Asphodel – The Sixth Age – Third Year – Fifteenth Sun

The Wrathic-witnessing trio sat in silence, as the council discussed the ramifications of their discovery. Mary pulled out a small knife and started whittling away at her fingernails. It was all she could do to deter her mind from the political frustration before her.

Cassius sat to her right, rubbing his temples, and action that Mary observed from the corner of her eye. She mused about whether it was because of the blow she delivered or because he was stressed about how she handled the situation with Adam. Unconcerned with which it truly was, Mary resigned to the fact that it was probably a combination of both.

Tony sat quietly to her left, as he often did. He hadn’t said a word since asking about the emergency lighting after Mary blew the backup systems. His loyalty toward Mary had become clear in the last few years of them working together, but that didn’t mean that he believed in everything she did. He was still in shock about Adam and the fact that he had turned into a Wrathic before their eyes.

It took just over an hour and a half to get the reactor repaired. Once they did, a call was immediately placed to the council to inform of them of what happened. The council kept tabs on all of its facilities, so it came as no surprise to Mary that they had heard about the blackout. In all of her time working with HTG, or the Humanity Transcendence Group, she had never seen the council assemble in such a short time. To be fair though, no one had ever seen a Wrathic either. These were turbulent times, and the council wanted order. They saw Adam as a chance to provide that for the people of Asphodel.

Frustrated with the political bickering that always took place when the council met, Mary spoke up. “Excuse me,” she tried. The council continued conversing, and Andion, one of the more senior members, muted their channel upon hearing Mary’s voice. “Ugh,” Mary said while shaking her head. “Freaking waste of time.”

She placed a small metallic ring over the tip of her pointer finger and drew a square on the table. A holographic screen appeared, displaying her personalized command structure. While it booted up, she slipped similar metallic rings over the rest of her fingers.

“Mary, give them time to discuss,” Cassius pleaded. Mary assumed he was still recovering from the blow she delivered to his head a few hours ago. Cassius was a level 60 Technomancer, so while he wasn’t a great deal weaker than she, the hit was more than enough to shut him up. She had never lashed out at him before, but asserting her dominance definitely took its toll. He was more subdued than normal, maybe even afraid of her now.

“Two hours ago we discovered a Wrathic,” she condescendingly explained while hacking into the council’s communications equipment. “You know what that means. We don’t have the time, and I don’t have the patience, to deal with bickering politics right now.”

Cassius looked at her console for a moment, then his eyes darted away. “I know what I saw, but I don’t know what anything means anymore.”

Mary smirked. Maybe he’s finally beginning to understand, she thought while typing away. After cracking the system, she brought up the controls to their channel and the speakers in the council chamber. Setting the volume to one hundred percent, Mary unmuted the channel and inhaled.

“WHEN IMAGINATION BECOMES REALITY, AND MYTH BECOMES FLESH AND BLOOD, A GUARDIAN WILL RISE.”

Her voice boomed through the speakers, causing them to ring. The council members jumped and covered their ears. One by one, they turned to look at the camera. With the volume turned down to a more civil level, Mary continued.

“That’s what the prophesy says…or have you all forgotten?”

The council chamber was filled with scoffs and shaking heads as the members began to murmur amongst each other. Andion, one of the eldest members, responded loudly, clearly annoyed by Mary’s insinuation. “This council has been protecting the secrets of the Wrathic history in Asphodel for over a millennium, and over two hundred years in the heretical, inadequately named, ‘real world’. This council will not be criticized by a Warden who…”

"Who what?” Mary asked sharply. “Who has faithfully served the HTG in and out of Asphodel?” The council, Andion included, remained silent. There was no lost love between the council and the Wardens. People who chose the Warden class often spent the most amount of time in Asphodel. One day in the real world was ten in Asphodel. So even though the it had been active for close to sixty years, the in-game time was closer to six hundred, or six ages, which lasted a hundred years a piece. More dedicated Wardens, like Mary, learned to strike a perfect balance between the real and virtual world, leveraging the time difference for all they could. In fact she made a living by capitalizing on in game systems and for all intents and purposes, could stay connected as long as she wanted. Her grav chamber even offered a waste management and body supplement system.

At the end of the day, Warden’s had a reputation of getting results faster than other classes. However their ruthless methods were often looked down on by the council, and a large majority of users who generally viewed them as outcasts. Mary spilled a great deal of blood to reach her current level, and certainly not all of it was hers, or created in the form of digital code.

“Tell me Andion, when’s the last time those tender hands bathed in red? In or out of Asphodel?” Andion’s jaw clenched as his upper lip quivered with rage.

