Their journey had taken them through the now somewhat familiar bustling heart of the city, but as the group headed along their planned route, the gleaming skyscrapers and neon lights of the megacorp districts slowly began to fade behind them. The electric hum of advertisements and crowded marketplaces dwindled, replaced by a disquieting silence that grew heavier the further they travelled. The sky above the city was a sickly shade of yellow-grey, tinged with the haze of distant factory smoke and the faint glow of neon from the more populated districts of the city, though it was getting darker.
Upon getting home and gearing up, they quickly discovered the coordinates provided by Sable Krynn took them to the heart of a disused, long-forgotten part of the city, and the group made it to the edge of the quiet, residential district that served as the last bastion of civilisation in this area, having just had a polite conversation with the two bored guards covering the checkpoint.
Why am I getting a sense of deja-vu? Chiyo asked the others pointedly as they rounded the corner, out of sight of the guards, leaving the group finally alone and safe to talk openly in the dark, deserted alleyway. This place gives me the creeps!
“It isn’t Scraphaven at least,” Nika pointed out with a dry, humourless chuckle. “Though if this turns out to be another trap I’m going to be very disappointed…”
“Yeah!” Sephy agreed. “Wouldn’t it be great if for once we went to an ominous creepy location and didn’t get ambushed by something?”
“Stranger things have happened.” Jack laughed. “At least Krynn didn’t tell me to come alone or unarmed to this meetup. That’s pretty much a death sentence from, like, every movie ever!”
“Nor did she give you a specific time to show up other than ‘tonight’,” Alora added. “And she was rather vague on everything else in her letter too.”
It could be a test, Chiyo theorised. To see what we’d do.
“Yeah that sounds about right,” Sephy agreed. “But Sable Krynn also has a fat bounty on her too from some of the most powerful people in the city. She’s gotta cover her own ass. Maybe that’s another reason she’s taken her time to set this up?”
“Maybe,” Alora agreed. “That’s why we’re keeping this as need-to-know.”
“So who does know?” Nika asked.
“Luvia, Vanya and Kritch. Nobody else,” Alora answered. “If things go wrong tonight they can get help.”
“At least we’re in the city where that’s possible, rather than the ass-end of a spooky wilderness with angry mushrooms.” Jack shrugged.
“Maybe that’ll be the next new thing on CorvShack’s Stuffer Menu?” Sephy quipped, deepening her voice to mock the advertisements. “Available now in limited stores! Introducing the new ‘Angry Shroom Burger!’ Stuffed with fresh artificial flavouring!”
That’s scarily accurate… Chiyo giggled.
“So what can we expect from Krynn?” Jack asked, having asked the question a few times before over the past couple of weeks, but naturally asking again as the ‘pre-game’ nerves kicked in.
“Not much is known about Krynn outside of her fame,” Alora answered him with a patient smile as they checked the corner and turned onto an abandoned street. “She’s something of an eccentric and known to be incredibly paranoid. Anything else is mere rumour, unfortunately, so we’ll have to make our own impressions when we get there.”
“Right, sorry I knew that.” Jack sighed, bending down to scritch Dante behind the ears as the ‘dog’ bounded up to him and headbutted his leg. “I guess I don’t like going into anything without knowing many details.”
“Rest of us are right there with you,” Nika agreed. “But I think we’ll be alright. You don’t hear of anything too bad happening around these parts.”
“And what are these parts?” Jack asked, looking around at a few of the buildings, most of which looked like abandoned offices, though to his left he spotted the carcass of a cinema complex.
The waning of corporate control. Chiyo shrugged. If unimportant territory is not profitable to renovate, companies may just abandon it for greener pastures.
“Places like that all over the city and the hive station,” Sephy added. “Then eventually people organise themselves and move in for whatever reason.”
“And the cycle starts anew,” Jack finished. “I guess it makes sense.”
They continued down the broken road away from the lights of the city. Weeds poked out of the cracks in the tarmac and gnarled tree roots covered the ground, with rough patches of faded concrete barely visible beneath the encroaching wilderness.
There’s a few lifesigns around, Chiyo informed them, as Jack spotted a pair of eyes lazily peering at them from a window before slowly disappearing. But they don’t appear to be hostile.
“Probably just homeless,” Nika reasoned. “Or just friends having fun. Honestly I’m glad you’re getting lifesigns, which means there’s no squad of enemies that know of your abilities lying in wait.”
“We leave them be, and they’ll leave us be,” Alora agreed as the buildings began to thin out and get smaller, with work buildings being replaced by suburban housing, some obviously long-abandoned, but a few others clearly having residents.
