Chapter 73: The Exit
🕑 Added 2024-03-14 16:10:56 +0000 UTCWalker was sitting in the chair in front of his soul-construct. Mentally, he'd taken to calling it Mac just to make things easy. Nearby, roars and screams could be heard as his little friend continued to work on the defenders. He sighed and leaned back in the chair, wondering how much time had passed in the outside world.
Thus far, he'd been trapped in here for two days if his guess was right. The cougar had come first, then a pair of lions, then bears, then more things from Earth, only with subtle changes. The longer he stayed here, the stranger the creatures thrown at him became. The bears were tougher than should be normal. Every punch he'd thrown had felt like hitting a stone wall. A flock of far oversized geese had almost gotten a good swipe at him, with his flying companion being his saving grace.
This last batch had held over a dozen green-tinged Hyenas, it's leader closer to the size of a bear than what he could recall of them. Rather than absorb the soul matter that came from them after they were destroyed, he'd allowed the last several to be taken down by his protector as he finally got some time off of his feet. Not that they hurt within the metaphysical realm.
Walker pushed on his soul and watched as a few dozen yellow lights came out of his chest. These were the souls he'd taken in since arriving, and it made him curious about what he could do with them. The last soul construct he'd made had dove into the only "real" thing that had been here. Didn't that mean he could have his own soul make something here, then push the extra souls he'd been hoarding into a construct?
Walker rolled his slowly healing shoulder as he thought on it when a loud thumping sound came from the forest nearby. He guessed that the Multihued Tanager had finally taken down the big hyena.
"Good for you little buddy." He said with a nod, eyes still on the lights in front of him.
Feeling at his Icon, he noticed it was a little drained. Making a quick decision and going off of instinct, he covered his hands in darkness for a moment so he could easily separate a few from the bunch, then breathed them in.
He felt as each soul shard entered his chest, filling up his flagging energy. The Book of Souls exited only a moment later, its feedback telling him it was mostly restored.
Tapping his fingers on one knee, he noted that the souls he was finding here were much stronger than the pieces he'd absorbed from the Founders back on Sonata. It made him wonder if age had anything to do with a soul's power, or was it all about the depth of their internal expansion. Stages certainly had to come into play on it.
As he considered his lack of knowledge, Walker requested his Icon to make something for him. He then crushed the remaining yellow soul shards into a new soul construct, watching as it floated curiously in front of him. Taking it in his hands and making sure not to breath, he guided it to a floating object just beside him.
Walker grabbed the handle of his Morningstar as the light fully absorbed into it. He gave it an experimental twist, the ball flowing smoothly through the air with a whistle. Practicing a few moves from his Kwaya memories, it arced through the air with a whistle and little to no resistance. The more he moved it, the more it seemed to ignore any form of wind resistance. He smiled at it, then stood up. Bouncing on his toes, he started a light jog as he went over to meet his protector.
A few hundred steps into the woods, Walker walked into an empty clearing. The Multihued Tanager was currently pecking the neck of a huge hyena that cried out on the ground. Walker would feel bad for the creature, but it was attacking him within his own soul, defender or not. A moment later, it finally collapsed on all fours and burst into a larger yellow light than he'd seen in the past. The Tanager flew through it, turning the last of its feathers yellow except for a single red crest on the top of its head. Walker cast reveal and looked at the information provided.
Multihued Tanager (False)
A creation that fits within the user's ideas of comfort.
This creation emanates from a reflection of the user's soul and will serve as a protector should an attack occur from within.
Current upgrade path: 99%
This can be upgraded by using the power of the user's soul.
Note: The Multihued Tanager has grown through the power of another user's soul.
Changes have occurred.
"One percent huh...hrmm..." He tapped his chin in thought. The solution was simple of course, "I know what you need little buddy." Walker said to it.
He lifted his hand and the large bird, twice the size of what it was when he first saw it, flew over and landed on his arm. Feeling the weight press down on him a little, Walker was surprised to note just how heavy the protector had become. He filled his opposite hand with darkness and pressed it to the bird's crown, where the last red feather sat. A moment later, it turned black and Walker felt the weight of the bird double. He dropped his arm and took two steps back as a black and yellow sphere enveloped the creature.
