Jade Benz

She was panicking; looking on helplessly as her dual essence cores bled themselves dry, and her three patterns slowly merged together. No, no, no, not Tok. She tried to pull him out, but only managed to bring him closer to the surface of the swirling mass.

Portions of each pattern were battling with portions of the others. She had to focus all her attention to see what was happening. After staring for several long seconds, she realized they were fighting for space. A body only had so much space after all, and there were three bodies trying to occupy that space.

On the physical side of things; she could easily see that the gargoyle’s wings had stuck, as had the kobold’s tail. Neither of the others had those features, so they won space by default. They hadn’t entered without changes though; the whole body was being worked over. The mixed creation and chaos essence was also having an effect. She didn’t understand enough to influence it.

There were mental changes going on as well, once she looked deeply enough to see this she really panicked. Tok had the weakest mind of the three, it looked to be less developed and younger. The kobold’s head had millennia of memories inside it, while the gargoyle’s mind felt like a veteran of countless wars. Tok on the other hand, Jade could see his memory line started when she first touched him. He didn’t know anything but the time he spent with Jade, and the loyalty he felt toward her.

That touched her, she got in a flash all his memories of his life. From good memories like learning how to play rock paper scissors, and getting his new equipment. To the bad ones, like slaughtering all the goblins. He didn’t actually feel bad about that, but he felt that she did and regretted doing it for her sake. She couldn’t let that part of him go, wrapping her soul presence around that part of him she held on tight.

She could feel much of who the ogre had been, being ripped away by the older and more experienced kobold and gargoyle. She couldn’t do anything about that though, it was all she could do as it was just to keep that innocent part of Tok’s mind intact. Her core’s continued to flood her soul with the dual essences, rapidly draining away to whisps.

The sections of her mind Benjamin had taught her how to separate from herself, were working overtime. In an attempt to get the wild essence back under control, they had combined and began working together. That helped, but the depleted cores were being spun and compressed together. She hadn’t wanted that to happen, not after the hell the chaos infused gargoyle had inflicted on her.

The storm was beginning to settle down, her soul had been ripped and bloodied but she was still intact. Her cores had been emptied to nothing, but it was refilling. She spared it a glance through the pain in her soul, the part of her mind that had won had been the one in charge of the chaos essence. The pattern it was forming was surprising, but her consciousness was fading and she didn’t have time for it now.

Pulling her bruised and battered mental presence away from the part of the pattern that made Tok who he was, she watched as it integrated itself into the whole. It was altered somewhat as it blended into place, but the essentials were still there. Blearily, Jade took a step back and looked at what was left of the patterns on her soul. She couldn’t see clearly, but at least her clothes and gear were all still there. The new pattern was a mixture of chaos and creation essence and looked stronger for it. She blinked her eyes rapidly and squinted, trying to get a better view. Before any details presented themselves, she slumped to the floor unconscious.

* * *

Benjamin Vryce

Benjamin watched as Jade struggled inside her void space. He had tried to stop her but she hadn’t listened. He had even tried to go into her void space and help, he was so tired and she was in such agony that he couldn’t get through to her. Eventually, whatever battle she had been fighting ended and she slumped to the ground.

When he realized he wasn’t going to be able to do anything for her, Benjamin had moved to loot the kobolds. There was indeed a pattern inside the female kobold, he took it for himself. It didn’t have anything to do with wanting a harem either. He just wasn’t one to pass up an opportunity, besides, Jade took the male’s pattern didn’t she. He didn’t have a choice here.

Drumstick had argued with him the entire time, he was really growing to hate the greedy chicken. He had seen Jade giving the chicken sidelong looks, he hoped she didn’t want to steal it when they were done. Having this thing around all the time might just drive him insane.

Counting the bodies, gave him a rough total of just over two hundred. Nyx was very effective, but she was unstable. He looked to Jade, wondering how long she would be out. He was pretty sure from his conversation with Ice, that he had been out for nearly two days when he made Nyx. What she had just attempted wasn’t as bad, but he knew she must have lost a lot in there.

“Drumstick,” he called over to the golden chicken. The little bird was standing over the heads of the leader kobolds, and if Benjamin wasn’t wrong was taking pictures of the missing patterns. That reminded him, he hadn’t taken their creation cores. Moving back over, he started doing that while he finished his question to the chicken. “Is there an area nearby set up as a resting place?”

“Lord Benjamin, why are you further robbing Lord Shipwright’s property? Those creation cores were quite expensive to produce, and represent his time investiture into the kobold experiments.” The damn chicken fussed about as he removed first one, then the other creation core from the kobolds.

“Listen, Drumstick.” Benjamin said, putting the cleaned cores into his case. It was almost full; he would have to use some of these cores soon. Just as soon as he figured out what to do with them. “Shipwright is at war right now is he not?” waiting for the chicken to nod, he continued. “Do you suppose then, that he has time to come collect these patterns and cores before the biological cleaner units get to them?”

“Well, the lord Shipwright has many demands on his time…” the bureaucratic chicken began but was cut off by Benjamin.

“Exactly, he is busy. So, I am going out of my way to gather his valuable property for him. Now, where is the nearest place that Jade can rest?” he finished, causing the bird to run the response through his database before finding the logic in his words.

“There is an old resort nearby, lord Shipwright has had repair drones maintaining it and security drones guarding it for…a while. However, we must advance onwards and close the rift in Lord Shipwright’s station world.” He said stubbornly.

