by N H Paxton
“Still does not explain how of matter, just why.” I was growing impatient.
“Oh, yeah, so we used Alchemic Engineering and Spatial Manipulation, both advanced forms of skills inside the Alchemic Weaponeer tree.” There was another quick snippet of the creation of the vault playing now, where a small sphere was expanded slowly through considerable effort, then shifted and expanded again. “Aediculus wanted a place that was created outside the normal flows of time and space within Eldgard, a kind of bubble universe so to speak.” Alvinoth brought his fingers together in a cone and a sphere of light appeared between them. He spread his fingers slowly and the light expanded, just like the video had shown.
“Created a universe from nothing?” I tisked, as it was completely unbelievable.
“Not from nothing. We used the latent energies as I explained earlier. You can’t just make something from nothing. It violates the principles of Alchemy.” Alvinoth smiled wickedly as he said the words.
“Are saying Vlad built vault?” I was skeptical and also terribly confused. There was some kind of time wizardry involved that I didn’t fully comprehend.
“Well, yes, and no, and also yes. Ah, it’s hard to explain. So, you and I built this place, yes. We had some help as well, but it was mostly administrative. Your power as an Alchemic Weaponeer is unmatched, mainly because you’re so capable as a strategist and intellectual. You’re going to go far, friend. And I get to watch it aga—I mean, I get to help you with it.” Alvinoth scratched at his chin as he waved his hand lazily through the air. The video screen vanished in a poof at the passing of his hand.
“Explanation continues?” I raised a questioning eyebrow, then rolled my hand in the air, suggesting he move the story onward.
“This place isn’t entirely individualized. There’s a core to it, like any functioning automaton. Well, I say automaton, but this place is more or less alive of its own accord.” Alvinoth took a few steps away from me and stared up into the emptiness for a moment.
“Okay, first Vlad builds vault, then vault is alive, and also is built by request of Overmind?” I sighed as I tried to take it all in. For some reason or another, the words were starting to ring true in my mind.
“So, there’s a spell that Master Alchemic Engineers learn when they reach their final rank. It’s called Velftherin’s Cosmic Compression, and it allows us to create a stable bubble of infinitely small, yet infinitely large space-time. But only once, and at great personal cost.” The smile Alvinoth often wore was gone, replaced with something that spoke of regret.
“Are not going to tell cost?” I stared at Alvinoth hard, both really interested to know the cost and terrified of what it would mean if I had to follow his lead.
“The cost is astronomical, but the result is equally impressive. The spell itself”—he held out his left arm, palm parallel to the space that should have been the floor—“creates this.” There was a flash of light and suddenly a fountain filled with an emerald green fluid sat in our midst.
“Is...” My words stuck in my throat; there was a lot of disappointment involved. “Is a fountain.”
“Yeah, it is. I know, it’s not some kind of all-knowing soul object that stands there and spews an endless supply of information. Sorry, bud.” Alvinoth snapped his hand closed and the image disappeared.
“Was expecting something more impressive.”
“Me too, but it is what it is.” He gave me a simple smile as he turned. “Oh, one more important thing.” Alvinoth lowered his head as he spoke, his voice losing that usual cheerful tone.
“Always one more thing, never simple in world.” I tried to lighten up the situation a bit, but it didn’t work.
Alvinoth sighed at me heavily as he sat cross-legged on the floor of the empty space.
“There’s a demon corrupting the vault right now.” I could see the pain etched into Alvinoth’s face.
“A demon? Vlad knew monsters exist in world, but demon?”
“Yes, a demon. And a powerful one at that. It’s called The Dark Father, The Defiler. It is currently consuming powerful and unusual souls in order to further its power and attempt to escape the bonds of the vault. For you see, once something is placed here from outside, it cannot escape without the key.” Alvinoth rolled his neck about, eliciting a loud pop. He breathed out slowly, his eyes tightly closed.
“Okay, so situation is complex.” I scratched my chin a bit with my knuckles. “How to stop?”
“Well, you’ll need to kill him—I mean, it.” He slowly stood from the floor, looking very worn out.
“Sure, is easy, just call Vlad, exterminator of demons.” I rolled my eyes and let out a slight chuckle, which got a gentle smile in response from Alvinoth.
“Alright, buddy. Have you got it figured out now?” He popped the knuckles on each hand before lacing his fingers together in front of his waist, waiting.
“Yes, but have one more question.” I trailed off as though I didn’t want to ask.
Alvinoth looked insistent, raising an open palm, expectant.
“Why did see people I know? They not part of Eldgard...” I adopted a concerned look as I tapped a finger against my forehead, trying to put everything together in a way I could understand.
“That’s the trick, isn’t it? You see, memories in Eldgard are Souls. The memories of those you love, those you have lost, those whom you have put down...” There was a sad half smile on Alvinoth’s face as he looked off in the distance, his mind obviously a thousand kilometers away. “Being here, it brings me pain. I see the faces of all of those young apprentices and artificers we worked with in the Tunnels. They come to me, they beg me to bring them back.” He searched the emptiness with his eyes for longer than I thought would be considered comfortable.
