Chapter 47: Technological Infection

From amidst the blur of a dust storm, a road appeared. Like faded opalescent marble beneath a blanket of dust, it glimmered blue-white in the scant twilight. A sliver of moon rose as we went.

The Enclave grew larger, gaining detail like an umbral one-point perspective painting. Illusions of gaining no ground melted away.

The marble road became darker, smoother. The maze-like carvings and alien geometries of Nevahj’s obsidian edifice resolved from a blur into sharper, shadowed relief.

I marveled. So beautiful to look at, I wanted to stare awhile.

“I have insufficient data on entering the Nevahjian Enclave from outside,” Vick5 reported. “Telemoon primarily enters via Shadow Realm travel.”

“Nor do I,” I said. “We never went inside last time.”

We came to the same place our balloon had landed when questing for duskberries; the Nevahjian Enclave’s “front porch.” Or so I thought. There were no landmarks within eyeshot except the marble road and the city itself. An occasional scrub or succulent, a bird or lizard skeleton, but nothing to help lost wanderers.

Another dust storm was about to break, or so I assumed at first glance. But the floating dust particles shifting with air currents were actually tendrils of shadow coalescing a few fathoms away where the road’s last hint of grey became as black as the obsidian beyond.

The shadowy figure who had greeted us before greeted us now.

We exited the dune buggy, and Vick5 un-summoned it.

But as I strode toward the shrouded doorman, I realized that “greet” was the wrong word. He had not spoken or made any other move, only hovered. I attempted to engage him, but his dialogue box said only: “… … … …”

“The server is still down?” I said.

“That is my assumption as well.”

“I have been here once before,” I said, “and this NPC was standoffish. But—as I said—our party never entered Nevahj’s walls.”

“State the nature of your prior visit?”

“Questing for Medett. Relja was amidst quests of her own and our paths aligned.”

“State the manner in which you achieved your quest objectives here.”

“Berem’s pet fox snuck in somehow and stole a duskberry branch from the Enclave’s bramble patch. But how, I know not.”

“A creature classified as ‘pet’ infiltrated this very wall?”

“More or less, aye.”

“Was ‘pet’ not your designation when bound to Azwold?”

“No,” I said, sour. “‘Skeletal Minion’ was the title. And those days are bygone, I shall thank you to remember it.”

Vick5 turned away from me, walked up to the towering black wall, and activated his scanning device. The obsidian backdrop obscured the laser lights of his scan.

He halted searching and knelt to unpack materials onto the sandy stone. A progress bar appeared above him as his Gadget Craft frame whirred with the noise of several tools working in unison.

Though curious, I stayed with the shadow NPC, concerned that he might disappear and take our prospects with him. He and Vick5 were my only landmarks.

But the doorman stayed silent and still. Vick5 did not. His progress bar filled swiftly, and he came to show me what he had built.

“Please take this gizmoid. I have several, including another [Buglar Gizmoid]. I hypothesize we may gain entry if you can recreate Berem’s actions with his pet fox.”

“What does it do?” I asked, holding the thing in my palms. I looked it over, contemplating its activation and power source. “Batteries not included?”

“Gizmoids allow Gadget Crafters limited access to class-specific abilities. This [Buglar Gizmoid], for example, imitates certain rogue or thief abilities. We are chiefly interested in its breaking and/or entering capabilities.”

“Intriguing,” I said. “Perhaps Azwold is right in calling Gadget Craft overpowered.”

“He is 100% accurate in that assessment.”

“As may be, but we still need a door to try your gizmoid on.”

“I have bound the item to you.”

“My gizmoid, then. Are these little creatures capable of bypassing the outer defenses of a city?”

“When the server is live, no. Now? It is conceivable. I discovered a break in the wall’s design patterns in this location,” he said, walking back to the wall.

I followed. The shadow NPC stood alone.

“My last [Vial of Liquid Nano Bots] was consumed when casting [Spell: Dimensional Ripple]. Otherwise, our options would be more broad. Instead, I stocked up on crafting materials. Please activate the gizmoid within radius of this location,” said Vick5, pointing his scanning beams at a place that looked as artistically chaotic as any other.

The little robot hopped up on insectoid clockwork legs as we neared, then leapt into the air, whirring and clicking, zooming toward the darkness of the wall. It happened so fast, I did not see where it entered.

Moments later, the shadowy doorman appeared in a puff of gloom, bowed to us, and touched the wall, inky fingers squirming into the shapes carved into the flat expanse of obsidian facade.

An arched tunnel wavered its way into view and the doorman gestured in.

We entered. The gizmoid flew to me and deactivated itself mid-air. I may not have seen it at all—walking in pitch dark—were it not for tiny lights on the device. I caught it and stashed it in a pocket. Though not as epic as slowing time, I gladly added the new tool to my inventory of tricks.

And then we were inside. Shocked, I looked behind me and saw the desert sprawling out in all directions. I reached out and touched a translucent barrier. An imposing, impenetrable wall from the outside was a mere window from the inside. I was mystified and more enamored with the place already.

“The Nevahjian Enclave appears to lack Telemoon presence,” said Vick5. “You have stated that your recent quest completion gave you new objectives in this location? Please inform. We must capitalize on the enclave’s empty status. Danger will arrive with the server coming online.”

