Mark 2.0

by Prax Venter

“Just wait till you see all of them thickly muscled heavenly dragons. I’m sure you and the Awysai are going to find you have a lot in common.”

  “They are merely otherworlders,” Urtanion corrected swiftly, holding his snout held high. “And I must admit that I am looking forward to being proven empirically wrong about the existence of gods. Trusted ancient texts have always cautioned against the folly of their worship.”

  Their newest team member had been keeping quiet for all of this as she really had no idea what was going on, but now she turned her pixelated eyes to face the advisor.

  “To be proven wrong is the noblest of gifts.”

  Everyone considered the glossy droid’s words as her metallic, tapered feet tapped steadily along the ruby walkway for a time, lost in their own thoughts. A few Blazar workers with wheelbarrows filled with rubies came up from behind and each bowed their head to the royal entourage as they hurried past with their cargo.

  “So many unique minds out there and fresh ideas!” The Blazar princess practically squealed with excitement after the workers passed. “This is why we need to leave the Dome and connect with other cultures, Urtanion. The Blazar will become stagnant if we hide forever.”

  “This is the place we’ve always been,” he said, “and we have everything we could ever need. Maybe if you would have come to the Aether Tone’s royal concert this evening, you would have seen the unending complexities our culture could offer.”

  “It was fairly good,” Lord Orvamello agreed with a nod as he strolled with his hands clasped behind his back.

  The group moved down another ramp, and Mark saw a few squarish, warehouse buildings clustered together with more of the black-and-green Blazar going about their daily business. It was then that he realized that there didn’t seem to be a traditional castle or any apparent compartmentalization of areas. The city was at once a confusing mess and yet efficient- and beautiful.

  After a few more twists, two Blazar guards ran up to the Captain who was currently leading them to their destination. The group stopped when one approached.

  “Message from the Sovereign,” he said, slightly winded. “Change in plans. Guests turned down offer of covering their bodies. Moving to Saturasphere.”

  “The otherworlders are nudists?” Princess Verrelle asked, gripping her chair tightly.

  The guard leaned to address her around the Captain. “I saw them with my own eyes, Princess. They’re… magnificent.”

  Urtanion cleared his throat and pointed back the way they came toward the sphere that sat at the core of the city. The thing had to be 50 stories in diameter.

  “It’s been over a hundred years since any outsider has been inside,” the princess said as she gracefully spun her ruby chair around.

  This time, Mark could see where they were headed, and the journey seemed relatively short as the megalithic ruby cluster grew to fill his vision. Many paths entered the Saturasphere at many random points along the outer shell through darkened archways, but every now and then a vivid red flash would echo from deep inside.

  After they passed through the outer shell on a path near the bottom, Mark had a hard time keeping his jaw from hanging open and felt the same from his bonded Enthralled. The beam of zipping red light Mark had seen from the Sovereign’s mind was nothing like the chunk of pure buzzing energy travelling as slowly as a second hand moves on a clock. This plodding laser was the size of a freight car and was absolutely mesmerizing.

  He wrenched his eyes from the leisurely pleasant waves of calm emanating from the humongous beam of light to take in the many levels of ruby walkways encircling the inside of the chamber. The interior did appear to be like a rich, red geode rock, and they had welded ruby lattice paths everywhere. It was as chaotic and as beautiful as it was outside in the city, like a miniature fractal pattern. Looking one level down, the whole bottom layer was a massive junk pile of clothes, crystal shards, millions of gems, and many other unidentified red objects. And if he looked all the way to the top, he saw hundreds of the neon-green patterned Blazar strolling along the ruby mesh paths above. The higher they were, the more crowded and faster everyone seemed to move.

  Mark looked ahead and saw a much wider path with red plants and gold benches with huge red cushions. They were clearly on the privileged royal level of the Saturasphere. The Awysai were further ahead standing with the Sovereign, and Princess Verrelle began to set a faster pace.

  She spoke quickly as she pumped her wheels with her muscular arms.

