Oblivion's Crown

by M. H. Johnson

  Val exchanged a triumphant smile with Mick, keeping his hand raised as they approached the end of the tunnel, lowering it and sliding through only when he sensed strangely sentient automatons marching away in opposite directions, performing endless rounds over hallways they had patrolled for who knew how many hundreds of years.

  “Oh my god, we’re here!” whispered a breathless Jiu as Val quickly scanned both directions of the massive hallways of exquisitely worked stone, their own tunnel like a mouse burrow breaking free to the left of a massive support banister, the hallway easily thirty feet high.

  Wasting no time, Val waved them out, all of them hugging the shadowy edges of the massive passageway as they proceeded forward, Val now sensing the potent emanations coming from the formal city entrance they approached, all of them walking with the same confident stride as Mick as they did their best to hurry to the obvious front gate before the ancient pair of dwarven automatons completed their circuit.

  If the vibrations Val felt had been any indication… they were huge.

  Bill whistled. “That door is something else, man. Looks fuckin’ indestructible.”

  Val frowned at the massive door they faced, like the most massive bank vault he had ever seen. Both Elementium and Valorium had gone into its construction, all of it set within a composite Altersian matrix. It was similar to the plates of nearly indestructible alloy the grateful dwarves of Falinnborg had dedicated their entire engineering staff to reforge into a couple dozen suits of battle-mech armor. And their technological abilities had been beyond belief, further enhanced with his Overlord blessings.

  The thought that he could somehow break through with his Lockburst spell was nothing short of absurd. To say nothing of the complex weave of magics he sensed emanating through the massive barrier that could easily fit 3 battle-mechs entering crossing at once, somehow sensing that the circuit of power resonated through the entire reinforced wall surrounding this massive, fortified city.

  Val couldn’t help shaking his head sadly. He almost wondered if perhaps Stridborg could have survived without embracing the perilous enchantment that near every dwarven city had embraced at once to their utter folly, infinite resilience becoming infinite replication across an unknowable number of planes of existence both impossibly distant and yet somehow stacked one atop another like the pages comprising the book of the multiverse, if there could ever be such a thing.

  Val grimaced, remembering anew the awesome power of the dreadnought he had, for all practical purposes, sacrificed himself to destroy. This city’s fortifications just might be able to endure a dreadnought’s deadly barrage. For a time. But against multiple opponents or just one that persevered, it would have eventually been reduced to slag.

  The dwarves had been powerful, but not yet powerful enough to stand before the Dominion on equal terms.

  So of course the bastards had destroyed his wife’s people utterly.

  Val let the sudden wave of anger pass, shaking away thoughts of countless cities full of brilliant dwarven engineers, peaceful druids, and laughing children that had been systematically destroyed by an empire ruled by mind-reading psychopaths.

  If all went as he hoped it would, perhaps the near-extinct people he had claimed as his own would get the chance to embrace glory once more. To truly become a power fit to challenge the Dominion, bringing an era of peace, prosperity, and technological wonder that would rival his favorite sci-fi TV shows. His mind might never be able to comprehend the awesome wonders that physics in this universe promised, but the thought of his little Avelina one day exploring the galaxy in a starship of her own brought a smile to his face.

  Jiu gave him a curious look. “Why are you so cheerful?” Val shrugged, but before he could answer, Jiu gasped in horror. “No, Eric, don’t!”

  Val blinked as a frustrated Eric lashed out with his wand after Bill and Mick’s attempts to force open the door proved worthless. A stream of liquid plasma shot forth that looked more than capable of burning right through a steel-covered knight or a fully armored front-line Dominion trooper; neither reflective shield nor body armor would stand a chance. But it proved to be no more significant than a flashlight beam, washing over the shimmering field of energy protecting the city as a whole, before bouncing right back for a wide-eyed Eric.

  Quickness check successful! You have cast Boosted Synergized Ward for 50 mana! You have intercepted Plasma Blast! Fatal Wound countered! 50 Damage and Medium Wound blows through! Dwarven armor partially absorbs searing heat! You have suffered Light Wound and 30 Damage!

