Chapter 49

Afternoon (Chronological coordinate set undetermined):

Welcome back Traveler. You have a total of four previously-encountered portals that you may choose to exit using. This list excludes your Sanctioned portal, and one deemed too hazardous for your use at this time. You have also met the Traveler criteria for any other portals connected with your organization on World number 5. Please indicate which destination you desire.

Veronyka sighed in relief. Her entry into the Network via the portal in Final Harbor had worked. A quick aerial sweep beforehand showed only two remaining zombies raggedly wandering the town. Both were too far away to be a threat as she landed and dismounted from Ream’ch. Her mount couldn’t go with her, so she instructed the dragon to find a place she could hide but keep an eye out for Veronyka’s return. With a pang of regret, she’d watched the dragon fly off.

“The one by Stationary Point One.” She said.

Another blink and she was in the chaos realm. Here the portals were denoted by a simple platform with a lighted ring around the edge. The Cyberpunk House sentries on duty in the guardhouse waved in recognition, which she returned. The House itself, sitting behind blurred and shifted in place as the time-current altered flow. She had no desire to give herself a headache, and besides she had other needs right now. She turned and began walking to the nearby carpet vendor. Of all the mind-bending aspects she’d been forced to get used to, riding around on a flying carpet was the most surreal. Luckily, Tiwaz had an account that she’d been given access to. She authorized the deduction and tossed the rolled-up cylinder in front of her. Remembering at the last moment, she deactivated her armor’s disguise function.

Here it was wise to project maximum strength, especially if you weren’t the most powerful being around. She took a seat as the fringed rectangle hovered a foot off the ground.

“House As’giird.” She told the carpet.

Then spent the next hour fighting to keep her stomach from doing somersaults as the terrain sped by at breakneck speed. She refused to look down, spending more than half of the ride with her eyes glued to the multi-hued sky above. When the carped jerked to a stop outside her destination, she gladly got off and rolled the thing up. She’d put it in the storage cubby just beyond the entry gate, for her next errand.

A massively thick and skyscraper-high wall surrounded the House. Its style blended military functionality with an Asian flair that always confused her. It looked nothing like what you’d expect given that everybody associated with it had some counterpart within the Norse pantheon. Annihilation cannons, manned by giants poked out of firing ports to cover the only entrance through the perimeter.

That gate opened a moment later as she reached for the alert switch. Haem Dhull greeted her from within.

“Daughter of the House, enter and be welcome.” He smiled. “It is good to see you again.”

“Thanks, Haem.” She gave him a quick embrace before ditching her transport.

“Your son has much energy this day.” His smile quirked. “Mist struggles to keep track of him.”

“I’ll go find them, then.” Veronyka assured him. “Thanks, again.”

“Rest easy, in the House.” He waved her onward.

She made for the family quarters front door, and it too swung wide at her approach. Youthful laughter pealed from within. The butler, one of a rotating crew whose names she never learned gave her a welcoming smile and pointed across the main foyer to the hall where her son came toddling out at a full run. Veronyka took off her helmet, and squatted with her arms spread.

“Momma!” Mason squealed happily.

The boy was closing in on two, and missed her terribly. He crashed into her with his own arms encircling her waist.

“Momma! Momma!” He repeated endlessly.

Veronyka scooped him up and stood. Kisses and nose-rubs followed as she inhaled his scent.

“How’s my little guy doing?” She asked playfully.

“Good!” He babbled on about something he’d been doing with Mist.

That woman appeared, as though summoned by his word.

“Welcome back.” The Valkyrie smiled.

“Momma!” Mason pointed at Veronyka in announcement.

“Your mother is here, yes.” Mist looked at her. “Do you intend to play with him for a while?”

“Yeah.” Veronyka smiled at her son. “I’ll take him. Can you let Tiwaz know that I need to ask his advice, when he gets a free moment?”

“I will do that.” Mist waved as she moved off.

“C’mon lil’ guy!” She bounced Mason as she headed for her room. “Can you help mommy get her armor off?”

“Armor! Uff!” He agreed.

She nuzzled him again as they headed up the stairs.

The next several hours were spent playing with Mason, then cuddling with her exhausted son for a refreshing nap. That’s how Tiwaz found her, when he had a moment to stop by. He called Mist in and they put Mason into his room, since he would wake up first.

Veronyka woke up the next morning, in her rarely-used bed at House As’giird. For a moment, she couldn’t figure out where she was, before it all came rushing back. Tears spilled down her cheeks again.

That was how Mist and Mason found her a while later. The toddler dragged his nanny into Veronyka’s room.

“Momma! Momma!” He demanded.

Veronyka pulled him up to cuddle again.

“Momma, cry?” He asked.

