Chapter 22 – The Other Half
Wet.
Why did it have to be wet.
She’d only just dried off from getting soaked the last time.
Mind you, she didn’t actually know how long had passed since then, probably a lot longer than just the yesterday that it felt like, but still.
Sighing, Rachael made for the end of the platform that she found herself on, hoping to find a dry patch somewhere around the area, the ball of light that she had summoned illuminating the path. That wasn’t going to be easy, given the two massive waterfalls that cascaded down on either side of the platform, the thundering of the water drowning out any other sound, and the resulting spray coating everything, including her. It hadn’t been the most pleasant awakening. She was still wearing the same exercise gear that she had changed into when she had returned to her flat and talked to Millie, so at least most of her clothes would dry quickly enough. It wasn’t that cold either, which was a blessing. The small metallic cat-fox creature that had sat there looking at her when she came to walked along behind her.
The platform itself seemed to sit over a vast chasm, magic likely keeping it’s size and weight in place as there didn’t appear to be much in the way of supports around it, not that she had taken much time to inspect it properly. One end went past the waterfalls and into the cliff face behind, while the other terminated in the middle of nowhere in a big circular dais, which was where Rachael had found herself standing when she’d come to, a focal point for the leylines that weaved themselves through this place.
The world was vastly different than it had been. That much Rachael would tell with ease. For one was the existence of leylines in the first place, veins of magic that now went through the world. The hadn’t existed before except in works of fiction, but she could sense them and their nature as plain as day. She knew that the ones here were weak though, even without a comparative reference, as her own magic, incomplete as it was, was much stronger. She also couldn’t sense the Core at all. It’s ever present presence that she had felt ever since becoming a priestess, was gone. It didn’t take a genius to put the two together. Something had happened to the Core, and the result had been the spread of magic into the world. To what extent was a different question.
Given that, she was surprised that she had even woken up at all. Obviously something of the Core must still remain, or she and Chris would have slept for eternity. She had also thought that they would both wake up together, but that also wasn’t the case. At the least, she could tell that he was also awake and well, due to the bond between their souls, but as to where she had no idea. Or was it she now? She was curious to know if Chris had reached that decision yet.
Their separation, and the presence of the cat-fox, also spoke that their waking was deliberate and not an accident. There was a purpose to it all, but she had the sneaking suspicion that it hadn’t gone to plan. She’d follow up on that one soon enough. First things first, somewhere dry.
Past the waterfalls the platform opened up to a large chamber carved into the side of the cliff itself (probably just the wall of the cave, but it was a massive cave), a pair of familiar draconic statues placed on either side. The chamber had six pillars, three on either side of the raised path that ran through it, a cluster of small pedestals around each one, each of those standing in a small pool of water. A network of channels connected all of the pools together, both for each pillar and then across the chamber to all of the other pillars as well, some of them running underneath the raised path. The walls of the chamber were decorated with murals of rivers and the sea. There was no mistaking that this was an Anchor Temple, but she was also starting to think that like the one that they had found in Old Town, that was not it’s original purpose. The Core had repurposed them, but as to what they were beforehand, or to what, was an interesting question. Unlike the Anchor Temple in Old Town however there was no objects of interest here apart from all of the water, which was a little disappointing.
It also left her wondering though, who or what had been behind the second Pyre that had drawn Chris back to Old Town, or there in the first place. It hadn’t been a coincidence or pure chance. Neither was the armour being there in the temple. She didn’t think that it had been the Core either, as if it had, she wouldn’t have been accused of dragging Chris into her world. No, something else had done that. Fishing around in her hoodie pocket, she pulled out the small figurine and smiled. She still had it, Pyre-2. If it held any answers, it certainly wasn’t giving them up at the moment.
Putting the figurine back in her pocket, she stopped when she reached the opposite side of the chamber, the path finishing in a set of stairs that climbed up into the darkness. It was sort of dry here, and she hadn’t gotten as wet as she had feared. She also needed to deal with the obvious anomaly, and now was as good a time as any.
