Path of Transcendence 1: Ultimatum of the Nameless God

by Brian McGoldrick

  I owe Thorrin. Nessa too. I owe her more than I owe Thorrin.

  “Thank you.”

  “It was simple to acquire. No thanks are necessary. Are you ready to spar?” Urehara-sensei's eagerness to fight is a palpable feeling in the air. As his control over his ki has grown, his natural projection of his combative nature has grown. His aura is already so strong that anyone with a weak will would be completely cowed from its pressure.

  “Of course, Sensei.” I cannot suppress my grin. I am just as hungry to test my abilities as he is, and right now, sparring is our only outlet to test ourselves.

  Urehara-sensei frowns slightly. “I have told you, you should stop calling me Sensei. You have become as much my teacher as I am your teacher.”

  “Once we cross over to the Labyrinth of Yggr, we should choose names to go by. Using our real names would be an instant giveaway to players. They wouldn't necessarily know we were actually Earth humans, but they would know we weren't Labyrinth natives. That could be a bad thing, depending on who it is. I'll stop calling you Sensei then.”

  Urehara-sensei shakes his head wryly, and we go inside the dojo. He takes up a boken, a wooden sword, and I grab a pair of wooden rods, that are each three feet long. Our combat styles have become very different, since the start of the Great Fuck Over. For his entire life, Urehara-sensei has already been training his sword techniques. I had already been experimenting with Talon's martial art styles in this world, before the Great Fuck Over, but during my time in Talon's body, I developed my own style of fighting. It is not entirely based on any single style, even if it is dominated by Shadow Fist.

  We bow and immediately attack each other. There is no need for either of us to feel out our opponent. We each know our opponent's style and habits almost as well as our own now. Our wooden weapons clack together in a rapid staccato beat. Having two weapons, I push my attack, trying to force an opening in Urehara-sensei's defense. Using only a single weapon, Urehara-sensei fights defensively, shutting down my attacks, while waiting for me to expose an opening.

  Circling each other, we move and strike at full speed. Periodically, one or the other of us will land a blow or two, but we are using only enough strength to not lose control of our weapons. This is a test of skill, not a fight to the death. The strikes that we are landing are still hard enough to bruise and could even break bones. We are too evenly matched for there to be a clear winner. I have the advantage in real battle experience, but Urehara-sensei's body is superior, it did not have to be rebuilt from the effects of an extended coma.

  Never stopping, sometimes pausing, as we maneuver for advantage, our battle continues for over an hour. We are both breathing heavily, but I am more winded than Urehara-sensei. I still have a long way to go.

  A ring-tone sounds from Urehara-sensei's mobile terminal, and he backs away lowering his sword. I lower my weapons as well, and Urehara-sensei picks up his terminal, looking at the display.

  “Yes?”

  Urehara-sensei listens for several minutes, without interrupting.

  “Continue your investigation but be careful. Use roundabout methods to find the data, the government will be watching for people searching for information about that location.”

  He listens for a few minutes more.

  “That approach is acceptable. Do it.”

  Terminating the call, Urehara-sensei turns to me. “One of my resources has turned up the probable location for The Nameless Entertainment, Inc.'s real equipment, but it is not good. They have a facility in a U.S. government weapons testing center. It is nothing that I have ever heard about in the past, so it is probably a military black operation.”

  “If the government is involved, why would the FBI have sent agents to interrogate me?”

  “A territorial battle, the FBI, more likely the DOJ knows that a branch of the military is involved in the project, and they want to expose it or take over control. There are constant political power games taking place in every government, and you are being viewed as a potential tool for one or both sides.

  “Once we know more, we can make our plans for entering the facility.”

  *** Central California - Earth ***

  November 30, 2077

  Crack! BOOM!

  The trunk of a wooden man splits down the middle, and the wooden rod in my right hand explodes into splinters. Ordinary wood is not able to withstand having very much ki channeled through it, without being destroyed. It would be a different story if my rods had been carved from some of the exotic woods that can be found in the Battleground of the Damned. Weak as it is, when fully focused, my ki is far more than an Earth-born oak can withstand.

  While our ki, Urehara-sensei's as well as mine, is already much stronger than when we started training, we still have barely more power than the weakest of the adepts and casters in the Battleground of the Damned. We are running out of time, our move is already planned for New Years Eve. With only one more month to train, will we be able to survive in the Labyrinth of Yggr?

  Focusing my ki into my palm, I shatter the arm of another wooden man with a single strike. The impact does not cause any pain or numbness, it does not even turn my palm red. For most of my life, I trained under Urehara-sensei, but I never had the kind of strength and power I have now. Even if it is not on par with the stronger adepts and casters in the Labyrinth of Yggr, there is no man of Earth, other than Urehara-sensei or Tanaka, who could equal me.

  Settling into a full lotus, I begin to forcibly circulate my ki again. Even if my body is stronger than it has ever been, it is still only capable of channeling a small fraction of the ki that my soul can generate. The time spent in my Half-Dvergar body must have changed my soul more than I would have ever imagined possible. Perhaps, like Urehara-sensei, I was also generating uncontrolled ki, before the Great Fuck Over. That could by why the “game” put me into Talon's body.

