Uru's Third Temple
Page 40
He walked to the revival tub in his underwear and lifted the lid.
“Ruwen, stop. This is reckless. Please, I don’t want to lose you, too.”
Ruwen stopped and faced Hamma. “Your dad, and my parents, must have believed that whatever they were doing was important enough to leave us behind. I can’t imagine that decision was easy. They all sacrificed themselves for it. You were right. I shoulder some of that blame. They did those things for me. So I could succeed. I have to risk this, or I could never live with myself.”
Hamma hugged Ruwen. “You’re such an idiot.”
“That seems to be a popular opinion.”
Hamma looked up at Ruwen, and figuring he was about to die anyway, he kissed her.
Ruwen forced himself to pull away when his Energy bar flashed yellow as it dropped under twenty percent.
Hamma smiled up at Ruwen. “It’s about time, Starfield.”
Not trusting himself to speak, he climbed into the tub. He opened his settings and checked his last synch date, verifying he was up to date. That was a memory he wanted to keep.
“See you soon,” Hamma said as she closed the lid.
Ruwen’s bar flashed red, and he let the air out of his lungs, sinking to the bottom of the revival tub. He smiled as he thought about this third death. It definitely was his favorite.
His Energy bar fell, as steady as a heartbeat.
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Chapter 61
Ruwen walked over and sat next to Uru. The cliff started a few feet in front of them, and Uru seemed focused on braiding the divine sweetgrass in her lap. The distant storm seemed closer than it had just a day ago. The wind blew his hair and pressed his simple cotton clothes against his body. Uru smelled of cinnamon and roses, and it mingled with the heavy scent of imminent rain.
“My parents are involved in all this,” Ruwen said.
“They have been involved since the beginning. Without them, there is no this, because there would be no you.”
Ruwen looked at Uru. “I feel like I’m the last page in a book you wrote a thousand years ago.”
Uru locked eyes with him. “What an exceptional metaphor. But the book started long before that. You can ask your parents about it shortly.”
“So this will work? I’ll be able to choose the Architect Class and become a Navigator?”
Uru shook her head. “The Architect isn’t a Class. It’s a Role. A reward from the Universe for attaining Divinity.”
“That’s you. Are you coming to restore the temple yourself?”
“The Pact forbids it. During the chaos before the Pact, some spent vast amounts of resources to cripple other deities’ temples. They ensured that the Pact didn’t negate the advantage they’d earned.”
“Then how can we restore your temple?”
Uru smiled at Ruwen. “You’ll do it.”
It took a moment for that to sink in. “What? You’re giving me your Architect Role?”
“I already have.”
Ruwen didn’t feel any different. A terrible thought struck him. “Did I just kill myself for nothing?”
Uru shook her head. “Death is required.”
Ruwen’s stomach untwisted. “But wouldn’t I eventually get this role anyway? Once I advance to Deity? Isn’t this a waste?”
“I’m not sure there’s time for you to reach Deity. And you will need this Role to survive.”
Ruwen’s heart thumped in his chest, and he tried to slow his breathing. “Please forgive me, but won’t this doom us? I don’t know anything about being an Architect.”
Uru beamed. “That’s exactly what the other deities will believe. They will think that I, under attack from all sides, traded a priceless advantage just to regain access to a lost temple and survive for a little longer. They will see it as a last desperate move. From their perspective, no deity in their right mind would give up this power, and it’s why the Pact doesn’t forbid it.”
That is pretty much how Ruwen saw it too.
Uru laughed. “I see the doubt on your face. The brilliance of this is that it appears I’ve given you this power in desperation, when in fact, this move strengthens us. If I’d given you this power later, the deities would be in a frenzy trying to understand why. That might expose your true abilities too soon. Sometimes, despite everything that’s happened, I believe the Universe favors us.”
“But I don’t know how to use this. Won’t that weaken us until I figure it out?”
“Yes, but that is balanced by the return of over half my people and resources. The loss of Eiru still hurts, and my soul sings with the city’s imminent return.”
“Eiru? How come I’ve never heard of this city?” Ruwen asked. It wasn’t lost on him that the city name sounded remarkably close to “Uru.”
Uru’s smile disappeared. “It was my namesake and one of the first temples to fall before the Pact. After the Pact, when civilization returned, the only thing that survived was a mispronounced version of my name, Uru. I embraced the new name, to help ease the pain of the past.”
Ruwen wondered about the devastation required to wipe away the existence of such a vast amount of people. What a terrifying time, and Uru said those times would return.
Another thought struck him. A very selfish one. “Since I have this new Role, won’t the gods want to kill me even more?”
Uru’s smile returned. “It actually makes you safer. The other deities will believe you capable of only a fraction of the Role’s power. That’s because its benefits are hard on a normal body. The Role’s forces would rip a regular person to shreds, so they will believe it’s wasted on you. If they destroy you, since a Role has never been transferred like this, no one knows where it returns. It might come back to me, and they will be reluctant to risk that.”
Ruwen now understood a portion of Uru’s cleverness. She had made herself look weak by giving up this power. But in reality, she would double her population, transfer power to him without raising suspicion, and provide some protection from the gods who all were happy this Role had become neutered.
