Chapter 46 - Crucible

  Mid-stride in a leap, a fluctuation in the shared energy between Corvus, Hara, and Alex causes the motion to falter. The sensation is not unlike tripping, sending Alex staggering a few steps as he lands from two or three feet off the ground. Alex turns, having felt that disturbance clearly since he was the focal-point for their conjoined skill. “Whoa, what was that?” He asks,eyes scanning over his companions.

  Hara seems fine, if a touch off-balance from the sudden cancellation of the skill. She just shakes herself off and that’s all it takes for her to be back to normal. Corvus on the other hand, doesn’t look so well. In his crow-guise, Corvus looks dazed. His normally sharp gaze appears unfocused, beak held partway open as if to speak, but no voice follows.

  “Corvus, is everything ok?” Alex asks, only to have the crow demon continue staring into open space. Alex moves a bit closer, tentatively reaching a hand towards Corvus. Just before he makes contact though, the demon’s focus snaps back into place.

  Corvus’s head snaps around to look at Alex’s reaching hand, then to Alex’s face, registering the look of concern. “My apologies. Events transpiring with my primary self have taken a rather startling turn.” He says, then gives a mental chuckle. “Several Apex, including myself, just received a small taste of death.”

  The statement, utterly incongruous with the humorous nature it was delivered, does little to reassure Alex’s concern. He looks Corvus over, unable to see any visible signs of issues. “A taste of death? You mean something killed you?” He asks, brows rising nearly into his hairline. The idea that something had killed not just Corvus, but several of the Apex at once, fills Alex with a mix of curiosity and dread.

  “Oh, yes. Briefly. Only for a matter of seconds.” Corvus says just as casually as if discussing a meal. “It was quite unexpected. It has been quite a long time since such a thing has happened to me.” The crow ruffles his feathers and stretches his wings.

  Alex just blinks, processing how dying could be shaken off so easily. “And you’re just fine now? You died and popped back to life, just like that?” He asks, the incredulity written on his face clearly.

  Corvus cocks his head, regarding Alex with one of those black eyes. “Indeed. While it is a uniquely unpleasant experience, there is no lasting damage from it happening rarely.” Corvus says, then gives a slight shrug with his wings. “Eventually you will have the opportunity to experience it yourself. Preferably long after you’ve acquired at least one Animus again.”

  “Hara no think Hara ever die before.” The hound chimes in, a look of serious focus on her canine features. But it passes quickly and she shakes her head, then her whole body. “Hara no want it.”

  At least the hound’s pervasive innocence breaks the tension, allowing both Alex and Corvus to laugh off the moment. And once more, Alex sets off to complete the second delivery. What Corvus didn’t explain, however, is that it wasn’t the death that caused him to falter. It was the sudden re-connection after his Prime-self exited the chamber and into the tunnels, allowing the mental link between splinter and the true Corvus to reestablish. Memory back-filled the missing portions of information, and gives the ancient crow a much needed clue about the nature of the working being undertaken.

  On the other end of that link, Prime Corvus uses his wings to clear the smoke from around Gravitas and himself. In the moments of obscured vision, the succubus collects herself enough to restore her garments, discarding the scraps and using a spirit construct to drape a fresh outfit around herself. Though, even clothed again she could never be called modest.

  Even in the wake of the sudden destruction, Gravitas’s nature demands she draw attention. Regardless if it’s only Corvus who’s there to witness her. The sheer silks drape around her curves like clinging lovers, held in place by gilded jewelry. The pale lavender cloth accentuating the smooth grey skin’s luster. Unfortunately for her, the affectations are utterly lost on Corvus. The Carrion Lord just tips his head slightly. Even with his avian feature it conveys the sentiment well, as if to say ‘Really, who are you trying for?’.

  When she doesn’t get more of a reaction, Gravitas just sighs and runs her fingers through her crimson hair. “Stuffy old bird.” She grumbles, then saunters back towards the tunnel’s opening to look back into the chamber as the smoke clears. “You were certainly right.” She says, turning to look back over her shoulder as Corvus joins her.

  As the pair of Apex gaze into the chamber, the smokey haze rapidly clears away, blown outwards just as the vegetation had been. The chamber itself is revealed to be perfectly spherical, and more vast than prior appearances would indicate. The dense jungle had done its job well, obscuring and disguising the nature of the chamber. But the detail that catches both Apex’s attention is the elaborate runes.

  The etched symbols cover every surface, now exposed and on full display. Another blast of power surges out from The Burden of Intent, and this time Corvus is able to witness the effect. The runes drink the power, absorbing it into the channels of obsidian and conducting it like electricity to fuel whatever purpose The Cultivator had envisioned. Studying the markings close enough to be clearly viewed from the tunnel mouth, Corvus starts to piece together at least some of the intent.

  “Fascinating.” He mutters, garnering a glare from his companion. Wordlessly Corvus continues to inspect the markings, puzzling out some of the rune-work. He sees multiple variations of energy conduit runes, absorption runes, channeling and focus runes. But the part that grabs his attention most are the capacity and output markers. The storage alone dwarfs what he’d be able to fill in any reasonable time frame, and where all that energy will eventually be aimed gives him the final clues.

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  Gravitas waits for a few heartbeats before growing impatient. “Well? Spill it!” She insists, unable to discern anything from the markings. To her they were just squiggly patterns, and she has a moment of regret for not using some of her abundant lifetime to learn the art.