It took Benjamin longer than he liked, to convince the stupid chicken that he couldn’t close the rift without Jade. Since she needed to recover, the fastest way for that to happen was to go somewhere safe where she could rest. Eventually, he got through and he summoned Ice back into reality and draped Jade’s body across her saddle.

He hoped it didn’t take long to arrive at this ‘resort.’ Jade really did need to rest, and he needed to address the imbalance in Nyx’s mind. After watching her performance, Benjamin realized she was far too valuable an asset not to use. The mental lapses that she suffered during combat however, could get not only her, but the rest of them killed if not addressed.

* * *

The trip wasn’t long at all, perhaps an hour. He didn’t have high hopes for this resort though, the corridors were ever increasingly covered in mold and rot. It looked like they had walked through what had been the kobolds den, and it was disgusting. Bones of dead kobolds and their food littered the ground, operating tables had been set up at odd intervals as well. Benjamin's best guess on these, was that the poor creatures had been implanting the machinery into themselves.

Shipwright had a lot to answer for if he treated all under his care this way. Benjamin stumbled at an uncomfortable realization. He was a World Lord now too, and he hadn’t so much as checked in on his world since it began development. Granted he was barred from entering it at the moment, but he should at least be aware of what his creatures were up to. Lest he risk turning into these World Lords, so far removed from life that they didn’t realize the harm they were doing.

That thought in turn brought him back to his years on earth. The Creator of his home world, and all the humans on it, never interfered. In fact, most people didn’t believe there was a Creator at all anymore, because of that noninterference. It was true that the world had its problems, but at least there weren’t any beings with the power to literally create life running around.

It was all so confusing, when he took the time and really thought about it. There was a Creator of creation, the multiverse that contained uncounted universes. Or so he was told, he couldn’t verify that. Then, there were the demons. Creatures created outside of creation and the multiverse. Going down in scale, there were beings like the World Lords. Who could create life that felt just as real as Benjamin was.

Hell, Benjamin himself could create life now. Well, maybe not now, but with time and practice he could. As far as Benjamin knew, the Creator didn’t have any more control over him than the Erlking had over the children of his hive monarchs. So, just how different were they really. He shook his head to clear the thoughts away. It didn’t solve any of his current problems, maybe one day if he lived long enough, he would know.

When they passed beyond the kobold territory and into the resort, Benjamin noticed right away. There were several slimes crawling over the walls, keeping unwanted biological buildup contained. He tensed up when he saw them, but Drumstick told him not to worry. Apparently, the little chicken had the access codes to the facilities and could bring them in as guests.

Looking up, Benjamin realized why the kobolds hadn’t just waltzed right in here and set up shop. The ceiling was lined with row upon row of machine gun emplacements. What’s more, as they got closer to their destination, alcoves started appearing every fifteen feet, on either side of the corridor. Each one held the form of a juggernaut security drone. They weren’t humanoid class however, having been created long years before humans had been brought here.

Benjamin didn’t really have words to describe them. Each was different from all the others; in that regard they were similar to the kobolds. He could tell they were juggernaut class drones though; they were huge and regardless of shape each was thickly armored. With so many guards, a handful of the slimes and a dozen repair drones, this place could remain in pristine condition nearly indefinitely.

The gates of the resort were magnificent to behold, Benjamin didn’t recognize anything human in their design but found them beautiful all the same. Drumstick opened the gates with a series of noises from his speakers, nothing any organic voice could reproduce. Before leading them inside.

The proportions were slightly off, having been made for various sized guests. Regardless of that however, Benjamin couldn’t help but feel like he was in a five-star hotel back on earth. As the chicken led them inside, they passed a large octagon shaped swimming pool with crystal clear water. Around the pool room were several doors that Drumstick indicated led to more luxury accommodations.

They passed these and continued onwards, not stopping until they reached a rounded door. It whooshed aside at the chicken’s tone, and the party entered.

“This is the closest room we have to a human analogue, please make yourselves at home.” Drumstick said, sounding oddly accommodating. “I have business to attend to for Lord Shipwright while you rest. Simply call me on the ear insert when you are ready to depart and I shall collect you.” with those words, the overly polite chicken departed. The door whooshing shut behind him.

“There is a trap in this,” Ice said as Benjamin pulled Jade’s limp body from her shoulders and laid her on one of the soft indents in the floor. “The prey animal was too nice, he acted entirely different before this.” she continued, turning her gaze to the only door.

“Yea, I gathered that too,” Benjamin said laying down on his own soft indent. “But what choice do we have? We really do need the rest after that battle. Jade has most likely damaged her soul and done who knows what else trying to absorb the kobold pattern. Not to mention the fact that I need to address Nyx’s mental instability.” Listing off the reasons they needed to stay.

He looked around the room, it was big for a hotel room, but seemed small once Ice’s bulk was taken into account. The walls were all shiny bare metal, much like the rest of the station so far. The resort they had passed by on the way to this room had been head and shoulders above in terms of quality. He suspected that Drumstick had locked them in some form of cell, but he wasn’t too worried. Between himself, Nyx, Tok and the gargoyle breaking out shouldn’t be a problem if it proved necessary.

“Will you keep watch for me again, Ice?” he asked at last, turning to the she wolf. “I need to address Nyx while there is time, try and fix her imbalance. Besides, my body is shot after that transformation.”

“Of course, my rider.” Ice said in his mind. “Rest and gather your strength, there is more fighting to come.” Benjamin closed his eyes as she finished speaking and turned away towards the door. It had been a long day, and they had only just begun.