“You could do this?” The words leapt from my lips before I could control my tongue. I wanted Ina back, I had seen her here, and not just the NPC version, though she was an excellent reincarnation. I had seen the real Ina, Earth Ina, and I thought if he could do such a thing, then maybe...
“No, it cannot be done.” His tone had grown angry, almost offended that I would even ask. He chopped his hand through the air, cutting off the conversation. His features softened as a look of infinite sorrow covered his face, but it was gone only a second later.
I suddenly felt very small. All of my failures came rushing back to me at once.
Earth Ina was taken from me again, despite my incredible genius. It didn’t matter how intelligent I was, I couldn’t stop her from being taken by the ravenous violence of cancer.
V.G.O. Ina’s body flew through the air and struck the ceiling of the sewer tunnel, the bones shattering in excruciating detail. I saw her body land in a heap on the floor again, where my uselessness in combat had left her to die. I felt her breathe her last, the light fading from her eyes as I lay there, worthless to everything and everyone.
I felt myself slowly starting to fade from existence. Like my mind and body were unraveling all at once, being pulled toward the infinite darkness that surrounded me on all sides. It seemed to close in, grasping at the threads of my fate that were becoming more frayed with each passing moment.
A snap brought my attention back to Alvinoth. He had crouched down in front of me, watching my face go through a million different emotions—every one of them more painful than the last.
“You can’t do that here, Vlad.” He gave a half smile as he stood. He was a solid head and shoulders taller than I was. He bumped my chin with the knuckle of his index finger, like my father did on Earth when I was a child. “You can’t fall apart in the Vault of Souls, because you will literally fall apart. Keep your chin up, yeah?”
“So many things, outside of control.” I shook my head, completely at a loss.
“That’s the amazing thing about life, Vlad. We have no control, we just think we do.”
“That is life?” Somehow, despite the fact that I had just been told there was no control of any kind over life, I felt better.
> “That’s it, buddy. One day we feel like we’re completely in control of things, only to have it stripped from our hands a moment later.” He tilted his head as though listening for something in the darkness.
“Well, that’s all for today.” His tone had the authority of a teacher declaring class dismissed. It seemed hurried, and slightly concerned.
“What does Vlad do?” I held my hands up.
“You run, Vlad. And when your little war with Rowanheath is over, then you take that key and you unlock the vault, find the Defiler Demon, and kill him. Then you destroy the fountain that holds the whole thing together.” Alvinoth put a hand to my chest when he finished his last word. “Hey, see you later.” He winked as his hand shone with an unexpected power, then I was being propelled through the air.
Everything came back to my senses at once: the smell of the marsh, the sound of the wind and soldiers doing last-minute drills in the distance, and the ground all around me. I was still in the exact same spot I had been when I had gripped the key.
“What in dark hell?” I shook my head, the intense desire to vomit pushing its way through my stomach and into my throat. I managed to choke it back, then looked at the clock in the corner of my interface. No time at all had passed since I had been taken to that realm. Was it all a dream?
I had to know, so I pulled the corner of my robe down over my shoulder and saw old flesh intermingled with fresh, untanned skin. So, it wasn’t a dream, it had actually happened.
“Where in world is Vault anyway?” I asked the sky. It responded by doing nothing, just as it always had done before. I nearly grabbed the key at my chest but remembered that doing exactly that was what had caused me to end up in the depths of the Vault in the first place.
“Northward...” I heard a whisper in the back of my mind, like a scratching sensation, but it was audible. I shook my head to clear it of the unusual sensation, but it was still there, ever pressing. The intense feeling of needing to go north was beginning to push on my entire body.
I focused on quests, and to my surprise a log of them bounced up in front of me. I noticed there were small boxes next to the names of quests I had, and one was checked that I hadn’t been given a notification for.
<<<>>>
Quest Alert: The Final Epitaph
Alvinoth has given you a key to the Vault of Souls and has tasked you with purifying and destroying it. In order to do that, you will need to find the Vault of Souls, journey within, find the Defiler Demon, defeat him, and shatter the Fountain of Eternity.
Quest Class: Ultra-Rare, Class-Based
Quest Difficulty: Infernal
Success: Defeat the Defiler Demon and destroy the Fountain of Eternity
Failure: Die within the Vault of Souls, where your soul will be stripped and consumed by the Defiler Demon.
Reward: 15,000 XP; Unknown Reward
Accept: This Quest Cannot be Denied
<<<>>>
I unchecked the box next to it with a thought, and the intense pressure to move north faded slowly. That was truly an interesting experience!
“Need to focus, now is not time to lose mind.” I spoke out loud to make sure that I was still in my right mind. I didn’t have time to hallucinate.
I stepped away from the area, hoping to leave the concern behind, and moved with confidence. I had things to accomplish, and they would require greater effort than ever before. Just as I returned the key to where it hung beneath my shirt, I heard a voice in the back of my head. It was subtle, but present enough to give it realism. It spoke a simple phrase: “Stay alive.”
Shadows Are Strongest at Pinnacle of Light...
I WALKED BY A GROUP of engineers that I recognized from the mines. They stopped me and wanted to show me something. Their explanation was vague, and I wasn’t in the mood for surprises; I’d had enough surprises for a lifetime in the four days I had lived in Eldgard.
