Chapter 279: The Final Countdown (Patreon)

Gathered in Lyrack’s home cinema, the six of us—three Hoig and three floating spirits—quietly watch the commercial being projected in the Aether in front of the seats.

Dramatic music with a sound not unlike rising strings plays over a backdrop of a dark sphere, while a deep voice does the announcement. “The age of Hoig, is past. There is a new host in town, and its name is... Human!”

A number of figures appear in front of the dark sphere. A shudder passes down my spine as I recognise one of them, a blue-leather-clad figure with an angry snarl on her face.

A face I normally only see in the mirror.

These other figures must be the victors of the other seasons, then.

“Stay tuned for the exciting finale of Humanity Unleashed!” the voice booms, as the figures disappear again and the dark sphere slowly drifts forward, becoming bigger. “After the crowning of the last victor, it will be time for... the Extraction!”

Colour bursts onto the dark sphere, and despite myself, my breath hitches as our planet is revealed.

My stomach sinks as I stare at it, hardly paying attention to the announcer still rattling on, praising the benefits of our opposable thumbs, and providing the contact information for where human hosts can be pre-ordered.

Seeing our planet like this is weirdly nostalgic. Obviously I’ve never seen it like this in real life, only from the rare footage and photographs from astronauts, but still...

That’s our home. My parents are down there, somewhere, as are my little brother and sister, and the rest of my family, my friends...

I stare at it in a daze, barely reacting when Kaitlynn grabs my hand and squeezes.

However, the moment an ominous countdown timer appears above the projection of our planet, I snap out of my fugue.

Sixty-five Earth days, fourteen hours, twenty-three minutes, and seventeen seconds.

Sixteen seconds.

Fifteen seconds.

Each tick of the countdown timer is like a kick in the teeth.

“Two months,” Kaitlynn says softly. “That’s less time than we thought. Do we need to change our approach?”

I consider that for a moment, then shake my head. “No. We still need all the help we can get. But we can’t waste time. Suri, was there anything in that contact list about the other Blue Dragons?”

The second the question is out of my mouth, I realise its futility.

After all, why would Lyrack have listed a host amongst his contacts?

“Ah, Friends want to find other Friends?” Loudmouth croaks before Suri can provide some no-doubt sarcastic response.

I whirl around to him with such intensity that it causes him to flinch back. “Loudmouth, you beautiful frogman, you know where to find them?”

Loudmouth puffs up his chest. “Not all, but Loudmouth know Peilor has Friend Alec! Came to meet Lyrack after show.”

“Who has him, Loudmouth?” Kaitlynn asks excitedly.

“Peilor called... Farouq!”

“Really?” Suri chimes in surprise. “Interesting.”

I raise a brow at her. “You know him?”

“I know of him,” she corrects. “We’ve never met. He’s a bit of an oddball, as well as an artist of some renown, despite being merely Flawed tier. Rumour has it he’s refused invitations to move to Clarity Cove before—though I suspect that’s hogwash. He’s made mocking art about multiple influential Peilors in the past, so his nomination for the Pellucid tier is most likely being stonewalled by one or several of them. Actually, you know some of his work: the carvings on the doors on the set of Humanity Unleashed were done by him.”

Blinking, I recall the strange carvings of humans in contorted shapes, particularly the one who seemed to have two knees in his right leg. “Doesn’t have a great eye for anatomy, does he?”

“It’s art, Emma,” Suri chimes reproachfully. “He does a lot of work with abstraction. In fact, one of the things he’s famous for is that he’s really good at clearing his mind while he works to prevent any of his intended meaning to leak into his pieces, making them more difficult to interpret.”

“Ooh, I guess that would be a pretty important skill in a Realm like this,” Kaitlynn says, her eyes sparkling.

Right, she was enrolled in an art college when she got portalled...

I shake my head to clear it. “All right, well, was his name listed amongst Lyrack’s contacts?”

“It was indeed,” Suri chimes.

“All right then,” I say, cracking my Imaginary knuckles. “No time to waste, so let’s come up with a plan to save Alec.”

How to handle combat in this Realm is of course something we’ve previously discussed, back in Trisha’s Teahouse.

