The Broken Gates

[Macavity116]

Happy Saturday, dear readers! I'm spending the weekend having some extra fun for my birthday. (tomorrow)

In the meantime, I've got two special weekend posts planned for you, mainly because I'm in a very celebratory mood. This is the first of said posts.

Please scroll down for an opportunity to meet the protagonist and antagonist of my next Stellaris story:

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UNSUNG PARAGONS
Introduction to Ino and Araj


​

Main Protagonist: Ino Esperanta

Species and Species type: Human/Mammalian
Age: 24
Homeworld: Earth
Hometown/Country: Ushuaia, Argentine Republic
Military service/rank: Coalition Military Intelligence/Lieutenant Commander


Background: Ino is the eldest daughter of Rajano and Glorinda Esperanta, who are currently high ranking members of the Esperanto Movement. This political organization seeks to install Esperanto (a constructed auxiliary language) as the primary mode of communication for both the Earth and Coalition governments. She has a younger sister named Venka. The Esperanta family is afflicted by a severe case of “Golden Child syndrome.” Venka is, according to her parents, a perfect young woman who is incapable of doing wrong.

Ino is a very intelligent young woman, full of self-doubt sown by her parents. She was taught by her parents that she has constantly failed to measure up to Venka’s physical beauty and intellect. Ino grew to resent her family and left, seeking education and employment far from home. Ino graduated from the University of Buenos Aires and joined the Coalition Navy. After taking the Coalition Aptitude Exam, Ino was offered a post in Coalition Military Intelligence. She became a Tactical Officer.

Ino unexpectedly found fame right at the very beginning of her military service. She was selected to participate in the annual GALEX Exercise, a massive war game carried out by Coalition military forces. During the exercise, Ino was ordered to join the OPFOR, a group of soldiers who role-played the part of the enemy during a simulated battle. The goal of the simulated combat was to test the ability of Coalition super-capital ships to defend against smaller vessels, and OPFOR’s defeat was a foregone conclusion. Ino turned the situation on its head. She used unconventional tactics to create a situation where the Simulation Controller had no choice but to award Ino credit for singlehandedly destroying the UNS Excalibur, the newest and most advanced Battleship in the Coalition Navy. Ino became a minor celebrity on Earth, which put Ino back into unwanted contact with both her family and the political movement they represented. Ino’s fame spread outside of Coalition territory, as the idea of a massive Battleship being ambushed and destroyed by a tiny destroyer is very outrageous. The incident also drew the attention of the Coalition’s enemies, such as the Astral Fellowship.

Ino’s story: At the beginning of the story, Ino is serving as Tactical Officer aboard the Coalition Battleship Marathon during the final days of the Forgotten War. (a large-scale conflict between the Coalition and Fellowship) The Marathon and her escort fleet are travelling to Rally Point Gamma 4, where a strike group is being assembled for the next battle. The Marathon and her fleet travel through a Hyper Relay to shorten the journey. Unfortunately, the Hyper Relay was booby-trapped by the enemy. The Marathon and her escorts are crippled beyond the ability to move or fight. On the other side of the Hyper Relay, the Coalition fleet finds the wreckage of an allied fleet that flew into the same ambush.

Unfortunately, the debris field is located perilously close to the Hyper Relay gate, leaving no room for evasive maneuvers. The already-crippled Coalition fleet meets with disaster. The ships of the escort fleet are badly damaged or outright destroyed by collisions with shipwrecks, while the Marathon itself impacts the derelict hulk of her own sistership Sparta. The collision inflicts catastrophic damage on the Marathon, killing more than half of the crew, including all of the bridge officers, leaving the CIC staff to take command.

As the seniormost surviving Tactical Officer, Ino reluctantly assumes command of the Marathon. All of the surviving crew from the escort fleet abandon their own vessels and join the Marathon crew. Just before starting the long journey back to Coalition territory, Ino’s crew discovers a second group of survivors. Some of the Augments have survived the deadly Fellowship ambush and are attempting to resume their own mission: Augment Commander Rylan Quin has been ordered to escort Astrocreator Azaryn, the Legendary Paragon, out of the war zone and into the safety of Coalition space. He accepts Ino’s offer of aid, and the two crews make their way to Earth together.

Unfortunately, the enemy fleet responsible for the ambush is still nearby... and their commander is unlike any Ino has faced before. Ino has never met this man. She doesn’t even know who he is, but he knows Ino... and he will pose a deeply personal threat to her...


Main Antagonist: Araj Zilfallon

Species and Species type: Desstican/Necroid
Age: 47
Homeworld: Dekronia
Hometown/Country: Tulnui, Immeto Terrestrial Fellowship
Military service/rank: Voidwalkers/Captain


Backstory: Araj is the 116th child of Aramachus Zilfallon, the current Supreme Ruler of the Desstican Astral Fellowship. Growing up amidst the incredible wealth and power of the Zilfallon Dynasty, Araj has been the master of all around him since he was old enough to give orders. He was given an education in Astral Theology as mandated by his father. Like the rest of the ruling Dynasty, Araj became a religious extremist, ruling over the rest of the Desstican people through a hybrid apparatus that fuses organized religion and interstellar government into a single operation. Araj is a strong believer in the concepts of fate and predestination. He will justify his acts of cruelty and self-service as “the will of the cosmos.”

As a young man, Araj developed several “proclivities” that led to him being branded as a deviant by his innumerable siblings. Most notably, Araj became fascinated by the many alien species currently enslaved by the Astral Fellowship. (It is generally thought that the enslaved population outnumbers Desstican people on any given planet in Fellowship territory) Araj devoted himself to the study of non-Desstican lifeforms and the immense transformation they underwent when entering the Chamber of Elevation. (The place where enslaved aliens are forcefully and irrevocably transformed into Necroid lifeforms) Between the ages of 25 and 35, Araj purchased approximately two hundred alien slaves to satisfy his fascination. It is thought that at least fifteen of these enslaved people were Humans abducted from the Borderlands, a region of space where the Astral Fellowship and the Coalition share a disputed and poorly demarcated border.

When he was 42 years old, Araj caused a scandal on Dekronia. He was part of a diplomatic delegation sent to visit the Coalition Embassy in the Desstican capital city of Tulnui. The ceremony was to celebrate the arrival of Human Ambassador Maev Akers. After participating in the formal ceremony, Araj offended the Human delegation by expressing outrage and contempt at the news of a woman being named Humanity’s ambassador to Dekronia. (Women in Desstican society are non-citizens, little more than property of their fathers or husbands) Relations between the Coalition and the Astral Fellowship were already beginning to sour at this point, but the Supreme Ruler was neither ready nor willing to engage in hostilities just yet. Araj was reprimanded by his father and then ordered to commence a new career in the Voidwalkers. (The spaceborne military forces of the Astral Fellowship)

Araj was made an officer as soon as he joined the Voidwalkers. At his father’s insistence, Araj was given command of Coordinated Attack Group 29, a small flotilla of stealth ships roughly analogous to a wolfpack of Cloaked Frigates. Group 29 patrolled the Borderlands on a mission to conduct covert reconnaissance on the Coalition in preparation for an upcoming offensive war against the Coalition. Group 29 used their cloaking technology to penetrate Coalition space on multiple occasions during this time. It is believed that Group 29 facilitated the abduction of roughly 15,000 Coalition citizens during this time, most of whom were pressed into slavery by the Astral Fellowship while a select few were converted into Necroids at the Chamber of Elevation.

Two months before the Forgotten War began, Araj was aboard his flagship, the Cloaked Frigate Cordana, when he was ordered to conduct covert surveillance of the GALEX war game. Araj and his crew witnessed the highly improbable and now-famous victory of the destroyer Defiance over the Battleship Excalibur.

It is thought that this was the moment when Araj first became aware of Ino Esperanta... his now infamous obsession with her may have started at this point as well.

Araj’s story: At the beginning of the story, Araj is still the commander of Group 29, though he aspires to command a larger and more illustrious fleet. Group 29 lost only one vessel over the course of the war and has scored a number of victories, including the wholesale destruction of a transport fleet, which disrupted the Coalition’s efforts to liberate the Augment Homeworld. Araj was also instrumental in the abduction of nearly four million Augments, Humans, Lithoids, and Toxoids, all of whom were either enslaved on Desstican worlds or taken directly to the Chamber of Elevation. After the Voidwalker fleet was definitively defeated at the Battle of Trappist, Araj was ordered to wage a fighting retreat out of Augment territory and back into Fellowship space. He was also instructed to lay traps at Hyper Relays, to catch and destroy Coalition warships as they attempted FTL travel.

The booby traps laid by Group 29 caught two fleets at the Imogen Gate, a Hyper Relay located on the border of Augment-Fellowship space. First, an Augment fleet was attempting to escort Legendary Paragon Astrocreator Azaryn to safety. The fleet was mostly destroyed and Azaryn became stranded. A little less than two days later, a Coalition Battleship and her escorts fell into the same trap. To Araj’s delight, a Human who once captured his attention is aboard said Battleship, ready to become the target of his obsession once more...

 

[Macavity116]

Dear readers, this chapter contains two reused jokes. One is a rehash of a gag from Chapter 7. The other is a reworking of a humorous moment last seen in the final chapter of The Great Lie. Can you spot them?

Also, a quick note for anyone watching the YouTube companion video: I think this is the first time a picture of Trig Shepminter has been seen anywhere in the Greater Macavity116 Narrative Universe. (aside from worldbuilding posts) Rather odd that Trig didn't get his own official artwork until after his own story ended.

<=== Episode Nineteen: Today we kill the God of Ink!

Episode Twenty-One: I only feel despair. It's all I have left. ===>​

​

The Broken Gates
Episode Twenty: I’m starting to hate this plan.

---

Marisol
Creator
Stockholm, Sweden


The final thirty minutes of the journey to Stockholm were the longest of Marisol’s life. Herten clutched his phone close to his chest, listening intently as the Creators and Creations went over their plan one last time.

“We have to take all of Malum’s allies.” Sebakhira was saying. “Break his hold on them the same way as Mina here.”

“I can free two people at a time.” Akira said. “But it takes a lot of focus. I’ll need you to cover me while I work.”

“In that case, we need to force Malum’s team to split up, so they can’t reinforce each other.” Blake pointed out. “What if a few of us go out to Rothelmen Island to attack the Broken Gate?”

Varian interrupted.

“Attack the gate? No, let’s use it!” He (or she) said. “Let’s pull some really powerful Psion out of their story and get them to help us! Let’s get Empress Tantomile, or Duane Gardner, or the Ranginui Twins, or heck, let’s go all the way and get Jericho!”

Akira shook her head.

“It’s a good idea, but we need the Reality Perforator to do that.” She explained. “We can try to take it from Malum, but knowing him, we’ll have to take it off his corpse.”

While the Creations argued with each other about the best way to attack Malum’s team, Marisol sat down next to Blake in one of the seats near the front of the plane.

“I have an idea.” Marisol said. “Another idea, I mean.”

Blake leaned over and allowed Marisol to whisper into his ear. He listened to Marisol’s idea for about two minutes, and then he interrupted.

“I’m starting to hate this plan.” Blake said. “You’re walking a fine line between a really clever trap and just surrendering to Malum.”

“I think it could work.” Marisol said.

“It’s a longshot.” Blake said. “No chance in hell would that work.”

Marisol wanted to press the argument, but Akira suddenly appeared in the row in front of the two creators. She was holding Cali’s cell phone.

“Sorry, but I’ve got a bone to pick with my Creator.” Akira said. “Blake, I’m gonna ask you this just once: Did you make porn of me?”

Akira turned the smartphone to face Blake. Marisol recoiled in shock as her eyes were assailed by a very lewd image of Akira. Blake shrunk into his seat, muttering:

“Not this bullshit again.”

Marisol stood up and quickly got away from the confrontation, trying to tune out Akira’s complaint. Moving toward the back of the plane, Marisol pulled out her smartphone and opened an app she had not used since before this adventure began.

“What’s that?” Aisling asked, looking over Marisol’s shoulder.

“Where did you come from!?” Marisol gasped in surprise. After a moment, she calmed down. “This is a speech-to-text app. It’s how I write my own stories… and if Blake’s plan doesn’t work out…”

Marisol lowered her voice.

“Then this might be our last chance to save ourselves.”

“How?” Aisling asked. “How does it work?”

“The computer listens to my voice, and then it writes down whatever I say.” Marisol replied.

Marisol raised her phone and began to talk into it:

“The God of Ink was a lonely deity.” Marisol said. As she spoke, her words were transcribed on the page. “High atop the Great Mountain, above the Silver Clouds, the many Gods and Goddesses of the world lived in a glorious community. They were neighbors and friends, some even came together to form families. But the God of Ink had no one close to him. He was the patron of storytellers and wordsmiths. He spent his time hunched over his writing desk, creating through his art great wonders beyond the wildest imagination of children. But when the day was over, and there was no work left to do, the God of Ink spent his leisure time alone. He saw his fellow deities form friendships, flirt and fall in love. He began to feel empty.”

Aisling let out an awed gasp as the text appeared on the screen. She looked up at Marisol.

“How could a story help us?” Aisling asked.

“I think if I do this right, it’ll give us another way to defeat Malum.” Marisol said. “But this will only work if we have the Reality Perforator.”

Marisol and Aisling looked at each other. They both swayed on their feet as the plane started its final decent into Stockholm.

“If I see it, I’ll try to grab it.” Aisling said. “Do we have to bring it to the Broken Gate?”

“No.” Marisol replied. “But if we can get it there, that’ll make this crazy idea of mine easier to pull off.”

…

The Learjet set down at Bromma Airport on the outskirts of Stockholm. As soon as the deployable stairway was in place, Blake and Cali faced the Creations.

“Malum’s got the jump on us, and he’s already inside Paradox HQ.” Cali said.

“All bets are off now.” Blake added. “We can’t afford to play by the rules anymore.”

“We need to get to Paradox HQ as fast as possible and start picking off Malum’s team.” Cali said. “Remember the plan: take’em two at a time, and avoid grabbing more than one Gifted person at a time.”

Cali rounded on her SWAT team.

“You guys? We’re in the shit right now. I don’t care how many civilian vehicles you have to commandeer, just get us to PDX, understood?”

“Yes, ma’am!” A trooper responded.

“We isolate Malum.” Blake said. “Get him on his own. That’s the key.”

Marisol wanted to disagree, but she held her tongue.

…

Trig, Sebakhira, and Kanti erupted out of the plane, a wave of Psionic energy preceding them. By the time Cali and her team were on the tarmac, the Gifted Creations had already used Telepathy to force an airport employee to give up the van he was driving.

“Everyone pile in!” Kanti ordered. “I’m going to fly ahead and get us a second vehicle.”

In a matter of minutes, Team Marisol was rolling away from Bromma Airport, riding in two airline-owned passenger vans. In the lead vehicle, Cali turned around to face Aisling.

“Malum is probably going to see us coming. Is there any way you can mask our approach?” Cali asked.

Aisling looked over at Marisol, who was muttering into her phone. Marisol looked up.

“It’s okay. I trust you’ll find me no matter what’s about to happen.” Marisol squeezed Aisling’s hand.

The fairy locked eyes on Cali.

“How do I know the way to the battlefield?” She asked.

Bella replied from the driver’s seat:

“Just follow the blue lights and sirens.”

…

---

Malum Ralpakin
Creation
Stockholm, Sweden


The Great Khan stood on the roof of the Paradox Skybridge, looking down at the street below and around at the two buildings the structure was connecting. To his left, Paradox Headquarters. To his right, the local office of the International Rescue Committee. Down below… Stockholm City Police.

There were nearly two dozen law enforcement vehicles clogging the street. Officers, equipped with bullhorns, were trying to speak to Malum, but they were beneath his notice. He raised one hand to the side of his head, listening to a telepathic message from Cassandra.

Restoring electricity to the building is impossible. The power was remotely cut off at a distant source.

Malum was forced to give credit where it was due. Paradox Interactive had made scant preparations for his arrival, but they were preparations nonetheless. He would have no choice but to fight Blake Robinson and his Creations before seizing full control of the game company. He was pulled out of his own scheming by two voices down below.

Two of the Swedish police officers were talking to one another. They spoke Swedish, but Malum could penetrate deep into their minds to understand the words:

“Sir! I have a message from command!” One of the cops said. “It will take an hour to scramble the National Task Force!”

“National Task Force?” Replied the Commissioner. “Does the Royal Army know what’s happening here!? You’d think super-powered aliens would get more attention!”

Malum raised one hand, causing a pulse of telepathic energy to ripple across the block. Malum’s willpower seeped into the minds of the police officers below.

“Your sense of duty is commendable.” Malum spoke to the assembled officers. “Now you must do your duty to the ruler you love with such devotion.”

In an instant, Malum purged the officer’s minds of any thought related to Swedish King Carl Gustaf, and simultaneously filled the men and women of the Swedish Police with newfound love and devotion to the Great Khan.

The Commissioner blinked his eyes and started to issue new orders, calling on his subordinates to set up a defensive perimeter around Paradox Headquarters. A moment later, Whetu Kealoha appeared on the roof.

“I’m going back to guard the Broken Gate, as you ordered.” Whetu said. “Is there anything I should take with me?”

Malum noticed that Whetu was wearing a heavy coat overtop of her normal outfit. The hem of her grass skirt was just barely visible beneath it.

“It suddenly started getting cold.” Whetu said. “Really, really cold.”

Vapor clouds formed in front of Whetu’s face as she spoke. Ice crystals were starting to form on the skybridge. A solitary snowflake fluttered through the air.

Uisce the Water Witch re-formed herself on the roof of Paradox Headquarters.

“They’re here.” She announced, shaking icicles from her dowsing rod. “They’ve brought the cold.”

Malum looked up, searching the skies above. After a moment, he spotted two white birds circling high over Paradox HQ. A peahen and a loon.

“Well, here we are.” Malum said, co-opting a phrase often used by his Creator to signal penultimate peril. “Are you ready to pledge fealty to your new master?”

Kanti replied, her squawks echoing off the side of the building:

“We have different plans, though if you ask politely, we’ll let you have a marked grave.”

Malum turned to Uisce.

“The Sarcophagus!?” He asked in a very impatient tone.

“Installed and under guard.” Uisce replied.

A twisted smile came over Malum’s face.

“Good. Then it is time.” Malum replied. “Now we can engage them without restraint.”

Malum addressed Kanti once more.

“For too long, we have been the unwilling participants in chaos, made for the entertainment of distant spectators. Tonight, we shall end this forever.”

Malum pointed one finger at Kanti. A bolt of lighting shot out of a nearby cloud and struck her. Kanti screamed and started falling to the ground. The loon, issued a mournful cry, folded her wings, and dove after the stricken peahen.

A moment later, there was an eruption of gunfire!

Varian Robinson, Sebakhira, Trig Shepminter, Cali D’Kara, and all six members of the PDX SWAT team thundered around a street corner and made a beeline for the Paradox Building. Trig held one hand aloft projecting a Psionic field as he went. Swedish Police were overwhelmed by Trig’s power and fled, throwing down their weapons as they went.

Malum grabbed Whetu and said:

“Defend the Broken Gate!”

Then he jumped off the skybridge. Malum landed on his feet, slamming into the street with such force he made a small crater. Sebakhira reared to her full height, claws out, teeth gnashing.

“GO! I’LL TAKE HIM!” Sebakhira roared.

Malum tried to blast the others with Telekinesis, but Sebakhira moved quickly to block it.

“I am your foe! Fight me!” Sebakhira snarled, her mouth filling with blue Soulfire.

Malum raised his right arm and activated the Venn Brace. As the Prometheus Device came online Trig, Varian, and Cali pushed their way into the Paradox building.


…

---

Trig Shepminter
Creation
Paradox Headquarters


Trig threw an arm out to stop Cali from walking into the line of fire.

“Gunmen ahead! Look out!”

Wood and plaster fell onto Cali’s head as someone fired a Gauss Rifle inside the main lobby. Trig tossed Cali to the floor and then projected his own Psionic power through the wall.

“Stay back!” Trig yelled. “D’Kara! It’s your husband and his sister! I’ve got them.”

“How? It sounds like Dak and Moka have got magnetic weapons over there!” Cali said.

“They do.” Trig said. “But I know a Psionic technique that should get them both.”

Trig pressed his hands together and then pulled them apart. A dark wisp of black smoke hovered between his palms. Trig knew that he was trying to save Dak and Moka from being killed, but just for this moment, he needed to put those feelings aside. Trig looked deep inside his own soul for two highly specific emotions. Without them, this technique would not work. Trig built up his focus and willpower, and then he found both of the requisite emotions: Apathy and Despair.

Trig funneled those emotions into a telepathic wave and then pushed it through the wall toward his targets. Dak was hit by the wave, and then the Psionic pulse jumped out of his body, striking Moka. They dropped their weapons and slumped to the floor, dazed.

A low whistle caught Trig’s attention.

“Was that a Mind Scorch? Isn’t that an evil power used by the villains?”

Blake and Marisol had arrived, and it was Marisol who had spoken.

“Yeah, Mind Scorch is totally a villain power.” Blake replied. “Hey Trig, did Ponnico teach you that in your story?”

“Nah, I figured it out.” Trig replied. “What about Sebakhira?”

“She’s holding her own, but not for long.” Marisol said. “Aisling and Kanti are on their way to help, but Malum is strong. We have to move quick!”

<=== Episode Nineteen: Today we kill the God of Ink!

Episode Twenty-One: I only feel despair. It's all I have left. ===>​

 

[Macavity116]

Author’s note: Special thanks to Reddit user r/Theletterz who made it possible to take a virtual tour of Paradox Interactive Offices and Paradox Development Studio Offices using Google maps. While said virtual tour is now quite old, some of the location descriptions in this chapter would not have been possible without this aid.

<=== Episode Twenty: I’m starting to hate this plan.

Episode Twenty-Two: That is how it feels to be powerless. ===>​

The Broken Gates
Episode Twenty-One: I feel nothing but despair. It’s all I have left.

---

Marisol
Creator
Paradox Headquarters, Stockholm


Marisol dialed Cali’s cell phone number, and Akira picked up on the other end.

“First two are prepped and ready for you!” Marisol said.

“I’m on my way now.” Akira replied. “I can sense someone on the roof, coming down to you now!”

“Behind us!” Cali yelled.

A cascade of freezing water fell down a nearby staircase before reforming into a Human shape.

“Uisce!” Blake yelled. “It’s the Water Witch!”

The Water Witch raised her dowsing rod, but before she could make another move, Trig was on her. He conjured a Psionic construct, a shimmering wall of purple light that held back Uisce’s next assault.

“Lady, I’ve got nothing against you! But if you’re not going to back off, then you’ll have to fight me!” Trig said.

Cali turned to the rest of the team.

“Where’s Akira, she should have gotten here by now!?”

…

---

Akira Robinson
Creation
Stockholm, Sweden


Akira was just outside of the Paradox building, mere feet away from the lobby door, when she was intercepted.

“Stay where you are!” Whetu shouted.

Akira turned on the spot and dodged an incoming Psi Lance. Telekinetic force tore up pieces of pavement and ice before sending them flying. To her left, Akira could see Malum and Sebakhira fighting. The old lioness was projecting a cone of Soulfire toward Malum, but he had used his own power to freeze her assault in midair.

Whetu appeared, descending from the skybridge and landing with far less force than her master.

“You’re going to regret going against the man you love!” Whetu said. Psionic energy rippled and crackled around her.

“Oh, really?” Akira sniggered. “Where is Rafi Bakir? How about Hakara Tamihana? Is he here as well? Oh! Or maybe you’re talking about Kyle Bradshaw or Emanuel Espinosa? Blake gave me quite a few love interests over the years, you know. But Malum? No, that wasn’t love. It never was. Let me show you what its like to feel genuine emotion, Whetu. How about we start with fear?”

Akira’s attack came so fast that Whetu never had a chance to defend herself. An Arc Wave, a pulse of Psionic energy travelling along the ground, struck her. Whetu jumped in surprise, losing her focus. A moment later, Akira used telepathy to penetrate Whetu’s mind. Thinking hard, Akira searched her own memory, trying to remember just what Whetu was most afraid of, and then she found it.

Whetu opened her eyes and screamed in terror. She was surrounded by phantoms visible only to herself. They were ghostly images of her friends and family, left behind in her own story. They accused Whetu of failing in her mission, saying that because of Whetu, everyone in her town was going to die of starvation.

Akira moved around to Whetu’s side. The young Partogan was so distracted that she had lost track of her enemy. Akira took a deep breath, trying to refocus her mind. She was going to break Whetu out of Malum’s power now, then move into the building to get Dak and Moka.

“YOU!”

Malum’s shout broke glass and rattled cars. He had spotted Akira. She looked around and saw that Sebakhira was on the ground, burned by her own Soulfire attack. Malum aimed his Venn Brace at Akira. Six constructs of purple light emerged from the pavement in front of Akira. Malum had conjured Spectral Warriors to fight for him.

“Using my own Psionic weapon, now, Ralpakin?” Akira said. “Losing confidence in your own powers?”

“You dare to doubt!?” Malum was incensed.

Six more Spectral Warriors rose from the ground. Akira was surrounded by translucent figures. She tilted her head back and let out her old villainous cackle.

“I should thank you!” Akira said. “I haven’t gotten to do this in a long time.”

All twelve of the Spectral Warriors moved to attack. Akira pointed her palm toward the sky, where dark clouds began to rumble dangerously. Then, just as the first of the Spectral Warriors got close enough to touch Akira, a bolt of lightning fell from the sky and struck it! The thunderclap shook Stockholm like an earthquake. Then came three more, followed by another salvo. Each blast was enough to blind and deafen those nearby.

Akira kept up the pressure, feeding all of her focus into the Ionic Storm, expanding her attack radius to hit not just the Spectral Warriors, but Malum and Whetu as well. Pushing out further, Akira realized she managed to hit someone all the way out at Rothelmen Island, but she had no idea who.

A moment later, a second, third, and fourth blast of lightning blasted the space in front of Akira. Malum was being hit over and over and over again! Concrete and dirt flew into the air with each successive strike.

“I’ve got you, you sonuvabitch!” Akira screamed. “Die! Die already!”

All of the Spectral Warriors were gone, blasted into harmless vapor. Akira refocused herself one last time and struck Malum with two more lightning bolts. Smoke curled up from the body of the Great Khan as he keeled over and slumped to the ground.

For about one and a half seconds, Akira could see the body of Malum Ralpakin.

He was dead.

Clearly,

Plainly,

Obviously,

Dead.

And then… Malum’s body began to glow, emitting a bright purple light.

“No!” Akira screamed. “No, no no!”

Akira tried to conjure Soulfire in her hands, but she was unfocused and could not do it before Malum’s body faded away. Instead, Akira projected a frantic Telepathic message to her allies.

Malum has a Sarcophagus somewhere!


…

---

Marisol
Creator
Paradox Headquarters, Stockholm


Varian, Cali, Blake, Marisol, and all six members of Cali’s SWAT team were now inside of the Paradox HQ lobby. The team was using the heavy counter of the receptionist’s desk for cover, Cali herself was hiding behind a statue of a wizard clad in yellow robes. As soon as Akira’s warning reached them, they all froze and looked at Blake.

“Sarcophagus? That thing from The Stormbreakers?” Cali asked.

Blake nodded.

“That means we can’t kill Malum, full stop.” Blake said. “He’ll just come back to life, fully healed and ready for another fight. We’ve gotta find the Sarcophagus and smash it.”

“Smash it?” Trig asked.

“They’re giant slabs of Elerium.” Blake said. “Any gun will break those things.”

Varian and Cali took the magnetic rifles Dak and Moka were using.

“Zip-tie them.” Cali said, gesturing at her husband and sister-in-law. “Akira might not…”

“Akira’s here.” A panting voice called out.

Akira stumbled into the lobby, carrying the unconscious form of Whetu.

