The Grand Hall was built to illustrate the unlimited power of the Order to anyone walking through the halls of the Citadel; it was large and mostly empty. It was the centremost room on the ground floor of the Citadel; it had four entrances. A pyramid-like shape in the form of stairs rose to the center of the hall. On the pinnacle stood an altar-like display with various sizes ruins hovering in mid-air. It was there where Thanatos wanted to display his ultimate discovery, a mythical power to control the masses. Though Diggix scanned the ruins floating in mid-air many times, nothing came up on the reports; they were dead stones with nothing more than strange markings on them.
Diggix had been instructed to wait for Thanatos there. However, no further instruction was given to him; it was a usual occurrence that Diggix had learned to not give any other thought. So instead, he took the time to study the floating stones on the altar; there were strange blue markings that Diggix identified as writing. Mechanical in nature, these markings seemed to be the reason for Thanatos’s fascination with them.
Among the many ruins floating on the altar, a larger one was amongst them; it wasn’t broken or incomplete like the others but mostly intact. The shape, double pyramidal, with one pinnacle on top and a smaller one on the bottom, resembled the stone placed on the very top of the Citadel. Diggix found the sight of this particular ruin pleasant to his visual receptors; he found himself standing there, not being able to take his eyes off of the stone. It had been long moments after he snapped out of it and looked around him.
Many monks and DG units were walking about in the Grand Hall; it was the central hub to access the rest of the Fortress. A dozen or so DG units were cleaning the floors and the walls; everyone had their job to do. The ambient sounds from the forest mainly were blocked out in this hall because of its position.
The hall was built on the base of the central tower that stretched up high into the skies; at each entrance, four separate buildings held the Galactic Audience Chamber, The main Entrance hall, The DG sector, and then last the Training sector. All starting from the north, going clockwise, ending with the west.
“Intriguing, aren’t they?”
A voice interrupted Diggix as he was looking around; it was one of the monks, the head monk, to be precise.
“Master Monk Ramon, I greet you.”
The monk didn’t respond. Diggix studied him for a moment; after all, this was only the second time he had seen him since he was rebuilt. The man’s hood was down, revealing his full features; the parts he could see were decorated with red tribal tattoos complimenting his dark skin. His eyes were bright blue, and he had no hair. His frame was significant even though he was covered by a robe.
“These stones are the reason why we are all here.”
Diggix was unsure whether or not Ramon knew about the plot against Thanatos; he’s never spoken to him before, always being an elusive figure. Many times Diggix was not allowed to hold council with Thanatos due to Ramon being with him. He understood that the head monk was also the highest position held in the Order of the Ipsimus, only to be outranked by the Epsimus himself.
“It is said they possess knowledge that would grant anyone who can decipher them power beyond anyone’s imagination. Though we have yet to find more stones to complete the full text.”
Ramon turned to Diggix and gave him a bow; he swiftly turned around and disappeared. Diggix found it strange; Izzar had spoken of some kind of miracle that allowed his body to heal and stop a sword with his bare hands. Were these the characteristics of the power Ramon just mentioned? It was a mystery to Diggix.
The little robot turned back to the altar, but Thanatos was standing in front of him, admiring the stones to his utter surprise. Diggix felt a strange pulse of current flow through his systems, something he could only identify as being a fright.
“As the head monk has said, these stones are the reason why we are on this planet.”
Diggix walked closer to Thanatos; he also noticed that the entire hall had grown empty, that not a single soul or robot could be seen wondering anymore.
“Master Epsimus Thanatos, I greet you.”
“And I greet you.”
Thanatos moved away from Diggix and around the altar, studying its contents.
“When we crash-landed on this planet, you brought me to this stone, and it revealed to me a world I never imagined would exist. It is a world of strange beings, magical powers, and a struggle for survival. These stones each have a unique impact on the world around them. Some give us visions, others change our behavior, and some, the ones that I seek within the forest, grants powers unimaginable to the one who gains possession over it.”
Diggix studied the stones to see if he could find any difference; the marking all looked the same no matter how he tried looking at them. The markings resemble lines that twisted and turned and formed cycles and all manner of shapes.
“I have a quest for you.”
Diggix turned his attention towards Thanatos; his eyes seemed darker than usual and his body frailer. The cane in his hand was shaking in a very subtle way that only the eyes of a Robot would notice it.
“I require you to go back into the Jungles….”
Diggix felt uncomfortable as the currents through his systems made his joints stiff, and his processors run hot.
“You are to take this large stone….” Thanatos pointed at the pyramid-looking stone in the center. “And place it deep in the jungles.”
Thanatos moved to the other side of the altar and gestured to Diggix to follow.
“These two stones….” He pointed at two smaller stones displayed lower on the altar. “You must also take and place them close by the larger one. In a few days, Izzar’s companions will join him here at the Citadel, and I will send them into the jungles to retrieve them.”
Thanatos stretched out his hand and all three ruins he pointed out floated towards him; Thanatos removed a device from within his robots, and it seemed to scan the rocks, but instead, the beams flowing from the device shrunk the stones and made all of them big enough to fit in the palm of his bony hand. Finally, Thanatos turned to Diggix and approached him.
“You need to keep them safe within your storage, do not open them and do not look upon them. They are not meant for the prying eyes of the non-organic.”
Diggix opened his storage space on the side of his head; Thanatos placed the stones there and helped Diggix close the hidden storage space. Walking past Diggix, Thanatos gestured that he should follow. They walked down one side of the pyramid-like stairs and came to a standstill in front of large doors. Without any indication of motion or order, the doors swung open, and they entered.
It was the Galactic Audience Chamber. A large room used for audiences with a large number of people. It was a dark place, meant for intimidation. In the center of the room was a circular raised platform with the emblem of the order engraved into it; above it was a dome in which a hologram of the entire galaxy was in full display. Each and every Stellar empire and community could be found on that map in real-time. A few yards away from the center stood statues of men kneeling down, extending all the way to the ceiling, acting as pillars holding the roof in place.
Thanatos made a map of the surrounding area of the Citadel appear on a hologram in the center of the raised platform. Three pulsating dots appeared in close range from one another; Diggix could calculate they were about two hours journey on foot from the Citadel.
“These are the locations I wish for you to place these ruins; the order is significant.”
Thanatos made the map zoom into the central location. The image showed that there was a stone altar there.
“The larger of the secondary ruins need to be placed here; you mustn’t get them mixed up. The other two, you may use your own discretion, but you must remember that the larger of the secondary stones I gave you goes onto the altar.”
Diggix understood. The pyramidal stone was the central stone; the other two were the secondary stones; he had caught a glips of them before Thanatos made them shrink, and indeed there was one that was clearly larger than the other.
“Take this map and save it to memory; I want you to return to the Citadel once you’ve completed your mission. I do not want you to get lost gain.”
Thanatos walked towards a large door on the other end of the room, opposite the entrance they came through. He gestured his hands, and the door opened, allowing a large gush of wind and the loud sounds of the forest to fill the room.
“Be warned, my small friend, once you place the stone on the altar, you need to rush back to the Citadel as quickly as possible. Strange things will begin to happen once you do; you might be attacked. So be warned.”
Diggix looked at his master and then the open door.
“As you wish, Epsimus Master Thanatos.”
Diggix walked out the door and stood on a large platform that separated the jungle from the Fortress entrance. The large doors behind him shut closed, leaving him alone in the wilderness. He had no other choice but to obey, so he prepared himself to enter the jungles.