Mary continued, “Question my methods, but never question my loyalty. The depth of my actions to secure the title of Warden within this group are known only to myself. If the council would be interested in delving into the history of my actions, then I would be glad to provide a demonstration to…”

Most of the council sat silently, unsure of what Mary was suggesting, but Andion knew of her penchant for subtlety. He knew what she was capable of, and what she was willing to do in order to be the first person to discover the a Wrathic’s true power. As Mary had hoped, Andion’s anger got the best of him. “Are you threating this council?” he growled. Cassius and Tony shifted uneasily on either side of her.

“On the contrary, I’m offering hope.” Andion’s lower jaw darted back and forth before settling. His eyes and tense facial muscles relaxed as he eased into his chair. Mary continued. “I have faithfully served this order since the early days of Asphodel. My family was ripped from my life by disease and I have been training my entire existence to facilitate the uncovering of a Guardian to serve our will. The will of eternal life within Asphodel. Our lifespans in the real world have been extended by science, but now we have the chance to evolve beyond the physical realm. Change, real change, requires action, and a level head to lead the charge. Grant me leave to develop Adam’s skill on my own accord and you shall have what you have spent so long searching for.”

Andion’s eyes burned through Mary as the rest of the council discussed her request in hushed voices. After a few moments, he broke contact and whispered something to the council member next to him before nodding slightly. Tony’s foot tapped Mary’s and she glanced down at him. His eyes spoke of concern for her approach, but she quickly silenced them with a look of her own.

“Okay,” Andion’s voice resigned through the speaker. “You have your leave. This council is granting you unfettered access to the Titan Training facility, it’s crew, and the Elysian Fields. On top of that, the Tomas Hidarian Research Facility will be opened up to you and your crew. We will grant level 75 clearance to all of your people regardless of their current standing and extend your own personal clearance from 75 to 90. Any additional help pulled into this quest must first be vetted and approved by this council.”

Happy with their generous proposal and the prospect of making fresh discoveries surrounding the prophesy, the council members collectively eased up and began congratulation each other. Tony and Cassius sighed in relief.

“No,” Mary said flatly.

A wave of emotions swept across Andion’s face. For the first time that Mary had known him, he actually stuttered. “I…excuse me?”

“You will grant my crew the same level of access that you’re going to grant me, which will be 100. We will take the unfettered access to the Titan Training Facility, but it’s crew will be replaced by people of my choosing, and while you can vet them all you want, I will have the final say in their participation.” Andion shifted in his seat uncomfortably, unsure of whether to be angry or worried by Mary’s stubborn nature. He knew her well enough to know that she didn’t demand something without having a reason to back it up.

“We will also take the Elysian Fields, the Tomas Hidarian Research Facility, and full access to…Tartarus.”

The mention of Tartarus gained a collective gasp among the council members. Mary glanced at Tony and Cassius’ confused faces. Jeious, one of the more recently appointed council members, relegated to the rear of the room, spoke up. “How dare you speak that name. How do you even know of its existence?”

Andion answered for Mary while running his thumb over his lower lip. A physical tick he was known for when contemplating something. “You don’t become a level 75 Warden without uncovering some secrets along the way.”

Jeious shook his head. “Preposterous. Ludicrous, heresy even! We don’t have to be submitted to this…this low form of blackmail. Send her away and we’ll appoint Rundar or Edenbur to the project instead. What do we need a Warden for anyways?” Jeious has a particular hint of spite in his voice when saying the word ‘Warden’.

Several council members nodded in agreement.

“I’d wash my hand in their blood by morning.” Mary said coldly, her voice lowering an octave. “Along with anyone else you’d dare appoint in my stead,”

Jeious laughed, “Digital threats for a digital age. Reset their characters all you want child. We have a wide variety of users to choose from.” Several other council members chuckled along.

Mary’s eyes tighten and he expression grew dim. “I wasn’t talking about their characters.”

The council fell silent as all eyes turned to Mary. She waited a few extra seconds just to assure she had their undivided attention. “That…is what a threat from a Warden sounds like,” she said coldly. The tension was beyond palpable. Council members were either too shocked by her brazen statement or afraid to speak before Andion. Tony and Cassius were beyond trying to reason with Mary. They simply kept silent, hoping that if her gamble didn’t pay off, they wouldn’t be punished as well. As everyone else tried to process the situation, a smirk crept across Andion’s face.

Andion offered three small, distinct claps. “You’ve never failed to disappoint,” his open palms extended out to her. “Our Dark Angel.” Mary imperceptibly winced at the phrase. Tensions eased with Andion’s gesture, but a majority of the council was still put off by Mary’s threat. Andion glanced up at the ceiling. His eyes darted back and forth as he accessed the council’s server. After a few seconds his attention shifted back to Mary. “Your requests have been approved.”

Mary bowed and rotated toward the door. Tony and Cassius took the hint and stood before bowing to the council and following behind Mary.

