GRIFFIN TUCKER, GREAT HOUSE SCION, REBORN LVL 1
MOUNT DISCOVERY, PROVINCE OF ARAGONIA
Griffin coughed weakly and rolled to his side, retching. He took a shallow, shaky breath and peered around him, trying to ignore the now-glowing tiny version of his fiancée. He squinted, trying to make out where he was. Her tiny glowing body didn’t reveal anything nearby.
The monster hadn’t followed him at least. The backs of his legs burned, but he didn’t otherwise feel particularly hurt. He was in some kind of warm, slimy substance that he didn’t want to think about. It squelched disgustingly as he shifted.
“Griffin!” Kismet was suddenly standing directly in front of his face, her glowing form standing on thin air. He blinked. “You cannot afford to be scared into inaction right now. You will die if you don’t start listening to me. It’s why I’m here.”
“Look,” Griffin said, picking his words carefully, feeling panic at the edges of his mind, “I don’t know what the hell is going on here. Well, I do know what’s going on here and I don’t want to admit it.” He took a deep breath, regretting it almost immediately as he started coughing and retching from the smell. Once he got control of himself, he continued. “I’m dissociating. Or maybe I’ve had a traumatic break and I’m interpreting it through a horror-fantasy lens. It all makes sense in a sick kind of way.”
He tried to stand up, wobbling a little on his feet. The burning sensation on the back of his legs was already beginning to fade. “But as long as I’m dissociating, I’d at least like to get somewhere that smells better.”
Kismet appeared in front of him again smiling this time. “Well, I can help with that! I have detailed knowledge of the layout of this facility. We’re currently in the auxiliary cybernetics research laboratory.” She looked around, frowning. “The interior decoration has changed since these maps were last updated. Initial observations are grim. You are in far greater danger here than you were in the room above, Griffin.”
“What do you mean?” Griffin hissed, “It didn’t follow me in here!”
“No…Adolescents wouldn’t go into the nest. The Mother would eat them.”
“Uh.” Griffin said, “Did you say that thing was an adolescent? Why is my psychotic break trying to kill me like this specifically?”
“You need to move,” Kismet said, “you’ve crushed about forty eggs. The Mother will be on her way and according to the System monster entry for the plasma cybercentipede Mother, you do not want to meet her.”
Griffin staggered out of the squishy substance he was standing in—the crushed eggs of a plasma cybercentipede apparently—and slipped and slid down a sharp incline. He got to his feet, arms flailing in the dark.
Kismet zipped down in front of him and said, “That wasn’t very adroit, but if you get out of this, you’ll be able to get better. Now follow me!”
Kismet floated a few feet in front of him beckoning for him to follow. Griffin didn’t hesitate a moment. She glowed with a soft light like hope itself. He stumbled and slipped, bumping into tables and other obstacles. He couldn’t see anything but Kismet’s glowing form, bobbing and floating just ahead of him. The floor beneath him was sticky with some kind of tarry substance and his feet were coated in it. He tripped a couple of times, once bashing his shin on a hidden piece of debris, but he kept following Kismet.
The terror coursing through him combined with the impossibility of everything that had happened so far were conspiring to cut Griffin completely adrift from his sense of reality. He was so scared he couldn’t think properly; he kept seeing flashes of the mad drive in August Vasilias’ futuristic car as the Earth tore itself apart. Those memories kept combining with memories of D&D games and computer games where he explored caves and ruins just like this and even though everything was alien and terrifying, there was an element of distinct familiarity in it all that made Griffin’s skin crawl. Those were supposed to be games. There weren’t supposed to actually be monsters in the dark.
Within a few seconds that stretched out like hours because of the dark, Griffin’s outstretched hands brushed a wall coated in more slime. Kismet turned and said, “That’s odd… The structure here has significantly changed if you reached the wall alrea—Griffin. Stop moving.”
Griffin stopped, one foot hovering and about to set down. He tottered a little and hissed back, “What?! Why? I thought you were leading me out of here! Maybe you have a bad memory or something?”
“That’s not the wall, Griffin.” Kismet hissed back. Griffin’s eyes widened as he realized what she meant. “It’s sleeping. But if you keep touching it, it will wake up early and it will eat you.”
Griffin instinctively flinched back from the “wall”, overbalancing and slipping onto his bare ass, collapsing in a heap to the floor. The wall shivered and Griffin felt the whistle of air right by his head as something large clunked down next to him like a guillotine.
“Don’t move,” Kismet whispered right in his ear.
The large something shifted fractionally, then lifted again. “Okay,” Kismet whispered in his ear again, “it’s just having a dream. Come on, there should be another exit over here. No, don’t stand. Crawl.”
Griffin crawled after Kismet until she led him to another wall—a real wall, he hoped—and his questing hands found a doorknob. He turned it and the door opened into a softly lit hallway stretching to the left and right. He stumbled out of the foul-smelling nest and shut the door quietly behind him. As soon as he did, another floating text box with a shimmering purple outline popped up in front of him, disappearing automatically after he read the message.