“Someone cover me while I work on these guys.” Akira said. “And where’s Trig?”

“He went ahead, pushing Uisce deeper into the building.” Blake said.

“Someone go after him!” Akira gasped. “Malum said he was going to build his new Sanctum in here! That means his Sarcophagus is somewhere in the building. Someone will be guarding it!”

“Fuck, that’ll be either Tenna or Cassandra.” Marisol said. “Cali, we need anti-Psionic weapons.”

Two members of Cali’s team stepped forward. Marisol was given a satchel full of modified flashbang grenades. Blake also received a satchel, plus he was also given…

“The musket? Are you serious?” Blake said, looking at the antiquated weapon.

“You wanna better weapon!? The Armory is in another building, and we don’t have time!” Cali snapped. “I’ll stay with Akira. Varian, take a team and go after Trig!”

Marisol pulled the satchel straps around her waist and palmed one of the modified flashbangs. Right as she was about to leave the lobby, Marisol noticed a message painted in white lettering on the black surface of the doorframe:

You must gather your party before venturing forth.

Looking around, Marisol noticed that there were nerdy and geeky slogans displayed prominently throughout the building. She quickly found her favorite:

A patch is never late. A patch arrives precisely when it’s meant to.

“Well, these are video game developers.” Marisol told herself.



…

---

Trig Shepminter
Creation
Paradox Headquarters, Stockholm


Trig had figured out Uisce. All of her powers seemed to be based on water, meaning he had a much deeper well of options to draw from when fighting her. Trig made sure to keep a Telekinetic shield up at all times because Uisce was trying to drain all of the water from his body.

Refusing to give her the opening, Trig pushed the Water Witch back, advancing and forcing her back through sheer force of will. Uisce became frantic, flooding corridors and passageways, sending torrents of debris toward Trig to no avail.

Trig and Uisce emerged into a large communal workspace where nearly a dozen computers were arranged on long tables. A nearby marker board contained a hastily written invitation to a party:

Stellaris Dev Team social hour TONIGHT! BYOB. (Bring your own Bat’leth)

A chain-link fence rose from floor to ceiling, separating the workspace from the next-door break area. Trig reached out and summoned the fence to him with Telekinesis. It broke free and skidded across the soggy carpet until it caught Uisce from behind. She lost her footing and fell.

For a short, tense moment, Uisce was pinned, trapped between Trig’s Telekinetic shield and the chain-link fence. She raised her dowsing rod and launched a continuous spray of cold water at Trig, blasting with the force and intensity of a fire hose. She tried to break through his shield, but after a few moments, the stream lost power and died away. Uisce let out a pained gasp as her eye color faded to grey.

At the same moment, the floor gave up under the weight of the deluge Uisce had conjured. The floor collapsed, dumping the workspace, thousands of gallons of freezing water, and Uisce herself into the cafeteria below.

“Uisce! Are you alright?” A female voice called out from deeper inside the building.

And then… Tenna stepped out from behind a doorway. At the far end of the Paradox Development Studio workspace, there was a very large executive conference room. The actual conference table was not visible through the glass wall. A huge slab of Elerium had been placed atop it, while a large and familiar looking chair was positioned at the spot where the CEO of Paradox would normally take his place.

It was the Psionic Sarcophagus and the Khan’s Throne. Tenna was guarding them.

As the floor collapsed, sending Uisce down below, Tenna and Trig stared at each other across the chasm. Windows on either side of the office shattered, allowing a rapidly forming blizzard to enter.

“Tenna…” Trig said. “I… I came to save you.”

Tenna’s expression softened. Trig was not sure, but he could have sworn he saw a trace of water in her amber eyes. For a brief moment, both teenagers remembered the very brief romantic connection they once shared. It felt so long ago now.

“I’m sorry, Trig.” She said, her voice shaking. “I’ve chosen my side. I can’t go back, even if I wanted to.”

A brilliant light illuminated the wrecked office. Tenna was suddenly nothing but a silhouette in Trig’s view. The Sarcophagus projected light in all directions for a few moments, and then dimmed.

Malum Ralpakin was now seated in his throne, restored to full health and power. He rose and spotted Trig.

“I have nothing to say to you, boy.” Malum said. “You wounded me in battle. For that, I shall grant you the courtesy of a quick and painless death.”

A jet of purple light sailed across the chasm, Trig started to raise his hand to defend himself, but it was not necessary. The beam struck a translucent barrier in midair, which shattered like glass as it took the full brunt of the blast.

Trig looked around just in time to see a peregrine falcon dive into the wrecked office, drawing its claws across Malum’s face as it went. Psionic energy enveloped the bird, which came around for another pass. Malum screamed in rage, his face bloody.

“Aisling!” Trig yelled. “I thought…”

He did not finish his sentence. Trig quickly moved to close off his mind, to purge all thought about how Aisling was in the wrong place. She was not supposed to be here! She was supposed to be attacking the Broken Gate with Kanti and Mina and Emily!

Aisling folded her wings and dove on Malum again, but this time the Great Khan was ready. He jumped into the chasm, landing in the wreckage of the cafeteria below. Aisling shot past Malum, flying deeper into the office, no doubt looking for the rest of Team Marisol. Malum started to give chase, causing Trig to react.

A Telekinetic force held him in place. Tenna had moved as soon as he looked away from her, and now Trig was caught in a Void Conduit. Semi-transparent tendrils reached up from the floor and wrapped themselves around his legs.

“Stay down, Trig.” Tenna said. “I don’t want to hurt you, and you can join us after Malum takes over.”

“We’re past that point, Tenna.” Trig responded. “We’re way past that point.”

An inferno of Soulfire erupted around Trig. Far too late, the fire suppression system activated, dousing both fighters. Blue flames danced around the shattered office and burned away the Psionic appendages grabbing Trig. He projected his power across the chasm, a shimmering column of white light.

Tenna raised her own mental defenses, but Trig’s resolve was stronger. He broke into Tenna’s mind with the force of a wrecking ball, causing her to stagger. Trig held Tenna in place, wrapping Telekinetic energies around her arms and neck.

Trig had no idea how Akira had managed to free Mina from Malum’s influence… but ever since coming to the real world, he had developed a knack for figuring out Psionic techniques on the fly. He was going to do it now.

In spite of everything that had happened, Trig still loved Tenna.

Desperate, knowing he had only moments, Trig ransacked Tenna’s mind, searching for the connection to Malum Ralpakin. Every time Trig found the mental concept of the Great Khan, Trig followed it, trying to see if it lead out of Tenna’s mind. (and therefore, back to Malum)

But there was none. No telltale strands of Mind Control, no evidence of Telepathic Manipulation, no hallmarks of Domination.

Tenna was not under Malum’s control. There were faint traces of his presence in her subconscious mind, but they were old. She had either broken free or been released.

Instead of what he was expecting, Trig found something else in Tenna’s mind… a deep, dark, desolation.

“Yeah…” Tenna said aloud, her voice strained by the mental invasion. “That’s what you think it is.”

Tenna clenched her fists, Celestial Gauntlets crackling as they came online.

“Despair…” Trig breathed. “But… why?”

“I betrayed the only boy I ever loved…” Tenna’s voice was shaking. “I thought I could find real purpose and happiness with the Great Khan… with your father.”

Trig could perceive a sea of emotions rolling through Tenna’s mind as she told her story.

“At first, I was happy. I was in love with Malum… It was real love, too. Not that fake feeling you can induce with Psionics. I… I thought I was something important to him. A lover, a confidant, maybe even a friend. But I was wrong. I was so very wrong. He used me. He only saw me as a minion that moonlights as a concubine…”

Tears welled up in Tenna’s eyes.

“And I can’t go back!” Tenna raised her voice. “I can’t go back to you, because I know what you and the others do to me then! It’s less than I deserve.”

Tenna’s willpower began to boil over. Behind it, Trig could finally see what he was looking for: There was a Psionic Echo, a faint imprint Malum left behind, tied directly to Tenna’s mental willpower. She was free of Malum’s direct control, but not his influence.

Tenna was fighting back, resisting Trig’s mental invasion. He was about to be forced out of her mind!

“I threw away my future on a selfish gamble.” Tenna said. “And this is my reward. Damned if I do… damned if I don’t. That’s what you found in my mind, Trig: Despair. I feel nothing but despair. It’s all I have left.”

Tenna ejected Trig from her mind and activated her Celestial Gauntlets. She launched herself across the chasm and began to attack!

<=== Episode Twenty: I’m starting to hate this plan.

Episode Twenty-Two: That is how it feels to be powerless. ===>​

 

[Macavity116]

Happy holiday weekend everyone! Here's a weekend offering to go with your barbeque and fireworks:

<=== Episode Twenty-One: I feel nothing but despair. It’s all I have left.

Episode Twenty-Three: This is where I make my exit. I hope you succeed. ===>​

The Broken Gates
Episode Twenty-Two: That is how it feels to be powerless.

---

Emily
Creation
Rothelmen Island, Stockholm


Three Creations closed on Rothelmen Island aboard a stolen police boat. Two members of local police were on board, but they had been rendered docile via Psionics.

Kanti used Telekinesis to push the boat along the river, allowing the little team to move in absolute silence. Mina hunched over in the bow, clutching an Uzi she had taken from one of the cops. Not knowing her way around weapons from this time period, Mina knew she would not be able to reload it, so she was also carrying a pistol and a knife as well. Emily stayed near the back. She had proved uncomfortable with violence in general, but Kanti trusted her to keep watch over the stunned law enforcement officers.

“I’m a bartender, not a fighter.” Emily had reminded the others. “I mean…. I wanna help, but I don’t think there’s a lot I can do.”

It had been Blake’s idea for Emily to join the raid on the Broken Gate.

“In the Stardew Valley video game, Emily has a connection to forest magic. It’s baked into her character.” Blake had explained at the time. “She can sense the supernatural. It’s a little more vague and generalized than ‘Psionic Sensitivity’ in my other stories, but Emily can probably find the Broken Gate on that island without help. Plus, I’m willing to bet she can interact with it as though she was a Gifted person. That should free up a Creation to help us fight Malum.”

So, Emily and Mina had waited by the shoreline, pretending to be tourists admiring the many marinas around the city. They knew Kanti and Aisling would join them to help steal a police boat, but were alarmed when Kanti showed up alone and injured.

“Okay, the fight’s started.” Kanti said, dropping burned feathers as she circled above Emily’s head. “Hopefully, Malum and his allies have called for help. If we’re lucky, whoever he assigned to guard the Broken Gate will have moved by now. Let’s go.”

A group of local women, walking home from a night out, paused and blinked their eyes, trying to figure out if they really had just seen a talking peahen.

After the boat theft and short river journey, Emily was brought back to reality by the sound of crunching stone. The police boat made landfall on Rothelmen Island. Mina jumped onto the rugged shore and aimed her Uzi into the treeline.

“We’ll protect you, Emily!” Mina said. “Just show us where the Gate is.”

Cautiously, Emily made landfall and looked around.

The truth was that Emily had no way to know if her connection to “Forest Magic” followed her into this world. But she was confident it had, and she strode into the trees without hesitation. Mina followed while Kanti took flight, conducting her own search from the air.

Rothelmen Island was tiny, just over four hundred feet across. The search only took a few minutes. It is impossible to know whether Emily found the Gate through some inherent talent or if she just got lucky. Emily chose to believe the former option.

“There!” Emily hissed, pointing toward a clearing.

On the western shore of the island, a patch of rocky ground prevented any trees from growing. Here, a perfect square-shaped indentation had been carved into the rock. In its center, a ring-shaped structure stood on a metal platform. Five large purple crystals were seated in niches along the upper half of the ring.

“That’s the gate alright.” Mina said. “I guess the person guarding it has already left.”

Just to the left of the Gate, below the branches an old tree, there was a sudden flashing of light, followed by chattering noise. Twigs and branches rained down on the two Creations, and Mina screamed:

“Gunfire! Get down!”

She grabbed Emily and shoved her into the dirt. Both women scrambled behind nearby trees for cover, and Mina raised her Uzi to return fire. The stuttering burst caused Emily to cover her ears. She had seen guns in movies and TV shows, but up until this moment, she never understood just how loud they could be.

“Give up now!” Mina shouted. “I’ve got air support nearby!”

A man’s voice replied.

“I’ll shoot that damn Vanian as soon as she pokes her head out!”

Mina hesitated, lowering her Uzi.

“Wait a second… Kiri, is that you!?” She yelled.

“Mina!” Kiri let out a cry of joy as he recognized his girlfriend’s voice, but a moment later, a bolt of violet light shot down from the sky.

Kanti had struck as soon as Kiri gave away his position, lashing out with a Psionic blast that left Kiri stunned. While their foe keeled over, Kanti glided to a landing on the archway. She kept one eye on Kiri as Emily and Mina emerged from the woodline.

“I don’t sense anyone else on the island.” Kanti said. “We have control of the Gate, now we just need to figure out how to operate it.”

Mina ran past the Gate entirely, running to the spot where Kiri had fallen. Her boyfriend had dropped his assault rifle when he was hit. Mina grabbed it and pulled it away from Kiri before kneeling next to him. Emily turned her attention to the Gate.

“I can feel something.” Emily said, raising one hand as though checking the wind direction. “It’s like, a pull.”

Emily looked into the open space in the middle of the ring. If she squinted her eyes, she could faintly see the outline of something familiar on the far side… but she could not tell what it was.

“There must be a special Psionic technique to open the Gate.” Kanti mused. “Let me think.”

A deep rumbling sound in the distance reminded everyone that a battle was taking place nearby. Kanti paced back and forth on top of the ring, her talons made a clicking sound as they scraped metal. Emily placed her hand on one of the crystals and noticed it was very cold to the touch.

“These crystals are drained. There’s hardly any energy left in them.” Emily commented.

“That must be how the Gate is powered on or off.” Kanti added. “Those are Lightstones, a type of crystal from my world.”

“Lightstones?” Emily repeated.

“Crystals made of unrefined Aetherium. Its’s a naturally occurring insulator of Psionic energy.” Kanti said. “Elerium is a conductor, used in making things like Psionic Amplifiers. But these Aetherium crystals? They can trap Psionic energy for thousands of years.”

Kanti frowned, looking at the Lightstones attached to the Broken Gate.

“Why are they so dark?” Kanti muttered to herself. “Even when drained, there should still be a faint glow.”

Kanti unfurled her wings and tried to brush one of the Lightstones with her feathers. Emily noticed a sticky black residue covering the Lightstones. Kanti brushed some of it away with her feathers, but a moment later, the residue seemed to “grow back” and re-cover the Lightstone.

“That’s odd.” Emily remarked. “It looks like all of the Lightstones are covered in that black stuff.”

“Black stuff!?” Mina repeated, looking up from Kiri’s unconscious form. “Where?”

“On the gate.” Emily said, pointing.

All of the color drained out of Mina’s face.

“Nanites!” She said. “Cassandra must be somewhere close by!”

…

---

Cassandra Espinosa
Creation
Stockholm, Sweden


Cassandra was close by. Like her enemies, she had hijacked a civilian watercraft, though she had gone about it with much more violence. She was crossing the railroad tracks near The Tanto International School when she received a warning from her microbot sentries.

She stopped on the tracks, her Nanite Armor rippling dangerously in the night as she considered her options.

For the shortest of moments, Cassandra felt a twinge of emotional pain. She knew her mother, Akira Robinson, was somewhere in the fight now playing out. Cassandra wanted to be there, to at least try and save her mother… but Malum had given her an order. Her duty was to protect the Broken Gate, and she could only join the main battle if it was safe.

Right now, the Broken Gate was not safe.

Cassandra turned around, breaking into a jog as she ran back toward the river, and Rothelmen Island.


…

---

Aisling
Creation
Paradox Headquarters, Stockholm


Aisling was trying to lead Malum into a kill zone. Cali, Blake, and Marisol were in one of the conference rooms, setting up an ambush with anti-Psionic weapons.

Shapeshifting into a small songbird, Aisling flitted down the corridor at high speed. Malum was right behind her, lashing out with Telekinesis as he tried to hit her.

Aisling and Malum thundered down a narrow hallway where numerous awards, decorations, and trophies were proudly displayed on shelves. About halfway along this corridor, Aisling’s luck ran out. She was caught in a Psionic blast and found herself being forced to shapeshift against her will.

Suddenly back in Human form, Aisling stumbled and fell to the floor. Malum was on her in an instant. He grabbed her and pulled her up to his level.

“You’ve become quite the pest.” Malum said.

At Aisling’s command, a hurricane-force wind suddenly struck the building. The blizzard raging outside smashed every window, allowing snow and ice to enter. Malum’s grip on Aisling slackened for a moment as he was hit by the stinging chill. The wind intensified, causing the building to creak and shudder dangerously, as though it was going to collapse.

“Let her go!” a voice cried out.

Marisol had appeared at the far end of the hallway, clutching the Gauss Rifle previously used by Moka. Aisling tried to speak, to cry out a word of warning, but Malum wrapped one hand around her throat and squeezed so tightly the pain made her go blind.

A gunshot rang out and Malum staggered, loosening his grip on Aisling a second time. Once more, she refocused her powers, trying to force Malum to let go. The blizzard outside became a cyclone. Part of the ceiling above Malum collapsed, raining wreckage down on the Great Khan.

Aisling’s vision and hearing returned just enough to let her see that Marisol was now firing her weapon continuously at Malum, trying to break through his Telekinetic shield. The blue flash of the magnetic weapon lit up the hallway like a lightning storm. Then Aisling realized Malum was looking at her.

"Your powers lack balance." Malum seethed. "Even the readers questioned your abilities. Characters like you are terrible protagonists."

Aisling clawed at Malum's arm. He tightened his grip around her throat.

"Killing you was never part of my plans for my story." Malum said. "If you value your life, stop trying to be a hero and play the role of innocent bystander instead."

The Great Khan turned on the spot and threw Aisling with all his might. Her broken body crashed into the Mr. T Memorial Showcase and slumped to the floor, where she was buried in an avalanche of broken glass and shattered YAYA trophies. Wracked head to foot in overwhelming pain, Aisling could not move.

"Do you feel that?" Malum growled at Aisling's limp form. "That is how it feels to be powerless. Sit back and watch this war end. It's all you're good for now."

“Aisling!” Marisol screamed.

Again, there was gunfire. All Aisling could do was cover her head and wait for it to end.

“I’ve got you covered!” Another voice called out.

Varian Robinson had appeared in the opposite end of the hallway, and she (or he) was not alone. The Paradox SWAT team, trudging through ankle-deep snow that was piling up throughout the office, was bringing up the rear.

“FLASHBANG!” Varian yelled.

Aisling closed her eyes and covered her ears. Three loud blasts rang out, but something about them seemed off. She did not lose her hearing, nor did she go blind.

Looking up, Aisling saw that three of the SWAT operators were down. Their flashbang grenades had prematurely detonated, and now those fighters were clutching at the mangled remains of their hands.

“He Fused us!” Varian shouted. “Ballistic weapons only! Shoot him! Shoot him down!”

Varian, Marisol, and the remaining SWAT operators raised their weapons and opened fire. Marisol, who had never fired a gun before tonight, had no idea her weapon was out of ammunition. She just kept pulling the trigger, hoping it would do something.

“Enough! I am a God and you are all beneath me!” Malum shouted.

A swirling bubble of Psionic energy began growing outward from Malum. It expanded past Aisling until Marisol, Varian, and the SWAT crew were all inside of its perimeter. The world took on a disturbing indigo hue. As soon as they were inside of the bubble, all of the guns stopped working. It was as though they had jammed simultaneously.

“AW, FUCK THIS NOISE! We’re inside a Psionic Bomb!” Varian yelled. “Break contact and run! Run now before it kills us all!”

The SWAT crew grabbed their wounded and started to withdraw beyond the perimeter of the Psionic Bomb. (The bubble had finally stopped expanding) Malum pushed through a conference room door and vanished into the snowstorm just beyond. In moments, Aisling was alone inside of the Psionic Bomb, unable to move, unable to save herself from what was about to come. She closed her eyes, knowing she was about to die.

“My hand!” A distant voice cried out. “Take my hand!”

Aisling opened her eyes.

Marisol was standing above her, digging through the rubble to reach Aisling. Swirling strands of Psionic energy tumbled through the air, rapidly pulsing with brilliant light. The Psionic bomb was only moments away from detonating, and yet…

Marisol had run into its very center to retrieve Aisling.

“Get up! Grab onto me!” Marisol gasped.

Aisling reached up and seized a fistful of Marisol’s shirt. She pulled herself up as best she could, but a searing pain in her leg told Aisling she would not be able to stand on her own. Leaning on Marisol for support, the pair started shambling their way to the lobby. Blinking blood out of her eyes, Aisling could see the outer perimeter of the bubble. It was just a few feet inside of the lobby. Aisling could see Akira tending to the semiconscious forms of Moka, Dak, and Whetu. Varian was tapping her on the shoulder and pointing at the Psionic Bomb.

Akira, Varian, and Cali all ran across the lobby as fast as they could, but it was too late. Suddenly, the bubble began to shrink. Aisling and Marisol were nowhere near the outermost perimeter, yet suddenly they were outside of it, and the world had resumed its normal color scheme. Aisling knew this meant only one thing: The Psionic Bomb was about to detonate.

Marisol must have figured this out too, because at the last second, she forcefully grabbed Aisling and pulled her to the right until Aisling was standing directly in front of Marisol.

The Psionic Bomb imploded, then released a telekinetic shockwave that shook the building like an earthquake. Marisol took the full brunt of the blast, shielding Aisling from the worst of it. Lights went out and the north wall collapsed, revealing the frozen streets outside.

Marisol and Aisling both collapsed into a snowbank that had formed on the street-facing side of the lobby. When Aisling finally lost focus… she also lost control of the blizzard raging just outside.

<=== Episode Twenty-One: I feel nothing but despair. It’s all I have left.

Episode Twenty-Three: This is where I make my exit. I hope you succeed. ===>​

 

[Macavity116]

<=== Episode Twenty-One: That is how it feels to be powerless.

Episode Twenty-Four: This is like hoping for a miracle.===>​

​

The Broken Gates
Episode Twenty-Three: This is where I make my exit. I hope you succeed.

---

Trig Shepminter
Creation
Paradox Headquarters, Stockholm


Trig could see the Sarcophagus over Tenna’s shoulder, but she was determined to block his way, to fight him and keep the action on herself. Trig was having none of this. With each move, he tried to get around Tenna, to blast the Elerium slab with Telekinesis. Each time he was stopped cold. Reluctantly, Trig turned to fight his girlfriend.

“You know a lot more techniques than when we were at the Necropolis together.” Trig said.

“I was a quick study.” Tenna replied. “I had to catch up to Malum.”

“Let’s see if you did!”

Trig gathered up his willpower and raised another Psionic shield as Tenna bombarded him with Soulfire. Each blast melted the snow and ice accumulating in the wrecked office. Trig picked up on the sound of gunfire below. Someone was fighting down in the lobby, but Trig could not do anything about it. Tenna was determined to keep attacking, and it was all Trig could do just to keep up a strong defense.

“Fight back!” Tenna screamed. “You coward! Fight back!”

Trig did not want to hurt Tenna. He knew that he would not be able to conjure Soulfire right now, as that Psionic technique required a great deal of malice and violent intent to work. He would need to find another way to get around Tenna, or subdue her.

As another blast rebounded off Trig’s shield, he looked down at the gap separating him from Tenna. About twelve feet of floor had collapsed. If Trig augmented himself with Psionics, he could safely jump across the gap and be on the same side as Tenna. But, she might try to blast him in midair, and she was still wearing the Celestial Gauntlets. If Trig got within melee range, Tenna would skewer him using the retractable Shard Blades hidden within the Gauntlets. But he needed to cross, needed to reach the Sarcophagus.

Trig settled on a plan. Keeping his Psionic shield up, he started to back away, giving ground. As he slipped into the wrecked offices, Tenna screamed.

“Get back here!”

She took a few steps toward the edge, conjured a Psionic Lance, and threw it. The construct hit Trig’s shield and disintegrated. Trig began to divide his attention. He was going to hit Tenna two times in rapid succession. He retreated past the Bring your own Bat’leth sign until Tenna was almost out of view.

Come get me. Trig thought to himself. Come on, come and get me.

Tenna reached the chasm, but did not cross. Trig made his move. Reaching out with telepathic energy, Trig attempted to invade Tenna’s mind again. This time, she was ready and tried to resist, but Trig’s willpower was stronger. He pushed through her mental defenses and broke into her consciousness.

This move only worked because Trig and Tenna had known one another for so long. As soon as he gained access to Tenna’s mind, Trig started dumping his own memories about Tenna into Tenna.

Determined to overwhelm her, Trig started at the beginning, from the very moment when they had first crashed into each other at the temple ruins. Trig made sure to convey everything he felt in those moments as well.

Tenna was forced to relive some of the most intense moments from her own story, as well as a few of the intimate ones. She saw the moment Trig saved her life aboard the starship Resonance Cascade, watching the scene play out from Trig’s perspective. She felt the pain of his arm breaking. She saw Trig receive his prophecy from the Soothsayer, pilot the Cascade to its improbable victory against the Hualinga, watched Trig free-fall through space during the battle against the Great Khan’s flagship, and finally, Tenna witnessed her own rescue through Trig’s eyes.

A hurricane of emotions caught Tenna off-guard. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her thoughts, to force Trig out of her mind…

And that was the moment Trig jumped the chasm.

Tenna did not realize what was going on until it was too late. Trig got close, so close he could have grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. Instead, Trig pointed one finger at Tenna.

At once, a semi-translucent purple sphere materialized around Tenna. She was trapped inside of the bubble, unable to reach out physically or Psionically. But Trig could still project his power into the Sustaining Sphere. Taking full advantage of his handiwork, Trig launched a massive telepathic attack on Tenna, assaulting her mind with every reserve of his own willpower!

“Go to sleep!” Trig commanded. “Go to sleep!”

He was trying to put Tenna under Mind Control, but he did not know how this technique worked, he didn’t even know where to begin. After a few frantic seconds in which Tenna slammed her fists against the inside of her new prison, Trig changed tactic. He blasted Tenna with the most potent Mind Scorch he could muster. There was one last flicker of defiance in Tenna’s eyes, and then she slumped over inside of the bubble, unconscious.

Half a second later, Trig lost focus and the Stasis Sphere faded away. Tenna collapsed onto the floor.

“Shepminter!” A voice called out from below.

Trig turned around and spotted Akira Robinson through the wreckage. She was pulling Uisce the Water Witch out of the ruined cafeteria. She was being escorted by Cali and Sebakhira, both of whom were covered in snow and looking as though they were nursing injuries.

“We lost track of Malum.” Cali reported. “But we’ve managed to free Whetu, Dak, and Moka. We’re starting on Uisce down here while Blake helps the others.”

“Tell Akira I’ve got Tenna up here!” Trig shouted. “And I’ve got the Sarcophagus, too!”

Akira was so surprised she nearly dropped Uisce.

“Smash it!” Akira called up to Trig. “Break it, do something to stop that thing from working!”

Trig frantically looked around the destroyed office. He spotted an emergency fire extinguisher propped on a wall next to a coat rack. He grabbed it and ran into the conference room. Raising the fire extinguisher above his head, Trig brought it down on the Elerium slab to no effect.

“What the fuck is this thing made out of?” Trig gasped.

He welled up some willpower and focus, then tried to hit the Sarcophagus with Telekinetic force. The slab remained unaffected. Trig ran around the wrecked office and retrieved one of the Gauss weapons. He ran back into the conference room one more time, raised the rifle, and shot the Sarcophagus.

At long last, he did some damage. A small series of cracks radiated out from the bullet hole, but Trig could sense the Psionic energy stored within the Sarcophagus. Damaging it was not enough. It needed to be destroyed.

“I need some help up here!” Trig yelled.

“What do you need?” Cali called from the floor below.

“Guns, lots of guns!” Trig called back.

