Rune Seeker

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Seena said at the same time Dr. Benza looked up from something the party couldn’t see. Compared to other versions they’d seen of the man, the doctor’s age looked somewhere around when they’d met him in the dungeons. He definitely wasn’t as old – or tired – as he was in the warning about Fallen Reach crashing.

“It’s recording?” he asked. “Good.” He nodded, lowered his head like he was gathering his thoughts, then looked up again as he placed something off to the side. “Hello, everybody. I’m sure you’re wondering who I am or why this ghost of me is suddenly talking to you. Don’t worry, I’m not here to haunt you, though that might be a better alternative to why you’re seeing this.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m sure I’m just making things worse by saying things that make no sense to you.”

“Nothing new there, doc,” Yanily said flatly.

“Let me start at the beginning. No, wait, that’s too far back. Let’s see… okay, I’ve got it,” Dr. Benza said, slapping a fist into his other open palm. “If you’re seeing this – if you’ve been able to activate the racial scanner – that means one of the four islands has failed. Possibly this one, though if you’re seeing this, I guess that’s unlikely.”

“Joke’s on you,” Seeyela said.

“Which means you’re probably wondering why you’re on a floating island at all. Why everybody around you is so young. Why you have the ability to build devices and incorporate runes into them, like the golems most of you likely have by now. Or, maybe why you need to get a crystal inserted into your chest when you’re young from the Foundation. You could be asking why you have a status window at all, and what being a Builder means.

“Some of you might not be wondering how you know how to use all your abilities instinctively, but why you do. That’s the first thing I should probably explain. It’s the same reason you don’t recognize me. Ah, I should’ve introduced myself. I’m Dr. Benza… though who I am hardly matters at this point.

“In all likelihood, it’s been – at most – a few years since the islands launched, which would mean many of you watching this used to know me. Yes, used to. But you don’t remember me, do you? Don’t bother trying, it won’t work.

“Your memories of life before the islands were one of the prices we had to pay for your magic. For your new magic to grow as strong as it could, all the old magic – and knowledge of it – had to be wiped clean. Hopefully only the one time, though there is the possibility of there being some – let’s call them – further complications if somebody over twenty snuck on the island.

“Ah, never mind my rambling. That’s so unlikely to happen, I shouldn’t be worrying you about it. Now, where was I? Right, right. Memory. Kind of ironic, isn’t it?

“Now, I’m sure it was a bit confusing when you awoke that first morning after the islands launched. To find yourself in an almost familiar place, but not. I can only hope the brief crystal recordings each of you made helped ease that difficult time. I’m sure it wasn’t perfect, as we had to limit what you could tell yourselves… but…”

Dr. Benza seemed to wilt a little.

“It was a heavy price you had to pay for our future, and for that, I’m truly sorry.” The doctor bent at the waist in a formal bow.

“None of them remembered anything from before the islands went up?” Yanily asked.

“Sounds that way,” Hiral said.

“How would that even work?” Seena asked. “The whole point was to fight the Enemy, wasn’t it? How would they know to do that if everybody forgot why we were on the islands at all?”

“Maybe he’ll tell us,” Seeyela said, as Dr. Benza straightened.

“Hopefully, it didn’t take the Bonders long to make their way to your island with instructions on what needed to be done. Yes, to confirm what you probably figured out, each island had its own responsibility in making the whole work. While the Makers’ island housed the… mechanism… to keep the islands airborne, and yours houses the precious vault and resources to build equipment you need to grow stronger, the Bonders were responsible for the instructions and training to guide your future, while the Growers, of course, are the source of most of your food.”

“We are?” Yanily asked, though nobody answered.

“Working together, you will have the knowledge, power, and resources to defeat the Enemy and take back our world…” Dr. Benza trailed off, like he was looking deeper in the room. “Sorry, I have to be careful what I talk about. More information on that will be found in the dungeon tutorials the Bonders explained. Or, perhaps you’ve even been down to the dungeons yourself, and you know what I can’t talk about. And why.

“However,” Dr. Benza sighed. “As I said, if you’re seeing this, something went wrong.”