  “The Saturasphere is the core of the Blazar. It is our beating heart. Its eternally refracting energy generates impenetrable safety and provides never-ending sustenance. With its Vigor, we can perform great feats of creation and imagination, or we can simply exist at our own leisure. Any who enter the sphere need not want for physical needs.”

  “So, what’s the catch?” Sasha asked. “Does it eat the color red or something?”

  Urtanion answered. “The more diverse shades of red we bring our natural phenomenon, and the more diverse the objects, the stronger the effect. We are also aware of its side effect on our individual preferences for that hue, but the price, as you call it, is well worth the benefits.”

  They were a good thirty feet into the sphere now, and Mark did feel a particular tingle on his skin- no, everywhere. Inside and out. He couldn’t remember when the last time, chronologically, he ate, but his stomach did start to feel comfortably full.

  “Huh,” he said, looking up at the slow-moving chunk of sanguine light. “I expected that thing would have to pass through me before noticing anything, but I already feel pretty great.”

  It was at that moment his magic eye snapped into focus and among all this splendor were suddenly hundreds of dimensional crossover points- most of them linking to places he’d never seen before. This trapped red beam was surrounded by dimensional doorways.

  “And I’m starting to covet objects that reflect the lower band of my visual spectrum,” Abby said as she extended a tentacle to point at the pile of treasure below.

  Angel tapped her mistress on the shoulder before flipping her white pixel eyes to a bright red. The abyssal horror inverted her pencil-thin eyebrows and reached out to take the droid’s hand as they continued to walk.

  “Thoughtfulness appreciated,” Abby said.

  “I can’t believe what I’m seeing,” Princess Verrelle said, her green eyes singularly locked on the physically toned and naked Awysai survivors. “They’re just like us, but alight with our utterly favorite hue…”

  Moments later the two groups rejoined once more near a railing overlooking the piles of treasure below.

  “I had a feeling you’d be coming,” Isskeld, the Blazar prince said, flashing a big smile. “Amina, this is my sister, Princess Verrelle. Verrelle, this is the otherworldly leader of a tribe of devout warriors called the Awysai.”

  “I’ve heard some of this,” she said, holding her arm out for Amina to grasp. “It is such an honor and a privilege to meet you! You have no idea how much- but anyway, I want to learn everything there is to know about you and your deity.”

  “I wonder why this is such a priority,” Urtanion said, his snout held high.

  The massive beam of crawling light moved behind Amina, and the jet-black parts of her tight warrior’s body cast a dark shadow like a dragon-shaped eclipse.

  The new chieftain spoke with absolute certainty.

  “We do not require clothing, yet I am only truly naked without our connection to our Goddess Echo. I ask you to imagine the Blazar without a single gem in their possession and you will understand. She is our foundation, as this light chamber is yours. I have learned much walking through your dome. I know what we are capable of with focus, and I now see why my father wanted to grow in new directions.” Amina paused and turned to face the Sovereign. “I appreciate the use of your miraculous sphere, but we will not rest until we establish a base of worship.”

  “We might not need to go far,” Mark said. “I believe I can locate a val
id echo nest with my magic eye, and this crazy shell of rubies is buzzing with dimensional pinpricks.”

  The Sovereign held up her three-fingered hand. “You want to build your temple within our Saturasphere? I’m afraid that’s asking a bit much.”

  “Not a temple,” Amina said and then moved to retrieve one of the arcane-etched obelisks from another Awysai. It was still strange to see them with red eyes and markings. Amina’s arm grazed over her glowing red nipples, and Mark felt his attention be forced downward. He had no essence driving his libido… but he did have to admit the color red was starting to look pretty fucking awesome. There was now a soft buzzing in his brain when he gazed directly at the rich hue.

  He blinked away the distraction as Amina continued.

