The central gestating capsule was working at its maximum efficiency capacity, sucking dry our energy reserves. Yet this is anything but a normal spaceship, a Grand Ark, as they called it, designed and engineered by the Ancients themselves.

It has been a long and excruciating journey for a lowly man such as myself, but I must admit, my hard work has come to bear its fruits. As time passed by, and our meeting became ever closer, couldn't but keep admiring this marvelous central operating room.

From the control console, a three-dimensional plastic interface, capable of adapting to the user's morphology, directly interacting with its nervous system to receive and deliver information almost instantaneously.

Completely black in color, I could see the nanites, alas nano autonomous machines, coordinate and move to connect themselves with Ugo. The slarg slave I stole from one of my enemies, and rightfully put to work on the ship.

What else was a slave for, after all. The myelinic strata covering my neurons do, in truth, not cover them from the influence of the energy stream. The energy stream is the source of power utilized by every highly advanced enough race in this universe.

This incredible primordial source is directly connected to the primary energy core of this ship, and from there, obviously, connects to every operating module on board, console included.

In short, I would like my brain to remain intact, without it being deep-fried to a darker shade of orange. Ugo can certainly tank the danger for me, he's a slarg after all. A three-meter-tall gelatinous alien with only a pair of pink protruding limbs ending with pair of crab-shaped pincers. They are famous for their loyalty, as slaves of course, and dull brains.

Ugo's psychic insensitivity is serving me well here. Of course, he's not able to execute any of the more complex tasks, but for simple space travel, he's more than enough.

The pristine, white, marble-like walls of the ship gave a strong contrast to the black matter of nanites that was the console. They said that the entirety of the ship was a huge living organism, capable of feeding off radiation and the energy stream everpresent around it. This white mass of living metal I've lived on the last couple hundred years never ceased to amaze me.

The ancients were surely a great lot. Their dead hives are such treasure troves to scavenge, inimaginable treasures are scattered inside these ancient tombs.

I found this Ark confined in one such place, the poor boy was quite damaged, surviving only thanks to a fickle torrent of energy stream that the ancient structure permitted to.

Thankfully the Observer's system is a more modern invention, and their civilization did not take into consideration such a thing.

Thinking so, Mark, the mage, the wandering sage, the celestial thief, and walking disaster, stared deeply into the gestation capsule mentioned.

The creature it intended to birth was surely terrifying and life-like enough, unmistakably, the birth cocoon of an ancient was residing inside, pulsating with vigorous life. The primordial terror that ruled this universe ages ago was about to be given life once again.

They will come, he was sure about it, to stop its unholy birth. For once it was borne, it would be too late, as the observer would protect a 'new' species coming to creation.

'That's right, they had completely disappeared from the universe in such a way that not even a single living member of their species remained.

The System was yet to be created, and as their return was never to be expected, as deemed impossible after the war of creation, a safe procedure was never put in place.

The arrogance of the Forgers boundless as it ever was. Marie, darling, do not worry, we'll be getting our revenge, one way or another.

Your absence hurts me deeply, it burns, my hatred. I will dance on their dead bodies, with or without this universe intact.'

Mark, the mad explorer coughed heavily, as he touched the integrity of his life support system. An incredibly lightweight backpack-shaped piece of old machinery, various glass tubes protruding from it connected to his very flesh, furnishing and enhancing his metabolism with a greenish, strange organic substance. Energized nutrients the system offered him to challenge his quest for revenge, to challenge the creators themselves.

Mark swiftly adjusted his nanites googles, these big, round, scarlet lenses permitted him to perceive energy fluctuations coming from the energy stream, sometimes even anticipating for him dangers that might befall on his bizarre adventures.

His goggles slightly twitched, indicating a disruption in the flow of the energy stream either close to him or caused by something or someone involved with him.

' As arrogant as they might be, they already caught me, I must go. it's finally ended, this game of hide and seek between us. I can finally give them our last gift, Marie.'