Before, when we came for Lyrack, our means were limited as we only had spiritforms. I could really only rely on a sudden attack, straight for the Core, which had to succeed. After all, if Lyrack had managed to escape to alert other Peilor, our plan would’ve been dead in the Hydrum.

This time, we have some more options to consider.

While striking from ambush is probably still a good idea, not accidentally killing Farouq would be preferable by far. Hiding one dead Peilor is already enough of an issue, and frankly, what we need most is information.

Aside from Alec himself, of course.

The problem is, issuing Commands through verbal means is really only effective against beings who are unaware or otherwise unable to actively defend themselves. In order to get a hold of an old experienced Peilor like Farouq, I’ll need to access his Core directly, and subdue his avatar inside of it.

But before I can do that, we’ll need to wear down his Espir Pool, which takes time. And during that time, he has to be physically restrained somehow, to prevent him from leaving.

Not just physically, actually, but energetically as well. Farouq is Yin, and most likely quite capable of using at least the second level of Warp, so we’ll need to properly lock him down.

However, preventing the use of the second level of Warp is not exactly a straightforward process. After all, through Inverse Spatial Energy, one can literally connect a point in space to any other, and the only thing limiting the distance is the amount of energy provided.

One way to prevent its use, I suppose, would be to fill all of the space in range with lots of Gravitational Energy. However, aside from the practical issues with that idea, it’s about as sneaky as planting a massive sign outside of the estate with the words ‘INVASION IN PROGRESS, DO NOT DISTURB!’ painted on it.

However, Suri claims there’s another way to stop Farouq from Warping away, which should be a little more subtle.

The downside is that it’s a rather advanced technique which requires the third level of Warp, and it’s going to take close to all of her concentration to perform.

Apparently, the third level of Warp concerns combining regular and Inverse Spatial Energy to create a kind of pocket dimensions.

What I gathered from Suri’s explanation is that it involves forming a boundary of regular Spatial Energy, and then surrounding that with a shell of Inverse Spatial Energy.

The only thing I’ve done with the second level of Warp thus far is connect two points in space together, but that’s far from the limit of what’s possible. To create a pocket dimension in the Yin-Yang Realm, it’s necessary to connect that entire shell of Inverse Spatial Energy to a single point in space.

Now, that means there’s still a single point of entry and exit to the pocket dimension, so it’s not truly disconnected, but by keeping a tight grip on the large amount of Inverse Spatial Energy filling that point, Suri should be capable of keeping Farouq from Warping out.

The real difficulty, of course, is that this technique takes some time to set up, and that it’s not exactly subtle, so we’ll need an excellent distraction.

Or a ruse.

“He’s not going to expect an ambush,” I drawl slowly, as I allow my spiritform to drift around the room. “As far as he’s aware, it’s just his friend Lyrack inviting him over for a social call. Now, according to Loudmouth, that’s never actually happened before, but even if he thinks it’s strange, as long as we act a little mysterious, I bet he’ll be too curious to refuse.”

“Correct,” Suri chimes. “In fact, his lack of suspicion could likely even be considered our greatest advantage. However, that would suggest trying to slam down a pocket dimension around him would be a mistake, as it would alert him to our nefarious intentions.”

“Wait, I’ve got it!” Kaitlynn suddenly exclaims, her eyes lighting up. “What if we set the pocket dimension up in advance? We can just... invite him in!”

I blink at her. “Ooh that is evil. I like it.”

“It could work,” Suri chimes thoughtfully. “He might think it a tad suspicious, though. I suppose that won’t matter too much if we just provide him enough reason to enter it...”

“Well, you certainly have a lavish house, Lyrack,” Farouq chimes in the entry hall from Alec’s forehead. “And servants, even. That’s new.”

I’m standing by to the side, perched upon Bulging-Eyes. Seeing our blond friend’s sky-blue eyes glide over us with a dull, placid look in them makes my heart ache and my stomach simmer.

At least they’re still the original colour. Actually his looks are quite tame in general; he’s wearing grey jeans and a white shirt splattered with some paint. His skin has lost most of its blue tint, making his baby face look a lot healthier, and the single horn on his forehead is gone, replaced by Farouq’s deep-purple crystal body.

