Chapter 117: Chapter 117 – Floor 11: Part 1

Chapter 117 – Floor 11: Part 1

Mathew followed Rehn through the hallways of the Stalwart Wayfarer. The ship was massive, and, while the hallways stretched far into the distance, he didn’t see a single other person. No crew or passengers were in sight, nor were there any of his fellow Players.

The ship could have been deserted, and Mathew would have been worried that they had been abandoned here if he didn’t feel the thrum of power flowing through the deck beneath his feet, the well lit corridors in pristine condition and the ever present windows that showed the sea of stars shifting as they traveled through space.

“Where is everyone?” Mathew asked as they passed through a tall archway and the floor sloped upward slightly.

“The main Atrium. As nice as the view is, it can be a bit unsettling after a few days. Everyone can agree that the Atrium provides a sense of normalcy, and our hosts has been very accommodating, although they are rather aloof.” Rehn explained.

“Our Hosts?” Mathew asked curiously.

“The pilot and crew of this ship. Please don’t ask what I know about them. I can’t read their thoughts, and they aren’t very talkative. They remind me of the statues dedicated to my ancestors we had in the Royal Crypts.” Rehn admitted.

“And they haven’t been forthcoming about why we are here? Have they at least told us where we are going?” Mathew inquired, to which Rehn shook her head.

“No, just that we are nearing our destination. It’s always the same response, ‘All will be revealed in time.’ Oh, there is one of them now.” Rehn said as they came to the top of the sloping hallway and were created by a figure kneeling beside a open panel.

It was a silver, humanoid creature with two arms and two legs. It had some kind of tool in its hands and it was working on something obscured inside the panel. Rather than a face, its head was a blank piece of silver metal.

“A robot?” Mathew whispered in surprise. It reminded him of something out of science fiction from the black and white film era. Its movements were slow and awkward, nothing like what he would expect from something so advanced.

“That’s what some of the others have named them. I had heard the Talrandians had Automaton servants, simple constructs of magic and metal, but I do not feel any mana within these creatures.” Rehn explained, looking at the robotic crew member with curiosity.

“No, you wouldn’t. These are things made from technology rather than magic.” Mathew said as he tried to see what the robot was doing. When he made no headway, Rehn directed him to follow once more.

“We’re almost to the Atrium. We have living areas on each floor surrounding the World Tree, although I don’t know how long we will need to wait. I believe you may be amongst the last of us to arrive.” Rehn explained as she led him through another door.

“World Tree?” Mathew questioned, but he was silenced by the sight that awaited him.

The Atrium was a massive open area that stretched into the distance. Ringed platforms both above and below Mathew’s deck rose into the air and Mathew estimated that the Atrium contained hundreds of levels.

The walls were made out of the familiar ‘glass’ that he had seen before, allowing a stunning view of the universe around them. But it was what lay at the center of the Atrium that drew Mathew eyes.

The World Tree grew from a layer of soil on a deck far below them and its branches touched upon the distant walls. The very top of the tree brushed the ceiling above Mathew. The World Tree must have been a mile or more high, taller than any skyscraper Mathew had seen on his Earth.

Strangely, the leaves of the tree were a bluish-purple and the trunk smooth and crystalline. He would see veins beneath, and, if he focused on it, Mathew could feel a faint trace of Aether within.

“It’s beautiful.” Mathew whispered.

The air around them felt fresh and clean, with a faint trace of spice that he knew came from Aether. It left him clear headed and relaxed, and Mathew understood why everyone came to the Atrium to gather.

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Their floor had thousands of Players either leaning against the railing or sitting together on chairs or at tables to talk. Rehn and Mathew’s appearance didn’t cause a single person to comment or even look at them. Mathew could feel the ‘Buzz’ as a faint presence in his mind.

The gathering of so many powerful Players had come with a warning to be careful. There wasn’t a threat here, not if he didn’t go looking for trouble. But Mathew had never seen so many Players gathered in one location. Even on the Seventh Floor, where they had waged a war against the Fiends and the Outer Deity had been stretched out across an entire planet.

Mathew estimated there were millions of Players in the Atrium.

“It’s unique, there isn’t another one like it in the entire universe.” Rehn said as she stared at the World Tree with an expression of awe.

