial resistance against additional effects thate from Firmament color.
I dismiss that one right off the bat. It''s not useless, exactly, but none of the opponents I''ve faced so far make extensive use of Firmament color. There might be one in the future, but there''s no point preparing for an enemy I''m not sure whether I''ll face when I already have one right in front of me.
So... Phaseslip seems like the option to go for.
For the first time, I find myself wishing the Inspiration would happen before the skill selection. At least then I''d have the ability to ask Gheraa about it.
[ Phaseslip (Rank A) obtained! ]
[ Inspirationmencing. ]
I''m almost getting used to the way the world freezes around me now. There''s still a feeling of disorientation as everything just stops; even breathing doesn''t really work in this space. It''s more mental than physical, I suppose. I doubt it''s an actual time freeze.
"Ethan!" Gheraa greets. This time he''s leaning against the doorway to Virin''s hut, and he''s... wearing a hat, for some reason. I eye him for a moment, wondering if he''s actually taking this seriously, or if I''ve just been wrong about him needing help.
"Hello," I say.
"You''ve been holding on to your Durability points for a long time," Gheraaments. "It''s almost like you want to get beaten up."
"More like I''d prefer not getting hit to enduring a hit," I say wryly. I examine him a little more closely the golden Firmament that runs through his skin looks... a little dimmer than before. It''s more noticeable because Inspiration-space strips the world of color. Gheraa is the only thing that pops out, and today he pops out a little less.
The question is if he''s figured out a way tomunicate to me what I need to know.
"Did you enjoy your skill options this time?" Gheraa asks me brightly. He conjures an object out of thin air, golden Firmament looping into a traditional Earth microphone. I stare at it, bemused.
"They were... interesting," I say.
"Good, good," Gheraa says. He leans in to stage-whisper. "We Integrators can technically help choose the skills you get, you know. It''s a bit costly, especially for you, but it helps keeps things more interesting."
I''m careful not to react to his words. What he''s telling me is a clear hint and now I''m more certain than ever that Phaseslip was the right choice. Considering the likelihood that we''re being watched, I don''t want to let on that I''ve figured it out.
"So that''s why my skill options always suck."
"Now, now, that''s not fair to me." Gheraa gives me a severe frown. For a moment, I think he looks actually hurt not that I can afford to tell him I don''t mean it. I''ve had a pretty good spread of skills, all things considered, except for all the ovep in functionality when ites to Speed skills. I really don''t need Triplestep, Firestep, shstep and Warpstep.
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Why are they all -step skills, anyway?
"I suppose it isn''t," I agree, careful to keep my tone neutral. It''s as close to an apology as I want to get. "Is there any way for me to consolidate my skills, at least? The list is getting a bit ridiculous."
"You''ll have to find out! Maybe there''s an Inspiration that''ll help you." Gheraa grins at me. "The All-Seeing Eye helped you, didn''t it?"
"You shoved it into my eye."
"And it worked!"
"For a certain definition of work," I say, sighing. He''s not wrong. "But it doesn''t pare down my skill list, it just gives me extra skills."
"Why would you want less skills?" Gheraa gives me a baffled look.
"Because I don''t want to get stuck in decision paralysis when I have three pages worth of skills to choose from, and so far I haven''t gotten a memory skill to help me remember everything I can do?" The wordse out a little more sarcastic than I intend. "Besides, a lot of them are redundant."
"They have different advantages and disadvantages," Gheraa says dismissively. "But if you really want to know, there''s a feature you can unlock that will do something simr. I can''t tell you how to unlock it, though."
Huh. That''s the most candid he''s ever been with me about an Interface feature.
"Alright," I say. "What about the new Inspirations I have to choose from, then?"
Gheraa brightens. "d you asked!" he proims, instantly bringing a cane out from behind his back. I''m pretty sure both his hands were empty only a second before, but this sort of behavior is nothing new for him.
...In an abstract sort of way, I realize I''ve sort of missed it. When I''m in the middle of getting an Inspiration, I don''t have to worry about most of the intricacies of the loops. Or about time still moving forward. About people on Earth still dying. Gheraa is irreverent in a way that''s frustrating, but knowing that he might be on my side takes away a lot of that sting. I can view his actions through a lens of him putting on a show for an audience while still trying to help, and I can appreciate good showmanship.
Anyway. Gheraa twirls the cane in his hand once, striking the ground with the tip; there''s a small reverberation in the air that rings with Firmament. Four dirt pirs burst out of the ground, each one holding a different Inspiration.
"I feel like you could have just shown me those Inspirations normally," I say.
"That wouldn''t be as fun." Gheraa smirks at me.
I roll my eyes. "This is all of them, right?"
"Yes. I wouldn''t pull the same trick twice. That would hardly be interesting." If he had a nose to wrinkle, I imagine he''d be doing that right about now. As it is, he just shoots me a mildly disgusted look, like the idea of repeating a trick offended him.
I choose not to mention the fact that he repeats tricks all the time. Like the thing with the microphone.
Instead, I cast my gaze to the pirs and the Inspirations sitting atop them. They''re almost disappointingly simple. From left to right, I see a shield, a suit of armor, a statue, and a rose. There''s no reaction from the Void or elerator Inspirations, which are the closest things I have to sentient Inspirations, so I''m not getting any help there.
Inspect.
Their names are as simple as their forms. The Unbroken Shield. Adaptive Armor. Eternal Form. Aspect of Regrowth.
The Unbroken Shield is an Inspiration that t-out upgrades whatever defensive skill I use it on, making them much harder to break in a way that scales with the amount of Firmament I pour into it. It''s a little like what I can already do with Firmament Control, but hyperefficient in the sense that it amplifies the effect of the Firmament I''m putting into the skill.
Adaptive Armor just allows me to wrap any defensive skill around my body like a suit of armor. It gives me extra mobility without having to sacrifice concentration to move my barriers around, but it''s also the least interesting of the Inspirations. I already have Verdant Armor; I don''t need this.
Eternal Form is a little more interesting. It allows me to imbue myself with my durability skills. Skills like Tough Body are already applied to my body, but I could, for instance, give my skin the strength and properties of my Hexfold Shield though the idea of my skin shattering like ss should something pierce the shield makes me wince. Rigidity isn''t always a good defense.
Aspect of Regrowth is simple, but useful: it allows my skills to regenerate themselves. I sense this one doesn''t even have to be limited to durability skills, meaning I could use it on Ahkelios and give him the ability to regenerate if he ever gets hurt not that that''s been a problem so far. Or I could give it to the temporal clones I can create with Temporal Link, and a single hit won''t be enough to destroy them anymore.
Well, the second one is a theory. I''m not actually sure you can heal back from a paradox.
"Wow, you have no questions about any of these," Gheraaments. He peers at me as if suspicious, but the look in his eyes suggests that he''s trying to hint at something. I frown it doesn''t look like he''s trying to indicate I should pick one Inspiration over any of the others.
"Sorry," I say out loud. I wonder if I''m not actually supposed to be able to tell what these Inspirations do with Inspect. "Just got distracted. By the, uh, presentation."
Gheraa grins broadly, practically preening. "I did pretty good, didn''t I?"
Well, they''re pseudo-magical items floating on top of dirt pirs, so in all honesty... no. But I decide not to say that out loud.
"So, can you tell me what any of these do?" I ask. "The statue looks pretty interesting."
"Ah, yes! The Eternal Form," Gheraa says. He flicks his wrist, pulling the Inspiration into his hand. "Nothing very eternal about it, I''m afraid. You imbue yourself with your skills. You can already do something like that, can''t you?"
There''s a note of forced casualness in his tone. "Uh, maybe?" I say. I can do basic physical reinforcement with Firmament Control, but I don''t think that''s what he''s talking about... although now that I think about it, I could try tobine that physical reinforcement with a skill.
Huh.
"I''ll get back to you on that," I say. "What about the shield?"
The rest of the meeting goes pretty much in this way, with Gheraa exining to me what Inspect already tells me about the Inspirations, though in much less detail than Inspect does. Once or twice, I catch him lying just slightly about the function of an Inspiration. I don''t call him out on it.
My choice is pretty clear, anyway. As far as versatility goes, Aspect of Regrowth is the way to go. Even if I disregard everything else it can do, I can apply it to Tough Body and basically heal myself, which is a skill I''mcking so far.
Gheraa seems to approve of the choice, too. "Just so you know, this is going to hurt," he tells me cheerfully. I blink. It''s a rose. How can it possibly
The sensation of roots growing through my body abruptly cuts through my thoughts with a searing sh of pain. Itsts only for a split second, though I swear I taste blood in my mouth for that split second. I catch Gheraa giving me a sympathetic look before it''s covered up by his signature careless cheer.
"Well, see you next time!" he says
and the world resumes around me. I double over, my body briefly seized by a sensation of crawling before I get myself under control again. Ahkelios stares at me, concerned.
"...Don''t worry about it," I say. I have no idea what he''ll do if I tell him I have a nt-based Inspiration. That''s a problem for future-Ethan to worry about.
For now, I reflect back on the experience. Gheraa told me he''d prepare and that he''d be ready next time, but he hasn''t given me much more in this conversation except to imply that he''d intentionally given me a skill.
Come to think of it, I wonder if he''s behind the early Temporal Echo rolls, too. But more importantly, if I''m right about Phaseslip...
I take a deep breath, activate the skill, and feel the world twist sideways.
Chapter 98: Book 2: Its Just A Phase
Chapter 98: Book 2: It''s Just A Phase
The first thing I have to get over is the skill being immensely disorienting. It''s worse than my first few tests of Warpstep everything feels off and wrong in a way that''s hard to articte. Ahkelios also immediately falls through my shoulder and onto the floor, which is the only positive thing about this experience.
"Hey!" heins.
"Sorry," I say. "Had to test out the skill." I lean down to pick him up again. Phaseslip seems to allow me to choose what I can and can''t interact with, at least once I exert conscious control over it. It''s basically an intangibility skill.
Which is... useful in so many more ways than just avoiding a punch, actually. Must be why it''s a Rank A skill. I''m grateful it at least has the basic courtesy of not pulling me straight through the floor losing a loop by identally falling into the''s core would have been embarrassing, even for me.
There''s something interesting about using this skill. Everything around me looks normal, at least visually, but it''s a different story if I try to observe the world through my Firmament sense or using Firmament Sight.
Now if only I could express how different. It''s difficult to describe the phenomenon. It''s like seeing an ovey of the world that''s about five degrees left of where it should be, except rece ''left'' with a direction perpendicr to anything one might imagine in three dimensional space.
It''s a little headache inducing. I have to squint against the effect part of the problem is that there are multiple oveys, most of them just barely brushing against my Firmament sense. I can''t do much more than tell that they''re there. Maybe once I get a little more used to it, or once I fine tune it with Firmament Control or alter it with an Inspiration, I''ll be able to do more.
I know what I''m looking for. I''m looking for anything that might be Integrator-rted any space they might be hiding in, watching us Trialgoers go about our Trials. Once or twice, I think I almost sense something against just the barest edge of my perception. It disappears as quickly as it shows.
I sigh and let the Phaseslip drop.
"You okay?" Ahkelios asks, concerned.
"I''m fine." I wave a hand dismissively. "Skill''s just a bit headache inducing. I''ll need to get used to it."
Though there''s no way to get used to it without activating it again. At least it doesn''t strain my Firmament in any significant way...
I finally realize that Virin has been staring at me this entire time, with abination of bemusement and concern. I blink, then let out a short, embarrassedugh. "I, uh... forgot you were there."
"Could tell," Virin says dryly. "You not hurt, yes?"
"I''m fine," I say. "Just got a new skill, is all. Need some time to get used to it."
"It look interesting." Virin gives me a keenly interested look. "You do it again? I want try something."
I blink, but shrug and acquiesce. I don''t see any harm in it. This time, I''m prepared for the way the world warps around me; I take a deep breath and steady myself as my vision and my senses ovey shift out of sync once again.
Virin pokes me, and his finger goes straight through me. He cocks his head, and I can feel through my Firmament sense that he''s funneling Firmament into his arm, trying to see if that makes a difference it doesn''t. Firmament or no, physical objects phase straight through my body.
It''s strange seeing solid objects just move through my stomach.
Then he performs a quick imbuement on a stone and chucks it at me. I don''t move, expecting it to go straight through
"Ow," I say. The rock bounces off my forehead and onto the ground. It doesn''t really hurt. Tough Body has long since rendered me mostly immune to things like a pebble being thrown at my head. It''s just the principle of the matter.
"It work," Virin says proudly. He nods to himself, folding his wings over his chest. "You be careful, yes? Look at attack carefully." He picks up the imbued stone to me, and I finally pick up on exactly what he''s done. There''s a thinyer of Firmament hovering just above the surface of the stone.
"Huh," I say. That is something I''m going to have to watch out for. "Thanks."
"Many imbued items like this," Virin says. "Especially bad imbuement! Bad imbuement leak. Lots of Firmament around object."
"Good to know." I''m already wondering if I can counter it in some way. Maybe if I use the Void Inspiration to modify Tough Body so that it peels the outermostyer of Firmament off of anything that tries to hit me...
Although even a second''s mistake means I''m going to have a solid object embedded inside my body. I wince. That... won''t be a fun technique to train, even if it does work.
"Anyway," I say, changing the subject. Virin looks up at me patiently. I''m only just now noticing how short the crows arepared to me they aren''t small, by any means, and I''m sure if Virin stretched to his full height he''d be taller than I am. But like most of the crows, he''s slightly hunched over in a forward-leaning position. "You were saying something about making imbuement stones?"
"Yes!" Virin ps his wings a little, clearly excited by the subject. It''s almost loud enough to wake up his daughter, who grumbles in her nest; he immediately settles down, chastised. "You need flood stone with Firmament to make imbuement stone. Easy."
"Just... flood it with Firmament?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "How''s that different from a normal imbuement?"
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"Watch," Virin says. He holds out an ordinary stone not an imbuement stone specifically crafted to absorb Firmament, but a pebble he finds on the ground and pushes his Firmament into it. "This imbuement. See?"
I can see the way his Firmament imbues into the natural Firmament of the stone. "Yes."
"Now, make imbuement stone." The amount of Firmament Virin is controlling suddenly res. He doesn''t use a lot of it, per se, but he does pack into an ultra-dense ball of energy that he fires into the stone. It reminds me of the few times I''ve watched a cksmith at work the Firmament he uses is burning with enough power to shove out both the natural Firmament and the imbuement he just ced into the stone.
Then I watch as he hammers the new Firmament into ce.
Despite what he says, it''s not at all easy. I can sense what he''s doing, even moreso now that Phaseslip is active; I realize abruptly that the skill is making it a bit easier to peer down through theyers of Firmament. And with that insight, I can see what Virin is actually doing. He''s not just hammering the shell of Firmament into ce he''s peeling apart the inner structure of Firmament into distinctyers.
But there''s a limit to what the rock itself can hold. If I stretch my senses as far as possible, if I push Phaseslip a little farther, pour more Firmament into the skill... I can almost sense the way Firmament bonds to the physical object. There''s a physical limitation Virin is fighting with the chaotic arrangement ofpounds and atoms within the stone makes it so that the new Firmament struggles to bond with it. I can sense that the newly-created imbuement stone is weaker than it would have been otherwise, if Virin had used a purer stone or one that was more ordered structurally...
At least this exins the imbuement stones I''ve encountered so far all look like crystals of some sort. But if purity and structure are the only requirements for Firmament to bond easily with matter, then crystals are definitely not where the possibilities end.
My mind''s already churning with possibilities with new things to look out for. I''m not so arrogant as to believe I''m the only one that''s thought of using other mundane substances as recements for imbuement.
Virin exhales with relief as he finishes forging the new imbuement stone. It''s not an enormously powerful one by any means; at a nce, it''s maybe about as powerful as the Shallow stones I picked up from the Arena. But considering he''s made it out of an ordinary rock and not a gemstone, I consider that impressive.
"There!" he says proudly. I eye the stone for a moment, taking it into my hands and studying it.
"Virin," I say. "Do people ever use objects other than gemstones? Things that aren''t stones, even."
"To turn into imbuement stone?" Virin looks thoughtful. "I not sure. I think I heard before! But I never try. You have idea?"
"Some," I admit. I''m not sure now''s the best time to try it out, partly because I don''t have ess to any of the materials I want to test this technique with, yet. "But before we get to that, can we try making imbuement stones?"
"Yes!" Virin nods. "You try. I want see how you do."
I grimace. That almost certainly means he expects me to fail, doesn''t it?
Well, if I''m going to fail, let''s get it over with.
Virin''s prediction was... mostly correct.
Packing Firmament in as dense as Virin was able to is difficult even with my improved Firmament Control. Somehow the ability to move it around more effectively doesn''t seem to trante into a simr ability to force it inward, though theoretically it''s the same thing.
"Try fold Firmament," Virin insists. It''s the same thing he''s been saying for the past half hour or so. I try not to let a frustrated growl escape from my throat, though I''m pretty sure I make some sort of strangled, annoyed noise, considering the way Ahkelios is smirking at me.
"I am trying," I grunt. His idea of folding Firmament isn''t literal, as far as I can tell. I''ve watched him do it a few times, and the process involves packing the Firmamentyers on top of themselves almost inverting it rather than folding it. The whole process feels to my Firmament sense like he''s turning the Firmament inside out and causing it to shrink to half its size.
Which is very, very confusing, to be clear. I don''t think I''m about to get this anytime soon.
"I''m going to take a break from this," I finally say. I don''t like admitting defeat, but I''ve already made a lot of progress with imbuement, and I don''t really want to stay here messing with Firmament when there''s so much of everything else going on. I''m almost certain I''ve given both Mari and Tarin enough time to do... whatever it is they''re doing, now. "I should probably go see what Tarin''s up to. I think I have to head back to Isthanok."
"If you sure," Virin says doubtfully. "Youe back before you leave, ok? I need you help remember imbuement testing!"
Right, right. Virin mentioned he wanted my help with more... destructive tests on imbuement that he wouldn''t perform if not for the reality of the time loop.
"I''ll try," I say. I''m not sure where my future loops are going to take me, but Virin''s been patient with me and taught me a lot. Trying is the least I can do for him. "I''lle back before we leave."
Virin nods. He points a stick at me. "You better!"
I note, to my amusement, that he''s practicing imbuement even in that act of picking up the stick. What a guy.
The curtain that functions as a door to Tarin''s hut is thankfully open when I arrive, so I don''t have to deal with the awkwardness of knocking on the wall and calling out for them. Mari is busy and energetically cooking so energetically I''m almost certain she''s doing it to distract herself and Tarin is sitting in the corner, uncharacteristically silent.
"Uh... is everything okay?" I ask.
"Ethan!" Tarin jumps up almost immediately. "You ready? We go back Isthanok!"
I almost protest. I''m not sure that Isthanok is the logical next step I still need to save Rotar and K''hkeri. But I think back to the battle in the Fracture, and... yeah, that''s not happening anytime soon without Guard''s help.
"More or less ready," I say instead. I nce at Mari she still hasn''t said anything, but I can hear her chopping getting more aggressive by the minute. In fact, I can sense that she''s using Firmament to reinforce both her knife and the nk that functions as a cutting board. "Shouldn''t we wait for Mari to finish cooking first...?"
"Oh! Yes." Tarin seems embarrassed for a moment. "We wait. We eat! Then we go."
At least the food looks good. I nce between Tarin and Mari. I don''t think they''re fighting, but there''s a definite tension there that wasn''t there before.
I sigh. "Do either of you want to tell me what''s going on?"
"No," Mari says shortly.
"Later!" Tarin says.
...That''ll have to do.
Now to see what Virin is up to before getting Tarin and heading back to Isthanok.
"Ah, Trialgoer!" Virin looks up excitedly. "Okay, you remember what happen if I do this, okay? This old imbuement stone. Made from old methods. I try activate."
He holds up an old, moss-covered rock. Ahkelios opens his mouth toment, but as soon as Virin floods it with Firmament, the rock... bursts into mes. And then evaporates.
I blink. "...I guess that''s why you wanted to use a time loop to explore this?"
"Yes," Virin nods, his expression almost concerningly earnest. "You better be telling truth about loop!"
"I am," I say. "I''ll, uh... make sure to tell you about your rock."
Chapter 99: Book 2: City of Glass, Redux
Chapter 99: Book 2: City of ss, Redux
The journey back to the City of ss is surprisingly uneventful. I suppose part of it is that we''re used to the trip by now I''m able to tune out everything that happens on the way, up to and including the strange interaction with the guards where they take a sample of my Firmament. Nothing''se of it so far, but I still make sure to give them a fake sample.
Tarin, as usual, doesn''t bother. I imagine he''s done this plenty of times before he ever met me, though, considering his rtionship with Miktik. I doubt them having an additional sample of his Firmament is actually going to make a difference.
"What happened between you and Mari, anyway?" I ask once we''ve gotten past the Great Gates. Tarin looked like he needed some time to think on the journey, so I haven''t asked about it so far. Now, though, he looks a little more like he''s in the mood to talk.
"She tell me she worried," Tarin says. We''ve slowed down to a walking pace for the time being. Actually being in Isthanok means we have to be careful about Whisper being able to listen in to everything they say. I''ve never really thought about how suffocating that is, but the difference is stark now that I haven''t had to watch my every word for the past day or so.
"About what?" I ask. I think I know the answer, but Tarin seems to want to talk it through.
"Me," Tarin says, which surprises me. It doesn''t exactly mirror what she told me when west spoke, though that was a different iteration of her. "She worry I lonely."
"I''m assuming she''s not talking about the kind of loneliness I can help with," I say dryly. Tarin''s expression is almostically horrified, like he hadn''t even considered that interpretation.
"No!" he squawks. "Just... I experience many things. She not. You understand?"
That much I do understand. Tarin''s essentially moving on without her. He''s having new experiences, encountering new people, fighting new fights and Mari is stuck in ce. I haven''t made any progress in figuring out how to bring someone else into the loop intentionally, nor do I really know where to start, even with all the strides I''ve made in Firmament and imbuement.
"Yeah," I say. That''s a little closer to what Mari talked to me about. "Do you know what you want to do about it? I''ve been wondering if I might be able to bring her into the loop somehow..."
To my surprise, Tarin immediately shakes his head. "She not want join," he says. "She say experiencing same thing too many times not easy."
A short silence. Then Tarin continues, "she right."
I don''t have anything to say to that.
"You don''t seem bored with the loops," Ahkelios points out. His chosen perch this time is on top of my head, nestled in my hair. "Not yet, anyway."
"I not bored," Tarin says. "Many things interesting. But for how long?"
"As long as you can handle it, I suppose," I say.
Maybe I''ve been looking at this the wrong way. Maybe I shouldn''t be looking for a way to get Mari in, but a way to get Tarin out.
I''m not sure I like the idea of that.
Isthanok looms ahead of us. The first indication that it''s near is the crystalline pce in the sky that directs the sun''s re almost directly into my eyes. This is also the first time I notice that Tough Body seems to passively increase my ability to stare into powerful sources of light without being blinded. Not that I''m about to try staring into the sun or anything.
As more of the cityes into view, however, I almost immediately notice that things are... different. I slow down, bleeding off the speed skills I''ve been using, and next to me Tarin does the same. We exchange cautious nces.
"I don''t remember there being this many guards before," I say quietly.
More urately, I don''t remember there being any guards before. Security within Isthanok is mostly handled by He-Who-Guards and his many bodies, as I understand it. I don''t ever really see them around, so presumably they''re good at hiding.
Even in thest loop, where Guard began injured and apparently dying, there hadn''t been any guards stationed at the borders of Isthanok. So one of two things must have happened: either Guard''s condition is much worse than before, or Whisper was able to pass on a message about the Trialgoer being active.
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I grimace. The changes don''t bode well, but this doesn''t really change what we have to do.
"We''re not going to visit Miktik this time," I mutter. I feelpelled to be quiet even though we''re still well out of Whisper''s range at least, I''m pretty sure we are. The Firmament doesn''t get collected into her pce from this far away. "Don''t want to put her at risk, and we''ve already seen the design for her Firmament sink."
"Your design notplete," Tarin points out, entirely reasonably.
"I''m sure I can make do," I say. Ahkelios makes it a point to rap me on the skull, at this point, and I sigh. "...Okay, we''ll talk to Miktik. But I don''t want to involve her any more than necessary. At this point I''m tired of seeing Whisper abuse her."
From the grim look on Tarin''s face and the way he tenses up, I''m pretty sure he agrees. He confirms it a secondter. "She try it again and I fight her."
"Not kill?"
Tarin snorts. "I not kill Whisper. She too strong. But I can be very, very annoying."
I can''t argue with that. The idea of Tarin swooping in and out at his blistering pace and annoying Whisper makes me smirk a bit.
That smirk quickly falls away as we approach the guards that stand at the border to Isthanok.
They''re both silverwisps, and considering how unkempt their uniforms are and the way they keep looking nervously between one another, I''m guessing neither of them are used to the job they hold their weapons like they''re toys rather than weapons.
Their weapons arerge marbles filled with deadly Firmament. I hope they know what side the Firmament is supposed toe out from the spherical shape doesn''t really give you a lot of clues. I can tell there''s a cone of energy in there with my Firmament sense, but barring that, there are no markings that might indicate a firing direction.
"That looks like a disaster waiting to happen," I mutter.
The noise is enough for the two silverwisps to take notice. One of them steps forward. "What''s your purpose in Isthanok today?" he asks. I note the sudden concentration of Firmament being drawn up to Whisper''s pce she''s listening in.
"Visit!" Tarin squawks. "We want visit"
"a kobold-run shop we heard about," I interrupt. "I think it''s called Thys and Thaht?"
Tarin gives me a baffled look. I ignore him.
"Really?" the guard seems surprised. I feel the focused Firmament waver a bit Whisper''s lost interest and is going back to passive listening. "Not a very popr shop, that one."
"Why not?" I ask.
He shrugs. "Too many explosions," he says, waving a hand. "How long will you be staying in Isthanok?"
"Not long," I say. "Maybe a day or two. We''re going to check out the Craven Arena, too."
"Oh?" the guard leans forward, suddenly interested. "As a spectator, or a fighter?"
...That smells like a trap. I feign embarrassment andugh. "I doubt I''dst a second in the ring."
"Most people don''t," the silverwisp says, his pendant disying a smirk. He takes a step back evidently, I gave him the answer he wanted to hear and waves us both in. "You''re clear. Enjoy your time in Isthanok."
Tarin and I make our way past him, a little bemused by the whole experience. Everything inside Isthanok hasn''t changed, at least. The Firmament feels a little different, but I''m guessing that''s because of Guard''s absence, which speaks volumes as to his power.
"We go shop?" Tarin asks. His way of asking about the kobold shop I mentioned, I suppose. Anything more specific might be an obvious tipoff, especially if Whisper knows that the Trial is now active.
"Let''s get your friend first," I say. "Bring her along. I''m sure she''d be interested in what they''ve got."
I''m not just saying that, either. Whatever tech or imbuements they use are seriously impressive, considering the difficulty I had against that one piloted robot. Tarin nods thoughtfully in response.
We make our way once more to Miktik''s workshop, ducking through the hole in the fence and the Firmament barrier that separates the two sections of the city. Like before, the abrupt change in noise is jarring this part of the city is much louder than any other. I wonder if that''s why the barrier exists, to dampen and filter out the sound that Whisper receives as she listens in on the city. It''s not like that''s a trivial imbuement to keep running.
"Something feel different," Tarin says suddenly. I blink.
"Does it?" I nce around. Nothing looks particrly out of the ordinary.
"I feel it too," Ahkelios says. The little guy twitches in his spot in my hair I can''t see him, but I can feel him shifting ufortably. Not a great sign.
I flick on Firmament Sight. My natural Firmament sense is good, but I''m not able to organize the information as quickly as I can with a visual reference. The moment I do, I see it.
There''s... a gradient, forck of a better word. The Firmament looks normal at first nce, but a second look shows that it''s getting gradually denser as it approaches the direction of Miktik''s workshop, and while the workshop itself is still out of range for me, this is enough to warrant caution.
Evidently, Ahkelios and Tarin have developed their instincts enough to know when something is wrong, even if they can''t pinpoint what it is. I''ll have to work on that.
"There''s some kind of concentration of Firmament up ahead," I say. "It''s subtle, but it''s there."
Ahkelios opens his mouth to ask me a question, then pauses, sending said question through our bond instead. What changed this time? he asks. Whisper took longer to send for MIktikst time. This is too soon.
I shrug. No idea, I admit. But I''m guessing Whisper has some idea of what''s going on now.
You think she''s got something to do with this, then?
Maybe. It''s the only thing I can think of, anyway. We''ll find out. Not like a bit of Firmament is going to stop us.
Chapter 100: Book 2: Signs
Chapter 100: Book 2: Signs
With the strange change in Firmament density going toward Miktik''s workshop, I was almost expecting the building itself to be shining with Firmament. It''s not. It''s barely different than it normally is ¡ª the Firmament is densest here, certainly, but that''s the only real difference...
...No. The imbuement cycling through her walls is moving faster, too. The Firmament within it is noticeably more powerful. As far as I can tell, every bit of stray Firmament is being drawn into it, with nothing allowed to escape for Whisper to collect.
Interesting.
"I think we might be about to interrupt something," I say. I nce at Tarin. "Probably best if you go in first."
"I go first," Tarin agrees. I''m not sure if it''s because he agrees with the n or because he just wants to go first, but either way, he makes his way to the entrance to her workshop.
Then he stops and squawks in indignation. "Why door missing?!" he demands.
I blink and walk up to him. He''s right. The entrance to Miktik''s workshop is normally a semi-hidden passageway in the midst of the broken shard she calls a home, sort of cut into the facets of the crystal. It''s only visible from some angles. But right now, it just... isn''t there. In its ce is a seamless mass of crystal that blends in perfectly with the rest of the crashed building.
I poke it experimentally, just in case it''s an illusion. It''s not.
"Huh," I say.This is a lot of security. More than any I saw Miktik use, even when it came to discussing her Firmament sink with us. I can sense the seams in the Firmament where the passageway should be ¡ª the imbuement doesn''t run perfectly through that area. There''s a subtle shift in direction and speed as it moves through the location, like light being refracted through ss.
Which doesn''t exactly tell me how to open the passageway.
I stare at it. Other than the seams I can feel with my Firmament sense, there''s no obvious mechanism I could use to move the crystal out of the way.
...Actually, this is a perfect use case for Phaseslip, isn''t it? The torrent of Firmament rushing through the door might prove a problem, but Virin''s experimentation tells me that it''s only a problem if the imbuement leaks out of the object its in. Whatever upgrade Miktik''s security system just got, it''s made it more vulnerable to me, because all that Firmament is perfectly held within the crystal¡ª
Tarin, apparently tired of me staring at the door and trying to decide how to get through it, steps forward and knocks sharply on the crystal. "Friend!" he calls out. "I here! Where your door?"
...Or, I suppose, we could just knock. Maybe that should''ve been my first, go-to solution.
There''s a silence thatsts for long enough that I start to wonder if I should try to Phaseslip through the door anyway, but almost as soon as I start channeling my Firmament, the crystal in front of us just... melts away. I have to look down to see Miktik, who''s frantically waving us in.
We take the hint and hurry into her workshop. Behind us, I feel the walls once more close around the entrance.
That''s... matter maniption. The melting wasn''t just a visual effect ¡ª the stone is crystal is actually melting into ce. That feels like a really advanced imbuement.
"Tarin!" Miktik hisses once the so-called door closes behind us. "What are you doing here?! Miktik wasn''t expecting you! And who''s your friend? And how did you even get into Isthanok?"
"Ie help," Tarin sniffs. "You too many questions!"
"She has a right to ask them," I say dryly. I look past her into her workshop, where a small crowd of others stand. Among them, to my surprise, are Thys and Thaht, the kobolds I met in the Arena whose shop we were supposed to visit. Another is a silverwisp that bows his head toward me and gives me the same finger-twist salute that Thys and Thaht both greeted me with.
I think I''m getting an idea of what''s going on here. The imbuement around this ce is solid. If I''m wrong... well, I won''t have to worry about Whisper sending a message back to her past self, at least.
"We''re here because we need to figure out what''s going on with He-Who-Guards," I say. Tarin''s jaw drops ¡ª metaphorically, he mostly just opens his beak wide ¡ª and I suppress the urge to grin. He''s probably thinking about all the times I cautioned him against just revealing who we were and what we were doing. "It''s a long story, but the important thing you need to know is that the Trial has started, and I''m the Trialgoer."
Everyone in Miktik''s workshop erupts into whispers. Miktik herself just stares for a moment, then sighs.
"Miktik should have known Tarin would onlye here to bring trouble," she mutters to herself. "Is the Trial why Whisper is acting so strangely?"
"Probably," I say. "We don''t know what happened. Why don''t you fill us in on what changed starting a day or so ago?"
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Miktik gives me a strange look. "...All instances of He-Who-Guards returned to Whisper''s pce," she says. "And Whisper installed normal guards all over the city. It''s made things harder on us than normal. We''re trying to figure out why."
"Who ''us''?" Tarin asks. He''s still out of the loop.
Miktik sighs. "I suppose we might as well let you in on it," she mutters. "It''s not like I don''t trust you. Not sure I trust the Trialgoer, but he''s already figured us out, so."
"You''re a rebel group of some sort," I say. The imbuement around Miktik''s workshop, the secrecy, the fact that Miktik herself is using Integrator technology in her workshop. Salvage or not, ess to that kind of tech happens only if you''re either very well-connected, or very determined.
Miktik, it seems, is both.
Then there''s that hand gesture the silverwisp greeted me with. For a town that''s under constant audio surveince, a nonverbal means ofmunication is the perfect way for a group of rebels to recognize one another ¡ª although I notice that salute isn''t one Miktik can perform. She doesn''t really have the fingers for it.
Must be hard toe up with something that amodates all species.
"Yes," Miktik confirms. She seems a little morefortable and in-her-element now, at the very least. "You caught us in the middle of a meeting, but if you''re the Trialgoer, then we could use your help. Assuming you''re on our side."
"Hestia''s Trialgoers want to kill me or study me, as far as I can tell," I say dryly. "And they''re all pawns of the Integrators. I''m not exactly interested in working with them."
"Good," Miktik says. She sounds a little relieved, though she hides it well. "We could use a Trialgoer."
"Wait, wait," Tarin protests. He ps his wings a little and makes his way further into the room, fluffing up his feathers as he does so. "What type rebel? You fight Whisper?"
Miktik exchanges nces with the rest of the rebels in the room. Thys and Thaht are both surprisingly quiet; besides them, there is the silverwisp that greeted me, another crow that''s presumably the same species as Tarin, and an antlike warrior I''m assuming is another morphling. I note to my relief that this one isn''t wearing a void suit.
"We fight Whisper, yes," Miktik answers eventually. "You might have noticed that she controls almost everyone in the city. Not directly, but using her Whispers and her assassins. She has a rigid idea of how she wants ''her'' city to run, and if anyone goes against her, she uses her Interface skills to make their lives very painful. You don''t want to experience it yourself, trust me."
"I already have," I say, grimacing at the memory of her Whisper burning through me. "You have a counter for it you''re developing, right? A Firmament sink of some sort that draws in her Firmament and reduces the strain on your system?"
Miktik looks surprised, then suspicious. "How do you know about that?"
"Because he''s a spy," the crow calls out from the back of the room. She leans back in her chair, glowering at the both of us. Her feathers, I note, are a lot glossier than Tarin''s; she seems much younger. She''s also ring at me.
"If I were a spy, I''d being here to learn about the countermeasures you have. I wouldn''t know about them already," I say dryly.
"He has a point!" Thys says. "I don''t know why, but I trust him."
Thaht gives his brother a look. "We''ve talked about how easily you trust people."
"This one''s different."
"That''s what you always say!"
The silverwisp interrupts both brothers. "Perhaps it''s best we begin with introductions," he says smooth. "I am He-Who-Wanders."
"Thys and Thaht," both kobolds chorus together.
"Name''s Bimar," the crow grunts.
"I am he who is named Vahrkos," the morphling says, speaking for the first time. His voice is surprisingly deep. "If you are aware of morphling physiology, please also be aware that my other selves are currently indisposed. I do not wish to talk about them, so I would appreciate it if you avoid questions about them."
He-Who-Wanders shoots Vahrkos a sympathetic look that I fail to entirelyprehend ¡ª there''s something in his gaze, so I''m guessing the silverwisp knows more about Vahrkos''s situation. He holds out his hand, and Vahrkos seems to appreciate the gesture; I see the morphling take the hand and let out a slow breath, calming himself down from some invisible trauma.
"I''m Ethan," I say. "I''ve met some of you before. You probably already know who Tarin is, if Miktik has talked about him at all. And¡ª"
"I''m Ahkelios!" Ahkelios interrupts me before I canplete my side of the introductions, piping up from his spot in my hair. Thys and Thaht both drop their jaws, their eyes gleaming with excitement. He-Who-Wanders flinches for a second before steadying himself. Vahrkos doesn''t react.
Bimar has the biggest reaction of all, because she nearly falls off the chair she''s rocking backward on. "Is that a talking ornament?" she demands.
Oh boy. "He''s not an ornament¡ª" I start.
"I''m not an ornament!" Ahkelios sounds greatly offended, and I groan. "I''m his familiar! And a very useful one, let me tell you!"
"You''re also my friend," I remind him.
"Oh yeah. That too."
"Why do you have a talking ornam¡ª familiar?" Bimar corrects herself as Ahkelios bristles. I can feel his intent to spring himself off my head andunch himself at her.
"It''s a veryplicated story," I say. I don''t think this is the right time to reveal that Hestia as a has been stuck hosting the same Trial for hundreds of iterations. "And it''s not what''s important right now. What''s important is that I can help you improve those Firmament sinks you''re using."
I think. I don''t say those words out loud. I''ve learned a lot more about imbuement since thest time I tried, and the imbuement stone I used back then was... reasonably effective against Whisper. I have no doubt I can make a better one now with some of the techniques I''ve just learned.
More importantly, improving the Firmament sinks ¡ª provided Miktik actually has the materials to outfit us with them ¡ª will give us the ability to get close to Guard without Whisper being able to use her primary skill on us. Phaseslip should let me slip past most of her defenses.
Speaking of which...
"What''s the story behind He-Who-Guards, anyway?" I ask. "You guys seem to know who he is, so I assume it''s not some deeply held secret."
MIktik exchanges nces with the other rebels again, and I catch the wince passing through them all. "You haven''t heard?" she asks. "It''s not a secret. But... it''s kind of a mess.
"To put it simply, He-Who-Guards and She-Who-Whispers were once lovers. Then Whisper was chosen for the Trial, and Guard began to die."
Chapter 101: Book 2: Symptoms
Chapter 101: Book 2: Symptoms
He-Who-Guards remembered when he first met She-Who-Whispers.
She was stunning, he remembered thinking. The daughter of the then-ruler of Isthanok ¡ª as close a thing to a princess as their Great City could have. It wasn''t necessarily her beauty that fascinated him, though that was no small part of it. It was her force of personality. She believed in a vision, and she took whatever steps needed to make that visione to life.
He couldn''t have imagined, then, what the Trials would do to her. How the Integrators would take that trait that gave her life and beauty and twist it into something monstrous.
"I want the city to be perfect," she told him. "Look at it. It''s a ruin for what we call a Great City. We live in the remnants of what someone else built. One day, these towers will fly again."
To her credit, she''d aplished exactly that. Many of the once-destroyed shards now once again hung in the skies of Isthanok, beautiful and pristine.
At the time, He-Who-Guards hadn''t considered the price that might be paid for her dreams. He''d been enamored with her, really. A little foolish, in hindsight, but... their friendship had been genuine. He was sure of it.
"I am sure you will restore the city," He-Who-Guards said. He fidgeted, an unfamiliar nervousness coursing through the mist of his body . There was a part of him that was drawn to her determination, her willingness to enact change. He wanted to be a part of it.
"You''ll help me, won''t you?" she asked.
"Of course," he said, bowing his head. "I am here to serve."She rolled her eyes. "You have to stop saying that," She-Who-Whispers said, throwing a pillow at him. "I can''t believe my dad hired a kid my own age to guard the pce. And you know he wants you to be my friend, right? Not my servant."
"Yes, well..." He-Who-Guards shrugged, feeling a little self-conscious. "It is difficult to get used to the idea."
"Why are you a guard, anyway? You''re way too young." She peered at him curiously. "What makes you so special?"
"Nothing," he said. It was a lie. The amount of Firmament hemanded was enormous. The strength he possessed, even at his age, allowed him to create perfect barriers that nothing could prate. It was the whole reason he''d chosen his name.
"You''re lying to me," She-Who-Whispers used, her bodynguage emanating petnce. Despite himself, He-Who-Guards grinned.
"Perhaps I am," he said. "If you''re lucky, you will get the chance to find out."
He remembered the way sheughed at that, her eyes bright. He didn''t need to look at her pendant to understand that she was delighted by his response, though he couldn''t fathom why.
He-Who-Guards had gotten used to her eventually. He allowed himself to rx, to be someone he never thought he could be. She-Who-Whispers made him feel normal ¡ª and that was a precious thing for someone like him. He''d been born with too much Firmament. His sheer strength was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because he could do things with his Firmament that no one else could, and a curse because the sheer strength of it eroded his own body and the very structure of his soul. The stuff that kept his Firmament in ce.
He never told her, of course. As the days passed, he grew stronger, and the end of his life grew closer. He was shedding Firmament to the point where it was nearly visible ¡ª a constant glow to the silvery mist that made up his body.
There came a point where he couldn''t hide it any longer.
"Why are you always glowing?" She-Who-Whispers asked. There was a yful lilt to her voice ¡ª she was teasing him. "It''s not because you''re around me, is it?"
He-Who-Guards was d he was facing away from her, and she could not see the expression on his pendant. "It''s, ah... private."
"Are you keeping a secret from me?" she narrowed her eyes at him. "You can''t keep a secret from me."
"I think you will find that I can. I have so far," he said dryly. Then he cursed to himself. Evidently, he was quite bad at keeping secrets from She-Who-Whispers.
"Aha!" She-Who-Whispers eximed, triumphant. "You are hiding something from me."
"Only for your own sake," he said.
"You know how I feel about things being done ''for my sake''."
He-Who-Guards sighed. "It''s just Firmament. No big deal." A small lie. It couldn''t hurt that badly, could it?
"Oh." She-Who-Whispers stared at him for a moment. "You''re still hiding something."
"Perhaps."
"I want you to be my consort."
That made He-Who-Guards sputter, the abrupt change in topic throwing him for a loop. "W-what?"
"You heard me!" She-Who-Whispers smirked. "I want you to be my consort. So if you''ve got something to hide, you better tell me now, before my dad announces it to the city."
"Announces it to the¡ª" He-Who-Guards cut himself off. "Why would he announce it to the city?!"
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"I asked him to."
"Why would you..." he sighed. "...Whisper, this isn''t going to work. I like you, but I have ten Hestian cycles left in me. Maybe less."
"What."
He-Who-Guards remembered the abrupt change in her voice. It was chilling. She went from bright and warm and yful to something abruptly cold. The utterck of emotion in her voice made dread coil through his Firmament.
"...I have a condition," He-Who-Guards exined. "My Firmament. It is too strong to stay together. It will all unravel ¡ª it is only a matter of time."
Silence.
When he turned around to look for her, she was gone.
He''d thought she abandoned him back then. That the news he''d given her was too much, for whatever reason ¡ª that she was choosing to protect her heart. He would have understood if that was what she did.
But no. She''d left to throw herself into work, into finding a cure. He''d never seen her with so many books, speaking to so many specialists and practitioners of Firmament. He''d never seen her try this hard even when it came to rebuilding Isthanok, and that had been her passion for as long as he could remember.
And then came Integration Day.
He flung open a door, then hurried down the staircase, looking for anything that might tell him where She-Who-Whispers was. She loved her schedules and her timetables ¡ª she was never missing. Not when she had something nned. For her to be more than an hourte was unheard of, and inbination with the news that thousands of Hestians had simply vanished...
He hoped against hope that she wasn''t one of them ¡ª but when he threw open the doors to her room and saw the perfectly spherical chunk taken out of it, felt the remnants of foreign Firmament contaminating everything nearby, he knew.
Whisper was gone.
The worst part was that part of him had almost felt relieved. Not that she was gone, but that she would no longer be throwing herself into the pointless task of saving him. With any luck, he would be gone by the time she returned, and she would be able to put her energy back into the one thing she truly wanted to do.
Things hadn''t worked out that way, of course.
Really, he should have known better than to underestimate her.
She-Who-Whispers came back changed.
He-Who-Guards knew it from the first moment he saw her ¡ª there was something in her eyes that was cold. He''d only caught a glimpse of that coldness once before, when she''d first learned that his death was inevitable, but now she seemed to wear it like armor rather than hide it within.
Her gaze warmed again when she looked at him, though only slightly. "He-Who-Guards," she greeted. The formalization of his name made his Firmament stir ufortably. "I have found a cure for your condition."
He didn''t know then how much of a fool he would be to trust her.
His biggest mistake, he supposed, wasn''t necessarily that he trusted her. He didn''t regret trusting people he cared about ¡ª trust was something he had chosen to never regret. He gave his trust when it was earned, and if that trust was ever broken, he didn''t me himself for choosing to trust. It was on the other party for breaking it.
Whisper had certainly broken his trust. Whatever happened to her during her Trial had turned her into someone that was only a mockery of who she had been. He saw everything she used to be magnified to the point of absurdity. Mild perfectionism became an obsessive need for control; where she once respected the thoughts and ideas of others, she now only listened to herself.
He hadn''t managed to learn much about what her Trial had been about. From the few details she''d told him, she had to rule over a kingdom of others. He couldn''t tell if she''d been put in charge of it, or if she''d worked her way into being in charge, somehow. The subjects shemanded were apparently tied to her will, and constantly under siege from outside forces. Unless she controlled everything perfectly, she would lose and die, and start over with a different kingdom.
He could imagine how that might have changed her. He just couldn''t have imagined it would change her this much.
"You''ll be fine," she told him. Her voice was clipped, her focus on a bunch of diagrams and models floating in front of her. Scattered around her were mechanical parts, the technology several steps ahead of anything he''d seen in any of the Great Cities so far, let alone Isthanok. "The procedure might hurt a little, but you will be perfect afterward."
He didn''t like the way she said ''perfect''. "I would prefer not to go through with this, Whisper."
She turned around to look at him. She seemed to consider his request for a moment ¡ª but then she shook her head sharply. "I can''t have you dying," she told him. "I still need you to protect this city."
There was a lot hidden in those words. ''I still need you.'' He-Who-Guards glimpsed something genuine in that. But she''d followed it up immediately with ''to protect this city'', and the dispassionate ruthlessness with which she''d returned had immediately taken over once more.
It was the same way he''d seen it when she first returned. She wore it like armor.
In truth, that made him wish he had done more to fight the Integrators. He had tried, when Hestians had first been taken, but there was nothing he could do ¡ª not only because they were stronger than he was, but because he had no means of getting to them. Their announcements came through their Interface, temporarily attaching to them just long enough to drop a message in their vision and then disconnecting once more, before they could learn anything more about it.
Whisper reached out, clipped something to him¡ª
And then his world was fire and pain.
His memories were fragmented, after that. His body was different. He-Who-Guards became metal instead of mist. His Firmament was supported by Whisper''s, and his mind was supported by technology. A cognitive prosthetic, Whisper had called it.
Sometimes it whispered in him, like it was alive. Like it, too, was struggling against all of this.
He remembered being ordered to do things he would normally have refused to do. He remembered putting down rebellions before they began, as the first whispers began to race across the streets. He remembered a hundred different bodies marching through the streets, eachmanded to keep the peace, no matter the cost.
He remembered struggling against it. Once or twice, She-Who-Whispers tried to loosen her control of him ¡ª to see if he would obey her orders willingly. He would always pretend to, at first; he saw no other option. But the moment he got the opportunity, he tried to slip free of the leash.
Eventually, she''d stopped giving him those opportunities at all. Only very rarely did she ever allow him on missions outside of Isthanok, now; only when there were anomalies that were significant enough to pique her interest, or when she needed him to put on a show of force.
And then came the Fracture. Then came Ethan. He remembered the Trialgoer with startling rity. The nature of his Firmament kept him from being erased whenever time was rewound, though he would never willingly share those details with Whisper. She had ess only to what the technology attached to him recorded, and those were as vulnerable to temporal rewinding as almost everything else.
It was funny. In many ways, Ethan reminded him of who Whisper had been before the Trials.
He hoped the Trials wouldn''t break him the same way. But there was a fire in Ethan he''d never seen in Whisper.
Maybe with Ethan, things could be different.
Chapter 102: Book 2: Trial Run
Chapter 102: Book 2: Trial Run
"...That''s one hell of a story," I mutter. I don''t know how to respond for the longest moment. What Miktik tells me is horrifying and terrifying in equal measure ¡ª horrifying because of what''s being done to Guard, and terrifying because of the sheer amount of power Whisper seems to wield.
It''s not a surprise, necessarily. I''ve fought her. I know how strong she can be. But if this story is any indication, there are many cards she still has left to y.
"Do you think Guard is still in there?" I ask. "You said she did something to him, turned him into the robot we see today... but do you think he''s still actually alive?"
"We''re not sure," Miktik says doubtfully. "There are rumors. Sometimes He-Who-Guards doesn''t act the way we expect him to ¡ª he shows mercy when he otherwise wouldn''t, or lets someone escape him when he could easily catch them. We think that''s him fighting back, but it could just as easily be a trick Whisper is ying."
I think back to the glimpses I''ve caught of Guard behaving strangely ¡ª the purple Firmament withdrawing to reveal a sh of iridescence within. "I don''t think it''s a trick," I say. I hope it''s not, anyway. I''m still going to need his help getting back into the Fracture, although I''m going to have to convince him to help me first.
And probably find a cure for him. And defeat Whisper.
My to-do list is only getting longer. It urs to me that if I get strong enough to fight Whisper, I might be able to fight the monsters in the Fracture without worrying about Guard.
It still doesn''t feel right to just leave him be, though. I sigh. "Sometimes having a moralpass is annoying," I mutter.
Tarin gives me a strange look. "What you say?"
"Don''t worry about it." I exhale again, looking around the room at the motley group of rebels. "This can''t be all there is to you guys, right? I''m assuming a rebellion can''t beprised of six people trying to get out from under Whisper''s thumb."
"Oh, no," Thys says.
"There''s way more of us," Thaht says. "But Miktik''s workshop doesn''t really have a lot of room, and it''s one of the only ces we have that are secure against Whisper."
"Rtively," Bimar says under her breath. The rest of them ignore her, apparently used to this by now. She sits up in her chair, glowering at me. "And I still don''t trust you enough to answer that. Don''t think I didn''t notice you avoiding the question I asked earlier. How do you know about the Firmament sinks?"
"I''m the Trialgoer," I say dryly. "You should assume I know a lot of things I''m not supposed to know."
"Still not answering the question."
"Would you trust me if I did answer it?" I ask. "Because I doubt you would, and the story is pretty unbelievable anyway."
"More unbelievable than what you just heard about Whisper and Guard?" Bismar shot back.
I pause. "...You have a point, there," I admit.
Whisper more than likely already knows what''s going on. I don''t think it''ll hurt that much to tell Miktik and the others about the loops, as loathe as I am to lose the information advantage. Unlike the Hestian Trialgoers, the rebels don''t have a way to pass information back to themselves, so the worst they can do is try to manipte my actions by limiting or altering the information they give me...
...which they''re even more likely to do if I don''t tell them the truth.
"So you''ll believe me," I say. "Even if I tell you that the reason I know is time travel?"
There''s a long pause.
"...Why don''t you tell us the whole story first," Bismar says, her tone guarded.
It takes longer than I''d like to convince them. They believe me eventually ¡ª it''s difficult not to, when I have Ahkelios and Tarin both to back up my story and Temproral Link to create clones of myself, not to mention my knowledge of Thaht''s war-construct and its weakness to being punched through time. Thaht is simultaneously proud of and insulted by the construct''s ability to withstand a Trialgoer and the fact that its apparent weakness is time.
"How am I supposed to make something that can defend against a time punch?!" he grumbles. "It''s hard enough defending against Firmament sts!"
I shrug. "Cancel out all Firmament it passes through?" I suggest.
"You say that like it''s easy," Thaht mutters, but he looks thoughtful.
They do believe me, in the end, and that''s enough for us to get a start. Miktik''s a lot more open with what her tools are and what she can do when she doesn''t have any more secrets to hide ¡ª or no more major secrets to hide, anyway.
"I do have the materials to make more Firmament sinks," she admits. "But I have to keep a steady supply avable for everyone, not just for myself. I wish we could give it to everyone, but the more people we give it to, the more likely it is that Whisper finds out. I''m surprised she didn''t already know as it is. Part of me thought she was just messing with us."
"She definitely didn''t know when you first used it in front of her," I say. "So whatever you''re doing to keep it secret, it''s working. It just doesn''t take much for her to get past it when she does know."
"And you said you have a way to improve the design?" Miktik asks.
"I think so." It''s not as easy as I make it sound. I don''t even have an imbuement stone yet. "Thys, Thaht, you both fight in the Craven Arena. I assume you''ve collected a lot of points by now?"
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"I don''t bother redeeming anything from the barracks," Thaht says with a shrug. "That ce pisses me off. Bought a couple things from the Ringmaster, but that''s about it."
"I''ve redeemed a few things," Thys says. "Better those weapons go to us than some goon of Whisper''s, right?"
"Unless it''s trapped," I say. "But I don''t disagree. You think you have enough to grab me some imbuement stones from the Ringmaster?"
I could use my own points, especially since the Arena''s points seem to tie into the Interface in some way ¡ª but this loop is going to be a tight one as it is, and I''d rather not spend another few days fighting people in a glorified diator arena just to get the materials I need. Thys and Thaht exchange nces.
"We could do that," Thys says cautiously. "But we''ve got some stones in our shop as well. Why don''t youe with us and check it out?"
"...And you''re not going to trap me in your shop?" I ask dryly.
Thaht looks offended. "If we wanted to trap you, we wouldn''t use our shop to do it," he says. "That ce is our livelihood. You think we want you to blow it up? Besides, if you''re telling the truth about the time travel thing, trapping you would be stupid."
Iugh. "I don''t know," I say. "You two are pretty smart. I''m sure you could figure out something I need to be careful about."
Thys and Thaht both look pleased by that remark. If they were nning tounch some kind of trap on me, I''m pretty sure that was enough to change their minds.
Only one way to know for sure, though.
"I have enough to outfit everyone here with a prototype Firmament sink," Miktik says. "But if you''re telling the truth, we''re going to need your improvements to stand a chance against Whisper. Do you actually have a n?"
"Right now, I just want to see if I can rescue Guard," I say. "I need his help to save Rotar and Ikaara, and I need your help to ess the Integrator salvage you told me about. I have a feeling that will help me get into wherever the Integrators live."
"It''s still going to take time to prepare the protective suits for that," Miktik cautions. "Even if I rush it ¡ª which I can now that you know what I''m doing ¡ª it''s still going to take at least a week."
"Why do I need a protective suit?" I ask. It''s possible one of the skills I already have from the Interface will provide me with the protection I need. Verdant Armor is a strong skill on its own, and modified with an Inspiration, it should be enough for me to survive near anything. "You told me it''s because the ambient Firmament will crush me, but is that the whole story?"
"It''s part of it." Miktik hesitates. "The ambient Firmament will crush just about anyone, but you''re a Trialgoer. I can''t say the same will happen to you. The problem for you is the Firmament differential ¡ª even if you can withstand the pressure, the sheer difference in Firmament between you and everything around you is going to force excess Firmament into you."
"And that''s bad," I say.
"Like overcharging a battery," Miktik confirms.
"...So I could explode?"
"While you''re in there? No. The pressure will force you to stay in ce. But the moment you leave..."
"Got it." I grimace at the idea. "What can you tell me about the salvage yard? Is there going to be anything I can use?"
Miktik shrugs, a full-body shudder of her ting. "There''s always something useful in there," she says. "The problem is getting deep enough to get it. There are ces I can''t get to even with my suit. You might be able to get to those ces, but I can''t tell you what you''d find."
I nce at Ahkelios. "What''re the odds this will help me get to the Integrators themselves?"
"Pretty high?" Ahkelios hesitates, tapping his arms against each other as if performing a mental calction. "Pretty high. I never fought any of the Integrators myself or found a way to get to them, but a ce that high in ambient Firmament has got to be rted to where they are. I bet Phaseslip will show you something while you''re there."
"Then I guess we''ve got the beginnings of a n," I say.
It''s not a good n, but it''s a start. Get the Firmament sinkspleted so we can ignore Whisper''smands. Find a way to rescue Guard so he can help us rescue Rotar and Ikaara. By that point, hopefully Miktik''s protective suits will beplete, and I can go in and retrieve Gheraa... somehow.
Just as long as Whisper doesn''t interfere with any of those steps, which she almost certainly will.
"Well," I say. "Can you guys take me to your shop so we can take a look at those imbuement stones? Miktik, if you send a prototype with me, I can probably work on the sinks while we''re at the workshop instead of carrying them around where Whisper might see it."
"The only one I have with me is the one I''m using," Miktik says with a slight grimace. "I can lend it to you, just be sure to get it back to me before Whisper¡ª"
A crystalline sound rings out throughout the workshop. I blink, then nce back toward the sealed entrance.
"Please tell me that isn''t Whisper," I say.
Miktik stares at a screen feeding her an image from a camera outside. "Okay," she says. "I won''t."
"...Who is it?"
"You told Miktik not to tell you." There''s her nervousness again.
I feel exhaustion sweep through me. "It''s Whisper, isn''t it?"
"Yes."
Another crystalline knock rings out through the workshop.
"You guys stay here," I say. I take the prototype sink that Miktik is holding out to me. "And don''t open the door."
Phaseslip.
I step out through the side of the building, wincing slightly at the strange sensation of solid crystal passing through my body. Whisper''s gazends on me the moment my feet touch the dirt and the quietest whisper of a sound echoes through the now-silent air.
An idea begins to percte in my head.
"Trialgoer," she says.
"What''s a Trialgoer?" I ask, gathering Firmament within me. She narrows her eyes.
"You know, I thought perhaps we could be allies," she says. "But it appears you have chosen to align yourself against me. Am I wrong?"
"Probably," I say.
"Wrong answer," Whisper replies. "I''m never wrong. Now tell me the truth. What are your ns? Who is in there? What have you done with He-Who-Guards?"
I hear her words as a Whisper on the Wind. Her Firmament coils around me, deadly and insidious, binding itself to my Firmament and attempting to force me to obey.
Phaseslip.
The thing is, Phaseslip doesn''t protect me from Firmament attacks. I''m just as vulnerable to them when I''m phased as when I''m not. I learned this when Virin hit me with a rock that was leaking Firmament.
Which also taught me something else: When I''m phased, I can treat concentrated exposed Firmament like it''s a solid object.
I grab the coil of Firmament headed toward me, stopping it in its tracks. Whisper''s eyes widen in shock and anger.
Crystallized Strength.
For a skill too powerful for the Void to consume, it is remarkably easy ¡ª and satisfying ¡ª to tear it apart.
"You know, Whisper," I say. "Maybe you should try a different trick for once."
Chapter 103: Book 2: Slipping Away
Chapter 103: Book 2: Slipping Away
To say that Whisper is angry is an understatement. I can see the color of her anger turning her Firmament with a dark, stained crimson. It''s so strong it''s impacting the nature of her skills, even without having to use something like Hueshift; I can feel her anger like it''s heat against my skin, and I shift back out of Phaseslip to avoid it.
"I forgot how arrogant you Trialgoers can get," she sneers at me.
I cock my head. "Aren''t you a Trialgoer too?"
The sound she makes is unintelligible, either because she isn''t saying anything in particr or because it''s too warped for the Interface to make sense of it. She has enough self-restraint, thankfully, to not immediately fire a beam of Firmament at me ¡ª out here in the slums of Isthanok, an attack like that would cause devastating casualties.
It urs to me, perhaps a littlete, that provoking her in the midst of a civilian-popted area is probably not the best of ideas.
But it''s also the only thing giving me an advantage. For all of Whisper''s faults, she seems hesitant to damage her beloved city. Her perfectionism seems to extend even to this more run-down part of Isthanok. I can see the way her eyes dart between the buildings next to me and behind me, as if trying to figure out if she canunch an attack without destroying a part of her city.
The answer, apparently, is that she cannot. And that tells me quite a bit about her capabilities all on its own.
"Why are you even lettingthe Integrators do this?" I ask. "Hestia isn''t growing. It''s held more than three hundred Trials without any Trialgoer seeding. Your entire is just going through the motions. What''s the point?"
"Isthanok isn''t perfect yet," Whisper says coldly. "If the timees, I will free Hestia myself. But not before I fix everything.""That''s a better answer than I expected," I say. "It''s still a bad answer, though."
It takes me a second, but I realize why Whisper isn''t doing anything. The Firmament around and behind her is slightly distorted, the distortion just barely visible because it doesn''t follow the same gradient of density the rest of the Firmament in the area carries; I remember abruptly the frog-like creature that tried to assassinate me in one of the past loops.
If I''m not missing any of them, there are three of them gathered behind her, each of them aiming a Firmament weapon at me and ready to fire. I keep myself tensed ¡ª they''re Firmament-based attacks, so it''s not something I can just Phaseslip through. A Warpstep will get me out of the way if they''re too fast to dodge conventionally.
But I''m realizing I don''t like what I''m doing here.
I''m reacting. Whisper is making the first moves ¡ª right now, she has the advantage. She knows I''m a Trialgoer, and she knows enough to go after Miktik, even if she apparently doesn''t know what I look like or who I am. She should have sent a message back to herself as soon as she sees me, but I haven''t seen her look for or interact with the Interface, nor sensed the telltale Firmament associated with it.
I remember an idea I had a few loops back.
I need to make sure I have the information advantage.
The thought settles quickly into a n.
Hey, Ahkelios. I send the thought through our bond, and I feel the little mantis reacting, stiffening on my shoulder. Whisper hasn''t reacted or taken notice of him yet ¡ª it''s something she''s been pretty consistent about. She just doesn''t take notice of him. I need you to be ready to kill me.
You what? Ahkelios''s startled response rings through our bond. Ethan, I don''t know if it''s a good idea for you to¡ª
¡ªDoesn''t matter for now, I interrupt. Look, I need the information advantage on Whisper. I need to make sure she has the wrong idea of what I want and what I''m doing. There''s only one way to do that, and it''s to make sure she sends back the information I want her to send back.
You know you can''t let yourself get used to doing this, right? Ahkelios sounds worried, and if I''m being honest, I appreciate it. Maybe that''s what all the other Trialgoers were missing ¡ª someone to ground them.
I know, I respond. But I''ve got you to warn me if I''m going off the deep end, don''t I?
I can feel Ahkelios being simultaneously ttered and worried through our bond, and I have to bite back my amusement lest Whisper suspect something. I guess you do, Ahkelios says. But you better listen to me if I tell you to stop!
I will, I promise. I''ll give you the signal. Let''s hope this works.
"I can tell you''re nning something, dear," Whisper says. She seems to have used the silence to calm down ¡ª her Firmament has settled down a little, the crimson tinge in the air fading away to something no longer visible. I''m sure I''d still see traces of it if I turned on Firmament Sight, but I don''t want to give away anything more about what I can do right now. "Why don''t you tell me what you''re nning?"
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Another Whisper. I Phaseslip once more, and almost immediately take note of the trap she''s prepared ¡ª she was waiting for it. The extra solidity I get against Firmament in this form makes me particrly vulnerable to the assassins standing behind her, I''m guessing. Three darts of Firmament whip toward me at the same time the Whisper tries to connect to me.
I am, thankfully, prepared.
Warpstep.
What I''m a little less prepared for is the interaction between Warpstep and Phaseslip. Warpstep is feels significantly different when I''m phased, and not in a good way; instead of an instantaneous transition taking me from one point to another, I feel my entire self stretching through space. There''s a moment of nausea, a moment where I feel like I''m in two ces at once, a moment where I feel like I''m being forced at rapid speed through an immovable object.
Then it''s over. I don''t have the time to reorient myself. Teleportation doesn''t stop Whisper''s skill from trying to take effect, and even if I''ve dodged the assassins for the time being, it''s only going to take a second for them to find me again. Time for an old trick.
I use an Inspired Quicken Mind, applying elerator to it to speed up my perception. Once again, it drains my Firmament of almost everything I can muster ¡ª as much as I''ve improved, the Inspiration appears to have improved along with me, and so it''s draining a proportionally greater amount of my strength to fuel itself.
The world, too, slows to a near stop. The elerated perception I''m experiencing now is an entire magnitude greater than before...
Which is a bad thing. I grimace. My mind is too elerated. At the rate I''m moving, it''s going to drain nearly all my Firmament before I can close my fist around the hostile skill.
Nothing to it but to adjust my trajectory and hope for the best. I let my perception snap back to normal; my hand closes around the Whisper, Crystallized Strength already fueling me with the power to snap the foreign Firmament in half.
Except Whisper''s adjusted, because of course she has. Her Firmament splits smoothly in half in my grip, coiling around me as two separate attacks instead of one. I grit my teeth and readjust, bringing up my Amplification Gauntlet so I can crush one into the ground. The other I''m too out of position to stop, and so I just apply a quick Hueshift as it attaches itself to me.
If nothing else, it''s halved in power, and the Hueshift will weaken it even more. Combined with the Firmament sink Miktik lent me, I think I can make this work with my ns.
Whisper smirks at me. "Good try," she praises, though her voice drips with condescending superiority. I fake a grimace. It''s not even entirely fake ¡ª I can feel her Firmament coursing through me with each moment I refuse to answer her question, turning into a blistering heat that burns beneath my skin.
But the Hueshift weakens the effect, and Miktik''s Firmament sink is collecting every bit of stray heat it can. It''s heating up in turn, of course. This version of it is far from perfect. But inbination with my own skills, with my durability, with the weakened version of the Whisper that hit me...
It''s enough.
"You want to know what I''m nning?" I ask. I wince a bit as I speak, feeling the burn of Whisper''s Firmament grow; to lessen the strain, I mix in a bit of the truth. "I want to go to the Craven Arena and win some points. You know, considering you upgraded the rewards so much."
I pause for a moment to consider how much convincing Whisper will need. I''ve been to the Craven Arena a few times now, although I''ve only met the Ringmaster once. I''ve got some idea of who is fighting when. I have a rough idea of thebat styles of most of my opponents¡ª
"I see," Whisper says. "And why are you visiting my engineer?"
I almost blink in surprise, but manage to cover up my reaction with another grimace as the Whisperpels me to answer. She really just... believed me. She-Who-Whispers doesn''t doubt for a second that her skill might fail her, or that others might find a way around it. That''s a weakness if I''ve ever seen one. "It''s kind of hard to fight the people in the Arena," I say, which isn''t technically a lie. The Firmament sink heats up in my pocket. "I met her in a previous loop. I''m pretty sure she can make a weapon for me."
Whisper snorts. "And you needed to seal her workshop to do this?"
She thinks I sealed the workshop? For an all-knowing leader of Isthanok, she''s surprisingly ignorant to what''s actually happening in it. "I didn''t want you to listen in and find out I was the Trialgoer," I say, which is also technically the truth.
I can feel Ahkelios trembling as he tries to withhold his giggles. You better not give this away, I mutter to him.
I won''t, he says. It''s just ¡ª I can''t believe she''s this easy to fool.
I don''t think she''s ever considered that she''s anything less than perfect, I mutter dryly. At least not after her Trial.
"I''m afraid Miktik isn''t avable for hire," Whisper says coldly. "What did you do to Guard?"
"Having a guard in the city is kind of inconvenient," I say, feigning a bored, careless tone that makes her Firmament simmer with anger once again. "And since you''ve technically only got one person guarding the whole city, it''s an easy point of vulnerability."
"Answer the question." There''s no room for argument in her voice. The assassins next to her shift uneasily, moving away from her even while under camouge; I can''t imagine it''sfortable to be so close to that density of Firmament.
"I just tore away some of his Firmament," I lie. That burns. It''s enough of a direct lie that her Firmament res up within me ¡ª not nearly as strong as it had been in ourst fight, but I also don''t have the same imbuement stone I had back then.
Whisper stares at me. "Foolish," she tells me. I feel her opening her Interface and risk activating Firmament Sight. The assassins bleed into my vision, splotches of green-brown Firmament against the background, but more importantly, I can see the square window that functions as her Interface.
I can''t see what''s on it, of course. It''s just a mass of Firmament. But I can tell she''s writing down a message, and I can tell when a small pulse of Firmament runs through it, which I assume is the message being saved.
Now, Ahkelios.
I don''t know for sure that she''s sent back the message that I want her to send back... but there''s only one way to find out.
[ You have died. +5 Strength credits. +30 Durability credits. +12 Reflex credits. +6 Speed credits. +20 Firmament credits. ]
Chapter 104: Book 2: Restart
Chapter 104: Book 2: Restart
"I don''t know if I like that you''re resorting to dying as a solution," Ahkelios says.
It''s not the first time he''s shared this sentiment. It''s probably the third, actually. I groan. "Look, I want Whisper''s attention to be directed away from what the rebels are doing," I say. "There wasn''t any way that fight was going to end well for me, and Miktik and the others were basically seconds away from being discovered. I had to end the loop there."
"Yeah, but what about when you get out of this?" Ahkelios argues. "You aren''t going to be in a time loop anymore, but what if you''ve gotten used to doing this and you do it by ident?"
"I¡ª" I sigh. I appreciate that Ahkelios is worried about me, I really am, but I can''t imagine any world where I''d jump to death as a solution. It''s not like I enjoy the process of dying. "Look, that''s why I''m asking you to do it, isn''t it? I''m not building any reflex for it. You''ll be able to refuse me if I try to get you to do it once we''re out."
Ahkelios grumbles under his breath. "I guess you''re right," he says. He doesn''t sound happy about it.
I change the subject. "You seem way more willing to believe that I''m going to get out of this," I say, half-joking. "Why the change of heart?"
Ahkelios looks up at me, narrowing his eyes. "I never said I didn''t think you''d get out of this. You didn''t use the link to read my mind, did you?"
"No," I say. I''m pretty sure it doesn''t work that way. "It''s just that you''ve never talked about me getting out of the Trial. Ever."
There''s a short silence there. Ahkelios looks away, and I realize with a start that I''m closer to the mark than I realized."I don''t know what it is," he says eventually. "But the more time I spend with you, the more sure I am that you''ll figure something out. You just keep... doing it. Finding a way out of things. And it''s almost never what I expect or would have done. And it works out better for you than it ever did for me."
I almost don''t know how to respond to that. "Thank you," I say.
"Do you know what you''ll do when you win?" Ahkelios asks me. "I don''t know what you did on your, but I doubt it''s anything close to this."
"I have not even begun to worry about that," I grunt. "And I don''t think I want to just yet. I''ll figure it out when I get there."
"Or we will," Ahkelios says softly. "Or... I don''t know. Do you know what''s going to happen to me?"
I don''t have an answer for that.
"...I''d like to figure out a way to get you back into a body of your own, not just one made out of Firmament," I say eventually.
"But that doesn''t mean I''ll have a home," Ahkelios says. "I don''t even know what the Integrators did to my."
"Then I guess I know what I''ll be doing once I''m out of here," I answer instantly. The wordse out before I''m even aware I''m saying them, but... they feel right.
Ahkelios''s eyes widen a bit as he looks up at me. "You''ll help me?"
"You''re helping me right now, aren''t you?" I say, holding out a fist. "I figure I owe you a favor."
Ahkelios gives me a tiny fistbump, suddenly looking much more cheerful. "Time to find Tarin?" he asks.
"Not before I get you some moss," I say with augh. Ahkelios looks delighted.
I don''t have that much time to take breaks in this Trial. The clock ticks away with every second I spare.
But without moments like these, I think I''d forget what I''m fighting for.
There are two things I need to do at the Cliffside. The first of them is meet up with Tarin. This time he''s ready and waiting. Considering Mari''sck of reaction, he doesn''t appear to have told her about the loop this time, and that''s... probably for the best. It''s not like the vige''s imbuement stones are going to work for me, anyway.
She does give me a suspicious once-over. "Tarin say he helping you fight."
"That''s... true," I say.
"Good." Mari nods. "You need. Your Firmament soft."
At least they''re not calling it unstable anymore ¡ª but what''s soft supposed to mean? Before I can question her on it, she disappears back into their hut, muttering something about needing to make preparations to protect the vige if Tarin was going to be away for a while.
"Was it actually that easy to convince her?" I ask Tarin.
"Yes!" Tarin nods, looking at me as if offended. "She understand. Sometimes hatchling need help."
"Are you calling me a hatchling?"
"What else I call you? You still no feathers."
"I¡ª Tarin, I''m an adult human."
"You baby crow."
If it weren''t for the shit-eating grin on Tarin''s face, I would''ve been a lot more exasperated. As it is, I justugh and shake my head. "...I''m going to go talk to Virin before we leave. I promised I''d help him out with some imbuement stuff."
Virin is still asleep when I knock on the wall to his hut. His daughter is not, and I wince when she jumps on top of him to wake him up. He shoots out of bed with a squawk and enough force to send his daughter flying.
Right back into her nest hanging from the roof. Huh. Have they practiced this? Judging by the giggles, they might have.
I smile a little. He''s a good father.
"Hey, Virin," I greet. "Listen, this is going to sound really strange, but..."
To my surprise, the moment I exin the loop and his own n to him, his eyes light up ¡ª there isn''t even a hint of hesitation or doubt. When I describe what happened to the rock, he doesn''t seem surprised or concerned. "I always wonder!" he exims, taking the moss-covered rock out of a nearby drawer and examining it with interest. "Means activation need to be different. You sayst time I just pour Firmament in?"
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"Yes." I remember it quite distinctly, mostly because I hadn''t been expecting to watch a rock burst into mes and then evaporate.
"Okay. Now you need remember activation point. You watch." He aims for a specific part of the rock ¡ª something outlined in concentric circles of moss ¡ª and stabs it with a needle of Firmament.
The rock melts into liquid.
I stare at the rock, then at Virin. "Was that supposed to happen?"
"You remember," Virin insists, already pushing me out the doorway. "I need more sleep! Next time you note so early."
Bemused, I make my way back to Tarin.
The rest of the loop up until Isthanok goes much the same way. The guards at the Great Gates don''t give me any trouble, and the ones at the Isthanok border have clearly been told to look out for someone going for the Arena, so they don''t even give me a second nce when I tell them I''m there to visit Thys and Thaht.
Perfect.
Tarin and I head straight for Miktik''s workshop. Tarin skips all the confused preamble and just knocks sharply on the fused crystal that hides the entrance to her workshop; there''s a long pause, longer than the one we experienced in the previous loop, before it reluctantly slides open. Just like before, Miktik frantically waves us in.
A little less like before, she''s noticeably more suspicious of us. "You weren''t surprised that door was missing," she says. "Tarin. How did you know?"
Tarin squawks in impatience. "You open door for mest time," he says.
I sigh.
"What do you mean,st time?" Miktik is more visibly agitated. She trusts Tarin, I can see that much, or she wouldn''t have let him in in the first ce ¡ª but I guess being under Whisper''s rule is pretty stressful. I imagine it''s hard to tell if someone might be acting under the effects of a Whisper. That said, though...
"I think we both know if Tarin was being manipted by a Whisper he''d be a lot louder about it," I say dryly. Tarin''s not the type of bird to just listen to whatever a mysterious voice tells him to do. For the most part.
"Who are you, anyway?" Miktik pivots her attention to me nearly immediately.
I don''t bother with the games. "I''m the Trialgoer," I say. "The Trial''s started, and I need your help to evade Whisper."
"And why should Miktik trust you?" Miktik asks. She''s nervous, but she keeps ncing between Tarin and I ¡ª clearly his presence is enough for this encounter to be a lot smoother than it otherwise would be.
"You don''t have that much of a reason to," I admit. "But Whisper is as much an enemy to me as she is to you guys, and I''ve already worked with you and been here before. Look, let''s get further inside with the others and I''ll tell you the full story."
Miktik blocks my path. "What others?" she demands. I almost open my mouth to retort that we''re wasting time, but... I see the look in her eyes and stop.
She''s not disbelieving me or just stubbornly denying the existence of the rest of the resistance. She''s testing me.
Okay.
"You''ve got the kobold brothers ¡ª Thys and Thaht. A crow like Tarin named Bimar. A silverwisp named He-Who-Wanders. And a morphling..."
I hesitate. I don''t remember his name.
"Vahrkos," Ahkelios supplies. The sudden movement and sound from my head is enough to startle Miktik into letting out a small yelp. Her legs twitch, and she swings a miniscule tool at her belt to point at Ahkelios before forcing herself to rx.
"You''re kind of jumpy," I observe. "What happened?"
"You tell us your story first and I''ll tell you ours," Miktik grumbles. "This way."
It doesn''t take much time to get them caught up on the time loop thing. They''re all a little disbelieving of the idea, but it''s not like I don''t have a half-dozen ways to prove it ¡ª from knowing about Miktik''s Firmament sink to knowing what would happen if Whisper tried to overload it, to Ahkelios''s own knowledge of Hestia and the recounting of some of his own loops.
I stop him when he begins to get a little too into his retelling. I can see the little guy starting to shake a little. Whatever memories he has, he doesn''t seem ready to face them yet.
The Interface has taken a bit more from us than any of us know, I think.
"So," I say eventually. "I''m going to need your help."
"Let me get this straight." Bimar is unsurprisingly the most skeptical of the lot. The crow''s wings tap impatiently against the makeshift table they''re all seated at. "Your n is to make Whisper think that you''re here for the Arena, distract her from the fact that you''re actually here to help us develop a new Firmament sink and to... what, abduct He-Who-Guards?"
"Abduct implies that he''s unwilling," I say. "I doubt he''s unwilling."
"Your doubt doesn''t guarantee our effort won''t be wasted," Bimar says sharply. "And these loops of yours might, but only if they''re real. Even then, they seem unreliable at best." She gives Tarin a pointed look. "Who''s to say something doesn''t get preserved that permanently ruins us?"
"The Trialgoer is still the best option we''ve had in a while," He-Who-Wanders says. "The risk of working with him is no greater than the risk of any of the other tasks we undertake on a regr basis."
"Whose side are you on?!" Bimar demands.
Thys sighs. The kobold leans in to give me a stage whisper. "Bimar''s just angry because you messed up our ns," he says. "She''ll calm down eventually."
I just blink. "What ns? You had ns?"
And now it''s their turn to tell me what happened at the start of this loop. Miktik takes the lead, and Bimar declines to participate for most of the discussion, instead watching me and Tarin with sharp eyes. She doesn''t trust us, I can tell.
But I notice her gaze lingers on Tarin more than it does on me, and I find that... strange.
"Whatever you told her about the Arena made her change the format of it," Miktik exins. "It''s a tournament-style arena now, at least for the next couple of days. The points it rewards are multiplied the higher in the tournament you go."
"...That sounds like an obvious trap," I say. I don''t bother hiding how bewildered I am. She believes I told her the truth about wanting prizes from the Arena, but why the change of format? The rules technically benefit me, if anything; it means it''ll take much less points for me to earn what I need...
Of course, it''ll also put me directly in her sights, which is probably what she wants. I have no intention of spending multiple loops trying to perfect my performance in a tournament.
Miktik nods, agreeing. "We were wondering what that was about. Between the new guards she put out, He-Who-Guards being missing, and the sudden change to the Arena, we figured she might have been on to Thys and Thaht."
"Kinda d to hear that''s not the case," Thys quips.
Vahrkos speaks up. "I would assume the tournament exists in order to identify you," he says, his voice a low, smooth rumble. "One that can travel through time would be easy to spot in a series of fixedbat challenges."
"It would''ve been just as easy to spot me in the regr Arena," I say.
"That would depend on your level of skill," Vahrkos says. "But this announcement will attract many newbatants, including ones not from this city."
Tarin''s eyes gleam. I groan. "Tarin, we''re not¡ª"
"Training," Tarin insists.
I sigh.
Despite Tarin''s insistence, I refuse to actually join the tournament and walk straight into Whisper''s trap. The setup is rmingly specific ¡ª if all she wanted to do was identify me, she could Whisper to every contestant walking inside the Arena grounds. Unless, of course, there''s a cost to her Whisper that prevents her from doing it at that scale.
The point is, whatever she''s doing, I don''t trust it. And neither do any of the rebels.
"We''re going to resign from the Arena this round, I think," Thys says, ncing at his brother. "No point getting involved in whatever this is."
"Yeah, getting involved in this sounds dumb," Thaht agrees.
Bimar rolls her eyes. "You set yourself up for this," she tells me bluntly. "You want to keep ying whatever game you''re ying with her, you''re going to need to do something, or she''ll figure out you tricked her. And that you have a counter against her Whispers."
...Well, she''s not wrong there.
"I enter tournament," Tarin deres.
I frown. "That''s not going to work," I say. "She knows the new Trialgoer has to be an offworlder. You''re from Hestia."
"I not say I pretend to be Trialgoer," Tarin says, scoffing at the idea. "I say I go tournament. My turn for training, yes?"
"He''s going through the loops too, isn''t he?" Bimar speaks in her usual brusque manner. "If Whisper is on the lookout for someone that acts like a time traveler, Tarin''s going to check all those boxes eventually. Even if she figures he''s not the Trialgoer, she''ll know he''s connected to you."
"Right. Because he is connected to me." I think for a moment, then let a devious grin curl up into my lips. "I think I can make that work."
Chapter 105: Book 2: Spark of Rebellion
Chapter 105: Book 2: Spark of Rebellion
One of the biggest problems I have right now is that I''m a little... directionless. I have many disparate goals, and nothing stringing them together; that means I''m just leaping for the first opportunity toplete whatever goal seems within my reach.
I need to save Rotar. To do that, I''ve decided I''ll try to save Guard as well, a process which involves me in Isthanok''s politics and necessitates that I work on a counter to She-Who-Whispers''s main skill ¡ª her Whisper. That''s where my work with imbuementes in. It''s the whole reason I studied with Virin, and my growth in that department has helped me in other areas, too.
Directly countering She-Who-Whispers by physically grabbing her Whisper, for example.
I might not need the Firmament sink anymore with this new application of Phaseslip, but it''s clear from ourst encounter that it won''t be enough. It''s not hard to avoid when she does it right in front of me, but the strength of the skill is that she can do it from absurd distances, and she clearly has countermeasures against people that can interact with her skill the way I did.
That and creating a better Firmament sink will help Miktik and the others. If I want them to help me, I''m going to have to do that anyway.
"You sound like you have a n," Bimar says. Her tone is still tinged with suspicion, but I just grin.
"Maybe."
Telling Whisper I was going to go to the Arena was a little less well thought out than it should have been ¡ª more of an impulsive n with a half-finished end goal. It''s the seeds of what I''ll need, but I''m not being focused enough.
At the time I was thinking I''d lead Whisper on something of a wild goose chase ¡ª to tell her I was there for the Arena, work on the Firmament sink with Thys and Thaht, and then show up at the Arena when I was good and ready ¡ª and use that moment to imply I was after a different target. One of those underground groups Rotar had mentioned that studied the Interface, for example.That way, I can keep her off-bnce. I can make sure she''s looking for me in the wrong ces, trying to counter the wrong ns. If I y it right, she''ll be trying to deal with a version of me that doesn''t even exist, not knowing that I know she can pass information back to herself.
The question I need to ask, though, is this: Is that good enough?
And the answer to that question is a resounding no. Not if I want to do everything I came here to do. Fighting the Integrators, fighting Hestia''s Trialgoers, learning more about the Interface and doing everything the Heart of Hestia asked me to do ¡ª I have aundry list of tasks, and that''s not even touching on the Interface chat that''s still been locked since thest time I managed to speak to other humans.
Come to think of it, I wonder if my brief glimpse of what was going on with the rest of Earth''s Trialgoers had anything to do with Gheraa. He seems plenty willing to manipte details of the Trial to my advantage, even if it gets him into trouble.
...Which also makes it more of a priority that I extract him from the Integrators as soon as I can, because I doubt his deception is going tost much longer.
"I need to make Whisper work for me," I say out loud.
There''s a long silence. Bimar is the first to speak. "What," she says, her voice deadpan. "You better not be thinking of working with he¡ª"
"No," I say, shaking my head. "First of all, if I were, it''d be stupid to say it out loud here."
Bimar res, evidently unconvinced.
"Second, it''d be hard to work with someone I don''t trust," I say dryly. I give Bimar a pointed look ¡ª it''s obviously how she feels about working with me ¡ª and she has the grace to look a little bit embarrassed. I''m going to have to ask her what her deal is eventually, but given the way she keeps ncing at Tarin, I''m wondering if they have history.
Except Tarin doesn''t seem to recognize her, so that can''t be right.
"So what''s your n?" Bimar asks.
"If I''m going to have her chasing after me, we need to work it into our ns," I say. "Both yours and mine, ideally. Is there anything we can make her go after that would help you guys out?"
That makes Bimar fall into a contemtive silence. Thys and Thaht look at each other, He-Who-Wanders whispers something to Vahrkos, and Miktik suddenly scampers off to her workbench to grab... something. It''s clear they''ll be thinking about this for a while, so I turn my attention to Tarin.
Rebels aside, there''s one way I can y this in my favor and against the Integrators: I need to make sure the Hestian Trialgoers can''t work together. As I understand it, any alliance they have is tenuous at best; a little bit of strain on that rtionship can only benefit me.
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Tarin''s in a unique position here. He''s the father of one of the Trialgoers, Naru; if Whisper knows this, and finds him fighting in the tournament that the new Trialgoer has expressed interest in...
Well, I have no doubt that it''ll at least serve as the seed of some very tense conversationster on.
Naru''s proven that he''s going to be a problem if he shows up, and while he hasn''t shown up in a while, Tarin and Mari''s wayward son is still beyond me as far as his physical prowess goes. I''ve got my own tricks up my sleeve at this point, but Whisper''s skills are an almost perfect counter to Naru''s ¡ª far more than my own.
Naru''s a brawler. Whisper is a controller. Her skills render physical strength useless, unless you have the mental fortitude to withstand the sensation of your own Firmament being torn apart and your skin being burnt to a crisp. Naru does not strike me as an individual with that level of mental fortitude.
"What do you think, Tarin?" I ask. The n''s contingent on his agreement. Whisper might not know that Tarin is Naru''s father, but she will if we go ahead with this n.
"It good n," Tarin says approvingly. "Naru learn lesson."
That''s... not the intent of the n, exactly, but I suppose he''s not wrong.
"We need a way to make Whisper suspicious of you," I say. "I''m thinking¡ª"
"You not worry." Tarin gives me a reassuring nod that somehow does nothing to reassure me. He taps his beak with a wing. "I n. You need Whisper think Naru sent me, yes?"
"Well... yes."
"Okay. You watch. I make happen." Tarin taps his beak again. And then refuses to borate, no matter how much I try to get him to.
I sigh. Whatever his n is, it can''t be that bad.
A few hourster, I find myself ¡ª for once ¡ª seated among the audience in the Craven Arena.
It''s only after a lot of discussion that we collectively decide it''s best to do things this way. Hestia has enough species thate and go from the that a human won''t be immediately identified as the Trialgoer. Hestia may have been a hub even before the Integrators, but the Trial has made it that much more of one. Something about the Integration process apparently allows a much faster form of inteary travel.
Apparently, something about passing your Integration connects your more deeply to the Interface and allows a form of inteary travel. The crows and a few other species here are native to Hestia, but many others I''ve seen are not ¡ª Thys and Thaht, for example, are from a called Urukanis.
Which has dragons. The part of me that''s still a child almost wishes my Trial had taken ce there instead.
Thys and Thaht are both seated next to me, nking me in the spectator''s stand. Miktik isn''t here, because Whisper already knows she''s associated with the Trialgoer, and we can''t risk her bing a target. Bimar, Vahrkos, and Wanders are all off making preparations of their own. Something about the n they''vee up with.
As far as I understand it, that n is to instill distrust in Whisper''s so-called inner council. Whisper doesn''t really listen to others when ites to the way she rules over Isthanok, but she does have individuals that she trusts enough to delegate tasks to. Her assassins, for example, are headed by a morphling named Th''kar;merce and trade are handled by a smander-like creature named Ueuiel; and scientific research on both the Interface and otherwise are led by a crow by the name of Kera.
The way Bimar mentions Kera''s name tells me there''s something personal there. I wonder if that''s the reason for her hostility, the reason she keeps looking at Tarin.
The nature of the loops, they tell me, allow them to conduct riskier operations than they otherwise could. As long as any information they discoveres back to me before the loop ends, it can be preserved into the next loop. We can make it look like her trusted advisors-sh-minions are leaking information, even if they''re not.
They''re putting a lot of trust in me, in other words. Even Bimar, who''s begrudgingly admitted that this is the best shot they''ve had against Whisper in years.
"You look nervous," Thys says, giving me a friendly nudge. "Your first time at the Arena?"
"Yeah," I say, giving him a weak smile. I can see through to what he''s really asking ¡ª it''s not like we can talk freely with Whisper listening in to everything. "Just worried I''m going to see someone get really hurt."
"Good that you care," Thaht grunts. "A lot of people don''t. But for what it''s worth, kid, everyone''s already getting hurt. All the time. It''s just how things are under Whisper. You just don''t usually see it."
"Kid? We''re the same age. And you''re half my height."
"Don''t mind him," his brother says. "He''s just always wanted to use that line."
I smirk a bit at this, then turn my gaze back toward the Arena grounds.
The tournament is starting. Might as well get settled in.
ording to Tarin, watching him is going to be good training. He''s the first oneing out, and he''s up against a silverwisp. The announcer res out their names, making me wince a little, even as Thys cheers.
"First up: The Crack of Thunder versus the Scion of Combustion!"
In retrospect, I probably should''ve stopped Thys from pulling him aside and whispering to him. Now he might insist on me calling him The Crack of Thunder even outside the Arena.
Then again... he fits right in with his opponent, doesn''t he? I lean forward with sudden interest. Lightning courses along Tarin''s feathers. Across him, on the other side of the Arena, a silverwisp stands tall.
And then, like a switch being flipped, the silverwisp zes red, then orange, then white.
Fire.
It''s not the physicality of the fight that interests me, though.
It''s the Firmament.
Chapter 106: Book 2: In the Stands
Chapter 106: Book 2: In the Stands
I''ve grown enough at this point that Tarin no longerpletely outsses me. If I had to rate the strength of people I''ve fought so far, I''d probably put Guard at the top, followed by Naru, then Whisper, then Tarin. Of the people in that list, the only person I think I''d be able to beat with any consistency is Tarin.
This, I''m learning, is a bit of arrogance on my part.
It''s not that the versatility of my skills doesn''tpete with Tarin ¡ª nor does his Firmament entirely outshine mine. I nce to the Interface to check on something I haven''t looked at in a while.
[ Firmament base attunement: 93.4%
Progress to next phase shift: 63.5% ]
I can''t say I''m entirely sure what these things mean yet, but I''m significantly more attuned to my Firmament base than I was before. My first phase shift came with a pretty significant bump in power, so knowing I''m more than halfway to the next one is heartening.
I wish I knew how to work actively toward it.
All I''ve gotten from Tarin and others so far is that progressing your Firmament phase is different between both species and individuals. It''s not helpful. It might be, if I could speak to other humans, but the chat system is still malfunctioning and I haven''t been able to catch a second glimpse of human contact since thest time I was able to speak to Zhao.
I do remember what Mari said, though, about my Firmament still being soft. It''s the first time I''ve heard my Firmament described in this way, and I wonder if that has anything to do with the next phase shift. Are there discrete stages to Firmament development?Something to askter.
For now, the fight that''s blossoming in front of me between Tarin and his opponent ¡ª the silverwisp''s name is He-Who-Burns, fittingly, ording to both Thys and Thaht ¡ª is eye-opening. It''s not the variety of skills nor the physical prowess of eitherbatant that''s impressing me; it''s the speed and flexibility with which they use their Firmament.
"Wow," Thys whistles next to me. "That old bird always so good at fighting?"
"He looks experienced," I say, which isn''t what I want to say. He can be kind of scary.
The other thing I''m realizing is that Tarin is less effective when he''s fighting against monsters ¡ª where he really shines is in battles against other people. Firmament users, specifically. I can almost sense what he''s doing, but...
I activate Firmament Sight.
That throws everything Tarin is doing into sharp rity, and I can see almost immediately why he said this would be good training.
"Something''s up with his Firmament," I say out loud. Thaht looks up sharply at me, then squints at Tarin, as if he can see what''s going on with his eyes alone.
"I don''t see it," he says.
"Give me a moment," I mutter. I push on my Firmament sense in addition to what Firmament Sight is telling me, trying to make sense of what I''m seeing.
I remember the skill I got from him in my phase shift. Intrinsic Lightning. It''s one of my more unique Speed skills. The benefits it gives are indirect, closer to an overall buff than giving me any specific ability, but that''s part of what makes it so good.
Except if what I''m seeing from Tarin is right, it''s not that it doesn''t give me a specific ability. It''s just that I never figured out the exact mechanism by which that skill works.
Judging by how slowly he''s readying himself for the fight, Tarin''s intentionally slowing down what he''s doing enough for me to catch a glimpse of it. I can see him visibly concentrating ¡ª evidently, going slow takes effort for him ¡ª and I watch as Firmament gathers in his core and then spreads out over his body.
Tiny sparks scatter over his feathers. And beneath those feathers...
I see the way those same sparks of Firmament race along his nerves.
rity snaps into ce.
He''s recing the electrical signals in his nervous system with Firmament.
The name is a clever one, now that I think about it: the lightning is intrinsic because it''s already present in him. In every biological organism with a nervous system.
And the point of doing this is clear as soon as I watch the fight begin. Tarin dashes toward He-Who-Burns, his wing stretched out for a slicing strike. He''s intentionally moving slower than he normally does, giving the silverwisp time to react. Testing him.
He-Who-Burnsshes out with a burning crescent of white-hot Firmament. Tarin continues charging, with no action or intent to dodge, as far as I can see.
But a spark from his feathers jumps onto the crescent, and the reaction is instant. Automatic. The spark forms a single line of pure Firmament that feeds right back into his body, sending a signal to his nerves without his brain having to process the sight at all. Tarin twists out of the way, not even slowing down, and speeds up into a blur. It takes an activation of Quicken Mind for me to be able to track his movement.
"He''s smirking," I say in disbelief. "And his eyes are closed."
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"What? No way," Thys says in disbelief.
"I don''t think I want to fight him without my suit," Thaht says, blinking.
"You probably don''t," I say. I wonder what Tarin would do against a suit like the one Thaht uses. Come to think of it, I really want to see their workshop and figure out what they put into that thing; it''s monstrously strong for what''s effectively just a giant robot.
I let Intrinsic Lightning flicker through my body, feeling the way it races through my nerves. It''s so subtle it blends in with the general feeling of Firmament racing through my body ¡ª but if I focus my senses on it, I can feel the way it jumps and races through every nerve in every muscle.
But there''s more that Tarin is doing with it. He''s programmed automatic responses into his own nervous system, using flickers of his Firmament to detect changes in his environment. I''m not sure I can push the skill that far, but I try anyway. All I need to do is pour more Firmament into the skill...
I spasm, jerking forward, nearly hitting my head on the rail and making both Thys and Thaht jump. I hear Ahkelios snickering through our link, though there''s a sense of sympathy radiating through it as well.
Okay. Clearly the solution is not just to pour more Firmament into it.
You''re on the right track, but you need to control how you push in Firmament, Ahkelios suggests. The way you''re doing it now, you''re just increasing the energy in it. You want to increase the radius. Or get more sparks.
Easy for you to say, I send back, but I relent and listen to his words anyway.
I activate the skill. I can feel the way the Interface reacts, converting my base Firmament into something fundamentally more. It''s like there''s a tiny engine in there; I can force more Firmament into the engine like I just did, and that causes the sparks of Firmament that emerge to be more powerful and energetic.
Or I can make the engine run faster.
I push my Firmament into the Interface, into that so-called engine, and watch as it begins to drag my Firmament into it more rapidly. It doesn''t create more powerful sparks like when I empowered the skill directly; instead, it just creates more sparks, and I feel it zing through my system and beginning to scatter over my skin. Thys yelps as a stray spark of electrical Firmamentnds on him.
"Sorry," I say, immediately releasing the skill and trying to ignore the strange looks I''m getting. It''s probably best not to draw attention to myself like this. I turn back to Tarin''s fight, shifting a bit in difort as remnant traces of Firmament race their way through my nerves.
He-Who-Burns has, apparently, had enough of Tarin''s flittering about. I can''t see his pendant from here, but his bodynguage tells me he''s pissed. He raises his hands, and I wince at the intensity of light that erupts from his chest. I can feel the heat from here, and from the outcry surrounding me, I''m not the only one.
It makes sense. He responded to an opponent too fast to be caught by flooding the Arena with an attack that can''t be dodged.
I can barely open my eyes through the re of his Firmament. Apparently, I''m one of very few audience members affected like this. Thys and Thaht both flinch backward from the heat, but they don''t seem nearly blinded the way I am.
A downside of Firmament Sight, I suppose. I deactivate the skill and close my eyes, focusing on my Firmament sense to see what Tarin is doing in response to this. I can tell that he''s speeding up, but¡ª
Tarin shouts something I can''t hear over the roar of the spectators. I can feel the wind pick up in the Arena, almost like it''s being sucked in toward the Arena ¡ª like he''s creating a vacuum and pulling all the air in. I feel his Firmament being cycled faster and faster and faster, pulling in all the Firmament around it and creating a physical tunnel of wind.
He''s mimicking the imbuement on Miktik''s home.
It makes sense. Whisper''s Firmament is ever-present within Isthanok, and the only way to create a space shielded from it is to cycle Firmament so rapidly it draws in everything around it. A makeshift rotating shield. Any speed-oriented Firmament is especially suited for a defensive technique like that.
Tarin doesn''t waste any more time, probably because he doesn''t want to give He-Who-Burns the chance to pull something like that off again; the punch he delivers snaps straight to the the silverwisp''s throat, and although he holds back enough not to kill the man, he still hits hard enough to briefly make He-Who-Burns''s entire head gutter out like a candle me.
Just for a moment, but the message is clear nheless: I could have killed you.
"I didn''t even know you could do that to a silverwisp without killing them," I say. Not that I knew much about silverwisp anatomy.
"Yeah, well." Thys sounds equally stunned. "Neither did I."
Then the Interface catches my attention with a message I''ve never seen before.
[ New feature unlocked! Your careful study of a master''s techniques has granted you Skill Mastery. ]
[ Skill Mastery is a passive form of Firmament refinement fueled by your efforts in mastering certain skills. Improved Skill Mastery will grant phase shift progress and is the first step toward your Consolidation. ]
[ Mastery of Intrinsic Lightning has improved. ]
[ Your familiar has been granted a knowledge package. ]
Whoa, Ahkelios sends to me through our link. Um... Whoa.
Tarin knew his words would get lost in the crowd. There was only one person who''d be able to hear what he''d shouted, really. Two, if you counted He-Who-Burns, who wouldn''t understand what he''d said regardless.
Just because he and Naru were estranged didn''t mean he didn''t keep tabs on his son. He''d traveled a lot, in his day ¡ª had made plenty of friends in both high and not-so-high ces. Mostly thetter. He couldn''t stand most of the people that involved themselves in the upper echelons of Integrator society, not in the least because of what the Integrators stood for.
But the important thing here was that he''d been to the Great City that Naru managed.
Tarin had only been to Carusath twice. The ce made him ufortable. It sat in the middle of a still-burning crater. The streets were lit with burning coal that lined the sidewalks, and even the trees were twisted structures of firey Firmament. Why his son preferred that environment to their cozy cliffside home was something he couldn''t even pretend to understand.
Visiting the ce had done nothing to help that.
But he''d learned a few things while he was there. He''d learned that Naru had a somewhat militant following that he used as his own personal soldiers, though he rarely had to employ them in any kind of war ¡ª not when his own strength was enough to settle most conflicts. He''d learned that those soldiers had a rather specific battle cry they would use, one that varied slightly based on their rank.
No one here would understand the battlecry. It was, as he understood it, based on an ancientnguage that wasn''t even from this. Only people that possessed a fully unlocked Interface ¡ª in other words, an active or former Trialgoer ¡ª would understand what he said.
And really, all he did was modify the words.
The normal battlecry was, tranted: For Naru, Pir of Carusath.
His version was: For my son, Naru of Cliffside.
In some other universe, he might have said those words and meant it.
Chapter 107: Book 2: Preparation
Chapter 107: Book 2: Preparation
She-Who-Whispers''s fists tightened the moment she heard the words filter in through her Whispers on the Wind. The spoon she was holding bent with her strength. Firmament skittered across the surface of the metal, and she discarded it with disgust. One of her servants would pick it upter.
That lumbering brute''s father was here. And he''d involved himself in the tournament.
Last she''d heard, the two of them were estranged, but she put nothing past any of her fellow Trialgoers. Those of them that had passed the Trial were devious, even the ones that relied primarily on brute force. Besides, even if Naru himself wasn''t responsible, there was always the possibility that Teluwat had decided to involve himself with things.
It was likely, even, if Naru''s father had somehow turned his opinion on the Integrators around. There was no one else that could so seamlessly change a person.
She-Who-Whispers shuddered at the thought. Of all her fellow Trialgoers, she feared Teluwat the most. She wouldn''t even admit to fearing any of the others, but Teluwat''s skills... as much as she hated to admit it, he had what could be considered a better version of her own skills.
Her Whisper gave her range and the ability to listen in on others; that was the advantage she held over him. She could control others with it, but that control was limited. They could choose to disobey. Technically.
It would just hurt them to do so.
Teluwat''s victims had no such choice, and mind control was only the beginning of what he could do.
She-Who-Whispers remembered having a pleasant visit with Teluwat and his son. Strange, then, that the memory gave her such a coiling dread in her heart. Strange that the thought of Teluwat sent fear shooting through her very soul.But not that strange. She closed her eyes, plucking a pearl of Firmament from her pendant.
"Tell me what you did." The full weight of her Whisper pressed down on Teluwat, who smirked at her; he seemed entirely unconcerned by her power. He had no skin or carapace to burn. His Firmament was smooth and frictionless ¡ª there was nothing for her skill to grab on to, nothing she could tear apart.
The other Trialgoer cocked his head with an almost yful disinterest, and she held back a shiver of disgust. She-Who-Whispers didn''t know if Teluwat''s physical appearance was normal for his species or if he''d been changed in some irreversible way by his Trial. She knew silverwisps were already a strangebination of biology and Firmament, but Teluwat...
Pale-green, translucent goo kept a barely-cohesive form around a humanoid skeleton. It dripped, ever-so-slightly, each drop of liquid oozing back into the main body after a few seconds of separation. His facial features were drawn on his face with Firmament. Everything he gave away was precisely controlled, deliberate.
She would have been envious, had she not been disgusted.
"I don''t know what you mean," Teluwat said. "He-Who-Serves has always been mine. Isn''t that right?"
"Yes, father," the young silverwisp said. She-Who-Whispers felt her heart grow cold ¡ª saw reality written into the Firmament around her son.
Or her former son.
Whispers on the Wind couldn''t undo what Teluwat had done. There were Firmament markers in silverwisps that spoke of their lineage ¡ª markers that should have been impossible to change.
And yet the young silverwisp before her held none of her markers. None of He-Who-Guards''s markers. The only marker she recognized was Teluwat''s, who wasn''t even a silverwisp.
This shouldn''t have been possible.
And the name he''d been given...
She wanted to tear Teluwat apart for this.
But she couldn''t move.
"What are you so worried about, anyway?" Teluwat seemed amused. He sat back in his chair. "You''ve never had a son."
No. That wasn''t true. She did. She had a son. She''d had a son with He-Who-Guards. She fought against it, struggled against his control, threw all her power into invoking¡ª
"I''ve never had a son," she repeated out loud.
"And you''re going back to Isthanok, aren''t you?" Teluwat gave her a pleasant smile.
"Yes," She-Who-Whispers replied. Her feet took her away.
She did have a son. She remembered him ¡ª remembered the way he cried when he was born. Remembered the name written into his Firmament. It took everything she had to preserve that memory, to wrap it into a ball of Firmament and lock it in ce to prevent Teluwat''s skills from affecting it.
A weekter, she remembered that her son had died a few years after his birth.
A monthter, she remembered the ident that had taken him away just a week after his birth.
Two monthster and the markers in her Firmament that told her she had once given birth were gone entirely.
Then she remembered nothing at all.
She-Who-Whispers let the pearl fall from her fingers and back into her ne.
It had taken everything she had just to preserve the truth, but at least she''d been able to. She wasn''tpletely helpless against him. The idea that there wasn''t more she could do against him rankled at her, but it wasn''t like she was going to go out of her way to face him again.
The pearl was an excellent reminder of how dangerous he was. Hopefully, Teluwat wasn''t involved in this at all.
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Though even if he was, she wouldn''t stand for him messing with her city. Taking her son was one thing. Her city?
Not a chance.
The only question now was what this all meant. Was Naru working together with the new Trialgoer? Her notes hadn''t said anything about that. Maybe he''d sent in his father this time, to test the waters and see how she would change things.
Consolidation is your next phase shift, Ahkelios exins. The next stage of Firmament development. Trialgoers go through a slightly different form of it ¡ª you lose some of your skills to boost the ones you use the most. It''s like an optimization of your essence. It streamlines who you are.
Kind of like how the first stage tried to make me choose who I am? I ask.
You need a core to develop the base of your Firmament around, Ahkelios confirms. A simple core is usually better; it''s easier to build around it. Mine was the Sword. I think I''ve mentioned it before.
But you''re not a swordsman.
I was back then. Ahkelios is silent for a moment ¡ª he understands my point. He might have chosen the Sword as his core, but he is not a sword; he shaped himself around something that he wasn''t. I can imagine how that might have cut away at him.
You''ll probably have a harder time with your Consolidation, considering the way you built your core. I feel Ahkelios''s grimace echo through our bond, and I just grin as I remember the answer I gave the Interface.
Who am I?
I''m whoever the fuck I want to be.
Ahkeliosughs, sensing my thoughts ¡ª more out of a fond exasperation than anything else. Well, you''ve always made things work, so...
That''s right, I say. Anything else I need to know?
There''s a lot about the new Skill Mastery thing, but a lot of it is just detailing the type of skills you can master and what mastering those skills do. I''ll let you know as theye up, or we''re going to be here all day, Ahkelios tells me. I nod and turn my attention back to the fight.
I have to admit, Tarin''s battle strategies are a lot more versatile than I''d imagined. I''ve seen him fight before, of course, but in the first battle he was heavily restricted ¡ª and every time after that he''s been shown up by someone stronger than him. He-Who-Guards, for example, whose strength is so monstrous Tarin''s role in the Fracture had been mostly relegated to harassment and support.
Up against other thinking opponents, however, his skills really shine. Even Thys and Thaht seem entranced by the performance he''s putting on. It''s not the sheer speed he disys, although that''s a part of it. It''s the way he employs his speed to counter almost everything his opponents throw at him.
One opponent, for example, disrupts the ground. Tarin moves between the breaking stones so quickly that none of the momentum transfers to him. He treats the shrapnel like they''re simply stepping stones, and rockets a reinforced wing directly into his opponent''s throat.
Another opponent maniptes wind and ice; she surrounds herself in delicate, cutting crystals. Tarin''s actually slowed down by this opponent, but not for long ¡ª her power over isn''t enough to overwhelm the slipstream generated by his movement, and the eventual hurricane he creates from running sends her own crystals flying back toward her.
On and on it goes. And while there''s plenty more I could learn from watching him, I think I''ve already picked up on what he wanted to teach me.
The Interface even confirms it with a message I''ve never seen before.
"I think we should go," Thys says quietly. I nod. The rebels have someone keeping an eye on the Arena just in case Whisper triggers whatever trap she has nned on Tarin. I don''t want to leave, but I also want to make the best possible use of the time I have in this loop.
There are plenty of other fighters between each of Tarin''s rounds, and it''s clear that this is the sort of tournament that''s going tost for days. Staying and waiting for every other fight, waiting for Whisper to act ¡ª it''s pointless. I have other things to do. Thys and Thaht''s workshop is waiting for me, and if I understand the n correctly, then I''m going to need to help each of the others with their tasks as well.
Though only once I''m done with the Firmament sinks. That project''s too important to ignore.
We slip out of the Craven Arena with rtive ease. Most of the surveince is focused on people trying to get in, not people trying to get out ¡ª and it''s so much more crowded than usual that I''m sure many people have slipped in past the guards. Those guards are mostly there for show, anyway, since so many attendees are visitors from other cities. Everyone native to Isthanok knows that trying to hide something from Whisper is futile.
I can already see the coils of her Firmament beginning to curl around some of the ones that tried to sneak in without paying.
Hiding a disgusted grimace, I follow Thys and Thaht as they make their way back toward their workshop. It''s clear when we''re in range; I can feel the same privacy imbuement in the workshop''s walls. I only ask about it once we''re inside and the doors are securely shut behind us.
"Doesn''t that imbuement make you kind of identifiable?" I ask. "Whisper has to know that she can''t hear into yours or Miktik''s workshop. Feels like a weak point."
"Yeah, but she don''t really seem to care," Thaht says with a shrug. "We''ve had it for ages. Lots of workshops do. We create a lot of noise otherwise, see?"
As if to illustrate, the kobold picks up a massive hammer and swings it down onto a steel te. I wince at the loud ng that echoes through the workshop.
"...Point taken."
A slight pause.
"Hey, Thaht, I have to ask," I say. "Last time we fought, you were driving this... giant... robot suit? That was nearly indestructible?"
"Oh yeah!" Thys responds before Thaht can, hopping on his feet excitedly. "Did you beat him? That thing''s our pride and joy."
"Of course he didn''t," Thaht scoffs, folding his arms across his chest.
"You have no idea if I beat you or not," I point out, amused.
"I doubt it. That thing is full of imbuements. Even Whisper would have trouble with it." Thaht grins, showing his teeth.
"...I have a lot of questions," I say. "First of all, if it''s that strong, why are you using it in a blood sport and not in your rebellion?"
"We need to test it somehow," Thys says with a shrug. "And it''s not good enough yet."
"And even if you need to test it," I continue, "why would you test it somewhere Whisper can observe it and figure out countermeasures?"
"Because¡ª" Thys begins.
"Whisper found out about the prototype before we ever got to the first field test," Thaht interrupts with a sigh, giving his brother a stern look. "A privacy imbuement on our workshop doesn''t mean that much. She can and will still pay regr visits, and she''s smart enough to spot it if we''re trying to hide something ¡ª especially a project that big. Best we can do is hide its full capabilities."
"You''re telling me it can do more?" I ask.
Thaht grins at me. "Get those Firmament sinks working for us and maybe you''ll get to see how much more it can really do."
...Well, that''s motivation, if nothing else. I can only imagine how much a suit like that would help if they let me take it to the Fracture ¡ª though I can''t imagine carrying that massive thing all the way there. Maybe if I bank some more strength credits...
Anyway. Back to the problem at hand.
"Show me what you''ve got," I say. Thys pulls open a drawer full of half-finished Firmament sinks.
I can tell this is going to be a long day.
Chapter 108: Book 2: Tracking
Chapter 108: Book 2: Tracking
The main problem I''m running into right now is that I don''t have any quality imbuement stones. Or really any imbuement stones. Thys and Thaht have a stash somewhere, as they''ve said, but neither of them can remember where they''re kept and all the rest of their siblings are out... somewhere. Thys is mbering around in the basement, trying to find them. The stones, I mean. Not his siblings.
I''m starting to wonder if I need to pull off some kind of heist and steal whatever stash of imbuement stones Whisper keeps in the military base the Ringmaster mentioned.
"I think you should," Ahkelios offers. He peeks down over the fringe of my hair, and I blink as his head appears upside-down in my vision. "It''s probably less boring than sitting here and watching you try to turn ordinary rocks into imbuement stones."
"I don''t see you helping," I grumble.
Virin''s technique for creating an imbuement stone isn''t one I can easily replicate. I have a few ideas ¡ª the requirement for imbuement stones to be ordered and pure is something pretty easily fulfilled by substances outside the standard gems and crystals that I''ve seen so far ¡ª but I want to try the traditional methods first.
Not that the traditional methods are getting me anywhere.
"No luck?" Thaht asks sympathetically. He''s lounging shirtless by the side of his workshop, staring down at me and the rock I''m unsessfully trying to convert. "Been there."
"This would be a lot easier if you just used your arena points to get some imbuement stones from the Ringmaster," I grumble.
"I would, but he''s closed shop," Thaht says. "Part of the tournament. All prizes are handled strictly by the Isthanok military." His voice turns interested. "You''ve met him?""Yeah," I say. "It was how I got my first imbuement stones. Pretty interesting guy..."