Rachael turned, looking straight at the cat-fox as it also stopped and sat, giving her a curious look.
‘You’re ready to talk now?’ Convenient. It used telepathy.
“Yup. So who bonded you to me?” She gave it a good look over. It was actually quite a beautiful creature all things considered, even when made from metal. She’d noticed her bond with it the instant that she had awoken, the feed was small, but it wasn’t the sort of thing that could happen by accident.
‘You’re certainly an observant one.’
“A direct answer please.”
‘I was getting there. Angel bonded me to you.’
“And...” Rachael was pretty certain that it could sense her thoughts, her question accompanied by a multitude of mental queries.
‘Heh. On the mark again.’ The cat-fox gave her a grin, which looked kind of cute given what it was.
‘We don’t actually know who or what Angel is. She turned up in Odinsphere some time ago, and Mother and the others accept her presence. She knows powerful magic, something that they lack, so perhaps there is a trade in it somewhere for them. Irrespective, she was the one who awoke you both.’
‘Odinsphere is a floating fortress, home to us Ark Children and those who run it like Mother, Engineer and so on. It’s located somewhere in the Outerlands, but as to where I have no idea. I’ve lost communication with it, so I also don’t know where we are, but it seems like you actually have a better idea on that than I do. We were meant to be being Shifted to Core-Temple [[South]], to meet up with the other maiden, and for whatever other purpose that Angel had in mind, but as you can tell, something made it fail.’
‘Finally, I am designation CF-204. You can call me whatever you like though.’
Rachael thought for a moment before she reached her decision. She had never been one to worry too much about names, choosing whatever came to mind first.
“Kitsune.”
‘Kitsune it is then. I like that. It’s a nice name. I don’t actually know who the other maiden is, but CF-203 is with her.’
Rachael was fairly certain that the other maiden would be Chris, especially if Angel was in fact the Core, or what remained of it. Given that Angel had woken her up, the connection was pretty strong. On that topic,
“What brought magic into the world?” She had decided to ask the questions, rather than just thinking it, as one sided conversations were a bit odd.
‘Magic has been around since the Shattering of the Core that happened at the end of the war against the Demon King, around one thousand years ago. Reshaped the world too. Drenched the Innerlands in magic, while the Outerlands remains mostly devoid of magic.’
Rachael wondered when this war actually occurred, and if it would have been in her lifetime. If it had, she hoped that Millie had survived it well. Even if it hadn’t, it was likely that the damage to the Anchor Point that Trish had discovered was done by the Demon King, or someone associated with him. It was a good guess anyway, and made sense. A thousand years or more was also a long time. The world would likely be a lot different than it had been when she was last awake.
‘Without a frame of reference I can’t comment on that.’
“So I assume those in the Innerlands can use magic, while those out here can’t?”
‘I think that’s correct, according to my data bank, though there may have been a side effect of the most recent battle against the Demon King that has spread it out a bit more.’
“He didn’t die in that war one thousand years ago?” That revelation was troublesome. Rachael hoped that Angel hadn’t woken them to fight against him. She was strong, but if he caused the Core to shatter that was another thing altogether. Irrespective that wouldn’t be her first port of call.
‘He was sealed away at the end of the war. He was defeated in the battle a decade ago after he was released, and hasn’t retuned since as far as we know.’
‘So you think that we’re in the Outerlands then?’ Kitsune had finally picked up on that assumption that she’d made.
“If what you say about magic is true, then it is quite likely, yes. The leyline here is weak, too weak to be an area ‘drenched in magic’ as you put it.”
“You said you lost communication with Odinsphere,” Rachael then followed up, an idea coming to her. “Do you have any communication with CF-203?”
‘Only if I am close, or within range of Odinsphere’s signal zone.’
“Neither at the moment?”
‘No. Being underground like this is probably dampening any signals in the first place.’