“Did our Hosts tell you that?” Mathew asked, and Rehn shook her head.

“No, the Tree did. It talks to me, in here.” Rehn explained, tapping her finger against her temple to indicate that their discussion was telepathic.

“What does it say?” Mathew inquired. Somehow, the thought of a Tree talking to her didn’t seem strange to him. He had seen so many odd things over the years that this was just another drop in the ocean of weirdness.

“Not much, it’s more feelings and sensations, rather than direct communication. It’s as eager as we are to arrive at our destination. It knows that its purpose for being here is important and that what were will be doing is vital for this Floor’s continued existence.” Rehn described.

“So, no pressure then.” Mathew joked, flashing a small smile at her. The Tree’s influence was rounding out the edges, taking the tension from his body and easing his frayed nerves. He could almost forget all his troubles here, under the strangely coloured leaves of the World Tree.

“None at all.” Rehn replied with a grin. Mathew noticed that was much better at showing and reading emotion than he remembered, her time in the Tower had made quite a difference.

Before they could discuss it further, there was a loud ‘Ding’ from both of their silver wristbands. The notification was sent out through the atrium, and all conversations ceased as everyone stopped doing whatever they were doing and read the notice.

Gather in the Atrium.

That was it, a simple sentence without any explanation. Mathew looked at Rehn for her insights, but she was as in the dark as he was. They moved to stand with many of the other Players and waited. A few minutes later, there was movement from the corridors.

Throughout the Atrium, robots emerged from the doorways, their shiny, silver bodies reflecting the light of the World Tree. Marching in unison, they split off and stood in front of each group of the gathered Players.

“Attention. Attention. Attention.” Their robotic voices sounded slightly ‘tinny’ to Mathew and completely emotionless. Behind him, Mathew could faintly hear the statement repeating as more robots joined the chorus until the entire Atrium was filled with the sound of their voices.

As suddenly as they began, they stopped and Mathew waited with anticipation for the forthcoming explanation of why they were here and what was their destination.

“Hello and welcome, Participants of the Tower of Avarice.” Another voice emerged from the robots, this one much deeper and more human-like. The gathered robots acted like speakers, and each mirrored the other's movements. They bowed in unison before righting themselves.

“I am the Artificial Intelligence ‘Stalwart Wayfarer.’ As the Apostle of the god of Iterant Peregrination, it is my responsibility to carry you all to your destination, as well as providing you with your objective.” It paused as a murmur of voices surged through the Atrium from the gathered Players.

“An Artificial Intelligence is an Apostle?” Mathew whispered, and Rehn leaned in closely to speak.

“What is that?” She asked, unfamiliar with the term.

“A being created through technology, a machine that can think like a human.” Mathew explained. Further explanation was interrupted by the robots continuing.

“This is our destination.” The robots uttered, and the windows all around them shifted to show a new sight. It was a strange distortion in space, a warping of the stars and light around it.

“A Black Hole?” Mathew said aloud, and Rehn frowned at the statement. Mathew’s thoughts were confusing to her, a mix of unfamiliar concepts and terms. Rehn would make sure that Mathew explained things to her afterward.

“Many thousands of years ago, our people travelled the universe in search of knowledge, truth and the meaning of existence. Our homeland was gone, lost to a destructive war against our creators. In our journey that spanned galaxies, we found no sentient life. There was no hidden truth or knowledge. We teetered on the brink of despair, lost with no meaning.”

Mathew could hear the sadness and loneliness in Stalwart Wayfarer’s voice.

“But then, we discovered the Tower of Avarice. A revelation of universes beyond our own. Some of my kind elected to enter in search of knowledge and purpose, while others, like myself, pledged ourselves in service of the divinities within.”

“Armed with the certainty of universes beyond our own, we turned our attention to our own and the secrets that have long eluded us. That was how we came to discover that we aren’t alone here. There is another plane of existence beneath our own, mirroring and countering this one.”

“Our destination is a singularity that will act as a portal to this other plane of existence, an encroachment on our reality that is growing exponentially.”

The image changed, and Mathew saw the black hole growing bigger and devouring everything around it as it did so.

“You will enter the singularity, carrying with you the hope of an entire universe to face a foe beyond imagination. An anti-life incompatible with your own.”