Not far from this, they stumbled upon a few small fields that looked like they were used as allotments, with a few crops growing, though they didn’t mess with them as they saw a few concerned looks from a crowd of locals before they moved on, eventually getting to a crossroads that curiously had a few destroyed security drones scattered around.
“Shot, but not recently,” Nika concluded as she examined the scorch marks on one of them. “Probably some gang thought it’d be funny.”
“Anything we could use?” Alora asked, only for the Kizun to shake her head.
“Nah, they’ve already been gutted and we’re not dragging the chassis with us.” Nika snorted. “Damn shame, they’d have been useful.”
As they moved on, Dante sniffed cautiously at the rusted drones, but soon trotted back to Jack’s side, clearly uninterested. The team pressed forward, leaving the strange graveyard of forgotten machines behind.
Further along their route, they came upon the remnants of a collapsed highway overpass. The massive slabs of concrete had crumbled into jagged piles, creating a makeshift tunnel only a few metres wide, and not having a better way forward they decided to go through it after checking for any ambush.
“Looks like someone’s been here recently,” Nika said, pointing to the walls that were covered in graffiti before emerging on the other side.
“Yeah, this paint’s fresh,” Sephy confirmed, looking at one of the names that looked completely illegible to Jack. “Not sure why they’d hide it here when there’s ruins all around. Maybe it’s part of some kind of challenge or something?”
“Maybe,” Alora agreed with a smirk. “We can take a break if you want to add your name?”
“Nah.” Sephy shook her head. “I’m not here to pick a fight, especially when people aren’t gonna see. Besides, we don't want people figuring out we came by, right?”
“True,” the Eladrie confirmed with a shrug. “Though it probably doesn’t matter.”
The further they travelled, the more the remnants of civilization faded into mostly overgrown thickets and clusters of twisted trees, though the signs of civilisation were still there. If Jack had to guess, this was a once-affluent part of town long ago, though the husks of the McMansions looked long-looted. The air here felt heavy, and there was a peculiar stillness that made even the smallest sound seem amplified, confirmed when Chiyo detected no life signs around.
“Let’s not linger around in the open,” Nika whispered as she gently put a hand on Chiyo’s shoulder. “There’s nowhere for anyone to hide around here, but this place gives me the creeps!”
Finally, the dense trees and thickets gave way to a wide, open lot as the group stepped onto the tarmac of a wide roadway, and they followed it to the coordinates. Soon enough, the remains of an old, overgrown parking area stretched out before them, leading up to the looming shadow of a huge building ahead of them. The structure was massive, with cracked walls and broken windows that stared out like hollow eyes. Faded signs still clung desperately to the facade, advertising brands and stores that had long since ceased to exist.
“Shit…” Sephy began as she checked her commlink. “I think this must have been a shopping mall! Coordinates lead right to it!”
“I think you’re right.” Alora agreed. “Though I don’t recall any further instructions.”
Sephy quickly checked, then cursed. “Yeah, we have a specific grid, but that’s all the detail the instructions give us. No floor, no landmarks, no further instructions.”
“Then I guess we’re looking the old-fashioned way.” Jack sighed as he pulled out his bottle of water and took a sip. “Explore the totally-safe abandoned building until we find what we’re looking for or until something unsavoury finds us, right?”
Sounds about right, Chiyo agreed. Likely a precaution on the part of Krynn.
“I swear she better be useful…” Jack grumped, though only half-heartedly. After their trip to see the Oracle bore no fruit, this was his next best hope.
Though his hopes had been dashed once already…
“No use waiting around.” Nika snorted. “Let’s go.”
Crossing the long-abandoned carpark, they reached the main entrance - a set of tall glass doors, long since shattered, with jagged shards still clinging stubbornly to their frames. The doorway was framed with a few faded posters and billboards advertising sales and events that seemed almost surreal now.
“Damn, they don’t build them like they used to!” Sephy quipped, her wings flickering nervously as she hopped inside, taking point.
As they passed through the broken glass windows, Jack felt a sudden drop in temperature. The air inside was heavy and thick with dust, carrying the scent of mildew and decay.
“Sohla!” Alora muttered under her breath, as she threw up her dancing lights to hover above them, illuminating the dust-covered tiles around them.
“Dante, you smell anything?” Jack asked, looking down at the ‘dog’ who just stared right back at him with bright eyes. “Guess not.”