“One. Last. Thing.” Andion said slowly. Mary stopped just before exiting the room, just as Andion finished his ominous phrase. She glanced back over her shoulder without making eye contact. “You’re not the only Warden in Asphodel, and certainly not the strongest, or the only one who will operate in the real world with lethal efficiency.”

“And?” Mary asked goading him on. She knew what he was insinuating, but wanted him to admit it. It would make everything so much sweeter down the line.

“And that is what a threat from the council sounds like.”

Mary raised her head slightly to make eye contact with Andion, who had a wide smile across his face. She smirked and scoffed internally before leaving the room.

As soon as Mary, Cassius, and Tony got back to their research facility, Cassius snapped out of his haze. “What the hell is the matter with you? Antagonizing the council like that? Andion? I mean, I get it, we all do, you’re a badass. Do you understand how powerful they are? What they can do to you? You think your threats mean anything to them? For cristssake, Andion is the CEO of Ascendant Technologies! Do you know how much power he has in the real world?”

Mary logged into her console without giving Cassius’s concerns a second thought. “More than you do, Cass.”

Frustrated at her nonchalance, Cassius rubbed his forehead and sat down next to her. “Don’t call me that, I hate when you call me that.” Mary flippantly waved a hand at him.

“What’s Tartarus?” he asked.

“We need to put a crew together” Mary explained while verifying her new credentials and simultaneously ignoring Cassius’s question. “I have more than a few users that I’ve been keeping my eyes on for some time.”

“Shifters?” Tony asked walking up behind Mary and looking at her screen.

“Some,” Mary answered. “Adam needs to understand his class more, he needs to understand what it means to be a Shifter.”

Tony shakes his head, “Wrathics are different though, right? I mean the myth, coupled with what we’ve seen, it’s not the same.”

“What’s Tartarus?” Cassius repeated.

Mary continued to ignore him. “No, but the transition is close enough that they can help him, give him a people to connect with. It’s better than nothing and he’s going to need all the help we can muster. We’ll also need to discretely put together a security team at the Tomas Hidarian Research Facility, a team that can handle Adam if he gets out of control.”

“Right.” Tony said making a note in his mental journal. “A few names come to mind.”

“Ghost?” Mary asked.

Tony nodded, “Yup. He’s a running a four man crew right now, himself included. All Wardens, all level 100. They’ve got some serious gear and relics fueling them beyond the cap. Supposedly Ghost has unlocked the Nether Fields and started on his Shadow Training. Rumors are his actual level is closer to 125, higher than anyone we’ve encountered.”

“No surprise there,” Mary said. Asphodel’s level cap was 100. Since user’s characters reset to zero when they died, and the damage system was extremely realistic, it was rare to see level 100 characters running around. Everyone had a weakness and it didn’t matter if you were a level 1 facing off against a 100, if you hit the right spot or timed things just right, you could come out alive even at low levels. Skills, relics and boosts that higher levels often employed made it unlikely, but nowhere near impossible. Everyone got recycled through the system eventually, in fact Mary was on her fourth character since joining.

“He’s on the top of my list. I’m especially interested to hear what new stuff he’s learned from the Nether Fields.”

The Nether Fields represented the future of Asphodel. A new system of leveling up and rewarding characters that were able to reach the level cap and stay there. It was still in beta testing with a small group of users, but last Mary heard, Ghost had been at level 100 for over ten years. He was a prime candidate to offer feedback on the new system. Methodical, discipline, and focused. He also happened to be an old friend, and trained Mary when she decided to change things up and take the path of the Warden with her most recent character. He introduced her to the Kukri’s she held so dear.

“Sounds good,” Tony said. “I’ll get ahold of him immediately.

Mary nodded. “makegood. We need to make sure the final team is solid. They need to understand how imperative it is to be able to control Adam without killing him. Their lives are expendable, his is not. It won’t take much to convince Ghost. Once he’s on board, put him in charge of bringing on and coordinating the security team. Also, the Elysian Fields need to be fenced in all directions. Invisible, and electrified, direct route back to the source that we’ll be updating. Contact the facility manager to finalize the logistics. It’ll be a hell of a lot of credits, but I’ll get it approved. In fact, let’s reach out to THRF and see if they can help with that transition. I know they were working on a way to tap into the utility code and amp up its features. In the meantime, Cass and I are going to work through this list of people I have for operations and research to assemble a team that meets our specific needs.”

Mary typed away on her holographic keyboard while Tony continued to record her requests. Finally fed up, Cassius shouted, “What’s Tartarus!”

Mary slammed a finger into her keyboard and rotated the white trimmed screen around so Cassius could see what she had pulled up.

“That’s Tartarus.”

“Dear God,” Cassius exclaimed.

“Oh no,” Mary said shaking her head with a smile. “Not even God has access to this kind of power.”