Chapter Forty-Six
"Alright… that should do it." Coran said, closing and sealing shut the Agroium Total Obliteration Machine.
Vekk and Coran were then graced with the glowing presence of Kormir, a presence that even drew Devona's attention from her gleeful enjoyment of her new toy.
"I hope the device meets your high standards and approval." Vekk said distastefully.
The Goddess of Knowledge circled once around the explosive contraption, half walking and half floating before stopping at the domed front of the tube, slightly startled. "I… was not expecting this." She said with a degree of surprise.
"Meaning?"
"I had anticipated a fissionable unit… it's generally the easiest and most practical step in particle advancement. You two have skipped roughly three stages and went right to a matter inversion detonation."
"So I assume it will meet the required force necessary?" Coran asked.
"Indeed."
"Well, begging your pardon, Miss Trustworthy, but I'd rather not just take your word for it." Vekk sneered.
"Yes, I'm sure… which is why I am offering you a safe and non-detectable testing site." The goddess said. From her vantage point, Devona was almost certain the former Spearmarshal was grinning knowingly.
"Where?"
"The Hall of Heroes. My fellow gods have agreed to keep the stadium empty for a short time for you to perform the tests you deem essential. We can even create a controlled environment for you to analyze the detonation from a considerably closer distance than you could on in the physical world."
"Would that be suitable, Vekk?" Coran asked with a slightly patronizing lilt.
"It will have to be, considering our limited options." The Asura acknowledged in resignation. "I will need not even an hour to assemble my scanners and testing equipment. I hope there's nothing terribly pressing on your schedule."
"I have all the time that I need." Kormir replied cheerily in complete antithesis to Vekk's dour skepticism; demonstrating a playful streak Devona had never seen from the goddess even when she had been mortal.
As the Asuran genius muttered grumpily to himself, stomping back and forth out of the engineering bay with various pieces of equipment, objects nearly as large as himself on two occasions, Kormir turned about to regard Devona. "It would be rather improper to take these two gentlemen and leave you here all by your lonesome."
"I've only been to the Hall of Heroes one time, and it was a rather short visit at that. I would love to go again." The warrior answered, not even the power of B.U.B.B.L.E.W.R.A.P. was strong enough to overcome the allure of the jewel in every gladiator's crown.
"Meh." Vekk groused as he tossed down another satchel of equipment, "She's still trying to be interested in the sort of things her mate is doing."
"A noble endeavor." Kormir answered.
"Alright, Little Miss God of Sweetness, whatever." Vekk huffed. "I'm ready. Let's not waste any more time. The sooner we get this tested, the sooner Coran and I can construct the final device."
"You really should have a more pleasant attitude." Kormir chided teasingly. "Stress is a greater strain on your body than any food or drink."
Vekk was not amused, and his expression and posture suggested as much. "Let's just go."
"Very well." The Goddess of Knowledge relented. "Everyone gather round me. We shall be in the Hall of Heroes with great haste."
"Wouldn't everyone else want to come along…?" Devona began.
"And waste another half hour or more gathering everybody?" Vekk snarled. "No thanks. Get over here or we're leaving you behind as well."
* * * * *
True to form, it was but a blink, and the world changed. By the time Devona opened her eyes, the reddish yellow, sunless sky of the Mists above hovered above the elaborate and alien architecture of the Hall of Heroes.
"Devona, make yourself useful and help Coran move the device into the center of the arena." Vekk ordered, "The sooner we can get out of his den of lies, the better. Shoo!"
The warrior reluctant obeyed as Vekk busied himself with readying his small arsenal of measuring equipment and sensors.
"I sense you do not terribly like me very much." Kormir noted almost whimsically.
"Your senses are as keen as your supposed knowledge." Vekk retorted. "Although, to be fair, it has nothing to do with you personally, but what you represent."
"Care to elaborate?"
