CHAPTER SEVENTY NINE
Long awaited answers to a question not yet asked
~
Once inside, they realized the room was cold and dry
Despite the open gate, no drops of water trickled by
They stood atop the dusty floor, and Hawk released a spell
She could breath in water, but she liked the air as well
Hawk was overwhelmed at the mystery now at hand
There was so much in that room she couldn’t understand
Questions formed so quickly that she could hardly decide
She took a moment just to enjoy being mystified
The king was also happy, but he noticed Hawk’s dismay
“I know what you’re thinking, but be careful what you say
I’ve been warned myself by the System a time or two
Best not let a careless question be the end of you”
The stone, however, didn’t wait to be asked anything
Seemingly disturbed, it was excitedly glowing
Hawk could feel it scan the room with some unknown magic
With more finesse than any mage, efficiently and quick
Core Message
I’d expected just to fade away, but here we are
Since the Update, you guys seem to have come pretty far
Judging by your status screens it’s be a long, long time
I bet you don’t even remember your people’s ‘crime’
Hawk’s excitement dampened when she noticed she’d been mocked
But it was the first time that she and a weird stone had talked
“Would you tell us what you are, and how this came to be?
And why did the portals start opening up so quickly?”
Core Message
It’s almost funny how little you know, but to be fair
You may be better off just being left this unaware
Oh well though, I’m feeling generous in my old age
And I love imagining that Admin’s screams of rage
Suddenly a complex set of spells were taking shape
Creating a strong barrier which Hawk could not escape
It felt like they’d been cut off the whole world just then
And the Core, now glowing dimmer, spoke to them again
Core Message
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Ouch, I should have been more careful with that old mana
Using up what I have left is a bad idea
Anyways, this barrier should keep us out of sight
The system shouldn’t pick it up if I prepared it right
Indeed, thought Hawk, it felt like they were totally hidden
Yesterday she would have thought the spell was forbidden
She touched the wall of it with one hand and it felt so weird
But once again a distracting red message screen appeared
Core Message
Okay, I don’t think I’ll survive much longer at this rate
I don’t care though, ask your questions, please don’t hesitate
Anything that I can do to piss of that admin
He’s to blame for this pitiful state I’ve been stuck in
“The System cannot hear us here, I think it may be true”
King Azure’s eyes lit up despite their old greyish hue
Hawk turned round to face the stone whose spell she thought sublime
“Very well then, tell my of the fabled God of Time”
Core Message
Curse you woman, that’s the last name I wanted to hear
It’s his fault the Admin rushed that Update out of fear
He surpassed all others in the art of time back then
I have no idea where he could be now, or when
“Who is the ‘Admin’ you speak of, is he someone strong?
And how come you’ve been asleep alone down here so long?
The gods are worried that the portals are out of control
How can we prevent them from swallowing the world whole?”
Core Message
If you don’t know the Admin, but you know that ‘Time’ fellow
That paranoid old Admin must have really let things go
From what I can tell with the senses that I’ve still got
This realms spatial integrity degraded quite a lot
“What is it that caused the spatial insecurities?
Shouldn’t the System be able to fix it with ease?”
She wanted to ask fifty more questions of the rock
But then she understood they wouldn’t have much time to talk
The glowing stone began to flicker, dimming now and then
Hawk was worried it might not reply to her again
She tried to bring the most important questions to her mind
Making sure to not leave knowledge she needed behind
Core Message
The System’s automated functions only do so much
The Admin tries to shape it, but he’s got a heavy touch
The Update that he likely used to keep us in our place
Wound up doing quite a bit of harm to time and space
“Tell me then, I know a boy who caught the System’s eye
We know his status screen is cursed, but nobody knows why
Might he be connected to the portals in some way?
Could it be because he god curses him every day?
Core Message
I’ve never heard of gods cursing a boy, so I don’t know
His status screen being altered is interesting though
Only the old gods could bestow a new status screen
But they’ve long been banished somewhere, unheard and unseen
Core Message
Tell me more about this boy, he’s ‘cursed’ is what you said?
Did his status screen reset, or did it turn bright red?
If he’s been desynchronized he’ll be dead before long
But if he’s still alive, then something must be very wrong
“His status screen now has eight slots, all though I can’t read it
Even with my strength, I only deciphered a bit
It’s still blue and resonates with mana in the air
But looks like no status screen of which I am aware”
Core Message
Eight slots you say?! It can’t be, but wait, no, there is a chance
I wish I had legs, you’ve made me so happy, I could dance
The old gods must have integrated a much older screen
This could be the biggest bug the System’s ever seen!
~