  “I need to align a single anchor. That is how we start. If Mark is correct, then we will need a temporary space only the length of your body to practice our devotions. Once established, I will then lead an excursion to found the next cradle of our civilization.” She looked out over her people gathered on the royal promenade. “The sooner we plant our roots again, the stronger we will grow, and we will never be so vulnerable again.”

  “We will help you find that perfect spot,” Jezebel said. “With Mark’s upgraded abilities, we can bring you to multiple worlds in search of the right place.”

  The new Chieftain nodded slowly, appreciation radiating from her frayed and weary mind.

  “Heavenly dragon,” Prince Isskeld said softly and pulled Amina’s attention. “The Great Dome shall serve as your home until you are ready to move on. But do not overlook what can be gained by staying for a short while and allowing us both to learn about the other.”

  “My brother is right,” Verrelle said. “But summoning your goddess is what matters now. Then you can hear our debates for remaining as our honored guests for at least a few cycles after that.”

  Mark felt a beam of pride from her teacher, Urtanion. He thought the princess was manipulating the Awysai into staying on the condition of what he considered an impossible task.

  Time to prove him wrong.

  “Sovereign Fayllencia,” Mark began, pulling everyone’s attention. “Time is not on our side, and I also need this anchor established before we will be ready to take on any epic monster-slaying quests. Will you allow me to stroll around your Saturasphere to find a potential spot?”

  Echoes of asking Amina the same type of question about opening portals under her dome came back to Mark in this mirror universe. But it was different this time. He knew there was no danger from the Goddess of Oral Sex- quite the opposite. Mark continued quickly before the Blazar ruler could voice any concerns.

  “I know we are all strangers to you, and a crazy floating head recently appeared before everyone’s eyes saying we are the destroyers. We aren’t.” He gestured over to Abby who was still holding Angel’s plastic hand. “We’re the good guys whose destiny it is to save the universe. I understand if you would turn us away, it’s the safer bet, but you need to decide now. Will you be on our side, or will we need to part ways?”

  The new leader of the Awysai shifted to stand next to Mark, her stance implying his words spoke for her and her people.

  “I see,” the Sovereign said, bringing a three-fingered hand to her chest then glancing around to her royal family. “I know where my children stand, and you, my Lord?”

  He gave her a slow nod.

  “Urtanion?”

  The royal advisor crossed his arms. “If all we need to do is place a rock somewhere along a promenade to appease this lewd goddess, so be it. The cultural exchange from an alternate reality version of us is worth that.”

  Fayllencia narrowed her eyes at that then said “Captain,” as she shifted them to the most heavily armored Blazar there.

  He gave her a small shrug.

  “I haven’t experienced any situation close to this, ma’am. But if she’s here to destroy me,” he paused to indicate Amina with a look, “I can’t imagine a better way to go…”

  The air around Mark began to vibrate with an energy he recognized. The severed goddess was still out there in the void, pressing against the membrane of reality in a clear reverse echo of collapsing probabilities.

  Mark blinked and fell back to his normal level of consciousness. He looked over at the Awysai chieftain and she nodded to him. Amina felt it too.

  “I can feel that Mark is correct. There is a nest nearby.”

  Sovereign Fayllencia considered the request a moment longer and then nodded her consent.

  “Very well, establish this nest of yours.”

  Everybody followed Mark and Amina up two levels to where there was more foot traffic and it wasn’t difficult to find that pink sparkle that matched the unique doorway he’d seen back in the charred ruins of the Awysai dome. This was a dimensional weak point that linked directly to wherever this goddess dwelt- the plane of endless oral sex? The feedback from this potent and abstract dimension informed Mark that he was nowhere strong enough to open this doorway, but that it was exactly where Amina should place her anchor.

  No one in the royal court had an issue with the location, so Amina took one of their tribe’s three remaining possessions and placed it directly under the node.

  Mark wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but when they first met Amina and helped her align an anchor like this inside a mushroom-filled cave, she said it would take a while before the Goddess Echo returned. This time it was as if someone stabbed a hole into a giant water balloon without popping it.