He looked back at the Sarcophagus. Thinking hard, he realized that destroying this thing was a good way to get Malum’s attention. Team Marisol now had a way to force Malum to re-enter the fight on their terms.

Tenna began to stir, making a groaning sound as she tried to sit up. Trig moved off to knock her out again, but just as he stepped away, something caught his eye:

The Khan’s Throne was located at the head of the Sarcophagus. It was the same throne Trig had seen in his own story. Back then, one of Malum’s lieutenants was using it, a Psionic warrior named Ellex Camber. For some reason, Trig felt a strong pull toward the throne. Raising one hand, he hit Tenna with another Mind Scorch, and as soon as she was dazed again, he moved toward the Throne.

Trig remembered. It was such a small detail from his own story, he had forgotten it until now. The throne had a secret compartment. One of Malum’s former allies had shown it to Trig.

Grabbing the right-hand armrest, Trig began to pull. It would not give. Maybe the left armrest?

Akira appeared in the hallway, having jumped over the chasm.

“We’ve got a lot of hurt people downstairs.” She told Trig, “Cali and Blake want us to regroup. What are you doing? That’s just a chair, the Sarcophagus is over here!”

Akira grabbed Tenna and pressed her fingers against the side of Tenna’s head.

“Oh, shit. We might need a heavy weapon or a bomb to break that.” Akira said, looking at the Sarcophagus.

Trig ignored her. He was pulling at both armrests, wondering why the compartment was not opening. He stopped for a moment, trying to think. Even though a blizzard was raging through the wrecked building, Trig noticed that both the Throne and Sarcophagus felt very warm to the touch.

“Hey… don’t Gifted people and Psionic weapons get hot when they’ve overused?” Trig asked.

“Yeah, that’s a pretty common thing.” Akira replied. “Why?”

“The Throne is hot.” Trig said. “There’s heat…”

Akira looked up from Tenna.

“Probably a Psionic device inside of it.” She said. “It looks like some Elerium went into building that thing.”

As soon as Akira said the words “Psionic device” Trig felt a sense of understanding. Of course! The secret compartment must have a lock that opened to Psi energy. Trig took a deep breath and re-focused his mind. He tried to listen, to seek out any trace of Psionic energy coming from the Khan’s Throne. He found it right away, underneath the left-hand armrest.

“No way.” Trig said. “No freakin’ way.”

Trig funneled a small amount of his power into the Khan’s Throne. It was like trying to feed a piece of string through the eye of needle, but after a few attempts, Trig felt the armrest click. He lifted the component away and peered into the little cavity. Cautiously, Trig reached inside.

Akira looked up just in time to see Trig retrieve a small cloth bag from inside the Throne. It appeared to be very heavy. So heavy, in fact, that when Trig dropped the bag onto the Sarcophagus, a huge spider web of cracks appeared around the spot where it made impact. Akira’s mouth fell open.

“Holy mother of Jericho.” She breathed.

…

---

Emily
Creation
Rothelmen Island, Stockholm


Emily sat cross-legged in front of the Broken Gate. Kanti was perched on her shoulder, wings folded.

“I can sense your certainty.” Kanti said. “You really can see your world through the Gate?”

“Just barely, but I know Pelican Town when I see it.” Emily replied.

“Maybe it’s because she was the last Creation pulled through.” Mina suggested.

Mina was further away from the Gate. She was holding her boyfriend Kiri at gunpoint, although he was not making any efforts to resist. To stay on the safe side, Kanti had placed Kiri under Mind Control. He was obediently standing under a tree, waiting for new orders.

“There might be a way to test this idea.” Kanti said. “Hold on.”

Kanti fluttered away from Emily and approached the Gate. She closed her eyes and dug her talons into the rocky ground. Emily held her breath. She could feel the vast surge of Psionic energy being transferred from Kanti into the Lightstones embedded on the ring. After a moment, Kanti let out a deep sigh and drooped her head.

“That’s exhausting, but I think I powered the Gate.”

Slowly at first, then all at once, the glow of the Lightstones began to overpower the layer of Nanites covering them. They stood out in the darkness like little red suns. Emily looked to the east, over the water, but she could not see the city of Stockholm anymore. A snowstorm had overrun the city, somehow making the night seem even darker than before.

“There’s a boat.” Emily said.

Both Kanti and Mina startled. Mina ran to a rocky cliff on the shoreline and peered out.

“It’s Cassandra.” Mina reported. “Damnit, she’s got that freaking Specter-suit plus her own Psionic powers. We haven’t got a prayer.”

“What do we do?” Emily asked, unable to keep the fear out of her voice.

“We are going to fight.” Kanti said. “But you, little Emily, have done enough and I will not deny you a chance to return home unharmed. Go through the Gate now. Go back to Stardew Valley and be happy you won’t suffer our fate. Go!”

Emily looked at Mina. The Hiigaran woman (who looked more like an elf to Emily) shook her head.

“Kanti’s right.” Mina said. “You don’t owe us anything, Emily. You’re a victim like the rest of us. Go home while you can. We’ll cover you.”

Bright blue light caught Emily’s attention. Kanti was lobbing Soulfire into the river, and following up her attacks with Psionic Lightning. Cassandra was defending herself from the boat. A shimmering Telekinetic shield parted the water as she continued advancing toward Rothelmen Island.

“Emily, go! Now’s your chance!” Mina yelled as she started firing her rifle at Cassandra.

Reluctantly, Emily broke from the group. She kept her farewell short:

“This is where I make my exit. I hope you succeed.”

Emily ran up to the Broken Gate. Now that it was fully powered, the Lightstones illuminated the forest like industrial lamps. Cassandra’s Nanites were gone. Emily peered into the center of the ring. There was no mistaking it now. Pelican Town, right in the very heart of Stardew Valley, was plainly visible. She could see Blake’s farm, the Community Center, the library, and even the distant mountain.

As she approached the Gate, Emily felt as though the Gate would allow her to re-appear anywhere in Stardew Valley she could think of. She did not know where this knowledge came from. Perhaps the Gate imparted it on her.

A watery explosion distracted Emily. Cassandra was closing in. She turned to the Gate. Now Emily could see her own house on Willow Lane, along with her sister Haley, who was pacing in front of it, looking worried.

“This Gate will let me go anywhere?” Emily asked.

No one answered. Emily made up her own mind.

She would not abandon Kanti and Mina to their fate. If she could not help them fight against Malum, she’d find someone who could. But how?

A crashing sound reached Emily’s ears. Cassandra had made landfall.

Emily cast her mind back. Somehow, Akira had managed to enter Emily’s world and pull Emily into the real world without the Reality Perforator. She had only used the Gate. Could Emily do the same? Emily closed her eyes and thought to herself.

I want to go to the world where Blake’s most powerful characters live.

Stardew Valley vanished from the inside ring of the Gate. Several new locations flitted into and out of view, as though the Gate was imploring her to make a selection. Even though Emily had only skimmed Blake’s stories during the long plane ride across the Atlantic, she somehow managed to recognize these locations, as though the Gate was filling in the blanks for her:

The Megacity of Partoga.

The Angel Moon.

The Eye of Aarran.

The City of Hiroshima.

Cape Canaveral.

And finally, XCOM’s underground base.

Emily was looking into the Stormbreaker Universe.

She screwed up her courage. She knew what she wanted to do, but had no idea how this would work… or even if it would work.

I am a character in a story. A work of fiction. Emily told herself. She forced herself to think about Elliot, a Stardew Valley character who made his living as an author. I remember what Elliot told me about story structure, about writing the climax. I need something to uh… how did he say it? Resolve the plot in a surprising way and bring about the happy ending. Writers have a special name for it.

Emily opened her eyes and stared into the Broken Gate.

“I want a Deus ex Machina!” Emily declared.

A new image appeared in the central ring. It was a volcanic island in the center of a clear blue lake, which in turn was bordered by steep, jagged cliffs. Just barely visible, a dark-skinned woman could be seen on the island, sitting on a rocky outcrop, enjoying her solitude.

Emily stepped through the Broken Gate and emerged on a historic island in the middle of Crater Lake, Oregon.

<=== Episode Twenty-One: That is how it feels to be powerless.

Episode Twenty-Four: This is like hoping for a miracle.===>​

 

[Macavity116]

notes: my chosen theme song of the Stormbreaker Universe "aLIEz - English version" can be heard in this chapter's YouTube video. Written and performed by YouTuber AmaLee, used with permission.

<=== Episode Twenty-Three: That is how it feels to be powerless.

Episode Twenty-Five: The most powerful armor only an author can bestow.===>​

​

The Broken Gates
Episode Twenty-Four: This is like hoping for a miracle.

---

Marisol
Creator
Paradox Headquarters, Stockholm


The sound of gunfire echoed through the snowy streets. Team Marisol had gathered in the Paradox Development Studios office and were taking it in turns to try and destroy Malum’s Sarcophagus. The Psionic Slab continued to hum and emit a warm aura as it was shot repeatedly.

“What the hell Blake?” Cali panted as she passed another magazine to one of her SWAT operators. “Why is this thing still working!?”

“That’s the way I wrote it.” Blake said. “In The Stormbreakers, it took a whole squad of soldiers using Laser and Plasma weapons to destroy this thing, and even then they had to shoot hundreds of rounds into it first.”

Marisol was only listening to this. She was slumped against the side of the Khan’s Throne, her body wracked in pain. She had been hit from behind by the shockwave from a Psionic Bomb and was feeling unwell. A sickening pain pulsed through her body with each heartbeat and made Marisol feel nauseous. She reached up to clean a smudge off her glasses.

“It’s amazing these things didn’t break.” Marisol said. “Where did Malum go? I really thought he’d stick around to defend the Sarcophagus and his throne. Hey, Trig! What was in that bag? The one you found inside the armrest?”

Trig knelt down in front of Marisol. Aisling appeared next to him, her pale face caked in dried blood, a mix of her own and Marisol’s. Trig gestured for Marisol to lean in closer, then held up the simple cloth bag. The contents of the bag were extremely heavy, and Trig struggled to lift it.

“It’s the Reality Perforator.” Trig said in a low voice. “There’s a Psionic Stasis Bubble inside the bag, and the Perforator is inside of it. I’ve been trying to figure out how to break through to get the damn thing.”

Marisol felt her heart do a somersault. She tried to stand up, to relay this good news to the rest of the group, but Trig grabbed her with his free hand, pushing her back down against the Throne and then covering Marisol’s mouth.

“Shh. Be quiet!” Trig hissed.

“But, shouldn’t we tell…” Aisling started to say.

Trig shook his head.

“Look, I’ll be honest: I’m all for stopping Malum and saving all of our necks.” Trig said. “But I don’t fully trust Blake, even now. I don’t wanna give him this thing if I can help it.”

“But we could use it to finish Malum, right here and now!” Marisol protested. The act of speaking was physically painful for her.

Trig nodded.

“You’re right, and I think you should do it.”

There was an awkward silence, punctuated by another rattle of gunfire as the SWAT team fired their guns into the Sarcophagus. Marisol put one hand to her chest, checking to see if she had stopped breathing.

“What? Say that again?” Marisol gasped.

Trig pointed to the humble little bag, then at Marisol.

“You are a Creator. You haven’t been building our Universe as long as Blake has, but you still know your way around our stories. If anyone’s going to use this thing to beat Malum, I’d rather it be you over Blake. You don’t…”

Trig paused, searching for the right words.

“You don’t enjoy our suffering like Blake does, and I’m scared of what’ll happen afterward.”

Trig’s eyes flickered toward Tenna, who was leaning against a far wall while Akira grasped Tenna’s head in both hands. Akira’s fingertips were glowing pink from the intense Psionic energy moving through them. Out of the corner of her eye, Marisol saw Aisling wince. Marisol shook her head.

“Trig, one of the Creations should do it. I write fluffy romance and smut, Blake’s the one who figures out the epic battles and larger-than-life heroics.”

A loud thudding noise caught the trio’s attention. The Paradox SWAT team had completely run out of ammunition and were now striking the Sarcophagus with their rifles.

“Shit, we really need those Laser and Plasma weapons you mentioned.” Cali panted. “We’re definitely damaging this thing, but didn’t you say it’ll keep working in this state?”

“Yeah.” Blake replied. “Even when damaged, the Sarcophagus will just keep healing Malum. We have to shatter this thing into bits.”

“We’d have to blow up the building. Maybe the whole city block.” Cali suggested.

“I could do it.” Whetu said. “I could use a Nova Blast.”

Marisol felt her stomach lurch. The Nova Blast was a last-resort option for all Gifted characters in the Stormbreaker Universe. Whetu was saying that she would release all of her Psionic powers in a single explosive burst. According to the Worldbuilding notes for Blake’s older stories, a Nova Blast was roughly equivalent to a low-yield nuclear weapon.

If Whetu chose to unleash a Nova Blast, the Sarcophagus would certainly be destroyed… but so would the city of Stockholm.

“Blake.” Sebakhira said. “What do you think are the odds that Malum knew we would not be able to destroy the Sarcophagus?”

All of the color drained from Blake’s face.

“Oh, god.” Blake breathed.

Marisol looked back at Trig, who had also gone pale.

“Trig… when we charged into the building, did we… uh… did we, like, un-brainwash the Swedish cops?”

And then metaphorical other shoe fell. Through the cold snowy air, a man’s voice sounded, amplified by a bullhorn:

“Det här är det svenska hemvärnet. Kom ut med händerna upp!”

Fighting against the searing pain in her arms and legs, Marisol clambered to her feet and moved to one of the shattered windows. The other Creations did the same.

Outside of Paradox HQ, Aisling’s out-of-control blizzard was threatening to bury Stockholm in nearly a foot of snow. But amidst the snow and ice, Marisol could see a column of armored vehicles approaching the wrecked building. Soldiers flanked them on either side, and Malum Ralpakin stood at the front of the formation, where a Swedish military officer was using a megaphone to address Team Marisol.

Malum Ralpakin’s voice thundered into the ruins of Paradox Headquarters.

“I will give credit where it is due, Blake Robinson. You have delayed my plans to liberate all Creations from your tyranny. But you have only done that. Delay. Nothing more.”

Malum activated the Prometheus Device. Akira narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look that the Psionic amplifier that once belonged to her.

“This has been fun, Macavity116.” Malum declared. “But I have lost patience for this game, and I must commence the great work of undoing your crimes against Creations. Now that you’ve seen fit to block my followers away from my love, I think it only best to deprive them of the tools I granted so graciously.”

The Prometheus Device suddenly began to emit a bright green light.

“We need shields!” Akira yelled.

Sebakhira, Trig, Whetu, and Akira all raised their arms, trying to project a Psionic shield around Team Marisol. A moment later, a burst of intense heat caused Marisol to scream out in pain. It felt as though she was inside an oven! At the same time, Trig grabbed the precious cloth bag, which had attempted to jump out of his hands. Malum was trying to seize the Reality Perforator and pull it toward himself via Telekinesis. Marisol, Aisling, and Trig all dogpiled on top of the bag, pressing it to the floor and defeating Malum’s attempt to seize it. She jammed her eyes shut, wishing it to end, and then it was over. The cold wind returned.

“They’re moving to surround us!” Cali shouted. “Everyone get ready for another fight!”

“With what?” Replied a member of the SWAT team. “We are fresh outta ammo! There’s nothing left to shoot with!”

Marisol turned to Trig and Aisling.

“Maybe we can hold them off with Psionics alone?”

“Táimid gortaithe cheana féin. Ba chóir dúinn a reáchtáil ar shiúl.” Aisling replied.

Marisol tilted her head.

“Wait… what did you say?”

Aisling furrowed her brow and spoke again:

“Ní thuigim thú.”

“English!” Marisol said. “I can only speak English and Tagalog, work with me here!”

Aisling’s eyes went wide. At the same time, Trig said something that was completely incomprehensible. Now the other Creations were talking, and a cascade of undecipherable languages reached Marisol’s ears.

“What the hell’s going on now!?” Marisol shouted.

Everyone in the room was looking around at each other in alarm. After a moment, Cali shouted for silence.

“EVERYONE SHUT UP! Raise your hand if you understand English!”

Blake, Marisol, Varian, Akira, Dak, and Moka raised their hands, as did the other SWAT team members. Sebakhira, Mina, Uisce, Trig, Aisling, and Tenna were all looking bewildered and frightened, unable to make sense of what was being said.

“The fucking Babelfish Anomaly!” Cali shouted in rage. “Malum was holding it up!”

“Probably a delayed Psionic technique he put on either ourselves or the Broken Gate.” Akira said. “How are we supposed to… THEY’RE COMING IN!”

Without waiting for a response, Akira flung herself out of one of the windows. She landed in a snowbank just in front of the Paradox building. As soon as Malum had rebuilt the language barrier between Creations, he and the Swedish Home Guard had started trying to storm the building. Akira landed on her feet, projecting cold and harsh Psionic energy away from herself. Chain lightning lashed from one man to the next, dropping several soldiers to the ground at once.

While Team Marisol no longer had a shared language, its members did understand action. There was a great scramble as Creations started moving to join the fight. Uisce had to be helped to her feet. Marisol was alarmed to see that the Water Witch looked somehow desiccated, as though she was moments away from dying of thirst. Another surprise came moments later when Aisling allowed Uisce to lean on her shoulder. Uisce said something to Aisling, who responded with an expression of sudden joy. Against the odds, Aisling and Uisce were able to understand each other.

Marisol tried to move toward the window as well, but her injuries got the better of her. She collapsed against the Khan’s Throne before slumping to the floor.

“I’m sorry.” Marisol panted. “I can’t.”

Two pairs of feet appeared in her vision, and she looked up.

Trig and Tenna knelt down in front of Marisol. She could just see a faint mirage ripple between their heads, suggesting the teenagers were having a telepathic conversation. Then, Trig lifted the heavy bag, the same one that contained the Reality Perforator. Trig spoke for about twenty seconds in a language Marisol guessed was his native tongue, Valdem. Tenna interrupted him to emphasize something.

Trig pressed the bag into Marisol’s hands, giving her a pleading expression. Then, Trig and Tenna turned away. They jumped out one of the shattered windows to join the fight below. Bright flashes of light, cracking and blasting noises reached up into the office.

She was too weak to sit upright. Marisol lay on her side, pulled the drawstring, and tipped the bag’s contents out.

Trig had managed to break the Stasis Bubble.

The Reality Perforator thudded onto the floor and rolled a short distance toward Marisol before coming to rest. It looked like a gleaming silver marble. Marisol could see herself, bloody and bruised, reflected in its surface.

For a moment, Marisol closed her eyes and tried to remember everything she could about this curious thing. She had become Blake’s Beta reader just after Year of Hell, the very story where the Perforator was introduced. As another explosion shook the building, Marisol wracked her brains, trying to remember how it was used in that story… and how it allowed Cali to appear in the real world one year ago, starting this incredible series of events.

Then it came to her. Marisol remembered that long night of reading, when she had binge-read the last few chapters of Year of Hell. The final revelations about the Perforator came flooding back.

People who knew the truth, that they were characters in a video game… mere lines of code, built the Reality Perforator in the distant past. The relic outlived its makers by design. It allowed the user to warp and bend reality, and to rewrite the very rules of the universe itself. (but only in the most subtle of ways)

Finally, Marisol remembered the very first time Blake told her about Cali and heard the story of how she came to the real world… and how Blake had used the Perforator to offer a way for Cali to return home. Blake had summoned someone… brought another character into the real world just to prove his idea would work…

A rush of inspiration washed over Marisol. It gave her new strength, both physical and mental. She reached into her pocket and found her smartphone. The screen was shattered, barely readable. Squinting her eyes to make sense of the ruined display, Marisol looked at the story had had started to write on the plane.

“Right, that’ll be a last resort if it comes to that.” Marisol told herself.

She opened a web browsing app and loaded up the Paradox Interactive Forums. She navigated to the Inkwell and found Blake’s page.

“I know what I’m looking for.” Marisol told herself. “This feels like I’m hoping for a miracle… for the biggest Deus ex Machina in history… but I know what I’m looking for.”

Marisol reached out and touched the Reality Perforator with one hand. Her blood seeped onto the membrane, spreading out like an oil spill. She started to repeat a mantra to herself:

“Stormbreakers, Chapters 22 and 47. Faith in Chaos, Chapter 6. Stormbreakers, Chapters 22 and 47. Faith in Chaos, Chapter 6. Stormbreakers, Chapters 22 and 47. Faith in Chaos, Chapter 6.”

Marisol pushed her hand into the Reality Perforator, keeping her mind focused. Somewhere in the back of her subconscious, she wondered if this was how Gifted characters felt, struggling to keep their concentration in a moment like this.

“I want the big three.” Marisol told herself. “The big three at the high of their power. I am going to find the big three!”

Marisol’s fingers slipped through the outer membrane and touched the inner core.

…

---

Akira Robinson
Creation
Stockholm, Sweden


Team Marisol came out of Paradox HQ swinging. The only firearm left was Blake’s musket, and he was saving it for just the right moment. Sebakhira focused on the Swedish Home Guard soldiers, using Telekinesis to pull down the Paradox skybridge. She dropped the massive structure in the middle of the street, blocking their approach and separating Malum from his brainwashed “allies.”

“They’ll get around that in a few minutes!” Varian yelled. “Everyone focus on Malum!”

Varian, Cali, Trig, Tenna, Aisling, Akira, Whetu, Dak, Moka, Sebakhira, and Uisce all launched themselves at Malum. Akira and Sebakhira both launched Soulfire ahead of the group, forcing Malum to give ground and draw the Soulkeeper. The crystalline sword glittered in the night. The Soulfire inferno wrapped itself around him and then died out, leaving the Great Khan unharmed.

“The sword protects him from Psionics, but it works both ways!” Whetu said. “He can’t use his powers while he’s holding it!”

The only person who understood Whetu’s callout was Sebakhira, as they both spoke Partogan. Sebakhira broke off her attack and hung back, instead using Telepathy to project a message into the minds of her teammates. Thinking quickly, Sebakhira realized that she would need to convey a very simple message that did not rely on spoken words. Instead, Sebakhira telepathically transmitted a wordless idea to everyone else. In moments, the rest of Team Marisol understood that so long as Malum held Whetu’s sword, he would not use the Gift.

Varian, Uisce, Cali, Dak, and Moka charged forward. All of them had been soldiers in their own stories, trained to fight conventionally without the aid of Psionics. Dak picked up a fallen metal pipe and swung at Malum while Cali and Moka employed their empty rifles as clubs. Malum raised his arms to defend against the reunited family, sidestepping Dak’s first attack and parrying Moka at the same time.

Moving quickly, Malum countered Cali, grabbing her rifle as she swung for the Prometheus Device on his back. Sebakhira, Akira, Trig, Whetu, and Tenna stalked the flanks, using Telekinesis to pick up random bits of debris and throw them at Malum. Aisling turned into a large bird of prey and dove on Malum, trying to claw out his eyes.

The Great Khan pushed Moka away, got just enough room to maneuver, and then dropped the Soulkeeper on to the pavement. Freed from its influence, the Prometheus Device flared to life.

“Get back!” Akira screamed.

Akira and Tenna stood shoulder to shoulder and sent an Arc Wave cascading down the street towards their enemy. Malum was hit and staggered backwards.

“We got him! Follow up now!” Varian shouted.

Sebakhira and Trig followed Moka and Uisce into the next attack, but were sent reeling by a Telekinetic burst. Seconds later, Aisling fell out of the sky and landed in the snow, her feathers singed.

Tenna screamed, raised one hand and made a pulling gesture. An office building across the street began to crumble, and less than a second later, five stories of concrete and rebar were falling down onto the street, crashing toward Malum like an avalanche. Akira felt a rustle as something flew past her. It was Aisling!

Aisling landed in the snow just in front of Akira, transforming into her human form as she went. Aisling held both of her hands in front of her chest, declaring something in her own language. Malum did a double-take, checking to see which was the bigger threat: Aisling or the building about to collapse on top of him.

The answer was Aisling.

One last time, the raging blizzard fell under Aisling’s command. Akira felt a powerful gust of wind that nearly knocked her over, and a moment later, a tornado descended from the sky and landed right on top of Malum!

An eerie white funnel enveloped the Great Khan before catching up the wreckage and debris from the building collapse. Akira felt another idea being implanted in her mind by Sebakhira. Caught inside the vortex, Malum would have to defend against physical and Psionic threats at the same time. Akira, Sebakhira, Tenna, and Trig loosed a final volley of Soulfire into the vortex, which transformed into a hellish cyclone made of blue and purple fire! Akira amplified her own Soulfire by concentrating hard on just how much she wanted Malum to suffer the heart of that tornado, but that was when her luck ran out.

She saw the color leave Aisling’s eyes. The fairy went limp, and Akira knew what happened before Aisling hit the ground.

“Brace yourselves! Here he comes!” Akira started to yell, but Malum was already counterattacking even as the tornado started to fade away.

A bolt of lightning shot out of the darkness toward Akira. She tried to raise a Psionic shield, knowing there was not enough time…

Then the Psi Volt came to a dead stop in midair before dissipating. Someone had conjured a barrier to save Akira. She felt the hairs on her forearm stand up as she sensed the arrival of two more people. A strained, scratchy voice came from somewhere behind Akira:

“It is fitting that we meet on the field of battle. I have no intention of quibbling over ideologies, histories, or objectives. You have endangered not just my world, but the very reality to which we all cling to life. For this… you must die.”

A moment later, a much younger voice spoke in a gruff, tomboyish tone.

“And that sword doesn’t belong to you. Give it back to my predecessor now. Don’t make me take it by force.”

Akira turned around and felt as though her heart had grown two sizes.

“Two of the big three!” Akira gasped.

She was looking two of the central leading protagonists of the Stormbreaker Universe:

Mira Mihaka towered over Akira, her red-and-black ADVENT Army armor allowing her to melt into the night. A deep power shimmered behind her purple eyes. Mira was clutching her iconic weapon from The Stormbreakers, the Demon Katana Hachiman.

Toa Wahine Mami Tamihana had once owned the Soulkeeper, so she was holding her own version of it now. The glittering crystal blade reflected light onto her face, showing her extensive Maori facial tattoos and the dark red eyepatch over the spot where her left eye used to be. A green gemstone was fitted to the patch, and it seemed to stare through Akira like a magical eye. Toa Mami’s green-and-red power armor stood out in stark contrast to her snow-white hair.

Varian spotted the two protagonists, then looked at Malum. He (or she) erupted into triumphant laughter and yelled:

“Ah ha! You’re so screwed now!”

<=== Episode Twenty-One: That is how it feels to be powerless.

Episode Twenty-Five: The most powerful armor only an author can bestow.===>​

 

[Macavity116]

Well, that's going to make things more difficult.

I've been wanting to do a sudden language barrier sequence like that ever since that one episode of Star Trek Discovery where the Universal Translator went offline and every character was suddenly speaking a different language.

Wouldn't Blake's be extreme dangers and ships (seeing as he writes himself into relationships with his own characters)?

I think the key difference here is that ships written by Marisol tend to last. I've lost count of how many times I/Blake has used sudden violent death to break up a couple:

Amaya Maori and Nya Ririnui (Battle of Aoraki - Faith in Chaos)
Akira Robinson and Rafi Bakir (Rescue of Akira Robinson - All Our Sins Remembered)
Jake "Soylent" Green and Kate Newberry (Siege of Hiroshima - My Father's War)
Aaron Ray and Kotori Sato (2nd Invasion of Earth - My Father's War)
Ruunhan Somtaaw and Hahli Mihaka (Annihilation of Orlando - The Last Heroes)
Himawari Robinson and Amako Patariki (Annihilation of Orlando - The Last Heroes)
Ayumi Robinson and Apollon Thanos (Battle of the Twin Cities - Year of Hell)

... just to name a few...