For some reason, Farouq seems to have opted for a rather unique spiralling cut for his crystal, which makes all of the front technically a single, curved facet. I’m not sure how to interpret that in terms of status, but perhaps that’s the point.

Maybe it’s an older style... or maybe he just wants to be edgy.

I already dislike this guy. Though if I’m honest, it’s probably mostly his choice of host that pisses me off.

Anyway, my host may currently have a similar look in her eyes, but that’s not the same. She agreed to once again be put under some Commands for the duration of this mission.

Though being out in the open like this is giving me terrible nerves, we figured having me—and Suri for that matter—in plain sight would be less suspicious.

Holding in my Espir fluctuations is kinda like sucking in my stomach. It’s not very comfortable, but I’m trained enough at it that I should be able to do it for quite some time.

“Yes, it is quite lavish, isn’t it?” Kaitlynn chimes in Lyrack’s voice, from her perch on Loudmouth’s forehead. “What pride and joy I used to feel upon seeing it... Well, no matter. Please, do follow me.”

“What, no tour?” Farouq chimes.

My heart practically jumps into my throat.

“Oh... would you like one?” ‘Lyrack’ offers half-heartedly.

Thankfully, Farouq laughs, and Alec walks in, trailing after Loudmouth. “Maybe later. I’ll be honest, you’ve got me far too intrigued about this Hoig sculpture you’ve acquired. You’re sure it predates the general consensus on the start of their stone age?”

We have nothing of the sort, of course. The only thing we managed to ‘dig up,’ was the fact that Farouq is not only an artist, but also a fervent historian.

Apparently, it’s quite normal for Peilor to have various hobbies and professions, which makes sense, considering their longevity. One of his hobbies, though not a very popular one, is to go around the planets they’ve stolen, and perform archaeological digs to try and unearth the history of the species they’ve enslaved.

“Well, I’m not completely sure it predates that,” Kaitlynn chimes. “but there are several clues that seem to suggest it. It’ll probably be easier to explain if I just show you.”

“Well, lead on, then.”

Kaitlynn flashes her Lavi in the affirmative, something Suri painstakingly practised with her.  “It’s right this way, down in the basement. Though I have my servant maintaining a pocket dimension around it, just in case.”

Farouq comes to a halt. “A pocket dimension?” he chimes in a puzzled tone of voice. “Isn’t that a bit much? I’m starting to get the feeling there’s something you’re not telling me... What exactly are you playing at, old friend?”

My Imaginary heart practically seizes, as Loudmouth once again stops in his track and turns around.

‘A tad suspicious’ my ass, Suri!

“Look,” Kaitlynn chimes after a moment, at a lower volume. “I’m not gonna lie and tell you there isn’t anything else. It’s just that I really can’t talk about it; not like this, out in the open. I know this may be a big ask, but I need you to trust me. I promise I wouldn’t have invited you if I thought it could get you into trouble... but it’s up to you. You can still leave now, if you prefer, none the wiser.”

Holy shit, Kaitlynn!

While I get that offering Farouq a chance to back out is probably a good way to reassure him and reel him in, it still makes my Imaginary stomach lurch.

“Hah,” Farouq barks. “No way I’m backing out now. I’m going to be disappointed if it turns out there’s nothing interesting waiting for me at all, though.”

“Oh, there’s definitely something interesting waiting for you,” Kaitlynn replies truthfully. “You’ll see.”

And so we proceed down the stairs into the well-lit, spacious basement.

It seems like Lyrack had yet to find a proper use for it, as it’s mostly empty, with only some food for Hoig stored on one side, and some dusty old furniture covered in white sheets on the other.

In the centre, however, is Smooth-Cheeks, sitting cross-legged and staring placidly in front of him at the marble-sized ball of deep-blue energy, which seems to contain a bright spot in the centre.

As we approach, that bright spot grows larger as Suri widens the ball into a portal.

Kaitlynn steps through, without even having Loudmouth look back.

Farouq hesitates only for a split second, before he has Alec step through as well.

Suppressing the urge to cackle maniacally, I flash my Lavi at Suri in happiness, and direct Bulging-Eyes to leap into the already shrinking portal.

Author's note:

Thanks for reading! ^^