Kal spent a while asking questions about the place he had found himself in. Apparently, he was in one of several refugee bunkers created by Mira’s creator. Kal had asked who her creator was but her only response was, “My creator was a very powerful entity but much of my knowledge of him has been lost due to the actions of the remaining six. It saddens me to be unable to recall the name of my creator, but what I do remember is that he wished for all mortal kind to prosper so I continue with his mission and grant refuge to all who need it in this foul realm.”
“So your creator was one of the gods?” Kal asked.
“I am uncertain but with the persistence of my existence even in this layer of the Abyss I believe that is the case.”
“What did the other gods do to make you forget about your creator?” Kal asked, confused at the strange gaps in Mira’s knowledge of her creator.
The runes around the rune darkened somewhat at his question, “The gods have great control over what knowledge is allowed to exist within their domain. Much of my memories of the previous centuries have been lost but some scraps remain. I remember some short conversations with my creator regarding the possibility of the gods petitioning the great system to remove him from this universe's history,” Mira replied, her tone more subdued than earlier.
“Then how do you remember him at all if the gods succeeded in their goal?”
“I am not certain. It is possible the system refused their request and the gods were forced to use their own imperfect methods. Or perhaps the system purposefully left some records in place for some of its own machinations.”
This was all way over Kal’s head. Here he was barely ascended and suddenly talking about the plots of gods and the system. He was woefully ignorant about the system as a whole, sure he had some basic knowledge that anyone would hear or figure out as they grew up but since he was a failed ascendent and sent away he had never truly received a proper education on the system and its purpose. It seemed now he had found someone who could start filling in the blanks.
“This might sound stupid but what can you tell me about the system? I have only recently ascended and haven’t truly had a great opportunity to learn all that I need to know,” Kal said, feeling stupid already. He really should have asked Dalen more about this stuff but he had always been too angry and frustrated to look beyond his current situation. Why he was thinking about all this now he wasn’t sure, perhaps those points in intelligence and wisdom were starting to help him out finally. Really all that Kal knew about the system is that it was either born with or directly responsible for the creation of the universe. But some of that was already ringing false with some of Mira's earlier statements. Like the fact that there was apparently more than one universe and from his best guess that each of them was controlled by a pantheon of gods. So it was clear to Kal that he needed to clear some things up.
“I have a working knowledge of several system-related subjects. My creator often updated my records with new information when he was able. The Great System has existed for countless mega annum and the rise and fall of many universes. The System’s only goal is to support the growth in power of all who live within its control, be they man, beast, or god. The Great System integrates universes the moment they come into being and expand towards their dimensional boundary and support them until they collapse into the nothingness from which they came.”
“Right… Wait, before we continue, how old is this place? You said my name was recorded here nearly two hundred cycles ago right?” Kal asked, a bit overwhelmed with the time scales Mira was casually speaking of.
“My creator constructed my sentient core during the last century of the dying world of Kartha before it was finally consumed by the Abyss becoming one of its lesser layers.”
“Ok, there is a lot to unpack there but how long ago was that?” Kal asked, his head already starting to hurt.
“Three million four hundred and seventy-seven thousand one hundred and nine cycles ago, if you are counting from the perspective of this world of course,” Mira replied plainly.
Kal immediately felt incredibly insignificant. What in the- Abyss was he doing talking to such an ancient entity? Now he knew he was being incredibly reckless just waltzing into a place like this. It was pure luck that this time he found a Mira and not some horror from ancient history. He swallowed and continued with another question.
“You said that you were created during Kartha’s last century, is this place Kartha?”
“Technically yes but it has seen drastic changes during its consumption. Now it is not truly a world but a layer of the ever-growing Abyss.”
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“What do you mean by that? Are you saying that the world was eaten?” Kal asked, his thoughts turning to the fate of his home.
“It is concerning that you are unaware, as the existence of the Abyss is a dire threat to all mortal life. Little is known about the Abyss in its current state as it is quite difficult to study due to the powers required to protect one's core while present on any of its layers. But I have an extract from one of the texts I have recorded written by the Mage Lord Hentrax. Would you like to hear it?”