My voice trails off, and I frown, thinking back on our original meeting. Two things stand out to me. The first is that whatever role he ys, it''s rted to the Trial or the Interface in some way ¡ª there has to be a reason his shop registers on my Interface. A reason he figured out I was a Trialgoer so quickly.
The second is the finger-twisting salute he gave me. The one that matches the one both Thys and Thaht used to greet me with.
"...Is he part of your resistance?" I ask after a moment.
Thaht cocks his head. "What makes you say that?"
I replicate the salute. "He did this when we first met."
Thaht frowns. "We don''t actually know everyone that''s involved in the resistance," he says slowly. "Information security, you understand. But he never greeted me that way when we met ¡ª and I''ve definitely greeted him with it."
"Maybe he joined recently," I suggest.
"Or someone on their side figured out the signal," Thaht mutters.
"I dunno. He seemed pretty genuine to me," Ahkeliosments. Thaht yelps, still surprised by the mantis whenever he chooses to talk ¡ª Ahkelios is pretty much content to lounge silently on my head otherwise, which usually leads to the people around us forgetting that he''s even there.
"Let me go ask my brother if he knows anything about this," Thaht decides after a moment, his chest still heaving. He pauses, then nces with a critical eye down at the stairs toward the basement, where a bevy of particrly concerning noises have begun to emerge. "...I''ll give him a moment. In case he''s about to make something explode."
There is, right on cue, a muffled boom.
"Isn''t he just looking for the imbuement stones you guys already have?" I ask, bemused. "How is he setting off explosions?"
"You don''t want to know," Thys says with a sigh.
Apparently, Thys is the mad scientist between the two of them, which somehow doesn''t surprise me in the least.
It turns out, when Thys re-emerges from the basement with soot caked all over his snout, that he has no more of an idea about the Ringmaster''s potential status as a rebel than his brother does. He does, however, have more of a clue to offer.
"He always seems different every time I talk to him," Thys says thoughtfully. "And the hat he wears kinda hides who he is. You think maybe he''s someone different every time?"
Now that''s a thought.
Thys wasn''t able to find an imbuement stone down in the basement, unfortunately, although he''s insistent that he''ll be able to find it with just a few more minutes of searching. His brother doesn''t seem nearly as convinced.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
"Do you know where we can find him?" I ask. "Not saying we''re going to go after him right now, but..."
"Honestly, I have no idea where he goes at the end of his shifts," Thys admits. "I tried to follow him once and he just vanished."
"Weird." And considering the Ringmaster''s potential connection to the Interface, definitely interesting. Maybe I''ll have to try following him the next time I meet him. Or maybe... "Do you know when the others are going to need us?"
Thys and Thaht exchange nces. "Not anytime soon, I think," Thaht says cautiously. "Why?"
"Do you remember where he vanished?" I ask, directing the question to Thys. Maybe I''ll be able to find something with my Firmament sense that he missed.
"Uh... yeah. Pretty hard to forget," Thys says. "Nondescript alleyways are only nondescript until something interesting happens in them. Now it''s, you know, descript. A descript alleyway."
"I don''t think that''s a word," Ahkelios pipes up.
I don''t even bothermenting. The Interface is tranting for me, and trying to figure out how it''s managed to trante a wordy rted joke that happens to not be a word in all three of our respectivenguages is giving me a headache.
"Do you mind taking me there?" I ask. "We''re not going to make much progress on these Firmament sinks without imbuement stones, and unless you can find the ones you have stashed away or I can miraculously figure out how to make one within the next few hours, this is probably our next best option."
"Maybe not the next best option," Ahkelios points out. "There''s gotta be other shops in the city that sell imbuement stones, right?"
"Uh..." Thys nces at his brother, and then awkwardly looks around the shop. "Yes? But they''re expensive."
"We''d have to steal ''em," Thaht says bluntly. "We don''t have the money for it right now."
...And this isn''t the loop where Tarin made a bunch of money betting on me, either. I suppose I could head back to the Arena and bet on him, but with his winning streak, I doubt the betting odds are going to be great right now.
"Let''s try that if the Ringmaster thing doesn''t work," I say with a sigh. "Not sure stealing is the safest thing to do in Isthanok."
"You''d be right about that," Thaht says. He rubs at his elbow, an almost subconscious movement; I nce at it but don''tment.
"So, the alleyway?" I prompt. Thys perks up.
"I''ll lead the way!" he says. He pulls open the door to the workshop, and I wince as noise from the street suddenly floods in. "Follow me."
The stink of Firmament is strong enough that it makes me cringe as we step into the alleyway.
It''s the first time Firmament has registered like this to my senses, too ¡ª stink. Like it''s rotting. Normally, my Firmament sense acts a little like proprioception. Foreign Firmament registers to me with position and weight and density, all linked to me like it''s an extension of my own body.
This, though? It''s hard to describe, but somehow the way it alles together in my senses causes it to manifest a distinct, sulfuric smell. I can still tell it''s Firmament, but it''s... unpleasant.
"Ugh," Ahkelios mutters, as if agreeing with me. I can sense this foreign Firmament pushing itself at him, as if attracted to him as a being of pure Firmament; the mantis waves irritably about from his position atop my head, chasing away the fumes. It''s not very strong, luckily.
"Something wrong?" Thys asks, ncing back at me.
"Yeah, this ce feels... wrong," I say vaguely, ncing around.
More urately, it feels like a trap.
It''s not impossible that Thys and Thaht are leading me into a trap, although I doubt that''s the case. Both of them seem fully dedicated to fighting Whisper. I don''t even think this is a trap that''s meant for me. But the fact that it triggers my senses at all...
I frown. It''s subtle, but this is a Premonition.
"Stop," I call out. The skill isn''t giving me anything distinct ¡ª just a vague, uneasy impression. There is danger here. No direction, no magnitude. I can''t tell if something''s interfering with the skill or if the nature of the danger is too nebulous for the skill to give me any more information.
Thaht looks impatient. "This was your idea," he points out.
"I know. That was before I actually got here." I reach out with Firmament Control, trying to grasp at this strange Firmament with the skill. It''s surprisingly slippery, sliding out of my mental grip even as I try to manipte it; that, more than anything, convinces me that I need to figure out what''s going on before I continue.
Especially since ¡ª and I grimace as I realize this ¡ª I can''t just reset the loop if something goes wrong. Death would make almost this entire loop a waste. I have no guarantee that Tarin''s n in the Arena has borne fruit yet, and the rest of the rebels are still trying to learn what they can from Whisper''s inner council. Ending this loop now is a lot of wasted effort.
I back up a few steps. Thys and Thaht, wary, back up with me.
"Just let me..." I mutter, and I activate Firmament Sight.
The alleyway explodes into color.
Four distinct colors, in fact, though the shades are so subtle I couldn''t tell the difference with my Firmament sense alone. Each are a slightly different shade of dark red, moving erratically within the alleyway. There''s no rhyme or reason to it that I can tell, but I do see wisps of Firmament trying to curl their way around Thys''s hand, and I pull him back instinctively.
He gives me a questioning look. I ignore it.
Ahkelios. I speak through our link. Any ideas?
Try Phaseslip, he suggests through our link.
I frown. This doesn''t feel exactly the same as out-of-phase Firmament... but he''s right. There are simrities, and Phaseslip seems to enhance the information Firmament Sight is able to give me, anyway.
I activate Phaseslip.
Color resolves into shapes. Wispy Firmament takes on proper form, sharpening into distinct shapes, figures...
And I feel a coldness settle over my spine as four silhouettes of the Ringmaster appear before me.
Chapter 109: Book 2: Empty Seas
Chapter 109: Book 2: Empty Seas
None of them realize I can see them. I let out a breath when I realize this, relief trickling through my system; as lifelike as these Firmament mimics are, I don''t think they''re actually alive. I''m not even sure this is a trap anymore. Not an intentional one, at least. There is danger here, but the silhouettes aren''t moving with intent ¡ª they''re just drifting toward the closest source of Firmament.
It''s the reason they went for Ahkelios first. The mantis bats at one of them as theye close to him again, grumbling, and the Firmament figure flinches and drifts away. I narrow my eyes as I watch it, trying to figure out what it is and what it wants.
They''re Firmament constructs, in a way ¡ª just like Ahkelios. Imbued with a little less life and personality than he is, perhaps. More constrained by the Interface. I can almost see its Firmament, near-invisible chains that dig deep into the raw foundation of these false Ringmasters...
I almost turn my gaze to Ahkelios, wondering if I can see the same thing within him, but I feel a brush of his mind against mine through our link. Don''t. You won''t like what you see. I trust you''ll work on it like you said.
There''s something in the way he says it...
I push away the impulse to look.
"You''re starting to freak me out," Thaht mutters. I wave a distracted hand at him.
"Sorry. Can''t exin right now." I sweep my gaze between each silhouette, trying to identify their differences. One of them is the one I spoke with, surely? But none of them strike me as familiar.
Maybe none of them are. Maybe there''s a fifth fragment somewhere, or there''s something that has to happen for these Firmament constructs to be shifted into reality.There''s only one thing I know for sure here: this has something to do with the Interface.
Maybe it''s time I start experimenting with it.
Firmament Control.
The Interface is, at its core, a construct of Firmament. The only difference I find between it and the rest of the Firmament around me is that something about it is rendered invite ¡ª I can''t reach it with my skills. Even if I could, I''m not sure I want to try. It''s tied directly to the core of my Firmament, and the little I can detect of the machinery it''sposed of is soplex I''m more likely to tear myself apart by ident than aplish anything useful.
Show me the shop window, I direct. It''s the only thing in the Interface I know for certain is tied to the Ringmaster in some way. Sure enough, I see some of the mechanisms within the Interface begin to move ¡ª little tes of Firmament shifting, flickers of power flickering between invisible points that are still beyond my senses.
Then the whole thing stops.
[ The Craven Arena shop is not currently avable. ]
I know.
But I see the lever it uses. The mentalmand pulls on something in the Interface. I pull on my Firmament, extracting the raw stuff from my core and shaping it into a loop. That loop I pull tight around the so-called lever that the Interface uses.
I may not be able to use my skills on the Interface''s Firmament, but that doesn''t mean I can''t affect it at all.
[ The Craven Arena shop is not currently avable. ]
I pull harder.
[ The Craven Arena shop is not currently avable. ]
Harder.
[ The Craven Arena shop is not currently avable. ]
"Uh, Ethan?" Ahkelios says out loud. "Are you sure¡ª"
"Help me," I say quietly.
If there''s anything I can say about my circumstances, it''s that I''m not moving fast enough. Too many things to do, not enough time.
This is the first time I''ve had the opportunity to force the Interface to behave in a certain way ¡ª to make it bend to my whims, and not that of the Integrators. I can''t say I know for certain this will work, but I want it to. If I can do this ¡ª if I can iterate on it, gain better control of the Interface ¡ª I''m going to have an advantage none of the other Trialgoers do.
And while that''s not something I''ve thought about until now, now that it''s urred to me, I find myself seized by an inexplicable want. I feel something stirring within me, the aching echo of the Void, that endless desire for strength. For once, we''re aligned on this desire.
All this sneaking around has just shown me that I need to be stronger.
"Please," I add.
I feel Ahkelios join his strength with mine. I feel his quiet acquiescence, a measure of his strength and his experience join with my Firmament. My will joins with his own, and together, we pull.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
You know this isn''t supposed to be possible. Ahkelios''s voice echoes through our bond. It''s surprisingly warm. In the time I''ve known him, I''ve seen him cheeky, sarcastic, vulnerable, pained... This is just affection. Confidence.
When has that stopped us? I say..
I hear his chuckle. Good answer.
The lever moves.
I see Firmament being drawn from somewhere ¡ª some impossiblyrge engine that must be the main body of the Interface. I catch only the barest glimpse of it before it''s once more hidden from my sight. I see the hooks within each Ringmaster-mimic suddenly pull tight, drawing them together. Firmament boils and bubbles, and the stench fades away; a sh of light¡ª
"Whoa!" Thys cries out, shielding his eyes. His brother pulls him close almost protectively, squeezing his eyes shut and stepping in front of Thys.
In front of us, the Ringmaster copses onto his knees, heaving like he''s on the verge of vomiting.
The shop window opens up before me.
[Arena Points: 0
Shallow Fire Imbuement Stone (Rank F) ¡ª 20 AP
Shallow Water Imbuement Stone (Rank F) ¡ª 20 AP
Shallow Lightning Imbuement Stone (Rank F) ¡ª 30 AP
Submerged Water Imbuement Stone (Rank E) ¡ª 40 AP
Submerged Earth Imbuement Stone (Rank E) ¡ª 40 AP
Submerged Air Imbuement Stone (Rank E) ¡ª 60 AP ]
I can almost see the way the window hooks into the Ringmaster. It exins how he was able to tell I was the Trialgoer, I suppose ¡ª he seems to be linked to the Interface in some way ¡ª but...
"I have so many questions," Thaht says, staring at the Ringmaster and then at me.
I ignore him, kneeling down by the Ringmaster instead. "Are you alright?" I ask. He gestures at me ¡ª a sharp shake of the head, followed by a nod toward the entrance of the alleyway. It takes me a moment for me to parse what he''s trying to say. "Uh, do you guys mind if we bring him back to your workshop?"
"Our workshop?" Thaht gives the Ringmaster a skeptical look. "...Sure, I guess. Any particr reason, or..." I gesture to my lips, then up at Whisper''s castle; Thaht''s expression clears into a grimace. "Right. Our workshop it is. Right this way, sir."
¡ª
The Ringmaster''s voice is more ragged than I remember it. It sounds almost like he''s out of breath. He clutches at the nearby table for stability, his chest heaving and his hat nearly slipping out off his head; it''s Ahkelios, of all people, who hops over to his shoulder and steadies it for him. He lets out a grunt of thanks, his body trembling slightly.
"You... pulled me out." The Ringmaster''s voice is hoarse. "How did you..."
"I barely know what I did," I admit. "What happened to you?"
The Ringmaster takes a moment to catch his breath. His eyes flicker slightly as he steadies himself, looking around the workshop, at Thys and Thaht, and then finally at me. "I was chosen," he says. There''s a vehemence with which he says it ¡ª a bitterness that vors his words when he speaks them. "By the Integrators."
I have a terrible suspicion I know what this means, but I ask anyway. "Chosen how?"
"The Trials need people to run them." The Ringmaster''s reply is dull and practiced, like he''s trying to say the words without thinking about them. There''s an exhaustion buried deep in his voice, ayer of fear aged into apathy. "I was one of those chosen. We are... elements of the Trial, once bound. No longer our own."
The fact that I expected this doesn''t make the words any easier to hear. "And when Ist spoke with you? If you remember that."
The Ringmaster''s gaze focuses on me briefly, trying to remember. "Yes," he says after a moment. "I am allowed to be whole when I am speaking to a Trialgoer. But even then, there are restrictions... there are no such restrictions now. What did you do?"
I nce to the still-open Interface window. "Forced the issue," I say dryly, though not without a tinge of worry. "I''m not sure it''llst."
The Ringmaster shakes his head. "It is better than nothing," he says. The words are only half-directed at me, like he''s also trying to convince himself. "Even a temporary reprieve... But you must have called on me for a reason. Not simply to free an old man, surely?"
"I do need some imbuement stones from your shop," I admit with a grimace. The Ringmaster''s expression doesn''t change ¡ª he isn''t offended, at least. It''s not like I knew the situation he was in when we decided to look for him. If I''d known...
I don''t know. There''s not much I can do about his situation right now. Freeing him is the end goal ¡ª freeing everyone from the Integrators is the end goal. If I can do something for him before that, I will, but I don''t see a way to do it without taking over the Interface entirely.
"You don''t have any arena points," the Ringmaster notes. I nod.
"They don''t carry over between loops," I say. "I was sort of hoping you''d just have a stash somewhere we could borrow."
"Unfortunately not," the Ringmaster says. There''s a note of dry amusement in his tone for the first time. He is, at the very least. recovering. Thys and Thaht are watching him in abination of fear and amazement, like they''re worried he''ll once again vanish into thin air, which... is a valid concern, to be fair.
"Can he use my points?" Thys pipes up. "It''s not like I use them for anything."
The Ringmaster pauses at this, tilting his head in thought. "It is possible," he says, in a tone that says it technically isn''t. "I will allow it. How many points would you like to transfer to him?"
"I''m in a time loop, aren''t I?" Thys shrugs. "All of ''em."
"Thys!" his brother hisses at him.
"What?" Thys looks at Thaht. "If we''re going to help them, we might as well go all out on it. No point holding back. Look at what we just learned about the Integrators. It''s worse than what we''re trying to fight against with Whisper."
Thaht frowns, like Thys''s words physically stung him. He opens his mouth to argue, but nothinges out; instead, he sighs. "You''re right," he says eventually. "But I don''t like it. We were saving those points."
"Eh, you''re closer to getting the Firmament oscitor than I am," Thys says, waving a hand dismissively.
The Ringmaster draws my attention by grabbing my wrist. "I will unlock part of the shop for you," he tells me. "I have told you before that the rewards avable in the Arena are lesser than those offered by the Isthanok military. That was a truth for most, but not for Trialgoers. You would not normally unlock this without achieving this many points yourself, but as Thys has offered you his points..."
[ You have received 320,764 Arena Points. ]
I nce over at Thys, who grins at me, misinterpreting my look of shock. "I have no clue what ''unlock'' means in this context, but that sounds like a good thing!" he says cheerily.
The Interface window before me changes. This time, there''s only one item listed on it.
...That was a lot of points that Thys had. He must''ve been acquiring them for years.
[Arena Points: 320,764
Abyssal Hunger Imbuement Stone (Rank S) ¡ª 300,000 AP ]
Chapter 110— Book 2: Hunger
Chapter 110¡ª Book 2: Hunger
I stare at the shop window for a moment, then look past it at the Ringmaster. "Should I be worried about the stone''s aspect being listed as hunger?" I ask.
It''s mostly a rhetorical question. Of course I should be worried. Even Thys looks skeptical.
The Ringmaster, to his credit, gives it a moment of thought before answering the question. "Hunger is not an easy aspect to work with," he says, his tone low and solemn. "But it should not pose a problem for a Trialgoer such as yourself without an external factor that exacerbates the problem."
I think back to the Void Inspiration within me and wince. "Right," I say. "And the worst thing that can happen?"
"Either the stone''s Firmament will consume you, or it will consume your Firmament." The Ringmaster eyes me. "With you, I suspect it will be thetter."
"...What''s the difference between the two?"
Thys pipes up, the kobold hopping excitedly as if d he can finally contribute. "I know this one!" he says. "Firmament aspects have a few different recognized categories, although there are so many it''s hard to categorize all of them. The broad and mostmon ones are elemental, foundational, and abstract.
"Elemental aspects are the easiest to work with. They just represent traditional elements ¡ª fire, water, ice, that kind of thing. They don''t have any level of intelligence, so they''re pretty amenable to control unless you''re dealing with something exceptionally powerful.
"Foundational aspects are a step above that. They''re kinda like elemental aspects, but they''re all the ways we define reality. So foundational aspects are things like space, gravity, and time."It urs to me this means it should be possible for me to find or make a temporal imbuement stone. I wonder if that''ll help me manipte the loops any.
"Then there''s abstract aspects," Thys continues. "Those are the hardest to manipte because they''re all a little bit alive? Abstract aspects are stuff that only really exist as we define them. There''s some that cross over with emotion, like hunger, and then there arepletely abstract ideas like truth, or superstition, or the concept of organization and categorization itself. I think the theory is that they''re alive ''cause they only exist in our heads, so the Firmament picks up a little bit of what''s in us. " He taps the side of his head as if to demonstrate.
I just raised a bemused eyebrow. "And this rtes to the original question... how?"
"When you''re working with living Firmament, the equation changes," Thaht says, deciding to speak up in ce of his overexcited brother. Thys makes a noise of protest, and Thaht ignores him, wrapping a hand around Thys''s snout so he can''t speak. I snort a bit in amusement at the sight. "Exerting influence on Firmament is a two-way street. Either you control the Firmament, or the Firmament controls you. Getting your Firmament consumed isn''t so bad. If you''re consumed, that basically means the Firmament is taking over. I don''t know if it''s different for Trialgoers, but I doubt it."
I nce at Ahkelios. "Any ideas there?"
Ahkelios frowns a little. "It is a little different for Trialgoers," he says cautiously. "The Interface provides some protection against that kind of control ¡ª but the protection isn''t perfect, and I wouldn''t rely on it. I''ve lost a couple of loops trying to fight against weird Firmament types. It''ll help you push away the influence eventually, but it won''t do it immediately."
"Better than what we''ve got, I guess," Thaht mutters, almost to himself.
It''s good to know that there''s a safeguard of sorts, but... I can''t afford to lose multiple loops to being controlled by Hunger Firmament. Who knows what kind of damage I''d do? Nevermind the possibility that the Hestian Trialgoers will figure out counters to me while I''m under its control. "And the best way to prevent that kind of control...?"
"It is your will against that of the Firmament." The Ringmaster speaks up again, his voice grave. "There are no clever tricks or workarounds here. You will face the Firmament''s Hunger, and you will have to ovee it."
Of course there aren''t.
"I mean, for what it''s worth, it''s not that hard to fight a Firmament''s aspect," Thys pipes up, finally managing to push away his brother''s hand¡ªmostly by half-mbering over it. He''s now hanging awkwardly over Thaht''s arm as he speaks. "All you have to do is focus on what makes you you."
"And you have me to help," Ahkelios tells me. "After the first phase shift, living Firmament isn''t as dangerous to you anymore ¡ª you''ve built a core to protect your identity with. So I think you''ll be fine."
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"You all better be right," I say with a sigh.
I''m not seeing much of a choice here, though. I could wait for Thys and Thaht to find their missing imbuement stones, but I''ve got one I have ess to right here ¡ª one that will likely make a Firmament sink better than anything either Miktik or I were able to make before. If I can make this work, I can throw it into the portal created by the Empty City dungeon and carry it over into the next loop...
Where Thys could once again lend me his points and let me buy another one of these stones.
There is some risk with this n. But the benefits, I think, outweigh the risks. If this works, it''s the advantage we need against Whisper.
"You don''t have the physical stone with you, do you?" I ask, frowning at the Ringmaster.
He shakes his head. "You''ll have to buy it directly through the Interface this time."
I mentally select the Abyssal stone in the interface, then wince as a surge of foreign Firmament suddenly ms through me; I almost immediately recognize this Firmament as rted to the Void. I can feel the Inspiration stirring within me at the familiarity, even, excitement filtering in through its normally sluggish thoughts.
[ You have spent 300,000 Arena Points. You have gained an Abyssal Hunger Imbuement Stone (Rank S). ]
In my hand, a pitch-ck stone materializes. It''s heavy, is the first thing I notice about it; the suddenness of the weight is enough that I almost immediately drop it. It''s maybe half the weight of a bowling ball while being only a quarter of the size.
The second thing I notice is the way it seems to draw in the light and the Firmament around it. In that way, it feels very simr to the Void Inspiration lurking inside me. Thys sucks in a breath at the sight. His brother takes a step back, as if the stone makes him uneasy. Ahkelios mumbles something I can''t hear.
Me? I just stare at the stone.
It''s so... pretty.
¡ª
Tarin red out at the arena.
Whisper was having him fight three opponents. Three. It was bad enough when she''d announced that he was too challenging of an opponent, and dered that he was to now fight two opponents at once ¡ª that pushed him to his limits, but it didn''t make things impossible.
Three, though? It was obvious what her n was. It was obvious what she thought was happening. She wanted to push him as close to death as possible, in the hopes that his son would show up to rescue him.
He almostughed at the thought. Naru wouldn''t show up here if his life depended on it. For all he knew, his so-called son was watching the tournament and enjoying the sight of his father getting beaten up. Tarin''s thoughts went briefly to his wife, to what Mari would undoubtedly think about all this, and his heart tightened a bit when he remembered he would not be able to tell her.
Not now, anyway. Not without causing... more anguish than he wanted.
"You can back out, you know," one of his opponents said. She was a morphling whose Firmament made his feathers feel like they were falling off ¡ª just being near her made his beak ache. Something about the Firmament she used. She was the most dangerous out of the three he was facing, and, strangely, probably the most sympathetic. She genuinely didn''t want to fight him. "Don''t know why Whisper''s setting up the tournament against you like this. Seems pretty obvious it''s unfair."
"Who know why," Tarin said with a shrug. "But I not scared. We fight, yes? No need worry."
The morphling''s eyes narrowed a little. "You think you''ll win?"
Tarin considered his opponents for a moment. Besides the morphling, there was a species he didn''t recognize ¡ª a man that looked more like a nt than a person. He wondered in the back of his mind what Ethan''s little friend would think of him.
He seemed the least dangerous of the three, though. The way he kept shifting his feet, the way the intensity of his Firmament rose every time he did so ¡ª Tarin didn''t have Ethan''s sensory capabilities, but if he had to guess, then the nt-man''s abilities were probably oriented around battlefield control. He would be seeding his power into the ground even now, for use when the time was right.
And the third opponent... He couldn''t figure her out at all. She was seemed barely present on the battlefield. She was a silverwisp, but the ethereal mist that made up her body was lighter than most, almost like she was in the process of fading away. Even now, with the battle about to begin, she didn''t seem like she was looking at him. Just through him.
Not out of a misced sense of confidence, as far as he could tell. If Tarin had to guess, he''d guess that whatever her abilities were, it required her to stay detached from the fight.
Taking all his opponents into ount...
"I not sure," Tarin said. He grinned, twirling his stick between his wings. Whisper had been nice enough to allow him a weapon, probably because the outcry from the crowd was getting too much for her to tolerate ¡ª she could, after all, hear every single criticism that was being thrown her way.
He''d chosen a stick mostly to mess with her and make those little whispers worse. What would it look like, that she dered he would be allowed a weapon from her armory, only for him to walk out of it holding a stick?
It wasn''t like the crowd would be able to tell he''d personally imbued the stick.
"But we have good battle, yes?" Tarin added cheerfully.
The morphling snorted, but he saw the gleam of respect in her eyes and the slight nod she gave him. "Sure," she said. "Don''t worry. I''ll do my best not to kill you."
Tarinughed. "I also try!" he said. "But you not touch my tail feathers. My wife like those."
"Hah. Deal."
Chapter 111: Book 2: Thank You For Using Whispersink
Chapter 111: Book 2: Thank You For Using Whispersink
"Uh... Ethan?"
Ahkelios is talking to me, I think. I''m not sure. I haven''t looked away from the stone yet. I can feel the Void Inspiration calling out to it¡ªnot just the Void, actually. The elerator is stirring, too. The Void''s ''sister'', or so it imed.
There''s almost a resonant factor between the two. I can feel something that isn''t quite Firmament growing and bubbling between my Inspirations and the stone. A faint but distinct pop in my ears almost disorients me, and I shake my head, trying to focus. There''s something here. Something lying in the space between Inspiration and Firmament, pulling at my senses, demanding all of my attention.
The stone is beautiful. There''s a speckled glow in it that looks almost like stardust. Every time the lighting shifts or changes, a new neb spawns in the abyssal ck of the stone.
I can feel what it''s trying to do. It''s trying to appeal to my Hunger.
The only problem with that n is that there''s at least one thing inside me that''s far hungrier than I am.
"I''m okay," I tell Ahkelios, though I don''t take my eyes off the stone. Even if the majority of the stone''s influence is being shunted off to my Void Inspiration, there''s something I''m sensing here that''s very real. Whatever it is, that space between¡ªmy intuition tells me I need to understand it, that there''s some fundamental secret about Firmament I can discern if I listen to its whispers.
Or maybe that''s just the Hunger Firmament speaking to me, and I''m not as unaffected as I think.
"I''m probably okay," I amend. "Keep an eye on me. I don''t want to lose myself to this thing."Ahkelios gives me a suspicious sort of look, folding his arms across his chest, but I ignore him. That warning should be good enough. In the absolute worst case scenario, he can kill me before the stone''s Firmament has a chance to take me over¡ªno need to worry about losing multiple loops to it then.
I am distantly aware that being even more cavalier about my deaths are most likely not a positive development.
But I can''t silence the part of my brain that insists that there''s something here. I reach out with my senses, trying to understand what''s happening between my Inspirations and the stone. I can feel the Void Inspiration trying to reach out, trying to take¡ªand I can feel the Hunger Firmament doing exactly the same thing. The elerator hovers around, semi-active but not interfering with this process.
I go over what I understand about Inspirations.
They''re some sort of modification performed directly on me by an Integrator. Gheraa''s made this clear with his overly dramatic instations of the various Inspirations I''ve earned, from shoving an eye in ce of my actual eye for the All-Seeing Eye to the Aspect of Regrowth Inspiration tearing its way into my body. They aren''t as physical as he makes it seem, but there is something about my core that''s fundamentally altered by these changes, and whatever these alterations are, they allow me to do things that seem almost... orthogonal to what normal Firmament is capable of.
They''re modifiers. When I activate them, they change the way Firmament is processed, causing a skill to emerge with new effects or allowing me to do new things with my skills. The All-Seeing Eye allows me to see the intricacies of them and merge them, for example¡ª
I almost smack myself in exasperation when I realize what I''m missing.
If I''m trying to understand an invisible phenomenon created by the interaction between Inspiration and Firmament, then the All-Seeing Eye is perfect for it. Especially inbination with Firmament Sight.
Firmament Sight alone might not be able to do it, but...
All-Seeing Eye. Firmament Sight.
Darkness bubbles into existence in front of me.
Hunger Firmament isn''t ck, exactly. It''s closer to a gray-brown nothing, the kind of color you might paint on something you''d rather forget. There''s an intensity to it, though, likely from the sheer grade of this imbuement stone¡ªthis Hunger Firmament is powerful. It pulls at everything around it, like it wants nothing more than to be something meaningful.
Maybe that''s what Hunger Firmament is.
The Void Inspiration, meanwhile, reaches out with something that isn''t quite Firmament. I don''t have a good word for it. It''s pulling on the Hunger Firmament with the idea of need and want, like a conceptual force capable of affecting the very nature of Firmament. I suppose that''s how it modifies my skills and makes them devour Firmament¡ªit makes them eager to consume other forms of Firmament.
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Or, when it''s attacking Whisper''s Firmament, it''s... making the Firmament consume itself?
I''m not sure how to feel about that one.
It''s different with the Hunger Firmament, though. Maybe it''s because the Void Inspiration senses a kindred spirit, or maybe Hunger is just too simr already to what the Void Inspiration can do. Either way, the Inspiration''s attempt to change or consume the Hunger Firmament just doesn''t stick.
And instead, something grows between them. It''s like an unexpected runaway chemical reaction. Between the two is a force that''s neither Firmament nor Concept¡ªlike the sh of the two has stripped away the outer shell of what these powers pretend to be and unveiled something underneath.
It feels like... direction. Like intent.
Perhaps more rming, it feels like someone else''s intent.
The moment I grasp that¡ªthe moment I recognize that¡ªit recognizes me, too. I feel an immense weight pressing down on me. It happens for just a fraction of a second, but in that fraction of a second it feels like I''m being made to hold up a mountain. If the power difference between myself and the Hestian Trialgoers is a chasm, then what I''ve caught a glimpse of here is... it''s an abyss. An ocean''s worth of water wouldn''t be enough to define the sheer gulf between me and whoever or whatever this is.
"Ethan? Ethan!" Ahkelios is calling out to me, panicked. I slowlye to the realization that I''m on my hands and knees on the floor, hyperventting, sweat pouring down my skin and my fingernails bloody from digging into the ground. It takes me a moment to shake off the fugue¡ªI''m not sure what happened, but there''s a pervading sense of nausea and an ache present in my body that wasn''t there before.
"I think... I think I just looked at something I shouldn''t have." I grimace, pushing myself back into a sitting position on the ground; when I go to wipe the sweat off my nose, my handes away bloody.
"That happened because you looked at something?!" Ahkelios demanded.
"I think so." I frown. The memory of what I was able to see is already slipping away¡ªmy mind can''t seem to hold on to it. More specifically, the more I try to remember it, the more my memory of it seems to fade... so I quickly shove whatever happened to the back of my mind.
It might be importantter, which means for now, I need to very carefully not think about it.
"I can''t talk about it," I say, before Ahkelios or any of the others present can question me. "But I think I can perform the imbuement now."
I grasp the stone. The Void Inspiration and elerator both are quiet¡ªwhatever I just did seems to have silenced them, at least for now. The Void in particr feels almost like it''s trying to hide within my soul; I can feel it shaking, like it''s afraid of whatever it is I just saw.
That''s worrying in and of itself. That thing usually has only one emotion, and it''s hunger.
The stone and its Hunger Firmament, on the other hand, seem fortunately entirely unaffected, maybe because neither of them are connected to me the way my Inspirations are. I call on Hueshift, feeling its Firmament flowing through me and into the stone as I begin the imbuement process¡ª
[ New feature unlocked! Thanks to your dedication to understanding the process of imbuement, you may now perform imbuement using the Interface. To use it, open the imbuement window, then select an input skill and target item. Please note that once the imbuement process begins, it cannot be interrupted. Attempting to halt or alter the process may result in personal injury. ]
I frown again.
My first instinct isn''t interest¡ªit''s suspicion. The warning isn''t what bothers me about it; interrupting any kind of imbuement feels like a recipe for a bad time, especially considering the amount of Firmament that''s presumably used for it at higher levels of the skill. What concerns me, however, is the timing.
I''ve been working on understanding imbuement for a while now. If what the Interface says is true and this unlock only happened because I achieved some requisite level of understanding, then it should have triggered in tandem with whatever discovery allowed me to cross that threshold.
Instead, it''s happening now. At the exact same time I feel like I''ve discovered something significant about the nature of Firmament and Inspirations. The timing of it feels far too convenient¡ªalmost like it''s trying to distract me.
At the same time, I can''t deny that it''s a useful unlock. And I do need to not think about what I''ve just discovered.
Who knows. Maybe Gheraa''s interfering to help me again. It wouldn''t be the first time he''s done it.
There''s a third possibility here¡ªthe possibility that this feature exists so that we Trialgoers don''t dive any deeper into the secrets of imbuement. Maybe there''s something there that the Integrators don''t want us to know. I make the promise to myself that I''m not going to abandon manual imbuement. For one thing, Virin''s still going to need my help, and for another, I don''t trust the Interface enough to trust that this isn''t a feature that will hamper my progress in the long run.
For now, though?
It is useful. And it lets me work around having to interact directly with this Hunger-based Firmament.
"Hey, Ahkelios," I say out loud. "Did you ever unlock an imbuement feature in your Interface?"
Ahkelios gives me a strange look. "That''s a thing?" he asks.
"Apparently." I shrug. I''m not about toin. I tap mentally on the Interface, bringing up the imbuement window and selecting both Hueshift and the Abyssal Hunger stone.
[ Please confirm the imbuement of (Hueshift, Rank B) into (Abyssal Hunger Imbuement Stone, Rank S). ]
Confirmed.
[ Commencing imbuement. ]
Firmament begins to gather and surge. I grin to myself, just a little bit self-satisfied, and then activate Firmament Sight.
I''m not sure if the Integrators want to hamper my ability to learn imbuement.
But if that''s their goal, then maybe they shouldn''t have provided me with a tool that will let me learn exactly how they do it.
Chapter 112: Book 2: Thank You For Using Whispersink
Chapter 112: Book 2: Thank You For Using Whispersink
The imbuement process takes exactly five minutes, and so much happens in those five minutes that it''s almost impossible for me to absorb it all. There''s a couple of things I pick up on almost immediately, though. The first is that the Interface''s process of imbuement is far different from anything I''ve seen so far¡ªthere''s no working with the Firmament here. It feels more like the Interface peels the stone open with sheer force of will and shoves the Hueshift skill into it.
And "peels" is really the right word for it, to my difort. Everyyer of Hunger Firmament that''s anchored to the stone is quite literally peeled away, andyers of my own Hueshift Firmament are shoved into ce in between.
The second is that there are more forces at y than just some variant of Firmament Control. I catch a glimpse of that same force I caught before, I think¡ªwhatever force it is that lies between Firmament and Inspiration. There''s a wisp of intent that forces thoseyers apart.
Everything else that happens is so rapid that it''s difficult for me to catch a glimpse of. There''s something different going on in everyyer of Firmament. It''s like the Interface does something different in eachyer to properly anchor the Hueshift Firmament to it.
Virin is going to find this very interesting, I suspect. I make a mental note to try to upgrade Quicken Mind when I can, or at least to prepare Compounded Mind for my next attempt.
For now, though, I''ve got a fully-functional Firmament sink.
I think.
"This should work," I say, eyeing the Abyssal Hunger stone carefully. I can feel how much Hueshift is packed into it. In fact, the effect itself is visible, if I look closely¡ªthe air around it is warped a tinge of blue. "Thys, do you have any of the sink prototypes?"
"We have a whole drawer full of iplete ones," Thaht says dryly before his brother can respond; the other kobold folds his arms and huffs at being denied the opportunity to speak. "It''s the souleater seeds that are hard to get, if you haven''t figured that out already. The regtors areplicated and expensive to make, but we''ve got the materials and all it takes is time. The souleater seeds take weeks to acquire and even longer to grow.""...The what?" I ask nkly.
"You know." Thaht gestures impatiently to the stone in my hand. "That''s theponent you''re recing with your stone, right? The souleater roots."
I remember seeing a nt buried within the first prototype Miktik showed me. "That thing''s called a souleater?"
Thaht shrugs. "It''s a parasitic nt that consumes the Firmament of whatever it''s attached to," he says. "I assume that''s why they named it that. I didn''t name it. Honestly, the imbuement stone is better. We just don''t have an easy way to perform an imbuement. Souleater roots are our second best option, but they''re hard to acquire and we can''t use fully matured nts because, uh, they''ll kill us."
"They''ll do what now?" I say nkly. I turn to stare at Ahkelios. "Remind me to be much more careful about the nts on Hestia. And also about what nts I let you get near."
"You''re not my dad," Ahkelios says with a huff. "Besides, those sound like the most interesting nts! I''ve never encountered them before, probably."
"Probably?"
"I still can''t remember most of my life on Hestia and I won''t until we find another Remnant," he says.
"...Fair point." I nce down at the stone in my hand. "Alright, well, hand me one of the prototypes and I''ll try to fit this thing in there."
Thys scrambles to grab one before his brother can. I smile a bit at the sight, amused¡ªit''s not apetition, but Thys seems a bit stubborn about contributing¡ªthen begin to work on incorporating the new imbuement stone into the prototype.
About two minutes in, Thys snatches it away from me. "I can''t watch this anymore," he deres. "Give me the stone."
"What?" I ask, annoyed.
"Half the regtors aren''t even functioning the way you connected them," Thysins. "You can imbue a stone, but you don''t understand the engineering that goes into this thing! You''re going to vent half the absorbed Firmament back into the sink this way and crack it before it even gets a chance to work properly."
...That does exin a bit about what happened with the first, impromptu version I made before running off to fight Whisper. Granted, I''d only had the stone at the time, but there was a reason the rest of the sink was necessary. I step back and let Thys handle it, the kobold muttering to himself as he begins putting it together.
I try to pay attention, I do, but he''s right: a lot of the actual engineering goes over my head as soon as he starts. I can make sense of how the Firmament flow is supposed to work, but I''m not exactly an expert with the mechanicalponents of the thing.
Instead, my mind drifts onto the ever-present question: what next.
I want to make sure the new Firmament sink works, but both Thys and Thaht seem quite convinced that it will, and the Ringmaster seems impressed with the working, though he hasn''t said a word. I suspect his time here''s almost up¡ªthe arena shop closed after I purchased the Abyssal Hunger stone, and I can feel his Firmament slowly dissociating back into the multiple phantoms I noticed before.
"Thanks for your help," I tell him quietly. He gives me a slight nod.
I''ll test the Firmament sink as soon as I get the opportunity, and I should get an opportunity soon. The next step is going to be to catch up with the rest of the rebels and see if any of them have managed to acquire the information we need to enact our n¡ªto make it look like Whisper''s council members are working against her. I''m sure at least one of the rebels will need the Firmament sink. This isn''t exactly a quiet operation.
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After that...
Well, the n after that is going to be unpleasant. I doubt Ahkelios is going to like it.
But I''ve got a time loop on my side. If I can get one working Firmament sink?
Then I don''t need to stop at just one.
Bimar had to admit that she was enjoying this.
They were taking a risk, sure. They were taking an enormous risk, even, based entirely on the word of the strange, pinkish creature that Miktik imed she trusted. It had no feathers or protective body coverings beyond the clothes it wore¡ªand how strange was that¡ªand it imed to be a Trialgoer.
What a ridiculous story.
She went along with it, partly because there was too much that made sense about what that creature said, and partly because she''d been saying for some time now that their movement needed to do more. They were too afraid of Whisper, she said. They were being too cautious. Whisper''s ability to surveil nearly everyone in Isthanok didn''t mean that she caught everything that happened, or they wouldn''t have been able to get past her at all. More likely than not, she listened for keywords, things that seemed suspicious that she might need to pay attention to.
The appearance of perfect surveince was just a part of Whisper''s game¡ªa deterrent to any movement that might try to rise up against her. It did work, and it was a clever strategy, but...
Well, the point was that the Trialgoer, real or not, was giving her the opportunity to interrogate her old boss. And that was an opportunity she savored probably a little more than she should.
"What''s ourtest project, ''boss''?" she asked. She didn''t bother hiding the disgust in her tone. "Did we make any new discoveries yet, or are we still just messing up people''s Firmament?"
The old crow in front of her stayed silent. He was pissed, she could tell¡ªhis feathers were fluffed up just a bit, and there was a raw sort of hatred burning in his eyes that she couldn''t help but enjoy. It wasn''t like she hadn''t been on the other end of this a half-dozen times while working beneath him.
"You don''t have to answer," she said. "I can get the answers myself. I don''t suppose you changed the lockbinations you use?"
Fizar strained to speak¡ªto call out for help from Whisper, no doubt, though it was unlikely that Whisper would be able to hear him when they were this far underground. She''d taped his beak shut anyway, as a precautionary measure.
Bimar hummed. She found the padlocked drawer, entered the code she remembered, and...
Yup. The old crow hadn''t even bothered to change thebination. Her heart dropped a little when she saw how many new files there were in the drawer¡ªshe hadn''t worked for him for a long time, but back when she had, they''d gone through maybe one test subject every six months.
There were dozens of new folders in here. They must''ve started experimenting more. Because they''d had some kind of breakthrough? She filed through them one by one¡ªa young crow that died after too much foreign Firmament had been injected into his system. A silverwisp that experienced strange, unfortunate mutations, and was still being kept in one of the nearby cells. A kobold with an artificial eye that could perceive the Interfaces of Trialgoers...
...Huh. That one was interesting. Not what the researchers here wanted, but maybe something Ethan would be interested in. She stuck that file to the side and kept searching.
There were a few more failures after that, each dated about six months apart. Most people that had Interface Firmament forced into them died. One or two of them survived, but not without significant damage, either physically or mentally.
She stopped when she got six folders deep and frowned. The next folder wasbeled partial sess.
"You did have a breakthrough," Bimar muttered, opening the folder and ncing through it, then turning to look at the old crow. "Was it worth it? All the dead children we went through." She stalked up to him, fury in her feathers, Firmament knife clenched in her hand. "What was it you said? You had a hunch that age matters."
Fizar red back at her. She didn''t see a lick of remorse in his eyes¡ªanger, yes. An impotent rage at the fact that she''d managed to restrain him. Honestly, it had been pathetically easy to get back down here and into his good graces. All she''d had to do was pretend to have had a change of heart. A few ttering words, and he weed her back with open arms.
"Ten children dead because of a hunch," she said. "This partial sess isn''t even a child, so you were wrong the whole time. And you don''t even care, do you?" Bimar ripped the tape off Fizar''s beak. "Do you?!"
She''d raised her voice, she realized. Caution wasn''t as important to her anymore¡ªthere was too much anger and nowhere for it to go.
"They died so we could learn," Fizar growled out. "It was a worthy sacrifice¡ª"
Bimar shoved the Firmament knife into the old crown''s beak, taped it shut again, and spun around, ignoring his muffled screams.
The knife would burn, and that was fine.
She had some reading to do.
It took a few minutes for her to get through both this file and the many other files that seeded it¡ªthe partial sess had evidently been enough for Whisper to ramp up funding, and Fizar had had no shortage of ''test subjects'' because of that. The long and short of it was simple: they still hadn''t been able to artificially give someone Interface ess, but they had discovered that an imbuement from a Trialgoer could be artificially imnted into a person, giving them the ability to use a skill the way the Trialgoer could.
There were problems with the process, of course. The first partial sess could really barely be called that¡ªthe skill worked, but the test subject had no control over it, which resulted in haphazard skill activations that very rapidly killed the poor guy. The next few weren''t that much better. The skill sometimes merged into the flesh of the subject in strange ways, or manifested in violent bursts without any of the protections that a Trialgoer typically had.
But they did have oneplete sess. Bimar''s eyes narrowed at the file.
Remnant-02-A, unknown species. Suspected biological Integrator construct. Imnted skill: [Spatial Cut], Rank A, Strength-type
Remnant-02-A demonstrated sessful use of [Spatial Cut] three times in rapid session with clear intent before being incapacitated by He-Who-Guards. Currently held in cell block B.
Interesting.
A pounding at the door interrupted her thoughts. Bimar frowned. No one else was supposed to be here¡ªshe''d made sure of it. She pulled another knife from her belt and flooded it with Firmament.
Unscheduled visitors here were almost always dangerous, and on the off chance Ethan was telling the truth, she couldn''t die without getting this information back to him.
Besides, there were so many things she could do with it if she could pass it on to her past self.
Chapter 113: Book 2: Bimarked
Chapter 113: Book 2: Bimarked
There''s no one at the rendezvous point when I go to check on it, which means I''m either going to have to wait or check in on the rebels myself. I choose the second option, because there''s a risk their efforts will be for nothing if they aren''t able to get whatever information they find to me before the loop ends.
Bimar''s up first. She''s apparently visiting a hidden undergroundb somewhere near the outskirts of Isthanok. It''s the most secure and dangerous location on the list, and although she ims she can navigate it just fine without any help, Thaht doesn''t seem to be as convinced.
"It''s where she used to work, so she knows how to get around the security," he exins to me. "But she hasn''t worked in that ce for years. They must have updated whatever security measures they use."
I agree with him, so Ahkelios and I head off to find this so-called hiddenb. It''s not very hard to find with the directions Bimar left behind¡ªhonestly, even without them I probably would''ve noticed the concentration of Firmament flowing downhill. The entrance itself is pretty well-concealed, though.
That said, it turns out Hestians aren''t much better than humans when ites to updating their security measures. The codes Bimar left us open the doors just fine.
"Did they just... not update the entrance codes?" I mutter in disbelief. "After they had people leave?"
That, or Bimar just has someone on the inside that fed her the updated codes. I shake my head, walking in and taking note of the dim lights¡ªmost of theb doesn''t seem to be powered, and it''s surprisingly empty for a supposed high-security base.
Then the sound of an angry crow cuts through the air, apanied by several sts of some unspecified weapon. I grimace and start running. The sound of an angry crow is, at this point, a sound that I''m pretty familiar with.
I prepare myself for a fight, loading up some Firmament into Compounded Mind just to have that little bit of elerated perception in case I need to deal with fast-moving opponents. What I''m not prepared for is the sight of Bimar holding off two frog-looking people with what looks like a tiny knife as soon as I round the corner."Ethan!" she squawks, spotting me. "Catch!"
I''m not prepared for the way she reacts to my presence, either, which is to say she rolls beneath one of them, grabs him by the arm, then throws him at me.
That''s one way to create distance, I suppose. Fortunately, releasing the prepared Compounded Mind gives me more than enough time to adjust. I grab the frog-man midair, then use an elerate-boosted spin to send him flying into the nearest wall. "I thought you said you could handle this," I grunt, my eyes darting around. There''s something else here.
"These guys aren''t part of the base!" Bimar throws herself out of the way of another st from the guy she''s fighting¡ªshe''s not using Firmament, I notice, or at least she''s not using it the way Tarin and Mari do. She''s using it with her knife, at least, but she''s not reinforcing herself at all. Strange. Can she not do it the same way they can?
Fortunately for her, the assassin isn''t reinforcing himself, either. They''re both fighting on more or less equal footing, though Bimar''s weapon is a little more unwieldy. There''s some kind of trick to her knife. I watch as she ducks beneath a st, slices toward the frog...
...The Firmament causes the knife to extend a little farther than it should, and it cuts into her opponent''s skin. I can sense a small Firmament mark left behind, imprinted into his body¡ªand then it abruptly contracts, crushing an inchwide sphere of organic material.
I wince. Painful, but not debilitating, at least not where she''d cut. If she''d been able to inject any more Firmament in there, though, it could very well have been deadly.
Her opponent''s more or less handled, so I take my attention off her and to the something else I sensed before. There''s more of them¡ªmore of these frog people, scattered all over the room. My Firmament sense highlights each of them against the walls and the floor. One of thme is even on the ceiling, hidden between the pipes with what feels almost like a blowpipe poking out between the struts.
A memory shes back to me¡ªI remember one of these trying to kill me back when I first tried fighting in the Craven Arena. They''re assassins of some kind?
Judging by that encounter and this one, their main strength is hiding. Being able to go invisible probably makes them excellent assassins to anyone without a Firmament sense. I almost unleash a barrage of skills to take them out, but manage to stop myself just in time.
Why aren''t they attacking? Ahkelios''s mental voice filters through our link to me¡ªhe''s noticed the same thing I have. I narrow my eyes, using the extra time granted by Compounded Mind and Quicken Mind in tandem to try to figure out what their goal is.
The one I threw at the wall is unconscious. The one that''s fighting with Bimar is trying to shoot her, but his aim is clumsy¡ªalmost too clumsy, if I watch him carefully. He isn''t aiming at anything vital, and he hesitates for a split second more than he should every time he moves to fire. It''s just enough to give Bimar time to dodge or deflect the uing st.
He''s a distraction.
Ahkelios agrees, based on what I can feel through our Temporal Link. The ones hiding near the walls and floor are each holding some sort of dart-based weapon; three of them are aimed at Bimar, and the other three have now pivoted to be aimed at me.
Which means they aren''t trying to kill her or fend off an intruder¡ªthey''re here to capture her. I suppose the fact that three of them are aiming at me means I''m now also on the list.
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Well, we can''t have that, can we?
Bimar isn''t aware of them, judging by her singleminded focus on the guy in front of her. I could wait for the six of them to make a move before taking them down, but that seems needlessly dramatic.
Ahkelios. I send a mental signal through our shared link, and then we burst into action all at once.
A feint toward one of the assassins aiming at me causes all three of them to fire, trying to get at me before I can move; I Warpstep behind them, closing my eyes to avoid being disoriented by the sudden change. My Firmament sense helps me nt my elbow directly into the neck of the frog that''s now behind me. I pivot, drop down low to drop the two new darts subsequently being fired in my direction, then Triplestep and elerate to fling the second assassin into the third.
Ahkelios, meanwhile, is dealing with the ones trying to target Bimar. To her credit, she realizes what''s going on almost as soon as the first frog I hit crumples to the ground, mottled skin fading into visibility. Her leap to the side saves her from the first two darts that bury themselves into the wall behind her. The third dart Ahkelios quite literally kicks out of the way, using the momentum from that kick to subsequently bounce off the ceiling and into the face of¡ª
[ You have defeated Qu''oark Jidoon (Rank C)! +15 Strength credits. +24 Durability credits. +36 Reflex credits. +20 Speed credits. +20 Firmament credits. ]
¡ªthrough the face of the assassin. I wince, my eyes going wide. Ahkelios shakes off the stter of blood easily enough, but...
The rest of the assassins stand down pretty quickly after that.
"Damn." Bimar whistles at the body on the ground. "That was pretty ruthless."
Qu''oark Jidoon. That''s not a species, is it? That''s a name.
The frog I mmed into the wall isn''t moving, although I can tell he''s taking quick, shallow breaths. He''s alive, but judging by the shape of his skull and the angle of his limbs... only barely.
The other ones I hit aren''t faring much better¡ªone of them has a broken neck, and the other two are groaning in pain, barely holding on to what looks like some very broken bones.
The only ones intact are the three that surrendered.
"Not intentionally," I say. My voicees out hollow.
It''s... jarring. The message from the Interface might as well be a bright-red neon sign telling me that I¡ªor Ahkelios, at least¡ªkilled a person. Up to this point, my kills have been on things that are at least ambiguously sapient; the harpiese the closest, and even then they''re clearly an echo of someone or something else.
I''m not sure how I feel. Guilt isn''t the right term for it; I acted in self defense. There''s a bit of fear, but more at myself than anything else, and only because despite everything else that''s happened, I haven''t yet confronted how far I''ve gone beyond baseline human. The opponents I''m fighting are almost always reinforced in some way.
These ones... aren''t. And I shattered them without really thinking about it, because I''ve never really had to hold back.
"You okay?" Ahkelios asks. He doesn''t seem nearly as bothered by all this, but there is a noticeable light of concern in his eyes.
"I will be," I say.
I''m not about to tear myself up over this. It''s not the first time I''ve seen death in the loop, and the fact that it is a loop means all these deaths are going to reset anyway. But that''s not a healthy way to think about it long-term, and at some point I''m going to need to sit down and process where I want to stand when all of this ends.
Killing, especially in self defense, isn''t a problem¡ªbut it should never be this easy.
[ You have defeated Qu''urk Jidoon (Rank C)! +20 Firmament credits. ]
Nor this rewarded. The first one I mmed into the wall just died, I think. I try not to look at his corpse.
And the names... are these brothers?
"Let''s talk about itter," I tell Ahkelios, then turn my gaze to the remaining three conscious assassins. They''ve dropped their weapons on the ground and have backed up against the wall, staring at me with wide, fearful eyes; the mottled burns on their skin reminds me that it''s very likely that the position they have isn''t voluntary. "Why were you trying to capture us?"
"Orders," one of them chokes out. He''s clutching nervously at the wall, and pieces of his skin fade in and out, like he''s fighting the urge to turn himself invisible again. I notice the way his eyes keep darting toward one of his brothers, the way he keeps twitching toward them.
"Are they your brothers?" I ask. My voicees out a little softer than I intend, and the tight, terrified nod the frog-man gives me doesn''t help. I sigh. "Go help them."
All three immediately dart away from the wall and toward their brothers. They stop only when I speak again. "But don''t move them. Their bones are pretty badly broken. Get a medical team down here if you want to save them."
Well, I say that, but... realistically speaking, they''re not going to be able to get a medical team into a secretboratory in the middle of nowhere. Even if they could, it wouldn''t be a good idea to let them. I grimace a bit at the thought.
"What, you''re telling me you care?" one of them says in spite of himself, his voice bitter. "You''re the one that did this to them."
I did. Part of it is because I don''t recognize my own strength. I think, somehow¡ªeven without eleration or any of my Interface-granted skills¡ªI''m a lot stronger than I was when I was just... human.
I pause a little at the thought. Do I not think of myself as human anymore?
"I did," I say. "And I won''t say I''m sorry, because I did it in self defense. But just because I had to defend myself doesn''t mean I have to be heartless about it. So yes, I do care. Because I should."
If I''m going to be killing, I can''t let those deaths be faceless nobodies. Especially in a time loop, where that mode of thinking would be easier than ever to adopt. The problem isn''t the consequences for the world¡ªthe problem is the consequences for myself, if I let this be easy.
"Who are you working for?" I ask. Bimar''s finally walked up next to me, watching the scene. I can''t read her expression. It looks almost like she''s still trying to decide how to react.
I expect the answer to be Whisper, or someone underneath her. It would make sense. The only problem is that I''d have to worry about how she knew to send agents here when our movements should have been mostly opaque to her.
"Teluwat," the assassin says instead, and I frown. I don''t recognize the name.
Bimar clearly does though. She lets out a squawk of fear and stumbles back. "He''s here?!" she demands.
"...Who or what is a Teluwat?" I ask. Not just someone under Whisper, if this is Bimar''s reaction. The crow shakes her head, but the tremble in her voice is very, very clear.
"One of our Trialgoers," she says. "The¡ªthe first one to finish his Trial. The strongest."
Chapter 114: Book 2: Remnant
I try to get Bimar to tell me more about this Trialgoer, but she''s shaken enough from the mere mention of Teluwat that she refuses to talk about it until we''re safely back at Miktik''s workshop. That''s going to be a process in and of itself, because we have to figure out what to do with the frog-assassin-men first; eventually, we decide to just lock them up in one of the many empty holding cells that are avable.
Letting them go would pose too many problems, and we might have more questions for themter. Bimar doesn''t seem like she''s in a state toe up with any, and I don''t know enough to know what to ask.
They don''t bother putting up a struggle, which is... a little disgruntling, for various reasons. One of them does try to go invisible and slip away, but he almost immediately turns back when I so much as nce at him, like the force of my gaze was enough to scare the idea out of his mind.
"There are a few holding cells that are adjacent to specially-built medical facilities," Bimar says. "We''ll use one of those if you care about the nearly-dead ones."
"They do," I say, which isn''t quite an answer to Bimar''s implied question. Ahkelios gives me a questioning look, and I just shake my head slightly.
"Right." Bimar says nothing further. She just guides us toward the cells in question. I use abination of Barrier and elerate to move the injured without jostling them too much, then set them down inside the cells when they''re ready¡ªBimar doesn''t take long to get them ready. She sets it all up with smooth, practiced motions, her gazepletely distracted and far-away all the while.
It''s enough to bring up a lot of questions, but nothing I want to ask right now.
"There''s something here you might be interested in, by the way," Bimar says bluntly, just as I think we''re ready to leave. I frown and nce at her¡ªthere''s no change to her expression. It''s like she''s bringing it up more as an afterthought than anything else. She''s still focused on whatever the deal with this Teluwat is. "Cell block B. I found a file. Here."
I take the papers she hands me¡ªhow she managed to fold them under her wings I have no idea¡ªand the words on the file make my eyes widen slightly; they''re enough topletely redirect my train of thought, at least for the moment."Ahkelios," I say. "Is this what I think it is?"
"Only one way to find out," the mantis replies. From how intently he''s staring at the file, I can tell he''s hoping.
I can''t sense another one of Ahkelios''s Remnants nearby, but the holding cells here are pretty capable of blocking Firmament¡ªI suppose they have to be, considering the nature of the experiments they''re apparently running down here.
"You know where cell block B is?" I ask.
"Just around the corner." Bimar nods to a bend in the corridor ahead of us, and I hurry on.
This, at least, doesn''t need to beplicated.
Remnant-02-A, asbeled by the file, is exactly what I think it is. Which makes me wonder about the number-letter scheme thisb is using and how many other Remnants they might be aware of.
It doesn''t even take a search to find the exact cell that''s holding the Remnant¡ªa loud, screeching banging identifies the only upied cell in the block pretty quickly. Ahkelios and I bothe to a stop in front of the cell, staring at the grotesque monster behind it.
"I can hear your thoughts, you know," Ahkelios grumbles at me. "I''m not that ugly."
"Ahkelios, that''s a monstrous version of you that has a giant tumor instead of that neck fluff you''ve got. And it''s covered in spikes. Like a cactus. But ugly."
"Are you saying you wouldn''t love me if I had a giant tumor and was covered in spikes?" Ahkelios crosses his arms over his chest.
Iugh, reaching up to give his chin a light flick. "Don''t be ridiculous. If this guy was being witty at me instead of drooling acid that''s burning his own chitin I''d probably like him a lot more," I say. "You ready to reintegrate him?"
"Am I allowed to say no?" Ahkelios asks. "Because now that I think about it, maybe I don''t want to merge with him. What if I get spikes too? I wouldn''t be able to sit on your head anymore."
"I''m sure we can figure something out," I say dryly.
Beneath the banter, there''s a subtle feeling of tension. It''s not that either of us are worried about the strength of this new Remnant, though it''s clearly stronger than the monster that used to kill me at the start of my loops. Even if we can''t kill it now, we''ll find a way to kill it eventually.
No, the tension is more about how it might change Ahkelios. About how much it might cause him to remember.
I unlock the cell door, and several things happen in rapid session.
The Remnantes charging at us. I Warpstep behind it, already prepared. Ahkelios follows up by leaping off my head into the same twisting spin he used to punch himself through hisst Remnant. This time, the Remnant reacts, crossing its arms in front of his attack and causing him to bounce harmlessly off of its des.
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I hear him cry out. I''m already charging back toward the Remnant¡ªthe crowded cell and corridor doesn''t exactly give me a lot of room to maneuver, but it does give me the ability to use the walls to alter my momentum at a moment''s notice. I reach out with a hand to catch Ahkelios, then toss him up toward the ceiling so he can reorient himself; at the same time, I charge my arm with Crystallized Strength and shield it with an Amplified Gauntlet, then elerate myself toward the Remnant, swinging in for an empowered punch.
The Remnant reacts. It holds up one arm as if to ward me off, but the second one is moving in a sharp,plicated pattern beneath it, so fast I have difficulty following it even with the benefit of Quicken Mind. The force of my fist punches straight through its first arm, shattering the de¡ª
¡ªand then I experience a rebound impact so hard it shatters the Amplified Gauntlet of solidified Firmament off of my arm and nearly breaks the bone beneath it. I hiss in pain, retreating a few steps so I can recover while Ahkelios picks up the ck.
That was the Spatial Cut.
I can''t tell exactly what happened. The name of the skill made me assume it was a sort of portal-creating ability, not unlike the way the Interface opens a portal into the Empty City when I ask it for dungeon ess¡ªbut what the Remnant did there was very different. It did cut into space, but it was almost like it did so just to lock it into position, turning what was essentially empty space into an imprable barrier.
That''s... a pretty impressive use of that skill. Creative, too. Almost intelligent.
Which is a little bit worrying when ites to potential future Remnants of Ahkelios, especially considering at least one Remnant was fully conscious and intelligent.
"I don''t suppose you can talk?" I say out loud. Ahkelios stops mid-flight to give me an incredulous look, which is just enough of a distraction that the Remnant is able to bat him out of the air; he ms into the nearest wall with an almost-familiar crack that makes dread coil in my stomach. I can''t quite keep the worry out of my voice. "Ahkelios!"
"You distracted me," heins, picking himself off the ground. I sigh with relief; he''s fine. "Why''d you ask if it can talk?"
"Because it''s fighting smart!"
The Remnant makes a noise. Both of us turn sharply to look toward it¡ªit isn''t outright trying to attack us anymore, though it doesn''t look like it''s decided on peace, either. It takes us a moment to figure out that it''s...ughing.
The sound is a choked warble that makes its tumorous neck vibrate ufortably.
"Ew," Ahkelios says.
"Yeah, nope, we''re killing that thing," I decide with a grimace.
Another choked, warblingugh. It moves toward us, a disturbing, stato movement that almost doesn''t look like a charge until I realize it''s covering a lot more space than it should.
"That''s a Triplestep!" Ahkelios calls out, rmed.
"Yeah, I noticed that!" I use another Warpstep¡ª
¡ªonly to stumble as I reappear halfway down the corridor, my vision swimming and my Firmament suddenly burning with a persistent ache. There''s a ringing in my ears that nearly drowns out the sound of Ahkelios''s cry of concern, alongside a metallic taste in my mouth that''s far too reminiscent of blood.
What... just happened?
I stagger to my feet. Ahkelios is distracting the Remnant in the background, and I try to use those precious seconds to gather myself¡ªbut even then, everything feels like it''s happening too quickly. It takes me a moment to realize that my connection with Quicken MInd was disrupted, and that I have to reactivate the skill.
I let out a slow breath.
The Warpstep worked. I''m about where I intended to teleport. There''s a sharp ache inside me that I''m almost certain is Firmament strain from overusing my skills, but there was almost no leadup, no warning. I felt a slight pull internally, but I''ve always had more warning than this.
Doesn''t matter. No time to think. We''re still in a fight. I''ll need a better way to keep track of how many skills I can use and how frequently I can use them¡ªnot knowing my own limits is going to get me killed.
No more Warpsteps. Minimal Firmament use. What skill do I need?
Phaseslip. elerate.
The Remnant does try to react to me, to its credit, but the rock-solid barrier of space it erects in front of me is useless¡ªit''s a spatial barrier, not a Firmament barrier. Phaseslip lets me pass through it like it isn''t even there. The familiar crackling thrum of Crystallized Strength fills my arm, and I wind up tond a punch hopefully somewhere right in the middle of its brain.
Instead, I encounter resistance.
There''s a core of Firmament in its body that keeps me out when I have Phaseslip active. I grit my teeth and try topensate, calling forth the now-sluggish Firmament in my body and trying to force more into Crystallized Strength.
At the same time, the Remnant moves. Its entire body pivots and itunches itself at me, a spiky wrecking ball of stillughing rage. I stumble backward, an instinctive attempt at Warpstep only bringing forth a bout of nausea; a ded arm swings down toward me¡ª
Ahkelios rushes in to create a bright, ring distraction, and it''s just enough for me to twist out of the way. I catch myself against the wall, pain rattling through my body.
Come on. I need options. My mind feels like it''s working against me, like I''m struggling against the current of my own thoughts.
Then Bimar shows up. She takes one nce at the Remnant, looks at me, and then flings her knife directly toward... well, it feels like she threw it toward my head, but it was probably technically a few inches to the right.
I catch it. Barely. Firmament Control lets me extend its reach, and I stab forward, pushing a chunk of Bimar''s Firmament straight into the Remnant''s skull. There''s a loud, disgustingly visceral crack before its body copses.
Temporal Link.
There. Ahkelios... needs that. To link with his Remnant. I can feel the resonance between him and the Remnant snapping into ce, and I catch a glimpse of the Interface popping up with a notification¡ªwith more than one notification¡ªbut I can''t focus on either event.
I''m dizzy. Incredibly dizzy. And the exhaustion that''s pushing through me is now so intense it''s taking everything I have not to copse entirely. I''m struggling to understand how I could have strained myself this much this suddenly, but it''s all I can do to stay conscious, and even that''s rapidly slipping away from me.
Thest thing I think is that I really hope I don''t lose this loop like this. That would just be embarrassing.
Chapter 115: Book 2: Hollow
Chapter 115: Book 2: Hollow
I haven''t looped. I think.
The I think is kind of a weird qualifier, I know. I''m pretty sure I''m not dead, but I''m also not entirely convinced I''m still alive. Best guess is that I''m in some kind ofa, or otherwise in some sort of transitional state, like when I managed my first Phase-Shift or when I''m picking out an Inspiration with Gheraa. Everything around me is a dull, drab gray, like I''m sitting in a colorless, Firmament-less Void.
I''m conscious, at least. So that''s nice. The Interface feels far away from my grasp at the moment, and every attempt I make to call it up failspletely. The same goes for any attempt to use a skill, or to pull on my link with Ahkelios, or even to do something as basic as move around¡ªthere isn''t really a ground for my feet to catch on, and even if there were, there''s no sensation of inertia orndmark to tell me if I''m sessfully moving.
The istion is suffocating. I''m trying very hard not to panic. It''s working. Mostly.
"We have to stop meeting like this," a voice sounds out. I whirl around to find Gheraa leaning against... well, nothing, in standard Gheraa fare. His back is pressed against a wall that isn''t there, and he''s holding a white cane trimmed with gold; he twirls it around casually, tapping the tip of the cane on the also-nonexistent floor and producing an oddly metallic ting.
I can''t deny I''m relieved to see him, even if I have no idea what he''s talking about. "This is the first time we''re meeting like this," I point out.
"And it should be thest!" Gheraa points his cane at me. "This is incredibly dangerous. But also incredibly convenient, so good job doing whatever you did to trigger this."
"I have no idea what I did to trigger this." Besides exhausting myself mid-fight and passing out immediately after, which isn''t something I''m nning on doing again anytime soon. There''s a part of me that''s tense about this¡ªI don''t know what state the world is in. I don''t know how I''ve left things.
I don''t know how long I''ve been like this.Gheraa looks around. "Firmament exhaustion," he says after a moment. He rubs his fingers together like he''s feeling for the texture in the air, scanning for something I can''t see or sense¡ªnot in the state I''m in, anyway. "You pushed that Warpstep a lot farther than you should have. And... hm. There''s something else."
"I''ve Warpstepped a lot farther than that without any problems," I say.
"Yes, but this time, you were in a corridor perforated by spatial distortions," Gheraa says. He tries to rap me on the head with his cane, but I dodge out of the way and re at him; he just grins at me. "You''re lucky the Interface is so adaptable or you would''ve torn yourself in half."
"...You sound like you''re speaking from experience." I eye Gheraa carefully.
"Maybe, maybe not!" Gheraa says, with just a little too much cheer in his voice. "But be careful using Warpstep against anyone that can mess with space. Actually, just be careful with spatial movement skills in general. You still have to fold all the space between you and your target with your Firmament. What do you think happens if that spatial tunnel gets messed with?"
"Presumably the loop resets," I say, because that''s a little more pleasant of a thought than getting torn in half by a misced teleport.
Gheraa just grins at me, falling back into a nonexistent chair and crossing one leg over the other. "The Interface can correct for it," he says. "It''s why the thing exists¡ªor part of the reason, anyway. You get to fire off the skill and not worry about it. But it''s going to use much more Firmament than it should, because you''re asking the Interface topensate for something it shouldn''t have topensate for. A single spatial distortion in the way means part of your body might have to travel several times farther than a different part of your body."
He''s got a point¡ªI should''ve been more aware of what this Remnant was capable of and how it might interact with my skills. I shake my head and sigh. "How long have I been out, Gheraa?"
"Not long. About two minutes." Gheraa examines me for a moment. "You''re worried."
"And I should be." I breathe out. "But I''m guessing there''s no way to just wake up."
"Not quickly. And there are things we need to do before then." Gheraa''s expression settles into something more serious, the faux-mirth fading away into something more grim.
"What do you mean?" I ask. Gheraa eyes me for a moment, then goes back to examining those invisible threads in the air, picking through them with his fingers and eventually shaking his head.
"You wouldn''t have been pulled here if all that happened was some Firmament strain. Not unless you''re experiencing ongoing Firmament strain, and not unless there''s a threat the Interface''s default settings can''t protect from you."
...Ongoing? "I''m not using any skills right now," I say. As far as I know, anyway.
"You are. You''re just not aware of it." Gheraa nces around, then tries a bright smile that I don''t buy for a second. "But like I said, this is convenient! Good job. Right now, no one can see what you''re doing, not even me. We can talk in perfect privacy."
I narrow my eyes. "Hold on. What do you mean, not even you?"
"Oh, uh, right. I guess I haven''t actually exined what''s happening." Gheraa scratches the back of his head in a decidedly human gesture. "You''ll remember I told you I needed to prepare for our next meeting. Well, I did. This is the result of that preparation. We needed a way to talk privately, and this is the only way I could think to do it. There are no eyes on us right now¡ªno Integrator can see what we''re doing, including my real self."
"Your... real self." I repeat the words with a small amount of skepticism; this Gheraa seems as real as any version of him I''ve ever spoken to. "I''m talking to a fake version of you?"
"Well, depending on what you think of as fake, yes," Gheraa confirms, ignoring said skepticism. "But don''t call me that or you''ll hurt my feelings."
"Noted," I say dryly. I can feel a thread of anxiety within me¡ªthis all means Ahkelios is integrating his Remnant alone¡ªbut I try to focus on the problem in front of me. Gheraa''s presence here can only mean one of very few things. "You want to actually exin what''s going on?"
"Yeah. Let''s start with this. This void we''re in? We Integrators call it the Mind Vault," Gheraa says. "It''s a failsafe built into the Interface. Think of it as a protective instance your mind gets brought into if it detects a serious threat to your metaphysical existence."
I grimace a bit at this description. "...I''m a little concerned about this ''serious threat to my metaphysical existence'', but go on."
"I¡ªthe real me¡ªcan''t talk to you openly and directly, which I presume you''ve noticed. I''m being monitored very closely. So I imbued your Inspiration with a little bit of my own Firmament and programmed it to integrate with your Interface''s Mind Vault, to be brought to life if you ever trigger it." Gheraa seems inordinately proud of himself for the fact. "I figured the way you''re going, you''d trigger it eventually. And would you look at that! I was right! Here we are."
He tries for a triumphant grin, resting his chin in both his hands and floating far too close forfort. I nce at those hands, my gaze lingering for a moment.
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They''re shaking.
Gheraa sees what I''m looking at and promptly folds his hands behind his back, fixing his smile firmly in ce.
"You know, I somehow thought you''d be less of a showman without the Integrators watching over you." I give him a small smile, and I see his shoulders visibly rx.
"Nope! I''m a showman through and through," he says with a wink. "I mean, I''d like to have something I can still be proud of."
"...I can rte to that."
Gheraa nods. "Anyway! We have a lot to talk about." He takes a few steps back, regarding me with an uncharacteristic frown. "You need to know a few things about the Integrators, the Interface, and the Trial. Hopefully you''ll still want to help me after all that, but if you don''t..."
He takes a deep breath, then shrugs, not quite looking me in the eyes. "Well, this version of me will understand," he says. "I don''t know if the real me will. I''ll expire once we finish this conversation, so it''s not like I can talk to him. Can''t leave any traces and all that."
"...You don''t seem veryfortable with that."
"Ethan, my friend, I am a fully sapient Firmament construct cloned from arger, equally sapient Firmament construct. I am notfortable with my imminent death, no." Gheraa nces at the lines of golden Firmament in his skin, watching the pulse of power beneath them. "But frankly, that doesn''t matter right now. You have questions about the Trials and the Integrators. Ask them. This is going to be one of your only chances to get straight answers."
This is... admittedly unexpected. I''d been half-expecting to only get those answers by raiding the Integrator city myself. "You can''t just tell me what I need to know?"
"I could try," Gheraa says. He gestures to himself. "But all this? Getting a working, living Firmament construct into your Interface? It''s prettyplicated. There''s a lot of knowledgepression I had to do to make it work, and I can''t just unpack all that knowledge without the right prompt."
That makes sense. "How much time do we have?" I ask. I don''t want to leave the others alone for too long¡ªAhkelios is probably already panicking over me, by this point, and if there are any other threats Bimar won''t be able to deal with them alone. Not to mention everything that might be happening with the other rebels, with Tarin, with Guard...
I''d almost forgotten about He-Who-Guards, at this point. I clench my fists. After everything Miktik told me about him, I don''t want to just leave him to Whisper.
Especially since I''m pretty sure he held back every time we fought. I saw how effective he was against the monsters in the Fracture¡ªif he''d fought me with that strength when we first met...
I wouldn''t have stood a chance.
"Theoretically? As much as you need," Gheraa says, capturing my attention once more. "The Mind Vault canst for days if it needs to, and I doubt we''re going to be in here for days. Unless you really want to hang out with me." He gives me a yful grin, once again moving in far too close forfort, and I hold him back by the shoulder with a roll of my eyes. This version of Gheraa seems a little toofortable with getting close.
"Let''s start with the most important bit," I say. All jokes aside, I don''t want to stay here longer than necessary. "I strained my Firmament with Warpstep, but you said there was something else¡ªsome kind of skill I''m still using. I can''t feel any Firmament or ess the Interface right now, but I assume you have senses that I don''t. What skill am I using?"
"Iron Mind," Gheraa responds immediately. "I can only partially observe what''s happening outside of your body, but I can read your history in the Firmament easily enough. What do you know about Teluwat?"
I narrow my eyes. "Nothing. I know he''s one of the Hestian Trialgoers, but Bimar wouldn''t tell me anything more. Or she was too scared to. One or the other."
"He''s the most dangerous of the Hestian Trialgoers, if not the most powerful," Gheraa says. He says it with enough certainty that I feel a spark of worry¡ªof Premonition¡ªalmost like the skill is responding even in my currently-disconnected state. "You''ve been resisting him since almost the moment you got into thatb."
The idea that Teluwat was trying to manipte me sends a surge of hot anger through me. "What was he trying to do to me?"
Gheraa frowns, closing his eyes and rubbing his fingers together again. "It looks like he was trying to manipte you into seeing him in person. I''m going to go ahead and suggest you don''t do that."
"How dangerous is he?" If he''s making moves against me already, I''m going to have to face him whether I like it or not. I''ll need to be prepared. One more thing to do in a steadily-growing list.
"Whatever you''re thinking he can do, it''s probably worse," Gheraa says. "He''s gotten a skill from the Interface that we''ve never seen before. There are Integrators worried about what he''s capable of. He might not be anywhere near being able to affect any of us, but he could mess with our ns, if he wanted to."
"And what can he do, exactly?"
"His skills revolve around maniption and control," Gheraa says. "But you''ve probably figured that out already, and we''ve seen that before. There are ways to defend against mind-affecting Firmament. The problem with Teluwat is what happens afterward when he uses his main skill¡ªit''s called Rewritten Truth."
Gheraa gestures. Dark Firmament spreads out from his fingertips, spreading into the air like the branches of a tree. "Whatever new reality he enforces on someone under his control spreads. Like a sickness made of Firmament, infecting everything else it touches."
I stare at the slowly-expanding Firmament and feel myself taking a step back, in spite of myself. "What does that mean, exactly? He makes someone believe something and it bes true?"
"Essentially." Gheraa''s expression darkens slightly. "There are limitations, but nothing we''ve been able to clearly define. It''s a Firmament-based skill, so anyone capable of working with Firmament can resist it. Objects that don''t rely on Firmament are rtively immune. But Firmament is imbued into everything, including most objects and buildings¡ªRewritten Truth can alter all those things."
"That''s..."
"I know." Gheraa closes his fist, and the tree of Firmament shatters, scattering into the void. "We''ve never seen skills like that before. But that''s true for a lot of the new skillsing out of the Interface¡ªthat Time Punch skill of yours, for example."
"Time Punch isn''t nearly as ridiculous as Rewritten Truth," I say with a grimace. I can''t even think of a way to counter that. If what Gheraa says is true, then Teluwat''s limitations are nearly nonexistent¡ªhis skills take advantage of the nature and prevalence of Firmament. Maybe if I could take advantage of the loops in some way.
...but now that I think about it, I might not be the only one able to take advantage of those loops.
The loop takes precedence over most alterations, but not all of them. Changes to the Firmament of people tend to stick across loops, while anything altered in objects and buildings doesn''t seem to. It''s the reason Guard''s injuries were sustained across loops¡ªthe reason Whisper panics at the start of every loop.
A realization hits.
"Wait," I say. "Firmament changes to people are retained across loops, right?"
"Yes." Gheraa frowns. "Why?"
"Because," I say, "if Teluwat''s figured that out..."
There''s a beat, and then Gheraa''s eyes narrow. "Then he''s most likely using your loops to spread his control."
"Yup." The more I think about it, the more sense it makes¡ªit even exins the sudden appearance of Whisper''s agents under Teluwat''s control. The question is how long it takes him to realize that the loops are running and begin his work. It can''t be at the start of every loop; without outside factors like Naru learning about a Hotspot to investigate or Guard''s sudden copse, the Hestian Trialgoers don''t seem automatically alerted to the fact that a Trial has begun.
"The Integrators won''t like it, but they won''t help," Gheraa says, frowning in thought. "They can''t. Not with any Trial, and not with yours especially."
That figures. I''ll have to work out some kind of counter to Teluwat on my own, then. The skill can''t be insurmountable¡ªeven Gheraa thinks it has limitations, even if he doesn''t know what those limitations are.
So I''ll just have to work it out for myself.
"Sounds like it''s time for you to tell me what the Trials are for," I say. "Especially if you''re implying there''s somethin special about my Trial."
"It is. And it''s time for you to learn the true nature of Firmament," Gheraa says. He takes a breath, as if considering what he''s about to say, and then nods to himself. "...You''re going to need to be stronger. A lot stronger. So I''m going to use what I have left to train you, and as soon as we''re done, I''m going to forcibly end this loop. It''s too risky for you to stay in it while Teluwat is spreading his influence around."
I grit my teeth¡ªI don''t like that idea, considering how much I still have to do this loop. "Only if I can''t figure something else out," I say. "I can end the loop on my own if I need to. Or with Ahkelios''s help."
"Fine," Gheraa says. I notice he doesn''t fight me on it. His hands are still shaking, too. How much is he really feeling, under all that faux cheer and showboating? Most of it has melted away over the course of this conversation, but I still see the little subconscious gestures, the flourishes he automatically adds to his movements and the forced smile he fixes on his face.
I sigh.
Mind Vault or not, I want to see what''s going on with my body for myself. I close my eyes, trying to sense where I am, trying to connect to my body and its sense of Firmament.
I can feel Gheraa watching me. "Well?" I speak without opening my eyes. "What are the Trials really for?"
Chapter 116: Book 2: Integrators
Chapter 116: Book 2: Integrators
"First," Gheraa says. "You have to understand what the Interface is."
There''s a pause. Gheraa stares at me expectantly, and after a moment passes, I open one eye to look at him. "What is it?" I ask, because Gheraa is clearly waiting for me to prompt him. He rolls his shoulders once, then takes a deep breath, like he''s preparing for some big reveal...
"We don''t know," he says.
"...What." The response is almost enough for me to lose concentration. I feel like I can almost feel where my body is and what it''s doing. Like I can feel the cold ground beneath me, and the presence of Ahkelios and Bimar''s Firmament nearby.
But what does he mean, they don''t know?
"We don''t know," Gheraa repeats. "I think you suspect it already, and you''re not the only one¡ªbut we Integrators aren''t the ones that created the Interface. All we did was discover it."
I frown. It''s true that I''ve had my suspicions¡ªI''ve talked about this exact scenario with Ahkelios¡ªbut it''s diforting to have it just confirmed like this. The Interface is an enormously powerful tool, and the idea that the Integrators are spreading it around without fully understanding it... it makes me wince.
"Then what''s the point?" I ask. "Why Integrate civilizations with the Interface at all? Why have these Trials?"
Gheraa shifts ufortably. "You have to understand that I''m just repeating the philosophy of the Integrators, not necessarily my own," he starts. I incline my head toward him¡ªthat''s pretty much a given, at this point. "We view the Interface as... the closest trantion would be that it has religious significance to us. Many Integrators believe it''s directly responsible for our existence.""Because you''re made of living Firmament?" I raise an eyebrow. I''m not sure I see the connection.
"Correct. Or that''s part of the reason, at least." Gheraa hesitates for a moment, then takes a step back, gesturing to the nk space around us both. "Integrator history is a little muddled, but our discovery of the Interface happened more or less at the start of our recorded civilization. Our doctrine teaches us that we were created as guardians of the Interface¡ªresponsible for both its spread and empowerment. The only problem is that, as I''m sure you''re aware, a lot of what the Interface is capable of is locked away or hidden. There are many features triggered only when prerequisite conditions are met."
"And the Trials are... what, an attempt to unlock more Interface features?" I ask. It''s a half-hearted guess, but Gheraa''s silence speaks volumes. I stare at him. "You can''t be serious."
"It''s notpletely right, but you''re most of the way there." Gheraa shrugs, the tension in his shoulders clearly ufortable. "You''re aware by this point that every has a Heart, yes?"
"Vaguely." It''s not like anyone''s ever exined in explicit terms to me what the Heart of a is, and although Hestia''s has ostensibly spoken to me, I can''t say that that''s allowed me any more insight into what a Heart is, exactly. "I know they exist, anyway. Don''t know much more than that."
"A Heart is essentially a''s Firmament core," Gheraa says. He leans back a bit and examines me. "Some call it the culmination of civilization on that, although that exnation is misleading at best. The Heart shapes the civilization, not the other way around. Every that has a Heart is guaranteed to eventually develop intelligent life."
That''s close enough to what I''ve already guessed based on the name alone. I consider this information for a moment, then let out a breath. "That exins how you track down news to Integrate, yeah?" I ask. "You look for Firmament?"
"Exactly." Gheraa nods. ary Hearts are very noticeable. More importantly, though, the Interface recognizes them. When the Interface has direct ess to a''s Heart, it can integrate that''s Firmament into itself, producing new skills and features."
"That''s what the Trials are for," I say. "You''re connecting the Interface to Hearts and evolving the Interface in the process."
Gheraa gives me a weak smile. "You''re a smart one," he says. "Yes. Connecting the Interface with aary Heartpletes its associated Trial. Only problem is, we can''t do the Trials ourselves."
"So you get the inhabitants of others to do it." I frown. "Why can''t you do it yourselves, exactly?"
"Couldn''t tell you even if I wanted to," Gheraa says with a shrug. "We have more control over the Interface than most, but its functions are still opaque to us. Think of it as having administrative ess¡ªactually, that might be the reason the Interface won''t let us participate in the Trials. We have too much control over it."
"Maybe." I''m not entirely convinced by that exnation, but the Integrators not having perfect control over the Interface does exin why its features areid out and presented so strangely. The progression of feature unlocks isn''t exactly logical, and I''m guessing that has a lot to do with the Integrators and the Interface not agreeing on what should be avable. "Is there an ultimate goal of some kind? I assume you''re not just umting as many Interface skills and features as you can."
"Some would say that''s a goal in and of itself," Gheraa says with a shrug. He studies me closely. "...But you''re right in that that''s not our primary goal. We''ve studied the flow of Firmament between Hearts for a long time. There''s a definite pattern leading toward the gctic center."
"And you''re trying to get there?" I ask.
"We can''t connect to a Heart if we haven''t connected with all the Hearts before it." Gheraa shrugs. "Don''t ask me why. Some of us think it''s like a pilgrimage¡ªwe have to get the Interface to connect with everything along the way to the center."
"But you don''t know what''s actually there," I point out. "For all you know, it could be a trap."
"You''re not the only one to bring that up," Gheraa says dryly. "That particr argument isn''t a popr one. Most Integrators believe we''re being led toward the center for a reason."
"And you can''t just..." I shrug and gesture helplessly. "Can''t you just fly there? You''re an inteary species. There are Firmament skills that let us teleport. It''s not like you can''t just ignore the Hearts and find out what they''re connected to."
"If only it were that easy." Gheraa sighs. "Even if that were possible there would be a lot of Integrators insistent on us doing it the ''right'' way¡ªbut it''s a moot point, because it''s not. Whatever''s held at the center is locked up by the Interface itself. The stronger we get while we''re linked up with the Interface and the more Hearts we link to, the stronger that shield gets. Getting through it isn''t really an option at this point."
That information makes me frown and abandon my attempts to connect with my real body, at least for the moment. "Uh," I say. I try to figure out how to phrase my response.
"What?" Gheraa nces at me. "You''re making a face like you''ve thought of something."
"You just described a pretty efficient system that functions as a seal," I say. At this rate, I''m going to have to put the gctic core on the list of things I''ll eventually have to worry about. "Forget what I said about traps, this sounds like a system created to seal away something else."
"The Interface itself is leading us toward the center," Gheraa points out. "If it''s trying to seal away what''s in the center, why lead us toward it?"
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the vition.
"Fair enough," I say, more because I don''t feel like arguing about it than because I''m conceding. I could see the Interface functioning as a sort of warning¡ªor maybe it''s just inevitable. Or it''s trying to help people grow strong enough to beat whatever''s sealed away.
I close my eyes once again and go back to trying to connect with my real-world self. I think I can feel my body now. I''m lying on the ground. Ahkelios is standing on my chest, worried¡ªhe''s definitely grownrger, from what I''m sensing, which means he''s managed to sessfully integrate with his Remnant. Bimar is pacing nearby, so she''s fine. I let out a sigh of relief.
I can also feel the assault of Teluwat''s Firmament. The Interface seems to have taken over the job of Iron Mind, sealing away whatever his Firmament is trying to do to me. Reaching out to sense any more would... probably be a very, very bad idea, if it breaks the Mind Vault the Interface has put me in.
On the other hand... it''s wearing itself out. The effect isn''t going tost forever.
I might not have to end this loop immediately.
"It''s a moot point anyway," I say, opening my eyes and re-focusing on the conversation. I maintain my connection to my real self in the back of my mind, but it''s an odd feeling. A little like being in two ces at once. "I''m not exactly in a position to stop the Integrators right now. So to summarize: the point of the Trials are to connect to Hearts, which allows the Interface to create and grant new skills. Sessful Trialgoers are the ones that manage to create the connection, which I assume is different from just finding the exit."
"It takes time for the Interface to find out how to connect to each Heart, and we figured out early on that having some kind of alternate goal is necessary for the Trialgoer to proceed," Gheraa says. "The exit is mostly a red herring. It''s there, but going through it is considered a failure of the Trial."
"Of course it is." I remember suspecting as much right from the beginning¡ªthough I would''ve preferred to be wrong about this one. "You mentioned that the newer skills from the Interface are different?"
"Every Heart has some specific type of Firmament associated with it," Gheraa says. "A lot of the early ones were very basic¡ªFire, Earth, Water, Air, typical abstractions that emerge across a lot of civilizations. But the more recent ones are a lot more esoteric, and so are the skills we get from them. Control, Authority, Space, Temporal..."
Gheraa nces at me as he says this, and I nod slightly to acknowledge it. "I''m the only one getting Temporal skills, I take it?"
"For now," Gheraa says. "Once youplete the Trial, others will be able to get skills simr to yours."
That''s... useful to know, actually. It means I should be able to leverage my skills to surprise the others. It also makes me think thatpleting the Trial will mean that I lose that advantage¡ªand more to the point, allowing everyone with the Interface ess to skills that manipte time sounds like a Very Bad Thing.
Gheraa seems to guess at what I''m thinking, because he gives me a little smirk and speaks again. "You do have an exit," he says. "We can''t lie through the Interface. We can omit things or try to misdirect you, but if we tell you something''s there, it has to be there in some capacity."
"I''ll keep that in mind," I say. I have too many things to do to worry about the exit, I think. Searching for a spatial hole that''s probably hidden somewhere within the ground sounds like a waste of my time. Maybe I can extend my Firmament sense enough to find it, or maybe there''s some way I can exit the temporal field around Hestia without ending my Trial.
My goals have nothing to do with passing the Trial, anyway, so it doesn''t really matter¡ªbut speaking of which... "Will the Earth actually be destroyed if we don''t get at least ten passing Trialgoers?"
"No," Gheraa says with a snort. "Destroyings would be a waste of resources and power. We usually pretend that we''ve decided to be merciful and spare the, in exchange for the bing a host for a Trial. We need to host a Trial on that anyway."
"Right. I figured as much." It''s only a small relief¡ªHestia isn''t exactly in a good state right now, despite having ostensibly passed its Trials and bing a fully Integrated. Even if Earth isn''t at risk of being destroyed, a Trial would probably kill millions. "That answers most of my questions, I think. How do I get to you?"
Gheraa stares at me, uncertainty creeping into his features. "What do you mean?"
"You want me to rescue you," I rify. "How do I do that?"
"Are you actually going to?" Gheraa''s brows are furrowed¡ªhe seems genuinely surprised. It makes me frown a bit. Have I given him any indication that I intended to do anything else? "We just talked about how the Integrators are essentially subjugating most life in the gxy to empower a system we don''t even fully understand."
"And you''re not a part of that," I say, cocking my head. "Or at least you don''t want to be anymore."
"I was a part of it," he argues. "It''s not like everything I''ve done is magically erased just because I want to get away from the rest of them."
"I never said it was," I say. I wonder why he''s protesting so much¡ªthere''s a vulnerability in his expression that''s usually masked by his constant enthusiasm and cheer. "Do you need to stay with them to keep manipting the Trials and the Interface?"
"N-no," Gheraa says. He takes a deep breath, and a bit of his confidence eases back into him as he speaks. "If anything, I should be able to do more if I''m not being constantly watched. They can''t really remove my ess from your Trial at this point, or they would''ve done it already. They''d have to kill me. And I might be a lot of things, but I''m not easy to kill."
"So I have no reason to leave you there," I say. "The other Integrators don''t treat you well, do they?"
Gheraa winces. "This version of me doesn''t have all the memories the original does," he says. "But no. They don''t. I''d prefer not to talk about it."
"Then I''m not leaving you there. No reason toplicate it any further. What you''ve done in the past is irrelevant. You''ve been helping me, and it''se at a personal cost to you. I''m going to return the favor."
Gheraa just stares at me. "Humans are so weird," he mutters. "We had to do a bit of research on you before we started the Integration. You guys are weird."
"Thanks," I say dryly. I don''t ask him to borate. I''m sure I''ll find out eventually. "So. How do I get to you?"
Gheraa takes a deep breath and begins to exin.
I''m basically already halfway there, it turns out. The Phaseslip skill was one that he slipped into my Interface, and I''m thankful I picked it out¡ªit''s apparently one of the keys to essing the Integrators'' domain. They live in a slightly out-of-phase pocket dimension that''s synced with every that the Interface is connected with. That allows them to work with Trialgoers and Trials with rtive ease, and it allows them to step in if necessary, although ording to Gheraa, it "has never been necessary". The Integrators do asionally pay visits to their Integrateds, but those visits are...
Well, Gheraa seems reluctant to talk about what those visits entail. I can guess. It sounds like the Integrators atrge are mostly disconnected from what the civilizations they manage are like. Gheraa might be the most human among them, and even then, it''s a recent development in his otherwise long life.
I''m curious about what made him change, but I don''t ask. It doesn''t seem like the time, and it also seems... unfair, almost. It''s not like the main version of Gheraa is going to know what I''ve spoken about with his copy.
The point is that the Phaseslip skill is oneponent. The otherponent is something Gheraa calls a "phasic key"; it''s apparently something like a constantly-changing code that''s required to sync up with the Integrators'' pocket dimension. It''s usually stored in an imbuement stone. Gheraa can''t give me one, but he''s suggested it might be possible to force the Interface to reward me with one through aplicated series of steps he calls "attribute alignment".
I have a slightly better idea. Miktik''s mentioned an Integrator scrapyard that''s so dense with Firmament it requires protection just to enter. It''s full of Integrator technology¡ªand Integrator technology, by design, has to be able to sync with the dimension it exists in. I''ll have to go take a look when I get the chance, because attribute alignment is a very involved process that will likely take weeks of active maniption of the Interface and dozens of weak skill choices.
That and with what Gheraa''s revealed so far, I''m more interested in saving those credits for something else: Firmament skills that are unique to me.
Temporal skills.
"You said you wanted to train me before we end this session," I say, looking at Gheraa. He''s been talking for a while, and I''m noticing that the gold energy in his skin is beginning to look a little more pale¡ªI wonder if we have less time than he thought. "And something about learning the true nature of Firmament. I''m guessing this has something to do with phase-shifts."
Gheraa gives me a tired smile. "Please stop being smart. I''d like to get to show off sometimes."
I chuckle. "It''s not like I know anything about them besides what I just said," I say. "So hit me. I''m missing something big, aren''t I?"
"You and everyone else besides the Integrators," Gheraa says quietly. He looks down at his hand,manding a small string of golden Firmament to float above it, then coils it between his fingers contemtively. "Mostly because we intentionally restrict it from any we Integrate."
He pulls his fingers apart, stretching the golden thread between them¡ªthen he clenches his fist, and that golden thread shatters. "Congrattions," he says. "You''re about to learn the real secrets behind Firmament and phase-shifts."
"...Drama queen," I say, hiding a smile. I can''t help myself.
Gheraa res at me. "Don''t ruin the moment."
Chapter 117: Book 2: Phase Shifts and You, (1)
Chapter 117: Book 2: Phase Shifts and You, (1)
"You''ve noticed by now that Firmament isyered," Gheraa says. "Imbuement stones are evenbeled that way by the Interface¡ªby its ''depth''. The deeper you sink into Firmament, the closer you get to its true nature."
"Mysterious," I say, raising an eyebrow. "This have anything to do with what I sensed earlier?"
Gheraa cocks his head, then leans in close to peer at me, his expression intrigued. "Depends, I suppose," he says. "What did you sense?"
I shrug. "When I was trying to imbue a Hunger stone, there was a kind of reaction from the Void Inspiration. It gave me the sense that there was something underneath the Firmament. I can''t give it a name, exactly. It felt like intent. Or willpower."
Gheraa goes silent for a long moment, staring at me contemtively. "That''s... not what I was talking about, exactly," he says slowly. "But you''re not the first one to sense something like that. It''s never been verified. We can''t really reproduce the effect reliably, so all we have are stories."
I frown. "Sounds like you guys haven''t fully figured out Firmament, either. Aren''t you made of the stuff?"
Gheraa gives me a withering look. "Do you want to learn about Firmament or not?"
"Carry on." Iugh.
"What you sensed is most likely a deeperyer than the ones that are relevant for phase-shifting," Gheraa says. "The deeper you connect with your Firmament, the more you can utilize it. A phase-shift is an encapstion of that process¡ªit allows you to ess more of the energy contained within your Firmament, so you can do more with the same amount of it."That exins why my skills have been getting easier to use. "But there''s more to it than that, isn''t there?" I ask. "I mean, I had to fight during my phase-shift."
"Yes." Gheraa considers me for a moment. "Think of eachyer of Firmament as having a guardian that decides whether or not you''re worthy of connecting to it. It''s not a perfectly urate metaphor¡ªthat''s Integrator doctrine¡ªbut it''s close enough. Every individual''s Firmament is unique, but a lot of the loweryers are... unformed. Raw with potential. When you connect to ayer, you define what thatyer of your Firmament is. The fight is something between a test and a calibration process. You''re working to define ayer of your being."
There was that moment during my phase-shift when I had to answer a question. I remember the feeling of it, the question that it felt like I was being asked.
"For the firstyer, you have to define who you are," Gheraa says. "You went through that, didn''t you?"
"I sort of refused to answer, but yes," I say with a grimace. Gheraa tilts his head.
"If you actually refused to answer, you wouldn''t have been able toplete your shift," he says. "But it does exin why the Interface detected abnormalities. You gave it an answer that didn''t fit?"
"I said I was whatever I wanted to be," I say with a shrug. "I don''t like the idea of being boxed in by abel."
"Ah." Gheraa ces his hand on his chin. "That... is normally a secondyer answer. In the firstyer, you define who you are now; in the second, you define who you want to be."
"I''d answer that question differently." It surprises me how easily the answeres to me¡ªit''s not something I''ve ever thought about before. But the answer''s pretty simple.
I want to be stronger. Strong enough to be kind.
I can''t be kind or merciful when I''m fighting for my life. Even with the loops in y, there''s a limit to what I can afford. Letting the assassins go free to get medical help would have cost me if they were to report to Whisper or Teluwat; even putting them into a cell was a questionable choice, though I had my reasons beyond just mercy.
But as long as I''m strong enough, it doesn''t matter. And now I know I have an advantage that others don''t. Temporal skills are unique to me, and if I y my cards right, they''ll stay unique to me.
What''s stronger than manipting time?
"You would, would you?" Gheraa''s gaze lingers on me for a long moment. Then he chuckles. "Yeah, that figures. You''re a bit of an abnormality all the way through."
A slight pause. "I should apologize to you," he says suddenly.
"...Why?" I ask. He says it with enough grim certainty that I almost involuntarily tense up, readying for a fight; Gheraa winces slightly when he sees my reaction, but he doesn''t move away.
"Because it''s my fault you were chosen as a Trialgoer," he says. The words make a cold anger shoot through me briefly before I stamp down on it and wait to hear the rest of what he has to say. "The Interface profiles everyone that''s going to be chosen for the Trials. It wouldn''t have chosen you without a manual override."
"...So much for random choice, huh?" I say. I don''t quite manage to keep the bitterness out of my voice, nor do I want to. "Why me?"
"You were a risk," Gheraa says. "Too much independence. Not enough traits that are easily manipted. Most Trialgoers we choose are people that we can manipte into working for us, or they''re people who can work with us, even if they have their own goals."
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"I''m not that hard to manipte," I snort. The anger is cooling a little¡ªmostly because it seems he''s chosen me specifically because he thinks I''ll be a hindrance to the Intergator''s ns. "I mean, I''ve been running around solving problems for other people."
"Because you think they''re problems that need to be solved," Gheraa says. "But you don''t ignore the bigger picture, nor do you follow blindly. Also, frankly, it''s a lot easier to manipte someone self-serving by bribing them than it is to set up some contrived scenario in which your kindness allows us to manipte you."
I pause. "Fair enough, actually."
"I''m sorry," Gheraa says. "You wouldn''t be involved with the Trials at all if it weren''t for my intervention."
"It could''ve been worse."
Gheraa blinks at me. "What?"
"It could''ve been worse," I repeat. "You picked a Trial I can''t possibly lose in unless I give up. You picked me for a reason I can respect. I''ve endured a lot of shit in these loops, but I''ve also met at least two people I would consider close friends. Three, if I count you, but honestly you''re still on probation." I smile at Gheraa as I say this¡ªit''s meant half as a joke¡ªbut the Integrator seems genuinely stunned at my words. He takes a step back, then falters a little, falling back into a makeshift seat he forms out of his Firmament.
For a long time, neither of us say anything. And then Gheraa finds the words. "Thank you," he says. "I... wish the real me would hear that. Would you tell him?"
"We''ll see," I say.
The more I think about it, the less I''m willing to let this version of Gheraa just fade away. He''d said something earlier about how he''d been able to pack memories into this version of himself¡ªthat means, theoretically, that memories can be contained in Firmament.
Maybe this version of Gheraa doesn''t have to die.
"What did you have to teach me about Firmament?" I ask. "Besides theyer thing, I mean."
"Oh, right," Gheraa says, blinking a few times as though he isn''t quite sure where he is. "What... I was talking about phase-shifts. First and secondyer shifts. You''re quite close to the secondyer shift."
"And there''s more to it than that, isn''t there?" I ask.
"The firstyer is Deepening," Gheraa says. "It''s exactly what it says¡ªit deepens your Firmament. Sets how it''s aligned and the aspects you''re mostpatible with. You''ve already defied expectations there by aligning yourself with multiple strong aspects instead of one."
I nod. I remember incorporating the Firmament from not only the crows but from the Interface itself into my shift¡ªthough I suspect Gheraa isn''t aware of that part of it.
"The secondyer is Consolidation," Gheraa continues. "Ahkelios was given the standard information packet on it, if you remember. He''ll be able to guide you through it when the timees. As I said, you choose who you want to be¡ªand your Firmament will shape itself in a way that guides you toward that oue."
"That''s a little vague." I frown. "Is that why I have to give up skills for Consolidation?"
"Yes and no." Gheraa nces away briefly. "The information packet contains some minor lies to keep Trialgoers... weak. That''s one of them. You don''t actually have to give up any skills. But the more you do, the stronger your remaining skills will be."
"Sounds like a decent tradeoff to me," I say, although I can see how it might impact some Trialgoers differently, depending on the skills they''ve gained.
"It can be," Gheraa agrees. "But I''ll give you a better way to¡ªnevermind. We''ll get to that.
"Back on topic, Consolidation will impact the skills the Interface will give you." Gheraa taps his fingers on his knee, eyeing me carefully. "More than that, it means that your Firmament will begin to hold the properties you established in the firstyer. When you first begin to manipte Firmament, it''s all undifferentiated potential¡ªpowerful, yes, but also much harder to use. By the time you reach the secondyer, your Firmament will begin to manifest properties directly associated with your firstyer attribute. Or attributes, in your case."
"How manyyers are there in total?" I ask warily.
"Well, nine," Gheraa admitted. "But no one actually gets to the ninthyer. Most Integrators are at around the fifth or sixthyer. Trialgoers rarely progress beyond the third, and regr citizens, even the ones that can use Firmament, don''t usually move beyond the second."
"Is there a way for me to figure out whatyer someone''s at?"
Gheraa studies me for a moment. "Not unless your ability to sense Firmament is a lot stronger than you''ve let on," he says. "Firmamentyers aren''t something that''s easily sensed, usually. If you could sense thoseyers within someone, it would be fairly obvious¡ªuntouchedyers are still raw and undifferentiated."
I''ve only been able to sense theyers in imbuement stones and in my own Firmament so far. I haven''t tried to examine someone else''s Firmament to that degree, mostly because it takes some meditation for me to be able to ess my Firmament sense that deeply. I nod in thought.
"None of this is the big secret, is it?" I ask.
"No," Gheraa says. "Although most people aren''t aware of the details of Firmamentyers or phase-shifts. The big secret is that normally, progression betweenyers is difficult. You''ve noticed it yourself, right? Even your crow friends don''t know exactly how to deepen their Firmament. They know it has something to do with crafting things, but they believe it''s different for everyone."
"Isn''t it?"
"It is and it isn''t," Gheraa says with a shrug. "It''s true that natural Firmament growth differs for every individual, for every species, and for every. There are degrees of differences in all three categories. But there are universal ways to push your connection with your Firmament forward."
I make a connection. "And one of those is the Interface."
"Correct," Gheraa says. He leans back and stares at me intently. "All growth within the Interface pushes you toward your next phase-shift. Every time you bank credits for a skill, for example. Or every time it offers you a reward or an achievement for something you''ve done. But growth within the Interface is slow¡ªto the point where it can take decades to move down a singleyer."
"I don''t have decades," I say. "But you wouldn''t be telling me this if you didn''t have other ways to grow."
"Quite," Gheraa agrees, giving me a smile that''s a little too smug for the situation we''re in. I can see that it strains him. He gestures to the void around us again, and then more specifically toward a thread of Firmament I''m just starting to be able to sense. "Your little... assistant. His name''s Ahkelios, right?"
"He''s my friend," I say, my voice a little colder than I intend. Gheraa winces a bit, realizing his misstep, and swiftly adjusts.
"Your friend," he corrects himself. "He''s been absorbing Remnants."
"He''s been absorbing the monsters the Interface has been spawning, yes," I say. "The ones that resonate with him. What''s the deal with that, anyway? Why are some of these monsters so obviously based on him?"
Chapter 118: Book 2: Phase Shifts and You, (2)
Chapter 118: Book 2: Phase Shifts and You, (2)
"It''s just something the Interface does," Gheraa says, grimacing. "I don''t have a good answer for you there. We think it has something to do with how the Interface draws from past Trialgoers as a temte for new features or implementations¡ªin the same way, it probably draws on people connected with it to create Remnants. Or monsters, if you will."
I think for a moment. "But that''s not true for all monsters, right?" I say. "Like the monsters in the Fracture."
The ones Guard helped to kill. I remember him fighting with us, and I''m beginning to wonder if there was anything I missed in that fight. Was there any point in which he''d tried tomunicate his situation to me? Would I have noticed? There were those shes of not-purple within his Firmament, the moments in which prismatic power shone through thevender fog swirling in his chest. Now that I know the situation he''s in, I''m guessing those were glimpses of his true Firmament shining through Whisper''s.
My fists tighten. I should have realized what that meant sooner.
"Not all monsters are Remnants, but all Remnants are monsters," Gheraa agrees, unaware of my thoughts. "The Interfacebels and assigns a difficulty rating to anything you fight, be it creature, Remnant, or person. That difficulty rating is applied as a modifier to the credits you earn. But that''s the slower method of growth. The faster one is to do what your friend is doing¡ªto take their Firmament and make it your own.
"But even there, there are downsides." Gheraa draws his cloak around himself and rests his chin in his hands, staring at me. "For one thing, anyone you do that to you would permanently remove from the loop¡ªkill, in other words. For another, it''s not that easy to control someone else''s Firmament. Ahkelios can do it because his Remnants are based on him; all he has to do is remind that Firmament that it belongs to him. Absorbing someone else''s Firmament is a different story altogether. I know of Integrators that have permanently mutated and changed because they attempted this process."
"That doesn''t sound like an option, then," I say. Anything like that will carry over between loops¡ªI''m not going to be able to reverse time to escape the consequences of my own actions. I do, however, mentally file away the possibility of permanently removing people from the loop. It''s not something I''d do under most circumstances, but...
The Hestian Trialgoers are a different story. If I let them reset, they''re going to find new ways toe after me, and they''ll know my tricks. I''m not going to try to absorb them, but that doesn''t mean I can''t find a way to permanently damage their Firmament in some way.
It urs to me that that thought is cold. Colder than I''m used to. Colder than I''d want to get used to.And yet the harm that Whisper''s done¡ªthe disregard that she''s shown for others, not to mention everything I''ve heard about Naru, about Teluwat...
"You have a third method?" I ask, trying to hide the nature of my thoughts. Gheraa stares at me for a long moment but chooses not to ask, for which I''m grateful.
"It''s rted to the second," Gheraa says. "Absorbing the Firmament of any living thing is difficult and dangerous. But there''s plenty of Firmament around you all the time, and most of it doesn''t belong to anyone. Ambient Firmament of all types."
I blink and stare at Gheraa for a moment. "...You want me to just absorb the Firmament that''s floating around in the air?" I ask. "First of all, I refuse to believe that no one except the Integrators has tried this."
"You haven''t tried it," Gheraa points out, amused.
"I''ve been kind of busy!"
"Well," he says. "You''re not wrong. People have tried it, and they still do. Just because the Firmament doesn''t belong to anyone doesn''t mean it''s not still dangerous. Drawing in Firmament from your surroundings is known to cause all kinds of physical symptoms, including but not limited to having your organs turn into the elemental Firmament you''re trying to absorb."
"What."
"Someone''s liver turned into fire once," Gheraa exins, a little too casually for my taste.
"Was it... your liver?"
"I don''t have a liver."
"Great." I add a note to my mental file about Gheraa to be a little cautious about my organs around him, since he doesn''t seem to ce much value in them. Maybe because he doesn''t have any. "I assume you have a way to avoid that."
Gheraa looks at me thoughtfully. "I do," he says. "You have an advantage a lot of others don''t."
"The Interface?" I ask.
"Me!" he says, injecting too much cheer into his voice again. "And also the Interface, yes. You''d have to be willing to sacrifice a skill or two, though. Or more."
I frown in thought. That''s not entirely out of the question¡ªsome of my skills operate pretty well together, but I have a few that are pretty redundant at this point. I might still use Triplestep, but it''s technically objectively worse than Firestep and elerate. The only reason I still use it is because it''s less of a strain on my Firmament and because it stacks with the others to a degree, but the speed advantage it provides as my ability with Firmament grows is starting to be negligible.
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"How do you think skills work, Ethan?" Gheraa asks, drawing my attention again.
A test. The realization is more instinct than anything; he''s looking at me like he wants a specific answer. I roll the question around in my head, considering.
"I assumed the Interface processes my Firmament and converts it into whatever effect the skill is supposed to have," I say slowly. "But that''s not quite right, is it?"
Because I can feel the skills as they grow inside me. It''s like how the Void Inspiration has a presence within me¡ªmy skills do, too, though they''re a lot more subtle. They''re most apparent when I''m using the All-Seeing Eye tobine them. The Interface nts something like a seed within me that converts my Firmament into that of the skill''s. Using the skill itself is then a matter of application; the Interface deals with the minutiae, and I decide on the target and power.
It''s... actually not at all unlike the Firmament sink I''ve been working on. Come to think of it...
"That''s why I can imbue things with skills," I mutter to myself. "I ce a copy of the seed in it?"
"Close!" Gheraa says brightly. He seems proud of me, for some reason. "Technically, most Interface skills are self-sufficient and fractal in nature; you can take any piece of their Firmament and regenerate the skill from it. But uh, you probably shouldn''t try that, because most skills are incredibly dangerous if they''re not regted by the Interface."
I carefully avoid Gheraa''s gaze. I''m definitely going to try it.
"...You''re going to try it, aren''t you," Gheraa says, resigned.
"You were saying something about absorbing Firmament?" I prompt, changing the subject. Gheraa sighs.
"You can destroy a skill and turn it into something to process ambient Firmament for you," he says. "The higher rank the skill, the better it gets at doing that. You''ll still have to manually feed Firmament into the skill to make any real progress, but it speeds things up even if you don''t. And those Firmament-conversion structures are essentially perfect for this process."
"And most Trialgoers don''t do this, I take it. Even if they''re told they can?"
"It''s not exactlymon knowledge, although a few people have figured it out. And I can''t deny that we''ve... experimented." Gheraa seems hesitant to admit this. "But even most Trialgoers are reluctant to give up their skills."
"Skills are useful, but a phase-shift is even more so, if I understand them correctly."
"You''ll be as strong as Naru with Tough Body alone if you manage to reach your thirdyer," Gheraa says. "He''s a secondyer Trialgoer. Still stronger than you are, but you''re catching up. Which he won''t like. I''ve been trying to keep him away from you."
"Thanks," I say. I mean it, too. Any kind of involvement with Naru is something I''d prefer to avoid, not because I''m afraid of him but because I''m pretty sure I''d end up trying to fight him. That''s a mess that I don''t have time for at the moment.
Though I''m not entirely opposed to using a loop to mess with him if I do somehow find myself with the time...
I shake myself free from those thoughts. "How would I do this, exactly?" I ask. "Convert a skill into something for absorbing Firmament."
The Integrator regards me for a moment. "You can sense your Firmament now, can''t you?" he asks. "You''ve reconnected with yourself."
"...Yes." There''s nothing really happening, as far as I can tell. I''m still lying unconscious on the ground and Ahkelios is still sitting on my chest; Bimar seems to have found a seat nearby and is drumming her wings on it anxiously.
Teluwat''s assault has lessened greatly. The Mind Vault probably won''t be necessary for much longer.
"Then I want you to sense what I''m doing. Keep in mind I can only show you this once, because it will expend the rest of the Firmament I nted within you," Gheraa warns. "I''m guessing you don''t want me to forcibly end your loop."
