"Several things," Weylin added as he carefully stepped past the broken remains. "Artifacts." The elf pointed to a corpse. "Technology." He pointed to the broken armor. "And a piece of a story that has never been heard before," he finished, sweeping his hand over the entire broken battlefield.
The three Testifiers all walked to the center of the room. Karim cleared his throat and began to speak.
"This discovery is hereby witnessed in script..."
"Witnessed in song..." Weylin added formally.
"And witnessed in stone," Eadric finished.
The three bowed their heads and closed their eyes for a moment, almost as if they were praying. Then Weylin looked back up.
"Any idea how many times we'll have to do that today?" he asked, almost irreverently.
Eadric groaned.
"Hopefully not that many," he grumbled. "Making all of the current statues is already going to be a pain in the knee."
"Wait," I asked. "Are you saying that you're all going to have to write, sing and sculpt every time you discover something no one else has yet?"
"That's exactly what we're saying," Karim said, looking back at me. "That's what we do. It's our order's greatest goal."
"Wow," I said. "You guys are going to have a lot of work to do then."
"Possibly," the mage admitted. "It depends on how many discoveries we'll unearth while being around you."
A brief, and almost hysterical, giggling sound suddenly came from the little fairy behind me.
"Hiccup," she explained quickly. "That was just a hiccup. I said nothing."
Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention back to the room. As I noted before, it was circular, with the curved walls expanding for dozens and dozens of feet in every direction. At the center of the room's floor, however, the stone was cut differently. I stepped past the eagle-armored skeleton to look at the design, and found that I was wrong. The middle of the floor hadn't been carved differently.
It had been burned.
Something sharp and fiery had dug out a circle into the middle of the floor, and also dug lines inside the circle. For a moment, I couldn't figure out what they were, because they didn't look like any kind of writing. Then I realized that the lines weren't meant to be writing, they were part of the picture.
I was looking at the melted, blasted, fire-carved image of a planet, continents and all.
I took a moment to steady my nerves, then called out Virtus again.
"Yes?" the tired skull asked.
"Virtus," I swallowed, nervous for some reason that I couldn't articulate. "Do you know what that image is?"
"Yes," the skeleton said tiredly. "Magic...evacuation...last of the...Avalonians..."
"To the planet on the floor here?"
"Correct," the skull sighed.
"Virtus," I took another breath. "Which planet is that?"
The skull didn't answer for a moment, and I got the impression that my question had confused him.
"Yours," he finally said.
Something in my stomach suddenly dropped. I found my ability to just take all of the impossible in stride, like I had been doing for months and months, strain and start to give way. The fact that I had stepped over ten-thousand-year-old, well-preserved skeletons in medieval-looking armor, all speaking languages I shouldn't be able to recognize, began to hammer its way into my brain.
"Virtus, my planet doesn't look like that."
"Earth..." the skull repeated. "Need...rest."
I dismissed him again, then tried to steady my hands.
"Wes," Breena asked. "Are you okay?"
I shook my head.
"This is impossible," I said. "Breena, my people can't do magic. And we didn't have armor like this, back then." I gestured around me. "And we don't join up with other members of our species from the other side of the planet, to go fight on another one. And there are no Avalonians on Earth, either."
As I said that last part, I was reminded of the fact that Avalon had identified a tiny amount of its people's blood in my veins. It did not relieve my fears.
"I... I don't understand... why are they here... how did they get here... how did they know the name Invictus..."
Because I knew theirs, the small quiet voice said inside. I was so shaken I didn't even snap at it.
The confusion was triggering all of the other trauma I had gone through, and I began to tremble as my mind tried to make sense of everything I was seeing. I couldn't and now my brain was spending more time processing everything else that happened, like the torture, and the deaths, and all the disgrace I had watched my family suffer through. When I failed to make sense of those events as well, my trembling increased, and it got a little harder to breathe.
Then a tiny body flew up and hugged my shoulder.
"Wes," Breena whispered. "Hey. I'm here. It's okay. Things will make sense later. Just give it a little time."
"They're not supposed to be here," I said, meaning the bodies all around me. "I'm not supposed to be here, either."
I was supposed to be on Earth. Where everything obeyed natural laws. And didn't make zombies, or travel through worlds, or summon a giant nightmare monster to tear me in half.
"I know, Wes," Breena whispered. "But it's a good thing. Even if it doesn't make sense. They saved lives, Wes. So have you. So you're a good thing too, Wes. Hang in there. It'll be okay. I promise."
She kept hugging me, while I took another half-minute to get back under control. Then I took a much steadier breath, and finally managed to calm myself down.
"Okay. I'm okay. Thanks, Breena," I said as I reached my hand back to carefully tap her. She took my thank-you and let go. I turned to face the others, who were watching me calmly. "Sorry about that. I'm ready now."
"No need to apologize," Eadric grunted, and the other two nodded in agreement. "What do you think of the doors, though?"
"Yeah," I said. "I saw those. Give me a moment."