“Understatement,” Seeyela said.

“Recent events have… reminded me things often don’t go as planned. And that certain parties out there will do almost anything to stop our work, or release things better left trapped.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Forget I said that last part. The reminder I mentioned, though, encouraged us to add this failsafe, though we only had time to add it to your island. Then again, even if we added it to the others, it needs the Solar Cores only your people will have the skills to produce.

“On a related note, I hope you’ve made use of the research facilities we left for you – and the half-finished projects within them.” Dr. Benza smiled. “As they were limited in their functionality, we were able to skirt some of the rules and leave them on the island itself, instead of in the vault. If you’re able to finish the work on them, I’m sure they’ll be powerful assets.”

Another glance at something else in the room, and Dr. Benza nodded again.

“It seems I have a habit for going off topic. Back to why you’re here – the racial scanner. This device is very simple. No, that’s a lie. It’s unbelievably complicated. But, it has one job. And it should do that job very well.

“What does it do? It locates anybody with PIM-based magic, and displays it on a real-time map. You may’ve seen the mapping systems used in the Asylums – it’s similar to that. If one of the islands has fallen – which it must’ve for this recording to have activated – then you can use the racial scanner to find the others.

“And you should find them. The war you’re fighting – the war you’ve inherited – is not something you can win by yourselves. You need the others as allies. Not just to enter the dungeons, but to support each other. You are stronger together.

“If…” Dr. Benza said as if something had occurred to him. “If it was the Bonders’ island that fell, and you received none of the instructions we left with them… well, I’m sure your first question is why we only left those instructions in one place. It’s a good question, and the answer is not – entirely – poor planning.” The doctor looked off to the side and glared at somebody. “Ahem. I can’t get into the details of it now, though it will be explained more in one of the tutorials I mentioned… which may not mean anything to you without the Bonders.”

He sighed.

“If the Bonders never reached you – or got the chance to explain anything – then there are two alternatives. The first is the chance the Growers will retain some of this knowledge through their connection with the Grandfather – the great tree central to their island. They may not know how they know, but trust their intuition on this. The Grandfather was… is powerful, and it will look out for its children. If they tell you ‘rules’ for survival on the surface, believe them. It is a gift from the Grandfather, though likely only an echo, as it too is restricted by the rules we’ve created.

“Heh, I say that, but the Grandfather itself is an exception to that rule thanks to… Ahem. Right. Can’t talk about that.

“The second means,” Dr. Benza went on quickly. “Is through the Makers’ stories. Each of their tattoos comes from a legend, with a rich history lost to myth and time. But the stories are true, at least to an extent, and the items and powers they represent once very much existed. It is, unfortunately, very possible the Makers may simply take them for what they appear to be – tall tales – and entirely choose to ignore the surface. If that is the case, you will need to force them to act.

“And act you must. If neither of these trails of information have reached you, let me say it clearly – you need to return to the surface by any means necessary. The Makers have tattoo magic that will allow you to go to and from the surface with relative ease. We have also placed a limited number of Discs of Passage – basically large, flying plates that can carry dozens of people – near the bottom of each island. You’ll need to access them through the tunnel systems.

“Or, maybe you’ll find your own way down. We didn’t name you Builders for nothing. Whatever the methods, go to the surface. Bring a group of six of equal rank – and with mixed members of all the surviving races – and look for the path of glowing roots. These will lead you to the dungeons, your best chance of getting stronger.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Within the dungeons, you will find interfaces that will give you access to tutorials. Contained within those will be the information you need about the war you may not even know you’re fighting. I apologize ahead of time for what will seem like tight restrictions on the information provided. I’m sure you will yell at the interface and ask why we’re withholding crucial details from you. I promise, it’s for a reason.

“Your growth. I can’t say more than that now – and it already borders on too much. Just know we’ve done everything we could to give you the best chance possible.

“So, please, use this device – the racial scanner – to find the others. Save them, if they need it, or join with them to continue the fight. Just like the islands are interconnected, so are their peoples. The other three need the equipment you can build and provide. The Bonders have necessary quills for the Makers and their reliance on tattoos, as well as non-crystal materials. While the Growers are the most self-sufficient and the Makers have the potential to be some of the most formidable fighters, even they can not stand on their own for long.

