by Rick Scott
His words chill me.
“Looking back, that was the moment that snapped me back into the reality of my sins. My rock bottom, I suppose. It didn’t happen immediately. It was the aftermath that made me realize it.”
“What aftermath? You mean Kurgan?”
He nods. “For a while I had the monopoly on True Kills. But then Kurgan’s name started appearing on the system messages. Then the rumors started that I had just awoken a slumbering giant. I was a True Ronin before he was, you know?”
“What?”
“I only found this out from Angela later, but…he never used to PvP. Disliked it even. For him it was all about facing the tough bosses in the field. Soloing them.”
I think back and recall the strange exchange Kurgan and I had after I soloed the first Overlord. Knowing this now, I suppose for him, it was like looking at a younger protégé or something.
“And for someone obsessed with gaining power,” Rembrandt continues. “I was shocked he hadn’t become even a Clean Ronin just for the combat bonus only.”
“There are bonuses?”
“Big ones, yeah,” he says. “Look.”
He then shares his achievement sheet with me and the figures spill onto my HUD.
Achievement: Clean Ronin
Execute 100 clean kills.
Progress: 100/100
Bonus: +15% to all defense +15% to all offense
Achievement: True Ronin
Execute 20 True Kills.
Progress 20/20
Bonus: +45% to all defense +45% to offense
My eyes widen. “Holy crap! 45%???”
“Get both and it’s sixty.”
“What?”
“Only effective in this zone though,” he says. “That Lennox has a twisted sense of humor, I suppose. But anyway, I guess he figured he needed to be on par with me to take me out. Fact remains though…Kurgan is the monster he is today….because of me.”
I’m mentally rocked back on my heels by Rembrandt’s revelation.
“My grief and anger over Vanessa’s death caused me to become the same kind of monster that killed her…one who would eventually do the same to someone else…and create another.”
I ponder on that and realize every word is true. No different than me and Braxus. Every person I’ve seen Kurgan kill, none of them would be dead now, if not for what Rembrandt did.
“But you learned the lesson much faster than me,” Rembrandt says. “Revenge can’t fill that void of loss. It’ll rob you of any joy you ever had. There are times when killing must be done, to remove a dangerous element from causing more harm, creating more monsters. But you can easily become a monster yourself if you’re not careful.” He looks at me. “The way you killed Axel. I saw it in you. To Gilly, yes, it probably looked heartless and cold, but I could see it for what it was. You’ve grown much, Reece. You’ve discovered your own true strength.”
I’ve never received such a compliment and coming from Rembrandt, it means even more. “Wow…thank you, Rem.”
I can even understand his reasoning for wanting to face penance now, too. He views much of what’s happened with Kurgan and even Queen Angela as his fault. “So is this why you’re submitting to the trial? To make up for killing Kurgan’s brother?”
“That and more,” Rembrandt says. “Angela’s right about me. When Kurgan came looking I didn’t stay to face him. I ran back home to the Shards with Max. I was a bloody coward.”
The second revelation shocks me even more than the first. Knowing Rembrandt as he is now, I couldn’t imagine him running from anything. But I suppose he was a much different person then.
“But more than that…” he says. “…was that I didn’t even care. Losing Vanessa was the only thing that mattered to me. I didn’t care about the damage I’d done and the mess I’d left behind. I just wanted to forget it all. But the time’s now come, Reece. The time for True Strength. To face up to what I’ve done and see it resolved.”
He then smiles at me and places a hand on my shoulder. “And if True Death is the price I need to pay, then I rightly deserve it. But I’m glad I had the opportunity to at least impart this to you, beforehand, Reece. I’d be remiss if I hadn’t.”
“Yo, Rem. Don’t talk like that, man.”
“Hey,” he says. “Don’t worry about me. You’re much stronger than you think. You’ve grown faster than any player I’ve even seen and you know what’s more?”
“What?”
“You’re not even a gamer at heart.”
That one shocks me too, although in a way I can’t really argue with it.
“The people you see here spent their whole lives in the Shards. Look at my bloody accent for example. You think that comes natural?”
I chuckle and shrug while he gives a smile.
“Point is, these people around you, they live for this life. You were always outside of that, stuck in those mines. But now look at you. How far you’ve come so quickly. You’ve done in weeks what it takes people years. There’s something special about you, mate. So don’t go thinking that you need me around to make things happen. Don’t go thinking that you need anyone. Not even Lexi.”
That one hits like a jab to the gut.
“I know it’s hard to hear. Especially now. But trust me. In time, you’ll understand that loss comes. It’s a part of life. And on the path that you’re on, we’ve been blessed to not lose many more already. You won’t be able to save everyone, Reece. And when you can’t, you can’t let it derail you. The calls are only going to get harder and tougher from here. But you’ve got the stones to make them. I know you do.”
