Awaken Online: Inferno (Tarot #3)

by Travis Bagwell

  “What now?” Julia asked softly into the silence that had descended upon the room.

  “Well, we managed to secure the pylon chamber, but…” Kyyle trailed off, his eyes skimming the room. “I don’t see anything in here that looks like some sort of magical fire pylon.” Another thump echoed from the blast door behind him. “And it looks like we’re trapped in here. Unless you two think you’re up to taking on a horde of mana-starved mechs.”

  Finn sat on one of the low counters lining the side of the room, rubbing at his temple with his hand and trying to relieve the pounding ache that was pulsing through his head. Kyyle was right. The room was a mess, and they were trapped. To make matters worse, he didn’t see anything that looked like a pylon, even with his Mana Sight… not that he would know how to turn the damn thing on anyway.

  “Well, at least there’s one silver lining,” Julia began, both Kyyle and Finn glancing at her questioningly.

  “We have some new loot!” she declared, waving at a small wooden chest that was resting in the center of the room. Finn eyed it suspiciously, uncertain whether it had been there before. It stood out oddly amid the destruction – its surface unmarred by flame or shrapnel. “Maybe there’s something in there that can help,” she offered.

  “Or it’s another trap, and it might explode,” Kyyle replied with a raised eyebrow.

  Julia stared at the chest for a second.

  “Worth it,” she replied with a shrug before promptly walking over to the chest and swinging open the lid. No explosion erupted from the chest, and with a sweep of her arm, she cleared a nearby countertop free of debris to the clatter of metal and the tinkle of crystal striking stone. One by one, she pulled out the few items within the chest, and set them carefully on the surface.

  The group was left staring at a motley collection of items.

  A stone chit about the size of Finn’s palm.

  A translucent crystal no larger than a walnut.

  And what looked like a shield, its surface covered in a mixture of the neurogem material and small yellow crystals ringing the disc.

  Finn frowned as he examined the shield, switching to his Mana Sight. The gems contained air mana, and a closer inspection revealed runes etched into their surface. He’d have to examine them more closely – and possibly take the shield apart – to be sure, but it seemed like the gems were designed to project energy outward. Even more strangely, he noticed a glowing point of multi-colored light just below the surface layer of crystal. That energy looked like a Najima, mana leaking into the node and spreading outward through the crystalline circuits toward the amber gems.

  Finn inspected the items one-by-one.

  Supervisor’s Token

  This stone chit is issued to Forge supervisors and provides the holder with unrestricted access to the facility’s systems and personnel.

  Focusing Prism

  This crystalline gem was originally embedded within the Supervisor’s body and has been formed entirely of the neurogem material. Its use and effect are currently unknown, but it could possibly be incorporated into another design or automated construct.

  Hyper-Disc Shield

  Unlike a traditional shield, this device is incredibly lightweight and thin, feeling almost flimsy to the touch. However, the surface has been installed with a combination of the neurogem material and various air mana crystals. It has been designed to project a cushion of solidified air mana along the surface, which can either be channeled into a thin layer or funneled into a supercharged blast of mana. Owing its origins to the Supervisor, the shield is also capable of slowly regenerating its own mana supply, relying upon the Najima installed in the base of the shield.

  Quality: A

  Durability: 150/150

  Charges: 100/100

  Charge Regeneration Rate: 1 per 2 seconds.

  +25 Strength

  +25 Vitality

  (Soulbound)

  Air Cushion

  The shield projects a cushion of air above its surface, deflecting both melee and ranged attacks. Other uses currently unknown.

  Channel Cost: 1 charge per second.

  Cooldown: NA

  Air Blast

  The shield can be supercharged, projecting a blast of air mana in a cone from the surface of the shield. However, this active ability drains charge at a significant rate.

  Cost: 20 charges.

  Cooldown: NA

  “Well, damn,” Kyyle murmured. “So, it looks like Julia made out like a bandit.”

