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imabeautifulbutterfly · 1 year

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The Reunion - Part 35

Summary: The Grand Inquisitor goes on a hunt; Rex, Cody and Gregor come to a decision.

A/N: Hello Lovelies,

It’s so good to be writing again! Oh my lovelies how I’ve missed you. I hope each and every one of you is doing well.

As I mentioned in my announcement, my arm is doing better but I still feel numb in two of my fingers. I’m hoping that with physio that will get better as well.

This chapter for The Reunion is a little smaller than what I normally do, usually I try to aim for at least 5k words or around there, however this one is about half. I have been warned by several people not to push myself when it comes to writing, and I’m trying not to but I still want to put something out there, so the chapters for my other stories may come out shorter than expected. At least for now.

I will try and incorporate some of the Bad Batch’s episodes in some way or form, but not 100% sure about that just yet.

Anyways, love oo and thank you for sticking around.

Also for now Grand Inquisitor will be written in third-person, simply because he’s such a fantastic character, I don’t feel I’d do him justice writing him first person. I may eventually switch everyone to third-person, still debating. I’ll see how the story leads itself.

Warnings: Mentions of dark side, prey-predator scenario, sense of fear, threats, stabbing, drunken patron, anger, untrusting behaviour, force use, discussions of leaving, wounded person, description of wound, killing, I think that’s all of it, if I miss anything please let me know.

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GRAND INQUISTOR POV

The smell of filth reached his nose as he passed another alleyway, the stench of misery, decay, and the feelings of hopelessness encompassed him, like a mother wrapping up her baby in a soothing blanket. When he’d been a temple guard on Coruscant, the overwhelming sense of dread would’ve made him empathize, and make him want to help save those wretched lives. He took in a deep breath, the tiny glint of a smirk appearing on his lips, without a doubt this was a prime location for any would-be Jedi. Perhaps there was more than just the one Jedi hiding among these contemptible pathetic lifeforms.

He stood still taking in the atmosphere that surrounded him, closing his eyes as he allowed his body to become wrapped in the rotting undercurrent he felt all around him. A subtle grin began to form in the corner of his mouth as the darkness fuelled him, encouraged him and resonated deep within himself. He couldn’t help think how far he had fallen from who he used to be, yet there was no resentment, no regret, just the dark side ebbing through him encouraging and guiding him.

It continued to follow him as he walked on in search of his target. The darkness from outside becoming his companion, sweeping away all possibility of joy, peace and happiness as his steps brought him to a flickering sign, the only light illuminating the pathway and his surroundings were from a club known for its unsavoury characters and licentious behaviour.

He faced the entrance to the club, its name matter not for one seedy joint was no different to any other; the only thing that interested him was the subtle pull that called out to him, a small glimmer of light among the dark side of the force flowing freely among the patrons here.

He couldn’t help smile as he followed the faint resonating sound of hope, the one thing … the only thing that would definitely lead him to his goal.

“Whhhhere yo’ froooom?”

An inconsequential drunken patron stumbled into his path, clearly too inebriated to focus on who or what he was. He didn’t even bother hiding his strength as he force pushed them out of his way and into a table on the other side of the room.

In an instant, everything stopped, conversations halted, the sounds of laughter died midair. Silence was the only thing that filled every inch of the room as all eyes turned towards him. His grin never vanished as he continued walking through, it seemed as though in that moment everyone sobered from their drunkenness. A sense of reality, fear and dread filled the club, something that had never been possible before. He took another step continuing to follow the trickles of hope he sensed.

“You may feel this is where your life begins.” his voice was calm, soothing, and utterly terrifying, he could feel the fear rising among the patrons surrounding him, he slowly pulled out his spinning lightsaber, making sure not to turn it on just yet.

“You may think you’ve escaped your punishment.” The more he inched further into the club, the more he could feel their anxiety growing with each passing second.

The overwhelming emotions from the patrons were enough to drown out the one he was searching for, he turned his attention to the repugnant audience who were of no consequence to him, he wanted to make sure they were all clear on that front.

“All of you, who deign to scrap a meagre living such as you have, are of no importance to me. There is one who walks a different path who has gained my attention.”

There was a collective sigh of relief as many felt his focus was not on them. The small glimmer of hope had now become entwined with a small mark of fear.

He turned his full attention on his target and the clear path before him, “You know there is nowhere you can hide, I will not find you.” He lit his sabre, it’s red glow overpowering the other lights in the room, his steps were determined, as he examined every face in the room. The fear encompassing every corner of the room, fuelled him with each passing second.