“No sign of anyone being here,” Nika spoke after crouching down and brushing the tiles with one of her fingers, lifting it up to show it caked in dust. “Chiyo?”
No life signs. The Ilithii shook her head. Though I think it would be safe to assume Krynn would have done her research on us.
“Let me know if anyone spots a terminal or something,” Sephy spoke up thoughtfully, looking about for something. “I can check and see if the local Matrix is up, or at least for any power draw around here. Hard to hide when there’s nobody else around.”
“That’s our best bet for narrowing the search. Everybody fan out as we move,” Alora instructed softly, her voice barely more than a whisper, looking around and spotting the lack of potential cover. “But make sure to stay within sight of one another just in case.”
They moved cautiously down the main atrium, which was flanked by rows of abandoned storefronts. Some had their metal gates still halfway pulled down; others stood open with their contents long looted or decayed beyond recognition, but as they moved and checked they found nothing of interest. A kids’ playpark sat in a crossroads section up ahead, with metal climbing frames that were heavily rusted and a lone swing swaying gently, creaking in the silence, moved by an unseen draft.
“Why couldn’t Sable Krynn have picked out a less spooky meeting spot?” Sephy groaned. “Especially one we have to poke around!”
“Nothing we can do about it.” Alora sighed, patting the Skritta on the back. “Let’s get this over with…”
“Alright, seriously, where the hell is she?” Jack asked impatiently, his voice bouncing off the high ceiling as they came back to the crossroads, having checked all of the downstairs. “You’d think the woman would’ve at least left some kind of sign or something.”
Guess we’re checking the upper floors, too, Chiyo confirmed.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
“Guess we are.” Nika sighed. “Shit place to get caught out, but we don’t have a choice.”
As they made their way toward the escalators, a faint sound reached Jack’s ears - a low hum, barely audible beneath the oppressive silence. He turned his head, trying to pinpoint the source, but it seemed to echo from all around them. Dante’s ears perked up, and he let out a low, cautious growl, his markings glowing faintly blue in the dim light.
“You guys hear that?” Jack whispered, his hand instinctively moving to his gun.
“Wait…yeah…I think so…” Sephy replied unsurely. “Where the hell’s it coming from?”
“We’ve cleared everything else so far,” Nika pointed out grimly. “Let’s head up to the top - at least it’ll give us a vantage point if nothing else.”
The central escalators were frozen in place, covered in a thick layer of dust that revealed no tracks of any kind. Alora gestured for the group to stay close as they ascended the dusty escalator. The upper level stretched out before them, revealing a darkened food court and the hulking shadows of long-abandoned department stores. The buzzing sound grew ever so slightly louder, though Jack still didn’t have a particular direction for the noise.
You’re definitely not imagining things, Chiyo confirmed, her eyes narrowing as she tried to focus on the buzzing sound.
“Careful, it could be bait,” Nika whispered. “Guns up.”
“I think it gets louder that way!” Sephy pointed past the food court, which led to a partially collapsed wing marked by a faded sign that read ‘MegaZone’, though several of the letters hung askew, with some having fallen away entirely.
Taking point, Jack pushed through a set of cracked double doors before being immediately hit by the stench of old electronics, rotten beer and long-forgotten industrial cleaner all at once.
“Huh, some kind of arcade…” he observed as he saw the large room filled with rows of darkened, dust-covered game cabinets, their once-bright screens now dim and lifeless. The only illumination came from Alora’s Dancing Lights and Dante’s glow, casting flickering shadows across the room.
A strange place to bring us, Chiyo noted as the Ilithii brought up the rear.
“Wow, wonder if any of these old things still work…” Sephy whispered as she kept an eye out for any movement.
“Let’s move up,” Alora ordered. The buzzing was much clearer now - a faint electronic humming noise that cut through the silence. “Whatever it is, it’s here.”
“Woof!” Dante quietly barked, and with a low, rumbling growl, he trotted toward the far corner of the room where Jack noticed the shadows flickering unnaturally. He gestured for the team to follow, keeping close behind as they weaved between the rows of ancient game cabinets, most covered in grime and tagged with faded graffiti.
They rounded a corner, and that’s when they saw it. Right at the very end of a row of broken machines, one arcade cabinet stood out like a beacon. Unlike the others, this one was suspiciously pristine—its metal casing gleaming under a coat of fresh black paint, the screen glowing with a faint blue light.
“What the…” Jack muttered, stepping closer as the machine’s screen flickered to life, displaying a swirling logo and playing some kind of happy jingle. The cabinet itself had no markings or titles, just a simple joystick and a series of unlabeled buttons beneath the screen.