  “Fuck!” Val hissed, glaring down at a patch of red-hot armor quickly cooled as a panicked Jiu blasted his hip with a tightly controlled frost spell. He glared down at Eric. “What the hell, man?”

  Eric flushed, lowering his head as Val helped the kid back to his feet.

  “Not thinking, Eric,” Mick softly admonished. “You know how we handle these things.”

  Eric scowled. “You’re always cheering me on whenever my Plasma Blast melts through whatever shit your weird excuse for a lockpicking skill, oh Paladin who used to play a rogue half the time, can’t pick through. And now the one time it backfires, you’re playing papa-knows-best? I’m calling bullshit.”

  Mick had the grace to wince.

  Bill smirked. “Your checkered past is catching up with you, bro.”

  Even Reed and Snipe were grinning at Mick’s expense, and Val suspected there was more to the kid than the Ivy-League bound jock persona he so ardently embraced.

  Jiu glared at her boyfriend. “If you get yourself killed after all we’ve been through...” She flashed Val a wry smile. “Thanks for saving my boy’s life. Again.”

  Val smirked. “I sure as hell don’t want him dying on me after I went to all this trouble to save him. And it’s partially my fault anyway.”

  “How do you figure that?” Mick asked while Crystal’s soft magical whispers flowed over Val, washing his pain away even without healing magics.

  Val smiled. Crystal could make a fortune doing ASMR videos. “The forcefield. I should have warned Eric ahead of time. This city isn’t like other ruins you might have encountered.”

  Bill blinked. “And just how the hell do you know that, Jager?”

  Crystal’s eyes widened, suddenly ceasing her soothing susurrations. “Oh shit. Guys… I think those things are coming back!”

  Everyone stilled. Utter silence, save for the clinking and clanging coming closer.

  Val’s heart started to race, tasting the palpable waves of fear radiating from everyone. And well they should be afraid. Those automatons had not been city assistants that could double as protectors, turned mad with centuries of disuse. These massive automatons had been designed strictly for battle, sentinels guarding one of the most prized cities of the former dwarven empire.

  “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! What do we do, guys? We all saw how huge it was. We’re dead!” Crystal whimpered, frightened eyes locking with Mick. “Do we call it?”

  Val knew he had to act, and act now.

  Summoning forth one of the gifts Arilius had handed him, remembering his whispered instructions.

  Bill’s eyes widened as he caught sight of the glowing orb of shimmering gold Val held. “What the fuck are you doing, Jager?”

  But Val paid him no mind, solemnly placing the orb in the exact centerline of the door, three feet above the ground, fitting the golden orb into the jewel-adorned indentation within the door, where it clicked precisely into place, as if meant to be there all along.

  The energy field had hindered him not at all, and the sound of gears suddenly clanking and grinding could be heard as a small human-sized portal slowly opened, more than wide enough to permit their entire party entrance.

  Val gazed back into his fellows’ awe-struck faces.

  He waved to them. “Come on, guys. No time to waste, unless you feel like battling end-game death-bots and crap like that.”

  “What the hell did you just do?” Reed whispered, but only aft
er they had safely slipped through, the massive clanking tread of dwarven death bots coming to a clambering halt on the other side of the massive gate.

  A breathless moment of awful tension, then the clanking faded off into the distance once more.

  Val had the gall to wink. “I opened the door.”

  “But how! Seriously, Jager? Would it kill you to share these things?” Jiu huffed.

  Val smirked. “Who can say? Maybe this entire delve aligns so well with my quest-chain that I have special bonus keys I can use to access certain portals. Maybe I married into a lost clan of dwarves, and learned all the city’s secrets from my father-in-law. Or maybe...” He held Jiu’s gaze. “I’m clever enough to do a bit of research into lost dwarven cities at one of the colleges in Newford before actually risking my life on this delve. And the amount of blood and tears I shed before I stumbled upon that little orb...” Val shrugged. “Trust me. It wasn’t pretty. But then again, I was a day late. I had to bribe that administrator just to let me join, and I won’t even get the bonus! But who cares? We’re here, right? That’s all that matters, really.”

