Eternium ~ chapter 26!

~ Twenty-six ~

Aiden stood still in the dungeon as the Amazonians cautiously explored the area. His squad was with him, using the cover provided by the dungeon to set up their ambush. These oathbreakers thought that they would just wait around? That they would let people without honor into a world where killing them meant nothing? No. No, Aiden would ensure that if any Amazons survived… it wasn’t for lack of effort on his part.

As the Women walked toward the treasure chest in the center of the room, Aiden shook his head in disgust. They didn’t even bother to check for traps, they didn’t think anything on this level could possibly hurt them. Normally, they would even be correct. Most people wouldn’t understand how dangerous people who had nothing to lose could be. They wouldn’t understand the terrible things these people had done. That they needed to be destroyed.

*Whamp* The strange sound of a Ward activating and suffusing the air with power sounded through the room, and the Amazonians froze. One of them had touched the chest and had keyed the trap to her power. It was vamping her, using her Mana to power itself. Since he and his people were wearing keys to the Wards, they sauntered up to the paralyzed group watched hope leave while despair set in. 

“Oh, look what we have here.” Aiden smirked at the group, who were all struggling mightily.  

“Maybe if you had gone to an area appropriate to your rank, you would-” Five swords swung out, and five heads fell to the floor. The Ward snapped and popped, fizzling out. “-have been prepared. Maybe you would have even survived. Instead you took the easy way out, a way with no struggle or growth. We don’t need people like you in our new world.”

Aiden released a sigh of contentment as the bodies began to vanish, converted into raw power for the dungeon to use at its leisure. “A gift, a sacrifice to you, dungeon! May we bring you ever more power! May we grow in strength together, forevermore!”

The squad of Northmen cleaned their weapons with a flicker of Essence, their densely Inscribed weapons being handled with more care and respect than the lives they had just ended. Aiden glanced around at the men with him, motioning for them to walk. “Let’s move out, those Amazonians aren’t going to go extinct by themselves!”

~ Cal ~

Three entire days. That was how long it took me to make my way through and categorize all the information given to me by the infernal dungeon. That being had been scary smart. The raw information it had dumped into my mind in return for what I now realized was a pittance was astounding. I took control of a Cat and made it shake its head, just so that I could visually express myself.

<Dani, I’m always amazed by how much more there is for me to learn.> I was happy. Really, I was. The thought that there was nowhere else to go, that I had reached the epitome without realizing it, had been haunting me. Now… now I at least realized how little I actually knew, and how little of what I knew that I understood. <Can you imagine it? We are going to be together for eternity, learning, growing, and eating!>

“How do you go straight from deep philosophical and existential thinking to talking about food?” Dani laughed at me as I sent an image of a sheep back at her. “Feeling sheepish?”

<Hey, you’re getting better at understanding what I mean!>

“I just understand that I was overthinking what you were sending in the past.” Dani retorted archly. “Taking it at face value, also known as simply as possible, usually gives me the correct answer.”

<Ouch.> I winced, by which I mean the Cat I was controlling started making strange faces. <Anyway… um… what was I saying? Right! All of this new information has been sorted, and I have a good handle on how things are interacting. What I’m doing now is looking for patterns, repeated schematics or variables that are interchangeable on a micro or macro level. If I can find what I’m looking for, I’ll be able to parse any data or use modular, formulaic options for the creation of new Runes.>

I paused, waiting for a response. There wasn’t one. <How’s that for taking my words at face value? If I explained everything I do all the time, I’d drive you insane.>

“Fine, fine. Maybe there is a mind somewhere in that overgrown crystal.” Dani’s words were a backhanded compliment, but I still smirked about the fact that I had been able to shock her into silence without making a monster appear out of thin air. “The question now becomes: what are you going to use all of your new Wards and… formulaic options for?”

<Well, Dani…> I paused for dramatic effect. <I’m not entirely sure.>

“Ugh! All that talk was just hot air, wasn’t it?” Dani groaned and nearly fell to the ground.

<No, I’m sure an option will present itself to me. I might not have time to go around and make a whole bunch of new floors and the like, but this will all be information useful within my soulspace, right? When other people are using it and finding uses for these, I will as well. All of that knowledge will be mine to use as I see fit.> I trailed off, starry eyed. Might need to fix this poor Cat when I left. Starlight pouring out of eye-holes tends to leave them… crispy.

“So, you’re going to use people to power yourself as well as explore ways to use things? This sounds dark, Cal.” Dani’s voice trailed off uncertainly.

<It isn’t like that, Dani!> I protested my innocence. <You know as well as I do that without me, they don’t stand a chance. It isn’t like I’m going to keep them locked up inside me for tens of thousands of years just because I can. The deal was: as soon as they can be released safely, I will make it happen. They are getting a lot out of this too!>

“Yeah, yeah.” Dani slowly stirred the air around her, a Wisp’s version of a sigh. I get it, Cal. Just remember that when people are trapped against their will for a long time… they get resentful of whatever is keeping them there. I’d hate to see someone get out and try to smash you just because you were the instrument of their detainment.”

<I will work to ensure that is something that never happens.> I promised her. <Also, really off topic, sorry. There is a group of Northmen going around and massacring Amazonians. Should I just go with it or…? They are dedicating the kills to me and taking no trophies. Lots of power tied up in some of the stuff I’m… acquiring.>

Dani took a look at the situation and grunted noncommittally. “No, they know that they have enemies. The Northmen are technically giving them a fighting chance. Traps… traps are a danger people are supposed to be well aware of. This is on them; the Amazons know that they have enemies.”

<That’s kinda what I was thinking, too. Glad to have it confirmed.>

“If they did anything else, even taking some of the gear, I’d have you send a Bob Squad after them.” Dani continued, taking me by surprise. “They have a blood feud, so I understand their logic. But, if they aren’t going to let people survive, we need as many resources as we can get to complete the project at hand.”

<Alright.> I thought about it for a long minute. <I am slightly confused by your logic, because they are breaking the rules and deal we had in place, but it means less work for me, so… meh.>

“There will always be time to punish them when there is no escape, Cal.” Dani’s words conjured dark images in my mind, and the Cat I was inhabiting started shivering violently. “Hundreds of years of punishment will be a better deterrent than a few simple deaths now.”

I underlined a point on my mental checklist once more. This made eighteen lines under this particular point: don’t cross Dani.