The Ivory Tower. It held many rooms. Not all of them were meant to be living spaces or areas of research and study. The tower possessed a plentiful variety.
Gardens. Play Rooms, from when Samur's children were young. Libraries. Art Galleries. Kitchens. Bathrooms. Observatories. Dining Halls. Workshops. The list, much like the Ivory Tower itself, went on forever.
In one of these countless spaces, a group sat together. They were seated at a large round table, and there was a spread like no other atop its surface. The best food and refreshments you could EVER hope to savor. There wasn't a theme, such as breakfast, lunch, or dinner; it was simply a meal.
Samur had prepared this for those still cognitively functional after sharing the story of Creation. He hoped that a fair few of them would be. To his delighted surprise, there was!
Doomguy. Charlie. Alastor. Octavia. Loona. Moxxie. These were the six persons who remained relatively unaffected by the shocking revelation. Of them, only two were anticipated.
Doomguy. There needs to be no explanation as to why. There was likely nothing that could surprise him so strongly that he'd be put into a state. Several lifetimes in Doom will do that to anyone.
Charlie. Some might be perplexed by this outcome. The key difference between her and the rest of her family was that her upbringing wasn't the same. Yes, she had been taught by her kin how things operated. But they didn't constantly bombard her with the tale of Creation or their duties as Samur had done. Combined with Doomguy and Samuel's revelations, she'd built an impressive mental resistance to shock. Additional note, Charlie did very well not to cry. She got close but maintained composure to avoid interrupting the story.
Alastor. The man was insane. There's nothing complicated about it. It's not as if he was a skeptic of the previously believed truth or anything. Alastor was simply so open-minded that he was, in a sense, malleable like clay. It would take something VERY specific to unnerve and unsettle this chipper chap.
Octavia. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. This phrase perfectly summarizes the young Goetia. She didn't know much about anything in the grander scheme. That was Stolas's error, but that's not the point. Her insatiable yearning for discovery and lack of knowledge made Samur's story one in which she could be lost. She hoped, when possible, she could sit down with him and talk about it more.
Loona. She didn't care. To be clear, she didn't care about the previous version of reality Samur had crafted. Sure, everything that had happened lately was crazy. But what were any of THEM going to do about it? Freak out? Say it's bullshit? Surprise, it's not. Loona's attitude was to "go with the flow". As it turns out, that was the right mentality to have. Similarly to Octavia, she was invested in Samur's story rather than shaken by it.
Moxxie. The logical mind will always prevail. Ever since the Doom-related revelations and ALL the questions that came with it, Moxxie had spent his spare time theory crafting. He didn't share his hypotheses with Millie because he didn't want to annoy or overwhelm her. He didn't share them with Blitzo because he was an idiot and would make fun of him. Of course, NONE of Moxxie's theories were EXACTLY like Samur's story, but he had predicted a few things. His active mind and imagination helped ready him for whatever the truth might be.
Katie Killjoy. Stella. Rosie. Vagatha. Nifty. Husk. Angel Dust. Cherri. These poor people weren't so accepting or resistant to the mind-blowing information Samur shared. They were sent into states nigh identical to those of Azrael and Lilith. As for the current status of the women, they were still in recovery.
Regarding those that weren't present: Lucifer. Paimon. Stolas. Samuel. Olivia. They'd be filled in later. Gabriel wondered how long it'd take to wait for or find Stolas, to which Stella promised he likely wouldn't be seen for HOURS. Besides, by the Archangel's words, they needed to hurry. So, they departed.
Speaking of, Gabriel and Michael sat on both sides of their Father. Right and left, respectively. They would do their best to assist him with the following conversation if he needed aid. However, Samur would likely be capable of handling it himself.
"How is it?" Samur asked as the others enjoyed the meal. He gave them a few minutes to savor the food before returning to business.
"Divine~" Alastor answered, gently sipping his beverage. "I know how much that sounds like a bad joke, but it's true. I've never tasted anything so utterly perfect!" He exclaimed in praise.
"Thank you," Samur said with a smile. "My children always told me how good my cooking is, but I didn't know how true that was. Hearing it from you is a long-awaited confirmation." He admitted.
"Was the food this good in Urdak?" Loona inquired. "Sorry if that's a sensitive subject." She added, not thinking about the nature of the question beforehand.
"The memories still pain me, as they always will. Be assured, however, I will take no offense. I want you to ask questions. Feel free to voice as many as you want." Samur promised her before answering. "As for the food, yes. Urdak WAS paradise. No flaws whatsoever. Well, apart from our unreadiness regarding Doom." He stated.
"You shouldn't think like that, sir. There's no way you could've known what would happen until Doom revealed itself. You said as much in the story. It was a literal void until it started consuming entire universes; only then was there any light to see the hidden horrors." Moxxie told him.
"I wish I could. But as the only survivor, I don't think I'll be able to until Doom is finally dealt with." Samur replied. "Also, please, feel free to address me by my name. I don't want there to be any formalities. I know how absurd that may sound, but it'll help us build a proper relationship and feel comfortable with one another." He requested.
"...Can...I call you Grandpa?..." Charlie inquired with a nervous yet hopeful smile. The poor woman had been restraining herself this entire time. Do you know how hard it was for her, after the shock and ESPECIALLY during the story, to NOT throw herself at Samur out of love and want to comfort?
"I'd be overjoyed if you did," Samur smiled. "I've always regretted not being there for you. I'm sorry for my-"
The Maykr didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Charlie was already out of her seat, hugging him as tightly as she could. This wasn't like her usual embraces of compassion and affection. A lifetime of never truly knowing her Grandfather, combined with the tragedy of his past, made this hug the most important of all time.
