Chapter 36 #2
Satisfied with my progress, I place the remaining embryo in a container and press my finger on the token to activate the proto-realm.
A dark room opens in front of me.
Empty.
I blink, unsure I’m seeing it right.
It should be full. Just hours ago it contained all my provisions and all the bounty we secured from the Wilka.
Impossible. Only I could have accessed this proto-realm.
Not quite. There’s one other person.
Realization strikes. The odd gentleman from Utopiya who gave me the mission.
But why would he steal all the contents of the proto-realm?
The mission was to give him information about a certain mythical beast. Of course, there’s the small issue that proto-realms aren’t to be used to store things outside of missions, but surely he wouldn’t have been mad at me doing that… right?
Could it be that he checked and saw the remains of the Wilka and stole them? They are worth a small fortune. Perhaps when he saw them he decided to abandon the mission and be satisfied with those items?
Because of my improper use of the proto-realm, I can’t even complain about him stealing my items.
Damn it!
Panic takes hold of me. It’s not just because the remains of the Wilka were extremely valuable—though I mourn the loss of the potential revenue since I promised Moe we’d be rich. That is but an afterthought when I consider that my other supplies were taken too.
Our food, water, clothes, sleeping bags, the tent… Everything was in there too. Without those items, how are we going to make it back?
Without warning, the proto-realm spits me out and shuts down. I tap my token time and time again, but there is no proto-realm, and as such, no open mission.
Now he closed the mission.
I can’t even blame him, can I? It was my dumb idea to use the proto-realm. He just took advantage of an idiot.
But how am I going to explain to Moe all of this?
“Nyk?” As if she heard my thoughts, Moe rises out of bed. She’s rubbing her eyes, her expression still sleepy.
I look at her, panicked.
What will I tell her? That I’m the biggest idiot in the world?
By the Seven! This is the worst thing that could have happened. Now we’re helpless in the land of mythical beasts. The chances of us making it back were already slim. Now… almost zero.
“Did you sleep well?” I ask as I go and sit by her side.
She doesn’t answer me. Her brows are bunched together as she stares at me as if trying to puzzle me out.
“Something’s wrong.” A statement, not a question.
I press my lips together.
“What’s wrong, Nyk? Tell me.”
“Moe, the thing is—”
I take a deep breath and ready myself for her contempt. It’s not as if I deserve anything less for my stupidity. Then I spill everything about the origin of the proto-realm, the mission from Utopiya and my stupidity.
“Gone? Everything.”
I nod grimly. “It’s all my fault. I didn’t think—”
“Deep breath.” She places her hand on my shoulder. “There’s no point despairing over that. It’s happened already. There’s nothing we can change. What can we do now?”
“We’ll have to take a different approach to our journey back. We won’t have anywhere to sleep. We’ll have to find food.”
“As long as we get out of Horan forest we should be fine.”
I nod. “I should be able to hunt wild animals once we’re out.”
“See, it’s not so bad. We must get out of here safely and we’ll figure it out. It’s not as if we’re going to sleep within Horan Forest.” She lets out a dry laugh.
Despite my previous scare, I slowly start to calm down.
“You’re the voice of reason, aren’t you?” I smile.
“Good that you know,” she says playfully.
I don’t smile. I fix her with a steady, unyielding gaze as I say, “I will protect you with my life, Moe. Don’t worry about it.
This is my mess, and truthfully I should have considered this could happen.
Because I did not, I am now putting you at risk and I hate it.
” I take a deep breath. “I will protect you,” I repeat.
“Whatever happens, I won’t let anything hurt you. ”
She presses her hand against my cheek, caressing me.
“Now let’s pack what little we have left and devise a plan out. We still have the map, don’t we?”
“Yes.” I move over to my bundle of dirty cloths and rummage my pockets for the map.
I frown. “It’s not here…”
“Were you looking for this?” A voice rings out from the entrance of the cave.
Both Moe and I turn to look in shock.
I hurry to her side, pulling her behind me to shield her against the potential threat.
