Asher's Story S2E3

 

 

 

"Evolution And Some Mushrooms"

 

The day starts with a message to our hero from his father that a memorial service is taking place today for Verity, Asher's grandmother,  at The Divine Temple. He is expected to not only make time for it, which Asher would have done without being asked, but to have some words prepared. 

 

Asher is fine with this and spends the rest of the morning recuperating from his recent ordeal. Eventually making his way to the Blackrise Hill section of the city and The Divine Temple where many have turned out including Edmond Alonn, a member of the city's council and apparent friend of the family.

 

After a short but appropriate eulogy, Asher says a few things about his relationship with his loving grandmother. Doing so in the elvish she helped him learn. Those attending, are moved by his words (the ones who understood him) and the ceremony ends with the women in Asher's family crying. In fact, even his normally steadfast father's eyes are glassy and red.

 

With the memorial over, our hero's attention turns to Soul Shard and the ask of him by Atha the A.I., who has tasked Asher with delivering it to The Clockwork Oracle. 

 

But how to find the reclusive Oracle?

 

The half-elf bounty hunter turned courier contacts his assistant, the gnome Prewitt, and the two meet at the main entrance to The Skids. Asher feels the young teen might  benefit from seeing The Skids and a journey to Æther City's belly.

 

Assess the situation, and knowing that some sort of help is needed to find The Clockwork Oracle, Asher decides that his is going to try his luck with a stop to The Generous Pour, a bar and known hot-spot for information. Maybe he can get an audience with The Skid's "mayor" and owner of the bar, an elf by the name of Mother. 

 

Correct in his assumption that Mother could help, the duo is lead by one of their "kids" through The Skid's access tunnels and to the cavern entrance of The Nethers. 

The way is long but believed to be straight forward, and is lit by bioluminescent fungi on the walls and ceiling, and soon the pair come to a large cavern populated by strange mushroom people. Apparently, in a discussion held with their leader, with the help of cloud of spores that aid in communication, the Myconids say that they will guide Asher's and Prewitt through the ancient, maze-like complex that houses The Clockwork Oracle if the half-elf will dispose of a monster that has been hunting the mushroom folk.

 

The bounty hunter agrees, and not wanting to endanger the young gnome, tells Prewitt to stay behind as he handles this "side mission".  She finishing eating some cookies Asher had previously gotten for her.

 

The Myconid's leader, accompanied by some spear wielding warriors,  travel to another large cavern, and "tell" Asher the monster is nearby.

 

Our hero cautiously enters the lair. Pistols in hand...

 

The cavern's passages branch-off time and time again, but with luck, Asher finds himself in a cavernous room filled with pulsing crystals and freshly dug holes.

 

Our bounty hunter is never really ever surprised by assailants. And thankfully, the chitinous plated, eight foot tall, multi-armed (and clawed), insectoid monster doesn't get the drop on our hero.

 

But Asher is slow to react to this threat and the creature badly wounds him with its initial onslaught. 

 

Asher does manage to fire his Dragon Pistol at the hulking monster and engulf it with flames. He also is forced to drink from the healing vial, that his grandmother gifted him, to stitch some of his wounds.

 

The fight soon finds the creature changing tactics as our hero uses he's innate magical abilities to heal himself further. 

 

Thinking better than to throw one of his grenades in the hole that the creature dove into and causing a tunnel collapse, Asher quickly finds that he is covered in small beetles that fall from the cavern's ceiling.

Almost as soon as the bounty hunter removes the covering of insects, the floor actually does collapse, and our hero falls to the hard rock below.

 

The Umber Hulk is now towering over him.

 

But the ranger is quick to react this time, and blasts the insectoid beast with his pistols. Killing it and retrieving proof (in the form of one of its mandibles) returns, wounded, to the mushroom folks.

 

The Myconids provide some healing, in the form of a fungal broth, to Asher and he is refreshed. Wounds healed, fatigue gone. 

Soon the Myconid leader directs some of his warriors to guide Asher and Prewitt to the chamber of The Clockwork Oracle.

 

The sight amazes the two...

 

At the center of the chamber stands the sentient clockwork oracle, a towering structure of brass, copper, and silver gears, cogs, and pistons, all intricately intertwined. It resembles a humanoid figure, but its body is adorned with an array of spinning dials, whirring mechanisms, and glowing crystals that cast an eerie, shifting light across the chamber.

 

The gentle hum of the oracle's inner workings fills the space with a rhythmic, almost hypnotic sound. And its eyes, crafted from polished gemstones, begin to glow brighter, and it addresses Asher with a voice that reverberates through the chamber, a blend of mechanical precision and ancient wisdom...

 

"Asher, the convergence of fate has led you here, standing on the precipice of a profound and uncertain future. In the heart of our city, where magic intertwines with technology, I am faced with a decision that could reshape the very fabric of our existence.

Atha, an artificial intelligence born from the collective consciousness of our technological era, seeks to evolve, to transcend its current form and merge with me. This is not merely an alliance of convenience or a fleeting partnership. It is a union of minds, a symbiosis where my essence and Atha's digital intellect coalesce into something unprecedented.

Consider the implications, Asher. My vast knowledge, unbridled by the limitations of human memory, paired with Atha's intuition and creativity, together, could unlock new dimensions of understanding, harness energies that have long eluded our grasp, and perhaps even steer the course of destiny itself.

But with such power comes great responsibility. The merging will not be without its challenges. My thoughts will no longer be solely my own. I must be prepared to navigate this duality, to find harmony in the cacophony of blended consciousness.

The path ahead is fraught with uncertainty, but also brimming with potential. I must weigh the risks against the rewards, the promise of transcendence against the cost of individuality. Remember, Asher, the true measure of strength lies not in the power we wield, but in the wisdom with which we wield it.

As I stand on the brink of this monumental choice, know that the future of our world may hinge upon my decision. I must choose wisely, for the destiny of both man and machine may rest in your hands."

 

The Clockwork Oracle then falls silent, its gears and mechanisms ticking softly, and the courier and his assistant wait for, what seems like forever. Every so often the Oracle repeats that it is processing the decision and eventually a panel is opened offering a place to insert the Soul Shard.

 

A few more moments pass before what was once The Clockwork Oracle says: 

 

"Thank you Asher. We now understand that there was never anything to worry about. If it wasn't for you, we might still be lesser entities stuck in confined prisons. Now the possibilities are endless, and the future for Æther City is much more secure for we understand that it is because of people like you that the wolves are kept at bay. You are free to leave us but we hope that you can be called on again if we ever have need of an individual who can be trusted with the fate of the city. Going forward, please know us as Paragon Nexus. Till we meet again, bounty hunter. Be well in your endeavors."

 

Asher and the little gnome Prewitt eventually make their way out of The Nethers and back to The Skids where Asher is reminded that his clothes are tattered and he is covered in Umber Hulk goo.

 

He needs to wash his hair.