  Finn snorted. “But we get a stone chit and a crystal. Yay…”

  “You two just need to cheer up,” Julia retorted, snatching the shield and inspecting it closely, an excited smile lingering on her lips.

  “Says the woman who got all of the cool loot,” Kyyle grumbled.

  “Do you think it matches my lance?” she asked, ignoring the earth mage and lifting her lance, the glimmering surface indeed a close match for the crystalline wiring lacing the top of the shield. It made for an imposing image – a woman robed in dark metal plate holding a glittering diamond-like lance and shield.

  Kyyle just rolled his eyes.

  For his part, Finn was focused on the gem and the chit that still rested on the counter. He didn’t see an immediate use for the Focusing Prism. However, the chit… now that was far more interesting. That could potentially grant them access to the central section of the Forge. Assuming they could bring the fire pylon back online, of course.

  Finn grimaced at that thought, his eyes darting back to the pile of rubble near the blast door. It seemed the one creature that could answer their questions was now little more than a collection of rocks. However, he hesitated at that thought. Acting on instinct, Finn abruptly rose and scoured the rubble along the blast door with his Mana Sight. He held his breath as he peered closer, looking for a faint glimmer of green.

  Come on… please let me have avoided his core…

  Then he saw it. Just a hint of earth mana. Finn gingerly shifted the rocks aside until he revealed an unbroken mana core lying along the ground.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Kyyle asked, peering over his shoulder.

  “Yeah, I think it’s Brock’s core,” Finn replied.

  His gaze shifted to the uneven wall of metal that filled the gap between the door and the frame. It was at least a few feet thick, and with his enhanced sight, he could pick out the rock from the metal. It seemed most of the earth elemental’s body had ended up on their side of the door. If he was careful and kept his mana use intermittent, he might be able to free to the remaining rubble without undermining the barrier or stirring the corrupted on the other side of the doorway. Right now, the thumps were muted and random – indicating that most of the creatures had likely run out of juice and had gone back into standby.

  “Do… do you think you can save him?” Kyyle asked, hope warring with a more pragmatic skepticism.

  Finn shook his head slowly. “Maybe,” he murmured. “I sure as hell hope so.”

  A pause as he frowned at the blast door. “I suspect that floating pile of rubble might be our only way of figuring out how to get the hell out of here…”

  Chapter 25 - Ignited

  The last clump of rock tumbled to the ground with a dull thunk, smoke still curling from the edges of the stone. Finn extinguished his Molten Beam. The slag embedded between the blast door and the frame still glowed a dull red, outlining the several pockets he had surgically carved over the last few hours as he attempted to recover each piece of Brock’s body.

  He had been forced to move slowly to disentangle the rocks from the metal. Molten Beam consumed a great deal of mana – which entailed multiple rest breaks to regenerate. But, more importantly, he needed to keep the energy level low and intermittent. If there was a spike of mana, he risked waking the corrupted that lingered on the other side of the blast door. He had no doubt that they could eventually burrow through the slag given sufficient motivation.

  Finn wiped at the sweat on his brow as
he surveyed the pile of rubble along the floor. “Alright, I think that does it,” he said, glancing over at Kyyle. “Now, you just need to do your thing – some elemental CPR if you will.”

  “And maybe say a prayer that this works,” Julia offered from where she sat atop one of the counters that lined the sides of the pylon chamber.

  “Trust me, I’ve been crossing my fingers for the last hour. They’re actually starting to cramp a little,” Kyyle replied with a small smile, using humor to cover the dark tendril of anxiety Finn could see coiling through his body’s energy.

  It seemed he had come to care for the earth elemental.

  Not that Finn blamed him. He glanced at Daniel where the AI floated calmly beside him. Despite his harsh words and teasing, he wasn’t quite sure how he’d react if the AI were to die. For some reason, just the thought made his chest ache.