"No." Teluwat''s Firmament is manageable, at this point, and I think Gheraa can sense the same thing. He studies me for a moment, then shakes his head.
"Be careful," he says. His voice is suddenly soft. Sincere, even. It''s so uncharacteristic of him it makes me blink, but the expression he wears with it vanishes so quickly it feels like it was just my imagination. "And watch closely."
I feel Gheraa''s Firmament surge. I see something manifest in front of him¡ªFirmament of a type I haven''t seen before, a brilliant blue-gold marble that''s so dense with power that it warps the void around it. I can almost feel the Interface straining to contain the power that Gheraa''s suddenly manifested.
At the same time, though, the golden lines in the Integrator''s skin fade to white, and the deep blue begins to dull into an empty gray. Gheraa''s eyes narrow in concentration, the entirety of his being focused on the marble in front of him; I focus all my senses on it as well, realizing I can''t afford to miss a moment of this.
A barrage of sensations follows.
A sharp spike of Firmament. An inversion. The sense of something breaking,plete and irreversible. Power waxes and wanes, the blue fades...
...and then it sprouts.
Gheraa''s panting. His entire body sways, and I reach forward to catch him just before he copses onto the ground. This close to him, I can feel how much he''s shaking¡ªpart of it from effort, I''m sure, but part of it from... fear?
I try to lift him to his feet, but he''s light. Impossibly light, and getting lighter by the second.
The marble in front of him has changed. There''s a small seedling sprouting out of it, and I can sense the way it''s drawing in Firmament the same way a nt might draw in carbon dioxide¡ªconverting it into something pure, something I can almost instinctively sense I can use. It''s real. I can sense it settling into me. This wasn''t just a demonstration, this was...
"...That wasn''t a skill, was it?" I ask him quietly. Heughs, the sound weak, and shakes his head.
"No," he says. There''s a faint smile on his face¡ªa small sense of pride in being able to trick me, I suppose. "It wasn''t. Use it well, Ethan."
"I will." I don''t know what to say. Maybe this isn''t the real Gheraa, but he''s still essentially just... given up his existence. To give me a head start. "...Thank you."
"Say that to the real me when you meet him," Gheraa says. He manages a final grin.
And just like that, he''s gone.
Chapter 119: Book 2: The Present, (1)
Chapter 119: Book 2: The Present, (1)
Tarin struggled. Light-purple bands of Firmament strung themselves around his wings, and every movement caused them to burn through his feathers and into the bone and muscle beneath. He could break through them if he could just reinforce himself, but...
Firmament suppression. He hated the tactic. It was cowardly. It was un-crowlike! Whatever Whisper had done, she had locked down his ability to manipte his own Firmament, and Tarin hated it. He didn''t even know why she''d chosen this approach. She had the ability to force people to do whatever she wanted with that weird Interface skill she used! What was the point in locking him down like this?
For that matter, he didn''t know why she''d wanted to speak to him personally. He still gave her his best crow-re, though. Even if he couldn''t see very well.
"I''m over here," Whisper said, her voice holding a touch of condescending amusement. Tarin adjusted his re a few feet to the left, away from the remarkably simr silhouette of the nearbymp.
"You suppress Firmament!" he squawked. "I not see."
Whisper looked curious, or so he imagined. He couldn''t exactly make out whatever expression she was wearing on her pendant. "You''re nearsighted?"
Tarin scoffed. "I see near things better," he said.
"...I suppose that is a refreshingly optimistic take on nearsightedness." She-Who-Whispers stepped away and back toward the glowing table. Her hands were folded behind her back, Tarin could see that much, but he thought he could see her wringing her fingers together. Was he seeing that right?
...eh. No point trying to make out what his eyes refused to see. He focused back on the Firmament sense he''d been trying to develop¡ªnow was as good a time as any to try to observe his surroundings through it.Ethan''s Firmament sense came about from an imbnce in the upperyers of his Firmament. No doubt in the first couple of loops, that imbnce had prevented him from properly controlling his Firmament. Now, though, that imbnce had been solidified as part of the young Trialgoer''s first phase-shift; he''d effectively embraced it as a part of himself, that he was many different things.
Cheater. Tarin scoffed, but couldn''t help the slight smirk that entered his expression at the thought. It was better than Whisper''s cheating. It was the clever sort of cheating, the sort he could get behind.
Not that he''d let Ethan stay ahead of him!
There was something about the loops that affected his Firmament. He didn''t know what it was, but he''d been carefully nudging it ever since he noticed. The more he did, the more it destabilized his Firmament¡ªnot so much that he couldn''t control it, but enough for him to be able to begin to sense Firmament with the same detail that Ethan did.
Really, Ethan was bound to soar ahead of him. All Trialgoers were. The sheer resources they had ess to through the Interface alone, nevermind the skills and the way it pushed their Firmament into alignment¡ªthose with full ess to the Interface had an insurmountable advantage.
But he had to try to keep up. If he could keep up, if he could stay ahead and lend Ethan a guiding wing, maybe... well, maybe he could prevent another Naru from happening.
Tarin was no stranger to the secondary effect of the Trials. To the way they were designed to exacerbate a person''s worst traits in an effort to more easily control them. It was selective, of course¡ªnothing that made a person difficult to control would typically be encouraged¡ªbut it was, for the most part, effective.
It was what had happened to Naru.
The thought of what his son had be sent another echo of anger through his heart. Tarin ignored it, pushing it aside as he often did; more important now was the situation he was in and the Firmament sense he was trying to develop. He could, in a very vague, fuzzy sort of way, sense a humanoid-shaped lump of Firmament on the table Whisper was standing next to.
He-Who-Guards. Tarin remembered theyout of the room from thest time he''d been here, though he didn''t know why Whisper had chosen to take him here, exactly. What rmed him was the fact that the state of the Firmament on the table had very clearly deteriorated.
Guard was still alive, but only barely.
Whisper slowly reached out with her Firmament in an act Tarin recognized as an attempt to support him with her own strength. Her Firmament began to dig into Guard''s, trying to provide a structure he could subsist on.
The moment He-Who-Guards sensed it, he fought. Tarin could feel the prismatic Firmament spasming and diminishing itself in an attempt to get away from her.
"Stop!" he squawked without thinking. "Why you do this? He fight you!"
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"He will die if I do not assist him," She-Who-Whispers hissed at him. "What do you expect me to do? Watch? He-Who-Guards is not allowed to die!"
"You make him die faster!" Tarin retorted¡ª
Pain.
Tarin smelled burnt flesh and feathers. It took him a moment to even realize what had happened. The ragged, desperate breathing was his own; the burnt feathers came from the purple Firmament wrapped tightly around his wings. She-Who-Whispers had a hand held out to him, and the aura he sensed from her was... dangerous.
He''d pissed her off, then. He would haveughed if his throat wasn''t sore from the screech of pain she''d torn out of it. Was she a child? Even his most stubborn pupil had withstood more criticism than this before snapping.
"You will not tell me how to keep my own partner alive." She-Who-Whispers''s voice was low. Icy.
"I not talk, he die," Tarin answered simply.
He-Who-Guards''s Firmament was that close to self-destruction¡ªand if Whisper''s silence was any indication, then she knew it, too. Tarin was starting to understand one of the reasons she might have decided to bring him to this room in particr. She might think that he had something to do with Guard''s state.
Or she might want help, and she was simply too proud to admit it.
"I talk to him," Tarin said. "You let me close."
"What could you possibly say to him?" There was an edge in Whisper''s voice. Tarin ignored it. He dragged himself over to the table, noting with some satisfaction that the ropes of Firmament binding him didn''t resist his attempt to move.
Connecting to another person via Firmament was difficult at the best of times. Tarin could only barely do it with Mari¡ª
...He missed Mari. The thought struck him suddenly. He took a deep breath.
No time to think about that now.
Connecting to another person via their Firmament was difficult, and he could only barely do it even with someone like Mari¡ªbut this was a special scenario. He-Who-Guards was all but stripped of everyyer that would have proven a hindrance to such a connection, and Tarin had been studying how Ethan''s connection with Ahkelios worked.
He was rtively certain he could do this.
"You not suppress my Firmament," he requested. After a moment, he felt the suppression lift, though the ropes remained to bind his wings. He could have chosen this moment to attack, but he didn''t stand a chance against Whisper, and besides...
Ethan wanted to help Guard.
"What are you doing?" Whisper asked.
"You quiet," Tarin said. He could feel her bristle in response. There was a sharp spike of Firmament that threatened to debilitate him once again¡ªbut almost as soon as it started, it stopped. He was too close to Guard now; any attempt to hurt him had a good chance of hurting the very fragile state the ruined silverwisp was in.
Now he just needed to find a way to speak with Guard privately, and for that... he had an idea.
Firmament maniption wasn''t as simple for him as it was for Ethan. What came naturally to him was reinforcement¡ªmoving his Firmament within his own body. External maniption of Firmament was for other species; it never really came naturally to crows.
It wasn''t impossible. It was just very, very difficult. Crow Firmament was very tightly bound to them, with the sole exception being when they were performing an imbuement. That was how they were able to gift Firmament to one another, usually to the one chosen to be the next vige leaders. The process was... very much like imbuement, actually.
That was the process he tried now. Tarin gathered his Firmament, brushed his wings against Guard''s core, and attempted an imbuement. A gift of Firmament¡ªnot forced, not insistent. An offering.
All he had to do now was wait. He''d learned a few things from observing the bond between Ethan and Ahkelios.
He-Who-Guards... hesitated.
His core was unstable. He knew this¡ªcould feel his life slipping away every time he fought off Whisper''s control. A part of him wasn''t even sure why he bothered to cling to life at all; he''d long ago epted his death, after all. It was She-Who-Whispers that couldn''t ept it.
He could have let go. He didn''t know how much time had passed, but he did know that he could have chosen to simply let go at any point. He could have allowed his remaining Firmament to disperse into nothingness...
Ah, but of course, Whisper would stop him. That was what the machines around him were for. Everything here was designed to lock him down, prevent his Firmament from leaving the table, let alone the room.
He-Who-Guards was still aware that part of him was still clinging to life. He wondered if he''d developed that will to live somewhere along the way.
Which left him with this choice: the question of what to do with that strange, foreign Firmament he suddenly found offering itself to him. Instinct told him to reject it and fight it as he did with every other attempt to interact with him, but something stopped him.
What was this Firmament, anyway?
It wasn''t Whisper, he could tell that much. It wasn''t even anyone he could see Whisper intentionally associating herself with. It didn''t feel like a doctor or a healer, anyone that might be able to help him cure this mdy. An intruder, maybe? But Whisper was right there. She would have stopped the stranger if she didn''t want him around. He-Who-Guards was under no illusions as to how much power she wielded these days.
And yet... it didn''t feel like this stranger was on Whisper''s side. It felt like he was a friend.
Why?
He had no real reason to feel that way. He could tell that something had happened in the room, but his senses and his thoughts were far too dull by now to parse the nature of those events. By all ounts, the stranger should be someone hired by Whisper to once again subvert and subdue him.
...But the Firmament was being offered to him. There was no sign that he was being coerced, no sign that it was trying to take him over. And the nature of the Firmament itself felt strange¡ªlike lightning and earth bound together, packed with power but somehow still grounded.
Tentatively, fearfully, He-Who-Guards epted the Firmament, and waited for the worst to happen.
Chapter 120: Book 2: The Present, (2)
Chapter 120: Book 2: The Present, (2)
He-Who-Wanders was not suited for diplomacy.
In all fairness, very few of those he considered to be the core rebels were actually suited for diplomacy. Bimar was more likely to start a fight than not; Thys and Thaht were too excitable and too impatient respectively; Miktik was an utterly terrible liar; Vahrkos...
Well, Vahrkos was probably the most suited amongst them for diplomacy, now that He-Who-Wanders thought about it. But he was also the mostbat-ready of them. The kobold brothers couldn''t bring their gear anywhere near the military base, so sending them there to try to extract information from the general was suicide at best. Vahrkos had the best odds of surviving that encounter long enough to bring them information about Whisper''s ns.
He-Who-Wanders hoped that the Trialgoer was telling the truth about his loops. It all seemed a little unbelievable, but the proof had been nearly undeniable.
Though even if he had been lying, what choice did they have? To go against a Trialgoer directly... their little rebellion in the midst of Isthanok was all they could do, and even then¡ªeven as secretive and minimal as their actions were¡ªthey''d suffered losses. His sister, for one.
Vahrkos had been the only one there for him when she was killed. She was a bright spark for their group, and all of them lost something the day she died. The others had been too busy with their own grief, and though he understood, it still hurt.
Bimarshed out at anyone that came near. Miktik spoke to no one and nothing¡ªshe spent all her time with the AI core she''d been developing instead, whispering to it when she thought no one was looking. Thys and Thaht worked harder than ever on their inventions,ing up with new weapons that nearly won them the Arena championship.
And then there was him. He-Who-Wanders. A silverwisp just like She-Who-Whispers. He''d always felt a little bit like an outcast because of the fact. It was no secret that Isthanok as a whole tended to treat silverwisps a little better than all the other species; he had advantages the others didn''t. It didn''t mean things were easy for him, but it did mean he didn''tpletely understand what they faced.
The way others looked down on crows like Bimar for their more simplistic style of speech. The way Miktik was sometimes seen as a pest. The way Thys and Thaht were thought of as amusing entertainment. The way Vahrkos was seen as nothing but a soldier.Vahrkos, He-Who-Wanders knew, was the farthest thing from a soldier he could imagine. The morphling was certainly capable of fighting. He was terrifyingly effective, if anything. But he didn''t enjoy the act¡ªrefused to participate in it, outside of circumstances that made it necessary. He''d been with his sister when she died, and he''d gotten gravely injured in his attempt to save her.
It was a miracle that he''d survived that encounter with He-Who-Guards at all, really. Or, technically, She-Who-Whispers, controlling He-Who-Guards as though he were a puppet. The thought of it continued to make him feel sick to his nonexistent stomach.
She-Who-Sings. Her name still made his form flicker with grief, the ethereal wisp that made up his head flickering for a moment like a candle me.
Vahrkos had been the only one to seek him out in the time when he was grieving her death. The morphling was still gravely injured, and try as he might, He-Who-Wanders couldn''t quite bring himself to visit him. He spent his days wandering the garden outside the morphling''s home instead, tending to the flowers, watering the nts.
He still remembered the first time Vahrkos managed to find him.
"I''m sorry." The morphling''s voice was still weak, and despite himself, He-Who-Wanders spun toward him with a re of white-hot rage that burned down just as quickly into an aching grief. Vahrkos stood before him, steadying himself on a crutch and looking at him with eyes so sad He-Who-Wanders didn''t know what to do with them.
"It''s not your fault." The words were meant to be kind, but He-Who-Wanders found that he spoke with a harsh, bitter texture that he didn''t intend. The idea that Vahrkos med himself enraged him. The morphling had gotten so badly hurt already, and he knew without a doubt that his sister wouldn''t want Vahrkos to me himself...
There was a difference in culture to me there, too. To me yourself for another''s death was to disrespect their sacrifice. Music was his sister''s first love, but she was no slouch in battle; he had no doubt she''d made sure that Vahrkos could return alive.
They were both silent for a long moment.
"I did not know her well," Vahrkos said, breaking the silence. "Will you tell me about her?"
"...Of course."
He-Who-Wanders hadn''t known at the time how much it would help to just walk along the garden with Vahrkos, regaling him with tales of his sister during their childhood. Of the music she loved the most, and how she''d gotten involved with the rebellion to begin with¡ªher favorite kinds of music were loud and rambunctious, and very much did not fit in with what She-Who-Whispers considered ''perfect'' for her city.
In return, Vahrkos listened. And who could have known how much he''d needed someone to listen to him back then? He certainly hadn''t known. He hadn''t realized it until he found himself in Vahkros''s arms, the morphling humming a strange tune to him as he cried.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"They look like stars," Vahrkos said.
"...What do you mean?"
"Your tears. When your kind cries, your tears do not fall; they float into the sky, glowing with Firmament. They look like stars." Vahrkos caught one with a hand, letting the ethereal dust linger on his finger. "...I hope you don''t mind my saying so, but it is beautiful. It is like your grief itself is reminding those around you of the beauty of what was lost."
"...I''ve always been ashamed of my tears."
"You shouldn''t be."
And just like that, Vahrkos returned to his humming, and He-Who-Wanders listened.
Now that he thought about it, he''d never asked about that song. He-Who-Wanders hoped he would get the chance to ask, now that he knew he wanted to. He really wasn''t suited for diplomacy.
"Anyst words?" the guard asked him grimly. He-Who-Wanders sighed. Stupid, stupid paranoid merchants and their equally paranoid guards; all he''d done was ask to see the merchandise in the back, and now he had a spear pointed at his head.
"I''m here on She-Who-Whispers''s behalf," He-Who-Wanders said. "You know what will happen if you try to kill me."
The guard hesitated.
Whisper could hear almost anything that happened anywhere in the city; invoking her name made it a near certainty that she would find you. But it also meant that it was well-known in the city that anyone who dared evoke her name were her direct agents. The guard knew that as well as he did.
He-Who-Wanders held his breath.
Please let this work.
Vahrkos was rather surprised to find himself being led quietly into the base rather than openly attacked¡ªespecially given that he''d done little to disguise the hositlity he felt toward each and every one of them. These were people who, in one way or another, supported She-Who-Whispers and her regime. No one was inducted into the Isthanok military without first proving that they were loyal even without Whisper''s orders hanging over them.
Perhaps his demeanor was calmer than he''d intended? People who could read morphling bodynguage were few and far between; too many of his kind were treated as weapons of war. ves, in effect, though the word seemed too distasteful for many to use.
So many excuses. Morphlings were too dangerous without their control suits, the politicians would im. Too vtile. Too difficult to find and keep track of, with their different forms and their ability to find slipstreams in the Firmament.
Like pests. Like an infestation.
He-Who-Wanders was one of very few individuals that had never looked at him with fear.
"We''ve made a lot of progress with the Craven Arena, sir," the soldier beside him said cheerfully. Vahrkos tilted his head slightly so he could stare down at the smaller silverwisp. The soldier straightened his back under the weight of his gaze and spoke with undeniable pride. "Almost all Arena attendants now use the rewards we provide, and all tests with the infected rewards now work as expected."
Vahrkos was careful not to allow his expression to change.
This... was a case of mistaken identity. That wasn''t too unusual¡ªthere weren''t very many free morphlings around, and other species were notoriously bad at telling morphlings apart; they distinguished one another more through pheromones than by physical appearance. Why the general of the base didn''t have more security in ce to prevent this, he had no idea, but it was working out to his advantage.
"List the test results," Vahrkos said, keeping his voice as impassive as possible. This was the sort of information he was here for. He never would''ve guessed just walking in would work, or he would''ve done it a long time ago.
"Uh, well," the silverwisp stumbled a little. "She-Who-Whispers can listen in through the treated items as expected, even through Firmament barriers and the normal imbuements that would otherwise keep her out. Her Whispers can reach through them as well, although they''re still only about eighty percent as effective."
"Only eighty?" Vahrkos made his voice sharp, and the silverwisp flinched.
"I-it''s up from seventy, sir!" he said hurriedly. "We''re pretty sure we can get it to around ny, but any more and it''s going to affect the rity of the audio feedback to She-Who-Whispers. Besides, the other functions work almost perfectly, so we won''t need her to act personally most of the time! Sir."
"I see," Vahrkos said coolly. "Define almost."
Talk as little as possible. Get the other party to make all the assumptions. Vahrkos had never been officially trained in this sort of thing, but it seemed simple enough¡ªthis silverwisp was afraid, and as long as he thought Vahrkos was angry, he would keep talking.
"Uh¡ª" A nervous flicker of Firmament. "Basic punish and capture functionalities are at full capacity and can be remotely activated. The void suit deployment is¡ªit''s almost there, sir, I swear."
Something snapped. Vahrkos wasn''t sure what it was until he nced down; he''d gripped the badge he''d been given too hard, and the metal had broken into fragments. He stared at the crushed badge in his hand, then at the skittering fragments of purple Firmament that escaped and cascaded over his chitin.
The silverwisp beside him froze. "You''re not the general," he said.
Vahrkos stared at the silverwisp. The young soldier looked back up at him, clutching at the clipboard in his hands, almost like he was hoping he''d be told he was wrong. How exactly had he been figured out? Something to do with the badge, no doubt. Something about the Firmament inside it?
He''d kept it contained out of pure instinct as soon as he''d been handed the badge. Allowing foreign Firmament to interact with him was how he''d initially been trapped by a void suit, a long time ago; he would never make that mistake again.
It seemed the general did have a security system of sorts in ce.
"No," Vahrkos said. "I''m not. That badge was supposed to react to anyone that wasn''t the general, I take it?"
The silverwisp narrowed his eyes. "I don''t know how you got around it," he said, pulling a weapon out of his belt. Not only that, but Vahrkos felt a pulse in the slipstreams that surrounded them¡ªsome sort of signal to the base, no doubt. It felt like the whole ce was suddenlying to life with Firmament. "But you''re not getting out."
A confirmation, then. Good information to have. Information he''d have to make sure to bring back to the others, or else this whole trip would be for naught.
"We will see about that," he said inly.
Chapter 121: Book 2: Change of Plans
Chapter 121: Book 2: Change of ns
Fear, Gheraa had to admit, was an entirely new sensation for him.
He wasn''t sure he liked it. It made his Firmament flicker with silver. Silver! It was gaudy at best, really, and it made it very, very difficult for him to properly use his skills.
Like the one he was currently using to hide.
Granted, a big part of that was because he had to control the skill manually, and that was something he hadn''t done since... what, his thirdyer ceremony? He hadn''t needed to once the Interface had properly integrated into his being; it sensed everything he needed to do and did it for him.
He probably should have nned ahead for this particr eventuality.
"Should''ve known, should''ve known," he muttered to himself. It made holding Perfect Concealment harder, but keeping quiet was even more stressful. He''d never had to keep quiet. "Should''ve realized they could lock me out before I started rebelling. They do it to Trialgoers that go rogue after their Trials, why not you? You don''t have the protection of a Trial. Come on, Gheraa, you knew better."
...That hadn''t helped as much as he hoped, the whole talking out loud thing. He ducked behind a door as another wave of Revtion Firmament washed down it; that thing would unveil him as soon as it touched him, and he couldn''t afford that.
They knew what he was doing now. His little trick with the Inspiration had been discovered. Gheraa had, if nothing else, taken a small measure of satisfaction in the look of utter rage on his dear supervisor''s face; the man had been far too stupid and far too easy to trick.
It was probably a good thing he''d ducked away instead of letting himself get smacked around this time. It wasn''t like what he''d done was a redeemable offense.But if he asked himself if he regretted it...
Heh. Not really. Ethan had been terribly amusing to watch, and what had begun as raw impulse and frustration had turned into a genuine desire to see the Trialgoer seed. The man was anomalous in all the right ways. Grinding the stump of his arm into the ground to keep himself conscious? Absurd. He was pretty sure doing that would''ve made most other humans just ck out. And then there was the ridiculous impulse to help everyone he came across¡ªit was like Ethan just couldn''t help himself.
He''d seen hundreds of other Trialgoers try their hand with this Trial, and every single one of them had just given up on others. What was the point in trying to fix things that would just reset in the next loop? And here was Ethan, finding ways to keep things going through the loops, getting himself involved with rebellions, of all things!
He couldn''t just let Ethan fail after all that. He had to warn him.
Gheraa was under no illusions as to his odds of survival. Now that he''d been discovered, it was matter of time before the rest of the Integrators found him and either executed him or Reintegrated him; either one was essentially a death, though thetter was a more terrifying thought. To have all his personality and memory stripped out of him? He''d rather die. It was a vition of the highest order.
He very much wanted to run, in other words. Not that he had much of a chance if he ran, but right now, he was sort of... running in the opposite direction. Lowering his odds even more.
"You''re a bad influence, Ethan," Gheraa muttered to himself. Fear fluttered within him¡ªbut so did excitement. A grin he didn''t understand stole across his face. "You better appreciate this. I''m gonna be mad if you make me die for nothing."
Not that he''d let himself die that easily. Maybe Ethan would figure out his little gift and find him before he was killed? He didn''t think it was very likely, but he could hope! Wasn''t that what Ethan did all the time anyway?
Control room ahead.
His Interface had been locked. He couldn''t warn Ethan through it. Which meant there was really only one way he''d be able to contact his Trialgoer, and that was through the master Interface controls.
Terrible name for a room built out of dead Integrators and their Interface connections, but whatever. And maybe he could sneak in a little gift, too? Something to help him through the storm that wasing.
Gheraa burst into the control room. Part of him was worried he''d be discovered immediately, but... there was no one here. Strange. Maybe they''d all assumed he would run and gone searching for him elsewhere.
Come to think of it, many Integrators did think he was a coward. But to leave the control room empty? Pfft. They''d underestimated him.
He made his way to the center Interface and began to work.
He didn''t get to work for long, though. All of five minutester, he felt Firmament so strong he fell to his knees, gasping for air.
"You... doing that for fun, or something?" he managed to say. "I... I know seventhyers are strong, but making me choke when I don''t even need to breathe feels kind of unnecessary."
"That''s what you''re worried about?" Lhore raised an eyebrow at him. "It''s involuntary, if you must know. A big enough Firmament difference makes all thetent memory in your Firmament wake up. And a lot of Firmament is produced by things that need to breathe. You don''t have any lungs, so the reflex makes it feel like you''re suffocating."
"Thanks... for exining it to me." Gheraa gritted his teeth. If lungs were all he needed...
He made a small adjustment, then took another gasping breath, relieved. Lhore''s power still hung heavily over him, but the sensation that made him feel like he was choking was gone.
Unpleasant. Sometimes he didn''t know how Ethan could stand being human. Or other organics, for that matter.
"You''ve made lungs for yourself before," Lhore said. It was a statement, not a question. "I suppose I shouldn''t be surprised."
"Need to be able to breathe to put on a good show." Gheraa grinned. "What kind of entertainer can''t even gasp in shock?"
"You''ve always taken the entertainment part of your job rather seriously." Lhore took a step back, examining him, and Gheraa shifted self-consciously under the weight of her gaze.
He didn''t care what she thought. He didn''t.
Lhore sighed. "I always did like your broadcasts," she admitted. "I thought you''d go far. Pity you decided to turn against us."
"Maybe Rhoran''s primary method of discipline shouldn''t be beating us up, then."
"Is that what he does?" Lhore considered this, then shrugged. "I suppose it''s his right. I disapprove, for the record. If you hade to me, I might have had you reassigned."
"Because that solves the problem."
Lhore didn''tment. "I''m impressed you managed to hide from me for so long," she said. "Most Integrators can''t fight very well if their Interface gets locked down. Still stronger than any Trialgoer, but forget about using skills. Let alone ones like Perfect Concealment."
"Is this a praise-Gheraa session, or are you going to do what you came here to do?" Gheraa asked. He slowly forced himself to his feet, the back of his palms pressing against the console.
One more button. He only needed to press one more button.
"I suppose I''m curious enough to talk, first," Lhore said. "Why rebel at all? And if you were going to rebel, why go out of your way to help this particr human? I might''ve let you go, if you just ran instead ofing here."
This tale has been uwfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Gheraa snorted. "We both know that isn''t true," he said, then went silent; Lhore waited as he tried topose a response. Truth be told, he didn''t have a good, rational reason behind choosing to stay behind and warn Ethan. Sure, Ethan had promised to save him¡ªbut what were the odds of that? It was an empty promise at best, even if it had been aforting lie at the time. There wasn''t a chance some new Trialgoer would get strong enough during their Trial to not only infiltrate the Integrated City, bypass every single guard and Integrator to fetch him, then somehow escape intact.
Not a chance. The odds were beyond impossible, even with what he''d done to help. All logic dictated that Ethan would die in the attempt, most likely permanently, and they would move on to the next Trialgoer.
"It''s weird," Gheraa admits. "But you know, he saw what was going on with me. What Rhoran was doing."
"And that was enough to earn your loyalty?" There was a hint of derision in Lhore''s voice.
In spite of himself, Gheraa smiled. "No," he said. "It''s the fact that when he told me he''d save me, I believed him."
Lhore scoffs. "No human would be able to get into this space, let alone escape. They would die just from the pressure."
"I know!" Gheraaughed. "I know. It should be impossible. And I believed him anyway, against all reason, against allmon sense. Isn''t that strange?"
"You are describing yourself as a fool. And he will not be able to survive what''sing, let alone find a way to save you."
"I know that too." Gheraa grinned, though the grin fell away after a moment; his expression settled, and he looked at Lhore, his gaze as cid and calm as ake. "Y''know what''s weird?"
"...What?"
"Despite all that," Gheraa said. "I still believe him. It''s not about me being a fool, Lhore. There''s something about that human."
Lhore shook her head, disgusted. "You will not live long enough for him to save you."
"Yeah," Gheraa said. "I know that, too."
His fingers had found the button on the console behind him. Lhore''s eyes widened.
"I still believe him," he continued. "Funny how that works."
"Gheraa¡ª" Lhore started forward, a gleaming scythe of pure, deadly Firmament forming in her hand. Gheraaughed. In any other situation, she could have killed him instantly, but his guess had been right: he was too close to the console, and she was afraid of damaging it. It made her slower. Any force too strong would be liable to knock the delicate bnce of the control system for the Interface apart. The stupid thing was hacked together enough as it was.
He pressed the button, and found it in himself to give Lhore one final smirk, even as the scythe descended on him.
I wake up with a start, my heart pounding. There''s a spate of notifications in front of me, but at least for the moment, I''m more focused internally. There had been a split second of something, right at the end, an echo of an echo I caught in the moment just before I woke up.
Gheraa''s personality construct. There was something there, as he sacrificed his Firmament and poured the rest of himself into making that conversion core for me. Something simr to what I''d noticed before when the Void Inspiration reacted to the Hunger Firmament¡ªsomething hiding underneath, once all theyers of Firmament were stripped bare.
Intent. But not just intent. There was memory there, like everything Gheraa had imprinted onto the Firmament had been left behind as a loose clump of ideas and concepts. The memory of our conversation, too, lingering between it all. A spiderweb of thoughts and memories.
It''s entirely instinct that makes me reach out for it. I remember a loose thought before, about wanting to find a way to preserve this version of Gheraa. At the time, it had been a passing fancy; I didn''t want a fully sapient construct to die, and I felt a little ufortable with the idea that Gheraa''s main self wouldn''t be aware of the vulnerability his construct had shown to me.
The moment I notice that echo, that passing fancy turns into a reaction, and I wrap that collection of thoughts and memories in a sphere of pure Firmament. I have to work quickly¡ªI don''t have much Firmament that''s pure, which means I have to pump Firmament through the new core Gheraa created for me and fashion it into somethingrge enough to hold everything.
It takes me one minute. Sixty seconds exactly. Time is impossibly precise as I''m doing this. For whatever reason, I''m perfectly aware of how much time has passed, and a small part of myself marks that as strange. Something''s changed.
Then it''s done. The new construct¡ªnot alive, but a sort of holding pattern, simr to the way skills are built¡ªsits in between the rest of my Inspirations, hiding somewhere within me. Holding a copy of Gheraa''s... what, his soul? Or at least an echo of him. A vestige.
"Uh, Ethan?" Ahkelios pokes me hard, and I make an indignant noise. He sighs in relief and gives me a tiny hug, though he''srge enough now that this means he''s wrapping himself around my chest like insectoid body armor. I pry him off,ughing.
"Rx, Ahkelios, I''m fine," I say. "Just had something I had to take care of, uh, internally. I see you''ve gotten bigger."
"And I got some memories back!" Ahkelios says, injecting a note of false cheer in his voice. "It''s not as bad as I worried, but I still wanna talk about them. Later, I mean. After you deal with... this."
"You see them too, huh?" I say. Ahkelios is staring at the same notifications I am. I''ve sort of been avoiding looking at them, because there''s a bad feeling boiling within me.
They''re not normal Interface messages. They''re messages from Gheraa.
[ Ethan. It''s Gheraa. I don''t have much time. They figured out what I was doing. I might be dead by the time you read this. Don''t worry! Or do worry. I''m not eager to die or anything. I''d appreciate it if you could save me. ]
[ I don''t know if you''ve unlocked my little gift yet. If you haven''t, you''re going to need to trigger the Interface''s Mind Vault. Any strong enough existential threat should do it. Can''t exin more, sorry. ]
[ The Integrators are trying to shut you down. We can''t interfere with an ongoing Trial, not really, but we can start events. Raids, for example. If you''re reading this message, one''s probably already started, and they''re probably going to have it on the worst possible setting to try to make you give up. One try, all persistent deaths. ]
[ I snuck to the control room. I''m giving you two temporary skills to help. You can''t get permanent ones without credits. Be careful¡ªthe first is going to break apart quickly once you start using it; it''s still pretty half-formed since no one''spleted your Trial yet. I''m estimating this might give you four tries in the best case scenario. ]
[ Good luck, Ethan. And for what it''s worth, I''m sorry. ]
A raid. My heart begins to hammer in my chest. I remember thest one all too clearly, and how badly the first loop in it; they''re calling one down on Isthanok? That''s Whisper''s city! Whisper''s on their side! There are so many people in here that a raid would turn into an absolute ughter of hundreds of thousands of people¡ª
I''m trembling, but not in fear. Ahkelios''s fists are balled tight as he stands on my shoulder and silently reads. Bimar seems to have noticed the change in atmosphere, because she approaches warily.
"Tell me he gave you something to help," Ahkelios says quietly. Despite the volume, there''s ayer of rage in it that''s heavily reminiscent of my own.
I nce down at the next notifications. "He did," I say.
Four tries in the best case scenario, even though I''m only supposed to have one.
[ You have been credited with a Firmament skill. Once More Into the Fray (Rank SS) obtained! ]
[ You have been credited with a Reflex skill. Guardian of Fate (Rank S) obtained! ]
The rest of my Interface notifications are about the uing raid. I scowl and swipe them away, then turn my focus back toward the skills.
One skill to try again. One skill to see what I need to do. I feel them both within me, pulsing with strange, foreign power, not quite settled into me the way the rest of my skills are. It doesn''t matter. They''re gifts, and I intend to use them.
Guardian of Fate.
Information pours into me, and through me into Ahkelios. We both stiffen.
Tarin, connecting to Guard through his Firmament. Whisper''s fury is palpable behind them, and I can see the suspicion forming, the thought that he can''t be allowed to live. I feel her preparing to strike as soon as he disconnects.
He-Who-Wanders, speaking with some sort of merchant-lord. He''s managed to trick his way in, but there are whispers in the back of the room¡ªpeople looking into his background and discovering his lie. They won''t let him leave alive.
Vahrkos, about to engage in battle. He''ll win. He''ll win the first fight, and the next, and the next. He''ll hold strong until the general arrives, but he''ll be too battered by then to win thatst, crucial battle. His dead body will be puppeted by a Void Suit.
Thys and Thaht... safe. They''re in their workshop. Nothing in the near future, but I''ll have to keep an eye out.
Miktik. Missing. Guardian of Fate is powerful, and it should be able totch on to anyone and everyone I care about. But there''s an absence where she should be. A void. She isn''t dead, but something''s wrong.
"Change of ns," I say to Bimar, my voice grim. "Integrators are interfering. Everyone''s in danger. I need you to stay here."
"Your n didn''t work, huh?" Bimar looks like she''s about to scoff, but she sees the look in my eyes, and something in her shifts. She shakes her head. "I can''t just do nothing."
"...Look for Miktik." I don''t have time to search for her, and Guardian of Fate cantch on to Bimar just fine. "I don''t know where she is. I can see everyone else, but not her. Find her. And stay hidden. The city''s under attack."
"It''s under what?" Bimar begins, but I''m gone before she can finish her sentence.
Chapter 122: Book 2: Loop 15.1 (1)
Chapter 122: Book 2: Loop 15.1 (1)
Vahrkos is in the most danger. Whatever that general does to him in the fight I foresaw, it''s enough to damage his Firmament, and it''s the kind of damage that sticks across loops. I don''t know if subloops created by Once More Into the Fray count in the same way, but I have to assume that they do; the only thing it''s allowing me to bypass is the enforced rule of permanent death. That triggers at the end of the official, Trial-enforced loop, not within the subloops.
Or so Inspect tells me, anyway.
That doesn''t mean I don''t have a problem. If the information Guardian of Fate gave me is correct, then Vahrkos, Wander, and Tarin are all about to die at basically around the same time. No matter how fast I am¡ªand even if I could use Warpstep to jump between one fight and the next¡ªI''m not going to be there in time to help all of them in a single loop.
Not unless I use a function embedded in Temporal Link that I haven''t used for a while. That ability to create temporal clones of myself, echoing the movement of a past loop? It''s the only chance I''m going to have to keep all of them alive.
And that''s not even taking into ount whatever might have happened to Miktik.
Temporal Link is stronger now. I''m not sure what that means for the copies I can call from it¡ªif it means they''re going to be stronger in any significant way, or if they''re still limited in scope and power. Thest time I experimented with that aspect of the skill, I could summon fragments of my past loops to fight for me. I was using it as a means of activebat. It''s been a while since I''ve used it the way I assume it''s supposed to be used.
Here goes nothing.
I should act with the assumption that the copies can copy anything I do, mostly because holding back in a situation like this is going to get me killed. Besides, they don''t really seem based in anything physical; their entire existence is about replicating what I was doing, when I was doing it. Unless they''re knocked off their temporal track by a powerful attack that didn''t happen the first time, they move at the exact same speeds and with the exact same strength I do, regardless of whether they activate a skill to do it.
So...elerate.
I need to conserve my Firmament. Warpstep is out of the question for the moment with what I''ve learned about how it can drain me if there''s any spatial interference in the way. I still don''t know anything about the monsters this particr Raid is going to inflict Isthanok with, so I need to be prepared for anything and everything¡ª
Premonition triggers. I leap out of the way just before a meteorite ms into the ground in front of me, shattering the ss and creating a crater.
And then, for the first time since getting the raid notification, I look up.
It''s not immediately visible. Isthanok''s nature of a city with dozens of floating citadels makes the sky look a bit like a fractured mirror; it''s beautiful, but it blocks out the streaks of light that have begun to rain down onto the city. I see glimpses of them at first, images refracted through the ss and painting distorted trails of fire into the night.
Then a citadel fractures. The sound hits me a momentter, a boom followed by shattering ss. The entire building dips, like the force that''s been keeping it held up is dissipating. It hasn''t instantly fallen, thankfully, but...
"I''m not going to be able to save everyone here, am I?" I say.
It''s like the city is just as stunned as I am. There''s a silence soplete that my words echo into the streets, carrying much further than I intended. Everyone around me hears my words.
Then the screams begin.
I don''t have a choice. I go back to running, sting as much Firmament into elerate as I feel I safely can. Ahkelios clings to my shoulder, but I can feel him trying to be reassuring, in a way¡ªI can feel his sympathy through the link.
"It''s always something like this," Ahkelios says. "That''s why no one has been able to pass this Trial."
"I don''t need to hear that now," I snap, trying to keep the tension out of my voice. Ahkelios doesn''t flinch, but he does grip on to my shoulder a little tighter.
"They''re unfolding," he says.
"What?"
"The meteorites." He''s looking behind me, I think. I can''t spare a nce¡ªit''s taking everything I have to dodge around all the buildings and people, not to mention the meteorites that keep striking the ground in front of me. It''s almost like they''re targeting me. "They''re unfolding. Into monsters."
I let out a sharp curse. Of course they are. A raid isn''tplete without monsters. Of course they aren''t just meteorites. I risk a nce behind myself, though I nearly m into a pole as a result. The street is filled with creatures staggering to their feet, their bodies made out of abination of earth and fire. Cracks of heated Firmament run through their bodies.
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Amplification Gauntlet. Crystallized Strength. The next meteorite that tries to crash into me I just punch, using all my umted speed and momentum amplified by the gauntlet that coalesces around my fist. I can''t spare the time to save everyone, but if I just get rid of these threats instead of running past them¡ª
¡ªexcept instead of shattering like I expected, there''s a sound like the ringing of a bell. There''s a shockwave. The gauntlet around my fist reverberates, and I feel the structure of the Firmament within almost shatter. It takes effort for me to maintain it. I have to force more Firmament into the skill, pour every ounce of Firmament Control I have into keeping it formed and stable. Even through its protection, I can feel the sheer heat of the living meteorite threatening to burn my skin.
Around us, things are breaking. The shockwave seems to disrupt the Firmament of everything it touches. The silverwisps nearby flicker and stumble, some of them nearly going out; there are entire sections of buildings that disappear, some of theming back in a moment and others appearing to be gone for good. Every street light within range dies.
Ahkelios''s form wavers, but he manages to keep himself together. "Ethan!" he shouts. "It¡ª"
"Yeah, I know!" I shout back. Whatever this thing is just converted all the kic energy of my punch into a massive area-of-effect Dispel. It hovers in the air against my fist in aplete defiance of physics.
But it''s at its limit. With all the time I''ve spent working with imbuement, with trying to understand Firmament and how it works, with what Gheraa has shown me about skills and even the process of deconstructing one¡ªI can feel the Firmament structure this thing is using to cause this effect. It has its hands full handling just a single punch from me.
Luckily, I have a second arm.
Amplification Gauntlet. Crystallized Strength. Concentrated Power.
The second hit still doesn''t kill it, but the ground beneath my feet does crack, and the shockwave this time is one of pure force, not a Dispel. It shoots back into the sky, away from Isthanok, and I immediately set my focus back to running.
One minute before the time indicated by Guardian of Fate. One minute to get to Vahrkos and help him in the fight against Whisper''s general.
"Whisper has to know about this," I say as I run. "Why isn''t she doing anything? She can''t be okay with a raid on her city."
Even as I say the words, though, it strikes me that she might not. She''s in theb with Tarin, if the vision I had holds true. If she''s focused on Guard at the moment and has turned off all her typical forms of surveince, she might not even know her city''s under attack.
Though that doesn''t sound like something Whisper would do.
"Maybe she''s already doing something," Ahkelios says. "It''s not like she can be everywhere at once¡ªwhoa!"
Ahkelios''s words turn into a yelp when I leap over the next iing meteorite. Quicken Mind elerates my perception just enough that I''m able to use it as a stepping stone, and the intrinsic kic absorption it seems to have allows me to kick off of it without stopping. I send it off course, just slightly, so that it ms into the sidewalk instead of into a civilian.
Apparently it''s a little less efficient at kic absorption when the blow isn''t quite as hard. Some sort of reactive effect, maybe. The harder the blow, the more it absorbs, up to a certain limit...
...no time to think about it.
Some of the meteorites are headed toward Isthanok''s military base. It makes sense: if they''re going to raid a city, they should start by taking out whatever defenses that city might have. I have no doubt that there are simr clusters headed toward every guardpost and station that houses the bodies for He-Who-Guards, along with any other soldiers Whisper might have.
But this is convenient. The meteorites don''t follow normal, physical paths toward the ground¡ªthey''re aiming themselves toward the high-priority targets. The few remaining that are aimed at me, apparently deciding I''m too much trouble to deal with, have changed their target toward the nearby base.
And they''re moving faster than elerate can on its own.
shstep.
The extra burst of speed allows me tond directly on one of these meteorites. I hiss in pain almost immediately; contact with it is enough to immediately start to burn at my skin and clothing, and I have to coat myself in ayer of Firmament to protect myself. Ahkelios is just staring incredulously.
"...Seriously, Ethan?" he asks.
"It''s faster this way," I say.
Forty seconds left. elerate would have gotten me there in thirty. With the meteorite''s help, I get there in fifteen. Before it can m into the wall of the base, I leap off of it, charging my legs with Firmament and clearing the top of that wall.
I''m greeted by chaos.
Most of the meteorites at the moment seem focused on bringing down the walls of the base, so the people inside said base don''t seem to have realized that they or the city are under attack. I can''t fault them for it, considering they''re in the middle of facing off against Vahrkos. He''s taking them down one after the other with so much speed and efficiency I can barely tell what''s happening.
It''s not the speed I can''t keep up with. It''s the efficiency. There''s no wasted movement, not a single iota of energy spent on an unnecessary flourish. He doesn''t even hit harder than he needs to. Small, quick movements disarm one morphling and dislocates his arm; he goes down with a scream of pain. A quick jab behind him causes an entire silverwisp''s form to flicker, and she doubles over before copsing, unable to stay upright.
"I... wow." Ahkelios is staring. "Are you sure he needs our help?"
"It''s not them he needs help with." I can already sense the base''s general approaching. His presence feels like a well of overpowering Firmament. He doesn''t control it nearly as well as a Trialgoer might; in fact, the only reason I can sense him so strongly is because he''s letting most of his power leak freely. He''s Vahrkos''s opposite, in that sense. A ton of power, and no efficiency.
Unfortunately, the gulf between their respective levels of Firmament is toorge for Vahrkos to ovee with efficiency alone.
"Vahrkos!" I call out. I''m already falling toward the ground, and elerate makes me drop even faster. The general''s attention doesn''t waver from his target¡ªhe doesn''t seem to care that I''m here. Does he not consider me a threat?
That''s going to bite him.
A wave of near-solid Firmament rolls out from the general just as I touch the ground. Vahrkos''s head jerks toward the sound of my voice, but I can sense him preparing to defend. It won''t be enough.
No choice.
I Warpstep toward him and m up every shield and barrier I have.
Chapter 123: Book 2: Loop 15.1 (2)
Chapter 123: Book 2: Loop 15.1 (2)
As powerful as the wave of Firmament heading toward us is, it''s not focused. It breaks against my barriers like a tide of water breaking against a dam. The damage it does is still immense enough to shatter all six folds of the Hexfold Barrier, but it can''t quite get through the Crystallized Barrier I''ve set up behind it.
"...Ethan?" There''s a note of confusion in Vahrkos''s voice, like he''s not sure where he is or what he''s doing. "Why are you here?"
I nce at Vahrkos. He''s confused, but that confusion is quickly being reced with a sharp focus. "Felt like you needed some help," I say, nodding toward the general.
Vahrkosturns, immediately bristling at the sight. There''s nothing physical to it, but I sense the way his Firmament reacts¡ªit ripples within him, almost like it''s urging him to fight, to act. Surging toward his limbs, almost trying to fight its way free of his body. There''s the smallest hint of physical change before Vahrkos grunts and forces the Firmament back down, his expression tense. "Anhar."
"...You going to be okay for the fight?" I ask, concerned.
"I will be fine." Vahrkos''s reply is short, terse. "I''ve met Anhar before. He''ll be a difficult fight."
He says that, but there''s a tension there that has nothing to do with Anhar or with the fight. I vaguely recall what he said in the first loop we met¡ªsomething about not wanting to use his other forms.
I''m not going to question it. Now''s not the time, anyway.
"Ahkelios will give you signals," I say. "Keep an eye on him."It''s going to be the first time I''m fighting with Vahrkos, and I''m not going to get many¡ªif any¡ªrepeated tries to get this right. There''s a chance we''ll just get in each other''s way. But Vahrkos very clearly has a lot morebat experience than I am, and I''m hoping that''ll be enough to make this work.
"If you''re here to fight and not just get information, then I''m assuming something went wrong," Vahrkos says.
I grimace. "Integrators," I mutter. Anhar''s approach is slow¡ªhe''s taking his time, unconcerned by me and by the meteorites mming down into the city. From the intensity of his gaze on Vahrkos, I''m guessing he''s barely even registered that I''m here. "It''s a long story, but right now we don''t have the full advantages of the loop."
"You should make sure Wanders is okay." Vahrkos''s reply is nearly immediate. "He''s not a fighter. I can handle myself."
In the distance, Anharughs, like he heard what Vahrkos said. Now that I look a little closer at him, he''s huge for a morphling. Most of them are six feet tall; Anhar stretches up to at least seven.
"This fight''s gonna be hard even for the both of us," I say. It''s telling that Vahrkos doesn''t have an immediate response to this. "...I''ll do my best to make sure no one on your team dies."
Vahrkos grunts. It''s hard for me to read what he''s thinking. Part of me wonders if he''ll me me for the situation, but he doesn''t seem inclined to.
Instead, he says two words.
"He''sing."
Anhar bursts forward. A cloud of dust kicks up behind him. The rest of the soldiers have long since either retreated or finally realized that the city''s under attack; Anhar''s the only one left here to deal with us. Vahrkos dodges to the left, and I elerate to the right¡ª
Anhar''s suddenly between us. There''s a blip in Quicken Mind, and before I can react¡ªin that infinitesimal moment when the skill''s me gutters out¡ªa strong hand grips my neck. Vahrkos is caught just as easily as I am. Ahkelios lets out a shout of rm, and I see him turning into a streak of blue Firmament at the exact same instant Anhar ms us together.
The impact of an angry, ethereal mantis flying into his face makes Anhar let us go, and both Vahrkos and I copse to the ground. I''m back on my feet near instantly, calling on the tiniest flicker of Second Wind to¡ª
No. I''m not holding back with Anhar.
Second Wind. Aspect of Regrowth.
This is my first time actually using the newly-acquired Inspiration. I''m not prepared for the painful sensation of roots digging their way through my flesh¡ªand I can feel something simr happening with the core of the skill deep within me. The Inspiration is digging its roots into the skill, altering it.
Fueling it. Making itst, at least for now. Hopefully it won''t be permanently damaged after this.
"Ethan," Vahrkos grunts. There''s a questioning note in his voice.
"I''m okay," I answer. I don''t take my eyes off of Anhar, who is currently busy trying to swat away a very persistent mantis. Ahkelios isn''t actually seeding at doing a lot of damage, but in that same vein, Anhar can''t quite seem to hurt him¡ªevery time he does, Ahkelios just gets up again. It''s not like the guy has any internal organs. He''s just fueled by my Firmament.
Speaking of which, we need to end this before I run out of that Firmament.
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"Does he have any weaknesses?" I ask. Vahrkos seems to know him. The morphling hesitates for a moment before he responds.
"...His left arm was badly injured once," Vahrkos says. "He ovepensates when ites to defending his left. But it is hard to take advantage of¡ª"
Whatever else Vahrkos ns to say, I don''t get to hear, because Anhar chooses this moment to decide he''s tired of ying Ahkelios''s games. Another huge wave of Firmament bursts out of him, this time tuned more for power than range; it''s weak enough that by the time it reaches us, Vahrkos and I can just dig our heels into the dirt and weather it.
Ahkelios, on the other hand, is sent flying. I don''t have time to look for him¡ªthe link between us tells me that he''s fine, if a little disoriented. He''ll be back in a moment.
Anhar isn''t nning on giving us that moment, of course. He seems to have decided that I''m therger threat, because this time, he''s charging toward me. I keep a tight hold on Quicken Mind this time¡ªwhatever he did to disrupt it before, I have no intention of allowing it to happen again.
There.
It''s barely noticeable, but there''s a weak burst of Firmament from him at the exact moment hees within striking range. It''s not designed to hurt. It''s designed to disrupt, to break apart Firmament constructs. To break apart internal Firmament constructs, specifically.
Which means this is a skill developed specifically for fighting against Trialgoers. I guess Whisper''s been preparing for me for a while.
Phaseslip.
I be ethereal just long enough for Anhar''s swipe to pass straight through me. His disruptive Firmament wave strikes me like a physical blow, but that''s fine¡ªit''s a weak pulse to begin with, and I barely feel it as it bounces off of me. He doesn''t expect me to just go immaterial, and theck of resistance causes him to lose bnce.
Something that Vahrkos immediately takes advantage of. The morphling charges in, his Firmament shifting abruptly to form a nexus of power within his fist; he''s aiming for Anhar''s left side.
He''s creating an opening for me. He doesn''t signal me except through the slightest of gestures, a quick flick of his antennae. I''m not sure I''m reading him right, but it''s good enough for me. I Phaseslip for a second time and step through Vahrkos, crossing over to Anhar''s right even as he focuses all his defenses on his left. His eyes widen in reaction, and he tries desperately to course correct.
Vahrkos''s blows are efficient. He''s not necessarily powerful, but he strikes at weak points and his form is perfect.
Me?
I haven''t trained nearly as much, so most of my hits are about raw power.
Crystallized Strength. Amplification Gauntlet. elerate. Intrinsic Lightning. Void.
It''s probably the biggest number of skills I''ve ever tried to stack into a single hit; I can feel something within me straining, like a piece of my soul is on the verge of rupturing. Thankfully, it doesn''t: the effect of Second Wind keeps everything firmly in ce, and the Interface assists in slotting every skill neatly together.
Crystalline Firmament forms within my muscles. The gauntlet that forms on my arm takes that strength and multiplies it tenfold. All that mass is elerated, and Intrinsic Lightning gives me that tiniest fraction of extra speed and reaction to strike at the point in Anhar''s armor that''s weakest in Firmament.
And then the Void Inspiration sucks away all that protective Firmament in a single, powerful gulp.
Boom.
I''m not prepared for the punch to generate an actual shockwave, though, nor for Anhar to be sent flying back, tumbling head over heels and crashing into the wall hard enough to form a crater within the concrete. Ahkelios flies back over to me, his mandibles syed open with shock.
"What was that?" he asks.
I''m not sure I know myself. I don''t think thatbination of skills would have been nearly that powerful before, but whatever Gheraa''s given me has pushed me close enough to the next phase-shift that I think I''m already beginning to benefit from the quality shift in my Firmament.
"He''s not dead," Vahrkos says quietly. I turn my attention back to the battlefield, pushing the questions back to the back of my mind.
"How." I''m almost certain he wasn''t protected by Firmament when I hit him. Not after the Void sucked it all away.
"With some help," Vahrkos says.
I tense. The dust is beginning to clear, and I see Anhar standing in the debris, his silhouette marked by a faintly glowing, crumbling object held in the palm of his hand.
"Is that..." I begin.
"It''s an imbuement stone," Ahkelios says, a small note of frantic panic in his voice. "Whisper''s given him skills¡ª"
I dive out of the way before Ahkelios can finish, and beside me, Vahrkos does the same; a massive burst of Firmament beams out toward me like a streak of solid energy. I recognize the skill as the same one Whisper used to kill me in one of my previous loops.
Vahrkos won''t dodge in time. I call on Hexfold Shield, and shape the six shields into a triangr, piercing sort of shape; Hueshift allows me to alter the color of the Firmament into a reflective yellow instead of the usual defensive blue, and the beam splits apart into six, cutting into the ground and walls around us.
"He''s used two stones," Vahrkos says. "One to heal. Another one for that."
"Any idea how many he has in total?" I ask.
Vahrkos stays tense. "...A lot."
That''s a non-answer if I''ve ever heard one, but before I can call him out on it, Anhar pulls out a third stone and crushes it in his fist. A golden spear forms, glowing with power.
"Ten!" Vahrkos calls out suddenly. "Seven left!"
I frown. Did he do something to figure that out? I don''t have time to ask, because Anhar throws the spear toward us with a tremendous burst of power; it''s packed with so much Firmament that I don''t even need to see the skill window to know what it does¡ªthat spear is going to explode on impact.
Compounded Mind. I need more time to think than Quicken Mind can give me. The small amount of time I have to empower the skill doesn''t allow me to boost it as much as I''d like, but any amount helps.
The first thing I notice is the string of Firmament leading from the spear back to Anhar. He''s controlling it, even at a distance.
The second thing I notice is a flicker of a vision from both Premonition and Guardian of Fate. He''s intending to swerve the spear at thest moment to hit Vahrkos instead of me.
The third thing I notice is that Ahkelios shares my elerated mind through our Temporal Link.
I grin.
Here''s what we''re going to do.
Chapter 124: Book 2: Loop 15.1 (3)
Chapter 124: Book 2: Loop 15.1 (3)
Anhar''s connection to his spear is a weak one¡ªunlike Trialgoers, he doesn''t have any Interface-assisted version of Firmament Control. His ability to stay connected to his spear is a part of the skill he''s just used, but given it isn''t his own to begin with, it''s not going to be difficult for me to override. I can feel how easy it would be to reach out and just... take over.
But he''ll be ready for that. The fact that he''s got countermeasures against Trialgoers at all means I should assume he''ll be prepared formon skills like Firmament Control. I can''t ignore the fact that he''s got seven more skills, either, by Vahrkos''s estimation. At least they seem to be one-use only.
Worst-case scenario, I''ll have to force him to wear out all of them¡ªbut it''d be better if I could stop him from using them at all.
First things first. Step one.
Intrinsic Lightning.
I haven''t forgotten what Tarin taught me when I was watching him fight in the Arena. It might be my first time using the skill inbat, but I''m pretty sure I was able to get the hang of it while I was watching him. Sparks of Firmament begin to rush through my body, multiplying as they go, sensitive to even the slightest change in the Firmament around me.
Step two. Anhar needs to target me, not Vahrkos. I begin building up Concentrated Power in my fist. Right now, Anhar thinks he''ll have the advantage if he can get rid of us one by one; I need to make sure he realizes he doesn''t have the time or the luxury to focus on just one of us.
Above me, Ahkelios shes a quick signal to Vahrkos, and I feel some power drain from me as he uses one of my skills. Hopefully Vahrkos will understand what to do.
Step three. I begin sprinting toward Anhar.I don''t use elerate or any of my speed skills this time. I let the arm that''s building power hang a little low, like the strength I''m umting is too heavy for me to carry. I let it seem like the strain on my system is so much that I can''t use my normal skills alongside it. Anhar''s gaze flickers toward me, and the Premonition I have about the fight changes.
He isn''t targeting Vahrkos anymore. Good.
Instead, the spear whips toward me so quickly I can barely spot it even with Quicken Mind elerating my thoughts; it''s a good thing Tarin''s little trick works, because I stumble out of the way without even consciously registering the movement. The change in Firmament trantes directly into signals along my nervous system, forcing an instinctive sidestep even as the spear smashes a crater into the ground beneath me with explosive power.
It whips around with no regard to thews of physics, going in again for a second strike, and then a third; I grit my teeth as I feel my body straining to keep up. Second Wind does a lot of work here, recing the scratches and wounds I do take with a seal of Firmament. Automatically dodging the spear itself is one thing¡ªevery time it strikes the ground, shards of rock fly out with enough force to gouge tears into my skin.
It''s fine. The pain is minimal, suppressed both by my experiences within this Trial and the nature of Second Wind itself. I''m sure I must be quite the sight by this point¡ªI catch glimpses of myself through my link with Ahkelios. There are so many scratches on my legs I practically look like I''m glowing.
If nothing else, it does a good job making me look intimidating. Anhar''s focus is nearly entirely on me, now.
Which creates the perfect opportunity for Vahrkos.
Hueshift is a poor recement for an actual camoging skill, but in the heat of battle and with the amount of dust being tossed around by our fight, it''s just enough to keep Vahrkos obscured. It''s not that Anhar doesn''t notice the other morphling¡ªit''s just that the Hueshift-tinted Barrier in front of Vahrkos keeps him just obscured enough that he doesn''t register as a threat.
Anhar is focused on me. The biggest threat right now is my fist. I''m still pouring Concentrated Power into it, and the amount of Firmament it contains is only growing. He''s been hit by me once before, and that''s enough to make him wary of taking another one.
Several things happen in quick session.
I Warpstep, putting me directly beside Anhar, my fist just inches away from his right side¡ªthe same spot I punched before. Anhar jolts in surprise and reacts, pushing everyst fragment of Firmament he can into defense. It''s entirely instinctive. Even if he''s been able to heal back from it, he still remembers the impact, the pain.
In that instant, Anhar''s entire focus is locked into defending against me. Ahkelios and Vahrkos both take advantage of that instant. Vahrkos leaps into the air, toward the spear. Ahkelios reaches out with my Firmament Control, snipping the connection Anhar has with the spear and allowing Vahrkos to grab it.
Ahkelios ces a Barrier directly beneath Vahrkos''s feet, and the instant he makes contact, Vahrkos uses it tond, spin, and whip the spear forward using the weight and momentum of his entire body.
Anhar''s focus is still on me. The spear is positioned behind me, blocking Anhar''s view of it.
Phaseslip. I let my blow slide through Anhar unimpeded. His eyes widen¡ªhe doesn''t understand what I''m doing, doesn''t know why his defenses apparently failed or why he doesn''t feel any pain from what by all ounts seem to be a sessful punch. It''s enough to throw him off and disrupt his focus on defending himself.
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Unintended side effect: The mass of Firmament moving through him with Phaseslip disrupts his control over his own Firmament. Not actually part of the n, but I''ll take it.
It helps with the part where the spear goes straight through my Phaseslipped body and into Anhar''s chest.
There isn''t even any resistance. The spear slides through him the same way it slides through me, though the effect is certainly a lot more explosive; I grimace as carapace shatters outward and wait a long moment before deactivating Phaseslip.
Intangible or not, I''m not exactly enthusiastic about having bug parts tear through me. Or about Anhar''s now-mutted body, strewn in two distinct parts on the ground. I grimace as a mental image of the broken bodies of those frog-people drifts through my mind, and dismiss the notification of his death. I''ll look at thatter.
Footsteps sound behind me, and I turn away with some relief. Vahrkos is staring at the corpse, his expression distant and hard to read. "You knew him?" I ask.
"Once," Vahrkos replies shortly. He kneels down beside the corpse, then sighs. "Not much left of him."
I frown even as Ahkelios flies back up to me andnds on my shoulder. "I feel like I''m not going to like the answer, but..."
"I''m not talking about the corpse," Vahrkos says dryly.
"I did notice he didn''t... talk. Not that I expect most people to talk while they''re trying to kill someone, but I thought he''d at least ask a question, or make a sound, or something."
Vahrkos is silent for a moment. "It is something that can happen with morphlings," he says after a moment. "The bnce between our aspects is delicate. Sometimes, those aspects can... copse. Be something new."
"Weird," Ahkelios remarks. I flick him. "Ow!"
Vahrkos snorts a little, looking up at the mantis. "It is viewed as an abnormality," he agrees. "Frowned upon by many. It can results in individuals like Anhar¡ªmorphlings with more power than sense, capable of following orders and instructions, but not..." He hesitates, searching for the words. "Anhar was not incapable of thinking for himself, but he did not want to."
There''s a long pause. "I don''t know what to say to that," I admit after a moment. It''s not a state of mind I can imagine.
"It can be easier sometimes," Vahrkos says, his gaze still distant. I notice he''s begun to dig a hole in the ground¡ªa grave of some sort¡ªand without thinking twice about it, I begin to help. It''s easier to dig with a few shaped Barriers than with bare hands alone. Vahrkos epts the help with a quiet grace, gratitude written into his features. "Not having to make the harder decisions. Not needing to worry about being wrong."
"I guess I can see that." It''s still foreign to me, but the thought is at least something I can rte to. "Seems like a bad idea to put a guy like that in charge of your military, though."
Vahrkos snorts. "Terrible," he agrees. "But this is Whisper we''re talking about. Someone like Anhar is perfect for her needs."
"Can''t argue with that." I put up a quick Barrier as Vahrkos gathers up Anhar''s body and drops it rather unceremoniously into the grave; blood and gore stter outward. He doesn''t seem to care.
"Aren''t the others still in danger?" he asks. "Why are you helping me with this?"
"They''re..." I hesitate. I don''t have a good answer for him¡ªnot an answer that he''ll like, at least. In this loop, Wanders and Tarin are already dead; I''ll have to trigger Once More Into the Fray if I want any chance at saving them, which means I need to use the rest of this loop to recover some Firmament and to gather information about how the raid is meant to progress. "I can''t help them right now."
Vahrkos snorts. "You are not a good liar."
"It''s not a lie," I protest, because it technically isn''t. He just looks at me, and I sigh. "...The Integrators messed with the loop. Right now, anyone that dies dies permanently."
Vahrkos''s gaze goes to Anhar''s makeshift grave. There''s an immediate spark of worry in his eyes¡ªfear for his friends, no doubt. His voice, when he speaks, is cautious; I can hear the panic, carefully withheld. "I see. But there is a catch, I take it."
"Kind of." I rub my temples; this is going to be a nightmare to exin. "The permanent deaths are tied to the end of the raid."
"Raid?"
"It''s a Trial mechanic that''s more or less an invasion." Right on cue, the walls of the base begin to crack; I grimace and nce around, pulling Vahrkos back and away from said walls. "A test, of sorts. If I fend off the raid, I win. If I fail... the Integrators erase the city."
"They do what?" A re of justified anger from Vahrkos.
"Erase it. It''ll be gone permanently from the loops." I nce away. "And so will everyone in the city."
Vahrkos''s voice is tight. "What''s the failure condition?"
I nce at the notification again. "Either my own death or the death of everyone in the city," I say. "But like I said, those deaths are only permanent when the raid ends. I have a skill that will let me rewind time back to the start of the raid."
"You can rewind time?" Vahrkos sounds incredulous, and I don''t me him.
"It''s not a skill I got for free and I''m not going to be able to use it much." I feel a pang of worry even as I say the words¡ªGheraa''s paid the price to give me that skill, and I don''t know what state he''s in at the moment. "That''s not important. What''s important is that I''ll have a few tries to get things right. Next loop around, I''ll send a copy of myself here to fight with you, and I''ll go save Wanders."
There''s a long pause as Vahrkos processes what I''ve said. The walls around us are crumbling. For the first time, he can see the living meteorite-creatures that have invaded the city. From the way he narrows his eyes, I think he knows how strong they are, too. But I see him trying to control an emotion that''s separate from all of that. "He''s already dead, isn''t he?"
"In this iteration," I admit reluctantly. That''s what Guardian of Fate tells me, anyway.
Vahrkos takes a deep breath. His fists clench and unclench¡ªhe''s trembling, and it takes a moment before he speaks again. "...Alright," he says. "Then I should help you keep Isthanok safe for the rest of this loop. We cannot let all the people of Isthanok die."
I hesitate. Vahrkos''s assistance would... help, I have to admit. I''ve been so focused on the idea of saving the rebels that I haven''t even considered that I''m going to have to clear away all of these meteorites before the raid can be considered over, and that means having to protect the civilians of Isthanok in that time.
"Say yes," Ahkelios says, smacking the back of my head.
"Ow," I grumble. "...Yes. I''d appreciate the help, Vahrkos. Just don''t get yourself killed."
Vahrkos snorts. "I am not that easy to kill," he says. "Anhar is probably one of the few that could have done it. But you must keep my friends safe."
"I''ll do my best," I promise. Vahrkos narrows his eyes, studying me.
"I will hold you to it," he says.
Chapter 125: Book 2: Loop 15.1 (4)
Chapter 125: Book 2: Loop 15.1 (4)
We spend the rest of that loop fighting together within Isthanok''s streets, finding out everything we can about the meteorites¡ªtheir abilities, their attack patterns, even their preferred targets. The harpies in my first raid had a certain sadistic method to their attacks; given the opportunity, they would target someone they knew would upset me, would break my spirit. Like a child.
The meteorites don''t seem to have any such innate sadism. I''m not sure if it''s something I should be thankful about or not. On one hand, they aren''t intentionally maximizing the amount of pain they cause; on the other, they''re less predictable, reacting to even the smallest change around them.
That doesn''t make them impossible to predict. As far as Vahrkos and I can tell, they go for the first thing that moves. Failing that, they go for whatever emits the most Firmament, including inanimate objects like streetmps.
Easy enough to manipte if I''m within their range. Far more difficult to predict at a wider scale. I doubt they''re going to remain very consistent between loops once theynd. If I can catch them midair...
"Thys and Thaht are going to be in trouble," Vahrkos mutters, interrupting my train of thought.
"What?" Guardian of Fate still hasn''t shown me anything about either of those two¡ªbut even as I speak, it flickers, as if a vision is on the verge of manifesting. Not quite there yet. That''s strange; the skill is new to me, but it''s been pretty good at showing me definitive oues so far.
"Their workshop is full of Firmament." Vahrkos nods toward a nearby shop getting smashed up; I sense the flickers and bursts of Firmament exploding into fireworks of power as the living meteorites destroy everything within. "Like that. Once they''re sniffed out, they''ll be a target."
"Ah. Great." Another thing I''m going to have to worry about.
"They''re good at hiding." Vahrkos grunts, shoving a piece of rubble out of the way. "I mention them only to keep you aware, not to make you worry. They can more than likely handle themselves.""I''ll keep an eye out, at least," I say. "I appreciate the warning."
Guardian of Fate is going to have to pick up the ck there. I have too many things to keep track of individually as it is. I wouldn''t be surprised if I''ve already forgotten some things.
As far as we can determine, the meteorites themselves aren''t anything special. Their main trick is the dispelling Firmament that bursts out of them whenever they''re hit too hard, but besides that particrity, they''re about as standard as you can get. They have great strength, incredible durability, mediocre speed, and nonexistent reflexes.
It''s pretty much just the absorb-dispel trick that''s a problem, amplified by the fact that their outer shells are resistant to most blunt-force attacks. Even with stacked skills it''s difficult for me to break through even one, let alone the dozens raining down across all of Isthanok.
...I''m starting to miss the scythe I stole from that Ahkelios-expy that killed me whenever I woke up. Maybe I should''ve kept a copy of it. Or at least stolen one from the dead monster in the researchb.
Ahkelios tunes in to my thoughts. "Can''t you hit the inside of them?" he asks. "With Phaseslip."
I grimace. "I''m not sure what happens if I try to disable Phaseslip while I''m inside something, but I''m pretty sure it''s nothing good. The Interface tries to stop me from doing it."
"Ah." Ahkelios nods, as if expecting this answer. "That probably means you''d lose a limb."
"...You say that like you have experience with that."
"Part of the memories I got back." Ahkelios says this as casually as he can, but I can sense the undercurrent of stress and tension in his voice¡ªthere''s something unresolved there. "Don''t worry about it for now. If the Interface is telling you not to do something, probably best not to do it."
"Or I''ll try it at the end of a loop, where it doesn''t matter as much," I grunt.
That said, a Phaseslip isn''t my only option to get through these things. Now that he''s brought it up, I remember doing something simr to Thaht''s mechanoid suit in an Arena fight that feels like it was forever ago. Timestrike doesn''t have any restrictions on where I punch, only when; I should be able to use it to bypass the external armor of the meteorites the same way I bypassed Thaht''s suit.
And if I pay enough attention, I''ll have the positions of every meteorite as they fall toward Isthanok. I could prime a Timestrike for them, depending on how it interacts with the subloops. The only problem with that n is that it''s significantly more positions and times than is reasonable for me to memorize within a hundred loops, let alone the four or five I''ll have.
I grimace. I should probably still try to memorize a few.
"I''m going to go see He-Who-Wanders," Vahrkos tells me. He isn''t looking at me. If anything, he''s looking distinctly away, staring out at the carnage that''s been strewn across Isthanok. Broken and melted ss lies across the streets. Sounds I''ve long since tuned out echo across the city, and I''m trying desperately not to hear them. Not to hear the crying of an infant, not to hear the sheer, grieving, anguished scream of a father that''s lost his son, not to hear the rage-filled yell from a mother fighting to save thest of her children.
I don''t have many loops to get this right. I can''t afford the time to¡ªI can''t afford the time to process.
"Vahrkos." I want to warn him. Guardian of Fate tells me exactly what state Wanders is in; whatever he finds isn''t going to be pretty. The words die on my lips as soon as I see the Firmament rising from him.
Anger, grief, worry, fear... the colors are so bright I see them even without Firmament Sight. The strength of his emotions cover him in a distorted cloak of power, but one light shines through them all¡ªa shimmering blue.
Hope.
I can''t bring myself to snuff it out. It''s nothing I haven''t already told him; he knows Wanders is dead. But I have to admit, I''d feel the same way: if I don''t see it myself, I wouldn''t quite be able to let go.
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Vahrkos has helped me as much as he feels he can. He''s been thinking about Wanders this entire time. We both know that I''ll end this loop soon, and he''s decided he wants to spend his remaining time with the silverwisp, even if all he finds is a corpse.
It''s almost ufortable how much I understand,
"Good luck," I say.
Vahrkos gives me a nod. His eyes meet mine, and I see the smallest flicker of something in them. A question he won''t put to words.
I nod back; a silent promise. I''ll make all of this right.
Vahrkos vanishes into the streets. I take a deep breath, forcing myself to put all the chaos around me out of my mind; Ahkelios watches me with concern, but he knows as well as I do that there''s nothing more we can do. Anything I try is just going to be erased as soon as I rewind into the next loops. I just... have to make everything I do do count.
There''s one more thing I want to do before I rewind time. I have to admit, it''s probably for the best that Vahrkos isn''t following along with me for this one.
Whisper''s cathedral stands before me, a gleaming, imprable fortress of fortified crystal. I know Whisper''s aware of what''s happening. There''s a whirlwind of raw Firmament strong enough that every meteorite that gets remotely close is immediately deflected and sent crashing into the ground.
And even if I disregard the storm, the Firmament here is in chaos.
Not a single thread of Firmament survives long enough to make it into the castle proper¡ªit''s ripped apart, torn to shreds long before it can reach Whisper. I can only imagine why. It was bad enough for me to be on the streets, listening to the cries of every citizen of Isthanok as they were torn apart.
Whisper must have had to listen to everything.
My range is tinypared to Whisper''s. She would have had to hear every scared, hiding child, to every person begging for their lives, to the sound of her perfectly crafted city being torn apart. Isthanok is a reflection of Whisper''s vanity, after all¡ªthe crystalline buildings all designed to look like they''re made of ss, a city standing strong despite its apparent fragility.
Half of those buildings are shattered now. Reinforced or not, they might as well have been made of ss to the might of the Integrators and their raid.
I sigh and take a step into the storm. Firmament Control wreathes its way around by fingers, the skill''s power coiling around me, but...
The storm makes way for me. It''s almost as if it knows I''m there¡ªI have to reach out time to time still, to prevent stray strips from cutting into me, but for the most part, it''s almost as if there''s a protective bubble around me.
I think I can even sense it. It''s barely noticeable at first, visible only in the most violent collisions of Firmament, but there are flickers of familiarity within the storm. On impulse, I activate Firmament Sight, squinting against the chaos of color around me and trying to peer at those flickers.
There''s nothing for a long moment. Just a storm of power, raging around me. I push the skill harder, trying to remember what it is that this reminds me of¡ªwhy this is so familiar. I can feel the Firmament within me reacting, as if this, for some reason, is important.
An imagees to mind. A memory of what I saw in Thys and Thaht''s workshop when my Void Inspiration made contact with Hunger Firmament. At the time, I needed abination of All-Seeing Eye and Firmament Sight just to glimpse into that gap beneath the Firmament.
Now, it feels like something''s changed. The seedling that Gheraa left with me is reacting to that change¡ªI feel it beginning to sprout and blossom, like the leaves of a flower bending toward the rays of the sun. Gheraa said I would have to feed the ones I make manually, but this isn''t made out of an abandoned skill, this is made out of... well, him.
And whatever small piece of him remains seems to sense an opportunity. It''s drawing in all the Firmament it can from the pressure that surrounds me, feeding purified Firmament into my core.
I check the numbers.
[ Firmament base attunement: 95.2%
Progress to next phase shift: 73.7% ]
They''re growing.
[ Firmament base attunement: 96.6%
Progress to next phase shift: 82.4% ]
Rapidly.
[ Firmament base attunement: 99.5%
Progress to next phase shift: 92.9% ]
Almost there.
It''s only when Ahkelios starts tugging at my cor that I regain enough of my senses to slow down. It takes effort¡ªI have to force the Firmament away from me with Firmament Control, create a second bubble around myself that''s clear of Firmament.
"Are you okay?" Ahkelios asks, concerned. I nod quietly.
Now isn''t a good time to push myself to the nextyer. Thest time that happened, I had to fight a whole internal battle and align my sense of self. With an ongoing raid and a confrontation with Whisper just minutes away, I can''t afford to phase-shift now, as useful as the growth in power might be. If I have to do it, it should at least be after I reset time.
I take a deep, shuddering breath, then take onest look at the storm around me. Something within my Firmament clicks, as if the growth in my Firmament has unlocked some deeper insight, and I... see.
[ Mastery of Firmament Sight has improved. ]
Every so often, in the space between¡ªin that oh-so-ephemeral something I glimpsed that Gheraa imed was beneath even the lowestyer of Firmament¡ªthere''s a flicker of intent.
Path, it says. Open.
The concept of passage.
That''s Whisper''s intent. I''m not sure how I know that, only that I do. It''s like I''ve managed to peer into a gap that isn''t supposed to exist. A useful gap, at that; I can already envision the uses. If I can tell what an opponent is trying to do before their Firmament even reaches me, then I''ve got an unshakeable advantage.
As long as I don''t identally peer at the authority beneath it all. The thought makes me wince. Even now, I''m steadfastedly ignoring it¡ªI don''t need to pass out again from identally taking a look. It wasn''t a pleasant experience the first time.
I wasn''t expecting to get better at Firmament Sight here, of all ces.
"Um... Ethan?" Ahkelios''s voice is almost timid. It''s a testament to how much the storm is ignoring us that I can hear him clearly¡ªlike we''re in a muted bubble of clear sound. Some of that, granted, is due to my own control over the bubble surrounding us. "Is Whisper letting us through?"
"Seems like it," I answer. Ahkelios looks like he wants to ask another question, but I shake my head. I need to focus. Even putting aside what just happened, it''s not going to be easy for me to stay calm.
I know part of what I''m going to find, and that means I have to brace myself for it. I can''t allow myself to be reckless here. This time, I''m holding all the cards. Despite all of Whisper''s many, many faults, she isn''t going to let her city stay destroyed, and right now I''m the only person that can reverse everything that''s happened to Isthanok.
That means I can make a deal with her. It means I can force her into making a deal on my terms. Her information is iplete¡ªshe doesn''t know how long I''ve been looping, who my allies are, and it''s unlikely she even knew I was the Trialgoer prior to me showing up on her doorstep.
She knows now, of course. There''s only one conclusion you can draw when a stranger appears during a raid. I''d be surprised if she thought I was anyone else.
The only question is whether or not I can stomach making a deal with her while Tarin''s corpse rots away in the room above.
Chapter 126: Book 2: Loop 15.1 (5)
Chapter 126: Book 2: Loop 15.1 (5)
"Are you his aplice?"
Whisper''s first question is blunt. It stuns me, too¡ªnot because of how direct it is, but because of how utterly wrong that assumption is. She stares at me with her arms folded behind her back, her stance regal; if this had been my first time meeting her, I might have assumed that all was well.
Except this isn''t how she acts. Whisper doesn''t use pomp and ceremony. She''s condescending and sarcastic. Her words belittle everyone she speaks to. Regality is not her.
She''s afraid.
Whisper''s control of her Firmament is far more precise than Vahrkos''s, and so it''s no surprise that it takes an activation of Firmament Sight for me to be able to identify what she''s feeling. But the moment I do, I see the absolute chaos within her.
There''s no single ruling emotion I can pinpoint. There areyers andyers of fear, exactly as I suspected. There is rage, white-hot and boiling in the very center of her soul. There are streaks of grief, anxiety, loss. There is pain, rippling all around the edges, as her helplessness chafes against the ruination of her city.
And there''s much, much more. What I''m seeing is nothing less than an obsession falling apart. She''s spent so long trying to make Isthanok her perfect city, and now it''s being destroyed in front of her.
I feel for the people of Isthanok, but I can''t bring myself to feel sympathy for Whisper herself. That died along with Tarin. I don''t even know exactly how it happened¡ªI''ll have to ask him when I start the next subloop¡ªbut right now, no matter what I see from her, I have to fight back my own burning rage at the thought of Tarin''s death.
Because I can feel him. He might be dead, but there are remnants of his Firmament still left scattered in theboratory above us. I can tell he fought. I can tell his death wasn''t pleasant. If I wanted to, I could use Guardian of Fate, and it would tell me everyst, gruesome detail.That isn''t going to help me stay calm, though.
"Does it matter?" I ask. My voicees out a little colder than I intend. "Your city is falling apart. Aren''t you supposed to protect it?"
All the chaos of Whisper''s emotions snap to rage, all at once. "Ask me that again if you wish to die."
I take a step forward. "Your city is dying. Why are you staying up here, protected?"
I''m antagonizing her. I''m angrier than I should be. Ahkelios tightens his grip on my shoulder, as if telling me to calm down, and I...
I try. I take a deep breath. Whisper trembles as she stares down at me, her Firmament flickering wildly as she considers whether or not she should attack.
"Kill me, and your city dies with me," I say.
Her eyes narrow. "Exin."
I don''t feel inclined to go into the details. "I can reverse what''s been done to your city," I say instead.
"You know where the Trialgoer is." Whisper half-breathes out the words; I have to resist the urge to sigh with relief. I don''t know how she''s managed to misunderstand the situation this badly, but she clearly has. Maybe it has something to do with something Tarin said to her before he died. "Why would you have any control?"
Before I answer, I feel her skill wrap around me. "And tell me the truth."
"Because I can kill him, and the Trial will reset," I say. I feel Ahkelios''s grip tighten a little on my shoulders, and I can''t help the slight grin that steals across my face; there''s no lie quite as good as the truth.
"That won''t be enough." Whisper''s words are dismissive, bitter. "This is a raid. All consequences will hold."
"True enough." I keep my voice light and unconcerned, though internally, my mind is racing. She knows that this is a raid, which exins the severity of her reaction¡ª but she doesn''t know that I''m the Trialgoer. I''m not going to question my luck there. I''ll have to y a different card. "In most cases."
"Most?" Whisper doesn''t have eyes to narrow, but she steps forward, and I feel a sharp spike in interest.
"Most," I say agreeably. "What do you think changes if one of our Trialgoers is able to capture this new one?"
"What are you talking abo¡ª" She-Who-Whispers freezes mid-sentence as she makes the connection. I see her entire body shudder, a physical reaction to the mere thought. "Teluwat."
"Quite." I have to keep the satisfaction out of my voice.
What are you doing? Ahkelios''s panicked voice echoes down my link. What are you talking about?
I have no idea, I admit cheerfully. But it''s working, isn''t it?
How?! Ahkelios demands, sounding painfully exasperated. I can practically feel it radiating off of him, in fact.
I''m guessing Tarin said something to her, I answer. Whisper stands before us, her hands clenching and unclenching; something''s going through her mind, although I don''t know what. Watch. All I need to do is nt the seed.
You aren''t even using the Firmament sink, Ahkelios grumbles. What was the point in making that?
I''m sure I''ll need to use itter. I shrug. I haven''t had to lie so far.
But how''d you know she''d even think about Teluwat? Ahkelios asks.
She''s obsessed with everything that happens in Isthanok, I say. I doubt there''s anything here that happens that she doesn''t know about. If Teluwat has enough of a presence here to send assassins after me, then she''s going to at least have an inkling that he''s around. And he''s the only one that has enough power that he might be able to reverse something like this even without a loop. That I know of.
Ahkelios falls silent. I can feel him still gripping at my shoulder, but he''s lost in thought, and whatever he''s thinking about, he isn''t sharing. I reach up to scratch gently under his chin.
...I''m not a pet, you know, he grumbles, after a solid ten seconds of scratching. I stop, and Ahkelios immediately protests. I didn''t say stop.
I snort and continue.
"Teluwat can rewrite the fundamental truth of the Firmament he influences," She-Who-Whispers mutters. She isn''t even paying attention to either of us; instead, she''s pacing about on the floor. Firmamentshes out of her in strips of agitated red, and I pretend not to be concerned by the way they crack the ground beneath her. "If he gains ess to the current Trialgoer... You''re telling me he can rewrite the Interface?"
"I''m not telling you anything about anything he may or may not be able to do," I say, which is true. She-Who-Whispers lets out a snarl in response, but continues pacing; she still isn''t attacking me.
"He can''t. It shouldn''t be possible," she mutters. "There are failsafes. They''re only disabled for graduated Trialgoers. You can''t interfere with the Interface of an active Trialgoer. Even if you could, the Interface is tooplex to directly interfere with like that. But... if it''s just a single variable..."
Disabled for graduated Trialgoers? Ahkelios picks up on the phrasing the same time I do, and we nce at one another. Interesting.
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Nothing I can do with that information right now, but it''s useful to know.
"One variable," I agree. "The number of times a raid can be retried, for instance."
Whisper snaps.
She moves like liquid. It''s fast enough that it stuns me¡ªI''ve never seen her move like this, even thest time we fought. It''s like she melts, turning into a ze of pure-white Firmament that shoots toward me; when she reforms, there''s a razor-sharp de of Firmament in ce of her hand, and it''s pointed directly at my neck.
"I hope, for your sake, that you aren''t lying."
Her voice is trembling. There''s no semnce of regalposure. I may not be familiar with silverwisp physiology, but with the way pieces of her form drip from her face to the ground, it looks almost like she''s crying.
"You couldn''t care less about me," I say. "You just want it to be true for yourself."
She-Who-Whispers doesn''t react, and neither does the Whisper she''s nted within me.
"What do we need to do?" she asks.
"As soon as the next loop begins, you need to join in the efforts to fend off the raid," I say. "And you cannot kill Tarin."
Whisperughs, the sound a little bit broken. "The bird?" she asks. "And how am I supposed to stop myself? I don''t get to keep my memories across loops."
"You can leave yourself messages, can''t you?"
"I need to know to check for it." She-Who-Whispers scowls. "The Integrators do not favor their graduates. They are interested in the sess of their Trialgoers."
I have to refrain from scoffing. From everything I''ve seen during my Trial, the Integrators very much favor the Hestian Trialgoers, and they aren''t that interested in making sure I seed. From what Gheraa''s told me, She-Who-Whispers is probably right, but if they care that I seed...
Well, they''ve got a funny way of showing it.
"Then I will make sure you check," I say. "If you give me a way to make you check."
"Just..." Whisper takes a deep, shuddering breath. "Just tell me: two rings. I''ll know I sent you."
I keep my expression impassive. "Write your note," I say. "The timeline will reset soon."
Whisper goes silent. I see her Firmament ring up around her as she wills her thoughts into her Interface. I walk past her.
"What are you doing?" Whisper stops for a moment, ring at me.
"Going to see the bird you killed," I reply. Anger bleeds through my Firmament, and it''s heavy enough that Whisper actually flinches. I don''t bother holding it back.
That is more of a lie than anything else I''ve said. I let Whisper''s Firmament bleed into thepleted Firmament sink, dissipating harmlessly as a mixture of heat and faint tingles along my leg.
It''s not Tarin that I want to see.
Guard''s body lies on the table in the center of Whisper''sb. His Firmament pulses faintly within the body that''s been constructed for him¡ªhe''s still alive, to my relief. I don''t know the exact mechanisms by which the Interface resets time, nor do I know why some forms of Firmament damage and exhaustion carry over and others don''t, but I do know that Guard''s particr form of it won''t be reversed along with the rest of the timeline.
It''s pretty clear from how weak his Firmament is. He isn''t going to recover naturally.
"Why are we here?" Ahkelios whispers to me. I nce over at him, then sigh.
"Tarin was talking to him before he died," I say. I walk over to Guard, taking a closer look at the mechanical body and the Firmament glowing within. "I need to know what they talked about."
"Talked?" Ahkelios stares at Guard. "Um."
"Yeah, I''m wondering how he did it, too," I mutter. I don''t have any skills that would help me talk to someone that''s unconscious. The closest thing I have to that is the link I share with Ahkelios through Temporal Link, and that''s not something I know how to replicate with a stranger.
Although...
"Ahkelios," I say. "You''ve fused with one of my skills before, haven''t you?"
"What?" Ahkelios blinks. "I mean, yes, but what does that have to do with..."
He trails off, and there''s a long beat before he continues. "You want me to try to fuse with him?"
"You can do it, can''t you?"
"I think so." Ahkelios shifts a little on my shoulder, clearly ufortable with the idea. "I don''t think I''d be able to do it with most people, but Guard is... he doesn''t have the protectiveyer of Firmament most people do. It''s just his core. So I could."
"You don''t want to," I say. To my surprise, Ahkelios shakes his head, staring at Guard''s body.
"I want to help him," Ahkelios says. He sounds a little like he surprises even himself with the words. "But as he is, he can''t defend himself."
"Don''t force it," I suggest. "Just... offer. See if he epts."
Ahkelios nods slowly. "I can do that," he says. He steps forward, standing on Guard''s chest, and reaches a hand out to make contact with the automaton''s Firmament core.
Guard''s eptance is so quick it surprises the both of us. Temporal Link fills out the metaphorical space between our minds, allowing us to talk to one another with a freedom we''ve never actually had before. In an instant, he learns who I am, the situation we''re in, and what I''ve been trying to do.
And I learn about him. Who he was, who he is, and who he''s still trying to be.
You don''t need to save me. That''s the first thing Guard tells me. I can hear the sheer exhaustion in his voice. I''ve lived for far longer than I should have.
To be fair, I''m not sure most of that could be called living, I say dryly. It''s a little snarkier than I intend for what''s technically our first proper interaction, but to my surprise, Guard actually chuckles. There''s a bitter tinge to his amusement.
I cannot disagree with you, he admits. I suppose it''s hardly important at the moment. Isthanok is in crisis.
I have to admit, I''m impressed that Guard''s first thought is still the safety of Isthanok and its people. If I''d been trapped in my own body, puppeted around as a guard for an entire city, I doubt I''d be feeling nearly so charitable.
Tarin spoke to you, I say.
He said you wanted to save me. Guard says the words, and I feel a warmth flow through the connection we share, along with a series of impressions. He''s... letting me in? Letting me see who and what he is.
Guard is iplete. He''s half a soul, held together by Firmament and by Miktik''s artifiical core operating like makeshift neurons for an ephemeral consciousness.
But he''s no less of a person. He feels, and he feels strongly. I can feel his exhaustion, his willingness to let go¡ªand I can also feel the fire within him, the part of him that wants to live.
Perhaps more surprising is the fact that that fire appears to have been stoked by meeting me. It''s not a conscious memory anymore, but I sense the subconscious impressions. Fleeting images and thoughts of a Trialgoer being shaped by his Trials, surprise at my resilience, an odd fondness as he catches on to what I''ve been doing through the loops.
An imprint written into his Firmament. He''s so weak,cking even the most basic of protection, that the events of the loops stay written into his Firmament. He remembers. Not so long ago, it was a lucid memory¡ªwhen Whisper still controlled him, he could remember everything, even when time rewound. But as he lost more and more of himself, he remembered less and less.
But the impressions remain. The feelings, if not the memories themselves. Fragments. Observation, then admiration.
A Trialgoer willing to defy the Integrators. A Trialgoer clinging to morality.
He doesn''t want what happened to Whisper to happen again. He wants to live. He wants to help.
I do want to save you, I answer quietly, and then equally quiet, I add, but I don''t know how. I would wait until after this raid to figure it out, but...
Guard knows it just as well as I do. Whisper set him up to be able to control multiple bodies; even now, Guard''s proxies are scattered all over the city of Isthanok. Whisper''s been straining herself loop after loop, even if she isn''t consciously aware of the fact that she''s doing so¡ªshe can''t push herself to keep control of every one of those bodies to protect the city.
But Guard can. He''s my best answer on how to minimize the casualties here. If I can figure this out within the few loops I have, Isthanok might be able to emerge from this... well, not unscathed, but less scathed than it otherwise would have been.
I take a breath. What condition do you have, exactly?
My Firmament is unstable, Guard replies. Your friend told me you''d be able to figure out more. Maybe even fix it.
Fix it? I frown at the thought. It implies this is something I know how to do already, but it''s not like I''ve spent any of my loops practicing with the medical applications of Firmament¡ª
¡ªbut I have been practicing with Firmament. Quite a lot. More than would be reasonable for most Trialgoers. The thought strikes me and I reach out with my Firmament sense, almost unwilling to believe it could be so easy, but for once, things go my way.
I''m right.
It''s theyers. Guard''s foundational Firmament is so strong that the outermostyers of it have peeled off, leaving it raw and exposed; it''s no longer able to keep itself together.
But I''ve practiced with almost exactly this. The process of finding a way to keep power locked withinyers of Firmament without leaking through is exactly the process I''ve been working with when ites to imbuement.
This is going to take me a while, I say. And you''re going to need to trust me.
I do, Guard says. Sincerity echoes through the link¡ªhe means it.
"Ahkelios?" I speak out loud. "Make sure Whisper doesn''t mess me up."
"What?" Ahkelios protests. "How am I supposed to stop her?"
"Tell her that Guard will die if I get interrupted," I say dryly. "That should make her rethink doing anything stupid."
Chapter 127: Book 2: Loop 15.2 (1)
Chapter 127: Book 2: Loop 15.2 (1)
I''m back in theboratory. I let out a breath of relief¡ªI wasn''t sure how far back the skill would be able to take me. For the first time, I''ve been able to feel the process of time whirling back around me, and I''ve had to keep an eye on the stability of a skill while doing so.
This is as far back as I can take myself before it begins to fall apart. If I bring myself back this far, I should be able to use the skill another three times. Push it any further and I can only use it once.
Good to know.
The procedure with He-Who-Guards... worked, I think. I''m actually not sure, and I''m not going to know for another reset or two at the very least. The process was taxing on us both¡ªthe Firmament of a person is a lot moreplicated than the Firmament of a stone¡ªand Whisper getting steadily more agitated in the background didn''t really help things.
It should have worked, but Guard will need a couple hours to recover and regain consciousness either way, which is when I''ll find out for sure. I sigh, ncing down at my hand. They''re still trembling with adrenaline, which is strange, considering I shouldn''t have any right now.
"That was close, huh?" Ahkeliosments, trying to make his voice light. I shoot him a look.
"You think?" I had activated Once More Into the Fray only moments before Whisper lost control and attacked. "I guess we know for sure what happened with Tarin."
"Is he okay now?" Ahkelios asks anxiously. I nod.
"ording to Guardian of Fate, he''s fine," I say. "We need to help Wanders this loop. We''ll get back to Tarin on the next one.""Doesn''t that mean he''s going to die again?" Ahkelios protests. "He remembers these loops, it''s not like you''re rewinding him too!"
"He won''t die again." I have to double-check with Guardian of Fate to be sure, but it''s not pinging me with the same sense of danger¡ªTarin''s said everything he needed tost loop, and it seems he''s going to spend this one ying it safe with Whisper. "I''m going to cast Temporal Link. Can you make sure my echo works the way we want it to?"
"I''m not sure I can actually get that far from you," Ahkelios says cautiously.
"You can." It''s not something we''ve tested, but with thetest fragment that Ahkelios has integrated, I can tell he''s now strong enough to leave my side for a short period of time. He''ll have toe back within my range eventually, but as long as we stay within the confines of Isthanok, I doubt it''ll be an issue.
Ahkelios shoots me a look. "If you say so," he says. His voice is a little hesitant, and once again I pick up on the fact that there''s something he hasn''t told me¡ªsomething he wants to talk about.
"If you can''t, we''ll figure it out," I say, smiling at him. "I trust you."
Ahkelios stiffens a little on my shoulder. I feel his ws grip into the fabric of my shirt tightly for a moment before he forces himself to rx, and despite not needing to breathe, I can sense him taking slow, deep breaths, as if to calm himself down. I say nothing. Whatever this is, he''ll tell me when he''s ready.
"Thank you," he says quietly.
I nce back to the Interface. It''s not going to be quiet for long¡ªthe raid is due to begin any moment now, and this is my chance to check on the notifications I receivedst fight. There are a few registered defeats of the living meteors, apparently named "Meateors", which I promptly ignore.
And then there''s the one about Anhar.
[ You have defeated Anhar the Unspoken (Rank S)! +331 Strength credits. +121 Durability credits. +201 Reflex credits. +85 Speed credits. +120 Firmament credits. ]
I almost flinch when I see the numbers. Apparently, the Interface considered him a Rank S threat, which is... higher than I expected. I wonder if it takes into ount the sheer arsenal he had at his disposal. It feels like he was easier to defeat than some of the Guilty Chimeras that now infest Tarin''s home, but I did have to use one of his own weapons against him. And I had Varhkos''s help. If I''d had to fight him alone, I don''t think the fight would have gone nearly as smoothly.
"The Unspoken, huh?" I mutter. I wonder if that''s a part of morphling naming schemes that I don''t know about. "Guess that fits."
"Do you feel bad?" Ahkelios asks. "About killing him."
"I don''t know," I answer. "I don''t think I know how to feel about it. But I feel worse about killing the frogs than I do about killing him."
"Yeah, that makes sense," Ahkelios says. I can tell there''s a lot on his mind.
I put the credits to the side for the time being. The Interface seems to give me skills that are relevant either to my current situation or to what I''ve been doing¡ªif I can hold on to my credits for a little longer, I might be able to get more skills rted to rewinding and manipting time. That''s going to be one of the only advantages I''ll have over the Integrators, so I n to build on that as much as I can.
The good news is that I have enough credits to guarantee the quality of my skills. I''ll bank them when I have to.
The thought strikes me that I''m probably going to have to before this raid is over, and I grimace.
In the background, Bimar clears her throat. I look up to see her leaning against a nearby wall; she stares at me and slowly, rather pointedly begins tapping her foot impatiently on the ground. Her expression remains perfectly deadpan all the while. "Do either of you want to exin what you''re talking about?" she asks.
I grimace. Right. "It''splicated," I say. "I don''t suppose you managed to find out anything about Miktik?"
"What are you talking about?" Bimar frowns at me.
"Long story. We don''t have much time." I''m going to need to remember to try to catch up with Bimar before the end of this loop. "Try to see if you can find Miktik and figure out what she''s up to. Be careful. The city''s under attack."
"It''s under what?" Bimar asks, straightening; a look of horror shes into her expression. "You can''t just¡ª"
This content has been uwfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"If you head up there, be careful," I interrupt. "Look, the Integrators are messing with the Trial, and I''m only going to have a few tries to get this right. I need to make sure He-Who-Wanders doesn''t die, but I haven''t been able to figure out what''s going on with Miktik, and my skills can''t reach her. Can you find her, and then meet up with me at, say, her workshop?"
It''s a much clearer set of instructions than I''d had the mind to give herst time. Bimar''s expression sharpens abruptly as I exin, and she nods.
"You said the city''s under attack," she says, all business. "What kind?"
"Living meteorites, basically. Nearly invulnerable to blunt attacks. They target buildings and strong sources of Firmament."
"Living¡ª" Bimar interrupts herself and scowls. "Got it. I think I''ve got an idea where she is. If it''s interfering with your skills, then she''s probably somewhere in the Integrator scrapyard."
She has mentioned something about that once. "Where is that?" I ask. Just in case. Bimar gives me a look, but answers me anyway.
"It''s north of Isthanok," she says. "Not far off from here, actually. I''ll avoid the city and head there through the forest. It''s not hard to spot¡ªlook for a door so big it''s taller than the trees."
"A... door?" I start. "Not a buildi¡ªyou know what, never mind. I''ll figure this outter. I''ll see you at Miktik''s."
"If I can''t make it back to her workshop, I''lle back here," Bimar says. "You just make sure Wanders is safe."
"I will."
It helps that I know what to expect now. Not as much as I want it to, but it helps.
I activate Temporal Link. A temporal clone peels off from me, darting off in Vahrkos''s direction; Ahkelios gives me a hesitant nce, then follows after it. I turn my attention to He-Who-Wanders and check with Guardian of Fate.
Five minutes until he dies.
I''ll get there in two.
He-Who-Wanders swallowed. He wasn''t sure how he''d gotten into this situation¡ªwell, he knew how he''d gotten into this situation, he just didn''t know how he''d allowed it to get this far. He was being clever! And it had even worked, at least in the sense that he''d been able to invoke Whisper''s name and hadn''t gotten instantly smited for it.
He was lucky, he knew. If Whisper had been paying any amount of attention, he''d be on the ground and writhing in pain by now. The problem was that he hadn''t really been ready with any sort of followup, and he was rapidly running out of things he could pretend to know about.
On the plus side, he hadn''te out of this without any information! If Ethan had been telling the truth about the whole time loop thing¡ªwhich seemed ridiculous, but if Miktik was willing to y along with it, then so was he¡ªthen all he needed to do was hand this information off to Ethan and he''d be safe.
...
Well, a different version of him would be safe. This version of him was still going to die. Or he''d at least experience a death, and that was sounding very much like something he didn''t want to experience, even if it would be getting under.
Gods, now was not the time to be getting into his own head about the existential ramifications of time loops.
"Sir?" the merchant in front of him prompted, a touch of impatience in his tone. "Are they to the liking of our esteemed leader or not?"
He-Who-Wanders did his best to stop himself from jumping and responded in his best authoritative voice. "Patience," he said. "She-Who-Whispers is a busy woman. She cannot respond immediately."
Internally, he was just trying to memorize as much of the briefcase in front of him as he could. There were a series of vials, each filled with liquid andbeled with a serial number and a supposed effect; the names of them were rather silly, in his opinion. Critical Juncture. Orb Weaver. Snap Retort. What were any of these even supposed to mean?
The merchant clicked in annoyance. "Silverwisps," he rasped. He-Who-Wanders ignored it, though he wondered if the merchant had to deal with silverwisps particrly often. He didn''t recognize the man''s species, and that was rare; the Great Cities were a hub for worlds that had been integrated by the Interface, and by the very nature of his job and tendencies, He-Who-Wanders had met pretty much every species from the connected worlds.
But he''d never seen anything like this merchant. The man looked like he was made of sludge¡ªgreen, viscous goop held together by sedimentary stone and fractured Firmament. It would have been fascinating were it not for the way the merchant hung over him. A few drops of that sludge came ufortably close to hitting Wanders more than once, and he couldn''t help but suspect it was some kind of threat disy.
"I''m starting to suspect you''re not who you say you are, you know," the merchant said.
"If I wasn''t, Whisper would already have punished me."
"Hmm." The merchant rumbled and loomed even closer; Wander tried desperately not to shrink away, though at this point he was practically being caged against the wall. He didn''t fail to notice the way the goop was starting to circle him. "Maybe you made sure she''s upied, hmm? Maybe she has other matters on her mind."
Wander''s Firmament guttered nervously. That... was quite possibly true. Especially since half the reason they were doing this now was because Whisper was distracted trying to figure out what the Trialgoer was attempting to do in her city. "Take it up with her, if you''re that concerned," he said, trying his best to sound dismissive.
"Or you could pass a simple test," the merchant suggested, lowering his voice into something resembling an acidic purr. Acidic in the literal sense. Wander watched as the liquid from the merchant''s mouth ate into the ground. "I''m sure Whisper has told you my name?"
Wander froze. He had no idea what this guy''s name was. "Of course she did," he said, trying to buy time.
The merchantughed. The sound made Wander flicker with difort; it sounded like a gust of wind blowing out a candle. "That''s funny," he said, darkly amused, "because I''ve never told your little leader my name. Us Disconnected have to be quite discreet, you see."
Wander tried to run.
Tried.
The merchant''s body melted, then rose up and swept around him, trapping him in ce. Wander bounced off, falling to the ground and letting out a hiss of pain.
"Oh, I do so love it when it hurts," the merchant teased. "And since you''re about to die anyway, I suppose I can tell you my name. If you beg me for mercy, I might make this hurt less."
The worst part about this, Wander decided, was that his killer was apparently the talkative type.
Also that he wouldn''t be able to get any information back to the others before he died. That was annoying, too. But if he had to experience a death that would be retroactively pulled out of time, he would''ve preferred it if his killer wasn''t the creepy, talkative type. There was a reason he liked Vahrkos; the man didn''t like talking very much.
He wondered briefly if he''d already died like this before. They were supposedly in a time loop, after all. Who knew how many times Ethan might have tried this?
"It''s Tekk," the merchant said. His body contracted once around Wander, walls of acid closing around him. "You''ll scream it for me, won''t you¡ª"
Tekk''s voice cut off into a scream of pain. Wander jumped, taking a step away from the fist that had suddenly appeared in the wall, lit green from the light of Tekk''s body.
There was a sickening, tearing sound, and then Ethan''s face appeared, also lit green. Wander had never been quite so relieved to see a meat creature that wasn''t Vahrkos.
"Dude''s kind of a creep, huh?" Ethan said by way of greeting. He tore the hole open with a re of Firmament, then held a hand out to Wander. "Sorry I took so long. I got a little held up."
Chapter 128: Book 2: Loop 15.2 (2)
Chapter 128: Book 2: Loop 15.2 (2)
To say that Wander is unhappy about the Integrators'' raid is... a bit of an understatement.
"You''re telling me I could have died permanently," he says, shuddering. "Being eaten!"
"We don''t know that he was eating you," I say, trying to cate him.
In retrospect, I could probably have phrased that better. Wander turns to re at me. "That does not make it better," he hisses.
"Sorry."
He grumbles under his breath, and I return to my temporary job of keeping an eye out for any meteors headed in our direction. The pulsating mass that was surrounding Wander when I found him was apparently named Tekk, but he''d fortunately proven not to be much of a problem. After I punched a hole through him, he just melted, pouring through the gaps in the floor and leaving behind a crumbling set of vaguely limb-shaped stones.
Of course, theck of an Interface notification tells me he''s still alive. I''m guessing he just chose to run rather than fight. Smart decision, on his part. I could have tried chasing after him, but there''s a limit to how much I can do in these loops. Tracking down a runaway merchant just doesn''t seem like it''s as much of a concern as the meteors threatening to destroy the city.
That said, I slightly regret that decision when Wander tells me about what he''s learned.
Critical Juncture, Orb Weaver, and Snap Retort. Two of those names aren''t familiar to me, but the third one is¡ªit''s a skill the Interface once offered to me. Those vials are Interface skills, more likely than not. It means Anhar''s usage of imbuement stones likely isn''t a one-off. Whisper''s looking into ways to grant people the abilities the Interface would normally grant them."Not just Whisper, I bet," Wander mutters beside me. He''s staring back into the building, doing his best to ignore the meteors falling overhead. "He sounded like he was selling to others."
"Other Trialgoers?" I ask.
"Maybe," Wander says. "But they won''t be the only ones interested in this kind of tech."
I wince. "Don''t get me wrong, letting more people get skills isn''t a bad thing, but..."
"You need the Interface to control the skills properly, right?" Wander doesn''t look at me, but the way he taps his foot nervously on the ground tells me he has more experience with the subject matter than I might expect. "I didn''t realize they were skills."
"You''ve seen people try to use skills without the Interface before?" I ask.
"Bimar has." Wander''s voice is grim.
Right. Theb experiments. "Result wasn''t pretty, I take it."
"She brought back pictures." Wander scowls a little. "I asked her not to."
I can only imagine.
Tekk, fortunately, wasn''t able to take the vials with him. He did manage to shatter half of them, more by sheer luck than anything else¡ªone of his pieces had fallen into the still-open briefcase when I punched him¡ªbut a good half of the vials were still intact.
"You''re sure they''re safe... wherever you put them?" Wander asks me, concerned. I shrug.
"They''re as safe as they can be," I say.
They''re in the Empty City dungeon, along with the rations Mari gave me ages ago and everything else I''ve thrown in there. I''m starting to wonder if I should even try toplete it, at this point¡ªit''s proving more useful to me as an inventory than as anything else.
I probably should. Eventually. It''s clearly got some answers in there that I want. Maybe if I get myself an actual inventory skill first, preferably one that doesn''t mean I''m risking life and limb every time I open it. I haven''t been attacked by anything inside it so far, but if Ahkelios is right, then it''s only a matter of time.
"You said Tekk called himself a Disconnected?" I ask Wander, partly to distract him and partly to distract myself. I can tell the situation is getting to Whisper, though he''s doing a good job of hiding it. The ethereal Firmament that makes up his body just asionally flickers. If it weren''t for Firmament Sight letting me see the flickers of yellow emanating from him, I wouldn''t be able to tell how scared he is.
"Yeah." Wander doesn''t meet my gaze. He stares up into the sky instead, though he flinches and nces away when a meteor strikes one of the floating crystal citadels, shattering a tower and sending massive shards down to scatter over the city. "He didn''t say anything about what that means, though."
"If he won''t tell Whisper his name because of it..." I frown. Disconnected. "The goal of Integration¡ªor the purported goal¡ªis to connect a series of worlds to the Integrators. Once a is fully Integrated, it''s not just connected to the Interface. It''s connected to the Integrators themselves. Maybe that''s what Disconnected means?"
"A person or a that''s disconnected themselves from the Integrators and their connected worlds?" Wander asks. "I mean... maybe. It''d exin the need for secrecy."
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"What was it like?" I ask. "Integration."
Wander sighs. "I don''t remember," he says. "No one does. It''s like the Integrators have always been here. They can show up anywhere, at any time... I mean, they never do, of course. But I know they can. Every Hestian does. It''s like it''s written into our history."
That''s news. And worryingly simr to Teluwat''s abilities, now that I think about it.
I wonder if the Integrators had that ability before Teluwat.
"Can''t say that''s encouraging," I mutter.
"No, but..." Wander trails off, hesitating a moment before he continues. "If it''s possible to disconnect..."
"Right," I say. "Tekk''s obviously evil, but he''s given us some pretty valuable information. If a group like the Disconnected exist, then that means Integration might not be permanent."
"It means there''s hope," Wander says. He doesn''t say anything else, but I do see his Firmament grow a little brighter, a little more stable.
I smile slightly. It does, doesn''t it? I''ve been engaged in the Integrators'' games for so long that I''ve almost forgotten the bigger picture.
Still, these Disconnected are pretty secretive. Even Gheraa hasn''t said anything about them, and if they won''t even reveal their own names, then tracking them down is going to be harder than I''d like.
They''re dangerous, that much is clear. Even Tekk is dangerous. Any enemy smart enough to run when they''re outmatched is an enemy I need to be concerned about.
But maybe they won''t all have to be my enemies.
For now, though, I''m stuck ying babysitter. Wander can''t handle these meteors on his own, and it''s too dangerous for me to leave him until we''ve met up with Vahrkos. The best we can do is make our way through the streets toward him.
Speaking of which.
I leap up to knock one away, gritting my teeth against the Dispel that bursts out of it as I do so. The amount of Firmament each one takes just to push away is... bothersome. I can''t keep this up forever, and clearing the raid is still an unsolved problem. Even with Whisper''s help, and that''s assuming she keeps her promise.
"Are you okay?" Wander asks, his voice concerned.
"I''m fine." My breathing is a little ragged, but so far, this is nothing I can''t handle. "I need the practice. If I need a break, I''ll just carry you and dodge them."
"Oh." Wander apparently hadn''t even considered that possibility. His voice emerges more nervously than I would have expected. "Uh... let me know if you need a break?"
I raise an eyebrow a bit. "I will," I say. My attention goes back to the sky, scanning the number of meteors raining down on the city.
I can''t bepletely sure, but I''m guessing this raid is specifically designed to drain me of my Firmament reserves. It''s smart¡ªthat''s one of the strategies that''ll work against me across loops. Even if they aren''t aware of what Gheraa''s given me, they''re making sure I can''t just brute force the problem if I find a way around their limitations.
And yet beating one away doesn''t take as much Firmament as it did before. I''m getting better at this. More to the point, I''m even closer to the next phase-shift, and the qualitative changes to my Firmament are starting to noticeably affect the performance of all my skills.
[ Firmament base attunement: 98.2%
Progress to next phase shift: 90.7% ]
The construct Gheraa left within me is still operating, albeit a little slower. I could push it, I sense¡ªforce an evolution of my Firmament here and now¡ªbut there''s still too much danger lying around. I need to wait until I''m actually safe, and not likely to be, say, hit by a meteor while undergoing a change so fundamental.
The thought itches at me, though. Holding back at such a crucial time makes me feel like I''m making a mistake. It''s not like I can''t hide away in theb and use a loop just to deepen my Firmament.
We don''t know how long it''ll take. Ahkelios chooses this moment to pipe in through our bond. Apparently, he''s been listening in. Wait until I''m there, at least.
How''s the Link going? I ask. It''s been a while since I''ve been able to get an update from him. Is Vahrkos okay?
Your skill is busted, Ahkelios grumbles back at me through the link, but I can feel the relief in his voice. Vahrkos is fine. Your Temporal Link copies every event that happens. There''s a copy of me fighting with you, so I''m staying back and out of sight to make sure nothing changes.
I breathe a sigh of relief. That should mean I''m free to rely entirely on the skill, provided Whisper doesn''t throw anything off. I can do that by getting her support only after both Vahrkos and Wander are safe¡ªin other words, pretty much what I''m already doing.
As for the phase-shift... I''ll do it with Tarin and the others nearby, in case I need something external to help the shift along. Who knows. It helped the first time. I think Gheraa would have mentioned it if it had, though.
We should be there soon, Ahkelios adds. We just beat Anhar and your copy''s briefed Vahrkos on the situation. You should cancel the skill so I can update him.
I take that in, then cancel the skill. I can feel Ahkelios''s amusement across our link¡ªapparently, Vahrkos was not particrly pleased with the way my copy vanished in front of him. He calms down a little when Ahkelios exins the situation, and in no time at all, he''s on his way to meet us.
It actually doesn''t take long at all for him to show up. I shouldn''t be surprised, I suppose¡ªWander and I have made it more than halfway toward the military base just going through the streets.
What does surprise me is how emotional Vahrkos looks when he sees Wander safe and sound. I see him start to run, then force himself to slow down and walk at a normal pace, practically grinding his teeth the entire time. Then hees to a stop in front of Wander and just... stands there awkwardly.