Kal nodded and she began, her voice becoming much more stiff, “The speed at which each world is consumed by the darkness of the Abyss has astounded greater minds than I for millennia but my observations have slowly begun bearing fruit. As the Abyss Horizon expands and makes contact with the doomed worlds a new nucleation point is created somewhere on the edge of the Abyssal Horizon, its exact location can be difficult to locate but I have had some success using specifically designed trackers that are able to stay connected during the initial transference. These nucleation points are immediately infused with abyssal energy altering whatever mana was originally present on the consumed world. During the beginning stages of the world's consumption, the process must be altered to the world's specific mana frequency, this is where the demonic horde will forcefully capture and process mortals and beasts present on the world to speed the process. The growth of these nucleation points is variable depending on the protection of the world but as more mana is processed and more of the world is consumed, more of its mass is transported or recreated inside of this nucleation point. All of it was immediately assaulted by the hostile energy. Eventually when the world is completely consumed a new layer will form centered on the nucleation point, with many of the world's notable locations still intact but corrupted by the abyssal energy. From that point forward the new layer is slowly broken down over thousands to millions of years fueling the continued expansion of the Abyssal Horizon. Reaching these realms is incredibly difficult. I have had such success due to the assistance of,” Mira froze for a moment before continuing, “I will continue to document my findings while there is time.”
Kal frowned, it didn’t exactly sound like what he had experienced before coming here but how else could he end up in the Abyss? Mira had said that where he was was once a world called Kartha so he definitely wasn’t on one of those new nucleation sites the mage mentioned. Maybe the demon that dragged him through the tear did something and sent him here instead. He guessed he would never know for sure. Knowing what the answer to his next question would likely be he gritted his teeth and asked it anyway, “Do you know how I could return home?”
“Without the presence of my creator, traversal between the layers of the Abyss and the prime planes is almost impossible,” Kal’s heart sank and he was about to ask another question but Mira continued, “But it is possible that since you have managed to travel here that the boundary that contains this layer has grown frail of the millennia making traversal more likely. Perhaps the demons of this layer have a way to do so.”
Kal nodded, he wasn’t happy about the response but it was honestly better than he expected but obviously, there were glaring problems with the only likely way of leaving this place was with the help of the demons. If he was going to be dealing with those creatures again he would need to get stronger. Much stronger. He had grown a lot already over the last week but if he was going to survive long enough to escape this place he would have to then just a warrior. Kal climbed to his feet and jumped down from the table. Another thought crossed his mind at that moment. If every day in his world was equal to ten here, wasn’t this the best possible place for him to grow stronger? Assuming he could survive what was out there. Now he had yet another question.
“Thank you, Mira. But I have one more question. Is there an armory here?”
“Of course though this is only a refugee bunker and the quality of weaponry is limited, especially considering your race’s shorter stature. I will guide you to the armory,” With that the rune above the door to the hall turned green. Kal followed the green runes through another door further down the hall into a just as sparse chamber as the last two and Mira’s voice spoke up again, “Please stand here and I will activate the spatial storage array,” Kal did so and stood underneath a small overhang on the far side of the room. His breath caught as the room around him suddenly changed. Suddenly several rows of shelves appeared soundlessly throughout the room. Most of them were empty but a few still held weapons. Kal thanked Mira and immediately started going through all the weapons he could find. Mira was right that his size might be a problem, the weapons were huge. They all had the same general proportions one would expect of a weapon but they were all at least three or four times bigger than anything he had used before. He could help start what would probably be seen as a longsword to whatever the giant race of people that lived here were called but to Kal it was bigger than the largest greatsword he had ever seen by a fair margin. Kal used Identify on it.
Karthic Longsword [Uncommon]
This sword was once commonplace among the elite military forces of the long-dead world of Kartha. Though the weapon holds no magical properties the materials that went into the making of such weapons were perfectly suitable for even the strength of the world's elite.
Kal tried to lift it and he couldn’t even get it off the rack. Annoyed, he promised himself that when he was strong enough he would come back for this weapon. Disappointed he moved on to the next smallest weapon.
Karthic Belt Knife [Common]
A common belt knife used by both craftsmen and the desperate warrior alike.
This one he could easily lift but the hand was a little thick. It was about the length of a shortsword back home but the blade was significantly thicker Kal found that it added a bit of weight which he actually liked as he swung the weapon around for a moment. With a little work on thinning the handle, he thought this would certainly be better than using his bare hands.
Content with his choice he found the knife sheath and turned to the closest rune, “Are there any beds in this place?”