Oblivion's Peril

by M. H. Johnson

  Julia shuddered. "And then Mother was gazing at me with her terrible, beautiful golden eyes. Making it clear that not only was I her experiment as much as her daughter, but she had been involved in far more than just rejuvenation research. She had been part of a deliberate experiment to somehow blend humans and, well, whatever branch of man you technically are, I'll just call you Jordians."

  "Human, sister. I'm human. It's you Terrans that are somewhat strange. From what Mother tells me, your father's ancestry includes Neanderthals, Denisovans, and other curious hominids. We mixed solely with the Gnomic tribes many, many centuries ago. It boosted our longevity and inspired a golden age of insight, creativity, and comprehension."

  Julia laughed. "Gnomes. And when I look at that cute little man..."

  "Gregor? He's a dear friend I love with all my heart. And he is definitely a genetic throwback. A pure genius, as most males possessing such strong Gnomic traits tend to be, and just as irascible as you might expect."

  "Yes! He is a doll. He looks like a miniature Einstein, really... oh gods, Einstein! Gregor looks so much like him! Only shorter. And more, well, gnome-like, I guess. Julia, how long have Jordians been sneaking onto Earth?"

  Val could almost sense the shrug. "You'll have to ask Mother. I had no idea Earth even existed until I first met Valor, and how awkward and fascinating that friendship turned out to be."

  "Awkward?"

  Golden laughter. "Yes. The dear boy managed to say and do just the wrong thing with a skill that was almost uncanny. And strangely, it helped. Sten and I held our tempers, treating it just as if he were the jester in a play, his social missteps happening almost on cue. And when it counted, when it mattered, when our lives were on the line, he was the best friend one could ever ask for. And for that, I will always be grateful. To Valor and my sister both."

  "God, Elise, you're going to make me cry!"

  Val could feel their hug in his heart, for all that he sensed his mind slipping into blackness once more."

  "Elise?"

  "Yes, sister?"

  "Why is Mother pushing so hard?"

  A soft sigh. "What I thought was pure madness on Val's part turns out to be a truth so profound it was the heart of Mother's research. Forging beings born of two worlds, two realities. So those with a Highlord's gifts, and I suppose a Dauda as well, could somehow control their own reality, control their own growth; choosing how they would blossom from their triumphs, from taking in the endless potential of all they defeated, all those forced to kneel before them, and making it their own."

  Dead silence. "So all of it. Endless, the game, Mother making me and Val... all of that was to forge beings who could level up? As if reality was somehow a game for us?"

  Soft laughter. "Don't you get it, sister? Just look at the mathematics. We are probably living in a matrix as it stands. For all we know, the Big Bang was some god turning on his simulation. And our universes... to oversimplify it, one should have exploded completely into the other, if Vacuum Theory holds. But that didn't happen, Julia. With Earth gaining a Jordian electromana field? It's like two simulated realities swapped code at the conversion point."

  "Shit." Nervous laughter. "It was so strange when my friends and I realized we could pull up our character sheets—on Earth! And then things got really crazy, and we were fleeing for our lives. And it doesn’t even matter if we are all stuck in a simulation. Because whether our reality is 'real,' whatever that even means, or we are just blips in a godlike computer game, this is the only life we have."

  Elise smiled in approval. "Exactly, Julia. And that's why Mother insisted we push you so hard, less than an hour after we were finally reunited. But with plenty of fluid and Valor's healing potion in my body, Mother judged me fit to assist, and I couldn't turn her down. Not after so many years of not being able to tell her how much I loved her. How much I had missed her." Elise sighed. "I can't say I will ever understand what exactly this leveling entails, but Sten, who’s always had a knack for somehow feeling fate's stories, and almost never made a misstep save when we were in the eye of the storm that is Val, well, even he feels that you’re on the cusp of something significant, something momentous. And I know Mother saw it too. It's like, well, you're a caterpillar about to form your chrysalis, and she wants to make absolutely sure you blossom into a butterfly worthy of all your potential."

