Elder Cultivator

Chapter 989

“So,” Alva asked. “Why is it sunny and why would that make sense?”

Catarina walked around the perimeter of the cylindrical room where they had found a portal room. “The sunlight isn’t a power source. Not directly, at least. It’s a connection. With that connection, it would then draw upon the power of the star- but the light and heat reaching Metenin is seriously insufficient to power any of this. Definitely not a single beam.”

She stepped closer to the middle, where there were controls, of a sort. A pedestal with a hemisphere of crystal on top, just begging to have someone activate it with upper energy. Catarina, of course, did not. Instead, she continued to inspect it.

“Can we figure out where it goes?” Velvet asked.

“I think… it doesn’t go anywhere,” Catarina commented.

“That’s ominous,” Timothy replied.

She smiled back at him. “Depends on how you look at it. In some ways, the portal here also did not go anywhere.”

“So it connects to a subspace?” Velvet asked. “Or a… sub-subspace? Is that even possible? Or does it just go back to the planet?”

“The second thing, I believe,” Catarina said. “About… half a dimension deeper?”

Catarina paused for a moment. “How many hours do you have?”

“Will we get squished?”

“This is where it being a portal is quite relevant,” Catarina explained. “Because I don’t know. But I do know that a portal between spaces will allow us to verify whether we will cease to function or not.”

“So we might get squished,” Alva nodded.

“I believe we would be going into higher dimensions, so more likely we would find ourselves missing something. Or discover greater form to our selves we haven’t perceived. Either way, I am quite interested… and I have no idea why this is here.”

“What do you mean?” Timothy asked. “Why what is here?”

“Any of this,” she gestured broadly. “And I say that with great overconfidence. I have no idea. The possibilities are… difficult to even comprehend. First, the traces of Everheart. Style and subrunes gives him away. So I can only make a few basic theories. First, he somehow destroyed an unknown and very advanced sect. That’s out, because people would have remembered that. Second, he found them later, and used their techniques for something. Or third, it’s all fake and made by him. I will always lead to fake, and it best explains random ‘disciples’ that carry vital keys to nearby areas..”

Timothy nodded. “Wouldn’t the purpose be as some other kind of tomb, then? A way to entrap people and come out ahead with their loot.”

“It’s not deadly enough for that,” Catarina said.

“And there was a way out, at least at the first facility,” Velvet nodded. “But then…?”

“It could be an experiment,” Catarina frowned. “But why leave it accessible? He could have absolutely hidden it forever, and he certainly didn’t need to leave clues indicating the existence of other facilities.”

“If it’s Everheat,” Velvet pointed out.

“When we first came, I felt it was him trying to hide his presence,” Catarina said. “I think it would have been successful for most. But the clear lack of functionality of this place was something more. He has no sense for aesthetics and practicality. We just come across vaults and armories and gardens. Defenses. Maybe a library, somewhere. But the dormitory was placed impractically far from the kitchen and dining area. And no, there’s not some formation based reason for that. He just put them in because they fit.”

“For a man with so much attention to detail for formations,” Timothy said. “It’s odd.”

“Is it?” Catarina raised an eyebrow looking at her husband. “Which one of us rearranged our living quarters to better support formations? It was me, obviously. And the quarters are worse because of it.”

“... It’s not that bad,” Timothy said.

“If we spent more time there, it would be. But we don’t exactly relax at home. We’re just as likely to be somewhere else, designed by people who know what they’re doing. It’s a good thing Ruterans helped with the labs, because otherwise it would be inefficient in so many ways I’d never bother with.”

“Point made. So, should we try to activate this?” Timothy looked at it.

“I’m going to study it more deeply. Then we activate it and see if it atomizes a stick.”

-----

“... Is feeling relaxed a problem?” Misi asked. “Because I feel like we should care. But it’s hard to.”

“Better than being angry,” Durff said.

“Won’t it affect our combat?”

Juli shook her head. “Clear minds are good. I hope.” She took stock of herself. Advancing to Integration had been weird. And now they were all deeper into this place, and everything was wrong. Another step, through a portal unknown. “I’m more concerned about this,” she said, waving her hand through the wall. From the right angle, that worked. And from a different one, she ran into it.

Durff had gotten stuck in a wall. Or maybe some of the wall had been stuck in him? Apparently it hadn’t been a pleasant experience.

“There was something weird about the portal,” Jyotsana commented as they walked along, “I just can’t quite pin it down.”

“Does it matter?” Durff asked.

“It might. And I don’t want to forget,” Jyotsana said. “It was… warm? Like fire.”

“Do formations overheat?” Misi pondered. “Well, if they lasted this long it will be fine.”

“There was something else familiar,” Jyotsana wrinkled her face even further. “Warmth and light? I feel like I’ve sensed something adjacent.”

“Don’t think about it too hard,” Durff said.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“But I’ll lose it if I stop.”

Durff shook his head. “Thinking too hard always makes me forget. Then a week later, bam! The thing I wanted to say. No longer relevant, of course.”

“Fine, I’ll give up on- Sybella!”

“How are you going to give up on her when she’s not here?” Durff tilted his head. “You okay?”

Jyotsana rolled her eyes. “I mean that’s who it reminded me of. Warmth and light.”

“Light…” Durff said. “Like the Veiled Brilliance? She did have a similar style.”

“No, it was more… something. I feel like it was similar but…?” Jyotsana shook her head. “I’ve lost it. And trying not to think about it didn’t help.”

“... Do you think we can eat golems?” Durff asked.

“Our food supplies should last us a year,” Misi pointed out. “And all of us should be able to sustain ourselves with upper energy.”