Staring at it, as the Origin's darkness was fully opaque, he was curious as to what was going to come out. In a flash, the sphere burst and something else stood in its place. Walker watched as the information updated.
Genesis Tanager (True)
A creation modified through the use of ancient souls and Origin material.
This creation is the preeminent defender of the User's soul.
Upgraded
The yellow bird was gone. Sure, it was still a Tanager, but that was only the start of things. Any extra fluff that had been contained within the Protector was gone. Its wings and beak looked smooth, with the beak itself having a cruel drop in it for grabbing and tearing. The feathers were all black with the exception of its tail, a single yellow feather now sitting all alone in a sea of black.
"Origin took over every little bit of you, didn't it," He commented. It was strange, as aside from taking a minuscule amount from his hand during the puma fought, plus the bit he had given it just now, it wasn't nearly as much as the yellow soul shards the bird had been gathering. The description also called it true, which made him wonder if he could pull it out of the metaphysical plane now.
The Tanager landed next to him, so he reached down and petted its crest, his other hand still holding his Morningstar. The bird seemed receptive, slightly opening its beak as he stroked its head.
"Do you want to leave this place?" He asked it. Walker figured it was the least he could do since the creature had been defending him all of this time. The bird tilted its head, but gave no other response. A few minutes later, Walker still stroking the top of its head, a boom sounded out some distance away. As it did, the sky changed, from the blue of day that had existed since he had first bonded with the realm, to a pure night covered in clouds. Walker looked in the distance and saw the tail end of something huge floating in the sky. As he watched, it curled and spun, searching for something. He only had one guess for what that something was.
Walker put the Morningstar's shaft on his shoulder again, the construct feeling as real as can be, and began walking toward the large creature in the sky. The Genesis Tanager picked up on what he was doing and followed along, soaring just behind him before having to gain some air again. Together they walked toward the creature in the dark sky, moving around the trees and bushes in their way.
A few minutes later, the spiraling creature stopped its spinning and straightened out, its body pointed straight at him. Walker stopped as well, finding a decent clearing with some trees for cover in case he needed to run. The large creature floated towards him at a sedate pace, only a little faster than walking, and soon enough the Creator recognized what he was looking at.
It was a dragon.
More specifically, a Chinese form of a dragon that he'd seen in old stories and pictures. Its body was long and stretched, almost like a snake, and it had two whiskers floating in front of its face. The creature had dark clouds forming and breaking as it moved, sliding from one to another as it made its way over. When it stopped in front of him, it didn't attack, only looked at him with great yellow eyes on a turquoise body. Two horns sloped off of the top of its head, golden as gold can be, while intersecting plates covered its body like Chipper's old Wyvern friend. The dragon consistently had clouds forming under it before they disappeared again, pieces of the fluff floating into the sky above as it floated in the sky, looking down at him.
Walker stopped as well, looking back into the great eyes in front of him. He said the first thing he could think of.
"What do you want?"
The dragon said nothing, only breathed a little bit of steam out of its nostrils, and opened its mouth slightly. A moment later, Walker's mind was filled with images. Similar to when the Godeater program had contacted him from the original system, the dragon spoke in some form of image-based telepathy. He saw images of Kwaya, an egg, the Tree of the Gods, hiding, and an assortment of images related to time. So, much, time. Suns moving, even though the sun never moved here. Stars rising and falling. Walker wasn't sure how the creature had seen these things, but he understood the point it was trying to make.
Walker stumbled a little from the cascade of images repeating in his mind. He fixed his footing then looked at the dragon again, "That doesn't help me, what is it that you want?"
The dragon breathed more steam, then another image coalesced, the importance of it conveyed through emotions rather than spoken. It was a purple sky held on a cloudless day. The feelings he got from it were peace and serenity, calm...then, an end.
Trying to interpret all of the images together, Walker made a guess, "You want....what? Everything to end? How long have you even been stuck here?"
The dragon didn't blink, only re-sent the image of the sky again. Walker scratched the back of his neck and looked at the Tanager, but the bird only continued to soar around, keeping an eye on the huge creature in front of him. Walker was sure if it suddenly attacked, the Tanager would arrive in a flash. Feeling a little more confident, he asked the dragon a question.
"Are you sure that's what you want? I could probably take you out of here. I mean, maybe."
