Limitless Path

“Key first,” Zane said, indicating for Beth to hand it over. “I’ll look it over while I talk. Yes, I can do two things at once, before the jokes start.”

“Right, here,” Beth said, producing the key to inquisitive looks from both Zane and Fallon.

“Hmm, not a style I’m familiar with,” Zane said, turning it over in his hands. “I’ll examine it while I talk.”

“I’ll glance at it afterwards, but I don’t recognize it,” Fallon said, stroking his beard while narrowing his eyes at the piece.

"Right, you’re better with esoterica,” Zane muttered, looking at the key before talking to Beth’s group. “Anyway, like I was saying, I can be called away on business, or even have to rush off-“

“I remember the time with the Leviathan and the Duchess,” Fallon interjected, perhaps not very helpfully.

“Right, that was a mess,” Zane said with a sigh, his eyes becoming two pools of limitless darkness for a moment, as if both of his eyes had transformed into singularities. The effect lasted a mere moment and then was gone, his eyes returning to their normal, very plain look. “This key is likely related to either the Eternal Depths or to the Great Waste, but I can’t get a good read on it. Again, as I was saying, I will have to leave soon to deal with some issues with the maze, but before that I need to explain what we found.

“Fallon detected a brief warp in time that, while it only a few objective seconds, bent space around it quite severely. It is, for lack of more precise terminology, an area on the opposite side of the galaxy from where we currently reside that had a very suspicious event happen. We’ve done several scans of that are, and I can assure you that there is an area of warped space there, which is not really my specialty, but gravity certainly has enough relation to space to allow to have some few insights. My belief is that a special instance has spawned there, something that operates more like a unique pocket in reality, more a pocket dimension, a discontiguous space that has its own rules. This would normally be something that either Mortaine would look into or whoever we had that was very good with spatial mana, but there are only one or two Ascended like that currently and no Exalted or above. Given those conditions, we thought it best to inform you and let you handle it.

“Preferably, you will scout the location and report back. Other than the preliminary data about exact location, size, breach containment, beast level, and so on and so forth, we don’t have any strict requirements. My initial assessment is that the space will operate as a super-massive dungeon, something that could take objective months to clear even a single time, but such pocket spaces can have their own rules and unique properties. This is more a fact-finding mission, and as everyone except this laze,” Zane pointed a thumb at Fallon, whom he also tossed the key to, “is busy with one or more critical matters, we both have no one beyond Ascended that we could send to check it out, nor anyone we can send as backup if you get in over your head. Proceed with caution.”

“Understood. Any other details?” Beth asked.

“Just the preliminary scans,” Zane answered, sending her a report of about eight pages. “That’s all we have, and all I have time for. Anything else critical before I go kill some assholes who haven’t followed the proper rules to become Delvers?”

“Nothing other than if you have a ship we can take? Or can help with our ship? It’s on Earth and doesn’t have any teleportation, and I can’t store it in any items or skills yet,” Beth said.

“Fallon can lend you a hand,” Zane answered, glancing at the man, who just waved him off casually. “Good, then I need to scram.”

He put word to deed, a literal singularity forming in the air behind him, just a bit larger than he was tall. With a very perfunctory bow, Zane nodded once to them and once to Fallon before turning and walking directly into the event horizon, the singularity disappearing with a pop right after he had passed that boundary. Fallon grumbled something, turning the key over in his hands as he examined it intently. The same thing Beth had witnessed multiple times before, not just with Zane a minute ago, happened again as Fallon pushed whatever eye power he had to the max, his eyes glowing a silverish-blue that seemed to cause everything around them to slow down, though the effect, and the glow, disappeared very quickly.

“Confounded thing,” he grumbled, stroking his beard before handing it back to Beth. “My guess, which is just a guess as I can’t get it to reveal the full description, is that that key admits entry to one of the forts in the Eternal Depths. There are old fortresses down there that are sealed off by insanely powerful magics that even Zane and I would take quite a long while to break through. My best guess is that key works on one of those fortresses. It could also, as Zane said, be to the Great Wastes, but I’m doubtful, and if it were, Mortaine should have recognized it, even without seeing it in person.”

