As related by His Most Sublime and Eminent Radiance, Ailann Tiarnan, Archon of Skarsia
« I wish Marius hadn’t left, » says Valentin, « but then again, you knew that he’d go back for her. »
« It’s for the best. Tara needs the protection. There’s a new emanation, which means she probably came in with Ross, but he’s not the best in a combat situation. »
« Maybe we should all go back, » says Cillian.
« We should get the weapons first, » Mickey replies. « If Tara stays put in Daniel’s apartment, she should be okay. »
« When has Tara ever stayed put for anything? » asks Valentin.
He has a point. But we’ve spent hours fighting our way to the armory, and we’re almost there. It would be a shame to turn back– and it probably won’t take that much longer to get the weapons.
« Our primary concern is Tara, » says Aran.
« But I see Ailann’s point, » says Cillian. « We’ll be better able to protect her if we’re armed. Those intruders have guns. »
« I really don’t understand how invaders could bring guns into the pleroma, » says Cüinn. « But then again, I don’t understand the pleroma. It’s been on my mind, but I’m really not sure how to set up an experiment to probe its nature. »
« No time for that, » says Cillian. « We’ve got rambats incoming. »
If the invaders weren’t bad enough, we have to fight off apparitions from the pleroma itself. Let alone the weather. I wish we’d left Ellery back at Daniel’s; he can barely stay on his feet in this wind. Lens and Cüinn are struggling also, but we need them. Or I thought we did, but Lens is proving useless. His vision seems blocked.
Mickey, Cillian and Valentin take point. Despite what I’d said, I also wish we still had Marius – he’s the other one adept at combat. Aran, Callum and I can take care of ourselves in a fight. The rest are useless in this kind of situation.
« Lucius, take Ellery and Lens and Cüinn, and keep heading towards the armory, » shouts Cillian. « We’ll hold them off. »
« We’re about two blocks away, » says Mickey. « Let’s draw their attention by going down the other street. »
Cillian kicks in a storefront window with his thrice-heavy steel-toed boot. The small town of New Merenis is exactly as it was when Daniel lived in Merenis Port-of-Call, a sleepy hamlet, not the busy port city of today. All the shops and residences are as he remembers – but there are never any human inhabitants, so it’s doubtful that anyone will notice the vandalism.
It’s a grocer’s. Cillian grabs an armful of canned food and begins to pelt it at the rambats. It only seems to make them angrier.
Mickey spots a hovercart. He shoots a glance at Callum, who understands immediately. Callum grabs a vacubroom and jumps into the cart, which Mickey sends hurtling towards the rambats. « We’re taking the attack to the air, » he cries.
Aran grabs another cart. « You’re too heavy, » says Mickey. « Valentin might work. »
Valentin jumps in, grabbing a sack of unonions. Aran sends him aloft, but his aerial bombardment is awkward. « These things were meant to be steered from outside, » he complains.
Callum seems to be doing better, steering the cart with one arm, swinging the broom with the other. There’s a sickening crack as he makes contact with a rambat’s neck; the hapless – albeit imaginary – creature flops lifeless to the ground.
« There’s no point aiming at the head, » he calls to us. « These things were bred to have thick skulls. »
He has a point. Every time I’ve hit one with a can, it takes the impact on its impressive horns, shakes it off and keeps coming.
« There’s a butcher shop next door, » says Mickey. « They’ve got to have knives. »
« Knives mean close combat, » says Cillian. « If they had swords, it would be a different story, but I don’t want to get close enough to those things to knife them. »
« I’m just making them angry, » says Valentin. A rambat charges his hovercart, hits it head on. Fortunately, those things were designed for rough treatment by careless consumers. Valentin is shaken, and the hovercart dips momentarily out of control.
There is a brief volley of automatic weapons fire. A rambat is reduced to ground mutton; a good part of the rest of the block is shredded also, with broken windows and fallen tree branches scattered in the street.