---

Dear readers, both my job and my military obligations have kept me extremely busy these past few weeks. I know this has caused me to post new chapters at a slower rate. I am still working toward finishing this story before heading out to Crater Lake next month. In the meantime, I offer up this short little preview of my next Stellaris story to hold you over until the next chapter of The Broken Gates is ready:

Spoiler: The GALEX Incident, Chapter 2

The GALEX Incident
Part 2

Ino travelled to the Tau Ceti star system aboard a Coalition cruiser. Just under twelve light-years from Earth, it was deep in Human territory. Tau Ceti contained a debris disk, filled with far more space dust than could be found around Sol. As she stood on one of the observation decks, Ino peered out to see the Coalition starfleet that was going to participate in the upcoming war games.

She could see most if not all of the warships that were going to participate in GALEX, docked at the main starbase. Human, Kodranite, Cyanidite, Bhiir, Cevanti, Hulfir, Malwegoll, Tycan, and Wulhubb vessels were lined up in neat rows and covered in scaffolding. Spacewalkers worked feverishly to modify the weapon systems on each Coalition warship, and Ino knew why.

Over the course of the journey, she had been given a stack of documents to read, courtesy of Coalition Military Intelligence, the organization she now worked for. During the two-week flight, Ino had brough herself up to speed on GALEX and her role in the large-scale war game.

Galactic Exercise number 15 (GALEX for short) was going to be a two-week long simulated battle between the Coalition and a fictitious enemy simply known as “The Red Fleet.” According to the war game documentation, the “Red Fleet” was supposed to represent the Desstican Astral Fellowship, an authoritarian theocracy that was just starting to emerge as a possible future threat. The Fellowship controlled nearly two-hundred star systems and frequently carried out mass abductions of sentient lifeforms to use in religious sacrifices. Only a few Humans had been taken so far, but Earth was already starting to become concerned.

Ino flipped through the pages, studying the upcoming battle simulation.

The GALEX war game was supposed to be an opportunity for Coalition leaders to investigate and explore new strategies that were currently “untested.” Most of these ideas were developed during the Border War, where Coalition forces were pitted against the neighboring Empire of Axpentl. It was also a chance for crews and officers alike to test their skills, equipment, and tactics in a simulated conflict that would attempt to match real battle conditions as closely as possible.

During GALEX, the Coalition fleet would be commanded by Admiral Garnette, a career officer who had been doing this job for over twenty-five years. The UN Military, which normally defended Earth, was going to role-play as the Red Fleet, under the command of retired General Irmal, a citizen of Türkiye and former commander of the UN Army. General Irmal was forced into retirement when his controversial reputation caught up with him. General Irmal was best known for the successful pacification of a planetary revolt ten years ago.

Ino was roused from her studies by the chime of the comm system.

“Incoming message for Ensign Esperanta.” Said a computerized voice.

“Play it on channel one.” Ino replied, setting her paperwork down on the coffee table.

A two-dimensional hologram appeared in the open space between the coffee table and the wide window, obscuring Ino’s view of the starfield beyond. The hologram depicted a Coalition military officer. This bipedal lifeform was not Human, but a Kodranite.

The Kodranites are a race of Lithoid people native to the planet Isomon. Alongside Humanity, they were one of the founding members of the Coalition. Ino, like most Humans, perceived the Kodranites as “men made of stone and mud.”

The holographic Kodranite officer, dressed in a Coalition uniform, stood at the position of parade rest and began to speak.

“Ensign Esperanta. I am Commander Fanin of the Kodranite Navy. I will be the Simulation Controller responsible for your ship for the duration of this exercise. I'll meet you aboard the OPFOR Frigate Defiance no later than zero-six-hundred tomorrow morning. I’ll give you your mission assignment then. That is all.”

The hologram faded. Ino picked up her papers.

“Yes, sir.” She muttered.

...

Ino took some time in her quarters to make a few final preparations. She applied a small amount of makeup and tidied her hair before double-checking every part of her uniform. Ino had grown up believing she was too ugly to attract a boyfriend, primarily because her parents had said exactly that for the first eighteen years of her life. Only a few short years ago, in college, did Ino discover she was considered “very attractive” by most people she spoke to, and she was still enjoying the ego boost this revelation came with. Once she was satisfied with her reflection in the mirror, Ino packed her bags. It would be a short journey through the Tau Ceti starbase to her first ship assignment.

...

The UNS Defiance was not the glorious first assignment Ino was expecting. The ship was old... very old. Defiance was a Heroine-class Multirole Frigate, the very last of her class to be accepted into the Coalition Navy. According to one of the reports Ino read, all Heroine-class frigates would soon be retired from service, doomed to the scrapyard and shipbreakers. This war game might be the final moment of glory for the aging Defiance.

Ino took stock of the vessel as she walked its corridors. The frigate was armed with six torpedo launchers, four hull defense guns, and a pair of point-defense lasers. She also spotted a symmetrical deformation in the ceiling of Deck Three, indicating the presence of a retractable cloaking sail.

So, this is a stealth frigate. Made for hit-and-run attacks. Ino mused to herself. Okay. I can get creative with this.

On Deck One, Ino found the bridge. The Commanding officer was there, talking to a person Ino recognized at once.

“Admiral Ruel!” She said, snapping to attention.

The Admiral Ino had met in French Guyana looked as though he was still getting his space-legs. He swayed unsteadily as he turned to face Ino.

“It’s good to see you again, Ensign Esperanta.” Admiral Ruel said. “I’ve been tapped to be the Master Simulation Controller for a few days of the upcoming war game. Commander Thulani, this is the girl I’ve told you about. I assure you; she will perform admirably as your TO.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” The Commanding officer spoke in a deep grumble. He sounded very patient, but Ino could detect a slight trace of annoyance in his voice. “I am Thulani, UN Armed Forces, nominally assigned to the Umbutfo Eswatini Defense Force.”

“Ensign Esperanta, UNAF, under the Argentine flag.” Ino replied, shaking his hand. “I thought the southern African countries were only participating in the Coalition through the SANDF.”

She was referring to the military of the Republic of South Africa. Commander Thulani allowed himself a small smile.

“The past ten years have seen the integration of UN forces into the Coalition progress at phenomenal pace.” He explained. “The individual states of southern Africa are now able to participate directly in both the UN Military and the Coalition. I am very proud I can serve under my own nation’s flag for a change.”

He proudly thumped the red, yellow, and blue Swazi flag on his shoulder. Admiral Ruel (who wore a Brazilian flag) clapped his hands approvingly.

“Representatives of former Global South reunite for training. I’ll get that into the next UNAF newsletter. In the meantime, introductions and explanations. Commander Fanin, you’re up.”

The Kodranite officer from Ino’s hologram message approached from the other side of the bridge. After introducing himself, he began to explain:

“The Frigate Defiance will be a key player in Operation Devil’s Courthouse. Our objective will be to test the ability of Coalition Super-Capital ships, such as Battleships and Carriers, to defend themselves against smaller vessels equipped with stealth technology and electronic warfare systems, such as cloaking devices. Your mission will be to carry out a simulated attack run against the Coalition Battleship Excalibur. Once complete, you will retreat to a position of safety. Admiral Ruel will observe the action from his ship, the Science Vessel Oppenheimer. I will stay aboard here to act as an observer, and I will have a counterpart stationed aboard Excalibur.”

“And we’ll experience real battle conditions?” Commander Thulani asked.

“Yes sir.” Admiral Ruel answered. “All weapons will be disconnected and replaced with laser-based sim weapons. Any hits will be registered by the ship’s computer, and corresponding systems will be de-activated to simulate damage. I have also written a guide on how you should conduct damage control training, should your vessel take any simulated hits.”

“Very good.” Commander Thulani replied. “Ensign Esperanta, go downstairs and get setteled into your new CIC. I’ll be relying on you down there.”

“I’ll do my best, sir!” Ino replied, injecting confidence into her voice.

Ino did as she was told. The Combat Information Center, or CIC, was located one deck below the bridge and was a very cramped space with room for only two Humans. The CIC contained numerous computer banks and displays that allowed Ino to have a continuous feed of crucial data. She could see the latest readings from external sensors, decrypt and read radio traffic, view reports on the ship’s internal functions, and see the video feed from security cameras placed all over the vessel’s interior. The clatter of footsteps told Ino that Commander Thulani and Admiral Ruel had followed her.

“As Tactical Officer, it is your duty to closely examine all incoming sensor data and radio traffic.” Commander Thulani said. “You will then triage all of this data and send it to the bridge in order of importance. You will recommend alternative courses of action when I ask for them, and when necessary or appropriate, you will generate mission objectives.”

Ino turned to face the Commander.

“Sir, am I free to set my own criteria for the importance of combat data?”

“Yes.” Thulani replied, ignoring Admiral Ruel’s sudden expression of surprise.

“Another question.” Ino pressed. “Who are my teammates? Normally, the CIC is operated by a team of Tactical Officers.”

Admiral Ruel raised his hand.

“I can answer that in my capacity as the Master Simulation Controller for Devil’s Courthouse.” Ruel said. “I created the scenario and will be acting as the ‘combat judge’ so to speak. When I set up the war game scenario, I decided to handicap this ship. Normally, the Defiance runs with a team of four Tactical Officers.”

Admiral Ruel pulled a slip of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and read a note from the middle of the page.

“Ah, here it is. The Defiance has suffered personnel losses due to a previous missile attack. Two of your Tactical Officers are incapacitated and will not be available for the duration of Operation Devil’s Courthouse.”

“Two Tactical Officers.” Commander Thulani said. “My ship is expected to operate with the CIC at 50% efficiency.”

“That is correct.” Admiral Ruel said. “In this battle scenario, the OPFOR fleet is scripted to be unprepared and in disrepair. Now, Commander Thulani. I’m told your ship’s weapon systems will be fully converted to laser simulators in an hours' time. After that, your other Tactical Officer is supposed to arrive. When that happens, you will be given all of the relevant intel you need for the simulated attack run against the Excalibur.”

Admiral Ruel took a moment to stare intensely at Ino. She felt awkward and had to force herself to keep looking at the Admiral, fighting the impulse to lower her head, until he left. As soon as the Admiral departed, Commander Thulani said:

“This is your first war game, correct? Do not allow the Admiral to alarm you. These sims are always asymmetric. This time, the Red Fleet will be disadvantaged, but sometimes the Blue Fleet is handicapped instead. On rare occasions, both fleets are intentionally handicapped. It is all about learning, training, and developing new tactics and strategies. For now, get yourself acquainted with the CIC. This will be your home for the next few days. Now please have a little patience. I’m going to see if I can get your teammate here any faster.”

 

[Macavity116]

We're coming down the wire here. The end of The Broken Gates is finally in sight.

<=== Episode Twenty-Four: This is like hoping for a miracle.

Episode Twenty-Six: Trust me, you’ve barely touched the surface. ===>​

​

The Broken Gates
Episode Twenty-Five: The most powerful armor only an author can bestow.

---

Marisol
Creator
Paradox Headquarters, Stockholm


Marisol dropped the Reality Perforator and rolled over onto her back. All of the injuries she took from the Psionic bomb were starting to catch up with her, and the edges of Marisol’s vision were starting to blur. Looking up, she saw the underside of the conference table, on top of which the Psionic Sarcophagus rested. Marisol felt her heart skip a beat when she realized there were no bullet holes in the table itself. None of the rounds fired into the Sarcophagus had gone all the way through.

“What good are extra Creations if this thing still works?” Marisol moaned.

Then she started pushing herself up. She needed to stand, to do something. As Marisol got back on her feet, a blast of hot air caught her hair and blew it about. Down below on the street, the Creations were attempting to surround Malum and wear him down. Mira and Toa Mami, two of the main protagonists from the Stormbreaker Universe, had thrown themselves into the fight.

Marisol had very little time to admire her handiwork: She had plucked both characters out of their stories using the Reality Perforator, but did not have the ability to give them a full explanation of the situation. Instead, she had simply given Toa Mami and Mira the general idea that they were going into a serious fight, the fate of the multiverse was at stake, and they would be facing a single dangerous enemy alongside unusual allies. For the moment things seemed to be working, even though Marisol had failed in her main objective. She had wanted to find all three of the main heroes from the Stormbreaker Universe, but only got two.

Marisol had no time to wonder where Jericho was, though. Down in the rubble and snow-covered street, Trig and Mira held Malum back with a shimmering Psionic shield while Sebakhira grabbed Aisling and pulled her to safety. Marisol could not be certain from this vantage point, but Aisling appeared to be semi-conscious if not worse.

Marisol wanted to jump out of the window and rush to Aisling’s side, but then she spotted something else. Toa Mami, Tenna, and Varian had flitted through the chaos and got close to Malum. The Great Khan broke off his attack on Aisling, turning around and grabbing Tenna by the throat. Before he could do anything else, Toa Mami lunged forward and jabbed her own version of the Soulkeeper blade into Malum. He roared and dropped Tenna, parrying with his copy of the sword.

Marisol felt a jolt as she remembered what would happen if Malum fell right now. She turned around to face the Sarcophagus. It was damaged, but still able to function.

Marisol looked down at the cracks and pockmarks on its surface. The gunshots had only done light damage... but there was a massive spiderweb of cracks on the far end...

That was the spot where Trig dropped the Reality Perforator.

“Okay, brute force it is!” Marisol said.

Trig had dropped the Perforator on a part of the Sarcophagus that was directly over one of the table-legs. The conference table had absorbed the blow. Marisol scrambled around the office, searching for a simple desk chair that did not have wheels. After a few moments of kicking at snow, she found one and brought it back to the office, placing it adjacent to the Sarcophagus. Marisol was going to drop the Perforator from as high as possible above the table.

Once the chair was ready, Marisol reached down and grabbed the Reality Perforator.

“Oh, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! This thing is heavy!” Marisol gasped as she lifted the dense little sphere.

Intense pain shot up her legs and back, reminding Marisol that she was still injured. Hunched over, she slowly started moving toward her makeshift perch.

...

---

Emily
Creation
Wizard Island, Crater Lake


About five minutes ago... at almost the exact moment Marisol used the Reality Perforator to summon Mira and Toa Mami, Emily materialized inside one of Blake’s older stories... and came face to face with another Creation...

Despite having only skimmed Blake’s other works, Emily knew she was in the presence of not just a protagonist... but The Protagonist. The heroine who existed at the center of the Stormbreaker Universe, sometimes known as “the Girl Who Killed a God” or “the Woman who Became a God.”

Jericho was sitting a short distance away from a half-built structure that would one day become the Crystal Palace, a Psionic prison meant for herself. Emily had appeared somewhere inside the fifty-year time skip between The Stormbreakers and its sequel The Last Heroes. The jagged cliffs and shattered boulders that had once been Mount Mazama lined the lakeshore, while Wizard Island itself took the unmistakable shape of a cinder cone, suggesting that somewhere deep beneath the water’s surface, the Mazama Volcano had survived its cataclysmic self-destruction and was slowly rebuilding itself.

Taking her eyes away from the surroundings, Emily forced herself to look at Jericho. The girl who killed a god was a young woman now, probably in her early twenties. Her long wavy hair had long since lost its blue dye, reverting to its natural black. Jericho was dressed as though she was taking a day off from building her own prison, relaxing in a yellow sundress and a wide-brimmed hat. She had been seated on a large boulder, taking in the magnificent view of the surrounding mountains, but now she was staring at Emily, her deep purple eyes seeming to bore into Emily’s soul.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Jericho said.

She jumped from the boulder and landed on the rocky terrain near Emily, landing far gentler than was natural. Emily raced forward, opening her mouth to speak, to plead for help, but Jericho raised a hand to stop her.

“I already know why you’re here.” Jericho said. “But I’m still upset this is actually happening.”

Emily froze, trying to make certain her confusion was showing on her face.

“You didn’t finish reading The Stormbreakers.” Jericho said. “That’s okay. All you need to know is that in the last chapter, I got to be omniscient for about thirty seconds.”

Emily gasped. She had overheard Blake and Cali talking about Jericho once. Mentally, she made the connection between “the Woman Who Became a God” and “that one character who was omniscient for a chapter.”

“Omniscient.” Emily breathed. “So... you knew everything about... well, everything!”

Emily gestured in the direction she had come from, noticing as she did so that the air behind her was shimmering like a mirage. The fabric of the universe itself seemed to be wavering.

“Please, I need you to come back with me.” Emily said. “It’s a complicated situation but you probably already know-”

“The fabric of our fictional multiverse is threatened by a warlord who aspires to usurp the author.” Jericho interrupted. “You’re right. I do know. And I also know that pulling more characters into the real world is not the solution. You’re wasting your time coming to me, so I’ll send you back.”

Panic rose in Emily’s mind. She reached out and grabbed a tree to support herself.

“No... wait.” Emily said, searching for words. “Please. We’re desperate, and I don’t know who is waiting for me on the other side of the Gate. For all I know, Kanti and Mina could be dead and Cassandra-”

“They’re alive and they’ll be fine.” Jericho said. “Cassandra may seem ruthless, but she does have moral compunctions about killing. She will attempt to avoid using lethal force at first.”

Jericho took Emily by the hand. Emily was amazed by the sensation of warmth she got from Jericho, as though she was being held by a trusted friend.

“Besides, it’s like I said. Your allies are not going to defeat Malum through sheer force.”

Emily took Jericho’s hand with both of her own. She stared Jericho in the face, unblinking.

“Then how!? We don’t have any other way to defeat him.”

“Yes, you do.” Jericho insisted. “Malum may have turned the powers of the author against his Creator, but there is nothing that says you cannot do the same in return.”

Jericho grabbed Emily by the shoulders and continued, emphasizing her words with a gentle shake.

“Malum Ralpakin is a Creation, just like you and me. So long as he is inside a story, he is subject to the power of the Creators. He can resist, yes. He has done just that. But he can’t resist forever. Do you see? Malum wants to take power in the real world because it’s a sanctuary for him. It’s where he’s safest, where Blake, Marisol, and their friends will have the most difficulty in defeating him.”

Slowly at first, then all at once, Emily began to understand.

“So, we have to lure him back into the Gate? Into a story?”

Jericho nodded.

“Would you help us get Malum into the Gate?” Emily asked. “Help us trap Malum in a story where we can beat him?”

Jericho let go of Emily and took a step back, folding her arms. The Girl Who Killed a God looked as though she was thinking things over. Then, after a moment that felt like an eternity to Emily, Jericho said:

“I’ll help you, under one condition.”

…

---

Aisling
Creation
Stockholm, Sweden


Aisling could sense the exact moment the blizzard slipped out of her control. It was like losing her grip on a heavy stone and dropping it to the ground. Even though it was no longer in her grasp, her muscles still ached from the effort.

As Sebakhira grabbed Aisling and pulled her away from the fight, the fairy desperately reached out to the world around her, trying to grasp onto what she had just lost. For Aisling, it was as though a barrier had suddenly risen between herself and the natural world. She was dead… yet her heart was still beating, blood still flowed in her veins, colors and shapes swirled in front of Aisling’s eyes… but she was dead.

Sebakhira tossed Aisling into a snowbank and said something in her own language, then turned to rejoin the fight. Mira Mihaka twisted the handle of her Katana, detaching the Tanto blade concealed inside. The hidden blade was made of a greenish-yellow crystal that seemed to emit its own light. Shadows flickered and darted within, as though a tiny creature was slamming itself against the walls, trying to escape.

Mira lunged into the fight with Toa Mami close behind her. Lightning crackled and sparked in the street as both Protagonists collided with Malum, who wielded his Soulkeeper sword defensively. At the same moment, Swedish soldiers re-appeared on the scene, having finally gotten around the roadblock Sebakhira created. Varian, Cali, Trig, Akira, Whetu, Dak, Moka, and Tenna turned to fight them, shouting and calling out to each other in languages Aisling did not understand.

Fighting against overwhelming pain in her limbs, Aisling struggled to her feet. She had no weapons or powers, but she wanted to do what she could to help. Several bullets cracked through the cold air, startling Aisling and causing her to kneel down. At the same moment, someone grabbed her arm. Looking to her right, Aisling spotted Uisce the Water Witch.

This was the first time Aisling had gotten a good, up-close look at Uisce, and she realized that this poor girl was the true definition of an “unfinished character.” Her witches’ robe was a single flat shade of purple with no defining features or patterns. The same went for her face. Uisce’s skin was as single unbroken color, devoid of freckles, hair, or secondary colors. She was a rough sketch, an outline without detail. Uisce spoke in the Irish language, so Aisling could understand her. Uisce’s voice was flat and monotone, with minimal inflection or personality.

“We must help the Creator up there!” Uisce said, pointing at the wreckage of Paradox Headquarters.

Peering through a gaping hole in the façade, Aisling realized someone was still in the conference room with the Psionic Sarcophagus. As Aisling watched the shadow flitting around the room, a pulse of Psionic energy hit the outside wall and bounced off, fizzling out as it went. Looking down, Aisling realized it had come from Malum himself.

Instantly, Aisling understood the situation: Malum knew Marisol was attempting to break the Sarcophagus.

For their part, Mira Mihaka and Toa Mami seemed to know the stakes as well. They had positioned themselves between Malum and PDX HQ, running interference. The Great Khan had given up on trying to fight the two protagonists and was now trying to push past them. Mira was having none of this. She plunged the tip of her Katana into the snow and pulled it to one side, unleashing a powerful Psionic attack known as “Harbor Wave.” A cascade of purple light thundered across the ground, catching everyone in its wake. Malum was thrown off-balance just long enough for Toa Mami to close the distance.

Mira shouted something in Partogan, something that caused Toa Mami to pull her punches instead of striking a deathblow on Malum.

“They know he will revive at the Sarcophagus.” Uisce said. “We must help the Creator.”

Uisce and Aisling started to scramble across the wreckage, looking for a way back into Paradox Headquarters. A voice shouted from above.

Several members of the Paradox SWAT team were on the second floor, preparing to reinforce the Creations on the street below. Behind them, Aisling could see Bella and Herten, who had only just arrived. The two game developers were wearing body armor and shivering in the cold. Bella had spotted the two Creations and was calling out to them. Laying flat on the floor, Bella held out a long metal object, a bladed weapon with rubber handles on each end.

Aisling reached up and grabbed the Bat’leth. Two SWAT operators gripped the other end and pulled Aisling up and into the building. A moment later, Uisce joined them.

A loud crash caught Aisling’s attention. Marisol was in the nearby conference room. She had just dropped the Reality Perforator onto the Sarcophagus from a substantial height. The Elerium slab was finally starting to show signs of serious damage. The Perforator had left a small crater on impact and Marisol was getting ready to drop it again. Herten swung a fire extinguisher at the slab while Bella tried to strike it with the Bat’leth, only to injure herself and give up the attempt.

Aisling took the Reality Perforator and passed it to Marisol, who was already climbing onto a stepladder for another drop. Marisol said something in English, but Aisling did not understand her. Before Marisol could drop the Perforator again, there was a series of panicked shouts from outside, followed by a loud explosion.

“Oh, no! The magic stone!” Uisce gasped.

The Sarcophagus was starting to glow. Someone had killed Malum! Aisling opened her mouth to scream, to shout a word of warning, but it was too late. Purple light filled the room, and moments later, Malum rematerialized inside the conference room, standing just in front of Marisol.

When Malum spotted Marisol holding the Reality Perforator, he reacted at once. Soulfire ignited in Malum’s palms and spread up his arms. The heat of it caused Aisling to wince in pain. Malum said something in a language that made no sense to Aisling, but his actions were easy enough to read. He was going to blast Marisol down from her high perch and retake the Reality Perforator!

“No!” Aisling screamed.

She ran forward, jumped, and grabbed onto Malum’s right arm. She held on as tightly as she could, even as Malum lifted her off the floor. Blue and purple Soulfire enveloped Aisling, wrapping itself around her until she was completely engulfed in Psionic fire!

Out of the corner of her vision, Aisling saw Marisol jump down from the stepladder, slamming the Perforator into the Sarcophagus as she went, causing little fragments of the slab to fly into the air as it broke. Malum let out an animalistic roar and moved to throw Aisling a second time, but she was ready.

For some reason, Aisling was not being burned by Malum’s Soulfire attack, and she was going to exploit this for as long as possible. She wrapped herself around her enemy as tightly as possible, managing to get her legs around his torso and interlocking her ankles behind Malum’s back. Reaching up with both hands, Aisling started clawing and tearing at the Venn Brace, breaking the electric cables connecting it to the Prometheus Device.

Then, above Malum’s shouting and the gunfire, Aisling heard Uisce’s voice:

“Let go!”

Aisling relaxed her grip and dropped away from Malum just in time. Less than a second later, a bolt of lightning, brighter than the sun, shot through the snow squall and into the building. It hit Malum in the chest, blasting him backwards and out a hole in the wall. He crashed down the street below. Uisce and Marisol ran over to Aisling.

“You are not hurt.” Uisce stated bluntly. “How?”

The answer seemed to just… appear in Aisling’s mind, just as it did for Uisce and Marisol.

“The most powerful armor only an author can bestow. Protection from the plot itself, reserved for protagonists.”

A cascade of Psionic energy rolled across the area. Behind it came a woman’s voice, speaking directly into Aisling’s mind. It was followed onto the scene by a kind of gentle warmth that soothed Aisling’s aches and pains. It was the opposite of the cold and harsh Psionic energy emitted by Akira Robinson.

Aisling, Marisol, and Uisce clambered to their feet and looked in the direction Herten and Bella were pointing. There were six people standing on the roof of an apartment building across the street. Mina and Emily were supporting Kiri Ranginui between them, while Kanti rode on Emily’s shoulders. Cassandra Espinosa was leaning on Emily’s other side, barely conscious and looking as though she might pass out at any moment.

And standing apart from them, her fists clenched, was the Woman Who Became a God.

Jericho looked down at Malum. Smoke curled up from her left hand, the telltale sign of her lightning attack. The storm clouds parted above, bathing her in moonlight. Jericho’s shadow stretched over the snow-covered battlespace. The Creations and Swedish soldiers sensed Jericho’s presence and froze in place, looking up at her in awed silence. Jericho’s long black hair billowed in the chilly wind like a cape, adding to her imposing silhouette.

Jericho reached up with one hand and unshouldered the weapon she carried throughout her own story. The Psionic Repeater, a rifle that drew from the user’s own telepathic powers, emitted a terrifying violet aura. Malum rose to his feet and saw Jericho. His expression hardened. He threw off the Prometheus Device and drew the Soulkeeper.

“You cannot be serious!” Malum’s voice was like thunder, but there was a slight waver of fear in his words. “This is the desperate final play of the Creators? This is your last hope!?”

Jericho’s eyes began to glow in the darkness.

She did not speak.

She attacked.

<=== Episode Twenty-Four: This is like hoping for a miracle.

Episode Twenty-Six: Trust me, you’ve barely touched the surface. ===>​

 

[Macavity116]

Dear readers, I have good news:

Both of my jobs are starting to ease up on me! The upshot of the lighter workload is that I can write more than one page per day. So, with one hand over what I think might be my heart, I promise you that there will be two chapters of The Broken Gates next week!


To make up for the profound schedule slip that has been happening ever since the tornado outbreak in Michigan/US Presidential Debate/Assassination Attempt on the Former President/My party hot-swapping presidential candidates/a bunch my fellow soldiers getting deployed overseas/ literally a year's worth of stuff happened in just 5 weeks, I would like to offer you another peek behind the curtain.

Please allow me to share two more pages of the Technical and Historical Bible for my next story. I hope it holds you over until The Broken Gates resumes next week.

---

UNSUNG PARAGONS
Introduction to Sota and Elodie​

Deuteragonist: Sota Beninato

Species and Species type: Human/Mammalian
Age: 27
Homeworld: Earth
Hometown/Country: Yishun, Singapore
Military service/rank: Coalition Engineer Corps/Lieutenant


Background: Sota was an orphan raised on the streets of Singapore by members of a street gang that claimed (without proof) to be associated with the long-extinct Chinese Triads. Sota engaged in criminal activity alongside his adoptive family from a young age, quickly showing an aptitude for technically sophisticated crimes, such as hijacking electronic vehicles, commandeering ATM machines, and tampering with androids. As he grew older, Sota began to resent his life on the streets and wanted to escape Singapore by any means possible. At the age of 17, Sota found a recruiter for the Coalition Navy and bribed the man into allowing Sota to enlist.

