Divine Apostasy Book 9 - Chapter 5 (OLD)

[Author's Note: I never had a chance to read this chapter back over. It is my raw text so I expect it to have spelling mistakes and awkward sentences. I assumed you would rather read this then wait for me to revise it and delay its posting.]

[Author's Note 2: I have significantly altered the storyline and this chapter is no longer valid. Please see more recent releases which will contain the information I plan on using. Thanks]

Chapter 5

Ruwen sat atop a chunk of terium the size of a house and glanced around the hollowed-out mountain for the fifth time. Though he couldn’t see it, Survey displayed the ceiling, which started six thousand feet above him. Survey also revealed the tens of thousands of feet below his current perch and detailed the epic amount of terium placed here by Fractal as he expanded deeper and farther into Grave. Ruwen had taken up a place on the mountain’s eastern interior wall and the darkness hid the other walls, which were miles distant.

The terium took too long to break down, so the Dungeon Keeper had hollowed-out many of the surrounding mountains near New Eiru and used them as a dumping ground. Ruwen had drawn a fifty-foot-by-fifty-foot gate rune door to Miranda’s Divine Realm, and it gave off a faint glow, only visible because of the otherwise complete darkness.

Overlord, in his Fallen Lord Minion, wielded a Crazor four hundred feet behind Ruwen, the bursts of red light throwing harsh shadows on the wall Ruwen faced. Uruziel, in her Risen Queen Minion, moved about and used his Gravity Role to launch chunks of terium through the gate rune portal. Since he couldn’t use his Void Band in Miranda’s Realm, he needed to send the Spirit he required through first.

Just under an hour had passed since Ruwen had left Sift, which gave him plenty of time. The next hour here would translate into thirty years inside Miranda’s Divine Realm, and he doubted he could last a fraction of that time anyway. As focused and driven as he’d let himself become, even he had limits, and this outing would test them.

Rami’s voice came over their mental link. I’ll arrive at the lair in about five minutes.

No rush.

It thrilled Ruwen that Rami wanted to go. Even with Overlord and Uruziel, Ruwen knew he would get lonely, and having Rami there would help a lot. She wanted to do the indexing she had failed to do the last time they’d visited that Realm, and she also needed time to study Pen’s journals.

“We have five more minutes,” Ruwen said loudly.

Overlord and Uruziel paused for a second before carrying on with their work. It gave Ruwen a few minutes to finally talk with Lir.

Lir, do you have a few minutes to talk?

Of course.

Great. I guess it makes sense, but it still surprised me when I didn’t get any experience or notifications or anything after killing those gods.

I no longer have direct access to your body. You haven’t had the need to realize it yet, but you no longer Regenerate Health or Mana either.

Ruwen hadn’t noticed that. During the fight with the deities Lir had arrived at the battlefield and linked Ruwen to the temple Mana banks directly.

You can still talk with me, though?

When the goddess automated the Ascendancy process, she linked me to the Architect Role you now possess.

Can you still speak with Uru?

Only while she remains inside the country.

Ruwen realized this constant connection with Lir was another think Uru had sacrificed.

I liked getting notifications and seeing my progress reflected in my displays.

I could attempt to estimate your development.

Thanks, Lir, but it wouldn’t be the same.

I planned to wait until our top ten issues meeting, but this seems like an appropriate time to discuss an observation that might prove relevant.

I’d love to hear it.

Most of the automated processes I place in every Ascendant failed when you became an apostate. However, the process responsible for populating your log still functioned. Functioned that is, except for the duration of the energy disturbance that struck you in Miranda’s Divine Realm.

Ruwen watched a slab of terium barely smaller than the gate rune door hurdle through the air and through the doorway. Uruziel had perfect control over the Gravity Role and her expertise was on full display.

You mentioned that to me when I first got back. You said my log differed from your version, and that you didn’t have any of those weird entries.

Correct. Which brings me to the basis for my hypothesis. The template applied during Ascendancy which provides an improved interface is not dependent on Ascendancy. That is, the template could be applied at any time to increase the interactions and clarity with environmental femites.

So that’s why my interface remains, even though you can’t access it now that I’m an apostate.

Precisely. It made me wonder where the additional log entries came from, and one possibility is another interface. One that briefly became visible when the power surge occurred.

Ruwen thought back to his newly leveled Architect Role and how a new tab had appeared with options related to displays.

How would we test that?

With your permission, I will remove the femite template you received during your Ascendancy.

Ruwen’s current interface might not be as useful as before, but it still worked well with things like Survey and Stone Echo.

Can you put it back if nothing else appears?

Yes.

Then go ahead and remove the template.

Ruwen felt a brief tingling sensation at the base of his neck, and his vision glitched, like he’d taken a long blink.

“Uru, have mercy,” Ruwen whispered.

Did you do your thing, Lir? Because something is still here.

