The ease with which I had dispatched the Stalking Scav warrior filled me with a small surge of pride. Not that long ago mere proximity to a Decayling had nearly killed me, and now I could shrug off being stabbed and annihilated a strong enemy with the least impressive blade on my spear. I needed more power, though, if I had any hope of saving Etienne. I didn’t have long to consider my gains from my academy days, Instincts of the Gossamyr blared sirens in my head and I threw up a wall before Chrys and I.

“Wha—”

BOOM.

The corpse exploded, bits of Stalking Scav flesh rained across the chamber, some splattered on the metal wall of the ruins.

“Who blows up their own corpse?” I asked Chrys with honest confusion.

“People who don’t want you to get ahold of their equipment?” Chrys answered in annoyance. “Someday, I will get ahold of their equipment and figure out how it works.”

“Do you think it’s a contingency, then? Or did someone do it remotely?” What kind of fanatic would wear protective gear that could kill them? If it could explode on command, why couldn’t it explode when people attacked them? Did the Scavs have such advanced science that they didn’t have to worry about it, even in a world full of chaos, magic, and other powers?

“I didn’t sense any sympathetic linkages activate; it must have been triggered by the Scavs death,” Chrys grumbled.

“Well, there’s only one door in. Stay at least ten feet behind me.” I didn’t trust the complacency of these Scavs. If this one wanted to fight me one on one, would our travels through the ruins be one disappointing duel after another, each one promising the rest wouldn’t fight me, and each one making an exception for themselves?

I approached the doorway cautiously. The strange circular doorway showed no sign of having a door, but there were strange grooves in the frame of the door.

“Iris doors. What I wouldn’t give to have a pair of these at home,” Chrys whispered and stroked one of her stone fingers along the retracted door.

“She is right to worship me,” Arx Maxima declared.

I don’t think Chrys is worshipping you, appreciating is much more of an appropriate word.

“You emit the same sense when you drool at your reflection, worship is indeed the word.” Arx Maxima’s response left me with an ache in my heart, and for a moment I swore one of Amaranthine’s shadows had a touch of red to their eyes, but after I blinked it was gone.

So, this is part of Arx Maxima, the Ultimate Fortress?

“This is Plate #X7J4K9P, or more accurately, a portion of the Plate. It was constructed seven-hundred years Pre-Calamity, using the raw materials of three solar systems. There is a Talent Management Office down this path. I will guide you.”

Arx Maxima floated ahead of me, her golden crystal slowly levitating down the main hall from the entry. I gripped Delirium of Ruin tightly in my hand, then followed. When I stepped past the door, previously unlit patches on the wall came to life to banish the darkness.

“Welcome, Delegate LeeRoy. It has been %ERROR% years since an officer of the Stellarae Enclave commanded this Plate. Please report to the nearest command terminal to assume your rightful position of authority. Warning: Trespassers have made a claim to local sections. All non-public areas have been secured to prevent leaks of Stellarae Enclave resources and technology. Please visit the nearest command terminal so that we may provide you a full status report.”

The voice sounded very close to Arx Maxima’s, only less emotive and dull.

“Officer of the Stellarae Enclave? Command Terminal? You’ve got some explaining to do, sloshy,” Chrys had frozen the moment the voice talked, but her attention felt fully on me. Gneisslings don’t glare, what with not having actual eyes, but Chrys mustered up the equivalent of a glare, I felt scrutinized and mentally dissected, and it made the hair on the back of my arms stand up. The small spike that rose between my eyes itched.

“I don’t slosh, and three of my enkindled concepts are Arx Maxima, the Ultimate Fortress of the Stellarae Enclave. I’m in regular contact with her.”

Chrys didn’t respond for a bit, and then I thought she was growling, but it turned out to be rumbling laughter that grew louder by the second, until it reverberated like thunder in my own chest. She laughed for a good minute, before she finally got herself under control.

“I told Granix it was beyond suspicious you could summon EternaStone, but he didn’t want me to press the issue because you’re an Enkindler, and you elevated more than twenty of us to Orange, including me.” Vindication shone clear in Chrys’s voice, and I could only imagine the massive I-told-you-so she intended to give Granix.

“Wait, that means you can open the Ruins?” Chrys’s demeanor changed dramatically and with little warning, her voice suddenly turned as sweet and smooth as honey.

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“Seems like it, let’s find out.” I followed the lead of Arx Maxima, and the hallways continued to be bathed in light as we followed the crystal towards a command terminal.

“Where are all of the Scavs?” Chrys asked skeptically.

“I’d guess they’re watching, somehow, and waiting to attack until after I fight their leader or open doors they couldn’t get through?” I pointed at the lights, but then remembered Chrys did not see via eyes or light. “Lights turning on for me has got to be an attention grabber.”

Unlike the metal exterior hull of the Plate, the insides transitioned to an EternaStone floor and enameled white walls. I couldn’t hear anyone following us, but I felt eyes watching from the areas not bathed in lighting. Only the lights in our proximity produced radiance, and once we were more than twenty feet past them they turned back off. It made gauging distance we walked difficult, until I started to count the light panels, which seemed to be evenly spaced every ten feet. After we walked past six hundred and forty light panels, we came to a set of impressive double doors. Scorched bits of carbon and scratches marred the door, but whoever had tried to get through it had never made any real progress.