Durff shook his head. “I can’t. But I did put a lot of food in my storage bag.” He reached his hand in and pulled something out. He squinted. “Is this bread, or steak?”

“... We should be careful with our storage bags,” Juli commented.

-----

Alva was working on the range of her senses, fighting against the restrictions of the formations, when Catarina opened the portal.

“Arrow,” Catarina gestured.

“Physical or energy?”

“Physical first. Just toss it.”

Alva tossed it into the hallway she saw. It landed and tumbled.

“Seems fine,” Catarina said.

“It turned wrong and I saw the inside,” Alva grimaced.

“Interesting. Energy arrow?” Catarina asked.

Alva pondered for a moment. “It should be fine. I won’t actually be there.”

She nocked a Spirit Arrow in her bow. It snapped forward, crossing the distance in no time at all. She was with the arrow.

Suddenly, she was the size of a star, then a planet. Her perception shrunk down rapidly, ceasing at the moment she/the arrow hit a wall. Massive vertigo almost caused her to stumble as the world swirled around her.

“I don’t like it,” Alva said. “I don’t know if it’s dangerous, but it feels weird.” She frowned. “I wish Anton were here. Asking for guidance remotely isn’t the same.”

All of them nodded, even Fuzz. It had been centuries since they had actually met in person. They were still able to see his face, hear his voice, and even feel his energy through their most complex communication devices but there was no interaction. No back and forth, questions immediately answered. Just recorded messages.

Something about the portal ahead of them… she didn’t have questions to put into words, but if Anton was standing beside her he would absolutely be able to answer them. Or guide her towards finding the answer on her own.

“Sorry, uh. I think it’s vaguely safe. I don’t know if we should do more tests or-”

Fuzz swung his tail into the portal. “Weird,” he growled. Then he stepped through. “Very uncomfortable.”

Catarina shrugged. “Well, at least it seems that this isn’t a trap. Or at least, not an instant death trap.”

“Is there a way to return?” Alva asked. “Once it closes.”

Fuzz moved around, then poked his head back through. “No more activation thing.”

Catarina nodded. “I have some options, if we can’t find a return portal.”

“Me too,” Velvet said.

“We might just have to tear through space,” Timothy said. “I’m not that great at it, but… we can do it.”

“I think I have sufficient formation flags to return us to a proper dimension even without modifying anything in there,” Catarina said. “I guess we all go in together.”

“Can we keep it open?” Timothy asked. “Like the last one?”

“That would take… much longer,” Catarina shook her head. “This is more complex, and has greater protections against modification.”

“Is it a good idea for us to actually go?” Timothy asked. “Should we come back later?”

“I would prefer to explore the depths,” Catarina said. “And then perhaps tear this whole thing apart from inside out.”

They had a quick discussion about the pros and cons of waiting, but there wasn’t a more qualified group to send. At most, they could have more people, but sending an army through seemed riskier.

So they stepped through. Everyone wobbled a bit, but Alva fell flat on her face. But she didn’t even notice, until her senses returned to her body. The feeling was twice as strong before, her senses extending forever and then collapsing inward. Not that there was anything there. Except…

Alva picked herself up. “Is this sub-subspace… bigger?”

“Can it be?” Timothy asked, looking to Catarina for the answer.

“Of course. It all depends on how much the formations have stabilized. A limited amount of space is almost an illusion, especially when one crosses dimensions.”

“The edge of stabilized subspace feels like a wall, right?” Alva asked.

“You’ve been in secret realms and experienced subspace travel before,” Catarina said. “You should know the feeling.”

“What does it mean when there’s a crack?”

“A crack in…?” Catarina asked.

“In nothing. A big one.”

“Where?” Catarina looked around.

“Between like, a hundred and ten thousand kilometers that way,” Alva gestured.

Timothy looked at her carefully. “Are you alright?”

“My expanded senses busted and now my head hurts,” Alva said. “I’m pretty sure this half dimension is like three quarters of one now, by the way.”

“Weird,” Velvet said. “I don’t sense it. I believe you, of course, but my own senses didn’t go so haywire.”

Fuzz sniffed. Then he whined an apology. “My daughter would be mad at me for taking so long but… I’m pretty sure this place is filled with poison.”

“How bad?” Catarina frowned. “Do we just… leave?”

“I have literally no idea,” Fuzz shook his head. “That’s the limit of my knowledge. It’s a bad smell.”

“Does anyone feel… nothing?” Alva asked. “Sorry, I mean… I’m noticing the lack of extraneous feelings. Like that overconfidence. I hope it didn’t get us stuck in here.”

“I feel the same about our decision making now as I did before,” Catarina said. “Though that might change as we move about. Fuzz, if you could warn us if the density of this poison increases. Everyone, monitor your own health and those around you. If we feel faint, we’ll opt for an immediate escape.”

Timothy led the way, straight into a wall. He stumbled back. “I… didn’t even see that. No wait…” he frowned, taking half a step back. “It’s not visible from here.”

Alva shuffled forward. “I have the feeling that’s not quite right.” her senses were extended- not limited by formations at all, but by something else, which was worrying- and she couldn’t feel it at all. She continued forward and the wall was there. Or parts of it. “I think… maybe it didn’t exist.” She hopped. “I think we can… go ‘over’ it?”

Everyone else hopped as well, trying to see what Alva did. “... Huh.”

Everyone but Catarina. “I’m going to write a great paper about being in partial dimensional second-order subspace. No, it will need to be a more complex experience. I should take recordings.” She pulled something out of her storage bag. It appeared to be inside out. “Noted. Now let’s see if an inverted sensor explodes when powered.”

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