“What are the Great Wastes?” Beth asked with a quirked brow, making the key disappear into the reliquary.

“Hmm, how best to explain?” Fallon asked, stroking his beard absentmindedly. “Well, let me explain it like this. There are, if you are not aware, both pocket dimensions, spaces that can be the size of a closet or the size of a small galaxy, that overlap with our universe. Some of those exist for a few minutes, some for eons, and they vary in difficulty to access between just strolling in with no effort to having to have multiple Exalted working together, or the enchanting equivalent of at least Divine rank to get the place to open. Dimensional magic is powerful, difficult, complex, and, quite often, very time-consuming, both to master and to use. Mortaine himself is a bit of an exception, as he is with many things, and is something of a savant with dimensional magic. Many people underestimate him because of the strange and uncommon nature of his specialization, but he is extraordinarily powerful, to the point where its highly likely that only Zane and I could really challenge him in the Milky Way.”

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“That’s pretty fascinating, but what does it have to do with the Great Wastes?” Andrea asked, the rest of them having taken seats around the reception room.

“Yes, yes, I’m getting to it. Children these days,” Fallon grumbled, stroking his beard angrily before sitting down and making a cup of tea appear in his hand. “As I was saying, there are all kinds of strange dimensions and subspaces that overlap with ours. These are not, themselves, other universes, though such things, we believe, do exist out there, just to clarify that, though the one exception is what my now erstwhile business partner is in charge of: the Maze of Eternity. Better to leave other explanations about that up to the one who is de facto in charge of the place.

“For now, the whole point of me explaining these other dimensions is that is what the Great Wastes is, or was assumed to be a long time ago. Unlike the Eternal Depths, which is a truly enormous dungeon that is unique to the Milky Way, the Great Wastes is a massive subspace or pocket dimension that spans an enormous territory and is accessible from several dozen galaxies. The place is assumed to have been settled by some kind of civilization a very, very long time ago, but some great catastrophe struck the place and decimated it. The name should give it away, but the entire pocket dimension, while still stable, is a massive wasteland and the remains of an old battlefield. It is filled to bursting with ancient beasts, strange monsters, and the lost and damned spirits of those who fell in battles bloodier than any that have occurred in hundred of thousands of years.”

“Crazy,” Blood grunted, getting agreement out of the rest of the group.

“And Zane thinks this key Beth has could be to the Great Wastes?” Val asked, trying to piece everything together.

“Well, yes, you see, there are a number of ancient caches, treasuries and old shelters that were built in time immemorial, located all throughout the Great Wastes. Again, these things are sealed by immensely powerful and complex magics that would take either very strong people, or enchanters, either a skilled group or a very skilled individual, to break into. There are, however, keys to such ancient caches, and every time one of those keys is found, a bloodbath ensues,” Fallon explained.

“Don’t like the sound of that,” Sera added her two cents.

“Well, it’s the truth, though the point the bloodbath starts can be different,” Fallon said with a shake of his head. “I’ve seen instances in the last two hundred thousand years where people brag about getting a key before using it and, well, let’s just say they never got to see any treasure. Then, there’s the times when somebody gets such a key and gets in there without being strong or prepared enough. Much of the Great Wastes is a massive battlefield, or the remains of a bunch of battlefields that have merged, haunted by the specters of fallen champions and legions of brutal killers. Going in without one or two Ascended on the team and tons of preparation, at the minimum, is a recipe for disaster, especially if one is pushing deep into the Wastes to find some hidden cache. Then, of course, is what happens when one does open a cache and scarper with all the loot…”

“Well? Don’t keep us in suspense,” Andrea said, frustrated when Fallon fell silent and started sipping his tea, staring off into space.