His words shake me to my core. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone speak to me in such a way before. Maybe it’s Rembrandt simply preparing to face the music, but his words come across with a naked sincerity that causes my heart to swell with resolve. He’s right. Only time can only heal the loss of Lexi. But I can’t let it deter me from what I still need to do.
“Thanks, Rem. I think I really needed to hear that.”
“No worries, mate.” He slaps me on the knee before he stands. “Now, I’ve got our route planned, so we need to get moving. You’ve still got those keys, yeah?”
I check my inventory. “Sure do.”
“Then let’s go find ourselves some monsters.”
Chapter 48: Into the Sphere
I power along the pattern-changing tiles at over 150 MPH, shifting through the gears. Rembrandt handles the keys while maintaining a standing position on the back of the bike, giving him a better vantage to navigate the jumbles of shifting platforms. It took us hours before when we were first here, but with Gilly’s Gift, a full set of keys, and an experienced navigator to boot, we’re flying through the labyrinth in mere minutes.
We jump from platform to platform, locking in the various patterns to secure our way back and get closer and closer to the center. I see the core finally and notice something quite different about it, but not totally unexpected when I consider what we had to go through to get here.
Instead of a single silver ball at the center, there are two, conjoined at the middle, like a cell nucleus about to divide. I point ahead. “I suppose that explains the Twins.”
“Let’s hope Lennox gets double his memories back then,” Rembrandt says.
I certainly hope that might be true. With all that’s happened, it’s easy to forget the primary reason we’re here—to gain that information to find Citadel and save it. Save my mom and everyone else. The thought spurs me on and I lean harder on the throttle, jumping my bike over the edge of the tiles, getting closer with each one.
Finally we hit the last platform and the twin spheres loom at the far end. As we draw closer, something else catches my eye and I bring the bike to a stop just in front of the twin spheres to get a better look.
“Whoa…check it out, Rem.”
In the far distance, an enormous purple crystal that’s shaped like a tear floats majestically on its own. But it’s only partially f
ormed, the base and part of one side exists, giving a hint of its true form, but the rest is missing. Based on the distance and scale, it has to be close to a mile across. Then I see something else.
Hovering in front of it is the Labyrinth Spirit.
Rembrandt lifts his shades. “Blimey…don’t recall seeing that before.”
“This is the same place, right?” I say, looking over my shoulder. But it has to be. Then it clicks. “This must be what happened when we destroyed the first sphere. When I met with Karlis she was in front of something similar. A huge crystal, except it was green. Destroying the sphere must have restored it.”
“And perhaps her sanity as well,” Rembrandt says. “She not flying around screaming like a banshee, busting up tiles anymore. And we’re not losing XP anymore either.”
It makes sense. “Karlis did mention being linked to her mother. An overarching AI, just like you figured, Rem.” I then point to the partially formed crystal. “I bet that those are all the memories right there.”
Rembrandt nods. “Then let’s destroy this thing and get some more.”
We dismount and approach the twin spheres. Their mirrored surfaces ripple like bubbles of mercury as we draw close.
I give a final nod to Rembrandt as I prepare to touch it. “You ready?”
He nods. “See you on the other side.”
* * *
We touch the sphere and the world flashes.
My headache instantly doubles as I rematerialize on the inside. I fall to my knees holding my head, the pulses hurting more than they did before. Rembrandt materializes next to me and grunts with exertion.
“Bloody hell, the time slippage is bad in here.”
“I don’t get it,” I say. “I thought the Labyrinth Spirit was causing this too. If she’s settled down now, then why’s this still happening?”
Rembrandt doesn’t say anything for a moment but by the way he’s staring at the ground I can tell he’s thinking.
“You remember I had a couple of theories about this place, yeah? About the time dilation.”
I nod. “Yeah…and?”
“And I don’t think it’s time dilation at all.”
“What?”
“Well…not true time dilation. But to us it seems that way.”
“What do you think it is?”
“You’ll probably laugh at me when I say it,” he says with a chuckle.
Now he’s really got me curious. “What?”
He looks at me with his mirror shades. “I think it’s lag.”
What the heck? “Lag?”
“Aye,” he says with a nod. “Due to distance. Transmission time. Latency.”
“Transmission time between what?”
“These bodies and our real ones back in Citadel. I’m not certain how that all even works. It can’t be direct control or anything like that, but when our consciousness transfers, there’s some link left back there. And if it’s severed or interrupted, that’s when we die. Or stuff like this happens.”
I check the messages on my HUD.
[Critical Error… Kernel pulse not found.]
[Critical Error… Kernel pulse not found.]
[Critical Error… Kernel pulse not found.]
The message repeats itself about five or six more times before…
[…Stabilizing. ]
And then the cycle repeats again.
“Kernel pulse?” I say. “You think that’s it?”
“When we’re close to Citadel I don’t think we notice it. But I recall you mentioned Witgar saying something about building the labyrinth in the stars. Even at the speed of light, travelling to the moon and back takes nearly 3 seconds. I think that’s the time difference we’re experiencing now.”