  "I think I understand," Julia said. "It's just so strange. What Mother took as just eccentricity when I first started playing and leveling up, acting all surprised and pleased when I boosted my Scholarship back to 12, where I was before, and she knew. This whole time she knew what it all really meant. But now, well, I can't get out. We're all stuck here. And I'm not just a spirit trapped in some synth or whatever the hell I am when I just port my mind here. Now I'm here for real, body and soul. I don't know if I can control my growth as well as I could when entering an obelisk, and I sense that this level up is going to hit me hard!"

  Elise's soothing voice washed over an anxious Julia. "Mother's obsession aside, don't worry about it, Julia. Rest. If you can really focus yourself, if you're really going to blossom in odd ways like Valor did, think of heightening your Psionic potential. Strengthening your mind. Mother told me you have magic talent, just like our Val. And that is incredible. But, like it or not, you're a child of a tribe that has long dedicated itself to duels of the mind. And being able to Castle effectively, being able to shield your mind from the prying thoughts and psychic attacks of others is vital to earning the respect of fellow Highlords, of even truly being considered a Highlord at all. Of course, as a female, you will suffer no shame or censure for declining a duel, no matter how grave your offense, though you might lose rank or land."

  Julia chuckled softly. "That sounds almost sexist."

  "It's practical, sister. When the typical Highlord female can give birth to no more than one or two children in a century, it's sheer practicality. But just because your foe is loath to kill you doesn't mean he wouldn't be happy to enslave your mind, to use you as a slave and breeder for centuries, if he could possibly get away with it."

  "Stop. You made your point, Elise. I guess I have to strengthen my mind, huh?"

  "As much as you possibly can, sister. As much as you possibly can. But even if Mother is totally wrong and you're no different from any other young, beautiful future Highlord, fret not. You are my sister, and I will do my best to train you in our techniques and ways so you can be safe, and a respected member of our race." She chuckled softly. "Now that you know the importance of shielding your mind, I will make it clear to Mother that I will never push you this hard again. I did it once before to Val, and I regret it. I regret not understanding who, and what, he truly was."

  Val could feel Julia's hand caressing his cheek. "I love him so much. And I almost killed him."

  Elise sighed. "Tytus had lost the services of the Dauda and forbade others even to speak of them. It's why I was so poorly educated, Solena teaching me no more than the dark rumors and uncertainty that infect so many regarding that ancient clan. I trained Val, expecting he could embrace Indomitable Will. I didn't even think to teach him the subtle mental shield of Castling. And as a child of the Dauda clan, I fear his mind will always be vulnerable to the assaults of Highlords."

  "Except when he embraces shadow. Except when he is on the hunt," Julia whispered.

  "That's right, sister. As Mother explained, they are always the dagger, never the shield. It's why they never try to rule openly. They would have to embrace shadow every moment of their lives, vulnerable to any Highlord, otherwise." She sighed. "A secretive clan of assassins counting on fear and mystery to protect them is really the only option they have. Otherwise, knowing how bloodthirsty our people are, one Highlord clan or another would have wiped them all out long ago, or simply collared them as slaves."

  Julia hissed. "Like that bastard wanted to do to me!"

  "Exactly." A soft kiss. "Goodnight, sister. Congratulations on surviving your first day training as a future
Highlord. I will see you on the morrow."

  And Val felt Julia slip under the covers, wrapping her arms about him, both of them slipping into the soothing embrace of oblivion.

  Before coming to once more, this time gazing down at Dirk, Chris, and Yin, all of them staring raptly at Christine, holding three vials filled with shimmering liquid, her eyes like golden fire, blazing with intensity as she waxed eloquent before his friends.

  "In honor of the friendship and loyalty you have all shown my daughter, I am giving you an honor extended to no other Terran.” She smiled down at Yin. “I saw the way you looked at my clan's Mech units, dearest Yin. Even now I can feel your fantasies, the rush of power you'd feel, leaping across the field of battle before devastating all your enemies with laser fire so potent it will obliterate even stone to superheated dust." She turned to Dirk. "And I've tasted your mind as well, so loud are your thoughts, friend Dirk. How desperately you fear my people, yet the love and devotion you have to my daughter blazes like gold, as does the respect you feel for me as well." She flashed a brilliant smile. "I don't think you want to destroy my race, Dirk Striker. I think you want to join it! Imagine being a Highlord in your own right, your martial and magical skills complemented by a mind so potent you could send any lesser man crashing to his knees with the powers of your thoughts alone."