« Compost, » says Cüinn. « I knew that would happen. That’s why I had to wait until everyone else was out of the way. »
« You should’ve taken the laser, » says Lucius. He isn’t a bad shot, pegging the animal in the head. The thickness of the skull matters little when its brains are being vaporized.
Cillian grabs the gun from Cüinn. Suddenly, there’s no contest. Rambats plunge from the skies in short, directed volleys of fire.
« That was ugly, » says Mickey. As we catch our breaths, we silently survey the damage – rambat carnage everywhere. « Very ugly, » Mickey revises.
« Nah, » says Cillian. « None of us was hurt. But the weather’s getting bad again. Let’s get our shit at the armory, and get back to the tower. »
« We had to break a window to get in, » says Lens. « And then Cüinn figured out how to fool the security lasers. Unglaublich! »
The armory has everything one could imagine in such a place. It sickens me a little. I know it’s necessary to equip our soldiers, but this massive display of the instruments of violence is disturbing.
« Fuck yeah! » says Cillian happily. « This is the mark 495 plasma cannon with nano-sighting capacity. I’ve always wanted to fire one of these suckers. »
« I thought you were done with war, » says Lucius.
« War is one thing, » says Cillian, « toys are another. »
« There are a few things other than weapons we might want to pick up, » says Mickey. « Flares. First aid kits. Rope. »
« Good point. Ellery, you’re our medic. Cüinn, get flares and whatever other supplies seem useful to you. »
« Okay, who’s strong enough to take the rocket launcher? » Cillian asks. « Aran? »
« I’ll take those automatic weapons, » says Mickey. « Valentin, get some too. Lucius, you were pretty good with that laser. I’ll bet Lens can learn to use one. »
Callum quietly chooses some knives and a pistol.
« Everyone ought to get a knife, something to use for hand to hand, » says Cillian.
I stand, frozen.
« Everyone but Ailann and Ellery, » says Cillian. « Ailann, why don’t you take a stun-stick? »
That seems like a better idea. I can fight, but I’m none too keen on injuring someone.
« Here are some grenades, » says Aran, « and canisters of riot gas. »
« Right, » says Cillian. « Distribute those, too. Everybody take a pack, but be realistic. We don’t want you too weighed down to move. »
We’re almost armed to the teeth when Ellery appears in the doorway. « I found something important, » he says.
He leads us to the break room. « It is important, » says Cüinn, grabbing a packet off the table. « They’ve got those little spice buns with the nau’gsh filling. »
« I meant this, » says Ellery, pointing at the wall. There are several message boards side by side. The first is a list of duty rotations. The second is a cross-reference between the latest MayaXtreme scores and the winners of the weekly pool. The third is labeled “Quest Leaderboard.” It’s a list 101 items long. Scanning it, I realize immediately that it must be connected to the quest that was announced at Constantine’s party. #100 is “Unlock the Archon of Canopus.”
« This looks like something from a hologame, » says Mickey. « Look at the qualifying achievements: “Kill five rambats without using a ranged weapon.” “Fill up your ‘Beers of the galaxy’ card at the Moth and Lamp.” “Ascend and descend Mt. Ouroboros.” “Locate the secret entrance to the underwater dome.” »
« Underwater dome? » asks Cüinn. « That sounds pretty nifty. »
« There are more personal ones, » says Valentin. « #31: “Become romantically involved with someone new.” #70: “Confess.” #80: “Realize that you were wrong.” »
Cüinn grins. « How about #45: “Have cosplay sex”? »
« Some of them are completed, » says Ellery. He directs our attention to four rows which are marked with what looks like a coat-of-arms: “Get a Gold Card,” “Be wounded while protecting Tara,” “Be awarded a gift by Tara.” “Defeat the zombies in the shopping concourse using only gardening implements.”
« Next to the Gold Card – that crest is a phoenix, » says Valentin. « It’s the same mark that Ross put on Constantine. »
« Way to go, Ross, » says Cillian.
