Chapter 33
The Ancient One
Thirty-Eight Years Post Apocalypse or 0038 P.A.
World Population 50 million
Ian and Gabe's fragile hope that slaying the silver dragon would bring Stacy back or give them the key to winning the game, turned out to be unfounded.
One month after Gabe killed the silver dragon, a week after Ian had recovered from his injuries, Gabe moved to a distant enclave. He and Ian didn't speak for over a decade.
***
A good suit of armor will do more to keep the aspiring monster hunter alive than anything else I can think of. So it's important to get the best armor you can.
Some human-made armor is very good, but its quality varies depending on the ability of the armorer.
The Galactic Market armor, while more expensive than human-made, provides armor of a reliable quality. What is fascinating about the Galactic Market is more money doesn't necessarily get you better armor. A 1000-credit suit of armor with a 1000-credit shield is almost as good as a 100,000-credit suit of armor, the best armor the Galactic Market has available.
If you contribute enough to killing a sufficiently powerful monster, you will get armor made from that monster's skin. This is by far the best armor available, and the most difficult to obtain.
This is also the source of the complaint that you have to kill the monster to get the armor to kill the monster with.
--Excerpt from The Andre Sagenob Seeker of Knowledge Book on Monsters.
***
The cool spring air blew through a nearby meadow of flowers. Ian, now in his sixth decade of life and going by the name Healer, hoped the wind wouldn't bring a springtime storm with it. Travel was hard enough without being drenched and slogging through mud.
Three men, who'd joined Healer/Ian and his brother Seeker/Gabe earlier that morning, stood off to the side, talking quietly. Humans tended to travel together for safety.
“You know there are better ways of traveling,” Seeker/Gabe grumbled. “As in anything but what we're doing.” He sat on a large rock. Waiting for coffee.
“Walking is healthy, encourages humility, and brings us closer to God,” Healer/Ian said. He pulled a kettle from his pack, filled it with water from his canteen, and balanced it on stones next to their small fire to make coffee. He adjusted his woolen dragon embroidered robes, robes all followers of the Ancient One wore, keeping them away from their small fire.
“I've got humility blisters all over my feet,” Seeker/Gabe said. “Suppose that's bringing me closer to God?”
“I believe that is how it works, my brother,” Healer said. “On the bright side, we're over halfway there.”
“One thing's certain, I'm not walking back,” Seeker said.
“If things don't go well with The Ancient One, we won't be going back at all,” Healer replied, speaking quietly. “Let's hope he likes our humble offering.”
Healer himself was exhausted. For most of his life, he'd walked with a bad limp on his left side, from having pushed himself too hard in his younger years. A limp that no amount of regen booster shots seemed to help.
He also looked older than his sixth decade and had internal health problems.
During their long lives, the two men had been given many different names and titles, but for the past five years, they'd been known as Seeker and Healer, two sad older men on a quest to seek out The Ancient One to give meaning to their lives. After a lifetime of failures, the two brothers were going to succeed in this new venture, or be killed trying.
Every so often they'd catch a ride on a truck, or the occasional horse-drawn cart, but most of the time they walked. Sometimes they walked on paved roads, but much of their journey, like now, had been on dirt paths between small towns or hamlets.
When the water began to boil and the smell of coffee filled the air, the three men who'd joined them that morning wandered over.
“I'm going to Paradise Avenue to pick up my new wife,” said a middle-aged man who'd introduced himself as Devon. Devon showed them a picture from his cell phone. She was a small blond girl who might have been sixteen.
“So how does this 'wife thing' work?” Healer asked.
“Simple. I made a down payment to Elma the merchant to put a claim on my future wife. Now I'm going to meet her. If everything's in order, I make a second payment and take her home with me.”
“So you're buying a wife?” Healer said.
“You can buy anything in Paradise Avenue,” a second man said with a loud laugh. “I'm Ed, Honest Ed to my friends. They say it's safer in Paradise Ave, so people send their kids there. Paradise Ave puts them to work, or finds them a good home, whatever brings in the most credits. I'm looking for work myself. Heard they need people to manage the gambling.”
