The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into The Keep Of The First Ones P2

The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into The Keep Of The First Ones P2

 "What do you intend to do about the assassin? I assume you brought her with you for a reason."

     "Yes, she has valuable information on, who contracted the hit, even possibly why it was done. I am sure she may be unaware she knows any of this, but there are ways to find out."

     "She will not divulge anything willingly, so how far are you going to go with her?"

     "I am not going to torture her if that is what you are getting at. But I have no qualms about peeling back the layers of her mind like an onion to see what I can find. She struck my 'daughter' with a poisoned starblade. A poison, so horrible I almost leveled Aretuza in order to force them to not only stop using it in the manner they were but to offer to those who wished to remove its presence from their bodies, the opportunity to do so.

     How an assassin managed to get this stuff, I have no idea. But I do intend to find out and put a permanent stop to it. It might also be something I should look at to see what else the purveyors of this poison are selling and if there is something I can do to help the victims of whatever else is being used."

     "That was you who attacked Aretuza? Amazing, word of that even reached me here. I wondered why someone did it, but I cannot fault your reasoning. I would go so far as to say, it needed to be done, for what they were doing to these sorceresses."

     "I know. I have myself been the victim of reprehensible things, but what they did at Aretuza, goes beyond the pale. But enough of that, I need to get Reaper to start on preparations for pulling this 'Keep' out of here without destroying the mountain to do it."

     "How do you plan on doing that, anyway? We are so deep that to just pull us out would undo everything you previously did."

     "The Krang has access to power you might not even begin to imagine. I know it threw me for a loop when I started to realize just how much it could reach for. There should be no problem I think to teleport the 'Keep' out and directly into a berth created for it. That would be the simplest way. But I do think we may need to create supports for the empty space so that the mountain does not collapse of its own weight when the 'Keep' is removed. And I did want to ask about something."

     "Go ahead, if I know I will gladly answer."

     "While coming down here, we came across an 'altar' that had been, I almost want to say 'desecrated'. It was being used for sacrifices that powered a portal within a pit close by. The pit had spell symbols engraved into the rock around the edges. It looked like whoever used it could open portals to several places, only one of which I recognized."

     "That look on your face, says the one you knew is not a very pleasant place."

     "That is putting it mildly, it was the 'Vale of Pnoth', and judging from your expression you at least know of it."

     "Yes, I have never been there and have no desire to ever go, not even to explore and gather information. That is one place I will gladly forego."

     "Wise indeed, I have been there, and hope I never have to go again."

     "Can you sketch any of the others, maybe I can tell something of who might have made it from where they intended these portals to be opened to."

     "Here, this is what I remember."

     "Hmmmm, from what I see here, I know of about half of these for sure. The records may have information on the others. But there is a pattern here..."

     "I take it that I am not going to like where this is leading."

     "I cannot say for sure, but there is one that does not fit and that one is the most interesting of what I see, possibly the most dangerous as well."

     "Let us start with the pattern that you see."

     "You know of the 'Vale of Pnoth' and also 'Yuggoth'. There are four other places, I can identify for you, Borea, where Ithaqua is imprisoned. An area called Hujorus, it is surrounded by singularities orbiting in a delicate dance, this is where Lloigor has his prison. This symbol goes to a pocket dimension where Tsathoggua is imprisoned. And this one, this one goes to the prison of Yog Sothoth. As you see they are all prisons for the Great Old Ones. Someone went to a lot of trouble to track these places down and they all in some way or another have ties to them. Except for this one. This one goes to a world we intended to visit after we had completed our survey here."

     "What can you tell me about it?"

     "It is interesting in that some time ago it suffered a war between the mortal races and a near-immortal race. I have no names for them but the near immortals seemed to have a strong affinity for 'cold'. There is scant information available, but the mortals won that war with the aid of a subspecies of dragons. Magic was once strong there among the mortals, but it mainly followed along elemental lines. The last information we have says that magic use was in decline, but what this has in relation to the other symbols, I certainly have no idea."

     "Neither do I and that is starting to concern me greatly. The Great Old Ones are insane, and no one in their right mind would have anything to do with them. So someone wants to do something that involves them and this world. An inhabited world of mortals, shite, someone keeps trying to pull my strings. Dragging me away from my main desire by using these situations that they seem to know I cannot pass over."

     "May I make a suggestion?"

     "Please do, anything that may help me deal with this growing mess."