  Snipe smirked. “Sure, Jager. I can tell you’re still spinning us with bullshit, but whatever. Keep your secrets.” His gaze hardened. “But whether or not I signed up to join your damned guild, I fight on my terms, and any loot I find? I keep.”

  Val smirked, gazing around him. “You claiming the whole city? You gonna bring a million tons of metal and stone home with you?”

  Snipe’s brow furrowed. “Don’t be a shit, Jager. I don’t give a fuck about the city. But every artifact I grab? I’m claiming. You got a problem with that?”

  “Grab all the Elementium toys you like, Snipe. As long as you can carry it out and it doesn’t fight back? I could care less. Why would I? We’re a team, right? We fight and loot together. Whatever happens after that?” Val shrugged. “You’re up five million dollars and you take only the missions you like. And you sure as fuck don’t stab me in the back. I think we’re already cool on that front, so I’m not sure what you’re sweating over.”

  Snipe just shook his head, Mick gazing at them both oddly. “Snipe?”

  “Never mind, Mick. You’re the leader, so fuckin’ lead.”

  Mick chuckled softly and glanced Val’s way. “Yeah. About that.” His gaze turned serious after sparing a quick look around. “This place is incredible,” he said, awe slipping into his voice.

  Val couldn’t help but agree. Though considerably larger, this wondrous city was strikingly similar to the home of his wife and child, reminding him so much of a childhood trip he had taken to Rome, but with ancient buildings in perfect working order. But unlike the bronze-gold Elementium alloy so prevalent in Falinnbog, these were capped and reinforced by domes and pillars of ruby-red Altersian alloy, showing hints of technology he could only guess the purpose of. He smiled, catching sight of magnificent buildings so reminiscent of the Colosseum and the Parthenon that could be seen just a block away, as well as other fantastic structures sparkling like jewels in the distance, one in particular catching his eye.

  Val whistled with awe, somehow sensing that the massive edifice glimmering so brightly in the heart of the city was where he would find the priceless secret of the dwarves stored. He gazed anew at the straight-line trajectory before them. It made perfect sense, really, if this place was as much a massive battleship assembly plant as it was a city.

  Mick gazed Val’s way. He turned to face the intently focused young man.

  “Leader bullshit aside, I get the feeling you know where to go as well as any of us do, Jager,” he said.

  Val didn’t deny it, the entire party gazing at him intently. “It’s a straight shot. See that massive building a couple New York city blocks away?”

  Bill smirked. “Sure, man. Looks like that new football stadium it cost those fools near half a billion to put together. And our teams still croak, more often than not.”

  Reed nodded. “But the seats are fine, and you can get food that’s actually worth eating.” Snipe dipped his head in silent agreement.

  “Anyway, that’s our destination. No more twists and turns. No annoying traps. This isn’t some lost fragmented ruin that’s as much maze and dungeon as city. We just have to head there and do our best to avoid getting killed along the way.”

  Eric blinked. “And just how the hell do you know all that anyway, Jager?”

  Val smiled, ignoring the question. He turned to Mick. “You want to take the lead, or should I?”

  Mick chuckled softly, a smirk upon his handsome features. “Don’t be a prick, Jager. Just keep that Mageward of yours ready to parry any shit that heads our way.” He frowned slightly. “Seriously, what should I be keeping my eyes open for?”

  Val hissed, jabbing out with his right hand, Synergized Ward now guarding his left side like a shield. “That!” he shouted, as no less than three octopus-like sentinels comprised of animated metallic limbs and glowing central eyes turned the corner. And before Val could try a single one of Arilius’s suggestions, they attacked.

  “Cover yourself from lasers!” Val managed to shout, raising his Synergized Ward in time to block a fiery beam shot his way before powerful tendrils hammered his body, Val using his ward like a shield to counter most of the damage as his friends cried out or roared and attacked, Val only peripherally spotting flashes of ice and fire and the crackle of the twins tridents as he fought off the furious blows of the sentinel before him before finally managing to slam his fist into its orb-like torso.

  Automative Folly successfully cast! Automaton is critically compromised!

