27 The Old and the New

I ripped through the portal, everything around me blacker than coal. Schema's messages were gone. I couldn't see my hp bar or stamina or anything. Menu screens didn't pop up. There was a sense of structure that Schema gave things. I hadn't noticed it until it was ripped away. Now, everything was disorderly, like I was in a maelstrom at sea.

Still, two firm arms pulled me through it. After a few minutes of being dragged, I swooped through the cloud. Ahead of me, a floating eyeball with two limbs floated in space. Literal space. I was surrounded by asteroids in every direction, planets and stars crystal clear. Countless galaxies floated in the distance, even their tiniest lights visible. There was no atmosphere in the way. I could see it all with my enhanced eyes.

It was blinding and vast and beautiful. I stared off at, frozen in that moment. I mean it though, I couldn't move or breath. It was like time was frozen. The voice of Etorhma radiated like being hit by bricks,

"I understand if you are curious, little one. I have frozen time here, so that this vast void will not kill you. I've summoned other mortals. They did not fare so well without this precaution."

After he spoke, I could move. Of course, without gravity I couldn't do much more than look around. After a moment, my eyes met the basketball sized eye. The two arms shifted like they weren't even real, or like they existed somewhere else and these were just the memories of them.

I just don't know how to describe it. The whole place made me feel...off.

Anyway, I asked while narrowing my eyes at the tiny thing, "You're Etorhma?"

The voice shook my bones as it spoke, "No. Glance upward."

I glanced upward, and my whole perspective changed. Up was now forward, and Etorhma was there. Larger than a moon, Etorhma floated like a behemoth in space. Imagine a white mountain that took up your entire view. Now imagine it had split into several large chunks, with a reddish glow ebbing from between the crevices. As you looked deeper into the cracks, a fleshy, red skin led towards the unseeable center.

All these cracks converged towards a base below it, shrinking until they converged into a ball with a thousand limbs sticking from it. The reddish flesh slowly changed to a blue hue on these limbs, which were basically dozen jointed fingers. The ends of these things blended into the black space behind them. In other words, Etorhma looked weird as fuck.

I glanced back and forth before saying, "Uh...Good to meet you?"

"You as well, harbinger. I've summoned you. You would like to know why, would you not?"

I blinked, shocked by his normal way of speaking. I thought Etorhma would be this abomination, an endless evil that destroyed whole worlds. What I was meeting here sounded less pants-shittingly terrifying.

I said, "Uhhhh...Yeah. You read my mind."

"I did not. I respect the privacy of thought that your dimension has. It is an interesting rule to work around. Now, it is time to discuss why I called you here."

The light between the cracks brightened as Etorhma spoke, "You see, there's something I need of you. That extension of you, it can devour many very difficult to devour things. Things that even I cannot rid myself of. It has even eaten parts of my own self, though infinitesimally small."

I gulped as I said, "You mean...Althea?"

"Yes. What a quaint name for what she is. This Althea is close to the center of this mess I'm sending you to clean up. As you may imagine, you are not the first I've called here. You will not be the last. Many of those I've touched roam your universe. One of them you know, Yawm of Flesh."

One of the multi-jointed limbs jerked before Etorhma continued,

"He was a loyal servant of mine. He lost sight of sanity long ago, I'm afraid. He believes an unholy union of the old and the new. That thing you know as Althea was his creation. He found one of my other avatars. He used him to create Althea. In the end, you are much closer to what he is trying to create. He will bend you, if you allow him to."

I frowned as I said, "Yeah, fuck that."

"Good, you do not share his twisted vision. Yawm wishes for your kind to be melded with mine. He wishes for a new flesh, one that is neither old nor new. What he creates will rupture the fabric of all that exists. Even I will be torn asunder. You will stop him. You will devour him."

I sputtered, "I mean, I can try...Shit. You said the fabric of everything? Holy fucking fuck."

"Do not fret, for there is time, at least in your dimension. I am merely informing you. Interfering with a specific time is...difficult for me. It is innate for you, however."

My deep frown turned into a deeper grimace as Etorhma continued, "Destroy Yawm and the others who believe in his ideology. Hunt down their fragments once he has perished. Decimate all that he stood for. You are the harbinger of cataclysm, a sign of what is to come. As harbinger, you are the only one who knows of how to stop the ensuing cataclysm."

