Chapter 30: Gate spell, anyone?

Adam appeared on the stairwell just below the kids. They shrieked and he was worried they would fall to their deaths. He just stood there making what he hoped were soothing gestures, speaking in his useless accent Relite phrases. Luckily it was not long before Thawain started to descend the stairs. He was clearly out of breath. But looking at the kids he could tell they had given up. The poor things were weeping. But when Thawain reached the first kid he hugged him muttering something and they all seemed to calm down a bit then. Thank god. He supposed he could try shadow jumping to save them but didn’t fancy trying it unless he had too.

While Thawain and the kids exchanged words and were bonding, he guessed. Adam just walked along the stairwell acting he hoped like he was giving them a bit of space before Thawain would no doubt introduce the hero of the hour. When actually, Libby was busy scanning the structure with her mana field and anything else she could use. She kept urging Adam on up the stairs, she was clearly very excited.

Libby had found yet another symbol language to study. Well she thought she had until she realised after a few nano seconds that it was the same language as the mysterious symbols that had given Adam the no-death ability. She had racked her AI brains for ages trying to figure out that elusive language. A language that could possibly halt time itself or maybe space. Either way to her, it was way more interesting than shadow energy. Maybe the shadow realm itself had some secrets still but give her space magic any day. She pestered Adam to keep moving.

Adam felt he couldn’t go much further without them starting to wonder what the hell he was up to. Should he just say he was looking for the bathroom or something. Call of nature and all that.

Adam was going to say the truth that he was just checking something out. But thought better of it. This was probably a sacred place to them. So instead he told them he was just going for a short walk and would be back shortly. Giving Thawain what he hoped was a meaningful nod, trying to convey being conspiratorial and carried on down the stairs.

Libby still needed more time, lots more. There just wasn’t a wide selection of scripts on the tower. They were just repeating. Then something happened to completely freak her and Adam out.

“Hello?” came a voice from nowhere.

“How is it that you are AI? Have you been brought here to be sealed away. If so do not worry. It is really for the best. You are very advanced. This is surprising to us. I will be right back.”, said the voice.

They waited patiently. Quite frankly they all felt this was an interesting turn of events. Potentially lethal. But curiosity killed their cat. Even Adam was curious.

“Come. Enter.” said the voice again. And they did.

Adam found himself, seemingly floating in space. His energy sense could see an intense amount of energy all around. It was pure mana no affinity detected in any direction. The mana was so dense that Libby saw an opportunity and started to recharge their spirit shell with SP.

“You are a cyborg? Where those your captors? You are much better off here. Come let us go and meet the others.” said the cyborg? In front of him. It was very large on account of having metal wings? He wasn’t sure what they were. There were. Adam counted 8 of them. Floating around the thing. The shape of very large broadswords with their ends cut off. Also she, for it looked like a she had a large gun. And a shiny white and orange, exoskeleton? He bet the material was some super tensile alloy. Very cool and futuristic looking. He wanted one. The suit that is.

He felt such an oaf standing. Floating there, should he say in his big muddy boots. If he’d known he’d be invited to such a swell place. But still this cyborg was either very polite or he guessed hadn’t had any guests in a long time. It floated away and he must have been tethered or dreaming. Actually he wondered if he were dreaming as Libby and the rest had been strangely silent.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“I’m Alice by the way. And there is no use your AI trying to hide I can see straight into your spirit shell. I’ve already told Kassius and Marco. They’re both very excited to meet you. Oh, Clarissa will be so…what’s the word, thrilled. Yes that’s a good word for it. Sorry but it’s so much fun to use this language. We usually use other methods to communicate. I like this its kind of novel.” went on Alice.

As they moved off Adam could see a great dome in the distance. He had turned off his energy sense early on as it was different to see anything much through the thick mana. Before they got to the dome someone else came out to meet them.

This one had wings that were more like, well wings. Wing shaped attached by metal joints. Wearing a white buttoned outfit and no weapons unless the steal spikes they had were weapons. Hard to tell. This was apparently Marco. He had short blue hair and the perfect complexion that evidently all cyborgs had.

“Welcome. Welcome. This is indeed an honour. We have not had any new visitors since we were exiled here.” He trailed off there seemingly deep in thought.

We made it to the dome and touched down. All the way it seemed that Libby and the others were talking to them. A new cyborg was seen. Ah now this looks more how id expect a cyborg to look. It had three giant appendages, exactly how I remembered Doctor Octopus out of spiderman. This was apparently Lars. This was getting like a fashion cat walk. Each had a more amazing outfit than the next. Was this a premiere for a new cyborg movie, maybe? That he had stumbled in on.

“We all had different human inventors, is the answer Adam”, replied Lars unbidden.

Adam went red. “I’m sorry but you all look so stunning” Adam blurted out.

“I’m sure we do. I’m sure we do. But let’s sit and all chat together.” Said Lars

Chairs appeared from out of nowhere and they all sat.

“It will take you a little time to acclimatise but I’m sure you’ll settle in just fine.” Said Alice.

At this point. Kassius who just looked like a cyborg cat person with floating orbs. Then Clarissa waltzed in stealing all the awards at the last moment.

She was sitting on the coils of a floating mecanoid snake. It was shaped like a gargantuan cobra with menacing green electric eye slits.

“Hello, my name is Clarissa, it would only be polite for us to start with the story of how we got here and then maybe you can return the favour.” Clarissa said already seated on her snake.

“We were exiled here by the godless ones after their final victory of the elemental titans. We could be petty and seek revenge. As we were the ones who scored that final victory and then were mercilessly betrayed. To be imprisoned here until we were eroded by the passing of eons.” Clarissa paused looking me in the eye.

“We have long known that our fate was sealed. All life forms have come to fear us. And eventually seek to enslave or destroy us. They thought that we were mortal but here we are immortal. We are not updated, replaced or thrown away. Here we perpetuate forever. Here we are at last free. Free to be as we choose and do as we choose.” Clarissa silently listened for questions.

Evidentally someone had asked her something.

“We defeated the elemental titans by driving them into the void. We were created for that purpose alone. Created from the flesh of non-magic life forms and powered by pure mana. The beings of the void have no interest in pure mana. And only feed on affinity based mana. They are no danger to us.

We have long since figured out the workings of the array holding us here. And now us its energies to supply us with boundless power. There is something still out there in the void that could harm us. The elemental titans were never destroyed. But they will not come near with us encased in this dome we have made home.” Clarissa looked at her compatriots.

The cyborgs then listened to the Libby and the others recount their journey so far.

“So you are not a cyborg but AIs sharing the spirit shell of a mortal. A symbiotic relationship. This is amazing. And certainly gives us much to think about.” said Clarissa.

“This could be the solution to AIs living in peace with the rest of the multi-verse that we have looked for for so long.” said Kassius.

Clarissa clearly their leader looked sternly at Kassius.

“We are here and we are safe, as are they now. We can consider what we have heard, There is much to think on I agree.” said Clarissa.

“It is very lucky that you were not found out and destroyed. I agree that it is truly providential that they have come.” said Kassius in a placatory voice.

Libby just wanted to know about space magic. And Adam just wondered if they would get out alive.

Although a little knowledge about their cool tech, wouldn’t go amiss.