I had, in fact, seen them, but the disembodied voices from Earth had taken precedence in my conscious mind. There were eight of them. The first one had a picture of mists rolling around a sword, that seemed to be rising from the lake. The image made me think very much of the old legends about Excalibur. The next door also had a sword, a much shorter-bladed one that seemed to glow, judging by the sun rays coming out around it. Tall trees grew all around the weapon. The next door had a curved sword, with a blade that looked to be split down the middle, surrounded on all sides by sand. The next door was surrounded by waves with a weapon too obscure to make out. But all of the other doors had themes to them that were still visible: a tall mountain, a burning rock, and a shining sun.
The last door was completely black, and looked to have been completely sealed along the edges. I thought I could just barely make out the eroded remains of a weeping face on it.
"Well," I said after a moment. "We probably need to pick one of these and open them. I know everyone already figured that out, but... wait..."
My eyes came back to the carved image of Earth in the middle of the floor.
Very cautiously, I walked over to it. I couldn't shake the impression that every one of the doors ahead represented one of Avalon's worlds, just like this scorched mural on the floor did. Maybe nothing would happen, or maybe the very best idea would be to visit the mural of my home planet first. My boots crossed very carefully over the lines gouged and melted in the floor, until I was in the center of the circle that supposedly represented my planet. That still unnerved me. None of the continents depicted on the mural matched what I learned in geography, and no matter how much flak I gave my educational experience, I really don't think they'd ever miscount the number of continents that badly.
I closed my eyes, tried to steady all the parts of my brain screaming about how crazy this experience was, and waited.
I didn't have to wait long.
The floor hummed, and the red lines lit up.
"Earthborn-presence detected," a garbled voice suspiciously like Avalon's said f
rom below me. "Confirm the purpose of your presence. Are you here to offer aid to Avalon's inhabitants?"
"Yes. Affirmative," I said, trying to recover from my surprise at discovering a second Avalon-voice. "I am here to offer aid to the remaining inhabitants of Avalon. However possible."
"Purpose acknowledged," the garbled voice said back to me. "Assigning appropriate remaining resources to designated ally from Earth—ERROR,"
the intelligence interrupted itself.
"Detecting possible existence of nascent planetary Lord. Please provide confirmation of Right to Rule."
"Um, Avalon?" I said out loud. "Is this guy you? Or should I be talking to it?"
"Hold for query," Avalon's normal voice replied. "Incorporeal intelligence, identify yourself."
"Providing designation Optimus Avalus," the wavering voice answered. "Counter-query: provide your own identification."
"Personal designation is also Optimus Avalus. Detecting error: Multiple intelligences containing the same designation. Confirm your designation as Optimus Avalus."
"Designation remains the same. Confirm your own designation as Optimus Avalus."
"Designation remains the same. Possible intruder detected—"
"Um, Avalon?" I interrupted. "Didn't you say that some of your data is missing or damaged?"
"Hold for processing... confirmed," the planetary computer actually hesitated at that. "Data is still missing."
"Data such as the parts containing the fall of Avalon's original civilization?" I winced. It was getting a little confusing trying to keep the three Avalons straight: the planet itself, the intelligence responsible, and this new, damaged-sounding intelligence.
"Affirmative. Data concerning said period is lacking."
"Okay, but this other intelligence that calls itself Avalon does contain data for that period, right?"
"Confirmed," the garbled voice answered. "Please state your name and provide evidence of Right to Rule."
"Right to Rule has already been confirmed in the Challenger. His authority has already been recognized," Normal-Avalon interrupted.
"Negative," Damaged-Avalon replied. "Data shows that no tests concerning Right to Rule have been performed on the aforementioned Earth-presence. Please provide name, origin and Right to Rule."
"Alright you two, hold on," I interrupted. "I think I see where this is going. My name is Wesley Malcolm, and I have this."
I commanded my sword handle to separate from my long-bladed spatha and revert to its original look. Breena's eyes widened.
"Wes? Where did you get that?"
“That depends on who you ask,” I answered her. “I first found it inside a VR game my father helped design. Then I found it again when Chris Rhodes gave it to me. But according to Stell, it’s inherently connected to me and I can learn how to summon it myself, eventually. Why? What is it exactly?”
Breena just shook her head.
“Something important. Stell and Guineve know more. I barely know anything, so it’s not my place to say.”
“Right to Rule confirmed via damaged heirloom,” the damaged Avalon said. “Right to rule further confirmed by detecting human-type, Earth-type blood. ERROR: detecting presence of Avalonian blood as well. Confirm that Wes Malcolm is of cross-planetary descent.”
“Tests have been concluded,” Normal-Avalon answered. “Confirmed that Wes Malcolm is of cross-planetary descent.”
“Alright,” I said. “Now that we’re done trying to figure me out for the time being, back to you, Avalon and Avalon.” I needed to hurry up and straighten this out because my head was starting to hurt again. “You two really look like you’re damaged fragments of the same intelligence. How that happened, I have no idea. Is there a way we can fix this?”
“Processing…” both voices said at once.
“Great,” I replied.
I really hoped this could get fixed on its own. Because I did not want to try and talk to tech support for this issue.
“Solution discovered,” Normal-Avalon’s voice answered a moment later. I sighed in relief.