Eventually, Vahrkos manages to force out some words. "I was worried," he grunts.
Ahkelios flies back to my shoulder. "He was a lot more than just worried!" he deres loudly, making the morphling flinch and re. "You should have seen his face when I told him you almost died," he whispers to Wander.
It''s not really a whisper. He says it more than loud enough for everyone to hear him.
Wander, fortunately, isn''t nearly as awkward as Vahrkos is. He drags the morphling into an open hug, squeezing him so tight I''m almost worried his carapace will crack. I smirk a bit at the sight¡ªevidently, Wander''s braver than Vahrkos in at least one respect.
As much as I''d like to give them their moment, though, I''m a little pressed for time. "Vahrkos, I need to get going. Can you keep Wander safe?"
"These things will note near him," Vahrkos says. "Your friend has briefed me on the situation. We''ll seek out Thys and Thaht and ensure they remain safe as well."
That''s one weight off my chest. I give him a grateful nod. If Vahrkos is going to handle Thys and Thaht¡ªthough if I''m being honest, I''m half-expecting their massive suit of armor to suddenly burst through a building at any moment, considering this is the perfect situation for it¡ªthen I may as well meet up with Bimar.
Assuming I can find her, anyway. First stop: Miktik''s workshop.
Chapter 129: Book 2: Loop 15.2 (3)
Chapter 129: Book 2: Loop 15.2 (3)
Miktik''s workshop is empty, which is more or less what I was expecting, though I was hoping it wouldn''t be. I look around, trying to glimpse any signs of activity. It doesn''t look like anyone''s been here since thest time we convened in the area.
"Think Bimar''s back at theb?" I ask out loud, ncing at Ahkelios.
"That, or she hasn''t had enough time to get here," Ahkelios points out. "It''s only been about an hour."
"Right," I say, slightly embarrassed. It feels like it''s been a lot more than an hour, but maybe that''s because of the number of things happening around me. Guardian of Fate isn''t giving me anything new, either about Tarin or about Bimar, which means that for the time being I have... nothing to do.
Well, not really. I have plenty I can do, but Guard isn''t awake yet, and I don''t intend to bring Whisper in this loop since that allows me to act without worrying about her listening in. Miktik''s workshop is secure, but not secure enough that I''m willing to risk trying to phase-shift right here and now.
Now''s probably the best time for me to test out strategies to clear the raid. If Guard and Whisper aren''t able to help me as much as I hope, I''ll need to make sure I have a fallback of some sort.
...so I go outside and begin to fill the air with Timestrikes. As many as I can without depleting my Firmament, anyway.
Ahkelios just watches me, bemused. "Are you sure this is going to do anything?"
"Nope." I Timestrike the air again, in the rough trajectory of a meteor, and watch as the meteor enters its path. "But I''m also using this to figure out the timing of these things."Sure enough, the meteor crosses the path of my Timestrike the same moment it activates. There''s a muffled roar of pain, and I feel the Firmament in the meteor snap abruptly, dissipating into nothing; the object that then falls to the ground is nothing but dead rock that bounces harmlessly off the crystalline building it encounters.
"Huh," Ahkelios says, watching me. "Nice."
"Thank you." I nce at Ahkelios. "Any chance you want to talk about whatever''s bothering you now?"
Ahkelios winces a bit. "...Later," he says, his voice a little guarded. "Let''s get this raid over with first."
"If that''s what you want." My gaze is a little concerned, and I can feel Ahkelios withdrawing into himself slightly. But I trust the little guy, and I can wait for him to be ready.
I can''t deny that I miss Tarin''s presence, though. The old crow would probably tell Ahkelios to get it out already.
I return a few hourster to Miktik''s workshop, frowning a little when I see that it''s still empty. There''s no sign that either Bimar or Miktik have even tried to return¡ªno trace of their Firmament anywhere surrounding the ce.
I share a disgruntled look with Ahkelios. We take a moment more to make sure, then head back to theb, hoping to find her there, but... Bimar isn''t there, either.
The third and final ce to check is the Integrator scrapyard¡ª"to the north", as Bimar dered. The raid itself hasn''t ended yet and won''t end until everyst person in Isthanok is dead, and ording to Guardian of Fate, none of my friends are at risk of dying yet. I''ve got time to figure out what''s going on.
Of course, Guardian of Fate also doesn''t seem to know what''s going on with Miktik, and now it seems equally confused about Bimar. That''s enough to tell me something''s very wrong.
"Do you think they''re okay?" Ahkelios asks. He grips at the cor of my shirt, little hands buzzing with worried Firmament. "It''s weird that your skill can''t reach them."
"I don''t know," I admit. I reach up to pet him, more out of reflex than anything else. For a moment, I''m worried he''ll find the act condescending, but instead he leans into my fingers.
"I never had friends during my loops," Ahkelios says quietly. "It didn''t seem like a good idea. I mean, every time I looped..."
"Oh, we humans are known to get attached too easily," I say dryly. "I figured that was a lost cause before I even started."
"I wish I had," Ahkelios admits. He goes silent again after, and I get the sense that that''s as much as he''s willing to say on the matter for now. It gives me a better idea of what''s been bothering him, at least.
"Come on," I say. I try to make my voice encouraging. "Let''s go find the scrapyard. I bet they''re both waiting for us there."
I find the door that Bimar mentioned first: just as she said, it''s a massive door made of Firmament and steel, towering over all the trees in the area. I''m surprised I haven''t seen it before, honestly, but there''s a thin sheet of perception-bending Firmament in a dome around the area that tells me why.
I steal a bit of that Firmament for my own use. Seems like something I might want to incorporate into a skill one day, and it''s not dissimr from what the frogs seem to do with their invisibility Firmament.
"Ethan!" Ahkelios calls. There''s a note of panic in his voice¡ªenough that I hurry over to him. My eyes widen when I see what he''s staring at.
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Bimar and Miktik. They''re both wearing the protective suits Miktik told me was necessary for the scrapyard. The suits look remarkably like diving suits. The deep-water kind, with a bulbous helmet and thick, protective armor.
They''re also both very dead.
"I mean," Ahkelios says doubtfully. "At least you were right...?"
"About them waiting for us?" I ask dryly, kneeling down beside Bimar''s body. "I can''t say I like being technically correct here."
Neither does Ahkelios, I can tell, despite his poor attempt at levity. "How''d they even die?" he asks. "I can''t see anything..."
"Neither can I," I mutter. There''s no external damage to their suits, as far as I can tell¡ªnothing that makes it look like they''ve been attacked. The armor''s perfectly intact, and maybe a little more disturbing is that there''s no sign of any kind of struggle. It looks more like they fell asleep than like they were killed.
Maybe something about the Firmament within the scrapyard got to them? If the conditions within the scrapyard were somehow worse, beyond the protective rating of the suits, it might exin why they''re both dead with no sign of a struggle.
"Do you think they''re fully dead?" Ahkelios asks quietly. There''s a tight tension in his voice¡ªa worry that I admittedly was trying not to voice myself.
If anything killed them here, it''s likely to be Firmament damage of some kind. And of all the different types of damage you cane back from, Firmament damage is the one that''s most likely to be permanent.
"I don''t know," I answer honestly. "I hope not."
"Me too."
"For what it''s worth, it doesn''t feel like..." I hesitate. "I''ve haven''t spent much time examining the Firmament of dead bodies or anything, but usually there''s something about the basic structure of their Firmament that''s torn up. Miktik and Bimar feel... fine. Their Firmament is gone, but the container holding it isn''t damaged, if that makes sense."
"If you say so." Ahkelios hops back up onto my shoulders. "I''ve never been able to feel Firmament like you can, so..."
"Only one way to find out, right?" I say gently. I hold my hand out so Ahkelios can hop into my palm instead¡ªit''s the only way for me to ''hold'' him. He''s heavier than thest time I did this. The weight of his Firmament is strong enough now that I can feel him.
He hugs me, and I quietly wrap my other hand around him. Neither Bimar nor Miktik were particrly close to us, but I sense that this is about more than just them, for Ahkelios.
Strangely, the Void Inspiration within me also stirs.
hungry, it says quietly.
Not now, I tell it, but I sense something strange from it. Like... denial, but not the kind I''d expect. A correction.
not as hungry now, it tells me. why?
Odd. I don''t know, I tell it. But I told you I''d feed you new things, didn''t I?
yes. The Inspiration sounds oddly thoughtful. new.
It recedes and grows silent once more, and I put the strangeness of that interaction out of my mind for now. It''s about time for me to reset the loop, but before I do, I make onest sweep to make sure I haven''t missed anything. I could try to enter the scrapyard myself, but it feels... risky. I have to manually trigger the Once More into the Fray skill¡ªif the scrapyard kills me before I have a chance to react, as seems to be the case with Bimar and Miktik, then I''m just going to lose the raid.
Too much of a risk to take, for now. Better to ask Bimar to change her approach, as long as she''s still alive in the next loop. If she isn''t...
...Well, if she isn''t, then there''s no point trying to save either of them. They''re already gone.
Nothing wrong with the bodies or the suits, as far as I can tell. The strangest thing about this ce is the door to the scrapyard and the Firmament I can feel surrounding it. There''s something about it that feels wrong, forck of a better word¡ªout of alignment with everything else.
Phaseslip makes everything a little bit clearer, but not by much. It''s like there''s Firmament just on the edge of my vision, and Phaseslip brings it a little closer. Unlike with the Ringmaster, however, the distance covered by a Phaseslip isn''t nearly enough to see whatever''s going on here. I''m guessing that if I want to ess the scrapyard, I''m going to have to open the door.
Not something I''m going to do yet.
I can''t help but hesitate, though, lingering at the entrance for a long moment before activating Once More into the Fray.
The scrapyard is a step toward the Integrators. It''s a step toward figuring out how to get to them, and through them, figuring out how to get to Gheraa. It''s a step toward figuring out what even happened with him. I can''t deny that crossing the threshold is tempting, if only because this feels like a ce with answers. More than even Gheraa gave me.
It''s funny. Gheraa was more irritating than anything when I first met him, and if I''m being honest, I haven''t had a lot of time to get to know him. The short periods of time we meet in during each Inspiration is hardly enough time to get to know someone, especially when we''re both being watched.
But what he did for me here¡ªmaking sure I have a chance against a raid that would have ughtered everyone I''vee to know in the loops...
I want to know that he''s all right. I can''t help but hope that he found some way around whatever wasing for him. He''s crafty enough to get all this past the rest of the Integrators to begin with, after all; if anyone can fake his own death, he can.
There''s a part of me that''s worried that I''ll find his body behind the door. It''s called a scrapyard, but who''s to say that the Interface trantion captured all the nuances of the word in its originalnguage? For all I know, it''s also a graveyard.
"Uh, Ethan?" Ahkelios prompts. He looks over my shoulder, toward the bodies, and I get a distinct feeling across our bond¡ªhe doesn''t want to stay here any longer than necessary.
"Right," I say, shaking off the despondence lingering over my thoughts. Not sure why they got so dark all of a sudden. Something to do with the Firmament here, maybe. I refocus: I need to figure out what happened to Bimar and Miktik, and I need to finally catch up with Tarin.
I''m missing the old bird already. Hopefully, I''ll find him and Guard both intact and ready to go.
"Let''s go, ''Kelios." I lift my hand up to my shoulder, and Ahkelios hops back onto it, though the perch is a little awkward for him now. He responds with a chirp, his hands clinging on to my shirt, and I feel time whirl backward around me as I once more activate a skill.
Once More into the Fray.
Chapter 130: Book 2: Loop 15.3 (1)
Chapter 130: Book 2: Loop 15.3 (1)
I''m back in theb.
The first thing I do is brush off the strange, distinct sensation of Once More into the Fray falling apart inside my... Firmament core, I suppose. It''s a distinctly ufortable feeling, like holding broken shards of ss inside my mouth. The skill still feels usable, but only barely; thankfully, the feeling fades soon enough, and I''m able to direct my attention elsewhere.
Like trying to figure out whether or not Bimar''s still alive.
I let out a breath of relief when I see her leaning against the nearby wall. She''s breathing, at the very least, although she doesn''t look like she''s doing very well. The sight of the normally headstrong crow doubled over like she''s about to puke isn''t reallyforting.
Nor is the part where she copses onto the ground. I hurry over to her even as she lets out a curse that the Interface pointedly doesn''t trante, and frankly, that in itself is kind of worrying. "Are you okay?" I ask, kneeling beside her.
"What do you think?" Bimar groans. Her voice is muffled by the fact that she''s got her wings pressed to her face. "What happened? I feel like featherscrap."
"Uh... you died," I say. No use sugarcoating the situation, and I''m not sure there''s a gentler way to tell her, anyway. Bimar still freezes, staring up at me in a mixture of horror, confusion, and disbelief. "Going after Miktik," I add.
"I don''t think that helps," Ahkelios mutters from my shoulder.
"Yeah, you''re going to have to exin that one." Bimar groans again, pressing her beak into the floor. "In a moment. Once I don''t feel like all my feathers are about to fall off and explode."She takes a deep, ragged breath, slowly pulling herself into a seating position; as she does, I use Temporal Link, creating copies of my selves from the past two loops¡ªone to save Vahrkos, and the other to deal with the merchant harassing Wander. Bimar stares as two copies of me abruptly run off.
"...You know what, I don''t even have the energy to ask."
I smile wryly. "Feeling better?"
"Not even slightly," Bimar grumbles, but she pushes herself a little more upright and exhales. "But let''s not waste any more time. Tell me what''s going on. Make it quick."
At least she''s willing to hear me out. I exin the situation as quickly as I can, and by the time I''m done, Bimar''s recovered enough that she no longer looks like she''s about to copse. Her breathing''s still ragged, but the furrow in her brows tells me she''s more focused on my words than on how she''s feeling.
"Putting aside how terrifying what you just said is," she grumbles. "Those suits are meant to keep Firmament pressure at a tolerable rate while we''re inside the scrapyard. If you''re sure there wasn''t any physical damage, then the only thing that could have killed me is..."
Bimar hesitates a bit. I frown. "Is what?"
"Is a dropoff," Bimar says. "They don''t drop things off in the scrapyards often, but there''s usually some kind of announcement before they do it. Or an rm that runs through the scrapyard. You get about five minutes from the rm to evacuate or the flood of Firmament into the area bypasses whatever protection even the suits have."
There''s a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. "So you''re telling me there wasn''t a warning this time."
"Or a very short one," Bimar says with a grunt, trying to pull herself to her feet and stumbling slightly; I catch her, and she leans her weight on me gratefully. The fact that she doesn''t have even a word of snark for me worries me, actually. She''s usually more grumpy than this. "You''re sure I didn''t leave behind a message of any kind?"
"Not that I saw," I say. "And... this doesn''t exin why I found your bodies outside the scrapyard, does it?"
"No, it doesn''t." Bimar frowns, tapping her wings together. "Either someone else was there and got us out, or one of us pulled us out before we died. We don''t have enough information. I would have left behind a message if I could have, though, so I doubt I was conscious long enough to pull us out."
"It''d make more sense for you to get yourself out," Ahkelios points out. "You know to leave behind a message."
Bimar''s eyes sharpen. "I''m not leaving Miktik behind," she says harshly. Her Firmament res red¡ªgenuine anger.
"We''re not asking you to," I say quickly, surprised by the intensity of the reaction. "Ahkelios has... well, it doesn''t matter. You know what to expect now. Do you think you can get her out in time?"
I don''t say what I''m thinking. Bimar''s pretty badly affected after experiencing this Firmament pressure once. Miktik''s experienced it two times in a row. If she isn''t dead already, experiencing it again this loop might very well kill her.
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"I don''t know," Bimar grunts. "I can''t move very well right now. And you said the city''s under attack?"
"I can get you to the scrapyard," I offer. "I''m not sure if I can go inside with you¡ª"
"You''ll need a suit," Bimar grunts. "We don''t have one ready, or if we do, I don''t know where we''re keeping it. It''ll be easier if I go in alone."
"You''re sure?" I don''t want to risk going inside. It''s not just because I''m afraid of what I might find¡ªthere are very few relevant events I can think of that might warrant an emergency dropoff. The only one thates to mind is the one I''d spent thest loop worrying about.
A far-too-detailed image shes into my mind. I see Gheraa''s body lying on a mountain of discarded Integrator tech, golden Firmament leaking freely into the ground.
No. I shove it out of my mind. My imagination''s being too active. There''s no reason to think it''s Gheraa.
Unless Guardian of Fate is warning me, but¡ªno. Guardian of Fate can''t pierce the Firmament of the scrapyard. It''s the reason I couldn''t tell that Miktik was about to die, and it''s the reason I couldn''t tell what was happening to Bimar once she entered the scrapyard.
I''m being paranoid. It''ll be fine.
"I''m sure," Bimar tells me, and I can tell from the way she''s looking at me that she''s caught on to my inner turmoil. She doesn''t say anything about it, though, for which I''m grateful. "I''m sure you have other things to do this loop."
"I need..." It takes me a moment to remember. "I need to make sure Guard and Tarin are okay. I think I managed to fix Guard, but I''m¡ªI''m not sure yet."
"You fixed¡ª" Bimar cuts herself off, but there''s a distinct note of hope in her voice that wasn''t there before. "If you managed to fix him, then we''ve got a chance against this raid of yours," she says. She regards me with an intensity I''m not used to seeing from her. "Get me to the scrapyard. I''ll do the rest. If all goes well, you''ll find me outside. If it doesn''t and you find my body again..."
Bimar hesitates, then shakes her head. "Ask Tarin," she says eventually, though it obviously kills her to say it. "He''ll know how to find out what happened to me."
"Is there some kind of history between you and Tarin?" I ask. It''s not the first time I''ve seen this... hesitation from her when ites to Tarin. It''s not open hostility, exactly, but it''s something close. Like something about him makes her ufortable.
"No," Bimar denies. "I don''t know him."
"That doesn''t seem true," I say. She res at me, and while I don''t react, I feel Ahkelios folding his arms across his chest, ring right back. I can''t help but smile slightly. He makes for an intimidating sidekick.
"I don''t know him," Bimar repeats, though this time she doesn''t quite meet my gaze. Then she sighs, like she''s rolling the thought around in her head. "Directly. Look, get me to the scrapyard. I''ll exin on the way."
I do. Carrying a crow of her size is... awkward, but I make do with a few well-ced Barriers, shaped and tethered to me with Firmament Control. She''s silent for the first few minutes, then eventually finds the words.
"He got away," she says quietly. "That whole vige. The Cliffside. They take in the crows that get tired of living in the Great Cities."
"That doesn''t sound like a bad thing."
"It''s... not." Bimar looks away. It kills her to say it, I can tell. "But it feels like running away. I hate it. So many of us caused... people died, Ethan. People were tortured. And some crows get to just walk away from it all, like it never happened."
I don''t know how to respond to that.
"I stay here because I want to fix what I did." Bimar''s wordse out as a slight snarl. "Crows like Rotar just run away and live happy lives and pretend they can just forget¡ª"
Her chest heaves. I see her visibly trying to calm herself down. On my shoulder, Ahkelios''s ws once more tighten on my shirt; he recognizes the name, just as I do.
"What did Rotar do?" I ask quietly.
"Same thing I did," she says bitterly. "Helped. With thatb. With the experiments. If Miktik hadn''t..."
There''s no small amount of self-hatred in her voice.
This exins a lot, doesn''t it?
"I''m no stranger to regret," I say quietly. "And I can''t im I know what the right thing is here. But for what it''s worth, I think what you''re doing is worth doing."
A small silence. Ahkelios seems like he wants to say something, but he hesitates, and then drops it before even saying it.
...''Hkelios? I ask.
Later, he responds.
"Thanks," she says quietly.
"Rotar was the one bringing me back here, originally," I say after a moment. "He had something with him. A pocket oracle. imed it was predicting the end of the world."
Bimar snorts. "If you brought him with you when we met..." she says. Her wings tremble a bit with anger before she eventually forces herself to rx. "Not sure I would''ve given you the time of day."
"Maybe it''s a good thing things happened the way they did, then," I mutter. "But he''s trapped right now. Lost in time. He was going to slipstream here with me, and then something interacted with the Trial, and it went haywire."
Bimar starts a bit. "I didn''t know," she said. "Is he¡ª"
"Not dead," I say. "Frozen. In the Fracture. Slightly out of phase with the rest of time. I don''t know what it''s like for him, but I''ve been trying to figure out how to get him back. Him and the morphling that was helping me."
There''s a long moment of silence. "...Well," Bimar says eventually. "Maybe he''s been punished enough."
When we arrive at the scrapyard, neither of us speak. There''s not much to say. Bimar''s suit is apparently hidden somewhere in the bushes nearby, locked behind a secure code and a Firmament print of sorts¡ªI see a machine taking a sample of her Firmament, not unlike the ones used at the Great Gates.
"Try not to die in there," I tell her. Bimar snorts.
"And you better not die, or else we''re all screwed," she mutters.
She opens the door. It''s enormous, but there''s an almost-invisible control panel camouged within the handle.
I''m gone before the door''spletely open. If I''ve timed things correctly, my temporal clones are now helping Vahrkos and Wander meet, which means now''s the time to find Whisper.
Chapter 131: Book 2: Loop 15.3 (2)
Chapter 131: Book 2: Loop 15.3 (2)
"Two rings."
The words make Whisper freeze, just as she''d told me. I admit, I was half expecting this to be a trap. "Check your messages," I tell her. "You sent one to yourself agreeing to work with me."
This is probably the easiest time I''ve ever had talking to Whisper. She doesn''t even say anything¡ªI can feel the flow of Firmament as she instead just immediately opens her Interface and begins to read. She''s silent for nearly a full minute, which makes me wonder exactly what she''s written in there, but... I''ve pretty much alreadymitted to the n, at this point. It''s not like I can get her to un-read whatever she''s read, anyway.
Thankfully, the message doesn''t appear to contain a trap, either. "We fight the raid together, then," she says, although her tone is guarded. That''s more or less within my expectations. "Will Teluwat sends others?"
"No," I say. I don''t know how to feel about the fact that she still thinks I''m working for the guy. There''s something in the way her Firmament flickers when she says the name...
She''s afraid. Maybe that''s why she''s so fixated on it¡ªwhy she isn''t questioning things as much as she should be.
Or maybe Teluwat did something to her. Ahkelios sends the suggestion through our bond, and I frown a little at the thought, though I try to hide that from Whisper. "We''re on our own," I add, hoping it''ll mask the slight reaction I had.
"Of course we are." Whisper scowls, taking my words at face value. She reaches up and rubs at her face, something like exhaustion and worry and stress all warring for dominance within her Firmament. It''s a surprisingly human expression from someone that doesn''t... well, have a face. "Where''s the Trialgoer? These raids happen to test Trialgoers. The Integrators cannot have simply decided to target my city for no reason."
"They have to be here somewhere," I say, affecting a frown. Ahkelios promptly shifts off my shoulder and mbers onto my back instead, hiding his face from Whisper. He''s having trouble keeping his face straight. "Maybe they just don''t care? What do Trialgoers get when they defend against a raid?""Credits," Whisper grunts. "Rewards. No Trialgoer can resist those. He must be here somewhere."
"Or the Integrators are after Isthanok for a different reason," I suggest.
Whisper narrows her eyes slightly. "It is strange that they are targeting us," she muses. "We were told that the Great Cities would be spared. That''s the whole point of Integration¡ªthe centerpoints of the newly Integrated civilization aren''t supposed to be targeted by the Trial, or there wouldn''t be any incentive to hold the Trial in the first ce."
"Maybe something changed for the Integrators," I say. At this point, I just want to see where her thought process is going. There''s a chance she''ll reveal something I didn''t already know about the Integrators.
"Perhaps," Whisper murmurs. She''s barely paying attention to me. I can almost see the shape of her thoughts¡ªher body flickers as much as they do. She''s speeding through possibilities, maybe even using some kind of thinking skill.
...Honestly, that makes it even worse that she hasn''t figured out that I''m the Trialgoer.
"There is very little that could change that would cause the Integrators to target those loyal to them," she says out loud, tapping her fingers on the arm of her throne. The crystal makes a distinct ting, ringing softly through her throne room. "Unless they believe I am disloyal."
"Your involvement with the Disconnected might do it," I say casually. It''s a bit of a risk, probing this deeply¡ªI want to find out more about the Disconnected, but doing so might reveal how much I don''t know.
Whisper freezes, her Firmament going still as she does.
"Teluwat is well informed," she says. The stare she regards me with makes me shift ufortably, and I begin to wonder if I''ve made a mistake, but... well, toote now. "Regardless... I doubt it. Many Trialgoers have dealings with the Disconnected. They are everywhere. The Integrators have better things to do than to worry about a few rogue species.
"No. The only thing that might warrant such a reaction from them..." The tapping on the arm of her throne increases. Whisper seems distracted again. "...is the death of an Integrator."
This time, I''m the one that freezes. Whisper doesn''t look away from me. "Teluwat is one of very few to have aplished such a feat," she remarks casually.
"...is that so." I manage to keep my voice neutral, if only barely. "I''m afraid he doesn''t inform me of such matters."
"Indeed?" Whisper says. "Most curious. Regardless..."
Her gaze shifts from me and to the window outside, to the meteors falling on her city. "I suppose all this is not important for the moment," she mutters, rising to her feet. There''s something oddly calm about her now¡ªlike something''s clicked for her. "I will defend my city. And then, Trialgoer... we shall talk."
I keep my face steady. "I don''t know what you''re talking about."
"Indeed," Whisper says dryly.
And just like that, she leaves.
I''m not sure what made her catch on, exactly, nor do I have time to worry about it. If she''s still willing to help me fight off the raid, then that''s all the energy I can spare for her at the moment. Right now, there''s one thing that''s far more important.
When I arrived, I pulled Whisper away from what she was doing with Guard and Tarin. The both of them are upstairs in her personalb, still, and given her reactions, I doubt Whisper knows that I''ve tampered with anything there. At least, not yet.
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I make my way up the stairs. "Time for a long-overdue reunion," I mutter to myself¡ª
"You''re telling me," Ahkelios pipes up. He startles me enough that I nearly fall right back down the stairs.
"Damn it, Ahkelios!"
"Did you forget I was there?" Ahkelios demands. There''s a mixture of exasperation and delight in his voice. "You deserve that."
"I was brooding!"
"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that."
I don''t need to look around to know that he''s sticking his tongue out at me. I just roll my eyes, but there''s a lightness to my step that wasn''t there before when I climb back up the steps. I didn''t quite realize how nervous I was about Guard. About seeing Tarin again. So much has happened, and there''s so much to worry about...
...but I''ve got Ahkelios, at least. The little guy''s not let me down yet.
"It worked."
It''s He-Who-Guards who says the words. His voice is... soft, surprisingly. It''s more gentle than I expected from what''s basically a robot: discounting the metallic cadence to it, he sounds remarkably kind. The mental cadence I got from him when we were connected was almost entirely different. That was filled with Firmament and power.
Now he sounds just like any other person. A little shy, perhaps, which is also deeply surprising to me. "I have not been able to move on my own in a long time," He-Who-Guards says quietly, flexing his fingers and watching the joints move with wonder. He kneels down¡ªkneels to me¡ªand opens his arms, startling me. "Thank you."
I stare at him, not entirely sure what to do. I''m not even sure what he''s trying to do. Is he kneeling to me or hugging me? He''s taller than me, so I suppose hugging would be the answer¡ª
"You hug!" Tarin says firmly, pushing me straight into Guard''s arms. I let out a startled yelp, practically falling into Guard in a tangle of limbs, and Ahkelios cackles withughter from his position perched atop Tarin''s head.
Guard picks me up carefully. He does hug me¡ªwith a gentleness and warmth I wouldn''t have expected for him being functionally made out of metal¡ªbut only for a moment, and then he lifts me up and ces me back upright on the ground.
I am admittedly a little embarrassed. Mostly that Tarin was able to catch me off-guard at all, considering the multitude of reflex-based Interface skills I have. Tarin can apparently read my expression, because he preens with the most smug expression I''ve seen on him yet, and that''s saying something.
"You still need train," he tells me.
"Is that really the first thing you have to say to me?" I scowl at Tarin, though the scowl fades into an amused smirk after a moment; I can''t keep a straight face for long. The crow just grins back at me, puffing up his feathers.
"It good seeing you again!" he tells me. "But you too shy! He want hug."
"I am not shy," I scoff. "I just didn''t know what he was doing."
"Ethan wasn''t hugged enough growing up," Ahkelios quips.
"That has nothing to do with¡ª" I begin. Guard interrupts us,ughing gently.
"It''s been a long time since I have been among friends," he muses out loud. "I apologize if that was unexpected, Ethan. I simply wished to express my gratitude. It''s... unpleasant, to be trapped as a servant within your own body."
The three of us are silent at that. Guard notices the awkwardness that settles over the room, and he waves a hand dismissively. "I apologize," he says. "Hardly a pleasant matter to bring up."
I sigh, ncing out the windows and back toward the city. There''s a current of Firmament beginning to rise all around the city, raw power that manifests itself as eddies of thick air streaming into the sky. Whisper''s already at work. Meteors break apart into fragments even as they fall, turning into harmless stardust before they can even reach their target.
It makes me wonder just how much of her power Whisper ever leveraged against me. I don''t think she spared me, exactly, but she didn''t quite unleash everything she had, either. It makes sense¡ªshe wouldn''t have wanted to destroy her own home just to get rid of me.
But Whisper isn''t holding back here. She''s doing everything she can to keep her city safe. And Guard...
It takes me a moment, but I manage to find the words I''m looking for. "You don''t owe Isthanok anything, you know." My words are quiet. I watch Whisper through the windows of her cathedral. She doesn''t catch all of them¡ªthere are too many for her to handle alone. "If you want to just get away from it all..."
Guard shakes his head. "I could not live with myself if I did not help," he says. It startles me, how sure he is; there isn''t even a hint of the hesitation I might''ve expected from someone in his position. "Isthanok is my home. I may not owe She-Who-Whispers my regard... but there are many who live here that I still want to protect."
"How did you even manage to stay this sane?" The words slip out before I can stop them, and I grimace a little when he gives me a look. "Sorry."
He-Who-Guards chuckles. "I''ve wondered at the answer to that myself, I admit," he says. "But I was not quite awake for much of that time. And I had help."
"Help?"
"A matter for another time." Guard smiles at me, though his face doesn''t exactly have the artiction for it. It''s more the way his single optic glows that tells me he''s smiling. "For now... Let''s focus on saving Isthanok."
"You too easily distracted," Tarin mutters, hitting me on the head with a wing.
"Ow."
Guard''s eye goes out of focus for a moment, the light dimming. When he speaks, his voice is a little distant as well. "I''m still connected to my proxies," he says. "I can use them to make sure no one is hurt."
"You can do it right at the start of the loop, too, right?" I ask. I think I can use Once More into the Fray once more before the skill bes entirely unusable. "Make sure there are no casualties?"
"Perhaps not none," Guard says. "But I can certainly reduce them greatly."
"You''re probably the best we''ve got for that," I say. Whisper might be able to fight off a good number of them alone, but He-Who-Guards excels at a scale she doesn''t¡ªhe can respond to individual emergencies, to battles happening on the ground while she focuses on the sky. "Not sure how Whisper''s going to react to your bodies suddenlying online and helping, though."
At this, Guard''s voice goes a little dark for the first time. That gentleness disappears for a moment, reced by something hard. "It does not matter," he says. "We have bigger problems at the moment. It''s my hope that she can see that."
I don''t ask him what he ns to do if she can''t. There''s something deeply personal there, and now isn''t the time to dissect it. Maybe he''ll trust me enough to talk it through with me at some point.
Instead, I run through the list of things I still need to do. I have one more reset, so I''m going to have to make it count.
"There''s actually something I could use your help with," I say, ncing between Tarin and He-Who-Guards. "I need to check back on Bimar and Miktik. They''re..."
I hesitate, then exin the situation as quickly and concisely as I can. Tarin''s face hardens the moment I mention Miktik''s death, and while Guard isn''t nearly as close to either of them, he readily agrees to help.
"Thanks," I say, letting out a breath. "Alright. Let''s go see what''s there."
Chapter 132: Book 2: Loop 15.4
Chapter 132: Book 2: Loop 15.4
Bimar and Miktik''s bodies are positioned outside the gate to the scrapyard in the exact same positions I found them inst loop.
That''s enough to ring rm bells. Even Ahkelios shivers a bit at the sight. "Didn''t they look like thatst time?" he asks. "You told Bimar what was going to happen. It should be different this time, right? Even if only a little bit."
"Wish I had an answer for you, buddy," I mutter, kneeling down beside Bimar''s body again. Tarin''s expression is both stormy and dark, and he kneels beside Miktik, trembling slightly. He doesn''t say a word. I''ve seen him express a variety of emotions by now, but I''ve never seen him this...
Distraught isn''t the right word. Neither is fury. He lingers somewhere on the precipice between the two, radiating with anger and grief and determination, and it''s somehow Guard who remembers to calm him down. He pulls him away, speaking something in quiet whispers to the old crow, and Tarin''s trembling slowly ceases.
I''m grateful, I have to admit. I wouldn''t even have known where to begin. But there isn''t much we can find from the bodies: Tarin and Guard both agree that it''s some form of Firmament overload, but we can''t tell anything more without going in ourselves, and it''s risky to do that thiste into the loop.
"If it''s immersion armor you''recking, She-Who-Whispers keeps a number of them at hand in case something important is delivered," He-Who-Guards mentions. "They are crafted by the finest in Isthanok¡ªunlikely to fail easily to a differential in Firmament. I will bring them with me when you reset."
"That''s probably for the best," I say, although my stomach drops a little at the prospect of entering the scrapyard for myself. Then my attention catches on to what he said, and I catch his gaze. "Delivered?"
He-Who-Guards cocks his head. "This is the Intermediary," he says. "The point at which the Integrator homeworld connects to Hestia. You do not know this?"
"Uh... Miktik called it the scrapyard," I say. My brain''s scrambling to catch up. Intermediary? "I thought this ce was just for junk.""It is," He-Who-Guards confirms. "Waste from the Integrators is often relegated to Integrateds, because any given ce can only handle so much concentration of Firmament. But it is also known as the Intermediary. If a delivery must be made, it is made through this."
"Why would..." I start, and then I shake my head, sighing. "It doesn''t matter. Good to know, I guess. Let''s not waste any more time. See you in the next loop?"
"See you in the next loop," He-Who-Guards echoes. Tarin nods next to him.
I hit the reset button.
In no time at all, we''re standing back in front of the door to the Intermediary. Bimar stands with us, though she''s leaning on me, her beak clenched tightly shut. Even now, her chest heaves with difort, and I can tell she hasn''t entirely recovered from the Firmament overwhelming her.
If this is the state she''s in, I can only imagine what state Miktik is in.
He-Who-Guard shows up before I do. He and Tarin worked together to move fast, apparently, and Guard tells me he''s convinced Whisper to start defending the city. I''m not going to question it. I have my two temporal clones already out rescuing Vahrkos and Wander, so this is the final task I have.
It''s the final chance I get, too.
Once More into the Fray is in tatters within my core. The skill''s unusable. I might be able to use it to get a fraction of a second of a rewind, if that, and while it''s a useful emergency button if things go really wrong, I''d rather not use it at all.
Gheraa did tell me that skills can be regrown given even a fragment of their Firmament.
I feel like you''re being a bit greedy, Ahkeliosments, a half-grumble into our bond.
You know as well as I do how useful it''ll be if we can get it working again, I tell him. He doesn''t respond, but I can almost feel him radiating pleasure at the ''we'' in that sentence.
Regardless, we stand in front of the Intermediary¡ªGuard, Tarin, Bimar, Ahkelios and I. The immersion armor, as Guard calls it, feels awkward and clunky around me. I can feel that the metal is imbued deeply with Firmament, and I can feel the way it seals around me. The seal is so tight it nearly blocks my ability to sense Firmament outside of it altogether, which is... ufortable, to say the least.
The others wear simr suits. Ahkelios is the only one that stands untethered, bnced a little awkwardly atop my helmet.
"I don''t think you should join us, Bimar," I try one more time. Bimar shakes her head, entirely unconvinced.
"I''m not leaving Miktik in there," she says stubbornly. I briefly consider knocking her out so she stays outside, but I don''t really have the medical training to do that safely.
That and thest time I tried that I identally killed the frogs I did it to.
"Alright," I concede with a sigh. "Guard, you''re sure you can stay connected to your proxies while inside? You don''t have toe in with us."
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"I am most likely to survive a delivery event," He-Who-Guards replies evenly. "And the connection I share with my proxies run deep. It cannot be so easily severed simply by being within the Intermediary."
"The Intermediary can block Interface skills," I point out. Guardian of Fate''s inability to reach into it continues to bother me, like a nagging thought I can''t quite get rid of. There''s no reason it should fail¡ªthe skill''s supposed to be able to detect the uing death of anyone I consider an ally.
"If I am disconnected, I will leave," Guard allows. "But I will stay and assist otherwise."
"Thank you," I say, relenting.
Tarin stands outside the door,rgely silent. I can see his impatience¡ªhe''s only barely keeping himself in check. I don''t push that patience any further, and gesture for Guard to open the door.
Nothing seems strange, at first. Everything is within expectations. I see piles of broken and discarded technology. I feel an overwhelming presence of Firmament that''s palpable even with the suit I''m wearing. Tarin, Guard, and Bimar all step through the door and into the Intermediary without any hint of a reaction.
Then I step across the threshold, and...
An immediate, impossible sense of vertigo. The sensation of falling. A disconnect between Firmament and reality, like a knife wedged directly into the gap between the two creating a screeching rm that res directly into my soul.
I stagger. Ahkelios dematerializes, the ripple effect of that disorientation echoing through our bond and causing an involuntary, snap reaction.
Guard catches me. Tarin whirls around, immediately on alert. "What wrong?!" he demands.
I know what''s wrong. The thing that''s wrong is that I was right.
Gheraa''s here. To be specific, his corpse is here. I can feel that familiar, too-confident Firmament, but twisted and rotting and blighted. Answers I shouldn''t have filter in almost immediately, offered by my intrinsic connection with Firmament and my ability to sense it and by¡ª
¡ªby Gheraa himself.
An Integrator death is a massive, destructive spacetime event. Their entire existence has to unravel, and that unraveling is like decay written into the fabric of the universe: everything warps around them, a viral unreality that eats into the cornerstones of existence until all that''s left is a maze that epasses everything they were and everything they could have been.
"Breathe," Guard tells me. His voice is soothing. Itch on to it like it''s an anchor. His Firmament is strong enough that it''s like a second sun. I can find him, even when my senses are drowning in everything that is Gheraa and his death.
I breathe.
Gheraa''s death is what''s wrong here. What remains of him eats into the fabric of the Intermediary, causing it to overflow with uncontrolled, sixthyer Firmament. It''s not the same as the raw pressure of a connection with the Integrator homeworld¡ªthe protection of the suits doesn''t matter to something like this.
This is just... the death throes of an Integrator.
But even still, something is strange.
Miktik and Bimar''s bodies were found outside. If they had been left within the Intermediary, I have no doubt that this ongoing death would simply have erased them utterly, incorporated them into its own expanding narrative of decay. Instead, they were removed, which allowed Once More into the Fray to reverse what happened to them¡ªat the very least, to reverse what happened to Bimar.
It''s almost like...
He''s still in there. He''s trying to protect them.
The thought is foreign, in the sense that it''s not entirely my own. Instead, it''s a feeling generated from the space between my Firmament sense and my mind, supported by that little fragment of Gheraa I was able to preserve.
Intent. Interpretation.
I''m speaking with Gheraa''s corpse. Not directly, not in any way that allows me to ask a question and receive a response, but on some level, what remains of him knows who I am. He can sense me, just as I can sense him, and he''s...
He''s trying to help. Even now, he''s trying to help. The information he''s given me about Integrator deaths. Bimar and Miktik, ced outside the Intermediary. Carried outside, no doubt.
They need to leave.
That''s not my own thought, either. I feel a flow in Firmament, a shift, and a momentter, an unconscious body is deposited in front of me: Miktik. She''s already partially overwritten, her Firmament sickly and weak and dying, and I can tell this is the best we''re going to get.
She''s been in here for three loops. She''s worse off than Bimar, and Bimar isn''t in a good state.
"You need to go," I say out loud, reaching down and picking her up. Miktik is... surprisingly light in my arms. I''ve never really thought about how different she is from so many of the species I''ve met on Hestia. I don''t even know what her species is called. But she looks so small, curled up like this. "You need to get out of here now."
"But what¡ª" Tarin starts, but Guard grabs both him and Bimar. He pulls them out, past the threshold, where they''re safe.
I''m still inside. Still with Gheraa. Surrounded by him, really.
This is why Guardian of Fate couldn''t tell what happened to Miktik and Bimar. The thought is a bit numb, delivered to me again by whatever vestige of Gheraa remains. Death surrounded by death. The death I already knew about hid their deaths.
It makes more sense than the sheer Firmament in the Intermediary being able to block my skills from operating correctly. It exins why Guard can remain connected to his proxies.
There''s a sharp, distinct pain in my gut. I grunt, falling to my knees. It''s not an attack¡ªGheraa isn''t coherent enough to attack, even if he wanted to. If anything, I can feel him holding back, trying his best not to hurt me. To control that spiralling, decaying Firmament.
I''m forgetting something. He''s trying to tell me something. Trying to remind me of something? I wrack my mind, trying to figure out what it is; whatever''s allowing us tomunicate isn''t perfect. Gheraa is limited to a form of thought-maniption to speak to me, which I''d be angry about if it weren''t for the circumstances.
Or who knows. Maybe I''m not angry about it precisely because he''s already ounted for that and controlled it. That''s... a darker venue than I want my mind to go down, though. He''s sacrificed a lot and proven himself twice over. I''m being an ass.
I almost quirk a grin at that. That definitely isn''t my own thought, and it''s almostforting to know that whatever remains of Gheraa can still find the energy to sass me.
On to the point, though: What am I forgetting?
Something clicks. A pit opens up in my stomach.
If there''s a raid... then there''s a raid boss.
Chapter 133: Book 2: Skyfall
Chapter 133: Book 2: Skyfall
Vahrkos had never been tired before. Not to this extent. It was rare these days for anything to tire him out¡ªever since he''d experienced his Convalescence, it was like his Firmament was three times as efficient. Slipstreams were easy for him to navigate like they had never been before, and Firmament flowed along his joints with just a whisper of a thought.
It was saying something, then, that he was tired. The so-called raid seemed never-ending; no sooner did he fight off one meteor did the next arrive, fresh and full of disruptive, powerful Firmament.
The worst part was that it almost felt like they were learning. He didn''t know how they were learning¡ªit wasn''t like they talked to one another, as far as he could tell¡ªbut the new ones seemed to know how he fought, would act to block blows that the first ones hadn''t seening.
"Vahrkos!"
He-Who-Wanders seemed so worried about him all the time. Vahrkos didn''t know why. He was the one that should be worrying about Wander! The silverwisp didn''t know how to protect himself; if a meteor so much as hit him, the man would just evaporate. At least the worst that would happen to him was the loss of an arm or something.
"I am fine." Vahrkos was vaguely aware that his reply sounded too much like a lie¡ªhe was breathing too heavily, and he tripped up over the word ''fine'' because he stumbled over a rock. He-Who-Wanders caught him, slinging an arm over his shoulders.
"You are not fine," Wander insisted. "You''ve been fighting non-stop for nearly an hour. I don''t care how efficient your Firmament is, you''re going to die if you keep going."
"I will not," Vahrkos replied shortly, though his difficulty standing seemed to disagree with that statement. "I have fought for longer and survived."
"Not against Firmament-absorbing meteors!" Wander said, exasperated. "We need to find some shelter¡ª""We do not have time," Vahrkos grunted. He peeled himself away from Wander¡ªan act that required significantly more effort than it should have, because Wander was warm andfortable and everything a soldier in the middle of a battle did not need offered¡ªand mmed a punch into a living meteor as it lumbered toward them; it shrugged off the blow, as it always did, and he ducked beneath its counterblow. It was a familiar dance, at this point.
Except the counterblow caught him in the side and sent him flying. Vahrkos mmed into a wall, feeling dust and dirt puff up around him, along with all too many shards of disintegrated ss. He coughed twice, pushing that dirt back out of his lungs, and forced himself to his feet.
It learned again. Changed its patterns. He couldn''t just follow the form he''d developed¡ªhe needed to react, keep an eye on the changes, figure out how his opponent was choosing to fight.
Wander was in front of him.
Wander was¡ªwhy was Wander in front of him?!
"Wander, you will get out of the way," he ordered, though it felt like a useless order even as the words fell from his lips; Wander wouldn''t listen, obviously. And he didn''t. The stupid, stubborn silverwisp stood in front of the meteor like he could protect him. "Wander, move! If it hits you¡ª"
A swing. Vahrkos yelled internally at himself to move, to get in front of the blow before it could strike at the man he had yet to admit was his Anchor.
He could not move. He realized, somewhat btedly, that his legs were broken.
The meteor struck a silvered head. Vahrkos felt his heart hammer in his chest; there was too much dust for him to see what had happened. He could catch a glimpse of silver Firmament. He could see the guttering mes that spoke of injury.
...but it wasn''t Wander that stood in the dust.
Vahrkos stared, confused. In front of him, She-Who-Whispers stood in front of the meteor. The strike had hit her in the head; He-Who-Wanders was copsed beside her, terrified but no worse for wear.
"Hmm," She-Who-Whispers said. She stared at Vahrkos. "Maybe you would''ve made a better general than that brute."
"I would not fight for you," Vahrkos said, the words slipping out before he could control them.
She-Who-Whispers smirked at him. "I know, my dear," she said. "Perhaps Isthanok needs a little more of that sort of thing, hm?"
Vahrkos narrowed his eyes warily. "What game are you ying?"
"No game," She-Who-Whispers said. "I am simply... re-evaluating my loyalties, as it were."
A cough. The dust got into Vahrkos''s lungs again, and he spent a moment to hack up the dirt. She-Who-Whispers waited patiently as he did, and the morphling couldn''t help but think about how surreal, how impossible this conversation was. He''d always thought that if he ever got the chance to speak with her, it would be at the other end of a de.
Metaphorically. He didn''t fight with des. The point stood.
"Helping us doesn''t repair what you''ve done," Vahrkos said.
"Who says I''m trying to repair anything?" She-Who-Whispers asked casually. She hauled Wander to his feet, grabbing him by the cor and pulling him up roughly, and Vahrkos started forward, his instinct to protect suddenly moving into overdrive. Whisperughed.
"Don''t worry, I''m not going to hurt him," she said easily. "I was just... curious, that''s all. Here, you can have him."
She tossed Wander at him, and Vahrkos held back the scream of pain as he caught the silverwisp. She''d tossed him at his broken leg.
"Bastard," he hissed.
"I do have a reputation to maintain," Whisper said, light amusement in her voice. "Consider this a favor owed, yes?"
"Absolutely not."
She-Who-Whispers didn''t seem to care. She vanished, her Firmament flowing up and around her, carrying her into the sky. Vahrkos noticed, perhaps a little btedly, that she wasn''t moving one of her legs very much. And that the mes of her Firmament were... weaker than he remembered.
Even Trialgoers weren''t gods, it seemed.
"Is she gone?" Wander whispered to him. Vahrkos sighed, unsure what to think of the strange encounter, but deciding to focus on itter. Ethan had told him, after all¡ªany death here would be permanent. He had more important things to focus on.
"She''s gone," he confirmed. "And... you''re right. I''m not okay. Let''s... find somewhere to hide until I recover."
"Finally." Wander¡ªvery slowly¡ªhelped him to his feet, and Vahrkos winced as fresh pain blossomed in his foot.
He wasn''t okay. Not by a long shot. But as long as he had his friends, as long as he had Wander...
...
He paused.
"Hey, Vahrkos?" Wander''s voice was light, but there was a nervous note in it. A terrified one. "Am I imagining things, or did the whole sky just change colors?"
"You are not imagining things," Vahrkos said. He clutched Wander a little closer, staring up into the sky.
"...Do you think we can get away in time?" Wander spoke quietly. He knew the answer, but he wanted Vahrkos to say it. Vahrkos didn''t know if he could.
"I think," he said quietly, "that our only hope is the Trialgoer."
"You think he''sing?" Wander asked.
"Yes."
It was the answer Wander needed to hear.
Vahrkos didn''t know if he was lying.
"Woohoo!" Thys cheered. "I never realized this thing was so good at punching! Hey, Thaht, did you know how good at punching this thing was? You should''ve let me use it sooner! It''s super unfair that you''re the only one that gets to use it in the Arena, you know."
"Thys," Thaht growled, his snout buried in his hands. "Please shut up."
"We''re fighting for our lives here!" Thys protested. He fiddled with the controls, and the entire mechanoid suit they were in lurched in a way that made Thaht want to puke; he didn''t know how Thys wasn''t already puking, in fact. Thaht was already telling himself that he needed to keep bags inside the mech specfically for this situation. "If I''m gonna die, I''m gonna die saying everything I want to say!"
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"You''re not going to die," Thaht said, trying not to snarl. "This suit is imprable. It''s made of¡ª"
"The hardest materials we could steal, yes, I know!" Thys said cheerfully. "It''s the hardest suit we have. We should give it a name, you know. Not the Arena name. A proper name, like the kind we''d use if we were saving the city from an invasion of alien meteors. A hero name."
"Thys, focus¡ª" The suit lurched again, spinning around on its heel in a maneuver Thaht hadn''t even known was possible without making the whole thing copse. The fact that Thys was a natural at controlling massive robotic suits didn''t evene as a surprise to him¡ªThys had an affinity with machinery Thaht couldn''t even hope toe close to, as ditzy as he often came off¡ªbut he hadn''t imagined that he''d be stuck inside the same suit while they were fighting.
It hadn''t been built for two! And now he was being rattled around very cramped internals while Thys made the suit do things he was pretty sure his brother couldn''t even do in his actual body. The fact that he could make the suit do it was deeply unfair. And was the reason he''d needed the practice more than his brother.
"I am focused!" Thys argued. Heunched the suit into a kick, propelling it higher than its thrusters had any right to be able to lift it, and deflected a meteor before it could m into a civilian home. "See? Focused. Now, what do you think is a good name for the suit? I''m thinking something that reflects how strong it is. Like, Hard Man, or something."
"We are not calling the suit Hard¡ª" Thaht couldn''t even finish a sentence without his brother making some sort of acrobatic leap. By all the kobold gods, if leaving the suit didn''t virtually guarantee death-by-crushing, he''d have been gone a long time ago. "Thys! You don''t need to somersault everywhere you''re going!"
"How else will the people of Isthanok see how cool we are?" Thys argued. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Thaht interrupted him.
Not with a lecture, although he was tempted. Something in the edge of his peripherals caught his attention, and he grabbed Thys''s arm and pointed; the kobold, realizing he was serious, immediately calmed.
One of the Shards was falling. An entire floating castle, its fundamental Firmament presumably disrupted by a meteor strike. If itnded, it would take out several blocks, killing untold numbers of civilians¡ª
"On it," Thys said, suddenly perfectly calm. He ran¡ªran normally, without any acrobatics or stunts¡ªand engaged a half-dozen levers Thaht hadn''t even known existed. Firmament surged into the metal. The suit''s heels dug into the ground, and pipes and roots burst out of its soles, burying themselves into the dirt. "Brace!"
Impact.
The sheer force of it made Thaht''s teeth ache. Part of him thought this was it. They had never tested the integrity of their design with this much weight; there was a possibility that even if the metal remained intact, the joints would fail, and they would be crushed along with every civilian in the area.
For a moment, he wondered if he should have told his brother to run away instead of toward.
But his instinct had been the same, really.
"We need to feed it some of our Firmament," Thys said rapidly. "This isn''t going to hold on its own¡ª"
"On it," Thaht said, pushing back his fear. He inserted his arm into one of the suit''s receptors, and Thys inserted his own into the other.
The drain was intense. Thaht saw silverwisps and kobolds and frogs and crows and a half-dozen other species alle out, cowering beneath them when they realized what this huge, mechanoid suit was doing. There were a few that recognized them from the arena¡ªa few scattered cheers¡ªbut more significant than that was the looks of relief on their faces.
Thaht''s heart hammered. He could die here, he knew. He didn''t have that much Firmament, had never really trained for this, and yet...
What was the point of it all, if he couldn''t even do this? How could he hope to rebel if he couldn''t protect the city he was doing it for? They still had brothers and sisters, scattered throughout the city, some living underground and others above. He thought he could see one of their brothers in the crowd below, but it was hard to tell.
It didn''t matter.
His body ached and weakness began to spread from his arms and into his limbs.
It didn''t matter.
The pull of Firmament hurt. They''d never designed the suit to handle this much strain, to output this much power. Thaht didn''t even know how they''d put the building down safely. People were evacuating, trying to create a space, but it wasn''t like the meteors had stopped raining down¡ªif anything, the building they were holding ended up being a sort of makeshift shelter.
It didn''t matter. They would hold on as long as they could, until something changed¡ª
Thaht looked up, and he felt his resolve crack. He stared up at the sky, his heart in his throat. The cheers beneath them died down.
His Firmament flickered.
"What we''re doing," Thaht said. He fought to keep his voice steady. "Is it going to matter?"
Thys touched his shoulder. There was fear in his eyes, too, but he was pushing it down.
"It will," he said. "Let Ethan handle that. We just gotta focus on this."
Thaht''s breathed. His Firmament steadied.
"That''s his problem," he agreed. "We do our job, he''ll do his."
He-Who-Guards was many.
It wasn''t something he was used to yet¡ªso much of this workload had previously been done by Whisper''smands, and he''d never really had to do it all by himself before.
He still wasn''t all by himself, of course. The technology that had gone into his body wasplex, and Guard suspected that even Whisper didn''t entirely understand what had gone into it.
Specifically, the AI core she''d installed into his body to "help". It took on a lot of the cognitive load he''d otherwise have to endure, delegating and managing tasks, prioritizing, speeding up his mind so that he''d have the time to work on everything one by one and still look like he was doing all of it simultaneously.
¡ª
//PROXY 023:
Guard hears a sound that doesn''t belong. It''s the faintest hint of a whimper, emerging from the dust and debris surrounding him. A processor logs the event, sorts it, and prioritizes it.
Priority: YELLOW
Event: Child (age undetermined, species undetermined; estimate 8-12, estimate etherea) trapped beneath unstable rubble. High likelihood of imminent copse. High likelihood of death.
Guard moves. He exercises a control of Firmament that would have been impossible had Whisper still been in control¡ªthreads of his power slide into the rubble, pulling it apart and holding it steady. It''s not long at all before he pulls out a crying child. A silverwisp. She''s clutching a doll tightly, looking up at him with wide eyes.
"You''re safe now," he says gently. That''s something he wasn''t able to do before, either. Speak. To tell people that he wanted to help.
The child looks at him. She''s confused at first, unsure, almost afraid¡ªthe AI core logs and reads information to him that he doesn''t want to know, although he knows it''s trying to help.
And then... a pivot. Uncertainty bes gratitude.
"Thank you," she tells him. She tries to give him her doll, and he gently refuses, putting it back into her arms. He tells her to take his hand and tells her he''ll find her parents.
It''s more than he''s ever been able to do before.
¡ª
// PROXY 041:
There''s a meteor attacking a family, detected by a camera. A processor logs the event.
Priority: RED
Event: Group (ages undetermined, species avaria; estimate age range 3-62 across individuals) under attack by Integrator threat. High likelihood of immediate death across the board. Small percentile chance for the youngest to survive initial hit.
One of Guard is close by. A de utches from his arm, and he cuts through the falling shard of Ishtanok that''s blocking his way. There''s a part of him that recognizes how absurd such an act would have been before he''d acquired this body: his Firmament may have been immense, but the precision required to shape it into a de would never havee to him.
Now he cuts through reinforced crystal like it''s nothing more than liquid.
He arrives a fraction of a second¡ª0.0132 seconds, the AI core tells him¡ªbefore the meteor''s punch would have crushed the eldest crow. He crosses his arms and digs his feet into the ground. The impact rattles his armor but fails to do anything more.
His counterattack sends it flying.
"Are any of you injured?" he asks, turning to the crows. They stare at him, awed and confused all at once.
"You can talk?" one asks. A younger crow¡ªa teenager, if he''s reading their ages right. "Mom, he can talk! I told you he wasn''t just some puppet!"
"Be careful," the mother says, gathering her child to him, looking at him warily. Guard bows his head.
"I was a puppet," he says. "But no longer."
Something in her rxes. She nods to him, a fractional, wary eptance. "What was done to you... it was wrong. I hope you know none of us supported it," she tells him. "Some of us, the older ones¡ªwe remember you. From... before."
Guard feels warmth, strangely. The words should remind him of how much things have changed, should bring up memories that sicken and hurt, but somehow, it''s the reassurance that sticks. The idea that others remember, that he wasn''t forgotten and overwritten into a part of Whisper''s sick y.
"If we could have done something¡ª" she begins.
"It is no matter," Guard says, kneeling. "It isn''t safe. My proxies are holding them off in south Isthanok, near the Emarat streets. There''s a cordon of safety there."
"...You are him." The mother sounds disbelieving, then relieved and fascinated, all at once. "I thought... I was sure it was a trick."
"As always, the arrival of a new Trialgoer changes the shape of things toe," Guard says. He smiles, his one optic glowing brighter. "This one might be a good one."
The mother''s eyes darken, in contrast. "I will have to see it to believe it."
¡ª
//ALL PROXIES
The color of the sky has changed.
Priority: REDREDRED
Event: ENDENDEND¡ª
He-Who-Guards shut off the feed before the strength of thest alert could blind him; it rang in his head with what felt like the force of a copsing star, giving him an instant migraine.
He looked up at the sky.
"That... is certainly an end," he muttered to himself. It took him a moment, but hemanded all the proxies he had with him¡ªevery single one¡ªto join him in the effort to stop it.
There was a sole streak of white that was heading up to the meteor along with him. She-Who-Whispers. Part of him didn''t want to talk to her, didn''t want to work with her; there was a reason he''d avoided her as much as possible. Even his proxies stayed away from her, and she seemed to sense that his desire to be left alone, because she didn''t try to interact or interfere with him.
This, though? This was bigger than the both of them. Quite literally.
Fortunately, he didn''t need to speak to her for them to know what to do. A long, long time ago, working together like this would have been second nature for them¡ªand there was a small part of each of them that remembered, perhaps, falling into lockstep.
Guard remembered what Whisper had once told him about raids. That they were tests. That they began with a number of smaller fights that pushed a Trialgoer to their limit, but at the end of it all, there was a boss.
And if the smaller fights here were meteors, then it was no surprise that the boss was an asteroid.
He stared up at the sky. This wasrge enough to crush all of Isthanok, and the impact would likely level all the Great Cities as well. He knew without even trying that all his proxies and Whisper together wouldn''t be enough to stop the thing. Perhaps if it was just an ordinary rock, they would be able to.
But this thing was full of Firmament. Angry, hostile Firmament, like nothing he''d ever felt before.
They needed to try anyway.
If nothing else, maybe they could slow it down.
Chapter 134: Book 2: Sinking
Chapter 134: Book 2: Sinking
I can''t stop it.
The thought intrudes on my mind, foreign and not my own. There''s a distant part of me that appreciates that Gheraa makes it clear that these thoughts are his way ofmunicating with me. He could have disguised them, I assume¡ªmade me entirely unaware of his intrusion¡ªbut he''s instead left me aware.
Presumably, though, there are limits. Otherwise he''d just be speaking with me directly. The fact that he can''t is just another reminder that despite his presence here, he''s dead.
What remains of him still acts to show me exactly how out of my depth I am. I can feel my senses being guided, forck of a better term. They pierce through the veil of the Intermediary''s door, a hint of Phaseslip''s power allowing me to cross that threshold, and...
I sense it. The raid boss.
There''s an asteroiding.
It''s enormous¡ªprobably the size of Isthanok all on its own. If it were just an ordinary piece of rock, I''d be confident in Whisper and Guard''s ability to stop it, but it''s not. That thing is full of enough Firmament to incinerate all of Isthanok on its own, and something about that Firmament is... wrong.
It''s twisted the same way Gheraa''s Firmament is twisted. Someone''s death is fueling it, and at the core of that death is something entirely unlike Gheraa''s more protective bent.
It''s raw, unstoppable hatred. Anger. It burns so brightly that it scalds my mind just to sense it, and I withdraw almost immediately; Gheraa''s presence wraps protectively around me in the same instant, preventing further bacsh."He''s right," I say out loud. "I can''t beat it."
There''s no one here to hear me. My voice echoes into the empty Intermediary¡ªBimar, Tarin, Miktik and Guard are all back in the outskirts of Isthanok, past the gate. They can''t hear me. I doubt they can even sense what I''m doing.
"Not yet," Ahkelios supplies quietly. He forces himself into being. It''s clearly a struggle for him. The Firmament of the Intermediary is intense, and manifesting for him is like forcing himself through ayer of thick, sticky tar. I can feel the strain of it through our shared bond, but he''s forcing himself out anyway, just so he can be here for me.
I reach out for him, and he climbs into my hand. "Not yet," I echo.
I still have one option, and I''ve never been anywhere more perfect for it.
A secondyer phase-shift is best performed in an area of heavy, dense Firmament. The storm outside of Whisper''s castle would have been almost perfect for it, but that storm is gone now, and Whisper isn''t really in a position to provide it again: but that''s fine, because I have a source of something even stronger.
So strong it''s going to be dangerous to attempt my phase-shift here. So strong it might be safer to just hide here, beyond the threshold, where Gheraa can bend his remaining power to protect me.
I recognize those thoughts as Gheraa''s vestige reaching out to me again, making me an offer. Hide, it''s saying. It can make sure I stay safe, away from the impact, no matter what happens to Isthanok. It even presents an argument: if I stay within the Intermediary, if I live through the impact, then anyone who remains alive after the asteroid impact will stay alive. If I lose the raid, even those survivors will be gone.
But how many people are going to survive an impact like that?
Guard and Whisper, maybe. One or two of the Arena''sbatants, the ones with strong enough defenses to survive an impact of this magnitude. But even those are stretches¡ªI doubt this impact is going to leave any survivors within the Great Cities, let alone within Isthanok.
No. The choice the vestige is trying to give me isn''t a choice at all, and it knows that as well as I do.
I need to try to grow now. Even a phase-shift isn''t necessarily going to be enough, but the conditions here are optimal, and Gheraa can bend his death to my benefit. He can twist the corridors of time here, stretch things out so that I have all the time I need. My core is strong enough to withstand a level of pressure that Miktik and Bimar can''t.
But in order to really benefit from this environment¡ªin order to push this shift as far as it can go...
I can''t wear this armor. I need to expose myself to the full force of the Firmament here. I need to let it tear away at my core, to force me to confront the core of my power.
My hands reach for thetches on my suit.
"Are you sure you know what you''re doing?" Ahkelios asks. He doesn''t stop me¡ªinstead, he hops from my hands onto the ground, watching. There''s undeniable worry in his voice, but also... faith. Hope?
"No." My answer is pretty simple. I thumb thetch, hesitating for a moment. "But I have to try."
I flick thetch. There''s a series of clicks, a hiss as the armor pops open like a shell¡ªit''s designed to be easy to move in and out of, I''ll give it that.
Then there''s a fraction of a second where nothing happens. A fraction of a second where I let myself believe that it''s not going to be as bad as everyone has led me to believe. That I''ll be able to push through this shift with no furtherplications.
That fraction of a second, it turns out, is just the world holding its breath.
PRESSURE
The ground beneath me cracks, a physical manifestation of the metaphysical sh that''s suddenly emerged between my soul and the full force of the Intermediary''s Firmament. I stumble, partially copsing, barely noticing Ahkelios''s arms slipping around me as he tries to support my weight. There''s a tang of metal in my mouth.
A thick, crushing power surrounds me, washing awayplexity of thought with the sheer weight of its presence. I can hear my heartbeat thumping in my ears. For a long moment, it''s the only thing in my mind¡ªthe only thing I can process.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
My vision blurs with red. That same red sshes onto the ground beneath me, soaking into the dirt in a puddle that seems... rminglyrge. Ahkelios''s grip around me tightens¡ªI feel him shaking me. I hear him shouting, saying words I don''t have enough capacity to process.
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But the fear and urgency in them? I understand that all too well, and the part of me that struggles to hold ontches on to that piece of understanding, reminding me of what I''m doing and why I''m doing it.
Firmament Control.
Just the process of thinking feels like trying to swim through mud, but I force my Firmament to bear. I reinforce the edges of my soul, my core¡ªbuild up walls of power,yer afteryer to defend myself against the onught of pressure that''s trying to crush me into nothing.
Further within, the engine that Gheraa gifted me burns. It draws in every scrap of excess power, almost reveling in the sheer density of Firmament within the Intermediary, exhibiting a greed that isn''t unlike the Void Inspiration in its intensity.
Mine. This power is mine. All of it will be mine.
"Ethan!" Ahkelios''s voice is sharp, and I realize distantly that I''m saying those words out loud. The Void Inspiration isn''t silent¡ªit''s roaring, reaching out for the engine in my soul, pouring its power into it like it''s discovered a kindred spirit. The echoes of its greed reverberate in my mind, and I grit my teeth.
Not now. I have enough to deal with already. I scramble for control in the chaos, feeling the situation slipping through my fingers, and finally, desperately, I call out. Don''t forget our deal.
Something... changes.
My words aren''t reinforced by Firmament, but they''re weighed down by something. It feels for a moment like I''ve tapped into a new power source, something that isn''t Firmament, something that reminds me of that gap that the Void first exposed me to.
Whatever it is, the Void quiets when it hears my words. I can feel it considering them, and then I can feel it bend, changing its mind. It still lends the engine within me its support, but it''s no longer seeking control.
It''s... trying to help.
I don''t have time to think about what just happened, about what power I was just able to ess. With the Void now actively supporting me, the pressure is a little more bearable.
But it still isn''t something I can live through. Not yet. I can feel the physical stress it''s putting me through¡ªonce or twice, I swear I can hear a crack as a bone snaps under metaphorical weight turned physical by the force generated in the sh between my core and the full weight of the Intermediary.
No time to think about that, either. I can''t feel it, anyway. Every cell in my body is focused on survival. One step at a time, one second after the next, moment after agonizing moment...
I live. My core grows. I can feel the edges of my Firmament, defined more clearly than they''ve ever been before. Any difficulty I might have had sensing the shape of my own power before is gone now. The Intermediary acts like a harsh, unidirectional light, and my resistance to it creates a clear shadow.
A shadow I can sense growing, adjusting, aligning...
Shifting.
[ Firmament base attunement: 100%
Progress to next phase shift: 99.9% ]
I''m right at the cusp of change. I feel it building up all around me, the entire essence of my Firmament brought to bear. It''s different from my first phase-shift¡ªthere''s no vision, no pir of Firmament I have to fight. The challenge so far is just the intensity of the environment I''m in.
And then something changes. A threshold is crossed, but... farther than it should be. The sheer depth of power I''m surrounded in forces me deeper into my own Firmament than I''m ready for, and I''m suddenly overwhelmed with the sensation of¡ª
Drowning.
I can''t breathe. I''m buried within my own Firmament. Worse, I can''t tell where my Firmament ends and where the Intermediary begins¡ªmy connection with my power has deepened, but it''s deepened more than it''s supposed to, and now my power is greater than my self.
That''s what the questions are for. With every phase-shift, the self needs to grow in tandem with the Firmament, or it gets overwhelmed. And I...
[ You havepleted your second phase-shift! ]
[ Anomaly detected. Please report to your designated Integrator¡ª ]
[ You havepleted your third phase-shift! ]
The entirety of the Intermediary is unstable, pulled out of alignment with the weight of what just happened. Ahkelios is still holding on to me, only now his eyes are wide. He''s shaking me, shouting, trying to get my attention.
I can''t move. I imagine this is something simr to what happened with Guard¡ªtoo much power, not enough self¡ªbut the fix I applied to him won''t work here. It''s not the raw quantity of Firmament that''s the problem, it''s the fact that I''ve delved too deep without shaping enough of myself.
I need... I need to fix this. How do I fix this?
Start with an answer.
Gheraa told me what the second shift demands: a definition not of who I am, but who I want to be. With that answer, I shape the direction of my Firmament and my growth. I remember the answer I gave him: that I want to be strong enough to be kind, to have enough strength to risk mercy andpassion even if it doesn''t grant me a calcted advantage.
That answer hasn''t changed, but it needs refinement. It needs to fit what came before and what wille after.
The storm of power within me begins to settle, just a bit, as I reassert myself.
The firstyer. I am whatever I want to be. I allow nobels to define who I am.
The secondyer. I will be strong enough to define a future on my own terms. Fear will not define my choices. I will choose kindness and mercy andpassion, weather the risk, and I will win regardless.
Because that''s what the Trials are about. It''s what Gheraa has shown me¡ªit''s what I''ve seen, even, though Teluwat and Whisper and Naru. The Trials aren''t just designed to connect the Interface to each. Like Gheraa told me, they choose who goes to each Trial.
The notion of randomness is a lie. The Trials corrupt their participants, prey on their worst traits, turn them into soldiers for the Integrators that are happy to ept the power offered even at the cost to themselves, their family, their loved ones.
They be obedient. Gheraa was right: selfish desires are easier to prey on, and the Integrators build on that.
I ept no such deal. I will take the power I need to build a future I can believe in.
My soul solidifies a little against the onught: if nothing else, I feel a little more like myself, and I''m no longer just a speck in the sea of my own power.
But it isn''t over yet, because the thirdyer still calls to me. It, too, demands an answer. The first and secondyers define the self: what exists in the present and what will shape the future.
And the third...
Define your truth.
I prepare myself to answer, but before I can, something in me cracks, and I feel my soul begin to crumble.
My core isn''t ready for this. I shouldn''t be at the thirdyer. I''ve only just aligned myself with the second, as much as that''s helped, it isn''t enough. The secondyer exists to guide and direct the growth of Firmament, and it hasn''t had the chance to take effect.
And so the thirdyer has no purchase. Instead of finding something to align with, it drives a stake into my core, destabilizing everything I''ve built, cracking the foundation I established with the firstyer.
I know who I am, and I''ve chosen who I will be. But the thirdyer demands sess in the second.
Right now? It considers me a failure.
And the penalty for failure is death. True death. This will destroy my Firmament on a fundamental, permanent basis.
If I die here, I''m noting back.
Chapter 135: Book 2: The Shape of a Soul
Chapter 135: Book 2: The Shape of a Soul
Rhoran snarled, mming his fist into his desk. "Someone tell me how a human is moving twoyers in a single shift!"
"Seems Gheraa was telling the truth about your temper." Lhore didn''t seem particrly bothered by the situation. She leaned back in her chair, observing the events on the screen in front of her with a mixture of interest and detachment. "Careful. You''re starting to sound like one of our Trialgoers."
Rhoran growled, but didn''t dare contradict her. "Doubleyer shifts are theoretical," he said instead, getting up and pacing around his desk. "They shouldn''t be possible. You need the secondyer to get the third. Otherwise the shift rejects you."
"Then he''ll just die, won''t he?" Lhore shrugged. "That''s hardly a problem."
"I don''t want him to die." Rhoran red up at the screen. "He needs to suffer."
"Sadism is not one of your more endearing traits," Lhore noted.
"It''s not sadism." Rhoran narrowed his eyes at the screen. A small part of him found some satisfaction in the way Ethan was struggling, but a muchrger part of him hated that the human had even been able to pull this off. How many years had it taken him just to get to his thirdyer? "I don''t enjoy his suffering. I just think he deserves it."
"You seemed to quite enjoy his reaction to your raid."
"Gheraa ruined it." Rhoran scowled. "I can''t believe he managed to get a skill to Ethan under yourwa¡ª"He couldn''t breathe.
Rhoran''s eyes widened. He wed at his throat in a panicked, desperate desire for air, copsing to his knees. He needed air. Why wasn''t there any air?!
Lhore sighed. "You should be careful what you imply," she said, her words reproachful. The sudden impulse disappeared, and Rhoran remembered abruptly that he didn''t need to breathe. His Firmament darkened in embarassed irritation. "I almost wish I''d promoted Gheraa instead of you. He had a far more interesting reaction to that effect."
"He was a traitor," Rhoran muttered, rubbing his throat. He red up at the screen again. "...Whatever. The human''s going to die. I''m going to get my lunch break."
"Hmm." Lhore nced toward him. "Very well. I suppose I should join you."
They left the monitoring room. On the screen behind them, Ethan copsed to his knees. The readings on the Interface screen nearby fluctuated, flickered, and then a small message appeared, just for a fraction of a second, before it was subsumed by something foreign.
[ WARNING: MULTIPLE PHASE ANOMALIES DETECTED. ]
¡ª
I need to survive.
It''s the primary thought ringing in my head. Dying here doesn''t just mean my own death¡ªit means the end of Isthanok and likely of the Great Cities as a whole, along with most life on the continent. It means leaving Earth and my fellow Trialgoers to fend for themselves.
It means Gheraa''s death means nothing.
But it doesn''t feel like there''s anything I can do. My power is copsing in on itself¡ªusing it only elerates the process. Trying to use Firmament Control for this feels like trying to control the ocean''s waves with just my hands. It''s a futile, pointless effort.
That isn''t going to stop me from trying.
Barrier. Second Wind.
The skills flicker to life within my core. I feel them responding to my will just like they always have, eager, willing; barriers form around me, and the blue-gold Firmament of Second Wind glows just underneath the surface of my skin.
The barriers fizzle. Second Wind dies, like a candle being snuffed out. The pressure around me continues unabated, both without and within; my core cracks a little further.
Barrier. Second Wind.
I try again. The barriers fizzle once more, barely forming before dissipating, and Second Wind just seems to send a ripple through my body instead of reinforcing the whole thing like before.
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BARRIER. SECOND WIND.
Barriers protect. Second Wind reinforces everything that I am. I''m not just using random skills¡ªthese are the skills I''ve been relying on, the skills that answer that secondyer question. They''re who I want to be.
I am not going to die here!
And
something
changes.
It''s that same something I touched on when I spoke to the Void and told it to stop. I feel a part of myself reach out and tap into a power I''m not supposed to be able to reach. I don''t entirely understand what it is¡ªnot yet¡ªbut it feels like whatever it was that I sensed between Void and Hunger.
It feels like [authority/speakmand].
And Barrier and Second Wind... respond.
Barrier rises within me¡ªnot the literal ne of Firmament created by the skill, but the skill itself. It wraps around my core, outlining the edges so clearly defined earlier by the raw power of the Intermediary. It reminds me exactly what shape my soul is supposed to be in.
It feels... alive. For just a moment, I can feel the skill as if it were a living, breathing thing, responding to my will. It tells me this: It is d I used it to protect.
Then it flickers and dies.
For a moment, I struggle to process what happened. There''s a gaping hole in my soul where Barrier used to be¡ªan emptiness I''m not used to feeling. A raw, aching nothing.
But it has had an effect. It''s given me back the edges of my will, given me definition and shape and a boundary between my power and that of the Intermediary. With it, the thirdyer no longer feels like it''s burning straight through me, turning me into nothing more than a raw spark of power.
With it, I live for another second.
Second Wind is next. I know what''s about to happen before it happens, now¡ªthe skill floods my core, doing what it''s supposed to do, reinforcing everything that I am. It seals the cracks formed in the firstyer in my Firmament, and its power pushes back against the thirdyer''s assault.
It connects with me for a moment. It does not speak as Barrier does, but it gives me a series of impressions.
It is d it had the chance to protect me. To be me. Second Wind is a skill that gives a person a second chance, and to do that, it must embody that person. It has been a million different things, meaningless and meaningful and everything in between. It has been cruel and selfish, it has beenpassionate and kind.
But it has never embodied a will like mine. It has never embodied a will strong enough that it developed its own. With me, Second Wind understood what it meant to be alive.
Then it, too, dies. I grasp at it before it can, try to feed it with the Aspect of Regrowth, but the Inspiration slips through and fails to find purchase.
The skill falls apart, and I''m left a little more empty, but a little bit stronger.
The other skills don''t need calling. They act on their own, reacting to what''s happening, to what I suppose is their home falling apart around them. Triplestep and shstep thank me for letting them see more of the world. Crystallized Strength ims it had a good time punching things that ''deserved to be punched''. Compounded Mind tells me my brain is fascinating.
Not all my skills respond. The others know they''re needed, that they still have work to do. But the ones that do, they just... sacrifice themselves for me, reinforcing my core, using themselves to give the thirdyer the answer it so desperately wants.
I''ve used my skills to be the kind of person it expects me to be, and even if those memories aren''t in the secondyer of my Firmament, they are in my skills.
Define your truth, the thirdyer demands again, and this time, I sense something different. It''s no longer trying to kill me. Whatever its requirements are, I''ve passed, and while the cost was heavy.
I''m alive. I''m stronger.
I understand what a truth is.
The first twoyers require an understanding of the self. They define the trajectory of your growth. The third requires an understanding of the world around you, and of how your presence within that world alters it.
My truth is that of Change.
Just like that, the strain on me disappears. The phase-shift stabilizes. The entirety of the Intermediary seems to pulse, reacting to the sudden presence of a thirdyer Trialgoer within it. The ground trembles and cracks as my core fights off the force of the Firmament pressing down on it.
I barely feel it. Instead, I turn my gaze to the Interface.
[ For performing a phase-shift within a treacherous out-of-phase environment, you have been granted 100 Firmament credits. ]
[ Mastery of Phaseslip has improved. ]
"Ethan?" Ahkelios''s voice is quiet. He looks at me, worried, and I''m struck by a sudden relief that he''s alive¡ªthat Temporal Link wasn''t one of the skills that sacrificed itself to help me live and grow. I bend down and give him a hug, and he squeaks, surprised.
"I have an idea," I say, standing back up and letting him climb onto my shoulders. New power and new knowledge brims within me.
There''s no way to destroy that raid boss without still incurring a massive amount of damage across all of Isthanok. It''s a clever choice: as far as the Integrators are concerned, I never had a way to win.
So I''ll just have to make my own.
"Come on," I tell him. I nce back toward the Intermediary just before I leave, my gaze softening just slightly. Gheraa''s Firmament is still there, staining it with the color of his death, but I can feel something from it. Something that feels almost like pride. "And... thank you, Gheraa."
I don''t say it out loud, but this won''t be myst time visiting the Intermediary. Gheraa''s death weighs on me, but I have suspicions about it¡ªsuspicions that have only grown now that I know what the third phase-shift involves and what it feels like. He is dead, but... maybe he won''t have to stay that way.
For now, though, I have a city to save.
Chapter 136-137 — Book 2: Epilogues 1 & 2
Chapter 136-137 ¡ª Book 2: Epilogues 1 & 2
Epilogue 1 - Guard & Whisper
Some time after the raid is cleared, everyone gathers. Almost everyone, anyway. Bimar and Miktik are missing¡ªording to Guard, Miktik needs emergency medical attention, and he''s sent one of his proxies with them to make sure they stay safe. Part of me wants to go after them and make sure they''re safe, but...
There''s still She-Who-Whispers to think about. Now that the raid is over, she''s a threat again.
Truth is, I''m not sure what to make of her now. She stands in front of us with her hands folded behind her back, wearing a serene smile and acting like she isn''t in thepany of a man she''s tortured and controlled. Like there aren''t rebels fighting against her regime gathered in front of her.
I''m not the only one confused by her presence, either. He-Who-Guards, Thys, Thaht, Tarin, Vahrkos and Wander all regard her with suspicion. Evidently, her actions to save them weren''t enough to inspire much trust, and I can''t say I me them.
"Such anger." She-Who-Whispers speaks first when no one takes the opportunity to say anything. She chuckles. "Surely I deserve a little more credit? I yed along with your little game, didn''t I?"
"This wasn''t a game," I say. On my shoulder, Ahkelios crosses his arms, nodding in agreement.
Whisper tilts her head slightly, staring at me, and something in her expression seems to settle. "No, I suppose it wasn''t," she agrees coolly. "My city would be gone without you. But then again, without you, it wouldn''t have been at risk in the first ce."
"If the Integrators were willing to sacrifice Isthanok, it would''ve been at risk eventually anyway," I say. I have no intention of taking the me for the actions of the Integrators."That is true," Whisper says. "And killing you now would be quite pointless, given the nature of your Trial."
I tense, my Firmament reacting to the implicit threat, rising up around me.
And Whisper... takes a step back.
It''s subtle. She tries to recover, ring out her Firmament a little to hide the fact that she''s moved. But everyone notices.
There''s a long silence.
"The Integrators are not responding to my demands for rification," Whisper eventually says. "Whatever you''ve done, it seems Hestia is on its own for now. Perhaps for the foreseeable future as well."
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"And?" My tone is guarded.
"And I find myself wondering what might have be of Isthanok without the Integration." She-Who-Whispers looks thoughtful. I don''t trust her words, exactly, but there is something strange about her.
She turns to look directly at He-Who-Guards. "Maybe it''s time to find out."
"...What do you mean?" Guard doesn''t sound like he wants to talk to her at all, and I can''t me him.
She-Who-Whispers shrugs. "Congrattions, Trialgoer," she says to me instead, turning away from her old friend. "You''ve won quite the victory. Was it all part of your n, I wonder?"
"What are you talking about¡ª" I begin, but then I realize what''s different.
Her Firmament is damaged. It''s not so damaged that she''ll die, but she''s keeping herself conscious through sheer force of will and nothing else¡ªshe''s drained herself,pletely and utterly, attempting to slow down that asteroid.
"Took you a while to notice, Trialgoer," She-Who-Whispers says, amused. "I won''t recover for... years, probably. So you rebels are getting what you want, yes? Isthanok, free of its tyrant."
She steps a little closer to them, and they all step back instinctively. "But I will be back," she tells them. "And if I find my city''s a mess... well, I''m going to have to take it over again."
She-Who-Whispers disappears. I sense a skill activation, though it''s beyond me where she got the Firmament to activate that skill. Those of us that remain stare at each other.
"...Who in charge now?" Tarin asks, looking around awkwardly. He-Who-Guards sighs.
"I will attempt to keep things together," he says. "...It''s just like her, leaving me to clean up her mess."
Epilogue 2 - Funeral
Sometimes things just don''t work out.
Bimar was lucky. She''d survived the toxicity of Firmament within the Intermediary because she''d only been through it twice. Miktik went through it three times, and though we got her out by the end, the damage was...
It''s unrecoverable. Her core was wiped out entirely. Nothing remains to generate Firmament, to restore the now-empty husk of her body.
We hold a funeral for her, because she helped us. Because she helped all the rebels, apparently. I wasn''t aware of it before, but the rebels exin to me how much she''s put into the rebellion¡ªhow she more or less adopted every single one of them, at least in this core group. She is... she was something like a maternal figure.
I wish there was more to say. I wish I''d gotten the chance to know her a little better. Her stories, told through the lens of others¡ªit helps a little. I try to remember them, because once time resets, Guard will be the only one besides me that will know why their sort-of-leader is dead.
The thought is a little depressing.
The worst part, perhaps, is that none of us know why she wandered into the Intermediary. There''s ack of closure there that makes her death sting all the more¡ªthat we don''t know what herst moments were like, or what she was trying to aplish. If we did, we could have done something to honor her death, but...
There''s nothing.
"It should be Whisper that''s dead." Bimar''s voice is tight with grief and anger. "Not her. Not Miktik."
I sigh. I don''t respond, instead staring quietly at the spot in the ground where she''s buried. It''s Tarin that speaks, actually. He''s grieving just as much, but it''s more... controlled.
"You not let her workshop die," he says. "Find someone to use it. She want that."
Bimar opens her beak, as if to argue, but whatever she wants to say dies in her throat. After a moment, she just... nods.
"Yeah," she says. "I will."
Chapter 138-140 — End of Book 2 — Epilogues 3, 4, & 5
Chapter 138-140 ¡ª End of Book 2 ¡ª Epilogues 3, 4, & 5
Epilogue 3 - Loneliness
"I not stay with you."
I''ve dreaded hearing these words from Tarin, although I think on some level, I knew it wasing.
"You find way for me to stop looping," Tarin says. "I... please."
"It''s not because you want to forget, is it?" I ask tiredly. I don''t think I can make him forget, even if I wanted to.
"No," Tarin says. "I not forget. I not want to forget. But..."
Tarin makes a frustrated sound in his throat, stomping on the ground; electricity crackles as his Firmament res around him. "You good Trialgoer!" he deres. "You strong. You still need training, but you strong. You keep training, yes?"
"Of course," I say. He sags a little, somebination of relief and sadness warring within him.
"Good!" he says. "You not make me follow you. If I see you not train, I find you."I snort a bit. "Are you in a position to threaten me?" I ask, unable to help the slight grin tthat steals across my expression. Tarin just gives me a disbelieving look.
"I not care how strong you are," he deres. "You fight too many strong things! So keep training. Smack Naru for me."
"I''ll be sure to do that." My grin resolves into a smile¡ªone that''s surprisingly real, even if I don''t like the thought of Tarin no longer traveling with me. He''s been reliable. Frustrating at times, but the energy he has... It always manages to bring me back when things get too serious.
I can''t help but notice how he''s avoiding exining why he wants to leave, though. I''m pretty sure I know already, but I want to hear him say it. "It''s Mari, isn''t it?"
Tarin freezes, and then he detes, sighing. "...Yes. I not stupid. I see... Mari sad when she knows, yes? And I help, but..."
A pause. He struggles to find the words. "I see too many things," he eventually says. "I grow older. She... not grow old. You understand? I stay with you..."
"You''ll drift apart, because you''ll umte so many more experiences than she will," I say. I offer him a wry grin. "I wanted to try to figure out how to bring her into the loop too, you know. So you can both travel with me."
Tarin narrows his eyes at me. "You want torture us both?" he asks, faking outrage.
I snort. "No," I say. "You two just... you helped me a lot. It''s hard to say goodbye, you know?"
"It not goodbye," Tarin huffs. "Youe back. Say hi."
"I''ll be sure to do that," I say. I hesitate. "...I think I can remove the piece of the Interface within you. It should stabilize you. Prevent you from looping again."
"Not now," Tarin says, crossing his wings. "After you reset. I... not want to forget what happen to Miktik."
"Yeah, I figured," I say quietly. "I''ll...e say goodbye. In the next loop."
"I''m gonna miss you!" Ahkelios says. He leaps down from my shoulder and hops up to give Tarin a hug¡ªTarin squawks, then immediately drags us both into a hug.
"I miss you two too," he says. "Be good! Be not like Naru. He idiot."
I snort again, hugging him back. "I''ll be sure to tell him that when I see him."
Epilogue 4 - New Companions
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"I wille with you," He-Who-Guards says. I stare at him for a moment. This I did not expect.
"Weren''t you going to... you know, stay and help manage Isthanok?" I ask, hesitating. "Don''t get me wrong, I don''t mind¡ªI could use someone other than Ahkelios to watch my back¡ª"
"Hey!" Ahkelios protests.
"¡ªI could use someone along with Ahkelios to watch my back," I correct myself, grinning at Ahkelios. The mantis takes a second to realize I was baiting him and then lets out a mock-offended huff; Guard chuckles, amused by the exchange. "But I figured you were, you know, busy."
"I am," Guard says. "I have also been confined to this city for as long as Whisper has controlled me."
...Fair point, actually.
"My proxies can do what needs to be done," he continues. "But if you would allow me to apany you, I would like to see more. Experience what was stolen from me."
"You''re sure?" I ask. "Because it''s gonna be dangerous. I know you''re strong and all, but still."
"Danger is not a concern," Guard replies. There''s something in his tone...
"...But I am?"
He hesitates, his gaze not meeting mine. "I just don''t want you to end up like Whisper."
I pause, then smile. "I can respect that. Wee to the team, Guard."
Epilogue 5 - One Step Forward
I wasn''t expecting so many things to change.
Guard and I make the trip to the Fracture. The upgraded Temporal Link along with the strength of being at the thirdyer¡ªand Phaseslip, actually, which is remarkably simr in function to what''s happened to them¡ªmeans it''s almost trivial now to pull both Rotar and Ikaara back into phase with normal time.
I almost expect there to be a long conversation. I expect me to be thrown around, for Ikaara or Rotar to be angry. Rotar seems more relieved than anything, and Ikaara...
...well, she just says that she wants to head to Isthanok and disappears back into a slipstream. I get the odd feeling that I haven''t seen thest of her.
"I still need to deal with the Fracture exploding," I mutter. Ahkelios has somehow managed to fall asleep¡ªwho knows why, considering he''s never needed sleep before. But he''s curled up on my head, and I can''t find it in myself to disturb him. It''s a chance to have a good, long talk with Guard, anyway.
"That is a problem, isn''t it," Guard agrees. "But not one you can deal with yet."
"You''re oddly sure of that."
"If you will recall, you left me dying within the Fracture in one of your loops." He-Who-Guards says it matter-of-factly, but it still makes me wince. "...I don''t me you, by the way. Besides, I let you push me in."
"Did you?"
Guard chuckles. "I''m actually unsure," he admits, ncing away. "I did not... have much control over myself then. And my memories of my time under Whisper''s control are fragmented."
I open my mouth.
"I do not want those memories restored," Guard says, before I can say anything. I shut my mouth. "Do you know what you wish to do next?" he asks, changing the subject.
I nce away. "...Do you know what killed Miktik?" I ask quietly.
"I do not."
"An Integrator died there," I say. "Or at least, his corpse was dumped there. He is... he was my friend."
"An Integrator?" Guard looks at me, his tone carefully neutral, and I sigh.
"I know how it sounds. But he was trying to help me, trying to go against the other Integrators, and he got killed for it." I stare into the depths of the Fracture. "But Integrator corpses are dangerous too, apparently. They rot the universe around them. Bimar and Miktik got hit by that rot."
"I see." A pause. "I assume there is more to the story."
"He killed them, but he was trying not to kill them." It sounds a little ridiculous when I say it out loud. "It''s why he carried them out. I don''t think he has much control over what''s happening around him, since he''s dead and all, but... I think he was trying. I wouldn''t have been able to save Isthanok without him."
Guard regards me thoughtfully. There''s a surprisingck of judgement in his gaze, which I appreciate. "You speak as though he is still alive. As though he has will and intent."
"It''s not the same, but he does. Or he did." I frown. I did try visiting the Intermediary once more before leaving for the Fracture, but whatever presence Gheraa had there seemed weaker, somehow. Less aware of itself, less capable of action. "When I went there again he didn''t really seem to anymore. But..."
I hesitate. Guard tilts his head. "But?"
"The Intermediary was transformed," I say. "I don''t know what it is about Integrator deaths, but it changed the whole ce. There are corridors there now. Walls. It''s like there''s an entire structure being created from the event of his death."
"You wish to explore that structure?"
"I think I might be able to help him if I do," I say. I feel for that small piece of Firmament within my core¡ªthe little piece of Gheraa that I was able to save. "Maybe. It might be a long shot."
"You seem to enjoy impossible odds," Guard says, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"I don''t know enough about Integrator deaths to befortable exploring it just yet," I say. "I like impossible odds, but I also like pushing them in my favor, you know? And those structures... they reminded me of something."
I reach for the Interface. "I earned ess to something called The Empty City through the Interface once, in one of my earlier loops," I say. "I''ve been using it to store things, mostly. I haven''t actually been inside it. But the rot I feel there... it feels like Gheraa''s death."
"You think it was created by the death of another Integrator." Guard sounds intrigued. I nod.
"Yeah," I say. "And I think if I want to save Gheraa... I''m going to need to go in there first."
Chapter 141: Book 3: A Remnant in Time
Chapter 141: Book 3: A Remnant in Time
"You ever think about how weird this all is, Ethan?"
Ahkelios isn''t looking at me. He''s staring out over the city of Isthanok¡ªspecifically, over the semi-ruined city that everyone''s still working to rebuild. Guard and his proxies are off working on that specific task until I''m ready to take the next step, and for now, I''m just... taking a break.
Or avoiding responsibility. Either one would be urate, really.
"It''s hard not to," I answer. "I mean, I don''t know about you, but I wasn''t exactly the warrior type back on Earth. I''m not sure I''m the warrior type now."
Ahkelios turns his head to stare at me. "You''re making me really worried about what Earth thinks a warrior is."
I snort. "There''s usually less shirts involved."
"Well, that''s easily solved."
"I''m not taking off my shirt, Ahkelios."
The mantis snickers. He shifts a little on the branch he''s sitting on, tapping contemtively on the wood beneath him. "I was a scientist before all this," he says. "I painted as a hobby. I don''t even remember what that was like anymore. I mean, I''ve got more pieces of those memories than I did before, but I still can''t imagine myself sitting down and painting. And I know how much it meant to me."I''m quiet for a moment. "Yeah," I say eventually. I can''t picture myself sitting down at aputer and ying a game, either. Or holding a job as a cashier, god forbid, though even before all this I''m not sure I could''ve held that particr job without eventually punching someone in the face.
Ahkelios hesitates. I can tell there''s something on his mind¡ªsomething he''s been trying to bring himself to say for a while. It''se up a few times here and there in thesest few loops, ever since he absorbed his most recent Remnant.
"I''m not going to judge you, you know," I tell him. Because I think I know what he wants to talk about.
There''s a small sigh. The mantis looks away, bringing his hands up to his eyes, and I pretend not to see the small wiping motions he makes.
"I don''t think I was a good person, Ethan," Ahkelios says. His voice is small and quiet¡ªnot something I''m used to from him. "Even if I started that way."
"That''s what these Trials do, right?" I keep my voice even when I speak, and a momentter I put my hand out in front of him. Ahkelios looks at it for a second before he climbs up onto my palm. He''s big enough now that the gesture is a little awkward, but neither of us mind. "They''re meant to break people in exactly that way. We''ve seen it with Naru, we''ve seen it with Whisper. Gheraa told us about it, even."
"Every Trialgoer is selected," Ahkelios agrees, though he still doesn''t look at me. "They''re chosen so that their Trial molds them into something more pliable. Into someone the Integrators can use."
"You''re worried about what they would''ve made you?"
"I''m worried about what they did make me." Ahkelios hunches over a little, bringing his arms around his knees, hugging himself. I gather him closer so I can cup him in both of my hands, and Ahkelios leans into my chest instinctively, his fingers clutching at my shirt. "I don''t know if I want to absorb any more Remnants."
"You don''t have to," I tell him. I watch as the sun refracts through a remnant of Isthanok, a half-shattered ind of crystal still floating in the sky; broken like this, the light scatters into a rainbow of light instead of simply shining through. It''s quite the sight, and Ahkelios and I both watch the y of color until a stray cloud ends the disy.
It''s only when it ends that Ahkelios speaks again. "Are you sure?" he asks. "It would make me stronger. I''d be able to do more. Help you more."
I chuckle a bit. "That isn''t even close to what I''m worried about, ''Kelios," I tell him. I run a finger over the back of his head, and he lets out a low series of clicks that seem almost like his version of a purr. "I''m worried about the hold the Interface has on you. I''m worried about whether or not you''re going to stick around when all this is over. I''m worried about you, living as a person, beyond the shackles of Interface and skills and Firmament."
Ahkelios snorts in a way that''s almost self-disparaging, although he can''t hide his smile, either. "You worry too much."
"It''s part of my charm." I grin.
"It absolutely is not," the mantis argues, but I notice that he''s rxed a little. There''s less tension in his Firmament, less... conflict. When he speaks again, his voice is softer. "But thank you. For worrying."
"You are wee." I reach down to flick him gently, and he bats at my finger, grumbling at me. "Did you get a specific memory that brought all this up?"
Ahkelios sighs, ncing away. "I don''t..." he starts, and then he stops. "Yes. The answer is yes."
He''d been about to say I don''t know, I think. He looks back out over Isthanok. "I don''t think I ever cared as much as you seem to about killing. I mean... it''s a time loop. At some point I figured I could just do whatever I wanted. The whole point is that there are no consequences, right?"
"That is technically definitely the point," I agree. I don''t add anything more, because there''s clearly a point he''s getting at.
"I have some of my memories now," Ahkelios says. "But I''m still... I mean, I''m mostly the past version of me. The one that was first brought into the Trials. And the newer memories feel like they''re from apletely different version of me. I think there were times during my Trial where I wondered what I''d think of myself if I knew what I was going to be."
His voice bes softer. "I know the answer to that now."
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I sigh. He doesn''t have to tell me what the answer is. It''s easy enough to see in his posture, in his eyes, in the way he looks out over the city and clenches his fists like he can destroy a memory if he stares at it hard enough.
"I think," I say, "that sometimes we just have to confront the things that we''ve done. It might be easier to forget. I know there are things I sometimes wish I could forget. But if someone actually gave me the option, I don''t think I''d take it."
"Why not?" Ahkelios asks. He rubs one arm with the other. "It might be better that way, right?"
I shake my head. "If I let myself forget, who''s to say I''m not going to do it again?" I ask. "I already forget things all the time. How many times did Tarin have to tell me not to be reckless? How often do we end up unprepared when we leap into something new? We can''t n for everything, that''s impossible, but... I''d rather keep the breadth of my experiences. It tells me what I can''t afford to repeat."
Like Miktik''s death. Even now, after a full week to process, it feels alien. It feels like it shouldn''t have happened. I''d spoken to her, and there had been no indication that she''d do something so reckless¡ªand I still don''t know why. I don''t know why she went off by herself into the Intermediary. If I understood her a little more, maybe I could''ve predicted what would happen.
I can''t predict what everyone else does. But Guardian of Fate telling me nothing... it should''ve been a hint on how important it was to investigate what happened to her.
"You''re thinking about Miktik again," Ahkelios observes.
I chuckle, though there isn''t any mirth in it. "You know me too well."
"I''m not sure it''s the same thing," Ahkelios says. "You''re just keeping yourself intact. If I take in all my memories, I might not be me anymore. I might be the person that learned to stop caring."
"Then I suppose I''ve got a different question for you." I lean down a bit to poke Ahkelios in the chest. "Who would win? You, or the person you became?"
Ahkelios blinks, his expression faltering. "I... don''t know."
"If you''re so worried you''ll be him," I say. "Then you just have to make sure that who you are right now is strong enough that it won''t be broken by those memories. The version of you that cares has to be more than the version of you that doesn''t. Do you think you can do that?"
There''s a long pause. Ahkelios takes a deep breath, and then his expression hardens. "...Yes."
"You''re pretty sure about that." I smile. "Figured something out, did you?"
"That version of me has more memories," Ahkelios says with a little shrug. "But none of them... mattered. At some point it became just about survival. About winning. About beating the Trial. He didn''t enjoy killing, it just didn''t matter to him."
"And it''s different for you," I say.
"Yes." Ahkelios''s voice is a little more firm, and he looks up at me. "Because you matter to me. And so does Tarin, and He-Who-Guards, and Bimar, and Miktik." He hesitates for a moment, then plows on. "You showed me that Hestia matters. It''s not just some torturous training ground."
He looks up again, and as if the sky can hear his words, the clouds shift out of the way; the sunlight once again strikes the crystal of that broken citadel, scattering a rainbow of light out across the city.
"It''s a pretty beautiful ce," he admits quietly. "It isn''t my home, but it''s the home of a lot of other people. It''s just never going to be safe. Not as long as the Trial is still going. Not as long as the Interface and the Integrators have their hooks on this."
"Well, we''ve made some progress by cutting off the Integrators," I say, giving Ahkelios a small grin.
"That basically means you''re half done already," Ahkelios says, grinning right back. He raises a fist toward me, and I give him a fistbump. "Thanks, Ethan. That helped. I think I''ll keep absorbing those Remnants, but if it starts affecting me, I''m counting on you to kick sense back into my head, alright?"
"And you do the same for me if I ever let all this power go to my head," I tell him, amused.
Ahkelios crosses his arms across his chest, his eyes narrowing in yful obstinance. "You expect me to fight you?" he asks. "You just punched an asteroid across dimensions!"
"And you have a direct link to my Firmament that nothing and no one else does," I say, ruffling his nonexistent hair affectionately. Mostly, that trantes to aggressive head-rubbing, and he ils obstinately at my fingers. "If anyone can stop me, you can. Besides, I''ll listen to you."
"Bold thing to say for someone that hasn''t listened to me a bunch of times," Ahkelios grumbles.
"Those were directions," I tell him. "That doesn''t count."
"Your sense of direction sucks."
"Yeah, well, you''re bad at giving directions."
"You''re bad at following them!"
We bicker like this for a minute or two, falling into afortable pattern of yful jokes andughter. It''s nice. It feels like a break from everything else that''s been going on, and considering how much has been going on, it''s a break that I''ve needed.
Eventually, though, wepse into silence. Talking to Ahkelios about whatever''s been on his mind was thest important thing on my to-do list before I begin making preparations for the next step, and now there''s really no excuse to keep putting off what I''ve been putting off.
The Interface has a lot of messages waiting for me. I''ve been avoiding it, and both Ahkelios and I know I''ve been avoiding it. The end of the raid, whatever I triggered when I punched that asteroid back toward the Integrators, a whole slew of misceneous messages that I can only imagine has something to do with that... whatever it was I unlocked.
That power, unrted to Firmament but somehow lying beneath it all. The authority I tapped into that allowed me tomand reality to change with nothing more than an exertion of will.
Whatever that power is, the Interface has been panicking about it. The messages flicker in the corner of my vision non-stop, suppressed only by my will. And I''ve been avoiding it because I know everything else the Interface is going to tell me.
I caught a glimpse of it before I closed the window and refused to look at it further. It''s why I''ve been avoiding the Interface all this time.
The raid report contains a figure I''ve been wanting to avoid. Number of casualties. My fists tighten just thinking about it. To think that all of this only happened because the Integrators thought that this was a just and appropriate punishment for Gheraa''s act of rebellion...
"You can''t avoid it forever, Ethan," Ahkelios says. He reaches down to take my thumb in one of his hands in a gesture that''s slightly awkward and mostly reassuring.
"I know," I mutter, sighing. "Let''s get this over with."
And after this? I''m going to bring Gheraa back. I''m going to figure out how, and then with his help I''m going to dismantle everyst thing the Integrators have done.
No more Trials. No more Interface, controlling and spinning the fate of entires. No more Trialgoers running their own private dictatorships in the name of the Integrators.
I release my hold on the Interface.
Chapter 137-138 — Book 2: Epilogues 1 & 2
Chapter 137-138 ¡ª Book 2: Epilogues 1 & 2
Epilogue 1 - Guard & Whisper
Some time after the raid is cleared, everyone gathers. Almost everyone, anyway. Bimar and Miktik are missing¡ªording to Guard, Miktik needs emergency medical attention, and he''s sent one of his proxies with them to make sure they stay safe. Part of me wants to go after them and make sure they''re safe, but...
There''s still She-Who-Whispers to think about. Now that the raid is over, she''s a threat again.
Truth is, I''m not sure what to make of her now. She stands in front of us with her hands folded behind her back, wearing a serene smile and acting like she isn''t in thepany of a man she''s tortured and controlled. Like there aren''t rebels fighting against her regime gathered in front of her.
I''m not the only one confused by her presence, either. He-Who-Guards, Thys, Thaht, Tarin, Vahrkos and Wander all regard her with suspicion. Evidently, her actions to save them weren''t enough to inspire much trust, and I can''t say I me them.
"Such anger." She-Who-Whispers speaks first when no one takes the opportunity to say anything. She chuckles. "Surely I deserve a little more credit? I yed along with your little game, didn''t I?"
"This wasn''t a game," I say. On my shoulder, Ahkelios crosses his arms, nodding in agreement.
Whisper tilts her head slightly, staring at me, and something in her expression seems to settle. "No, I suppose it wasn''t," she agrees coolly. "My city would be gone without you. But then again, without you, it wouldn''t have been at risk in the first ce."
"If the Integrators were willing to sacrifice Isthanok, it would''ve been at risk eventually anyway," I say. I have no intention of taking the me for the actions of the Integrators."That is true," Whisper says. "And killing you now would be quite pointless, given the nature of your Trial."
I tense, my Firmament reacting to the implicit threat, rising up around me.
And Whisper... takes a step back.
It''s subtle. She tries to recover, ring out her Firmament a little to hide the fact that she''s moved. But everyone notices.
There''s a long silence.
"The Integrators are not responding to my demands for rification," Whisper eventually says. "Whatever you''ve done, it seems Hestia is on its own for now. Perhaps for the foreseeable future as well."
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"And?" My tone is guarded.
"And I find myself wondering what might have be of Isthanok without the Integration." She-Who-Whispers looks thoughtful. I don''t trust her words, exactly, but there is something strange about her.
She turns to look directly at He-Who-Guards. "Maybe it''s time to find out."
"...What do you mean?" Guard doesn''t sound like he wants to talk to her at all, and I can''t me him.
She-Who-Whispers shrugs. "Congrattions, Trialgoer," she says to me instead, turning away from her old friend. "You''ve won quite the victory. Was it all part of your n, I wonder?"
"What are you talking about¡ª" I begin, but then I realize what''s different.
Her Firmament is damaged. It''s not so damaged that she''ll die, but she''s keeping herself conscious through sheer force of will and nothing else¡ªshe''s drained herself,pletely and utterly, attempting to slow down that asteroid.
"Took you a while to notice, Trialgoer," She-Who-Whispers says, amused. "I won''t recover for... years, probably. So you rebels are getting what you want, yes? Isthanok, free of its tyrant."
She steps a little closer to them, and they all step back instinctively. "But I will be back," she tells them. "And if I find my city''s a mess... well, I''m going to have to take it over again."
She-Who-Whispers disappears. I sense a skill activation, though it''s beyond me where she got the Firmament to activate that skill. Those of us that remain stare at each other.
"...Who in charge now?" Tarin asks, looking around awkwardly. He-Who-Guards sighs.
"I will attempt to keep things together," he says. "...It''s just like her, leaving me to clean up her mess."
Epilogue 2 - Funeral
Sometimes things just don''t work out.
Bimar was lucky. She''d survived the toxicity of Firmament within the Intermediary because she''d only been through it twice. Miktik went through it three times, and though we got her out by the end, the damage was...
It''s unrecoverable. Her core was wiped out entirely. Nothing remains to generate Firmament, to restore the now-empty husk of her body.
We hold a funeral for her, because she helped us. Because she helped all the rebels, apparently. I wasn''t aware of it before, but the rebels exin to me how much she''s put into the rebellion¡ªhow she more or less adopted every single one of them, at least in this core group. She is... she was something like a maternal figure.
I wish there was more to say. I wish I''d gotten the chance to know her a little better. Her stories, told through the lens of others¡ªit helps a little. I try to remember them, because once time resets, Guard will be the only one besides me that will know why their sort-of-leader is dead.
The thought is a little depressing.
The worst part, perhaps, is that none of us know why she wandered into the Intermediary. There''s ack of closure there that makes her death sting all the more¡ªthat we don''t know what herst moments were like, or what she was trying to aplish. If we did, we could have done something to honor her death, but...
There''s nothing.
"It should be Whisper that''s dead." Bimar''s voice is tight with grief and anger. "Not her. Not Miktik."
I sigh. I don''t respond, instead staring quietly at the spot in the ground where she''s buried. It''s Tarin that speaks, actually. He''s grieving just as much, but it''s more... controlled.
"You not let her workshop die," he says. "Find someone to use it. She want that."
Bimar opens her beak, as if to argue, but whatever she wants to say dies in her throat. After a moment, she just... nods.
"Yeah," she says. "I will."
Chapter 139-141 — End of Book 2 — Epilogues 3, 4, & 5
Chapter 139-141 ¡ª End of Book 2 ¡ª Epilogues 3, 4, & 5
Epilogue 3 - Loneliness
"I not stay with you."
I''ve dreaded hearing these words from Tarin, although I think on some level, I knew it wasing.
"You find way for me to stop looping," Tarin says. "I... please."
"It''s not because you want to forget, is it?" I ask tiredly. I don''t think I can make him forget, even if I wanted to.
"No," Tarin says. "I not forget. I not want to forget. But..."
Tarin makes a frustrated sound in his throat, stomping on the ground; electricity crackles as his Firmament res around him. "You good Trialgoer!" he deres. "You strong. You still need training, but you strong. You keep training, yes?"
"Of course," I say. He sags a little, somebination of relief and sadness warring within him.
"Good!" he says. "You not make me follow you. If I see you not train, I find you."I snort a bit. "Are you in a position to threaten me?" I ask, unable to help the slight grin tthat steals across my expression. Tarin just gives me a disbelieving look.
"I not care how strong you are," he deres. "You fight too many strong things! So keep training. Smack Naru for me."
"I''ll be sure to do that." My grin resolves into a smile¡ªone that''s surprisingly real, even if I don''t like the thought of Tarin no longer traveling with me. He''s been reliable. Frustrating at times, but the energy he has... It always manages to bring me back when things get too serious.
I can''t help but notice how he''s avoiding exining why he wants to leave, though. I''m pretty sure I know already, but I want to hear him say it. "It''s Mari, isn''t it?"
Tarin freezes, and then he detes, sighing. "...Yes. I not stupid. I see... Mari sad when she knows, yes? And I help, but..."
A pause. He struggles to find the words. "I see too many things," he eventually says. "I grow older. She... not grow old. You understand? I stay with you..."
"You''ll drift apart, because you''ll umte so many more experiences than she will," I say. I offer him a wry grin. "I wanted to try to figure out how to bring her into the loop too, you know. So you can both travel with me."
Tarin narrows his eyes at me. "You want torture us both?" he asks, faking outrage.
I snort. "No," I say. "You two just... you helped me a lot. It''s hard to say goodbye, you know?"
"It not goodbye," Tarin huffs. "Youe back. Say hi."
"I''ll be sure to do that," I say. I hesitate. "...I think I can remove the piece of the Interface within you. It should stabilize you. Prevent you from looping again."
"Not now," Tarin says, crossing his wings. "After you reset. I... not want to forget what happen to Miktik."
"Yeah, I figured," I say quietly. "I''ll...e say goodbye. In the next loop."
"I''m gonna miss you!" Ahkelios says. He leaps down from my shoulder and hops up to give Tarin a hug¡ªTarin squawks, then immediately drags us both into a hug.
"I miss you two too," he says. "Be good! Be not like Naru. He idiot."
I snort again, hugging him back. "I''ll be sure to tell him that when I see him."
Epilogue 4 - New Companions
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"I wille with you," He-Who-Guards says. I stare at him for a moment. This I did not expect.
"Weren''t you going to... you know, stay and help manage Isthanok?" I ask, hesitating. "Don''t get me wrong, I don''t mind¡ªI could use someone other than Ahkelios to watch my back¡ª"
"Hey!" Ahkelios protests.
"¡ªI could use someone along with Ahkelios to watch my back," I correct myself, grinning at Ahkelios. The mantis takes a second to realize I was baiting him and then lets out a mock-offended huff; Guard chuckles, amused by the exchange. "But I figured you were, you know, busy."
"I am," Guard says. "I have also been confined to this city for as long as Whisper has controlled me."
...Fair point, actually.
"My proxies can do what needs to be done," he continues. "But if you would allow me to apany you, I would like to see more. Experience what was stolen from me."
"You''re sure?" I ask. "Because it''s gonna be dangerous. I know you''re strong and all, but still."
"Danger is not a concern," Guard replies. There''s something in his tone...
"...But I am?"
He hesitates, his gaze not meeting mine. "I just don''t want you to end up like Whisper."
I pause, then smile. "I can respect that. Wee to the team, Guard."
Epilogue 5 - One Step Forward
I wasn''t expecting so many things to change.
Guard and I make the trip to the Fracture. The upgraded Temporal Link along with the strength of being at the thirdyer¡ªand Phaseslip, actually, which is remarkably simr in function to what''s happened to them¡ªmeans it''s almost trivial now to pull both Rotar and Ikaara back into phase with normal time.
I almost expect there to be a long conversation. I expect me to be thrown around, for Ikaara or Rotar to be angry. Rotar seems more relieved than anything, and Ikaara...
...well, she just says that she wants to head to Isthanok and disappears back into a slipstream. I get the odd feeling that I haven''t seen thest of her.
"I still need to deal with the Fracture exploding," I mutter. Ahkelios has somehow managed to fall asleep¡ªwho knows why, considering he''s never needed sleep before. But he''s curled up on my head, and I can''t find it in myself to disturb him. It''s a chance to have a good, long talk with Guard, anyway.
"That is a problem, isn''t it," Guard agrees. "But not one you can deal with yet."
"You''re oddly sure of that."
"If you will recall, you left me dying within the Fracture in one of your loops." He-Who-Guards says it matter-of-factly, but it still makes me wince. "...I don''t me you, by the way. Besides, I let you push me in."
"Did you?"
Guard chuckles. "I''m actually unsure," he admits, ncing away. "I did not... have much control over myself then. And my memories of my time under Whisper''s control are fragmented."
I open my mouth.
"I do not want those memories restored," Guard says, before I can say anything. I shut my mouth. "Do you know what you wish to do next?" he asks, changing the subject.
I nce away. "...Do you know what killed Miktik?" I ask quietly.