“Planning that is almost beyond comprehension,” Ruwen said.
“You’ll soon see foresight is one of the benefits of your new Role.”
Ruwen shook his head. “I hope all this work you’ve invested in me doesn’t go to waste. It humbles and scares me.”
Uru touched Ruwen’s shoulder. “The truth is, you will become more powerful than me and will use the Role even more effectively. You need to Fortify your body quickly to withstand the stresses being an Architect will place on you. No one lower than Divine has ever possessed this role.” Uru removed her hand and stared out at the sea. “I’m an apostate now among the gods. They will see this as a rejection of their divinity. It may embolden a few to join Naktos.” Uru faced Ruwen again. “You must restore the temple, rebuild the city, and protect the southern border. But you must also find time to grow stronger, Fortify your body, and learn to use this new Role.”
Ruwen looked out at the storm, the crashing waves below suddenly loud. The pressure of all these monumental tasks felt overwhelming.
Uru continued. “Hard times approach, and they bring even harder choices. Rely on your friends where you can.” Uru gently turned Ruwen’s face toward her, and she smiled at him. “Not even a goddess can do everything herself.”
Chapter 62
Ruwen lay on his back and opened his eyes to find Hamma looking down at him.
“How do you feel?” Hamma asked.
Anxious, overwhelmed, and scared, were all truthful answers, but Ruwen didn’t want to alarm Hamma. “Wet,” he finally managed to say.
Hamma laughed, bent down, and kissed him. “That’s because I just pulled you out of the vat, Dummy.”
Ruwen’s cloak covered him, and his underwear stuck to his legs. That meant the tub hadn’t vaporized him after all. His Energy bar remained full, so his Void Band must have closed when he died. The metal floor chilled
his body. “How long?”
“Just over two minutes,” Hamma said.
Ruwen tried to sit up, but Hamma pushed him back down.
“Just rest for a second,” Hamma said.
Are you okay, Rami? Ruwen asked.
Yes. I’ve restarted the queries.
Uru spoke to me again, can you see those memories?
A moment later, Rami responded. Wow, that woman is amazing. I’ll add Architect to the queries.
Thanks, you read my mind. Ruwen said, and then laughed out loud.
“Are you okay?” Hamma asked.
“Just laughing at my own joke,” Ruwen said.
Hamma frowned at him.
Rami continued. When you get a chance, I want to talk to you about the twenty-two books you unlocked with your True Name ability.
Usually, Ruwen would have wanted to talk about the books immediately. But he had finally found his parents, and he needed to get the temple up and running to revive them. Then he needed to figure out what Class would work best at holding off an invading army. In the meantime, he needed to Fortify his body, learn how to use his essences, and level up. His head thudded in pain.
Hamma cast a heal on him, and the pain faded.
“Thanks,” Ruwen said and smiled up at Hamma. He wouldn’t face all that alone.
Ruwen opened up his Profile but didn’t look at the damage his death had done. There would be time for that later. Opening the hidden Root display, he found only the Worker tree colored in. He was no longer an Observer. Underneath the tree, among the roots, the Architect Role had become crisp and vibrant. Connected to Architect were the three Sub Roles he’d seen before: Navigator, Creator, Annihilator.
Remembering Uru’s words about a Fortified body, Ruwen didn’t explore further. He would do that when alone and in a safe place. Accidentally triggering something that killed Hamma was something he didn’t want to live with. For now, it was enough to know he had successfully received the Role.
Notifications pulsed at the bottom of his vision, and he opened them.
Ting!
You have received Uru’s quest…
Foundations (Part 1)
Assemble a city council and decide on the first three buildings to rebuild.
Reward: 50,000 experience
Accept or Decline
Ruwen chose Accept, and hoped he received more quests like this. How hard could it be to decide something like that? Another quest appeared.
Ting!
You have received Uru’s quest…
The Southern Front (Part 1)
Assemble a war council and decide on the composition of the first 1,000 warriors.
Reward: 50,000 experience
Accept or Decline
Another easy one, Ruwen thought as he chose Accept.
“Did it work?” Hamma asked.
Ruwen focused back on Hamma and could see the nervousness in her face. He felt like an idiot for making her wait.
“Uru gave me what I needed. But I’m unsure what to do. Let’s start with that other vat.”
Hamma bit her lip, and Ruwen knew the Healer in her wanted him to rest, while the remaining part felt the burning desire to see her dad again, just like he felt about his parents.
“I feel brand new,” Ruwen said and almost laughed again but managed to keep it to a smile. Sift would have appreciated his jokes. Maybe.
Ruwen sat up, and after a moment, Hamma helped him.
“They’ve been in there a long time, another a few minutes won't matter,” Hamma said, but Ruwen could tell she didn’t believe that.
Ruwen got to his feet, and Hamma supported him as they walked to the other vat. Hamma pulled the veil away from the window.
“It’s just nonsense,” Hamma said. “You can read that?”
Ruwen nodded.
Failsafe Complete.
Navigator Required.