I stared at the dual door, wondering how to open it, when Arx Maxima floated towards it. It slid open scant micro-seconds before her crystal touched the door. Inside, a black room awaited, but when I took a step, lights within the room turned on, and cast brilliant illumination across the twenty foot by ten foot room. The left wall was lined with strange black tools, the right wall with panels that slowly turned on and showed dozens of hallways that looked like the one we had walked down. On multiple views I saw multiple Stalking Scavs, clear as day, their stealth techniques either failing or disengaged.

Whoosh, the doors sealed shut once Chrys stepped into the room.

“Welcome, Delegate Emery LeeRoy. Please be seated at the command terminal.” The subdued version of Arx Maxima requested.

“Do it,” Arx Maxima commanded. No requests from her.

I eyed the chair suspiciously. It didn’t look like any chair I had ever seen, but Chrys’s excitement and Arx Maxima’s demands pushed me on. Well, and Chrys’s hand pushed me, too.

I dropped into the strange chair, and I felt odd tingles pass through my body, and my vision swam.

“The Plate network is adapting the updates I ran on the Mask of Azazel. This Plate hasn’t had access to the network for years. I am pushing updates now, it should work properly in thirty-five seconds, I’m sorry for the delay.” Arx Maxima seemed to find thirty seconds to be an unacceptable wait, but she’d finished and had things working before I even really put her meaning together.

My vision abruptly filled with screens and menus.

Welcome to the Stellarae Enclave, Emery LeeRoy.

Notice: You have TWO (2!!) priority notices.

Notice #1: You have proven worthy of elevation to the rank of Herald. Accept Promotion?

I stared at the large Yes/No that floated semi-transparently in my vision, weirded out by the fact I could still see the screens in front of the chair, and the wall full of odd gadgets behind it.

“Yes,” I answered. Why would it even ask? It wasn’t like Arx Maxima would let me refuse even if I wanted too, and I didn’t want too. I wanted power, and authority came with power, right?

Stand by.

Metal restraints snapped around my wrists and ankles, and two machine-like arms emerged from the chair with syringes full of a gold-glittering solution.

“Arx?!?!” I panicked at the sight of sharp needles inexorably moving towards my chest.

Chrys reached a hand towards me and the chair, but a red light pulsed. She stopped herself, and the lights didn’t pulse. Tentatively, she reached for me slower, but the lights pulsed again.

“Warning: do not interfere,” the monotone version of Arx Maxima instructed Chrys.

“It’s just a minor injection. Far more painless than the process I used to bond us,” Arx Maxima said dismissively.

The huge needles broke my skin and pumped liquid fire into my veins. Whatever it was, it sought out the silicate bonding that Arx Maxima had woven into my flesh when we met, and it did… something. I couldn’t pay that much attention, as the feeling of fiery liquid burned me from the inside out. I thrashed, unable to control my muscles, but the restraints easily held me despite my strength.

Pain proved to be transitory and passed surprisingly quickly.

My danger sense never went off. Did Arx Maxima control Instincts of the Gossamyr? Had she muted it? Or had I never been in any danger? The burning ache in my chest receded quickly, and I did feel surprisingly good. Energized even.

“Do I look different?” I asked Chrys.

“You look the same,” Chrys said apprehensively. If there were any changes, it meant they weren’t standing out to her, but she wasn’t exactly an authority on humans, and definitely not well learned in the unique specimen of humans with dragonheads like me.

“The injection improved the quality, and quantity, of my symbiosis with you. If you had 1,000 energy before, you have 1,500 now, and the basis for the next ability you unlock in the Envoy concept has had the foundation laid. While a briefly painful experience, you have gained substantially and lost nothing.”

The restraints unlocked.

Congratulations on your promotion to Herald.

Due to limited network access we cannot provide you with your requisite bonus at this time, please see your next priority notice.

Priority Notice #2: Squatter forces have infiltrated the nearest generator facility and interfered with power distribution. Eradication of these lifeforms is requested to restore power to security, network, and life support systems.

Bounty: One Hundred Stellarae Enclave Credits per squatter killed.

Bonus: Elimination of all squatters and their pets will earn you the Belt of Diana.

“Oh, that’s a good reward. You should make sure to earn it. The spatial storage system it uses will work perfectly with your abilities, unlike those ridiculous magic bags,” Arx Maxima endorsed the bonus object. I’d be lying if I said the idea of having my own magic bag that actually worked wasn’t incredibly tempting.

“I get a shiny belt if we kill all the Scavs and their pets. Do you want to come with, or do you want to stay here?” I asked Chrys.

“Over seventeen Gneisslings have been killed by the Scavs and their damned OreBiter swarms. I’m killing them with you,” Chrys growled with determination.

“I hoped you’d say that.” I stood and slapped Chrys’s shoulder. It hurt my hand.

“Onward, to murder!” Chrys shouted cheerfully, and lay her hand against the door out of the room. It didn’t budge or show any signs of opening for her.

“Let me get that for you, Lady Chrys,” I offered in my best gallant voice, and took a step towards the door. It opened with another whoosh. I quite liked the sound of it.