“I’m just happy to see my lil’ guy.” She lied.

Mist gave her a ‘talk later’ look and left the two alone.

Later, both the Valkyrie and Tiwaz located her in the House practice room. Her Spike whirled and poked holes in the ever-shifting targets as she worked up a sweat. Blue light flashed with every hit.

Mist took two spears down off the practice rack, and tossed one to her.

“A real opponent is better.” Mist argued.

Veronyka collapsed her Spike and put it on the bench beside Tiwaz. The two poles cracked against each other shortly afterward.

“What is it that bothers you, sister?” Mist asked, after the first few passes.

“I—no matter how much I practice, being good in a fight isn’t the same as being good in a war.” Veronyka complained.

Mist nodded. “This is wise. To be a warrior means placing the group, unit, army ahead of your own needs. It requires great discipline, and much patience.”

“And I’m terrible at it!” Veronyka screamed.

Tiwaz chuckled, making Veronyka look at him, and nearly get her head smacked when Mist swung. Veronyka barely got her weapon interposed in time.

“Why do you claim such poor ability?” Mist asked, when they disengaged.

Veronyka stopped, dropping her pole to her side. “I’ve been operating on my own for so long, I have no idea how to be a ‘team player’. Now it’s upsetting the men I’m trying to help.”

“Veronyka.” Tiwaz patted the seat next to him with his fake hand.

Fryja’s brother was also a Technomancer, like his sister. But he’d gone a step farther and actually implanted most of his equipment into his body. The amalgamation of sensors and focus devices attached to the end of his arm only vaguely resembled a hand in any traditional sense. But when he’d decided, sometime after Fryja’s death to dedicate himself completely to the healing arts he was famous for, he’d replaced his former prosthetic with one better suited to that purpose.

Veronyka put her practice weapon up, and sat down. The kindly older man wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled in for a hug. Which only started the waterworks again.

“Tell me what happened.” Tiwaz said quietly, when her sobs slowed.

“I, I’m trying to help these guys, on Challenge, you know?” She hiccupped. “John’s friends, that he brought from Earth. One of them was leading this group of refugees who got attacked. When the others wanted to come in slow, I refused to go along with their plan. Afterward, they chewed me out for being a selfish bitch.”

“Was anyone killed because of your refusal?” Tiwaz asked reasonably.

Veronyka shook her head. “No. The Islander who has healing powers was there. Nobody died. One of John’s friends is a doctor on Earth, and he helped Vasin develop a good triage protocol.”

“Then, why does their words upset you so much?” He pushed.

“I don’t know!” She exclaimed. “But Mason, the guy I named my son for told me to quote ‘get my shit together’. And Ben, John’s other friend said I have to decide if I can be a team player, or if I need to go my own way. I’m just trying to help them out!”

“May I examine you?” Tiwaz asked, pointing at the training mat.

“For what?” She was confused.

Mist, weapon put away, walked over and tugged her to her feet.

“Have you seen John since we last saw you?” Mist asked.

“Yeah, about two months ago now ... oh no! We...” Veronyka looked from one to the other, “you don’t think...”

“Let me examine you.” Tiwaz repeated.

“Yes sir.” She laid down as he directed.

He ran his ‘hand’ over her body, starting with her head.

“When you saw John, I take from your reply that you engaged in physical mating?”

Veronyka snorted. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“Many times, I take it as well?”

She took a deep breath. “Yes.”

“And how long has it been since you received the block from me?”

Her voice was tiny. “Well over a thousand days.”

“My uncle warned you that you were highly fertile, when mating with that man, didn’t he?”

“He did.” She admitted. “I forgot how long it had been, since I never ... did anything otherwise.”

“Well,” his hand hovered over her stomach, “it would seem you are, indeed pregnant again.”

She laughed and sobbed simultaneously. “Of course I am!”

They adjourned to the family meal room, where House servants laid a midday spread for them. Mist disappeared, then returned with Mason in tow. Veronyka’s son ran over and gave her a big hug.

“Momma! Runch!” He declared.

“That’s right, lunch.” She smiled, hoisting him into her lap.

She continued feeding the boy while the adults talked.

“What advice did you need from me?” Tiwaz asked.

“Well, the other problem we have is that ... ahem, John’s missing.” She informed him.

Tiwaz had a pair of blonde eyebrows that climbed right into his hairline. “Missing? How so?”

She gave him a quick rundown on what Ben and the Colonel had told her.

“So,” Tiwaz summarized, “he’s been transported, against his will, to some other part of Challenge. And you need to find him?”

Veronyka pointed at him. “Exactly. There’s only one person I know who might be able to tell me where to look.”

Tiwaz gave her an unreadable look. “My uncle.”