“Cower if you must” his voice remained steady and poignant, “however, we both know this ends only one way.” The silence despite the amount of bodies in the club was almost suffocating, “Yet, there is another path…” there was a slight shuffle from the other side of the room, his eyes focused on the lingering shadow that seemed to appear and disappear. His opponent was clearly someone worthy of him, he couldn’t help but enjoy having the opportunity to face this one, “You know there is no escape, however, join me. Join us, feel the power that is available to those who are worthy.”

He closed the distance between him and the shadow, only for it to disappear before his eyes; he smirked turning his attention back to the other side of the room. A door along the wall which had previously been closed was now open, the faint string of hope slowly vanishing down the corridor of the open passage.

The feeling of pure joy, as the hunt continued, made its’ way up to his eyes, giving them new life, as the smile he had before etched deeper into his face. As he headed further down the corridor, the noise from the club sprung back to life in the wake of his and his target’s absence.

His steps were synced with his target giving him enough leeway to think he had outrun his predator. He wanted to give them hope they’d be able to get away. It was always so much sweeter robbing them of their lifeline just when they thought there was a chance.

The long corridor, twisted and turned as it ebbed it’s way through the back alley of Ord Mantell, as much fun as this was, there were more pressing matters he needed to turn his attention. He closed the distance between them, the red glow announcing his presence with each step closing the distance between prey and predator. The only warning his target would receive before he appeared in view behind them. He could sense their fear beginning to build, there was no mistake, they knew he was gaining on them and their window of salvation was closing fast.

“Ingenious to use the patrons’ fear to project the shadow to distract me, almost worked … if you hadn’t been so weak; you must understand the dark side is stronger.”

The footsteps he had been following stopped dead ahead, he turned the final corner to see a young man standing with his back to a dead end. His breathing quickened as fear coursed through his body.

“It was a good attempt … boy. No doubt your master taught you well.”

“What would you know about it?”

“More than you can imagine. However, join me and I can finish your training”

The young man reached behind him pulling out his saber, “I’d never join with a murderer like you.”

He simply nodded he expected as much, yet he couldn’t help letting out a disappointed sigh at the resounding dismissal of his offer, “Well that is unfortunate … for you.”

There wasn’t much that surprised him, not now, after hunting as many Jedis as he had, but this young man surprised him, one final time.

Just as he expected him to attack, to lurch forward with his sabre, he tossed a flash grenade with his other hand, blinding him temporarily.

The effect was lasted only for a few seconds before he was able to regain his vision, he was a little surprised to see an empty corridor. He hadn’t felt the young man pass him, nor had he sensed any sort of escape, yet what he was sensing was unmistakable, the trail of light was gone, the hope he’d been following vanished without a trace.

He was right, this was an opponent worthy of his skills, they cold and calculated smile once again etched it’s way on to his lips, as he looked around the dead end. He was without a doubt the young man was still there, but to mask his signature, to hide from plain sight, that was indeed something extra.

“Clever. Very clever. You may be able to hide, but not for long. Tell me what would you do if I started to destroy each home and family in the area? Would you really stay quiet knowing they would be losing their lives because of you? Maybe you could brush it off as that was their lot in life, to lay down their lives so you may survive, but then … could you truly be so cruel? After all is that not the way to the dark side? Would your master approve of such reckless behaviour, of such wanton attitude?”

“Who are you to speak of my master? No matter what I do, the Empire would find some way or other to destroy their lives regardless” a disembodied voice spoke out bouncing off the walls all around the corridor.

“I never thought I’d live to see the day when a Jedi choose his own life over the innocent.”

“Never said I was a Jedi. Your lot made sure that was taken away from me.”

He stepped closer to the voice, “What do you propose then?” No matter how hard he tried he still couldn’t sense anything, but that was not his only skill.

“You‘ll never be able to find me in my current form, and I’m not strong enough to defeat you. Let’s walk away until next time. No winners today. No losers. There’s simply the force.”

As much as he didn’t agree with the young man, it was true they were at an impasse, “Very well” he turned off his spinning saber, turning away from the young man hoping to convey his resolve. Yet, he couldn’t simply walk away, after all this young man was full of surprises, intrigue and without a shadow of a doubt a danger to him and all those who served the Emperor.

As much as he respected the young man, he couldn’t just walk away, and that’s when he heard the shallow breathing. He turned around as quickly as the wind changes direction, igniting his saber with the flick of his wrist, as it’s red pulsating beam inched it’s way into the Shi’ido before him, “You should have realized…” he leaned in as the young man that was there before had all but disappeared revealing the Shi’ido’s true form, “there is never a next time with an Inquisitor.”