The dragon made a series of steps out of clouds, slowly sliding down them till it touched the ground right in front of him. Walker cast reveal.
Ancient Soaring Dragon (True)
A creature taken from rendition 2AB by System Administrator Kwaya.
This entity has existed within the Tree of the Gods since its inception.
It is the penultimate defender of the Training Wheels program designed by System Administrator Kwaya.
"Fuck you Kwaya!" Walker yelled out, and although the dragon couldn't speak, he felt its approval through the emotions it sent to him. "You've been held within the program for thousands of years, haven't you."
The sky returned to his mind.
"All alone?"
No response.
"With nothing to do, for that long?"
The sky again.
Walker looked into the golden eyes in front of him. Now that he was looking a little closer, the only feeling he felt back was sadness. Depression. A deep well of despair that had lasted for so long, Walker wasn't sure how the creature hadn't curled up into a ball and stopped moving.
"I'll ask you, one last time, are you sure that this is what you want?" Walker asked, trying to think of a way he could maybe get this creature out of the metaphysical plane. In response, the dragon lowered its head, placing it on the ground only a few feet in front of him.
Walker sighed, taking the shaft of the Morningstar off of his shoulder. "I'm sorry for what you have gone through." He said, placing a hand on the Dragon's snout for a moment. He felt it shake a little, before going still.
"One more thing," He said, his hand still on the the dragon's nose, "I don't like doing this. It doesn't feel right, and yet, if this is what you truly want, I'll do it. But, I want...no, I need you to know...I killed the person who brought you here. She's dead and gone, never again will she be able to do this to another person."
An image of a purple sky returned, a slight feeling of joy within it, before the overwhelming sadness returned.
Walker felt a small tear fall down his face, the dragon's emotions getting to him. He hadn't cried since the Slicer first destroyed Symphony.
"I understand. I'll make it fast." He said with resolution. He reflected that if this was what the creature wanted, and it wouldn't come with him, then that's what was going to happen.
He swung the morning star in an arc, building up the same momentum he saw Kwaya do in the visions. A moment later he swung it around, crossing it over his shoulder with all of his strength as any form of resistance disappeared, and cracked it just below where the horns met the crest of the dragon's brow. A great cracking sound occurred, echoing across the plane, and a moment later the dragon faded away, but not before two things were left behind. A drop of blood and a huge yellow light.
Walker waved off the Tanager, making sure it didn't come close to the light, then looked at it. It seemed like pieces of it had been ripped off, as it wasn't a seamless and complete image as he'd seen in the past. It looked like something had come by and taken bites out of it, small divets contained within. He realized that this dragon's soul was where all of the constructs of the other creatures had come from.
It must've been agony compared to Walker's small swipe from the mountain lion.
He stepped forward and took it in whole, breathing in the Dragon's soul and feeling his Icon fill far over the brim of what it had contained before. A moment later, it was gone, and Walker's Book of Souls came out of his chest, a new yellow page beside the purple one.
The red screen that had followed him all of this time pushed forward, an exit button now sitting below the writing. Instead of leaving right away, he called the Tanager over, but not before he asked the Book of Souls to produce a vial. Walker did his best to scoop the blood into it, then pocketed the red and orange vial. With a slow speed compared to the light jog he'd just performed, they made their way over to the computer sitting in the large clearing.
He sat down for a minute, pulling out the vial and looking at it again. He couldn't imagine the sadness that had so overwhelmingly taken away the dragon's will to live. Looking at the computer in front of him, and the Morningstar by his side, he knew he needed to do something here.
With Walker's almost overfilled soul, he charged up the computer, watching as the desktop changed from black to white again. A moment later a series of texts appeared.
I am back
That was scary
At least we know it worked
How are you?
"Yes, you are. It was. It does. And, I'm conflicted, but that shouldn't bother you." Walker said, replying to everything at once. "I had to do a hard thing, and I didn't even know its name...." He said slowly, then looked at the screen again.
Hard things can wear you down according to Elder Hades
Walker snorted, "He would know."
Yes
Walker waved a hand, "Anyways. I...uh...think it's time I leave this place. But, the question is, what do I do with you? If I leave, you'll just go back to sleep."
That is not so bad. I didn't notice the time going by, it just felt like I slept, then woke up right after.
You don't have to worry about me.