  Since the game was never a game, it is entirely too possible that we were already being changed before the Great Fuck Over. Was The Nameless preparing us for the day he would entrap us and make his demands? Can I turn his machinations back on him?

  The hum of an electric car's motors interrupt my meditation. Opening my soul, I feel Urehara-sensei's ki. Even though the aura of wild uncontrolled ki no longer rages around him, and he has learned to somewhat harness his power, he still burns brighter than he should, creating a weak energy field. He is noticeable to anyone who can sense ki.

  Passing through the dojo, I find Urehara-sensei removing shipping crates from the back of a minivan.

  “Sensei.” I move around behind the minivan and pick up one the largest one. It feels like it weighs close over two hundred pounds, but that is not even close to my limits anymore.

  Urehara-sensei grins, like a kid in a candy store. “Some equipment I arranged for has been completed. This may not be as powerful as what we will be able to loot in the Labyrinth of Yggr, but it is much better then nothing.”

  “Oh?” I cannot keep the curiosity off my face.

  After moving the crates into the dojo, we open them revealing weapons, armor, clothing, and other gear. The largest of the crates contains four swords and over a dozen knives of various sizes and styles. Two of the swords were a matched pair of samurai swords, katana and o-wakizashi. The other two are a matched set of longswords, with plain cruciform guards, in the later style of the “bastard swords” that were most often wielded with two hands. At the guard, the blades are only about two inches wide, but they are also nearly ¾ of an inch thick. It is a dual-edged sword, and the edges have a hamon, like a katana. A heavy pommel in the shape of ten sided tear drop, offsets the weight of the heavy blade.

  A slightly smaller crate contains two suits of armor, one in the general style of feudal Japanese samurai armor, except it is crafted entirely from metal. The deep red lacquer finish is offset by a single golden crane on the breastplate. The other armor is a suit of more of less European style chainmail, lacquered matte black.

  Picking up one of t
he longswords, it seems much heavier than it should, at least twice to three times what I expected. Walking through a few drills, the sword feels comfortable. Its heavier weight feels right, and the balance is superb. Spinning, I catch the second sword, that Urehara-sensei throws to me.

  “You normally use two weapons.”

  I cannot stop myself from grinning, even though I know how disgusting the expression is on my face. Increasing the tempo, I rapidly perform more drills, the swords whistling through the air. Even though I mostly used axes or empty hands in the Lands of Despair, I am not unskilled with swords. Without the mass and strength of my Half-Dvergar body to back up axes, it would be accurate to say that I am more efficient with swords.

  “These swords are superb,. Even with their weight, the balance is almost perfect, and that weight will help with penetrating armor.”

  Urehara-sensei grins. “These weapons were made by the last true sword-smith in Japan. Though, he was forced to use some extremely modern equipment at one of the Urehara Group's locations to forge them. All of these are made from a combination of sheets of stainless steal, tantalum, and tungsten, that were combined using traditional Japanese metal folding methods. Since you often strike with the butts of your sticks, I had him design those pommels to give you a point to pierce an enemies armor with.”

  These swords should hold up, even against some of the powerful enemies we will find in the Labyrinth of Yggr. The cost of these weapons has to be enormous, but Urehara-sensei would just shrug it off as nothing, should I mention it.

  “Thank you, Sensei. Is the armor the same?”

  When I call him “Sensei,” Urehara-sensei's faces stiffened, but his grin returns just as quickly, probably, because I ask about the armor. “Yours is made form the same metals, folded a hundred times and then drawn into wire to make the chain. Mine is made from a lightweight titanium alloy. Your strength has to already be twice my own, I cannot fight with the same weight of weapons and armor that you can.”

  *** Central California - Earth ***

  December 25, 2077

  I seldom visited this cemetery, before the Great Fuck Over, and this will probably be my last chance to ever do so. Tomorrow, we will leave for North Dakota, where the military weapons testing range is located. If we survive, I will be in the Labyrinth of Yggr, and there will be no return. If we do not survive, it will not matter.

  “Mother. Father. It's been over a ten years, since the accident. It would be a lie to say I've counted the days. I haven't come very often, either, but I still miss you. Even though I'm a disfigured freak, I can't think that you would have turned your backs on me.

  “I never believed in souls, when you died. I know better, now. I don't know where you are, but I know you are somewhere out there. It's probably not in this plane, but I hope it's a better place.

  “I've learned a lot of things over the years. The truth is I don't belong here, on this world, but that's okay. I've found another world, one where even if I don't belong, I can survive and maybe thrive. With, you gone, there is no one here that gives a fuck if I'm here or not. Well, Urehara-sensei does, but he's going with me. We'll be leaving in a few days.”

  I pause. There are two men walking towards me, one white and one black. I never wanted to see either of them again.

  “Two assholes are coming. I have to deal with them, so this has to be, good bye.”

  The black Jones smiles with his mouth, as I move in their direction. The white Jones glares at me, with a hate so strong I can feel it. They do not stop walking until we are about six feet apart. This puts me well within their striking range, and they are probably aware that I know this.