May I look?

Sure, come on over.

Pressure filled Ruwen’s head like he’d gotten congested, and then immediately disappeared. Screens and displays flashed open and closed too fast for him to comprehend. He considered activating Last Breath to see what Lir was doing but decided not to add any variables to Lir’s analysis.

The flashing stopped, leaving Ruwen’s vision completely clear. He’d always had a display and the sudden lack of one made him uneasy. A stab of fear struck him as he realized his map had disappeared along with the arrow pointing toward Lylan.

As soon as Ruwen thought of a map, one appeared, taking a small area in the top right of his vision. The arrow remained and he sighed in relief. With another thought he dismissed the map, and his vision once again remained free of any displays. Not completely free he realized as he noticed a faint silver light at the bottom of his vision.

As soon as Ruwen focused on the dim glow a mass of screens appeared. He immediately wished his vision clear and they all disappeared.

Lir spoke again, his voice sounding closer somehow. I have never seen such a template or heard of some of the items listed.

When that light hit me, it upgraded my Architect Role and more options appeared. Can you look at that as well?

While I can access some Roles, I lack the ability to view any settings or system variables.

Ruwen reached out to Rami. Can you help Lir see what happened to my Architect Role.

Sure, Rami responded.

Not even a second passed and Lir responded. Your Architect Role contains a new tree labeled Framework which contains three types of templates: default, base, and custom. Two of those templates, the default and a custom template that matches your displays appear active.

Wait, that default one is active?

It appears so.

Dread filled Ruwen. He had wanted to keep the knowledge of soul leveling and whatever chakras represented hidden. Once word got out those things could level, it wouldn’t take long for the gods to figure out how to advance. Those deities might quickly reach power levels capable of stopping him from finishing his tasks.

Who do you think got access to that default template? Everybody? Ruwen asked.

Yes. Although only a fraction will notice.

Ruwen thought of the little serving girl at the Flying Appah—did she have the default template now like the rest of the non-Ascendants. He opened the Framework Role followed by the Template Role, finally glancing through the Default Role to see what items were activated now that everyone in the Universe evidently had it.

Ruwen groaned as he reached the section on Spirit, Aura, Chakra, and Soul. All of them were active and he immediately deactivated Spirit, Aura, Chakra, and Soul. Then he disabled the Default Role completely.

Why do you think only a fraction of people saw this? Ruwen asked.

Three point eight two hours have passed, and templates require femites to function properly. Femites need Spirit to organize and integrate themselves. The overlap of femites, Spirit abundance, and no existing templates approaches zero on a Universal scale.

That made Ruwen feel a little better. But the people I’m most worried about seeing this are around Grave where both femites and Spirit are abundant.

Again unlikely. Grave is populated exclusively by the descendants of the crews that ran the disciples’ temples. Those crews were all genetically enhanced and contained an embedded template that activates when certain neural thresholds are met.

Is that the default display I had growing up.

Yes, exactly. That will hide the brief exposure of this default template.

Most of the tension drained from Ruwen. Since Spirit only existed here on Grave, and the genetic template even the Cultivators here were born with hid any others, he agreed with Lir that almost no one would notice this accidental exposure.

What do you think Rami? Ruwen asked.

Sorry, Rami replied. I was checking on Xavier and didn’t listen. Let me check your memories. A second later she replied. I agree it’s highly unlikely anyone saw that template.

Ruwen sighed, frustrated that his upgraded Architect Role had performed actions automatically. The same held true for those three mysterious entries in his log: dimensional rifts, legacy shards, and paragon jewels. He had no idea what they were, but the upgrade had caused those three things to spawn in the universe.

Rami spoke again. I’m headed to the lair now.

Okay, I’ll be there shortly.

Thanks, Lir. Can you open a portal to my lair please. We’ll talk again when I return.

Of course.

Ruwen shifted his mental focus to Overlord and Uruziel. It’s time to go. Thanks for the awesome work here.

Uruziel tossed a final wedge-shaped chunk of terium the size of three wagons through the gate rune door before the Risen Queen Minion dissipated. Overlord’s minion disappeared as well, and Ruwen used an enhanced version of Melt to destroy the gate runes and door.

Ruwen entered the portal Lir had created behind him and stepped onto a pile of crystals. Rami climbed behind his ear and without wasting any more time he strode to the nearest wall and created a gate rune door to Miranda’s Divine Realm. He ran his right thumb against the Apocalypse Band, excited to study the sword and broken amulet the ring contained.

Around an hour remained before Ruwen needed to return to Sift and Hamma. That gave him thirty years to increase his power, gain some critical experience wielding that power, and gain some understanding about the changes to his Architect Role. From his experience on the far side of the Universe he didn’t think he’d last the full thirty years but having that much time relieved some of the pressure he felt.

There was so much to do, Ruwen thought as he strode through the gateway.