“And… it looks like this is the end of my time. I’m afraid there is no tutorial functionality installed on this system, so I hope you were paying attention. The rest is in your hands.”

With that, Dr. Benza looked around slowly, like he was taking in the party standing around him. Then he nodded again, and vanished.

In his place, a familiar globe appeared, filling the majority of the room, lights beginning to glow even as the party stood in silence.

“They erased their memories?” Seena asked, shaking her head slightly.

“Did they even know that was going to happen?” Yanily asked. “The people I met sure didn’t seem to.”

“It sounds like they left messages for themselves, so they must’ve,” Hiral said.

“And they were okay with it?” Seeyela asked.

“Probably didn’t have the choice,” Seena pointed out.

“Banst remembered,” Yanily said.

“Maybe because the islands didn’t launch until after this one crashed?” Hiral offered.

“None of that really matters now,” Seena said. “Left, you’ve got the most experience with these things. Could you?”

“Certainly,” Left said, reaching up and gently touching the tips of his fingers to the glowing light that made up the globe. Then, in a practiced motion, he spun it around until a small, pulsing white light was right above him. “This is where we are,” Left said. “Or, where we would be outside the dungeon, I hope.”

“Wow,” Hiral said, looking at the surprising amount of red dots not far from their location. “All this red… are these…?”

“They must be Bonders,” Seena said. “Look over here. Green and blue. Growers and Makers, the same colors as our status windows. And, given how they look like they’re floating, I’m guessing it’s showing them on our islands.”

“There are a lot of red dots,” Seeyela said. “Almost as many as blue or green. Does that mean that many Bonders actually survived the island crashing down?”

“It’s also been thousands of years since then,” Hiral said. “Maybe enough survived for their population to grow that big? If they didn’t have to worry about the limited space and resources of the island…”

“But the surface is dangerous,” Yanily said. “And we’re in a B-Rank zone. If I’m reading this map right, they’re in the next zone over. How are they surviving with things like those Chimeras running around?”

“Look at the terrain here,” Left said. “Natural mountains and limited paths. I don’t know what some of this is trying to show us – it almost looks like the ground is covered with tangled yarn. Still, there’s also high ground with sheer cliffs in most areas. While it’s nestled up against this savanna, most animals – or monsters – here would likely have a hard time overcoming these obstacles. It wouldn’t be impossible, but also probably not worth the effort for many. It might even keep the Bonders hidden from the worst dangers on this side. If the Chimeras never bothered going up there – because their prey didn’t go up there – they would never even notice the community.”

“We’ll ask them when we meet them,” Seena said. “After we pick up Nivian and Wule – and see this raid zone Left and Right found – that’s our next stop. We need allies against the Enemy, and if those Bonders have been down here this long, you can bet one thing.”

“They’re strong,” Seeyela said with a nod.

“Not as strong as us,” Yanily said quietly to Hiral. “Right?”

“Not likely, unless they found a way into the dungeons,” Hiral said. “Our gear makes a huge difference.”

“If red are Bonders,” Drahn said. “Blue for Makers, and green for Growers… what are these other colors?”

Everybody looked at the four other colors displayed on the globe.

The first that stood out was the yellow dot surrounded by four green, right beside the pulsing white.

“That’s got to be Hiral,” Seena said. “Your status window is yellow.”

“It is…” Hiral said slowly, eyes scanning across the rest of the sphere. “But, if that’s the case, why is it the only yellow I see anywhere?”

“Really?” Seena asked, and suddenly everybody was looking closer.

“Banst did say she was the last Builder,” Right said.

“I thought she was exaggerating because she thought the rest had died when the island fell,” Hiral said, but no matter how hard he looked, there weren’t any others.

“Maybe something happened to change the color,” Seeyela said. “You know, into one of these other ones we’re seeing.”

“It’s not the black,” Li’l Ur spoke up. “Even through this system I can tell they are undead.”