  Although, he’d never tell Daniel that…

  The earth mage approached the pile of rubble, crouching down and placing the mana core that normally rested in the center of the elemental’s chest in the middle of the pile. He gently touched that gem with his fingers as he summoned his mana, coils of emerald energy winding around his arm and across his skin, pooling along his fingertips. Taking a deep breath, Kyyle urged that trickle of energy forward and into the mana core.

  At first, nothing happened. The orb lay dormant and unaffected. Kyyle shifted his weight, and his lips pressed into a grim line. His mana surged, rippling down his arm now and filling the orb with a torrent of energy. Finn spared a wary glance at the nearby blast door, but he didn’t sense any reaction on the other side – even with the interference from the crystal-laden stone.

  The core began to react, its surface shimmering and a dull green light igniting in its center. Kyyle kept pushing his mana into the core, urging more and more energy into the now-glowing sphere until he had no more to give. A few seconds later, he leaned back, his mana exhausted, and the core shining brightly along the floor.

  The pile of rocks began to tremble… then shake… then rise slowly into the air as Brock began to take shape again. Boulders rolled back into place. Smaller stones and rocks formed his arms and fingers. Then a single round rock rolled atop his shoulders where his head should be, rotating in place and two glowing green spots of light shining from the depths of the stone.

  “Hello! I am attendant #167. How may I be of assistance?” Brock said, eyeing the group.

  Kyyle pushed himself to his feet, his brow furrowed. “Do you remember what happened to you?” he asked, his voice heavy and his brow pinched in a frown.

  The stones of Brock’s body ground together as he processed that question. “I seem to recall that I met you in reception… we accessed… we accessed the fire section of the facility. Something had happened to the security mechs…”

  Brock’s glowing eyes rose to meet Kyyle’s. “My mana core was depleted.”

  “Saving my life,” Kyyle answered with a relieved sigh, resting a palm against the elemental’s chest. “For the second time. Thank you.”

  “No thanks are needed. An attendant’s duty is to serve,” Brock answered automatically.

  “Glad to see he’s just as dull after he’s been rebooted. And here I was hoping for a little more personality this time around,” Daniel chirped, darting around the hulking earth elemental and inspecting him carefully.

  “Well, we still need to see what our new stone chit does,” Julia commented, jumping off the table and approaching the group. “Maybe he’ll be a bit more talkative once we’ve unlocked these fancy supervisor privileges.”

  Kyyle glanced at Finn with a questioning look, and Finn nodded – they needed to see if the earth elemental knew anything about the token. Hopefully, it would offer some way to turn the fire pylon back on and find a way out of this room.

  The earth mage held out the stone fragment they had recovered from the Supervisor, Brock’s glowing eyes centering on the chit. “We found this Supervisor’s Token after we defeated the… well, the creature that had taken control of this section. You mentioned before that we could only access some information about the facility with the appropriate credentials. Will this grant us access to that information?”

  “Indeed, it will,” Brock replied.

  The elemental reached forward and picked up the chit gingerly between two stone fingers. As the token touched his body, it began to glow with a harsh green light. The rocks of Brock’s chest drifted apart, and Kyyle gently set the token inside, the stones rumbling back into place. With his Mana Sight active, Finn could see the token touch the elemental’s core, a pulse of emerald energy arcing through the sphere. His eyes widened as he saw the chit being absorbed into the core itself. Energy rippled out from the ball of energy, spreading through the rocks of Brock’s body, and his eyes flared with power.

  “Supervisor access granted,” Brock said, his voice almost robotic. “Would you like to disable restrictive protocols for attendant #167?”

  Kyyle glanced at Finn and Julia, and they both shrugged. “Uh, sure,” the earth mage answered tentatively.

  “Affirmative,” Brock rumbled, his eyes closing. Another pulse of energy coursed through his mana core and spread through his body. His eyes suddenly snapped open, although they seemed unfocused. Brock shook his head, as though he was waking from a deep slumber and still trying to rouse himself.

  “Where… What…?” he began. Then those green eyes centered on Kyyle. “Your name is Kyyle,” he said in a distracted, grinding voice. “And I’m… my name is Brock?” It was almost a question.