I couldn't help but feel a little inspired as Etorhma continued, "Stop the cataclysm you omen. Show them the might of your mettle, and the wrath of your will. Obliterate until they are but pieces of oblivion."

I tapped the edges of my legs with my hands, saying, "That's uhhh...A lot of pressure. You sure there isn't some other dude who's willing?"

"There are many who are willing. There are none who are able, besides for you. Rise or fall. The fabric of time depends on it."

I sighed before saying, "Alright. Doesn't look like I have much of a choice."

"What a fragile concept that is choice. Despite the vast power I wield, you have far more freedom than I. Your choice will decide whether we will retain existence, or something new will come to replace us. Be ready, harbinger."

Everything went black for a fraction of a second before my eyes popped open. Torix, Kessiah, and Althea were beside me. Hell, Althea even looked worried. I said,

"Fuck yeah. If I died, I'd be missed."

Torix rolled his eyes with a ripple of the fires. He said, "He's perfectly fine. Let's leave him be."

Kessiah leaned over and said, "What the hell just happened."

"You tell me. I have no goddamn clue."

Althea chimed, "You were sucked into the eldritch by an eldritch. Right as the portal closed, another portal opened and sent you flying out."

I nodded as I said, "Man...Etorhma can control time."

Kessiah gasped, "You...you met Etorhma?"

"Yeah, he honestly isn't even a bad guy."

Kessiah's eyes opened wide as she said, "What did he sound like?"

"Like he was talking to my entire life instead of just me."

Torix glared at me and said, "Why would Etorhma contact you?"

"To kill that fucker Yawm."

Torix raised a hand to his chin and said, "Really now...killing Yawm will be...problematic."

Kessiah scratched the back of her head as she said, "Yeah...Let's just run away from him."

I sat up and snapped, "What the fuck? We have Althea right here. You think Yawm's just going to stop chasing us? Hell no. You guys just ripped open a portal in dimensions so that random people wouldn't hunt you. Why is Yawm any different."

Kessiah glanced up as she said, "Uhhhh...how do I put this...Yawm's tough. Real tough."

I raised an eyebrow as I said, "How fucking strong can he be?"

Torix glanced at the ground and said, "He is over level 5000..."

My jaw fell open as Kessiah said, "Even us remnants are scared of the guy. I mean, we can always just hide somewhere if we don't want him following us, so taking Althea just isn't that big a deal. Actually facing him though? How about no."

Althea said, "Why did you guys keep me then?"

Torix turned to her and said, "Because you pierced straight through Daniel's enhanced defenses. You are not an enemy I wanted in the future, even less than Yawm."

Kessiah nodded as she said, "Yeah, from what Torix tells me, Daniel has broken the damage resistance cap somehow. Being able to punch through him at such a low level, well, it's insane really."

Althea glanced down, the very beginnings of a smile on her face as she said, "Thank you, miss Kessiah."

I suppressed a grin before I said, "Well, I've got to kill Yawm regardless. I wish it wasn't quite so impossible, but eh...I gotta do what I gotta do."

Kessiah said, "I don't think you understand, little guy. There's stories about Yawm. Big and bad ones."

Torix nodded as he said, "He's the only confirmed being to kill a sentinel of monolith. He's the reason other unknowns like Kessiah and I can walk in and out of dungeons like this. Schema doesn't bother unknowns over level 1000. Too risky."

I shrugged as I said, "Etorhma didn't say how or when I should kill Yawm. He just said I had to, or else even he would die."

Kessiah gulped as a silence came over the room. After a few seconds, she said, "So...good luck with that."

Torix glowered at her, his eyes turning to slits as he said, "You might as well wish us all luck, Kessiah."

"I helped you tear open the dimension. It was fun. I think it's about time I go though."

Torix stood up and said, "This is Etorhma, Eater of Worlds we're talking about, not the ramblings of a child."

Kessiah's shoulders drooped as she said, "Sure, whatever."

I elbowed her side as I said, "It'll be fun. We'll be fighting some fucked up shit, gaining levels, probably eating some tasty stuff. Maybe you'll enjoy it more than you think."