Achievement Gained!
Soft Stepping
Description: Sneak by a Monster at least 1 Class higher than your rank.
Reward: +1 Precision – [Error: Precision Attribute has not been unlocked. Attribute increase deferred]
It was disconcertingly clean and bland in the hall. Like a science fiction spaceship set. It was lit by gently glowing panels in the wall that gave a soft diffuse light. Griffin’s feet were caked in a coating of thick slime, and he left black footprints on the thick grey carpet. It smelled vaguely of basil in the hall. Griffin’s legs gave out and he sank to his knees as he started shivering in reaction.
“You can’t stop moving now, Griffin. There’s a safe room not far from here. A place where even plasma cybercentipedes are not likely to have breached.” She floated a few feet away, gesturing again.
Griffin stumbled to his feet and, looking over his shoulder at the door he’d emerged from, followed after the tiny floating figure of his fiancée.
XANDER VASILIAS, ☆☆GRAVITON KNIGHT, STONE LVL 14
ROSE PALACE, ARAGON
Xander Vasilias
Race
Human
Rank/Level
☆☆ Stone Rank Gravity Knight Level 14
House
House Vasilias
Racial Gifts
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[Enhanced] System Access, [Great] House Seal, [Un]Limited Inventory, Incredibly Strong, Enhance Damage
Attributes
Dominion
30 [Gravity] / 30 ☆
Speed
19 [Hammer] / 30
Precision
25 [Strength] / 30
Growth
22 [Adventure] / 30
Arcana
30 [Black Hole] / 30 ☆
Tensa Pool
29.3 ks
Gear
Vasilias Heavy Armor, Singularity Hammer, House Vasilias Seal, Infused Polyalloy Shield, Jump Jets, Legendary BOTI Bag
Core Grafts
Increase Mass [Gravity], Meteor Blow [Hammer], Crushing Blow [Strength], Call Weapon [Adventure], GravQuake [Black Hole]
Class Powers
Attack
Final Collapse [Black Hole]
Whirling Strike [Hammer]
Defense
Bulwark [Adventure]
Utility
Devour Light [Black Hole]
Gravitic Sight [Gravity]
Decrease Mass [Gravity]
Movement
Summon Steed [Adventure]
Slingshot Maneuver [Gravity]
Support
Lend Strength [Strength]
A warm breeze brought the heady scent of roses to Xander as he brought the cup of tea to his lips. He looked at his mother, Rikael Vasilias, over the rim surreptitiously. She was poised and still, completely focused on the Systablo in her hand. She absently took a deep maroon wedge of buala fruit, popping it in her mouth while she read. Xander put his teacup down without sipping the exquisite tea sweetened slightly with astral honey.
He opened his mouth, but the words died on his lips. He thought about picking up the teacup again and even started to do so, but then put his hand back in his lap. He looked around a little desperately, trying to find inspiration in his surroundings.
Xander and his mother were on the veranda in the courtyard of the Rose Palace. Pink and orange roses grew in carefully shaped profusion all over the walls and the pergola which provided some shade from the high sun. They were seated at a small table with a white linen tablecloth. A platter of sliced buala fruit, creamy white Viltara cheese, and pancakes with honey and butter were arrayed in exacting precision on the table. A small cup of hot Aragonian espresso steamed next to the spread of food. A place for everything and everything in its place.
“Mother,” he started. He cleared his throat. Rikael didn’t even look up from her Systablo. She was intent on it this morning. He tried again, “Mother, I need to talk to you.”
She glanced up at him and arched an elegant eyebrow in expectation, “Yes? Here I am, Xander. Well, what is it?” She always did that: made him feel like a child who had disturbed her at work.
Xander stood up abruptly from the table, being careful about the chair and the napkin. He smoothed down his House uniform, the Ten Stars of House Vasilias glittering on his dark blue jacket. He was acutely conscious of his appearance right now. “Mother, it’s about my application to the Order.”
“Not this again!” Rikael placed her Systablo carefully on the table in front of her, maneuvering it between the delicate porcelain breakfast set so that it sat face-up. She even stopped looking at it to fix Xander with a piercing glare that pinned him where he stood. “Xander, we’ve been over this. The Order of Ascension is not secure. There are already at least three House Bardoul scions—” she held up a hand to forestall his argument, barreling right through his counterpoint just like always, “recognized or not, they’re scions of Bardoul—and at minimum half a dozen other Houses lining up behind Bardoul sending their hopefuls there. You’d be like a worm on a hook, not to mention the inherent risks in the types of missions the Order Reborn undertakes.”
“You’ve never been fishing before in your life,” Xander accused. “And shouldn’t we be trying to resolve this conflict with House Bardoul? It’s insane that we’re still fighting.”