A tall male walks casually into the cave. He’s dressed in a neat brown striped suit, no speck of dust anywhere on him. His dark hair is slicked back and shrewd black eyes watch us.
He raises a hand and unfolds the map.
“Who are you?” I demand, already thinking of potential scenarios to evade him.
“The closure of the proto-realm should give you an idea as to who I am.”
Both Moe and I stiffen.
“So it is you,” I say grimly. “Was that your purpose from the beginning? To give me the map, and ,if I succeed, reap the spoils yourself?”
“You’re oversimplifying things.” He rolls his eyes. “If I wanted that, I have plenty of resources to make it happen. I don’t need a Zantrax addict and his mortal to do it for me.”
I grind my teeth at his appellation.
“Then why? What’s your purpose?”
Considering the secrecy with which Utopiya operates, the fact that he revealed himself before us in his true form can only mean one thing—he doesn’t plan to let us leave.
“Closing the proto-realm and taking your items? That was just to annoy you.” He shrugs. “I’ve been watching you closely ever since you started on this journey, though I still cannot understand what’s so special about you?”
I frown. “What are you talking about?” He makes no damn sense.
He shakes his head at me. “Do you know how many tried to get that book before you? Hundreds. All of them ended up either banished by the forest or killed by it. Yet you not only survived, you conquered it.”
“You’re talking about that mission?” Now I’m even more confused. I don’t understand what any of that has to do with the situation at hand.
“Of course I am. But I don’t expect someone like you to understand.”
“Someone like me? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It was easy to realize why you needed those specific ingredients. Your meridians were blocked, weren’t they?
” He chuckled. “You should thank me, though. I delayed this encounter on purpose so you could use that potion. Magnanimous of me, I know, but I was curious if that would reveal anything about you.” He pauses.
“Sadly, it has not, so now I will have to resort to other means.”
“I have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“Of course you don’t. As I said, I don’t expect someone like you to know anything. But it’s an easy fix. Now that your meridians are open, I can harvest the core of your energy and study it to understand why the forest let you in.”
“You’re crazy,” I mutter in disbelief.
Moe’s expression is one of terror as she raises her eyes at me.
I squeeze her hand in comfort. Whatever happens, I will ensure nothing happens to her at least.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she whispers. “Don’t. We leave together or none at all.”
I don’t reply, my body tense as I try to think of a way out.
“Perhaps.” The male shrugs. “But I have been studying the myth of Urteos for thousands of years. This might be my one chance to truly understand his legacy.”
“You’re doing all of that for a tyrant who lived tens of thousands of years ago?
” I ask intentionally to goad him. From the corner of my eye, I scan the back of the cave.
There don’t seem to be any other people laying in wait there.
And from what I saw when I went to wash myself, the cave is deep, leading to a subterranean water source.
Perhaps…
“A tyrant? You don’t know anything brat! What gives you the right to call Master Urteos a tyrant? He was an awakened being, the most powerful Son of Tenebreis.”
“If he was so powerful why was he killed?” I retort.
His eyes widen. “You read the book.”
“So what if I did?” I shrug. Applying pressure on Moe’s hand, I give her a silent signal.
In three…two…one…
I hoist her in my arms and turn to run towards the back of the cave. Knowing I’m nothing compared to an ancient immortal, I quickly think of something to delay him from pursuing us.
On my way, I grab the container with the embryo and I throw it to the ground with as much force as I can muster.
Due to its volatile energy, when the embryo shatters, an explosion erupts behind us, allowing us enough time to gain ground.
I run at full speed, though within moments I can hear the male behind us. Just then, I spot a stream of subterranean water.
“Hold your breath!” I tell Moe.
She nods, wrapping her arms around my neck as I jump into the water.
Just as I prepare for cold, wet waves, they never come.
One moment we’re about to dive in; the next we’re on dry land, nowhere near the cave, or the Gaigo Mountains, or Horan Forest.
“Welcome to Aimaxion! Bleed well or bleed to your death.”