Chapter 120: Damned if You Don't

Chapter 120: Damned if You Don't

I leaned back against the gnarled trunk of a dark, contorted tree as The Operator spun its yarn, wishing I had a bit of popcorn to munch on. Kettle corn, specifically. I liked a little sweet with my salty.

Despite the absence of snacks, I was still intrigued by what I’d heard so far. Much of it added detail to suspicions I’d already harbored, or theories pieced together from the information we’d gathered. One thing that surprised me was the time scale the story dealt with.

The Old Ones being responsible for the System was nothing new. It was practically the first thing Grotto had said when we’d met him. But a hundred thousand years of experimentation to access the divine? Followed by multiple generations of trial and error before the System was devised? How old was this original civilization, and how advanced were they? Human civilization had existed on Earth for less than 10,000 years when I’d died, but these Old Ones spent 10 times longer than that experimenting, presumably after they’d already reached an advanced stage of development.

“Ascension is not achieved by a single individual,” said The Operator. “When the first generation rose to the heavens, 10,000 mortals transcended at once. Their minds and souls joined to push through the thin breach between realms with their combined will. However, their passage was imperfect. It was like a man squeezing through a narrow tunnel of broken glass, shedding flesh and blood in his wake.

“Shards of the ascended were left behind; shattered pieces of individuals, no longer distinct and whole. These shards mimicked the behavior of the ascended and were drawn to one another to form a new entity that sought to ascend. However, by the time it gathered, the ascension had ended, and the breach had closed. There was nowhere for this new being to go. And so, it fell back to the physical world.”

“The birth of an avatar,” Varrin guessed, and The Operator nodded.

“That does not make sense,” said Nuralie. “The avatars are manifestations of fundamental gods. Concepts that are woven into reality. They are not”–pause–“hive minds of mortal people.”

“How ascension changes those that ascend is not well understood,” said The Operator. “To reach the divine, their essence may be refined to its most basic nature. Perhaps something like humanity is a concept, or perhaps each generation ascends to become part of a concept that the majority leans toward. The ascended might even be divided into a thousand smaller pieces once they traverse the gap, each to join the heavenly force that they resonate with.”

“So, they don’t keep any sense of self?” I asked. “Their identity is annihilated.”

“An individualistic interpretation,” said The Operator. “I believe that their identity is added to a greater whole. Nothing is lost, but there is no “hive mind” like the Geulon describes. The new entity is singular, but contains all the distinction of each individual within.”

Xim tapped a finger along her jaw in thought.

“How does a random group of Delvers that missed their carriage to the divine realm turn into something like Orexis?” she asked. “Were there a hundred psychos in the god of Yearning’s generation?”

“Moral purity is not required to reach the divine,” said The Operator. “If it were, then reality would be morally pure. It is not. But, I do not believe that it is so simple. When the veil is pierced, divine energy flows into this world. That energy contains the intent of the gods. This intent seeks to shape anything it contacts. The shards are incomplete, lacking the combined will of the ascended. They are... easily corrupted.”

“Alright,” I said. “There are a lot more ‘I believe’ and ‘perhaps’ statements in your explanation than I’m comfortable with, but assuming what you’re saying is correct, then the entire avatar problem was created by the Old Ones and their System.”

“Correct,” said The Operator. “And the problem grows worse with every ascension.”

“Can we go back a little?” asked Etja. “What happened after the first ascension? You said it was a calamity.”

“Yes. All of the world’s most powerful Delvers ascended, and the breach to the divine closed. The System would gather mana for the next breach while the subsequent generation grew in strength, preparing themselves for their own ascension. When the first avatar fell upon them, there was no one strong enough to resist it.”

“Which avatar was it?” I asked. “What concept did it embody?”

“The precise aspect is lost to time, but it is believed to be an avatar related to Unity.”

“Unity?” said Xim. “That doesn’t sound very... calamitous.”

“It sought to ‘unify’ all life within itself,” said The Operator. “Whether such life wished to be unified or not. After the avatar appeared, the civilization of the Old Ones quickly fell.”

Varrin grunted.

“If it was so dangerous, why is anything left alive now?” he asked.

“The avatars require a large amount of divine energy to sustain themselves. Once the breach was closed, the flow of divine energy was reduced to a trickle. With the world’s Delvers slain by the avatar, there was no reason for the System to once again pierce the veil. The avatar starved until it went dormant.”

“Then what?” I said. “A few hidden survivors decided to start Delving again, despite the consequences?”