  “Why do I feel like a nickel bag, when you two monkeys stare at me?”

  “You little bitch! Keep mouthing off, and I'll lock you up in a black detention facility for a few days and have some fun with you!” Spittle flies from the white Jones' mouth, as he screams.

  The black Jones holds up a hand in front of the white Jones. “That is rather amusing, Mark. Your vocabulary certainly lives up to your superior intellect.”

  “What the fuck are you praising this punk for? He called you a monkey. We can put him away for two to three for hate crimes if we want.”

  The black Jones shakes his head. “You should really read a thesaurus. Considering the way Mark worded that sentence, he already has a defense his lawyer could use planned. However, that opens the way for charges of maligning government officials, and that has a sentence of ten to fifteen years.”

  “Whatever. There's still nothing for me to remember.”

  The black Jones steps forward and puts his hand on my shoulder in a comradely fashion. “Mark, you should know by now that all of the players who were comatose were Taereun: Battleground of the Damned players. You all had absolutely no brainwave activity indicative of higher mental functions, only your autonomic functions were registering. Eventually, everyone else died, but you didn't and actually woke up again. There is something fishy about this whole affair.”

  “Why don't you just go interrogate those bastards at The Nameless Entertainment, Inc.?”

  The black Jones just stares at me for a moment, with those cold, dead eyes of his. “Do you really think that we have not? We interrogated every game company that had someone affected. Coincidentally, they were all VR game manufacturers. You are the last lead we have. How many of your friends died in this incident? Do you not want to see the responsible parties behind this brought to justice?”

  I cannot keep from laughing. “You aren't blind, and even if you can keep the disgust off your face, you can still see mine. You aren't stupid enough to think I have friends. I don't give a fuck about your investigation. I don't remember a fucking thing. So, I can't help you.”

  The black Jones stares at me for several minutes, before nodding and holding out a business card. “I understand. In the future, if you happen to remember something, please contact me.”

  After I take the card without saying anything, the black Jones turns and beings to walk away. The white Jones looks back and forth between the black Jones and myself for several moments, his mouth hanging open.

  “Just a fucking minute! What the fuck is going on here? Why aren't we taking this punk in for questioning?”

  The black Jones does not turn around. “No matter what we do, he is not going to tell us anything. We are leaving.”

  After almost a minute glaring at me, the white Jones follows obediently. Until they are out of sight, he continues to glare over his shoulder at me.

  * * * * *

  It is around three since the confrontation in the cemetary, and I am meditating in the dojo. Urehara-sensei enters through the back door, a brooding expression on his face.

  “Mark, did you encounter any problems, when you went to the cemetery?” He knows that I am seldom so deep in a trance as to be completely unaware of my surroundings.

  “The Jones brothers came, but it was a strange meeting.”

  “Tell me everything that you can remember, please.”

  I recount everything that happened for Urehara-sensei, with as much detail as I remember. His brooding expression turns into one of concern.

  “Wendell's instincts are too good. He noticed something. There are FBI surveillance teams watching the main and service gates to the estate. I am not sure if we should maintain our schedule, start early, or hold off.” Urehara-sensei stares at the floor while rubbing his fingers over his close cut beard.

  “The black Jones' name is Wendell?”

  Urehara-sensei smirks slightly. “He hates to be called Wendell. The other one is Clarence, and he hates to be called that even more.”

  I laugh, that is just too funny. “We should probably move faster, if anything. We've been ready for almost a month now. So, let's not give them more time to get in our way.”

  Urehara-sensei nods. “That is probably best. I will have us picked up by the delivery truck for tomorrow's food delivery. The delivery comes between 5am and 6am. Be a
t the main house before 5am.”

  “Hai, Sensei.”

  I grin, I cannot stop myself. It is almost time to get out this shit hole world.

  Assault

  *** Central California - Earth ***

  December 26, 2077

  Tanaka meets me at a side door to the main house. He is of course Japanese and looks like one of the thugs in an old yakuza movie. Except for possibly Urehara-sensei, he is the single most lethal person I have ever met on Earth. Before spending eleven years in Talon's body, I would not have have been able to survive a fight with him, let alone defeat him. Now, I might be able to kill him, even if I do not use my ki.

  “You've gotten better, kid. Guess you're old enough that I shouldn't call you kid anymore. Even the Old Master would be no match for you were serious. You're a killer now. You've spilled oceans of blood. I can tell.” Tanaka's normally grim expression turns into a pronounced frown.

  “Do you think I would hold back against Sensei?”

  Tanaka almost smiles. “I didn't say you were holding back. I said you weren't serious. If you were serious, there not a man alive you couldn't kill. They say there's always someone better, but I've seen the ones that are called the better. They wouldn't last a minute against you anymore.

  “I can't go to the new world to protect the Old Master. He made me swear to watch over the Young Master, while I'm able. You have to protect the Old Master. He's good, but after recovering from that coma, you are the best I've ever seen.” Tanaka bows deeply to me.

  With my hands on his shoulders, I force him to rise. “I will do what I can, but Sensei has his reasons for going to the Labyrinth of Yggr, and I have mine. Our ways will part sooner or later, but until they do, I will stand by him.”