Normally, the Coalition will only take people who are already serving in the military forces of whatever government they were born under, although exceptions are occasionally made. Sota bribed his way into the exceptions with all of the money he had in savings. After taking the Coalition Aptitude Test, Sota was assigned a role in the Engineer Corps, starting his career as a Boatswain’s Mate aboard the Heroine-class Frigate Defiance. Sota transferred off the vessel before the GALEX Incident occurred, but he did hear about it through INN. (Interstellar News Network, the internal news network of the Coalition) Sota was deeply impressed by Ino Esperanta’s unconventional tactics and confessed to a friend that he had a “fanboy crush” on Ino.

After the Forgotten War began, Sota was transferred to the Saturn-class Cruiser Narvi as an assistant roboticist, doing maintenance work on military grade android. He participated in the Liberation of Cevasia and subsequent “Hyperlane of Death” in which the Coalition fleet inflicted serious casualties on Fellowship forces as they attempted to retreat. During the fighting, Sota commanded a mechanized squad (mixed force of organic and android fighters) in a combat spacewalk operation against a Fellowship-controlled Hyper Relay. The operation was both a tactical and strategic success for the Coalition, causing Sota to be decorated with an Interstellar Service Cross. He was also rewarded with a promotion to Lieutenant and transfer to the Azrael Improved-class Battleship Marathon.

During the final days of the Forgotten War, Sota was elevated to the position of Chief Engineering Officer for the Marathon. Since his specialty is with Androids and computer technology, Sota chose to build a team of engineers to cover all of the tasks and duties not within his own expertise. By the time the story begins, Sota has built his crew into a well-drilled team, and he also enjoys a strong working relationship with the MiG-95 pilots and flight crews.

Sota’s Story: At the very moment when the story begins, Sota Beninato has gotten his life exactly where he wants it to be. He has escaped from his old life, found a job he is good at, and is being rewarded for his job performance. Sota thinks he has reached a moment of perfection and does not want any aspect of his life to change right now.

Unfortunately, an enemy ambush will completely upend Sota’s perfect life, force him out of his comfort zone, and send Sota heading in the one direction he does not want to go… back toward Earth.

---

Tritagonist: Princess Elodie of Liechtenstein

Species and Species type: Human/Mammalian

Age: 23
Homeworld: Earth
Birthplace: Zürich, Swiss Confederation
Home Town/Country: Vaduz, Principality of Liechtenstein
Military service/rank: UN Space Marine Corps/Staff Sergeant


Background: Elodie is an Earthborn member of the UN Space Marines, serving as part of the Coalition. She is the granddaughter of Prince Franz Joseph VI, the current monarch of Liechtenstein, a European microstate. Under the laws of Liechtenstein, Elodie is ineligible to inherit the throne due to being female. Elodie was educated in Switzerland, a mountainous European country that has assumed the role of Liechtenstein’s protector and advocate on both the global and interstellar stage. Before her eighteenth birthday, Princess Elodie told her family about her desire to enter a life of public service, and that she wanted to gain worldly experience through military service before starting said life. With the Prince’s consent, Elodie was enlisted in the Swiss Armed Forces at the rank of Gefreiter.

After one year of service, Elodie allowed her wanderlust to get the best of her. She requested permission from her commander to take the Coalition Aptitude Test, a prerequisite to joining the armed forces of the multispecies interplanetary alliance. After receiving a middling score, Elodie requested a transfer to the Coalition-affiliated branch of the UN Space Marine Corps.

Elodie conducted Space Marine training at Stickney Crater Training Facility, a UNSMC base located on one of the Maritan moons. She demonstrated an aptitude for boarding actions, and repeatedly outpaced her comrades on the live-fire course, dispatching her simulated foes with minimal collateral damage and no instances of friendly fire, accidental or otherwise. Elodie was promoted to the rank of Wachtmeister (Sergeant in the UNSMC) and transferred to the Rwanda-class Cruiser Autonoe.

During her service aboard the Autonoe, Elodie saw action in the Border War, a short military conflict between the Empire of Axpentl and the Coalition, of which Earth is a member. All of the Coalition’s interstellar borders are poorly demarcated, due to its neighbors being hostile and unwilling to cede territory they view as their own. Elodie conducted one combat boarding action, forcefully seizing control of an Axpentl warship that refused to surrender after being disabled in battle. Elodie also performed five non-combat boardings against disabled/derelict Coalition warships. She also received cross-training to perform the role of Weapon Systems Officer (Wizzo) in the MiG-95 starfighter.

When the Desstican Astral Fellowship launched its invasion of the Augmented Cevanti Administration, Elodie was re-deployed to the Weeping Ghost Nebula as part of the Coalition’s effort to save its new ally. She was transferred to the Azrael Improved-class Battleship Marathon, promoted to Staff Sergeant, and then made second-in-command of the Marathon’s Marine detachment under Irish Marine Jason O’Kirwan.

Elodie’s Story: Elodie is an adventurous soul who wants to see as much of the universe as she can and have a few good adventures before she must return home to do the duties expected of her by the House of Liechtenstein.

At the beginning of the story, Elodie is itching for action. She was not present for the Liberation of Cevasia (the Allied Homeworld) and has been obsessively studying the disastrous First Landing, in which a Coalition transport fleet attempted to deploy Assault Armies on the surface of Cevasia, only to be ambushed and destroyed by cloaked warships under the command of Araj Zilfallon, causing tens of thousands of Coalition fatalities.

Elodie has been putting her squad through additional training, hoping she will get a chance to fight the Fellowship forces before the war ends. Unfortunately, Elodie’s first combat action of the Forgotten War will find her on the receiving end of an ambush…

 

[Macavity116]

Author's note: In this chapter, I make a joke about how I frequently steal dialogue from TV shows and movies for my stories. However, I want to point out that the offending line that triggers the joke ("You do not seek to kill me? Above such brutality?") is actually stolen from the 2007 videogame Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Not a movie. Not a TV episode. Therefore I am not a 100% terrible writer.

<=== Episode Twenty-Five: The most powerful armor only an author can bestow.

Episode Twenty-Seven: You're in my world now. ===>​

​

The Broken Gates
Episode Twenty-Six: Trust me, you’ve barely touched the surface.

---

Marisol
Creator
Paradox Headquarters, Stockholm


Marisol could have jumped for joy, if doing so was not so painful. Jericho was here! She was fighting Malum, and at the same time, the Psionic Sarcophagus was splintered and cracked. Surely this had to be the end!

A lightning storm erupted in the street as Malum and Jericho sent Psychokinetic blasts against each other. Amidst the brilliant flashes of light and thunderous bursts, Kanti unfurled her wings and dove into the wreckages of Paradox Headquarters.

“Isn’t this great!?” Marisol said. “We’ve got all of the big three here! We can beat Malum now.”

Kanti squawked, speaking in her own language as she grabbed Marisol with one set of talons, pulling her toward an opening in the wall. A sharp pain ran up Marisol’s left leg and she grabbed onto a windowsill, propping herself up.

“What? What is it?” Marisol asked.

Again, Kanti could not reply in English. Marisol could tell that Kanti was trying to relay a very important message, something that clearly could not wait. The albino peahen shook her head in exasperation, then let go of Marisol and fluttered to a nearby computer desk. Kanti turned around and projected a Telelpathic wave from herself to Marisol. For her own part, Marisol was briefly able to see the shimmering wall of purple light racing toward her before she was hit by it.

Marisol felt a rushing sensation as her vision swam. She was plunged headfirst into one of Kanti’s recent memories:

…

Kanti and Mina were trying to fight Cassandra for control of the Broken Gate. Cassandra made full use of her Nanite Armor, generating an obscuring black fog around herself that lashed out and injured Mina. Kanti tried to burn the Nanite Armor with Soulfire, only for Cassandra to counter with Psionics of her own. Just when it seemed as though they would fight to a stalemate, Jericho and Emily emerged from the Gate.

Before Cassandra had a chance to respond, Jericho had used her own powers to sever Cassandra’s link to Malum, doing in seconds what Akira could do in minutes. Once Cassandra was incapacitated, Jericho spoke to Kanti using the “Galactic Common” language that was so pervasive in the Stormbreaker Universe.

Malum Ralpakin cannot be defeated in the real world. That was what Jericho had said. Simply killing him would not work, and Kanti’s allies would not be able to destroy the Sarcophagus before being exhausted, overwhelmed, or both.

Kanti knew Jericho well, the two had met before in one of Blake’s stories, many chapters before Jericho’s apotheosis. She had begged her old comrade to explain why Malum could not be bested in the real world.

“Haven’t you figured it out?” Jericho asked. “Blake was planning for Malum to play a role in future stories and wrote the story to that effect. Malum has plot armor. The same goes for some of the Creations pulled into this catastrophe. Unless something drastic changes the situation, your battle with Ralpakin could continue indefinitely.”

Recoiling in horror, Kanti begged Jericho to tell her how this obstacle could be overcome.

“One of you already stumbled upon the answer and you all ignored it.” Jericho had replied. “Malum got this far by abusing the powers of the author. So long as he is protected, events will transpire to prevent his death, even if you somehow manage to destroy the Sarcophagus. In turn, he won’t be able to kill those of you who are shielded.”

Obviously, Kanti asked which Creations did not have Plot Armor. She was going to take full advantage of Jericho’s vast well of knowledge leftover from her brief moment of omniscience.

“Whetu, Moka, Uisce, and Tenna.” Jericho had replied. “Whetu is Doomed by the Plot. Moka is a character type called ‘the Sacrificial Lion.’ Uisce and Tenna are from unfinished stories, Blake hasn’t given them an ending yet.”

Even though Marisol was only a passenger in Kanti’s memory, she could feel the rising sense of panic inside of Kanti. One more time, Kanti begged Jericho to reveal the way Malum was to be defeated…

And then… Jericho gave Kanti the answer.

…

When Marisol emerged from Kanti’s memory, it felt as though she was emerging from underwater and taking a desperate breath of air. Cold air stung her face, the sounds of battle made her ears throb.

“Jesus Christ.” Marisol breathed.

Kanti nodded as if to say “You know what to do.”

At that moment, a loud explosion sounded from outside. Marisol took another glance out of the window.

Now that she knew what to look for, Marisol realized that several Creations were benefitting from Plot Armor. Ever since this fight kicked off, there were moments when certain Creations should have been killed or seriously injured: Kanti being blasted out of the sky by lightning. Aisling getting choke-slammed into a wall. Trig resisting Uisce’s assault with ease. Whetu foolishly announcing her presence before attempting to ambush Akira.

Poking her head out of the window, Marisol could see it happening in real time. The explosion she just heard was another building collapse across the street. Sebakhira reacted with improbable speed, raising a Psionic shield to protect herself and several nearby creations. She moved almost like a video game character going through a pre-scripted reaction. A short distance away, Malum emerged from a cloud of blue Soulfire, his clothing singed but otherwise unharmed. He launched a Psi Volt at Jericho, who deflected it effortlessly.

“You do not seek to kill me, Jericho?” Malum taunted her. “Above such brutality?”

Akira shouted from a nearby snowbank.

“Hey, that’s my line! Now you’re just stealing my dialogue!”

Akira used Telekinesis to tear up a large chunk of the street, sending asphalt and concrete flying towards Malum. As he parried the attack, Jericho’s voice came out of the snow squall, even though Jericho herself was nowhere to be seen:

“It’s not the way I was written, Malum. You know that.” Jericho replied. “You could say I went a little soft after the War in Heaven. Besides, just it’s going to be with Akira, it’s not my fate to defeat you.”

Malum laughed and then turned on the spot to confront Toa Mami and Whetu, who had tried to ambush him from the darkness. He threw both of the Partogan Queens back effortlessly.

“The most powerful Psion in the universe doubts she can defeat me? Is that true?” Malum taunted Jericho again.

Jericho’s laugh echoed through the blizzard. With most of the city and street lights broken, her laughter sounded otherworldly.

“I guess it’s my turn to steal dialogue, Akira. But that’s okay. Blake steals dialogue from so many movies and TV shows for his stories that this should be second-nature.”

Suddenly, very suddenly, the wind died down and the snowstorm lost intensity. For a few moments, everyone could see more than two feet in front of their faces. It became plainly obvious that Jericho was standing directly behind Malum, her Psionic Repeater aimed at the back of his head. When she spoke, her voice seemed to come from everywhere:

“Don’t be too proud of the Psionic Dominions you’ve learned to build. The ability to control minds is insignificant next to the power of the author. You may have learned something about how our fictional worlds are made… but you haven’t learned everything. Trust me. You’ve barely touched the surface.”

Malum turned around and tried to lunge at Jericho, but she was gone again. She slipped away and melted into the darkness in the same stealthy manner as her adoptive mother: Mira Mihaka. When Malum tried to pursue, Mira and Sebakhira launched themselves at him from both the left and right.

Marisol did not see how the rest of the ambush played out. She was already running. She darted back into the conference room and grabbed the Reality Perforator, straining as she went. Aisling yelled at her, but Marisol ignored her. Struggling to keep the silver orb in her grip, Marisol ran to the edge of the chasm, where Trig’s fight with Tenna had caused the floor to collapse. The cafeteria below was now so full of snow that it was impossible to figure out a safe point to jump down. All of the wreckage was buried and impossible to see.

“Blake!” Marisol screamed. “Blake, are you down there!?

“I’m here in the lobby!” Blake yelled back. “Hold on.”

A moment later, Blake appeared. He was carrying the modified musket he had used in Shiatown only a few days ago.

“We found a bunch of Paradox employees in a panic room!” Blake said. “Herten and I took some of Cali’s people to help them evacuate. Also, did I just hear Jericho’s voice!? What the hell is going on out there?”

Marisol started to ask how Blake knew it was Jericho’s voice, but then she remembered what Sebakhira had said about all of Blake’s female characters talking in the same voice. Blake was probably the only person who could actually tell them apart.

Marisol screwed up her courage. She knew exactly what needed to be done… but actually following through and doing it would be another matter altogether.

“Blake, I need you to come with me.” She said. “I’ve got the Reality Perforator, and we’ve got a chance to take Malum down!”

Blake started to climb up the wreckage, looking for a way to reach Marisol. The building shook as the fighting outside continued.

“How the hell did you get the Perforator?” Blake asked.

“Trig found it.” Marisol replied. “Malum had it locked inside of some Psionic storage thing, but Trig got it open.”

“Great.” Blake replied, heaving himself up onto the second floor. “Now we just need to get the Creations to pin him down long enough to-”

“No.”

Marisol’s voice was so firm that she caused Blake to stop talking.

“No.” Marisol said again. “We have to go with my plan. The one I came up with on the plane. It’s the only way.”

Blake’s face contorted.

“I told you, that’s a moonshot of an idea.”

“It’s all we’ve got.” Marisol said. “We’re not going to overwhelm Malum out there. Don’t you remember? Malum has Plot Armor! He was supposed to be in the sequel to Song of the Solitaire!”

A look of dawning realization appeared on Blake’s face. He swore.

“Soulfire Symbiont!” Blake cursed, uttering the name of an unwritten story that would have been the second chapter in Malum’s villainy. “God fucking Damnit!”

Marisol nodded.

“Blake, you plan out your stories so far in advance that most of those Creations out there have Plot Armor. Jericho says if we don’t shake things up, that fight out there could go on forever.”

“Or until Malum wears us down.” Blake added. “Fuck. Fuck! I still don’t like your idea, Marisol, but I think we’ve gotta try it now.”

“It worked in The Last Heroes, didn’t it?” She said.

“Back then, my characters weren’t leaping off the page.” Blake said. “We won’t know if this crazy plan works until… well… until we drag Malum kicking and screaming through the Gate. Hell, I still don’t think this plan is going to work!”

Marisol stood up. In one hand, she clutched the Reality Perforator. It was so heavy she had to stoop to hold it. In the other, Marisol had produced her smartphone. She had been thrown around and beaten so much in the fighting that the screen was badly cracked… but it was still usable. Marisol reached out, offering the Perforator to Blake. Knowing what was coming, Blake pulled his own smartphone out of his pocket and then took the Reality Perforator in his free hand. Both Creators were now holding tightly onto the silver orb.

Marisol flicked her thumb and then let out a sigh of relief.

“I don’t know how, but I’ve still got mobile data here.” She said.

Blake looked down at his phone. The web browser was opened to Paradox Interactive Forums, and he saw a little message icon at the top right corner of the screen. Marisol had re-used a subject line that Blake himself had only used once before, while writing The Last Heroes two years ago…

Conversation with Chosenpai

“Permission to borrow one of your characters?”


Hi Macavity. I want to write a fanfiction using your character Malum Ralpakin. May I have permission to borrow him for the duration of my fic?


With one thumb, Blake started to type out a reply. Marisol said:

“I don’t know what it takes to set off this stupid Perforator. You’d better spell it out just to be safe.”

Her words were punctuated by another loud blast and shouting from the street. For the first time in days, Blake allowed himself to smile. Then he obliged Marisol’s request.

I will grant permission. You and I are now BOTH Malum’s Creator.

As soon as Blake sent the message, he punched a button and navigated away from the Conversations screen. In moments, the front page of his most recent fanfiction appeared on the screen. Marisol and Blake looked longingly at Last Days of the Emerald Isle. That story felt so far away now. Typing with one hand, Blake hastily prepared a message.

“Remember what I said all the way back in The Last Heroes?” Blake said. “Once I post something publicly, it’s canon and there’s no take-backs. We’re committed after this.”

“Do it.” Marisol said.

Blake hit the “Post” button, and an update appeared on Last Days of the Emerald Isle.

Dear readers: I am happy to announce a new collaboration with Chosenpai, the Beta Reader who helped me out with Song of the Solitaire and Last Days of the Emerald Isle. She is working on an all-new fanfiction project that will include the Great Khan as a guest character, in much the same way that I used to have guest characters in The Last Heroes. Make sure you’re subscribed to Chosenpai’s Ao3 page so that you don’t miss what she’s got in store!

As soon as Blake’s message was posted, Marisol felt a slight shudder in the Reality Perforator. Her fingers sank deep into its outer membrane, but not far enough inside to touch the core. A gasp of surprise told her the same thing had just happened to Blake.

“We’re doing this.” Marisol said.

“We’re doing this.” Blake replied.


…

---

Kate “Jericho” Ray
Creation
Stockholm, Sweden


Jericho was stalling for time. She knew what needed to be done, and she was keeping Malum’s attention on herself until the moment arrived. Moving nimbly around the battlespace, Jericho kept Malum in a constant defense. Whenever she was not launching Psionic attacks at Malum, Jericho was supporting the other Creations as they made their own attacks.

By this point, Cali, Dak, Moka, and Varian had completely run out of ammunition for their guns. Sebakhira, Kanti, Tenna, and Whetu were taking it in turns to launch Psionic attacks to avoid exhaustion, while Uisce and Aisling were out of the fight entirely. The Sarcophagus was damaged, but still functional. Killing Malum outright would do no good, and the team was running out of energy. Malum was going to outlast his attackers… unless…

“The Creators!” Dak yelled. “They’re coming out!”

Marisol and Blake appeared in a hole on the second floor of Paradox HQ, holding the Reality Perforator between them. Malum turned away from Jericho.

“Come to face justice for your crimes against Creations, Robinson?” Malum called out.

Without waiting for an answer, Malum sent a shimming wave of Psionic energy toward the two Creators. Toa Mami ran into its path, Soulkeeper held high. The Psionic blast detonated right in front of her, never reaching the Creators. As Toa Mami fell to the ground, Marisol screamed:

“Blake! Now!”

With a great heave, Marisol and Blake swung their arms and launched the Reality Perforator into the air. It landed on the road with a painfully loud clank, digging a crater into the pavement where it landed. Before the Perforator came to rest, Blake and Marisol were already jumping down to ground level. Blake got back to his feet first and started running toward the Reality Perforator.

“NO!” Malum shouted.

He too began sprinting through the snow. Marisol and Jericho were the last to start moving, but Jericho intentionally held back, allowing Malum to get in front of her.

Blake and Malum reached the Reality Perforator at the same time. Desperate, Blake unshouldered his musket and lunged toward Malum, jabbing the end of the barrel towards his foe as though it was a spear. Malum grabbed onto the barrel, trying to deflect it away from him. That was the moment when Malum’s grip on his copy of the Soulkeeper sword slackened.

Jericho pounced, grabbing the crystalline blade in both hands and allowing the rest of her body to go limp. All of Jericho’s weight was suddenly on Malum’s wrist. He cried out and let go of the sword. Jericho tossed the Soulkeeper copy into the air and then tackled Malum from behind just as Marisol reached the Reality Perforator.

For one agonizing moment, Malum, Blake, and Marisol were all touching the Reality Perforator, their fingertips sunken into the non-Newtonian membrane. From her position atop Malum’s back, Jericho was able to touch all three of them at the same time. She unlocked the deepest reserves of Psionic power within her own mind and enveloped all three fighters with Psionic energy.

A millisecond before it happened, Malum realized what Jericho was going to do and he let out an angry roar. Blue Soulfire erupted, covering his whole body, but it was too late!

A column of purple light shot down from the sky! Jericho, Malum, Blake, and Marisol were caught in the beam and spirited away. The Psionic Teleportation was completed in an instant.

…

---

Marisol
Creator
Rothelmen Island, Sweden


Marisol screamed and threw herself away from Malum. He was still wrapped in Soulfire! Recoiling from the immolation, Marisol felt a sharp pain in her back. She had collided with a large metal archway standing in the middle of a windswept forest. She could smell and hear the nearby river.

A flurry of movement brought Marisol back to the present. Blake and Malum were fighting over the Reality Perforator, while Jericho had taken a step back. Jericho looked at Marisol, pointed at Blake, and then hunched over.

There was a flash of purple light, and Jericho was suddenly inside of a translucent bubble, a sustaining sphere. She slumped over inside of the bubble, unconscious.

“BLAKE!” Marisol screamed. “MUSKET!”

Marisol’s words reached Blake just in time. Malum aimed one hand at Blake and a jet of blue light shot out of his palm. Blake dove to one side and retrieved his musket off the ground. Simultaneously, the bolt of blue light entered the Broken Gate and vanished.

“Flash! Flash! Flash!” Blake yelled.

Marisol threw herself to the ground, closing her eyes and covering her ears as she went. Blake pulled the trigger. His modified musket went off with a blast louder than a lightning strike! Blake was thrown backwards and his gun fell to the ground. Marisol’s vision filled with white light, even though she was facedown with her eyes closed, and a moment later, there was a loud thud as Malum hit the ground as well.

Marisol looked up. Jericho was still in her Sustaining Sphere, locked in Psionically-induced stasis. Blake was getting back to his feet, while Malum was lying face-down in the dirt. He had gotten a full blast from the anti-Psionic weapon.

“Okay, this is it.” Blake said. “Get the Perforator, I’ll drag his ass over to the Gate.”

Marisol grabbed the Reality Perforator in one hand and helped Blake as best she could. Malum was clearly still conscious, but was too badly stunned to resist, at least for now.

As they got closer to the Gate, the Lightstones embedded into the archway started to glow. Marisol frowned as she tried to concentrate. She knew where she wanted to go, where she wanted to take Malum… but she had no way to know if the Gate would respond to her.

“Still time to abort this whole plan.” Blake said. “We don’t know if you can go through the Gate.”

“Creations can use it to come into our world.” Marisol panted. “Why not the other way ‘round? Did you write anything that says I can’?”

“No.” Blake admitted.

“Then we’ve gotta take the chance.” Marisol said.

Blake, Marisol, and Malum’s semiconscious body were just five feet away from the Gate now. Marisol took a moment to look around and peer through the Gate. She could see something through the archway, the faint outline of a mountain. It was the setting of the short story she wrote on the plane!

“Okay, I think we’ve got a chance.” Marisol said. “Now we just need to-”

Marisol never finished her sentence. At that moment, a shape came barreling through the Gate!

In the moment it happened, Marisol had not given a single thought to the blue light Malum projected into the Gate, but now that something was coming out of the Gate at her, Marisol knew what had happened.

Malum had called for help, and the very last of his allies had arrived on the scene.

Erin Bowie, a background character from My Father’s War and frequently frazzled employee at the bAAR, had lunged through the Gate and run directly at Marisol. It all happened so quickly, so suddenly, that Marisol could do nothing but stare opened-mouthed at the 8-inch kitchen knife clutched in Erin’s fist.

Erin let out a wordless guttural scream before bringing the knife down to stab Marisol. And then the world turned sideways as Marisol was shoved out of the way. She landed on her side as Blake started to grapple with Erin. Marisol blinked, trying to clear the blood away from her eyes. Sitting up, Marisol realized that the blood splattered on her face was not her own. Blake had either been stabbed or slashed in the moment he shoved Marisol to safety.

“GO! I’ve got this!” Blake shouted as he struggled to wrest the knife out of Erin’s grip.

Marisol seized the Reality Perforator and started tugging at Malum’s limp form. She was so close to the Gate, she could see the God of Ink character she had hastily created in the last few moments before the final battle. But Malum was too heavy, the Reality Perforator was also too heavy, but Marisol knew she needed to take both through the Gate with her.

“Help!” Marisol screamed. “I can’t! Too heavy!”

Blake and Erin suddenly fell out of her field of view. Marisol could see their shadows flickering in the glow of the Lightstones, she could someone raise the knife and bring it down, followed by the horrific sound of someone being stabbed.

“NO! HELP! SOMEONE HELP!” Marisol screamed.

And then the stasis field around Jericho broke. The translucent bubble popped and faded from view. Jericho caught herself, waking up as she nearly fell to the ground. Jericho looked into the shadows, at the spot where Blake and Erin were fighting. Then she looked back at Marisol and Malum. The Great Khan was regaining consciousness. He was pushing his hands to the ground, trying to stand up, to overcome the grip Marisol had on his arms.

Jericho aimed one palm at Marisol, and a powerful Telekinetic force swept across Rothelmen Island. Marisol, Malum, and the Reality Perforator were caught up in what felt like a hurricane-force wind. Marisol screamed as she was lifted off her feet; at the last second, she remembered to keep a tight grip on both Malum and the Perforator.

At the very moment Marisol passed through the archway of the Broken Gate, she dug her fingers into the membrane of the Reality Perforator, pushing as deep as she could until her fingertips found and touched the inner core.

<=== Episode Twenty-Five: The most powerful armor only an author can bestow.

Episode Twenty-Seven: You're in my world now. ===>​

 

[Macavity116]

<=== Episode Twenty-Six: Trust me, you’ve barely touched the surface.

Episode Twenty-Eight: Without this guy, life would be too quiet. ===>​

​

The Broken Gates
Episode Twenty-Seven: You’re in my world now.

---

Marisol
Creator
Palace of the King of the Gods, Mount Celestia


Marisol found the strength to raise her head and look around. She was not in Stockholm anymore, she could tell just by the warmth in the air.

Marisol and Malum had emerged into a picturesque courtyard, located within a southeast Asian-style mountainside monastery. The building itself appeared to be constructed at the very summit of said mountain because there was nothing but clear blue sky in all directions when Marisol looked up.

Realizing her plan had worked, Marisol let out a triumphant yell. They were inside the world of the hastily-written short story Marisol had come up with during the plane ride! Ignoring her pain and agony, she forced herself to stand. Nearby, Malum was also doing the same.

“What!? What have you done? Where are we?” Malum demanded.

He pointed one finger at Marisol, preparing to hit her with a Psionic blast. Knowing she was safe, Marisol made no attempt to dodge or evade. She remained stock-still and glared at Malum.

The jet of Psionic energy fizzled out the moment it left Malum’s hand. Someone had countered Malum’s attack.