     "First you cannot decide if it can wait without information. Therefore I would suggest you put together a team, send them there to see what the current situation is, and report back to you. Then you can decide what you need to do, until then keep going with your current plans, concentrate on what will most empower you to reach Kathea."

     "Thank you, I sometimes wonder why I feel like I have to take on everything myself."

     "Do not worry yourself on that account, it is intrinsic to who you are. Just try not to allow it to control you. But something else to consider, this world in question is quite some distance away, both in terms of Realms and space. When you do decide to go, I will have equivalent coordinates sent to you."

     "Equivalent coordinates?"

     "Yes, as each Realm shares space with the others, a course can be projected to take you to specific points in whatever Realm you are in, and then you only need to crossover Realms, until you either arrive at your destination or you need to move in space before traversing more Realms."

     "Yes that would be of help, just give the information to Reaper, he will transmit it to the Krang. Once we get things here completed, we will be off again, I must find those Honored Matre ships before the Imperator does. Also, I think I need to bring that prison I made some time back. If for nothing else but to find a more secure place for it. How the 'Black Emperor' caught wind of its being there, I do not know. But I will find a place where no one can find it again."

     "Then I will take my leave of you, for now, to give you the chance to deal with a few of these matters. I have some matters of my own to deal with, it seems as though your arrival has been noticed. I have received 'Requests of Visitation' from no less than five personages. One of which is not even from any of these Creations."

     "Would it be best if I were not here when they come, should you decide to honor the 'Requests'?"

     "No, best if you meet with them as well. They are interested in you, specifically. This way you can get a feel for how events around you are being perceived in other quarters. Also one of them is from a Realm that the one you hold prisoner walked through frequently. Ah, a new one just arrived..."

     "What is it? Where is it from?"

     "The 'Vampiric High Council' is asking to send a representative to speak with you. This is from their homeworld, not the council as it exists here."

     "How would they manage that? As far as I know, they are not magic-users, and their level of technology is still very limited."

     "True on both counts. But they do get the occasional visitor from both areas and they would definitely be willing to pay for transport on a matter they deem this important."

     "You mean whether or not Dettlaff is a true Vyrkolos, and if he could be a threat to their rule in the future?"

     "Yes, exactly."

     "Then it would behoove them to tread carefully lest they bring about a self-fulfilling prophecy. Moreover, since the 'Mother' has wed all of my mates together with me according to her 'Ritual'. This 'High Council' will be dealing with all of us, not just Dettlaff, and I care not if they do not see it that way. I and my other mates do see it that way, and our point of view is what matters in any situation involving any of us. We stand together, as one, and this "High Council' is paltry compared to the 'High Heavens' and the "Abyssal Hells' that we will face off against, whence comes Ragnarok. They would do themselves well not to make an enemy of us when it does not have to be."

     "Then I will send out the 'Acceptance'. They will not take their time coming if I judge rightly. So I would expect them to arrive within a day or so."

     "Good, better to get this finished and on to other tasks."

     Iriisii wakes from her nap and sees everyone else either still filling their stomaches or just lazing around.

     "Ok, things are moving on and we need to prepare. I have met with our host and she has been most forthcoming with information."

     "Do you trust her?"

     "Now that I know who she is, implicitly."

     "Good enough for me, what is first on the list of things to do?"

     Iriisii goes on and gives everyone the details of what was discussed and what events are going to happen, sooner rather than later.

     "So first on the list is dealing with this assassin."

     "Go ahead and kill me, you will get no information from me!"

     "Oh no, I have no intention of killing you or even torturing you for that matter. But I will find out everything I want to know from you. The only thing is how do I want to do it? I could peel back the layers of your mind like an onion until I see what I want to see, or I could bring 'Darkstar' to the fore and let her retrieve the information. I cannot say if her methods are any more or less painful than mine, but you are the only one that should matter to."

     "As I said, you will get nothing from me, so do your worst!"

     "By the words from your own mouth has your choice been made! Darkstar, she is yours!"

     "What does she mean? Who is this 'Darkstar'? Who is she?"

     "Be silent, watch and learn, you are now privileged to see something only a few have seen before and lived to speak of."

     "Seen what?"

     "Darkstar, premier assassin of the first rank, the only one capable of eliminating the 'Sinister Seven'. Those who destroyed her village, captured Iriisii in her youth and created Darkstar out of her shattered, drug enslaved, psyche. Twenty years from the time she escaped their grasp and her name is still feared and respected, as much now as it was then."