“And here I thought you might be able to use the leyline for that, given that the Shift was likely done via that.”
‘Angel might know how, but she hasn’t taught Priest how to do so.’
“Can you fight?” She doubted it, given it’s size, but it never hurt to ask.
‘Nope. Not a weapon of war, unlike a lot of my siblings.’
“What can you do?” Rachael was certain there had to be some purpose to them being bonded to the maidens, other than observation.
‘That would be a secret...’
“Really? How are we to work together if you don’t let me know what you are capable of?”
‘I’m a reconnaissance model. Does that help?’
“Not really.” Rachael shook her head. There would be more to it than met the eye. No one would spend a small fortune on making a creation like this, a cross between technology and magic, without it having some purposes and abilities. Ditto to assigning it to a pair of young adults who had just been woken up in a foreign age. But there wasn’t a lot of point worrying about it at the moment. She could argue the point of transparency with Angel when she eventually made it to Odinsphere, not that the Core had ever been that way in the first place.
‘Sorry...’
“Does 203 have a name?”
‘Likely by now, if you’re any indication of what the other maiden is like.’
“And is CF-203 similar to you?”
‘We’re very similar. Not quite the same model, though our appearances would say otherwise.’
“Twins then.”
‘If you wish to think of us that way, then I guess so.’
Rachael turned back around, staring into the darkness of the stairs, her ball of light lazily floating in front of her. First she needed to get above ground and work out where she was, if that was possible. Then she would locate Chris, or if that wasn’t possible, head towards this Odinsphere place. Chris would likely be doing the same, if they had access to the same information. Then would be the discussion of what exactly is going on, and what is expected of them.
Hopefully something interesting, as the Core had said that it would wake them when it was their time. The last thing she wanted to be doing was stuck driving around the countryside again checking on things that did not change. With magic now out there, perhaps the world was a little more like the campaigns that they had played. There was hope at least.
“Let me know if you have issues keeping up,” she said to Kitsune as she started climbing the stairs.
The stairs were short lived, coming out into a more natural looking cave after about ten minutes of climbing. Unlike the smooth and clean cut stone that she had just left, the cave looked rough, stalactites and stalagmites covering the majority of the side that she found herself on, a wide river of fast flowing water splitting into two. Carefully walking her way through them, trying to avoid all the drips of water from above, Rachael arrived at the edge of the river. It was likely the feed for the waterfalls of the temple, and probably fatal for anyone who fell in, as the strong currents would tear them away in an instant. The other side looked to be mostly free of the mineral formations, numerous tunnels exiting from it at various points, including one that sported torch brackets and a rope guide that looked to be in tact and finished in the nexus cave. It was quite likely that while the cave system had been explored, she didn’t think many, if any, had actually gone down into the temple itself. There would be a bridge otherwise. Or at least some additional markings. Something like that would be of significance.
Scooping up Kitsune, and managing to locate enough free space to give herself a running start, she leapt across the river, channelling mana into her legs to give her a significant boost, praying that she’d used enough. She’d never be able to make it even part way across without the supplementary magic. Her judgement was spot on however, and she landed clear on the other side, sliding for a bit on the damp stone before she came to a halt. Olympic material for sure, but there was no one there to applaud her effort. She breathed out in relief though, as misjudging that would have more than hurt.
‘Fine. Well done, and thanks for the lift I guess,’ Kitsune intoned with amusement as it hopped out of her arms and onto the floor.
Rachael just grinned.
There were a total of six exits on this side, but the choice was obvious. She headed down the tunnel that had been clearly marked. The rope and stakes didn’t look that old, so someone must have been here in the last few years. Anything after that would look old to her.
This tunnel was quite a bit longer, weaving it’s way slowly upwards on a gentle slope. There were a few branching tunnels off it, but the rope guide and torch brackets remained consistent, so she had no issues following it. The air started to warm up a bit too, and after what she would have guessed was about an hour of walking she finally spied light up ahead, the tunnel finally exiting onto the surface. Eager to see what was up ahead, she picked up the pace and jogged, smiling as she finally broke out into the sunshine, enjoying its warm embrace.