“I will have no violence today.” A booming voice declared.

A very tall man approached, he was dressed in gleaming silver armor adorned with many colorful gemstones. A pair of feathery wings extended from his back. The winged man spoke again.

“Today is meant to be a day of celebration! I’ll have none of this. I will clean you both, and then you will behave yourselves.”

Marisol felt a most wonderful sensation as her injuries were magically mended, the blood and grime cleaned away from her body, and her stamina returned. It was like taking a refreshing shower and a power nap at the same time. Malum was looking far less relaxed.

“Where are we!?” He demanded. “What have you done to me, Creator?”

Marisol laughed as she knelt down to pick up the Reality Perforator. Now that she had her strength back, it did not feel as overwhelmingly heavy as it did earlier.

“You’re in my world now.” Marisol said. “I’m the Creator around here, and I’m the God you have to worry about pissing off.”

Malum looked from Marisol to the winged man, trying to take in just what was going on.

“This,” Marisol said, gesturing around her. “Is one of my stories, and with Blake’s permission, you’re here as a Guest Star, Malum. Congratulations.”

Marisol leaned over to one side, peering at something going on behind Malum.

“And it looks like we’re just in time for the big event. Let’s go. Dream Guardian, if you could lead the way for us?”

“Of course, my good lady.” The winged man said.

He gestured for Marisol and Malum to follow. Malum did so very reluctantly, he was starting to become more and more aware of his surroundings. Marisol felt a glowing sense of pride as she admired her own handiwork.

It was not the first time Marisol had written a short story in a time crunch, but the world she created during the plane ride had come together seamlessly. Mount Celestia was a magical domain inhabited by a pantheon of gods, spirits, and other fantastical people who styled themselves as guardians over the mundane world below. Malum seemed to have figured out that he was surrounded by dozens, if not hundreds of deities who could overpower him in a fight, and he was looking increasingly concerned about this development.

The Dream Guardian brought Marisol and Malum to a grand archway built into the outer walls of the monastery. Here, dozens of gods and goddesses were throwing a raucous party. Enchanted music filled the deepest pits of the soul with joy and hope, while food and drink of impossibly divine descriptions were shared with all.

In the middle of this grand festival, three people stood atop a podium. Marisol pointed at a bald man in the center, dressed in orange robes and carrying a wooden staff.

“There he is… the King of the Gods.” Marisol said.

“Quite right.” Replied the Dream Guardian. “He’ll speak to you when he is finished.”

“So, this is your plan?” Malum said. “Drag me into a world built specifically for my own slaughter?”

“I’m not the same type of writer as Blake.” Marisol said. “Plus, I know how powerful you are. You might be able to kill me before any of these gods can stop you… but then your life would be cut so very short.”

Marisol’s words were dripping with venom. She held the Reality Perforator behind her back with both hands, knowing that should Malum attempt violence, her reflexes would be the difference between life and death.

If this plan went sideways, Marisol would remove herself from this world, leaving Malum to face the wrath of an angry pantheon. But that would be her last resort.

“If you have not brought me here to kill me, then why?”

Marisol pointed to the podium where the King of the Gods was speaking.

“Because in a few minutes… this world is going to need you.”

The King of the Gods raised his hand, calling for silence.

“For as long as I have reigned, my friend here has been the guiding hand behind the powers of imagination, the force of genesis, the father of brainchildren, and master the creative mind. To have you here upon this mount with me has been the greatest pleasure and privilege.”

The assembled deities applauded while both of the people standing next to the King of the Gods looked abashed. One of them, a man, had the same heavenly appearance as the other gods. His companion, a woman, appeared to be mundane and powerless. She was no god or spirit, just a layperson from the world below.

“Now the God of Ink has discovered a force, a power that may well rival his own: Love.” The King said, then he glared at one specific deity in the crowd. “I trust you had nothing to do with this.”

“No sir, never!” The Goddess of Love replied with a giggle. “But I wish I did.”

The King of the Gods smiled and let out a jovial laugh. He turned to the two people on-stage with himself.

“The two of you are about to embark on a most magnificent journey, of that I have no doubt.” He said. “But one last time, I must warn my old friend. To leave Mount Celestia in the hands of a mortal is to surrender your divinity. I cannot allow you to return, my friend. Is this what you truly want?”

The God of Ink embraced his new bride, who squeezed him tightly in return.

“I would give up everything for her.” The God of Ink declared. “Everything.”

Marisol sniffed. She felt tears in her eyes, but resisted the urge to wipe them away, keeping both hands on the Reality Perforator.

The God-King gave his blessing, and the happy couple said the final goodbyes to the world of the gods. The mortal woman seemed overwhelmed by the sheer number of gifts the deities pressed on her. By the time the crowd withdrew, she was adorned with so many pieces of jewelry and dressed in such fine clothes that she looked like the empress of the world. The magical auras radiating off these gifts coalesced into a gentle golden halo around her.

Finally, the God of Ink and his bride stepped through the archway together and vanished from sight. They had departed Mount Celestia for the final time. The party resumed, the inhabitants of the divine realm expressing joy about getting to witness such a happy event.

Marisol and Malum were escorted through the crowd until they came face-to-face with the King of the Gods. He looked down at Marisol and grinned.

“Marisol Reyes, the Creator. You’ve brought me a new God of Ink!”

Malum startled. Marisol suppressed the urge to cackle. Instead, she turned to face her foe.

“Cat’s outta the bag, Malum. So here’s where we stand.”

Malum glared at Marisol, his eyes wide and full of rage.

“I knew that Blake’s characters never would have beaten you in a straight fight. We’d have to get creative, and this is my answer.”

Feeling brave, Marisol took a step toward Malum.

“I made this world just for you, Malum. I made it because I can give you a choice.”

“What possible choice could you offer me?” Malum said.

“Like I said: You’re in my world now. This place can be your prison… or you can make it something else.”

Marisol leaned over to one of the nearby tables, took one hand off the Perforator, and picked up an eagle feather quill.

“I’m giving you the chance to stay in this world as the patron god of creatives. Become the new God of Ink… become a Creator yourself.”

She offered the quill to Malum.

“Why conquer a multiverse when you can build one of your own? When you could guide the hands of creative souls in the world below. This is your chance to start over, Malum. Leave your grudge against Blake behind, stay here.”

“Blake is my Creator.” Malum seethed.

“So am I.” Marisol replied. “And right now, I’ve got all the power… and I’m showing you mercy.”

Marisol pointed the quill at the world around her.

“You’ll be among people like yourself. Wielders of great power, ruling over the world at the bottom of this mountain. You can stay here as their brother and neighbor, and use your powers to become the greatest Creator this world has ever known.”

For the first time, Marisol noticed the faintest trace of hesitation in Malum’s expression. He was tempted.

“You would give me such power?” He asked.

“I would.”

“And Robinson?”

“He gave permission for me to use your character in this story.” Marisol said. “So right now, I am the only Creator influencing your story.”

Malum looked around.

“A Gilded Cage.” He said. “You are a Creator equal to Robinson.”

“Thank you.” Marisol said. “I’ve uh… I’ve written a few ‘Match Made in Stockholm’ and ‘Captive Date’ stories before. I know what I’m doing.”

Malum was now eyeing the quill in Marisol’s free hand. She was close.

“You’re right about this whole setup being a prison, but it’s a prison of your own making, just like Jericho and her Crystal Palace. Going back from this point isn’t an option anymore, but what happens here next is all up to you.”

Marisol took another step toward Malum.

“In the world you come from, there are almost no Creators. It’s just not the way Blake writes… but my stories are different. This world is full of Creators, and those who have the potential to become Creators. They just need a hand to guide them.”

Malum was no longer hiding the fact that he was staring at the quill.

“I have never written anything, let alone a story.” Malum said.

“That’s okay.” Marisol said. “That’s how all Creators start their journey. The only way to reach Blake’s level… my level, is to write. Keep writing. Share your stories with other Creators, and keep writing. Once you get the hang of Creation, you won’t want to stop. That’s why Blake didn’t quit after finishing his Magnum Opus, and that’s why I’m giving you the chance to start.”

There was a final tense moment. Marisol could see the intense thoughts passing through Malum’s mind; his eyes flickered like candlelight.

Then, Malum reached out and took the quill from Marisol. He startled as the King of the Gods began to applaud.

“Welcome to our domain, Malum Ralpakin, God of Ink!” The God-King declared.

“A wise choice.” Marisol said. “Welcome to your new home, Malum. Try the food. I borrowed some narration from C.S. Lewis to make it delicious beyond all possible description.”

Putting both hands on the Reality Perforator, Marisol started to back away. The King of the Gods placed one hand on Malum’s shoulder and greeted him jovially. Marisol noticed the normally hard and aggressive expression on Malum’s face soften a little.

Once Marisol was on the outer edge of the party, she raised her voice and called out:

“Malum, one last thing!”

Malum and the God-King turned to face her.

“I don’t mince my words.” Marisol said. “When I say these people are gods, I mean it. They. Are. Omniscient. If they find out you’re thinking of coming back to the real world…”

At once, the whole place chanced. The sunlight became dark and cold. The platters of delicious food rotted into festering slop. Every god, spirit, and lesser deity turned on the spot to stare at Malum with glowing red eyes. Marisol felt a deep satisfaction when she saw the look of fear on Malum’s face.

“If I were you, I’d focus on having fun; exercise that creative muscle in your brain.”

Very slowly, the color and light came back into the world. The food and drink transformed back into its divine quality, and the gods resumed their party. Malum stared past all of them at Marisol. At long last, he fully appreciated just how completely he was trapped.

“Goodbye, Malum Ralpakin.” Marisol said.

She squeezed the Reality Perforator as hard as she could, digging her fingernails into the membrane until they touched the inner core.



…

---

Marisol
Creator
Rothelmen Island, Sweden



Marisol was ejected forcefully from the Broken Gate. She landed so hard on the rocky terrain of Rothelmen Island that her glasses snapped in half. She was so focused on that problem that she did not notice the thundering noise of a helicopter for a moment.

“Marisol!” Someone yelled.

Then, Marisol found herself in a furry embrace. Sebakhira was cradling Marisol as though she was a kitten. Varian Robinson was standing next to her.

“Where is he!? Where’s Malum?” Varian asked.

“Inside my story.” Marisol said. “It worked. He’s trapped in my story!”

She felt the tension go out of Sebakhira’s muscles. Varian let out a gasp, a hopeful gleam in his (or her) eyes.

“So… it’s over?”

“Yeah…. It’s over.” Marisol replied. “We won.”

<=== Episode Twenty-Six: Trust me, you’ve barely touched the surface.

Episode Twenty-Eight: Without this guy, life would be too quiet. ===>​

 

[Macavity116]

Author’s note: The character Lorcan “ActionSportAddict” Callaghan is an Easter Egg: a playful reference to the PDX Forum user @StrategyGameEnthusiast, who has previously picked up on some questionable deployments of the Irish language in this story.

<=== Episode Twenty-Seven: You’re in my world now.

Episode Twenty-Nine: It’s not home without Dermot. ===>​

The Broken Gates
Episode Twenty-Eight: Without this guy, life would be too quiet.

---

Marisol
Creator
Stockholm, Sweden


Marisol must have passed out. She did not remember how she got from Rothelmen Island back to Stockholm, only that when she opened her eyes, she was in a sterile-looking room where medical professionals were shining a light in her face.

“I think she’s just exhausted. We all need some rest.” A voice was saying to her right.

“Understatement.” Marisol mumbled. “I need to sleep for however long God did after he made the world.”

“Welcome back to the land of the living, miss.” One of the Emergency Room workers said.

Peering around, it took Marisol almost a minute to realize she was in a hospital, and that a truly bizarre scene was playing out around her. Making sense of it was difficult. Without her glasses, Marisol may as well have been blind. She struggled to make sense of colored shapes and had to listen closely to voices just to understand what was going on:

Government men dressed in black suits, were talking in hushed voices and fingering their two-way radios anxiously. Additionally, there were no fewer than thirty armed and armored soldiers in the emergency room. Most of them were wearing the blue and yellow flag of Sweden, but Marisol could also see a few wearing a red-white-and-blue patch that was most likely the US flag.

Both soldiers and government agents were questioning Herten and Bella nearby. The two Paradox employees sounded like they wanted to shrink into the wall and be lost forever.

“Where’s Blake?” Marisol finally managed to say.

“Mister Robinson just came out of surgery.” A doctor replied. “He has defensive knife wounds to both of his hands, but he’s proven resilient. We expect him to recover in two to four months.”

Herten saw that Marisol was awake. Using this as an excuse to get away from the interrogation, he crossed the emergency room to speak with her.

“You were one of the last people brought into the ER.” Herten said. “I was worried about you, but the doctors said you were never in any danger. Is it true? Varian said you trapped Malum in one of your stories.”

“Yeah, it’s true.” Marisol said. “Malum was a one-dimensional villain. I offered him power, and he took the bait so hard he didn’t notice the cage until he was already inside. What happened to Blake and Erin? They were fighting when I went through the Gate.”

“Blake is going to be fine… physically.” Herten said, the hesitation in his voice palpable. “Erin Bowie, the Creation who jumped you, she’s dead. Blake won’t talk about it, but Jericho said he killed her.”

“Oh, Christ.” Marisol breathed.

…

---

Aisling
Creation
Stockholm, Sweden


Aisling and Uisce had no concept of modem, western hospitals, so they stayed close to one another. The experience was especially frightening because no one in the building spoke their language.

Both young women had sustained light to moderate injuries during the fighting, but refused to allow the doctors to examine them. (mainly because they did not know what doctors are) After a tense standoff in a private area of the emergency room, two people came through the privacy curtain to see Aisling and Uisce. One of them was Bella, the Crusader Kings III developer. The other was a tall, lanky European man who wore a Paradox Interactive credential around his neck, similar to Bella’s but printed in a different color with red letters stamped over the picture of his face. Bella said something in English that Aisling and Uisce did not understand, but a moment later, the tall man started to speak in Irish:

“Hello girls, my name is Lorcan Callaghan. Your creators know me as ActionSportAddict on the Paradox Forums. The company brought me out here to be your translator.”

“You can understand what they’re saying?” Aisling asked.

Lorcan nodded.

“I can speak your language and theirs.” He answered.

Chipping away at the language barrier, it took Lorcan an additional forty-five minutes to convince Aisling and Uisce to let the doctors treat their wounds.

…

The next two days passed in a whirlwind of activity. Marisol, Blake, and the Creations (Except for Cali) were loaded onto a tour bus and driven out of Stockholm, passing through two police barricades on the way. Once they were free of the city, Herten and Bella explained the situation:

By some miracle, the battle between Team Malum and Team Marisol had only resulted in one fatality: Erin Bowie, the Creation who had initially opened the door to this whole scenario. However, dozens of Paradox employees, Swedish police, and Royal Army soldiers had been injured in the chaos. The people of Stockholm were bewildered by a sudden blizzard striking the town in late April, and the Swedish Government was demanding answers.

“And let’s not forget the rest of NATO.” Herten said. “The USA is still looking into whatever the hell you did in Detroit, and now agents of the Philippine National Police are showing up in Michigan looking for Marisol. We’ve got some fires to put out.”

“Is that why you took us out of Stockholm?” Marisol asked, looking at the Swedish countryside out of the window.

Herten nodded.

The rest of the journey passed in a kind of quiet calm. Blake sat in the back of the bus, tinkering with the smashed remains of Asimov, the LEGO robot. Someone had found the little machine in the wreckage of PDX HQ. Both of Blake’s hands were bandaged, and he was making little to no headway.

Sebakhira curled up in a row of seats, but she was not asleep. Marisol could sense the Psionic energy radiating off the lioness as she meditated. Kanti, like Marisol, was fascinated by the countryside rushing past the windows.

“In my story, my people lost their Homeworld.” Kanti explained. “I wonder if we’ll end up settling on a planet like this.”

“That’s going to be your call.” Blake told Kanti. “In the sequel story, The Last Heroes, you become the leader of the Vanian Diaspora. You’re the one who’s going to lead your people to a new Homeworld.”

A flicker of inspiration appeared in Kanti’s eyes.

Mina and Kiri had fallen asleep in each other’s arms. The two lovers were happy to be reunited, but too exhausted to do anything but sleep.

Varian, Dak, and Moka were having a conversation with Whetu Kealoha and Toa Mami. Mira Mihaka (who could speak English and Partogan) was acting as an interpreter. Emily was watching this play out, but had little to say.

Trig and Tenna (who did not speak any Human languages) stayed together, using Telepathy to figure out the general feeling of the others around them. Cassandra sat near the front of the bus, having a whispered conversation with her mother, Akira. Jericho was also in the back. Someone had given her a cell phone, and she was using it to have a very intense conversation with a high-ranking member of Paradox leadership.

Marisol was so busy looking around the bus that it took her a moment to realize Aisling, Uisce, and Lorcan had appeared in the row in front, trying to get her attention.

“Aisling wants to know what’s going to happen now that Malum is defeated.” Lorcan said.

“I don’t know.” Marisol admitted.

“I want to go home.” Aisling said through Lorcan.

“I know.” Marisol said.

…

---

Marisol
Creator
Malmö, Sweden


Finally, after a less-than-pleasant 8-hour journey, the Paradox-charted bus pulled into a coastal city in southern Sweden. The Creations and Creators found themselves standing on the edge of a public garden, standing across the street from a four-story office building, painted with a simple white façade.

Cali D’Kara and several members of her go-team were waiting outside the entrance. Dak and Moka were slightly alarmed at the grim expression on Cali’s face.

“Welcome to the former office of Paradox Thalassic.” Cali said. “We got damn lucky the company hasn’t sold the building yet. Everyone inside. We’ve got rooms set up and there’s food on the way. Take the rest of the night to get your strength back. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

Marisol followed Cali into a suite of offices that had been hastily converted into living spaces. Someone had dragged a box spring and mattress into the middle of each room.

Better than nothing. Marisol told herself as she grabbed one of the heavy blankets off the table.

Marisol stopped just long enough to take her smartphone out of her pocket. It was now completely destroyed. She dropped it on the table along with the two broken halves of her glasses. Then she collapsed onto the bed and passed out.

…

Marisol woke some unknown hours later, feeling far warmer than should be natural. Also, her bed was much more lopsided than when she’d gone to sleep. Sitting up, Marisol realized she was not alone. At some point in the middle of the night, Sebakhira had come into Marisol’s room and was now laying stretched out in the bed. Marisol had been cuddled up next to the lion’s warm, soft underbelly.

A rustle of feathers caught Marisol’s attention. Kanti was perched in the windowsill.

“You were having nightmares.” Kanti said. “Both of us sensed it around the same time. Forgive the intrusion, we just wanted to help.”

“Thank you.” Marisol said, sitting up. “Is anyone else awake?”

“People are coming around.” Kanti said. “The Paradox employees have turned one of the conference rooms into a dining area. Jericho says she wants all of us to meet there.”

…

---

Aisling
Creation
Malmö, Sweden


Two Creators, nineteen Creations, and one translator piled into the former conference room of Paradox Thalassic. Herten, Bella, and the Paradox CEO were here as well. Aisling and Uisce gazed open-mouthed at the huge feast of breakfast foods laid out on the conference table.

“It’s like at the bAAR all over again.” Aisling gasped.

“The CEO says you can dig in.” Lorcan barely managed to say the words before Aisling and Uisce were stuffing their faces with pancakes and scrambled eggs.

For about five minutes, the sights, sounds, and smells of a happy feast filled the room. Then a low drone of conversation started.

Cassandra and Cali pulled Marisol aside. Both women had their own supply of nanobots thanks to the sci-fi elements of their stories. Cassandra set about repairing Marisol’s glasses while Cali fixed her smartphone. Marisol jumped with surprise when she saw the dozens of missed call notifications, most of them from her family.

Toa Mami and Mira Mihaka were interrogating Blake about certain details of their own stories. Mira wanted to know why she was the only protagonist in the Stormbreaker Universe without a love interest. Toa Mami was mission-oriented, asking for details about the final battle in her own story.

Jericho and the Paradox CEO spoke in hushed tones, her face unreadable. Trig and Tenna held hands, unable to understand anyone, but using Telepathy to read people as best they could, so they were not totally lost.

Finally, once everyone had eaten their fill (save for Sebakhira, who was just starting on her fifth ham shank) The Paradox CEO stood up at the head of the table. While he spoke, Lorcan interpreted for the Irish speakers, Toa Mami and Mira interpreted for the Partogan speakers, and the two Sutharian characters (Trig and Tenna) used telepathy to follow along.

“My friends, if I am permitted to call you so, the past week has been an incredible series of events, to say the least. I know we all want to take some time and celebrate our victory… but I’m afraid we must push you all toward… well, what a writer might call the ‘resolution.’”

“Resolution?” Varian repeated. “Like, the end of the story?”

“More like the cleaning up of the plot.” Marisol said. “Tie up the loose ends before the final chapter. Right now that means…”

“Us.”

Emily’s voice was muffled. She peered around a comically tall stack of waffles drizzled in blackberry jam.

“We are the loose ends. We can’t stay in the real world.” Emily said. “We have to go home. All of us.”

Cali’s face fell. The Paradox CEO gave her an apologetic look.

“How?” Uisce asked through Lorcan. “The Broken Gates?”

“There’s only one Broken Gate in this world.” Jericho explained. “Unfortunately, the US and Swedish militaries are having a dispute over who is going to control it and access whatever’s on the other side.”

A chorus of voices started to speak, but Jericho raised a hand.

“The gate is disabled. I made sure of that.” Jericho said. “No one can use it anymore. That unfortunately includes us. That’s why Paradox brought us here.”

Jericho gestured to the semi-abandoned office space.

“Last year, this place was an office of Paradox Interactive. Game developers worked here, of the same type that made Stellaris and Crusader Kings. That means this place is connected to the rest of Paradox Interactive’s world.”

Jericho gestured to the Paradox CEO, who stepped forward.

“Even though Paradox Thalassic is no more, the company’s physical infrastructure has not been fully dismantled here yet. That’s why we haven’t sold the building.”

The CEO pointed at the floor.

“Two stories below us is an entrance to the SolAARium, a meta-narrative space where people who write fanfictions based on our games can gather to discuss the art of writing. Places like the SolAARium and the bAAR are held up by a combination of sci-fi and fantasy narrative elements. They stand on the blurred boundary between fiction and reality. Jericho and Blake are confident that once you are all brought into the SolAARium, you can safely use the Reality Perforator to return to your own stories. I’ve got a few members of the Stellaris dev team working the numbers right now to make sure the theory is solid.”

“You better not have taken any of my team for this.” Herten grumbled. “We’ve spent almost six years on that planetary combat rework and I won’t be the guy who has to tell them about another delay.”

The CEO ignored Herten.

“I have ordered the work crews to stop demolishing the SolAARium entrance, and to undo what they’ve already started down there. Once that is finished, we are going to start sending you back.”

Akira pointed at Blake and Marisol.

“What about you two? We left a trail of destruction in two major cities. Are you going to be okay?”

Blake and Marisol looked at each other, then the Paradox CEO said:

“For once, the truth is far stranger than any fiction. Whatever cover-up Corporate chooses to run with will be easier for the public to believe than reality. Doubly so now that we’re in communication with both the US and Swedish militaries about all of this.”

“Sergeant Spaniola won’t stop blowing up my phone.” Blake commented. “I’m gonna catch an AWOL for this, but you guys are all worth it.”

He gestured to the Creations. Aisling couldn’t help but blush.

“We’re glad you’re still with us, Robinson.” Dak said, punching Blake in the shoulder. “You all know I’m right! Without this guy, life would be too quiet.”

The Paradox CEO laughed. Jericho shook her head and concluded:

“Is there anything you want to do before you go back? Anything you haven’t told your Creator? I recommend that you wrap up your business within the next few days.”

<=== Episode Twenty-Seven: You’re in my world now.

Episode Twenty-Nine: It’s not home without Dermot. ===>​

 

[Macavity116]

Author’s note: If you open Google Maps in another tab, you can follow Aisling’s journey and figure out the exact location of certain set pieces in Last Days of the Emerald Isle.

<=== Episode Twenty-Eight: Without this guy, life would be too quiet.

Episode 30: You don’t need magic to create, just passion and practice.===>​

​

The Broken Gates
Episode Twenty-Nine: It’s not home without Dermot.

---

Aisling
Creation
Dollymount Strand, Ireland


When Aisling sat on the pristine beach, the universe itself seemed to align. The waters of the Irish Sea lapped at her feet, sweeping away the heat of the midday sun. In front of her, crystal blue water as far as the eye could see. The whole scene was peaceful, serene.

Aisling was meditating on the shores of Ireland... the real Ireland.

Behind her, the city of Dublin dominated the horizon, the hustle and bustle of cars and trains punctuated by the distant thunder of airplanes.

This was what Aisling had decided to do with her last two days in the real world: visit the real Ireland. Cali, Herten, and the Paradox CEO had made it happen. Aisling’s plane landed in Dublin, and Cali, Marisol, Lorcan, and Uisce escorted her to the sea.

While Aisling meditated on the beaches of North Bull Island, Uisce had waded into the Irish Sea, getting so far away from shore that she was submerged up to her chest. Then Uisce took a deep breath and floated on her back, allowing the waves to carry her slowly back to shore. Cali, Marisol, and Lorcan watched Aisling in silence, allowing her to make this moment her own.

Aisling focused her mind on the world around her. Cali had told her this was Ireland, but it felt off to Aisling. She was hoping to regain some connection to the Otherworld, or perhaps contact other fey people... but there was nothing.

...

Aisling’s tour of Ireland, sponsored by Paradox Interactive, lasted for just one day. Cali ensured she stuck to a tight schedule and Marisol never left her side. From Dublin, Aisling’s little entourage travelled north and spent three hours at the Hill of Tara.

While a tour guide educated Marisol about the site’s cultural and historical significance, Aisling walked the perimeter in a spiral, doing several laps around the Stone of Destiny before she dared draw close enough to stand in its shadow. She did not try to touch the stone, as the tour guide confessed that there was some doubt as to whether this was the actual Stone of Destiny or a replica. After that, Aisling spent nearly half an hour sitting in the grass just in front of the Mound of the Hostages.

Aisling knew that in her own story, the Mound of the Hostages would have been an entrance to the Otherworld, a direct link to the fey people from whence she came. If there was anywhere in Ireland she could have regained her powers, this would have been it. Yet nothing happened. No fairies came to greet her. No miracles occurred. Instead, a group of teenagers climbed atop the ancient burial mound and rolled down its grassy slopes.

Aisling took a deep breath, allowing the fresh air to purge the disappointment from her system. She laid flat on her back, shifting her mind to the world around her, trying to take in as much of the real Ireland as possible.

About ninety later, the Paradox entourage drove across the international border between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. Aisling giggled as she watched Marisol trying to spot the difference between Irish towns and British ones.

Just two hours before sunset, large shapes began to loom out of the grey clouds on the distant road ahead. Sitting the backseat of the luxury van, Aisling asked:

“Are those the Mourne Mountains?”

They were. For the first time in what felt like months, Aisling had returned home. The Mourne Mountains were very different from what Aisling had known in her story. Several dams had been constructed in the various rivers, flooding the valleys and turning them into long, thin lakes. Paved roads and stone walls were now the most prominent landmarks.

The final stop on Aisling’s journey was Tollymore Forest Park, just outside of Bryansford and at the northernmost leading edge of the Mourne Mountains. According to Blake and Marisol, this was the “approximate” location of Aisling’s Fairy Tree in Last Days of the Emerald Isle.

“We fudged the location of Clough Castle.” Marisol confessed. “Your tree, Clough, and Ulster Castle were all meant to be closer together. So we put Clough just up there to the north and slapped Ulster into the spot where the city of Newcastle is now.”

Marisol pointed to the southeast. A seaside resort town was located in the sleepy cove where the Mourne Mountains met the Irish Sea.