Walker scratched the back of his head, "If you're sure...I mean.....It feels wrong. I created you and now I'm just abandoning you here."
I am content to stay here....alone
That didn't feel right to him. Sure, Mac was being a bit melodramatic about the whole thing, but he couldn't just abandon him here.....that'd make him just like Kwaya. Looking just beyond the computer console, he flipped on the system editor and found the hole again. That gave him an idea. He wasn't sure about how it would work, but he could do his best.
"Mac, how much energy would you say you have right now?"
What do you mean? Also, who is Mac?
"That's you, sorry. I thought you'd like the name. If you don't like it, please let me know.....also, what I mean is.....can you tell me how much you're siphoning? As in, how much energy you're losing right now?"
Mac is fine unless I find a better one. As for energy....I'd say I can probably stay awake for several hours....yes. Several hours.
That was a good thing, as Walker finally noticed what he hadn't before. After he'd absorbed the Dragon's soul, he'd been flush with its energy. Because so much had come into him all at once, he hadn't felt it when the system had started draining him, instead of what it had been draining before. He was currently in some kind of a soul-to-time dilation, stacked on top of the standard temporal dilation currently surrounding Sonata.
The energy to do so had to come from somewhere, and it made a certain amount of sense that it was the Dragon's soul that had been empowering it. Without the creature maintaining the constant energy required to keep this going, it fell on the next best thing, Walker himself. He could feel the drain as he stood there, as if parts of himself were being carried away somewhere else.
It was supremely uncomfortable, and he didn't know how much he could give to Mac to keep him awake now that he'd already done so.
He looked at the hole in the system again, stepping toward it. Having a better idea, he quickly turned around and spoke to Mac again.
"I have an idea. You're going to go on a trip with me, and it's going to be.....disorienting."
How so?
"I'm going to build a system for you. One that should let me get you out of here and into the real world. It also means you have the chance to help me out from time to time. Although, I may have to charge you up every so often, but it should be okay. Is that something you might be interested in?"
Yes! Absolutely! Sleeping is weird!
Walker put his hands up, "Okay, it's going to be fine. I need to carry you over here real quick and then we'll get going." He still felt the drain as he moved to lift the mostly pure white desktop and monitor. Quickly walking over, he stood next to the hole in space. Needing his hands for his work, he put the computer down. Then, casting reveal, he looked at the construct.
Enclosed Soul Construct (True)(False)
An entity created by System Administrator Dante during the Training Wheels program.
This entity is trapped within a primitive invention and requires constant soul power to maintain its equilibrium.
The tags for true and false gave him an idea of what he was working with. The desktop, being created directly of Origin, wouldn't have the same shimmering quality as the false souls he'd found in this place. They were just pieces, shards, of something bigger. It made him think a little differently of the Tanager as well, as the last time he'd looked at it, it had the tag for true. The large bird was currently flying overhead, protecting the area from nonexistent threats.
False would be the soul construct itself. It was enclosed, but it wasn't a "part" of what he was doing. It was missing something immediate that all true things held. Life. And he had a solution for that within the strands he'd found. However, if he wanted to get it over to the 4AA rendition, he first needed to place it within something.
What about one giant metal planet that's been spatially expanded? Yes, that would work out just right in his mind.
But first, he needed to build a system and connect to it from here. He couldn't drag a false soul out of here according to his Icon. Mac had consciousness, and that was all well and good, but he needed something more for this to work. He needed to get this guy out of here....or girl.....He needed....He needed a living storage system that could communicate with him. It would give a ton of options in the long run, and another measure of control for his burgeoning solar system. Two birds, one stone, as morbid as that saying went.
He didn't like that he was already thinking of Mac as a tool, rather than a person. But, this was the best way to go about things. He could put Mac in something else, like a weapon or even a chair....could he make a body? The Book of Souls gave a cold no to that. Still. Putting mac in the storage planet would help him, as well as give the guy something to do and somewhere to be. He'd have to consider what to do next, later. The most important thing was to get him out of here.
Walker went back to studying the hole in the system. He'd made a distortion point using just his intent and a sign, so why couldn't he start a system the same way? The idea was just to tie it to what he wanted and write it out, just like any of the other systems he'd made since joining the alpha protocol.