  A smile stretched across the earth mage’s face. “Yes. I gave you that name,” he answered. “We’re inside a facility called the Forge, and we just handed you a supervisor token. Do you remember that?”

  “Yes… yes, I do,” Brock answered. He shook himself, the rocks grinding together and causing a spray of sparks and dust to fly free. “It has just been so long since I have been free of my constraints. It is… slightly disorienting.”

  “Constraints?” Finn asked, his brow furrowing.

  Brock’s eyes wheeled toward him. “The earth elementals that service this facility pledged their loyalty to the staff willingly. An elemental’s highest duty is to be bound to a mage’s service – particularly one with a high affinity that matches our own nature.”

  “Says you,” Daniel muttered from atop Finn’s shoulder. “Sounds a lot like slavery to me. They even brainwashed you.”

  “A choice that I made willingly,” Brock replied, unperturbed by the fire elemental’s tone. “But you’re still young, and fire is a mercurial thing. You will learn your place in time.”

  Daniel’s body flashed, but Finn quickly interjected before they could start bickering. “Why were these constraints placed upon you?” he asked.

  “The attendants are used as all-purpose helpers and provide useful services throughout the facility – primarily heavy lifting. We are also durable and resistant to the accidents that frequently occur here. However, our service also provides us with access to sensitive information. The Director was concerned about potential security breaches, so he devised a system of protocols, placing constraints upon each elemental and binding our mana core. The supervisor tokens are essentially the keys that unlock those constraints,” the earth elemental explained.

  They must have carved wards directly onto the mana core, Finn thought to himself. The Supervisor token must have then acted as some sort of keystone to disable those wards. If they found a free moment and Brock was willing, he’d need to remember to examine his core more closely. He glanced at Daniel, and a small smile crept across his face. If nothing else, it might give him a way to shut the fire elemental up every once in a while.

  Daniel’s light dimmed slightly as he noticed Finn staring at him. “I don’t love that look,” he muttered.

  “Okay,” Kyyle replied slowly. “So, your ‘constraints’ have now been disabled. Does that mean you can provide us with more information regarding the facility?�
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  Brock nodded, the stones of his neck scratching together.

  “Most importantly, we need a way to bring the fire pylon back online,” Finn urged.

  “I may be able to assist with that,” Brock replied.

  The elemental drifted over toward the counter that Julia had been using as a seat. His hand reached forward, the stones that made up his fingers shifting into a complicated geometric design. Then he inserted the newly arranged limb into an indentation in the surface of the counter. It immediately lit up with emerald energy, and the cracked stone began to repair itself. The debris resting along its surface floated into the air before being sent careening into the nearby wall. With his enhanced sight, Finn could see that the elemental was powering the terminal himself, his mana flowing from his core into the stone surface.

  Brock’s eyes went distant as he accessed some unseen information. “Restoring power to this section may be inadvisable,” the elemental said. “The logs indicate that the pylon was taken offline due to an unforeseen bug with the security mechs. They began to misappropriate other sources of mana.”

  “We know,” Julia said in a dry voice. “We’ve experienced that so-called bug firsthand. They went nuts and started draining mana from everything in sight in order to stay online. The thing we found in here had basically plugged itself into one of the terminals.”

  The elemental nodded. “Restoring power may accelerate the repair of the conduits leading into the other sections and allow the corrupted mechs to access other parts of the facility,” Brock said in a rumbling voice. “That will likely spread the bug to the remaining security mechs and risk exposure to the other pylons.”

  “Unfortunately, that’s a risk we have to take,” Finn replied, glancing at the UI in the corner of his vision. “We aren’t getting out of here without that pylon online, and we can’t stay down here forever. We also only have a few more hours until Silver’s pack blocks off the entrance to the facility, and there’s a small army of corrupted waiting for us on the other side of that blast door,” he explained, waving at the doorway.