“Sure, why not,” I said to the floating words that sat over the transformed dragon’s head.
Bahama - Status Blocked.
“It succeeded? Excellent. I wasn’t certain it would. It has been ages since I put a human through the process.”
“Yeah… about that. What was with all the displays?”
“They remain intact? Interesting. I had wondered after… but nevermind. What role were you assigned?”
“Maintenance,” I said, deciding I probably shouldn’t lie to the dragon older than time, but not sure how she’d react to the full title.
“Excellent. That should let you continue making repairs. Hopefully once you’ve collected enough achievements you can start on the important infrastructure.”
“And the important infrastructure would be?”
“Not worth mentioning until your System gives you access.”
“My… System.”
It was only as I said the words I realized we’d been speaking in English.
And I’d said the last word in English as well.
System booting. Time to integration… 48:22:31:02
Even as I read the message, the last digit ticked down by one. Then another.
“My System’s still integrating,” I said, the word causing the screen to disappear.
Good thing that was in English. It’d get annoying fast if it was in Elinder or Altean. Not that I randomly wandered around saying the word System.
“Excellent. If it’d finished already, that’d be worrying. That would imply you were starting from the very lowest tiers. How long do you have remaining? More than a day? A week?”
“More than a week,” I confirmed, giving her a crooked smile.
“Indeed? A most auspicious start,” Bahama said, pushing off from the wall and waving for me to follow her. “Merely a year or ten and you should be ready to start the important repairs.”
“The System taking longer is… a good thing?”
“Hmm. I suppose it taking longer could be a side effect of not inducting a human for so long. In which case, no. However, in either case, it takes longer to process those who have more functions. It must ensure everything works properly. You will likely have features come online as they’re confirmed stable.”
“It that why I can see your name over your head? More importantly, can I toggle that off?”
Bahama nodded. Then she started explaining what I could expect to come with the System in the coming days. As she talked, she led to another part of the cave. We emerged next to a black pillar. It looked more like a dark altar than the interface it turned out to be, complete with candles and a pair of humanoid skulls. The skulls functioned as trackpads.
It was only at that moment I realized the illusion that had hidden the rest of her lair had fallen. I’d been so distracted by the System, I hadn’t even noticed the hoard we were walking through. Not that it was immediately apparent it was a hoard. My first impression was a library, though one with a strange abundance of random jewelry and armor displayed amongst the books.
The shelves stretched at least three hundred feet into the air, if not more. While the central area was spacious, most of the shelves were so close together I’d have a hard time squeezing between them. I doubted even Keeper’s store of knowledge could compete.
Much as I wanted to explore, I could feel Bahama’s attention weighing down on me. Hadn’t felt her do that since… well, since we first met. Guess she didn’t appreciate me eying up her hoard.
Returning my attention to the altar, she waved at it. “The System will integrate many of the functions you rely upon the diagnostic center for. Until it’s reached that point, you shall use this or your beacon.”
Meaning the System didn’t offer much. Disappointing.
“Once you have synced properly, it shall also pay you in Achievment points. These can be used to purchase many rewards. Even access to portions of my hoard, eventually.”
That got my eyebrows up.
“Since you are in maintenance, I suspect you shall mostly be rewarded for performing repairs. This is ideal, as there is much work to be done to restore our world to its former glory. I do so miss a proper mana-shower.”
“Mana-shower? Isn’t that…” I gestured in the general direction of the torrent of mana flowing upward just outside her lair.
“That is hardly a sprinkle. It is unfortunate that until your System is done configuring, it shall be impossible to know what tasks you shall be rewarded for.”
“Yeah. Unfortunate,” I agreed, moving to the altar. Even with the altar-console, the interface was pretty bare bones. There were a few options for displaying System data, including the ability to toggle names off. There was also an option to show simple indicators over anything that had a System entry.
Navigating the options hinted that there was a lot locked away. According to Bahama, most of it should unlock automatically as the System integrated further. At least I met the minimum standards to count as a citizen, so there’d be extra features in the Golden Halls of Ascension.
“There should be a spell for all this,” I grumbled. Even the map at the water bypass worked better.
“With some practice, you should be able to use your mana to control it directly. Can you feel it interacting with your aura?”
I paused, realizing she’d made a comment about it relying on my aura during her initial spiel. Just hadn’t made the leap to manipulating it.
Activating my Shield spell, I started using the altar to make changes to my interface again. At which point I started picking out where the System had latched onto it.
“Well, that’s disturbing. It’s becoming part of my soul? Shouldn’t you have mentioned that?”
Bahama arched her scaly eye. “How else did you expect it to function?”
“Right.”
I didn’t have the fine control required to manipulate the interface. Yet. The fact I could feel the changes was the first step towards being able to affect it. On the plus side, improving my control would be useful for my spells and enchanting. Not hugely, otherwise it would be more common, but I could see improved precision allowing for tighter designs.
After poking at the interface for another few minutes, making sure the System messages would disappear after a second, I left it alone. I was certain I’d investigate it further once I was home.
Speaking of which… “So… I’m a citizen. What happens next?”
“Next… I return you to Cape Aeternia and continue my vacation while I wait for your access to improve.” Bahama turned towards the exit and started walking, not waiting.
I scrambled after her. “So, what was with making me fly until I passed out? I can see how the affinity practice was helpful, but what was that for?”
“To ensure you were committed.” Bahama stopped as we emerged into the entrance chamber, turning to take me in. “It would have been a shame to put you through the test before you were ready. It can be… debilitating, for those with weaker Astral forms.”
“Right.” Somehow, I got the feeling there was more to it than she’d said. I also got the feeling pressing wouldn’t get me any answers. Dragons. I gestured at the outside. “Any chance I could get a tour on the way out of… what do you even call this place?”