Rikael’s eyes flashed dangerously, her formerly diffuse anima suddenly sharpening uncomfortably around him, “Don’t try to distract me. With our bid for Great House status advancing in just two more years all our plans are in motion to consolidate our claim on the Cataclysm Mountains.” Rikael took a long sip of her espresso, closing her eyes as she tried to calm herself. “I know how much you’ve always wanted to join the Order of Ascension, Xander, but you must understand that it is simply impossible for a Reborn in your position.”
“It’s been a dream my whole life,” he said, his voice getting a little husky. He cleared his throat again, “And you promised me that I could this year! You said that—”
“That was before your nephew. And now your brother, Ravi, is in the Eastern Reaches of the Cataclysm Mountains on another dangerous mission. They could be attacked by a force of orcs at any time!” She shook her head with finality, her mouth firm. “No. The danger is too great. Omer’s ‘accident’… It was Bardoul agents, we’re sure of it; now security has increased and we can’t risk you. Besides,” she took a little sip, “we have a place for you here. You know what our plans are in the mountains. You’re vital to that effort.”
Xander fell silent. Omer had changed in the months since he’d returned from his first Dungeon run, though no one would tell him what had happened. “Mother, what really happened to him? One day I’m told that he’s terribly ill out of nowhere. No one will talk about it and no one will let me see—”
He was cut off by a chime from the tablet on the table. His mother held up an imperious, beringed hand as she picked up the Systablo, cutting off further conversation. Xander opened and closed his mouth like a fish before finally settling on closing his mouth and grinding his teeth. He watched his mother’s face curiously as her expression went from the usual impassive, slightly disapproving beauty to outright shock. Her mouth fell open as her eyes scanned whatever message was appearing on the screen over and over.
“Mother?” Xander said, alarmed, “Is something wrong?” He walked over and looked over her shoulder at the tablet, trying to see what had caused such a reaction.
There on the screen was a simple text box, outlined in thick, curlicued purple and gold lines:
SYSTEM MESSAGE
The Empire Welcomes the latest Great House to join the Imperial Family:
HOUSE VASILIAS
HOUSE VASILIAS has regained its Great House status after nearly half an eon. Let the entire world tremble as, by embodying the ambition of the Reborn, HOUSE VASILIAS has regained its ancestral seat in the Imperial Senate. Ratification of this historic event will enshrine it in Imperial law during the next session of the Imperial Senate in 1 year.
“Is this a joke?!” Xander asked, his legs feeling weak as he read the message from the System.
Rikael shook her head, “This is a System message. The System does not make jokes.” She narrowed her eyes at the message, flicking deft, quick fingers over the Systablo’s screen. She swiftly sorted through a myriad of menus and security programs before she finally found what she was looking for: House Vasilias System logs. She scanned down the list until she found a particular entry.
“There is not merely one,” she muttered. “There are two log entries listing Great House Seals with House Vasilias etheric encoding, though the logs do not contain location metadata. Or the System has censored it.”
Xander didn’t interrupt. When his mother got into her analytic focus, she was liable to snap your head off if she was interrupted. Besides, this had greater implications than even his mother knew.
What will Zahara say? He wondered. His fist tightened at his side. She’ll be frantic I’m sure. But she must know this won’t change anything.
He glanced back at his mother. Rikael was still deeply engaged in the System logs and it was good odds that she’d be there for a long time. If there were Scions out there with Great House Seals within them, then they needed to be found. His mother would agree, he was sure; no need to bother her with his preparations. He stood up quietly from the table, placing his napkin on his plate and taking a last sip of tea before he left the veranda as quietly as he could. His mother never looked up from her Systablo.
He would need to assemble his team. Every Reborn team in the House would be expected to search for the Great House Seal-holders, whoever they were. He resolved that he would do everything within his power to ensure that his team would be the one to find them. But first, he had to find Zahara. Where would she be in the middle of the day?
Xander smiled. He knew exactly where Zahara would be. He strode through the tall glass doors, his footsteps echoing on the pink marble floor. The conservatory off the veranda was a gorgeous indoor garden with a meandering stream that wound through the whole garden. Artfully-placed waterfalls and natural wind-chimes cultivated an air of peace and tranquility. Hidden among the profusion of plants, Xander spotted one of his mother’s Ivory-rank personal guards.
He frowned as their eyes met—it was one of Aashva’s special House Guard, a Specter—and they wouldn’t have been visible to him at all unless Aashva wished him to know. The Chief of Security for House Vasilias was letting him know that she was watching him. He tried not to make it too obvious that he was grinding his teeth, but the Specter flashed a winking face on its blank black full-face helmet that Xander instantly wanted to punch them for. He controlled himself and kept on his way.
If Aashva wanted to watch him tell his girlfriend goodbye, she was welcome. Her opinion of Zahara was well-known to him. Xander did his best to banish Aashva and his mother from his mind. He was going to position his team to be the ones who found the lost Scions and Zahara would have the perfect way to celebrate. He grinned to himself as he continued through the Rose Palace to his quarters. After all, he needed to get changed if he was going to be going out on the town before he gathered his team for the search.
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