"Ugo, hurry up and wake up Mitch from his sleeping casket, the job I paid him for, it's time for him to fulfill it. Now prepare for a jump, we are going back to Ur- Akhar, they won't be able to follow us in there."

Upon hearing the cursed name of the ancient Tomb, Ugo started violently trembling, his gelatinous body seemingly having a seizure. Yet the slarg heard his master's will and was about to obey, as his predecessor and his forbearers did in the past.

A small humanoid creature, about one meter in height, prostrated itself upon seeing Mark. It had long folded, pointed ears, big round black eyes, yet think green hide covered its body. On his head stood a brown leather hat, together with a yellowish suit made of the same animal material, the old elk, a greenskin subspecies, made clear contrast with the superadvanced spaceship he was boarding.

Mark taped the ground two times consecutively with his metal cane, death's claw. Better described as a scepter, on its pommel were set three long claws, said to be derived from the corpse of an ancient in the flesh. An unimaginable peace of history that made his psychic capabilities skyrocket.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

" Little Mitch, please, uphold your end of our bargain. Your family is safe, my crew, back on Terron made sure of it. I have prepared the ship's module 346 for you to embark, everything's ready."

A weird smile appeared on the captain's lips, a truly rare occasion. Since Lady Marie's departure, his madness kept ever increasing. Now, mixed emotions appeared on his hardened features, as a dozen bionic enhancers plastered his skulls, various tubes, and advanced electronic devices brought the explorer's mental faculties to a realm very far from that of mortal men.

Old Mitch wasn't as little anymore, his family living on a distant planet, where his people were surviving each day only thanks to mercenaries such as him that were committed even to the most repugnant and dangerous jobs, that other more 'noble' races were too dignified to accept.

To accept expeditions in the unknown issued by mad scavengers and thirsty explorers was normally considered madness, even for the most hardened warriors. Down there, death was usually one of the best outcomes, in case things were to go sour.

His long, at least compared to elk's standards, white beard testified Mitch's forty years long under the mad explorer-s crew. The old greenskin embarked at the age of fifty, while he spent at least a couple hundred years asleep in one of the ship's casket modules.

He had become his family guardian, his only name bringing them protection against Terron's harsh environment.

" Your will is my command, Captain. I will counsel and help little Makhar until he'll be able to hold on his own as promised. Then I'll be waiting for your return. But, before I depart, may I ask if Olga is expected to come as well ?"

An apprehensive smile now lingered on Mark's, dark red lips, as he knew the little elk was unsure about both his physical and mental safety. To be the guide of an Ancient would be an extremely dangerous experience.

The little greenskin was starting to doubt their bargain was fair in the first place. However, it is to say, that the human had indeed cast a veil of protection around his household for centuries at this point. All little Mitch had to do was to accompany him in his travels, while he would get paid for it, and finally accept a special, two-year-long, mission. It was still better than serving as cannon fodder in the armies of Terron or living off as either a mercenary or a pirate.

Elks were not borne for combat by nature. They were the more calm and intelligent counterparts of goblins, which were considered nothing more than barbaric, aggressive little pests.

Elks were excellent slave materials, as they had a good aptitude for learning they found their place in the administrative chain of many planets, or even, in the most primitive worlds, found their place as mechanics or engineers.

" Sadly no, Olga said she preferred to wait, till the little lord finds his place on Planet 9870, or Gaia as the System decided to call it. But don't worry, the egg is supposed to hatch in the first couple of our after the landing. He will make good company, I hope."

At this point, Mark was receiving strong signals of distress, it was time to go, embark on the capsule, ready for launch. The automated drones of the ship would have already loaded all the necessities.

As the explorer waived for him to hurry, with hastened little steps, old Mitch left the main controls hall of the ship.

'Marie, I won't see you anytime soon, there is much vengeance I have yet to exact in our name.'

Under the pristine red lenses of his goggles, Mark's turbid blue eyes lingered on the dark sideral void outside the ship. The space outside suddenly twisted, and an enormous warship suddenly appeared. It was the size of half a habitable planet such as Gaia, roughly six thousand kilometers to be more precise.