  The glowing runes carved into the two-foot obelisk began filling with red light, and once the enchanted object reached full saturation, everyone in the gem-encrusted chamber felt the shockwave of lustful energy blast outward. The thick beam that refracted around the sphere began to move noticeably faster- still ridiculously slow for a beam of light, but it seemed to be happy with the new addition.

  Everyone had been standing on the other side of the path, away from Mark and Amina, but now Prince Isskeld, Princess Verrelle, and Urtanion all moved forward to get a closer look at the anchor.

  It was then that three holographic red versions of the salamander-shaped Goddess appeared to leap from the sides of the anchor.

  “Impossible,” the royal advisor mumbled as the newly connected deity inspected her new physical representation. She seemed surprised to find herself split into multiple forms.

  “Always probing deep, Collector?” the Goddess of Oral Sex whispered in his mind.

  The three nude holograms became a streak of light as each slid forward at blinding speed. The next thing Mark saw was the white void where he’d last met with the gods and goddesses of this digital multiverse, but this time, Amina was to his right and far below his bare feet were the Blazar Prince, Princess, and advisor. They seemed unconscious, and Verrelle was missing her chair.

  Before Mark could form a thought, the nude human gymnast he’d known as his personal form of this particular goddess faded into existence before them.

  “You’ve done well, Mark and Amina,” she said. “I am eternally grateful for the Awysai. Their tragedy is my tragedy. I am appearing before you to usher in a new age of cooperation, a stronger contract. I will still require your offerings and your devotion to spreading my influence. But in this coming age of action, I will take this universe into my throat and imbue my avatars with the divine power to protect it.”

  She’d grown louder as she spoke until the white void hummed with her echoing voice.

  There was dread echoing back as the other deities watched this interaction. Fear hung in the virtual air, a twinge that expressed apprehension relating to direct involvement.

  They were afraid of another Cataclysm.

  But nothing came to knock her down, and Mark liked everything he was hearing, so he willed the other observing gods to sit back and relax.

  A few ideas for Amina’s remaining anchors began to take shape in his mind. Jezebel was going to love the science behind triangulating a goddesses’ wavel
ength throughout multiple dimensions.

  “Chieftain,” the hovering deity continued, pointing at Amina. “I ask that you stay with the Blazar and teach them your ways. I do not care the cost of sharing this information, but they are you. Your kind originated here and spread to populate other dimensions through arcane and technological wonders. You control how you define the Awysai people, though now you are armed with the knowledge that your blood began here.”

  “I- I will do as you will, Goddess Echo,” Amina said, trying to process everything that was happening to her and what it meant.

  “Good,” the goddess said, satisfaction in her voice. “My will is for you and your people to grow strong. This natural energy trap has… altered my projection into this dimension. Three rituals will need to be performed before I can establish a true foothold in this new space. Chieftain, I ask you to entwine with the Blazar Prince. Teach him, become the vessel for his first offering, and become master of his tongue.”

  “I gladly obey,” Amina said with a bow of her head. “My pleasure will be your pleasure.”

  With that, both the unconscious prince and new Awysai chieftain faded from Mark’s sight. Although, his blind eye tingled with the knowledge that they had only been granted a veil of privacy in some variation of this high-level virtual space. Time was running much, much faster in here.

  The tightly muscled gymnast appeared directly in Mark’s face.

  “You are so beyond unique, Lover Collector,” she said, her affection perfectly clear. “Your actions please me greatly and you may count me as your ally against Maliah. Before I can lend my aid, you will assist in the second ritual. You will be paired with the Blazar Princess. Live through her fantasy, allow her to show me her skills through your flesh, and while she does so, you will channel her naturally potent lust to me. By Legendary Collector and long-lost Awysai tribe both mingling with these willing Blazar, our contract will be woven stronger than ever.”

  Mark gave her a smile. “Thank you. I can do that.” Then he remembered there was a third ritual and turned his eyes to the floating Blazar advisor. “What are you going to do with him?”