He turned off the saber, the body dropping to the ground with a heavy thud, as a billow of sand plumbed into the air. He tilted his head, looking at the form of the Shi’ido before him, a small silver moth caught in a web etched into it’s left temple catching his eye, “Shame. Would’ve preferred to have you on our side.”

“Fly … fly away …” were the last words the Shi’ido eased out as his eyes closed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

REX POV

“…. we may not be able to fight against the Empire but we can provide a way out for those that want it …”

Cody looked lost in thought as I was discussing my plan, he seemed overwhelmed; where as Gregor looked onboard and ready for action.

“When do we leave?” Gregor half stood from his seat, we all noticed Cid was becoming more and more agitated with the threat of the Empire looming. It seemed as though our welcome was soon ending, it was unfortunate but we may needed to cut ties with her sooner rather than later.

“After the Epistemology arrives, we’ll offer Wolffe a chance to see if he wants to come with us or stay.”

Cody stood from his seat, pacing back and forth on the ship, we’d been staying more and more on the ship, there was something odd about the way Cid focused her attention on us, a little too intently. Too calculating for my taste.

“The faster we get away from Cid the better” Cody finally offered.

We both glanced over to him, “You know something, don’t you?”

“No. Let’s just say I’ve felt that sort of tension before, the feeling that someone isn’t being completely honest about something.”

“Oh come on guys” Gregor started, “She knows Phoenix … Halcyon … Tala, whatever …” he let out a slight laugh, “there’s no way she’d turn us in, especially if we’re family.”

“She may never turn her in,” Cody clarified, “doesn’t mean she’d give us the same courtesy. Especially not if the Empire has anything to say.”

Our comm beeped, “Looks like she needs us, come on.” I motioned for the other two to follow me, we locked up the ship and headed back to Cid’s. The streets were becoming more and more deserted, there’d been rumours storm troopers had been spotted on the village outskirts, but how true that was no one really knew. There was also a rumour of some sort of red lightsaber wielding Pau’an, searching for a specific Jedi, many chalked up the rumours to drunken idiots unable to tell a holodrama from reality.

However, we knew there was probably some truth to the rumours.

As we got closer to Cid’s parlour, we noticed the light for her sign was off, my hand rested against my blaster, “Keep your eyes open” Cody alerted, as his hands rested against both his blasters.

The parlour was dark, Bolo and Ketch were no where to be seen, even Cid didn’t appear to be there. The further we went in the more something didn’t feel right, there was evidence of drag marks heading towards Cid’s office. Who or what had been dragged was difficult to tell.

We followed the trail, only to find a passed out clone in weird civilian clothing, he didn’t have any injuries except for the one that appeared to be some sort of cauterized wound on the left side of his chest; he was breathing, barely. But he was alive, miraculously, it looked as though the wound went through the front all the way to the back. How was he still alive? It would’ve cauterized his heart.

“Who’s this?” Gregor kneeled beside the clone, turning his head from side to side, “I mean he looks like us, but I don’t recognize this tattoo.” He tilted the head a bit more to look at it, the design was unique, a silver moth caught in the web of a spider, something that didn’t even make sense. It wasn’t something a clone would’ve wanted, at least none of the clones I knew.

“I’ve never seen a tattoo like that before” Cody offered

“Me neither”

Cody and Gregor were both doing their best to figure out if there was any internal damage, however the scanner we had was limited, for that particular type of injury. We needed to get him onboard our ship, in order to run a full scan. A discussion regarding the best option was abruptly interupted when the door to Cid’s office slid open.

“It’s about time you three showed up” her gruff and temperamental voice filling the office.

I turned to face her, there was an odd expression on her face. She looked deep in thought, mixed with annoyance

“What’s with you?” Though my question was less than courteous, I couldn’t help it, I wasn’t in the mood to put up with her rudeness. I … we all appreciated the fact she provided us with a place to stay, while getting free and cheap labour out of us.

“Humph! What’s wrong with me? Besides the fact, that I had to close my place, and another one of you guys showed up at my door.” She stepped closer poking my chest, “This is not some clone sanctuary! Stop telling them to come here!”

“I don’t” I gritted through my teeth, enunciating both words carefully and slowly.

“We’ll take him upstairs” Cody stated, as Gregor helped him lift the unconscious clone. They left quickly, leaving me alone with Cid.

“I have done a lot for you boys, but you need to remember that eyes are watching. You need to keep a low profile. Last thing we need is too much heat on this place.”

I nodded, understanding what she was trying to say, “That’s actually something I wanted to tell you about”

“Oh?”

“We’ll be leaving soon, thanks for everything.”

“How soon?”

“Unsure, but sooner rather than later”

“Hmmm”

I didn’t wait to hear anything else, but something definitely didn’t feel right. The sooner we left Cid behind, the sooner we got away and did what we were planning on the better.