"I do not."
"An Integrator died there," I say. "Or at least, his corpse was dumped there. He is... he was my friend."
"An Integrator?" Guard looks at me, his tone carefully neutral, and I sigh.
"I know how it sounds. But he was trying to help me, trying to go against the other Integrators, and he got killed for it." I stare into the depths of the Fracture. "But Integrator corpses are dangerous too, apparently. They rot the universe around them. Bimar and Miktik got hit by that rot."
"I see." A pause. "I assume there is more to the story."
"He killed them, but he was trying not to kill them." It sounds a little ridiculous when I say it out loud. "It''s why he carried them out. I don''t think he has much control over what''s happening around him, since he''s dead and all, but... I think he was trying. I wouldn''t have been able to save Isthanok without him."
Guard regards me thoughtfully. There''s a surprisingck of judgement in his gaze, which I appreciate. "You speak as though he is still alive. As though he has will and intent."
"It''s not the same, but he does. Or he did." I frown. I did try visiting the Intermediary once more before leaving for the Fracture, but whatever presence Gheraa had there seemed weaker, somehow. Less aware of itself, less capable of action. "When I went there again he didn''t really seem to anymore. But..."
I hesitate. Guard tilts his head. "But?"
"The Intermediary was transformed," I say. "I don''t know what it is about Integrator deaths, but it changed the whole ce. There are corridors there now. Walls. It''s like there''s an entire structure being created from the event of his death."
"You wish to explore that structure?"
"I think I might be able to help him if I do," I say. I feel for that small piece of Firmament within my core¡ªthe little piece of Gheraa that I was able to save. "Maybe. It might be a long shot."
"You seem to enjoy impossible odds," Guard says, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"I don''t know enough about Integrator deaths to befortable exploring it just yet," I say. "I like impossible odds, but I also like pushing them in my favor, you know? And those structures... they reminded me of something."
I reach for the Interface. "I earned ess to something called The Empty City through the Interface once, in one of my earlier loops," I say. "I''ve been using it to store things, mostly. I haven''t actually been inside it. But the rot I feel there... it feels like Gheraa''s death."
"You think it was created by the death of another Integrator." Guard sounds intrigued. I nod.
"Yeah," I say. "And I think if I want to save Gheraa... I''m going to need to go in there first."
Chapter 142: Book 3: A Remnant in Time
Chapter 142: Book 3: A Remnant in Time
"You ever think about how weird this all is, Ethan?"
Ahkelios isn''t looking at me. He''s staring out over the city of Isthanok¡ªspecifically, over the semi-ruined city that everyone''s still working to rebuild. Guard and his proxies are off working on that specific task until I''m ready to take the next step, and for now, I''m just... taking a break.
Or avoiding responsibility. Either one would be urate, really.
"It''s hard not to," I answer. "I mean, I don''t know about you, but I wasn''t exactly the warrior type back on Earth. I''m not sure I''m the warrior type now."
Ahkelios turns his head to stare at me. "You''re making me really worried about what Earth thinks a warrior is."
I snort. "There''s usually less shirts involved."
"Well, that''s easily solved."
"I''m not taking off my shirt, Ahkelios."
The mantis snickers. He shifts a little on the branch he''s sitting on, tapping contemtively on the wood beneath him. "I was a scientist before all this," he says. "I painted as a hobby. I don''t even remember what that was like anymore. I mean, I''ve got more pieces of those memories than I did before, but I still can''t imagine myself sitting down and painting. And I know how much it meant to me."I''m quiet for a moment. "Yeah," I say eventually. I can''t picture myself sitting down at aputer and ying a game, either. Or holding a job as a cashier, god forbid, though even before all this I''m not sure I could''ve held that particr job without eventually punching someone in the face.
Ahkelios hesitates. I can tell there''s something on his mind¡ªsomething he''s been trying to bring himself to say for a while. It''se up a few times here and there in thesest few loops, ever since he absorbed his most recent Remnant.
"I''m not going to judge you, you know," I tell him. Because I think I know what he wants to talk about.
There''s a small sigh. The mantis looks away, bringing his hands up to his eyes, and I pretend not to see the small wiping motions he makes.
"I don''t think I was a good person, Ethan," Ahkelios says. His voice is small and quiet¡ªnot something I''m used to from him. "Even if I started that way."
"That''s what these Trials do, right?" I keep my voice even when I speak, and a momentter I put my hand out in front of him. Ahkelios looks at it for a second before he climbs up onto my palm. He''s big enough now that the gesture is a little awkward, but neither of us mind. "They''re meant to break people in exactly that way. We''ve seen it with Naru, we''ve seen it with Whisper. Gheraa told us about it, even."
"Every Trialgoer is selected," Ahkelios agrees, though he still doesn''t look at me. "They''re chosen so that their Trial molds them into something more pliable. Into someone the Integrators can use."
"You''re worried about what they would''ve made you?"
"I''m worried about what they did make me." Ahkelios hunches over a little, bringing his arms around his knees, hugging himself. I gather him closer so I can cup him in both of my hands, and Ahkelios leans into my chest instinctively, his fingers clutching at my shirt. "I don''t know if I want to absorb any more Remnants."
"You don''t have to," I tell him. I watch as the sun refracts through a remnant of Isthanok, a half-shattered ind of crystal still floating in the sky; broken like this, the light scatters into a rainbow of light instead of simply shining through. It''s quite the sight, and Ahkelios and I both watch the y of color until a stray cloud ends the disy.
It''s only when it ends that Ahkelios speaks again. "Are you sure?" he asks. "It would make me stronger. I''d be able to do more. Help you more."
I chuckle a bit. "That isn''t even close to what I''m worried about, ''Kelios," I tell him. I run a finger over the back of his head, and he lets out a low series of clicks that seem almost like his version of a purr. "I''m worried about the hold the Interface has on you. I''m worried about whether or not you''re going to stick around when all this is over. I''m worried about you, living as a person, beyond the shackles of Interface and skills and Firmament."
Ahkelios snorts in a way that''s almost self-disparaging, although he can''t hide his smile, either. "You worry too much."
"It''s part of my charm." I grin.
"It absolutely is not," the mantis argues, but I notice that he''s rxed a little. There''s less tension in his Firmament, less... conflict. When he speaks again, his voice is softer. "But thank you. For worrying."
"You are wee." I reach down to flick him gently, and he bats at my finger, grumbling at me. "Did you get a specific memory that brought all this up?"
Ahkelios sighs, ncing away. "I don''t..." he starts, and then he stops. "Yes. The answer is yes."
He''d been about to say I don''t know, I think. He looks back out over Isthanok. "I don''t think I ever cared as much as you seem to about killing. I mean... it''s a time loop. At some point I figured I could just do whatever I wanted. The whole point is that there are no consequences, right?"
"That is technically definitely the point," I agree. I don''t add anything more, because there''s clearly a point he''s getting at.
"I have some of my memories now," Ahkelios says. "But I''m still... I mean, I''m mostly the past version of me. The one that was first brought into the Trials. And the newer memories feel like they''re from apletely different version of me. I think there were times during my Trial where I wondered what I''d think of myself if I knew what I was going to be."
His voice bes softer. "I know the answer to that now."
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I sigh. He doesn''t have to tell me what the answer is. It''s easy enough to see in his posture, in his eyes, in the way he looks out over the city and clenches his fists like he can destroy a memory if he stares at it hard enough.
"I think," I say, "that sometimes we just have to confront the things that we''ve done. It might be easier to forget. I know there are things I sometimes wish I could forget. But if someone actually gave me the option, I don''t think I''d take it."
"Why not?" Ahkelios asks. He rubs one arm with the other. "It might be better that way, right?"
I shake my head. "If I let myself forget, who''s to say I''m not going to do it again?" I ask. "I already forget things all the time. How many times did Tarin have to tell me not to be reckless? How often do we end up unprepared when we leap into something new? We can''t n for everything, that''s impossible, but... I''d rather keep the breadth of my experiences. It tells me what I can''t afford to repeat."
Like Miktik''s death. Even now, after a full week to process, it feels alien. It feels like it shouldn''t have happened. I''d spoken to her, and there had been no indication that she''d do something so reckless¡ªand I still don''t know why. I don''t know why she went off by herself into the Intermediary. If I understood her a little more, maybe I could''ve predicted what would happen.
I can''t predict what everyone else does. But Guardian of Fate telling me nothing... it should''ve been a hint on how important it was to investigate what happened to her.
"You''re thinking about Miktik again," Ahkelios observes.
I chuckle, though there isn''t any mirth in it. "You know me too well."
"I''m not sure it''s the same thing," Ahkelios says. "You''re just keeping yourself intact. If I take in all my memories, I might not be me anymore. I might be the person that learned to stop caring."
"Then I suppose I''ve got a different question for you." I lean down a bit to poke Ahkelios in the chest. "Who would win? You, or the person you became?"
Ahkelios blinks, his expression faltering. "I... don''t know."
"If you''re so worried you''ll be him," I say. "Then you just have to make sure that who you are right now is strong enough that it won''t be broken by those memories. The version of you that cares has to be more than the version of you that doesn''t. Do you think you can do that?"
There''s a long pause. Ahkelios takes a deep breath, and then his expression hardens. "...Yes."
"You''re pretty sure about that." I smile. "Figured something out, did you?"
"That version of me has more memories," Ahkelios says with a little shrug. "But none of them... mattered. At some point it became just about survival. About winning. About beating the Trial. He didn''t enjoy killing, it just didn''t matter to him."
"And it''s different for you," I say.
"Yes." Ahkelios''s voice is a little more firm, and he looks up at me. "Because you matter to me. And so does Tarin, and He-Who-Guards, and Bimar, and Miktik." He hesitates for a moment, then plows on. "You showed me that Hestia matters. It''s not just some torturous training ground."
He looks up again, and as if the sky can hear his words, the clouds shift out of the way; the sunlight once again strikes the crystal of that broken citadel, scattering a rainbow of light out across the city.
"It''s a pretty beautiful ce," he admits quietly. "It isn''t my home, but it''s the home of a lot of other people. It''s just never going to be safe. Not as long as the Trial is still going. Not as long as the Interface and the Integrators have their hooks on this."
"Well, we''ve made some progress by cutting off the Integrators," I say, giving Ahkelios a small grin.
"That basically means you''re half done already," Ahkelios says, grinning right back. He raises a fist toward me, and I give him a fistbump. "Thanks, Ethan. That helped. I think I''ll keep absorbing those Remnants, but if it starts affecting me, I''m counting on you to kick sense back into my head, alright?"
"And you do the same for me if I ever let all this power go to my head," I tell him, amused.
Ahkelios crosses his arms across his chest, his eyes narrowing in yful obstinance. "You expect me to fight you?" he asks. "You just punched an asteroid across dimensions!"
"And you have a direct link to my Firmament that nothing and no one else does," I say, ruffling his nonexistent hair affectionately. Mostly, that trantes to aggressive head-rubbing, and he ils obstinately at my fingers. "If anyone can stop me, you can. Besides, I''ll listen to you."
"Bold thing to say for someone that hasn''t listened to me a bunch of times," Ahkelios grumbles.
"Those were directions," I tell him. "That doesn''t count."
"Your sense of direction sucks."
"Yeah, well, you''re bad at giving directions."
"You''re bad at following them!"
We bicker like this for a minute or two, falling into afortable pattern of yful jokes andughter. It''s nice. It feels like a break from everything else that''s been going on, and considering how much has been going on, it''s a break that I''ve needed.
Eventually, though, wepse into silence. Talking to Ahkelios about whatever''s been on his mind was thest important thing on my to-do list before I begin making preparations for the next step, and now there''s really no excuse to keep putting off what I''ve been putting off.
The Interface has a lot of messages waiting for me. I''ve been avoiding it, and both Ahkelios and I know I''ve been avoiding it. The end of the raid, whatever I triggered when I punched that asteroid back toward the Integrators, a whole slew of misceneous messages that I can only imagine has something to do with that... whatever it was I unlocked.
That power, unrted to Firmament but somehow lying beneath it all. The authority I tapped into that allowed me tomand reality to change with nothing more than an exertion of will.
Whatever that power is, the Interface has been panicking about it. The messages flicker in the corner of my vision non-stop, suppressed only by my will. And I''ve been avoiding it because I know everything else the Interface is going to tell me.
I caught a glimpse of it before I closed the window and refused to look at it further. It''s why I''ve been avoiding the Interface all this time.
The raid report contains a figure I''ve been wanting to avoid. Number of casualties. My fists tighten just thinking about it. To think that all of this only happened because the Integrators thought that this was a just and appropriate punishment for Gheraa''s act of rebellion...
"You can''t avoid it forever, Ethan," Ahkelios says. He reaches down to take my thumb in one of his hands in a gesture that''s slightly awkward and mostly reassuring.
"I know," I mutter, sighing. "Let''s get this over with."
And after this? I''m going to bring Gheraa back. I''m going to figure out how, and then with his help I''m going to dismantle everyst thing the Integrators have done.
No more Trials. No more Interface, controlling and spinning the fate of entires. No more Trialgoers running their own private dictatorships in the name of the Integrators.
I release my hold on the Interface.
Chapter 143: Book 3: Reboot
Chapter 143: Book 3: Reboot
So much has happened since thest time I allowed myself to properly look over the Interface. So much has happened since I''ve gained the Interface, for that matter. It doesn''t feel like it''s been all that long, but it''s hard to put the timeline together in my head¡ªI''m aware, in an abstract sort of way, of all the events that have passed. The timeline of everything that''s happened, in order? That''s a bit more of a jumble.
The notifications are a reminder, in a way. They don''t list out everything that''s happened, but there''s a history recorded in every ping of the Interface. It helps that there''s a list that sorts them all out chronologically, all the way back to the very first one I received.
The one weing me to Hestia. The one telling me about the Trials.
I skim through those. Reading through these chronologically is... well, if I''m being honest with myself, then it''s partly a way for me to put off looking at the raid report even more. But there is a purpose to it beyond that.
It helps me collect my thoughts. Reminds me of all the steps I''ve taken, everything I''ve encountered, and all the ways I''ve grown.
The next few notifications cover my harrowing first few minutes on Hestia, and I grimace as I nce over them. They''re basically just me being killed by Ahkelios''s Remnant repeatedly, not that I knew that was what it was at the time. The Interface called it a Broken Horror; I have the context now to understand why. To know what it represented.
In retrospect, it''s... not a kind name.
I speed up my scrolling. There''s me finding the Fracture, then the Cliffside Crows, then the raid on their little vige that first put me in touch with Tarin and Mari. There''s a bit of a pang in my heart as I remember them¡ªI''m not going to see either of them frequently anymore. Not for a while, at least. I''ve yet to figure out how to extract the piece of the Interface lodged within Tarin that allows him to remember the loops, but he seems quite determined to stay with Mari from now on.
He doesn''t want to move on without her. I can understand that, at least. It''s the second reason my next goal is the Empty City.The first, of course, is reviving Gheraa.
Whatever it is about Integrator deaths that cause them to mark themselves so fully into the world around them is reflected in the Empty City. I get the same feeling from the Empty City that I do from the Intermediary; the only difference is that the Empty City is much, much older. It''s like... the imprint of a soul, burnt into the world around it.
Whatever secrets I need to uncover to bring Gheraa back, I''ll find in there. And I bet those same secrets will be exactly what I need to extract that fragment of Interface Firmament within Tarin. It might even allow me to imnt a fragment into others, if I need them to loop with me.
There''s a lot of opportunity here. A chance to change the nature of the game I''m forced to y. If I y my cards right...
I keep reading.
Hestia still ends approximately 180 days after the start of the loop. I haven''t been able to investigate that in any more depth, but I have made some progress. He-Who-Guards is my ally now, and although they''re fragmented, he has some memories of what he encountered deep within the Fracture.
"It is... bright." He-Who-Guards seems to search for the words for a moment, and I wonder if the Interface is correctly tranting the word he chooses to use. "But not in light."
"What''s that supposed to mean?" I ask.
"I do not know." He-Who-Guards shrugs. "That is the best exnation I can offer. It is bright in a way that blinds the soul."
If I''m being honest, it feels like a bunch of cryptic nonsense. The most important thing is that we both agree that I''m not ready yet. Whatever''s down there, it''s not something even a thirdyer practitioner of Firmament can handle.
Which brings up the question of whatyer can handle it. We don''t know the answer to that. Premonition gives me a bit of a hint, but right now, all it''s telling me is that I''m not ready yet.
Yet.
I let out an aggrieved sigh, drawing a look of concern from Ahkelios. "Just thinking about how much we still don''t know," I tell him.
"Should''ve asked Gheraa when you had the chance," Ahkelios says, giving me a lighthearted smirk. I roll my eyes.
"I had a lot on my mind," I grumble. He isn''t wrong, although if Gheraa had known something about it, I suspect he would''ve told me. The fact that he didn''t says a lot in and of itself. It''s pretty clear that the Integrators don''t haveplete ess to everything that happens. I wouldn''t be surprised if they''re not entirely sure of what happens at the end of each loop, too.
At least I haven''t had to go through the whole end-of-the-world thing a second time, though I can''t say the loops after that have been any less exciting. I scroll through the rest of the notifications quickly¡ªthere aren''t actually that many from my time in Isthanok, despite all the time I spent in there. Not a lot of fights, as it were. I spent most of my time trying to correct what happened to Rotar and Ikaara, and ended up embroiled in Isthanok''s conflicts in the process.
I can''t say I regret it. Whisper''s obsession with a perfect city did a number on its citizens. Even with her temporarily indisposed, it''s clear that no one feels safe enough to speak openly with one another. The fact that He-Who-Guards has regained his faculties helps, but the city has a lot of healing to do, in more ways than one.
My eyes drop to the final set of notifications. Everything that''s pending. Everything that I haven''t looked at yet.
Two of them stand out more than any other. My eyes drift to the first one.
[NOTICE: Integrator ess to the Intermediary Network has been disrupted. Certain Integrateds will revert to baseline Interface programming until ess has been fully restored.]
"Disrupted?" I stare at it, my brow furrowing slightly. I remember Whisper saying something about this before she vanished¡ªsomething about how the Integrators were no longer responding to her attempts at rification¡ªbut she didn''t say anything about it being disrupted. That indicates intent.
...Now that I think about it, though, she sort of did.
Whatever you''ve done, it seems Hestia is on its own for now.
Is this because of something I did? I scan the notifications, trying to find anything that might indicate I caused something.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
"Ethan!" Ahkelios calls my attention to a window that''s almost hiding in the corner. I look over at it.
[NOTICE: An asteroid strike has disrupted the Intermediary Network. Be aware that the Interface may not operate correctly while the damage is repaired.]
Ahkelios is snickering, and looking at it... I can''t help but startughing as well. I did not intend to send the asteroid back toward the Integrators. If I''d thought about it, I absolutely would have! But it simply didn''t ur to me. All I was trying to do was push it back where it came from.
Now that I think about it, of course, it''s from the Integrators. "Guess they got what''sing to them," I say with a grin. Ahkelios justughs delightedly and gives me a high five.
"You didn''t just punch an asteroid across dimensions," he says. "I take it back. You punched it across dimensions back at the Integrators. The entire Network''s going to be talking about this."
"Sounds like a good thing." I smirk. "Means people will realize they can fight back."
Ahkelios gives an admiring shake of his head. "If the Disconnected weren''t looking for you already, I bet they are now," he says. "I can''t believe you punched it back at them. Can you imagine their faces?"
"I wish." I grin. "Maybe that should be my priority? Some kind of time skill that lets me see the past?"
"You better share if you get one!" Ahkelios points a finger at me half-threateningly. Iugh.
"Of course I will," I say, giving him a little nudge. "I wish Gheraa could have seen it. I bet he''d love it."
"You better make sure I''m summoned when you tell him," Ahkelios says. "I want to see his reaction!"
"You''re very sure I''ll bring him back, aren''t you?" I raise an eyebrow at the mantis.
"At this point?" Ahkeliosughs. "I''m not going to bet against you."
It''s nice to have the vote of confidence. I chuckle and look back at the Interface. There''s a second notification that was a lot like the first one, at least in effect. The wording, on the other hand...
[NOTICE: Integrator ess to the Hestian Intermediary has been temporarily restricted as outlined by protocol ANCHORED HERITAGE. Interface ess on Hestia has been restricted. Interface programming on Hestia has been altered ording to protocol ANCHORED HERITAGE.]
"The hell''s an ''anchored heritage''?" I mutter, staring at the screen. Ahkelios stares at it, too, blinking rapidly.
"Come to think of it, am I supposed to be able to see everything in your interface like this?" he asks. "I could only see your status before."
"Huh." I consider that for a moment. "That''s either the Interface reprogramming or the fact that you''ve absorbed more Remnants. Hard to say which. Doesn''t matter, though. I trust you with the thing."
"Now I''ll be able to be even more helpful." Ahkelios grins at me, and I roll my eyes.
ncing back at the Interface, I swipe through it, trying to see if anything''s noticeably different. I''m hard-pressed to state exactly how and where, but it is different. The status window itself is reorganized, and a bunch of features and categories are nowid out in tabs instead of in a single, massive window. "Honestly, this seems like an upgrade," I mutter. "It''s a lot simpler."
"Makes you wonder why it''s not just the default," Ahkelios agrees. He pokes at the Interface window and grumbles in annoyance when it doesn''t respond to his touch. "I was hoping it''d work for me, too."
"I think you''ll need your own Interface for that," I say dryly. "Don''t worry. I''ll help you get your own once we find the Integrators."
Ahkelios somehow manages to give me the impression that he''s wrinkling his nose, even though nothing changes about his face. "I''m not sure I want that."
"You don''t want impossible, easily obtained power?"
"I think I like getting the impossible, easily obtained power through you just fine," he tells me. "It means you get all the downsides."
Iugh. "Right, right. Of course. Fair enough."
There''s a still a lot of notifications to get through. I''ll review my statusst of all, I think. Right now, there''s a slew of kill notifications for the meteors, a few repeat ones for Anhar, an after action report for the raid, and several more about... that. About whatever power it is I''ve been using.
The kill notifications are just a list of credits, so I dismiss them with a wave. The raid report I take a deep breath before I look at.
[You have defeated the raid Fury of the Integrators (Rank A)! Your performance review is as follows.
Citizens remaining: 211,642/211,873
Furious Geodes destroyed: 9,488/12,000
City preserved: 78%
For preserving the lives of all your allies, you have been granted a skill: Spectral Guardian (Rank A)!
For preserving more than 75% of the raided city, you have been granted 444 Durability credits.
For destroying more than 75% of the raiding monsters, you have been granted 444 Strength credits.
For preventing the deaths of more than 99.5% of civilians, you have been granted a skill: Field of Immortality (Rank S)!
For defeating a raid against all odds, you have been granted 1,000 Firmament credits.]
I stare numbly for a few moments. Ahkelios has to reach out to poke me to get me to move again, and I reach out for him, bringing him back up against my chest.
"That''s two hundred and thirty-one dead," I say, tasting the number.
"Two hundred and thirty-one is nothing," Ahkelios says, trying to reassure me. "It''s less than one percent!"
"Percentages are all rtive," I say quietly. "If someone''s parents died, it''s going to feel like their whole life is over. If someone''s little brother died..."
I let myself trail off and shake my head. Now isn''t the time to get mired in the past.
"You still did good," Ahkelios says awkwardly. It''s clear he doesn''t really know what to say, so I reach out and pat him on the head.
"I know," I say.
It''s not like I haven''t attended any of the funerals being held in Isthanok. I was there. Not for all of them, but I thought it was important that I was there for at least some of them¡ªthat I acknowledge that the fighting here had an impact on the city. 231 deaths isn''t a lot in practical terms. It''s practically miraculous, given the scale of the attack.
I just don''t want to think that way. It seems cold. So I give myself a moment to grieve, to remind myself that those lives matter, and...
"Interface," I say out loud. "Do you have the names of those who died?"
It''s a long shot. I haven''t tried with the Interface for a long time¡ªthe questions stopped working entirely after a while. But now that it''s been reprogrammed, there''s a chance it might respond to queries again.
Sure enough, a message pops up a momentter. The list of names is long, starting with Anhar''s and continuing alphabetically, and both Ahkelios and I are silent as we stare at it.
"That list looks a lot bigger when you spell out all the names," Ahkelios admits quietly.
"Can you record all the names and send it to Guard?" I try, and although nothing appears to happen, I feel a sense of... acknowledgement. There''s a flow of Firmament. Themand worked.
Ahkelios blinks. "The Interface can do that now?" he asks.
I shrug. "Guess there''s a lot the Integrators kept hidden."
I''ve done what I can. As for the rest of the message...
Two new skills. Spectral Guardian is exactly what it says on the tin¡ªit creates a guardian out of Firmament to protect someone, no matter how far away I am from them. I''m not surprised; it''s basically a skill that replicates what I did using Temporal Link.
Field of Immortality, on the other hand, is powerful and terrifying in equal measure. For as long as the skill is active, people I designate as allies that remain within its range cannot die.
The thing is, it isn''t a healing skill. All it''ll do is keep them alive until they can be healed, or failing that, they''ll die when they leave my field.
Powerful. But potentially very, very dangerous. I can think of a half-dozen uses, and not all of them are kind.
"Ethan?" Ahkelios asks. I can hear the concern in his voice.
"I''ll be careful," I tell him. My eyes drop to the next-most significant notification. The one that''s likely the whole reason for the ''anchored heritage'' thing.
[NOTICE: You have retrieved a Talent!]
Chapter 144: Book 3: Talents
Chapter 144: Book 3: Talents
There''s a whole mess of notifications thate right after that notice, but my attention is briefly taken up by the Interface''s phrasing. It says I retrieved a Talent¡ªnot that I unlocked it. Not even that it''s been granted to me. The way it''s phrased, I almost feel like it''s not something built into the Interface.
"Interface," I say. "What do you mean by retrieved?"
No response. I let out an aggrieved sigh. I don''t know why I expected it to start answering all my questions now. There''s a chance that the rest of the notifications answer my questions, though, so I continue reading.
[NOTICE: The Talent you have retrieved is the [Anchor]. Note that another usage of your Talent may result in severe consequences, including but not limited to the severance of your Interface from the wider Intermediary Network, including contact with your Integrator overlords.]
Yeah, well, a bitte for that, I think to myself. Ahkelios lets out a snort next to me, clearly thinking the same thing. The tant usage of the term overlords there is new, too; it doesn''t feel like it''s a message written by the Integrators themselves. Mostly because they''re usually a little more subtle than that.
[NOTICE: Second usage of [Anchor] has been logged. Talent signature identified. Processing...]
[NOTICE: Protocol ANCHORED HERITAGE has been activated.]
"I guess that exins that," I say, studying the notice intently. I wasn''t able to put a name to the ability before¡ªit felt like abination of authority and speak and , in a way that was difficult to find a specific word for. [Anchor] feels... correct. Or at least as close as I can get in English.
It doesn''t exin what it is, though."You did something weird, didn''t you?" Ahkelios folds his arms, still reading alongside me. "What the heck is an Anchor?"
"I have no idea what I did," I admit with a shrug, my gaze flicking down to the next window. "The Interface seems to know, though."
[NOTICE: A description of your Talent has been provided as per the Heritage Protocols. It is as follows:
[Anchor]
All practitioners carry a Truth, but not all Truths nor all wills are strong enough to shape the world around them. To create the power that is Firmament, we first needed the power to Anchor¡ªthe power to will a fragment of Truth into reality.
Know, however, that to Anchor is to pit your Truth against that of the world around you. One Truth must break for an Anchoring to seed.
Be sure it is not yours.]
I stare at the notification, unsure what to make of it; for a moment, there is no sound around us except my own breathing. Thatst sentence, the one clearly phrased as a warning¡ªit feels like there''s something more to it. Like there''s a kernel of Truth embedded in that warning, impressing upon me how important it is that I not allow myself to be broken.
Whoever made this warning wanted to be very sure that anyone who read it would understand how serious it was. I only wish they had also given me more details. What happens if my Truth breaks? How can I be sure that mine won''t?
Ahkelios breaks the silence first.
"Did that thing say to create the power that is Firmament?" he asks, his voice slightly strangled. "As in this is part of the reason Firmament even exists?"
Right. There was that, too. "It does sound like that, doesn''t it?" I say faintly. My voice sounds distant, even to myself. There''s so much to process. Too much, almost.
I''ve apparently unlocked a small piece of a much, much bigger puzzle. More importantly, this might be a puzzle that the Integrators themselves haven''t figured out yet. Judging from myst conversation with Gheraa about it, it''s a blind spot in their information¡ªthey''ve noticed that there''s something there, hiding beneath all theyers of Firmament, but they haven''t been able to reproduce or observe it reliably enough to study.
Neither have I, in all fairness. But even the momentary glimpses I''ve had seems to have unlocked something, and it''s something that could turn into a real advantage against them. If what I''m discovering is some sort of fundamental secret about Firmament, then I might have found a piece of what the Integrators have been looking for all this time.
In fact... it''s possible that this is part of what the Interface is for. That''s what Gheraa told me, isn''t it? That the Interface isn''t even created by them; they were the first to discover and use it, but their mastery over it is iplete. They don''t know the purpose of it, and they''re following its guidelines in a mostly-blind hope that it''ll lead them somewhere.
Maybe I can find where it''s leading first. I certainly seem to have taken a step along that path.
[NOTICE: Feature "Transcendance" has been partially unlocked.
1/3 of the Heritage Protocols have been activated. Transcendance will be fully unlocked when all Heritage Protocols have been activated.]
Scratch that. I''ve definitely taken a step along that path. Ahkelios and I both stare at that notification for a moment. I''m mostly bemused, considering how much the Interface has already thrown at me. Ahkelios, on the other hand, seems abination of excited and wary.
"That sounds important," he says. "And powerful."
"And dangerous," I say dryly. I feel almost instinctively cautious, even if a part of me is excited. "The Interface clearly has its own game here, and it''s not the same game the Integrators are ying."
"Yeah, no kidding." He stares at the window for another moment. "You''re gonna try to unlock it anyway, though, right?"
"Of course I am." I let a small grin slip into my features. "I mean, imagine Gheraa''s face once we get him back."
"Ethan..."
I know what he wants to say. "Don''t."
This content has been uwfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"You don''t know for sure¡ª"
"I know," I say. "I know I don''t. But I need to try."
Ahkelios looks at me, and I can tell what''s going through his head. This isn''t healthy, he''s thinking. In almost any other circumstance, I''d probably agree with him, but I just... have a feeling that it''ll work. And it''s a feeling I can''t shake off¡ªI''ve tried, more than once.
Something tells me I''m going to need Gheraa to move forward. And didn''t the Heart of Hestia say the same thing when it contacted me what feels like weeks ago?
...This is all beside the point, anyway. I''ll deal with what happens when ites up.
"Transcendance, huh?" I say, changing the subject and staring back at the Interface. Ahkelios sighs, but decides to go along with it, climbing up onto my shoulder so he can read morefortably. "I wonder what it means when it says it''s partially unlocked. The Interface doesn''t usually bother to tell me when I''m just going to unlock something."
"It did say the programming''s different now," Ahkelios says. "Maybe that''s just one of the things that''s different."
"That''d be convenient, wouldn''t it?" I hum thoughtfully. The Interface doesn''t usually do things for no reason. "Maybe that''s all there is to it. But I wouldn''t bet on it."
"Figure it outter," Ahkelios suggests, giving me a nudge. "You haven''t even used your credits yet."
Iugh. "Eager to see what happens, are you?"
"Who wouldn''t be?" Ahkelios protests. "You have Inspirations to unlock!"
"Yeah, yeah," I say. I nce back through my notifications one final time¡ªthere''s something I''m still worried about. Whatever it is that''s dangerous about Anchoring, the Interface doesn''t seem fit to borate on, which means I''m going to have to be careful if I want to keep using it.
I don''t think I can afford to abandon it. The Talent is too powerful for me to discard. But until there''s a safer way for me to test its limits, until I understand what I''m actually doing... it might be better to shelve it, or at least limit my use of it.
"Ethan," Ahkelios says, annoyed. "You''re overthinking things again, aren''t you?"
"Am not," I deny reflexively. "I''m just thinking about the Anchoring thing. What happens if my Truth breaks instead of the world''s, or whatever the Interface means by that."
"Not that I''m not also interested, but use your credits already." Ahkelios folds his arms across his chest, looking very much like an angry mother. I snicker a bit at the sight, reaching up to give him a flick.
"Fine, fine." I finally open up my status window.
[Status | Skills | Mastery | Inspirations | Dungeons]
[Ethan, thirdyer practitioner]
Talents: [Anchor]
[Credit Distribution]
Strength: 1,221 (179 banked)
Durability: 899 (632 banked)
Reflex: 2,117 (360 banked)
Speed: 1,147 (273 banked)
Firmament: 1,715 (376 banked)
[NOTICE: Interface currently running on backup protocol ANCHORED HERITAGE. Features and rewards may be different.]
It really does look different. The organization of information is much cleaner; it''ll be nice not to have to look at an enormous list of things every time I look at the Interface. This is much more manageable.
"I still can''t believe you actually made the whole Interface change," Ahkelios murmurs.
I nce at him wryly. "Didn''t really sink in until now, did it?"
"Nope."
There''s still a pretty big question on my mind. ording to both Whisper and to the Interface itself, the Integrators are cut off from Hestia. What happens when I bank in my credits for a skill? I''m past the threshold to obtain a new Inspiration for every skill category. Normally, banking those credits freezes time around me and opens up a connection with the Integrators, allowing Gheraa to speak with me and present me with my options.
But Gheraa is dead. None of the rest of the Integrators can reach me.
Who will I meet, if anyone?
Only one way to find out.
The choice of which category to bank first is an easy one. Of the five I have avable, Firmament skills are the ones that are most likely to form the core of anybat strategy¡ªthey''re the outliers among the skills, after all. It''s not certain, but there''s a chance that I''ll get something I can build my other skill picks around.
[Are you sure you wish to bank 1,715 Firmament credits?]
I hesitate briefly. It''s tempting to hold on to the credits¡ª1,000 credits guarantees me a Rank S skill, but 5,000 will guarantee me a Rank SS skill...
Nah. The only one I''ll hold off on for the time being will be Durability. Waiting for the next jump is a trap; I''m already low on skills after losing so many of them to the phase-shift. Either I''ll get enough credits to hit 5,000 again quickly or I won''t.
I just wish I didn''t have to bank all of my credits. It''d be nice to save the leftover for next time. Maybe that''s an Interface feature I can unlock?
Or maybe I''ll get lucky and roll something higher. I hold my breath.
[1,715 credits banked! Rolling for results...]
[Select between:
A Stitch in Time (Rank S)
The Road Not Taken (Rank S)
Phasic Integrity (Rank S)
Stasis (Rank S)]
[You have unlocked an Inspiration. Bonus willmence once skill selection has taken ce.]
I breathe a sigh of mixed relief and disappointment.
No Rank SS skill, but a part of me worried that with all the changes to the Interface¡ªand with the Integrators no longer having ess in particr¡ªthat I wouldn''t get an Inspiration this time. It''s good to know that that''s not the case; I''ll need every advantage I can get.
As for the skills... I have a difficult choice ahead of me. The good news is that I was right: my repeated usage of Temporal Link along with a time-based rewind skill has clearly influenced the skills the Interface is offering. The bad news is that this isn''t going to be an easy choice to make.
A Stitch in Time is a skill that allows me to maintain two separate timelines at once, essentially allowing me to explore two options within a single loop. There''s an argument to be made that its functionality is limited¡ªit''s only doing what the loops themselves already do for me¡ªbut considering time-based skills seem to bypass loop-based restrictions like the permanent deaths in raids, I can''t afford to discard it just for that reason.
The Road Not Taken is simr. It''s a skill that allows me to pick a point in time in the past and see what would have happened if I had made a different decision. It''s an informational skill more than anything else, but it''s instantaneous and allows me to explore much farther in the past. I could, for example, still use it to extract information from Whisper, even if she''s now going to be technically missing from the loops.
Phasic Integrity does something simr to what Phaseslip does, but on an opposing scale: it reinforces my current ''phase'', so to speak, making it so that I can''t be pushed out of phase or forced away from a battle. More than anything, Inspect tells me this is a weapon specifically for fighting against the Integrators, which is... fascinating. Not a piece of information I would have expected the Interface to freely offer.
Andst but not least, Stasis. It freezes time in a bubble for as long as I can maintain it; therger the bubble and the longer I try to hold it, the more Firmament it costs, with exponentially increasing costs on anything that tries to resist it.
"...Do you know what you''re going to pick?" Ahkelios asks. "Because, uh, honestly... I have no idea."
"They''re all amazing," I admit, but I find myself drawn to one in particr.
There''s no doubt that these are all powerful skills, but...
Miktik''s death. Whisper''s secrets. I have questions that can''t be answered without one of those skills, and if I use it right, I can mimic the functionality of the Stitch in Time skill as well¡ªespecially if I can regrow Once More into the Fray from that small, broken fragment I still retain.
I''ll have plenty of time to get the otherster. I doubt this will be thest time I see these skills. Their Firmament feels familiar to me, and if I try to peer beyond theyers of the Interface, I can almost, almost sense where those skills are kept.
[The Road Not Taken (Rank S) obtained!]
[Inspirationmencing...]
Time freezes around me, but something''s different.
The force of it feels like jaws closing in around the fabric of my existence. It''s nothing like any Inspiration I''ve had before. There''s an abrupt end to the movement of all Firmament, and I feel the strain on time like an ache in my teeth.
More importantly, there''s something else here.
And it''s not an Integrator.
Chapter 145: Book 3: A Peek Behind the Curtain
Chapter 145: Book 3: A Peek Behind the Curtain
I stare ahead into the empty space in front of me, my entire body on alert. I can feel the hairs on my body standing on end like a static charge is passing over me¡ªevery instinct I have screams at me that something''s here, and that that something is dangerous. Fight-or-flight tells me to run, to turn and get away as fast as I can.
But I don''t see anything in front of me. It''s empty space.
Until it isn''t.
Something changes between one moment and the next, and suddenly there''s something standing in front of me: something old and ancient, rusted with time and seething with entropy.
"Hello." The greeting rattles around in my skull, making me wince. I grit my teeth against it. "You must be my Heir."
I don''t respond immediately,rgely because it takes me a moment to even be able to parse what''s standing in front of me. As far as I can tell, it''s a suit of armor fused with a humanoid, draconic skeleton; the gilded pattern on its armor continues straight up into its skull and wraps around seven misced eyesockets, and several thick golden tendrils trail from the back of its skull to its shoulders, almost like hair.
It''s disconcerting, I have to admit. I''ve seen a lot of different things in my time on Hestia, but whatever this is, it feels wrong in a way that''s hard to ce¡ªlike its very existence flies in the face of logic and reason.
...And then there''s a cough. It clears its throat once, and then a second time, and when it speaks again, its voice doesn''t rattle in my head quite so much. "My apologies. It''s been a while since I''ve been able tomunicate with anyone¡ªmy memory of the rules are a little rusty. This should be better, yes?"
"Yes," I say, a little thrown off by the sudden change. I''m cautious, but it seems... friendly?"I am Kauku." The entity in front of me bows slightly in greeting. "You will not have heard of me, but you have met me before. The Interface would only call on me to appear if you are my Heir. I assume you have retrieved a Talent?"
"...I was able to retrieve the ability to Anchor, yes." I examine Kauku closely. The more I look at him, the more he seems less... intimidating, less wrong, even though nothing about his appearance changes. It''s like he''s actively adapting to the world around him. Stranger still, I have no memory of meeting him. What does he mean, we''ve met before?
"I remember when I first made that discovery." Kauku''s voice is fond, like he''s reminiscing. He smiles at me. "You seem to have a strong soul. I''m pleased it was one such as you that managed to awaken me."
"I''m afraid I don''t really know what you''re talking about," I say. "What are you? Why are you here?"
"All in due time," Kauku says. "First, you have a selection to make."
Around me, the world changes.
This isn''t anything like how Gheraa presents Inspirations to me. Gheraa makes a show out of it¡ªhe puts the Inspirations on pedestals, sets up a stage, and basically announces every option I have. He uses Firmament to make the props, and though I''ve never been able to sense where the Inspirationse from, everything he''s able to do makes sense to me.
Kauku, on the other hand? All he does is wave a hand. I don''t sense any use of Firmament, and yet everything around me is suddenly different. I''m no longer standing on a ledge by Isthanok. Instead, I''m floating in an empty void, with three abstract, rotating shapes in front of me. Inspect doesn''t work on them, and calling them shapes is already generous.
"What are these?" I ask. Looking at them makes my teeth ache, and I turn my gaze away.
"Your Inspirations." There''s a lilt in Kauku''s voice that''s yfully teasing. "Different from the usual fare, I understand, but these are rather more powerful than the ones you''re usually offered. Although... it does seem you have some of my children rattling around in you."
"I have what?" I blink, a little nonplussed.
"They''re afraid toe out, I think." Kaukuughs lightly. "I don''t me them. The creation of an Inspiration is always a little tricky; you can never guarantee they''lle out like you''ll expect. Void''s always hungry, and elerate doesn''t like to talk."
This doesn''t even begin to answer any of my questions. I open and close my mouth soundlessly for a moment, then finallynd on something to ask. "You said they were your children?"
"Just a figure of speech." Kauku smiles at me, folding his arms behind his back. "I created them, and they are alive; it would be cruel to call them anything else. I regret that they had to be included in the Interface, in truth. If it were possible, I would have tried to raise them myself."
I suppose that''s nothing new, but... jeez. It recontextualizes the way they make demands, the way they tend to act on their own. "I don''t think I''m equipped to raise Inspirations, if that''s what you were expecting me to do.
Kauku chuckles in response. "Hardly," he assures me. "The issue is moreplex than you might think. They are... half-lives, you might say. Alive, but only when lending you their power or being spoken to. And their ability to assimte new experiences is limited. Until you''re as powerful as I am, it''s unlikely they can grow to fruition within you."
"I have no idea if that makes me feel better," I say bluntly, partly because it feels like he just called me weak. I''m still not sure what to make of him, but he doesn''t seem to be malicious; if anything, he''s just a little out of touch.
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I sigh, putting it out of my mind. I have more important things to worry about, like the reason I''m here in the first ce. The Inspirations that Kauku created are still there, floating gently in the air. "You said these are different from the usual?"
"They are indeed." Kauku almost seems proud of himself. "You understand what Inspirations are, yes?"
"They''re... modifiers." I hesitate slightly as I answer¡ªthey''re a little more than that, but I don''t have the words to describe them.
The draconic skeleton seems pleased, nheless. "urate, if a little iplete," he praises. "Skills are Firmament constructs you hold within your soul. Inspirations allow you to modify those constructs. The difference is not purely academic: the structure of the skill itself is different while the Inspiration is acting on it."
"And what''s different about these?" I ask.
"The difference," Kauku says, "is that an Inspiration changes only one thing at a time. A single skill. These do not change the structure of a skill."
I look at the Inspirations again¡ªreally look at them. Staring at them too long makes my head pound, and getting too close introduces a strange sensation of crackling electricity all throughout my body. If I squint, stretch my senses, and try to peer through the abstract shape, I can almost see something simr to what my past Inspirations have looked like.
They look abstract because they''re a level above what I''m able to parse at my current level.
Ie to a realization. "These change the structure of my Firmament."
"Correct." Kauku grins at me with sharp, metallic teeth; he seems to enjoy the revtion. "Traditionally, an Inspiration changes a single skill. They work that way for a reason: it''s safer. Changing the structure of your Firmament, on the other hand... that''s dangerous."
"Because my Firmament embodies who I am." I step closer to the Inspirations. Not to make a choice¡ªnot yet, anyway¡ªbut to see what more I can learn from them.
"That''s part of the risk," Kauku agrees. "I''d say it''s a small risk, actually. If the foundations of your first few phase shifts are strong enough, you''ll be fine. The bigger risk is that these Inspirations tend to leave a mark on you when you use them. The more you use them, the greater the risk a change might be permanent."
"Can that be avoided?" I ask.
"Of course!" Kauku almost seems offended at the question. "Any sufficiently skilled practitioner can use these without a problem. Of course, we''re greatlycking skilled practitioners these days... but you''re my Heir. You''ll be fine."
"You''re very sure of that." I turn to eye Kauku; he just shrugs in a surprisingly human ''what can I say'' sort of motion. "You can''t at least tell me what each of these are?"
Kauku sighs and strides over. "You''ll have to learn to see them yourself eventually," he says sternly. "But since you''re just starting out, I suppose I can assist."
He points at the leftmost shape. "Warrior."
Now that he mentions it, I can sense within that shape the idea of... strength. Of recklessness and brutality.
"Schr." Kauku taps on the second shape. I catch a glimpse of vast, impossiblendscapes. Of knowledge, shaped into a weapon.
He moves on to the third, and this time, before he speaks, I start to sense what it is. He says it anyway. "Knight."
That one sings with power. There''s something different about it¡ªsomething that echoes within Kauku himself. I see steel and armor, but they seem like an illusion, ced to distract; somewhere deeper in this Inspiration lies... a well. A deeper source of power.
I''m stepping closer to it before I realize what I''m doing, and although I don''t reach out quite yet, I''m sorely tempted.
"Made your choice?" Kauku asks. His voice is carefully neutral; I can''t tell what he thinks of my pick.
"Not quite yet." I force myself to take a step away from the pedestals and toward Kauku. He raises an eyebrow at me, intrigued. "I know you said all in due time, but frankly, I''d like some answers now, and if I make my choice we aren''t going to be able to talk anymore." Technically I have a few more Inspirations I can trigger, but nothing about them is certain at the moment. "What do you mean when you call me your Heir? And what''s this about us meeting before? What role do you y in all this?"
I hesitate, then push on to myst question. It''s a bit of a stretch, but... "Did you make the Interface?"
Kauku doesn''t respond at first. Instead, he spends an ufortable moment studying my expression. "There are limits to what I can tell you," he says eventually. "I''m not the only yer in this game, and we have rules we have to follow."
Not this again. The wordse out before I can stop them. "People have died. Fuck your rules."
My voice is colder than I intended. Kauku stares at me as though he''s expecting me to take my words back.
I do not.
Seven skeletal eye sockets narrow slightly, but then a smile steals across his face. "You do have a strong soul," he says, pleased. "It seems I may have made an error in calling it a game. My apologies. The Interface''s trantor is excellent, but it is not perfect. The point is, there are other individuals as powerful as I, and there will be consequences should I give you all the answers you seek."
I bristle, but force myself to calm. There''s always something more, isn''t there? Kauku seems to sense my indignation, because he smirks at me.
"That doesn''t mean I can''t bend the rules," he says. "I can''t give you all the answers you''re looking for. But I can make them essible. I can give you direction. And I can help you do something you''re looking to do."
He leans forward, and the tendrils behind him raise in tandem with the movement, as if excited. "You want to help your friend, don''t you?" he says. "That Integrator¡ªGheraa, I believe his name was."
I freeze. "...Yes." There''s both caution and hope in my response.
"Your suspicions are correct," Kauku tells me. Relief floods through my system. "Integrators are artificial Firmament constructs, and if you have an imprint¡ªlike the one you so cleverly saved from the echo he gave you¡ªyou can certainly bring them back. I can even tell you that the secret to doing so lies in the heart of the Empty City, so you''re already headed in the right direction.
"However.
"The Empty City is far more than just a dungeon." Kauku''s tone changes, bing a little more severe. "You suspect it already. You understand what happens when an Integrator¡ªor any source of Firmament that has made a sufficient mark in the universe¡ªdies. There is history and memory written in that death: history and memory that contains power in its own right. History and memory of great import, even to ancient beings such as I.
"So I would like to ask for your help." Kauku takes a step forward, spreading his hands apart, almost imploring me. "There''s something in there that''s important to me. A memory. Bring it back to me, and I''ll be able to give you some of those answers and help you save your friend."
Chapter 146: Book 3: Quantum Model
Chapter 146: Book 3: Quantum Model
I hesitate for a moment before I agree. There''s no specific reason for that hesitation; Kauku hasn''t asked me to do anything I wouldn''t be willing to do anyway. More than that, he seems pleased that I''m his Heir, and while I don''t know specifically what that means, it does seem to imply that he has a vested interest in my sess.
It just feels like there are holes in what he''s said. For one thing, he''s already told me that whatever secret I need to bring Gheraa back is within the heart of the Empty City; what help is he offering, exactly? Is there something specific I''ll need his help for, or is he just offering to help make the process easier?
"How exactly can you help me?" I ask. "Don''t get me wrong¡ªI''m happy to help. I''d just like to understand what this deal is." I pause. "And how just bringing you something is going to let you answer questions you couldn''t answer before."
Kaukuughs at thatst remark, shooting me a surprisingly human grin. At the very least, he doesn''t seem offended by the questions. "The rules are based on equivalent value," he says, a low rumble of amusement in his voice. "You''re asking for information that carries quite a bit of value, and saving your friend has quite a lot of value as well. I cannot give you what you want unless you offer me something of equal value."
"And I can''t just... give up an Inspiration?" I ask, ncing back at the columns behind me. Not that I want to give one of them up, but I want to know what my options are here. Kauku snorts in response, folding massive arms across his chest.
"Clever. But no; those things hold no value to someone like me." There''s a small moment of hesitation, then Kauku''s smile vanishes. To my surprise, he kneels, bringing his head level with mine. He rests one enormous hand on my shoulder. "I do not often plead with anyone, but... please, Ethan. This means a lot to me."
"I''m not saying no!" I protest, a little startled¡ªand perhaps a little ufortable¡ªby how earnest Kauku is all of a sudden. "I will help you. But I need to know what form your help is going to take, so I can at least n for it."
"The Empty City is difficult to navigate," Kauku answers. He stands back up on his feet, dusting off his knees. He''s surprisingly calm suddenly, as if he wasn''t just on his knees a moment ago. "All dungeons are, but the Empty City is particrly so by intent. You may have gathered that the City was overtaken by a particr type of Firmament."
"Color Drain. I remember." A lot has happened since reading that record, so in all honesty, the memory is fuzzier than I would like¡ªbut some things still stand out to me. The desperation to save a dying city. The corruption of all Firmament within that city, causing structures to copse and imbuements to fall apart. The discovery that there was a gue of distorted trees rooting through the sewers and spreading that corrupted Firmament..."Indeed," Kauku says. "Some types of Firmament are more dangerous than others; Color Drain is one of them, if allowed to run amok. Even putting aside its other effects, it can be particrly disorienting on the mind."
I nod slowly. "But that''s not the real problem, is it?"
"It is not," the skeletal dragonoid confirms. He takes a step back, then waves his hand, producing an image of a broken, crumbling city¡ª
¡ªI narrow my eyes. This isn''t an image. This is...
I think this is the actual city.
It might just be floating in front of me, but I can vaguely sense the movement of Firmament within that city. The resolution of my senses isn''t quite enough to reach into it and see if my items are in there, but as far as I can tell, this isn''t a projection.
I''m starting to think it''s more important than ever that I figure out what Kauku is. He''s said he''ll tell me, I know, and I trust that he will¡ªbut just because he''ll tell me eventually doesn''t mean I have to settle with waiting.
This disy of power doesn''t even seem to be a stretch for him. He''s just casually altering reality on a local scale.
"Ethan?" Kauku''s voice prompts me gently, and I blink. "You seem distracted."
"Sorry," I say. I affect a slightugh, though ites off a little insincere. "That''s just... a very realistic model."
I reach out to give it a little poke, flinching as I feel Firmament rearing up around my finger. The dirt is still crushed beneath my finger, leaving an imprint. Kauku makes a sound that''s halfway between a growl and a huff, and he waves me back. "Do not touch it. It is delicate. Besides, you are missing the important thing."
He gestures for me to look underneath the model and I do¡ªbut almost as soon as I do, I flinch, taking a few steps back. There are what look like miles of oily, inky tendrils, slowly shifting about beneath the surface of the Empty City; they ooze with corrupted Firmament, stray drops slipping off into the void beneath us. There''s an instinctive and visceral feeling of disgust as I look at it, intrusive and foreign.
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"You understand, then," Kauku says.
"There''s something in there." I try to push past the disgust as I stare at whatever this is¡ªa tangle of roots, connecting and disconnecting with one another, sometimes breaking off into formless void and other times spawning from the void. In the middle of them, though, there''s something that appears to shine through. I see glimpses of a prismatic co¡ª
Kauku waves again, and the city disappears. "I apologize¡ªinteracting with that Firmament is still dangerous for you at your stage of development. I believe you understand, though. The city''s underbelly is constantly changing, and navigating through that mess will cost you, even protected as you are with the Interface and your skills."
"And you can do something to help me with that?" I ask. There''s definitely some strain left behind¡ªa slight ache in my head, and an ufortable, coiling sensation in my gut¡ªbut I do my best to ignore it.
"I can cut through it for you," Kauku says. "It will lessen the time that your journey takes. I cannot eliminate the danger entirely, of course, but I can guarantee that you will reach your destination within three branches rather than the infinitely many you would otherwise take."
"I... see." I take a step back, trying to clear my head. There''s no reason not to ept his help¡ªthat thing looks like a nightmare to navigate on my own. "Alright. I guess we''re working together, then."
I reach out with a hand. Kauku stares at it curiously. "What is this?"
"You know what I''m going to do next, my motivations, and apparently half the secrets of the universe, but you don''t know what a handshake is?" I grin at him. Kauku bristles for a moment before he realizes I''m teasing him; he lets out a breath and chuckles.
"You would do well not to cross me," he says, reaching out to grasp my hand. He sounds like he''s teasing me right back, but... I can''t help but think it''s probably true. His grip is firm as we shake, and he tilts his head toward the Inspirations. "You will make your selection now, yes?"
"Yes," I say. I know what I''m going to pick, and I start toward it. The rightmost column for the Knight¡ª
"Ethan." Something about Kauku''s voice makes me freeze in my tracks. There''s a note of... it''s difficult to read. Pride? Warning? A mix of both, I think, although there''s something else in there, too. "I told you the rules are based on equivalent value. If you give me something I value, then I must return an equal favor."
"I... remember that, yes." Because he just told me about it. Where is this going?
"You''re pretty interesting." Kauku smirks at me. "And you''ve given me something I haven''t had for quite some time: hope. I will not answer your questions, but I will give you something you need more. Two things, in fact."
I have no idea how to respond. "Thank you?"
Kauku snorts. "Do not thank me yet."
He takes a few steps forward, stopping just in front of me; for a moment, he stares straight into my eyes in a way that sends a chill through my spine. All seven empty eye sockets seem to focus on me.
I feel the slightest touch of pressure.
"I have altered the parameters of your Interface," Kauku says. "Inspirations will no longer automatically trigger when you bank enough points for them. You will instead be able to trigger them manually. I suggest you do not trigger a second Inspiration until you have mastered the Knight."
"There''s a reason for that, I suppose?" My heart is hammering, though for no particr reason that I can fathom. He seems to be impressing upon me the danger of this.
"An evolved Inspiration like the one you''re about to take on will be difficult enough to deal with on its own," Kauku confirms. "Use it for a loop or two until you''re sure you have it under control. If you take on two of these Inspirations at once without mastering the first, your body will be destroyed. Inside out. It will be unpleasant."
...What was going to happen to me if I hadn''t been interesting to him? Kauku must guess what I''m thinking, because I see the faintest flicker of amusement, but he doesn''t borate further.
"Use the Knight once you emerge and you''ll understand what I mean," he says instead. "And a second thing. You''re being hunted. Don''t let that distract you from what you need to do, and don''t let him fool you."
I''m what? I open my mouth to ask a question, but Kauku holds a finger in front of his mouth; apparently, he can''t tell me any more. I try not to scowl¡ªhe''s given me good information as it is¡ªbut my mind is spinning.
What does he mean, I''m being hunted? Why would I be hunted? I suppose Whisper or Teluwat might try to hunt me down, but I haven''t even met thetter besides a halfhearted attempt to manipte me. Whisper''s down for the count and shouldn''t be able to recover for years yet.
This feels like something else. But before I can think on it further, Kauku nudges me forward. I almost stumble into the Schr by ident with the way he pushes me, but I manage to twist at thest moment and jam a hand into the Knight Inspiration. "Kauku, you can''t just¡ª"
The shape coalesces around me and turns into a blinding light. Pressure erupts all over my body. There''s a distinct moment where it feels like every singleyer of my Firmament is simultaneously trying to peel itself apart. I grit my teeth against the onught of pain¡ªthis is far from the first time receiving an Inspiration has been painful, but this is the first time it''s been this real. I gasp for air, squeezing my eyes shut to try to block out the light, and then¡ª
"...Ethan? Ethan!" Ahkelios tugs on my hand. I blink a few times, trying to figure out what''s going on. He''s tugging on my hand kind of heavily.
Oh. Because I''m dangling off the ledge and Ahkelios is barely managing to hold me up.
"Don''t trigger Inspirations on dangerous ledges," he grumbles at me, but there''s a distinct note of relief in his voice when I swing myself back up onto the ledge. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"I''m fine," I say. I can feel the Knight within me. Kauku''s right¡ªthis Inspiration is going to take a lot to use. It''s more alive than any other Inspiration I have, and unlike the others, it doesn''t stay asleep when I''m not using it. It wants to act, and it wants to act now.
Might as well give it a test drive. The wordse to my head without any conscious deliberation behind them.
Inspired Evolution: Knight.
Chapter 147: Book 3: Knight
Chapter 147: Book 3: Knight
The first thing I experience is pain.
Kauku wasn''t lying about the strain this Inspiration causes. It''s not just the way it peels away at my Firmament and tears me apart from within¡ªit''s the physical change, too. I stagger away from the ledge before copsing to the ground as a series of cracks resound within my body. It''s not a sound so much as it is a kick of bass that''s apanied by a wave of pain so intense I taste copper in my mouth.
It takes me a moment before I realize that the sensation ising from my bones. They''re realigning. They''re moving inside my body, snapping at the joints and tearing apart flesh so that they''re on the outside instead of within. Then they begin to grow, popping and cracking this time audible in the air itself.
My body is physically reshaping itself to amodate my use of this Inspiration.
Part of that shift is the alteration and movement of muscle, skin, and bone. My skin turns hard, density shifting until it turns into a gleaming silver-blue shine¡ªnot that I can spare a moment to appreciate the color. It doesn''t help that I can sense a presence alongside these changes, guiding them, making each change as it sees fit; the Knight treats my body and Firmament as if it were nothing more than putty.
It''s agonizing. It''s intrusive. It''s something foreign that''s decided I''m nothing more than a vessel for everything it represents. The Knight molds me like y, making changes, turning me into a copy of it.
My vision blurs. My fingers w into the ground, easily slicing through the roots and stone beneath them. I see in the corner of my eye the sight of a gauntlet in ce of my fists¡ªand this is truly in ce of my fists, because I can''t feel the flesh and bone beneath it. Instead, pure Firmament forms itself into something that isn''t quite flesh.
Not unlike what I''ve seen of the Integrators, now that I think about it.
"Ethan!" Ahkelios''s voice is worried but distant; I can''t hear him quite as well. His wordse to me as though I were hearing them through a sheet of metal, slightly distorted and with a tinny overtone. It takes me a moment to realize that my vision is restricted, too. I can see directly in front of me, but not to the side.My body jerks to its feet against my will, and I feel a momentary panic take hold. I''m not doing this. I''m not in control.
And the transformation isn''tplete yet.
I can feel my legs lengthening as I stand. My ws dig into the ground, and they really are ws, with sharp, pointed toes instead of ordinary sabatons. The Knight within me growls with satisfaction as they grip into the dirt.
He takes an experimental leap.
I fly through the air with a speed that surprises me. There isn''t a single skill being used¡ªno expression of Firmament, no reinforcement, nothing but the raw power of the Knight packed into every fiber of my being. It takes me seconds to cross a gap that should have taken at least a minute. I m feet-first into the trunk of a tree, my ws gripping into the wood.
And then I stand.
Horizontally.
The wood creaks with an ominous groan as it''s forced to bear my weight with nothing more than the strength of the ws digging into it, but it doesn''t snap into pieces¡ªI''m not initially sure why. It should be nothing more than splinters. It takes me a moment before I realize that the metal on my feet has extended into the tree, almost like a whole set of roots unto themselves.
The knight roars. I feel my face split open, metal distorting into a jaw, a growl emerging from my throat that human vocal cords couldn''t hope to make.
Okay. That''s enough. I try to assert control¡ªthis is my body, my mind, and no foreign influence is just going to take it from me. Especially one of my own Inspirations. I reach out to move and take a step back down from the ground.
Nothing happens.
I can feel the so-called muscles of my new body, even if they don''t exactly map to the human, biological idea of a muscle. I can send signals to those muscles, even, but it feels like I''m straining against something that has mepletely bound. I push against it, forcing myself to move, to at least get my arm under my own control.
The best I can do is make a single finger twitch. A snarl emerges from my throat¡ªnot my own, but a reaction to my attempt to take control. The Knight recoils from the touch of my mind and immediately begins tounch itself in directions I can only assume to be random, leaping from tree to tree and causing every one of them to copse along the way. I can only wince at the destruction.
Ahkelios is following along, I hope. And I really hope Guard doesn''t find me like this, because I have no idea what the Inspiration is going to do to him.
Honestly, I just kind of hope I don''t encounter anyone while like this. I don''t actually know how the Knight would react. I don''t understand who it is, on a fundamental level. I can feel its mind alongside mine, but it''s a chaotic mess of thoughts that I can''t prate, no matter how hard I try.
There''s fear, regret, confusion, anger... There''s so much there, just swirling around. I should be panicking, but a good half of my thoughts are focused just on that, on trying to figure out this being I now apparently share a body with.
I need to take back control first, though.
I try to disable the Inspiration¡ªonce, twice, three times. There''s no response either from the core of my Firmament or from my body. It''s like I''mpletely locked out from myself, forced to do nothing but watch; even the sense of strain that I had before is slowly fading. Like the Knight is gaining more and more control over our shared body.
Panic begins to rise within my mind, but I suppress it. Panic won''t help.
I''m breathing heavily, sucking in inhuman gulps of oxygen through the void that''s reced my face. The Inspiration is driven almost entirely by instinct at the moment, an instinct to protect itself and an instinct to express itself. There''s no goal here. It just wants to be. It might embody the concept of a knight, but it isn''tpletely there.
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I try to push past thoseyers of fear and confusion. There''s something there. There''s someone there. From what Kauku''s said, Inspirations are alive to a certain degree, and if that''s the case, the Knight is probably what a fully evolved Inspiration bes¡ªan entity that merges with the person it''s partnered with.
So why is this one so afraid?
The answeres to me: because it wants to be. It doesn''t want to be locked away again. It doesn''t want to be nothing, an element of potential in an endless void, waiting for someone to pick it out. It''s so afraid of that oue that it''s forcing itself to the front, taking control, trying to run from a phantom it believes will turn it into nothing once more.
I can work with that.
"Hey." My mental voice is deliberately gentle, at odds with the panic and fear that clouds the Knight''s mind; it cuts through the chaos of its mind and settles in as a moment of cid rity. The Knight freezes, jerking its head around, trying to see where my voice ising from. "It''s okay. I''m here. I''m your partner."
Anger. Suspicion. Rejection. The Knightunches itself away again, bouncing from tree to tree and barreling over a cactus that just happens to be in the way. The massive needle of that cactus just nces off its armor. "Not partner," it hisses. "No partner! Partners always end!"
"I will not." I try to make my voice gently persuasive. The control we share over this body is tenuous¡ªKauku''s words about the strain of the Inspiration lingers in my mind, and I can feel, deep within, that I can only hold this for a few minutes more before my Firmament starts taking permanent damage. That doesn''t bode well for either of us. "But we need to share. We''re not going to survive if we don''t."
"No!" it insists, but I can feel hesitation. It misses its old partner. Misses the connection, the friendship, the harmony.
But the feeling of betrayal is stronger. "Not again. Never again."
"I can''t promise you things will be different." It''s not the perfect thing to say, but it''s honest, and the Knight can feel my sincerity. "But I can promise you I won''t abandon you on purpose. Ever. We share a mind¡ªdo you see anyone I''ve abandoned?"
There''s no answer for a moment. Then it replies, its voice guarded. "Brother."
The reply strikes me like a physical blow. It takes me a moment to gather my thoughts and respond. "I didn''t do that on purpose. I tried. You can see that."
"But it happened." The Knight''s dialect is getting a little better¡ªit''s picking up more from me as it peeks into my memories. "You did not intend to... be gone... when he died. But you were."
It stings. The Knight''s words echo all the doubts I''ve ever had about my brother''s death, all the little whispers in my brain that told me it was my fault, that I could have done more.
It makes it a little worse that the words aren''t even usatory. Now that the emotions have cooled a little, I can feel exactly what the Knight is thinking¡ªit wants badly for me to be telling the truth. It wants me to reassure it, to convince it that this partnership will work. That things will be different.
"It''s hard to make promises." I don''t want to lie, even if it would help. In fact, I could reach out right this moment and force control, I think¡ªdisable the Inspiration, force it back down and face it another time. It''s vulnerable because it''s hesitating, because it wants.
But what kind of partnership would take advantage of a moment like that? It might be hurting me in turn, but it doesn''t know that. "It''s hard to make promises," I repeat. "But¡ª"
Premonition activates.
There''s a familiar sh of movement. Both the Knight and I react as we realize something ising toward us at near-supersonic speeds. We reach out in tandem with one gauntleted arm, and a Guilty Chimer''s paw ms straight into our palm, creating a shockwave that crackles with Firmament.
We don''t budge. Kauku wasn''t kidding about this part, either: the Inspiration is strong, and when we''re both aligned on what we want to do, it''s apparently enough to stop even a rank-A monster in its tracks. But we fall out of alignment almost a momentter. I try to grab the chimera''s paw and pull it into me for a kick, and the Knight instead tries to sh with a sword it doesn''t have.
The Knight''s hold on our shared body is still stronger. The gauntlet tters ineffectually against the chimera''s scales, creating a shower of sparks, and it roars at us.
"But?" the Knight demands. It wants to know. It barely cares about the fight, about our lives being in danger. The chimera goes for a counter, gathering Firmament into a dense ball of power that barrels into our chest and cracks us against a tree, and though I try to react, the Knight still holds dominance.
There''s a small crack in our armor. That crackes with an rm-bell of pain, more a warning than anything else¡ªmy body and Firmament can''t hold the Inspiration much longer.
"You can see my mind." I can sense how important this is to the Knight. It''s important enough that it doesn''t even care about the chimera attacking us. It just wants an answer it can believe in. I let my awareness of the chimera fall away, too, because I need the Knight to understand how sincere I am. "I let that happen once. Do you think I''d let it happen again?"
Silence.
And then... eptance. The Knight''s presence recedes just enough for me to take the reins, and I look up to see the chimera just above me, prepared to strike.
The only reason it hasn''t yet is because a certain angry-looking mantis is in front of it, blocking the chimera with everything he has.
"Have I ever mentioned that I love you, Ahkelios?" I say with a grin. The voicees out of my helmet metallic and distorted.
Ahkelios scowls at me. "Finally. Shut up and punch this thing already!"
"If you say so."
No skills. No need for them. The Knight''s intent lines up with mine, and weunch ourselves up, Firmament pouring into our fist. It shines just like Amplified Gauntlet would have.
The blow shatters the Guilty Chimera, although just for an instant¡ªa split second before the notification flickers into view about its death¡ªI see something strange. A glimpse of... hatred. A glimmer of color and Firmament that doesn''t belong.
You''re being hunted. Kauku''s wordse back to me.
It vanishes almost as soon as I see it, and the Inspiration bleeds away, leaving me human again. Covered in cuts and panting for breath, admittedly. The Knight still resides within my core, and I get the distinct feeling from it that we aren''t quite done yet. Learning to fight together is going to be a challenge.
Ahkelios looks me up and down, then folds his arms across his chest, looking for all the world like an upset parent. "What the heck happened, Ethan?"
I nce at the destruction around me and let out a hollowugh. "Uh... long story."
Chapter 148: Book 3: Time (for) Skills
Chapter 148: Book 3: Time (for) Skills
"You could have at least warned me you were going to try it," Ahkeliosins.
He''s been justifiably upset for a while now. We''re taking our time and walking back toward Isthanok, although it''s a long way away; the Knight covered quite a lot of distance while he was out of control. I''m almost back to the Cliffside Crows. My memories of traveling are somewhat fragmented, probably because I spent some of that time fighting the Knight for control over our shared body¡ªI have a vague recollection of passing through the gates to the Great Cities, but I don''t really remembernding on anything that wasn''t a tree.
I nce at Ahkelios, who''s still looking at me, affronted. "I know, I know," I say with a little sigh, reaching up to nudge him with a finger. At least it''s easy enough to follow the trail of destroyed trees, grass, and cratered dirt back to Isthanok. I can''t imagine what the guards at the wall are going to think. "In my defense, I don''t think I was entirely in control when that happened."
"You weren''t in control at all." Ahkelios looks away, grumbling.
"I mean when I used the Inspiration," I say. I can''t really be mad at his grumbling. A lot of his annoyance justes from genuine worry, and every little gesture he makes reflects that worry. "It wanted to be used. I... don''t know how else to exin it."
Ahkelios makes a noise in his throat. "And it won''t happen again?"
I hesitate. "I don''t think so," I say carefully. "But I''m not ruling anything out. You get to manifest yourself whenever you want, but the Knight and I... we have to share a body. It''s not so simple for us."
The little mantis looks away. That point hits home. The truth is, the situation with the Knight is moreplicated than I''m ready to think about. For one thing, it''s both aware and strong enough to influence me. That''s something I''m going to have to keep in mind¡ªeven now, what we have is tentative.
Trust takes time to build, and the Knight might be willing to put a little faith in me, but it doesn''t yet trust me. Not entirely.And even when it does, I''m going to be influenced by its thoughts and feelings. It''s a little like Ahkelios and me, in a way, though the way the partnership manifests is different.
Even now, the Knight feels like it''s... sulking?
It''s sulking. At least a little. It knows it can''t take over again without risking damage to me, and it doesn''t like feeling trapped.
Honestly, I can kind of sympathize.
"Are you sure you can trust this Kauku guy?" Ahkelios asks, changing the subject. I frown a little, thinking about it. I hadn''t actually considered how much I should trust the guy¡ªnot in depth, anyway.
"I mean... I don''t see any reason not to trust him," I hedge. "But I want to find out what he is anyway. You know. Just in case."
"Any ideas on where to start?"
"Just a few," I say. "There might be something in the Empty City. He says there''s a memory important to him in there. That implies that he was there, doesn''t it?"
Ahkelios hums thoughtfully. "Or that he really wants to find out what happened in there," he points out.
"Or that." I sigh. I do have a second thought¡ªI''m pretty sure the Knight is rted to Kauku in some way, the same way the Void and elerate Inspirations are supposedly his children. It''s possible the Knight knows something. The only problem is... well, I don''t think it consciously knows whatever that something might be.
Inspirations as lifeforms are, as far as I can tlel, fundamentally different from most other creatures in the universe. They''re more based in concept than they are in reality¡ªin some way, they''re always shifting and changing based on their host''s perception of the concept they embody.
Which means they necessarily lose a part of themselves whenever they''re bound to a new partner. The Knight has its memories, but most of those memories are locked away, buried within a psyche it hasn''t managed to align itself with yet.
It''ll unlock those memories eventually, but there''s a long road ahead of us before that. A long road where we figure out how to work with one another and fight together.
In a way, it''s nice to have another member of the team, even if I wish Kauku had given me a little more of a warning about all this.
Almost on cue, I hear the sound of Guard''s thrusters. I look up, startled¡ªhe''s absolutely speeding through the sky, the crack of a sonic boom reaching me long seconds after I spot him. He changes angle when he sees me, aiming for the ground at my feet, and I take a few quick steps back.
The automatonnds in front of me with a thundering crash that sends a cloud of dirt into the sky. Even as far away as I am, I find myself coughing to clear away the dust. Meanwhile, Guard''s singr eye is scanning me with a kind of desperate concern, and before I can say anything he picks me up and starts rattling me around as if he''s worried something inside me was knocked loose.
"Ethan," he says after a solid three seconds of this. Ahkelios has relocated himself to the top of Guard''s head and is watching with amusement. "You seem... well?"
"I was better before you started shaking me," I grumble, somewhere between irritated and amused. There''s a trail of smoke in the sky that implies he chased after me pretty much as fast as he could. It''s a little endearing, if I''m being honest, but... "Just so you know, shaking humans around like that isn''t how you perform a diagnosis. You''re going to give me a brain injury."
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"Oh." There''s an undercurrent of embarrassment in Guard''s voice. "I apologize. I am... unfamiliar with diagnostic methodology for humans. And it''s umon for someone under my charge to transform and vanish."
"Yeah, I wasn''t expecting that either," I say dryly. It''s convenient that he''s here, though¡ªI''m almost ready, and it won''t take me long to roll for the rest of the skills I need. "And I''m not your charge. We''re a team."
"Right," Guard agrees, although with the way he looks at me, I suspect he''s saying that more to cate me. I shake my head, sighing, although it''s more out of amusement than exasperation. Clearly, it''s going to take some time before we''re on the same page.
So I decide to change the subject. "How are things in Isthanok? Are we good to head for the Empty City?"
"As soon as you are," Guard confirms. Apparently he isn''t all too worried about the destruction either of us have left behind¡ªfair enough, I suppose, considering the loop is going to repair all of it. It''s mostly Isthanok itself that needs to be stabilized, and anyone with damaged Firmament helped before the loop resets.
"I just have a few more skills to pick." I would''ve picked them earlier, but the whole thing with the Knight distracted me. I pull up the Interface and nce at my Interface again¡ªwith what Kauku''s done for me, it makes sense to bank strength, speed, and reflex. As for durability...
Well, after killing that Chimera, I have exactly 999 durability credits. Figures. I''ll bank it when I get thest credit I need.
"Just one credit, huh?" Ahkelios doesn''t quite manage to hide the mirth in his voice. I roll my eyes.
"Don''t rub it in."
The sheer power of the Knight means I''m going to have to take it into consideration when picking new skills¡ªutility might be better than raw power if the skills in question aren''t enough to beat what the Knight can do on its own. Of course,bining the Knight with those skills would amplify them even more... but I don''t think either my body or my Firmament can handle that kind of power just yet.
I have a long way to go.
There''s also the fact that I''m not sure what kind of Inspirations I''m going to get next. If they function like the Knight does, then I''m going to have a suite of different evolutions to choose from, and it means I''m going to have to spend a lot more time understanding exactly how evolutions alter my skills and Firmament.
Tentatively, I feel within myself and immediately wince, prompting a concerned, mechanical whirr from Guard. Evidently that''s not something I can test anytime soon. My entire body is still sore, and my Firmament isn''t faring much better.
We''ll start by going ahead and banking the rest of my credits, then. I go through the rolls and make my choices after some deliberation¡ªunfortunately, I''m not lucky enough to get a critical roll on any of the stat categories this time around.
But I''m not unlucky, either. I waited to roll my skills hoping that using Once More into the Fray as a time-altering skill would impact my skill choices, and it''s done exactly that.
Strength, for example.
[Causal Shattering (Rank S) obtained!]
Most of the other options I had for Strength skills were varying degrees of "punch harder," with trigger conditions that ranged from reasonable to near-impossible to replicate. Causal Shattering was the only one that did something different, and since I''m both looking for utility that goes beyond pure force...
It''s interesting. Causal Shattering has two possible oues. The name''s a little more poetic than what it actually does¡ªfor the most part, it shatters time in whatever I strike with it, causing various parts of the object to randomly elerate or regress through time. A test of the skill on a nearby already-destroyed tree causes some fragments to heal to perfect condition, others to rot and age into nothing, and a whole fist-sized segment of wood is reverted into a seed that looks like a cross between an acorn and a lemon.
But there''s a second possible oue, ording to Inspect. If I pour enough Firmament into the skill, if I understand the skill enough and manage to gain Mastery in it¡ªand this is the first time Inspect has given me any indication of how a skill changes when I gain Mastery¡ªthen it''s possible that Causal Shattering will let me strike a point back in time.
Specifically, a point in the timeline of the person I''m striking. This skill, if mastered, has the potential to alter the trajectory of someone''s life. It''s going to take a lot of work to get there, but the potential is almost terrifying.
Rank S skills are a whole other realm, clearly.
And then there''s the Reflex skill.
[Paradox Warning (Rank SS) obtained!]
I got lucky with this one. Reflex, at almost 3,000 credits, is the closest to the next threshold¡ªof the four options I received, Paradox Warning was the only Rank SS one. The other three were, respectively, a skill that gave me faster thinking and two variants of Premonition that were a little more specific and could reach farther into the future.
All useful. All skills I wanted. I almost picked Cognitive elerant, in fact, because it''ll make up for the loss of Compounded Mind. But Paradox Warning is...
It lets me send a warning to the past.
It''s by far the most flexible, even if the way it works is a little strange. Apparently, from my perspective, I''ll receive a warning about a specific future event. The warning is meant to allow me to prepare for the event, not necessarily to avoid it. When I encounter the event in question, I have to use Paradox Warning and send the message back, word-for-word, to fulfill the conditions of the skill.
Functionally, this means I can send messages back into the past. The downsides are that there are phrasing limits, it has to be a warning, and I can''t send a message back to before I got the skill, which is probably the most disappointing part of it all.
"What happens if you don''t?" Ahkelios asks.
I make a face. "If I don''t... send a message back to myself, you mean? After I receive the warning?"
"Yes, exactly." Ahkelios looks up at me, curious.
I stare at him. "Do we really want to test what happens if we try to break time?"
"...yes?"
"I will admit to being curious, but no. Absolutely not. Inspect doesn''t tell me what would happen, but it does tell me it would be very bad. On aary scale."
Guard, who is simply standing next to me and watching during all of this, shudders. "I appreciate your restraint."
I move on and roll for the final skill to add to my list.
[Distorted Crux (Rank S) obtained!]
This one''s simple: as long as it''s active, the closer something is to me, the slower time passes for it. It''s something like a weaker version of a Timestop skill, but it''s still enormously powerful.
I close my eyes. Even with all the power I''ve gained¡ªeven with the fact that I''m a thirdyer practitioner with multiple Rank S skills and an Inspired Evolution that takes me to a level beyond anything I''ve been able to fight at so far¡ªsomething feels... off. Like I''m still not ready, even after everything I''m gained. I''m confident I''m a step above Whisper and Naru now, at the very least, but how would I fare against an Integrator? Or someone like Kauku?
You''re being hunted. Kauku''s words still echo in my head.
I''m not one to dismiss a warning. I''ll just have to be prepared.
Chapter 149: Book 3: The Empty City
Chapter 149: Book 3: The Empty City
Rhoran''s mind was fragmented, but he was slowly gathering himself.
It was nothing unexpected. The Integrator¡ªformer Integrator¡ªwas held in ce only by the meager mental structures he''d created for himself before this transition, and the trip through the broken Intermediary had maimed those structures even more than he''d been prepared for. If Lhore had given him a little more time, if any of the others had fought for him, he might have been able to build something more secure. More able to handle the torment of the dimensional phase.
Of course, no one had seen fit to give him any additional time. Typical. They med him for what Gheraa had done and for what Ethan had been able to aplish through him. Not Lhore, who had been there when Gheraa programmed the Interface to send Ethan those damnable skills. Not Nhava, who had been the one to suggest they send the damn asteroid after Ethan in the first ce.
Him. Because he''d been the Overseer in charge of Gheraa. Because he was supposed to have caught on to what the slimy bastard was doing behind his back. It wasn''t his fault Gheraa had betrayed the entire Integrator cause! What, just because he''d been a little rough with him? He''d deserved it, with all his snide jokes andments and that remark about the size of his Firmament.
You were prodding him first.
Rhoran decided to ignore that stray thought; it was nothing more than the product of his fragmented mind. Subconscious and conscious melting together because there was no more structure to hold it together. He''d only barely managed to find something he could take control of¡ªthough even then, his control had been suboptimal¡ªand then that thing had torn it to pieces.
He didn''t even know what it was. There was no record of any such creature on Hestia. He didn''t know why it stirred that deep and terrible hate within him, either. That was supposed to be reserved for the Trialgoer.
Who was nearby. He was sure of it. But there wasn''t anything nearby he could take, and without first doing that, he couldn''t see what was around him. He could barely feel what was around him other than powerful sources of Firmament, and the biggest ones had too much of an identity for him to be able to overwrite them.
Rhoran would have scowled if he could have. It rankled at him that he was stuck like this, little more than a viral sequence of Firmament with asional bouts of lucidity. He was far from weak; there was enough identity embedded into his Firmament that he could survive like this for centuries, if he needed to.More than that, this was one of the only forms he could achieve that would both survive the broken Intermediary and camouge him from Ethan''s ridiculous senses.
He still wasn''t sure it was worth it. Being trapped like this in what felt like nothing, only able to sense piles of Firmament, with a mind that was barely kept together...
Something red nearby¡ªa source of Firmament¡ªand Rhoran dove for it instinctively, his entire being narrowing down into a sense of hunger and greed. He needed a body. Needed to be again. He felt his identity override the identity of whatever he''d touched, rewriting it so that he was in control.
Finally. Physicality. Stability. If he gave himself another moment for his identity to fully take hold, he would be able to n something to end this farce of a Trial and turn the Earth into something useful.
Rhoran paused. The leaves on the forest floor seemedrger than usual. He reached out a small, delicate paw, then stared at the fuzzy limb he was moving with confusion.
Wasn''t this one of Hestia''s prey species? What was it doing with enough Firmament to host him?
Before he couldplete the thought, jaws mped around him. All his power did nothing when he wasn''t prepared to wield it. He felt the bones of his new body crunch, his heart pulp into little more than useless flesh, and¡ª
¡ªand...
His mind stuttered.
Who was he? What was he?
He''d died. He remembered that much. He remembered pain.
Pain, death...
Reset. Mind torn again. He needed recuperation. Needed to mend. Needed to find... target.
Hatred. There was hatred within him at the idea of a "target."
And there was a direction for that hatred.
He moved toward it, past the corpse of the fluffy thing on the ground, past therger cat-like creature devouring its pieces, and past a rim of golden Firmament.
Whatever strangeness I felt is gone by the time I step through the doorway. "It''s safe," Guard calls back to me, though I can see from the way he''s looking around that he''s still tense. I take a look around the room that serves as an entrance to the Empty City¡ªor at least at what should have been a room.
It''s not one anymore. I frown and step forward, nearly stumbling when a loose rock crumbles beneath my feet; Guard catches me by the elbow and pulls me back before I plummet off the top of the building we''re on.
"Careful," he warns.
"Thanks." I lean down and pick up a fragment of the rock, my brows furrowing. It looks like a normal stone, but... even the slightest application of pressure makes it crumble like dust. I can sense that it''s hollow, the natural Firmament that would normally be within it drained of its color.
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So is everything else around us, save for the things I tossed in. It''s mostly a scattering of preserved food, the Firmament sink I''ve built, and various other odds and ends I''ve tossed in in case it might be useful. I reach down to pocket the Firmament sink.
"Is it just me, or does this ce look different?" Ahkelios asks, looking around.
"I don''t think the portal ever opened on top of a building." I frown a little, poking at the rooftop with my foot. It looks like concrete, but it''s almost disturbingly soft.
"So why''s all your stuff here?" Ahkelios hops off my shoulder to poke at the food. "Shouldn''t it be... wherever the room was?"
"I don''t know." I don''t even know where that room might have been. I pivot in ce, scanning the horizon and taking in the sights of the Empty City. The name certainly fits¡ªit looks deste and abandoned, full of crumbling towers and decayed homes. It actually looks a little like an Earth city, and I feel a pang of something like homesickness as I stare down at it.
But something else stands out to me. What I remember of the logs about this ce tells me that it should be, that the Firmament infestation here should have destroyed nearly everything.
And it''s not that it hasn''t. Color Drain Firmament¡ªalthough now that I''m here, it doesn''t feel the same as the Color Drain skill I used to have¡ªhas more than certainly sucked the life out of almost everything. The buildings, the streets, and even the signs all make me feel like I''m staring at something on an old ck-and-white television set.
But there are... nts. Colorful nts. Wildlife has grown over most of the decaying buildings, and not all of that wildlife seems subject to the same phenomenon. I see massive flowers attached to the sides of decaying buildings, blooming with so much color that a nce at it almost hurts my eyes. It feels like I''m staring at something impossible.
The wholendscape is dotted with nts like that. Not all of them are flowers, of course; there are vines, mushrooms, wooden-looking roots that crack through buildings and shine with multicolored pustules. Looking at them sends a crack of foreign disgust through me, like something inside me is rebelling at the sight of it.
I''m not the only one. Guard makes a low noise of difort, a robotic hum as he takes a step back from the edge. "This ce is strange."
"It''s overtaken by a type of Firmament that went haywire, ording to Kauku. Color Drain Firmament." The words taste strange even as I say them¡ªlike something about them aren''t quite right. I don''t have the full picture, and I won''t until I figure out what went wrong here.
"I have not heard of Firmament... ''going haywire'' like this, as you put it." I can hear a frown in Guard''s voice. "Those nts in the distance¡ªmy sensors tell me they''re dangerous. We should avoid them."
"Dangerous how?" I try to take another look, but almost immediately wince again, my senses overloaded. It''s like they''re oversaturated streaks in the otherwise ndndscape, and I can''t tell if it''s because everything else is dull or if it''s a specific side-effect of the Firmament that caused all this.
"They are sensory dangers," Guard murmurs softly. There''s a click from his body, and I notice a pulse of Firmament radiate outward. "But therger flowers are also... hiding something, I believe. It''s difficult for me to tell."
I close my eyes entirely, reaching out through my Firmament sense instead to try to sense whatever it is the robot can. My range is so much farther than it was before, but even then, the flowers are right on the edge of them. I can sense a core of what feels like inverted Firmament, and then behind that, something...
I mutter a curse under my breath. "I don''t think we can."
Guard nces at me. "There''s something important there?"
"I don''t know." I hesitate. It does feel like there are important things hidden within the flowers, but I can''t tell what they are¡ªin fact, the only reason I can tell they''re there at all is because the way Firmament warps and twists around them. But the way that Firmament is warping...
Kauku mentioned he was looking for a memory. That the Empty City was full of memories. If there''s anything right now that screams to me that it''s a memory, it''s whatever these things are¡ªthe Firmament that interacts with it is twisted to intense color, intense emotion.
And I agreed to help Kauku find a memory, so I''m going to have to sort through these. I grimace. Now that I think about it, he never specified what memory he was looking for. I''m not ready yet to trigger one of the waiting Inspirations to speak to him again¡ªthe Knight is still settling within me, and I doubt using it is going to be much easier even with the Inspiration on my side.
"I think we''ll at least have to check them out," I finally say. "It''s a lead, and we''re short on those. The dungeon doesn''t exactlye with directions."
Guard gives me a slightly doubtful look, but nods. "You decide where to start, and I will lead the way."
I nce down the building. "We can probably start down there," I say dryly. There''s an enormous blue blossom right at the base of the building we''re in. Just looking at it cuts me to my core with something that feels like sadness¡ªwhatever emotion is in that memory, it''s not a happy one.
Ahkelios makes a noise behind me. "Something feels weird," he says, climbing back up onto my shoulder. I nce at him.
"Something about the food?" I ask. He''s been inspecting the food for the past few minutes. Ahkelios shakes his head.
"It felt weird for a bit, but I don''t think so?" he says, rubbing one of his arms nervously. "It just feels like we''re being watched. I don''t like it."
I nce at Guard, and he shakes his head slightly. I frown¡ªI don''t sense anything strange either, at least not anything like what Ahkelios is talking about. But if he senses something...
"Keep an eye out," I tell him. "Let''s not let anything catch us off guard."
Ahkelios nods, and Guard begins to lead the way down from the roof. I follow after him, lost in thought.
Memories. The closer we get to the flower, the more I remember. It''s been some time since I read that opening entry to this city''s final logs, but the first entry blooms in my mind, suddenly crystal clear.
It is the 4,625th day of Awakening.
I am afraid.
The Elders tell us that all will be well, that the Record we are creating is merely educational ¡ª but I can feel in the Firmament that there is a great changeing. I do not know what that change is, but I fear it will spell the end of everything I hold dear, and I am afraid.
Perhaps this is irrational of me. I have little evidence to support these thoughts. The Seers have sounded no rms, and our people are all healthy. My two sons flourish in their sses. They excel with the Firmament, creating wonders previously unheard of. Perhaps the fear I feel now is simply the fear of an old woman, and yet...
Every day, the trees seem a little more dead. Every day, the sky loses a little more color. I have been to the Healers, and I have been told that my eyes are fine; all three of them are perfectly functional.
I do not know what I am seeing. I do not know why I am the only person that sees it. The Awakening could be the cause, and yet I show no other signs of being Awakened. My Firmament levels remain stable, and there is no hint of a phase-shift or any of the associated phenomena. I have to assume what I feel is mere paranoia, and yet...
And yet.
Only time will tell.
The Empty City is supposed to be the remnant of an Integrator corpse, isn''t it? It gives me the same feeling Gheraa''s death does¡ªthat sense of something being rotted into the world, a death so profound it''s warped reality around it. If that''s true, then those logs I read are almost certainly from the person who died.
But those logs don''t seem to be from the perspective of an Integrator.
What am I missing?
A notification floats into my vision.
[Ritual: The Empty City has begun. Each Ritual stage will be linked with your loops. Progress within the Empty City will be saved after each Ritual stage.
Ritual stages may reveal more about your connection with your Firmament.
Current Ritual stage: 1/5]
Chapter 150: Book 3: The Empty City
Chapter 150: Book 3: The Empty City
Rhoran''s mind was fragmented, but he was slowly gathering himself.
It was nothing unexpected. The Integrator¡ªformer Integrator¡ªwas held in ce only by the meager mental structures he''d created for himself before this transition, and the trip through the broken Intermediary had maimed those structures even more than he''d been prepared for. If Lhore had given him a little more time, if any of the others had fought for him, he might have been able to build something more secure. More able to handle the torment of the dimensional phase.
Of course, no one had seen fit to give him any additional time. Typical. They med him for what Gheraa had done and for what Ethan had been able to aplish through him. Not Lhore, who had been there when Gheraa programmed the Interface to send Ethan those damnable skills. Not Nhava, who had been the one to suggest they send the damn asteroid after Ethan in the first ce.
Him. Because he''d been the Overseer in charge of Gheraa. Because he was supposed to have caught on to what the slimy bastard was doing behind his back. It wasn''t his fault Gheraa had betrayed the entire Integrator cause! What, just because he''d been a little rough with him? He''d deserved it, with all his snide jokes andments and that remark about the size of his Firmament.
You were prodding him first.
Rhoran decided to ignore that stray thought; it was nothing more than the product of his fragmented mind. Subconscious and conscious melting together because there was no more structure to hold it together. He''d only barely managed to find something he could take control of¡ªthough even then, his control had been suboptimal¡ªand then that thing had torn it to pieces.
He didn''t even know what it was. There was no record of any such creature on Hestia. He didn''t know why it stirred that deep and terrible hate within him, either. That was supposed to be reserved for the Trialgoer.
Who was nearby. He was sure of it. But there wasn''t anything nearby he could take, and without first doing that, he couldn''t see what was around him. He could barely feel what was around him other than powerful sources of Firmament, and the biggest ones had too much of an identity for him to be able to overwrite them.
Rhoran would have scowled if he could have. It rankled at him that he was stuck like this, little more than a viral sequence of Firmament with asional bouts of lucidity. He was far from weak; there was enough identity embedded into his Firmament that he could survive like this for centuries, if he needed to.More than that, this was one of the only forms he could achieve that would both survive the broken Intermediary and camouge him from Ethan''s ridiculous senses.
He still wasn''t sure it was worth it. Being trapped like this in what felt like nothing, only able to sense piles of Firmament, with a mind that was barely kept together...
Something red nearby¡ªa source of Firmament¡ªand Rhoran dove for it instinctively, his entire being narrowing down into a sense of hunger and greed. He needed a body. Needed to be again. He felt his identity override the identity of whatever he''d touched, rewriting it so that he was in control.
Finally. Physicality. Stability. If he gave himself another moment for his identity to fully take hold, he would be able to n something to end this farce of a Trial and turn the Earth into something useful.
Rhoran paused. The leaves on the forest floor seemedrger than usual. He reached out a small, delicate paw, then stared at the fuzzy limb he was moving with confusion.
Wasn''t this one of Hestia''s prey species? What was it doing with enough Firmament to host him?
Before he couldplete the thought, jaws mped around him. All his power did nothing when he wasn''t prepared to wield it. He felt the bones of his new body crunch, his heart pulp into little more than useless flesh, and¡ª
¡ªand...
His mind stuttered.
Who was he? What was he?
He''d died. He remembered that much. He remembered pain.
Pain, death...
Reset. Mind torn again. He needed recuperation. Needed to mend. Needed to find... target.
Hatred. There was hatred within him at the idea of a "target."
And there was a direction for that hatred.
He moved toward it, past the corpse of the fluffy thing on the ground, past therger cat-like creature devouring its pieces, and past a rim of golden Firmament.
Whatever strangeness I felt is gone by the time I step through the doorway. "It''s safe," Guard calls back to me, though I can see from the way he''s looking around that he''s still tense. I take a look around the room that serves as an entrance to the Empty City¡ªor at least at what should have been a room.
It''s not one anymore. I frown and step forward, nearly stumbling when a loose rock crumbles beneath my feet; Guard catches me by the elbow and pulls me back before I plummet off the top of the building we''re on.
"Careful," he warns.
"Thanks." I lean down and pick up a fragment of the rock, my brows furrowing. It looks like a normal stone, but... even the slightest application of pressure makes it crumble like dust. I can sense that it''s hollow, the natural Firmament that would normally be within it drained of its color.
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So is everything else around us, save for the things I tossed in. It''s mostly a scattering of preserved food, the Firmament sink I''ve built, and various other odds and ends I''ve tossed in in case it might be useful. I reach down to pocket the Firmament sink.
"Is it just me, or does this ce look different?" Ahkelios asks, looking around.
"I don''t think the portal ever opened on top of a building." I frown a little, poking at the rooftop with my foot. It looks like concrete, but it''s almost disturbingly soft.
"So why''s all your stuff here?" Ahkelios hops off my shoulder to poke at the food. "Shouldn''t it be... wherever the room was?"
"I don''t know." I don''t even know where that room might have been. I pivot in ce, scanning the horizon and taking in the sights of the Empty City. The name certainly fits¡ªit looks deste and abandoned, full of crumbling towers and decayed homes. It actually looks a little like an Earth city, and I feel a pang of something like homesickness as I stare down at it.
But something else stands out to me. What I remember of the logs about this ce tells me that it should be, that the Firmament infestation here should have destroyed nearly everything.
And it''s not that it hasn''t. Color Drain Firmament¡ªalthough now that I''m here, it doesn''t feel the same as the Color Drain skill I used to have¡ªhas more than certainly sucked the life out of almost everything. The buildings, the streets, and even the signs all make me feel like I''m staring at something on an old ck-and-white television set.
But there are... nts. Colorful nts. Wildlife has grown over most of the decaying buildings, and not all of that wildlife seems subject to the same phenomenon. I see massive flowers attached to the sides of decaying buildings, blooming with so much color that a nce at it almost hurts my eyes. It feels like I''m staring at something impossible.
The wholendscape is dotted with nts like that. Not all of them are flowers, of course; there are vines, mushrooms, wooden-looking roots that crack through buildings and shine with multicolored pustules. Looking at them sends a crack of foreign disgust through me, like something inside me is rebelling at the sight of it.
I''m not the only one. Guard makes a low noise of difort, a robotic hum as he takes a step back from the edge. "This ce is strange."
"It''s overtaken by a type of Firmament that went haywire, ording to Kauku. Color Drain Firmament." The words taste strange even as I say them¡ªlike something about them aren''t quite right. I don''t have the full picture, and I won''t until I figure out what went wrong here.
"I have not heard of Firmament... ''going haywire'' like this, as you put it." I can hear a frown in Guard''s voice. "Those nts in the distance¡ªmy sensors tell me they''re dangerous. We should avoid them."
"Dangerous how?" I try to take another look, but almost immediately wince again, my senses overloaded. It''s like they''re oversaturated streaks in the otherwise ndndscape, and I can''t tell if it''s because everything else is dull or if it''s a specific side-effect of the Firmament that caused all this.
"They are sensory dangers," Guard murmurs softly. There''s a click from his body, and I notice a pulse of Firmament radiate outward. "But therger flowers are also... hiding something, I believe. It''s difficult for me to tell."
I close my eyes entirely, reaching out through my Firmament sense instead to try to sense whatever it is the robot can. My range is so much farther than it was before, but even then, the flowers are right on the edge of them. I can sense a core of what feels like inverted Firmament, and then behind that, something...
I mutter a curse under my breath. "I don''t think we can."
Guard nces at me. "There''s something important there?"
"I don''t know." I hesitate. It does feel like there are important things hidden within the flowers, but I can''t tell what they are¡ªin fact, the only reason I can tell they''re there at all is because the way Firmament warps and twists around them. But the way that Firmament is warping...
Kauku mentioned he was looking for a memory. That the Empty City was full of memories. If there''s anything right now that screams to me that it''s a memory, it''s whatever these things are¡ªthe Firmament that interacts with it is twisted to intense color, intense emotion.
And I agreed to help Kauku find a memory, so I''m going to have to sort through these. I grimace. Now that I think about it, he never specified what memory he was looking for. I''m not ready yet to trigger one of the waiting Inspirations to speak to him again¡ªthe Knight is still settling within me, and I doubt using it is going to be much easier even with the Inspiration on my side.
"I think we''ll at least have to check them out," I finally say. "It''s a lead, and we''re short on those. The dungeon doesn''t exactlye with directions."
Guard gives me a slightly doubtful look, but nods. "You decide where to start, and I will lead the way."
I nce down the building. "We can probably start down there," I say dryly. There''s an enormous blue blossom right at the base of the building we''re in. Just looking at it cuts me to my core with something that feels like sadness¡ªwhatever emotion is in that memory, it''s not a happy one.
Ahkelios makes a noise behind me. "Something feels weird," he says, climbing back up onto my shoulder. I nce at him.
"Something about the food?" I ask. He''s been inspecting the food for the past few minutes. Ahkelios shakes his head.
"It felt weird for a bit, but I don''t think so?" he says, rubbing one of his arms nervously. "It just feels like we''re being watched. I don''t like it."
I nce at Guard, and he shakes his head slightly. I frown¡ªI don''t sense anything strange either, at least not anything like what Ahkelios is talking about. But if he senses something...
"Keep an eye out," I tell him. "Let''s not let anything catch us off guard."
Ahkelios nods, and Guard begins to lead the way down from the roof. I follow after him, lost in thought.
Memories. The closer we get to the flower, the more I remember. It''s been some time since I read that opening entry to this city''s final logs, but the first entry blooms in my mind, suddenly crystal clear.
It is the 4,625th day of Awakening.
I am afraid.
The Elders tell us that all will be well, that the Record we are creating is merely educational ¡ª but I can feel in the Firmament that there is a great changeing. I do not know what that change is, but I fear it will spell the end of everything I hold dear, and I am afraid.
Perhaps this is irrational of me. I have little evidence to support these thoughts. The Seers have sounded no rms, and our people are all healthy. My two sons flourish in their sses. They excel with the Firmament, creating wonders previously unheard of. Perhaps the fear I feel now is simply the fear of an old woman, and yet...
Every day, the trees seem a little more dead. Every day, the sky loses a little more color. I have been to the Healers, and I have been told that my eyes are fine; all three of them are perfectly functional.
I do not know what I am seeing. I do not know why I am the only person that sees it. The Awakening could be the cause, and yet I show no other signs of being Awakened. My Firmament levels remain stable, and there is no hint of a phase-shift or any of the associated phenomena. I have to assume what I feel is mere paranoia, and yet...
And yet.
Only time will tell.
The Empty City is supposed to be the remnant of an Integrator corpse, isn''t it? It gives me the same feeling Gheraa''s death does¡ªthat sense of something being rotted into the world, a death so profound it''s warped reality around it. If that''s true, then those logs I read are almost certainly from the person who died.
But those logs don''t seem to be from the perspective of an Integrator.
What am I missing?
A notification floats into my vision.
[Ritual: The Empty City has begun. Each Ritual stage will be linked with your loops. Progress within the Empty City will be saved after each Ritual stage.
Ritual stages may reveal more about your connection with your Firmament.
Current Ritual stage: 1/5]
Chapter 151: Book 3: Rituals
Chapter 151: Book 3: Rituals
Guard takes point as he leads us down the stairwell of the building, his metal feet nking against the concrete. It''s the only sound in the otherwise eerily silent Empty City, and the way it echoes along the stairs is... admittedly a little unnerving. It doesn''t help that the colorless nature of our surroundings makes everything unnaturally dim. Guard''s core is the only real source of light, but its prismatic colors don''t make a difference in the gloomy, corrupted corridors we find ourselves in.
Even with that source of light, I find myself having to channel Firmament into my eyes to make things out more clearly. Just me, though: apparently, both Guard and Ahkelios can see in the dark just fine. It''s a good thing I picked this trick up from Tarin, or I''d be doing a lot more stumbling through the dark right now.
At least I have that Interface notice to distract me. I nce at it again, trying to figure out what it means. Ritual stages, and five of them in total...
More than that, there''s something about this that''s different from most of the notifications the Interface has given me. For one thing, it''s rare for me to even get a hint about the rewards I might receive from an Interface event. I''m pretty sure this is the first time it''s directly mentioned a reward forpleting something, and even then, it''s being frustratingly vague about it.
Ritual stages may reveal more about your connection with your Firmament.
Most Interface rewardse in the form of Inspirations, credits, or skills. I can''t decide if the offer to just reveal something is tantalizing or worrying, and more to the point, there''s something about the timing of this notification that bothers me.
Or maybe it''s the way it''s set up. It feels convenient, but more than that, it feels... familiar.
"Ritual stages, huh?" Ahkelios says. He''s been silent for a while, hopping along the stairwell to try to scout out anything that might lie ahead, but now he''s joined me on my shoulder once more.
I nce at him. "You know something about them?""I think so." Ahkelios leans in to get a closer look. "I got them once or twice. They usually show up if a dungeon has something important you need to do. Sort of like a list of tasks."
"A list of tasks..." My voice trails off as I read through the notice again.. "It''s not exactly telling me what it wants me to do."
"Yeah, the Interface is kinda weird about that." Ahkelios grimaces a bit. "A Ritual only triggers if a dungeon has different... states of being, I guess? Basically, when youplete a Ritual stage, the whole dungeon evolves in some way. Sometimes that evolution is minor, sometimes the whole ce changes. I''d call it interesting, but it usually just means the dungeon gets way more dangerous."
Well, I can''t say that''s something I didn''t expect. I sigh. "And the Interface isn''t going to tell me how toplete the Ritual stage, I take it."
"Not directly. At least not at first." Ahkelios hesitates for a moment. "It tells you more the further along you are, but the first stage is usually just something like an initiation process. It''s always something big and obvious, close to the point where you get a notification about the Ritual."
"Which means the notification is location based," I mutter. I wonder if that''s why the portal opened to a different spot. Specifically, I''m wondering if Kauku has something to do with this. He''d mentioned helping me get through the Empty City more quickly, and even though he''d been talking about the sewers underneath at the time, I wouldn''t be surprised if this Ritual thing has something to do with him.
Or maybe something to do with that memory he wants me to retrieve. It''s not like he''s told me anything about it. An oversight, on my part¡ªI should have asked for rification¡ªbut it''s toote now, and I have a nagging feeling he wouldn''t have told me much anyway.
No, he seems like the type to try to lead me there indirectly. Given the limitations he''s told me he''s operating under, I''m assuming he''s trying to minimize the amount of direct help he gives me.
A small voice whispers to me: what could possibly make something like him operate under any limitation at all? I brush off the thought; it''s certainly worrying, but it''s not something I can act on at the moment. I''ll just have to keep it in mind.
If this is Kauku guiding me, it exins all the changes¡ªthe way the dungeon manifested as a key instead of a simple portal, the movement of the items I''ve stored in here, and the change in starting position. And if this is Kauku guiding me, then the next question would be...
"Can you fail a Ritual?"
My words echo in the concrete. There''s a brief silence from Ahkelios, and I can feel a flicker of emotion trickling down through our bond¡ªa sudden, deep sadness. When he speaks, there''s a tremble in his voice.
"Yes." He doesn''t borate for a moment, and there''s something small about his words, about the way he carries himself. "The loop resets the stages, though. So failure usually isn''t permanent."
"I see." I observe Ahkelios for a moment¡ªhe''s clearly trying to shake whatever mood he''s in off. I reach out for him, and after a moment, he climbs onto my hand and sighs.
"I feel like I''m remembering something," he says quietly. "I didn''t remember until you asked about a Ritual failing. I''m really sad. I don''t know why."
"It''s important, isn''t it?" I keep my words gentle, and I keep him held in my hands. Guard remains quiet, seeming to sense the importance of this conversation.
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"Yes." The little mantis takes a deep breath. He doesn''t need to breathe, but the move seems to help him rx. "The Ritual stages are tied to... something. It''s some kind of Integrator trap. I''m trying to remember."
I can tell, from the way he''s drawing more Firmament from me. The process is clearly painful for him, and I lend him support the best I can, strengthening the link between our minds and cupping my hands so he can lean against my palm. Ahkelios staggers, his artificial breathing growing deeper; he almost seems like he''s panting. His chest rises and falls rapidly, his hands clench, he squeezes his eyes shut...
And then he lets out a breath. His hands unclench. His breathing slows until he returns to the signature stillness of a creature made out of Firmament instead of flesh.
He opens his eyes.
"I really didn''t want to remember that," he says quietly. "I think that''s part of it. Sometimes a part of me fights remembering, and those memories are harder to ess than others."
"Thank you," I say. It seems more appropriate than I''m sorry. Ahkelios shakes his head, but I see the appreciation in his eyes.
"Rituals and dungeons in general seem like an aspect of the Interface that the Integrators don''t really want you messing with," he exins. Considering what I suspect about dungeons, it''s not exactly surprising. "They can''t stop you from doing them¡ªit''s a part of the Interface they clearly don''t have control over¡ªbut they can make sure that trying toplete them is more trouble than it''s worth. I think they have a problem with Rituals in particr."
"Of course they do." It''s not exactly a surprise, but everything I learn about the Integrators mostly just pisses me off more. "I take it something happens when you fail a Ritual stage?"
"It might be different for you," Ahkelios says. "The Integrators are cut off from Hestia right now. But you remember what I said, right? About dungeons being loop-independent?"
"Unless Ritual stages are involved, apparently," I say, ncing at the notification again. Ahkelios nods.
"Dungeons are exempt from the barrier around the. They aren''t part of the loop, and they aren''t exclusive to you. To us."
I catch the implications of this immediately. "You''re saying other humans might be in this dungeon?"
Ahkelios grimaces. "Don''t count on it," he says, sounding a little guilty. "Sorry, I didn''t mean to imply that. You unlocked one of the rarest dungeons possible. I doubt anyone else has ess to it. The problem is, failing a Ritual stage creates bacsh, and that bacsh isn''t just going to hit you. It can tear open holes to other people''s Trials, put them in danger..."
He trails off, and I watch him for a moment. It''s not hard to figure out what happened. "You lost someone."
Ahkelios nods. I can feel an immense sadness radiating down through our bond¡ªhe feels things so strongly sometimes. It''s at odds with how he''s usually the more ruthless of the two of us; sometimes, I wonder how much the Trials really changed him.
"I can''t even remember who," he says with a sigh. "I think I knew her before the Trials, though. And I think we were... close."
"I''m sorry for what you lost," I say. Ahkelios forces himself to shrug.
"It''s nothing we can change now." He looks away for a moment, rposing himself. By the time he looks back, he''s not exactly smiling, but that sense of immense sadness echoing down through our bond hasrgely faded. "We should focus on the future. Make sure it doesn''t happen again."
"We will." I lock eyes with Ahkelios, and after a moment, he nods.
"Failing a Ritual stage is different from dying, by the way," he says, almost like he''s trying to change the subject. "You can die as much as you want; it''ll just reset both the loop and the stage. But there every Ritual stage has something like... conditions. If youplete it without all those conditions being met, it''s counted as a failure, and sometimes the Integrators get tricky about it."
"Got it." The fact that a death doesn''t count as a failure and still resets the stage is strange, although it''s also useful. It means I can forcibly reset a stage if I have to. I''m not exactly looking forward to it, but it''s better than the blowback Ahkelios is talking about.
Probably.
A thought urs to me.
If these Rituals can blow back into other Trials, then there''s a good chance that whatever boundary separates me from those other Trials is weaker here. The fact that it''s even possible for other Trialgoers to enter the same dungeon implies that this is an intended feature: in a normal Trial, a Trialgoer might be able to use the chat function to team up with others andplete a dungeon.
My Trial, of course, is anything but normal. The temporal barrier that extends around Hestia might not reach into the dungeons, but¡ªI check the chat feature just to be sure, and it remains disconnected¡ªit''s clearly still enough to interfere with my ability to interact with other people from Earth.
And yet...
Those barriers are still weaker here. Which means that I might be able to do something. If a failed Ritual stage can backfire to the point where it affects other Trials and other Trialgoers¡ªif Trialgoers can all enter the same dungeon together¡ªthen, much like the Intermediaries, they connect different, distinct spaces together.
The normal approach to reach others, as I understand it, is by using gateways that fundamentally utilize the Intermediaries. I''ve never seen any of them, because they aren''t open during a Trial.
But maybe they aren''t the only way. If I can push Phaseslip farther, if I can figure out what connection the dungeons have to the Integrators and the Interface as a whole...
Then I might not be stuck on Hestia much longer. I might not be isted from the other Trials much longer. And if that''s true, then the Integrators are going to have a whole lot more to worry about than just one Trial gone awry.
"I can feel you nning again," Ahkelios remarks. "You make a scary face when you do that, you know."
"What? I do not." I''m a little thrown out of my train of thought by Ahkelios''s remark, but he does make me grin. Truth is, of course, that I have no idea what I look like when I''m nning. It''s just the principle of the matter.
"You do." Guard sounds amused.
I feign an exasperated scoff. "I don''t need both of you harassing me about my ns."
"We''re not!" Ahkelios says. "We love your ns. They''re good ns."
Guard waits for a bit, then adds, "Mostly."
I roll my eyes, but a smirk tugs at my mouth. "Let''s not get too distracted here. We''re still in a dungeon, remember?"
Beneath us, a blue glow slowly grows. We''re getting closer to the first flower, presumably to what will initiate the Ritual, and to uncovering what''s really going on with this dungeon.
I think I''m looking forward to it.
Chapter 152: Book 3: Stage 1: The Seed // Ahkelios
You were a painter once.
You saw the world in colors no other mantodean could. Close one eye, and the painting shifts¡ªyour sight was your pride. Your first love glowed in your sight, didn''t she? Her carapace glowed with streaks of ultragold and silverine; to you, she was a living work of art.
And now that sight is gone. Struck permanently from the record that is your Firmament. You will always remember what you had. You will always know you can never have it again. How does that feel, I wonder, to have something so integral to your sense of self removed?
Even as you are now¡ªreduced, lesser, a mere fragment of the sum of your parts¡ªyou remember the pain of that loss. How many loops did you spend trying to paint one of your old works? How many did you spend trying to capture that magic you lost?
How many before you let yourself understand you would never have that magic again? That you would forever have a hole within yourself?
Ah, but you filled that hole with other things, didn''t you? You let yourself enjoy the viscera ofbat. You took the mantle of the Sword, and blood became your paint. It was never a recement, but it was enough.
Or do you not remember that?
It seems you don''t. s, you are lesser than you were, even now. A pity.
But you don''t think of it that way, do you? You like who you are now.Interesting.
Do you believe that human capable of filling that emptiness? Do you believe that he has?
You seem inspired by him. Is it his ability with Firmament, or his stubborn defiance of the fate that befalls all other Trialgoers? Perhaps you simply admire the fact that he''s done what you could not: saved the lives of those that were otherwise victim to the Trials, defied the Integrators, and struck an undeniable blow against them.
Or perhaps this is your status as his familiar. Perhaps the Interface has forced upon you a sense of subservience. Perhaps it has reced your bloodlust with fondness and loyalty.
How much of your thoughts are truly your own?
He respects you, you tell yourself. He believes in your autonomy and has promised to return it to you, even if ites at a cost to his power. He sees a future with you as a friend and an equal.
But you know more than anyone that these things change. Apply the right pressures, push the right buttons, and even the most righteous can be driven to break. Ask yourself this: What does that human believe in? Does he have a truth, or is he defiant for the sake of defiance?
Do you believe Ethan is special?
Others like him havee and gone before. Three hundred others have taken on the Trial of Time, and three hundred others have failed. You may look up to him for his ability to ovee all that has befallen him, and he has certainly been through more than most.
But he is not the first. He will not be thest.