Vekk gestured towards the center of the arena, where Devona and Coran had started to set up the A.T.O.M. bomb, as Coran somewhat bemusedly called it in redundant fashion. "Look at Coran, look at what he has become once freed of your influence. There was a time where I thought humans were largely dumb as rocks. Now I know better. It's you… the 'gods'." Vekk paused to give that last word little quotation marks with his fingers. "The general people put all their faith in you. They don't try to learn the ways of the world on their own. They don't have the curiosity to figure out why things are the way they are. Humans, as a whole, are more than happy to let you and your kin take care of all those little details, while they live in blissful ignorance, stunted in their rightful growth and development as a race. I find that larely deplorable… oh and let's not even get into the body of lies your brethren created and cultivated to cause that very culture of stagnation…"
"But the Forgotten of Atal Ra have several shrines to the gods within their halls, the Forgotten who taught your kind much of the basis of your knowledge." Kormir countered. "And Coran still gives the gods prayers and faith."
"Yes, well… the Asurans tolerate it out of respect to the Ssleth. That's all." Vekk snorted. "And I didn't exactly see any gods charging to our aid during the siege by the Destroyers."
"But Vekk… I thought you said the Asurans didn't want help."
"You think you're amusing. You're not."
Kormir sighed in surrender. "Believe it or not, Vekk… the gods have taken great pains to remove ourselves from the mortal world since the early ages and the betrayal of Abaddon. We learned exactly what you claim. Should we abandon our people entirely? Should we completely forget what we once were?"
Vekk was silent, hoping that it appeared it was just encouraging her to continue rather than accept the fact that he didn't particularly want to answer the question.
"Nevertheless… I suppose you shall find out the limits of humanity freed from our near omnipresence."
Vekk's ears perked as he resumed his work. "You really believe killing this Bhu'khahuh will truly mean the death of you and your kin?"
"It is a strong possibility, yes, and even if it doesn't mean our demise, it most certainly will cause us great harm and weaken us significantly. But we are willing to accept that risk if it means the safety of the people we chose to guide and watch over."
The goddess's head abruptly jerked towards the south entrance to the arena, and said, "Well Vekk, it appears even my 'influence' over humanity doesn't guarantee they will follow my wishes."
Vekk had never seen the apparition before, so the ghostly human meant little to him. He seemed a sturdy Ascalonian type, not that they didn't all look the same to him, really.
"My apologies, lady of knowledge." The ghost said with a respectful bow, "But when I learned of your arrival and your guests… I had to come. You see, milady, the last words I spoke with one of your guests was in anger… and rarely do the dead get the chance to take back what was said. I beg you… allow me this opportunity. I will not dwell long."
"Very well." Kormir acquiesced, stepping to the side not so much to clear the way but symbolize her acceptance. The apparition took the distance rapidly towards Devona and Coran, who had finished whatever settings they had been attending to, and regarded the visitor.
The goddess of knowledge then straightened, and spoke seemingly to no one in particular, "And when do you plan on stepping forward?"
A voice from the edges of the arena, belonging to a figure mostly cloaked in shadows answered, "I will have my time when our first guest is done. I'd rather not overwhelm the couple with so many long lost faces all at once."
"I trust there isn't anyone else." Vekk grumbled, seeing yet another series of unnecessary delays. "I'm serious; this takes too long and I'm starting the test regardless of who is fluttering about."
* * * * *
"Okay…" Coran said more to himself than Devona. "Everything is still stable, diagnostics look good; this is a very good sign… if the device couldn't remain fully operational with the jarring it took to get to this point, it would have no chance of keeping itself functional during the much more forceful injection it would have into Bhu'khahuh's chamber."
"Makes sense." Devona replied, and to her astonishment, found that it actually did.
They were interrupted when a surprisingly familiar baritone spoke up, "When I made my long trip to the mists, and I didn't sense you in the Underworld, or anywhere else, I knew you had to be alive somewhere, Coran. It gave me ease to know that our father's line continued in the land of the living."
Coran and Devona looked up simultaneously at the ghostly armored man, sans the normal bridged helmet he normally wore, fully revealing his heavily haired face and head.
Devona figured the ghost could not have expected a pleasant greeting from the Headmaster of Atal Ra. The terms in which the pair parted, in what would prove to be the last time the brothers ever saw each other in the mortal realm, had not been kind; from what she learned.
In fact, the warrior was rather surprised that Coran gave the apparition any acknowledgement at all. Instead, the headmaster stood, and stood face to face with the ghost, his features remaining cool and composed, the same cold restraint Devona had felt whenever Coran and Adelbern had been in the same room lately.
Coran's greeting was short, concise, and not promising anything beyond that single word.
"Rurik."