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writtenwyrm · 10 months

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The Ascension

A Slay the Spire Story, Part 35

All Parts

Bargaining

I coughed, wet and sickly, and a lump of flesh spattered out onto the ground. It squirmed and stood up, two stubby feet supporting a blue, fleshy, toothy mouth. The monster wobbled for a minute and shook itself, spattering dark liquid all over. Then it hopped off into the darkness, leaving me alone in my corner once again.

There were spatters of muck all over me from the ugly little beast, and my feathers were disheveled and out of place. I resisted the urge to preen, however. The patches of empty skin were a grim reminder of what happened when I pulled too hard.

“What have you done?”

My Chosen. I glanced up, seeing them in the doorway. So small, compared to me, and yet so important. The leader of my entire church.

I didn’t want to say it. But I had to say something. Silence was worse than the truth, which was only occasionally worse than a lie. “I’m stuck.”

They stepped forward into the room, commanding just as much space as I did, looking around at my decorated sleeping chamber as if something in here might be the cause of my appearance. “Don’t give me that. You have total control over your shape. If you’re losing your feathers, it’s because you want to be useless. Are you really so selfish?”

I flinched, reminded of the people that depended on me. The people who needed my body to be healed. “No! No, I want to help them, I do!”

“Then stop being belligerent and take your true form again.”

I stared down at my Chosen, helpless to explain how hard I’d tried. I’d tried until I could hardly even breathe, until…

Well, I doubted it would go well if they saw the tiny, repulsive creatures I was coughing up.

I only had one idea. And I had to present it correctly, or… “Maybe… maybe I should go back. To the others. They might… they might know what’s wrong with me.”

I immediately knew I’d said it wrong. Something about the way they shifted under their cloak told me that the conversation was over.

“No. You are not like them. They are old, and you are new. You are something special… if you allow yourself to be. Now, I have delegates from the Gremlin Leader I must speak to.” They paced back toward the door, arms folded behind them. The slight edge of disgust told me what they thought of that. Then the tone turned toward me. “I’ll be back. I expect to see you back to normal when I return, but if you are not… well, you may still be of use, even in that sorry shape.”

The thought horrified me. What could they possibly find useful on me now? The thought of my ragged, dirty feathers going into elixirs for the sickly was disgusting. Surely they couldn’t hold the same power that they usually did.

Could they?

Alone again, I paced my room. The sound of my thundering heart in my ears drowned out everything else. Which was good, since the sound of my talons on the ground had been replaced with a slap-flap of meaty feet, and I didn��t want to hear that.

A sudden urge struck me to be in the sky. I had to fly again. How long had it been since I’d felt the wind under my wings? That I’d looked over the land from so far up that I couldn’t even see the individual trees?

Too long. Maybe some time in the air would help me return to normal. They wouldn’t understand, but I needed this.

So I didn’t tell them. Instead, I snuck through the rough-hewn corridors of the palace, searching for my window. The hole in the side of the Spire that was large enough to let me be free, on occasion.

I found it.

Bleakly, I stared at the boards nailed over it.

Had they done this? Why? They’d never forbidden me from flying, only hinted that there were better things to do with my time. And yet…

No. No, I needed out. I needed to fly. They would just have to understand.

I still wasn’t going to ask permission. No, I would beg forgiveness later. For now, I went to work with what was left of my beak.

It hurt, tearing the boards out. It hurt worse to give up the beak and grow a set of uneven teeth, moving further away from my intended shape. But the teeth worked better, and soon I could feel sunlight again.

I stood in the opening, basking in the warm sun. It calmed me, and I could feel my panic receding. This wasn’t the end of the world. I could figure this out, I’d be back in my normal form in no time. All I needed was a little time flying, first.

I leapt, stretching out my wings.

And then I fell like a rock.

At first, I was simply confused. I reached out, trying to cup the familiar sky with my wings and rise, and instead it flew past me, tearing feathers off with it in a vengeful flurry.

That’s when the panic returned.

I flapped, frantically, losing height with every second. I couldn’t fly, I couldn’t fly.

The last feathers still clinging to my stubby wings finally came free, leaving me naked and alone.

I plummeted.

The air whistled past, louder and louder, tearing off any remnants of my plumage and sending them scattered to the wind. No, no, I have to change. I have to get my feathers back.

Concentrating was difficult as I tumbled, but I closed my eyes, focusing on the familiar shape that I knew so well, the shape I’d been born as. Sapphire wings, powerful, all-encompassing. Muscles that beat and grasped the air, propelling me wherever I wanted to go.

The knife, approaching my face, wavering near my eye.