Kessiah pursed her lips as she said, "When you put it like that...it doesn't sound so bad."

Torix said, "Sounds almost nostalgic. A renewal of sorts."

Althea stood and said, "It's better than the alternative. Trust me. They can do things to us that we don't want to happen."

I nodded as I said, "I mean shit, we've got two frontliners, a summoner, and a sniper. What more could we need in a party?"

Torix nodded as he said, "Hmmm...I can't deny it. The idea of facing death after so many years. It's like electricity is flowing through these old bones of mine."

Kessiah said, "I suppose it sounds a little exciting. Kill the unkillable and all that."

Althea seethed like death, "I'll cave in his skull."

I put a hand in the center of the group and said, "Come on guys. Who's with me."

Kessiah rolled her eyes and said, "What are we? Four? Come on."

I kept my hand in the middle of our circle as I said, "Stop being lame asses. There's a reason children do shit like this. It's more than just throwing our hands up. It's a symbol. It means we have a goal. It solidifies resolve. Who's with me?"

I glanced around at each set of eyes. Althea stuck her hand into the center as she hissed, "I'll rip them apart, with or without miss Kassiah and Torix."

I said, "Tsk tsk tsk. Some necromancer and remnant you guys are. A bunch of bitches more like."

Kessiah glared at me and said, "Fine. Fuck you."

She put her hand into the center before Torix put his hand at the center of the group. Torix said with a grim smile, "I will get so many new corpses to play with."

I said, "To kill Yawm of Flesh. One, two, three. Fuck yeah."

The group raised their hands with me and shouted fuck yeah. Well, except for Torix. He said, "Fuck yeah indeed."

I flexed my arms together as I said, "Hell yeah guys. Let's fuck him up."

Torix nodded before he said, "Now we'll need a plan."

Kessiah shrugged as she said, "Doesn't matter what we do right now. We need these two weaklings to be above at least level 1000. Otherwise we won't they'll just be walking into a meat blender."

I shrugged as I said, "Then we just pull off a training montage. You know the gist. We go off somewhere, train till we can whoop his ass, then we whoop his ass. Simple."

Torix nodded as he said, "The plan of a simpleton...a good plan but still..."

Kessiah clapped her hands as she said, "Then it's settled. We're going to train till you two spineless jellyfish grow backbones."

Torix nodded as he said, "I'll need some more pawns of sizable stature. You both need enemies worth killing. Kessiah will act as an instructor. I can see the plan forming as we speak."

I said, "Sounds like we just have to go to some fringe world."

Torix nodded as he said, "Indeed you're right. I have just the place in mind. The primary problem is finding a way there."

I frowned as I said, "Don't you have teleportation or something? I know Schema does."

Torix laughed before saying, "Hah. Schema doesn't maintain portals on most fringe worlds. You have to travel there manually. I'll create a summoning ritual for us, so we'll be spawned there. It should only take a few weeks at most."

I raised an eyebrow as I said, "Should we go off world or something like that? Yawm's coming here, isn't he?"

Torix sighed before saying, "We could go off world, but each of us is considered unknown by Schema. This means we will likely be attacked on sight by hordes of mercenaries wherever we teleport too."

I frowned as I said, "Oh...That fucking sucks. No wonder you wanted to just get rid of the eldritch."

Kessiah leaned towards me with her head tilted. She said, "Speaking of which, you don't really seem like an eldritch."

I tapped my fingers as I said, "Well, uh...I suppose so. I haven't even checked my status screen since all that bullshit with the portal."

Kessiah sniffed for a moment before saying, "You don't smell like Althea."

I shrugged as I said, "Who knows what the fuck I am. I sure as hell don't."

Torix raised a finger as he said, "Actually, I have a theory about that."

Kessiah turned to him and said, "Ooooh, really? Do tell."

Torix raised a finger and said, "Remember that your armor was actually composed with the blueprints of sentient mana. The corundum of souls was what you called it. It was a mana gem though, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, a fucking huge one."

"That means that your armor isn't just composed of a soul like the ritual stated. It is also made of a mana gem. What are mana gems made for?"

Althea said, "To hold mana."

"True for most gems, but not entirely true for the corundum. If we went back in time, I believe you couldn't actually take mana out of it. You could only sink more mana into it. That means the gem didn't truly hold mana. It would actually eat it."

