"Temp, continue to note the patterns to our fights," he thought, flexing his hands. “We learned quite a bit about the direhogs recently.”
Cal had continued to hunt stray direhogs in the following days but kept his absorption of the energy organ to when he returned to the base in safety. The increasing stock of direhog tusks, and thus direhog traps, improved his killing speed but dropped Temp’s level gain as a result.
He hadn’t encountered the direhog matriarch again, thankfully, and none of the direhogs he faced after his encounter with the matriarch could breathe fire.
Cal also continued to apply the suspicious tempering serum on Temp, raising Temp’s vitality by five points. Interestingly, while the first points came quickly, the last point took several days to manifest. Now, the strange vial was empty.
Cal had gained an additional 7 strength and 7 vitality from his absorption. He still had 5 in store to absorb over the next couple of days. Cal could already feel the difference from the added attributes. He was stronger and he would recover from small injuries quicker.
Before he left to explore further, he knew he would have to uncover any remaining secrets that the room held.
This was something he couldn’t put off, especially if there was any hope of rescue. Cal decided it was time to delve deeper into the mysteries of how he had arrived.
His sharp eyes scanned the walls, the ceiling, the floor, searching for any hidden mechanisms or traps he had missed earlier. After the haphazard search, he moved closer to the light switch that eluded him.
Why was it still working after all this time?
With a determined expression, Cal began dismantling the switch, using his knife as a screwdriver. As the faceplate came apart, a network of patterns became visible. His heart raced with anticipation as he uncovered a small, glowing crystal nestled within the mechanism.
The crystal emitted a soft light, casting an otherworldly glow in the dim room. Cal's eyes widened in awe as he sensed the familiar energy of the beast organs. He carefully plucked out the crystal and held it up to the light streaming in from the outside.
Released from its binding, the lights lost their power and dimmed before flickering off. Drawn to the sheer density of power within, Cal started to absorb.
“Cal, stop! We need to understand it first.”
Cal stopped, in complete agreement and placed it back into its bindings.
“Temp, can you take a look at the patterns and try to understand them.” Cal waited a moment for Temp to capture all the intricacies. Temp, observed with curiosity. The AI puzzled over the patterns, comparing them to known energy circuits.
Cal was also curious. He initially thought that it was perhaps a dangerous trap left behind by whoever brought them here, but then dismissed the thought. It would be much easier to trap and kill him than to transport him across worlds.
The next thought led Cal to pull out his knife and cut into the plastered wall of the room. As Cal's fingers dug into the layers of plaster and revealed the cold, solid stone beneath, he felt a sense of determination and excitement. What secrets lay behind this deceptive wall?
The plaster was indeed a façade and Cal began removing plaster in large chunks. The sound of scraping echoed in the dimly lit room as Cal's knife sliced through the plaster, revealing more and more of the hidden stone structure. Cal was astonished. The room was filled with patterns. “Temp, are these patterns the same ones from when we were on New Earth?”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“No Cal, they are indeed similar and likely of the same origin, but they are not the same. This may help me decipher more, but I doubt this is enough to build a meaningful lexicon.”
Cal removed plaster and ceiling tiles following the intricate patterns etched within the walls from the wall to the ceiling above to the fluorescent lights. What he thought were lights at first were also crystals. These crystals were more subdued and they couldn’t even compare to the energy organs within the beasts.
As he ran his fingers over the stone surface, he couldn’t help but feel helpless. This clue was important, but it meant that he would have to remain in proximity to this room longer.
Cal observed the ceiling and walls for a pattern. He noticed additional slots in the wall that indicated energy crystals could fit. There were dozens. Temp had since reverted to his chair form to take in the new patterns.
“Do you think the crystal could fit into any of these other slots?”
The AI scanned the circuitry, processing the patterns for any meaning. Temp spoke up in a synthesized voice. "Cal, these patterns… they're not just for illumination. They seem to be connected to something deeper. Check the floor too. And no Cal, the crystal itself has patterns on it. Putting it into another slot might break it.”
Cal nodded and began inspecting the floor. He slowly peeled back the dingy tiles, revealing more of the same patterns underneath.
"This whole room is wired," he muttered and Temp hummed in agreement.
Cal's excitement grew as he uncovered more of the elaborate circuitry. Each tile he removed exposed a little more of the complex, alien design. It was mesmerizing yet unnerving.
What was this place?
He worked methodically, prying up tile after tile. As an expansive, glowing matrix emerged, Cal noticed that the flow of patterns seemed to be concentrating in one area. Positioned dead center in the room was a circular design with different symbols etched around a compartment.
Cal cleared out all the debris before investigating the compartment.
Inside the compartment Cal found a letter, a ring and one more crystal, larger than the rest, mounted to the floor. there was faint power emanating from the crystal, but it was seemingly drained of most of its energy.
He carefully picked up the letter, feeling the crispness of the rolled parchment. With trembling fingers, he unraveled the parchment and began to read. The writing was in neat cursive. Elegant but cold. Cal's breath caught as he recognized his mother's script. What was a letter from her doing in this strange, alien room?
The letter was short, barely filling half a page.
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My dearest Caliban,
By the time you read this letter, you will have passed through the Divide and arrived in a world very different from our own. I wished to shield you from the burdens of our family, but it seems fate had other plans. I do not expect your understanding or forgiveness – this path is to preserve a future for our family and for the Theocracy.
You must have questions about the destiny laid out before you. I cannot explain anything in this letter but know that the blood we share comes with a price. You now walk the path expected of all our line. Embrace the duty passed down since the Ancient Compact. Ancestors stretching back to the Great Schism have given their lives to uphold our vow. Now the debt is yours as well. I know you will face hardship, I know you may not survive, and I know you may hate me for this.
At times, you will feel lost and alone. But remember who you are. Our people have survived against impossible odds before. Summon our strength, and do not let fate harden your heart. Be wary of those who seem allies and choose your true companions with care. The bonds you forge now will serve you well if you can one day return.
Trust your instincts and your blood and they will guide you ahead. Not everything is as it seems. Know that you are more than the fate they have designed for you. You are my son.
Slay the monarch, supplant their faith.
Be well,
Calypso
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Cal's hands trembled, and his eyes stung with tears as he gripped the letter. After all these years of distance, yet these words only brought more heartache and uncertainty. He had never felt more alone.
This letter only raised more questions. Proof that his arrival here was not an accident. That all along, his path had been guided by his mother's hidden hand. Cal sank to his knees, letter drifting from his grasp. So, she had known. All those years of silence, and she had known what awaited him.
A second sheet fell from the first, this one in a different script with only two lines.
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Keep the ring with you always, it will help commandeer the lifeboat. There is truth in the whispers.
- P