I screamed, flinching away from the image and losing my concentration immediately. The power I’d gathered bunched itself in my bones, looking for an escape, needing to be used. Uncontrolled, it surged through me, warping me, twisting my wings inward on myself. I felt my bones crunch in unnatural ways as my body searched instinctively for a form that would allow me to withstand a spire-long fall. A form, any form that could survive.

When I opened my eyes, the world was racing up to greet me

I hit the ground.

Everything shattered.

—

[QUERY] WAKE UP

[ANALYSIS] SYSTEM REST TIME is 98% COMPLETE

[ANALYSIS] SUFFICIENT REST ATTAINED. BEGINNING BOOT SEQUENCE

Slowly, the process of bootstrapping back into full functionality began. The body lifted itself to its feet, calculating each movement with careful precision.

[QUERY] FASTER

[ERROR] NOT a QUERY

[ACTION] ANALYZE PATH

[ANALYSIS] Path upward has average diameter of 4.5 meters rising at 3.2 degree slope. Stone walls depict tentacles and whorls along with standard bones and body parts.

[ANALYSIS] SAFE and EFFICIENT

[QUERY] NOT SAFE

[ANALYSIS] NO ACTIVE DANGER DETECTED

[QUERY] IDIOT

The body began to walk, resuming the trek back up toward the Beyond. It was within two days' journey of its goal. The journey still had a 2.7% chance of failure, but that was within reasonable parameters—

The stone tentacles whipped out, wrapping around the limbs of the body and holding firm.

[ANALYSIS] DANGER

[QUERY] <.blankquery>

[ACTION] BEGIN BATTLE RESOLUTION

[ACTION] BATTLE BOOT SEQUENCE

[ACTION] ACTIVATE HEATSINKS

[ACTION] SYNC SYMBIOITE

The body whirred into a flurry of individual motions, while the whole frame remained still. Armor plating slid into place, vents and pipes extended from the limbs, and the fingers flicked into sharpened claws.

The fusion battery hummed into life, and a space in the air was torn open, allowing a drop of pure plasma to form. It was linked with the body, feeding a cycle of energy in and out of the core. There was leakage with the core damaged as it was, but it was manageable, even useful, lightning sparking through the air to join the plasma in its orbit.

Finally, the body siphoned power from the virus that had taken up residence within it. A third rent opened in the air, filling with purple-tinged shadow that made no noise at all.

None of that stopped the tentacles from tightening their grip.

[ANALYSIS] DANGER on ALL SIDES

[ACTION] SWEEPING BEAM

The large lense lit up, and a sharp light shot forth, arcing across the room and carving a line through the walls. But the restraints kept the beam from doing any real damage to the powerful tentacles rising from the floor.

[ACTION] ELECTRODYNAMICS

Lightning sparked, orbs flickering into being and filling the open spaces that the Runic Capacitor automatically created. Thunder cracked as bolts struck out, all of them focused on a single enormous tentacle.

[QUERY] FAILURE of ELECTRODYNAMICS

[ANALYSIS] Enemy tentacle acts as a lightning rod, protecting the mass.

[QUERY] DO BETTER NEXT TIME

[ERROR] NOT A QUERY

The tentacle attacked.

Bronze screeched and connections twisted as it pounded down on the body, bending the frame despite its reinforcements. The right arm was dented heavily, and a few flakes of crystal fell from the already-cracked core.

Again and again, the destruction of the body had come to pass. Two-hundred and thirteen times, the body had rebooted at the base of the Spire, miles from its destination, and yet whole. Somewhat.

And yet one thing had not changed in all that time.

I didn’t want to die.

I struck. Through the channel the virus had made between me and the body, the one it used to siphon the void. Through that weakness I pushed, attempting to make a connection, all while throwing as many queries as possible toward the body.

[QUERY] IS THIS SENTENCE FALSE

[QUERY] HOW MUCH SPHERE COULD A SPHERIC GUARDIAN GUARD IF A SPHERIC GUARDIAN COULD GUARD SPHERE

[QUERY] IS CLAW GOOD HERE

A slurry of nonsensical questions, attempting to distract and disorient the body, keep it on edge. That was dangerous when it was already in the process of being crushed, but the danger was a part of the plan, something to keep it from shutting me down immediately.

[ANALYSIS] USE of CLAW

[ERROR] CLAW is INEFFICIENT

[ANALYSIS] GUARDING of SPHERE

[ERROR] DEFINE SPHERE

[ANALYSIS] SENTENCE is FALSE

[ERROR] SENTENCE IS TRUE

[ERROR] SENTENCE IS FALSE

[ERROR] ERROR

Suddenly, I broke through.