As if in response to his words, the machine’s screen abruptly changed, displaying a cryptic message:
WELCOME. STEP FORWARD
Well that’s totally not sus at all, Chiyo sarcastically pointed out.
“Aegis,” Jack muttered under his breath, summoning his shield as he tentatively did as instructed, ready for this to be a trap. As he approached he spotted a camera at the top of the arcade machine, pointing directly at him.
Without warning, the screen flickered again, and this time the face of a woman appeared. From what Jack could tell she had pale, white skin, though most of the rest of her features were obscured by some kind of pixelated static. Her eyes, however, were clear, sharp and piercing, taking in the group as if she could see them through the screen.
“Greetings, Jack and company,” came a smooth, almost melodic voice, tinged with an undercurrent of relief.
“Sable Krynn I presume?” Alora asked as she stepped forward, her posture calm and composed as always. “Forgive me, but we were expecting to meet you in person?”
“Indeed. I am Sable Krynn, and were you really now, Princess Alora?” The woman asked in amusement, before her pixelated smile narrowed as she focused her attention on the Eladrie, with Alora’s eyes widening at being called ‘Princess’.
Jack crossed his arms, trying to appear nonchalant despite the growing tension. “Alright, Krynn. We’re here, and you wanted to meet. From what I understand you may be able to help me.”
“Yes.” The image of Krynn nodded, and her smile seemed to grow warmer. “I have an interest in Outsiders and how they come to be among us. I will admit that my interest in you began as a mere curiosity, but since I first learned of you, I have learned greatly of your exploits and know much of the good you have done for this city. You should be proud. If my talents can aid you in uncovering the mystery of your arrival in our realm of Realspace with a possibility of returning to your native realm, I shall certainly assist you.”
“I…thank you...” Jack nodded.
“I have compiled a dossier on you, based on what is publicly known, as well as other cases I am involved in,” Krynn continued. “Though I will require some clarification. Special points of interest I have noted include the Spawn of Nekdon you discovered, the corrupting of The Oracle, the Cult of the Destroyer, the events of the latest Killer Klown attack, and most recently your work for Corvin Enterprises.”
Jack could have sworn she gave a hint of a grimace at that last one, though if Krynn did, she didn’t make a show of it.
“Yes.” Jack nodded again. “What did you need clarification on?”
“I do not yet know,” Krynn admitted. “Your case is strange. Let’s start with what I know of your arrival. You woke up in the Pallid Pit, which at the time was home to the Ravagers, publicly known as a gang affiliated with the Cult of the Destroyer, at least until their status as a front for more senior cultists became known.”
“That’s right.” Jack nodded.
“What was your last memory of your native plane?” Krynn asked, taking notes.
“I went to sleep in my room, then the next thing I know I woke up in the Pit,” Jack answered.
“So nothing you did, to your knowledge, brought you here.” Krynn pondered thoughtfully. “How long did you sleep for, would you say? Were you rested when you woke?”
“Um..” Jack began, thrown off slightly by the question. “Maybe I got a few hours in? I was exhausted when I woke up, but I was definitely about to drop when I met the Paladins of Astara.”
“I know that it was a Divine Command from Astara herself that her Paladins drop everything and come to your rescue,” Krynn added. “I feel that is significant.”
“The clerics tried to commune with Astara about it, but they confirmed she had nothing to do with my arrival, but noticed it and wanted to help,” Jack replied.
“So they say.” Krynn nodded thoughtfully. “But the place itself has significance. I understand that House Mal’Kar has taken over the district, and I was able to learn of its ties to the Gloom Paths. Did you find anything of interest down there?”
“Wait!” Sephy suddenly spoke up. “There was a ritual chamber down there! We got it all on camera!”
And the Gloom Cauldron used to be down there too where we encountered the Prophet and the Skinsaw Slashers, Chiyo added, her words repeated verbally by Nika. Though I suspect much of that chamber was destroyed in the explosion when Devil’s Daughter teleported us out.
“Is the ritual chamber below the place you woke up at, at least approximately?” Krynn asked, and the Skritta quickly skimmed through the data on her commlink before nodding.
“Send me that footage, I think that’s key to working out why Jack appeared there of all places,” Krynn instructed. “And this…Gloom Cauldron. I’ve read a report on it, I assume from your own investigations?”
“Yeah, what happened to that thing by the way?” Jack asked, looking to Chiyo.