The city seemed anything but bereft of Telemoon presence. I felt much like I did upon entering Soleus City, but along with brilliant awe, a perplexity fell upon me. I failed to grasp what I viewed. Towering mounds and cylindrical structures, cob-like sand materials intermingled with black and greyscale obsidians, and dense opaque glasses. On top of Nevahj’s existing buildings, and drilled all throughout it, were neon blue lines, crystalline power pylons, and sophisticated, logic-defying angles and wiry engineering. Steamworks, gear works, grids, and panels. It was as if a technological infection had descended on the city.

“Gnarlroot_The_Eld,” Vick5 tapped me. “Do you have an awestruck status? We must act with haste.”

“Ah, aye. Of course. What did you say?”

“What is our objective in the Nevahjian Enclave?”

“Right,” I said, bringing my scapula tablet to eye level. I swiped the screen and retrieved the epic questline, leg nine of eleven. But…

“These objectives are undefined,” said Vick5. I thought I detected disappointment or annoyance. And I agreed.

“I was promised a new stage of the quest,” I said.

“Explain why the text reads only: ‘Locate test subjects’? There should be material requirements, parameters, loot rewards, flavor text, et cetera.”

“Azwold is offline. Mayhap that is why. The game seems confused as to whose quest it truly is. Do you know where the test subjects are held?”

“Negative.”

“Then let us adventure forth and explore?”

“It is a logical course. Allow me to advise?”

“Please.”

“We must relocate. Remaining stationary may create additional problems when the server comes online.”

“Very wise. After you, my ex-Telemoon comrade,” I said, gesturing to a dark pathway. “Your guess is better than mine here.”

“Top tier test subjects are classified information. I had no access to them while a full guild member. However, if we can access a Continuum of Memory node, our odds of success will increase. Additionally, I ran probability simulations while offline. I determined that assistance from the Beast Budz guild would be of more benefit than detriment. To that end, I have composed appropriate messages to Ursamigo and Beast Budz’s leadership, as well as several other high end guilds: Blursed Anecdote, Trailerpark Nightowls, Hapax Legomenon Pie, Basura Banditos, Cosmic Sands, Scarecrow Nest, Antiquated Idiom, Bureau of Fungus, and Reptile Disfunction.”

“Oh my,” I said. My aversion to crowds crept up on me. “How many people is that? I doubt Azwold will like that.”

“Approval is subordinate to success.”

“Uhhhh. Fair, I suppose. Let us hope your probability simulations were right, then.”

“Telemoon membership is legion. Our goals require equivalent opposition. Be assured, I only contacted guilds equal to the task.”

With rushed strides, we moved deeper into the city, speaking as we went. As we passed between two tavern-like structures, repurposed with technological edifices, déjà vu beset me. A rivulet of sand was trickling along ahead of us, down a pathway of black brick.

I mentioned nothing about it, and we continued into a courtyard. All around, every structure looked as if covered in polished sheet metal. Vick5 plodded on, ignoring every new abnormality. Despite his appearance, I still had difficulty believing he was a part of Telemoon’s plans mere days ago. He had traveled all among Nevahj’s strange places. I envied his nonchalance at things I found marvelous.

Perhaps that was wrongheaded. The ability to experience wonder was a good thing. I was still getting used to it myself, gaining more of my lost humanity with each new bone.

“I do not know which bone this quest could bring me,” I said, “because I am unsure which bones I am missing.” Although this was not entirely true. I knew of one or two, but fell short of my expected total. I did not feel angry about it, however. Just confused. An improvement, mayhap.

“Failure is not an option,” said Vick5. “Therefore, you will learn.”

I grunted agreement, following him to a metal door with mechanisms like a bank vault. He inserted a key tool from his arm band and got to work at decoding it.

“Could you not have done that outside? Why craft a gizmoid?”

“We required entry from the inside.”

“Ah, well, that seems to…”

“Halt,” came a commanding voice behind us.

Startled, I jumped. And turned to see Trojainous. He leaned on his scythe, blocking the end of the corridor we had come from.

“Impossible,” said Vick5.

An approximation of chills ran through me, nauseous thoughts of losing my agency again.

The Telemoon Spirit Mage began casting a spell. How could he do anything? How could he be here? His class weapon was destroyed!

“I did not detect server reactivation,” said Vick5.

“You said others might have been hiding in liminal spaces, too?”

“It is conceivable.”

Trojainous cast [Spell: Rise Hex], and six ghouls crawled up out of the hardpan below foot. But as I stared, trying to plan a defense through my astonishment, I realized the ghouls were not random or generic. They were the Telemoon ghouls from Stonesthrow Island. The same ghouls Azwold raised using the malevolent [Hive Scepter] prisoners.

They lurched toward me, groaning.

We had banished them from the scepter. This was an impossible thing to see. Had their imprisonment endured, after all?

I recalled Azwold informing me that the [Hive Scepter]’s power waxed and waned along with the phases of the moon. I looked up, confirming what I already knew; the moon was only a tiny glowing sliver now.

I attempted to use [Sense: Undead].

“I cannot get a read on them,” I said.

“Utilize your ability to communicate with monsters,” said Vick5.

“I am! Nothing is happening.”

We crept back against the wall, within arm’s reach of the locked door.

In a flash of ironic inspiration, I cast [Spell: Acid Spit III] at Trojainous’s ghouls. The green slime sloshed across but splattered to the ground, hissing and melting bubbly holes into it.

“Your attack made no contact,” Vick5 reported the obvious.

The pack of ghouls stood, wavering as if poised to attack, but made no further forward move. The Telemoon Spirit Mage was still standing in the hallway, doing nothing.

Then an alarm blared, and the Nevahjian Enclave took on a pulsating neon blue glow.