Part 36: Ashes to Ashes

Chapter 30: Ashes to Ashes

Shir was nowhere to be found. The owner of the local supply store had seen her enter, and she'd managed to sell him a dagger by negotiating with hand gestures, but he hadn't seen her leave, and she wasn't in the shop now.

Why did I ever teach her to teleport? She could be anywhere on Dezo. She could even be -- oh shit. I had to go back to Skure!



Our spaceship was still on the launch pad, where I'd left it. At least she was still somewhere on Dezo, then. I thought about going back to search for her, but if she didn't want to be found, she wouldn't be. Whatever I'd done to offend her this time, it was up to her to decide whether and when to come back.

I couldn't take on Dezo with only three people. I had to go home.



On our flight back to Mota, Amy put a hand on my shoulder. "I hate to say this," she said, "but, well, Shir was never very reliable, was she? Maybe it's for the best that she's parted ways with us. Now we can all move on."

Anna smirked. "Don't worry. She'll be back."

I just sat silently and stared out at the remains of Palm, trying hopelessly to read some meaning into all the destruction.



Without Shir, Mota felt less like home than ever. I knocked on the door of my house, and Rudo answered.

"I'm relieved to see you back here, Rolf," he said. "But where's Shir?"

I shook my head. "I wish I knew. She gave me the slip in Zosa, and I don't know where she's gone."

Rudo cupped his head in his hands. "I knew that something like this would happen. I should never have let you go back to Dezo."

"Let me? You can't stop me. If you want to help, then come with me."

"Hey!" Kain's head popped up from behind Rudo's left shoulder. "Y'all ain't gonna leave me behind again, are ya?"



"If those two are coming with you," Anna said, "I think I'll stay here for a while. Try not to get yourself killed, Rolf."



"Do you still doubt me?" I said, handing the Neishot to Rudo. "See the workmanship of this cannon. It's far beyond even what Mother Brain can make."

"And what do you expect me to use this gun for?" Rudo asked. "Do you want me to shoot down everyone on Mota who wants us dead? The time for fighting is over, Rolf."

"Master Lutz told me that there is a great evil behind the disasters that have befallen Algo. With these weapons, crafted in ancient times, I plan to vanquish that evil and restore Mother Brain to full functionality!"

Rudo snorted derisively. "Listen to yourself! One planet's already been destroyed, most of Mota believes we're responsible, and you're still talking about saving Algo. If it weren't for all the others you've convinced to follow you--"

"Don't talk to him like that!" Amy interrupted. "Rolf is a hero! I believe in him! Just wait and see!"

"I reckon we're all forgettin' somethin' very important here." Kain said. "How come Rudo gits a great big honkin' gun an' I don't git nothin'?"



I took off my helmet and gave it to Kain. It'd do him more good than me, since I had an unfortunate habit of forgetting to put it on and wearing the Mogic Cap into battle instead. It wasn't my fault nobody ever pointed out that I was still wearing it; I couldn't see the top of my own head, after all. In fact, I was starting to suspect that the others just let me keep wearing it because they thought it was funny.



"Rolf," Amy said, "it hurts me to see all of these petty arguments dividing our group. I think what's most important is that we all stick together. Don't you agree?"

"Uh-huh."

"So, um... until we get to Dezo, just so that I know that at least there's no ill will between you and me... could I hold your hand?"

I sighed. "Why not."



The ship landed in Skure, and not a moment too soon. The only place we hadn't yet searched for the weapons of Nei was the vicinity of Ryuon, so that was our next destination.



I wandered through the streets of Ryuon, half-hoping to see Shir, but she eluded me once again. I could only hope that Anna was right, and that Shir would return when she was ready.



However I felt, though, we still had to fight: the robots patrolling Dezo would show me no mercy. A white-hot sphere of energy shot from the muzzle of Rudo's Neishot and exploded into flames, blasting a gaping hole in the chassis of a mobile gun turret.



Kain was holding his own against the robots as well. His Brose technique simply caused machines to shut down, instantly and permanently.



His Nasag technique was just as effective, inflicting critical damage to the systems of all machines in sight.



But his techniques were no use against the mutants infesting the mountains to the north of Ryuon. Nothing short of breaking every bone in their bodies would stop the rabbits from attacking us; we had to defend ourselves with swords, guns and maces, and both Kain and I were covered in gore by the time the battle was over.