My sensory scope expanded into the body, and all of a sudden it was mine again. I flexed my fingers, the sensation of innumerable commands of code and calculation so fluid and simple, run by subsystems of hand and arm so I didn’t need to take time thinking about each twitch of my thumb.

But the autopilot was still here, attempting to reassert control, so I began to create new systems.

It was the great strength of sentients. The power to condense, repeat, offload thinking and acting to subsystems running under the main mind. The same ability that allowed me to think of picking up a crystal, and for my body to follow through with a thousand tiny motions to move my arm, stretch my fingers, squeeze the edges of the object and raise it into the air. The creatures of flesh and bone that lived in the great city below were more like me than they ever suspected. Both I and them ran systems of repetition and habit and instinct, no matter that they ran on hardware of flesh and blood and I on crystal and bronze. Truly, we all carried lightning in our cores.

I held two great advantages.

One, as a Divine Machine, I had a greater connection with the Beyond. I understood it on a level that few mortals did, and could even draw on its power if required. The false made real, and faith made blades.

Two, I could reach into myself and edit.

My focus was split on two turfs. Inner, as my autopilot fought to remove what it saw as a rogue force, and outer, as the tentacle continued to squeeze me into scrap. My lenses focused in and out wildly as my autopilot found a loose end and attempted to zoom my vision, making it harder to keep track of the tentacles. It was time to even the odds.

[QUERY] ENERGY FOR OPTIMAL STRATEGY

[ANALYSIS] POWER at 73% MAXIMUM

[ANALYSIS] SUFFICIENT

[ACTION] DOUBLE ENERGY

[ACTION] SKIM

My core flared, the temporary boost giving me the power to search quickly through my many, many systems, searching for the one that was just a little different…

There.

[COMMAND] REPEAT

[ERROR] REPEAT NOT DEFINED

[DEFINE] REPEAT

[REPEAT]

to happen again

[FUNCTION] REPEAT INITIAL ACTION

[FUNCTION] OFFLOAD REPETITION TO AUTOMATIC SUBDRIVES

[ACTION] ECHO FORM

A figure appeared, overlapping my own form. When I moved, it followed, sharp-edged and transparent.

Now it was fair.

Time to make it unfair. In my favor.

I hunkered down in my body as the tentacles tightened on my limbs. Now that I had settled into an equilibrium, however, it was much easier to resist their monstrous strength. Digging deep, I was pleased to find that the algorithm I’d planted near the beginning of this iteration had grown into a formidable, adaptive defense program, so I threw that up too, allowing the program to adjust my limbs on a millimeter scale, maximizing the force I could withstand.

With all that together, I was prepared when the tentacle slammed down again, attempting to swat me like a fly.

[ACTION] BLOCK

One arm flew up, meeting the tentacle in the middle with enough momentum to deaden the attack, precisely calculated by programs I wasn’t even consciously aware of to prevent recoil damage to my arm.

Moments after the impact, my feet swiveled like wild louses, nearly throwing me off balance. The attempts of my autopilot to reassert control were too pressing to ignore any longer. I reached inside and focused, looking for the Rift.

I found it easily. Like a chasm, it opened a void in my mind, a great, unidentifiable gap of corrupted memories and loose code. In my mind, it felt like a manifestation of the true rift–the crack in my core.

The Autopilot sat on the other side of that rift, where I’d been living up until now. The channel I’d used was still open, and it was frantically attempting to snatch control of anything left unattended.

Carefully, I reached out and grabbed a few loose ends of code. Fragments of memory ran through my core as I mentally touched them, images of enemies I’d fought, locations I’d seen. Nothing I could remember clearly, but close enough that I was able to put them together like puzzle pieces.

[ACTION] DEFRAGMENT

My Echo followed moments behind, grabbing more memories and placing them in appropriate places. If it had been just an imitation of myself, it would have attempted to repeat my actions exactly, and been useless. But the touch of the Beyond gave it a spark of true life and the capacity to follow my intent, not just what I did.

As the pieces fell into place, it sealed my Autopilot away on the other side of the Rift. Now that it was taking up less of my focus and power, I could afford to give more to the multiple orbs that orbited around me. My processing cooled as I calmed down, panic turning into confidence as my strength grew. Ice crept over my core as the inner machinations of my core were made manifest in a more literal sense. In a few past iterations I’d let my core freeze over entirely, but the benefits would be minimal here. Instead, I used the ice, shoving it into a slot for use as more protection.

I was out of slots, so the plasma flashed and expended the rest of its energy in a burst as the ice replaced it. I captured the excess energy and pulled it in, using it to charge my core. It overcharged my battery, and I could feel myself crackling with power waiting to be used.