The others didn't speak or interrupt. They knew how significant this was for both of them. Unfortunately, the Princess couldn't keep from crying a small amount due to her joy. However, Samur welcomed these tears.
Eventually, after a few minutes of enjoying the moment, Charlie would break away.
"Sorry." Charlie apologized with a sniffle.
"Don't be. That was wonderful." Samur told her as she sat back down. "I now understand why your hugs are so well-known." He said.
"Like a ball of sunshine. Warm and comforting." Gabriel commented.
"She gets it from her Mother. I love Luci, but he's never been particularly warm. Well, maybe in the LITERAL sense." Michael chimed in.
"Thank you," Charlie said with appreciation. "But now that I've FINALLY hugged my Grandpa, we should get down to business." She told them.
"Agreed. As pleasant as this is, we cannot ignore the reason for the gathering." Samur agreed, now turning his attention to the space marine. "You've been remarkably silent, sir. Ignoring the fact that you're mute, of course. If it isn't too much to ask, I'd like you to start things. Although I precede you in life, I feel your time spent in the home of those wretched creatures still makes you the undisputed expert of Doom. I've only ever studied them and your battles from afar." He requested.
"I don't know if there's anything to contribute. Samuel, if he were here, might disagree. But in the end, all your story does is answer questions. As for our objectives, they remain the same. Reveal me and Doom to your people. The only new thing to be taken from this is the existence of Khan and Urdak. Retaking your home, getting it back online, and saving Khan would be a massive advantage for us. Other than that, I don't believe, beyond personal matters, that this has changed anything. Our enemies are still the same, and so is our method of dealing with them. Although, I suppose there won't be any more surprises and communication issues, which is good." Doomguy wrote.
"You say that as if it will be easy," Samur said with a chuckle. "Your skills are not in question, sir. It's Urdak that is the issue. The only reason it has yet to be absorbed into Doom is because of Khan's soul. The instant she is removed from the Divinity, that protection is gone. The assimilation, which was fully stopped, will commence immediately. Regardless of our preparations, powers, and resources, we could not resist the strength of Doom itself. You've experienced this before on Deimos during your initial encounter with the Demons." He explained.
"Would there be a way to prevent that? At all? Or is it impossible?" Doomguy wrote.
"If we could restore all of Urdak once the Demons are removed, it'd be extremely easy. One of the Ivory Tower's many functions is as a power source. I could stream the energy straight into Urdak. It would provide enough strength to the defenses and secure Urdak for good. The core issue of this plan, which is why I've never done it, is rebooting Urdak's systems. Even with my kind's flawless designs, the numerous machines and apparatuses will need time to become active. Unfortunately, with EVERYTHING offline, I can't connect to any device. Yet, even if I could, it would take MORE time to connect to everything else. Then there's the unknown amount of damage the Demons managed to cause before the Khan entered the Divinity. On top of all this, you'd need to protect Khan as she recovered, which might not be possible given how long she's been in the machine. Then you'd also need to redirect power from the Divinity to certain essential systems. I could keep going, but I'm sure you understand. Too many tasks must be completed swiftly and continue without issue or disruption. And we've not even considered the sheer force Doom will respond with. Again, you could handle them all; there's no doubt, sir. But when we create a portal between us and Urdak, Doom will be alerted. You'll be too busy dealing with them to focus on anything else. It is simply not possible. I don't know if it ever will be so long as Doom still exists." Samur stated.
For a moment, Doomguy tapped his pen on the table. Despite not changing his expression, everyone could see the gears of his mind turning. Could he come up with something? Was the space marine as good at strategy and planning as he was at shooting?
"What if someone handled those tasks for me? They would bring Urdak back to life as I held off the Demons. Surely then, we could reclaim your home and save Khan." Doomguy wrote.
"I have considered the possibility before. The construction of artificial intelligence. However, as strange as this might sound, I wouldn't know where to begin. We achieved full automation without considering the possibility of creating a new sentience. Since then, I've dabbled in the subject. The drones you've seen in my home are incredibly simple but are currently the best I can manage. It would take an amount of time that we cannot spend being complacent or patient to fully develop a true AI, teach it, and ensure it could do everything we need." Samur said.
In reaction, Doomguy smirked. A new expression for the space marine.
"Don't worry. I know someone. All we need to do is see Samuel." Doomguy wrote.
Although his words confused and intrigued the others, they didn't question him. If Doomguy was being truthful, which the others didn't doubt, they needed to bring Samuel here post haste.
"Come with me." Samur requested, rising from his seat. "With your assistance, we should be able to open a portal to your reality." He told him, to which Doomguy nodded.
"Is there anything we can do?" Charlie asked as the duo prepared to depart. She didn't want to sit around and do nothing if she could be useful. The others felt the same.
"Apart from finishing your meals, the only thing you could do right now is check on everyone else. Perhaps they'll recover from their shock faster with your aid." Samur suggested.
"Got it!" Charlie exclaimed, immediately standing. "...Um...how do we find their rooms?" She inquired with an awkward smile.
"Don't worry, dear. I'll have a drone for each room to guide all of you. They'll wait for when you're ready." Samur assured.
Again, feeling the same as Charlie, the others were raring to go. Everyone got up from the table, leaving the food to be cared for by more drones, then left the room alongside Samur and Doomguy. The time for talk was over; now it was time for action!