But this was going to be complicated, and he had to make sure he knew, within, what he wanted. He needed to plan out the writing precisely for what was going to happen. Every step, every motion, with his emotional intent lining up with each word. Otherwise, he was well and truly screwed.
Making sure he didn't come even close to using his soul, he made the motions with his hands. Connect, soul, space, metal, world, storage, access. It felt like he was partly illiterate as he continuously made the signs, but eventually, and after enough practice that he began to worry he'd run out of power as the drain kept coming, he felt like he was at a point where it all combined just right. One final round to make sure his hands formed the signs precisely, and he was all set.
Next was the intent. If he did it wrong, he could be shotgunning Mac to an entirely different part of the 4AA rendition, possibly even sending him to the 3rd or further. To get started, he visualized the sign for connect with an image overlayed of Mac's original soul, the pure white glow it had held, and the conversations he'd had with him. Making the signs with his eyes closed, Walker focused on ensuring that each movement coalesced with a particularly vivid image of Mac's soul and the idea of traversing across space. Then he visualized Mac as the metal world itself, floating just outside of Symphony's reach. Giving Mac the power to control the storage within, accessing all of the space strands it held, and becoming one with the planet.
A living planet.
He continued at this for much longer than he'd originally done for just making the signs, until he began to feel the Book of Souls start to shudder. Time was running out, and he needed to finish this up.
Walker turned to Mac, the screen filled with a huge amount of text. Questions, demands, and a great amount of worry and anxiety within. Walker didn't have time to read it all, he simply said, "I'm sorry I wasn't responding there bud, but I think I'm ready. Are you?"
The text erased itself. For a good amount of time, nothing else came up, until after a few minutes, only one word appeared.
Yes
Walker nodded, then looked at the hole. That was where he needed to send the darkness and intent. It was a hole in the system, the soul, of the universe. While they were within his own metaphysical space, everything was interconnected. It wasn't just his world he was standing in, but still a big piece of the 4AA's rendition as well. That was why he felt the draining. His origin, and the dragon's soul before it, were connecting the 4AA rendition's soul and his own. He needed to sew up the hole and get out of this place. Hopefully, the Tanager was just along for the ride and would be within his own metaphysical space after all was said and done.
Looking at the hole, Walker closed his eyes and performed his breathing technique. Feeling a little better about things, he began to make the signs.
Connect
Walker mentally reviewed the white soul of Mac, creating a line between it and the storage planet he'd created not long ago. A newly created soul construct who just wanted his own life, and not to be trapped in a pseudo metaphysical soul plane. A world built of metal, soon to be filled with the wonders of an entire solar system. Together, they'd become something more. As one.
Soul
A piece brought together, constructed, but whole. Something, someone, that can stand on their own. Something that can grow, and become more than they currently were.
Space
The distance between his soul, the hole, and the floating metal world around his sun. Traveling through the hole, out of this place, and toward his new body.
Metal
The off-brown color of it. The strength of its foundation, with a single hole used to hold all of the space strands within it.
World
A floating world, unneeding of oxygen, soaking in the space around it. Singular. Controlled.
Storage
Space, filled until bursting, holding items in perpetuity.
Access
Control over what is his.
As Walker performed the final sign, he fired his darkness straight at the hole in the system.
There was no big fanfare. No explosive gust of wind or explosion of power. Mac's white soul drifted out of his computer prison and disappeared into the hole. A moment later the hole sealed itself up.
Walker's overlay updated.
Congratulations Administrator Dante!
You've created a new system!
Please name it.
Walker snorted at the system response. Of course, it wanted him to drop a name when he was short on time.
He looked up at the Tanager, calling it down. The great dark bird landed on his shoulder, pulling his body slightly off balance. He rubbed its crest, watching as it's mouth opened a little in enjoyment and gave it a smile.
"I'm about to leave this place, little buddy. Do you want to come with me?"
The bird canted its head back and forth, looked him in the eyes, and then leaped into the air, pushing him back a little from the force used.
He gave it a nod, understanding that its choice was made.
Putting the Morningstar on the ground for a moment, he realized he had one more test to try out.
Walker covered his hands in darkness, then made a sign and clapped his hands together.
An arc of lightning fired out from between them.
He sighed, "Shit, I'm a Wizard."
Turning around, he picked up and shouldered his Morningstar, then clicked the exit button.