  Finally, she turned to Chris. "The most valiant and powerful of warriors, forever growing in strength, agility, and martial prowess. Whether in a battle-mech of your own one day, or wearing exotic dwarven armaments that would let you spearhead the charge across any battlefield, even you could profit from reforging your blood with the potency within these vials."

  She stepped back, holding up three shimmering vials. Somehow, Val was able to sense how deeply she cherished the prize she was offering them, the culmination of over twenty years of research, gazing at Val's friends as regally as any queen.

  "But how exactly do they work, Lady Highblood?" Yin timidly asked, as if afraid of offending the powerful, mercurial woman before her.

  Christine's smile was as gentle as a mother's care. "They are a masterpiece of genetic engineering that only a scientist dedicated to unlocking the secrets of two universes could have hoped to create. Put simply, I used Terran CRISPR technology alongside our own RNA techniques to forge viral carriers for dozens of traits coding for magical, psionic, and cybernetic aptitude. In short, your Terran cells, including your germ cells, will be infused with the best of all possible Jordian traits. The virus is based off one of the scores of benign variants already colonizing your cells, and ideally will cause no adverse symptoms."

  She smiled. "As an added bonus, they are designed to disintegrate in UV light, minimizing the chances of unforeseen events occurring. So with your first day under the sun, the virus will be rendered inert, all your cells already blossoming into a new, better you."

  Yin blinked, gazing wide-eyed at the vial Christine wiggled in her direction. "That's it! I feel it, Dirk. That's why we were holding up on leveling, holding in our potential. It was in anticipation of this moment. Think of it, Dirk! With this treatment, I can finally ride a battle-mech!" She turned to gaze at Christine with wide, hopeful eyes. "Isn't that right, Lady Highblood?"

  Christine chuckled indulgently. "I promise you, child, no matter what added talents or abilities you develop, I shall personally see to your cyber nodes being properly placed, no matter that your Terran skull has never known the caress of a Psi-surgeon’s blade. As it stands, it will be an almost effortless procedure, and my good doctor will be happy to assist."

  Val blinked, only then noting the tall cyborg-like figure with two ocular implants, bowing his shiny chrome head showcasing multiple ports.

  "Doctor Kyri was once one of Phoebe's preeminent mech implant specialists, and I am happy to have him in my service today."

  Dirk frowned. "If he's so impressive a doctor, why did he leave Phoebe?"

  Christine's warm laughter echoed through the room. She patted Dr. Kyri's shoulder. "The dear doctor made the mistake of working for the wrong House, once upon a time. When he was put up for auction after the head of the household was executed, an old friend snatched him up for me, knowing how pleased I would be. And after five years of dedicated service, I even removed his collar."

  Even if he didn't understand the English, he was no fool, bowing deeply as Christine gestured to the man's neck. "Gratitude, love, and credits are why dear Doctor Kyri works for me now." She lowered her voice as if sharing a secret. "To tell you the truth, dearest Yin, I am ecstatic to find you admire the sleek, graceful forms of a battle-mech as well as I! Our House could use all the mech pilots it can find."

  Yin gazed at the vials like they held all the hopes and dreams of a lifetime. She licked her lips and jerked a nervous nod. "Okay," she said. "If that's got the code to unlock extra powers or classes, jack me in."

  Dirk frowned. "It's tempting, Yin, but we still don't know enough about it."