It was crystal blue in color, with various shades of red and orange around it. it presented an elongated form, with various protrusions such as spires and chapels. Giving the feeling of an ancient moving city of unbelievable proportions.

This model was called the 'Preceptor', and was the more common, medium-sized, vessel utilized by the forgers.

"Ugo, initiate the procedure for space travel, we are turning back to Ur-Akhar, NOW! "

His master always liked to be a little dramatic, it added that spice to their cold, lowly lives he said. Deep down, Ugo never doubted his master and knew they would eventually come out on top, no matter what.

Of course, doubting his master would have triggered a control mechanism that would have slowly realigned the slave's thoughts to concur with those of his slave. Yet the dumb, dull Ugo didn't care, perhaps he didn't even remember, centuries already passed since he felt the effects of the slave collar.

Or, well, would he even remember if such a device manipulated his psyche? Probably not.

The Ark then resplended with brilliance, as with blinding light, a strong pulse of energy reverberated through the ship, directly connecting it to the energy stream.

Then nothing, barely an instant had passed since the camouflage mechanism of the Ark was released, and the ship was already gone.

On the forgers' side, the passengers were in turmoil, as the idea of the ancients, their most terrible enemy to date, could have just been given life once again.

" Kassie, you worry too much, Morne damned his people to an eternity of suffering with his own hands. The ancients are no more since eons, millions of years have already passed, for us their tombs are nothing more than old treasure troves to feast on! "

The young forger was, of course, not around when the Ancients reigned over the universe, undisputed among all the other life forms, threatening to overcome even those that live, and yet shouldn't.

Their thirst for conquest was so large, that they were about to invade other universes through the energy stream.

Yet we fought, tooth and nail against this fearsome foe, until ' that ' happened, and Morne sealed himself and his people inside their mausoleums.

We could have never thought that one of their offspring did not become a sacrifice, and instead was preserved to this date. The egg must have been of royal lineage, otherwise, it would not have survived for so long, even through their most advanced devices, to keep it in stasis for hundreds of millions of years seems almost impossible.

" Maloria, you are too young to understand the gravity of the situation, that madman made it big this time. Sadly he's right, the observer won't take our side on this, as it'll see the Ancients as a strong species to increase the universe's strength."

" B-But maybe we could..."

" No, we won't, not this time again. We won't force the observer into doing our bidding, we acted as you proposed back then, and it backfired. You killed this human's mate and now this crazy human is doing the impossible to be a thorn on our side, and he's doing a fairly good job, I'd say.

Not only did we lose about a hundred worlds and research facilities through the IHU, as he keeps waking up tombs, but he's also been able to nest inside Ur-Akhar! "

Kassie, a proud member of the celestial council was now seething with rage. It was indeed a rare occasion to see her this mad, no it was rare to even witness one of her seniors getting angry at all. At this point, the energy fluctuations our her became so strong that Maloria couldn't but kneel and tremble in fear.

" Your Highness, we have intercepted a foreign object moving at high speed and have determined its trajectory to be directed towards Planetary system Bi0234, which should be in line with the mad explorer's best interests. As it is about to start its 'formation' in about two years, its last preparation round should be starting in a couple of days at best.

We have secured the presence of an Ancient's bio signature, I have already ordered the preparations for a degrading high-energy cannon. We can shoot on command, the target won't be able to escape our firing range."

However, the high sovereign was not to be pleased by the messenger's revelation, on the contrary, a mix of contempt and disgust crept around her expression.

" Shoot it down. Even if it is probably just a decoy, for a fact we know that the man owns functional ancient's technology, and as they were masters of stealth it is very strange for the shuttle containing a crucial part of his plan to be left for us to discover.

And you, Maloria, take your court with you and wait for me in the northern hangar. I'll put you in charge of system Bi0234. You started this mess, and hopefully, you'll be able to put an end to it.

Worse comes to worst, we'll show the ancients that we did not idle all these years."