“Yeah.” She admitted. “But he’s already done things for me, I don’t know how he’d react to me just showing up and asking.”

“Once, in the past he was besieged by those eager for his knowledge.” Tiwaz said. “Throngs clustered outside our gate, and followed him wherever he went. Though we are rich enough that it was unnecessary, he decided to charge each supplicant for his services. His hope was that this would dissuade most from asking. He knew exactly how much to demand, that would make paying him financially difficult. When that didn’t work, he raised the amount to ruinous levels, and still more came. Every one willing to give all they had for his information. Finally, he settled on a payment many would refuse.”

“A service.” Veronyka guessed, thinking of her already existing agreement with the Seer.

“Some he bade do the deed before he would impart what he knew.” Tiwaz continued. “Others he placed under a ... compulsion, one that he could activate at whim. For many, the requirement was childish, or silly but embarrassing, and they refused. Those he knew to be shameless, or desperate enough were the ones he placed the unbreakable agreement on. Kingdoms, and fortunes have risen and fallen because of his machinations. Today, he is so feared that only the most dedicated, or crazy go to him. I believe he could have done worse, and only did enough to give himself a reputation few dare brave.”

“So, you’re saying that you think he’ll put one of those compulsion things on me?” She asked.

“I know that they work, even across the barrier between worlds.” Tiwaz informed her. “You spend most of your time on Challenge, or Earth. It would be the only way he could ensure you abided by the agreement.”

“Do you think it’ll be something bad for me, or John?” She pressed.

Tiwaz looked apologetic. “I believe it will be something difficult, that only you can do. And it will be to his benefit, not your own. Remember that. No matter what, my uncle thinks to his own welfare first. It wasn’t always so, but when my father abused their relationship, it soured my uncle to the point that he refuses to step foot in this House.”

“So,” she summarized, “I have to decide what I’m willing to do, to get John back.”

“And whether it costs you more than you can foresee right now.” Tiwaz warned.

“Thank you, uncle.” She smiled.

He waved her thanks away. “I am always here for you, daughter. I’m glad at least one of you, no matter how strange the manner, can visit from time to time without becoming trapped. Do you intend to return, and continue assisting your friends?”

“I do.” She stated firmly. “I just need to figure out if I’m going back with information they need.”

In the end, it was no decision at all. Unless what Delphi demanded put her children at risk, she’d pay whatever he wanted if she could help John. Though she had faith in John, from her talks with Typhon the dragon’s version of a lesson didn’t exactly line up with what a human would expect. The Sapphire Dragon was a hard taskmistress, especially when she meddled.

Veronyka placed her rolled up carpet beside the others sitting outside Delphi’s tent abode. Squaring her shoulders, she entered.

“Ah!” Delphi exclaimed. “Come in, come in! You know my servants and apprentices of course.”

Veronyka made the rounds, greeting those she knew and getting names for the ones she didn’t. When she was done, the Seer gave a signal and the room emptied out. He indicated the chair, as far as she could tell, the very same one she’d sat on for her first meeting with him. After a few moments, while Delphi was pouring drinks for each of them, one of his apprentices returned, dropping off a long, narrow chest in the middle of the space.

“Thank you.” Delphi dismissed the being.

If she thought Seeker had been odd, Questioner was even more so. His form was tough to look at, since it was over fifty percent chaos.

“Now,” Delphi continued, “you are here to ask me a question, if I’m not mistaken.”

She felt silly verbalizing it. He probably already knew what she needed. Still...

She spitted it out all in one breath. “My friend, John is missing. One of the dragons sent him through the Network to someplace else on Challenge when he finished his. I need to find him.”

“Why?” The Seer asked simply.

“Typhon’s not exactly known for her gentle nature. If I had to guess, I’d say she dropped him into a shitty situation.” Veronyka explained.

“Well,” Delphi quirked his version of ‘smiling’, “you are correct that she sent him somewhere difficult. She claims in your particular chronology that it was as a punishment, but I See no possibility anywhen where she failed to send him away involuntarily, or sabotaged his next portal trip. His actions during the Challenge appear not to matter for this locus. He was chained for a time, though now is free. A king who shares his name has placed a price on his head, and he wanders an unfriendly land without knowing how to proceed. He looks for portals in one of the few places there without any.”

“Where?” She demanded.

“Ah-ah!” He held up a hand. “I know my nephew has told you of my requirement. Though he is wrong as to its purpose.”

“You don’t do it to keep people away?” She asked.

“Oh no.” Delphi denied. “I care not who comes to ask for my aid. Although few dare these days.”

“Will you tell me why, then?” She was curious now.