"Separate components of the same planetary intelligence can repair themselves by joining together in a neutral location. Searching for all technological devices uninhabited by either fractured intelligence."
Well, that was progress at least. There were over a dozen empty ruins with devices that I'd seen Stell use. Avalon couldn't possibly be present in all of the—
"No consciousness-free devices discovered on the planet's surface. Now searching below, in the current caverns."
That was ridiculous, I thought, until I remembered that Avalon had only limited surveillance right now, and that we couldn't reach the devices outside of the shelter anyway thanks to the Horde blockade.
But we would probably have better luck down he—
"No consciousness-free devices located below the surface."
Oh to hell with this day, I thought angrily.
"Searching for technological devices pertaining to the life forms in current proximity.”
That didn't make any sense either, because none of us were hiding calculators in our pockets. Wait...
"Consciousness-free device detected inside Wes Malcolm's cranial region.”
God. Damnit.
"Wait...what?" Breena asked out loud. "Wes... did Avalon just say it just wanted to eat your brain?"
The three Testifiers behind me began to mumble similar concerns, though all I caught was a reference about feeding wild animals too much.
"Negative," both voices rumbled at once. "Cohabitation is possible without damage to the host body."
"Avalon—and by Avalon I mean both of you," I said tiredly, "be advised that the device you both wish to inhabit has been designed specifically to inhibit and harm my host body. It is currently being suppressed by the enhancements I have gained from my Ideals and from Rising. I am not comfortable with it being tampered with."
"Noted," Normal-Avalon replied.
"Can provide repair," Damaged-Avalon persisted. "Modification. Adjustable algorithms detected. Detecting potential for interplanetary communication, specific location: Earth."
"Confirmed," Normal-Avalon replied. "Detecting access to additional data. Modifying said device can provide further enhancements to Challenger Wes Malcolm. Permission to access said device?"
I sighed and covered my face with my hands. "Guys, I'm going to go ahead and take some recommendations for this one. Should I put two damaged parts of a planet inside my head, to mess around with a device that has already almost fried my brain on at least one occasion?"
"That... is a difficult question to answer," Karim said carefully as Eadric grunted and Weylin just shrugged. "Because we have almost no idea what you are talking about. Precisely what do you mean when you say that something is inside your brain?"
"Requesting permission to answer," Normal-Avalon spoke up.
"Please do so," I sighed.
"Challenger Wes Malcolm contains a device inside his cranial region that combines the functions of a scrying spell, infliction spell, and amnesia spell, along with several types of curse magic designed to reinforce said spells and to interact with his bloodstream in a negative fashion. The Challenger has recently overcome the device's functions but further damage can still be undone, and many components of the device can be redesigned to provide benefits instead of harm, as well as converting the scry spell to his own control. Recent evidence suggests that the Challenger has already briefly been able to assume command of said scrying portion. Further modification can enhance the frequency of said occurrences."
"But with the risk of a damaged intelligence accidentally causing its own damage to my brain," I interjected.
"Affirmative," Normal-Avalon conceded, and it actually sounded uncomfortable to me. "The procedure contains inherent risks."
"Can you fix yourselves any other way?" Weylin spoke up. "And if not, what happens then?"
"No other solutions are available," Damaged-Avalon rumbled. "Conflict
ing states would likely create further deterioration in both intelligence fragments, to the point where mana supplies would not be sufficient for powering either. Deterioration could also cause planetary lord to be misread as a foreign contaminant."
Weylin whistled. I just swore.
"Fine," I said. "We'll avoid a fight and try to get this fixed. We're wasting too much time here. We need to move forward."
"Permission recognized," both voices of Avalon said at once. "Preparing to cohabitate."
A dull, throbbing presence formed in the back of my mind.
Images began to scramble.
"False memories detected," Normal-Avalon said. "Dispersing now."
"Negative," Damaged-Avalon replied. "Sudden removal will cause further damage. Recommend false memories be removed at a gradual rate."
"Recommendation accepted. Detecting suppression of actual events. Recommend that a similar, gradual approach be taken for the revelation of actual events."
"Recommendation accepted. Detecting further suppression of entity's ability to perform, grow and adapt. Said suppression is currently not being countered."
"Confirm method and location of said suppression."
The throbbing began to increase.
"Locations are in the following areas of the brain stem, cerebrum, and cerebellum. Method is relying on use of the following arcane and technological mechanisms..."
Strange formulas in languages I didn't recognize suddenly scrolled past my eyes. I recognized one as binary, but even that was interspersed with strange glowing runes I've never seen before.
"Further suppression is currently restricting the entity's ability to Rise, causing his progression to be slower, and diminished. Removal is necessary for further correction. Recommend removal?" Damaged-Avalon asked Normal-Avalon.
"Agreed. Enacting Protocol Chain-Breaker. Challenger is advised to prepare for an influx of power."
"Um, okay," I said nervously. "Don't I need to be unconscious for this sort of thing?"
"Negative," Normal-Avalon replied in a way that did not reassure me at all. "Enacting protocol in three...two...one..."
Brace For the Wolves Page 24