Do you think he''ll stand up for you when he finds out who you''ve been? Just because he''s said he will? Do you believe that the two of you are friends? You have sharedughs, certainly, but how many of his pains as he shared with you? His doubts, his fears? What weighs him down?
Do you truly know him?
You have a Remnant hidden within the Empty City. If you have so much faith in him, find that Remnant.
Let''s see if your faith is stronger than your cruelty.
Ahkelios curled in on himself slightly. Just slightly. He didn''t want Ethan to notice, and so he held the link between them shut as tight as he could. There were so many thoughts racing through his head, and none of them felt like him. He didn''t understand where they wereing from or how to deal with them. And he didn''t want Ethan to know.
The voice was right, in a way. He''d provided Ethan with unconditional support for most of their journey together, and he had no idea how much of that was the influence of the Interface on him and how much of it was voluntary. They were friends, he was pretty sure¡ªthey bickered like friends, spoke to one another like friends, shared thoughts and ideas and even shared the things that hurt them¡ªand yet...
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There was that nagging doubt. The what if.
He admired Ethan. He was sure of that much. Ethan had aplished so much more than he remembered doing himself, done it in a much shorter time and with far less loops¡ªhow many loops were they on, even? Fifteen? Sixteen?
And then there was... he didn''t know how to identify the feeling. Jealousy, maybe. A wish that he''d been able to get this far this quickly. If he''d been this effective, if he''d just been better, maybe his home would be fine.
He didn''t even know what had happened to his home. He didn''t know how long it had been. With what he and Ethan had learned about the Integrators, it was very likely it hadn''t been destroyed, but how much had it changed in the time since his Trial?
"Ahkelios?" Ethan asked. Ahkelios stiffened slightly, then gave his human friend a weak smile.
"I''m fine," he lied. "Just thinking. A lot on my mind."
Ethan didn''t seem to believe him, but he let it go. Ahkelios hid his sigh of relief¡ªeasy to do when he didn''t need to breathe¡ªand turned his attention inward again, ignoring the slowly-growing light they were approaching. He needed to figure this out. If this was something that could hurt him, if it was something that could hurt Ethan, he needed to know.
You have a Remnant hidden within the Empty City.
Something about those words made fear coil around Ahkelios''s heart. He didn''t like the idea of that. He''d spoken with Ethan and he''d agreed to absorb more of his Remnants, but he didn''t think it would happen so soon, and he didn''t think he was ready. Not yet.
Let''s see if your faith is stronger than your cruelty.
Was it?
He didn''t know how cruel he''d been. The words bothered him. As much as he''d regained of himself, the few glimpses he''d caught of who he was after all the loops... it scared him. He''d be someone entirely different. He had memories of enjoying the rush of power as Firmament flowed through him, as the Interface granted him skills that could slice through the fabric of space itself. He had memories of tearing through his enemies, gathering credits, interested in little else besides bing more.
More powerful. Better. There were glimpses in his memories of the visceral joy of wielding his mantle of the Sword against the world, of the euphoric surge that came with a Truth so strong that nothing could break it. It was the nature of the Trials that the challenge eventually became so great that he sumbed, and he knew, intellectually, that he eventually had.
But he didn''t have those memories. The ones the voice reminded him of weren''t those memories, either. All he could think about, circling in his head, were the memories of what it had felt like to wield power far beyond what he had now.
It scared him, in a way. And in a way that pained him to admit... it excited him.
Ahkelios closed his eyes.
What if that version of him had been right?
What if the power he had gained was worth the ughter? What if that other version of himself was better, happier, freer? His memories were still iplete: for all he knew, Ethan''s strength now was less than he was at his peak.
Do you truly know him?
He did, Ahkelios told himself. Ethan had never been anything less than honest, and more than that, he could feel the human''s sincerity through their bond every time he spoke. He truly wanted Ahkelios to be free.
But that didn''t mean he could do it, did it? His Remnant¡ªhis former Trialgoer self¡ªit was strong. He could almost feel the pulse of its power, stronger than anything they''d faced, resonating through the city.
Could it reim his life for him before Ethan could?
He almost hated himself for speaking up.
"Hey, Ethan," he said. He tried to keep his voice steady. "I think... I think there''s a Remnant of me somewhere in the Empty City. You think we could find it sometime?"
He didn''t n to betray Ethan, he told himself. He just... he just wanted to know.
Ethan just nced at him and blinked. "Of course," he said easily. Ahkelios could feel Ethan reaching for their bond and the subsequent flicker of power as he searched for wherever that Fragment was. "Huh. I should''ve noticed that sooner. You want to head for it now?"
"Not¡ªnot now." Ahkelios fidgeted. "But when we have the time. Between Ritual stages or something."
"I''m sure we''ll run close to it eventually. We''ll check it out then." Ethan reached down to give him a pat on the head, and Ahkelios closed his eyes, quietly enjoying the contact.
He was happy like this, he told himself.
He was.
I watch Ahkelios for a moment as he turns away from me, curling in on himself once again. He thinks he''s being subtle, I think¡ªbut the way he''s closed off the link between us tells me in pretty clear terms that something''s wrong. I don''t bother asking him what it is, not because I don''t want to know, but because I already do.
Color is one of the traits of Firmament. The closer we get to the massive blue flower blooming out of the base of this building, the more I can feel it affecting me. There''s a sheer scale to it that makes it almost impossible for me to touch with Hueshift¡ªI''ve tried, and the best I can do is reduce the impact it has on me.
The density of my Firmament helps. Being a thirdyer practitioner seems to have shored up my core enough that this isn''t enough to cripple me.
But I can feel its influence, still. Blue is sadness, but it''s also an infectious sort of doubt. I don''t need to look through my bond with Ahkelios to understand what kind of doubts it''s likely causing to fester within him¡ªI''m fortunate that Guard seems mostly immune to the effect, although whether that''s a result of his prismatic Firmament or just his general strength, I''m not sure.
I pat Ahkelios on the head. "I''m sure we''ll run close to it eventually. We''ll check it out then," I say.
I think I have some idea of what''s going on. If it''s true, well...
If it''s true, it doesn''t matter. Ahkelios is my friend, and so he''s under my protection.
Even if I''m protecting him from himself.
Chapter 153: Book 3: Collection
One thing I hadn''t really considered on the way down is that the flower''s blooming outside the building¡ªthe inside isn''t exactly filled with pretty blue petals or anything remotely flower-adjacent. Instead, what wee across is a pulsing root structure that''s filled with what looks like electrical signals running across the tendrils¡ªelectrical signals that sh a bright blue as they travel, leaking color-shifted Firmament.
It''s clear even before we get there what we''re supposed to do. There''s something that looks like a ss orb attached to the base of the flower, with a number of vines and roots coiled protectively around it; within the orb is a source of intense Firmament, strong enough that I can feel it even without stretching my senses from where we are, several floors above it.
"Be careful," Guard says, though the remark isn''t needed. Ahkelios and I are both at full alert. I''ve asked Ahkelios if he wanted to demanifest, save himself from the influence of this aura, but he shook his head insistently and said he could help. I can''t say I me him¡ªI would''ve done the same.
Though I doubt bringing him into my soul would be enough to protect him, anyway. Something about the Remnant of him here... it''s strong. The glimpse of it I caught when I reached out with my senses was enough to tell me that it''s not something I''m going to defeat easily, even as I am now. Maybe even with the Knight''s help.x
Ahkelios has a powerful link with me, but this Remnant is trying to forge a new one with him. Reaching out through Firmament and Color, touching on the fragment of his soul that''s sheltered within my own. I bring to bear all the power I can spare to protect it, coiling Firmament protectively around our link, but that''s all I can do¡ªprotect what we have. There''s nothing within my repertoire I can use to prevent a new link from forming.
I''m not worried about it, in truth. I know I should be. The idea that anyone is messing with Ahkelios¡ªeven if it''s a Remnant of him¡ªsends a cold tendril of anger through my gut.
But I''ve changed. I''m a thirdyer practitioner, and there''s a confidence I have now that I didn''t have before. My second phase shift, when I determined who I wanted to be, who I would be...
I will be strong enough to define a future on my own terms. Fear will not define my choices. I will choose kindness and mercy andpassion, weather the risk, and I will win regardless.
I made my choice. And I am not afraid."It is moving," Guard observes. I nce down at the mess of tendrils below us. He''s right¡ªthe closer we get, the more they begin to move, actively shifting and crossing over themselves as if agitated by our presence. Ahkelios makes a concerned, clicking noise in his throat, eyes shing.
"Aren''t you the nt expert?" I say, my voice deliberately light. "How do we fight it?"
Ahkelios turns to me, blinking. "Fire?" he says, as if the answer is obvious.
I mean, to be fair, it is. I grin at him, teasing. "You sure you don''t want to study it first?"
He shudders, and I see a flicker of interest in his eyes, leaking through our bond. He''s kept it held tight for the most part, but some things still leak through. "Kind of," he admits, fidgeting.
"It''s moving," I prompt. "And clearly Firmament is part of its life cycle in some way. Maybe even the color of Firmament."
Ahkelios makes a humming noise, then hops forward, jumping from my shoulder to Guard''s. I can feel him reaching for my skills as he examines the flower¡ªa touch of Firmament Control, a little Hueshift, and a re of Firmament Sight.
"It''s absorbing Firmament from something," he mutters. I''m quietly d when I hear the way interest sparks to life in his voice. "And it''s absorbing color from something. I think it''s adapted to exist in the Empty City?"
"Because of Color Drain?"
"Yeah." Ahkelios sounds eager, now, and Guard has to stop him from jumping ahead by himself. We make our way down the stairwell a little more quickly, mostly to contain the excited mantis. "I think it''s incorporated the Firmament into itself, somehow."
We''re almost there. The tendrils around the ss orb at the center of the flower are all waving frantically in defense¡ªnot that Ahkelios seems to care. He hops closer, dodges one tendril, then kicks another out of the way, a spark of Firmament causing it to snap back and crash into the nearby wall.
I raise an eyebrow at the sight. Apparently, my growth in power means that Ahkelios is stronger as well. Go figure. This is still a rank S dungeon, though. I''m under no illusions as to whether the rest of the dungeon is going to be easy.
Honestly, I''m under no illusions as to whether this fight is going to be easy. But I''m happy to let Ahkelios investigate¡ªhe''s the expert.
"Firmament isn''t enough to feed it nutritionally, though," Ahkelios says contemtively. He leaps along a vine and follows one of those electric-blue signals, deftly bncing even when it bucks and writhes beneath him in reaction. "It''s learned to use Color Drain Firmament. Like it''s a skill. And since it can''t get nutrition, that means¡ª"
He''s interrupted by a rumble. The walls shake around us¡ªI nce up, wincing as the fragile concrete breaks away andes down in chunks. It doesn''t look like the entire building ising down just yet, but it''s a near thing.
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"That means the color is a lure," Ahkelios finishes. "I bet it''s a carnivorous nt."
That makes a lot of sense. The building shakes again, and I nce at Ahkelios, who meets my gaze. "Which means it brought something here," I say.
He grins at me. "Yep. Probably to eat, but I wouldn''t discount it having some kind of symbiotic rtionship with another species in the dungeon. It might have a protector species."
I raise an eyebrow. "This is a dungeon thing, isn''t it?"
"Isn''t it exciting?" Ahkelios''s eyes gleam. Iugh. I was worried he''d spend the entire time lost to whatever''s affected him, but he''s still in there. Affected by doubt, but definitely in there.
Guard, meanwhile, shakes his head. "Trialgoers," he mutters. I sense, despite his words, that there is a tiny undercurrent of affection in it. It''s different from what he''s used to. We''re different from what he''s used to.
A third rumble. A section of the wallshatters, and something breaks through, its silhouette framed by dust and shattered stone. I''m distracted, briefly, by an Interface window that shows up.
[Ritual Stage 1: Collect the Seed]
Prerequisites:
Defeat the Seedmother: 0/1
Keep the Seed safe: 1/1
The Seed is that which grows into a memory. Keep it safe and help it grow, and all the rewards of the Empty City shall be yours.
The notification is fascinating, but it''s not what''s immediately concerning to me at the moment. That honor goes to the massive beetle that''s stuck its head through the wall, which, while far from the most horrifying thing I''ve seen, is definitely among the biggest things I''ve seen that I''ve had to fight.
Short of the asteroid that was about to strike Isthanok, but that doesn''t count.
It looms above us, and I can feel the sheer amount of Firmament pouring through it. Like the flower, it seems to have adapted to the Color Drain here in some way¡ªits carapace is a vibrant, prismatic hue that almost reminds me of He-Who-Guards''s power core. Flickers of electric-blue and other colors race through its shell in awork that reminds me of a cross between a circuitboard and a spiderweb.
This thing is packed with power.
Its eyes focus on Guard. It roars. The sound rattles the building we''re in, causing more of the ceiling to copse; behind us, the stairwell begins to crumble, blocking off one of our escape routes¡ªnot that I was nning to go back up.
"Guard," I say. "We need more space. We can''t fight it in here."
"Agreed." His voice is tense. He crouches slightly, and I sense the change in his Firmament as he funnels his power to his legs. A momentter, his thrusters activate, and he bursts forward in a flicker of motion.
I follow suit with an elerate and a Firestep, leaving a trail of mes behind me. I can feel the Knight stirring, eager to join in the fight¡ªeager to protect¡ªbut I ask it to hold back for now. I need to see how well I can fight without it.
I''m slower than I normally am. Guard reaches the Seedmother first, a crack resounding as he ms shoulder-first into its face and with enough physical force to make it take a step back; I''m there a secondter, Amplification Gauntlet around my fist. The full force of my Firmament behind my blow is enough to make it take another step back, to create a shockwave that rattles the building even more¡ª
Shit. Protect the Seed.
I''m well aware of what Ahkelios said. I can''t fail this stage by dying, but I can fail it by notpleting the prerequisites, which means I can''t grab the Seed before defeating the Seedmother and I can''t let the Seed get destroyed. The problem with that, of course, is that the Seed looks like it''s made out of ss, and it''s very, very clear that this building is about to copse on top of it.
"Ahkelios!" I call. I open the link on my end, letting him surveil my thoughts¡ªhe catches on quickly and darts from my shoulder toward the Seed.
"I got it!" he calls back. A thin film of Firmament extends from him as he grabs on to the orb; it''s nearly as big as he is, but he manages to stabilize it with his Firmament, and he begins flying determinedly toward the hole the beetle created in the wall.
Right as it begins to glow. The moving, multicolored pattern on its shell begins to elerate, shifting, and there''s a sudden snap of recognition as I understand what it''s doing.
That''s a skill construct. It''s using a skill.
"Ahkelios!" The panic in my voice must reach him, because he changes directions almost instantaneously, pulling on elerate to do so. At almost the exact same moment, something manifests in front of the Seedmother, three inches in front of its horns, five away from Guard¡ª
That''s a ck hole.
I barely have time to react. Guard tries to dodge, and I can feel the way he draws on his Firmament, reinforcing his armor as much as he can, but that''s a ck hole. It might be small, but it''s infinite, inescapable density, and it punches through his metal like it''s little more than paper.
It swerves. It moves almost as quickly as Ahkelios does, and I''m forced to Warpstep away, nearly staggering at the amount of Firmament that simple move costs me. Spatial distortions still amplify the cost of that skill, and a ck hole is about as much spatial distortion as you can get. Trying to warp through the thing is going to drain everything I have, which means I''m left to a game of keep-away.
Ahkelios has to protect the Seed. Guard is hurt¡ªthe hole sted through his shoulder leaves one of his arms dangling uselessly from his shoulder, and I don''t know if it hit anything more vital, because his Firmament is flickering dangerously. For our first battle, this couldn''t have gone worse.
I mentally flick through my options. Distorted Crux for more speed will buy me some time. I still have the Knight to call upon. Some of my newer skills I haven''t tested yet, but Fate-Shattering Blow might be able to do some damage to it¡ª
The patterns on the Seedmother''s back move again. I feel Firmament collecting into a mass as it charges, forming a different construct, a different skill.
It feels familiar. Like the golden spear Anhar used against me. Except this one is more,yered upon itself again and again, and the spear it creates is not one but dozens, filling the sky with a frozen, golden rainstorm. A third of them are directed at me. Another third are aimed at Guard.
Thest third...
It''s subtle, but they''re not aimed at Ahkelios at all.
They''re aimed at the seed.
Chapter 154: Book 3: Warning
Chapter 154: Book 3: Warning
Before I can do anything else, a warning res into my skull, making me wince from the sheer force of it. I have to blink away the spots in my eyes to even begin to parse what just happened, but when I do, my eyes widen.
[Let it kill you.]
It''s a Paradox Warning. The skill construct resonates within my core, and I stare up at the volley of golden spears. I don''t like the idea of letting it kill me. I don''t like the idea of not pushing this fight to its limits and getting everything I can from it. Almost unbidden, I can feel something rising within me, responding to my desire to keep fighting.
The Knight. It struggles to free itself, and already I can feel its influence leaking into my Firmament; my skin hardens, gaining the glint of solid metal in odd, mishappen spots. I grit my teeth, forcibly pushing it back¡ªI can''t afford this right now. Not if I need to let myself die. I don''t know how I know, but I feel certain that if I allowed it to take over, I won''t die. At least not easily.
And if I let that Seed get destroyed... that''s a failure that has a chance of blowing back into other Trials. As much as I''m interested in seeing that process, I don''t think I''m ready for it. I need to have something that allows me to¡ª
Oh.
I suddenly understand, and the moment I do, I trigger the skill.
Paradox Warning. I feel the skill activate, then feel the way it coils around me, asking me toplete the loop, to send back the warning that gave me this train of thought in the first ce.
So I do. Sending the message just a second or two into the past doesn''t cost me as much Firmament as it might have otherwise, but the cost is still staggering; I feel nearly a quarter of my Firmament supply empty out of me in a way that I almost never feel these days, leaving me to stagger and grit my teeth.No time to let this slow me down. The Seedmother''s skill is seconds away from firing, and if I don''t make sure I''m hit first, both Guard and Ahkelios are going to suffer more than I will.
"Guard!" I call out. "You know where to meet me?"
"I will find you," he calls back gravely, apparently sensing what I''m nning. Good enough for me. Ahkelios calls out in rm, clearly also sensing what I''m nning and disapproving of it, but before he can try to convince me otherwise, I elerate up to meet the spears.
I have to admit: as many times as I''ve died in the loops, I don''t think I''ll ever quite get used to the feeling of being stabbed multiple times over.
[You have died. +57 Strength credits. +15 Durability credits. +32 Reflex credits. +50 Speed credits.]
¡ª
When I wake up, I''m lying in the dirt, staring up at the sky. Ahkelios stands on my chest, his arms folded across his chest.
"You let yourself die again!" heins.
"I did," I agree. I reach up to pat him on the head, and he ils for a moment as he tries to push my finger off before he reluctantly epts it, huffing. "I know you''re worried about me getting used to it, but... I''m in a time loop, Ahkelios. I need to take advantage of it while I can, especially if it gives me an advantage."
"How does this give you an advantage?" he grumbles.
"We''ve got some time before Guard manages to find us." I push myself up to my feet, prompting Ahkelios to hop off and then reim his spot on my shoulder. "Why don''t we find out?"
"What are you talking about¡ª" he begins, but I don''t quite give him the time to finish the question.
The Road Not Taken.
It''s the realization I had. I might have been able to fight off the Seedmother and protect the Seed, especially with the help of the Knight¡ªbut that''s not what I need right now. What I need is information, specifically on the consequences should I fail a Ritual stage, and that Seedmother set up the perfect opportunity for it.
I''m changing a decision that''s a fairly limited amount of time in my past, but even then, it''s a costly use of Firmament. I feel about half of my reserves drain out of me, leaving me with barely a quarter left, and I groan against the strain; I feel Ahkelios''s worry flicker down the bond as he reaches out to support me with his own Firmament. It''s an automatic act, but it still makes me grin.
And then the power of the skill envelops us both, and we find ourselves back in the battlefield.
Mentally, anyway. The Road Not Taken is ultimately an observational skill¡ªI can''t just rewind to a point and redo things the way I want to, I have to pick a singr decision to change¡ªbut the decision I''m changing here is a simple one.
I choose to fight.
Now that I''m actually using the skill, I''m realizing that I need to grow a lot more to be able to use it for everything I want to use it for¡ªgoing back long enough to interrogate Whisper, for example, is going to take exponentially more Firmament than I have avable to me right now. That''s a problem for future Ethan, though, and preferably one that''s been through a few more phase shifts.
Right now...
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Let''s see.
I let the Knight take me over. Metal ting emerges from my skin, and I hear a guttural snarl emerge from my throat as vocal cords change into something other, abination of metal and Firmament and conduit-flesh. The transformation is painful, but not nearly as harrowing as it was the first time. Unlike my first attempt at using this Inspiration, the Knight and I are... somewhat coordinated.
Not perfectly coordinated, as it turns out. Not yet. We try to dodge the spears and to keep the Seed safe, but we don''t quite agree on the same direction to move, and the result is ourbined body iling awkwardly through the air and toward Ahkelios; we still manage to protect the Seed, but only because several spears nce off our armor.
A few manage to pierce into us partway before we bat it away in retaliation, and we snarl in response. Pain is unpleasant.
The Seedmother is an enemy.
Before Ahkelios or Guard can stop us, we bound off the building and toward the Seedmother with enough force that we shatter the windows and create a small crater in the side of the building; that momentum transforms into a punch that''s empowered with Amplified Gauntlet, the appearance of the skill changing entirely as it moves through the Inspiration''s construct.
It''s my first time using a skill with the Knight like this, and the difference is incredible. It''s draining, certainly, but instead of covering my arm with a gauntlet of Firmament, it transforms my arm¡ªchanges it into a thick, powerful thing, bulging with dense,pressed Firmament. The moment our fist makes contact with the Seedmother, all that energy bursts out of us and into its carapace, causing a deafening crack and a shockwave that sends us flying back.
It''s not too much of a concern. We flip midair, readjusting ourselves so wend feet-first on the horizontal surface of a nearby building; the ws in our sabaton grip into the concrete, and we send in roots of metal and Firmament to stabilize ourselves and watch the result.
The Seedmother roars. It''s in pain. Its carapace is absolutely shattered at the point of impact, revealing pink-white flesh that pulses in an almost grotesque fashion. The circuitry on its carapace almost immediately reorganizes itself, rerouting around the wound and forming into a new pattern, a new skill construct.
This one is new. It looks almost like a tree, branching outward along the shell. A pulse of Firmament goes into the newly-formed construct, then a green forms at the tip of its horn¡ª
We don''t have time to react to this one.
The orb flickers, and when the skill is cast, it turns into forks of lightning that st through the air. It passes through my armor and barely affects me; Guard jerks in ce from the impact, as it apparently severely affects his systems; Ahkelios tries to dodge, but the near-instantaneous nature of the attack...
The lightning passes through the Seed and shatters it.
Almost immediately, the Ritual blowback begins.
I try to push back the Knight so I can better examine what''s happening, but it roars in defiance; it is hurt and angry and right, and it wants to kill this thing that hurt its friends. I''m briefly surprised by the intensity of that emotion¡ªit hasn''t known the three of us for that long¡ªbut it has evidently decided that we are friends, and that it wants to protect us.
That''s ttering, but it''s a problem right now. My Firmament sense isn''t as strong when the Knight is integrated with my being, and so my sense of what the Ritual blowback is doing is dampened. I can''t spare any attention to push the Knight back, either; the more I do that, the more I miss what the Ritual is doing.
So I let it have control. Better to focus what attention I can on the Ritual''s failure.
Almost immediately, the Knight takes action. I feel a surge of power rush to my limbs, feel my ws sharpen and my shell harden¡ªbut my mind is elsewhere. I''m focusing on the Ritual, on the blowback.
It all starts with the Seed.
The Seed is tied almost haphazardly with the Interface, like the Integrators couldn''t quite make the Interface to do what they wanted and had to brute-force it into doing what it wanted; limited though my senses are, I can feel how tiny threads of phased Firmament thread through the Seed and into the Interface, reaching a core of something that''s beyond my ability to sense. The destruction of the Seed causes a ripple that echoes into the Interface...
That makes sense, actually. If the Intermediaries serve as a primary means of connecting differents, then the Interface must serve as a secondary one; it is a single construct that ties together all Integrateds.
What, then, do the dungeons have to do with it?
I have to push my senses farther. The Knight resists, but I manage to wrest enough control to activate both Firmament Sight and Phaseslip; it pushes everything just a little bit farther into rity, and allows me to see...
What is that?
I can''t be sure what I''m looking at, but it feels almost like the dungeon is part of the Interface¡ªlike the threads that lead into the core of the Interface also attach to the edges of this dungeon, right at the corners of what I can sense. The entirety of the Empty City is twisted into itself, creating a self-sustaining bubble of space that''s stored in the Interface.
Is that what this is? Does the Interface somehow take these dungeons and... contain them within itself?
Before I can think on it any further, a second attack ms through me; this time, it''s one of the Seedmother''s legs. The Knight snarls in retaliation, resisting as much as it can. Our armor survives for a moment as the street cracks around us.
Another moment.
Two more.
Impossible pressure rises around us, and we resist with everything we can¡ªbut eventually, the street beneath us cracks, and we plummet into darkness¡ª
The skill ends. Ie back to awareness, my chest heaving; even Ahkelios looks a little bit shaken. He climbs off my shoulder, looking a little bit dazed, and neither of us say anything for a long moment.
"First of all," he manages to say, his voice not entirely steady, "that''s cheating."
"Was it?" Even in my current state, I manage a cheeky grin at the mantis. "I''m pretty sure I''m just using what''s avable to me."
"It''s cheating," he insists stubbornly, though he can''t quite resist the grin that steals across his face. "...You think you can use what we found?"
"I''m sure I can." It''s going to take me a while¡ªI''m not dumb enough to think I can mess around with the Interface without severe consequences just yet. But once I''ve got Gheraa back... well, who knows?
I hear Guard''s thrusters in the distance. He wasn''t kidding about being able to find me.
"Wanna take bets on how many tries it''ll take us to beat the Seedmother?" I ask, injecting a bit of levity into my tone. Ahkelios looks up at me.
"Five," he says.
"Three," I say easily. And only because I want to study those skill constructs on its back.
Guardnds a momentter. "Four," he says, having apparently heard the conversation. "I will adjust my strategy, but it is not an easy battle."
"We will adjust our strategy," I say, smirking. "But fine. Let''s see who''s right."
Chapter 155: Book 3: The Benefit of Looping
Before we go in for the second try, I decide it''s time to bank some points. We''re over the threshold for Durability, and I''d rather not lose to something like spears through my body again. Crystallized Barrier and Verdant Armor alone are powerful defensive skills, but as far as I could determine, they weren''t quite enough when facing the Seedmother. The sheer amount of power in its attacks...
No. I need a third skill, I think. Something I can use against the Seedmother to survive the incredible variety of destructive skills it seems to possess. Besides, better to bank the credits now so that any new credits I earn in these fights go toward the next skill, and not just a chance for a better one in this roll.
[Are you sure you wish to bank 1,014 Durability credits?]
[1,014 Durability credits banked! Rolling for results...]
[Select between:
Diamond Carapace (Rank S Physical Upgrade)
Impermeability (Rank S Physical Upgrade)
Adamant Bones (Rank S Physical Upgrade)
Phase Metabolism (Rank S Physical Upgrade)][A note to my Heir: You''re on the right track. These will help.]
I stare at the Interface options for a moment, then nce at Ahkelios, who seems even more speechless than I am. The confirmation that I''m doing the right thing is nice, though I''m a little nonplussed by Kauku''s apparent ability to watch me and interfere with the Interface to this degree.
On the other hand, the fact that I''ve received physical upgrades instead of skills is more concerning by a fair margin.
"You know anything about this?" I ask eventually. Ahkelios shakes his head at first, then hesitates, changes his mind, and nods.
"Kind of," he says, seeming a little uncertain about it. "I''ve seen the Interface offer a physical upgrade as a reward before, but not from banking credits. It''s usually a reward for clearing a dungeon or something. And they''re usually... optional."
I nce at the floating screen in front of me. "Doesn''t seem that optional, this one," I say dryly.
"No," Ahkelios agrees with a solemn little frown. He hops closer, reaching out as if to touch the Interface window before withdrawing, as though remembering it''s not his. "Does Inspect work on them?"
"It does." In fact, Inspect gives me a pretty clear image of how each of the options will change me. Diamond Carapace will quite literally give me an insectoid shell, and I dismiss that out of hand immediately¡ªmy link with the Knight already covers that angle, and I''m not all that interested in a permanent, visible change.
I''m not prepared for the Interface to change me quite that much, and if I have to ept some changes, I''d like for them to be minimal.
The others are a little more eptable in that they won''t change how I look. Impermeability is exactly what it says on the tin¡ªit''s an immunity of sorts to stabbing and prating attacks. That would technically save me from getting killed via beetle-leg-to-the-face again, except it doesn''t really change anything about the inside of my body, and all that would happen is that I''d have my bones and organs crushed inside my perfectly intact skin.
I shudder a little at the idea. No, I don''t think I''ll be picking that one, either.
Adamant Bones and Phase Metabolism are the most interesting of the lot. Mostly because, like Impermeability, Adamant Bones promises to make my bones virtually indestructible¡ªwhich seems more useful than just making my skin indestructible, depending on how the force of a blow moves through my skeleton. And Phase Metabolism...
I wince. It would be an easy pick if not for the physical change that apanied it, and even that I would''ve been willing to ept if that change weren''t so much of a ring weakness.
It''s a... Firmament sac, forck of a better term. The change would allow me to biologically process Firmament and use it to alter aspects of my body¡ªspeeding up healing or forcing myself to metabolize a poison, for instance. The problem is almost entirely in the fact that it would manifest as an easy-to-target, glowing sac, and taking a hit in it would be debilitating.
To say the least.
The prospect of the upgrade is still tempting, if only because of how much I might be able to learn about Firmament, but if this is an option at all then I''m going to guess that there are simr creatures in the Empty City or elsewhere. Knowing that it''s physically possible is enough of a start for me to look into it. Even the Seedmother processes Firmament, technically, although I imagine it''s not going to be easy to figure out how until we defeat it.
I sigh and make my choice.
[Adamant Bones obtained!]
The wave of pain is more or less expected, and I''m already gritting my teeth by the time it starts. It feels like a vibration in my bones¡ªlike the sound of a powerful bass ripping through my skeleton and making it rattle against my flesh. My vision blurs, and I would have copsed to my knees if not for Guard reaching out to catch me. He holds me gently, like he''s afraid I''ll break.
I''m not that weak. I don''t get the chance to say it, though, because anything I try to sayes out like I''m speaking into a spinning fan; the sound emerges warped and distorted, and I give up after a moment.
This is fine. It''sfortable enough.
The intense shaking rattling through my body settles after a moment. I have to blink away the doubled vision, and there''s an ache in my muscles that tells me this change did some real, physical damage to my body. More than that, I feel like I''m a littlerger than before, a little taller...
"The Interface does not respect its Trialgoers." There''s something in Guard''s voice that''s more than disapproving. He sounds almost... upset.
"It never has," I reply with a shrug. I try for a stretch, wincing as I feel every muscle scream in protest¡ªbut I''m not immobile. This is minor damage at best, and in a moment or two I should be healed enough to fight again.
Time for round two.
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"Come on. Let''s go."
On the second try, we lose.
The new Durability-based change helps, but it''s not as much of a game-changer as I hoped. Not for the fight against the Seedmother, at least. It has a lot more skills than any of us expected, even with the information I got from using The Road Not Taken. Besides the ck hole, the spear, and the lightning, it has skills that manipte all the vines and tendrils around us¡ªand there are so many more of those things than I expected.
Seriously. Those roots seem to be embedded all over the city, digging into every street and structure. I''d spend time ruminating on it if not for the fact that most of my attention has to go toward trying to stay alive.
On top of that, the Seedmother has a skill that melts concrete. Then it shows us something that freezes air into a solid barrier. A third skill that creates tiny portals into what I think might be a dimension of pure fire; I only realize that because trying to Warpstep through the mes nearly drained all the Firmament I have. I need to be more careful with that.
Even fighting with everything we have, it''s not that much of a surprise that we lose¡ªespecially since we have to deal with the condition that the Seed needs to remain safe. Ahkelios tries running away from the fight multiple times, but the Seedmother almost seems to prioritize the Seed as a target, then me as a secondary target.
On some level, it fights like it knows the role it''s ying in the Interface''s game.
I doubt it actually does. It doesn''t seem particrly intelligent¡ªthe way it fights is more a game of action and reaction, a semi-random selection of skills chosen to deal with specific situations. At some point over the course of the fight, Ahkelios, Guard and I all realize we aren''t going to win this first attempt and focus instead on predicting it: on finding out if we can get the Seedmother to respond in specific ways to situations we put it in.
If we corner it, there''s a good chance it''ll use the skill that melts concrete and disappear into the ground for a minute or two. If Guard gets right up into its face, the Seedmother will rtively predictably use its ck hole skill. If all three of us are about the same distance away, it calls up its lightning skill.
There''s some variation to it. Sometimes it''ll try to do something new, like using that methrower attack instead of the lightning; sometimes, it''ll disregard skills altogether, instead focusing on a series of physical attacks as it tries to ram us into buildings or il one of its many, many legs at us.
It''s thatst thing that catches me off-guard. Even with Premonition helping me, it shatters my Crystallized Barrier and my Verdant Armor, then strikes me directly in the face.
Probably one of my more embarrassing deaths, all things considered. Immutable bones don''t quite stop the shockwave from obliterating my brain.
I did notice something, though, right before my death. Crystallized Barrier manages to survive for a fraction of a second longer than I would''ve expected¡ªalmost as long as Verdant Armor itself does.
Which means it''s still growing in strength. I knew that to be an element of the skill, but I sort of assumed there would be an upper limit on it; instead, every time the barrier breaks, it gets stronger the next time I use it. There''s no apparent increase in Firmament cost or anything, either.
I really need to be using that skill a lot more. I''m sure I''ll hit an upper limit eventually, but this thing is valuable beyond its rank.
Unfortunately, that information doesn''t help me this loop.
[You have died. +27 Strength credits. +87 Durability credits. +102 Reflex credits. +33 Speed credits.]
He-Who-Guards felt his systems heat up in a mixture of anger and frustration, though more directed at himself than at either of hispanions.
He had known when choosing to fight with Ethan that the Trial would not be a simple one, but he hadn''t expected to be fought to a standstill this quickly. He''d been one of the strongestbatants Isthanok had to offer for pretty much his entire life. Whisper''s conversion of him from silverwisp into this abomination of metal didn''t change that¡ªif anything, as far as fighting was concerned, it was an improvement.
The amount of Firmament hemanded was formidable, and the technology that had gone into constructing his frame was quite literally among the best Whisper could procure. Half the materials hadn''t even been acquired from Hestia.
And yet he was losing. They were losing. This was their third time fighting the Seedmother, and even now, he didn''t have a better sense of how they would beat the thing. Sure, they were learning its patterns, and the artificial intelligence embedded within him was getting better at predicting what it would do, but that didn''t help. Not when he couldn''t adequately protect the Seed or do enough damage to the Seedmother to stop it.
Engage shields, the AI whispered. Vines iing. 5 o''clock.
Pure Firmament rippled out from his arms into a perfect, shining barrier; he pivoted on the spot, mming the shield directly into the encroaching vines. It pushed them to the side slightly, but it took only a momentary beating before the shield was shattered. The Seedmother was leveraging enough force that he couldn''t stop it.
He-Who-Guards had never been this far on the back foot before. His optic shed in angry desperation¡ªhe didn''t like this. Didn''t like being only marginally able to help, didn''t like being little more than a distraction.
He was here to help, wasn''t he?
Ethan reminded him so much of She-Who-Whispers. More precisely, he reminded him of who she''d been. Before she fell to the maniptions of the Integrators. Before she''d been forced to make difficult decision after difficult decision, stripping away any pretense of morality she once held and turning her into a ruthless dictator that would do anything to realize her vision of perfection.
This human had the same conviction she once had, the same powerful drive to do what he considered to be right, no matter the consequences. He had the same look in his eyes when he saw an injustice and dered it to be wrong.
It made Guard ache. He missed who Whisper had been.
It made him worry. He wouldn''t be able to take it if Ethan went down the same path she did.
And it made him d, because unlike Whisper, he didn''t think Ethan would.
There was a fire in that human¡ªa fire Whisper never had. It was his drive to not only make sure things were right, but to do them the right way. It was his refusal to bend to pressures that would have made anyone else break.
That fire ignited something in Guard he''d thought was long gone. He''d failed Whisper. He didn''t want to¡ªcouldn''t¡ªfail Ethan. He never thought he''d be drawn to someone in the same way again, that he''d believe in someone the same way again, and then the damn human had pulled off three impossible things at once in a feat that still left Guard in awe.
Ethan forced Whisper to give up what he was doing, even if it was temporary. He''d deflected an entire asteroid, one that the Integrators had set up to destroy their home.
And he''d cured him. Not even Whisper had been able to do that. He-Who-Guards wondered sometimes if Ethan understood exactly what he''d managed to pull off, or if he''d just filed it under the dozen other impossible things he''d done like it was no big deal.
Guard owed him more than words could express, and yet, at the very first enemy they fought together¡ªand even before that, with the Interface forcing a change on Ethan that he hadn''t been able to do a thing about...
Is there nothing else we can do? He felt useless, and this was only the first obstacle. Unlike Ethan, he couldn''t grow with the Interface; if he hit his limits now, then this was all he would ever be able to provide in support. Yet he''d tried almost everything in his repertoire, scanned and analyzed everything he could...
...except...
No. There was one thing he hadn''t scanned yet, wasn''t there?
Those patterns on the Seedmother''s back. The ones it used to fire skills.
They looked like circuitry.
In the back of his mind, Guard began to wonder. In the back of his mind, a certain artificial intelligence began recording every permutation of that circuitry, linking each set of patterns with their observed results.
Circuitry was something he could copy.
Maybe he wasn''t stuck with his limits.
If Ethan had taught him anything, it was that the impossible was just another thing to punch through.
Chapter 156: Book 3: Patterns of Observation
There''s something that begins to bother me as we fight the Seedmother. It''s not ourck of progress¡ªthough we''re learning enough about its patterns that I''m beginning to suspect that its tenacity is going to be a problem. It''s something about the skills, about the way that circuitry rearranges itself on its shell.
It''s not that there''s anything wrong with them, it''s just...
It feels like there''s a pattern to them. A pattern I don''t entirely understand yet. It''s like an itch in my brain, and I find myself spending more and more time just staring at the Seedmother''s carapace. I shouldn''t, given we''re in the middle of a battle, but I can''t help trying to figure out exactly what''s bothering me.
Part of me wonders if it''s the structure of the skills¡ªif a part of my brain is trying to figure out a way to copy them from the Seedmother¡ªbut I''m pretty sure that isn''t it. I''ve already tried, and theplexity of these circuits isn''t something I can mimic through Firmament Control alone. More than that, the skills in my core are fundamentally different; they''re three-dimensional constructs, not two, and the way they take in and convert Firmament isn''tpatible with whatever the Seedmother is doing.
It''s not the structure, then. It''s not the color of the Firmament it''s using, either; there''s no pattern to that I can identify. I''m pretty sure it''s just drawing on whatever Firmament''s immediately avable through thework of vines and roots embedded throughout the City. It''s not the amount of Firmament it''s using, not the way it cycles or changes skills, nor anything to do with how each skill manifests.
I narrow my eyes as the Seedmother charges toward Ahkelios. A new circuit shes into existence, just for a moment¡ªbright red in color, triangr in shape, and although there''s no apparent effect, the strength with which it swings its legs toward Ahkelios is suddenly amplified tenfold.
What was that? A Strength skill?
It''s been using these the whole time, I realize. There''s an entire other category of skills it''s able to use that isn''t quite as shy as the ones that create Firmament constructs or directly manipte its environment¡ªit''s why it''s so much stronger and faster than I''d expect a monster of this size to be.
That''s what I''ve been noticing, then. The inconsistencies in its strength and durability and reflexes. It''s using skills from all categories, not just Firmament skills. That revtion tugs at something in the back of my mind, but it''s hard to focus on that in the middle of the fight; as if on cue, the Seedmother chooses this moment to turn its attention to me, and I''m forced to call up Distorted Crux to dodge the spears it suddenly rains down around me.This thing is pissing me off. It''s not just the way it throws skills at us like it''s nothing¡ªthe fact that it''s apparently fuelled by the entire city''s store of Firmament is patently unfair¡ªit''s the way it keeps running away whenever we manage to deal any significant amount of damage to it. That concrete-melting skill that lets it merge into the ground, whatever Durability skills it''s using to heal itself... It makes fighting the Seedmother an endless battle of attrition, and considering it has an entire city as a battery, that''s a battle we''re going to lose.
We need a new strategy.
"Guard!" I call. He''s struggling with a half-dozen vines, each trying to tangle him up and get into his systems; when he hears my call, he spins, a quick st of Firmament tearing them to pieces. He''s by my side in an instant, his core briefly sputtering from the exertion.
"We will not win like this." He says the words like nothing''s wrong. I eye Guard for a moment.
"No, we won''t," I agree. The Seedmother is retreating for the moment¡ªAhkelios manages to fly a circle around it, forcing it to stab itself with a few of its own spears before it forcibly dispels the skill. "I have a n."
"What do you need me to do?" Guard''s response is immediate.
"We''re going on the attack," I say. "We''re pacing ourselves too much. I need us to hit it as many times as possible, as hard as possible."
There''s a flicker of hesitation. "Will that be enough?"
"Only one way to find out," I say.
If we hit it hard enough¡ªfast enough¡ªthere''s a chance we can overwhelm its regeneration.
But I doubt it. That''s not my n.
First: force the Seedmother to y defense. I watch with Firmament Sight activated as it desperately cycles skills to dodge Ahkelios''s and Guard''s relentless attacks; Ahkelios has left the Seed behind on a nearby rooftop. I''m keeping an eye on it, but we can''t waste energy protecting it if this strategy is going to work.
Second: I need a boost. Inspired Evolution: Knight.
I don''t need the Knight''s full power at the moment, but it''ll be easier to fight with it than without. My Firmament usage is a lot more efficient when I''m merged with the Knight, I realize, even if the Inspiration itself consumes a massive chunk and strains my systems to the point where repeating it is difficult.
It''s here that I encounter the first significant change as a result of acquiring Adamant Bones. The Knight transformation hurts.
Much, much more. And it already hurt before.
I have to grit my teeth and hold back a shout¡ªmy bones are everting themselves, inside to outside, forming the ting of the Knight''s armor. It makes sense that the transformation would be different. The fact that the new bones are virtually indestructible means repurposing them for my armor is the best possible thing to do.
But fucking ow. This new variation of the transformation better give me some Durability credits. I grit my teeth so hard I''m pretty sure I taste blood in the moments before the transformationpletes and I no longer have a mouth to taste with.
It''s more reflex than anything else that makes me reach out to the Knight. "Was that necessary?"
"Yes." The Knight replies. The fact that it responds at all surprises me¡ªit''s given me the impression that it doesn''t like talking. "You have a n."
"I do." It shares a mind with me, so I don''t have to exin any of it.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
"I will help." I feel the Knight''s determination. It surprises me¡ªso far, its attitude has been obstinate at best, and our tentative truce has never been anything more than that: both tentative, and a truth. It wants more, I know that much, but it hasn''t been able to let itself trust me just yet.
Except now, something seems to have changed. I''m not sure what, or why, or if this has something to do with how I''ve been fighting. It''s like the Knight has decided that I''m worthy. Or that I''ll keep my promise to it, that I won''t abandon it and end our partnership.
"You know what to do?" I ask. No point questioning this now.
I get the impression that the Knight smiles savagely in return, though there''s no physical expression it can make. "I must fight."
Well, it''s not wrong.
We... split, forck of a better term. Once more, I allow the Knight to take control of our shared body so it can focus its efforts on fighting and doing as much damage to the Seedmother as it can; in the meantime, I withdraw deeper into my core, working on replenishing our Firmament stock and making sure I have enough for what I have nned.
The process of actively converting environmental Firmament into a usable form is different from anything I''ve done before. Gheraa''s talked about this being possible¡ªabout the fact that a skill construct can be converted into something that takes in Firmament and refines and purifies it¡ªbut after what happened during myst phase shift, I don''t want to sacrifice my skills like that. They''re worth more than this.
But he gave me a gift. That vestige of Gheraa turned himself into something I can use for exactly this purpose. So that''s what I do¡ªI reach out with Firmament Control, pulling on the environmental Firmament around me and carefully feeding it into the golden construct within my soul.
It actually looks and feels a lot like a spinning wheel. Its internal mechanisms are far moreplicated than that, of course, but the basic process of using it?
Ipress ambient Firmament into a thread. I feed it slowly into the construct, massaging it so it changes from one form of Firmament into another. Then I allow the newly purified Firmament to diffuse into my soul, empowering me.
There''s a sense of warmth in me as I do this. The aches and pains from the ongoing fight fade away; even the pain of the recent transformation fades from memory. I don''t let that distract me.
This is an opportunity.
The Knight is handling theplexities of the battle¡ªdodging, attacking, and retreating every time the Seedmother tries to counter. Every hit it manages tond cracks the carapace apart and leaves a bleeding crater of shattered shell and flesh behind.
That creates weak points in its shell. He-Who-Guards takes full advantage of it, sting the wounds withnces of burning Firmament that sears deep into its body. It roars in pain.
Ahkelios can''t do quite as much physical damage as the other two, but he doesn''t have to. He''s incredibly mobile. Every time the Seedmother tries to target him, he swoops around, forcing it to abort its attack lest it identally hit itself again; if it doesn''t target him, he harasses it by turning into a bright spark of Firmament flying repeatedly into its eyes. It doesn''t even have the chance to try to target the Seed.
Me? I observe. I examine. I look at every skill the Seedmother tries to use to save itself¡ªand I''m right. Strength, Durability, Reflex, Speed, Firmament... It has the full set of skills, and the simplified, two-dimensional nature of its skill circuits reveal something to me that''s much harder to observe within my own skill constructs.
There''s a pattern. The Strength skills it uses all look simr to one another in overall shape, though not in the details; they''re triangr circuits, originating at a point and spreading out. Durability looks like ripples in a pond. Reflex looks like the branches of a tree. Speed looks like the spokes of a wheel.
The only exception is Firmament. There''s no rhyme or reason in those skills. But it doesn''t matter: I''ve learned what I needed to learn.
The Seedmother doesn''t allow us to harrass it like this for long, of course. It interrupts by study with a roar of pain and anger, then activates that concrete-melting skill; it takes a little longer this time, its shell so damaged it needs an extra few seconds to create a working circuit, but it still escapes before we can kill it.
That''s fine. It''s expected. "Keep going," I say, speaking through the Knight; the metallic distortion sounds so different I almost don''t recognize my own voice. Ahkelios and Guard nce at each other.
"Are you sure?" Ahkelios asks. "If we fight like this, we''re going to run out of Firmament."
"I''m sure." I feel Firmament churning within me, eager to be used. I think I''ve actually managed to gather it faster than the Knight is expending it¡ªwhich is good, because we''re going to be using a lot of Firmament.
The Seedmother re-emerges. Predictably, it goes for the Seed, still sitting on its rooftop¡ªbut the Knight and I are there in an instant, our intents merging into one. The entire minute Seedmother has been healing, we''ve been building up a blow with Concentrated Power.
The moment the Seedmother begins to re-emerge, we strike, an Amplified Gauntlet warping our armor into a purified weapon and nearly doubling the force of the blow. It''s strong enough that I have to rapidly construct several Crystallized Barriers just to protect the Seed from the shockwave, and the massive Seedmother is sent physically flying. Half its face is shattered.
It won''t be trying that again.
Guard and Ahkelios go back to hitting it with everything they have. With the Seedmother on the back foot, it''s easier to get past the cracks in its shell. Meanwhile, the Knight allows me control, and I begin using a skill I haven''t used in a while.
Timestrike.
The skill that lets mend a hit at some point in the future. I fill a roughly Seedmother-sized section of the air with them, allowing the time setting of the skill to fluctuate mostly at random; I don''t need to hit it at a specific time. Not for what I''m nning.
I keep harassing the Seedmother while I do this, of course. A blow to its shell every so often to keep it on its toes, to give Guard and Ahkelios the space to keep hurting it. To force it to use more skills and observe the shape of each of them. I''m not sure what to conclude yet, but my gut tells me it''s important.
The Seedmother retreats again, as expected. Guard and Ahkelios look at each other¡ªthey''re both starting to look exhausted. The pace of the fight is wearing on them. But we have a minute to recover, and this will be thest time.
I''m really hoping this works.
"One more. Bring it to that corner. Guard, I need you to chain it down if you can."
I take the lead. The Seedmother is far more cautious as it re-emerges this time, a Speed skill prepared on its back so it can dodge my first blow; clearly, it''s smart enough to learn. The teleportation skill it uses takes it away from me...
...directly toward the area I''ve filled with Timestrikes.
"Got you," I mutter. The Knight grins savagely within me; Ahkelios and Guard aren''t sure what I''m talking about, but they follow the n, harassing it with attacks, corralling it fully into that pre-prepared corner. Guard res with power, drawing out the chains I''ve seen him fight with, and I watch as they expand in size.
One leg. Two. Three. Ahkelios keeps it distracted until all six legs are chained down and Guard''s panting from the exertion in an oddly human way, his core flickering between bright and dark.
I''m going to need to talk to him about that. Before I canplete that thought, though, a Premonition strikes. I see the Seedmother''s shell glowing, see the entire thing shine, feel a powerful sense of danger, and realize¡ª
"It''s got a second phase!" I swear under my breath, wrapping Distorted Crux around myself and pushing forward with everything the Knight has. I''m not doing this fight again¡ªbad enough doing it once, and I don''t think Guard is going to be able to repeat this without a loop or two to recover.
I only need one blow to make this work. I just need to hit it once.
The Seedmother''s shell reaches a peak of brightness, nearly blinding¡ª
¡ªand my fist meets its face.
Causal Shattering.
Time to see if my n will work.
Chapter 157: Book 3: Temporality
The Seedmother screeches in response, aborting whatever change it was attempting and instead bucking forward with enough force to fling me away; He-Who-Guards is immediately against my back, supporting me and keeping me within range. A sh of what looks like a Reflex skill on the beetle''s back tells me that it understands the danger it''s in, but it''s far toote for it to stop what I''ve begun.
A new form of Temporal Firmament sts out of me, tuned to a new force: an attack on causality, on the very nature of cause and effect. A Causal Shattering.
A shockwave of pure time ripples across the Seedmother''s carapace, strong enough that it lights up in my Firmament sense like blinding fireworks. I feel the skill establishing itself across the Seedmother like awork of twisted spiderwebs, spinning a storm of threads not only around but through it. It establishes almost a hundred distinct, distorted segments within the beetle that each resonate with Causal Shattering''s power.
The Seedmother tries to resist. It has a scant few seconds to try: the amount of Firmament it wields is so immense that it takes that long for my skill toplete. I can feel it sting wild bursts of power out of its shell, trying to shake the hold I''ve established.
Then a circuit forms across its shell¡ªit''s trying to use a skill.
"ck Hole." He-Who-Guards identifies it faster than I can. In a moment, his thrusters are fully engaged and he''s there, right in the middle of that circuitry; I''ve tried to disrupt the Seedmother''s skill circuits before, though to no avail. It''s filled with too many redundancies.
But maybe Guard''s figured out something I haven''t, because he strikes with a de of Firmament directly into a corner of the circuit, and the whole thing sputters out.
He''s been studying the circuits too, it seems.
It tries again. A circuit forms in another part of its shell, and Guard is once again there, striking and cutting the skill out; I can''t help him, because it takes all my focus and energy to keep Causal Shattering going."I cannot do this forever!" Guard calls out. Ahkelios hesitates for a moment on my shoulder, then flies forward, determination ringing through his Firmament.
"I can help," he says.
I''ve only ever seen Ahkelios doing this with me before, but apparently, his own capabilities have been evolving. I watch as he darts toward Guard and then merges with his Firmament de, turning it a shade of bluish-green. I see Ahkelios''s color spread through Guard''s body as their Firmament bes one.
And then he''s moving. Twice as fast as before. The Seedmother tries desperately to fight, forming a half-dozen circuits at once, but it doesn''t matter when Ahkelios and Guard can move fast enough to get to all of them before they can fire. The mantis shares his speed and agility with Guard, draws directly from my Firmament to empower him, and together, they stop the Seedmother from fighting back.
Which allows me to focus everything I can into the skill. It''s my first time using it inbat¡ªmy first time drawing this much Firmament into a single skill. I can tell what I''m trying to do with it is stretching it to its very limits.
But, crucially, not outside of those limits.
Causal Shattering rips apart the timestream of whatever I strike with it. The Knight is still active, and like all Inspirations, its influence changes the form of the skill just slightly. It gives it direction. It gives it intent.
We''ve filled the Seedmother''s past with wounds. All the holes we''ve torn into its shell, all the damage that Guard, Ahkelios and I have worked to inflict¡ªIt''s been hurt again and again, and even though it''s managed to heal itself, those wounds are still there in its past. They exist in that timestream.
I''ve filled the future with Timestrikes, aimed haphazardly across the space the Seedmother upies. Every one of them is loaded with enough force to tear apart the shell, but far more likely, they''re loaded with enough force to rip through whatever internal organs might be present at the time the punch is delivered. Those attacks, too, are in the Seedmother''s timestream.
And that timestream is mine. That''s what a Causal Shattering is. That''s the truth of the skill.
[Mastery of Causal Shattering has improved!]
The air cracks. No: it shatters. It fills with the scent of blood and decay.
The sound that emerges from the Seedmother tries to be a roar but emerges as a choked, inhuman scream. There are suddenly dozens of wounds torn into the Seedmother''s body, oozing with blood and calcified time; half of them are from the past, the other half from the Timestrikes I''ve ced in the future. Some of them are far enough in the future that the flesh within has begun to rot, with worms and insects eating through it.
Looking at the Seedmother through my Firmament sense is like looking at it through a cracked mirror. The damage is everywhere, all throughout its body, and I can feel the temporally-skewed inconsistencies through its cracked and twisted Firmament.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
In one moment, it''s healthy, and in the next...
Half-dead. It''s notpletely dead, even now, but it''s dealing with more damage than we''ve ever managed to do to it, and it''s dealing with all that damage all at once. Even with Firmament reinforcement, it can''t keep up with its own body, now mutted throughout time¡ªeven if it tries, that Firmament ends up being sent to the wrong time and ce.
Ahkelios has separated from Guard and is now standing on his shoulder, watching, but all three of us are basically frozen in ce. I expected my n to work, of course, but I hadn''t expected this degree of effectiveness; the way the Knight changes Causal Shattering turns it from a skill that''s a bit of a gamble to a skill that''s almost a guaranteed one-shot. It''s taken nearly all my Firmament and I feel a bone-deep exhaustion slowly filling me, but...
Damn.
"Your ns are... highly effective," Guard remarks after a moment of hesitation. His voice is a little quieter than it normally is, and he can''t quite seem to look away from the Seedmother.
"Is it still alive?" Ahkelios flies a little closer, though he maintains a respectable distance. I don''t me him.
"For now," I say. I''m breathing heavily, I realize¡ªthe skill was a strain on me. Thirdyer or not, I haven''tpletely adapted to using skills at such a high level with that much Firmament.
But we''ve won. I know that for a fact. Three tries, just like I predicted.
What''s left are just the death throes.
The Seedmother struggles topensate. New patterns flicker to life on its shell as it tries to reverse the effect of my shattering. It fails. It can''t keep that circuitry consistent across time, nor does it even have enough shell intact to create a working circuit.
It tries anyway. It tries to heal with a new, smaller circuit. It fails. Small or not, there''s nowhere for the circuit to be written. Flickers of Firmament start and then dissipate. It''s clinging on to life through sheer will, at this point.
It tries the concrete-melting skill again. It fails. That one was barely an attempt¡ªthe circuit flickers to life, and then fades just as quickly.
Slowly but surely, its struggles fade.
I let the Knight evolution dissipate, wincing a little as my body screams in protest and a dozen aches and pains return. There''s a distinct sense of smug satisfaction from the Knight, as if it enjoyed beating down the Seedmother; I give it a small sense of thanks for its help, and there''s a response of what almost feels like a purr.
Terrifying. I''m going to need to spend some time to understand exactly what these new Inspirations¡ªthese Evolutions¡ªentail. But for now, I''m just grateful for its help. A part of me expects somest minute change, some disaster to ur, but... there''s nothing.
Instead, an Interface notification pops up in front of me, bright and bold.
[You have defeated the Seedmother (Rank SS)! +372 Strength credits. +655 Durability credits. +322 Reflex credits. +407 Speed credits. +500 Firmament credits.]
Rank SS. I can''t say I''m surprised, considering how much of a battle that was, though with the way each rank seems to jump exponentially I''m surprised the battle wasn''t harder.
Not that I''mining. This is a lot of credits. It almost makes the pain of the Knight evolution worth it. I can practically feel the Inspiration scoffing within me at the thought¡ªof course it''s worth it, it thinks¡ªand Iugh internally in response.
Honestly, considering the kind of damage I was able to take, it isn''t wrong. Some of the Seedmother''s attacks were entirely ineffective against our new armor. It''s part of the reason I was able to spend as much time examining the Seedmother''s shell and skills as I did. Part of the reason I was able to learn as much as I did.
I''m still trying to deconstruct the implications, though. Strength, Durability, Reflex and Speed; if the skills can be physically distinguished based on how they''re constructed...
A new Interface notification interrupts my train of thought, and I make a low, irritated noise in my throat.
[Ritual Stage 1: Collect the Seed]
Prerequisites:
Defeat the Seedmother: 1/1
Keep the Seed safe: 1/1
"Looks like all we need to do now is pick up the Seed," Ahkeliosments, looking up at the rooftop. It''s bnced precariously on the corner of a now mostly-ruined building; the shockwaves from fighting the Seedmother didn''t exactly leave the city untouched. "Want me to get it?"
"Not yet." I want to figure out what''s going on with the Interface skills before we trigger the next Ritual stage; whatever it is, I doubt it''s going to be easy to deal with. If we have to fight another series of monsters like this, the next stage is going to take a lot of loops to beat. "Ahkelios, have you ever noticed anything weird with the Interface''s skills?"
"What do you mean?" The mantis blinks up at me. "They''re all weird."
"The way they''re sorted," I rify. "The categories."
"They never seemed like they fitpletely, but I figured it was just the Interface trying to sort them," Ahkelios says with a shrug. "Why?"
"Just trying to figure something out."
It''s possible there''s anguage limitation here¡ªthat the Interface is just picking the closest equivalent word that describes a given category and using it. But if I try to sense the overall shape of the skills within my soul...
It''s not something that''s easy to notice. The skill constructs are immense,plicated things, and Firmament sense doesn''t lend itself easily to geometric shapes. But I can approximate a guess by pushing Firmament through each skill and watching the shape that emerges.
I''m right. Each category besides Firmament¡ªStrength, Durability, Reflex, Speed¡ªthey have consistent, repeatable, recognizable properties. Shape is an oversimplification, and this is only noticeable because the simplified nature of the Seedmother''s circuits gave me an idea of what to look for, but...
This means the categories aren''t just the Interface trying to sort the skills into the best avable category. It means the categories themselves aren''t nearly as arbitrary as the Interface wants us to believe.
Ahkelios is watching me, following my train of thought. I don''t hide it from him. After a moment, he speaks, a little hesitant. "You think the Interface''s names for the categories are wrong?"
I cock my head. "No," I say. I nce at the Interface again, at the faintly glowing words that tell me how many credits I have in any given category. At the thing that''s both the source of my power and the thing that''s corralling the direction of my growth.
Strength, Durability, Reflex, Speed.
Basic categories. Easy to understand. Easy to dismiss.
"I think it''s lying."
Chapter 158: Book 3: The Return
Somehow, saying the words makes them feel all the more real. There are enough inconsistencies I''ve uncovered between the Integrators and the Interface that I''m no longer willing to take everything it says at face value. It doesn''t help that I know for a fact that not even the Integrators fully understand the purpose of the Interface¡ªit''s an object of worship for them more than it is something they control, and their limited administrative rights over it is a reflection of that.
Unlike Kauku.
The thought strikes me out of the blue, and I frown. He modified the Interface''s method of rewarding Inspirations with little more than a wave of a hand. He changed at least one Durability roll so that it modified me physically rather than rewarding me with skills, and he added a message into the Interface on top of that.
Gheraa''s done something simr, but he couldn''t do that by default, could he? He added Temporal Echo to my Firmament rolls, and that seemed about the extent of his maniption¡ªhe couldn''t send me a message through the Interface until...
Well, until whatever he did just before he died. Whatever he did that gave me those skills. That gave Isthanok a chance.
Kauku didn''t need to do any of that. It''s another mark in what feels like an ever-growing list of questions about what exactly he is.
Not that any of this changes what I have to do next. Complete the stages, retrieve whatever memory it is Kauku wants from the Empty City, and then bring Gheraa back to life. The sooner I can get that done, the better¡ªbut even if the Intermediaries are repaired, I don''t think I care anymore about whether the Integrators are watching.
Let them watch. There''s more at y than them. Bigger actors. Kauku is proof of that, even if I don''t know what his presence means yet.
"Okay," I say, letting out a breath and gathering myself. "The Interface is lying. We can deal with thatter. Ahkelios¡ªcan you get the Seed?"Ahkelios stares at me, a little nonplussed. "Are we, uh, not going to discuss the Interface lying thing?" he asks. I stare at him, mostly because I have no idea what more I''d say about it, and he raises his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I''ll go get it. But for future reference, you don''t get to just say things like that and not borate."
I chuckle. "It''s more that I haven''t finished putting together everything I need. We''ll talk about itter. Let''s just get the Seed first."
It doesn''t take him much time to get it. He flies back, the ss orb clutched in his arms. I''m surprised there isn''t even a scratch on it, considering the intensity of the fight with the Seedmother.
I reach out for it¡ª
And the moment it touches my hand, it vanishes. The Interface pings me with an update.
[Seed collected. Congrattions, Heir. Ritual Stage 1 has beenpleted.]
[Bonus objectiveplete: Defeat the Seedmother without it entering its second phase! +200 Firmament credits.]
[Progressing Ritual: The Empty City to Stage 2. Be aware that the Firmament levels required for dungeon alteration are hostile to fifthyer lifeforms and below. Evacuation is rmended.]
My eyes narrow on the notification. Fifthyer? How much Firmament is the Interface capable of usi¡ª
Premonition activates. The danger is everywhere. Even with the skill, I don''t have time to react.
Around me, Firmament roars to life, the pressure stronger than anything I''ve experienced before¡ªeverything I felt in the Intermediary is weak byparison. The force of it is enough to push the breath from my lungs, to make Ahkelios vanish as his form is destabilized and he returns to shelter within my soul. He-Who-Guards copses almost immediately onto his knees, using a single hand to stabilize himself; a choked noise emerges from his vocalizers.
I remember Miktik.
I don''t hesitate. The Knight Inspiration surges back to life around me. I''m drained enough that I can''t sustain the transformation for long, nor have I really recovered enough for this to be a good idea; I can already tell I''m going to pay for thister. But staying in the dungeon for anything more than a few seconds is going to be even worse.
I grab Guard,unch myself back to the top of the building with the portal, and throw us both through it and back to Hestia.
The pressure drops off almost immediately. The portal doesn''t seem to allow the immense outpouring of Firmament through, a fact I''m grateful for. I can only imagine the effect it might have on anyone around the portal if it had. I ce Guard gently on the ground, then turn back to it¡ª
I blink. The portal to the Empty City is still there, but where I could see through it and into the dungeon before, it''s now opaque. A golden film blocks the whole thing off. Carefully¡ªmore out of curiosity than anything else¡ªI reach forward to poke at the film, and it remains firm beneath my touch.
I could try to break through, but that seems like a bad idea. A quick nce at the Interface more or less confirms the thought.
Stolen story; please report.
[The Empty City has been locked. Time remaining before full establishment of Ritual Stage 2: 8 hours.]
Ahkelios re-manifests as I frown at the notice, popping back up on my shoulder and shuddering.
"That felt awful," he says. He nces at the portal, then at the screen I''m reading. "Eight hours?"
"Yep," I say dryly. "I take it that''s never happened to you before?"
Ahkelios looks troubled. "No," he says quietly. He stares at the portal for a long moment. "I hope..."
"What is it?" I raise an eyebrow at him, but he shakes his head.
"It''s nothing," he says. He hops off my shoulder and toward Guard¡ªthe former silverwisp is still lying on the ground, his vents cycling air rapidly. I don''t think he''s conscious. "Is Guard okay?"
I kneel beside him. "He''s fine," I say. Nothing about his Firmament feels off. He''s just unconscious, and by the looks of things, he''ll be better in a minute or two. He wasn''t exposed long enough to...
I sigh.
"Looks like we have some time to kill," I say. I reach out with a hand, letting Ahkelios hop up onto my palm; with a thought, I summon the key to the Empty City and twist the portal shut. "Let''s wait for Guard to wake up and then see how Tarin is doing, yeah?"
"Sounds like a n," Ahkelios says quietly.
If Rhoran had a mouth to snarl with, he would''ve. There was nothing here. Nothing he could attach himself to and take¡ªeverything here was too strong, too... distorted? There wasn''t a word for what they were. Theycked the consistency and life that other things did, and theycked the element of emptiness that he could otherwise take over.
Neither real nor an echo. Where even was he? He remembered vaguely going through a border. Remembered a transition from one region to another. But his senses were dull and almost meaningless when he was in this state; he''d turned himself into a parasite, into a devourer and conqueror of Firmament.
That meant nothing in a ce where all Firmament was either twisted to the point of meaninglessness or too strong for him to conquer. If he could just find something small enough to take over, he could grow in strength¡ªhop from host to host until he found someone or something that could crush the spirit of the irritating human that kept surviving his stupid Trial.
His job was supposed to be easy! The Path he''d been in charge of consisted nearly entirely of "dead"s and civilizations; they were hosts to Trials that the Integrators had long since given up on anyone actuallypleting. That they had anyone overseeing them at all was more of a formality than anything else. Being assigned to these Trials was something like a vacation. Or a retirement job.
Until Gheraa, anyway. A younger upstart of an Integrator that insisted to the Upper Council that he''d find a way toplete one of these Trials¡ªto restart a dead Path. Suddenly he had to do work, to supervise, to actually contribute his Firmament to the Interface so it could operate as intended on Hestia.
So what if he''d been a little rough with him? Gheraa needed to learn. If he hadn''t been able to restart the dead Path, no one could.
Except the bastard had started rebelling.
Now here he was.
The longer Rhoran spent time as this¡ªthis parasite he''d been reduced to, the more coherent his thoughts were, at least. He wasn''t quite as subject to his mind shattering again and again like it had in the beginning, and he was starting to learn more about his new form. More about what he could do.
That didn''t change the situation he was in. He was a Firmament parasite in a world filled with Firmament he couldn''t even touch. Everything he could sense was a realm beyond him.
Ethan was here, he could tell that much. He was fighting some enormous thing that should''ve killed him a hundred times over. Rhoran could even tell that it had¡ªhe sensed the stutter-stop in his environment every time things reset.
But he couldn''t affect the fight. He wasn''t strong enough. If there was just something he could attach himself to...
He felt his frustration reach a boil when Ethan actually defeated the creature he was fighting. This was unfair. That human hadn''t even ranked highly for any kind of Firmament affinity¡ªhis base had been unstable and pathetic, and Gheraa''s selection of him had been idiotic! How¡ª
The world shook. Firmament suddenly roared around him, so intense it blinded every one of his senses. Rhoran had no mouth with which to scream, but everything he was sang with agony.
Ethan again. Had he figured him out? How had he done this? He should have been impossible to detect, even with a Firmament sense!
He tried to escape, but it was all around him. There was nowhere he could go, nowhere he could hide, but he tried anyway, darting back and forth and searching desperately for something...
There.
A small dark spot. An orb of ss that wasn''t quite as saturated with heat and power, half-hidden from the world but not from him. Ethan must''ve missed it. He ran to it, his entire existence shaking and whimpering, and hid.
There''s a presence in the crow vige that makes me stop in my tracks almost as soon as I arrive. He-Who-Guards has recovered enough that he''s walking alongside me, though the glow of his Firmament is weaker than usual. It''ll likely take a few more hours before he''spletely able to recover.
More importantly, however, is the crow that''s here. The crow that definitely shouldn''t be here, because he hasn''t been in any past loops. It can''t be anything I''ve done¡ªthere''s no Hotspot to investigate this time, and I''ve spent this whole loop within the Empty City. Which means... what, that the Integrators being disconnected from the Interface triggered this?
It doesn''t really matter, I suppose. I don''t really have a reason to be afraid of him anymore. I stride forward¡ªhe''s yelling at Tarin, because of course he is¡ªand inject some Firmament into my voice. Just to make sure he hears me.
"Naru," I say. He jumps with a squawk that''s almost identical to Tarin''s. Firmament res from him defensively, but it retracts with a snap the second it makes contact with me, and he takes an involuntary step back.
I frown. The Trials really do make things just about power, don''t they?
"Tell me why you''re here."
Chapter 159: Book 3: An Old Foe
As satisfying as Naru''s fear of me is, there''s a part of me that recoils from it. It''s a well-deserved reversal of our first meeting, but our first meeting was me punching him in the face after he was particrly crass about Tarin being in aa; there''s a difference between that and... whatever this is. It''s like he thinks I''m going to tear him apart just for touching me with his Firmament, and that I don''t particrly like.
Not that I''d prefer his usual reaction, either. I haven''t forgotten the way he talked to me about his own parents. Or the way he treated Mari in that fight.
"You''re the Trialgoer," he says, recovering. That conclusion''s probably easy enough to reach now that I''m stronger¡ªonly a Trialgoer would be able to reach the thirdyer, and he already knows all of Hestia''s Trialgoers. Naru''s eyes dart left, then right, as if assuring himself that there''s a means of escape. "This is your fault, isn''t it?"
"I have no idea what you''re talking about," I say. Which is a lie, mostly; I''m pretty sure he''s talking about how the Integrators have been cut off from the Interface. I just want to figure out what he''s doing here before I say anything else.
"Ethan!" Tarin pokes his head out of his hut. "You finally here! Why you die so much?"
I blink, then let out a snort ofughter¡ªso much for intimidating Naru. The old crow is acting like his son isn''t even there, and the way Naru res at his father in protest almost makes me feel bad for him. "Now youe out of your hut?" he demands. "When the Trialgoer shows up?"
"He earn it," Tarin says dismissively. It almost makes me wince, the way he says it. Naru flinches at the words, then scowls, turning his attention to me instead.
"So you''ve been dying a lot, have you?" Naru asks, the words a half-sneer. "You might as well give up on your Trial¡ª"
Tarin baps him in the side of the head with a wing, making him sputter in protest. "You quiet. I need talk to Ethan."The old crow turns back to me. "You die too much! This idiot keep visiting and you die before he finish talking."
Tarin''s as blunt as ever, although his words have a way of diffusing the tension. It probably helps that with me here, Naru seems almost afraid to act. "That''ll happen sometimes," I tell him. "I was fighting something powerful. I beat it, though. We should be done for a while."
Unless the next stage of the Ritual tries to kill me right off the bat, anyway. Even then, it''s another eight hours until the dungeon opens again; there should be plenty of time to deal with whatever Naru wants.
"Good training?" Tarin asks. I hum, ncing at the Mastery tab of the Interface.
[Mastery: Causal Shattering | 1 of 3]
Gain improved control of temporal distortions created by Causal Shattering. You may manually target one part of your target''s timestream.
"Good training," I agree. The skill credits weren''t bad either. "Sorry for all the resets."
"As long as it good training," Tarin says. He sizes me up for a moment, then nods. "Good. You grow a lot. No wonder Naru scared."
"I''m right here," Naru growls. "And I''m not scared." He takes a few steps forward, pouring Firmament into his arm to reinforce it; it feels more like a threat disy than anything, like he''s trying to make himself look bigger than he really is.
"I asked you a question, Trialgoer."
Premonition doesn''t activate.
"And I told you I have no idea what you''re talking about," I say, raising an eyebrow. "You''re going to have to be more specific."
Naru lets out a strangled noise. "The Interface," he says, struggling to keep his temper in check. "I can''t contact the Integrators. And I can''t¡ª"
He snaps his beak shut before he finishes what he''s saying. I frown slightly. There''s something he doesn''t want me to know, then?
I bet I can figure it out. I watch Naru silently for a moment. His breathing is a little frantic, and unlike most of my encounters with Hestian Trialgoers, he doesn''t seem prepared to bring up his Interface.
Now that I think about it, I remember a notification that mentioned the Interface reverting to baseline programming; something about all the damage that was done to the Intermediaries.
That has implications, doesn''t it? I don''t know what ''baseline programming'' is, but more likely than not, it means that the Interface doesn''t have any of the features the Integrators programmed into it.
Features like contacting the Integrators, yes, but more than that. Trial-specific features. The things that give their Trialgoers an advantage in the Trials. In the context of this Trial, that means...
Have the Hestian Trialgoers lost ess to their loop-specific privileges?
Being able to tell what loop I''m in, for instance. Or that ability they have to make notes for themselves so they can reference it at the start of each loop. It''d exin why Naru seems so uncertain¡ªwithout that information, there''s no way for him to know how much I might have grown through the loops. No way for him to know what I might have done.
"Can''t check your notes?" I ask. Just to test the waters. Naru tries to control his reaction, but he flinches, and it''s enough.
"None of your business." He says the words through a gritted beak.
I shake my head. "The Integrators brought it on themselves. All I did was fight back." I pause in a pointed sort of way¡ªI remember very well how insistent he was that fighting against the Integrators was impossible. "You''re wee."
"Wee?" Naru nearly explodes. His feathers puff up all at once, and I feel his Firmament surging within him. Premonition still doesn''t activate, but he looks like he''s only seconds away from throwing a punch. "Do you know what this means? The Integrators are the only reason Hestia is still here!"
...This is new.
Now that I look a little closer at him, he seems... frazzled. It''s been a while since Ist met him in the loops¡ªI remember being pissed at him because of the way he treated Tarin and Mari, and in particr because of his cavalier attitude toward Tarin''sa.
Stolen novel; please report.
I remember his argument with Mari. His insistence that fighting the Integrators was pointless. His pride in the power he''d gained, even at the cost of his own home. Mari mentioned something about him killing the other crows in the vige¡ªnot on purpose, but because he couldn''t control the amount of power he wielded.
Rather than learning to control it, he''d chosen to leave. To use his power to assert himself in one of the Great Cities, as the other Trialgoers did. It''s a huge part of his estrangement from his family.
But now the Integrators are gone. He''s staked his pride on them, in a manner of speaking¡ªhis entire philosophy has been that it isn''t worth fighting them. That it isn''t possible to fight them.
He''s shaken, I realize. On some level, he''s afraid, and not just of me.
"Why did youe here, Naru?" I repeat my question. Naru looks at me¡ªreally looks at me¡ªand something in him seems to dete.
"I don''t know."
There''s silence in the vige for a moment. Most of the other crows are desperately curious about what''s going on. I see them casting fearful looks at Naru, peeking out of their huts or around a corner. They''re all otherwise keeping their distance, though; the vige as a whole is quieter than it usually is, like the whole ce is holding its breath.
I wonder who he killed. I wonder how it happened. I never asked, now that I think about it; I''d epted Tarin and Mari''s words at face value.
Did he juste here because he was afraid? Because when everything he believed in began falling apart, he grew desperate enough to just... run back to his parents?
I wasn''t particrly expecting to feel sympathy for Naru. Time loops make anything possible, I suppose.
"You were yelling at Tarin when I arrived," I say.
"He wouldn''t talk to me." Naru clenches a fist in frustration. Come to think of it, the fact that he''s got hands instead of wings has to be one of the physical upgrades from the Interface. "He just kept telling me to wait! But he''s fine talking to you, apparently."
"Because Ethan Trialgoer." Tarin says the words as if they''re obvious. "I try talk to you before. But loop keep resetting. It annoying. Wait for Ethan better."
Whoops. I hadn''t particrly considered how my repeated deaths might impact Tarin, but then I hadn''t expected Naru to suddenly show up, either. The Hestian Trialgoer grits his beak again in response, sputtering for a moment before falling silent; he doesn''t seem to know what to say. "How do you two even know each other?" he eventually manages.
"Tarin helped me in the Trial for a while," I say.
"You?" Naru almost seems at a loss before he whirls around to Tarin. "You helped the Trialgoer?"
"He fighting Integrators. Of course I help."
"You didn''t help¡ª" Naru cuts himself off again as he speaks, forcing himself to take a deep breath. "What did you do?" he asks, turning to me. His voice is almost pleading.
"Stopped the Integrators from destroying Isthanok," I tell him honestly. "And most of the other Great Cities, too, probably."
Naru stares at me. "You''re lying."
"He not lying." Tarin sounds exasperated, like he''s had this conversation with Naru before. "He save vige too."
Naru turns to stare at his father. "Save... what do you mean, he saved a vige? This vige?"
"What other vige there?" Tarin asks, looking affronted. "They start raid. Ethan stop raid. He not stop raid, vige gone. Same with ss city."
Naru opens his mouth to protest, then closes it again. It takes a moment before he speaks. "They aren''t... supposed to..." he starts, and then he trails off, sounding lost.
Ahkelios has been silent this whole time. I can feel a strange mix of emotions from him¡ªsome of it is contempt, but there''s also sympathy. He''s familiar with how Naru''s feeling in some way.
"Integrators lie, Naru," he says.
"I know that!" Naru snaps. He res at Ahkelios¡ªand then he freezes, as if paying attention to him for the first time. "Wait¡ªAren''t you¡ª"
Ahkelios doesn''t respond. He stares right back at Naru challengingly, waiting for him to finish his sentence, but eventually Naru just shakes his head.
"Even if you''re telling the truth," Naru says, and he says it almost desperately, like he''s trying to convince himself more than he''s trying to convince me. "We still need them. We can''t¡ªHestia needs them."
"Why?" I ask.
"Because," Naru hisses. "They''re the only ones keeping us in check. The rest of the Hestian Trialgoers, the Disconnected. The only reason there''s a bnce is because we all know the Integrators are watching us, and even then it doesn''t stop most of us from acting against one another. We''re just a little more subtle about it. Take away the Integrators, and¡ª"
The ground rumbles. I nce around sharply.
"Never a break, is there?" I mutter.
Technically, this isn''t my battle to fight. If the Trialgoers don''t have ess to their loop privileges in the Interface, then they aren''t a threat to me¡ªall that will happen is that they''ll cycle their actions again and again with every loop.
But just because they aren''t a danger now doesn''t mean they won''t be eventually, and in that sense, this is the perfect opportunity to find out everything I can about Hestia''s Trialgoers.
"I can''t tell if you actually care about your vige or not," I say to Naru. He stiffens a bit at my words. "Last time I spoke to you, Tarin was dying, and you didn''t give a shit. You fought Mari and punched her through several trees. I don''t trust you."
Naru says nothing, but there''s a flicker in his eyes, and his jaw tightens. There''s something he wants to say.
"But I''m willing to concede I might not have the full story," I say, eyeing him. "And something''sing that''s got you on edge. You said you don''t know why you''re here. Is that true?"
Naru mutters something under his breath. I stare at him, and he snarls¡ªnot at me, but at himself. "No. Yes. I don''t¡ªI don''t know why I ran here, but I''m being chased. Another Trialgoer. Versa. She''s got a grudge against me."
"And you brought her here?" I ask, my tone disbelieving.
"I didn''t know where else to go," Naru finally snaps. "The loops are killing Hestia and it''s going to die even faster without the Integrators and no matter what else you think of me, I don''t want that to happen. None of us do! Is that what you wanted to hear?"
I press my lips into a thin line. That''s a lot of important information that''s apparently been withheld from me. "It''s a start."
Good enough for now, anyway.
Premonition activates. The ground shakes again, and I feel foreign Firmament being channeled through it¡ªno, more than that. The feeling''s familiar. This is...
Phaseslip.
I match her phase, then grab the neer''s fist and tear her out of the ground. Her Firmament makes contact with mine¡ªshe''s strong. Stronger than Whisper and Naru, and close enough to me that I can''t tell which of us would win in a fight.
"Pleasure to meet you," I say. Versa hisses at me, though it seems more like reflex than actual hostility.
She''s also a spiderdy. Great.
Rhoran took a moment to understand where he was, to understand what Ethan had done. It had been difficult for him to put the pieces together, until now.
That human had triggered a Ritual. It must''ve been a Ritual for that dungeon he''d gained ess to, though Rhoran couldn''t remember the name of it for the life of him. What he cared about was the fact that he had an opportunity.
Ritual stages were generally things the Integrators couldn''t interfere with. It was the natural progression of a dungeon, quantified and held in ce by the Interface.
But Rhoran wasn''t an Integrator anymore. And even if it was idental, he was in a ce where the next stage of the Ritual was being... programmed, forck of a better word. Generated.
Everything in the dungeon itself was too powerful for him to infect, but this?
It was the perfect environment for a parasite.
Chapter 160: Book 3: Acceleration
Versa stares at me. She doesn''t snatch her wrist out of my hand. Instead, all four of her eyes fixate on me then scan me slowly from head to toe.
It''s... ufortable. I get the feeling that she''s assessing me¡ªdeciding whether or not I''m a threat. Unlike Naru and Whisper, she doesn''t immediately flinch away from me. Instead, the spines along her arms and shoulders bristle.
I can''t tell what that signifies. Excitement? There''s definitely a sense of interest in her eyes, and it''s the kind of interest that makes
"Trialgoer." There''s a distinct series of clicks in her voice as she speaks. She straightens, pulling her wrist easily out of my grip; it''s a moment before I realize she disabled Phaseslip to do so. "I''m surprised to see you here. Figured you''d be off doing... whatever Trialgoers usually do. Fighting monsters? Looking for the exit?"
"Do you know where it is?" I keep my tone casually disinterested. The whole thing about the Trial''s exit is pretty low on my list of priorities, but I''m not going to pass up information that might be valuable.
"That would be telling." Versa grins at me, something sparking in her eyes. "You could always make me tell you."
I narrow my eyes. She''s spoiling for a fight. I don''t think she''s as hostile as Naru indicated, but more likely than not...
Her eyes flicker to Naru, and I see a clearly recognizable emotion. Distaste.
She''s about to attack, but not me. Naru realizes it a second after I do, and Firmament res up around him defensively; I feel it being channeled into a skill a fraction of a second before all his feathers turn silver. Versa whips past me a secondter to deliver a punch¡ªher feet dig into the ground hard enough to leave a crater behind, and she swings two arms directly into Naru''s chest.He blocks. Barely. I hear him grunt as her fists dig into his forearms, creating a series of spiderwebbed cracks in his silver shield. He tries to retaliate, but he''s ponderously slow inparison: she leaps back before his retaliatory punch cannd. There''s a shockwave of force that travels from his fist, but it dissipates by the time it hits her.
Interesting. That looks like a skill that captures and returns the force from the attacker. There''s an upper limit on it, judging by the way Naru rubs at his arms¡ªone of them looks like it might be broken.
"Uh, Ethan?" Ahkelios asks. "I feel like we should do something about this."
"I do not believe I have recovered sufficiently for this," Guard mutters. He looks more annoyed than he does frightened, though.
"Dealt with them before?" I ask.
"Naru visits asionally," Guard grunts. "I do not have all my memories of him, but he''s... troublesome."
"I bet he is." I let my Firmament flow into my core, channeling a skill I haven''t had the chance to properly test. Distorted Crux.
The Seedmother was too big for the skill to really show its strengths; the most it could do against it was allow me to dodge its projectiles. It doesn''t help that like my other rank S skills, it consumes a ton of Firmament to keep it going.
But I don''t need to keep it going for long.
Versaunches herself toward Naru again; this time, I step in her way, and she begins to slow down. She realizes what''s happening quickly, but not quickly enough¡ªshe has too much momentum to change directions quickly, and more importantly, I don''t think that''s what her skillset is based around.
Speed and quick, rapid blows. Distorted Crux trumps whatever Speed skill she''s using. There''s not much you can do if time itself is slowing down around you, and the closer she gets to me, the more time slows. I take a step closer, hiding my grimace at the way the Firmament draw increases; judging by the way she begins to wince, I''m guessing she''s draining her own Firmament trying to defend against the skill.
She can move more than most would be able to, but this is still more than enough for me to catch her by the wrist. Her gaze flicks up to me, evaluating.
"Fine. I surrender." The wordse out slow and distorted. Naru tries to take advantage of my hold on her, because of course he does¡ªI feel him gathering energy for a massive blow that would not only take her out but probably half the vige with it. I levy a re at him.
Tarin, meanwhile, hits him with a wing. "Stop!" he squawks angrily. "You blow up vige again!"
Naru stops. Good. I''m not sure I have the Firmament left to deal with that.
I can already tell dealing with this fight in every loop is going to be a pain.
A tentative, ufortable truce follows. Versa doesn''t leave¡ªshe seems to recognize that her presence is making Naru ufortable, and she''s enjoying that. In fact, she sits herself as close to him as possible, practically leaning on him despite his attempts to bat her away.
"Are you sure she isn''t going to try to kill him again?" Ahkelios whispers to me. I nce at them, then shake my head.
"I think she''s having more fun making him ufortable right now," I say dryly.
"Sure am!" Versa says cheerfully. She crosses her legs on the log she''s sitting on, ces one hand on Naru''s shoulder, and bnces precariously in a semi-lean that makes the massive crow tense up.
"I feel sorry for him," Guardments.
"Naru said you have a grudge against him," I say. "What''d he do?"
"Oh, you know." Versa shrugs, but there''s a nasty smile in her voice that tells me she knows I won''t like whatever she''s about to say¡ªwhich is interesting, because she shouldn''t know anything about me yet. "Killed some people I consider under my protection."
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"I didn''t know they were under your protection," Naru growls out.
"Not an excuse, featherbrain," Versa says with a shrug. "You know how I operate. You should''ve looked out for my mark."
"Do I want to know why you felt justified killing people?" I ask, rubbing my temples. Naru res at me.
"I maintain a strict border around my city," he says. "If you trespass, I take care of it. Simple as that."
"You''re an idiot," Versa says. "Just say what we all know; it''s an opportunity for credits for you."
"The credits are a bonus," Naru says, which isn''t a denial. "I don''t allow trespassers. Everyone knows it. It''s on them if they enter the city borders without getting approval."
"What, approval through the process your draconian guards force on everyone?" Versa rolls all four of her eyes. "Spare me. I don''t think they even bother submitting half the reports. In fact, I wouldn''t be surprised if they pretend people are approved just so they can watch the ughter."
Naru stiffens. "They wouldn''t do that," he argues, but wow is it obvious he doesn''t believe what he''s saying. So much so that Versa doesn''t even bother with a response.
"I no longer feel sorry for him," Guard says.
Yeah, I''m with Guard; I take back my sympathy for him. It''s amazing he can say that and still im to care about the loops killing Hestia, which is admittedly my main concern at the moment. I haven''t forgotten the ims Hestia''s Heart made to me all the way back in the Quiet Grove.
That it''s dying. That it needs help. That the is filled with echoes of past loops. Ahkelios is one of them, and many of the monsters I''ve encountered, I suspect, are simr distortions. It''s been a while since I''ve tried to establish a Temporal Link with any of them.
Maybe I should.
Tarin and Mari already know about all this, given the looks they''re giving their son. He withers a little bit under their disapproval, but he also isn''t apologizing. Mari makes a noise of irritation low in her throat before going back to cooking; Tarin looks at Naru with an expression that''s somewhere between angry, disappointed, and sad.
I rub my temples. "Okay," I say. "I''m going to put that aside for the moment, because as much as I''d love to argue with Naru, I''m going to have to do it every single loop, and that sounds exhausting."
"Can''t disagree with you there," Versa says cheerfully.
"I already argue with him a lot," Tarin says. "It not work. He stubborn."
"I am protecting my city." Naru''s wordse out as a growl.
"I need to know more about what you said," I say, ignoring the exchange. "You said the loops are killing Hestia. And about it dying even faster without the Integrators. Versa¡ªis that true?"
"Yep," Versa says with a shrug. "Honestly, the only reason I didn''t kill you right off the bat is because I need to talk to you about that. Who knows if you''re going to be in the same spot next loop."
That''s... a dangerous thing to admit. I raise an eyebrow at her. "You think you could have?"
Versa smirks. "Fifty-fifty. I would''ve enjoyed the challenge. Too bad I wouldn''t remember it. Now that I have a better idea of what you can do, maybe sixty-forty."
"Bold im," I say. I don''t mind it; better to be underestimated than overestimated, and with her loop privileges denied, I''m going to have the information advantage eventually. "Why is Hestia dying?"
"Why are you asking her for answers?" Naru bursts out. "I''m the one that told you about this!"
Is... is Naru really getting jealous over who I''m asking for information? I stare at him. Versa does, too. All of us do. He shrinks back a little bit under the collective force of our gazes, but tries to keep his chest puffed out.
"Okay," I say. "Why is Hestia dying, Naru?"
"Because," Naru says, floundering for a moment. "It''s¡ªthere''s been too many loops. You''ve seen all the echoes from the past loops, right? The monsters."
"Sure." There''s quite a lot of them on the way to the Great Cities, although I rarely stop to fight them. Most of them aren''t very interesting challenges, and the few that are aren''t usually worth the slog to get to. Or are just disgusting.
"There aren''t supposed to be so many monsters," Naru says. "But the more loops there are, the more echoes arrive. And the more... we call them Tears, but the Interface calls them Hotspots."
I frown. A Hotspot is where I first met Naru. I rememberpleting one of them¡ªit''s the one that gave me ess to the Empty City¡ªbut it hadn''t struck me as anything significant at the time. "Why Tears?"
"Because they keep getting bigger," Versa says. She leans back against a manufactured web of Firmament. Naru res at her, but she continues, unphased. "Like a tear in the fabric of space. It''s hard for us to track things across Trials, because we don''t get to keep our memories of previous Trials. But there are a few tricks. Marks we can leave to check on things, basic information we''re allowed to retain."
"And the reason you''re talking to me about them?" I ask. If Versa is bringing this up to me specifically, then it''s because she thinks there''s something I can do about them¡ªmore than what she and the rest of the Hestian Trialgoers can do on their own.
"We can close the Tears with some effort, but we aren''t officially part of the Trial," Versa says. "It''s not as effective when we do it, and they get bigger from loop to loop, not just Trial to Trial. The Integrators keep them somewhat in check, and we can use our notes to keep an eye on them. But thanks to you, we don''t have ess to that anymore."
"I''m not apologizing for that."
"I don''t expect you to." Versa seems amused more than anything. "And frankly, most of us are still going to attack you on sight. Fun fact: killing you? Worth a lot of credits for us."
Of course it is.
"But we''re technically aligned in purpose for this," she continues. "If we want to properly close a Tear¡ªat least for your Trial¡ªwe''re going to need your help. So what do you say, Trialgoer? Care to close a Tear or two?"
"What happens if I don''t?" I ask.
"Well, I''d threaten to hunt you down, but it''s not like I''d remember to do that." Versa hums to herself. "But you don''t want those growing too big. It''d affect your Trial. And judging by the way you''ve been protecting people, you don''t like it when your Trial hurts people, so..."
She''s not wrong. I sigh. I have a bit of time between each Ritual stage in the dungeon, so this seems worth pursuing.
"Fine," I say. "If you have a Tear¡ª"
"Me first," Naru interrupts. "There''s a Tear near my city. I need you to get rid of it."
I stare at him. Versa just shrugs; she doesn''t seem to care one way or another, as long as the Tears are getting closed.
"If I''m going to help you close your Tear," I say, "then you''reing with me."
That way, I get to learn about everything Naru can do. And maybe find out more about what''s going on with his rtionship with Tarin and Mari. There''s a few things there that seem... unspoken. Not that I''m nning to act as bird-therapist.
My thoughts are interrupted by a loud deration of "Food!" from Mari. She dumps a selection of tes in front of all of us. "Eat," she says. "I not know what you do, but eat first. Then go."
She looks at me, and something in her seems to soften. "I not remember you," she says, but she bows her head slightly. "But you protect husband. And Hestia. Thank you."
I offer her a small smile as I take my te.
Hestia told me it was dying. Whatever these Tears are, I suspect they''re just a symptom. Like with everything else, I''m going to have to dig deeper.
Maybe Kauku will have some answers. I feel the Knight stir within me at the thought. The rest of the Inspirations are there, waiting for me to take them. All I have to do is be strong enough to receive them.
The Tears can be a start while I wait for the Empty City to finish whatever it''s doing.
Chapter 161: Book 3: In Which a Very Important Misunderstanding is Addressed
Before I leave, I pay a visit to Virin. I haven''t forgotten the way he helped me out with imbuements, and it''s because of him that I was able to fix He-Who-Guards. It''s because of him that Isthanok''s casualties weren''t... well, significantly worse. The research he wants me to help with is a small price to pay inparison, even if I haven''t kept up with it as much as I should have.
This time, though, I notice something I haven''t noticed before. I can feel the imbuement within the stone through my Firmament sense. More importantly...
"This thing has a Strength skill in it," I mutter in surprise.
It''s not a weak Strength skill, either. My ability to parse Firmament constructs isn''t so advanced that I can immediately tell what skill it is, but I can at least tell what level ofplexity it''s at. As far as I can tell, this thing is at least a rank A skill. Maybe even higher.
"Interface skill?" Virin asks immediately, leaning close in interest. His daughter ys around near the back of his hut, uninterested in what we''re doing.
"No. Well, I don''t know," I admit. I''ve encountered skills outside the Interface frequently enough that I''m starting to wonder if they originate with the Interface at all. "Maybe. But it feels like a Strength skill."
"How you know?"
"It''s hard to exin." I quite literally don''t have the words to exin it, and even if I did, Naru''s waiting for me outside¡ªI don''t really want to unveil all the secrets I''ve discovered right in front of him. "I only figured it out recently. You''ll have to trust me."
"I trust!" Virin says firmly; I have tough a bit at his enthusiasm. He''s never failed to be incredibly excited every time I tell him we''re working together on this.Now. How to go about this...?
Knowing that it''s a Strength skill is helpful, but it doesn''t solve the entire problem. Skill constructs are still vastly moreplicated than I have the capacity to understand. But I canpare the construct to the ones I have in my soul and get a better idea of where the input mechanism is supposed to be.
There. On the left side of the stone, where a series of whorls are inscribed. I aim a trickle of Firmament into the center of those whorls.
Almost immediately, I can tell that this isn''t quite right. The good news is that it partially works¡ªI can feel Firmament being projected out of the stone, a solid brick of force that knocks over one of Virin''s chairs with a tter and startles his daughter, who immediately flies up into her nest.
"Whoops," I say, embarrassed. "Sorry."
The bad news is that that''s all I get out of it. The slight misalignment of Firmament is enough that the whole thing disintegrates after. I expect Virin to be disappointed, but instead, he''s practically hopping up and down with excitement.
"It work!" he exims. "You make it work!"
"Well, partially," I say, holding up the dust. "It still broke after."
"But you can fix next time, yes?" he asks, clutching my hands and staring at me with wide eyes that look remarkably like a puppy''s. Iugh.
"Yes, I''m pretty sure I know what I did wrong." Too much Firmament, for one thing¡ªthis thing isn''t designed for a thirdyer practitioner¡ªand for another, the real activation spot is a little bit to the left of where I''d tried. And here I''d assumed ''center of the whorls'' was a safe bet. "We''ll get it next time."
"Yesssss." Virin looks delighted. "We finally figure out! Now I can learn. Make more!"
"You can make more of these?" I ask.
"Yes." He nods, incredibly sure of himself. "If I can use? I can make again."
Oh. Oh, that''s valuable. Dangerously valuable. If the Disconnected are making vials that grant skills to people, if the Trialgoers are after ways to grant Interface skills to regr citizens... this might be the safest and most replicable way to use skills yet.
I say nothing. We can talk about this properly when Naru isn''t around. "We''ll talk more next time," I promise.
Virin bids me goodbye with an excited hug before he runs to the back of his hut to y with his daughter; I can hear her squealing in delight as he swings her around, and I chuckle a little to myself. He really does love imbuements and everything rted to them.
Naru, of course, spoils the mood as soon as I exit the tent.
"You done?" he asks. His voice is a low semi-growl, like I''ve tested his patience with this little detour.
"Nope. Need to get some supplies for the trip," I say casually, more to mess with him than anything else. Naru makes a frustrated noise.
"You are wasting time," he says.
"Yeah, I was just kidding." I grin. One thing about the changes to my body ever since that second and third phase shift¡ªI haven''t needed to eat or drink nearly as much as before. Even without ess to the Empty City to serve as storage for food and drink, I''ll be fine for this little detour.
"Oh." Naru blinks, apparently thrown off by the joke. "Well... fine. I''ll lead the way. You better keep up, Trialgoer."
"My name''s Ethan, you know."
"I don''t care." Naru refuses to look at me. "I''m not even going to remember that next loop."
Well, he''s got a point. I nce around, looking for He-Who-Guards and Ahkelios; the former is off trying to recover as much as he can before the trip, and Ahkelios is with him. There''s something he wants to try to help with Guard''s recovery process, apparently? I don''t know the details.
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"They''re near the river," Naru grunts at me.
"Huh. Thanks," I say absently.
I find them talking quietly in a quiet corner of the vige¡ªnear the river, just like Naru said. Ahkelios is seated on Guard''s knee, staring out at the nearby river and leaning back against the automaton''s hand. From what I can hear, Ahkelios is asking Guard about Hestia. About what it was like before the Trials.
I cough politely to get their attention.
"You guys ready to head out?" I ask. Ahkelios nces up to me first, hopping off Guard''s knee and flying to my shoulder.
"Yep!" he says cheerfully.
"I am ready," Guard says solemnly. He gets to his feet a little slower than he normally might, but the Firmament within him is swirling as strong as ever; looks like he''s mostly recovered.
Versa isn''t with us, which I''m quietly grateful for; Naru I can deal with, but if Versa decides to turn on me while I''m dealing with a Hotspot, it''s going to be irritating at best and disastrous at worst. She gives me a codeword I can use¡ªI''m somehow entirely unsurprised she has one¡ªand tells me the code means we''ve agreed to work together.
Somehow, I don''t believe her. She''s exactly the type of person that probably has a half-dozen scenarios embedded into her codewords; she''s just using me as a recement for what the Interface is no longer offering.
It''ll be an interesting game to y, and we both know it. If I use her system as intended, it gives her the information advantage; if I figure it out, though, it gives me the advantage. The gleam in her eyes tells me she knows exactly what she''s doing.
For now, though...
"Let''s go, then," I say. "Naru? Lead the way."
There''s a solid five minutes where I''m pretty sure Naru is testing us¡ªgoing as fast as he can to see if he can lose us, not because he actually wants to lose us, but just to test himself. To see if he can.
Unfortunately for him, Warpstep is more than capable of keeping up, and Guard''s ability to just fly above most of the forest and terrain makes up the difference as far as speed goes. He''s forced to slow down eventually, and even though he doesn''t say anything, I can see him breathing heavily as he tries to catch his breath.
"We can take a break, you know," I say, mostly to break the silence.
"I don''t need a break." Naru sounds affronted. "How weak do you think I am? I''ve made this trip dozens of times."
"I need a break," Ahkelios quips.
"I mean, if you need a break..." Naru says. I turn to stare at Ahkelios, perched snugly on my shoulder; he stares back up at me, a mischievous little grin on his face.
I sigh. If it works...
Naru clearly does need a break. I''m not sure what skills he used to try to st ahead, but it drained a pretty significant portion of his Firmament; if I had to guess, he''s misusing a skill that isn''t actually intended for speed. A Strength skill, maybe? He''s certainly left behind a trail of destruction. I''d be concerned about it if not for the fact that everything will be reset in the next loop anyway.
"Let''s take a break, then," I say. Wee to a stop¡ªNaru a much harder stop than the rest of us, in the sense that hisnding digs a trench into the ground. Hees out partially covered in dirt and mud, and shakes himself violently to get it off.
I put up a Crystallized Barrier. I''m not dealing with all that. Guard promptly steps behind it as well.
The ensuing silence is awkward. Naru pants, chest heaving, as he tries to gather himself; I watch him for a moment before inclining my head toward a nearby pond.
"There''s some water over there, you know," I say. He blinks at me as if only just remembering that I''m there, and mumbles the most awkward ''thank you'' I''ve ever heard before trudging over and dunking himself in.
Steam rises from the water, along with a not-insignificant number of bubbles. Whatever skill he used generated a lot of heat, too. Must''ve been ufortable.
When he emerges, Naru looks... well, wet. But also a good deal calmer than he was before. He doesn''t quite look me in the eyes, but he appears to be considering something for a while. I wait for him to speak.
"You said..." he starts, and then he falls silent again. It''s another moment before he gathers himself enough to speak. "You said my father was dying and I didn''t care."
"I did say that." I remember the moment quite clearly.
"Why did you care?" There''s a bitterness in his voice, and something else I can''t quite ce. "Your Trial is a time loop. It''s not like lives matter to you. You can just kill people and take their credits. Isn''t that what you''re already doing?"
"First of all, no." I don''t quite manage to keep the disgust out of my voice. "That''s horrific. I wouldn''t be able to do that and stay sane."
Naru blinks at me like he doesn''t understand. "You''re lying," he says. "You''re too strong for someone who doesn''t farm everyone and everything around them."
Farm? Even the wording makes a thread of revulsion coil through me. In a way, I''m d¡ªit''s proof the loops haven''t managed to change me the way the Integrators have no doubt been hoping for.
"My memory is not perfect," He-Who-Guards interjects. "But I have some memory of the loops. He has not done this."
"What¡ª" Naru shakes his head. "You just haven''t seen it, that''s all! You weren''t there for every loop. I bet he''s even killed you once."
"Not on purpose," I say dryly. I did push him into the Fracture, but in my defense, he''d been attacking me at the time.
"It was not on purpose," Guard agrees. "However, Ethan, if it would help¡ª"
"No, Guard." The thought alone is distasteful. There are better ways to gain credits. I don''t get that many from fights that don''t present some sort of challenge, for one thing. "And second, Naru, I wouldn''t have said he was dying if it was just a normal loop-rted death. He''s died in the loops before."
"What..." Naru trails off. For the first time, I see what looks like realization in his eyes. "He was actually dying?"
"I''m realizing in retrospect that I don''t think I actually rified that he was dying a permanent death," I mutter. "You know about the loops. You thought it was temporary?"
"I don''t know what I was thinking," Naru says. He looks suddenly lost again. "But... probably. They weren''t supposed to..."
Well, now I feel a little bad.
Kind of.
I probably could''ve at least rified before punching him.
"There was a Raid on the vige," I say quietly. "Tarin was dead at the end of it, and the Interface is supposed to make deaths during raids permanent. He managed to fight it off, but it left him in aa, slowly dying to the Interface."
"But he didn''t die," Naru says. "He fought them. And won?"
"With some help," I say. I wonder if I should let him know his presence in the Hotspot that held Tarin''s cure nearly meant his father''s permanent death.
Probably not. He looks like he''s going through a lot, judging by the look on his face.
"You saved him," Naru says.
"I helped." I shrug. The crow stares at me, looking¡ªfor once¡ªvery, very lost.
Eventually, he shakes his head. "Let''s get going," he says. His voice is quieter than it usually is. "If your friend has had enough of a break."
"Ready to fly!" Ahkelios gives him a thumbs up.
To my surprise, Naru actually gives him a small smile.
Chapter 162: Book 3: Carusath, City of Fire and Brimstone
The city Naru rules is apparently called Carusath. The name''s familiar to me¡ªit''s the one Tarin cried out when he was pretending to be working for Naru, back in Isthanok¡ªbut what I wasn''t expecting is how hot the ce is. We''re not even in the city itself and I can feel the heat radiating out from the literal crater the city is built in.
"You live here?" I ask in disbelief. Naru res at me.
"And?" There''s a note of challenge in his voice.
"Just... nevermind." I shake my head. I''m not going to get into it with him. I prefer my climates cold, but considering Naru can apparently boil a pond just by diving into it, I assume he has a different rtionship with heat than I do.
My gaze lingers on what little of the city I can glimpse over the edge of the crater. It doesn''t look like it''s the most well-maintained ce¡ªthe buildings are full of cracks, each one looking like they''ve been haphazardly pieced together from broken and crumbled stone. They''re kept together only barely by plugs of golden Firmament that seal the cracks together.
There''s the sound, too. It doesn''t sound like any city I''ve ever been to. Isthanok is loud and bustling, and even the crow vige is often filled with the chatter of the vigers. Carusath, by contrast, sounds... angry. The few voices that rise far enough out of the crater to reach me sound violent, and my Firmament sense confirms bursts of power that feel like people fighting.
No surprise that the city looks half-destroyed, if this is the norm. I nce to Naru to see if he''s at all concerned about it, but he doesn''t seem to care.
"We''re not here for you to tour the city," Naru grunts, noticing the look I''m giving him. "You can sightsee some other time."
"That''s not exactly what was on my mind," I say dryly. "There are people fighting down there. Aren''t you worried?"Naru gives me a nk look. "Why should I be?"
"You''re not worried about people fighting in your city?"
"Not if they have a good reason for it." Naru shrugs. "They can do what they want. It''s not my job to stop them."
He-Who-Guards makes a strangled-sounding noise. I spare him a nce¡ªhe''s clearly trying to hold back hismentary on this, and not entirely seeding.
"And what exactly is your job?" I ask.
"Paperwork. Making sure trade is in order. Hiring guards." Naru seems faintly irritated by this line of questioning. "Don''t you know anything about running a city?"
"Do you?" I ask.
I''m not even trying to needle him. It''s an honest question, at this point.
"It''s running, isn''t it?"
I sigh. Clearly, this particr line of questioning isn''t going to go anywhere. Even Ahkelios looks affronted, and I don''t think he particrly cares about the intricacies of running a city.
"The Tear is just ahead," Naru says with a grunt. I nce at the Hotspot Tracker in my Interface¡ªit''s been a while since I''ve pulled it up, but it''s working as well as ever. Thankfully, being disconnected from the Integrators hasn''t removed any features for me, just... reorganized them.
"Looks like half of it is intersecting with Carusath''s borders," I note. It''s right on the edge of the crater. Now that we''re close enough, I''m able to run my Firmament sense along the borders, and what I feel makes my breath stutter for a moment.
Versa and Naru aren''t wrong. This thing feels like it shouldn''t be here. The name Tear is an urate one¡ªit feels like something''s ripped a hole through the fabric of Hestia and blown it wide open into an entirely different time and ce. A wound left behind by a cosmic meteor.
The analogy makes me wince. It''s... unfortunately apt.
"That''s why I need you to get rid of it," Naru half-growls the words, like he hates saying the ''I need you'' part of that sentence. "I don''t know how much it''s grown, but I don''t let anything touch my borders. So if it''s grown this much then I''ve missed it for several loops."
"Because you can stall it but not remove it," I mutter. "But I can remove them?"
"They''re part of your Trial," he says.
"That''s not the full picture." I step closer to the Tear, examining the edges of it; the sensation makes my skin prickle, like a part of me is physically reacting to this border etched into the world.
It reminds me of... The Empty City''s final logs described something like this, didn''t they? I vaguely remember the mother who wrote those logs describing a dome manifesting around their city¡ªone that became solid over time, trapping anyone left within.
"It is," Naru insists.
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"Don''t forget," I say. "We aren''t connected to the Integrators anymore. My Interface reverted to the default, same as yours." I don''t need to mention the ANCHORED HERITAGE protocol or Kauku''s involvement in it. I don''t trust Naru that much.
It seems enough to get the point across, at least. Naru is silent for a moment. "...Your actions in the Trial are deemed more significant by the Interface because you''re the Trialgoer," he tells me reluctantly. "And your position means you''re partially exempt from time. From the loops. Even if you''re using the default Interface,pleting the Tear and whatever its requirements are should reduce its influence."
"In other words, I can affect it because I''m not a part of the loops," I surmise. Simple enough. It also means that Tarin and Guard might be able to repair some of these Tears, but without the Interface to guide them...
It''s a moot point, as far as Tarin is concerned. I don''t need or intend to pull Tarin into any more of this. Guard is another matter entirely, as long as he''s willing; his proxies give him an advantage no one else has.
More importantly, though, I wonder...
I reach out with Temporal Link, and there''s a reaction.
It''s a subtle one. Temporal Link is one of my stranger skills, even now, and the information Inspect gives me is... limited at best. The skill allows me to make a connection with things that aren''t entirely synchronous with the timestream. Its main manifestation¡ªthe ability to create a duplicate of my past selfes from the fact that I''m out of sync with time.
And then there''s Ahkelios. There are the monsters scattered throughout the loops, some of them echoes of past loopers. Remnants.
And now... these. The Hotspots. Tears, as the Hestian Trialgoers call them. It exins why Naru was investigating the appearance of a new Hotspot so desperately¡ªthe Integrators must''ve been spooked by the eleration of Hestia''s decay.
There isn''t anything I can do with the link¡ªnot yet¡ªbut I''m willing to bet that''ll change once I do whatever''s expected of me within this Hotspot.
"So," I say without looking up. "Does this mean I have your official approval to enter Carusath? The Tear does cross your borders."
Naru gives me a bewildered look. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, ording to Versa, you kill people who cross your borders without permission." I raise an eyebrow.
"I am right here. I am giving you permission." The look the crow gives me is t, like he doesn''t understand why I''m suddenly pressing on this point. It''s probably worse since I''m doing it right outside the Tear, when he''s close to getting what he wants out of me.
"Yeah, but I don''t have the papers. Neither do Guard and Ahkelios," I say. "I wouldn''t want to be given special treatment just because we''re friends, you know?"
"We''re not¡ª" Naru cuts himself off mid-sentence, his expression somewhere between a scowl and absolute bewilderment. "Why are you bringing this up now?"
"Did you expect me to forget?" I shrug. "We weren''t crossing the border before. Now we are."
"I''m giving you permission," he grinds out through a gritted beak, repeating himself.
"Right, right," I say. "But if this goes to court, I''m not going to have any papers to back me up. We should go through the proper channels. Wouldn''t want to give you an excuse to maul me when I''m not looking."
Naru looks like he has no idea how to respond or what to do with himself. I''m enjoying his reaction, honestly. But I''m not just messing with him for the sake of it.
Part of it is that I don''t really want to just let this go. Naru''s attitude toward life is so different from mine that it''s going to result in a conflict sooner orter; I need to figure out a way to get past it, especially if we end up working together for more than one loop. A Hotspot is one thing, but anything that involves actual lives, or if a Raid starts here in Carusath... I need some kind of lever I can work with, and this is my best opportunity to try to figure him out.
The second reason is that I should still be able to use the dungeon to preserve any approval papers he signs, or failing that, replicate it with one of my Temporal Link clones. It''ll make getting into Carusath easier, if I need to do it in the future.
The third thing I''m doing is buying time while I analyze the Tear through my Firmament sense. It''s a solid dome of Firmament through which everything looks normal, but I know from experience that stepping in will cause it to activate. If I''m going to be clearing these regrly, I want to see if there''s anything I can use from the outside to determine what''s on the inside.
And I do.
It''s subtle, but it''s present¡ªa pattern I''ve seen again and again now that I''ve noticed it the first time. Right at the base of the dome, buried into the rock and dirt surrounding Carusath, there''s a small,plicated structure of Firmament. Not quite an imbuement, not quite a skill, but very distinct in its overall shape: a point spreading outward.
Strength, if I''m reading it correctly. It''s iplete, though: instead of forming aplete construct that loops in on itself with a stable input-output pattern, the way Interface skills do, this one explodes outward into a mess that stabilizes only barely into the shape of the Tear.
Bizarre.
It urs to me that this is why the Interface is so crucial to skills. Outside the example of the Seedmother''s ability to use skills and imbuements explicitly performed by Trialgoers, I''ve seen at least two examples of skill constructs going haywire without the guidance of the Interface.
The first lies in the way Virin''s stone just falls apart of Firmament isn''t fed into it correctly¡ªI shudder to think about what would happen if that skill was embedded into a person, without the Interface to guide where Firmament should be fed into it and where it should emerge.
The second is here, where whatever this construct originally was has exploded outward and mutated in a way that skill constructs are almost certainly not meant to mutate. It all begins to paint a picture about skills, and about the Interface''s role in managing them in particr.
What that picture is, I''m not sure yet. But I don''t like the feeling that''s beginning to build in the pit of my stomach.
"Fine," Naru growls. "We''ll get your stupid paperwork done."
I smile, innocent as I can. "d to hear it."
There''s a fourth reason for all this.
It''s the cement of the Tear. It''s not just right over the border to Carusath¡ªit covers one of the few paths down into the crater, in particr a now-abandoned guard station that presumably functioned as border control. Naru might not care enough to remember, but...