  Corvus chuckles. “For all the impact that those waves have as they rush outwards, the final effect will be far more devastating I believe.” Corvus begins to explain. “If I am correct, those runes are collecting the power being exuded. And once they’re fully charged, they will release it all at once, focused back towards the source.”

  Gravitas listens, but only grows more frustrated. “What’s the point then? Why not just concentrate the power inside the citadel?” She gripes, a growl working its way into her voice. “There’s easier methods to commit suicide.”

  For his part, Corvus doesn’t hold Gravitas’s lack of understanding against her. Every Apex has their obsessions and projects, and every Apex also has their blind-spots and weaknesses. When it comes to manipulating people, emotions, and perceptions, Gravitas is foremost among their ‘generation’ of Apex. But the intricacies of Animus magic might as well be a foreign language to her.

  “It’s a bomb.” Corvus says, matter-of-fact. Gravitas glances over at him questioningly, then does a double-take as the implications settle in. “Rather specifically, an implosion bomb. It will channel all that force into a specific point, a fine-tuned wave of pressure.” He muses, then frowns. “If he survives the process, it might just be the crucible he needs.”

  “You can’t just say things like that as if you’re discussing the weather!” Gravitas fumes, throwing her arms into the air. “If it’s a fucking bomb, how much damage is it going to do? How long do we have before it goes off? And why in fucking hell aren’t we stopping it?!?” Her voice rises with each question until she’s nearly shouting.

  “Stop it? Are you so confident in your ability to do so without destabilizing it in such a way that it becomes an uncontrolled detonation?” He says a bit more curtly. “There is only one person who understands the intricacies of this machination. And he’s in there.” Corvus says, extending a wing to point to where The Burden of Intent lazily hangs in the center of the chamber.

  Corvus simply waves away the rest of her questions. “The Cultivator, for all his brilliance and power, is a true coward. He would not have initiated such a process if he believed there was a chance of failure.”

  Then the crow sighs and curls his wings around himself like a cloak again. “Enemy or ally, we should all pray that none attempt the folly of disturbing his designs…”

  Neither speaks as the thrum of energy continues to build with each pulse that erupts outwards to soak into those runes. Not a single stray wisp of power escapes the enclosure, and from their viewpoint, neither Corvus nor Gravitas sees any other Apex risking venturing back into the sphere’s perimeter. For better or worse, The Cultivator’s plans had forestalled the start of an Apex War. At least until the process completes, or one of the others does something particularly foolish. And Corvus isn’t willing to wager on which will happen.

  Utterly unaware of the cataclysm balanced on a knife’s edge, Alex and Hara focus simply on completing the task ahead of them, with Corvus unwilling to burden them with worries that are so far beyond their scope. In time Alex may begin to walk the paths of power, but that time is long coming.

  Approaching the destination for the second parcel, Alex checks the address one final time. He counts along the block, picking out the storefront. A shopkeeper inside gratefully accepts the package, and Alex is quickly finished. The mid-day bell still hadn’t rung. “So, there was talk of food on the way back?” Alex asks, giving Hara a teasing grin.

  “Kabobs. Hara want Kabobs.” She excitedly proclaims, wagging her thin tail like a whip. When Alex pretends to need to consider the request she gives him her best pitiable whine and deploys the weapons-grade puppy-dog-eyes. “Kabooooobs.”

  Alex can’t hold the straight face any longer. He starts to laugh and pats Hara’s neck. “How about you put that nose to work and find some for us then.” He says, winking.

  Hara immediately starts off down the street, having taken note of every time she caught food smells between the intent-movement leaps. Only to get called back by Corvus before she gets too far.

  “Actually, this is a prime opportunity to test a new skill for Alex. Let us have you lead, Hara. And Alex can see how the conjoined skill use feels from this side of things.” Corvus explains as Hara trots back. “And, if you are feeling bold, try using the sensory augmentation as we travel. Now that you are not wearing yourself thin, there is little risk in experimentation.”

  Alex nods and takes a moment to prepare himself. With Corvus’s guidance, he stokes his intent as if he were about to use the skill himself. But instead of willing the movement, he focuses on Hara. As she begins to tap into her Animus to fuel the activation, Alex feels a light tug like a gossamer tether. A tether that pulls him along as Hara bounds into motion, drawing the trio along a pathway only detectable to her nose.

  Without being consciously aware of the action, Alex had kicked off the ground in tandem with Hara’s bounding gait. It had been so automatic that he couldn’t tell if it was his own motion that started the movement or hers. If being the focal-point for a conjoined-activation of a skill was easy, providing the assist to Hara who possesses her own Animus was utterly effortless.

  The streets of New Europa blur past in a maddening rush, Hara follows her keen sense of smell with unerring focus. She revels in the feeling of being on the hunt. At least in her own mind it’s a hunt. Alex and Corvus are counting on her to find the food, and she refuses to let them down at all!

  Following Corvus’s urging and trusting in the near autonomous link to Hara, Alex turns part of his focus inwards. He’d only used the sensory-augmentation skill three times, and the ‘feel’ of the ability is still distinctly alien to him. But he begins to fuel the intent with his spirit. At first there’s no target for his senses to sharpen around, but a perfect test presents itself. If Hara’s following her nose, then Alex might be able to find the same trail.

  With the focus of the ability defined and his intent clear in his mind, Alex breathes in through his nose. An entire new world of sensory information blooms in his mind. And Alex gets a little taste of how his four-pawed companion navigates the world around her. Alex grins and hones in on a familiar scent that tickles at the back of his nose. Grilling kabobs.