The Temple of Hope now has it, the Ilithii recalled. We learned everything we could from it, but it was far too dangerous to keep in the house when we started housing our classmates after the Klown attack. But we still have our notes on it.
“Fair enough.” Jack shrugged.
“It is possible that this artefact was a ritual component, due to its prior proximity to the site,” Krynn theorised. “So learning the nature of the ritual is a key objective. However the artefact didn’t remain there forever. You discovered it for the first time in the hands of Dubakuu, an ex-priest of Nekdon, who was originally chasing your bounty, Jack, before their objective seemingly changed towards assaulting the Oracle, though your actions prevented their destruction or harm.”
“Yeah…” Jack began tentatively. “We eventually learned that Dubakuu was in the thrall of Malakiel, who had some kind of relay in the Pallid Pit.”
“Malakiel is definitely involved in this somehow,” Krynn agreed. “But I don’t know to what degree or extent. Either way, I believe Dubakuu coming into possession of the Gloom Cauldron was an effort to scatter the components of the ritual, though I don’t know why. However there is far more to Dubakuu than that.”
“How so?” Jack asked.
“Because,” Krynn stated grimly as she steepled her fingers, “Dubakuu assaulted the Oracle when he should have been lying in wait for you when Malakiel locked you in the ancient metro system. This is a strange change in behaviour, but the recordings you picked up are interesting.”
Krynn did something from where she was, and the recording of Dubakuu played out.
“My lord….the other whisperer….it wants me to….yes….”
“In all likelihood, the ravings of a madman about to die,” Krynn noted sharply, “But there’s another working theory, insane, but one I am willing to entertain considering the other factors at play. Dubakuu hears the orders from Malakiel…and the orders from another. This ‘Other Whisperer’ they speak of.”
“What?” Jack asked in confusion. “Malakiel and someone else fighting for control in Dubakuu’s head?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Krynn nodded, fully serious. “Two masters, two objectives. Malakiel wanted you dead, but the influence of this other ‘Master’ caused them to attack the Oracle instead.”
“You don’t think Malakiel and this other master are working together?” Nika asked sceptically.
In answer, Krynn played another recording of that encounter, this time of Malakiel.
“UNAUTHORISED SECONDARY PRESENCE DETECTED……UNKNOWN FACTION…..THREAT LEVEL……EXTREME…..”
“No.” Krynn shook her head. “This and my other conclusions point to non-cooperation.”
“Then how was this other master able to use Dubakuu?” Sephy asked.
“I don’t know.” Krynn shook her head. “But targeting the Oracle is telling, even if Dubakuu failed.”
“Yeah.” Jack nodded. “Mr Sparrel directed me to the Oracle to try and find answers, but when we got there, it was a dead end. When we asked it questions it didn't have the answers, then when we questioned it further it panicked, said there was something wrong with it…”
Sable Krynn played another recording.
“MY KNOWLEDGE AND MEMORIES HAVE BEEN….HOW COULD THIS BE? MY ESSENCE HAS BEEN CORRUPTED…SOMEONE HAS…WHAT COULD POSSIBLY…”
“Specifically this,” the detective pointed out. “Not only that they had suffered harm that prevented you from getting answers, but implying that someone did it on purpose.”
“Yeah…” Jack agreed, remembering his despair in that moment. “At the time I didn’t know what to think and I wasn’t in a good place. It sucks but…it’s a dead end, right? Not even the Oracle knew what had happened until that point, they said they didn’t know when its corruption happened. They’re a long lived being, and even they couldn’t give us any more information.
“It may not be a dead end as you assume.” Krynn shook her head thoughtfully. “An Elder Tree is a very powerful being, and being able to affect one so profusely in this way requires an even greater level of power. It could have happened a long time ago as you say, but…that may not be the case. There’s something else in reasonable proximity to the Oracle that also required immense power to summon.”
“The Spawn of Nekdon.” Alora pointed out.
“Correct.” Krynn nodded. “The close proximity of something else that requires a considerable amount of magical power cannot be ignored. It may just be a coincidence, but it is very possible that whoever summoned the Spawn of Nekdon is also responsible for what happened to the Oracle. The fact that Dubakuu made a move for the Oracle after encountering the Spawn lends credence to my theory.”
“The Temple of Hope is already looking for the summoner,” Jack noted. “You’re saying they’re likely involved in this somehow?”