Firmament Sight does a few things for me. It lets me see Firmament, yes, but a part of that is that it lets me see the world painted in different shades. Every object, every distinctive thing has its own innate Firmament. Some things are more distinct than others.
Like the traces of blood scorched into the dirt.
Chapter 163: Book 3: Burned Into the World
The actual process of getting our papers done takes only a few minutes, partially because Naru''s presence right there makes every one of his guards snap to attention. They get everything approved and signed in record time¡ªinrge part because Naru is there to immediately sign them off¡ªand I tuck the papers I''ve received into my pocket.
I do note that Versa wasn''t kidding about the guards being draconian. They are, both metaphorically and in a literal sense. They''re probably the closest thing I''ve encountered to actual humanoid dragons on Hestia. Each of them are enormous¡ªat least seven feet tall¡ªand have tails long and heavy enough to dig into the ground they walk on.
And that''s just the men. The women are all at least nine feet tall. It''s been a while since I''ve felt this physically small, though they all give me enough distance that I can tell they''re aware which one of us would win in a fight.
It''s almost a pity. I wouldn''t mind brawling with a few of them. Or that might be the Knight within me¡ªit''s beenrgely quiet within my core so far, but strangely, I can feel it stirring at the presence of these guards.
I''ll leave them alone. I have no particr desire to start a fight, at least for now.
I make Naru spend the next minute or two signing off on the papers of everyone else who''s waiting at the guard post. He looks ufortable with the process, and the reason why is clear: I don''t think he''s ever actually been down here. He sends his orders from afar and gets all the paperwork sent to him, or sometimes not sent to him, depending on how his guards are feeling that particr day. He''s never had to look people in the eye while rejecting them for entry into the city.
Not that I know why anyone would want to get into Carusath to begin with. The ce is blisteringly hot, and the sounds of fighting haven''t abated. He-Who-Guards shifts ufortably in ce, like he wants to interfere, and I don''t me him¡ªthe only reason we don''t is because... well, the loops would cancel out any good we do, and any problems Carusath has is systemic. I doubt I''d be able to fix its issues just with my fists, as tempting as it is to try.
My heart breaks as I listen to the pleas, though. Because there are things about the Great Cities that I''ve been entirely unaware of until now.
Anyone who''s part of any Great City is technically, by Trialgoer agreement, allowed to travel between them¡ªthey''re citizens of all the Cities, in effect. Of course, that''s not how it works in practice: each Trialgoer in charge of a Great City has their own arbitrary entry requirements, and even if those requirements are met, they can arbitrarily decide to veto an entry.Normally, travel between the Cities isn''t somon that this would be a problem. But from what I''m hearing now...
It sounds like when the Trial started, the Integrators saw fit to shuffle civilians around.
There''s a couple standing in front of Naru, nearly begging him to sign their approval papers¡ªthey''ve been given the runaround for days. Apparently, their child''s in Carusath. Alone. They don''t know anything about where he is or how he''s doing except that he''s here; that''s all the information the Integrators decided could be made public.
There''s a pair of... teenagers, at a guess. I''m not great with ages, and I''m not familiar with the species. But the Interface trantes their whispers for me, and I can hear what they''re saying¡ªthey''re looking for their third sibling, their older brother. For all they know, their older brother is also looking for them, but this is the best lead they have.
Almost everyone that''s queued up at the guard post is like this. There aren''t that many of them. Ten papers to sign at most. But the reason for that, I learn, is that a lot of them havergely given up trying to get into Carusath; there are camps and viges set up outside, consisting mostly of people who hope to see their family if they happen to leave the City.
"Why didn''t I see any of this back in Isthanok?" I murmur quietly. Naru doesn''t hear me¡ªhe''s too busy staring at the couple in front of him and doing his best to pretend he doesn''t care, as best as I can tell, even as he roughly signs the papers and barks at the guards to let them in¡ªbut He-Who-Guards does, and he responds.
"For all her faults, She-Who-Whispers is efficient," he says. "Everyone with family in Isthanok was allowed in, or those who did not meet the requirements were allowed contact with their family so they could determine alternate living arrangements. Not all of the Great Cities are nearly as organized."
I can see how Whisper''s skills might work to her benefit with this, too. With her ability to listen in to the entire city, it wouldn''t have taken long for her to find the families of any given person.
"Great doesn''t seem like the right word to describe this," I say.
Guard shakes his head. His voice is quiet, but no less resolute. "It is not."
At least this answers the question of why people would want to get into Carusath. I nce away from the guard post, toward where all the nearby camps are supposedly set up. It''s tempting to visit, to find a way to help.
That the loops would render any help useless is only a smallfort.
Whatever difort I feel at the sight of people begging to be allowed into the city, Naru''s difort is worse. He says nothing as we make our way back to the Tear, but his mood is clearly a stormy one. Any attempt to make small talk is deflected with a grunt or with particrly angry steps toward our destination.
It''s hard to make out what''s going through his head. I can''t tell if he''s angry that I made him go through with signing the papers or if he''s just upset with the situation at the Carusath borders. Now isn''t the time to talk about it, though, and like it or not I think I''ve exhausted his willingness to have a conversation until at least after we''ve dealt with this threat to his borders.
So I step into the Tear. The Hotspot, as the Interface calls it.
My senses are a lot more refined than thest time I stepped into one of these. It''s not just Firmament Sight¡ªit''s the fact that I have a much stronger version of Temporal Fragment. It''s the fact that I''m now at my thirdyer, my third phase shift, and my depth of understanding with Firmament is that much deeper.
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Which means I can tell almost immediately that this Tear is a distortion of a past moment in time.
It''s not even the first time I''ve encountered phenomena like this. It''s just that most of the time, they''re contained. As monsters, for example. Or as echoes in time, like the past copy of Ahkelios I once met. This Tear is closer to what the Empty City is, though it isn''t formed out of the death of an Integrator. It''s not a solidified memory.
It''s just calcified time.
''Just''. Like the calcification of time is a simple thing. I can feel the way it digs into the Firmament around me, the way it''s eating into everything in the area like a cancer spreading in the air. Naru, He-Who-Guards, and Ahkelios all follow me into the Tear, and as they do, it seals itself around us, almost like it knows we''re here.
The traces of blood on the ground I saw before? They begin to rise.
It''s a subtle thing at first. No real change in the Firmament around us, but wisps of energy begin collecting, begin solidifying. I watch it silently, waiting for the Tear to give us its challenge.
The first one I encountered was what allowed me to obtain the Color Drain skill. I remember the way color oozed out of everything within the Tear, collecting into pools of iridescence on the ground; I remember the way those pools reacted to Firmament by turning into monsters that threw themselves at me. I remember the obelisk at the center of the Tear, sending out ripples of expanding Firmament that acted like a timer. The longer I took, the more of those pools would turn into monsters and attack, and the more those expanding ripples threatened to reach and obliterate me.
This Tear is different. The Firmament collects into the pools of blood and slowly begin to expand. Naru takes a step forward, his feathers bristling and a growl beginning low in his throat, but I reach out a hand to stop him.
These aren''t our enemies. Not yet.
"Are you sure they''ll let us in?" An older teen talking to his mother. It''s a specter made out of blood and time, another species I don''t quite recognize. He looks a little bit like a spotted gecko, if I had to make aparison. His mother''s hand rests on his back, and although she looks nervous, she doesn''t let ite through in her voice.
"I''m sure they will," she says quietly. They''re waiting at the ruins of the guardpost¡ªand as I watch, more Firmament begins to rise from the dirt, and the building itself is reconstituted before our eyes. It''s made out of a reddish, translucent Firmament, just like the people in front of us.
"Dad''s in there, right?" the teen asks. "Dad and the baby?"
"Yes, little one." Her hand rubs the back of his head gently.
The scene fasts forward. I have a sneaking suspicion I know what this is. There''s a certain poetic justice to it, and yet...
"You don''t have approval," a guard tells her. He''s wearing a smirk on his face¡ªit''s clear he doesn''t actually care. I begin to walk closer, Ahkelios sitting on my shoulder and watching with a solemn look on his face; Guard and Naru follow me, the former with resolute steps and thetter with no small amount of uncertainty.
"But you said the papers would be signed," the mother argues. There''s a note of desperation in her voice¡ªshe looks noticeably thinner than before, and her son isn''t there with her. I notice him leaning against the wall just outside of the guardpost, half-curled in on himself.
"Naru''s a busy guy," the guard says with a shrug. "Can''t expect him to get your papers signed immediately."
"What is this?" Naru hisses at me. I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Haven''t you dealt with this Tear already?" I ask.
"I do not have ess to my notes," he growls. "I don''t remember dealing with it."
"Obviously," I say.
Guard''s already walking over to the guardsman''s desk. I''d had the same thought, but I let him rifle through the papers himself. This might be a Firmament simtion, but everything that''s here has undeniably happened. It might not be precise, though. I can feel the way Temporal Link chafes against the Tear, the way a multitude of different scenarios are condensed into one.
This specific mother probably doesn''t exist. Neither does that specific child, or that specific guard. But a variation of this has happened often enough across loops¡ªacross Trials¡ªthat it''s been etched into time.
The Tear is just repeating it. Taking the excess Temporal Firmament floating around and funneling it into the grooves of this particr scenario.
Which is why I''m not surprised at all when Guard pulls out a set of papers that very distinctly resemble both the mother and her child, shoved into a corner of the desk and entirely unsubmitted.
"We should kill them and get this Tear over with," Naru blusters defensively. I can feel him gathering Firmament.
"Do that and I''ll kill you," I tell him calmly. Pointedly. Naru stares at me, taken aback by the threat¡ªI''ve yet to threaten him properly even once. Even when we were making our way here and Naru made some not-so-subtle remarks clearly meant to needle me, I took them with grace.
But not now, not here, and especially not in front of all this. I''m not going to help Naru y into his delusions. He believes he isn''t responsible for all this. Even now, I can practically feel the gears in his mind turning, telling him that this isn''t his fault, that the guards didn''t submit the papers.
He knows what''s going to happen next. What we''re going to see next. I bet it''s the whole reason this Tear keeps expanding¡ªbecause Naru keeps ying into it, following the narrative he''s previously created, killing all the blood specters the Tear spawns as if that''s the solution to the Tear.
There''s only one problem.
"Please," the mother tells the guard. "Just¡ªcheck on our papers, at least. Or tell my husband that we''re here. We can''t make the trip back to Nisi. We don''t have enough supplies."
"Not my problem," the guard shrugs. "There are merchants on the outskirts. You can get some supplies from them."
"We gave you all the money we had for the admittance fee!" the mother protests.
Then I see a sh of a knife. I sense the movement of the Interface. I feel the Tear''s atmosphere be suddenly oppressive as the Firmament within it thickens into a slurry.
Premonition flickers¡ªdull at first, then a ze of warning. "Guard!" I bark. He realizes what''s happening the same time I do and darts to my side a second before I construct a Crystallized Barrier in front of all of us.
Even with all that skill has grown¡ªeven with me pouring a third of my Firmament into it, even with me explicitly using the fight against the Seedmother to empower it¡ªit cracks against the force of a single knife.
The mother stares at us, her eyes suddenly aze with Firmament.
As I''ve said, there''s only one problem. I can feel it now through the power of my Temporal Link, through the connection it''s made with the Tear.
Killing the blood specters is what it wants. Because the Trials are made not only to test us, but to warp us. Because if I y its game and close it, I etch its history further into time. It may not reappear in any of my loops, but it will for the next Trial set on Hestia. Or when I win, and the Trial ends.
But I have a Truth, don''t I? One that''s baked into the secondyer of my Firmament. I''ve refused to be defined in almost every other way so far, but in that belief I am unshaken.
It''s worth being kind. Even when the logical, rational thing to do is to y the game. To ughter the monsters, take my points, and ignore the blood I leave behind.
I pledged back then to gain enough strength to choose kindness and mercy and still drag victory from the jaws of all the disadvantages that may grant me.
Which means I''m going to have to find a way to do things my way.
I''m going to close this Tear for good.
Chapter 164: Book 3: A Crucial Question
Back when we were still on the way to the Tear, Ahkelios asked me a question. It rings in my head even now.
"Why do you care?"
It''s an interesting question.
¡ª
"Because I have to, I think," I answer. It''s not a perfect reply, but it''s the best one I can give.
I know why he''s asking it. Ahkelios hasn''t said anything about it directly, nor has he allowed them to leak through our shared connection, but I know him well enough by now that I can sense the way his doubts have been ringing around in his head. Whatever happened in the Empty City, whatever it is that spoke to him¡ªit''s left an impact.
How that impact was left on him is another question entirely.
Ahkelios doesn''t seem satisfied with that answer. There''s a hint of frustration in the way he responds, something that almost verges on anger. He clenches his fists before forcing them to rx, worried that I''ll notice. "What''s that supposed to mean?" he asks, trying his best to control his voice.
I nce at him, and he shifts ufortably under my gaze. Neither of us say anything, but something unspoken passes between us, and he looks away after a moment.I sigh. "Are you asking me about thatst phase shift?"
"The... second one. Yes. But not just that." He''s a little more hesitant now when he responds. Ahkelios is well aware of what drove me through that phase shift. Of the way I chose to shape my future. "I kind of understand, but I don''t understand why it matters so much to you."
The wordse back to me. They''re not hard to find¡ªthey''re written into my Firmament now, a promise I''ve made for the direction of my growth.
To gain enough strength to define a future of my own. To make choices without allowing fear to define them. To choose kindness and mercy andpassion and weather all the risk thates with them, because victory without them is not a victory I ept.
Ahkelios wants to know why this matters so much to me, and he''s not the only one.
Within me, the Knight stirs, suddenly interested in this conversation. I can feel it... resonating, almost. Like it agrees with the thought. There''s a shift within my soul where the Inspiration resides, and it''s suddenly a little more aligned, like something''s begun to click into ce.
But it wants to know more, just as Ahkelios does.
Why does it matter indeed.
I have an answer, but the memories thate with it aren''t the most pleasant ones. "I guess I''ve never really talked about it," I muse. I roll the thought around for a moment, then shake my head slightly. "I''m going to have to work through my thoughts on this, so bear with me."
"Don''t I always?" Ahkelios tries to joke, shing me a grin he doesn''t really feel. I snort dryly.
"No need to pretend, ''Kelios," I say. He falls silent. "I''ve never put it into words before, but...
"I think kindness is a choice." It takes me a second to find those words, but when I find them, I''m more certain than ever. "And it''s a choice you have to keep making. Just doing it whenever you feel like it doesn''t cut it. I used to think it was¡ªI figured I could just be nice when I was in the mood for it. As long as I''m nice more often than I''m not, what does it matter, right?"
Ahkelios frowns, watching me for a moment. "Something happened?"
"You could say that." I close my eyes briefly, feeling the wind on Hestia rush past me as we race toward Carusath and its Tear. "Yeah. Happened years ago, mind you. I don''t know how much of this will make sense to you, but there was an... altercation at my school. Kids bullying other kids¡ªnot exactly unusual. Normally I would''ve stepped in, done something, but I was having a bad day."
Not that I remember why anymore. Funny how that works¡ªso many things seem minor in context. So many things I just don''t bother remembering.
"Which was the one time it went wrong, of course." The memory''s distant enough now that I don''t keep kicking myself over it, but it makes me clench my teeth all the same. "Kid was pushed, hit his head on a corner of a table. I stepped in then, but it was obviously toote at that point."
"Did he..." Ahkelios trails off mid-question.
"Not for a long time," I say. "Hospital kept him alive for a while. But yes."
There''s a pause there.
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"I don''t understand," the mantis admits after a moment. "I mean, I guess that exins why you feel like you have to do something, but what about the rest of it? Why''d you let Whisper go?"
I shoot Ahkelios a look. "What makes you think I let her go? She ran away."
"You could''ve killed her before then," he says. "During the raid, even."
"I could have, I suppose," I say. "While she was helping us hold the asteroid back. And if it went wrong, how many more would have died?"
"And after?" he asks.
I don''t answer for a moment. Truthfully, there''s a part of me that''s d that Whisper ran before I could make that decision. I''m not sure what I would have chosen.
"He forgave them," I say eventually. "The ones who hurt him. He made us make sure the school didn''t punish them too hard. Made me promise I wouldn''t try to hurt them. Not for what happened to him, anyway."
"I don''t know if I could''ve kept that promise," Ahkelios says doubtfully. I snort in response.
"Believe me, I almost didn''t," I mutter.
"But you did?"
"For the most part." The memories are strong even now. "One of them really did figure things out. He''s trying to be a doctor. We stay in contact. It''s hard to forget what he did, but he also saved my life at one point. I guess he felt like he owed me."
"And the others?"
"One''s just... living a normal life. Hate the thought of it, I won''t lie, but she''s not out there hurting anyone. Third one''s in jail, though."
Ahkelios raises a brow. "You sound really happy about the third one."
"Because I got to punch him." I grin a little. "I''m not a saint, ''Kelios. I don''t think I was supposed to enjoy it or anything. But he didn''t really get any better¡ªthe whole thing just kind of made him even more messed up. He crossed one too many lines, and I happened to be there, so..."
I hit him hard enough to knock out a few teeth and stun him. It''s a good memory. But it''s not the memory that lingers the most¡ªit''s the first kid, the one who went out of his way to help me out when my life started falling apart.
"The point is that people can change," I say. "I don''t advocate for mindless mercy and endlesspassion. There are lines you can cross. But giving people a chance? It was important to my brother, so it''s always going to be important to me."
Ahkelios doesn''t respond, and it takes me a second before I realize what I said.
I wince. Admitting that part still hurts. I hadn''t known who it was at the time, but...
"That''s what mercy is for you," Ahkelios says quietly. "A chance to change?"
"Simple as that," I say with a nod.
And the Knight grows warm within me.
It''s heard my words, and it''s made a decision. Ahkelios gives me a startled look¡ªhe can feel the sudden change within me as much as I can¡ªbut I''m too focused on what''s happening within me to pay him much mind.
The Knight... rtes?
No. It believes. It believes in the same thing I do, and more importantly, it''s now sure about the promise I made to it.
I won''t abandon it. Not if it''s at all within my power. It''s not the kind of person I am. It knows now who I abandoned, who I failed, and it feels the conviction I do to never let it happen again.
The Inspiration clicks into ce, settling within my soul, and I feel the essence of my Firmament change.
Not a lot. Just slightly. Just a faint, metallic tinge that empowers me. But it''s noticeable.
And Ahkelios groans, burying his face in his hands. "Why can''t you just be a jerk," he mumbles, mostly to himself. Then he sighs. "Ethan, I need to tell you something. The thing about the Remnant in the Empty City. I think it¡ª"
"Wants you to betray me?" I raise an eyebrow.
The mantis grumbles, looking away. "I don''t think... I don''t think I should absorb it. I can feel the influence it has on me, Ethan. If I absorb it, I''m going to want to keep that power, and I''m going to want to stay independent."
"And?" I ask. Ahkelios blinks at me.
"Ethan, it wants me to betray you!"
"I know." It''s not like I didn''t know that from the start, even if I didn''t know the specifics. "And I want you to have independence from me, Ahkelios. The Interface shouldn''t control you."
"Neither should my past self!"
"So don''t let it." I grin at him. "Come on. I''m pretty stubborn. Surely you''ve picked up some of that from me?"
Ahkelios stares at me. "You cannot be serious."
"Do you trust me?" I ask him.
"I..." he says. And then he nods. "I mean, after this? It tried to tell me about how you don''t let me in or whatever. But you do. I just never asked. So... yes. I trust you."
"Then trust me when I tell you that if you do let it turn you into a jerk, I''m going to beat it back out of you," I tell him, smirking at the aghast look he gives me. "Just like I trust you to stopmeif I let the Trials corrupt me."
That''s the reason I''m giving Whisper a chance, really. When ites down to it, that''s the reason I''m giving Naru this chance as well¡ªthe reason I''m taking the time to figure out how he thinks, why he does what he does.
Mercy means nothing if I don''t put in the effort to make it work. The Trials are built to corrupt their participants. To make them greedy, easily-controlled puppets for the Integrators.
And I''m pitting myself against that machine. Turning myself into an agent of change. That''s why change is my Truth.
Because I won''t let things stand the way they are.
It''s strange. I don''t think I would''ve figured all this out if Ahkelios hadn''t forced me to put it into words. Now I know why I believe what I believe. This may have driven me before, but it''s not something I knew consciously.
Now I do.
"Naru is really going to test that belief of yours, though," Ahkelios says, injecting a lighter note into his voice.
"Heh. You''re telling me." I nce at the crow, who is rather pointedly pretending the other three of us don''t exist. Good thing he can''t listen in on our conversation. "Well, this is just the first loop with him. We''ll see how it goes. I can''t say I''m expecting much, though."
Chapter 165: Book 3: Compare and Contrast
The dagger the mother threw at me tters to the ground, useless; the barrier I called up dissipates back into raw Firmament. She stares at us, her eyes still burning Firmament, but the more I look at them the more I see them for what they really are.
Cracks.
Cracks that run from her eyes and down her face like glowing tears. She''s an echo of an echo¡ªan imprint left behind by countless copies of countless people put through the same tragedy over and over again¡ªbut that fact makes her no less real. The emotions that made her are all visible in the color of her Firmament.
Red for blood and anger. Blue for misery and tragedy, swirled through her form. Powerful because she''s the culmination of so much that has happened, though still not beyond me.
And yet for all that power... trapped.
"Just let us through," the mother pleads. "Don''t make us do this."
The cracks on her face bleed blue, trickling down to her neck. She''s following a script, not actually reacting to me.
I respond anyway. I can''t help it.
"I would if I could."She doesn''t¡ªcan''t¡ªhear me. It''s not me she''s pleading with. It''s the specter of a hundred different guards, each one denying her entry into the city with her family; it''s the specter of a hundred different guards that watched her starve. She looks at us like we are those guards, the ones stopping her from getting through. Even when I try to step aside, she turns to track me.
The rules are clear. The Tear wants us to kill her.
I wrack my mind¡ªhow do I change the oue of all this? I could use my Talent, could try to Anchor a change... but now that I know what that power is and what it involves, trying it could very well kill me. I wouldn''t just be trying to change this situation, I''d be trying to change every time this has ever happened, across every single loop and Trial.
That''s not an option for now. Not until I''m a lot stronger and more confident in my ability to Anchor, and that''s going to require more of Kauku''s teachings.
Something else. Something different. What options do I¡ª
"Ethan!" Ahkelios calls out, his voice panicked; I nce up just in time to see Naruunch himself toward the mother, and I bite back a curse. Idiot bird.
He has to know as well as I do that the mother matches him in strength. If I had to guess, his past attempts at closing this Tear through the loops might not have worked at all; maybe that''s the reason it''s as big as it is. I open my mouth to yell at him toe back until we''ve worked out a n, but he''s already locked in a fight with her.
For a moment, at least. Then the mother lets out a low cry, picks him up, and tosses him, throwing him several feet away and making him crash into the guardpost with a squawk.
I groan. The timing of it couldn''t be worse, either; shortly afterward the draconian man at the guardpost also turns toward us, his eyes glowing with the same Firmament I see in the mother''s. It''s not quite the same in presentation, though. The cracks grow along the ridges of his brows, bleeding angry crimson.
"I''m not letting you through," he growls. "You lot are so entitled. You think you deserve to get in, what, because you have family in Carusath? So what? I''ve got family in Isthanok, and I''m here doing my job. You should''ve stayed where the Integrators put you."
No point responding to him. Just like the mother, he looks straight past me. He also moves with enough speed to put a dent in the ground¡ªI doubt Naru''s actual guards are this strong, but this one''s being empowered by the Tear, more a concept of a guard than an actual guard.
Premonition activates just in time to tell me the mother is attacking, too, two more daggers appearing in her hands. Too much going on, and Naru''s attacks are ineffectual. I need time to think.
Crystallized Barrier. I form them along my forearms like a makeshift gauntlet, deflecting both of her intended blows and kicking her in the stomach just hard enough to push her back; she staggers, but not as far as I expected.
No matter.
Guard intercepts his border guard counterpart with a well-timed shoulder charge, knocking him off-course and stealing his attention. Ahkelios buzzes between the two of us, trying to decide what to do, who to help.
"Check on the kid," I grunt at him. Ahkelios''s eyes widen, and he flies off.
The kid in question still just leaning against the side of the guardpost, as far as I can tell. He''s curled up into himself, looking frailer and thinner than a child should ever have to look. I want to reach out to him, but I don''t have time; my attention is on defending myself against the mother, and on making sure Guard doesn''t die to... well, to the other guard.
Naru, thankfully, doesn''t require any additional attention; he''s lying on the ground and bleeding from a stab wound, but it shouldn''t be fatal. He seems more stunned than anything.
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Ahkelios can handle this. The problem isn''t that I can''t defeat these blood specters¡ªboth the guard and the mother are strong, but not so strong that I can''t beat them if I wanted to.
It''s just that I don''t want to.
The problem here is bigger than what the Tear wants me to think it is. So I''m relegated to defense, and my offense is stronger than my defense, unless¡ª
Unless.
I turn my focus inward. "Let''s take this together," I tell the Knight.
The Inspiration stirs and responds. Approves.
My previous attempts at using the Knight have always been painful. The transformation itself is one thing¡ªhaving my bones evert out and turn into armor is, in simple terms, among the worst pains I''ve ever experienced.
But there''s an understanding between us now that''s more than what we''ve ever had before. Ever since that conversation with Ahkelios, ever since it learned more about who I am and the way I think, it trusts me.
It''s not that the pain goes away. It doesn''t. But the Knight takes on its share of the pain, this time¡ªsuffers through it with me.
And when we act, it''s with perfect synchronicity.
The mother lunges at us again, a desperate, all-or-nothing attack; she throws everything she has into it, her daggers shining with cutting Firmament that would have torn through any of Naru''s real guards. In fact, I''m certain it would have torn through Naru himself. It deflects off my new armor harmlessly, though, the impact of my reinforced bones and the Inspiration turning it into little more than a ncing blow.
The Knight and I lean down and draw her into a hug.
She''s much smaller than I am with the Knight Inspiration running. I''m not exactly short even without it¡ªbut with it, she barelyes up to my chest. The hug is a little awkward, in part because she''s fighting against it and trying to cut through my armor, in part because I''m just not used to moving around in this body. I have ws I have to be careful to tuck away and more strength than I know what to do with.
But eventually, her struggles slow. Her cries of anger and distress turn to quiet sobbing.
"You can''t hear me," I say quietly. Not just me, in fact¡ªboth me and the Knight are speaking, our voices and intent folded together as one. "And you''re not real. Not really. But we''re going to fix this."
"I just..." the mother starts¡ªthe Firmament fades away from her eyes, and this time, when she looks at me, I get the impression that she might actually be looking at me. That she''s speaking to me, and not just ying the role she''s been given in the Tear. "I just want it to end. I want us to stop suffering."
There''s something different in her Firmament. This is...
Her eyes are intelligent. She''s not looking past me. She is speaking to me. And now that I''m paying attention, there''s a small, subtle change in the Firmament around us, a fissure in which a tiny fraction of my power has been buried.
"Knight," I start. "Did you¡ª"
"Your strength is mine, as much as my strength is yours," the Knight responds calmly. "We cannot change all that has happened. But we can give her the power to see it and change it for herself."
"I remember," the mother says quietly. Is ''mother'' the right word? Even as we speak, I see her form changing, bing more nebulous¡ªbecause she isn''t just a mother. She''s everyone that''s ever been stopped from seeing their family at this guardpost. "Every time we weren''t allowed to go in. Every child that died. Every dead husband, every missing wife, every starving child."
"Was this the right thing to do?" I ask the Knight. "Because remembering all this... it must be torture."
"One must have their memories in order to truly anchor a change," the Knight responds. "Do you not feel as much when ites to your little friend?"
Ahkelios, huh?
He isn''t wrong, I suppose.
"We''re going to end it," I promise the mother quietly, though I''m not sure that''s the right descriptor anymore. I reach into my pocket. Naru''s approval papers are still there, and they''re technically signed to my name, but that doesn''t really matter when ites to something like this.
This Tear isrgely symbolic. To break its routine, I need a symbol.
"Here," I say, pressing the papers into her hand. I feel her fist closing around it, and she looks up at me; something hopeful and determined shines in her expression.
I can feel the Tear protesting. The whole thing strains around us, the fabric of it beginning to buck and rock. I''m going too far off-script.
Good.
He-Who-Guards is still fighting the other guard, and a hug isn''t exactly going to stop him, but it''s the principle of the matter. The mother pulls away from me and stands, then takes several steps toward them; He-Who-Guards disengages as soon as he notices, hopping back several steps to join me.
The guard stops.
It''s almost surreal to see it. He takes the papers in a mechanical, jerky way, like he doesn''t want to but the script of the Tear is forcing him to. It has to follow the rules it''s established.
Slowly, she begins to move to collect her child. Ahkelios is still talking quietly with him, though I don''t know what they''re talking about; whatever it is, though, it seems to work. The kid straightens, and he looks up toward his mother, reaching up for her hand¡ª
And Premonition triggers. The Tear trembles, something within it ripping itself free. I can feel it being channeled through the guardpost. The entire structure rips itself free of the ground, the red Firmament it''s made of wavering and bing something ckened and twisted. A malformed version of Temporal Firmament spiderwebs through it, and it melts together into a shape that''s only vaguely humanoid.
I''m watching a monster form. The thoughtes to me suddenly. This thing gives me the same impression as all the monsters I''ve fought¡ªthe Guilty Chimeras, Broken Horrors, the Elegies and Laments from the raid on the Cliffside Crows. Is this how they''re formed? One of the ways they''re formed?
Either way, this thing is powerful.
But it doesn''t target me. It doesn''t target the mother, nor her son, nor the guard. It doesn''t target Guard or Ahkelios.
Instead, itunches a de of pure, destructive Firmament straight at Naru¡ªone poised to cut straight through his core.
Chapter 166: Book 3: Crumbling Truth
Naru was sure he was going to die.
He wasn''t even sure how he''d gotten into this situation. Why he''d gotten into this situation. Going back to the vige and seeing his pare¡ªseeing Tarin and Mari, of all things? That was wildly out of character for him on its own.
But then he''d run into the Trialgoer. Why the Trialgoer had even shown up in his old, dinky little vige was beyond him, though he supposed he shouldn''t have been surprised. Of course Tarin had found a way to involve himself in the Trial. But to have the Trialgoer show up right then and there?
And the old crow had somehow bepart of the loop! That... that was unheard of. Wasn''t it?
Naru didn''t exactly have aplete record of what happened across the Trials. He knew what the Integrators told him and whatever he was allowed to keep in his notes between them. That was about it. He knew, for example, that he''d been getting credits for his participation and help, although he was pretty sure there were diminishing returns as the Trials continued. He knew he''d done a number of odd jobs off in return for a variety of trinkets he was allowed to keep.
But he was pretty sure no one had uncovered a way to keep their memories across loops.
Maybe if he saved enough credits, he''d find a skill that let him keep his memories, but the amount he was getting now was almost negligible. At this rate, it was going to take months for him to snag the next rank S skill.
Not that he was ever going to get that opportunity.
That de was taking a long time to kill him.It was the worst part of his primary Reflex skill, he decided. Time of Your Life had looked so good when he selected it¡ªhis Integrator had nudged him toward it, told him exactly how it functioned.
The more deadly an attack, the more the skill would speed up his mind and reflexes. An A-rank skill with the potential to give him near-infinite time to process and react to any given attack.
It was an excellent skill on paper.
In practice, it meant that when he was caught in a situation like this¡ªwith an attacking too deadly for him to survive and too fast for him to dodge¡ªall he could do was stare at it and think.
Ruminate.
Reflect.
No, he decided. If anyone had uncovered a way to keep their memories across the loops, he would have known about it, and Hestia''s time as a Trialgrounds would have ended a long time ago. Even if most of the Hestian Trialgoers were on board with the Integrators and their n, there were a few that would be more than willing to help the Trialgoer just so their would be released from the loops.
Which meant, what, that his father had managed to aplish something that none of them had ever done? The thought of it was ridiculous. Even Teluwat, with his ability to manipte Firmament with his words, couldn''t find a way to insert himself into the loops.
Naru carefully ignored the fact that Teluwat was definitely the type of person that would hide the knowledge, even if he''d figured it out.
But Tarin had?
If Ethan was telling the truth, he hadn''t exactly done it on purpose. The only reason he was alive at all was because Ethan had gone out of his way to rescue him, and that rescue had somehow included him in the loop. Naru had no idea how to replicate that particr sess.
Not that it mattered. He was going to die.
He didn''t even know how he felt about it.
There were a lot of things Naru had fucked up in life, if he reflected back on it. It wasn''t something he liked to think about a lot, but he had plenty of time to do literally nothing but that right now.
All the time in the world meant nothing when he didn''t have any Speed skills that could move him out of the way in time. It meant nothing when he didn''t have Durability skills that could tank the enormous de of Firmament threatening to tear him apart.
And all his Inspirations were focused on offense, more fool him. He could practically hear Tarin in the back of his head scolding him for his choices.
He wondered where he would go when he was dead. Mari believed in the Light in the Sky, but after his exposure to the Integrators and Firmament, Naru wasn''t sure anymore that there was any such thing. The closest thing he''d ever encountered to a soul was his Firmament.
Which meant his soul was about to get torn apart. It moved slowly, inexorably toward him. Ethan wouldn''t help him¡ªwhy would he?¡ªand even if he wanted to, the power of this thing was beyond anything he''d ever faced. He hadn''t even fought anything like this in his own Trials. Ethan was far stronger than he should have been, but...
Naru snorted. The human would get some credits for his death. He was technically part of it, after all. Whatever idiotic thing he''d done to trigger this, he''d caused Naru''s death, in some small way; the Interface would reward him for it. Maybe he''d even nned it out this way, although Naru couldn''t imagine how Ethan could have nned it.
No, wait. He could. It made perfect sense¡ªEthan had simply run the loops again and again, explored this particr Tear and figured out what made it tick. Fought it enough times to figure out how to trigger whatever this monstrosity was, and then coordinated things so that they''d agree to "fight together".
Naru had to admit, it was a clever n. Devious.
It also meant Ethan definitely wouldn''t save him. He was probably strong enough to do it if he really wanted to, but Naru couldn''t even see where he was; he seemed to have disappeared after summoning some sort of... armored metal construct? He had no idea what kinds of abilities Ethan had. They all seemed ridiculous.
Funny thing was, he was actually starting to like the human, which annoyed the hell out of him in his own way. Ethan was far too understanding for his own good. Naru wasn''t stupid¡ªhe was well aware they''d taken a break specifically for him when they were on their way to the Tear. He''d overstrained his Firmament trying to stay ahead. But Ethan and hispanions had made an excuse for him. Saved him face.
It was more than Tarin and Mari had ever done for him. Every time he made a mistake, every time he fucked up... right there on disy for all the world to see.
He wasn''t ready, they told him. They wouldn''t give him their Firmament because he was unprepared for that kind of power. Because he''d bullied some other, lesser crow, or something like that.
And then he''d been pulled into the Trials.
With none of the power he needed.
If they''d just trusted him¡ªif they''d listened to his apologies, if they''d just let him have even a fraction of the power they''d promised him¡ªmaybe his Trial wouldn''t have been such a nightmare. Maybe he wouldn''t have had to spend the entire first floor of the tower being pushed around by people taking advantage of him.
He had to w and fight his way to every single advantage he had. He had to take the dirty route¡ªkill people when they were already weak and starving, to make sure he got the credits he needed to grow stronger. If he''d just had the power to begin with, maybe he wouldn''t have had to.
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Whose fault was it really, that he''d turned out like this?
Naru knew what they all thought of him. Tarin and Mari thought of him as a disappointment. Even the other Trialgoers considered him a weakling¡ªhe''de out of the Trials with the least progress in his Firmament and only a handful of powerful skills to his name. His Inspirations were still strong enough that he could go toe-to-toe with them for a short while if he absolutely had to, but he was by far the weakest of them all, and he hated it.
Stronger than everyone else, though. Stronger than Tarin and Mari. Strong enough that he could''ve taken over the vige by force, if he''d wanted to¡ªmake it a part of the Great Cities.
He didn''t want to. Part of him wanted to... try. To fit in again.
And then he''d tried to save a crow, and the force of his strength had utterly crushed that crow against the cliff.
And Tarin and Mari had demanded he learn to control himself.
Part of him knew that it was a reasonable demand. They hadn''t even med him for the death¡ªnot as much as they could have. They''d held a funeral for the crow that died, and exined to him that the amount of power he had was as much a curse as it was a blessing; he needed to learn to control it so he wouldn''t hurt anyone else...
But all Naru heard was the same criticisms he''d heard all his life.
Control this. Learn to do that. Fit in with everyone else and follow the rules he was now clearly above. It hadn''t been like that back in his Trial¡ªonce he was strong enough, people listened to him. He made the rules.
So he left. Carusath was the perfect ce for him. The Great City respected strength above all¡ªnot strength of wit and cunning, not strength of strategy, but raw, destructive strength. The Integrators had offered rule of it to him, and all he needed to do was step up and im it.
On the first day, he proved himself. Crushed every single one of the draconians that would have disobeyed him, that tried to challenge his rule. They became his guards, the ruling caste of the city.
And the rest of it, he just... didn''t care. What did it matter? He''d proved himself right, and his parents wrong: he could rule without any of their rules. Carusath was fine.
Except Ethan had proved it wasn''t.
Naru knew, on some level, that he wasn''t aware of everything going on in his city. Of course he wasn''t¡ªhe couldn''t be. No leader could be apprised of everything that happened at every moment, except maybe someone like She-Who-Whispers, and she was an exception and a perfectionist of a sort that scared even him. But he hadn''t known how bad it had gotten.
Was that true? He stared at the deing for him.
No. It wasn''t.
Some part of him had known. But the bureaucracy was an instingyer for him. He didn''t need to deal with all the people that wanted to enter or leave Carusath; he would''ve preferred not to deal with it at all. All the "paperwork" he dealt with? More or less just requests handed to him by the draconians for infrastructure and projects he didn''t really care about.
There were fights out in the streets every day. Ethan had even pointed them out. Naru vaguely recalled something about a cleanup crew that worked to clean up messes that resulted from those fights...
And then there was all of this.
If he was alone in the Tear, Naru knew what he would''ve done. They were allrgelybat-oriented challenges. He would''ve killed the mother and her son as soon as they appeared¡ªthey were just Firmament ghosts, anyway, they didn''t count as people¡ªand then the guard, too, The Tear would have closed and he would have been granted somewhere between ten to fifty credits, spread across the stat categories, depending on how he performed.
That wasn''t what Ethan had done, which surprised him. These were just specters. What did it matter?
Why did Ethan help the mother? Why did watching her make him feel that terrible, twisting sensation in his gut?
That was why he''d attacked¡ªto shut her up. He didn''t want to think about it. Didn''t want to think about everything that had been happening under his nose. Didn''t want to think about the relief in the eyes of the remarkably simr-looking mother and child he''d signed the papers of back in the real guardpost, at the real station, when Ethan made him sign those stupid papers.
Then she''d whipped him away with more force than she should have been capable of, dagger buried in his stomach.
When did he be so weak? Had he always been?
The light in front of him grew brighter. His Reflex skill wouldn''tst much longer. This thing would tear through him and his Firmament, and not even the twisted nature of Hestia''s time would be able to bring him back. It needed something to work with, after all.
Naru closed his eyes.
And the light... stopped.
So did his skill.
He opened them again. The metal creature Ethan had summoned stood in front of him, holding the deadly de of Firmament in¡ªin a single hand. What was... when did...
"What?" he croaked out loud. His voice was hoarser than he imagined. Ethan''s summon had saved him. How did it even¡ªhow was it holding that thing? That thing would''ve killed even Versa. Even some of the stronger Trialgoers, if he had to guess. The raw Firmament pouring out of it, the way it twisted everything around it, the feeling it gave him deep inside his core, like he was hopelessly outmatched...
The same feeling he''d had when his Firmament touched Ethan''s. The feeling he told himself he''d imagined.
The creature spoke. "You okay?" Ethan asked.
That was Ethan?
"Why would you..." Naru felt the question die as he asked. Had he not been lying about not just... killing everyone for points? Did he actually save people? Had he actually saved Tarin?
If he had, then how was he this strong?
The metal creature¡ªEthan¡ªrolled his eyes, or at least gave off the impression of it. Naru couldn''t see much more than a flicker of golden-blue light in the helmet''s eye-slits, but he still felt the disdain.
"You''re an asshole," Ethan told him bluntly. "But one, you''re under my protection."
He threw the de of Firmament to the side. Discarded it. Like it wasn''t a weapon that could kill Trialgoers.
"Two," Ethan said. "I think, as much as they pretend otherwise, Tarin and Mari would miss you."
Naru felt a pang. Would they? They hated him. He hated them.
But he''d gone to them when he didn''t know what to do. Because he knew, in some way, that if he really needed the help, they would give it to him. Oh, they would give him all kinds of shit for it, but it wouldn''t stop them from helping him.
Naru was a proud crow, but he wasn''t so proud he couldn''t admit something as basic as that. Not after watching all his preconceptions get torn down like this.
Ethan bent down. Naru felt a surge of Firmament that pushed all the way down into the thirdyer¡ªthird. That was... if skills didn''te into y, Ethan would crush almost all the Trialgoers except maybe the top two. And that wasn''t taking into ount whatever this transformation was.
Ethan held out his hand.
"Three," he said. "I make sure everyone gets a second chance. The Trials are built to change you into someone the Integrators can control. You can decide otherwise. But you''re gonna have to make that choice, not me."
Naru stared.
He took Ethan''s hand. Got to his feet, slowly. The monster behind Ethan seemed barely real. Not in front of the human whose presence cracked the Firmament around him.
"I''m not in the loops," Naru said. "I''m not going to remember this. Even if I want to, I..."
His voice trailed off. Did he want to? He''d always said he didn''t want to fight the Integrators. That it was impossible.
It didn''t feel impossible anymore. This felt impossible. Maybe his calibration of what was impossible had always been off.
"I know," Ethan said. The monster behind him roared, and Ethan nced up. "I have to deal with this first. Don''t die."
"I won''t," Naru said numbly. He didn''t even know if it was true.
He stared at the de of Firmament still on the ground. The de strong enough to cut into his core.
Tarin remembered the loops because a fragment of Ethan''s Interface had gotten stuck in his core, if he understood the story correctly.
Naru knew two things.
One, if he remembered the loops, he would be an outcast again. This wasn''t something that could be repeated. The other Trialgoers would despise him, despite this being something that they''d been trying to do themselves. The Integrators would never trust him or any of the other Hestian Trialgoers that managed to do this. The loops were part of how they were controlled.
Two, if he let himself forget this, he''d never be anything more than what he was now.
And in front of Ethan, all he was now felt so... petty. Empty.
Naru walked over and picked up the de. He had no idea what he was about to do.
But he also couldn''t remember thest time he''d ever wanted anything as much as this. Thest time he''d wanted to change. Thest time he''d cared.
No. He did.
When he was a child, he remembered telling Tarin and Mari he wanted to make all the crows in their vige as happy as could be. He remembered the smiles they''d given him¡ªbright and warm and unconditional. He remembered the small party they''d had, with only two or three friends, and how at that time in his life it felt like the biggest and most important thing he''d ever been a part of.
He stared at the Firmament de in his hands. Slowly, his grip tightened.
He''d carve this damn memory into his soul if he had to.
Chapter 167: Book 3: A Stitch in Time
My mind is still whirling, but I don''t have the time to dissect exactly what it is I''m looking at¡ªnot when it''s full of corrupted Temporal Firmament and powerful enough topletely erase any person it kills. Best as I can tell, it''s a literal manifestation of the Tear, a collection of all the fear and anger that created it in the first ce coalescing into a creature intent on killing.
No surprise that it targeted Naru first, considering he''s responsible for all of Carusath.
More to the point, if this is one of the ways the Trial''s so-called monsters are created...
I think back to all the times Temporal Link and its variants have allowed me to connect with a monster. To the glimpses I catch of past moments every time I do. I haven''t tried doing that for a long while, and part of me now dreads what I might find when I do¡ªthese Tears are collections of tragedy, misfortune, and poor circumstance. It''s no wonder every memory I''ve seen has ended badly.
Now''s not the time to linger on those thoughts, though. Now''s the time to figure out what to do and how to fight this. I feel the Knight''s presence pulse within my core, a silent and subtle assurance of support. It pulls my Firmament into an amplified version of Quicken Mind that guides my thoughts on the rails of its experiences.
Assess. What are my immediate concerns?
Naru''s safe for now. I can''t tell what he''s doing back there, but I can''t afford to care¡ªPremonition doesn''t so much as tingle in his direction, and that''ll have to be good enough for now.
Guard is standing by, his systems on full alert. I can hear the quiet hum of his engines as he analyzes the situation, but for the most part, he''s waiting for my direction. Good.
The mother and her child, on the other hand...The Tear''s trying to reim them.
They''re a part of it, technically. Specters of Firmament that were created for the express purpose of fulfilling a role. And yet they''re more than that¡ªor the mother is, at the very least. The change we Anchored into her makes her independent enough to understand and strong enough to fight, and she''s fighting with everything she has.
Protecting her son.
"You will not take us," she says through gritted teeth. "This... must... end."
No more suffering. I can hear the song of that determination in her Firmament. She clutches her son close, holding him like he''s all she has left. Their Firmament wavers like a candle in the wind, small flecks king off and tearing away.
But then Ahkelios is there, flitting between them, reinforcing their Firmament. He catches those stray wisps by drawing on Firmament Control, binding it back with them, keeping them whole.
"Any time now, Ethan!" Ahkelios yells. "We can''t keep this up forever!"
"I know!"
There''s onest important factor here¡ªone final thing to take into consideration.
The monster isn''tplete yet.
It''s powerful. It''s almost too powerful¡ªthe amount of Firmament it controls is far beyond the supposed difficulty of the Tear. That doesn''t mean it''s too powerful for me, but it''s strong enough that it''s dangerous. I can''t afford to make mistakes.
I flex my ws briefly, feeling a re of painnce down my arm. Even with the upgrade from my newly-indestructible bones, that thing burned. It ate halfway into my palm before I managed to muster enough Firmament to stop it, and that was with Amplification Gauntlet boosting it.
Even now, the effort the Knight and I expended just on that defense spreads through us like an ache, a warning that we won''t be able to defend against those hits indefinitely. Two or three more at most before our Firmament is exhausted and we''re forced to spit again, by my estimation.
The good news is that they''re not something it can fire off at will either. It looks just as exhausted by the strength of its own attack. It sways slightly, slowly, ponderously forcing itself back into an upright position, the chaotic turmoil of its Firmament briefly settling as it recovers.
That''s the only reason it hasn''t followed up yet. It''s taking time to recharge, to draw on every scrap of Firmament it can from the Tear.
It''s why it''s trying so hard to reim the two stubborn beings of Firmament that refuse to rejoin it. It needs them to beplete. To be whole.
I can''t let that happen. Allowing this monster with the ability to erase people from the loop to coalesce right next to a popted city would be nothing less than catastrophic.
More importantly, though? That tells me what its weakness is.
"Guard," I say. "Can you make sure the perimeter is safe? I don''t want any stray shots getting into Carusath."
"Of course." Guard nods at me, Firmament flickering in his core. I can see his concern, but he''s already moving into ce. "Be careful, Ethan."
"I will."
Amplification Gauntlet. Crystallized Strength.
The problem with this monster is that it''s enormous, and without it being fully formed yet, it''s not obvious where to hit it. The more I try to figure that out, the more confusing it is¡ªI see glimpses of tails and tendrils half-present in the Firmament around it, a cloud of possibility still trying to decide what it''s supposed to be.
But if I know that it needs to make itself whole, then I have a target.
Iunch myself up. For the first time since we''ve fully aligned ourselves, I call on Firmament Control and push the skill through the Knight Inspiration. The character of the skill changes¡ªwhere it would normally let me control Firmament at a distance, it now bes a part of my armor.
More importantly, at least for me, the Firmament in front of us bes something solid. Something real.
Something we can tear into.
My wstch into the half-formed monster. It reacts, trying to throw me off, but before it can, I call up a second Amplified Gauntlet that transforms my other arm. Both sets of ws dig into its not-quite-flesh, and I feel the threads of Firmament Control digging itself into its body. Enhanced like this, I don''t have particrly great control of any Firmament I''m not in contact with.
Once I am in contact with it, though? That''s a different story.
I pull.
Ibine the force of my will with that of the Knight, and although the monster does everything it can to resist, it''s not enough. Not when the skill is Inspired like this and enhanced by the sheer force we''re pouring into it. We can''t reshape the entire thing at will, but we can take full control over a massive chunk of it¡ª
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¡ªthe monster roars again in resistance, trying to throw us off, asserting everything it can of itself against us¡ª
¡ªbut it''s no use, and we
rip
it
out.
Temporal Link activates. It''s a subconscious activation more than it is an intentional one¡ªeither that, or it''s the Knight reaching out through me and using the skill in my stead. A tether snaps into ce between my core and the chunk of Firmament we just tore free, and a vision ms into me, overtaking my senses.
"I just need to see my son." An older man stands at the guardpost. He clutches tightly at his staff, and though he doesn''t say it, I can see how weary he is. I can feel it, too. I can feel the ways his knees creak with age and overuse, can taste the curve of his thoughts.
He''s been hiking for miles to get here. His stomach is emptier than it should be. There are a dozen unspoken ailments, a dozen fears and hopes.
His words are kind, though. His voice is gentle. He doesn''t push. He''s seen too many people get turned away from the guardpost already. He hopes that his approach will make all the difference. He hopes that waiting for the next shift will bring him a new guard more sympathetic to his cause.
To his credit, the draconian guard does seem to be. "Was he transported here before the Trial, sir?" he asks. "Do you have his name?"
"Hykari Solva," the older man states. The guard nods at him, retreats into the back to find some papers¡ªthere''s some quiet shuffling, the sound of a drawer being opened, and then a loud thunk of metal. The man''s heart sinks; he knows what this means, knows what the results will be before the guard even returns.
"I''m sorry, sir," the draconian says when he emerges. There is, notably, a partial dent in his helmet and a hint of frustration in his eyes. "I can''t find any of his records. Maybee back tomorrow?"
"I will try again tomorrow," the older man says.
But he knows he will not. He has tried for long enough, and he has seen the fate of others who wait. Better to try to sneak past and make it in himself, as futile as it might be.
He almost makes it, too. Just a step away, hope rising in his heart.
And then he ends.
It''s bleeding. The monster roars in pain and swipes at me, more to force me away than anything else; a light hop back takes me out of range. It staggers to its feet, weaker but not yet dead. A waterfall of liquid Firmament¡ªmore than should be possible¡ªpours from the new, jagged wound that leads from its shoulder down to its stomach.
I''m not entirely sure what I just witnessed. A memory? Or a past event, more urately. One of many that must havee together to form this Tear. The emotion of it all still clings to me like a cobweb, and I struggle to shake it off.
It''s not the first time I''ve connected with an echo of the past like this. It''s always been involuntary¡ªglimpses of events I can neither control nor change. A part of me takes a moment to grieve. Another part of me wonders: if Temporal Link allows me to view the past, even in a limited way such as this...
The monster steals my attention again before I canplete the thought.
Wounded or not¡ªweaker or not¡ªit''s no less deadly. I feel the sharp spike in Firmament that indicates it''s attacking before I see it, and this time, it spins, trying to throw its death-scythe through the weakened barrier of the Tear and into Carusath.
Not just a single scythe, either. There''s one zingly powerful de, and then a dozen or so lesser ones. I Warpstep in front of the biggest one and grab hold of it with Amplified Gauntlet, gritting my teeth at the pain and flinging it into the ground. Guard is in the background dealing with the others, sting them away with Firmament or constructing a shield to stop them.
I see a brief flicker from him, a half-formed circuit of Firmament in the air before he lets out a low curse and stops, but I don''t have time to spare to see what he''s trying to do. I''ll have to trust him to take care of the rest.
I charge at the monster again,unching myself into the other shoulder and tearing away another chunk of Firmament.
This time, I''m prepared for the activation of Temporal Link. I try to guide it¡ªto search in a sea of past moments for something that might be able to help. Something I can use.
And it works. I snag on something familiar. I''m almost immediately aware, as the vision begins, that the person I''m witnessing isn''t just a civilian trying to get into Carusath.
It''s a Trialgoer. Not a Hestian Trialgoer, but someone that went through this specific Trial and lost.
Someone like Ahkelios.
"You need to let them in," a younger girl says. I can''t pinpoint her exact age, but from the feeling I''m getting in the vision, she can''t be more than twenty. I glimpse wings, the edge of a familiar face; it takes me a second to remember. It''s been a while.
This is the harpy. The same harpy that raided the crow vige back in my very first loops, only here, she''spletely different. There''s none of the sadism I witnessed in her Remnants, none of the cruelty, and certainly none of the desire for destruction. She''s actually trying to help them.
"We already told you, ma''am, they can enter once Naru signs their papers," the guard on duty responds. He sounds bored.
"Except Naru''s never going to sign their papers, because you haven''t even submitted them." Her response is confident¡ªshe''s been through this before. How many loops, now? She walks past the guard, sidestepping easily when he tries to stop her, then ducking under his next attempt at a grab, then hopping over his low sweep of a kick. She pulls open a drawer, retrieves a sheaf of papers, and flourishes them. "See? Never even submitted."
I wince. She''s trying too hard to prove her point. I''m not sure what her greater goal is or if she has one, but I already know what''sing.
She looks surprised, somehow, when the spear tears through her chest.
The vision fades before I can grasp at more. Part of me is frustrated¡ªa few moments more and I would have been able to figure out more about her Trial, about her loops, maybe something about where her Trial ended. But it''s a proof of concept, if nothing else; Temporal Link might be even more valuable than I thought.
I wonder what Gheraa sacrificed to give it to me.
An angry roar draws my attention, but the monster is weaker than ever now. Its grasp on its Firmament is weak, and even its attempts to reintegrate the shades of the mother and her child are now easily defended against. It tries to fight still¡ªfires off onest attack, a scattershot blow at everything and everyone around us¡ªbut I cut through the most powerful ones and Guard defends the city from the rest. The final few smash uselessly into the dirt.
And with thest of its energy spent, I can reach down and just... tear its head off. Unravel it with Firmament Control.
The final vision is smaller than all the others. There''s not much left for me to find¡ªtoo much ripped away, too much fading with the Tear. I watch it anyway.
"Ma, do you think we''ll ever see da again?"
"Of course we will."
There''s an aching hunger in them both. Not nearly enough food. There are fed and healthy guards nearby that make it a point to never look in their direction, make it a point not to care.
"Little one... we''re going to run for it. Understand?"
"I thought we had to wait for the papers, ma."
"I thought we did too." She hugs her son close. "I''m going to hold you, okay? Don''t look up, whatever you do."
"Okay, ma."
They run, desperate footsteps across the soil. The mother nces behind herself¡ªit doesn''t take long for one of the guards to take notice and give chase. There''s an angry shout¡ª
¡ªa sudden crash¡ª
¡ªand, to my surprise, a crow that intercepts the spear meant for their hearts.
"Not these ones," Naru says. There''s an odd note in his voice. A mixture of uncertainty and anger. I don''t think he fully understands why he''s doing this, why he''s putting himself in the line of fire for people he considers trespassers.
But I do.
It''s a start.
¡ª
I know it''s dead before I even see the body, thanks to the Interface. I dismiss the notification¡ªI''ll take a look at itter.
More importantly, the Tear is slowly fading away. The mother takes her child by the hand and slowly walks toward the border of Carusath. It might be symbolic, but I can feel the relief in the Firmament all around us.
"Thank you," she says, just before she steps over the border. "For ending the cycle."
The approval papers I gifted her flutter to the ground. She and her son both slowly begin to fade, and I can feel their Firmament... forck of a better word, it''s repairing the Tear. Pouring into the cracks of time and helping it heal.
It''ll take time, but this Tear won''t be a problem in the future. I lean down to pick up the papers and pocket them.
"Uh... Ethan?" Ahkelios''s tone of voice tells me there''s a problem. I grimace and turn around to find both Ahkelios and Guard hovering around a very unconscious, very lifeless-looking Naru.
"Oh,e on," I mutter. I rush to his side, momentarily worried that one of the stray des struck him, but a closer inspection tells me that this is self-inflicted. The dissolving Firmament de in his hands, the rough, jagged shape of a symbol cut into his core...
I sigh, letting the Knight dissolve away from my form.
The symbol is the same one that Interface uses to represent the Cliffside Crows in its map. It''s a reminder to himself, I suppose. But Naru must have known that he isn''ting back from this kind of damage without assistance¡ªhe put himself in aa.
Which means he''s essentially trusting me to get him out.
"Idiot bird," I mutter, and get to work.
Chapter 168: Book 3: Seeds of Change
It''s a testament to how much my skill with Firmament has grown that I don''t need to go searching for some obscure herb in order to help heal Naru, though the parallels obviously aren''t perfect. For one thing, the Interface isn''t trying to actively destroy Naru''s core¡ªthat factor was a big part of what kept Tarin in aa and prevented him from healing.
With Naru, it''s different. There''s nothing trying to actively erode his core. In fact, if this were anyone else, I''m certain that healing them would be a patch job with Firmament Control that would take no more than a couple of minutes.
Except there''s a problem.
Just about everyone I''ve encountered so far has a Firmament core that heals itself naturally. It''s not something I''ve paid much attention to¡ªdamage to a Firmament core is typically either so extreme that it can''t heal itself or so minor that it heals itself quickly, with very little in-between¡ªbut the general rule is that given enough time, any individual''s core can usually recover on its own.
Naru''s isn''t. There''s no indication that it''s even beginning to heal. Where I''d normally see Firmament flowing and beginning to repair the cracks, there''s just... nothing. No movement, no life.
From the wear and tear on his core, he''s been damaged like this for a very, very long time.
I keep my Firmament sense on him just in case there''s something obvious I''m missing, but the more I observe, the clearer it is. His core is broken in some way, not from the self-inflicted carving but from something else. I look deeper, pushing past theyers of his Firmament, from the anchoredyers to the unanchored ones¡ªhe''s a firstyer practitioner, so everything past the firstyer is only vaguely defined.
And then I see it.
There''s a spiderweb of cracks running through the very foundations of his Firmament. I trace the pattern, and it only takes me a few seconds more to identify exactly what they are and where they''re from."It''s the Interface," I mutter, disbelieving.
Ahkelios has been hovering over Naru, and my words make him look back up at me, a concerned furrow in his brow. "What do you mean?"
"Naru''s Firmament core. It''s damaged, and not just from... that." I nod toward the most-dissolved de of Firmament still partially clutched in his fist. "It''s like the Interface is rooted into his core and cracking it from the inside. He can''t heal normally."
The little mantis blinks. "You''re sure?" he asks. "What does that mean? Does that happen to everyone who joins the Trials?"
"I don''t know," I answer honestly. A quick check of my own core reveals no signs of anything like this, to my relief¡ªthe Interface''s connection with me is mutualistic, a two-way connection rather than something eating into my core. Whisper''s remarks before she disappeared indicated that she could heal, given time.
Not enough data. It''s possible Whisper is wrong, or that she has her own methods of healing. It''s possible this only happens after a Trial ispleted, so as to permanently stunt the growth of a Trialgoer. It''s what the Integrators want, isn''t it?
Control.
And they don''t even know what they want that control for. They have no idea what the purpose of the Interface is. Someone else is pulling the strings: I''m more certain of that than ever.
"Can you fix him?" Ahkelios asks; he sounds more worried than I''d expected, all things considered. I nce down at Naru, cing my hand on his chest and feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath my palm.
It''s not the heart I''m looking for, though. That''s where his core is, and while the Firmament within it is static and lifeless, it isn''t gone. It''s not like he''s dead; he''s just unconscious.
Without him to exert conscious control over his Firmament, my skills let me take control of it easily. I can take control of it, weave his wounds shut. I just don''t know if that''ll be enough. Closing the wounds is one thing, but if his core isn''t naturally healing...
"Yes," I say finally. "Or I mean, I think I can at least stabilize him. I''m going to have to do more than that to get him to wake up, and that''s going to take a while."
"We should not do that here," He-Who-Guards finally speaks up. There''s an edge of caution in his voice. "Stabilize him quickly. We must leave."
I nce back at him, noticing that he''s intentionally positioned himself between us and the guardpost; with a grimace, I realize what he''s worried about.
"We probably shouldn''t let his guards see him like this, huh?"
"There''s no telling how they will react," Guard agrees. "I can carry him if needed."
I hesitate. There isn''t exactly anywhere safe to bring Naru¡ªI can''t exactly bring him into Carusath and im he just fell unconscious while we were on a mission together, and I don''t really trust his guards in the first ce. Isthanok is viable, but it''s also the home of a slow uprising against Trialgoer control. Who knows what bringing Naru there could result in.
There''s only one ce I''dpletely trust, counterintuitive as it is.
The Cliffside Crows, asbeled in the map. Back with Tarin and Mari.
I work quickly and quietly to stabilize Naru. It doesn''t take long at all¡ªonly a minute or two of Firmament Control to force the scars to close and stop Naru from bleeding Firmament. A patch job, but more than enough to hold steady.
Not enough to fix him. And I realize that, as far as I''vee, for something like this¡ªfor a Firmament core that''s not only damaged but fundamentally broken¡ªI don''t yet have the knowledge I need to fix it. Anything I try is just as liable to do permanent harm as it is to fix him, and as much as I''d like to just experiment...
I sigh. There''s at least one other option. All roads lead to the Empty City, I suppose.
Ritual stages reveal more about your connection with your Firmament. I''vepleted one of the Ritual stages. I don''t feel any different, and yet... I''m learning more than I ever did about Firmament. The patterns I''ve noticed in skills, for example. The memories I can extract with Temporal Link.
"Interface," I say out loud. "Have I received my reward for the first stage of the Ritual, in terms of understanding my connection with my Firmament?"
[Reward has not yet been delivered.]
I blink, surprised at the immediate response. The Interface hasn''t been so quick to reply in a long time. I''m at least a little relieved, too; I don''t like the idea that the Interface might have had something to do with my discoveries.
But more importantly...
"When am I going to get it?" I ask.
[Completion of the second stage of the Ritual will trigger the first Revtion.]
Revtion? That''s a new term. I frown.
"Does that have anything to do with Firmament cores?"
[Information on Revtions is restricted until your first Revtion. However, information on Firmament cores can be included in your reward.]
"For... free?" I ask, staring at the Interface suspiciously. There''s a longer pause than usual before it responds.
[That is correct.]
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...I don''t trust that at all, somehow. I shouldn''tin, I suppose, but something about how it''s responding bothers me. Ahkelios watches me curiously, and I shake my head.
"Let''s get him back to Tarin and Mari," I say, looking between Guard and Ahkelios. "We''ll figure out the rest there."
For all their bluster, it''s the one ce I''m sure Naru will be safe.
And after that, one way or another, it''s time to head back to the Empty City.
Rhoran marveled at the design of the Ritual. It was so simple, and yet soplex¡ªthe way the Interface wound itself into the root of a practitioner''s corpse and incorporated itself into a living story... it was the perfect nesting grounds for someone like him.
Not for an Integrator, though. Not at all. Rhoran had the feeling that if he''d still been an Integrator, being here would''ve been anathema to him. Most Integrators avoided dungeons as a whole on principle. Under control of the Interface or not, they always felt wrong, forck of a better word. Being inside a dungeon felt like walking inside your own corpse, whether it was generated by an Integrator death or not.
But he wasn''t an Integrator right now, was he? He was a parasite. A consciousness that could live inside Firmament itself, eating away at it from within until it belonged to him. Until it was him.
For him, a corpse like this was nutrition. It was food. He could feel himself expanding as he poured himself into the dungeon¡ªit didn''t matter that it was too big for him to ever control, didn''t matter that he couldn''t take it over entirely. He didn''t need to.
That was the best part of Gheraa''s little Trialgoer and his Trial. His challenges were all filtered through the lens of Hestia''s Heart, and Hestia was the of Time. He didn''t need to make big, sweeping changes. He just needed to make little ones. Absorb the memories here, let himself grow, and find just the right ce to make just the right change. Cause a cascade that would makepleting the Ritual impossible and generate a threat so enormous that Ethan would have no choice but to fail against it again and again.
Rhoran couldn''t wait to see the human give up.
The dungeon had conveniently given him nothing but time. The seed he was in offered him a perfect snapshot of the next stage of the Ritual. He could see Ethan''s pathid out in front of him¡ªeverything he was about to encounter down to the role he was supposed to y in the living history of the Empty City.
Now all he had to do was find the right ce to make a little change.
"Ethan! What happen?" Tarin asks. He looks stricken when we arrive back at the vige with Naru in Guard''s arms, though he doesn''t seem to entirely trust that his son is actually hurt. He keeps lifting one of Naru''s hands and positioning it above his face, then letting it fall. It''s only after Naru hits himself in the face three times that he epts that the guy is actually in aa.
I''m still not sure if I should have just watched him do that. Neither Ahkelios nor Guard seemed inclined to stop him.
"I''m not sure you''re going to believe me when I tell you," I say. The idea that Naru wants to change is bizarre. I''m not sure I believe it, and I was there. Still, it''s hard to deny when the evidence of it is quite literally carved into his core.
In a way, I suppose it''s not that much of a surprise. I saw his hesitation at the guardpost and watched a memory of at least one of the families he spared. I don''t know if they''re the only ones he spared, but nevertheless, it paints a picture of conflict. Uncertainty.
Tarin stares at me suspiciously. "You tell," he says.
So I do.
Tarin doesn''t seem to know what to say for most of the story. It''s not like I''m privy to Naru''s thoughts¡ªI don''t know if it was sitting in front of hopeful travelers and signing their papers that caused it or if he came to some realization in the process of me saving his life. I have no idea what led him to think carving his own core was the solution to any of this.
But Tarin seems to recognize the gesture. He taps on one of his wings, his expression warring between anger, worry, and reluctant admiration.
"It crow ritual," he exins after a moment. "For repentance. But not done like that. We use Firmament! Not knife." He demonstrates with a sh of a wing that leaves an imprint of Firmament on a nearby rock¡ªa marking, not a carving. "You stay here. I talk to Mari."
I raise an eyebrow. He doesn''t want me there? That''s... fair, I suppose. This version of Mari doesn''t have as much reason to trust me, and I''m guessing it''ll be easier to have the conversation without me there.
It still stings. Just a little.
Tarin returns after a solid half-hour of discussion, during which I focus my efforts on keeping Naru stable. It''s not difficult¡ªeven without healing, his core isn''t really deteriorating much from just lying around. The real problem is the crowding of the rest of the vigers around us. Guard keeps them mostly at bay, and when he returns, Tarin waves them away with a squawk of irritation.
"You all go!" he barks. "This family business."
There''s a lot ofining, but it doesn''t take long for them to all filter away. Tarin''s gaze returns to Naru''s unconscious body, lying on the ground with his head propped up on the mossiest, mostfortable rock Ahkelios could find.
"You want help Naru," he says after a moment. "You sure he not betray you?"
"Sure?" I ask. "No. Not sure."
"But you give him chance."
"I think I can afford him that much," I say dryly. "Not to get overconfident or anything, but I should be able to handle him, and he took a pretty big risk doing this to himself. That..."
I pause, watching Tarin carefully. "That, and I think you''d miss him if I actually just let him die."
Tarin flinches. It''s subtle, but it''s there. Mari pretends she isn''t listening, pretends she''s washing the dishes, but I see her going still for a moment before she resumes what she''s doing.
"You can fix?" Tarin asks, and I shake my head slightly.
"Not yet," I say. "I''ve stabilized him for now. I''m going to need to find out more about Firmament cores if I want to properly cure him. I guess we could try looking for more Phantom Root, but I don''t think it''s going to help this time."
Not when it''s the natural healing ability of the core being suppressed. To my surprise, Tarin shakes his head. "No," he says. "Even if Root help..."
I can see him hesitating. "What is it?"
"Ethan," Tarin says. His voice is unusually serious. "You know I not want to remember loop."
"...I know that," I say, although I''m reluctant to approach the subject. Part of me already knows what Tarin is going to suggest.
"It not enough to fix Naru," Tarin says. "He need remember."
I try to control my expression. "I know that."
"I remember loops because piece of Interface Firmament stuck in me. Yes?" Tarin''s speaking surprisingly gently. "You learn what you need. Then you take from me. Give to him."
This feels like it''sing sooner than I''d hoped. "I can do that," I say anyway. I think. Tarin studies me for a moment, then snorts.
"You look like I p you!" he deres. "It not like I forget you! I just not remember new loops."
"I know that," I grumble.
"Then you not look so sad!" Tarin reaches over and smacks me with a partially Firmament-reinforced wing. It actually doesn''t hurt¡ªnot with all the ways my Firmament has begun reinforcing my body since the third phase shift¡ªbut I rub the spot anyway. "You do good. You help free Hestia. Yes?"
I sigh softly. I guess I''m doing this. "Yes," I say. "I''ll be back, Tarin."
"Yes." Tarin gives me a confident nod, then surprises me by hugging me, wrapping me up into his wings. "It good knowing you."
I hear a few firm steps¡ªMari, striding over quickly. I almost expect her to pull Tarin away for some reason, but instead she also folds me into a hug.
"I not remember you," she tells me. "But my Firmament remember. You good. And..."
She hesitates for a moment. "We not have hope for Naru for long time," she says. "You give hope. So even if we not remember... thank you."
Well now. This just isn''t fair.
I kneel down to hug them back, hiding the bulk of my reaction by burying my face in their feathers, and spend a quiet moment with them.
Some timeter, we''re at the top of the cliff that the Cliffside Crows are named for, mostly to avoid any particrly intrepid crow children from climbing into the portal I''m about to open.
Talk about a restriction. If I want Naru to remember the events of this loop...
This isn''t the same as Tarin. Tarin was sent into aa by the Interface trying to kill him; he had a piece of the Interface with him the whole time, keeping one version of him locked in ce. Naru has no such protection¡ªthe version of the Interface that''s linked to him is holding him back, not preserving him.
Which means if I let myself die beforepleting this next stage, Naru''s losing all his memories of this loop.
"We''re stuck with one try again, huh?" Ahkelios says.
"One try," I agree.
It won''t be the end of the world or anything if I fail. The only person that loses is, in fact, Naru. But if he actually wants to change, even if I think he''s an idiot for the way he went about it...
Well, I might as well give him the chance he''s so desperate for.
I flick my hand out and summon the entrance to the Empty City. The barrier over it is gone¡ªenough time has psed, and it''s open again for me toplete the second stage. Whatever it is, the chaos of Firmament behind the door tells me that a lot has changed.
"Are you ready?" He-Who-Guards asks. I give him a slight nod, and he walks through. I follow close behind, but pause as I step through.
There are many things I expected the second stage of the Ritual to be. Many things I thought it might involve. Puzzles, for example. A whole new slew of monsters. More of those strange flowers creeping through the empty buildings.
What I didn''t expect?
Color.
People.
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Chapter 169: Book 3: Collisions
The Empty City is no longer empty. It is, in fact, the closest thing to a bustling metropolis I''ve seen since I was ripped away from Earth¡ªmore so than even Isthanok and its busy streets. Without all the decay eating away at the city, I can see how many of these buildings are in fact skyscrapers. What I''d assumed were the roofs of individual buildings were in fact just one of many floors, the top levels having apparently been scoured away by time and broken Firmament.
It''s a beautiful ce, which only makes knowing what happened to it that much worse.
None of the people here seem aware of what''s toe, though. I watch as they go about their lives¡ªjust like the Tear I went to earlier, it''s clear that these are simtions of Firmament, but at the same time they''re far more real than anything originally generated by the Tear. They feel like...
They feel like Gheraa. Like the copy of himself he''d left within me¡ªtechnically alive, a snapshot of his personhood at a moment in time. I take a moment to feel for that seed of him still cradled somewhere within my core; it pulses with a surprising warmth as my Firmament brushes against it, although it''s otherwise quiet.
If nothing else, this tells me that I''m probably on the right path. Even if I don''t know how to feel about the dungeon generating what appears to be fully sapient life.
I watch for a moment as they go about their lives. None of them seem to notice us. They''re a species of... scarab-dragonfly hybrids, as best as I can tell? Humanoid in form, bodies naturally armored in colored chitin, and wearing clothes made ofyers of semitransparent, flowing cloth woven together like robes and dresses.
"Oooh," Ahkelios says. "That''s smart."
I nce at him. "What is?"
"Their clothes!" He points at a passing person who, thankfully, either doesn''t notice or chooses to ignore us. "I''ve tried wearing cloth before. It usually catches and tears on my exoskeleton.""Huh." The way the robes and dresses are red does avoid that, I suppose. I turn to Ahkelios and stare at him for long enough that he begins to shift ufortably. "You know, I never asked, but... Ahkelios, are you¡ª"
"It is perfectly normal for my species not to wear clothes!" he huffs indignantly before I can finish my question. "Clothes are for special asions! Because they tear! We wear armor."
"Right." I tuck that fact into the back of my mind, trying not to grin. "And you''re wearing your armor right now."
"No¡ªSort of." Ahkelios scowls, folding his arms across his chest. "I don''t want to talk about it."
"If you''re ufortable, I could always make you something?" I suggest.
"I wasn''t ufortable until you brought this up!"
"I didn''t bring this up," I point out. Ahkelios makes an embarrassed sort of noise somewhere deep in his throat, then promptly dematerializes, presumably so he can sulk in my core instead of out here.
Guard, of course, mostly seems to be amused. "This isn''t what I expected," he says, opting not toment on the exchange. He''s stopped in his tracks just a few feet away from the gateway¡ªnow that I think about it, I don''t think anyone around us is actually paying attention to us, despite how out-of-ce we are. "Do they not see us, or...?"
"I''m not sure," I say, taking a few steps forward as I speak. "I think the Ritual stage hasn''t started yet? I probably need to¡ª"
Sure enough, the moment I cross some invisible threshold of distance, the Interface updates and pings me with a new objective.
[Ritual Stage 2: nt the Seed]
Prerequisites:
Protect Novi, the Archivist: 0/1
Collect the Seed: 0/1
Charge the Seed: 0/100
nt the Seed: 0/1
Keep the Seed safe: 1/1
Now collected, the Seed must find fertile soil. Assist Isiris with delivering it to the Shadowed Laboratory, and assist the Seed in gathering the energy it needs to take root.
I frown slightly at the notification, briefly wondering how I''m supposed to find Novi. Fortunately, the dungeon solves that problem for me quickly.
"You must be Ethan and He-Who-Guards," a soft voice calls. I turn to see a small, lean version of the scarab-people bowing slightly toward me. She wears a translucent, off-white outfit with pearlescent overtones that hangs off her shoulders in long strips, and there''s a quiet serenity in the way she speaks, the way she carries herself. "You are my assigned Protectors?"
"That... would be urate, yes," I say cautiously. I''m not really sure what that term means in their culture. "I take it you''re Novi?"
"I am." Novi smiles at me, then turns slightly so that she''s addressing both me and Guard. "You seem confused. First days are often difficult for newly-summoned Protectors. Do not worry; I will exin everything you need to know."
Newly summoned, huh? I shift ufortably under Novi''s gaze, not quite used to anyone being this... nice? Genuine? She reminds me a lot of Guard, actually, just with a bit more of a motherly touch.
Actually, no. Guard can also be motherly. A little too motherly, sometimes. I shake my head to dispel the thought and turn my attention to Novi once again. "What do you mean, newly summoned?"
Novi blinks. "They didn''t even exin that?" She makes a disapproving clicking sort of noise in her throat. "Ah... this is difficult to exin. Come with me; I will exin as we walk."
I nod in assent and begin to follow her, with Guard trailing behind me.
"Summons," Novi says, "are a specific form of Firmament art. Sometimes they are creatures summoned from the aether, possessing no origin or purpose except that which they are given. Other times¡ªwhen the summoning is performed by a truly gifted Seer¡ªthe creatures brought forth are people in their own right, with homes and families of their own. It''s still widely debated whether those families are real. We have no proof, one way or another."
I say nothing. I know what I am, but what she''s telling me... it sounds eerily like she might be describing herself. Maybe these summonings really did exist back in the day, and maybe her people really did summon people from other worlds¡ªor simtions of them¡ªto aid them in their everyday tasks. Maybe it''s all just a dungeon-conceived excuse to give me a ce in the history it wants me to recreate.
But it is, I suspect, at least true. The situation is just reversed, as far as the dungeon goes. Novi and her people are the summons, not me. It doesn''t seem like a great time to tell her, though, so I remain silent.
"You have no questions?" Novi prompts, surprised. Iugh.
"I suppose I guessed something along those lines," I admit. It''s a partial lie, but not enough of one that I feel guilty about it.
"Some summons have been known to have... breakdowns, when their origin is exined to them," Novi says after a moment. "I disagree with the practice. It feels hical to create a being that may despair at its existence, and certainly hical to do so to help with menial tasks. Fortunately the process only picks those who are amenable to it, but that is a smallfort, I fear."
"How would you feel?" I ask. "If you learned you were a summon?"
Novi pauses briefly in her steps. "I do not know," she admits after a moment. "I do not think I would enjoy the knowledge, but it would be of little point to fight it. I think I would mostly be worried about my children. If those memories were false, and they did not exist..."
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the vition.
She trails off and shakes her head. "I do not enjoy that thought."
"Can''t me you there," I mutter. That much, at least, she doesn''t have to worry about: if she''s the person I think she is, then her children are¡ªor were¡ªreal.
Though given the way their story ended... I grimace a bit. Maybe I shouldn''t reveal to her the nature of the dungeon and what''s about to happen. Not yet, anyway.
"Tell me about them?" I ask instead. Novi brightens at the words.
"You are an excellent Protector," she says. "You are curious! Very few of our summons exhibit curiosity. Perhaps there is something special about you?"
Iugh awkwardly. "Maybe?" I say. "I like to think I''m just interested in the world around me. You clearly care about your children, so I''d like to know more about them."
"I am happy to talk about them." Novi smiles brightly. "They are Juri and Yarun, my sons. My bright ones. Juri is the elder of them¡ªhe is old enough now that he pretends he does not still love his toy sword and shield. Yarun keeps many dolls and figures and has detailed stories for each one. You should hear the tales he tells! Even Juri loves them, though I suspect that is because Yarun often has him ying the role of hero..."
The names confirm my suspicions¡ªNovi is the woman who wrote the record I read, the woman who detailed the end of the Empty City. There''s an honest, earnest love in her voice as she tells us everything about her children. Their favorite foods, their bad habits, the embarrassing moments they''ve had.
A long time ago, I might''ve found something like this exhausting. Now, though? I find myself just... rxing and enjoying the conversation. Novi doesn''t get the opportunity to talk about her children much, it seems, but everything about her is so truly genuine. She doesn''t exaggerate how well they''re doing, doesn''t present her children as perfect, but the love she has is evident in every word she speaks.
Juri and Yarun have their ws, but they are her children, and they are always trying. She encourages them through their failures and celebrates their sesses. She teaches them to be good¡ªto care about the people around them, to be curious about the world, to question and study and learn. She does it alone, too; her partner, she says, was lost a long time ago, during the early days of the Awakening.
A small part of me wonders what it might have been like to have a mother like this, but it''s a small part. I''ve moved on from what happened with my family.
Guard and I are both content with listening. We interject with questions every once in a while, and slowly, through the lens of her children, we build a picture of the people that live here, of what the Empty City was before it became... well, empty.
Their people are named the scirix, and the city we''re in is named First Sky. It''s the capital of the scirix empire, which isrgely led by a circle of Elders. Those Elders are in turn advised by Seers, who Novi exins are individuals that have made enough progress with their Firmament for their guidance to quite literally shape civilisation.
"Almost everyone aspires to be a Seer. I did, too, once," Novi confides in me. "I am pleased with my role as Archivist now, but there was a time where my desire to be a Seer was everything to me."
"What changed?" I ask, though I think I know the answer. Novi smiles at me.
"Juri was born," she says. I chuckle; that''s more or less what I''vee to expect from her. Her life was shaped by her children, it seems. "And I would change nothing. Seers are often... isted. The time, dedication and resources required to be one are exorbitant. I would not have had the time to spend with my children, and I would not trade that time for anything¡ªnot even to be Seer."
"You said they''re all at the third phase shift, at minimum?" I ask. Novi nods.
"We have only five of them," she says. "Five Seers, each specializing in an Aspect. Force, Body, Mind, Energy, and Spirit."
"What are these Aspects?" I ask, curious. Novi gives me a strange look.
"You know of phase shifts, but not of Aspects?" she asks. "Have you not done a phase shift yourself? Most Protectors are at least at the firstyer, if not at the second."
"I have," I say. "But humor me. Maybe our understanding of phase shifts are a little different."
"Hmm." Novi hums. "Yes. Well. The firstyer demands that you tell the Firmament which of the five Aspects you are. Our Seers are the most developed along their respective, chosen paths."
I frown, casting my mind back to my first phase shift. That''s not what I remember. I was asked a question, but I wasn''t presented with a choice.
Who am I?
That was the question. But if what Novi is saying is correct, then either I was asked a different question, or their answers were... what, artificially constrained? By themselves and their understanding of Firmament, or by something else?
"You did not choose one?" Novi asks curiously.
"I can''t say I was even aware of the Aspects," I answer. "I just answered with what I was feeling at the time."
Which was "I''m whoever the fuck I want to be", but saying it out loud feels... a great deal more embarrassing than it was in context. Novi tilts her head, watching me, curiosity evident in her eyes.
"I have never considered that one might align their Firmament with something outside the Aspects," she says slowly. "The Aspects govern our very selves. It is known that one of the five paths must be chosen, lest your Firmament begin to wither; it was amandment given to us by the gods themselves."
That sounds remarkably like an artificial cultural constraint, specifically of the type the Integrators might try to use to control a poption. But it''s baffling to me that not a single person would have thought to test it. Then again, they''ve only had Firmament for something like ten years, and it takes a long time to reach even the first phase shift for most...
Hm. No, given the timeframe, it''s entirely possible that no one''s tested it yet. Who knows how long ago all this happened?
"You have given me much to think about," Novi says. There''s a contemtive note in her voice, like she''s processing a realization she doesn''t quite want to put to words yet. "Thank you for your knowledge¡ªAh! We have arrived."
The building we''re at is initially unremarkable to me. It''s nondescript, unmarked warehouse tucked away in between the alleys and streets. It doesn''t take me long to notice that there''s something strange about it, though. I frown, stepping closer.
It''s shielded, somehow. Specifically, whatever material it''s made of renders the interior almost opaque to my Firmament sense¡ªI can sense something through it, but only barely, I rap a knuckle on the wall, noting that it feels like nothing more than ordinary brick. How is it blocking me?
"What are you doing?" Novi asks curiously.
"Just wondering why I can''t feel any Firmament through the walls," I say absently. If the rebels had had this back in Isthanok, they would''ve been able to stay entirely shielded from Whisper. Not that it matters now, with her out ofmission.
Novi brightens at my words. "You can sense Firmament!" she says. "That is a unique talent! It will be useful in the journey toe. These walls are made of blessed brick; it''s said that the gods themselves treated it. Personally, I think it''s one of the Seers."
There''s that mention of gods again. I eye the brick curiously¡ªpart of me is itching to get a hold of the material and attempt something like an imbuement, just to see what would happen. Now''s probably not the best time for it, though. "I don''t suppose I could get my hands on some blessed brick?"
Noviughs. "Goodness, if only it were that easy. I will put in a good word for you when we are done with our mission, yes?"
"I''d appreciate that."
She grins at me, humming under her breath as she fishes around in her pockets for the keys. It''s still striking to me how much First Sky reminds me of Earth¡ªeverything from construction materials to the architecture of the buildings is close enough that if I squint, I can almost make myself believe I''m home.
There are subtle differences, of course. The scirix don''t seem to like corners, for some reason? Every roof of every building has corners that are sanded off into a taper. I couldn''t begin to guess why.
I''m shaken from my thoughts as Novi suddenly sways. Her keys fall to the ground and she catches herself on the nearby wall; one hand clutches at her head, her entire body folded into a grimace. "Novi? Are you okay?" I ask, hurrying to her side and steadying her.
Protect Novi, the Archivist. I haven''t forgotten that I''m in the middle of a Ritual stage, tame as this one seems to be. But then, it hasn''t even begun yet, has it?
"Yes," Novi whispers faintly. She blinks and shakes her head. "Yes. I am fine, it was just... a momentarypse. Nothing to worry about."
"If you say so," I say doubtfully. There was nothing fine about that, but I''m hardly an expert on scirix physiology.
"Here," she says. She leans down and picks her keys back up, fumbling to unlock the door. "I am sure you know the mission already, but to brief you again: The Archivists have recently uncovered an old Firmament artifact buried just outside First Sky. The Elders havemanded that we transport it to the Shadowed Laboratory. You should be aware that the artifact tends to draw in hostile Firmament¡ªit''s the reason we have to keep it in this warehouse."
"Right," I say. She opens the door, stepping through, and blinks in surprise.
Right behind her, I freeze. There''s another scirix standing in the room, sitting on top of the box containing the Seed. He wears a steady, easy smile, looking for all the world like he belongs in this room. Like he''s here to take care of the box.
But he doesn''t, and he isn''t.
"Ethan, that''s..." Ahkelios speaks up from within me. Even without being manifested, I can feel his shock.
"Yeah, I know," I respond. What I don''t know is what to do about it. Judging by the look on her face, Novi recognizes him. I, on the other hand, don''t. His appearance is entirely unfamiliar to me.
But his Firmament isn''t, and now that the warehouse''s walls aren''t in the way, I can read it perfectly.
He might be twisted into the shape of a scirix and forced to y a role in this dungeon, but that''s a Remnant.
Specifically, Ahkelios''s Remnant.
Chapter 170: Book 3: Twisted Time
On some level, I feel like I should have expected something like this¡ªI''d sensed the Remnant''s presence in the dungeon even before the Ritual moved into its second stage. Why the Remnant is in the dungeon is another question entirely, but whatever transformation the Empty City went through, it must have affected the Remnant as well.
That, I presume, is the reason it''s currently taking the form of a scirix and smiling at us like nothing''s wrong.
"Why is your Remnant even here?" I ask, not taking my eyes off him. Novi trusts him, clearly¡ªshe doesn''t even seem surprised by his presence¡ªbut I don''t. Something about his Firmament reeks of... not hostility, exactly. But there''s something there that tells me that this Remnant isn''t just ying his role in scirix society. He remembers being Ahkelios. Is Ahkelios, more or less.
A version of him that isn''t a friend. A version of him that remembers a different life, has different goals.
"I''ve been in the Empty City before," Ahkelios reminds me. "Or I mean... I was in the sewers. I guess that''s enough for it to count as far as Remnants goes."
"You sound worried."
"Of course I am! Who knows what he''s going to do?" I can feel Ahkelios itching to manifest, but he knows as well as I do that that''s not a good idea for the moment¡ªwho knows what will set this version of him off. "Let me remind you that he was trying to make me betray you!"
"Which you agreed not to do." I shrug, though mostly internally. "I''m not that worried about it."
"Yes, and I think that''s a problem!" Ahkelios hisses at me.Our internal conversation is interrupted by the actual conversation taking ce between Novi and this new scirix. I was too distracted by Ahkelios to catch most of it, but Guard nudges me just in time as Novi turns toward me, smiling. "This is Zhir," she says, gesturing to the other scirix. "He is an Archivist like myself, and I am fortunate to call him a friend."
"Not quite as lucky as I am," the Remnant says, his voice yful. Noviughs in response, flicking his arm.
"Did you not agree to take care of my children while I do this?" she asks. "I believe they are waiting for you."
"Alright, alright." The Remnant chuckles. He makes eye contact with me for a moment¡ªjust long enough tomunicate that he knows who I am, that he knows what this is. I feel a slight chill go down my spine. "I''ll see youter. It was a pleasure to meet you, Ethan andpany. Perhaps we can speak moreter? Novi tells me you are astonishingly grounded for a summon; you may well be the mostplete summon we''ve had in years."
"And here I was worried I''d have problems making friends," I say jokingly. "Sure, sounds like a n. As long as nothing throws those ns off, anyway. Should I bring you a gift? What do you like?"
"A gift?" The Remnant cocks his head. I think that''s actual surprise¡ªhe wasn''t expecting me to y along with him? "I would appreciate a painting. Perhaps some nts."
"nts?" It''s Novi''s turn to be teasing. "I am surprised. Thest time I tried to gift you a nt, you told me it would dirty your home."
"Ah." Zhir seems briefly thrown. Calling the Remnant by his scirix name is easier, for now. All the better to distinguish him from Ahkelios. "Yes, well... Preferences change, I suppose."
That''s definitely Ahkelios. I''m not sure why we''re making ns to begin with¡ªit''s not like the dungeon is going tost for long once Iplete the stage¡ªbut there''s an underlying tension in the conversation; whatever this is, our objectives are still at odds. I can sense the Remnant looking through me, almost as if he''s not looking at me but at...
Well, at Ahkelios. Looking for the fragment of himself that''s a part of me instead of a part of him.
Part of me wonders: this Remnant seems to be sapient. Does that mean it remembers? The Empty City as a dungeon exists outside Hestia''s Trial, which means that the Trial''s resets don''t necessarily affect the dungeon¡ªnot unless it''s explicitly linked to a Trialgoer. It''s possible he''s spent many loops wandering an empty city, entirely alone.
I frown.
Those aren''t my thoughts.
It''s not that I''m not sympathetic, or that I wouldn''t normally consider these things¡ªbut if I pay careful attention, it feels almost like Ahkelios''s bond with me is... leaking. Like the familiar I''m sheltering in my soul is tied both to this Remnant and to me, and so is acting as a sort of bridge between the two of us. Zhir is looking at me like he doesn''t really understand me, but if I''m catching a glimpse of what he''s experienced, then I''m guessing he''s catching a glimpse of what I''ve experienced, too.
I wonder if that''s going to be enough to change his mind on whatever he has nned. Because I can tell he''s got a n, and I''m not sure I''m going to like it.
"Are you ready, Protector?" Novi asks, entirely oblivious to the silent conversation between Zhir and I.
"I suppose I am," I say. "Are you leading the way to... what was it, the Shadowed Laboratory?"
"Perhaps a strange name, I know," Novi says with a light smile. "It is Shadowed because it is shielded from the Sky¡ªfrom the Firmament. Some of our summons have called it foreboding. A cultural division, I suppose. We tend to believe that both the shadow and the light have an equal and important part to y."
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
I watch as she picks the Seed up out of the box. It''s about twice asrge as it was before¡ªstill easy enough to hold, but only barely. It''s also churning with Firmament, a chaotic mixture of energy that doesn''t quite resolve into anything I can recognize. I still don''t know why the dungeon''s Ritual revolves around this Seed, but I suppose I''ll find out.
"We will see youter, Zhir!" Novi calls back as she heads out¡ªnot through the front door, I note, but to a tunnel that''s built into the side of the warehouse.
Makes sense, if we''re expecting to be attacked. I take a few steps after her, gesturing for Guard to follow me, even as Zhir makes to leave through the front door.
What was it Novi had said? That Zhir had agreed to take care of her children?
And there was the look on Zhir''s face...
"Ahkelios," I murmur. I feel him snapping to attention when I say his name. We''re aligned on this, I think.
"You want me to follow him?" he asks.
"You know me too well." I send him a sense of approval through our link, and he grins back; I feel him drawing on my Firmament just enough to manifest just outside the warehouse, hiding just behind the door.
We''ve already tested him separating from me. It''s a strain on our link, but it''s something we can do now, far more than the original distance limitations I had with the skill. This will probably strain it a bit more than back when we were in Isthanok, but hopefully not enough to snap him back to me. It all depends on how far we''re going.
For now, I put it out of my mind. My job is to protect Novi and to make sure the Seed stays safe. There''s plenty of space to maneuver¡ªonce we get far enough down the steps, the tunnel expands into a structure that''s truly massive, lit with what looks like a series of lights powered by a mixture of Firmament and redirected sr energy¡ªso I just need to watch out for... what was it Novi said? Something about the Seed drawing in hostile Firmament?
I nce at the Interface. I can already feel small wisps of Firmament being drawn into it now that it''s outside the shielding of the warehouse. This tunnel is unshielded, and plenty of Firmament trickles down from above; if I activate Firmament Sight, I can see it almost like drops of colored rain.
One of them sshes onto the Seed and is quickly absorbed without a trace. I nce at the Interface.
[Collect the Seed: 1/1
Charge the Seed: 1/100]
At the same time, there''s a low groan that echoes through the tunnel.
"Hostile Firmament iing!" Novi announces, though it''s unnecessary. I nce further into the tunnel, drawing some power into my eyes to help me see.
Yep. That''s some hostile Firmament alright. In fact, they''re quite a lot like the human legend of ghosts.
"You didn''t tell me they look like dead scirix," I grumble. Novi makes an awkward, embarrassed sort of noise, clearing her throat.
"I did not think it would be important." She pauses. "Is it?"
"Nah." I shrug. "You might want to look away, though. This is going to get messy."
A quick test confirms my suspicions: physical attacks don''t do anything to them. A Phaseshift, though? The skill that specifically lets me move out of phase with reality and into phase with Firmament?
I tear a scirix-ghost apart like it''s made of paper. It''s kind of a horrid sight, because the Firmament copies... well, everything. Down to the internals. I wince a bit. I can sense stronger ones and bigger ones, too, further down the tunnel; not all of it is going to be this easy.
Messy is almost certainly going to be an understatement. A quick nce back tells me that despite my warnings, Novi is probably not going to look away or be particrly bothered by the violence. She seems kind of fascinated by it, if anything.
Oh boy.
On the plus side...
[You have defeated an Empty Regret (Rank E)! +3 Strength credits. +1 Firmament credit.]
For whatever reason, they''re still enough to give me credits.
Works for me.
Ahkelios felt his heart hammering in his chest¡ªfor a given definition of ''heart'' and ''chest'', anyway. His whole body was made of Firmament, so the old physical sensations of stress and anxiety were more psychosomatic than an actual stress response. It didn''t change what he was feeling, though.
Especially since it didn''t take very long before Zhir sighed and called out to him. "I know you''re following me," he said. "You might as welle out."
Ahkelios considered for a moment that his counterpart might have been bluffing, but it was unlikely. He could feel his Remnant, and if that were true for him, then it was just as true for the Remnant. Trying to hide was an exercise in futility.
Better to find out what he was nning.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, emerging from the bush he was hiding in. He shook his entire body a few times to get rid of all the leaves stuck on him, and Zhir watched him in amusement.
"I hardly have a choice," the scirix-but-not-really said. "I''m as much a ve to this dungeon as everyone else is. Perhaps more. It is fascinating, though; in all the attempts I''ve seen to clear this dungeon, this is only the second time I have encountered someone able to unlock its Ritual."
"And you''re not nning to screw it up?" Ahkelios asked, fluttering next to Zhir. The Remnant turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. Ridge. Ahkelios didn''t really know much about scirix physiology.
"I have one goal," Zhir said inly. "And it''s to reintegrate myself with you."
Ahkelios stopped in ce, and Zhir stopped too, waiting for him patiently. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.
"Because I''m tired of this," Zhir said. "Do you know how long I''ve been stuck here since our Trial? How long I''ve been forced to y the same old tired game? I didn''t even have the option of giving up like you did. I''m a ghost of a ghost, ying the role of a monster, watching Trialgoer after Trialgoer die."
Ahkelios remained silent.
"And I tried, you know," Zhir continued. "To convince you to join me. I''m strong enough and you''re strong enough that we could just sever your connection with Ethan. Make us our own person independent from him."
"That''s what Ethan wants too," Ahkelios said.
"Ah, but he wants that for you." Zhir raised a finger and wagged it in an oddly human mannerism; it took Ahkelios a moment to realize that he''d pilfered it from his bond with Ethan, and that made him feel strangely dirty. "I want that for me. And that''s going to be a problem for us, because I don''t think either of us want to lose our individuality."
Ahkelios was almost certain he knew what wasing, but he waited anyway. His fists clenched, but he hid them behind his back.
"And if I can''t convince you to let me take over the normal way," Zhir said. Ahkelios thought it was strange how he sounded like he was trying to convince himself, too, but then he wasn''t too surprised; he wondered what he would have done in Zhir''s position.
Fought like this too, probably. Maybe. He didn''t think he''d stooped to threats, but who knew how much his counterpart had been through?
"I''ve seen the Ritual done once before," Zhir said, turning to Ahkelios. "Deaths in one Ritual stage carry over to the next. And that woman''s kids? They''re going to be very, very important in theter stages. So: Here''s the deal.
"You let me take over and give me my freedom. In return, I won''t kill them, and your Trialgoer won''t be stuck trying to finish a Ritual that can never bepleted."
Chapter 171: Book 3: Simulations
Chapter 171: Book 3: Simtions
[Charge the Seed: 32/100]
The fight''s advanced enough to be harrowing. Novi knows enough to stay a good distance back, thankfully; the n for Guard to take the lead doesn''t quite work as well against these Regrets. If they get close enough to him, they can just phase themselves through¡ªand from the looks of things, that does quite a bit of damage to his systems.
"Are you alright?" I ask, steadying him. There''s some smokeing out from his systems; he makes a sound that''s a little bit like a cough. He nods, but leans a bit more weight on me than I''d expect if he was fine.
"I will be fine," He-Who-Guards says. "I simply need to make sure they don''t touch me."
True enough. I take the lead anyway; as long as Phaseshift is active, I can basically act as a physical wall. A barrier. They seem drawn to me when I do it, too. Only a few of them slip past to try to get at Novi and the Seed.
Guard, meanwhile, doesn''t take long to adapt to his role as backup. His Firmament sts can still hit them, and his chains work as long as they''re charged through with his power. At first, it''s barely even necessary¡ªbut the farther we get down the tunnels, the more the Regrets swarm. More and more of them get past me.
And that''s where Guard really shines.
From the way he''s fighting, I get the odd feeling that he''s frustrated¡ªthere''s an aggression to his movements that I''m not used to seeing from him. Maybe he feels he isn''t contributing as much as he should. He fights with an expert precision,unching charged chains of Firmament that anchor themselves into the walls to block off paths, firing bursts out of his palms that take down two or three ghosts each.
It''s pretty cool, if I''m being honest. I''d sit back and watch him if I didn''t have to fight myself. We make steady progress like this, and for a while it''s enough.But only for now.
I narrow my eyes, staring into the darkness further down the tunnel; the lights deeper in have started failing in a way that I''m pretty sure isn''t a coincidence, and the mass of Firmament I can sense is starting to slowly increase. Some of the ghosts begin to blend into one another, flickering and merging into stronger specters that are just a little more resilient¡ªa little harder to take down.
Figures that a dungeon challenge isn''t going to be quite this easy.
Even without the slowly-increasing density and strength of these monsters, their sheer numbers are enough to make the fight harrowing. If it were just me and Guard, I''d be a lot more confident about being able to take on this hoard, but with Novi standing directly in the tunnel with us?
Having to protect herplicates things¡ª
Three Regrets rush me at once. I solidify with a Phaseshift, wrap my arms with an Amplified Gauntlet, and tear through one in an instant.
[You have defeated an Empty Regret (Rank C)! +15 Strength credits. +2 Durability credits. +2 Reflex credits. +3 Speed credits. +2 Firmament credits.]
The other two follow quickly.
If nothing else, every defeat is still giving me credits. I''m not sure why¡ªI''m pretty sure if I fought these things back in Hestia, they wouldn''t be enough of a challenge to give me any credits at all. Maybe it''s something about this ce being a dungeon.
I''m notining, though. I''m well aware that skills aren''t everything, but...
[Status | Skills | Mastery | Inspirations | Dungeons]
[Ethan, thirdyer practitioner]
Talents: [Anchor]
[Credit Distribution]
Strength: 566 (1400 banked)
Durability: 879 (1646 banked)
Reflex: 633 (2477 banked)
Speed: 602 (1420 banked)
Firmament: 970 (2091 banked)
[NOTICE: Interface currently running on backup protocol ANCHORED HERITAGE. Features and rewards may be different.]
Another S-rank Firmament skill with about thirty more credits, and at the rate these things areing, I''ll attain it soon enough.
I''m well aware at this point that skills aren''t everything, and I''m barely scratching the surface with what the Interface can offer me. One of these days, I''m going to need to sit down and pore over the skills with the All-Seeing Eye and see what I''m missing¡ªbecause there''s something. Something in the gaps between skills, something I''ve been catching a glimpse of here and there... The patterns they share.
Strength, Durability, Reflex, Speed, Firmament. If the categories are a lie, then what are they hiding? Some deeper truth about Firmament, if I had to guess. Maybe a deeper truth about skills as a whole.
A Regret grazes me with some frost-aligned Firmament, and I hiss, forcing my attention back to the fight. It''s too easy to let myself get distracted when fighting each individual ghost feels so easy. Maybe that''s part of the challenge here.
But that doesn''t feel quite right. This is a Dungeon challenge. There''s going to be some kind of twist, and if I don''t figure out what it is before it happens...
I''m only going to have one try at this stage if I want to let Naru keep his memories.
More likely there''s some kind of trick here. Or an uing boss. I narrow my eyes, trying to figure it out.
Rate of flow, maybe?
Every time there''s a new wave of Regrets, they''re a little stronger than before. There are more of them than before. Every time they do, the Seed ticks up just a little bit higher in its charge. The first wave gave it only a single point. The second gave it two. The third gave it four. Spare drops of Firmament from the ceiling cause it to jump up another one or two at random, but there''s an exponentialponent to the way it''s charging.
And, in the same vein, there''s an exponentialponent to the difficulty of these Regrets.
But that doesn''t feel right. It doesn''t feel like it''s the whole of it.
Firmament begins to pick up around me. There''s something in it¡ªsomething that isn''t Firmament¡ªand I reach out for it automatically.
To my surprise, there''s something there.
[You have touched a Thread.]
...What?
Before I can consider the notification farther, I feel a sudden flow of rity, and refocus my thoughts. I''ll check on thatter, but something about this is giving me insight I wouldn''t have otherwise. It''s almost like a trance¡ªa flow state. Even my skills feel more responsive, eager to be used.
Dungeons are fundamentally meant to challenge their delvers. They may be created from the memories of a dead Firmament practitioner, but the Interface interferes with them in some way to create these challenges, these Rituals.
I can feel Premonition in the back of my mind beginning to shine. It''s not doing what it usually does¡ªnormally, it points out iing danger. This use of it feels different. It''s almost like it''s trying to build on my intuition, trying to guide me. Trying to boost whatever it is I just touched on.
I feed some Firmament into it experimentally. There''s a way my Firmament curls through it, a way it connects to my brain and instincts¡ª
[Your mastery of Premonition has improved!]
There''s something building. I can feel the shape of it, even if I don''t know exactly what it is.
"Ethan." Guard gets my attention. "What is wrong? You are faltering."
"I''m just trying to figure out what they''re doing," I answer.
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He''s right, though. Whatever I''vetched on to is upying most of my mind. I''m still fighting, but it''s like my body is moving on autopilot¡ªthe Knight is helping me, now that I''m paying attention. I''m not fully engaging the Inspiration, but it''s reaching out to guide me in battle, helping me grab and tear each Regret apart as they approach.
And my mind is running full-tilt, almost out of my control.
Almost. It''s still my mind, after all. I can guide it, shape its direction.
[Your mastery of Quicken Mind has improved!]
I feel like I''m on the verge of understanding something about dungeons. My mental Firmament skills are all stirring, almost on their own¡ªno.
Not on their own. They''re responding to my train of thought. I''m guiding them.
A dungeon, once integrated, is a tool of the Interface. The overall beats of history are correct, I''m sure, but Novi probably didn''t have to fight through a horde of ghosts to deposit the Seed in the Shadowed Laboratory. The challenge itself is unique. A creation of the Interface, not a real beat from history.
And the Interface promised I''d learn more about my connection with Firmament. Its rewards aren''t usually just shoved straight into my mind, are they? The closest I''ve ever gotten to that is Ahkelios receiving an ''information package'', and even that had its lies. Mostly because it was an Integrator reward and not a proper Interface one.
It likes rewarding effort. It wants me to learn.
The challenges are designed for me to understand things about Firmament. Possibly more. Like how I picked up something about shapes from the Seedmother.
[Bonus objectivepleted!
Grand Design: 1/1
Escting difficulty...]
Whatever state I was in begins to fade, leaving me with a slight headache.
And at the same time, I see Firmament start to flicker through the crowd of Regrets, dimming and brightening, creating lines of movement. I get a final insight before my thoughts finally settle back to normal.
"Guard," I say. "This one''s for you."
He-Who-Guards wasn''t quite sure what Ethan meant by that, but there was something in the human''s voice that made him stand a little straighter.
His journey with Ethan so far was... he wasn''t sure he had the right words for it. He felt like he was falling behind, in a way. He had an immense amount of Firmament and very little he could do with it other than st it out of his palms¡ªhe hadn''t even quite figured out skill circuits yet. All of them were in his memory banks, and ever since he''d captured them he''d had his AI running in the background, trying to analyze them and figure them out.
But they wereplicated things, even put into a format he understood. Thest time he''d tried to invoke a skill circuit had been while they were repairing the Carusath Tear, and that had backfired and failed.
He hadn''t shown it at the time, but the backfiring had failed in a spectacr way, too. All the Firmament he''d poured into the circuit flooded back into him, nearly overloading his systems. If the AI hadn''t quickly taken over and shunted the majority of the force into its own circuits...
It meant that it would be partially fried for the rest of this loop, and in some ways, Guard missed having itspany. He hadn''t needed it the way he needed it before; not since Ethan had fixed him. But they were... friends, after a fashion. They knew each other better than anyone else did.
Now he was just left with his own thoughts. It was lonelier than he''d expected.
It surprised him, though, how many of those thoughts were centered around the idea of protecting Ethan. Ethan didn''t even really need that protection. Half the time, it was the other way around. But it was like the human had entirely supnted She-Who-Whispers in his mind¡ªonce upon a time, he would''ve given up his life for her, and now...
Well, now he was pretty sure that if he suggested anything of the sort to Ethan, Ethan would just stare at him and refuse in that very human way of his.
Silverwisp society was quite different from humanity, he''d gathered. Silverwisps considered a pledge of allegiance the highest honor one silverwisp could bestow to another. There was a whole ceremony for it, even. He''d take a piece of his Firmament, that wispy, ethereal substance that made up his form, and he''d give it to the person he was pledging himself to. They''d give him a lesser, smaller piece in exchange.
There was an importance to it. A lot of their society revolved around little exchanges like these. The people you shared your essence with were few and far between¡ªmost often for romantic arrangements, less often as a pledge of allegiance, and rarer still for truly close friendships and bonds.
The one time he''d suggested pledging himself to Ethan was shortly after the asteroid strike, while Isthanok was building. He didn''t know the human that well yet, but he''d seen enough through the loops that he admired him. Looked up to him, in a way. Wanted a piece of that determination that let Ethan keep pushing himself through adversity, a piece of whatever it was that made him keep fighting when the odds seemed impossible.
Ethan had looked at him like the suggestion was an insult. "You know you''re not serving me, right?" he''d said. "Because if you think that, we probably shouldn''t travel together."
"I know that," Guard had said. He did, but the response made him feel warm anyway. It was good to have confirmation.
He remembered, still, what it was like. Trying to hold back the weight of an entire asteroid about to hit Isthanok. Knowing that if he failed, the entire city would be wiped out¡ªlikely far more. He remembered pouring all the Firmament he''d had into it. He''d never been for Firmament; the disease he''d been born with ensured that. He had a nearly neverending pool of it, to the point it had begun to unravel his soul.
And Ethan had just... fixed it. Stitched his soul back together.
Even with all that power, he couldn''t hold back the asteroid. It didn''t matter how much Firmament he had if there was a limit to how much of that Firmament he could channel at any given time, and the body Whisper had given him, powerful as it was, simply couldn''t output enough to stop something like the asteroid.
And even without those restrictions, if he simply opened up his core and sted it, the calibration alone? Too much Firmament would drill through the asteroid and do nothing, leaving the rest of it to crash into the city; too little would do nothing; too wide and he''d again run into the problem of not channeling enough; too little and he''d once again just drill through it. Using all his Firmament and all his proxies was enough to slow it down, but just barely.
And then Ethan hade in. Looked at the asteroid. Hadn''t even considered for a second that their task might be impossible. It was like he''d looked up and decided it didn''t deserve to be there. The sheer force of what he''d done... He didn''t think Ethan knew how it felt to everyone else.
It was like reality itself had bent to obey him. Bent around Ethan, first and foremost, changing him into something somehow more solid and more real¡ªa maic presence that was unto perception like gravity itself. It was impossible not to notice.
Then his fist,y t against the asteroid, as hemanded it to move. Forced it into a new direction.
Again, Ethan himself most likely hadn''t noticed¡ªbut the shockwave of it was something he''d felt in his soul. Not just him, but every citizen of Isthanok.
He was certain it was what had destabilized Whisper, too. She was a proud woman, but despite everything she said...
She''d been closest to Ethan and incredibly drained of her Firmament when that had happened. He-Who-Guards didn''t have the level of Firmament sensitivity that Ethan did, but even he could guess what had happened.
When his soul unraveled, it was because there was too much Firmament bubbling up from within.
She-Who-Whispers began to unravel, and it was due to the shockwave of reality that Ethan had conjured from without.
Not that she would admit it. Nor would she ever stoop to the level of asking for help¡ªnot for herself, and not from someone she''d already tried to mess with. She was too proud for that.
He-Who-Guards wondered if she was telling the truth about waking up, because if he was right, then it was likely she wouldn''t wake up at all. He didn''t know how he felt about that.
That was all beside the point, really. The point was that what happened that day had shaken him. Forced him to reconsider the core ts of what he believed in. Made everything shift, just a little bit, toward Ethan.
Back in the fight against the Seedmother, he''d started to consider that he could perhaps be something more. Started to consider that he might be able to learn to do what it did, might be able to grow the way a Trialgoer could. But he''d run into a roadblock¡ªall those skill circuits he''d memorized practically burned in his databanks, but he still hadn''t been able to do anything with them. He was relying on the AI in his systems, expecting it to eventually have some sort of breakthrough, but it was currently fried.
This one''s for you, Ethan had said. He-Who-Guards stared at the flickering Firmament passing between the ghosts. Observed. Tried to understand, for the first time in a long time, without the help of his AI.
They were passing Firmament through one another, in a long, convoluted way, some of them charging and flickering, others inverting the signal, Firmament bouncing between each and every one of them like a long and hard to observe¡ª
His single optic widened.
Circuit.
"Ethan!" he called out; there was a re of panicked static in his voice. "They''re using a skill!"
At the same time, their first circuitpleted. A rush of Firmament poured down the tunnel. It was nothing like Guard had ever seen before¡ªit radiated pure death. Death Firmament, literal and visible, creeping down the tunnel like a ck fog.
Guard operated on pure instinct. He didn''t even have the help of his AI. But he had experience, he had his observations, and his mind had never stopped calcting. It saw the circuit in its entirety.
The thing about the way the ghosts were doing this? It was slow. It was visible.
And it was exactly what he needed to figure out his final, missing step:
The circuits had an element of time. How long the Firmament took to flow. Where it came from. A fourth dimension to its flow that created a pattern he couldn''t see.
"Hold on, miss Novi," he instructed. The scirix archivist grabbed on to his arm.
He-Who-Guards held that circuit in his mind''s eye...
And inverted it.
Chapter 172: Book 3: Death Fog
The moment Guard yells it out, I see it. I almost curse myself for not seeing it before¡ªit''s not like I didn''t see the Firmament flowing between them. But it looked entirely random. I''d assumed they were automatic exchanges of Firmament that ured because the ghosts were too close to one another, not that they were intentionally recreating a circuit.
By the time he warns me, though, it''s toote for me to stop it. I pour on every defensive skill I can. This is the fourth wave¡ªtheir power has been doubled four times over. Each rank is a doubling in power. They started at Rank E, and now they''re at Rank B.
That wouldn''t be a problem if there weren''t so many of them, and if the skill they were using wasn''t...
I hiss at the feeling of it.
This is a group cast. It''s a skill generated by at least a hundred Rank B monsters working in concert. The skill they''re using isn''t Rank B; it doesn''t match their rank at all.
My mind reaches out, touches on whatever I used before, whatever a Thread is. This time, it''s a little more exhausting to force¡ªI''m straining something within me to do it, reaching out with a part of myself I haven''t had any practice with.
But I manage it. A split second of that trance, a split second of it interacting with my skills.
[You have touched a Thread.]
And Inspect burns in the forefront, growing brighter.[Your mastery of Inspect has improved!]
Information floods into my mind.
Rank S. Minimum.
Death Fog.
Even after that, Inspect just... keeps going. It feeds me more. I''m forced to close my eyes just to process the information it''s pouring into me.
Death Fog is a Rank S Firmament skill that was created on the of Estat, 2,901 Trial cycles ago. Estat''s Heart was exactly what you''d expect for a ce that produced such a skill¡ªit held the concept of Death, and so was popted by a multitude of different species of undead.