“I will, if only so one person from the House of As’giird knows the truth of my nature.” Delphi began. “When I was much younger, and greatly less powerful, I realized that to improve my nature, and to affect positive change in the worlds I would need coin to support what already looked to be a very long life. After that was accomplished, I needed levers to initiate the changes I knew would be most effective. Only a few tasks I demanded were ever demeaning, and those were because I knew great evil would result from my aid and contriving their refusal kept my reputation intact.”

“What kind of change are you trying to make?” Veronyka wondered.

Delphi leaned forward with a deadly serious expression. “The kind which permits humankind to face the Elohim and defeat them finally. Followed by our ascension into the ranks of the Network Administration.”

“That’s pretty ambitious.” She said to fill the silence while her mind spun.

Delphi saw through her. “No more ambitious than believing you’re the person to give your country access to another world. I merely have the power to affect a greater number of people. Someday, should you succeed, you and John may be the vehicle by which my ambition is realized.”

Veronyka’s jaw dropped. “Me? And John? How on Earth would we do that?”

Delphi shook his head. “You will not do it on Earth.”

“On Challenge?” She demanded.

“I will say no more.” Delphi made a cutting motion. “Were I to tell you all the permutations, we would spend years to no benefit.”

And, back to the old cryptic Seer.

“Are you prepared to meet my price?” He asked, after a moment’s silence.

“What’s your price, exactly?” She wanted to know.

Delphi pointed at the chest sitting in the tent’s center.

“You may open it, though I suggest you not touch the contents yet.”

Curious now, she knelt and undid the latches. With her fingertips, she lifted the lid wide and sat back.

Inside was a ... she squinted ... spear? And at one end, an odd assemblage rested in a cushioned box. It looked like someone made a pair of gloves out of gold, then cut off everything except the fingertips, and a strip across the underside of each finger. Each strand connected to a narrow bracelet, which in turn had another cable going to a small setting, with a crystal inside.

“What is it?” She asked.

“A Reflection. A connection to the Great Weapon stolen long ago, and returned by my niece and her paramour. Unlike the one Wotaanz carries, this is a Major Reflection. Able to call the actual Artifact to its place for a single use.”

Her mouth was dry. “Wh—ahem, what do you want me to do with it?”

She wanted nothing more than to get up and leave. Whatever task Delphi intended, if it involved this thing she was more than likely to die in the attempt.

“I wish you to carry it.” Delphi’s voice gentled, as though he knew how scared she was.

Which, come to think of it, he probably did.

“Uh, I can barely see it.” She looked at him so she didn’t have to keep spraining her eyeballs trying to make it out. “How can I carry that?”

“You are a physical being.” He replied. “With physical weapons. I will add the Reflection to your Spike, where it will make your relatively simple spear into a weapon of great power.”

“With great power comes greater responsibility.” Fell from her lips without conscious thought.

“It does.” He smiled, a real one that chilled her to the core. “When the time comes, you will call the Artifact to you and use it on the one I indicate.”

Her eyes went wide. “Who?”

“My family’s great enemy, of course.” Delphi replied. “The shape-shifting Loftyr. You will use the Artifact’s unique power on him, and he will cease to exist.”

Her mind reeled. “You want me to fight a guy who you’ve been chasing for longer than I can imagine, who’s instigated wars in two worlds, and wrecked one completely. That’s the guy you want me to go toe-to-toe against? Are you nuts? He’ll wipe the floor with me in about two seconds, if he even notices me at all.”

“He will not,” Delphi disagreed, “for he is no warrior, not really. He’s cunning, and sly yes. But if you bring him to bay in a place he cannot escape, you will find him a less strenuous foe than even the Valkyrie you killed.”

“This is real? This is really what you think I can do for you?” She confirmed.

“Veronyka,” his voice was gentler than she’d ever heard it, “there is no future I see for you where I lead you to an untimely death. This I swear to you. You will face peril, more times than I can count, but there is always a way for you to win through.”

She had a thought. “And this is in addition to the favor I already owe?”

“Yes, though that task will be, compared to this relatively easy.”

She looked back at the box. Her eyes fell on the gold mess at one end.

“What’s that for?” She pointed.

“You are a Technomancer.” He sounded amused. “What do you think it does?”

She picked up the stuff, surprised at how light it felt. The material was thinner than paper. On a hunch, she tried to slip it over her gauntlet fingertips.

“I ... would not do that quite yet.” Delphi warned.

“Okay,” she set it back down, “why not?”

“It will bond with your armor instantly.” He told her. “You have not agreed to my contract yet. It will obligate you.”

“Are there any other parts I don’t know yet?” She asked. “Take the Reflection, use it when you tell me to. I’m guessing this is what lets me control the Reflection itself.”