“No. All of the Old Ones were either slain or perished as the world became a barren wasteland devoid of most life.”

“Well, if everyone was dead then who-” I froze mid-sentence as a thought occurred to me, but it seemed too absurd to be true. The time required would make 100,000 years a drop in the bucket. “Did... an entirely new sapient species evolve and rediscover the Delves?”

“Correct,” said The Operator. “The next generation had no knowledge of the Old Ones or the dormant avatar. When they discovered the System, it was likely viewed as an incredible treasure. What records I can access indicate that they were able to proceed through all of the phases before the avatar of Unity reawoke. They ascended without ever knowing what they left in their wake, and with their ascension, created a new avatar.”

“How fucking old is the System?” I asked.

“I do not know,” said The Operator. “The time between generations has also grown shorter with each cycle. There is no reliable way to estimate.”

“You’re not an Old One?” asked Etja.

“No. I am from a much later generation.”

“Why hasn’t anyone shut this shit down?” I asked. “If the System creates avatars with every ascension, but the avatars are dormant while the System is offline, then turning it off would solve the problem, right?”

“For most early generations, the avatars were not discovered until they were on the verge of ascension,” said The Operator. “As the cycle repeated, the avatars began to awaken earlier. Some of the more recent generations have attempted to destroy the System or to disrupt it before the avatars grew too powerful, but they all failed.”

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“Why are the avatars showing up earlier each time?” asked Xim.

“Then you were the cause of the Littan encampment being destroyed,” she said. “You set off the entire conflict with Litta.” Nuralie’s tone wasn’t accusatory. She sounded more like a belief she’d held had been justified.

I took a deep breath.

“Let’s say that we still want to get into Deijin’s Descent,” I said, then looked at the Operator. “We’ve passed your test, right?”

“The Mimic administers the test,” said The Operator. “I ensure the Delve is operational and govern its access.”

“Alright, so we can go in?”

“The Delve will grant your entry,” it said.

“Great. Now the problem is how we make it to the entrance of the Delve. Maybe you can help us with that.”

The Operator tilted its head as it considered the request.

“Why?”

“The Littans have established themselves around the Delve,” said Varrin. “We expect that some of them will give us trouble.”

“We’re on their bad side,” I said. “We’ve been told there’s at least one that’s pretty high level, so it might be tough to get through them.”

“I am aware of the Littans around the entrance,” said The Operator. “How significant is the animosity between your groups?”

“We killed fifteen of their Delvers yesterday,” said Xim. She squinted up at the morning light coming through the canopy. “Or was it the day before? Hells, maybe it was today since we haven’t been to bed. I need some sleep.”

“They attacked us first, though,” I added.

“We were also partially responsible for sinking one of their fleets,” said Nuralie.

“Only like 10% responsible,” I countered.

“And Arlo slew one of Tavio’s party members,” said Varrin.

“That was a team effort,” I corrected.

The Operator scratched at its patchwork neck.

“I am heavily discouraged from assisting Delvers in any capacity,” it said. “I have already disregarded that dictate several times, however. If you can complete Deijin’s Descent, then I would no longer need to worry about the reality anchors for now. I could focus my energy elsewhere.”

“That’s a yes? I’m taking that as a yes.”

“I can create a distraction,” it said. “I will not defeat an army for you.”

“A distraction is good enough,” I said. “We can help with that, as well.”

“Many distractions,” said Nuralie. Pause. “Big distractions.”

I clapped my hands together and looked around the party.

“Before we move forward, have any of us changed our mind in light of what we’ve just learned?”

“We need more advantages,” said Varrin. “Hiward’s best Delvers can’t face the avatars as they are now. If they’re allowed to develop further, then they will have an insurmountable lead. Even if unlocking the phase increases their growth, we just have to grow faster with the tools the unlock gives us.”

As usual, Varrin had a well-thought-out and reasonable point of view.

“It is also a special Delve,” said Nuralie. “We will be stronger for having completed it.” Pause. “I look forward to disrupting the Littan’s operating base, as well.”

I thought that Nuralie may have been focusing too much on the Littan part of the situation, but that was fine.

“We already came all this way,” said Xim. “I’m not leaving without seeing what’s inside.”

A wholly irresponsible take from Xim, but I’d allow it. We all looked at Etja, who shrugged.

“Go team!” she said. I grinned and shook my head.

“Good,” I said, opening my inventory screen and scrolling through the list of our ready-made kits. I stopped on the group labeled “shock and awe”.

“Let’s go confuse some Littans.”