A vision shes into my mind. I see a full, bustling civilization, but it''s nothing like what I might have expected a of undead to look like. The cities are brightly lit, and the buildings within them are a chaotic mess of conflicting architectures. I catch a glimpse of ss-sculpture homes and spray painted huts upying the same street, along with massive monuments to art and history.
I see flower stands. Little bakeries. Tinymunities dedicated, surprisingly, to the preservation of life¡ªand nearby, secondarymunities to wee them into death, once they reach their natural ends.
Life and death in harmony. Huh.
All of this is far, far more information than Inspect has ever given me about a specific skill. It''s more information than Inspect has ever given me about potential skills.ary history aside, Estat''s Heart and the concept it held was originally simple: not a cessation of life, but a continuation after life.
But the Trialgoer on Estat...
He hadn''t understood that.
The Thread resonates.
That''s the thing about the Interface and its Integration ofary Hearts. A Trialgoer''s understanding of a concept warps the Heart, and the Heart warps the skills that go into the Interface. His Trial had been designed to make him see all the inhabitants of Estat as monsters. He''de from a world where the undead were evil¡ªa sign of the workings of demons, or some cultural equivalent.
And the objective of his Trial had been simple: ughter. They were monsters that imed the civilization that lived on that, he was told. He didn''t question. He just... went with it.
And so Death Fog emerged as his first Rank S skill. It created the first crack in Estat''s Heart. Allowed the Interface to begin its infestation and integration.
I think, for the first time, I''m starting to understand the role the Interface ys in all this, and while the Integrators are certainly abusing it for their own ends...
The Interface isn''t some force for good, either.
It''s interesting that Inspect is telling me that. It''s intentional, too. It... what, noticed an opportunity? The skill feels almost like my other skills did, back when they were protecting me from the impact of my doubleyer shift¡ªlike it''s gained some modicum of intelligence. Not a lot of it, but enough for it to try to help me on its own.
There''s another thing Inspect is telling me, in concert with Premonition: I cannot counter this. Not as I am. My skills are based on physical defense. Firmament Control can blunt the force of it, but it won''t stop the Firmament from touching me and seeping into me. I can use the Knight, but there isn''t enough time for the transformation. Distorted Crux won''t affect the speed of the Firmament. It''ll just pass through Barrier.
Phaseslip will make it physical, and allow me some measure of resistance, but not enough.
Field of Immortality would work, but only sort of. It runs parallel to Death Fog. Our bodies would decay, but we would remain alive.
I''m out of options. I flick through my options. If I run, it''ll leave Guard and Novi to its ravages, and that isn''t eptable¡ª
"Ethan!" Guard calls, and my gaze snaps to him. My eyes widen.
Inspect supplies to me exactly what he''s doing.
Rank S. Breath of Life.
A skill he''d... created? Inspect tells me that this skill is new, that He-Who-Guards has just now fabricated a new skill entirely unknown to the Interface. There''s a pure, white-green aura around Guard, flowing like a sphere around him, and any hint of Death Firmament just wisps into nothing when it touches it.
Perfectly canceled. Perfectly negated. I don''t even know how he managed¡ª
"Ethan, get in here!" Guard calls again, sounding exasperated.
Oh. Right. I push my astonishment to the side and Warpstep, feeling the aura flood into me.
Then I take a deep breath, my eyes widening. It''s like an instinctive response. The aura feels good. It''s a warmth that spreads into my bones, giving me a sense of rxation I don''t think I''ve been able to have since the start of the damn Trial.
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A bit dangerous, really, to rx like this in the middle of a fight, but it''s not like the Regrets are actively attacking while they''re channeling the skill.
"...Ethan?" Guard asks, looking at me with concern. I realize I''m smiling a little loopily and cough. Probably a strange expression to wear when surrounded by a deadly skill.
"Sorry, wasn''t expecting... whatever this is." I wrap my hand in a bit of Phaseshift, then reach out toward the aura Guard is projecting; Life Firmament loops around my fingers like a purring cat. A very tiny purring cat. "It feels good. Like I''m taking a hot shower. Haven''t had the chance to take many of those sinceing here."
He-Who-Guards makes a curious sort of noise from his vocalizer. "You should have asked. There are facilities in Isthanok."
A pause. "I didn''t think about that," I admit after a moment. I don''t think I''ve spared much thought toward taking a break, but this aura is rapidly convincing me I might need one.
I mean, I took showers. I just forgot that hot water... existed. Most of my baths have been in one of the many rivers winding through Hestia.
"The next time we are close," He-Who-Guards says, "I will make sure to get you ess to Whisper''s facilities."
"I appreciate it," I say dryly. It does sound pretty good. Novi is staring between the two of us, clearly not understanding the conversation, but apparently happy to just listen for now. She looks like she''s bursting with questions, though. "How did you even do this? Guard, this is... It''s the equivalent of a Rank S skill. That you just created. Out of thin air."
Guard''s optic flickers. "It is?" he asks, his voice uncertain. "I did not... I simply acted. It is something I have been trying to do since the fight with the Seedmother."
I whistle. That''s not long ago at all. "Well, good work," I say. "I didn''t really have a counter for gaseous attacks like this."
He-Who-Guards hesitates, then eventually gives me an oddly stiff nod. "I am d I could help."
I can''t help but eye him for a moment. "You know I admire you too, right? I mean, considering what you''ve been through..."
Guard says nothing, but his fans whirr a little faster. I have no idea what to make of it, so I turn my gaze back onto the horde of iing Regrets.
That Death Fog skill isn''t likely to be thest trick they have up their sleeves. Far into the distance, deeper into that tunnel, I can feel something elseing.
I just hope we''re ready for it.
Rhoran was infuriated.
He''d made changes, and Ethan hadn''t even run into them. And what he hadn''t anticipated was that his changes had created Threads. Those weren''t supposed to show up on Trialgoers! They were reserved for fourthyer practitioners and above, even among Trialgoers. Part of that was because they were dangerous for anyone below the fourth to ess them¡ªtheir Firmament wouldn''t hold steady.
The other part was that Threads allowed practitioners to grow way too fast. Almost fast enough to escape the bounds of the Interface.
Bah. It wouldn''t be a problem, Rhoran told himself. Ethan would have to not only be able to feel a Thread and ess it, he''d have to do it without hurting himself. He doubted that would happen.
And then it did.
Rhoran fumed.
It would be fine, he told himself. The changes he''d made would still matter. It would affect the end of this stage, the start of the next, and the effect would cascade. His trap would still work.
Even if Ethan didn''t encounter anything else, the thing he''d need to fight next... no Trialgoer could survive something like that. Not even a fourthyer Trialgoer.
After all, no Trialgoer had ever managed to gain ess to a Talent.
"I''m surprised you''re willing to just have a conversation about this," Ahkelios remarked.
They were sitting in Novi''s apartment. It was a pleasant ce, all things considered¡ªit had been a long time since Ahkelios had been anywhere he thought he could remotely consider a home. Even back in Isthanok, he and Ethan had mostly slept in cramped spaces near the rebel workshops. In the Cliffside Crows, they''d slept in the huts the crows lived in, made of twigs and branches.
This was more... well, it wasn''t familiar, exactly. It was pretty different from what he remembered of his home. But it was still nice¡ªwell lit, cushions, paintings on the walls. Ahkelios couldn''t remember thest time he''d been somewhere properlyfortable that wasn''t also ostentatious.
Honorable mention to Whisper, who was most of the ostentatiousness he''d encountered.
"Well," Zhir said. "My threats would hardly be effective if I made them miles away from the children I''m threatening." He poured out a steaming cup of what Ahkelios thought looked like tea, then offered one to him.
"You brought me to them," Ahkelios pointed out, epting the tea. "I could stop you."
"Could you?" Zhir asked. "How powerful are you, exactly?"
Ahkelios could sense this was genuine curiosity¡ªit was part of the bond they shared. There was another side to it, though; Zhir wanted to see exactly how much power he would hold once he''d integrated Ahkelios as his Remnant.
That was kind of the rub of it. They were both Remnants, really. Ahkelios was bound to Ethan. Zhir was bound to the Empty City. They''d had very different experiences, and held very different beliefs, inrge part because of how much Ahkelios''s experiences were now shaped by what he''d been through with Ethan.
Zhir hadn''t experienced any of that. He''d been stuck in a decaying city for what felt like centuries.
"Don''t know," Ahkelios answered with a shrug. "I''m pretty sure I''m stronger than when we were alive, but only if I''m borrowing Ethan''s skills."
That part was pointed. Sever the connection¡ªtake over Ahkelios¡ªand Zhir would gain not even a fraction of what Ahkelios held. Zhir hummed in thought for a moment.
"I don''t think that''ll be a problem," he said eventually. "I can always just take his core."
"What?" Ahkelios asked, wondering if he''d misheard. Zhir nced over at him, raising an eyebrow.
"Take his core. You don''t know about¡ª" Zhirughed. "Of course you don''t. I only ever saw it when other people ran this dungeon. When you kill a Trialgoer, you get to take their core. It''s all the Firmament they''ve gathered, all the skills they''ve gained."
"Naru didn''t mention this," Ahkelios said numbly. That meant¡ªthat meant the Hestian Trialgoers would really want Ethan, didn''t it? Why hadn''t theye for Ethan already?
"Naru?" Zhir cocked his head, and Ahkelios felt him forcing his way into their shared bond for information; he winced, trying to keep him out, but to no avail. The Remnant was strong, and his distance from Ethan meant he couldn''t quite muster up all the Firmament he normally had avable.
Ethan was in the middle of a fight, he could tell that much. If he just held on long enough¡ªdyed long enough¡ªthere was the possibility that he''d end this stage of the Trial before Zhir ever got the chance to affect it.
"Oh, the bird." Zhir rolled his eyes. "No, I doubt most of Hestia''s Trialgoers would know about it. Not the lower five, anyway. They''re still only at the secondyer. You gotta hit fourthyer at minimum to drop your core. I doubt many of Hestia''s Trialgoers have achieved that. They''re kind of weak in the wider gxy."
"They''re what?" Ahkelios frowned. That wasn''t how he''d heard things. But then he processed what Zhir said¡ª
"You aren''t going to be able to get Ethan''s skills from him, if that''s the case," Ahkelios mumbled. Zhir raised an eyebrow at him.
"Why? Because he''s a thirdyer?" heughed. "I can mimic the bond you have with him and just y your role¡ªI''ll have your memories. I can help him get to the fourthyer before I take his core."
"What makes you think you''d be strong enough to beat him?" Ahkelios asked. Ethan was strong. Third was farther than most Trialgoers ever got.
Wasn''t it?
"No, you''re right, it is," Zhir said, amused. "We never got past... what, second, I think? As far as I remember. Not that I have all my memories."
"Second," Ahkelios agreed. He was pretty sure that was the farthest they''d gotten.
"But you''re uniquely ced," Zhir continued. "You have a link right inside his core. No one develops defenses to Firmament attacks from within. It just doesn''t happen."
Ahkelios was really starting to hate this guy. Which said a lot, because this guy was himself. "And you want me to just let you do that?" he demanded.
"Well, yeah." Zhir shrugged. "How else are we going to get our life back? Don''t you miss our home? Our people? Don''t tell me you''d rather we get stuck serving some human."
"I''m not serving him," Ahkelios growled.
"Even better," Zhir said. "Then this shouldn''t be a problem for you, should it? Just let me kill you and take over your Remnant."
Ahkelios stared at him in disbelief.
"I can see this will take you more time to process," Zhir said. "Want some more tea?"
Chapter 173: Book 3: An Abstract Problem
It takes a while, but we settle into a pattern.
It turns out that the Regrets in the second stage only know one skill¡ªDeath Fog¡ªand as difficult as it is for me to counter, He-Who-Guards and his Breath of Life keeps us perfectly safe while the skill is running. It helps that the Regrets don''t seem to be able to move while they''re channeling the skill; the fight would be a lot moreplicated if they tried to attack us at the same time.
Though given the way they''re escting, they might not be far off from trying exactly that. I grimace a little at the thought. I can fight at range, but not nearly as effectively as I should be able to.
For now, I take point. While Death Fog isn''t in effect, I rush forward, tanking hits and punching back; even when they escte to Rank A, they fold easily with thebined impact of Firmament Control and Phaseslip. When they hit Rank S, I fold in a little power from Amplified Gauntlet and the Knight, and they break apart beneath my fists.
All the while, I gather credits.
[You have defeated a Lasting Regret (Rank S)! +30 Strength credits. +16 Durability credits. +20 Reflex credits. +31 Speed credits. +16 Firmament credits.]
Different names now, I notice. And those credits are more than enough now to trigger another skill collection if I really need it, although I save it for now. I suspect if I tried to collect a skill now it''d offer me something akin to Death Fog, and as powerful as that skill is, it doesn''t really fit in with the rest of my kit.
Something for range would be nice, though. Something that lets me deal hits from afar. Maybe if I practice a few long-distance shots, do something with Firmament Control to mimic the effect of a fireball or something simr¡ª
"They''re casting!" Guard calls out, and I immediately retreat back into the bubble of safety provided by his Breath of Life."They are getting stronger," Novi observes nervously. The silence of the bubble and the immutable darkness of Death Fog around us is probably getting to her. "You are hurt."
I blink. "What? No, I''m not," I say¡ªbut she reaches out, and her fingers graze over a long, jagged cut running from my elbow to my shoulder. I hiss, jerking back, and she bows her head in apology.
"You must be more careful," she says. "I suspect injuries inflicted by these wisps are harder to notice."
I guess I can''t argue with that. Now that she isn''t touching it, the pain''s once more faded into a dull throb, barely noticeable under the rush of adrenaline. Without the protection of Premonition, I might have been hit far more and not even noticed; even with it this escaped my attention.
He-Who-Guards reaches out, his attention focused on the wound. "Allow me," he says quietly.
Some of the Life Firmament around us flows into the cut, and we watch as flesh stitches itself together. Once his attention is focused on it, it happens in seconds, though the bubble we''re in is noticeably smaller. Right¡ªnow that I think about it, Breath of Life is probably a healing skill. It''s just that most of its power is focused on defending us from Death Fog.
"That''s going to be useful," I say. "Thanks, Guard."
He blinks at me, optic shuttering shut for a moment. For some reason, I feel like he took what I just said very seriously. "You are wee."
And just like that, the fight continues. The Regrets aren''t escting quite as quickly anymore¡ªthe next wave is the same set of Rank S monsters, marginally more powerful but not quite outside the realm of what I can handle yet. Weaker than the Seedmother by far, thankfully, despite the rank; part of it is probably the skill they''re able to cast.
We get farther into the tunnel. It begins to narrow, and I sense glimpses of Firmament around us¡ªthe bustling of First Sky right above. I frown.
"Aren''t we supposed to be sealed off from the city?" I ask, turning my gaze to Novi.
"We are," she says. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I can sense it," I say. "The Firmament above us."
Novi frowns herself. "That should not be possible," she says slowly. "The tunnels are fully shielded."
"Maybe this area is damaged?" I ask. I look up, but it''s hard to see in the dimness of the tunnel¡ªbarely any lights are working now. Novi shakes her head. ?
"I will send in a report," she says, sounding troubled. "The shielding should not fail at any point. Such a failure could spell disaster for the city."
"Disaster?" I raise an eyebrow. "What kind of experiments are there in this Shadowed Laboratory?"
"We work with many artifacts, some excavated and others presented by the gods," Novi answers. "They are not built to cause harm, but on asion..."
"Right. I get the picture," I say, though I''m well aware I don''t sound entirely convinced. More and more I''m beginning to question exactly what Novi means by these gods¡ªthough this is perhaps not the best time to question her.
Especially since the waves are starting to change.
There are fewer and fewer Regrets each time, and while they''re individually stronger, they aren''t strong enough to make up for the loss in numbers. Soon, each wave ising in sets of five, then four, then three...
Firmament stops dripping from the ceiling. I nce at the Interface, a thought uring to me.
These waves are almost like a countdown.
[Charge the Seed: 99/100]
Exactly like a countdown.
Ie to a stop, suddenly wary. There''s something in the tunnel ahead. Something so powerful it''s setting my skills aze. Premonition is screaming a warning with more intensity than I''ve ever felt.
Direction and intensity. That''s all the skill is supposed to tell me. The worst it''s ever been is with the asteroid from Isthanok, and even then it felt like standing in front of an oing train.
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This is...
It feels like I''m standing in front of something that could end me in an instant. In front of death. In front of extinction. Premonition screams at me with the clearest warning it''s ever given me.
In front of you lies the end of all things.
Novi whimpers. I hear the clunk of metal on concrete, and I turn just enough to see that Guard has fallen to a knee¡ªhis Firmament is flickering wildly, and the Breath of Life he''s trying to hold up is wicking away nearly as fast as he can conjure it.
What the hell is this?
I''m still standing, but only barely. Whatever this is, it feels like my entire body is caught in the grasp of a river. I have to lock every muscle to stay in ce, and even then, it burns. It burns like I''m standing next to a miniature sun, the force of it transformed into hammers that try to force me back.
All this, and I can''t even see what we''re fighting yet. It''s hiding in the darkness, too far away to see. This much of an esction doesn''t feel right, even for the Interface.
It feels like something''s gone very, very wrong.
"Abstraction." The Knight within me is suddenly alert, hissing with anger. I feel it reaching out to me, and I ept the help without hesitation; I feel the Knight''s strength flood into my limbs. The pain of the transformation this time is nothing inparison to what I''m facing.
"You know what this is?" I ask quietly.
"It is an Abstraction." The Knight''s response is a low growl. "It is an abomination."
"I might need more of an exnation than that if we''re going to fight it," I mutter. The presence in front of me increases, and I grit my teeth as I''m forced to take a step back in turn. Not voluntarily. It just feels like... the universe bends, and suddenly I''m one step back from where I''m supposed to be.
"We cannot fight it." The Knight is so certain about this that it makes my heart drop¡ªit''s never backed down from a challenge before. "It is a concept made real. A hole in the universe. You cannot defeat it any more than you can defeat the rising of the sun or theing of the tide."
And yet something about the way it says that...
"You want to try anyway?" I ask. I feel the Knight pause for a second, and then I get the sharp impression of a grin, wild and ferocious.
"You," it says, "are a good host."
I stare down the tunnel. Whatever''s down there is taking its sweet time ining to meet us, and if it''s going to give us that time, then I''m going to make use of it. I nce behind me.
Novi is shaking. She''s curled in on herself, her eyes wide and nk; if I can barely handle this, then I''m not surprised that a civilian can''t think straight. He-Who-Guards is doing his best to hold it together, but even he can''t quite hide the way his optic flickers in fear. In spite of this, he''s doing what he can to reassure Novi and calm her down.
I don''t want to let them down.
"Alright," I say. I feel the Knight''s attention on me¡ªit''s waiting for a n. "Tell me everything you know about these Abstractions."
Ahkelios watched as Novi''s children yed.
They were good children, he thought. Young as they were¡ªthough he had no idea how young they actually were, considering he had no idea how scirix ages worked in general¡ªthey were kind to one another. The older one would y any game the younger one asked him to, even when the games were a little silly.
Sometimes the games weren''t silly. Sometimes they would engage in a deeply philosophical conversation for all of five minutes and give Ahkelios a severe form of whish. He didn''t know if that was normal for children or if it was just these two in particr; maybe they were older than he thought.
Neither of them seemed bothered by Ahkelios or Zhir. Ahkelios thought he caught the older of the two listening in on them every so often, but they didn''t react to anything Zhir said, so he figured they probably weren''t paying that much attention.
"You don''t miss home?" Zhir asked.
"Of course I do," Ahkelios hissed. He just needed to dy a little longer, he told himself. He didn''t know what was going on, but he could tell Ethan was about to get into something big. "I don''t miss it so much that I''d betray my closest friend."
"Closest?" Zhir raised an eyebrow. "Are we including friends from back home?"
"Yes," Ahkelios responded immediately. He didn''t even need to think about it.
"Even Rhiitara?" Zhir asked, and Ahkelios froze.
He hadn''t remembered the name until now. It confirmed that Zhir had memories he didn''t. But Rhii¡ª
He closed his eyes. Remembered the moment he''d failed a Ritual objective. Remembered the way reality had just torn open. He caught a glimpse of a half-dozen different worlds, then, a half-dozen different Trials. The blowback from his failure...
It burned right through them all. Including Rhii.
"That isn''t a fair question," Ahkelios growled out.
"I''d say it''s perfectly fair," Zhir countered. "I want you to give up your life. You want me to give up mine. Are we really so different?"
"I could leave you alone," Ahkelios said. "I don''t have to take your Remnant."
Zhir snorted. "And leave me to rot in the Empty City," he said. "One way or another, only one of us is leaving. I''m being polite¡ª" A trickle of deadly Firmament sharpened to a point flowed into his arm. "But I don''t have to be."
Ahkelios froze. He could fight him. But to do it here? With the children?
"Besides," Zhir said. The power vanished, and Ahkelios forced himself to rx again, though he remained on his guard. "Your Ethan..."
Zhir nced away, frowning. "Now that''s unusual," he muttered. "Oh, now he''s really gonna die. Unless you let me help him."
"What are you talking about?" Ahkelios asked. Dread rose in his throat¡ªhe was connected enough with Zhir that he could tell he wasn''t lying.
"Abstractions are terrible enemies," Zhir said casually. "Not something you can fight without some very specific knowledge. But, you know, I already told you I have to help Ethan get to at least the fourthyer, so you know I''ll help him this much. What do you say?"
Ahkelios tried to find the lie. He couldn''t. He opened his mouth to speak¡ª
A small, clear voice interrupted them.
"Our household doesn''t take kindly to threats," the older child said. Juri. There was a steady look on his face, and he pointed what looked like a wooden sword at Zhir¡ªexcept, Ahkelios realized, it wasn''t a wooden sword at all. That thing was full to bursting with Firmament.
Zhir didn''t have Ethan''s senses, but Ahkelios did. Or rather, he could channel them to a limited extent. He looked around. The two of them had been ying random board games, fiddling with devices.
Every single one of them was full of intense, zing Firmament.
Yarun, the younger child, pressed a switch¡ªand thick ropes suddenly shot out from each of the ''games'', wrapping around Zhir in a tight, steady lock.
Ahkelios stared. These were children? They''d been listening. They''d nned a trap. He supposed it wasn''t all that surprising that Novi would keep some defensive tools in her home, but this?
He nced at the older of the two children again. Juri, his name was. He didn''t look away from Zhir for even a moment, and the tip of his sword¡ªwhich was really more of a Firmament ster¡ªzed bright.
"Who are you," Juri said. "And what did you do with Uncle Zhir?"
"And tell us about these Abstraction things!" Yarun added, tugging on his older brother''s elbow. Juri considered this for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes. And tell us about those."
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Chapter 174: Book 3: All-Seeing Eye
Abstractions, I''m told, are the product of another Talent. It''s a counterpart to my ability to Anchor, in a way¡ªan Anchor changes an aspect of reality and grounds it into the world, and an Abstraction takes an aspect of reality and rips it out, giving it life and shape and presence beyond what it should have.
The problem with Abstraction? There''s no way to control what''s created. It''s an incredibly dangerous Talent that more often than not kills the people that unlock it, inrge part because they aren''t usually Abstracting concepts that are safe to be around.
Part of that is the nature of the Trials. Anyone that unlocks that particr Talent is usually in the midst ofbat, which rather predictably causes them to identally Abstract concepts of Violence, War, or Death.
Unfortunately for those Trialgoers, none of those concepts are particrly amenable to the whole idea of life.
The good news is that you can oust an Abstraction. They don''t and can''t stick around forever. Eventually, they get pulled back into the fold of the universe, their presence and power fading.
The bad news is... Well, people don''t generally live long enough to see that happen. More often than not, unless there''s a fifthyer practitioner around to handle them, they tear through all life in their general vicinity.
So that''s fun. Thirdyer practitioner or not, I''ve been told in no uncertain terms that the power I''ve gathered so far won''t be enough to deal with this.
Which brings up the question of why the Interface is throwing it at me. Without Integrator interference, it''s never given me challenges that are outright impossible¡ªnot unless I lead myself into them.
"We do not have time for this," the Knight reminds me.Right. Back to the problem at hand.
Abstractions are almost impossible to fight directly. There''s a weight and presence to higher-level Firmament that can affect them¡ªthat''s the reason fifth-level practitioners and above can deal with them. Anything less and the practitioner''s Firmament just isn''t enough to make an impact.
But it''s a little more involved than that, the Knight exins. There''s a sort of rock-paper-scissors element to it. An Abstraction is more easily affected by Firmament of a type that opposes them, regardless of its level; Firmament type is, apparently, inrge part created by fragments of abstracted concepts that lie within it.
Try as I might, I can''t quite break apart my Firmament sense enough to find these fragments that the Knight''s talking about. There are moments where I feel like I''m almost able to glimpse something, but they''re gone almost as soon as I can grasp them¡ªwhatever they are, they''re apparently beyond my ability to sense.
For now, at least.
Either way, I trust that they''re there. It exins in part why Guard''s Breath of Life can provide any defense at all. The Abstraction is wearing it down nearly as quickly as Guard can generate it, but the fact that it''s doing anything at all...
The question that remains is what type of Abstraction we''re dealing with. Breath of Life''s effect on it indicates that it''s probably Death or something simr, but the Knight insists that it isn''t¡ªan abstraction of Death would likely have already killed us.
"But something simr," it concedes. "Something close enough."
Close enough is going to be the best I''ve got to work with. I can''t quite tease out what I''m up against just by feeling for it, and the Interface isn''t any use here; it only gives me a name once I''ve defeated something. But if Life Firmament is enough opposed to it that it can provide us some defense...
Time to break out an old tool.
"Guard," I say quietly. "Can I borrow some of your Firmament?"
He-Who-Guards nces at me and gives me a tense nod. It takes some effort for him¡ªI can hear the whine from his systems¡ªbut he manages to provide a single wisp of Life Firmament that isn''t immediately sucked up by the Abstraction''s mere presence; I bind it to myself with a touch of Firmament Control, then take a deep breath, forcing myself to focus.
The way I see it, the skills I have right now can''t deal with an Abstraction of any level, let alone whatever we''re facing. I''m not sure it would be enough even if I had skillsposed purely of Life Firmament. But something the Knight said stuck out to me.
Abstraction and Anchoring are counterpart Talents. I don''t have the ability to create an Abstraction¡ªbut I do have the ability to Anchor.
"You want to Anchor Life into your skills?" The Knight sounds almost impressed. "That will not be easy. Skills are already fixed; to Anchor something into them a second time..."
"I think I can do it," I say, "if I use the All-Seeing Eye."
Technically, the Inspiration is meant to help mebine skills. It exposes a skill construct on a level beyond what I can normally sense. More than that, it exposes the gaps in a skill construct¡ªces where another skill might be able to slot in. Normally they''re shapes tooplex for me to be able to break down, but with the All-Seeing Eye, I can see where they fit. Like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
It urs to me that one day I might not need it anymore. If I can develop my sense of Firmament enough, if I can puzzle these skills apart and figure out this underlying connection I seem to have found... I might be able to manipte skills much more freely.
But that''s for the future. For now, I need the All-Seeing Eye and its ability to highlight the gaps in a skill. If I can find a way tobine my skills with the sample of Breath of Life I''m holding...
All-Seeing Eye.
Yellow fire zes into existence on the left side of my visor, and reality peels away to reveal Firmament in sharp focus.
Uwfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
It isn''t quite enough. Breath of Life is blurry, faded¡ªthe skill isn''t entirely my own, and it''s created from a circuit rather than a construct. But maybe...
Firmament Sight.
Anotheryer on top of it all. The Firmament I''m holding sharpens even further, just enough for me to make out where it might fit in with other skills.
"I don''t wish to rush you," Guard says. There''s a touch of nerves in his voice, and at the same time, what feels like... faith. "But it''s getting closer."
"How close?" I ask.
"It''s a few minutes away," he says. "I''ll warn you when it is close."
"Thank you."
It''s still taking its time. The more time it gives me, the more I''ll be able to prepare.
First and easiest. Crystallized Barrier isn''t the same as Barrier, but it''s still easy enough to slot another element into it.
[Crystallized Barrier] + [Breath of Life]
[You have created Life Dome (Rank A) (Temporary)!]
I frown at the notice. It''s not good enough. The skills arebined, but notpletely¡ªpart of the problem is that Breath of Life isn''t my skill. I''mbining the skills in theory, and the Interface is trying to fill in the gaps...
But I''m not done yet, am I? This isn''t going to work if I don''t make the Life in these skills real. If I don''t Anchor them into reality with enough strength to oppose an Abstraction.
I focus my will like a hammer. I still don''tpletely understand what I''m doing with Anchoring, but I can feel the edges of the skill¡ªfuzzy, undefined, not quite there...
I bring it into being. I force it to change. My will creates a weight, and the world bends to amodate what I''ve brought forth.
[Life Dome (Rank A) (Temporary) has been upgraded to Crystallized Life (Rank S)!]
Better.
Next is my primary offensive skill. It''s harder to find, but I see it after a moment of examination: Amplification Gauntlet takes my strength and amplifies it. I just need to change what it takes.
[Amplification Gauntlet] + [Breath of Life]
[You have created Life Infusion (Rank A) (Temporary)!]
One more time. I need to Anchor the Life in the skill. I need it to channel life into a solid, amplified point, powerful enough to damage an Abstraction. I will the Anchor into being¡ª
[Life Infusion (Rank A) (Temporary) has been upgraded to Vital Blow (Rank S)!]
Better.
I''m distantly aware that there''s a throbbing in my skull. Anchoring isn''t something that I''ve practiced extensively; the knowledge that there are consequences to failing prevented me from openly experimenting as much as I would''ve liked to. This is probably straining something I''m not supposed to strain.
"You have done well," the Knight says, sounding impressed. "I did not think you would seed... With this, we may have a chance."
Except a part of me isn''t satisfied with this. I''m going up against something that requires a fifthyer practitioner. Am I really going to go at this with just two Rank S skills that might be able to hurt it?
"Ethan?" The Knight sounds concerned now.
The point of power is to protect those around me. I told myself I''d gain enough strength to never have to make a hard choice. That goal is a long way away, but if I don''t hold on to it now...
He-Who-Guards is giving this everything he has. This isn''t even his fight. He could have walked away from it¡ªhe didn''t need to join me. But it''s only because he did that I have a chance at all in this fight.
"Ethan. I do not rmend pushing this further. Anchoring requires the force of your entire soul." The Knight''s voice is a stern warning. It''s probably the most concerned I''ve ever heard it. It usually relishes a challenge.
I can sense Ahkelios through our bond. The distance strains it, but there''s a peculiar mixture of anger and hope; I don''t have to be able to see what he''s doing to know that he''s fighting his own fight. He''s confronting himself, and part of the reason he''s doing it is me. Because I convinced him I would fight for him and with him, if the time came.
I look at the two skills I''ve created. All I can think is that they''re not enough.
"Ethan," the Knight tries again.
And then there''s Naru.
Truth be told, he doesn''t matter that much to me, but what does matter to me is that he tried. More than that, Tarin and Mari see an opportunity to reconcile with their son. It''s an opportunity I never got with my own parents. Might never get to have, with the way the Trials and Integration are going.
Maybe I''m being a fool. I could lose this stage and lose nothing. I''ve done enough. I''ve tried.
But my heart disagrees. And with that disagreement¡ª
[You have touched on a Thread for the third time. You have gained ess to the Thread of Insight.]
It''s all so clear now. Exactly what I need to Anchor. The core of the skill, the center of the pattern.
[You have created a Submerged skill: Great Filter (Rank F)]
[You have created a Submerged skill: Primordial Foray (Rank F)]
I stare at the Interface, breathing heavily. The first thing I notice is the rank¡ªit nearly makes my heart drop. But then I catch on to the Submerged part and freeze.
That''s how the Interface rates imbuements, isn''t it? What''s that word doing here?
"Ethan, we''re out of time," He-Who-Guards says. His voice is strained. I look up, my eyes adjusting to the darkness, and he''s right. The Abstraction is here. A terrible, broken thing, like staring at a wound in reality. It mimics a humanoid, bipedal form, but something tells me that appearance is no more real than a projection on a screen. It''s just there so my mind can make sense of it.
I reach inside my soul and flinch.
Above all the rest of my skills, Great Filter and Primordial Foray hang like miniature suns. The rest of them look like mere engines inparison¡ªthese new ones...
I don''t know what I just did, but I have a feeling I''m about to find out.
Just activating one takes every drop of Firmament I have.
Primordial Foray.
Somewhere in the space between spaces, Kauku sat up, intrigued.
Ethan was fascinating. Out of his depth in almost every way imaginable, certainly¡ªhe couldn''t remember thest time a practitioner had figured out Submerged skills, let alone a Trialgoer still going through their Trial¡ªbut fascinating, nheless.
"What an Heir," he muttered to himself, unable to stop himself from grinning. "But I''m afraid you''re too far ahead again, Ethan. How are you going to get yourself out of this one?"
Maybe he could help. Toss his Heir a freebie. Ethan was already exceeding all expectations helping him, after all; it was only fair if he gave something back. What was it the humans called it? A quid-pro-quo?
"What do you think, Ira?" he asked into the darkness. There was, of course, no response; Kauku hadn''t expected one.
But with the way things were going... well, if Ethan didn''t burn himself out, he''d get to see the other Scions again soon enough.
Kauku sighed, tapping bony fingers on an empty ne of the void. "I''m not supposed to root for you, you know," he said. "But damn if you don''t make it hard."
He''d do nothing for now. He''d watch. See how Ethan dealt with this.
If he was right, he''d get his chance to step in.
Chapter 175: Book 3: Household Battle
It is the 4,900th day of Awakening.
A hundred days have passed since thest Record. The decay has grown exponentially ¡ª we are no longer able to see outside our city. A pitch-ck darkness surrounds us. Everything within, however, remains perfectly lit. The Seers are baffled, and the citizens are doing their best to contain their panic.
My sons have taken on leadership roles in the crisis. I could not be more proud of them. The elder, Juri, now helps to break up the conflicts that have been erupting more frequently between our people. Tensions are high, and I cannot me them.
The younger, Yarun, has learned medical Firmament techniques, and applies them to healing and preventing the spread of disease. He is a kind man ¡ª I have seen him more than once, both as his patient and as his mother.
They both seem so tired, but so determined. I wish their lives could be more than this.
¡ª6th inscription on First Sky''s final Record
Zhir found himself annoyed.
It wasn''t a feeling he was ustomed to. Neither of his selves¡ªnot the part of him that had the true Zhir''s memories and expertise, nor the part of him that was an age-old Remnant that had been stuck in a ruined city for centuries¡ªwere the type to let something so simple slip past them.
And yet.He should''ve known better than to underestimate Novi''s children. His counterpart was a different matter¡ªhe knew himself better than anyone. It didn''t matter how much the other version of him changed from being friends with that human. At the end of the day, he could predict how Ahkelios would act and respond. The bond they shared helped; it was next to impossible for either of them to hide how they were feeling from the other.
Novi''s children, on the other hand? He''d assumed they would ignore him like they always did. Zhir had memories of babysitting them on many asions before this one, and he could not remember a single instance of them disying any level of tactical thinking, let alone enough to set up traps for him while they were out of sight.
Nor could he remember anything about Novi''s home having defenses like these. What, had she kept secrets from him? He was her best friend!
Zhir carefully ignored the small voice in his head that was, in fact, quite proud of his best friend and her children.
He''d been careful topartmentalize every part of himself that was Zhir. The moment he realized what was happening, the moment he noticed the dungeon reshaping itself... this was his chance, he knew. It had been a long, long time since a Ritual had begun within the Empty City, and just the thought of being able to experience something that wasn''t the same ruined monotony nearly had him salivating.
He just had to y it smart. Had to take on a role that would be important enough for him to y a part, but not so important that the Ritual itself would try to reject him. Zhir was ced perfectly for that, and really, it had been almost rmingly easy to just slot himself in his ce. It was almost like the Ritual''s usual defenses were distracted with something else.
Though even then, Zhir couldn''t im the transition had been perfect. No matter how much older and more experienced he was, there was some personality bleedthrough¡ªhe hadn''t been able topletely suppress the original Zhir''s identity. It was one of the reasons he now thought of himself with Zhir''s name, even though he knew he was Ahkelios.
Well, that and things like names had lost meaning for him years ago. It was probably one of the reasons that part of Zhir had been able to assert itself so strongly; centuries alone was enough to erode any emotional tie he still had with his name. What use did he have for one when there was no one else around?
The point was that¡ªname aside¡ªhe''d subsumed Zhir''s identity almost entirely. He knew everything the scirix would have known, including how capable Novi and her family were, and he should have been prepared for something like this.
Zhir red at the ropes binding him like disbelieving them with sufficient force would dispel them. No such luck.
Worse, from what he could tell, these things had a suppressive effect. Try as he might, he couldn''t sharpen his Firmament to a de, something that normally came to him as easy as breathing; if he could, he would''ve cut through these ropes in an instant. Something about them... what, disrupted his connection with his Firmament? Enough that he couldn''t seem to call up any of his skills.
"Clever kids," Zhir grunted, mostly to himself. Yarun still seemed pleased by thepliment. Juri was...paratively steadfast¡ªhe kept the ster pointed straight at him. Zhir noticed that the kid''s off-hand was trembling slightly, but not the one that held the ster; that one stayed perfectly steady.
Well-trained, a part of himself thought proudly. Zhir quashed it.
"I''m surprised you went for your uncle and not the shiny, glowing bug-thing," Zhir said, trying to buy time. Ahkelios bristled at the description, making him smirk¡ªit seemed the other version of him was still at least a little vain¡ªand Juri and Yarun exchanged nces. ?
"I think he''s cool," Yarun announced loudly.
"And I trust my brother''s instincts," Juri said, his voice dry. "That and you weren''t exactly quiet about your threats."
"Ah, of course. My mistake." Zhir kept his tone genial and polite; behind his back, he worked at his bonds, testing the ropes to see if they had any give. They were good restraints, but they couldn''t hold him back forever. They had to have a power source of some sort. If he could just tap into his other self''s senses, see where that power source was or how close it was to being depleted...
He reached out for that shared link and found himself almost immediately rebuffed. Ahkelios red at him, and Zhir raised an eyebrow. "What, grew a spine?" he scoffed. "You think you can keep me out?"
"You''re trapped," Ahkelios said evenly. "And I know you as well as you know me. The kids involved themselves. If you get out, you''re not going to let them go free, are you?"
"If I did, they might be able to tell your human what I''ve done," Zhir answered honestly. He left the bond between them open, practically inviting his counterpart in to look at his thoughts. "It''s not like I want to kill children. You know me better than that."
"Sure." Ahkelios''s expression didn''t change, and to Zhir''s annoyance, he didn''t so much as nce at their open bond. "Except that means you''re giving me little to no reason to keep you alive."
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Zhir frowned.
Ahkelios was serious, as far as he could tell. He''d assumed that his other self was soft. He was soft, from what he''d seen through their link; this other version of him was rotted through with human ideas, believed in things like kindness and freedom and some nonsense about Hestia actually being a beautiful. Zhir had no such memories¡ªas far as he was concerned he''d hated nearly every moment he spent on that rock.
So he hadn''t anticipated the threat. Maybe he didn''t know himself quite as well as he thought. Zhir made an irritated sound in his throat, straining against his bonds again; he heard the whir of machinery as the Firmament draw increased to keep him restrained.
"Um..." Yarun said. He looked between Ahkelios and Zhir and frowned hard, like he was thinking. "I don''t think we should kill him?"
He made it sound like a question. Zhir almost said something, but Juri ced a steady hand on his brother''s shoulder and shook his head; his other hand tightened on the ster. Zhir thought quickly.
"Kids," he tried. He changed his voice slightly, made it a little kinder, a little softer. "I''m still in here, trying to fight him off! Don''t¡ª"
Juri''s eyes narrowed. Zhir felt a crackle of Firmament followed by searing pain; he let out a broken shout as pure Firmament tore straight through his arm. This body! When he''d been a Remnant a st like that would''ve done nothing to him, but now that he''d been reshaped to y this role...
His Firmament was still strong, but his body was Zhir''s. Weak. That exined how the ropes could hold him down, why they were able to suppress them the way he did. Zhir didn''t quite manage to hide the way his eyes dted, the way his breathing quickened.
"Do not," Juri said, his eyes suddenly dark with anger, "pretend to be our uncle. If he could talk he would tell us to end the threat you pose right here and now. I don''t know what''s happening, but I know that much."
Zhir snarled in response, his heart thundering loud enough that it was all he could hear. Panic stirred within him, dark and unfamiliar.
"Huh," Ahkelios said softly. The mantis¡ªand how was it fair that it was this version of him that kept their original body? Even as a Remnant all he''d had was a twisted, mutated thing¡ªstepped closer, examining him. "You''re scared."
"I am not!" Zhir denied vehemently. He jerked against the ropes, angered just by the implication, only to hiss as pain radiated through his arm. He panted and tried to push through it anyway, his vision blurring as blood poured down his arm; he was dimly aware of someone shouting¡ª
"Stop!" It was the younger of the two brothers. Yarun. Zhir stared at him in a daze. Juri was trying to pull him back, but Yarun had pushed all the way forward and grabbed on to his arm. "You''re only going to make it worse! Stop it!"
"What do you care," Zhir said. His voice was strangely hoarse.
"I''m gonna be a doctor one day," Yarun dered. There was a strange intensity in his eyes. He red at everyone in the room. "I decided. Just now. Which means no one gets hurt while I''m around. And you''re going to shut up while I bandage this."
Zhir stared. He opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again. Yarun nodded in satisfaction, then turned and marched away, presumably to find some bandages.
There was a long silence. Zhir considered testing his bonds again.
He didn''t.
"I didn''t mean that you were scared of this," Ahkelios said into the silence. "I meant that you''re scared of going back to the Empty City. Of another hundred cycles of nothing."
Zhir''s breathing quickened slightly, but he said nothing.
"What are you talking about?" Juri finally asked. "What Empty City?"
Ahkelios grimaced. "You don''t want to know."
"I think I do." Juri''s voice was firm.
"Just tell him," Zhir said. He sounded far more tired than he realized he felt. "The Ritual''s either disrupted or it''s not, at this point. Knowing more isn''t going to make that much of a difference."
Ahkelios stared at him for a long moment, trying to work out of he was lying. He wasn''t.
So he did.
As Yarun bandaged the wound on Zhir''s arm¡ªas Juri aimed a ster right between his eyes¡ªAhkelios exined to two children the fate of their city.
To Zhir''s surprise, neither of them stopped what they were doing.
"Sounds like a lie," Juri said finally. "But if it''s not..."
"Then it sounds like we can still change things, right?" Yarun didn''t look up from his work. He''d applied some kind of numbing cream¡ªZhir found to his surprise that he could move without it hurting, although the moment he tried Yarun smacked his hand and made him sit still. "This Ritual you mentioned recreates everything. And changes carry forward to the next stage."
"Maybe it matters, maybe it doesn''t," Juri said. "But I don''t think that changes what we have to do. It just means that now we''re prepared to try."
Zhir had to admit that that wasn''t the response he''d expected. And there was a grudging respect born out of that¡ªhe didn''t think he could kill either of these two now. Not when he''d seen a glimpse of their spirit.
"They remind me of home," Zhir said quietly. Ahkelios nced at him.
"You''re thinking about¡ª?"
"Yeah." It felt like an aeon ago, and Zhir couldn''t remember their names or their faces anymore. But he remembered that they''d had friends. Childhood friends that carried a simr optimism all the way into their adulthood and Integration. Juri and Yarun reminded him of them. The few times he''d been able to contact home...
Zhir couldn''t remember thest time he''d even been able to talk to anyone about home. Ahkelios was different, but even he hadn''t had anyone else understand what they''d lost.
"I just want to go home," he admitted after a moment. His voice was quiet. Lost.
"Our home might not even be there anymore," Ahkelios said. Something in Zhir tightened at those words; he hadn''t wanted to hear them.
"So you''re not even going to try to get back?"
"I didn''t say that." Ahkelios shook his head. "I will try. And Ethan will help me. We''re going to find out what happened."
"You really think he''ll do that?" Zhir looked at his counterpart. "He''s got his own to worry about."
"Trust me," Ahkelios said, snorting. "He can care about more than one."
"And if he can''t?"
"He can." Ahkelios''s gaze didn''t waver. "You don''t know him."
"And you do."
"I know enough."
Zhir didn''t need to tap into their link to see that Ahkelios actually believed that. He tugged briefly at his ropes and paused.
They were weaker now. He could break free from them if he wanted.
And then what?
All he wanted was to see his home again, and if Ahkelios was to be believed...
"I won''t force you to give up your identity," Zhir said finally. It felt like he was forcing out the words.
Ahkelios watched him for a moment. "But?"
"But I won''t give up mine that easily, either." Zhir shrugged, then offered his counterpart a smile. It was a bitter and twisted thing, he knew, but it was the best he could do. "If we integrate, only one of us ising out as the dominant personality. And I''m not giving mine up to you."
"I suppose coexistence isn''t a possibility," Ahkelios said dryly. Zhir shook his head.
"Not for me," he said. "Maybe if I¡ªwe¡ªwere someone else. But I''ll make you a promise, at least."
Ahkelios raised an eyebrow, waiting.
"I''ll make sure that friend of yours is safe," Zhir said. "Even if I win. I won''t kill him and steal his core."
"Very generous of you," Ahkelios said. "I notice you''re not promising not to let him die so you can take the core."
Zhir shrugged. "Make no mistake," he said. "I''m not your friend. But... I''m tired."
Ahkelios seemed to understand. He reached out with a hand. "When you''re ready, then."
Zhir stared at the open hand. His bonds were loose now. He could take this moment to attack.
He took the hand. "I''m ready," he said.
And in a scientist''s home, somewhere in the outskirts of First Sky, there was a bright sh of Firmament.
Chapter ANNOUNCEMENT: Book 1 now on KU/Audible!
Chapter ANNOUNCEMENT: Book 1 now on KU/Audible!
Hey all! I want to thank you all again for all the support since I started writing this series¡ªit means the world to me. It¡¯s now finally released on Amazon (KU/Audible)plete with a full professional editing pass and some sick cover art! If you want to help support it, you can check it out on KU and maybe give it a reread. A lot of those old detailsing back up again in Book 3, especially with the dungeon arc! Ratings and reviews are also always helpful on Amazon and you don¡¯t even need to buy or download to leave one; sometimes the day 1 reception really defines aunch, haha.
Here are the links!
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If you can¡¯t, no worries! There are other ways to help out. Spread the word if you can, or just engage with the reddit posts /r/ProgressionFantasyments/1hb2tpg/die_respawn_repeat_now_out_on_ku_and_audible/ /r/litrpgments/1hb2upx/die_respawn_repeat_now_out_on_ku_and_audible/
You have my utmost appreciation either way. Let¡¯s keep this journey going while we can, yeah?
(If you want to get a paperback, I''m going to talk to my publisher about the cover--I''d intended for the paperback to be the current cover on RR. Just a heads up on that front!)
Chapter 176: Book 3: Primordial Foray
Chapter 176: Book 3: Primordial Foray
It''s hard to describe exactly what happens when I activate the skill.
Space warps around my fist. That''s one part of the effect. Light bends as it approaches a threshold around my gauntlet and creates a distinctly odd visual effect,plete with a flickering halo created by stray escaping beams. I can feel the impact of it too, just by waving my hand around¡ªthere''s a distinct pulling sensation that apanies every movement.
But that''s not all that happens. More significant is the moment I suddenly find myself holding. Caught in the palm of my hand there''s a fragment of... life isn''t the right word for it.
It''s a fragment of the beginning. A fragment of that primordial soup that began all life. A fragment of a Concept that''s strong enough now that I can feel it¡ªit washes away the lingering stench of death, the oppressive aura that the Abstraction had hanging over us.
I step forward, and life steps with me.
There''s a sound that''s somewhere between a crackle and a whisper. Microscopic spores germinate within seconds, hyphae digging into the metal of the walls; stray seeds grow, their roots tearing through the ground with all the force of timepressed into moments. Flowers bloom into bursts of color. I hear Novi letting out a soft gasp. Guard is silent, but his machinery whirs as he processes everything that''s happening.
It''s taking everything I have to stay standing. To keep this held.
The Knight within me is working feverishly to gather what Firmament remains in the air and process it; without its help, I think I would have copsed by now. The body isn''t meant to be quite this empty of Firmament¡ªI''m not meant to have ess to a skill of this level. Not yet. It demands more than I have.
But more than I have is the only thing that''s going to stop an Abstraction, isn''t it? I''ll examine what all this ister. Threads, Submerged skills, Talents... it''s a whole new set of questions, a whole new set of things to understand.Right now, though, what''s in front of me threatens everything I''ve achieved this loop. So I take another step forward. It feels like trying to drag myself through a thick slurry¡ªeverything I am is poured into a singr point in my fist, and I''m holding it steady through nothing more than force of will. If I waver for even a moment, this whole thing shatters.
The Abstraction stands before me. It looks down at me as if confused by my presence. Maybe it''s confused by the fact that I''m able to stand in front of it at all. I get the distinct impression that if anyone else were standing in my ce, they would be kneeling.
Or dead. Either way, they wouldn''t be standing.
This close to the Abstraction, it''s easier to tell what it is. I almostugh¡ªprobably would have if it didn''t take so much effort just to maintain the skill, let alone move. The answer should have been obvious. It''s been staring me in the face this whole time.
This is the Abstraction of Regret. The full manifestation of every ghost that came before it. It makes sense, in a way; First Sky turns into an empty ruin, a city devoid of color and life, with all the efforts made to save it ultimately a failure. What other emotion¡ªwhat other Concept¡ªwould define it at its end?
Regret is aligned with Death, in some ways, at least here: it came about as a result of the city''s slow death. It''s an insidious thing that eats away at all future possibility if you let it.
And Life, in the same way, is opposed to it. Life created by He-Who-Guards, of all people. Considering what he''s told me about his past with Whisper, he''s more than familiar with the idea of regret.
He could have chosen to die. He considered it, even. He lived a tortured existence for too long.
But there were too many things he knew he would regret.
It''s fitting, in a way. I bring up a hand, staring at the Abstraction. It stares back mournfully. I''m not sure it even understands what''s going on or why it''s here. It was brought to life to... what, be an obstacle? To be nothing more than an artifact of war?
"You didn''t deserve this," I say quietly. Mostly because it feels right. If the Knight is right, and Abstractions are created by tearing a Concept loose from the foundations of reality and giving it life, then I can''t imagine it''s anything but confused right now. No wonder it didn''t rush toward me to fight. It''s just... wandering.
That it kills anything ites across in that wandering is an unfortunate reality of its existence. In better, different circumstances, it might have been able to be something more.
I reach out with my empowered hand. The Abstraction flinches away briefly¡ªit can sense that what I''m holding is fundamentally opposed to it in some way, that it has the potential to do harm.
And then it stops. It stares at me.
The Abstraction''s physical appearance is nothing more than the projection of a wound in reality, but in that moment, it looks very much like a manifestation of space. I catch a glimpse of cosmic dust past the bones that make up the skull it wears on its head. I see what looks like the embers of a dying star.
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It was once part of a greater whole. It sees what I have as a path to do so. It''s like the Knight said: Abstractions can''t stick around forever. Eventually, they fade. The universe repairs itself.
I get the feeling it wants to repair itself a little faster. It reaches out and takes my hand¡ª
The reaction is near instantaneous. The Concept I''m holding abruptly boils over, taking to the Abstraction with a ferocity that surprises the both of us. It shoots through its arm and then tears through its body, multiplying rapidly and filling it with life; I catch a glimpse of evolution, of moving on, of regret that doesn''t define a life. I''d be worried about the process being painful, but the Abstraction looks down with an expression that''s distinctly...
Wonder. It looks down at itself with wonder.
Just for a moment. Then it cracks like ss, starting from the center and spreading through its body. Its physical form breaks apart, no longer able to sustain itself in the chaos of holding two separate, opposing Concepts.
Just like that, it''s gone. The tunnel is empty, and the oppressive air that''s been hanging around us vanishes like it was never there; the Knight makes a sound of relief. I feel the bone armor melting back into flesh¡ªthe Inspiration is done and will be for a while, I suspect. Apparently I''ve exhausted it. I didn''t even know that was possible.
"Is it over?" Novi asks. Her voicees out almost like a squeak, and she clears her throat before she speaks again. "Ahem. That was... remarkably well done. I have yet to see dangers quite like this within First Sky. That was most unusual."
"It is over," He-Who-Guards confirms. Then he pauses, frowning, and looks to me for confirmation. "I think. Ethan?"
"Give me a moment," I mumble.
I''m lying t on my back. I don''t even remember lying down. Guard walks over to peer at me, concerned. "You are alright?"
"I''ll be fine," I say. I don''t try to get up, though.
"You do not look fine," Guard observes.
"Everything hurts," I grunt. "Including things that shouldn''t be able to hurt. Like my fingernails, for some reason."
The automaton looks down at me for another moment, then turns to a concerned Novi. "He is fine."
"Hey! Why did it take that to convince you?" Iin. I push myself into a sitting position, although only barely; my arms scream in protest as I do so. It feels like my bones are aching, too, which... I suppose kind of makes sense, considering how the Knight Evolution works. Can''t say I like it, though.
"Because," Guard says, amused, "you are usually fine when you are able toin."
I roll my eyes. "You haven''t been traveling with me long enough to know that."
"But I have been observing you."
"Guard," I say. "You know that''s kind of creepy, right?"
"I was ordered to do so," he points out.
"...Yeah, okay, fair point." Privacy hasn''t been much of an option during the Trials in general, in all honesty. Between the Integrators watching, Ahkelios being directly bonded to me, and Isthanok being a city that''s essentially under constant surveince, I haven''t actually had a moment to myself since all this started. I try not to think about that. "Alright, let me see. The mission isn''t technically over until we deliver the Seed..."
I trail off, frowning, as I call up the Interface. The final point hasn''t changed.
And more worryingly¡ª
[Charge the Seed: 99/100
Bonus:
Defeat the Concept-Bound: 0/1]
"That''s not right," I mutter, staring at the window. We did defeat the Abstraction¡ªas far as I can tell, that thing is no longer here. In fact, after being exposed to it so directly, it feels like I have a better sense for these things than ever. There''s a sort of scar in the world where the Abstraction used to be, but it''s a scar that''s rapidly mending. "It says we haven''t beaten... well, the Interface is calling it a Concept-Bound. Not sure if that''s the same thing."
Guard looks at me for a moment, then turns to Novi. "It may not be over," he informs her. She clutches at his arm, eyes wide.
I force myself to my feet and wince at the wave of pain thates with it. There''s barely any Firmament left within me¡ªbasically just enough to keep me standing instead of falling unconscious. The Knight feels like it''s fallen asleep, which I can''t me it for, but it would be nice to have some answers.
There''s nothing stirring in the distance, as far as I can tell, but there is a slow pit of dread forming in my stomach. Because if the Interface isn''t registering that defeat, then two things are likely to be true.
The first is that the Abstraction I just fought wasn''t part of the n. Like I suspected already, more or less; the Trials seem to adhere to some abstract, alien idea of fairness, and throwing something like an Abstraction at me feels far outside of its usual tricks. It''s more than willing to support a bending of the rules, but outright breaking them?
Something else is interfering with this Ritual.
The second truth, of course, is that this Ritual stage has a boss, and I haven''t fought it yet. That''s a problem too, because even if the boss isn''t as powerful as the Abstraction, if it''s anything like the Seedmother...
I''m trying to recover, but I don''t have enough Firmament left. Not for a fight. No matter how fast I work, even if it takes a full hour for whatever this Concept-Bound is to show up¡ªand it won''t¡ªI won''t have recovered enough to fight. Maybe to support, if Guard takes the lead, but fight?
A roar sounds from deep within the tunnel. I tense immediately and turn my attention to it, expanding my senses, trying to learn more about what''s toe; instead, I notice something else.
Ahkelios''s bond with me, weakened by distance, is slowly getting stronger again. He''s on his way back. There''s a trickle of relief¡ªeven with his help, it might not be enough, but there''s at least more of a chance¡ª
I pause, then frown.
Something about Ahkelios feels different.
Chapter 177: Book 3: Renewed Bonds
There''s not much time to think about it, because the Concept-Bound is upon us in a moment, and it''s only Guard''s quick thinking that saves us. He steps in front of me and zes with a Firmament shield strong enough that a shot I didn''t notice just ricochets off, mming into the tunnel walls and sting a chunk into it.
Then and only then does the Concept-Bound emerge from the darkness of the tunnel. It''s no surprise that it resembles arge, mutated scirix¡ªit''s on four legs instead of two, its lower body split in a grotesque imitation of something adjacent to a centaur. Its upper body could pass for a regr member of their society if not for its four arms and eyes.
And there''s an intelligence in its eyes. His eyes?
He speaks. His voice is quiet and mournful; even his words ring with the Concept of Regret, and while it isn''t as powerful as the Abstraction''s aura, it still washes over us with enough force to make us stagger.
"I am Phylus," he says. "I would like to know the names of those I am to end."
Guard''s Breath of Life flickers into being, shielding us from the brunt of its effect. Dark-blue Firmament batters against vibrant green¡ªit''s saturated with emotion. I think this might be the first time I''ve seen Firmament bepletely visible from force of emotion alone; the density wouldn''t normally be enough to make this Firmament shine, butbined with that emotion of regret...
It tinges the entirety of the tunnel. Guard''s aura is the only source of light in what is otherwise an ocean of desaturation. This must be the reason the lights in the tunnel were flickering. Even now, I see the Firmament affecting them, waves of color making them dim to nothingness.
"I don''t suppose you could just not end us?" I suggest warily. If he''s capable of reason...
But Phylus shakes his head."That is not an option," he says inly. "But I will remember your names, should you give them to me."
"Why?" I ask instead. I consider telling him that none of us will die permanently, even if he seeds; that time will simply reset, and all that will be lost are memories and opportunities. Telling him that seems like I''d just be encouraging him to go ahead, though.
"You know why." Phylus examines me for a moment. His words are filled with Regret. "I y a role within this Ritual, just as you do. And I cannot fight against that role any more than you can. You wille to regret your participation, just as much as I regret my role."
I frown. What''s that supposed to mean?
Phylus doesn''t give me the chance to answer, however. He just shakes his head. "If you will not give me your names," he says, "then I will simply remember your faces."
He attacks.
I try to react, to call up a skill, but even with as much time as I''ve been given I haven''t recovered nearly enough Firmament to call up so much as a Crystallized Barrier. It''s Guard that has to step in the way, a st of Firmament deflecting the force of Phylus''s strike.
But Phylus is fast. He''s enormous, but the four legs allow him to skitter and change his momentum with deceptive speed. Guard''s counter sends him flying, but it''s evident in moments that it was intentional¡ªhe uses the momentum totch on to the ceiling, then moves in a twisting spiral along the tunnel, dodging Guard''s attempt to throw him off.
He''s headed straight for Novi. A spike of hard chitin suddenlyunches itself from his shoulder toward her. I step in the way, lifting an arm to block the strike, and grit my teeth as the force of it jars my entire skeleton, throwing me back. I force myself to my feet just in time to stop the next one, this time shifting my weight into it so it doesn''t throw me off as much.
Both moves cost me. Both my arms are bleeding, badlycerated¡ªwithout the upgrade to my bones, it would have pierced straight through me and into Novi. It''s a good thing the physical upgrade still works without me having to pump Firmament into it, but I''m not going to be able to keep this up for long.
Fortunately, the dy is long enough for Guard to reposition himself. He''s in front of me again, his core zing with his prismatic Firmament; I can feel the heat from his systems as he runs everything at full capacity. "You must run," Guard says. His voice is staticky with concern. "I cannot hold him off and defend you¡ª"
"You cannot hold me off, regardless of what the human does," Phylus says. "But you are wee to try."
Guard responds with a st of Firmament. I grab Novi''s hand, leading her away; not running, but moving toward Ahkelios, who seems to be moving at speed toward me in turn. He''s being careful not to draw on my Firmament¡ªthat must mean that''s him, right?
"Come on, Ahkelios," I mutter. I try to speed up, but Novi stumbles, and I have to catch her. She clings to my shirt, bewildered and frightened. Echoes of Guard''s fight with Phylus ricochet down the tunnel, and I''m suddenly certain that Phylus is ying with Guard, though I can''t be sure why. He doesn''t even seem to want to do this.
Maybe he''s giving us time.
I don''t know what Ahkelios is doing. I don''t know why his presence feels different, though I fear the worst. Right now, though, he might be the only card I have left to y.
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If nothing else, the closer he gets, the clearer the bond driven by Temporal Link bes. I can work out a little more about what''s happened. One way or another, it seems like Ahkelios has joined with his Remnant. There''s arge, foreign presence within the bond, almost like an infection, except...
I can''t tell which side the infection is. Ahkelios? Or Zhir? I''d reach out through the bond, but it''s strangely closed to my attempt to speak through it; that, more than anything, is what has me worried.
Then I hear the footsteps. I catch a glimpse of a figure, not flying, but running. There''s a tight glow of Firmament around him that outlines his body, but that body is very much real; it''s not the Firmament construct that Ahkelios usually is. It wears the sameb coat Zhir was wearing, though the coat hangs open¡ª
"Zhir?" Novi asks, confused. My grip tightens unintentionally on her wrist; I force myself to let go when she winces, aware of the tension running through my frame.
Surely not.
The figure running down the corridor is a little more built than Zhir was. A swordsman''s build rather than a researcher''s. He''s taller, too¡ªjust barely taller than even I am, in part due to the spikes of chitin around his head. The closer he gets, the clearer it is that he isn''t a scirix.
But he''s not a mantis, either.
He has the features of both, leaning a little more toward scirix than mantis; his face has their malleability of expression, their ability to express themselves with eyes and mouth both rather than the rigidity of chitin. His natural armor weaves perfectly with the underlying muscle to give him an agility that neither scirix nor mantis seem to have¡ªlike his body picked the best of both worlds.
Even taking that into ount, he''s more heavily armored than most scirix. His chitin has the texture of his mantis self. It''s rougher, more rugged; built to take blunt hits more than sharp ones, by my estimation.
"That''s not Zhir," Novi whispers; I can''t tell if she''s horrified or fascinated. She doesn''t take her eyes off him.
"No," I agree. "It''s not."
The real question is whether or not it''s Ahkelios.
He holds something that looks like a cross between a wand and a ster in one hand; the other carries a metal box tucked under an arm, and I hear the rattling of a half-dozen different gadgets in it. The moment he''s within earshot, he calls out to me.
"Ethan," he says. "You beat the Abstraction?"
My heart sinks. That doesn''t sound like Ahkelios.
"Took everything I had," I answer anyway. "Guard''s trying to hold off the stage boss. It''s not going well."
The scirix-mantis hybrid peers down the corridor and frowns. "Concept-Bound," he says, identifying it quickly. "How did you¡ªnevermind. I should''ve expected it. That should be easier to deal with than an Abstraction, at least. You''re out of Firmament?"
The abrupt way he switches topics startles me. "Yes," I say warily. I''m already examining the bond between us again. It doesn''t feel like Ahkelios is gone. I''m pretty sure the person I''m speaking to isn''t the Ahkelios I know, but at the same time...
"We don''t have much time," he says. "I''ll work with Guard to hold off the Concept-Bound. You activate your Inspiration. Not the Knight¡ªone of the ones you''re owed. Get a new one. You can do that, yes?"
"I can," I say. "But I need to know¡ª"
He cuts me off. "Your friend put up a good fight," he says. Then a shadow crosses his expression, and he sighs. "...He won. He''s in here. He''s just lending me the body so I can help. He''ll take over soon enough, and I''ll fade away."
He says it with a bitter eptance. This is Zhir, then. Or Ahkelios''s Remnant, depending on what I''m supposed to call him.
I''m not sure what to say. I wasn''t expecting his Remnant to... what, willingly help?
"If you get a new Inspiration it may restore your Firmament reserves," Zhir tells me. "I will use these to help Guard hold off Phylus while you do so."
"...Is that my home security system?" Novi asks suddenly, staring at the box.
Zhir ignores her, staring intently at me instead. "Ethan. Do you understand?"
"I do," I say finally. Inspirations have never done that for me noticeably before, but I''ve also never triggered one while this low on reserves; I wouldn''t have noticed if this was something they could do. "You better not be lying. I''ll drag Ahkelios out of you myself if I have to."
Zhir snorts. "At least he didn''t lie about that," he mutters, almost too soft for me to hear. "Just trigger the damn Inspiration choice. You don''t lose any time while you do that anyway."
It''s true. I''ve abused that mechanic before. Specifically so I could read the Empty City''s final Record. So he''s got a point.
I reach for the Interface, selecting the new option Kauku''s given me.
[Would you like to receive an Inspiration?]
Yes.
And two things happen at once.
The first one is a sudden st of Firmament, so intense it threatens to blind me¡ªI almost think that this is the restoration Zhir was talking about, except it resolves in a second, and it clearly isn''t.
It''s a Paradox Warning. One sent from farther in the future than should be possible for me, even with my current levels of Firmament. There''s a moment where I''m worried this has something to do with Zhir and Ahkelios, but the message that pierces my skull has nothing to do with either of them.
[I don''t have many options left. I''m sending back this warning so you''ll have one more choice that I didn''t have¡ªbut you''re not going to like it. You''ll know what I mean when you get there.
This is programmed to reach you right before you trigger your second Inspiration with Kauku. I can''t tell you too much; Paradox Warning is only meant for you to prepare yourself, not alter the past. Takes more Firmament the more I risk changes. But it''d be remiss of me not to try, so try not to let it reach Kauku. It''s a pest now, but let those two merge and it''ll risk the end of all things as we know it.
I''m sorry I can''t be more specific. Keep doing what you''re doing. The Warning is just... an option. Something we can use if we have no other choice. Hopefully this will give us enough time to prepare.
Good luck, me. We''re going to need it.]
When I look up again, I''m half-copsed in the void. The intensity of the message knocked me to my knees. I have no idea what to make of it¡ªnor do I have time, because Kauku is standing in front of me, one eyebrow raised.
"I did not expect to see you kneeling before me the next time we met," Kauku says. I can tell he''s smirking, somehow, even if his skull can''t quite express it. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
I roll my eyes and force myself to my feet despite the throbbing in my head. "You know why I''m here."
Chapter 178: Book 3: Inspired (x2)
Once the pain in my skull fades, I note that I feel a lot better¡ªmaybe Zhir was telling the truth. I certainly don''t feel like I''m out of Firmament anymore, though it''s possible that has more to do with... whatever it is about Inspirations that causes time to freeze around me. I''ve always felt that this ce is more mental than physical, even if Kauku''s abilities tend to blur the line between the two.
"I would enjoy hearing your tale regardless," Kauku says casually, leaning back against nothing in particr. "I don''t get much entertainment here in the void, you see¡ªlet alone . Rare enough that I get an Heir of my own and the opportunity for conversation. Surely you can indulge me?"
I''m all too cautious of the warning that was just shot into my head. Try not to let it reach Kauku. I have no idea what this "it" is, and I''m assuming if my future self could have been any more specific, he would have.
But I don''t need to. As far as I know, Kauku is entirely inessible except via Inspiration, exactly like this. If my future self is telling me that something was able to gain ess to him...
Well. That means that more likely than not, they were able to gain ess to him through this. Through the process of selecting an Inspiration. It shouldn''t be possible¡ªnot with the way reality itself freezes to a stop to allow for this process¡ªbut there has to be a reason I sent myself this warning.
Until I have more information, it might be best to either not trigger future Inspirations at all, or to do these as quickly as possible. Or at least keep both to a minimum.
"I''m afraid I don''t have time," I say. "I''m sure you''ve been watching. You know exactly what I''ve been up to."
"Quite." Kauku grins at me, all pretense vanishing. "I must say, you''re doing even better than I expected. I''ve outdone myself."
"You''ve outdone yourself?" I raise an eyebrow."In acquiring a brilliant Heir, of course!" Kauku practically preens as he says the words. I''m... reasonably sure that he''s joking. "I expect you''re here to refill those Firmament reserves of yours. And to choose your next Inspiration."
"And I''d like to do so quickly," I say. Kauku tilts his head at me, curious.
"Any particr reason?"
"That depends on how much you can observe," I say dryly. "But I''ve been told I shouldn''t let something reach you. I haven''t figured out what that means yet."
No point hiding it. Kauku''s powerful enough that he can probably protect himself from it, given enough advance warning¡ªand that gives me a better shot at preventing that future than if I just left him in the dark. I''d be mortified if I tried to keep it a secret and whatever it was got to him for exactly that reason.
Kauku, however, tilts his head, his eyes narrowing at the nothingness in front of him. "You received a Paradox Warning," he says. It''s not a question. I wonder if he has something like an Interface, too. If he does, it''s drastically different from anything I or the Integrators have ess to. "I can usually detect those... This one slipped past me due to its timing."
"Do you know what it''s talking about?" I ask.
"No," Kauku says, "but I thank you for the warning." He hesitates for a moment. "I am not eager to be found here."
I blink. That feels like the truth¡ªI wasn''t expecting such a straightforward response from him. "Good?" I say, slightly thrown off. "Can you tell me why?"
"I cannot," Kauku says dryly. That''s a lot more in line with what I expect from him. "But if you are concerned... it is unlikely that spending more time within this pocket of space will give anything ess to me. No: if I am to be found here, then whatever your future self ims will find me either already has everything they need, or will acquire it regardless of your actions."
"You''re very sure about that," I say cautiously. He tilts his head, and an enigmatic smile flickers in his eyes.
"Time is not so easy to change," he says. "Simple enough to tie into knots, to push and change and shape in small ways. But to divert its path entirely, the way your future self hoped to? That requires a far greater power than yours."
"What about yours?" I ask impulsively. Kauku eyes me for a moment.
"That," he says, "remains to be seen."
Then he waves a hand, and with a dizzying swirl, the void around me changes.
Again, three pedestals stand before me. Again, they each contain shifting, fractal shapes atop each of them.
Yet there''s something that feels a little different about thempared to before. I frown slightly, stepping forward, and within me I feel the Knight begin to stir.
They match, forck of a better term. I catch a glimpse of steel and nobility, of armor and pride, in the fractal shapes nested atop every pedestal.
"These are new Forms for the Knight," Kauku says, confirming what I''m thinking. He sounds proud, oddly. Like he''s personally responsible for them in some way. "I would not normally tell you quite this much, but seeing as you have done me quite the favor by informing me of this iing threat..."
He trails off, considering. "An Inspiration triggered via the Firmament category will give you new Evolutions entirely; any of the other categories will give you an additional Form for your existing Evolutions."
And in this case, I''d triggered the Inspiration I gained for crossing the Speed milestone. I nce again at the pedestals with this new information in mind, and to my surprise, I can make out some of what he''s saying.
Because each of these pedestals contain the seed of a Concept. If I had to put a word to it, to exin what they are...
They''re Concept-Bound.
Kauku makes a low, approving noise in his throat, almost like he read my mind and approves of the conclusion. I ignore how rming that thought is¡ªthere''s little I can do about it at the moment¡ªand approach the pedestals again, reaching out with the new sense I gained from fighting that Abstraction.
It takes a lot more work than just using my Firmament sense, but I can sense it, now. The first pedestal contains the Concept of Flight, I think. Presumably, it''s a Form for the Knight that gives me airborne mobility, and modifies my skills to bepatible with that skillset.
As much as I''d like to be able to fly, I dismiss that almost immediately out of hand. There aren''t enough practical uses for it when I can freely teleport and direct my eleration, and while I''m sure the application of the Form will give me entirely new options inbat, my current battle is about to take ce in a tunnel. Airborne options are not what I need right now.
The second pedestal is a little harder to figure out. I catch a glimpse of perpetuity, of motion and creation. If I had to find a word for it...
Generation. A Form that creates power and redistributes it along the Knight''s body, at a guess.
The third one is even moreplex. I get the impression of a shortcut, of spatialpression, of navigational perfection. It''s a Form designed to slip from one space to another undetected.
Tempting, and stealth is certainly an area I''mcking in, but as I consider it I hear a grumble from the Inspiration within me. It''s still mostly asleep, but the Knight does not seem to like the idea of stealth.
I snort. Yeah, that fits.
"You know, we might actually need that one day," I say, reaching out mentally and probing for a reaction.
The Knight cracks open a metaphorical eye. "We will crush all that stands in our way," he growls. "There is no need for the coward''s path."
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"Good word for it," I muse. "The Form that takes the quickest Path..."
"No," it growls again, although I get the feeling it would acquiesce if I really pushed for it. I don''t, in part because I''ve already made my choice; the third Form isn''t what I need at the moment.
"If I may make a suggestion," Kauku says. He has his hands folded behind his back, and he''s watching me with a strange look on his face. Interest, I think.
"Sure," I say. Couldn''t hurt.
"Take the second one," Kauku says. "The Generator Form. You are out of Firmament, and your friend is partially right; triggering an Inspiration like this will restore what you''ve got. But your opponent is a Concept-Bound. The meager Firmament stores of a thirdyer will not be sufficient."
"Did you have to put it like that?" I ask ndly. "I beat the Abstraction just fine."
"An impressive feat," Kauku allows. "But it did not fight you. If it had, the oue would have been very different. It wanted to be dead as much as you wanted to end it."
A fair assessment, I have to admit. The Abstraction didn''t fight me at all once I showed it I had the power to end it; it seemed to just ept what wasing. If it had resisted, if it had dodged...
I''m not at a ce where I can fight something like that freely. Not yet.
"You are not ready to use Submerged skills," Kauku continues, startling me. "The Generator Form will give you the control you need to only partially fuel the skill. Do not repeat what you did before until you are at least at the fourthyer; if you pour all your Firmament into one skill like you did with that Primordial Foray a second time, especially this soon, you will die."
He steps close, as if to impress upon me how serious it is. "Heed my words. Do that again and your soul will pop like a balloon."
That''s... not an analogy I was expecting.
"You strained your core way before it was ready." There''s a sort of begrudging respect in Kauku''s voice, and he folds his arms across his chest as he stares me down. "It will likely help you achieve the next phase shift, but if you do that again before healing? Your core will burst. I warn you now because you are the type of Heir that will do it again if I don''t."
He''s not wrong there. "Thanks," I say, and I mean it. I reach out for the second pedestal, but before I grab hold of the new Form¡ª
"Am I on the right track?" I ask. "I assume the Ritual is your doing."
Kauku blinks, looking confused for a moment. Then he seems to remember himself. "Quite!" he says cheerfully. "Keep doing what you''re doing. I''ll see what I need to at the end of the Ritual."
I frown slightly at that reaction, but before I can think any more about it, Kauku grimaces, scratching at the back of his head. "Seems the information you gave me was quite valuable," he mutters. "I should not let you leave without giving you more. Very well. That thing you have been thinking about. Skill categories. You have all the pieces you need. You just need to put it all together. Do it before your next phase shift, and you will have an advantage no Integrator does."
...Huh. Interesting. All the pieces I need? I''d assumed I was still missing something. I cast my mind back, trying to remember what might be relevant.
At the same time, I reach for the Generator Form¡ª
¡ªAnd I feel the Knight stir.
Ahkelios didn''t know if he''d done the right thing, letting Zhir take control as he had. So far, his other self had kept his word¡ªhe''d pit all their shared resources directly toward dealing with whatever trouble Ethan had managed to get into.
Though he had lied. Ahkelios had learned almost immediately on their merge that Zhir didn''t really have a solution for defeating an Abstraction. Of course he didn''t. He''d known about them, but he''d never once encountered a force strong enough to beat them back.
They both felt it when Ethan defeated it anyway. Ahkelios felt the shock from Zhir and seized on his chance. It was just enough of a distraction to create a crack in his other self''s psyche...
But that wasn''t what had lost Zhir the fight. It had expedited things¡ªAhkelios thought he might have lost more of himself if not for that chance that he''d seized¡ªbut the truth of the matter was that they both knew who would win the moment their minds made contact.
After existing for as long as he had, after experiencing years of nothing but an empty, colorless city, Zhir was no longer anchored. He was driven only by a desire to survive, to see his home again, and while that desire wasn''t a weak one...
He no longer had anything he believed in.
And Ahkelios, for all his ws and doubts, did.
Back when he''d been a Trialgoer, Hestia''s Trial made him feel like the things he cared about didn''t matter. Like his home didn''t matter. Zhir''s memories flooding into him reinforced that¡ªhe remembered losing hope with every Trial, remembered losing himself to the loops, because the cyclical nature of time just taught him that nothing mattered.
His home was nothing. What his people cared about was nothing. They were all pawns in a greater game. What use was his love for art when all that remained was destruction?
And then there was Ethan. The human that had gotten stuck in that very same loop, who knew nothing mattered, and... didn''t care. Made it a point not to let it change him, to treat everyone he met like a person even when the next loop would just turn it all back.
It was that determination that helped Ahkelios remember what he''d once loved. Every act of kindness, every time he cared, every time he paid attention to something Ahkelios ignored¡ªthey made new discoveries, met new people, learned more and more about Hestia and its inhabitants¡ª
Ahkelios remembered the beauty of Isthanok. The shards of crystal in the sky, reflecting and refracting the light from the sun.
His world held crystals like that. They were crystalline mountains, not towers and cathedrals, but the way the light shone through them was the same. He remembered visiting them for the first time with his friends. Remembered carving little sculptures of themselves out of some of the rocks and leaving that behind.
He''d forgotten.
It was a cultural thing for them. Ahkelios''s people lived in moving cities¡ªin great monuments built in ancient times, each with dozens or hundreds of mechanical legs that could take them through the hazards of the unscathed. Most of their was uninhabited and unexplored, and most of their people weren''t connected. It was difficult, given the conditions of their.
But every so often, their moving cities would encounter an ind amid the chaos. Andmark of some kind. Mountains of crystal, valleys of gold, forests that burned and froze in equal measure.
Ahkelios loved the forests most. They were proof that life could survive outside of their monuments and cities; proof that it would always find a way. He''d dreamed of finding a way to give his people whatever traits those nts had so they could live outside of their cities, outside their safe havens...
Point was, they lived in moving cities, and without a way to speak to one another directly?
They resorted to stories.
Tales told through art. Small things left behind at every habitable location. Nothing that would ruin it permanently, but a little piece of them, a little piece of their city. Little pieces of history and art and culture left behind for others to find so their people could still speak to one another, still share with one another.
His home had been named Ar''kur. The Winding Wanderer. Whatever ancient systems controlled their city was a little bit broken, and every so often they''d end up spiraling in circles.
All this Ethan helped him remember just from his exploration, from his open love of the world. In a way, his approach through the loops reminded Ahkelios of that same cultural practice¡ªeach loop was an ind in time, and Ethan tried always to leave behind something that mattered.
And so when it came down to it¡ªwhen it came down to the essence of who they were¡ª
Ahkelios remembered to care. Remembered what had mattered the most to his people.
And Zhir didn''t.
"It''s all set up," Zhir told him. "All up to you and your friend, now."
Ahkelios hesitated. "Are you just going to be... gone?" he asked. He felt oddly guilty about it. Zhir seemed to sense that, and Ahkelios could feel his counterpart rolling his eyes.
"You''ve adopted too much of that human''s sentimentality," Zhir said. "Put it this way. He betrays you? I''ll be back. Otherwise... I''ll just be part of you."
Ahkelios could live with that. He and Zhir had once been the same, after all.
"Thank you," he said. He meant it.
"Egh," Zhir responded. "Your sentimentality is gross. Go kill the big bug or whatever it is you''re going to do."
Ahkelios snorted¡ª
¡ªand then he was himself again. Whole. Different, in many ways¡ªthe new body was going to take some getting used to. But more important than that...
He felt the Firmament pouring through him.
His own Firmament. Not Ethan''s. The link between them wasn''t gone, but he was his own person now; the fog of the Interface no longer had an influence on him. It was like taking a breath of fresh air for the first time.
He couldn''t wait to hang out with Ethan. Properly. As equals, as friends.
"Bring it," he said out loud to Phylus.
The Concept-Bound¡ªwho was currently tangled in a half-dozen ropes that had emerged from the traps of Novi''s household, and fighting to get free¡ªjust stared at him. "Are you a different person now?" he asked. He turned to Guard. "Is he a different person now? How many of you are there?"
He-Who-Guards slid his optic over to Ahkelios, and Ahkelios caught a ghost of a smile. "Wee back, Ahkelios," he said.
"d to be back," Ahkelios said. He felt his Firmament surging, felt his own Concept bind to his Firmament.
He might be a fullyer behind Ethan, but that didn''t mean he didn''t have his own tricks up his sleeve. The Sword made every part of him sharp as a de, and when the Concept-Bound shot a spike at him, it bounced off his arm.
It still cracked his carapace, but he could do this. He could fight.
In no small part thanks to the power Zhir had gained in his time as a Remnant.
"Thanks," he said again, even though he knew Zhir could no longer hear him. "I''ll make good use of this."
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Chapter 179: Book 3: Bound Battle
All three of us are ready to fight. I feel it like a charge in the air, and I''m not the only one; the Concept-Bound senses it, too. Phylus stills, and there''s suddenly a note in his voice that sounds a lot like concern.
"Something is different," he says, half-musing the words. Talking to himself, for some reason. "I can dy no longer."
That''s all the warning we get.
The ropes that Ahkelios brought in¡ªI don''t know what they are, but those things are strong. They actually hold him back for about half a second, which is more warning than we would have had otherwise; they re to an eye-searing brightness as Phylus brings everything he has to bear against it.
They shatter and the devices generating them burst into mes and smoke, but it''s more than enough time for Guard to get in front of Ahkelios and I, burning with the Breath of Life. The field of green glows bright as it deflects the sudden near-solid dark blue that crashes against us.
Novi huddles in the center where it''s safest. I''m closest to the edge¡ªdark-blue Firmament brushes against my finger, just for a fraction of a second as it leaves the protective grasp of Guard''s aura. That''s enough for it to burn straight through my skin and down to the bone like it''s concentrated acid.
Very good thing Guard got in the way of that. When it dissipates, Phylus''s eyes widen slightly, like he''s both surprised and annoyed that all four of us are still there. He doesn''t waste time talking like I expect him to, though.
Instead, he attacks. He''s faster than before. Three solid spikes, Bound with Regret, aimed directly at our throats; Guard''s aura won''t deflect something physical like that.
So I Evolve faster than I ever have before.Our time in Kauku''s pocket dimension seems to have helped the Knight recover; it''s able to join with me in record time, and together the transformation elerates through our bones, cracks through our body. Firstes its default Form, the transformation of my bones into armor¡ª
Distorted Crux.
The first spike is headed toward me; it''s forced to slow down as it approaches, though I note with rm that the Concept bound to it allows it to partially bypass that defense.
Not nearly enough, though. I grab it with an armored fist and shatter it.
The other spikes are too far away, and with the Concept interfering I''m wary of Warpstepping into their path. But the Generator Form is already creeping through the Knight¡ªthe tes of our armor begin to separate, pulling with it the underlying muscle. The sensation would be ufortable, but I''m focused on the fight, and the Knight takes on most of the burden of the transformation.
New organs shuffle into ce. I can''t see them, but I can feel what they do. They draw in Firmament like makeshift lungs, pulling ambient energy into my core and twisting it in an instant into something pure and mine. It''s almost like it''s burning it for fuel.
Either way, new Firmament pours into my body, and I throw a hand out, reaching for Great Filter at the same time. Carefully, as Kauku warned. I can sense how much easier it is to use Firmament Control now¡ªthe power leaps eagerly into my mental grasp as I reach for it, and pulls away just as quickly if I demand it. Even with how hungry this skill is, I''m able to feed it exactly the amount of Firmament I intend to.
About ten percent of what I have avable drains into Great Filter. The air in front of those spikes harden into a sslike surface. I can sense almost instantly that the skill is only half-formed¡ªit doesn''t have nearly the Firmament it needs to manifest fully¡ªbut it doesn''t matter. Even only half-formed, I get a powerful impression of what it is.
You do not pass, the barrier tells the spikes. It takes every attempt, every future possibility, and stands in their way like an insurmountable wall. You have failed.
Even with the power of a Concept behind them, the spikes are forced to obey. They tter harmlessly off the faux ss and onto the ground.
There''s no time to celebrate, because Phylus is already following up with his next attack; he''s crawling along the ceiling in a zig-zag, disruptive pattern, firing more spikes, building up power for something, but before he can, Ahkelios steps up.
"My turn," he announces. I can feel this is him, now. He shoots me a grin¡ª
¡ªand I nch as he somehow bnces a foot on my shoulder and uses me as aunching pad. "Ahkelios! You''re not small enough to do that anymore!"
"My bad!" he calls, but he''s grinning. Little bastard.
Or I guess I can''t call him that anymore, if he''s bigger than I am. That''s going to be awkward. I watch as he crashes into the ceiling and shes with an arm. A steel-gray de of sharp Firmament bursts out of him like a sword summoned into existence; it blisters with an edge too sharp to be real, lined with the power of a Concept. I blink, and a vague memoryes back.
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"My Concept is that of the Sword," Ahkelios says.
I hadn''t thought anything of it at the time, but I guess he wasn''t exactly an ordinary Trialgoer, either. Even if he was just at the secondyer, the power of that Concept is enough for it to weaken the spikes beingunched toward us¡ªit doesn''t stop thempletely, but it breaks them down enough that a Crystallized Barrier does the rest.
His strike, on the other hand, continues. The Sword he wields, pure Firmament and little else, tears straight through the blessed stone of the tunnel ceiling. Even without a skill, it turns the ceiling into a series of crumbling rocks. ??
With nothing to stay attached to, Phylus falls¡ªand Guard and I are there to catch him.
With our fists, specifically.
Amplified Gauntlet burns as it activates. Quite literally. The Form I''m in alters the skill, and when my arm transforms, six miniature engines emerge from beneath the ting just along my forearm. I feel it burn Firmament, feel it transform that Firmament into pure kic energy.
The Knight grins, wide and savage. It loves this new Form, I can tell.
Next to us, He-Who-Guards catches on to what we''re doing. There''s a split second of analysis. He doesn''t have quite enough force behind his own strike to match mine.
Realization, recalction, redirection¡ª
¡ªa new pattern emerges in front of him. I recognize it as another inverted skill, though I''m not sure which. The ck hole the Seedmother used, if I had to guess.
It''s not quiteplete. Instead, it''s half-formed, the same way the Great Filter skill was half-formed. Did he... pick up on what I did and immediately incorporate it into a skill he didn''t know how to use yet?
Damn.
I''m pretty sure he did, because in the next moment, a trio of tiny specks of white burst into being at his elbow, burning with force. His enormous Firmament reserves pour carelessly into the skill, and suddenly he has power enough to match mine.
Impact.
Phylus tries to guard against the blow. Tries. He crosses all four arms in front of himself, two to block Guard and two to block me. A shockwave blisters the air around us. There''s a moment of almost-cartoonish dy; I sense Phylus pouring Firmament into some sort of positional skill, trying to avoid being thrown back...
Because Ahkelios wasn''t done with a single strike. When I look up, I see the ceiling shining with Firmament. Sharp des protrude from the top of the tunnel, each one aimed unerringly at Phylus. I''m impressed the Concept-Bound noticed at all, focused as he was trying to stop me and Guard.
It''s not enough, though. Not against the sheer,bined weight of our strikes. Guard pours more Firmament through his arm, my gauntlet burns even more of mine, and together, we break through whatever barrier he''s using to stay in ce.
He rockets backward. Ahkelios moves out of the way gracefully, hanging on to one of his des; where it would cut anyone else, he simply clutches it with an arm and bnces on a leg, entirely unharmed.
Phylus, on the other hand, is impaled by six different des at once. There''s a sickening crack of carapace followed by squelch of flesh; a choked groan of pain erupts from him. Green-blue blood trickles down from his mouth and from the rest of his wounds, falling from the ceiling like rain.
Novi starts forward, mouth opening in relief, but Guard shakes his head and holds her back. "It is not over."
And it isn''t.
How he''s still able to move is beyond me, but Phylusshes out with a wave of Firmament powerful enough to shatter Ahkelios''s des; the mantis¡ªscirix?¡ªleaps away before the shockwave can hurt him,nding nimbly back beside me. Guard takes point in front and shields us with another Breath of Life, his systems straining with the effort. I hear the whir of his fans as green Firmament streams from him.
"Ahkelios," I say. Hetches on to what I''m thinking with a simple flicker of intent through our bond, and we leap into action.
He goes left. I go right. Firmament Control allows us each to grasp a small piece of Guard''s shield¡ªnot enough to destabilize it, just enough to let us survive the wave of Firmament trying to crush us as we approach. Ahkelios borrows Primordial Foray from me, and I borrow his Sword Concept from him.
They don''t oppose one another, but they don''t have to. The Sword cuts. That''s the essence of the Concept, resonating through us both; a weapon that slices through any obstacle, wielded sometimes in defense, sometimes in offense, but always to cut.
Primordial Foray turns into a sharp, cutting force that brims with Life; there''s a mingling of two Concepts that don''t quite match. We''re not practiced enough for them to mesh perfectly, so some power is lost in that exchange, but not enough to matter.
Phylus roars. There''s a mixture of panic, frustration, and maybe a hint of approval mixed in with the agony¡ªI see in his Firmament that he doesn''t understand how this is happening, how he''s losing. He''s at the fourthyer of Firmament, and being overwhelmed by the three of us doesn''t make sense to him.
He tries tosh out again, but his body is falling apart. Twin des of Firmament slice off his lower arms and cut into his torso, and wounded as he is, bleeding as he is, his strength is leaving him.
He staggers. Tries to move, but copses instead, no longer able to hold the weight of his body. Heughs a chokedugh.
"Incredible," he murmurs. "Well done, Trialgoers."
My eyes narrow at that word. Ahkelios starts. We nce at each other.
[You have defeated Phylus, Bound by Regret (Rank SS)! +337 Strength credits. +100 Durability credits. +100 Reflex credits. +100 Speed credits. +500 Firmament credits.]
"Ahkelios," I start. "Did you¡ª?"
"Yup," he says. He stares at the window in front of him. At the Interface.
His own Interface, separate from mine. I can see it, though. The bond between us grants us that much. His credit distribution is different from mine, but all in all...
A message hangs in the air in front of him, gleaming blue.
[Wee back, Trialgoer Ahkelios.]
Chapter 180: Book 3: Walk and Talk
There''s a sort of unspoken agreement that as soon as we''re done with this stage and with Tarin and Naru, we''re going to have to sit down and figure out what this means. He-Who-Guards seems a little put out, probably because he''s now the only one in our little party that doesn''t have an Interface of his own; there''s not much we can do about that, but I point out how he''s apparently able to copy what we can do.
That cheers him up a bit. We''ll have to focus some of our efforts on specifically figuring out how Guard can interface with regr skill constructs, since they''re distinct from the circuits that these Dungeon monsters are using, but Ahkelios and I are both more than willing to help.
Novi seems eager to help, too, actually. We don''t have the heart to tell her that she''s probably not going to be with us for that conversation.
"We''ll have to tell her eventually," Ahkelios admits to me quietly, when we have a moment to ourselves. I nce at him, surprised.
"What do you mean?"
"I kind of told her kids by ident," he says.
"...How did you do that by ident?" I ask, now more confused than before. Heughs awkwardly¡ªit''s strange walking with him like this, now that he''s essentially eye level with me. I don''t have to crane my neck down or up to look at him anymore. The only reason he''s taller is because of his carapace.
"It''s a long story," he mutters. "Uh, it''s mostly because of Zhir?"
"He told them?" I raise an eyebrow. I don''t see how that would help his case."No, no." Ahkelios hurries to exin to me what happened¡ªand I can''t help but snort with amusement when he reaches the part where Juri and Yarun turned the tables on him.
"Novi''s really proud of her kids," I say, ncing over at her. She''s walking with Guard on the other side of the tunnel, chatting animatedly with him about something or the other; some kind of Archivist discovery, if I''m hearing them correctly. "I guess she''s got good reason to be."
"You should''ve seen Zhir''s face when Yarun told him to shut up so he could fix him," Ahkelios says with a little grin. "He''s like a tiny version of you!"
Iugh. "When have I ever told anyone to shut up so I could fix them?"
"You don''t say it, but you think it," Ahkelios tells me. "Very loudly. I can hear you even when you''re not using the bond."
"You''re imagining things."
"Am not." Ahkelios pretends to look affronted, but the look fades quickly; I can feel through our bond that there''s a lot of excitement bubbling within the surface. He''s happy. A little conflicted about Zhir, I think, but merging with that final Remnant restored to him a lot of memories he didn''t have before, even corrected ones that he now suspects the Interface artificially filled out.
He feelsplete in a way that he hasn''t felt for a long, long while. Not as Zhir, not as Ahkelios... Whatever he is now, despite the differences in form, he finally feels like he''s himself again. Finally feels like an equal.
"I''m going to need to catch up with you," he says, nudging me. "Think you could help me with that thirdyer? You''ve got more experience with it than I do."
"Hmm." I pretend to think about it for a moment. "I suppose I could."
"You suppose?" Ahkelios folds his arms in mock outrage.
"I will," I say,ughing. "Rx. We''re just going to need somewhere with a lot of Firmament, and right now the best time for that is going to be when the dungeon is mid-transition. I don''t think we want to mess around with that yet." ???
"Yeah, no." Ahkelios shudders a little at the thought. "Maybe the Fracture? It''s got a lot of Firmament if you go deeper in."
"Could always use the Intermediary, too," I say. "Just have to get there again, see what the Firmament levels are like. We''ll figure it out."
"Right." He seems happy with that. Ahkelios grins to himself as we walk. Regaining that connection with the Interface seems to be good for him¡ªhe''s going through his windows, looking at his skills, just... exploring.
The Interface isn''t good. Both of us know that, at this point. At best it''s a neutral force, and at worst it''s trying to achieve a goal we don''t understand. One that might very well spell destruction for many, many species across the gxy.
But Ahkelios''s joy isn''t about that. It''s just the acknowledgement from the Interface that he''s real and whole again. More than just a familiar, as it were.
"Do you still have ess to all your old skills?" I ask curiously. Ahkelios makes a face, swiping to the skills tab and shaking his head.
"Doesn''t look like it," he grumbles. "But I can roll for new ones, at least. I guess all those constructs got cleaned out of my core or something."
"Would''ve been cool to try out some of your skills," I mutter. Ahkelios grins.
"I''ll roll for more once you''re done with the whole Naru thing," he promises. "Oh! We can roll for skills together! We should figure out what skill sharing is like both ways, anyway. And if you''re still the core of the time loop. Like, what if the reset conditions changed? And there''s the whole party thing that''s in the Interface now?"
Yep. That''s a new one. A whole window that lists our names and nothing else. There''s probably more functionality in there, but when I reach out with my senses it feels like the Interface is actively building the feature. Like it''s something new it made just for us.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Odd. But interesting.
In the meantime, there''s only one thing left for us to do, and it hangs over both Ahkelios and I in the Interface. A shared objective.
[nt the Seed: 0/1]
Hopefully that doesn''t involve anythingplicated. Odds are it will, given this is a Dungeon and all, but it''ll be nice if all we need to do is stick it in some dirt and be done with it.
"Are youfortable with... all this, by the way?" I ask.
"What do you mean?" Ahkelios seems genuinely confused by the question. I gesture vaguely at him, unsure how to borate on the question.
"This isn''t your original body," I say. "It''s a sort of... scirix-mantis hybrid? Are you okay with that?"
"Oh!" Ahkelios looks down at himself. "I''m pretty happy with it, actually. It feels good and looks good. I''m really flexible now. Watch."
He bends over nearly a hundred and eighty degrees backward so that both his hands and his feet rest on the ground. I stare at him. He is remarkably flexible; I''m surprised the carapace can bend that much.
Then the flowing cloth of hisbcoat-robes fall with gravity and tangle around his face, and Ahkelios yelps. "Ethan! Help!"
I just watch, trying not to smirk.
"Ethan!"
"Alright, alright." I reach down and pull the cloth away from his face, helping him back to his feet. To my surprise¡ªmostly because he didn''t show this off before¡ªwings emerge from his back, fluttering wildly to take some of his weight; they''re simr to the ones he had as a mantis. "I guess you like your new body, then."
"I feel kind of bad about Zhir," Ahkelios admits. "I mean, both the real one and my... other self. But yeah. This is... better."
There''s a small pause as we walk. Apanionable sort of silence. Ahkelios breaks it first, a small shadow crossing his expression as he finds the courage to talk about something on his mind. "I don''t have my vision back, though," he confides quietly. "I was hoping..."
Right. I wince. "We might find a way to fix it," I offer. "But even if we don''t, your vision''s just like mine now. I bet I''d still love your art if I saw it."
Ahkelios blinks. "You think so?"
"Can''t say for sure until I see it, but..." I shrug. "You should spend some time at the next camp making stuff. It''s probably been too long for you."
"Shouldn''t we be training or something?" Ahkelios asks, uncertain.
"How''d that work out for you during your Trial?"
A pause. "Fair point."
"I know I''m one to talk¡ª" I smile a wry smile. "¡ªbut we can''t lose ourselves fighting for others. Or fighting for ourselves. Feels a lot like there''s no other choice sometimes, to spend every second fighting, but if you do that..."
I can feel Ahkelios thinking back to Zhir. I don''t know what kind of memories he has, but I can imagine.
Centuries of nothingness in the Empty City. Centuries of fighting to survive.
"Yeah," Ahkelios says, his eyes distant. "I know what you mean."
To my surprise, thest stage objective is, in fact,pleted as easily as just... stuffing the Seed in the dirt. It''s not even us that has to do it¡ªwe transfer it to the possession of some Archivists, and they immediately start eximing over the thing, talking about how it''s full of Firmament.
"You do not wish to know what we went through for that," Novi mutters when questioned, and refuses to borate. Part of that, I think, is because she appreciates the need for secrecy. She''s no fool¡ªshe''s caught on to enough, through conversaion with Guard and through what she''s overheard between me and Ahkelios, that she knows the nature of this whole thing is...plicated.
In fact, she more or less explicitly told us we didn''t need to make the time to tell her about what was going on.
"Juri and Yarun know, yes?" she asked, and when we confirmed, she just nodded. "I will ask them. You three seem like you have much to talk about."
It''s a breath of fresh air, to have someone not demanding answers¡ªI certainly feel like I''m demanding answers all the time. There are too many puzzles to unravel, too many secrets to uncover, and too many motivations I haven''t yet figured out.
But it''s probably best I listen to my own advice. The mind needs rest, even if the body doesn''t. We''ll take some time to talk things through, but after that, maybe a small break is in order. Nothing too big.
Guard did mention hot showers in Isthanok, and that sounds very attractive at the moment.
We watch as the Archivists begin to lower the Seed into Firmament-enriched dirt. "Are you guys ready?" I ask, my voice low. "Because we''re going to have to get out fast. I''ve got the portal ready to open."
"Ready," Ahkelios agrees.
"Ready." Guard nods.
The Seed is nted¡ª
[Seed nted. Congrattions, Heir. Ritual Stage 2 has beenpleted.]
[Bonus objectiveplete: Defeat the Concept-Bound in a single try! +200 Firmament credits.]
[Bonus objectiveplete: Fight a higher tier of enemy than intended! +200 Firmament credits.]
[Bonus objectiveplete: Thwart the intrusion. +200 Firmament credits.]
[Progressing Ritual: The Empty City to Stage 3. Be aware that the Firmament levels required for dungeon alteration are hostile to fifthyer lifeforms and below. Evacuation is rmended.]
Both Ahkelios and I react to that fourth message. "Thwart the what?" Ahkelios demands.
I frown at it, but shake my head; I''m already pulling the Dungeon''s key out. "No time," I say, inserting the key into the air. With a twist, a golden door blossoms into existence, and the three of us pour through.
For a moment, I entertain the idea of what might happen if we tried to pull Novi with us. I even look for her, try to catch her eye¡ªbut she''s talking animatedly with one of the other Archivists. She doesn''t seem to notice the rumbling in the dungeon, and she certainly doesn''t see the door. I have no doubt that if any of them could there would be a whole host of questions to deal with.
So that might not be an option. But it''s... something to keep in mind, now that we have an idea of what to expect for the next Stage.
The door seals shut behind us¡ª
[The Empty City has been locked. Time remaining before full establishment of Ritual Stage 3: 4 days.]
Seems even the Interface is enforcing a kind of break. I''m not surprised the dungeon takes longer to reconstitute itself with every stage, although at this rate I worry for how long the final stage will take to render.
For now, though...
[Processing additional reward...]
[Congrattions! Bypleting two Ritual stages of the S-Rank Dungeon The Empty City, you have earned a Feat!]
"Hey, howe I don''t get that?" Ahkeliosins.
"I''ll share what I get," I say, shrugging. "We kind of have ess to each other''s skills anyway, don''t we?"
"Good point." Ahkelios seems mollified by that. I look back to the Interface.
[Feat earned:
[The Abstract Crown]
Where an Anchoring solidifies a change in reality, an Abstraction unmakes it: it is an unmooring of a concept, a physical rendering of something that should remain outside reality. To destroy an Abstraction is to restore bnce to the universe.
The Abstract Crown is a recognition of this feat. With it, you gain 50% additional affinity to Concepts and Threads.]
My heart quickens just slightly. It''s a guess, but...
This is what I need. If I''m going to pluck out a shard of the Interface, if I''m going to do any sort of surgery with the soul¡ªthen Concepts and Threads, whatever they are, are going to form the core of what I need. Without the Dungeon and the Ritual, I wouldn''t have known about either.
"Come on," I say. "Let''s go find Tarin."
Chapter 181: Book 3: Festival
Chapter 181: Book 3: Festival
When we return to the Cliffside Crows, there''s a celebration.
It''s not that we want a celebration. It''s that Tarin and Mari both insist on it, with iling wings and loud squawks. I think the thing that turns me around on the whole idea is the fact that they''ve clearly been preparing for this the entire time we were in the Empty City. Tarin hadn''t doubted me for a second¡ªthe moment we left, he and Mari began the preparations.
"You do this for me," Tarin says, gesturing to Naru. He sleeps in the corner of the hut, chest moving slowly up and down; there''s no apparent indication that he''s hurt, but I can tell from the feel of his Firmament that he isn''t going to be waking up. Not without some soul surgery. "So I do this for you, yes?"
There''s something unspoken in his words. He doesn''t need to say them for me to understand.
This is a goodbye.
For now, anyway. Until the Trial is over. Tarin isn''t going to remember any of the loops after this one, so whatever happens, however much I grow, I''m going to be doing it without him. I''m not even sure if he''ll remember this loop. It all depends on how the Interface works out.
More likely than not, he won''t. However the Interface helps us keep our memories, it seems to trigger at the end of each loop; for him to remember, he''d need to have that Interface shard within him when the loop ends. If I''m extracting it and transferring it to Naru, then whatever remains won''t hold during the reset.
Unless there''s something about the loops I don''t understand, of course. For once, I hope there is. I don''t want Tarin to lose this final loop.
"Maybe the universe will be kind for once," Ahkelios suggests, nudging me. I smile¡ªI know he''s trying to make me feel better.Maybe it will. Or maybe we''ll just have to forge that kindness for ourselves.
Either way, the celebration proceeds with great gusto. The crows all gather to sing songs, to have a feast. For the first time, I''m served with something that isn''t just grub and insects¡ªit''s a little charred, and they''re clearly not used to cooking it, but Mari tells me she hunted a beast down herself and then practiced until what she produced was "decent".
It is, in fact, "decent". Charred and strangely seasoned as it is, it''s still the best steak I''ve ever had. Maybe there''s something to that whole thing of putting love into cooking.
Or maybe Mari cheated. There are some suspiciously empty jars scattered around her workstation, and when I ask her about them, all she tells me is that they had "secret ingredients". What that means, I have no idea; Ahkelios tells me there are traces of weird nts in there.
But it''s nice. Meeting old friends, being in the vige again. It''s a reminder of the early loops, of the fact that these crows were the people that took me in and helped me when I barely knew what was going on with the Trials.
Granted, that only happened after their vige was nearly destroyed by a Raid, but that''s besides the point.
Virin, Rotar, and Akar are there; none of them remember the previous loops, but all of them are friendly. Virin in particr is excited to talk about his progress with imbuement now that I''ve partially activated one of his stones¡ªhe doesn''t need me to personally try to activate them now that he''s seen an activation for himself, even a partial one.
"I break lots of stones," he confides in me, but he says it as if it''s an aplishment. His daughter giggles, dancing around his legs. There''s a fineyer of stone dust I have to assume came from a multitude of failed activations. "But I learn lots! I have stone that grow nt, stone that break nt, stone that summon worm¡ª"
"You have a stone that summons a worm?" I ask, interested despite myself. Not because I have any particr fascination with worms, but because of the simrity with what Novi had told me about summons in First Sky. I don''t think I''ve ever encountered a single summoning skill in all my time as a Trialgoer, but if there are stones that can do it...
"Yes!" Virin nods rapidly, his feathers puffing up with his excitement. And then he pauses in consideration. "I think. Stone explode. Then worm explode."
I snort a halfugh. It''s a little morbid, but at least he''s talking about a worm and not something more dangerous. Or more alive. "You should be careful with those," I say. "Don''t want to activate something dangerous by ident."
"Ah, you loop! It fine," he says dismissively. I rap him on the head¡ªgently¡ªand make him look at me.
"It is not fine," I say, trying to impress this on him. "The loops aren''t always reliable. You do any damage to your Firmament, it''s going tost across the loops. Don''t y around with things if they could hurt you or your daughter."
I give the smaller crow a significant nce as I say this. Virin doesn''t seem all that concerned about his own safety, but the moment I mention his daughter, he looks appropriately chastised; he nods, his enthusiasm falling away for a moment.
"You right," he says. "I... I too excited. I careful."
"At least get Tarin to supervise or something," I suggest mildly. Tarin''s speed should be enough to deal with anything that might emerge from these stones¡ªas far as I''ve seen the skills in them aren''t so dangerous they''ll need something stronger than him to handle, and anything that is that strong Virin likely wouldn''t have enough Firmament to activate.
"Good idea!" Virin''s eyes sh suddenly.
I... get the impression I''ve possibly given him an idea that will lead to a lot of suffering for poor Tarin. Oops. I cough and quickly excuse myself¡ªI don''t need him to decide to make me one of his test subjects, too. I''m already documenting the results of all this for him.
Rotar takes me aside, then, to thank me for rescuing him. We''re in a quiet corner of the vige, away from the festivities; Ahkelios seems to have taken to dancing and making full use of his newfound flexibility, and He-Who-Guards is just sitting nearby and watching while entertaining a crowd of curious crow children.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the vition.
"I can''t remember much about my time in there," he admits. "There are fragments. I remember being scared, and I remember... anger."
"Probably from the first time I tried to pull you out," I say, a little awkwardly. "Didn''t know what I was doing then."
Rotar shakes his head. "I wasn''tining," he says. "I''ve been trying to work out what I saw before... you know. Before time resets and I lose all my memories of it. I think I have a better idea now, but I''m not sure still..."
He fidgets, full of anxiety. I sit him down, concerned, and take a seat next to him. "What''s on your mind?" I prompt.
"You remember why we went to Isthanok in the first ce?" Rotar asks. He produces the oracle a momentter¡ªit still warns of danger, of course. But we know the source of that danger now, and oddly enough, Rotar seems a lot more calm now that he knows.
Probably because there isn''t that much he can do about it. And probably because he knows I''m working on it. It''s an odd thing, being trusted.
"Sure," I say, mostly because Rotar seems to be waiting for me to say more as he gathers the courage to say more. He stares at the ss orb for another minute, still fidgeting.
And then he smashes it, flinching as the ss explodes and cuts into his wing. I blink, startled. My body''s reinforced enough now that the ss does nothing to me, but I reach out anyway, automatically weaving a bit of Life Concept and Firmament into the wound.
Just like that, it heals shut. We both stare at each other for a moment.
"...I didn''t even know I could do that," I say after a moment.
"Thank you," Rotar says, flustered. "I¡ªsorry, that got away from me. I don''t want to panic over it every loop. I don''t know if there''s a way to stop me, or if maybe I''ll remember enough that I won''t find it and panic, but..."
"Tarin will remember enough to calm you down, at least," I point out, and that seems to calm him down. He takes a few breaths.
"I... wanted to tell you..." he starts. "I don''t remember much, but..."
I wait. Whatever this is, Rotar seems to have a lot of difficulty talking about it; I can sort of sympathize.
"I think the monsters are gonna get worse," he says in a rush. "A lot worse. I can''t remember much, but I think¡ªI think I saw the future, somehow? And there was so much wrong, so many... Naru called them Tears?"
"He did," I say quietly.
"They were everywhere," he says. "I don''t know if it was a vision or a warning but¡ªif you''re going to deal with them¡ªplease, there are a lot and I don''t think we can handle them on our own¡ª"
He''s panicking again, the poor guy. I wave a hand in front of him to catch his attention, because he''s staring off at nothing, and then draw his attention back to me.
"Focus on what you can do," I tell him. It''s advice that''s helped me whenever I''ve felt like this. "I''ll do what I can. I owe the crows a lot, you know? So trust me to handle anything Trial rted. In the meantime, maybe there''s something you can do to help?"
I say it not because I need his help, but because he need something to focus on. Rotar takes a few more rapid breaths, casting his eyes about, but the thought does seem to steady him; his breathing slows. "I could..." he begins. "I could help Virin with his imbuement stones. That''s something that''ll help you, right?"
"I think so," I say, giving him an encouraging smile. "Anything else?"
"I think..." Rotar hesitates a bit. "I think I could pinpoint... the... source? I saw a lot of Tears and a lot of monsters, but some of the monsters had ces they came from. I don''t know if I can do it before this loop ends, but if I can, I can tell Tarin or Naru about them, and... would that help?"
I blink. "That could help a lot, actually," I say. I''m not sure exactly what Rotar''s talking about, but I have a few guesses. One of them is that he remembers fragments of Tear locations, and that''s almost certainly going to be helpful.
The other is that what he saw was glimpses of Remnants.
I haven''t encountered any real Remnants besides Ahkelios, but I know they''re out there, based on what the Heart said. The problem has always been that I have no way to search for them. I almost found somethingst time, when I was diving through Temporal Link and into the blood-specter in the Carusath Tear, but I couldn''t quite pinpoint the Remnant before the link expired.
If Rotar caught visions of these Remnants while he was in the Fracture, I might be able to use those visions to find them. He seems encouraged by my response, too¡ªI can already see the resolve firming up in his eyes, the determination.
"Okay," he says. He nods, first to himself and then again to me. "I''ll do that then. I''ll... I''ll probably need a couple of days?"
He says it like a question, like he''s asking for permission. I raise an eyebrow. "I''ll do my best not to die for a few days," I say dryly.
"That''s¡ªthat''s not what I meant!" he hurries to exin, looking flustered. Iugh and pat him on the head.
"I know what you meant," I say. "You''ll probably have time. If anything, you should try not to get blown up helping Virin."
"I don''t¡ªthat might happen?" Rotar stares at me wide-eyed. "I might just stick to the memories..."
"Might be for the best." I can''t deny being a little amused, but Rotar looks like he''s feeling a lot better now, at least.
"I''m going to start right now," he decides. "I''ll see youter. Enjoy¡ªuh, I hope you enjoy the celebration! Tarin worked hard on it."
"Yeah." I nce back out to the crow vige, listen to the sounds of celebration and music and singing, both good and bad. "I know."
It''s good to see them enjoying themselves like this. For a moment, I think back to Earth¡ªwonder how everyone else is doing. I wonder if any celebrations have been held recently, if there''s anything to celebrate.
I hope so.
"Ethan!" Tarin finds me in the corner and immediately grabs my arm to drag me back to the festivities. "Why you sitting alone! Come join!"
"I was talking to Rotar," I exin, although by this time the other crow is nowhere to be found; Tarin gives me a look that''s best described as a mix of affronted and baffled.
"Rotar not here! Youe back," he says. I just let him drag me back to it all. I watch Ahkelios grab a half-dozen different crows into dances¡ªhe is really enjoying having a new body¡ªand listen as Guard tells stories to crow children. He seems at home with them, with telling stories. In a different life...
What would they have been, if not for the Trials and the Integrators?
I let myself enjoy this. Let the sound of joy wash over me, partake in the food and music. I let Ahkelios drag me into a dance, though he finds out very quickly that I have no sense of rhythm, and then let Guard pull me into a tale as the hero of a story. I almost protest¡ªthe thought of being a hero makes me ufortable¡ªbut I see the shining eyes looking up at me...
I say nothing.
For now, a celebration and a goodbye. Tarin drags me around, introducing me to every crow he can think of, telling me facts about them I''m going to try and probably fail to remember. Mari brags loudly to anyone that will listen about aplishments she can''t possibly remember, most likely from Tarin''s tales about our journey.
It feels like a home I haven''t had in a long, long time. Not even with my own family.
And soon...
I nce at Tarin''s hut, where Naru sleeps.
Soon, I try something I''ve never tried before.
Soul surgery.
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