“And there are five of them right next to us,” Yanily said. “Why are there five? With a green dot too…”

“Nivian and Wule… have their own party?” Seena asked. “Of undead?”

“There’s a lot more than six around, too,” Left said. “I’m guessing there are thousands spread out in multiple directions. Not just originating from the city, either.”

“Of course not,” Li’l Ur said. “Though my Urn was there, this city was not my original seat of power. No, my true empire was over there, where you see the majority of the dots. I am surprised there are so few, though. Unless they entered some kind of slumber when my ex-wife stuffed me in my own Urn.”

“Then they woke up when you did?” Seena asked the lich.

“Possibly.”

“Are they all cute little mini-versions?” Yanily asked.

“Oh, that would be adorable,” Seeyela said. “A tiny undead party.”

Li’l Ur just scowled at the pair as they chuckled.

“Jokes aside,” Seena said. “Hiral, you okay?”

“Hrm?” Hiral asked, eyes still searching for any other hints of yellow. None. He really was the only one. The last Builder. Was that important? Dr. PIMP had said something along those lines. He’d have to figure it out later, though it sounded like the runes would be a key part of getting rid of the Enemy. “Yeah, fine.” Then to change the subject, he pointed towards the mass of purple dots. “Are those undead too?” he asked Li’l Ur.

“Definitely not,” the lich said.

“Doesn’t that purple remind you of something,” Right said, and held up his Meridian Lined arm. The one with the purple flames.

“Is that the same color?” Seeyela asked. “Damn, if it isn’t, it’s close. What does that mean?”

“And is it just me,” Seena said, stepping closer to the globe and squinting. “Or, do these dots look like they’re not in the right place. I mean, they don’t look like they’re on the ground.”

“That’s because they’re not on it,” Hiral said. “They’re underground.”

“Like in The Buried City?” Yanily asked. “Is it a dungeon we can see, or survivors from Dr. Benza’s people?”

“It’d have to be survivors, wouldn’t it?” Seena said. “Left, sorry to ask, but are you keeping track of where all these locations are?”

“I am,” the double said.

“That just leaves one more color,” Drahn said, pointing at a spot not far from where they were. “Guess it’s not really one color.”

His finger rested against a fluctuating rainbow of color, one so bright it actually hid the other dozen rainbow dots until Left spread his hands to push in closer to the image.

“What are those?” Seeyela asked. “Anybody see any others like them?”

“A few,” Hiral said, eyes scanning across the map. “This one might actually be in the same zone as us,” he said, pointing at a single dot. “Maybe back in the city. Hard to tell where the wall was. Then a few others scattered around. It looks like most of them are on the other side of some mountains separating them from where we are, though. Not close, but also not far.”

“Uh…” Right said, then looked at Left. “Are those mountains what I think they are? Or, did I get turned around?”

“They are,” Left confirmed. “The raid zone we found is within this mountain range.”

“Do you think there’s an entrance on that side?” Hiral asked. “That’s gotta be in the direction of the Horn zone, right?”

“Yes, based on where Fallen Reach seems to be,” Left said, pointing at the clusters of floating blue and green dots.

But, Hiral was hardly listening anymore, Left’s words triggering a sudden thought – a realization – that made his jaw drop.

“Oh… no,” he said slowly, eyes going back to the largest, rainbow dot.

“What’s ‘oh no’?” Seena asked, and the others looked back and forth between Hiral and the globe like they could figure it out.

“I know what the rainbow dots are,” he said. “They’re Infested.”

“A dozen Infested?” Seena asked, head snapping back to stare at the dots like she could burn them through the racial scanner with her glare.

“It gets worse,” Hiral said. “That big dot. One guess who that is.”

“A stronger Infested?” Seeyela asked, then narrowed her own eyes. “Oh. No way. No way at all.”

As soon as she said it, Seena and Yanily must’ve come to the same conclusion, their eyes widening.

“What is it?” Drahn asked. “What’s made you all look like you’d seen a ghost?”

“I almost hope it’s a ghost,” Hiral said. “Because if it’s not, that big dot is Vorinal. The Fallen who we thought we’d killed.”