“A riot, of course,” he said indignantly. “Those caches, few and far between as they may be, are filled to the rafters with all the greatest loot you can imagine. Let alone Masterwork or Artifact weapons and armor, people have pulled out Boundless Armaments, stacks of Neutronium and Black Ruby coins, rare ores and metals by the ton that Legend Smiths would literally kill to get their hands on, beast cores from extinct species, a bucketful of tier seven and eight skills, and even more. The wealth of a single one of those caches could set up an empire that would last a hundred thousand years, and thats if you were wasteful with the goods and didn’t have a grasp over whatever you pulled out. With proper knowledge, planning, and care, a small team wouldn’t even have to worry about money, equipment, skills, or even connections ever again.”

“Fuck, that sounds too good to be true,” Beth cursed, eyes gleaming.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Fallon snorted, taking another sip of tea. “I doubt you have a cache key there. You very likely have a key linked to the Eternal Depths, which is still quite good, but you’ll have to work for it. Those old fortresses down there don’t give up their secrets easily; unlike the Great Wastes, you not only have to fight your way to the right fortress to use your key, you have to fight through the fortress for any loot that might rest within. People are even less eager to use one of those keys than they are a Great Wastes key; less loot, less valuable loot, and you have to fight just as hard, if not much harder, to actually get your damned hands on it.”

“Hold on, let me ask another question,” Andrea said as Fallon finished his tea.

“Sure, I have plenty of time,” he said, laughing, though Beth and many of the others just shook their heads.

“I don’t get it,” Neph said, the only one in the group not really fully clued in to who Zane and Fallon were.

“Sorry, Neph, forgot you don’t know them well,” Beth said. “Fallon is a renowned time mage who understand the element and its mana type better than pretty much anybody in this galaxy. Not sure where he stands in the universe overall, though.”

“Enough to write a few accredited papers, but not enough to receive an invite to any conferences; not on time, anyway,” he said, laughing at his puns.

“Oh! Time! I get it!” Neph said, laughing.

“God,” Beth muttered, shaking her head again.

“Anyway,” Andrea said, clearing her throat. “This might be dumb, but why don’t Exalted, especially ones like Mortaine, just go in and grab all these caches? And then, there’s you and Zane. Surely you guys could just snatch all this stuff, right?”

“Risk versus reward, for one,” Fallon answered. “For even Exalted, these places are dangerous, and many of them already quite a bit of wealth. Sure, it’s exciting to treasure hunt and to explore, I won’t deny that, and many people spend their lives doing just that. Many of us in the Milky Way just have too much other stuff on our plates to go gallivanting off on every hare-brained adventure that you can think up, however, and we leave that stuff to you ambitious youngsters.

“Take those caches, for instance; even for Mortaine, who specializes in that sort of thing, it could take months, if not years for him to go into the Great Wastes, find a cache, break it open, and get back out. Now, we all know Mortaine loses track of time even more than most, and spending a few years on something like that wouldn’t really bother him, but he has far better things to do with his time, if you can believe it. There’s also the fact that, even if he were to do something like that, by which I mean track down a cache, break it open without a key, and then return with the loot, doing that even once takes him away from managing the large conglomerate he’s in charge of, putting him in a place where nobody can access him for years at a time. Just doesn’t make a lot of sense, even for the amount of wealth, for him to spend his time on such endeavors. Now, if someone had a key, and a good idea of where the cache was, a lot of even Exalted would be very interested in helping escort the person there, for the right price…”

“And you and Zane? Not interested?” Sera asked, pondering on what he had said.

“Oh, I’m not that much for adventuring,” Fallon said with a dismissive wave. “Not that I never get out and about, mind you, but I have far bigger fish to fry. Again, you kids, and especially those Ascended puttering around with too much time on their hands, let all of you chase treasure and glory. And Zane, well, you can see what he’s up to half the time or more; he’s always got something going on, doubly so when you consider his Title and position as Guardian of the Maze of Eternity. Zane doesn’t have enough time, despite me sometimes giving him some extra to play with, and I’ve got too much time and too little interest. Though, if you do find a cache key, I might be amenable to a deal…”