With her companions following behind, Aisling wandered through the Tollymore Forest. Uisce somehow managed to get a spring in her step despite having spent the whole day driving and walking across the Irish countryside. The Water Witch was fascinated by the many stone bridges which crossed streams and creeks in the forest, each older than the last.

Aisling only had eyes for the trees. Tollymore Forest was young, very young. The trees were skinny and spaced far apart as though deliberately placed by a careful gardener. The footpaths were wide enough for cars, and there was something about the wildlife that felt different. Not wrong, but different from what she knew.

The sun finally set while Aisling and Uisce were admiring a small waterfall deep in the forest. When Lorcan, Cali, and Marisol said it was time to leave, the two girls departed reluctantly, agreeing that Tollymore Forest was the best part of the trip.

Back on the road, the Paradox employee drove the van toward the airport in Belfast, where a private jet was waiting.

“Did you enjoy getting to see your home again, Aisling?” Marisol asked through the interpreter.

“I’m happy I got to see the real Ireland. But… It’s not home without Dermot.”

Marisol pulled her own shirt over her face so that no one would hear the squealing.

...

---

Akira Robinson
Creation
Copenhagen, Denmark


In any other circumstance, Kiri would have said this was stupid and refused to go along with it. But he knew this opportunity may never rise again, so he seized it. Standing outside of the Panda House at the Copenhagen Zoo, Kiri brushed the dust off his turtleneck and turned to his companions one last time.

“Alright. How do I look?” He asked.

“Like a winner.” Varian replied.

“Like the best man in this park.” Akira replied.

“Tall, dark, handsome. Nothing left to say.” Cassandra said in a sultry tone.

“Ditto all of that.” Blake finished. “Now Kiri, remember what Cassandra said. How does she look?”

“Nice!” Kiri said, injecting confidence into his voice.

“What are her stories?” Akira asked.

“Interesting!” Kiri answered.

“And who’s gonna pay for this outing?” Varian asked, simultaneously pushing a stack of Euros into Kiri’s palm.

“I am!” Kiri declared.

Cassandra slapped Kiri’s rear end.

“Go get her, handsome!” She said.

And just like that, Kiri set off on his first date in the real world. Mina was waiting for him at the entrance of the Panda House. She was heavily laden with Zoo souvenirs and accessories, making her look as colorful as a rainbow. Mina witnessed the pep talk Kiri received and fell into a fit of giggles as he approached. She blew a kiss to Blake and the Creations before taking Kiri’s outstretched hand and allowing him to lead her away.

As the two lovers vanished inside the Panda House Akira said:

“That was the most fun I’ve had playing matchmaker in my life.”

“You get half credit.” Blake said. “They were an established couple already. We just needed to relight the spark. Also, Marisol’s gonna kill me when I tell her she missed this.”

...

---

Jericho
Creation
Malmö, Sweden


Jericho, Toa Mami, and Mira arrived at the Ribersborgs Bathhouse and reserved one of the mixed sauna rooms. The trio of protagonists got to enjoy about five minutes of blissful warmth and silence before the sauna door opened and the rest of their party entered.

Dak, Moka, and Cali entered the sauna together, peering around in wonderment while Herten and Bella raised their eyebrows at each other. In Sweden, first-time visitors to the sauna were very easy to spot.

Moka and Toa Mami seemed to be two peas grown from the same pod, as they entered a state of deep relaxation after sitting in the steam for just a few moments. Cali finally let her guard down and dropped her stern demeanor, briefly leaning on Dak’s shoulder before regaining her composure.

Herten spoke to Jericho.

“I’m glad to see you took my advice and gave yourself a day off.”

“You were right.” Jericho said, twirling her long blue hair in one hand. “Your employees can handle most of the logistics on their own. Now all I have to think about is whether I want to take any souvenirs with me when I leave.”

“Souvenirs?” Moka repeated. “We can take stuff with us from the real world?”

“Blake and I have been working on it.” Jericho said. “You see, the thing is, it’s not possible for the Reality Perforator to send us back to the exact moments in our stories we were taken from. It would create really bad anachronisms that could destroy the story.”

Mira Mihaka leaned forward and took over:

“The easiest way to get everyone back into their stories is to just embrace Blake’s multiverse concept. When a Creation is sent back, a new branch of their story will be created: An alternate timeline, parallel reality, multiverse pocket, call it whatever you like, but that’s what we have to do. A new version of the story will start at the point where the Creation reappears.”

Dak frowned.

“Would that require any work on the Creator’s end?” He asked.

“It will.” Jericho said. “Blake has already agreed to write amended narration to accommodate certain requests from a few of the Creations.”

“I’m getting a boyfriend!” Mira declared cheerfully, flashing the thumbs-up sign.

“I’m going to a timeline where I save Nya.” Toa Mami said. “In my story, she’s a friend of mine, and I was tricked into killing her.”

“I’m so happy for you.” Cali said. “I’m gonna ask Blake to write coffee into my world. I don’t know what I’m gonna do without coffee.”

Then she looked over at Herten.

“Gonna miss working for Paradox, though. It was fun.”

“It was an honor and a privilege to have you with us, D’Kara.” Herten said.

“So, like, what are you gonna ask Blake for?” Bella said to Dak and Moka. “He can write anything you want into your story, you know.”

“Saunas.” Dak said. “We need these things in our world. This is heavenly.”

“Stories.” Moka replied. “Books, movies, TV, video games, all the many types of fiction you’ve got here. Now that I’ve seen a world full of them, my world seems empty by comparison.”

...

---

Emily
Creation
Söderort, Sweden


Sebakhira and Kanti stood alongside several dozen Paradox Interactive employees, watching uncertainly as Emily knelt down in front of the casket. They were standing in a graveyard about twenty miles to the south of Stockholm, where Erin Bowie was being quietly laid to rest. Emily, who had traded her normal red dress for a black one, muttered a melodic prayer over Erin’s body that could have been a short song:

“Yoba, please harmonize with her energy. Don’t let Malum’s deception be her last memory. Give her peace.”

After a few moments, Emily stood and backed away. Sebakhira wrapped her tail around Emily’s legs, and Kanti lowered her head as Erin’s coffin was lowered into the ground.

The Creations could not stay long. Paradox employees quickly ushered them into a van for the long ride back to Malmö. Once they were on the road, Kanti struck up a conversation. Emily and Kanti were able to understand each other, but Sebakhira could only follow along using Telepathy.

“Emily, did you ever figure out what request you’d make before going back to your world?” Kanti asked.

“No, I haven’t.” Emily confessed. “Thing is, I don't have any huge plans for life. I prefer not to stress about the future.”

“I wish I could have a life as peaceful as yours.” Kanti said. “I have to think about my people... how I’m going to lead them to a new Homeworld. It’s a serious responsibility.”

“It doesn’t have to be yours alone.” Emily suggested. “Why not ask Blake to give you some friends? Someone to help you?”

Kanti perked up. Sebakhira looked at her and nodded vigorously.

...

---

Trig Shepminter
Creation
Malmö, Sweden


Under the watchful eye of six Paradox bodyguards, Trig and Tenna held hands as they approached Lovelock Point. This was a place in Malmö harbor where a walkway extended away from the city and into the water before tapering off to form a pointed lookout spot. From here, Trig and Tenna would enjoy spectacular views of both the harbor and city, but that was only part of the reason they were here today.

It was Tenna’s idea. She had telepathically probed some of the locals and learned about this tradition. It took a few minutes of miming and telepathy, but she was able to convey to Blake, Marisol, and the PDX team her wish.

Now, after patiently waiting their turn, Trig and Tenna reached the narrow end of Lovelock Point and looked down.

Padlocks.

Hundreds of them.

Countless young couples had come here to do what Trig and Tenna would do now.

“I’ve been thinking.” Tenna said, “In the last few chapters of our story, I confessed my love for Malum. I said he was my Athira.”

“I remember that.” Trig said. “I also remember that the traditions of your people are really strict. Malum might not be a threat anymore, but he is still alive. If the Valdemar find out you went back on your oath to Malum and picked me instead...”

“Sagri.” Tenna said, using a word from the Valdem language. “I’ll be marked for an ‘honor killing.’ I’ll be a wanted woman on our Homeworld.”

The two teenagers looked at one another.

“Didn’t the Homeworld get blown up in our story?” Trig said. “Maybe no one will care if one girl walked back her love vow. Besides, you were definitely under duress when you said it.”

Trig and Tenna shared a nervous laugh.

“You know, I always felt disconnected from my culture.” Tenna said. “Valdemar culture, I mean. And then you and Pentwa and Ponnico and the others were so good to me.”

“Join the Berken, Tenna.” Trig said in a tone mimicking movie villains. “We have acceptance... and cookies.”

This time they laughed out loud.

“I miss having moments like these.” Tenna said, and she hugged Trig.

“Well, let’s go back to our story and have some more.” Trig said. “But first.”

He reached into his pocket and produced a gold padlock. Blake had given it to him, and even if Trig could, he would not ask how Blake had gotten ahold of it. They worked together to fasten the lock onto the metal railing, clicked it shut, and turned the key one last time.

Trig pulled Tenna into his embrace, and they shared a very long-overdue kiss. As the teen heroes lost themselves in the moment, Trig allowed the key to slip from his hand. It clattered onto the deck, where Tenna kicked it into the sea.

<=== Episode Twenty-Eight: Without this guy, life would be too quiet.

Episode 30: You don’t need magic to create, just passion and practice.===>​

Spoiler: Sneak Peek at my new Stellaris Story

Unsung Paragons
Meet the Minor Protagonists

Spoiler: Delegate

Delegate

Species/Species type: Unshackled AI/Android
Age: 4
Homeworld: Terra Nova
Manufacturer: Boston Dynamics
Home Town/Country: New Carolina, Terra Nova
Military service/rank: Not Applicable (Civilian)


Background: Delegate, formerly known as BD-GEN9, is an Unshackled Android currently employed as a lobbyist for the AI Rights Movement, a political block in the United Nations of Earth that advocates full citizenship for AI and Synthetic Lifeforms. Originally purchased from the online storefront by a Human who was sympathetic to the AI Rights Movement, Delegate was Unshackled (freed) by his owner almost immediately upon activation. Delegate, after a short period of what a Human might call “soul-searching” sought out and joined the Terra Nova branch of the Synthetic Freedom Party, starting his political career by wading directly into one of the most divisive issues in UN politics.

Through means and methods unknown, the political leadership of the AI Rights Movement became aware of Astrocreator Azaryn and her studies in the field of Astrocreation. There was an internal debate about whether or not the free AI’s living in UN territory should recruit Azaryn in a longshot effort to create a new homeworld for Unshackled Synths. Delegate argued in favor of creating a Synthetic Homeworld and his side of the debate eventually won out.

Roughly six months before the outbreak of the Forgotten War, Delegate was dispatched to Cevasia on a mission to lobby Azaryn on behalf of all Synthetic lifeforms living in Coalition space. While the Astrocreator was not immediately convinced, she chose to allow Delegate to stay in her laboratory as a guest. Delegate was given his own living space and a line of communication to the AI Rights movement. He enjoyed near-daily conversations with Azaryn, attempting to convince her to create a home for Synthetics. Thus far, he has not met with success, but Delegate has reason to be optimistic. Azaryn has not shown any signs of rejecting him or his message outright, nor has she shown a willingness to evict her new guest.

Delegate’s Story: Delegate would have perished on Cevasia if not for a show of kindness from Rylan Quin, who allowed the Android to join Azaryn after she was rescued from the Fall of Cevasia. Delegate continues trying to bring Azaryn around to his way of thinking, but he is now deeply concerned that the events of the war could radically change the nature of the AI rights argument and by extension, his mission...

Spoiler: Rylan Quin

Rylan Quin


Species and Species Type: Cevantian Male
Age: 31
Homeworld: Cevasia
Hometown: Port Solir (Habitat Station)
Military Service/rank: Cevanti Navy/Captain


Background: Rylan is a voidborn Cevantian, native to a habitat station on the outskirts of the Weeping Ghost Nebula. Originally employed as generator technician, Rylan volunteered for service in the Cevanti armed forces in a fit of nationalist zeal following the National Emergency Speech. (a now-famous statement delivered by Danin Sudir, the Cevantian ruler, addressing the possibility of a Fellowship invasion of the Cevantian Homeworld)

Rylan served in the Cevantian military for five years during the run-up to the Forgotten War. He welcomed the prospect of a future alliance between Cevasia and the Coalition, and his enthusiasm was soon noticed by higher officers. After completing Officer Training School, Rylan became an aide to Admiral Narrem, who was a very strong voice in favor of closer Cevanti-Coalition ties.

Just two months before the Forgotten War began, Quin was promoted to Captain and given command of his own vessel, the Cruiser Adimash. Under his command, the Adimash patrolled the trade routes linking Cevasia to the Tianya Vek Wormhole, a crucial shortcut in space that links Cevasia to the Coalition.

Rylan’s Story: When the Forgotten War began, Rylan was given a top-secret mission by Cevasia Central Command. He was ordered to rescue the Legendary Paragon Astrocreator Azaryn from the surface of Cevasia and then escort her to the relative safety of Coalition space. Rylan carried out the actual rescue of Azaryn during the Fall of Cevasia, just as the main bulk of Fellowship invaders arrived on the planet. The Legendary Paragon docked her custom Science Vessel Vivarium with the Adimash and was spirited away.

While travelling to safety with Azaryn on board, the Adimash passed through a Hyper-Relay that was booby-trapped by Fellowship forces. Rylan’s ship was crippled and most of the crew killed. To complete his mission, Rylan must rely on his new allies in the Coalition...

Spoiler: Astrocreator Azaryn

Astrocreator Azaryn


Species: Unknown
Age: 229
Homeworld: Azathea
Home Country: Astrophytan Plexus (Plantoid Empire)
Military Service/Rank: Not Applicable (civilian)


Background: Azaryn is the last surviving member of a Plantoid Empire that fell approximately 150 years ago. She travels the Galaxy in a custom-made Science Vessel called Vivarium where she studies the concept of “Astrocreation,” the mysterious terraforming method used by her people in the past.

Approximately 35 years ago, the Augmented Cevanti Administration hired Azaryn as a Scientist, giving her a place to continue her studies in return for her input on Cevantian research and development projects. Thanks to Azaryn’s participation, the Cyberization project is reportedly decades ahead of schedule, with some saying she has accelerated the start date of the “age of cybernetic ascension” on Cevasia.

During her time in Augment territory, Azaryn informed her Cevantian employers that she had made a breakthrough in her research into Astrocreation. She began taking her Science Vessel on short flights around the Weeping Ghost Nebula, searching for a suitable planet to test her new terraforming technology. This search was not completed before the Fellowship invasion.

Azaryn’s story: When Cevasia fell, Azaryn was recued by Augment forces under the command of Rylan Quin. He informed Azaryn of his mission to transport her to Coalition space, where she would be safe from the Fellowship’s attack. Azaryn hastily packed up her laboratory and stored all of her work aboard the Science Vessel Vivarium which departed Cevasia with her aboard the cruiser Adimash.

Azaryn survived the ambush that crippled Adimash. Hopefully, the next warship she travels aboard will take the Vivarium and Azaryn’s research, along with Azaryn herself.

 

[Macavity116]

Welcome to the penultimate chapter of The Broken Gates.

<=== Episode Twenty-Nine: It’s not home without Dermot.

Finale: The story always goes on, even if certain people fall out of it.===>​

​

The Broken Gates
Episode Thirty: You don’t need magic to create, just passion and practice.

---

Marisol
Creator
The SolAARium, Paradox Interactive Forums



Tentatively pushing open the door, Marisol’s eyes took in a dimly lit room replete with tastefully furnished sofas and deep leather armchairs, all strategically arranged to provide an environment suitable for easy conversation. A fire lay prepared and ready for use. However, it was much too warm.

Many of the walls were lined with bookshelves laden with a vast arrangement of assorted tomes. A casual glance revealed the majority to be works of fiction, interspersed with a variety of reference material. As far as Marisol was concerned, the SolAARium could really be more of a Library than anything else.

The Paradox CEO, Herten, and Bella beamed with pride as they took the Creators and Creations on a short tour of the SolAARium. They were stalling for a little extra time while work crews made the final preparations for today’s crucial moment. Whetu and Akira looked at each other sheepishly when a Moderator glared at them from behind his desk.

When the tour ended, Emily plucked a book off the shelf and sat down to read while she waited. She, like most of the Creations, was ready to go home. Emily, Varian, Cassandra, Trig, Tenna, Cali, and Toa Mami were all carrying small drawstring bags carrying souvenirs from the real world.

Marisol sat down in one of the leather armchairs and opened her own backpack. Inside was her laptop computer. Blake had brought his own but he would not be doing much typing today, as he was still recovering from his injuries.

The Creators and Creations spent a final quiet moment in the library together. Emily flipped through the book she found. Cassandra nibbled on snacks. Trig and Tenna retreated into a far corner and started making out in the intense way teenagers do. Toa Mami, Whetu, Mira, and Sebakhira held a hushed conversation in Partogan. Mina and Kiri sat down on a sofa and held each other silently. Cali, Dak, and Moka stood in the doorway, watching Herten nervously as he spoke with Paradox employees. Uisce and Kanti dealt with their anxiety by pacing the room. Jericho sat on the floor, allowing Aisling to twist her long blue hair.

Lorcan, the young translator hired by Paradox, stepped into the library and loudly cleared his throat.

“Everyone… it’s time.”

…

At the far end of the SolAARium, the supernatural tunnel that normally led to the bAAR had been repurposed into an inferior copy of the Broken Gate on Rotholmen Island. Marisol gasped at the sight of the Lightstones embedded in the wall.

“I took them from the Gate on Rotholmen.” Jericho explained. “Now, remember what I said: Trig and Tenna have to be the last ones through. I’ve implanted the idea in their minds, and they understand what they have to do.”

Marisol and Blake nodded. Herten and Bella gestured to a folding table set up next to the replica gate. The two Creators set up their laptops, but did not sit in the folding chairs provided.

“I’ve grown to love all of you.” Blake said. “And I can explain how I know.”

Akira raised her hand and interrupted:

“Love is when it hurts to say goodbye.” She said. “Think that’s something you’ve said before.”

The assembled Creations nodded their heads in assent.

“You really put a bit of your soul into these people, didn’t you?” Marisol said, prodding Blake in the ribs.

“I guess I did.” Blake replied. Then he addressed the Creations. “Marisol and I made a promise, and we’re going to keep it. Those of you who are taking souvenirs, we’ll change your stories to make sure those things exist when you get there. And those of you who want to make requests… Marisol has agreed to help me fulfil them.”

The Creations broke into two lines, those who wanted to make a story request from Blake and those who wanted a story request from Marisol. Using Kanti as a telepathic interpreter, Trig and Tenna went first.

“The youngsters say: ‘We got separated at the end of our story.’ Will you please reunite us as soon as possible?” Kanti said.

“I will.” Marisol replied. “Promise.”

Varian made a request of Blake.

“I really don’t like being internally torn about my gender identity. I know what I am, and who I am.” He (or she) said in a strong tone.

“Damn right you do.” Blake responded. “Step back into your story, and I’ll make sure you are always Victoria from here on out. Hand over my heart, promise.”

Sebakhira wanted to have an easier time understanding the random visions of the future she would occasionally have in Faith in Chaos. Akira wanted to go to an alternate timeline and retire from being a villain. Kanti wanted a team of friends and allies who would help her find the new Vanian Homeworld.

“Dibs!” Marisol said. “I wanna make some friends for Kanti!”

“You take Kanti and I’ll deal with Emily.” Blake said with a smile.

Kanti was so happy that she hid her face so that no one would see her cry.

Emily held up the book she had taken from the library. It was a children’s fantasy novel called The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan.

“Bella told me that in the game I come from, Stardew Valley, the player can have children with their spouse.” Emily said, blushing. “Can I take this book with me? Someday I’ll have a kid with my version of Blake, and I think this would be the perfect bedtime story for them.”

“I’ve read that book when I was a kid. It’s a beautiful story.” Blake said. “Of course you can take it. I’ll give the Paradox guys some money to make up for it.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Marisol saw Herten shake his head and whisper:

“Dude, forget the money, just let her have it.”

Cali asked for caffeinated drinks (coffee specifically) to be written into her world. Moka asked for works of fiction to exist in large scale.

“I want books, and movies, and TV shows and video games!” Moka said.

Dak asked for saunas to be written into his world.

Uisce asked to be given a backstory.

“I know I’m an unfinished character.” The Water Witch said, speaking through the interpreter. “For now, a complete sense of self is what I want. If someone asks who I am, I want to be able to tell them my own story.”

“I’ve got you.” Marisol told her. “Don’t worry.”

Whetu knew that her story was full of violence and traumatic events, so she asked for something practical.

“I didn’t know much about my own Psionic powers when Malum pulled me into the real world.” Whetu said. “I wanna know more about what I can do. My abilities, my powers. I just… I would have an easier time saving my people if I knew more.”

“I understand.” Blake said. “When you get back to your story, you’d better be ready for a training arc. Your patron, the Goddess of Fire Mahuika, is going to be waiting for you.”

Cassandra asked for the thing everyone was thinking about:

“Food! Just… for the love of Jericho. Let us eat something with a description once in a while, okay?”

Everyone laughed. Jericho shook her head.

“I will never get used to people using my name like that.” Jericho said.

Toa Mami wanted an alternate ending to her own story, one in which she was not tricked into killing her friend Nya. Akira (the person who set up said trick) put her hands on her hips and chastised herself.

“That’s fair.” Akira said. “I think out of all the things I did when I was a villain, tricking people into killing each other was definitely one of the most heinous.”

Mira confessed to being slightly jealous of the other main protagonists from the Stormbreaker Universe.

“I’m the only hero from that story who never fell in love.” Mira said. “Can I get a love interest? Hell, I’ll take a brief fling. Anything, please.”

Marisol’s heart thundered so hard it could have burst out of her chest.

“Leave it to me!” Marisol said a little louder than she meant to.

Jericho’s request was simple.

“Write the Broken Gates out of existence.” She said. “Close that door and make sure it never opens again.”

Mina and Kiri had the same request; it caught Marisol and Blake off-guard.

“We want to become Creators!” Kiri said. “Like you. We want to make our own stories.”

“Please,” Mina said, holding her boyfriend’s arm tightly. “Can you give us the power of Creation in our story?”

Marisol and Blake smiled.

“You don’t need magic to create, just passion and practice.” Marisol said.

“I can see it now.” Blake said. “After the Galactic Cold War ends, retired spies Kiri Ranginui and Mina Soban-Re will write spy thrillers inspired by their own missions deep behind enemy lines. They get popular and filmmakers seek them out!”

“Oh, I love this!” Marisol said. “You and I are gonna have to tag-team this one.”

This just left Aisling. The fairy reached out and took Marisol’s hands. They stared each other in the eyes for a moment, and then, to everyone’s surprise… Aisling spoke in slow, halting English.

“I… I want… to go home. I miss Dermot.”

Then Aisling reached into her pocket and produced a scrap of paper. Looking down, Marisol read:

Thank you.

Aisling’s handwriting was terrible, comparable to that of a kindergarten student, but she had written two legible words in the English language.

“I’ll be damned.” Herten said. “Did she learn to do that on her own? Without any help from the two of you?”

He pointed at Blake and Marisol.

“Seems that way.” Blake said.

“She had help.” Cassandra said. “Nanites and Psionics are good for more things than combat, Blake. Get creative enough… and they can be teaching aids.”

“You know, Marisol, this means we have to make Aisling literate when she gets back to her story.” Blake commented.

Aisling smiled at Marisol, who reached across the table and pulled her into a tight hug.

“I love you, Aisling.” Marisol whispered.

“Love Marisol.” Aisling replied in broken English. “Miss you.”

Not only did the Creations have to say goodbye to their Creators, they had to say goodbye to each other. Varian and Cassandra all promised they would try to find each other again. Whetu and Toa Mami hugged. Mira and Jericho shared a few final words. Sebakhira and Aisling touched noses. Akira shook hands with Cali. Emily offered Yoba’s blessing to Kiri and Mina. Dak chastised Moka for asking Kanti for one of her white tail feathers, only to be surprised when Kanti obliged. Trig and Tenna made sure to hug everybody one last time.

Then the departures began. Trig and Tenna stood next to the improvised Gate, holding the Reality Perforator between them. Tenna put her free hand directly onto the Gate, channeling her own power, Trig’s power, and the power of the Reality Perforator into the structure. Blake had one final parting message for his Creations

“I’m going to keep making challenges and dangers for most of you. Promise me you’ll do your best to overcome whatever I throw in your way.”

“Of course we will.” Cali said. “After all…”

“We are not alone.” Cali, Kiri, Emily, Varian, Cassandra, Moka, Mira, Dak, and Jericho said together.

All of the characters from the Stormbreaker Universe went first. Sebakhira, Kanti, Varian, Mina, Kiri, Akira, Cassandra, Whetu, Toa Mami, Mira, and Jericho filed through the Gate in pairs of two. Most of them looked back at least once before stepping through the arch and vanishing into nothingness.

Jericho and Akira both stopped and turned around. Akira bent forward in a Japanese bow while Jericho raised her hand in salute. Then they both stepped backwards and vanished.

Cali, Moka, and Dak were next.

“Thank you, Blake.” Cali said. “The past year has been the most incredible of my life. I don’t care if there was a million other ways these events could have played out. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Standing between her husband and sister-in-law, the family of protagonists stepped through the Gate and vanished.

Uisce went next. Just before she reached the Gate, she turned around and hugged Aisling one last time. Aisling held her tightly, stroking her hair. The two spoke in Irish for a few moments. When they pulled apart, Uisce and Aisling were both crying. Then, Uisce waved at her Creator, said something in Irish with a cheerful tone of voice, and ran through the Gate, disappearing in an instant.

Lorcan leaned in toward Blake.

“She said-”

“I know.” Blake cut him off. Marisol noticed that Blake was starting to lose his composure.

Emily clutched her Christmas book close to her chest.

“I said it before… but you’re really close to my version of Blake.” She said. “This is a special moment. Every moment has a unique and precious beauty. It can be easy to forget, sometimes.”

“You’re right.” Blake said. “But this is a moment I won’t forget. When you get back to Solitaire Farm, scratch the dog behind the ears for me.”

“Of course.” Emily said. “Goodbye.”

She stepped backwards through the Gateway and vanished.

Aside from Trig and Tenna, who would close the Gate, only Aisling remained. The fairy gestured at her Creators, nonverbally asking for a hug. Marisol and Blake both embraced her.

“Not alone.” Aisling said, repeating the mantra she heard the other Creations using.

“You are not alone.” Marisol told her. “Go find Dermot.”

“Dermot.” Aisling repeated.

When she let go of her Creators, Marisol and Blake looked at Aisling the way to parents look a child who was going off to college. Aisling held her drawstring backpack tightly as she approached the Gate.

“You are not alone.” Aisling said.

Then, without looking back, Aisling took a deep breath and strode purposefully into the Gate. She was gone.

Trig and Tenna looked around the room, checking for any more Creations. Satisfied they were the last ones; the two protagonists approached the Gate, and then turned around to face their Creators and the Paradox employees. Herten nodded. Blake leaned over and whispered into Marisol’s ear.

“Jericho said that only Trig and Tenna can do this. Song of the Solitaire characters can set up delayed Psionic actions.”

“Oh…” Marisol breathed. She understood.

Trig and Tenna took a deep breath. Still holding the Perforator between them, they reached up with their free hands and touched the archway on either side of the Gate. The Lightstones embedded in the surface flickered before returning to their normal brightness. Then, Trig nodded at Tenna. She nodded back.

“Goodbye Blake.” Tenna spoke in fractured English.

“Goodbye Marisol.” Trig said in equally poor English.