“Psst. Someone's coming,” the third man said. He was a small uptight fellow with a face that looked like it'd been hit too many times. He'd joined them in silence, and hadn't said anything up to now.
An individual in dull metallic gray armor, worth 50,000 credits on the Galactic Market, pulled up on a sleek, silent, black motorcycle with the words “Apocalypse Crusader” on both sides.
“Greetings, fellow humans,” the young woman said, raising her visor. “I heard there was a large Kitykity in the vicinity.”
Seeker let out a quiet snort, and looked at Healer.
“If there is, I'm sure it's just passing through,” said Healer.
“Brian Sagenob Humble Healer,” the young woman said, reading Healer's display. “What makes you an authority on Kitykity?”
“I'm not, but we're still alive,” Healer said. “If this creature was hanging around, I imagine we wouldn't be.” The other four men nodded in agreement.
“You might be surprised,” she said. “Sometimes they play with their food for days. I'm the knight, Sir Elisha, traveling to make a name for myself. Killing a Kitykity would be a nice start.”
The five men looked at her, then at each other. There was a popular saying in this part of the world, “Reckless humans die young.”
“Coffee?” Healer said.
“Could I offer you a copy of my book?” Seeker asked, holding out his cell phone. “If you're hunting Kitykity, you may need it. It's called The Seeker of Knowledge's Guide to Monsters.”
“No offense Seeker, but I have read many books,” she said, “and they all either say the same things, or were written by crazy people. I've even read 'Zoltron the Mighty Wizard's Monster Manual, The book BG does not want you to read'.”
Ed burst out laughing. “Because BG feels sorry for the poor bastard. Who hasn't read that one? Poor man's completely insane.”
Healer nodded, “So sad.”
“Too much hardship can cause minds to go,” the small man with the beat-up face said, shaking his head. “Seen it happen. Poor Zoltron must live in his own little world.” “Or maybe his magic is sufficiently advanced to be misunderstood by the ignorant,” Seeker said, glaring at Healer.
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“I've spoken to actual wizards, and they think Zoltron's insane,” Sir Elisha responded. “Really. That poor man kills a 500-foot-long silver dragon with his mighty magics, but his idiot brother shows up riding a Kitykity and takes all the credit.” She giggled. “I just hate it when that happens.”
“I keep telling you, Seeker, if we'd just find a Kitykity and ride it to The Ancient One's home in the mountains, we wouldn't be getting all these blisters,” Healer said.
Seeker glared at him, “I would rather ride a dragon.”
The other four laughed.
“I heard ten beast-masters captured and tried to tame a small Kitykity,” she said. “They're all dead, and the Kitykity escaped. Some of my order, The Terran Brotherhood, found a silver dragon sleeping in the mountains. A few of our stealthier members, Ninja, snuck into its lair, and surrounded the dragon with explosives. They hid nearby, set off the explosives, and waited... Not only wasn't the silver dragon hurt, but they didn't even wake it up. If Zoltron can be believed, the silver dragon he killed was awake, and rather upset.”
“It does sound hard to believe when you put it that way,” Healer said.
“Indeed,” she sipped her coffee.
“Me and my friend hid from a Kitykity in the sewers, maybe twenty years ago,” the man with the beat up face said. “We'd made it to an exit. It never occurred to us that the Kitykity would find the exit and wait for us there. My friend left first and called for me to join him. I almost fell for it. Thing was, he always called me Shorty. He only called me Manfred when he was scared. So when he said, 'It's okay, Manfred, come on out!' I knew something was wrong. Somehow, it imitated my friend's voice. I had three grenades with me, so I pulled their pins and threw them out the exit.” “Did you kill the thing?” Sir Elisha asked.
“With three grenades? Of course not,” Manfred answered with a laugh. “Must have given it a nasty shock though when they blew up in its face. Shoved its head into the sewer and tried to get me with its tentacles. I'd gotten well out of range by then, of course.” Sir Elisha finished her coffee, put down the empty cup, and produced a large, loaded crossbow. “These bolts are diamond-tipped. They'll go through Kitykity skin like a knife through butter.”