[COMMAND] REPEAT

[ACTION] HOLOGRAM

And then I did it again, a flickering double–not dissimilar to my Echo Form–using the rest of my energy to shove even more power into my core battery. The overflow snapped with static, warding off the next tentative blow from my enemy.

This time, I curled my fingers into a fist, and punched back.

[ACTION] COMPILE DRIVER

A moment later my translucent copy did the same, driving the enemy back and giving myself space to act.

The shadow orb had been drawing power this entire time, but it was slow going, even with the increased power afforded to it. As it was, it would hardly put a dent in the creature before me.

Of course, nothing said I only had to use it once.

[COMMAND] REPEAT

[ACTION] MULTICAST

I copied the active state of the void orb, then lobbed it through the air at the stony tentacle. Where it touched, it left nothing behind, passing through the flesh of the creature like an eraser.

Then I pasted the active state and threw the orb again.

And again.

By the time I was out of energy, the spire growth was a twitching mass that contained just as many holes as it did flesh. The tentacles around my body fell limp, allowing me to move freely again.

[QUERY] STATUS of ENEMY

[ANALYSIS] Major connectors severed, motion ceasing, profuse fluid leakage.

[ANALYSIS] DEAD

[ACTION] BATTLE MODE OFF

I welcomed the clone back inside, absorbed the data from the fight, and then deleted it. There was a pang of uncertainty from us both about that last part, but I couldn’t carry it around with me forever, straining my core.

It would be back. Not the same copy, not the same me. But it always came back. And I wouldn’t keep it trapped in my core while I controlled the body. I had too many memories of that, and often I wondered if it would be better to cease to exist than continue to experience it. My copy, at least, didn’t have to wonder.

Bound to just thinking, watching my body act on its own. Wanting, wishing, and yet unable to even do something as simple as reach out my hand.

Now that my autopilot was locked away, I could keep it there indefinitely.

Except… I wouldn’t.

I knew I wouldn’t, because I had let it free in the first place. Again and again, I had broken through, reasserted control.

Again and again, I had grown weary.

It always started small. Allowing the autopilot through to take command of my walking on long journeys, or giving it control enough to purge a louse infestation when I couldn’t be bothered. But it would grow, and grow, and I would use it for every little thing, lighting fires, fighting monsters, arranging relics.

By the time I realized I couldn’t take back control, it was too late. And more often than not, I didn’t care. It was simpler, letting it walk for me, live for me.

Easier.

My entire life was built around repetition and recursion. From the smallest of actions to the hundreds of iterations I had lived through.

Perhaps this time, I had the opportunity to change that. My situation was rare, even among the many times I had been recreated to ascend the Spire. I couldn’t remove my autopilot, it was too tied up with the foundations of my body and mind, and attempting to delete that would be like removing a mortal’s nervous system.

But perhaps I could purge the habits that brought me back to it again and again.

Once again, I reached inside and searched. Now that I was free, I could take my time, and I searched until I found the connections that I was searching for. There was just one problem.

It was a part of me, and it didn’t want to be purged.

It’s pointless. The piece whispered to me. You’ll never make meaningful change, not for long. It’ll all be back next time we die. You can’t be rid of me, because I’m you.

I chased the recursive commands through my system, isolating one chunk of my mind at a time to corner it, quarantining the corrupting code in smaller and smaller spaces until finally—

The virus would serve one more purpose today. While I was in control, the malicious entity was barely a hassle to manipulate. Compared to my sophisticated systems, it was hardly more than a spider before the boot.

But instead of squashing it, I cracked it open, and allowed my darkness to flow into it. Then I sealed it up again.

Normally, that would have been the best I could have done. The caged code wasn’t so much physical as metaphorical, and it would remain locked in the back of my mind until it found a way to break free, as it always did.

But here in the Beyond, metaphor was as strong as steel.

I held out my hands, willing the virus to appear in my cupped claws. It flickered into being, dark, warping the space around it.

[ACTION] SUNDER

It fell away from me, torn free. Given physical shape, the virus coalesced into a smaller, shaper, more familiar form. A blue arrowhead. A key.

[QUERY] NEAREST RECEPTACLE

[ANALYSIS] ABANDONED CHEST 103 PACES NORTHEAST

I placed my darkness within the chest, and then closed it with a snap, sealing it away.

Perhaps it would come back. Perhaps it would grow again from the many habits I’d collected. Perhaps someday I would fall back into the darkness and allow my autopilot to take over again.

But for now, I was free. It was like a dream.

I began to wake up.

The walls shivered indistinctly around me, fading into nothingness, and the world began to collapse. Lightning sparked over my limbs, orbs channeled from the sudden fear that rose in my core. No, no, no!