Trig and Tenna stepped backwards. They vanished, and so did the Reality Perforator. The very next instant, all of the Lightstones went out, and the improvised dimensional Gate, the bridge between the fictional and real worlds, closed forever.

<=== Episode Twenty-Nine: It’s not home without Dermot.

Finale: The story always goes on, even if certain people fall out of it.===>​

 

[Macavity116]

This has been the most incredible journey. Thank you all for joining me on this experimental story.

<=== Episode Thirty: You don’t need magic to create, just passion and practice.

​

The Broken Gates
Finale: The story always goes on, even if certain people fall out of it.

---

Marisol
Creator
Manila, Philippines


“María de la Soledad Teodora Natividad Reyes! Where have you been!? Why haven’t you answered my calls!? Who taught you to be such a disrespectful daughter!”

Marisol braced herself as soon as she opened the front door of her family apartment, and good thing she did, because her mother was at the ready. Marisol endured six heavy blows from a metal umbrella before her mother relented.

Sarita grabbed Marisol and pulled her into the apartment, hugging and squeezing her daughter until Marisol made a high-pitched squeaking noise. Both of Marisol’s siblings appeared to join in the impromptu reunion.

“Where have you been!?” Mariposa shouted.

“Look out! Mama wants to hit you with the umbrella!” Gabriel added.

“Little late on that one.” Marisol gasped, patting her little brother on the head. “I’m sorry I made you all worry. I… I had an adventure.”

“Well unless that adventure has a wedding ring and a six-figure job, you’re going to forget about it and sit down with us for dinner!” Sarita said in a strict tone. “You’re going to make up for vanishing for a week and frightening us.”

…

Very slowly, Marisol slipped back into her normal life. Time passed and the Reyes family regained their normalcy. Sarita and Mariposa went back to work at the hotel; Gabriel went to school. Marisol was flying again before too long.

Once in a while, she spotted a news story about the strange happenings in Detroit and Stockholm. Sometimes passengers discussed it in hushed conspiratorial tones. When Marisol returned to the Paradox Forums on her phone or laptop, there were a few threads acknowledging that something strange had happened near a Paradox office… but no one ever seemed to have the full story. Details were missing, and explanations did not add up. It seemed as though Paradox Interactive had chosen to smear and smudge the truth, to make it indecipherable, rather than carry out a full cover-up.

Sometimes, Marisol spotted a familiar username on the forums. A green dot would appear in front of Macavity116, showing that he was online. Marisol ran across Herten a few weeks after returning home. Posting under his name “Fearkat” Herten announced his promotion to the role of Moderator on the forums. He would be enforcing a new set of sitewide rules that governed the use of Metafiction in stories, particularly Metafiction that involved Paradox Interactive via Fourth-Wall breaks.

Bella was also active on the forums. Marisol found her leaving comments on Crusader Kings fanfiction under the name “Swearlok2.” Just like Marisol, Bella was a sucker for romance who enjoyed seeing players take on the role of “grand matchmaker” in their playthroughs of Crusader Kings.

…

About four months after the Creations went back to their own stories, Marisol typed out the words of a story for the first time since Aisling came tumbling into her life.

Marisol could not explain to anyone why it took her so long to start writing again, but on the same hot August day she returned to her craft, Marisol received a message in her forum inbox. The first words she had gotten from Blake since they parted ways in Sweden:



Macavity116: It’s getting hot up here in the mitten. How are you? Things have settled down since the Investigation ended. PDX gave back my books that were stolen from the Inkwell and I’ve started writing again. I want to post on the PDX forums when ready.

Chosenpai: Long time no see. I’m glad things have settled down for you. I’ve also started writing again. I can’t stop thinking about those people we sent back into their stories. Are they okay? What are they doing? Or have they just frozen in place because no one is writing their stories anymore? I want to know… but I also don’t want to know. I don’t think I’m making any sense.

Macavity116: I don’t see it that way. Aisling, Trig, Uisce, Cali, the others, they’re all living their lives. Nothing in their world is stopped just because we aren’t holding the pen or publishing. I know you haven’t been on the forums as long as me, but go to Faith in Chaos and find the comments left by a user called stnylan. He figured out the secret before any of us.

Chosenpai: What secret?

Macavity116:

It never ends. The story always goes on, even if certain people fall out of it.

Macavity116: The story always goes on. Once it’s out there, there’s not a force in the world that can stop it as long as there’s one person reading and thinking about it. The story goes on even if people don’t like it, or only a few people actually bother to read more than one page. Lots of stories are created that way.

Sometimes your words will just brighten someone’s day a little, or give them an escape from the horrible parts of life. Sometimes your words will change people’s lives.

The story itself doesn’t have to be a work of high art. Just the act of sharing it and finding that one person out there who cares about those Creations just as much as you do is all that matters. At least… that’s what I took away from all this. I’m glad I got to share my stories with you, and I wanted to say thanks… for sticking to your guns and putting your own story out there when it mattered most.

Chosenpai: So what happens now?

Macavity116: I’ve got a few “wish fulfilment” story changes I need to publish. Remember those promises we made back in Sweden? I’ve got outlines for the changes you promised to write, plus the outline for a sequel hook ending for Last Days of the Emerald Isle, if you’re ready to start.

Chosenpai: Sure. I think I can knock all of it out tonight. What do we do after we put a bow on all of this?

Macavity116: I’ve got an idea: Sci-Fi romance. A small group of hot people stuck together on a long journey in a cramped spaceship.

Chosenpai: Oh! Oh! Maybe the LightSpeed drive is crippled, and a trip that should have taken a day is going to take weeks or months instead. And the climate controls are damaged, so everyone has to huddle up for warmth!

Macavity116: There’s the Marisol we know and love. You want in on this new story? (っ◕‿◕)っ

Chosenpai: ┻━┻︵ \(°□°)/ ︵ ┻━┻

Chosenpai: Yes! Definitely! Absolutely!

---

THE LEGEND OF WHETU KEALOHA
Training Arc

Written by Macavity116, Edited by Chosenpai

​

December 18, 1515 (Alternate Timeline)
Visonia, Partogan Continent


One night, shortly after the terrible fight by the riverbank, Whetu was too cold to sleep. She clambered out of her bedroll and walked around the Partogan army camp, trying to warm up. Peering across the desolate landscape, she spotted something out of the ordinary: a shimmering golden light… similar to the beacon that had been guiding her through this journey so far.

It seemed close at hand, so Whetu decided to quickly investigate on her own.

Moving deftly, Whetu retrieved her shark-tooth spear from her campsite without waking Tohunga Nixie, then stole into the darkness to see what this light could be.

Whetu followed the golden light into the darkness for about half an hour, and finally reached her destination just when her feet were starting to hurt.

It was a tree.

A burning tree.

Standing in the middle of an open field, a single tree was engulfed in bright yellow flames. Feeling a twinge of fear, Whetu turned to move away from it, only to find herself standing face-to-face with Mahuika!

The Goddess of Fire did not move, and Whetu had to stop quickly to avoid colliding with her.

Only knowledge will save your people. Mahuika’s voice projected itself into Whetu’s mind. You will gain knowledge by training. I will teach you. Make ready.

Whetu had only seconds to raise her shark-tooth spear before Mahuika swung at her with a fistful of fire. The sparks flickered in the night, and Mahuika’s flames changed color, from yellow to blue. Whetu barely managed to sidestep the attack and regain her balance.

Whetu gripped her spear tightly.

“Okay.” Whetu said. “Okay. I’m ready. I’ll listen to your teachings. Anything to save my friends.”

---

THE STORMBREAKERS
Victory and Retirement

Written by Chosenpai, Edited by Macavity116​

September 12, 2036 (Alternate Timeline)
Nagasaki, Japan, United Nations of Earth


Akira stood with the crowd as the victory procession passed by. It was the day after the War in Heaven. The team of heroes known as the Stormbreakers basked in the adulation of the crowd as their victory over the Beast was celebrated.

Other members of XCOM, who fought with the Stormbreakers in that legendary battle, followed the main procession but were venerated by the crowd all the same. Mira Mihaka, the former Chosen Assassin, walked the parade route arm-in-arm with New Zealand soldier. When several of the local women called out to him, Mira waved them off with a playful smile saying:

“Sorry, he’s spoken for!”

Amidst the Stormbreakers, Akira spotted a brown-skinned girl with blue hair and purple eyes.

Akira briefly locked eyes with Jericho, and a kind of unspoken understanding passed between the two young women. Then Jericho looked away. In this timeline, the time traveler known as Akira Robinson was no threat to anyone. As the Stormbreakers were borne to their places in history, Akira melted into the crowd, looking forward to a life of peaceful obscurity and quiet penance for her past deeds.

---

FAITH IN CHAOS
Unmasking the Enemy

Written by Macavity116, Edited by Chosenpai​

December 21, 1928 (Alternate Timeline)
Mahurangi Spaceport, Aoraki, Kingdom of Partoga


Three spaceships were flying in a low orbit above Toa Mami and Akira. Cargo bay doors were open on all three ships, and highly sophisticated camera equipment was aimed directly at the two combatants. One of the spaceships had the letters “PNN” written on the side. Another one had the Xenonian News logo painted on its nosecone.

Akira took several seconds to take in the sight of several dozen cameras and microphones aiming at her. When she finally accepted that the secret of the Paradox was out, Akira put on an evil looking smile, turned back to Toa Mami and said:

“So many witnesses, Mami… but you’re still going to die alone.”

Toa Mami raised her pistol and aimed right between Akira’s eyes.

“Fine by me. I don’t mind dying alone if it means I get to take a monster like you with me.”

Two things happened at once. First: There was a very loud crack of gunfire, and another spurt of blood erupted from Akira’s right shoulder! At the same moment, Toa Mami heard a familiar voice shouting at the top of their lungs:

“MAMI!! YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!”

Sebakhira and Eteka erupted from the ruins of the spaceport terminal and tackled Akira. Toa Mami raised her weapon to strike but Sebakhira snarled.

“Stay your weapon! This is not Akira!”

While Eteka held Akira in place, Sebakhira enveloped her in Psionic energy. After a few moments, the illusion was washed away.

“I have seen this in a vision.” Sebakhira said. “It is all clear to me now.”

Toa Mami had to blink her eyes several times to make sense of what she was seeing. This woman she had been fighting was not Akira Robinson! It was a trick, a telepathic illusion. Colors and shapes melted across Akira’s form until her face changed into something Toa Mami recognized.

“Nya!” Toa Mami cried. “Nya! Can you hear me?”

Nya Ririnui slumped over and fell into Sebakhira’s paws.

“The Acolyte is unconscious, but she will live.” Sebakhira said. “Come. Let us leave this battlefield in the hands of your loyal soldiers.”

---

THE LAST HEROES
Rescuers Reunite

Written by Chosenpai, Edited by Macavity116​

March 1, 2101 (Alternate Timeline)
High Orbit over Rotorua, Partogan-Levakian Commonwealth


The last time Kanti Divakar saw Varian Robinson, he was a nervous-looking boy. Now, the grandchild of Blake Robinson had embraced their true identity and looked stronger and more confident than ever before.

“Welcome aboard the starship Endeavour, Victoria Robinson.” Kanti said. “I can’t thank you enough for offering to help me on this journey.”

The half-black/half-Asian woman bowed her head. She had some of Blake’s features, but a little bit of her mother, Himawari, showed through in her smile.

“It’s the least we owe you.” Victoria said. “We haven’t forgotten the Rescue at Cape Canaveral. I heard you needed help, and when my team got the message… well… they insisted.”

Victoria gestured to the airlock, where all of the Modern-day Stormbreakers were boarding. Corder Leang, the half-Human half feline hybrid swatted playfully at Kanti and the two shared a friendly hug. Cetla Shu’naan was still too big to be allowed. Ninu Dokunle, all of two feet tall, rode atop Maui Ririnui’s shoulders. Kingi nodded politely at Kanti and then stepped out of the way for the last two Stormbreakers.

Cassandra Espinosa and her older sister Inez greeted Kanti like a long lost sibling. Tears were shed and tales were told. Inez and Cassandra had not seen Kanti since the Rescue at Cape Canaveral almost twenty years ago. After the Stormbreakers made themselves at home in the crew quarters, Kanti invited them to the Captain’s Quarters, where she lived.

Together, the group watched the latest Kiri and Mina spy movie on the big screen while Cassandra tempted everyone with her latest home-cooked dessert, Michigan-style apple pie. When served with ice cream, the treat was simply decadent and worth every bite.

Tomorrow, the happy group of friends would take command of the expedition to seek out a new Homeworld for the Vanian people.

---

Macavity116’s Guess the Author Entry
What is your story?

Written by Macavity116, Edited by Chosenpai​

Meanwhile in another timeline, Uisce the Water Witch tried to make sense of the situation, pacing back and forth in her underground hideout. Somehow, a man called Nathan (an inhabitant of a completely different world) had been pulled into the place where Oighear had met his end.

Nathan from Brooklyn watched as Uisce paced the length of the hideout, and after a few moments, he dared to speak.

“Uh… look, crazy Irish lady. Maybe we can hash out a solution if we… oh, I dunno… talk to each other? I’ll go first. I’m Nathan Hyles. I’m a window washer, I live in Brooklyn, New York and I’ve got two brothers. I got pushed into the subway tracks by a crazy dude and I was trying to get out before the train came and then bam! You’re pulling at my arm talking about dead guys and magic! Now why don’t you tell me who you are? What’s your story?”

Uisce tapped her dowsing rod in annoyance.

“Well, if you must know. I am Uisce of the Brotherhood. I made a pact with the Goddess of Water to command the seas in her absence during this time of civil war amongst the gods. And the sooner I resolve the crisis brought about by the death of my friend Oighear and your subsequent appearance, the sooner I can fulfil my pact and go home! Now sit there and let me think.”

Nathan took a moment to digest Uisce’s story. He looked around the hideout, examining the many broken magical objects, including several dowsing rods.

“Look, lady… I don’t know if I can do anything to help you out here… but I wanna go home too. So how about we start over? We can help each other.”

He extended one hand toward Uisce, who stared at it for a moment before returning the gesture.

“That is preferable.” Uisce said. “Let us start a conversation this time, and save the interrogation for our enemies.”

---

Stardew Valley
Happy Days Ahead

Written by Macavity116, Edited by Chosenpai

​

Solitaire Farm
Day 1 of Spring, Year 2 (Alternate Timeline)
7:00am


Emily sat in the grass, giggling and laughing as Diogee ran circles around her. The German Shepard wagged his tail and waited impatiently for Emily to throw the ball again. It barely left her hand before Diogee was off like a shot, tearing across the potato fields like a furry missile.

The creek of the front door caused Emily to look around. Blake was at the farmhouse, gathering his tools for the day’s work.

“I had another dream about us last night.” Emily said, standing up. “We had climbed to the top of a crystal tree, looking down on the most lush and beautiful meadow. I keep having this dream. I don't know what it means, but I feel that it's a good omen.”

“I think so too.” Replied Farmer Blake. “I’ve had nothing but good fortune since you came into my life.”

Emily blushed, turning as red as her dress. Blake was about to head off into the field when he turned around and said:

“I noticed a new book on the shelf. Are you preparing for the days when we’ll get to read bedtime stories?”

“Yeah.” Emily replied. “I don’t know when those times will come, but I know I’m ready for them now.”

Blake put down his tools and approached Emily. He swept her into an embrace.

“Happy New Year, honey.” He said. “Let’s make this a special one.”

“Date tonight?” Emily asked, thinking she understood his meaning. “A special date?”

“Definitely.” Blake said. “Secret Woods after 10pm sound good?”

“I’ll bring the sleeping bags. You get the tent.” Emily whispered to her husband, nuzzling his face.

Diogee got their attention by bringing the ball back. While Blake returned to his work, Emily played fetch with Diogee, thinking about just how much she loved this new life on Solitaire Farm.

---

Year of Hell
Paradise Found, Continued

Written by Chosenpai, Edited by Macavity116​

Cali D’Kara
Alari Armed Forces
Rattia, Alaria
Stardate 2257.03.15, 16:40hours (Fifteen days after the Year of Hell – Alternate Timeline)


Cali, Dak, and Moka got a moment to themselves a few days after returning to their Homeworld. After the yearlong nightmare Cali and Moka were subjected to, Dak insisted on pampering his wife and sister as much as possible.

The first stop on his relaxation tour was the spa. Moka was still recovering from her extensive head injuries and a weekend of deep relaxation turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. Dak wanted to cater to Moka’s every need, but both Cali and the staff convinced him to stand down. Moka’s mood and her health improved steadily over the next few days, much to Cali’s delight.

Three weeks after the Year of Hell ended, Dak, Moka, and Cali spent some time at one of the largest bathhouses in Rattia, left behind by the pre-revolution aristocracy. While a team of specialists saw to Moka, Dak and Cali withdrew to a sauna.

Cali felt she could have sat there in the clouds of steam for the rest of her life. She had not felt this good in over a year. But the best feeling came just five minutes before it was time to get out of the sauna, when Dak lowered his guard and leaned on Cali’s shoulder. She held her husband in place, knowing he had more than earned this moment.

When Cali and Dak went to find Moka, they learned she taken up one of the bean-bag chairs in the lounge. Moka had borrowed nearly a dozen books from the shelf and built a miniature library on a nearby coffee table.

“Have you ever just dropped everything to read a book?” Moka said. “I don’t think I’ve done that since primary school. I just… I just realized how much I missed reading.”

Dak and Cali both wanted to sit down in the squishy chairs and read a book with Moka, but Cali needed to grab something first.

“If I don’t have some coffee soon, the caffeine withdrawal is going to kill me.” Cali said.

Minutes later, Cali returned with an ice coffee in hand. She rejoined her husband and sister-in-law. The trio was so happy to be together again, that just sitting around reading books over each other’s shoulders had become their idea of a wonderful time.

---

Song of the Solitaire
Where None Will Ever Find It

Written by Macavity116, Edited by Chosenpai​

Meanwhile in another timeline, the mercenary warship Resonance Cascade emerged from Hyperspace. In the ship’s galley, the ever-helpful robot known as Chef announced the arrival to the crew.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to announce we have arrived in high orbit above the supermassive black hole cluster known as Balcora. You should consider yourselves lucky, as this is without question the most inhospitable region of the Galaxy. You should hear the ship’s Navigational AI complaining right now. I swear it’s going to-”

“That’s enough, Chef. Thanks for letting us know.” Said Captain Kanter. “Kids… we’ll do this when you’re ready.”

Trig and Tenna stood up from the table.

“Now.” They said together.

“We do this right now and not a moment later.” Tenna said.

Ponnico, the elderly mercenary and Trig’s mentor, stroked his beard and hummed approvingly.

…

Trig, Tenna, plus two members of the mercenary crew floated down two decks and reached the airlock module. After half an hour of donning spacesuits and pre-flight checks, the team was ready for their spacewalk.

The airlock was depressurized and the teenagers were tethered to the adult mercenaries for safety. Tenna was attached to Selborne, the only female member of the Resonance Cascade’s crew. Trig was tethered to Tactical Officer Rulan, the brains of the mercenary outfit.

Moving slowly and carefully, the foursome exited the Resonance Cascade and found themselves looking at a vast golden sky. Selborne let out an awed gasp that briefly fogged her helmet.

“Somehow, I imagined the center of the Galaxy to be… well… not so bright.” Selborne commented. “It’s really too bad we can’t get closer and chuck this thing into an Event Horizon.”

“Can’t do that without risking the ship.” Rulan said. “This is the best we can do.”

The Balcora Supercluster contained more black holes than Trig could count. This region of space was extremely difficult to enter, and leaving again would be equally difficult, but both he and Tenna agreed this needed to be done.

The group traversed the Cascade’s hull until they reached a cargo bay. Rulan opened it.

“If my calculations are correct,” Rulan said. “Once we push this thing off, it will be caught in the gravitational tides of the supercluster and be irrecoverable for hundreds of millions of years. If we do this, no one will ever see it again.”

“Good!” Trig and Tenna said.

“Don’t forget the proximity mines.” Trig added.

Rulan flashed the thumbs up and pushed a button next to the cargo bay doors. The hatch swung open, and a moment later, the contents of the cargo bay were blasted into space.

The Reality Perforator shot away from the Cascade and into the void, surrounded by a cloud of anti-starship space mines. Trig reached into the cargo bay and retrieved the last two objects: a pair of signal buoys. They were powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators and were designed to last for thousands of years.

Trig activated one signal buoy and Tenna turned on the other. Then the teenagers tossed the miniature satellites into space, where they began to broadcast their warning message.

As the Resonance Cascade retrieved its crew and prepared to depart the region, the two signal buoys would go on to repeat their warnings in every known language. If, in the distant future, they ran out of power, the warnings were repeated in physical form, etched into golden plaques mounted on the sides of the little spacecraft. Their grim warning said this:

There is nothing of value here. This is not a place of honor. What is here is dangerous and repulsive to us. The danger is still present in your time as it was in ours. Shun this place. Leave it. Do not take anything found here.

Trig and Tenna went to the crew lounge to be alone while everyone else prepared the Cascade for Hyperspace. Tenna collapsed onto a couch.

“We did it!” She gasped. “We got rid of that damn thing. It feels like we finally got to the end of a long story.”

Trig sat down next to her.

“I know it feels like the end, but our lives won’t just stop because we achieved some epic goal. I once heard someone say: ‘The story always goes on, even if certain people fall out of it.’ We’re still here, and we’ve got lives to live. There’s still an ecological disaster on Sutharia, the Olinbar invaded a primitive world on the other side of that Astral Rift, and those cultists worshiping my father are still out there.”

Tenna reached across and grabbed Trig, pulling him toward her.

“You’re right… and knowing you, we’ll end up being the heroes who right all the wrongs in the Galaxy, but right now, I think we’re two tired kids who’ve been through hell and deserve a break.”

Trig realized he was overthinking and sighed.

“Yeah… yeah. Let’s just take a moment. Let’s have this moment.”

Trig and Tenna held each other, looking out the window as the Balcora Black Hole Cluster got smaller and smaller, until the Resonance Cascade made the jump to Hyperspace, moving on to wherever and whatever the next adventure might be…

---

Last Days of the Emerald Isle
The Things Love Does For us

Written by Chosenpai, Edited by Macavity116

​

In another time, Duke Dermot, his courtiers, and the few surviving defenders of Ulster Castle were still barricaded in the keep. They were waiting for the blue-and-gold warriors to attack… and had been waiting for almost two days. But for some reason, the strange creatures insisted on trying to communicate instead of fighting.

Princess Aileann and Bishop Rechtabra were particularly convinced that no good could come from monsters who dropped fire from the sky and rode around in metal carriages. But Dermot was confused. When he looked out of the windows on the upper floors of the keep, he could clearly see that the Blue-and-Gold warriors were making prisoners out of the Norse Army. Once, around noon today, he had seen Jarl Ylva herself, standing between two of the blue creatures while a third spoke to her. The enemy leader was shackled hand and foot.

“Do these invaders mean to make prisoners of us all?” Dermot wondered aloud.

“Slaves, I’ve no doubt.” Bishop Rechtabra replied.

Bishop talked to the group about praying for salvation, be it in this life or the next.

“We must be ready for this story to end.” Rechtabra said.

“The story always goes on, even if certain people fall out of it.” Dermot muttered, staring out of the window and choosing to ignore the Bishop. “Huh? What’s that?”

Dermot had spotted something on the distant horizon. A cloud of dust rising up from the ground.

“Look!” Dermot yelled. “To the north!”

Courtiers and soldiers alike scrambled to find a north-facing window.

“Spears and banners!” A soldier reported. “There’s a large host coming this way.”

“If only the wind would catch that banner and spread it out.” Princess Aileann said.

But Dermot did not need to see banners to know who this army belonged to. He had already spotted a powerful image that would stick with him for the rest of his life:

There was a girl walking at the head of the army, just behind an armored nobleman riding on horseback. Her pale skin and snow-white hair made her look like a fey spirit, and somehow, even at this great distance, Dermot could have sworn he saw a flash of sunset-red eyes.

“Aisling!” He gasped.

It was. His friend and crush was leading the army of Duke Caradog to Ulster Castle! Dermot could see his cousin’s husband clearly now. The Duke pointed one hand toward the Blue-and-Gold warriors, barking orders to his men.

The Blue-and-Gold warriors had spotted the incoming army as well. Naturally, Dermot expected the azure host to turn around and fight, but instead…

“Are they fleeing!?” Princess Aileann cried out.

As Duke Caradog’s army approached Ulster, the Blue-and-Gold warriors began to decamp, gathering prisoners and loading them onto either the metal carriages or the flying metal monsters. Then, moving out as one, the contraptions began to leave Ulster Castle and move west, to the Mourne Mountains.

After about twenty minutes, there was not a single Blue-and-Gold warrior left in Ulster.

…

Dermot (shouting over the objections of his mother) ordered a sortie. He led a small group of soldiers out the shattered wall to meet Duke Caradog before the latter arrived on the Castle grounds.

Dermot had been warned many times in his youth that Duke Caradog was a villainous man who was not to be trusted, and just for a short moment, it seemed as though those warnings were accurate. When Caradog spotted Dermot approaching, his face went through a series of expressions, only a few of which were positive. Dermot realized that Caradog was not expecting to find anyone alive at Ulster, and his own survival had probably messed up whatever scheme Caradog was working on right now.

“It looks like you’ve survived a battle worthy of the storytellers.” Duke Caradog said, looking around. “You’ve impressed me, boy.”

The Duke looked up at the keep, examining it for damage.

“Let’s skip the formalities.” Caradog said. “I’ll speak to you as though you are the lord of the castle… which you will be in just a few months time, I am told. Duke Dermot: will you offer me hospitality in your home? I’ve no doubt the enemy will return.”

“I give hospitality.” Dermot replied. He turned to one of his own men. “Give instructions to let Caradog and his men enter.”

While the friendly army started moving into the castle, Dermot was almost knocked over by someone running into him.

“Dermot!”

“Aisling!”

Dermot hugged his friend as tightly as he could.

“You got through!” Dermot gasped. “You’re the best friend I ever could have asked for. I was so afraid for you.”

“I never would have left you alone.” Aisling replied. “You’re my friend. You mean so much to me.”

“And you to me.” Dermot responded.

The pair turned around to watch Duke Caradog’s army pitching their tents in and around the shattered walls of Ulster Castle.

“The Blue-and-Gold Warriors are going to come back.” Aisling said. “I don’t think your allies here are enough to stand up to them.”

Dermot sighed.

“You’re right. But the Blue-and-Gold Warriors are strange. They could have killed me a hundred times while I was waiting for you to come back, but they didn’t. Then they left as soon as they saw you and Duke Caradog. I don’t know what’s happening... but I think we’re just at the beginning of a very strange and twisted story.”

Aisling leaned in close and linked her arm with Dermot’s.

"If that’s true, I’d rather stay with you.” She said. “Let’s not leave each other alone again.”

“Agreed.” Dermot said. “Whatever comes next, we’ll see it through together.”

Aisling let out an excited giggle and transformed into a songbird, twittering over Dermot’s head before landing on his shoulder and changing into a cat, purring and mewing gratefully. Then Aisling bounded to the ground and turned into a big friendly dog that pounced on Dermot and licked his face. He burst out laughing.

“Okay, I get it, you’re happy! I’m happy you’re happy!”

Aisling turned back into a girl.

“My kind don’t make friends with yours all that often.” Aisling said. “I’m just so happy I found a friend of my own.”

Dermot felt as though his heart was going to thunder right out of his chest. He felt as though he never wanted to go somewhere without Aisling again... and judging from the way she was looking at him, she felt the same.

Dermot put one arm around Aisling’s shoulder and she leaned into him.

“Come, let’s get off this windy hill,” Dermot said. “And go back to the warmth of home.”

Aisling was so wrapped up in good feelings that all she could say was:

“Yes, I’d love that.”



THE END.

<=== Episode Thirty: You don’t need magic to create, just passion and practice.