Kessiah said, "That means the armor took on the traits of the gem, but since the armor was constructed with eldritch mana as well. An exorbitant amount in fact. It would also create a soul as well, making the almost sentience of the armor more apparent. In fact, since it's an extension of your soul, that means your soul itself is expanding."

Torix nodded and said, "Well...yes. Exactly."

Kessiah giggled before saying, "Told you that I had more intelligence than you."

I nodded as I said, "Good job guys. I'm an energy eating monster. That's a relief."

Althea said, "I know right? We still don't know what I am."

I rolled my eyes as I said, "We do know that you're ugly though. That's something, right?"

Torix raised his palms and said, "Enough banter. We've only a little time till Yawm comes here. From what I can tell with Daniel, the portal plan was a wash. We just gave you an exorbitant amount of something. That, and you're surprisingly less hideous-"

"That's just the extra charisma. Trust me, I'm just as ugly."

"Then I will take your word for it. Regardless, we'll hide somewhere on this ball of mud while I scrape together a ritual for summoning. I'll be taking samples of blood for it later. Is there anywhere nearby with a large supply of marble?"

I tapped the edge of my chin as I said, "Uhhhhh...I actually think there's an abandoned quarry on the other side of Springfield. My friends and I would hang out there sometimes."

Althea frowned as she said, "Wouldn't we run into your old friends then?"

"Naw. I doubt they'd be hanging out there. I mean, with Schema here and all that, the place is probably a dungeon n shit."

Kessiah grinned as she said, "Then let's go. Adventure and all that awaits."

When we left, Torix left glowing crystals connected by a thread of mana from his finger. He even sent several minions down each corridor of the tunnel holding dozens of these crystals. Before we left, Althea told me,

"They're for destroying evidence. The mana in the crystals is volatile, and will detonate. I used them extensively when hunting for the doctor."

With that mystery cleared, we left BloodHollow for the last time. It was weird. I almost missed the hellhole as we passed by the sentinel for the last time. I checked my status screen again. Oddly enough, I hadn't gained a level in anything. Not harbinger of cataclysm or any skills. You'd think I would, but I hadn't. At least, I didn't think I had.

I also checked out the Sentinel's status.

Sentinel of Monolith(Lvl 5000) - A sentinel sent by the schema to guard the Monolith and gates that connect the schema to a world. [Fighting one is death]

So that's how Yawm killed one. He was over level 5000 apparently, so I guess he could kill one.

I wanted to give the guy my regards, so I said, "Good luck Sentinel. Some guy named Yawm's coming here. You may wanna bail."

Sentinel replied, "I may. Goodbye. Please, never come back."

What a heartfelt goodbye. Anyway, we left out of the dungeon before Torix opened his tome and cast a spell. Of course, being outside the dungeon, we couldn't even hear the explosion.

With that handled, we set out towards the abandoned quarry. Althea, Kassiah, and I all ran. Torix floated along on his little chair. We made on sight, tearing through the forest. Within an hour, we'd already passed springfield and reached the quarry, gray clouds looming overhead.

Burrowed into the side of a mountain, large slabs of unharvested marble laid out, reflecting some of the sunset. The orange, clay earth was dry since it hadn't rained in a long time. Trees bordered the entire expanse, caging the sky in at the bottom of the pit. At the very bottom was a 100 foot block carved out of the side of the pit, creating a tiny cave. It was like a hideout. That's probably why Kelsey, Michael, and I had hung out here.

Graffiti of all kinds covered the nearby buildings, warehouses, and blocks of marble. This wasn't just our hangout spot. When we reached the inside of the quarry, I leapt into the bottom the pit. My feet sunk deep into the clay as I landed, squatting down. As I stood up, I glanced into the cave and saw four people.

Out walked Kelsey, Michael, and two other people I'd never seen. As they walked out, a downpour of rain started. Scars traced their cheeks, Michael's being much leaner than the last time I saw them. They glared at me with hard glances, and by a miracle, the rain turned to a downpour. The luck stat was already kicking in. I'd already made a dramatic entrance on accident.

As the rain fell like bullets, I said,

"Holy fuck this is melodramatic."