“It looks kind of like our logs,” Ruwen said. “Like if the temple had to start over, but it didn’t have the information it needed.”
Ruwen took a deep breath and placed his hand on the palm print on top of the vat. The hiss of air escaping made Hamma jump, and the vat lid slid down and to the side on its own. The inside of the tank didn’t contain liquid like the revival bath, but something resembling a mattress.
“It looks like Architects specialize in napping,” Ruwen said.
Hamma looked concerned and didn’t even smile. Tough crowd.
Ruwen handed his cloak to Hamma and climbed into the capsule before she could argue. As soon as his head touched the small pillow, the lid rapidly slid shut, and Hamma’s yelp of surprise was cut off.
Darkness surrounded him, and his other senses seemed muted. It reminded him of floating in a pond.
Ruwen jerked in surprise when a strange male voice spoke into the stillness.
“Hello, Architect Starfield,” the man said. “May I inquire what happened to Mistress Eiru?”
Ruwen cleared his throat. It felt strange to just talk into the darkness. “She’s fine, and asked me to restore the temple. Can you help me do that?”
“I can.”
A suspicion crept into Ruwen’s thoughts. “Are you the temple?”
“I am.”
Ruwen added “talking to a building,” to the list of unbelievable things that had happened to him. He refocused on completing his task. “What do I need to do?”
“I lack the current spatial and temporal values to place myself properly in the stream.”
“What?” Ruwen asked.
“I lack the current spatial and temporal values to place myself properly in the stream.”
“Let’s back up?” Ruwen said.
“I cannot fulfill that request. Without accurate temporal and dimensional coordinates, reversing the temporal flow would be catastrophic. In addition, terium levels are critically–”
Ruwen interrupted the voice. “No, no. I didn’t mean literally. I meant–”
Ruwen paused as the meaning of the words sunk in. “Wait, you can move backward through time?”
“Local manipulation of temporal values can be sustained for short periods depending on factors such as accurate parameters, terium levels, Resonance offset, quant–”
Ruwen interrupted again. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Yes.”
“Let me try again,” Ruwen said.
“We have not yet tried the first time.”
This temple took things very literally, and Ruwen didn’t want to kill himself or anyone else. “Don’t act on requests that might result in an injury. Explain the risk to me first and ask for my confirmation.”
“Understood.”
“What should I call you?”
“Without restoration, my memories are limited. But, Eiru called me Lir.”
“Okay, Lir. I need help. How do I restore you?”
“First, I require our exact spatial location and realm,” Lir said.
That sounded like a gate rune to Ruwen. He returned to his hidden display and focused on the Navigator icon, which caused two new icons to appear under it: Dimensional and Temporal. A third icon, connected to both Dimensional and Temporal, was labeled Gravitational. He focused on the Dimensional one, and even more icons materialized: Pocket, Keys, and Warp.
Ruwen concentrated on the Key icon, and his Mana dropped to zero, followed by an immediate pressure on his core. Not a tug like when the Plague Siren had tried removing it, but more like the feeling he had when Refining Spirit.
The pressure subsided, and five gate runes hovered in front of him. He turned his head to the side, but they didn’t change.
“Lir, what happens if I give you the wrong location?”
“My restoration would fail.”
“But no teleporting to another realm or exploding or anything, right?”
“From
my limited observations, your body remains in the Metal levels, and teleporting would vaporize you. I do not recommend it. In addition, exploding, in general, is best accomplished with the Annihilator Role.”
“I’ll take that as a no. Do you know why my Mana drained?”
“No.”
“Can you guess?”
“There is a high probability that your body used the easiest source of energy first. Mana is a perfectly balanced combination of essence, which makes it ideal. Once you consumed your Mana, you likely tapped your essence reservoirs to complete the query.”
That wasn’t good. It meant Ruwen needed to be careful using any of these roles in public. If he didn’t have the Mana, his Scarecrow Aspect would appear as the role tapped his Core.
An idea struck Ruwen. “Lir, how sensitive are you?”
“Without my restored memories, my personality is incomplete, and recognizing emotion is difficult. Have I upset you?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. Just tell me if you sense anything.”
Rami, have you been listening to this guy?
Yes.
Can you try and communicate with him via vibrations? I don’t want to make a mistake, and I’m wondering if there’s a way for you to transmit my thoughts to him.
Three seconds later, Lir spoke. “Thank you, Rami. I have loaded the dimensional keys.”
Thanks, Rami. That seemed easy.
We iterated over sixty thousand times to finalize a communication method and shared vocabulary. Lir is super logical and hyper-smart, and he says his memories contain a vast library. I think we’re going to be best friends.
Wow. You continue to amaze me.
If I were a book, we’d still be in the prologue.
Ruwen laughed. I believe it.
“What now, Lir?”
“I require the present temporal values.”
Ruwen unfocused on the Dimensional Role and shifted to the Temporal one. Four more icons appeared under Temporal: Rift, Hindsight, Foresight, and Stasis. Uru had used the word foresight, and Ruwen focused on it, causing three more icons to become visible: Predict, Foretell, Prophesize.