  Chris patted his friend's shoulder. "Hate to say it, boss, but I'm with Yin on this one. We're deep in unknown territory, among Highlords who can read our every damn thought, to say nothing of mages, tribes of faeries, and who knows what else. If that juice can give us an edge, any edge at all, we'd be fools not to take it." He shrugged. "Besides. Christine knows we helped save Julia, she knows she can count on us. For her to throw away three Terrans capable of leveling up and willing to help defend her clan would be damned stupid in a world that even I can tell is more like King of Thrones than not." He turned, gazing boldly into Christine's surprised eyes. "Isn't that right, Lady Highblood?"

  She flashed a brilliant smile. "No longer playing the silly jock, are we, sweet Chris? I knew there was something I liked about you besides your perfect physique and charm with the ladies." She winked. "This vial is for you, friend Chris. When you're ready, just give a nod, and dear Doctor Kyri will inject you with the formula and put you in a light doze. When you wake up, don't be surprised to find yourself feeling faster, stronger, and healthier than you ever have before in your life."

  Chris grinned, nodding at the doctor who was finishing up with Yin, even now making herself comfortable upon the Jordian equivalent of a hospital bed. "Shoot me up, doc."

  Yin flashed a nervous grin. "It doesn't hurt, Chris, and I'm already feeling sleepy." She looked to Christine. "My mouth is dry. Can I have some more of that delicious Sangria?"

  Christine smiled and nodded. "Of course, dear. Just wait a few moments."

  Dirk frowned, gazing at his friends. "Fuck it," he said, glaring at Christine. "Give me your word you don't intend any foul play."

  Christine solemnly bowed her head. "I swear to you that I value the soldiers of my house. Your strength is my sword. Your loyalty is my shield. Besides, if something happened to you, I doubt my Julia would ever forgive me."

  Dirk grimaced. "I don't know if I'd go so far as soldiers, but certainly we're your allies, perhaps even your friends." He looked up at the doctor currently prepping his arm for injection. "Don't mess it up."

  And within moments he too was yawning, rubbing his eyes. "A glass of Sangria would be nice if it won't interfere with the hypnotic. Mouth is dry as hell," he murmured.

  Christine nodded sympathetically but made no move for any drinks, waiting calmly as the last of them fell into deepest slumber, gazing at their monitors with a professional eye. She turned to the doctor. "Prognosis?"

  The doctor frowned, both of them once more speaking in their native tongue. "I have concerns. As you know, none of the slaves survived the first round of testing. And of the terminally ill Terrans you've been bringing, only two still live."

  Christine frowned, carefully considering the doctor. "Does it bother you? You know that first batch was comprised of traitors who had been selling our clan's secrets to the Blackenthorps."

  Kyri firmly shook his head. "No, Your Grace. I could never be offended by the one who saved me from abject slavery, but days before my brain was to be extracted and used in a cyborgian hi
vemind."

  Christine sighed. "The only way we have of circumventing the networking limits imposed by Killian's Seven Sacred Laws. Unfortunately, useful as they are, those hiveminds tend to be quite fragile unless carefully maintained, and are easily influenced or disrupted by psionics." She flashed the doctor a brilliant smile. "Don't worry, dear Kyri. I find you far more useful as a sane, talented addition to my team than working in other capacities below."

  The doctor gave a shudder, his only visible emotion. "I will always be your devoted servant, Lady Highblood."

  Christine nodded matter-of-factly. "I know. That is why you still live." She impulsively kissed his cheek. "And I love your acerbic wit." She turned to carefully check the monitors. "Vitals are excellent. As we discussed last night, there should be no problem. The patients brought from Earth were terminally ill. The two presently in a coma should already be dead. I suspect it is only enhancements brought on by the serum that has granted them life even this long."

  "I did find it interesting to note that you only brought the most critically ill of patients, so far gone it would have been difficult to treat them even here."

  "Of course," Christine said. "I have never been less than ethical to patients under my care. Only those whose prognosis is terminal would I bring through my personal gate. I only regret that things were so madly rushed back on Earth! I had no chance to properly dissect our last batch until the night Carlito dared to make his move. Even so, you saw the results, Kyri. If we had injected those Terrans six months prior, I have no doubt at least half of them would not only be alive, they would now be in perfect health!"

  The cyborg nodded. "I am sure you are correct, Your Eminence."