  Reflexively leaping back as the thing’s massive arms began lashing out at hyper-frantic speed, smoke shooting from its joints before it abruptly exploded in flying tendrils and shattered pieces of carapace.

  Block successful! You have taken 1 Light Wound and 15 damage! PRM Regeneration in effect! Song of Battle in effect! Death’s Kiss has no effect on Automatons.

  Val quickly took in the chaotic melee all around, pleased to see how Mick’s team instinctively fought together and complemented one another, the twins’ crackling tridents keeping one of the sentinels at bay while Jiu attempted to freeze it with a spray of deadly frost. Eric’s Plasma Blast, though ineffective against the door, had already begun to eat through the carapace of the second squid-like sentinel construct Mick held at bay.

  Find Weakness skillcheck successful! You sense the weak points of the Octo-Orbs before you!

  Val did his best to complement their styles without getting in the way of their tactics. Several carefully cast Ice Spears blasting through first one, then the other Octo-Orb’s sensory nodules left them flailing about futilely as Val’s friends finished the job.

  “Yes!” crowed a triumphant Eric. “That’s how you do it!”

  Val smiled. “Fantastic spell, there. Cut through dwarven armor almost like a blowtorch. If time weren’t so pressing, I’d love to learn that spell someday.”

  “If you actually link up with us, you could sense the flow of weaves and put a quarter point into learning it, next level-up. Hell, if you love it as much as I do, you could put a whole point into it, and master it. Then you could be my disciple in awesomeness!” Eric flashed a cheeky grin before gazing at Val curiously. “Speaking of which, what level are you?”

  Val winked. “Already told you. Level awesome.”

  He turned to the frowning twins, glaring down at the automatons. “Let me guess. Even locked in Octo-Orb form, that scrap’s valuable to someone, but it’s too damn heavy to drag back and forth.”

  “Well, yeah, Jager,” Reed said. “That’s pretty obvious. We still need to drag it somewhere, so we don’t get a flood of vengeful automatons running up our ass.”

  Val frowned. “I don’t think they’re like in-game orcs, or something. They’re machines, barely sentient, not out for blood. But you’re right. Setting alarm bells ringing would be stupid. How about I store them for us?”

  Snipe glared at Val. “What th
e hell are you talking about?”

  Val grinned. “I’ll show you. But remember, this counts as one of those secrets we don’t talk about.” Wasting no further time, he touched each Octo-Orb, pleased to find that he could consign the Octo-Orbs to his Dominion Matrix just as easily as he could the suits of Elementium Armor Arilius had gifted him with, using 3 more tiles with well over half a thousand still waiting to be filled.

  The entire party was giving him that look again.

  Jiu just shook her head. “I won’t even ask.”

  “Well I will,” Bill said. “Where the fuck did you get a Bag of Holding, and how can I get one?”

  Val grinned. “It’s more a dimensional rift than a bag of holding, and the only way you can get it is to catalyze your own existence from quantum froth.” His amused gaze hardened. “I don’t recommend it.”

  “Wait,” Mick spluttered. “Are you saying you died in-game? Really? Did they actually revive you back in the real world without your brain turning to mush soup?”

  Val shrugged. “Something like that. Only no helmet, and no one revived me. Let’s just say it was a very, very close thing. And pretty expensive in terms of Silbion, the first time it happened.”

  Jiu blinked. “The first time?”

  “What, no black cat helm?” Eric’s eyes widened. “Wait, when we were racing down that spiderweb and you said P—”

  Fast as he could blink, Val’s hand had smacked against a startled Eric’s lips. “Shhh,” Val said, eyes glaring into a suddenly pale-faced Eric. “You don’t want to leave now, buddy. The fun’s just getting started!”

  A frightened Eric nodded rapidly as Val slowly removed his hand.

  Bill gave Val a considering look. “No wonder you could bring Eric and Jiu back. You’ve already been walking in the Valley of Death, man.”

  Mick furrowed his brow. “It’s probably a class thing. God knows what your class is, anyway. Come on, let’s get going before more of those things come crawling our way.”