« He’s right, » says Lens. « They are the same as Constantine’s tattoos. Then Balin was given a gift, and Marius was wounded protecting Tara. »
« That isn’t a good thing. We’d better get back to the Atlas Tower as soon as possible. »
« I’m still trying to wrap my head around Chase fighting zombies with gardening implements, » says Cüinn, filling his pack with spice buns.
When we get outside, the rain is coming down in torrents, almost impossible to see anything. I take Ellery under my arm. He’s struggling with an overstuffed first aid pack.
« So now we have weapons, » says Mickey, « but it’s impossible to go on the offensive without knowing the location of our foe. »
« Or even the nature of our foe, » says Cillian. « Or how many of them there are. »
« I hope the others are okay, » says Lens softly. « If Marius weren’t on that scoreboard, we’d never have known that he was hurt. »
It’s a sobering thought. Our spirits dampened in more ways than one, we are mostly silent as we wind our way through the abandoned streets of Merenis. So dense is the downpour that we’re close to a block away before the enormous pair of treedominiums comes into view.
Mickey runs on ahead. For a moment, we’re afraid that the door won’t open for him. But then, after hesitating, it announces “Ross Adare,” and allows him through.
We crowd past behind him. « Why did it think you were Ross? » asks Lucius.
« Retinal scanner, » says Mickey. « We all have the same eyes. »
« Yeah, » says Cüinn. « Which actually begs a different question: before today, how did it know us apart? »
« Don’t confuse the issue, » says Cillian. « Since we know Marius was wounded, expect danger. I’m going to kick the door in. Be ready to cover me. »
The hilift takes us to Daniel’s floor. We’re primed for action as Cillian’s kick sends the flimsy synthetic to splinters.
« Nobody’s here, » he announces.
« I told you Tara wouldn’t stay put, » says Valentin.
« Fucking compost, » says Cillian. « Let’s have a beer and figure out our next move. »
I’ll pass on the alcohol. Instead, I slide into my seat on Cillian’s couch.
Ailann Tiarnan. His Most Sublime and Eminent Radiance, 2nd Archon of Skarsia. 10th to emanate, 64 in the color scale, resonates to 311. 1.833 meters tall, cock size 17.78 cm when erect, apparent age 44. Living God of Skarsia. Totem is Cedrus atlantica, the Atlas cedar, fixed star is Atlas, he who dares or suffers. Esoteric symbol is the Minchiate trump Imperatore, the Emperor, Western Duke or Western Archon. Dessert is Tara Royale, molded nau’gsh roll slices filled with custard. Function is adjudicative stabilization, proto-conscious tendency is ambition, designated More. Blazon is ipsissimal blue, within a bordure argent, on the Atlas Tree eradicated, proper, an Archonate cross, argent.
« What was that? » asks Lens.
« He fulfilled a quest achievement, » says Ellery.
For a moment, we’re all puzzled, scanning our branch memory for the image of the scoreboard. Then we find the right one and universally begin to laugh.
It says, “Sit in the Siege Perilous.”
« Wait! I can reach some of the branches. I’m talking to Marius right now. »
Both “talking” and “right now” are slight exaggerations. It works like this: I reach into Marius’ branch and create a small anomaly, a burl in the wood. He’ll feel it and access my message, and he can respond by doing the same. There’s a delay – it feels like about three seconds, but time in the pleroma is a slippery concept.
« That voice announces emanations that have been recognized by the pleroma. If the pleroma recognizes you, it stops attacking and starts trying to help you. Also, recognized branches can communicate with each other. From what we’ve learned, in order to be recognized, you have to complete one of the quest achievements. »
« Man, I knew we should’ve done that thing months ago, » says Cüinn.
« We didn’t have the faintest idea what it was about, » says Mickey. « And we never got any instructions. »
« You don’t get instructions for a quest, » says Cillian. « You just sally forth. And it wasn’t exactly trans-universal geometry to figure out. If we had gone to the armory to get weapons, we would’ve seen the leaderboard. »
« But why would we have needed weapons? » asks Lucius. « This is the first time we’ve ever been attacked. »
« That’s true, » says Valentin. « If we’d bothered, it would’ve made more sense just to sail the boat around the coast. »
« Or to visit all the floors on the Yggdrasil Tower, » says Lens.