“Yeah,” Manfred said. “I met a man who did kill a Kitykity. He had this advice. 'If everything goes right, and fortune smiles on you, you will get one shot. Don't miss'.” “I never miss,” Sir Elisha said. “I will escort you to the next town. In exchange, you can tell everyone what a great and noble knight I am.”
Healer smiled. “It would be an honor to have you with us.”
***
“I get the other three,” she said, walking next to the two pilgrims, “but pilgrims of The Ancient One don't normally go through Paradise Avenue. Far too many temptations to resist. Of those who've come this way, many never leave, or spend all their money and have to turn back.” The knight pushed her large motorcycle along the narrow dirt road, like a normal person might a bicycle, easily keeping pace with the five travelers.
“I've sworn off sex, alcohol, and all drugs for the duration of the quest,” Healer said. “But I will never be this way again, and I've always wanted to see Paradise Avenue. I've heard it looks amazing at night. Also, I was hoping I could meet The Three. I've heard they're the most successful kill team in the world.”
“They are,” said Manfred. “Just don't offend them. They'll kill you. Around here, their word is law.”
“I heard one of their girls tried to make a run for it,” Devon said. “Let's say she won't be doing that again.”
“They are vile-slave owning bastards,” Sir Elisha said with a look of disgust. “Individually, they're powerful, but together they're an unstoppable force, so there isn't much my order can do about them.”
“If only Zoltron the Mighty Wizard and his idiot brother would pay them a visit,” said Ed with a laugh.
***
Healer stopped, cursing inwardly, he looked down on the sunken valley. He'd been hoping to make it to the town of Stronghold, the last stop before Paradise Avenue, in time to rest a bit and find a decent place to spend the night. Sheep weren't the most reliable sources of information, but that didn't mean they could be ignored. “Something's down there.”
The other five stopped. Guns were produced.
“What?” Seeker asked. He produced binoculars and scanned the tiny stream bed one hundred yards away. The only thing he saw was eight sheep grazing nearby.
“I don't know, but something is wrong,” Healer said. “We need to go around this area.”
“Something's making those sheep nervous,” said Manfred. “That could be anything, though. Wild dogs? Us? I've eaten a few sheep in my time. Suppose your Kitykity is hiding there? I don't see how it could be, but those creatures are sneaky.”
“I'm psychic enough to know if anything's nearby. There isn't.” Sir Elisha said. “The sheep are sheep, no shape-changers, and I'd know if there was an illusion. So it's my conclusion that there is nothing dangerous in the area.”
“My gut is telling me there is,” Healer responded. “The rest of you can do what you want. I'm going around.”
“I agree with Sir Elisha's initial conclusion,” Seeker said, “but my brother's gut feelings have kept me alive in the past.”
“And my gut tells me you're a couple of frightened old men jumping at shadows,” Sir Elisha said. “I will prove it.” She got on her motorcycle.
Healer blocked her way. “I've seen too many promising young fighters get killed because they were reckless. Please don't do this.”
The young woman reached out and picked Healer up by his robes and moved him aside like a normal person might a toddler. She smiled, “Don't worry. I'll be fine.”
She rode her motorcycle down the shallow hill, crossed the stream, and stopped a short distance away.
“Time to place your bets, people,” Ed said. “Is there anything down there? And if there is, can she take it?”
“I have fifty credits that say yes, and no,” Manfred said, ignoring Healer's glare.
“Fifty credits says nothing's there,” Devon said. The three men pulled out their cell phones and started recording.
“There's nothing here!” Sir Elisha shouted. She got off her motorcycle and walked around. Sheep scattered at her approach, but nothing happened. “Hello monsters, come and get me.”
She waved to the men. “Get your asses down here! There is nothing to be afraid-----” The ground beneath her opened up and swallowed her whole.
There was a shocked silence. Long seconds went by. Then a thunderous explosion knocked the men off their feet. Healer cursed as they were showered with dirt and gravel and alien blood.
A large piece of alien intestine smacked Healer's face. He pulled it off and threw it aside in disgust. Pieces of the knight must be flying around as well, but he tried not to think about it.
