The Celestial Way

Chapter 7.4 - First Steps of the Way

During the journey, the worst of his problems was the damned hatchling dragon. She followed him everywhere, and constantly pestered him with questions. He drove her away with threats and harsh words, which seemed to work for a while yet then she would always return, silent at first, then gradually more talkative. This scenario repeated over and over until he gave up, and tried to get used to her presence, meeting any attempt for communication with determined silence. This seemed to have small effect on the dragonet's presence, yet at least it lessened her constant babble once she realized he no longer spoke to her at all.

The long, tortured days turned into weeks. Still there was nothing in sight except wilderness, and no connection to the Viirt was present. Tension started to rise. Airo wondered if perhaps they hadn't fallen into another spatial trap. Kiana became more and more restless, arguing constantly they had to change direction. Airo was about to agree reluctantly when, a day later, they found something.

They were driving across a narrow valley, with a glacier to one side, and a hill to the other. Atop the glacier was a tall, metal obelisk with a spherical, crystalline structure on top.

"What is that thing?" Veralla asked, pointing a claw at the obelisk.

"No fucking idea," Kiana said, while she and Zuckeroff stared.

"It is an E-beacon," Airo said, looking at the structure. He had seen such devices on Utopia Draconis numerous times, where they had been a familiar sight. It seemed their design hadn't changed much during the last seven centuries.

"What's it for?" Zuckeroff asked.

"The beacon interdicts the surrounding area from changing under the influence of the paraworld's field," Airo explained. "A chain of beacons is used to form a constant, set topography, like on a normal planet. They also make sure physical distances are equal to actual distances."

"Um, yeah, it looks quite cool. Hey, Boss, how do you know all those things? I thought we had no network access."

"It's called learned knowledge, gamebrain," Kiana snorted, though she cast Airo a sidelong glance.

The hill was crowned with an equally tall yet considerably larger structure, adorned with an array of sensors and antennas. Its profile was more readily recognizable.

"A comm tower!" Kiana gasped.

"We're saved!" Zuckeroff said.

Suddenly, Airo's power armor speakers crackled. "Commander, sensors are getting heightened anomalous readings, coming from north by northwest, relative direction."

Airo looked in the indicated direction. In the distance, strange clouds gathered in the skies. The horizon itself appeared to waver, and colors were intensifying unnaturally. Atop the glacier, the E-beacon's crystal sphere started to darken.

"What the fuck is that?" Kiana asked.

"I guess it's trouble," Zuckeroff said.

"Very," Airo agreed gravely, watching the horizon. "That is a warpstorm. It distorts reality itself."

"A wha-wha?" Zuckeroff's jaw hung open.

"You're kidding," Kiana snorted. "There ain't no such thing."

Lightning flashed many miles away, and abruptly hit the communication tower as if it had fallen from the clear sky overhead.

"And it is the worst one I have ever seen," Airo added.

"Fuck, what're we waiting for?" Kiana shouted. "Let's get out of here!" She began to turn the ATV away.

"Stop!" commanded Airo. "We are not going anywhere."