“It’s only a theory,” Krynn stressed. “It’s possible it has nothing to do with you at all, but it’s an avenue worth exploring. As for who it could be…that’s a very important question. Several of the Elder Dragons in the city for example may have that kind of power, as do several of the Top 10 bounties, and many others; however, public investigations have eliminated many of the names that come to mind. I suspect an unknown, and your recent activities may have uncovered one. I’ve read the report you gave to the Temple of Hope, specifically the entity Jack encountered in the Astral Realm after destroying this…cocoon?”
“Yeah.” Jack sighed. “No idea what it was, but it kicked my arse before I got pulled back to reality.”
“I suspect you encountered a Demon Lord.” Krynn grimaced. “You were lucky to escape with your life.”
“Oh shit!” Nika cursed.
“Yes.” The avatar on the screen nodded slowly. “I very briefly considered you being one yourself when you first came to my attention, Jack, but this is the real deal. Demon Lords are also powerful enough to pull this off, and many of them hide themselves as they grow in power to become Galactic-Level threats.”
So they’re a suspect. Chiyo nodded.
“For now,” Krynn agreed. “But we also know the identity of someone who is known to be involved,” Sable Krynn noted. “Dr Reyazz Grine. His involvement with the Killer Klown is yet another mystery I intend to solve, however, my own efforts to find him have been fruitless.”
“But what does this all mean?” Jack asked the detective.
“That you’re somehow involved in a dangerous plot of cataclysmic potential.” Krynn sighed, steepling her fingers. “And I have every intention of finding out what the specifics of that is. And if I can help you get home in the process, that’ll be great too.”
“Well at least we know a bit more now,” Jack noted grimly.
“There is now the question of my price,” Krynn suddenly interrupted.
“Huh?” Jack asked, briefly surprised. “You didn’t mention it in your letter, how much are you asking for?”
“I’m not looking for money.” Krynn shook her head. “Our meeting today was paid for by the information I have learned from you, but if I am to perform an important service for you, you are to perform an important service for me.”
“Okay?” Jack asked. “What service?”
“Nothing now.” Krynn shook her head. “Aside from your word that when I call on you and your team, you will perform the task I ask of you, and then you get what you need.”
“That’s not ominous at all,” Nika pointed out.
“Hardly as ominous as one who hails from the Gossamer Valleys will be used to,” Krynn retorted, and Nika’s face went white at hearing her homeland being spoken of so casually. She’d never told anyone about that, or what had happened!
Jack looked to the others, everyone nodding their agreement. “Alright Krynn, you have a deal. But nothing stupid.”
“It will be within your capabilities.” Krynn smiled. “You have been a hero to this city, Jack Frost. Rest assured that what I ask of you shall be in the name of the greater good.”
“Alright.” Jack nodded.
“One more thing,” Krynn added. “I do not know if it pertains to this investigation, but something that Dubakuu said is concerning.
Again, the recording played.
“We all heard his screams as the Whispering Lord was killed!” The raving voice of Dubakuu yelled out.
“Yeah, I keep being told about how Nekdon is apparently dead…” Jack grumbled.
“Note the wording,” Krynn pointed out. “He said ‘Killed’, specifically. Not simply ‘Dead’. That is significant. It implies that something killed Nekdon.”
“Oh shit…” Jack gasped.
“Yes.” Krynn nodded as she saw that all of them recognised the significance. “Something powerful enough to kill a god. And a Spawn of Nekdon summoned after the fact? This is huge, and I intend to find out everything I can.”
“So what happens now?” Jack asked.
“Don’t speak of this meeting to anybody,” Krynn instructed. “And await my correspondence. I shall make inquiries and investigate, though you should not sit by idly. Conduct whatever investigation you see fit to.”
“We will.” Jack nodded.
“Then until next time, I wish you the best of luck.” Krynn nodded, and the screen turned off.
“You too-” Jack began, before the arcade machine suddenly exploded. He lurched back on reflex, but the payload wasn’t a big one, as the arcade machine was bricked, and turned to molten slag.
“She could have just said goodbye the normal way!” Sephy quipped.
“Not dramatic enough!” Alora smiled, before her face grew serious. “Jack? Are you okay?”
“Yeah…I think so.” Jack sighed. “This is a hell of a lot to deal with.”
We should get back and organise our thoughts, Chiyo proposed. Then work out our next steps.
“Dr Grine,” Jack said coldly. “He has a lot of answers. If we find him…”
“Yeah,” Nika agreed. “Though he’s gone to ground, he’ll surface eventually.”
“Indeed.” Alora nodded. “And we’ll be ready when he does.” She motioned with her hands towards the way they came as the group began the long trek back home.
“But right now? We should probably do our homework first!”