Dirt and grass collapsed into a large void left behind when the giant underground creature vanished, along with any alien byproducts that hadn't landed on the humans or their clothing. (By some rule of BG's, any alien byproducts landing on a human or their clothes remained until washed off.)
The knight's motorcycle also vanished.
“She blew herself up and took that thing with her,” Manfred said. “She died a hero.”
Healer walked to the edge of the large pit that now blocked their path. He held out his cross, and his tiny statue of the dragon, known as The Ancient One, and bowed his head. He wasn't sure why this death bothered him more than so many others, but it did. Best fortune in the afterlife, idiot, he thought. Tears rolled down his face and dropped to the dirt at his feet. So many of the people he'd crossed paths with in his life, dead.
“No illusion, no shape-changers,” Seeker said, joining Healer in front of the pit. “She was right. Just a really big monster waiting patiently underground. I'm guessing it hunted by instinct, so our knight wouldn't pick up any psychic traces. No wonder the sheep were nervous.”
The other three men joined them. Healer performed the prayers and rituals to send Sir Elisha into the next life.
“Go forth in the name of Vishnu, Thor, and The Ancient One. May your new home be a place of peace, where humans live without fear of monsters. Amen.” Healer lit a scented candle and placed it in front of him, between him and the pit where she'd died. “At the next town, I'll send a letter to her people. They should know how she died. It's the least I can do. Thanks to her, I think we're safe going forward again.”
***
“You got the first one right, there was a monster,” Ed said, “but you also bet that she wouldn't be able to defeat it in combat. The monster is dead.”
“She blew herself up in the monster's mouth,” Manfred said. “You call that defeating the monster in combat?”
“The monster's dead, isn't it?” Ed said.
“At the cost of her own life. Now pay up,” Manfred answered.
Healer followed at a distance, listening to the men argue, not caring about the outcome. He barely knew the woman. She had made her choice. If she'd listened to him, she'd be alive.
Seeker joined him.
“These backwoods northern barbarians aren't ready for Zoltron the Mighty Wizard's wisdom. And how did they get hold of my book?” Seeker asked.
“Traveling merchants, I'd guess,” Healer said. “I never tried to take the credit for killing the silver dragon. I pointed out that without me and my allies providing a distraction, you'd never have gotten a chance to kill the thing.”
“I'd offered to help you and Dad, but you both told me to stay out of your way,” Seeker said bitterly.
“It's called manipulation. I knew if we pissed you off and questioned your abilities, we'd bring out your best and you'd attack that dragon with the most lethal weapons in your arsenal. It worked, thank god. By the way, how did you kill him?”
“You will never know,” Seeker answered, looking bitter. “When you got your medal of valor, the cheers were deafening. When I got mine, people barely noticed.”
“After the battle, Greta and Buddy, though badly hurt, spent the next several days pulling people from the rubble and saving countless lives. That's what the cheers were for.”
“If I hadn't killed the silver dragon, there wouldn't have been anyone left to save.”
“People are irrational,” Healer said. “No point in crying about it.”
“You also got paid more by BG.” Seeker said.
“You're blaming me for what BG did?” Healer asked. “Anyway, I happen to know you got a lot of fantastic monster loot on top of your credits. I got credits, stat points, and armor. That's it.”
Seeker was quiet for a time. “One thing has always bothered me. Why didn't Greta take her offspring and run? That would have been a rational choice on her part.“
Healer laughed. “Greta had no choice. The silver dragon would have chased her down and killed her and her offspring. I don't think he would have even noticed our Fortress if it hadn't been for Greta's presence. I kept this secret because too many people would have tried to drive Greta away if they'd known. This might have saved the Fortress, but would have cost us any chance of killing such a high-level alien.”
“You could have stopped Sir Elisha from going down there,” Seeker said quietly.
At first, Healer didn't answer, and they walked together in silence.
Finally, he said. “A humble healer like myself couldn't stop her. You saw me try. She didn't respect my abilities, nor should she have. She was a knight. I'm nobody. But if I could have done what you say, I wouldn't have. I'd let her, and a hundred like her, go to their deaths before I ruin over ten years of planning and preparation. We are going through with this, my brother, and when we do, nobody will ever question Zoltron the Mighty Wizard's power again.”