     As they all watch, they can see the subtle shifts that occur. Facial expressions, movements, even breathing is different. And then the crowning achievement, when she fully manifests, that sense of death and danger, when in the presence of an apex predator.

     "Sweet Mother, that has been inside of her all this time!"

     Darkstar walks up to the assassin. Letting her gaze move across the assassin's body, evaluating her skills, training, depth of purpose. She looks into the assassin's eyes, holding them with nothing but the power of her own will. She releases the assassin from her gaze lock and then, almost faster than anyone could see, her hand wraps around the assassin's throat and lifts her up inches off of the floor.

     "You will tell me everything. You will hold nothing back. You have not the strength or the training to resist my will."

     "And so as a coiled viper will sometimes look its prey in the eyes, the prey loses itself in there, never knowing the fight was lost from the beginning."

     "What?"

     "The assassin has lost the battle and does not even realize it yet. Darkstar has already fought it out within her mind, she knows everything the assassin is going to try and has already formed her answer. The battle is done and over with. We just wait for the loser to see it."

     It takes a few more minutes for the assassin to realize that she has already given over everything Darkstar wanted to know, and she never even knew she was doing it. Darkstar turns and gives Nodens a quick summary of what she found out. Nodens already knows what needs to be done.

     "I will see to it."

     "Thank you."

     "Reaper, store the following information within the Krang's databanks. As soon as possible disseminate this to our allies, requesting any and all information of the subjects past and present, names, locations, trade routes, anything that will help us track them. 

     And gives him all the information she acquired concerning the source of the poison, and how it was acquired. Luckily for the 'Society of Sorceresses', they proved to have no involvement.

     "Also warn them not to do business with them for they have even worse things in their inventory. Anything they confiscate is to be given to us for destruction. They are not to attempt to use anything they may acquire or try and destroy it themselves."

     Reaper uses his link to the Krang to pass everything along.

     "Done."

     "What are we going to do with the assassin?"

     "The 'Keep' wants her."

     "Why?"

     "It wants a body to live within like what Reaper has. The assassin is now just a shell, her mind is gone, all that remains is a body and a soul. The 'Keep' can provide the mind needed to restore function to the body. In this way, she has value and is not merely trash to be dumped."

     "How do you know her mind is gone?"

     "I know.

     It is then they see the changes come back as Darkstar recedes and Iriisii comes back.

     "You are really fortunate."

     "How?"

     "Darkstar likes you, otherwise she would not have explained why the body was wanted."

     "She..likes..me?"

     "Oh, not in that way. She sees a kindred spirit within you. And she feels like she could come to respect you as she does Geralt."

     "She respects my father?"

     "Indeed, she sees the strength of will inside of him. How he does everything in his own way, for his own reasons. He is his own man, beholden to no one. He shares himself with those he loves and trusts, and those who harm them see a very different side of him."

     "You are right about that, I still remember what he did to 'Junior', better for 'Junior' if he had died than to continue life with a broken mind and soul. But 'Junior' got what he deserved in the end and I am certainly in no position to say if it is too much or not."

     "Punishment comes to all who so deserve it at some point either before death or after, but none escape it. For those that it comes before, it oft continues over with them."

     "Is there no hope then for redemption, even after they have passed over?"

     "Not as yet, but who knows what changes are in store for the future. Now, Reaper, I have another task. We need to find a place to berth this 'Keep' within the Krang. I would like minimal incursion if possible. My intent is to be able to use it as a second command and control post, in the unlikely event of it being needed for such a purpose.

      Also, see if the fuel it uses is one that can be replenished, and if there is anything you find that you can duplicate for the Krang to help upgrade it, then do it. See if the weapons can be upgraded as well, there will come a time when I will send the 'Keep' and its host to continue what they first started out to do. From now until then, they are to be a part of us."

      "How are you going to handle Sithis?"

      "Very carefully, when I take possession of the "Wisdom of the First Ones", we will be even more his main target. I am bringing the 'Keep' because I feel he would likely attack and destroy it, in revenge for how long it has denied him his goal. And in doing that, he would likely destroy the Naiad village as well. This will draw his ire only toward us and not anyone else. But I feel there is a way to deal with him, perhaps more than one. I just need a few more pieces of the problem to come together. Come we have a day or so to prepare for guests. Dettlaff, one of the guests is from the High Council of your homeworld."