Bahama’s reply was full of unexpected warmth. “It has had many names, though most call it Drakenhome these days.”
Despite not answering my question about the tour, Bahama did take the time to show me several locations on our way back towards the western edge of the Everstorm. In addition to the perpetual battle overhead, there were several arenas. These were large areas open to the outer whirlpool where the dragons would gather in groups of dozens to watch their younger members fight, offering advice and healing. There were several treasures stacked up on each side, their stakes in the fight.
Even dragons liked gambling, it seemed.
Then we were past, moving on to a… dragon food court? It was ten stories of dragons preparing food, and other dragons trading for it. Mostly in handfuls of shining coins. It was possible that there was something I was missing, because I saw one dragon trade a handful of copper for the same meal another traded gold for.
When I asked Bahama about it, she just chuckled before flying off. There were another few stops, including a swimming trench longer than Mistvale and a ‘small’ town of mortals I’d missed on the way in. It stretched five miles along the upper rim, just as busy as the rest of the pit.
And then we were out of Drakenhome and coasting into the Everstorm.
“Why aren’t we going over?” I yelled at her. Probably didn’t need to yell, but it was a natural reaction since I could barely hear myself.
“Because the skies over the Everstorm are under attack by the enemy and I’m on vacation.”
“Speaking of… I always thought the monsters were a natural phenomena. But what I saw down there… is there some force behind them?”
“Do you truly believe we would have fallen from an interstellar empire to a handful of warring city-states if there wasn’t?”
“You’re gonna have to give me more than that. Interstellar empire?”
Bahama didn’t respond immediately, simply coasting through the rolling banks of the Everstorm, thunder crashing around us. At least the atmosphere felt appropriate for the topic. I’d almost thought she was going to ignore the question when she finally spoke.
“In my youth, humanity, the lightborne and dragonkind had spread across most of the galaxy. Feats such as building the stellar engine were common. You need to understand, this was… a long time ago.”
“I… don’t know what a stellar engine is.” The form hadn’t expanded on it either.
“I shall make it simple for you. Imagine there are great chains stretching across the sky, linking Ro’an and its sister planets together.”
I looked up, despite the fog. I’d known the day stars Calbern loved were planets. I’d never thought about how strangely convenient it was they were the dawn and dusk stars. Not enough to imagine them chained together.
“Not just to each other, but to our sun as well. These are not physical chains, of course. At least, not entirely. These chains are the source of most mana upon the four worlds.”
“So, the stellar engine creates mana? Wait… is that what you want me to repair?” Seemed a bit outside my wheelhouse.
Rags and oil, it felt outside my entire existence.
“The stellar engine does a great deal more than provide mana. At least it did. As for repairing it… if you live long enough, perhaps. No. My dreams for you are more humble. Simply restoring Ro’an’s protections would be enough.”
“You mean the Barrier Pillars?”
Bahama chuckled, a rumble that drowned out the storm. “No. Not those. Those were merely a patch for a barrier that once shielded the entire planet. You are not ready to make those repairs, not yet.”
“So… why haven’t you or another dragon done it? I’m assuming there’s more than one of you who could.”
“Because our elders were too paranoid to leave power in the hands of any one of our species alone. A wise choice, considering how many of our kind became little more than beasts after the fall. So long as I live, dragons are limited to my role.”
“That seems unbalanced, considering how much longer you live.”
“That is a recent calamity. In my youth, it was your race who boasted the eldest beings amongst our empire. Perhaps one of them remain.”
That… was hard to imagine.
“How far are we from Earth?” I asked, my voice little more than a whisper. I might not miss my life there, but it was still the cradle of humanity.
“I do not know. Holy Terra was hidden away before I was born. Nor do I know if it escaped the hive-fleet’s descent on the galaxy.”
“Is that the outside force? The one that brought the empire down?”
“It was one of them. Though it was not alone. There are many who wish to wipe us from existence.
“There was a time I would have done all I could to burn them from our skies. Yet now all I wish for is to see the young grow old. To have others take up the burden I have borne for so long.”
We flew in silence for a time. It was all too big to really affect me. I had my hands full just trying to protect Cape Aeternia while helping the refugees. But there was something in her tone that made it feel like the fall of the empire was personal to Bahama.
Before I knew it, we broke free of the Everstorm. The beams of light that targetted Bevel, Ari and I the last time we approached the Everstorm didn’t show themselves.
It was only once we were free that I could appreciate how fast Bahama was flying. The Everstorm disappeared into the distance and a short time we were flying over Aeternia once more.
While it was good to be back, I wasn’t looking forward to dealing with whatever emergencies popped up during our absence.
No way I’d get lucky enough there hadn’t been any.
Bahama circled Mount Aeternia once before setting down upon one of the upgraded piers. To my surprise, it held under her bulk. She pulled me off with her tail even as she shimmered, transforming into her humanoid form. I was set down in the same moment her face reformed.
To my surprise, Ari was waiting for us.
It was rare to see her frowning, nevermind in an outright scowl. Her golden hair flowed behind her, freed from its usual tight braid as she stormed over, green eyes flared wide. I was opening my mouth to explain, when her hand snapped out and slapped… Bahama.
The crack of the slap felt like it should’ve echoed. Instead, it simply faded away as Ari lowered her hand, clutching her fingers ever so slightly.
“How dare you.” It wasn’t Bahama but Ari who spoke, flexing her hand as if preparing to slap the dragon again. “How dare you simply take him away like that without a word.”
Bahama arched an eyebrow, her mouth opened, as if to respond.
Before she could, the sky exploded.