“No, it’s fine, it’s a good thing!” One of the engineers continued to attempt to reassure me, despite endless protests. I followed along, irritated at the interruption of my plans.
“And here we are!” The first engineer, Gandwyn was his name, stopped before a large manufactured building with multiple tiers. The structure was imposing. I was impressed. It had large bins out front, full of various components, including smelted ingots and stacks of wood of various types.
Inside, I was pleased to see that there were tables set up in long rows, with plenty of space between them. Most had vices or other equipment attached to them, obviously workstations for engineering, crafting, or other kinds of production.
“Looks like engineering shop,” I said, my head swiveling about, taking in the entire structure.
“That’s because it is, and it’s yours.” Gandwyn smacked a fist to his chest in salute. “Direct orders from Jack and all.” He smiled, proud of himself for something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“Is impressive, but will need work.” I was already formulating how I would make improvements to the structure, the work area, and the overall flow of the building.
In the back corner of the main room, a single, large workbench took my attention. Several racks of tools hung near it, and a series of binders intended to hold schematics were lined up below them on a shelf. I thought I saw the glint of metal underneath the bench, and I moved over to it to take a closer look.
“And that’s your work area, sir.” The other engineer, Louis, spoke louder than he needed to. I noticed when he turned away that one of his ears was missing, perhaps that was why he spoke so loudly.
I nodded my acknowledgement as I leaned down underneath the bench. My suspicions were correct—there was a floor safe built into the ground. I stood and ran my hand over the worktop. It was made of a firm, highly polished dark wood, probably cherry or mahogany. The equipment attached to it were expertly prepared and had no age marks on them at all. They were brand new. I took my eyes off the workbench for a moment and saw a group of laborers bringing in large crates.
“They are supplies, yes?” I shouted over to the laborers, who set the crates down with a little difficulty. They appeared to be quite heavily laden.
“Yes sir, only the best.” The laborer chuckled as he dusted his hands off, then turned about to leave again.
“This place will work well.” I looked about my new domain, an entire engineering facility, specifically for the Crimson Alliance.
“Well, what do you think?” Eberand had managed to sneak into the building while I wasn’t paying attention. He stood in the middle of the room with his arms out, palms up, turning in a slow circle. “It’s great, right?”
“Is good, perfect for work.”
“So, what’s the plan, my liege?” Anya had found her way in as well, followed after by Ken and Garret. Zeno still hadn’t respawned, since it hadn’t been a full eight hours from his death. It was unfortunate.
“Enough of that, woman. Am just Vlad, not lord, not liege, just Vlad. Please.” I hung my head low as the Ebenguard laughed as a whole.
“Right, so, what’s the plan?” Ken’s voice was slightly hurried, as though he wanted to get on with his day.
“Crimson Alliance has weapons, element of surprise. Will distract main forces with ground troops.” I waved the Ebenguard over to my station, where I took out a pencil and started going over the battle plan with them.
“Are we to protect you?” Garret popped his neck as he loosened his shoulders. “There’s going to be a lot of things going on.”
“Yes, will cover artillery group.” I drew out the entirety of Rowanheath, my hand flying through the drawing with the practiced dexterity of an architect. I marked the places where I expected the artillery units would halt, then marked the main gates as well.
“Can we accomplish this?” Anya’s voice again, the gentle tones comforting.
“Do not need superior numbers, need superior tactics.” I drew a series of x’s and circles to denote where the different breaching teams would enter the city. I
poked the paper hard, snapping the lead off the end of the pencil. It skittered across the workbench. I frowned at it, as though it was a personal affront.
“Okay, we’re on defensive protocols. What about you, Lord Vlad?” I cringed when Eberand added “lord” to my name. It really grated on my nerves. I didn’t want a title, I just wanted to be Vlad. Titles were for stuffy leadership and high-ranking officials. I’d had my fill of those kinds of people on Earth, and I just wanted to leave it all behind.
“Will assist artillery teams, provide field repairs, and kill-switch activation should worst happen.” I marked each of the twelve artillery teams with an A, and I circled the one in the middle, which was where I planned to be.
“What kind of fighting should we expect?” Garret spoke, his voice dark. It sounded like he was after bloodshed.
“Ground troops minimal, expect significant resistance from wall.”
“And after the gates are opened? What do we do then?” Eberand had a good head for tactics, and I was appreciative of that.
“Assist in capturing streets and main roadways. Destroy straggling forces, defensive pockets.” I marked off the A’s with a line, then drew arrows from each of the artillery teams to the breaches.
“Great, so what will you do once the breach is ours?” Eberand again. I think he could sense my growing trepidation.
“Will assist inside, support from rear, provide covering fire.” I patted the Shadow Reaper that was slung on my back. The weapon required two hands to wield, but it was lightweight thanks to my construction techniques. I pulled my pipe from my bag, stuffed a small wad of tobacco into the bowl, then snapped my fingers, lighting it with Purifying Fire. It was good to have a convenient skill like that.
“What are the expected casualties? Being as smart as you are, I imagine you’ve considered this.” Anya looked worried, her eyebrows wrinkling.