“So you think we really could be in space? On the moon?”
He nods. “Not just that, but this inner sphere we’re now in…that time difference is greatly multiplied. I think the place we are now is even farther away. Millions or even billions of miles away.”
My mind spins at the thought that we crossed not just a barrier into a new zone, but possibly just covered millions of miles of space and time as well. And if these spheres are portals for that transport, then where will the next one take me?
I finally look to our surroundings and the glowing twin sphere hovering in the faux sky like a conjoined sun. “When I go in there, will I go even further?”
“Who knows,” Rembrandt says with a shrug. “But you’ve done it already, mate. Anyway, don’t let this mess with your head. It’s just a theory.”
“Well I’m not sure how we’ll test it, but we need to get through this jumping quest next before we do anything.”
Just like the labyrinth, the setup within the sphere is the same as the one I entered before. Huge piles of mechanical contractions click and whirl, slamming hammers and slicing guillotines. I release a sigh.
“I’d nearly forgotten about this part.”
It took me over an hour to get through this before and it took so much concentration and anxiety that it now has my stomach feeling queasy.
But I’m the only one who can do it.
“There should be a safe path,” I say. “I’ll get through the obstacle and then open the gate on…”
My words trail off as our surroundings abruptly change. The hammering and banging falls silent as the huge contraption slowly grinds to a halt. All goes still and then distinctly I hear three huge bangs of doors slamming open, the gates along the observation path.
I share a look of trepidation with Rembrandt. “Did you just do something?”
“Wasn’t me, mate,” he says. “I think someone just laid out the welcome mat.”
My thoughts return to that monster’s final thought when I kissed death fighting the Overlord.
We await.
* * *
Anxiety builds in my stomach as we head up the gangway leading to the ring of crystal pillars at the top of the junk heap, the twin suns shining above them. As we get closer, I spot a human figure lingering within one of the pillars and my heart starts to beat faster for a reason other than my nerves.
It looks close to her size…could it be?
I dash forward, hope stirring. Lexi didn’t die in the labyrinth like Becky, but then who else could it be? “Rem, come on!”
I get to the pillar, the figure unclear beneath the rough surface. I materialize my kunai and draw my arm back in a Charged Attack.
You hit the pillar for 875 damage!
The entire thing shatters and a body comes falling out.
“Lexi!”
I rush to catch her, but realize all too late, that the body is male. Whoever it is falls into my arms and passes right through, crumbling into nano-dust. I fall to my knees as the fleeting hope drains from me.
Why did I do that? It didn’t make any sense for her to be in here. Why’d I even trick myself into thinking that?
Rembrandt rests a hand on my shoulder. “Hey… Time, remember. You can’t speed it up or slow it down like what’s happening in here. You can’t rush it. It just needs to take its course.”
I sigh with a nod. “Yeah…”
I miss you, Lex…
I catch something glittering in the pile of nano-dust and reach for it. It’s a small gem about the size of a grape, smooth and opaque, made of pearl or moonstone perhaps. I check the description.
A Soul Stone
The hollow embers of a long-departed soul.
As I hold it in my hand, I recall seeing Becky take something similar from the ashes of her two comrades who had expired within the pillars as well. I check it further, to see if there’s any kind of activation. But there seems no way to interact with it at all.
“You ever see one of these?” I show it to Rem, who examines it himself.
“No…”
“Is that all that becomes of us in the end?”
Rembrandt shrugs. “I suppose so, mate.”
He hands it back to me and I almost want to rest it reverently
back down into the embers again, but I decide to keep it instead. Maybe it’s still that fleeting hope rearing its ugly head, but if we can unlock more knowledge through the Archives, then maybe we can find out what this thing truly is.
If it truly is the end.
I rise to my feet and look up at the glowing orbs above.
“They’ll be waiting for you,” Rembrandt says. “Is there anything you need to do to prepare?”
I chuckle. “Besides pray?”
Rembrandt laughs, breaking my nervous tension.
“Good luck, Reece.”
I nod and I’m just about to leap onto the pillar to climb up when I do remember something. “Crap...I nearly forgot… again. Literally.”
I access my HUD and pull up the interface for my Memory Core.
I force a memory save.
[Initialize save……………done.]
Less than a second.
“What did you do?”
I tap my temple. “Making sure I remember what the heck goes on inside there this time.”
Rembrandt nods. “You ready then?”
I draw my kunai and buff myself. Rembrandt gives me a final bro hug and pounds me on the chest. “Give ‘em hell, Reece!”
I grimace with resolve and then fly up the closet pillar with Wall Run. I leap off with a cartwheel, sailing through the air, my skin warming with the radiant heat of the twin suns.
Please…give me strength…
I pull my arm back with a Charged Attack and hang in midair as my meter builds.
I let loose the hit with all my might and when my blade hits the surface, a blare of static flashes across my HUD.
And the world goes black.
Chapter 49: Awakened
It feels like I’ve just died.