« They’re at the temple on Mt. Ouroboros, the holy mountain, » I report. « They’ve had contact with the current emanation, who seems to be trying to regain control, but is somehow incapacitated. They’ve taken some damage. Apparently, wounds inflicted by the pleroma heal when you’re recognized by it, but wounds inflicted by the invaders don’t. The invaders are a squad of telepathic operatives led by Molly. »
« MOLLY?!? » says everyone in unison.
« Molly. We’re not sure how. Marius is counting now – there are forty-six attackers left. It seems that we’re able to seemingly kill them, but nobody knows the real effect of that – if it’s doing any real-world damage, or even if it’s forcing them to leave the pleroma. They might just pop up somewhere else. »
« Wonderful, » says Mickey.
« But Marius can see where they are. As long as I’m in contact with him, I can monitor the invaders. »
« All right, » says Cillian. « Then it’s time to go on the offensive. »
« Maybe we should take another look at those quest achievements, » says Mickey. « Some of them might be pretty easy – look at Ailann’s. The more of us that the pleroma recognizes, the better. »
We close our eyes, mentally scanning the list as stored perfectly in our own branches. « What’s “Scupper the Elusive Queen?” » asks Lucius.
« Scupper is a nautical term, » says Cillian. « It can also mean damage or destroy. I’d guess the Elusive Queen is a ship. »
« That sounds more down Benbow’s alley, » says Valentin. « Didn’t those guys take the swan boat? »
« I think Quennel said they were going to try a naval attack, » says Lucius.
« I’ve always thought it was really funny that I had a navel, » says Cüinn, « seeing that I was never born. »
« He’s not talking about that kind of navel, » says Mickey. « He’s talking about oranges. »
Cillian stares at him for a second before Mickey says « Gotcha! See, I do have a sense of humor. »
« This sounds easy, » says Valentin: « “Have a cocktail at the ice bar.” »
« If only we knew the location of the ice bar, » says Cillian.
« Marius says he doesn’t know, but he’d bet that the hovertrain stops there. He says the journey might be complicated if there’s another hydra attack. »
« There’s a hovertrain? » says Lucius. « I’m really at a loss as to understanding the mind of the Mover sometimes. »
« A hovertrain surprises you, but a hydra doesn’t? » asks Valentin.
« Some of these achievements are standard hologame fare, » says Mickey. « Like “win at jousting,” or “find a pearl.” But then again, some are totally bizarre. “Graduate from high school”? “Party with Jane Austen and Nikola Tesla”? »
« I’m a little worried about #22, “launch the atomic warheads,” » says Valentin.
« I’m more worried about #57, » says Lens.
#57 is one word: “Die.”
« I think we’re getting distracted, » says Cillian quickly. « I think we should concentrate on taking out the attackers as soon as possible. Unless we’ve spotted an achievement that can be completed immediately, let’s plan our strategy. »
« There’s something else. How much time has passed since the first attack? »
« Fifteen hours, forty-nine minutes and eighteen seconds, » says Valentin.
« That’s worrisome. I think we should try to find out what’s going on outside. »
I try to contact the emanated branch, but it’s of no use. He seems to be in some kind of deep hypnotic trance. It’s self-imposed, not a result of the telepathic attack. He’s trying to do something, but what?
I wish we even knew his name. Balin says he’s from Ashvattha. Maybe Dermot could figure it out.
I try to explain the view I shared with Marius. « There are five attackers in the immediate area. Two are beyond the ridge separating New Merenis from Capital City. The others are just across the Longtongue in Albion. »
Cillian thinks about it. « I say we move towards Albion. We’ll have the advantage of familiar turf as well as shelter from the weather in the buildings. I’m not sure we could make it up the ridge if the weather gets worse. »
« How could the weather possibly be worse? » says Lucius.
« Like that, » says Aran, pointing at Daniel’s window.
Headed straight for the shoreline is an enormous tsunami.