The sky was it’s normal blue, a smattering of puffy clouds lazily hanging in it, the sun low and bright. Morning hopefully, as she wasn’t in any hurry to go to sleep again. She spun around and giggled, soaking up the warmth. If she was to ever have a patron, she’d want it to be the sun.
Ceasing her antics, she took notice of her surroundings. She was standing on a plateau, the mountainside rising up behind her. Which made sense of course, given the cave system. There was a collection of four roughly constructed huts, all of the same size, sitting around the plateau, made from wood and iron sheets, a camp for the explorers, or cavers if they used that term. A long disused firepit sat in the middle, now just a blackened circle of stones. Of people there was no sign at all.
However that wasn’t to say that there was no sign of life. Two creatures, who had been standing and staring each other down, were now both instead focusing on her. One looked like an elongated wolf-ish creature with very long grey hairs, razor sharp fangs and haunting red eyes, the other like a panther, though motley grey in colour and with bony spines on its back. She had obviously appeared at a bad time.
For them, not her.
Her magic, while definitely still incomplete (something that she just knew instinctively, and related to her bond with Chris), felt stronger than it had ever been, and she couldn’t think of any reason to hold back. She was keen to test it out, to prove to herself that she would be able to prevent what had happened at the Anchor Temple from happening again. Combat had always been a tricky one, as even when alone she had had to temper her usage, something that had become a habit, almost fatally so. But this was a new age, one with magic (though not necessarily in this region, but what did it matter), and she wasn’t bound by the same constraints and necessity to hide. At least not right now.
Rachael smiled, advancing towards the two creatures as they did like, pulling forth her magic, channelling it both into herself and around herself. She could feel her body becoming stronger and more powerful, her muscles reinforced by the magic, reflexes heightened, skin hardened. An intense glow coalesced around both of her fists, pure potent searing heat, an extension of what she normally used, just unrestrained and no longer hidden. She could feel her magic flowing around her, and it felt wonderful.
Both creatures hesitated, suddenly unsure. They could sense the danger that she posed she knew, yet they also had each other to worry about as well. Realizing that it was do or die, they growled (the wolfish one) and snarled (the pantherish one), launching themselves towards her. They could deal with each other afterwards.
Rachael charged in like towards them, a downwards kick stopping the panther in its tracks as its head was smashed into the ground, her fist then slamming into the wolf, a burst of light and heat sending it careening into the side of one of the huts with a crash, the wall collapsing in an explosion of splinters, the rest of the building noisily collapsing after it. The panther squirmed out from under her heel, sneakers weren’t the best combat footwear after all, and attempted to bite her ankle. She gracefully jumped up out of reach, landing behind it and kicking it across the plateau. She then chased after it, her fist connecting with it mid air as it leapt at her with a furious snarl, slamming it into the ground with the sickening crunch of breaking bones and the smell of seared flesh. It did not get up. There was no movement from the collapsed hut either. She held on to the magic around her for a little longer, enjoying the sensation, before she let it all dissipate.
‘You... are more than deadly...’ Rachael was certain that she could sense fear as well as awe in Kitsune’s thought voice.
Rachael shrugged. It had been far too short. “It was either us or them,” she replied, not that an explanation was needed. The magic had however exceeded her expectations, and she was not going to complain about that.
‘I fear to contemplate what exactly it is that Angel has in store for you...’
In truth, she did too. But even so, she was actually looking forward to it.
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Hehe, she's Crystal's dream woman😜
She is!
I wonder if Rachael found Pyer amusing when Crys introduced her, considering their similar fighting styles.
Very ^^, but there would have only been so much of a reaction that she could outwardly have. Secrets and all that
Thanks for the chapter
Thanks for reading and commenting