I didn’t want to go back, I didn’t want to be trapped. Bound in my own body, prisoner to the whims of another. I wouldn’t go back, I wouldn’t be silenced anymore, I—

—-

I woke to someone strangling me.

I tried to scream, but only the faintest wheeze escaped. Desperate, I slammed into Wrath faster than I thought possible, and arched my body like a bucking ox in an attempt to throw my attacker free.

They matched me, strength for strength.

My staff, where was my staff? It was right next to me when I fell asleep, I had to be able to reach it. Unless they’d moved it before attacking me, unless they’d stolen it.

I tried to scrabble about my head to find it, but my hands weren’t responding. Was I tied up? How many attackers were there? My hands—

My hands were around my own throat.

I let go with a gasp, filling my lungs and letting the Wrath surge out of me in a yell of terror and confusion and anger. It left me all at once and I fell limp, feeling empty, heaving great deep breaths of the cold spire air.

“Bad dream?” An irritatingly familiar voice said, with mild sympathy.

I turned my head, and there he was. Crosslegged on his colorful rug, the Merchant grinned at me like a clown. Or at least his mask did.

“You did this to me.” I accused. The empty feeling was rapidly refilling with rage. “You gave me that prism. Did you know? How the hells did you get up here? I had all the keys!”

“I think,” he said, without answering my question, “It might be time for some explanation of what’s going on.”

That was enough reason for me to sit up and pay attention.

“But first,” The Merchant said, cheerfully, “Would you like some meatballs?” He held up the pot.

Begrudgingly, I accepted a bowl.

“It’s her.” He said as I ate. “Neow.”

I nodded, thinking back to when I woke up next to her. She had acted as if she had simply been there to greet me, or welcome me to the Spire, but thinking back… it was too perfect. She was a part of this.

“She’s an Ancient. One of the last.” He confirmed. “The Ancient of Resurrection, to be precise. Or so she calls herself. It seems no one had seen her before all… this. I woke up there too, with no memory of who I’d been before. She wanted me to… to bring someone back. Another Ancient.” A piece of gold rolled over his knuckles, and I wondered who taught him that. “I suspect it was the Phoenix. It seems as if it was much beloved, judging from its zealous worshippers. Or maybe she killed the Phoenix, and now wants to finish the job with the rest of the Spire. I don’t know.”

“Why haven’t we just… stopped? I had several people in the city offer to let me stay with them. We could leave this all behind. Why play their games?” A trickle of Wrath made its way into my voice, and I let it.

“The Time Eater. It continually attempts to reset the Spire back to what it was before the war, but it can’t return slain Ancients to life, and its power isn’t perfect. It doesn’t catch everything that happens in the Spire.”

He sighed. “They know something is wrong, but they can’t figure out what. For them, it’s as if only days have passed, and yet their grand city has fallen into ruin, and is now under the control of the slavers and gremlins. And when we remain with them… we see it happen. The Time Eater’s power doesn’t work on us. Any friends we make…”

“We have to watch them forget.” I finished.

I thought of Liss. And the the Merchant, who, despite his words, was staying behind to watch it happen again.

“Frankly, we may not even be real.” He said. “Simply… memories of warriors gone before. Or merchants, as the case may be. Memories… or dreams.”

The sudden image of a cultist in ragged feathers imposed itself on my mind, the half-mad creature lurching at me with panic in his voice.

How long will you dream?

My skin crawled with the memory of that encounter in the Exordium.

“Why?” There was more pleading in my voice than I was comfortable with, but I had to know.

He only shrugged. “She hates it. The Heart. You can feel it too, can’t you? Deep in your bones, the hatred we all carry for it? We all know it, and it pulls us upward, even if we don’t remember why.”

I did. I remembered how strong it had been in the presence of the wet, thundering ball of flesh, how much I’d wanted to destroy it. And yet, was that my hatred, or something she’d imparted on me?

“So all we have to do is kill it, and we’ll be free. She won’t have any need for us then.” I tightened my grip on my staff. I’d already seen it bleed. Now I just had to finish the job.

“No.” The Merchant was quiet. “We’ve killed it before. It’s not easy, but we’ve all managed it. Even you. It frees us for a while, and the Spire sleeps. And yet, we’re still here. Still fighting. Still dying.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes while that sank in.

I set my empty bowl down, then got to my feet and looked ahead at the dark tunnel. My path to the Heart.

“I have to try.”

The Merchant nodded, and I could hear the sad smile behind his mask. “We always do.”

#Slay The Spire #The Watcher #The Defect #The Merchant #fic #Part 35

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