A large squarish building sat high in the mountains. From near its centre a tower extended high into the air. At several points along the tower, huge platforms stuck out horizontally and overhung the main building, supported by only a few girders. Even in Dezo's low gravity, it was hard to believe that such a structure was stable.



The inside of the building had a sombre but peaceful atmosphere; even the stone gargoyles seemed like benign watchers rather than grotesque guardians.



When Shir left, she stole more than my heart: she took many of our most important supplies with her. The robe we found hanging in a cloakroom would at least provide a substitute for the Truth Sleeves, so that all four of us could heal ourselves again.



A path to the west led out of the building and into a garden, long since overgrown with trees. We made our way south and west through the garden and back indoors, to another part of the building.



We climbed upstairs and found a small room filled entirely with the skulls and bones of natives, all stacked neatly in piles. Many were elaborately adorned with paint; fire seemed to be a common motif in the decorations.

Amy covered her mouth to stifle a gasp.

"Well, I'll be a son of a bitch," Kain said in awe, looking around the room. "A whole lotta people sure got killed here, didn't they?"

"Kain," Rudo said, "I think this is a cemetery. These people died elsewhere."



We found a spiral staircase leading up around the inner wall of the tower. The hole in its centre, the smoky black deposits on the walls, and our knowledge of this building's purpose, made the purpose of the "tower" more clear: it was a chimney for venting smoke from cremations.



A wide hallway lined with gargoyles ended in a staircase, leading down to another small room used as an ossuary. The skulls here were even more painstakingly decorated than in the previous room; this must be where some of the natives' most honoured dead were put to rest. Unsure of the proper protocol for showing respect, I stared uncomfortably at the remains for a few seconds and headed back upstairs.



Another garden had been planted on the second floor. There was no eastern wall, leaving this section of the building open to the elements. I stood and looked out at the shining, snow-covered mountains and valleys of Dezo. A small white bird flew in, perched on the branches of one tree and pecked a large seed out of one of the tree's cones. As I approached to get a closer look, it flew off with the seed still held in its beak.




We returned to the chimney and climbed further up. As we ascended, two dragons swooped down toward us, gliding awkwardly through the narrow space with their undersized wings. While Rudo and I fought off one of the beasts, Kain stood still with his eyes closed, seemingly concentrating on a technique.

"What are you doing, Kain?" I shouted. "There are no robots here!"



Kain raised his hand. In an instant, the dragon's body went rigid and tumbled down the stairs like a boulder. Rudo and I quickly finished off the second dragon, which fell down the centre of the chimney to meet its mate on the ground floor.

"Kain," I said, "what did you just do? It looked like a Brose technique, but that dragon was no machine."

He shrugged. "I dunno. It jist seemed like the right thing ta do at the time, I reckon. An' it worked, didn' it?"

"Maybe Kain's abilities are effective against anything unnatural, whether it's mechanical or, well, a dragon," Amy suggested.

"So yer sayin' that if'n I was born a thousand years ago, maybe I'da bin a vampire hunter? Well, ain't that somethin'."



After some more climbing, we reached the first of the overhanging platforms, jutting out to the southwest of the chimney. I stepped out onto it.

"You... don't really expect us to walk on that, do you?" Amy asked, her voice trembling slightly. "We must be at least eight floors up."

"Come on, Amy, be brave," I said. "With Dezo's low gravity and thick atmosphere, our terminal velocity is pretty low. We fell four or five floors plenty of times back in that building with all the pits -- and that was onto hard stone, not snow. If that didn't kill us, neither will this."

"That's... not exactly reassuring."



At the end of a long spiral passage stood a statue of a young human woman, dressed in armour and holding a sword in her right hand and a shield in her left. Draped around the statue's shoulders was a long cape, dyed a rich crimson and with gold embroidery around the collar.

Now that I knew what this place was, I felt uneasy about taking from the dead -- but looking at that cape, I felt sure it was one of the artifacts of Nei. Lutz wouldn't have sent me to find it if taking it would mean doing evil, so taking the cape must be the right thing to do. I carefully unfastened it, removed it from the statue and handed it to Amy.



I grinned as she tried the cape on. "Feeling safer now, Amy?"

Amy smiled nervously. "A little. I'll feel even safer when we're back on the ground."



On our way back to the chimney, our path was blocked by fires covering the ground before us, burning despite the lack of any visible fuel. As we moved closer, the flames flared up angrily. All around me I heard the howls of restless spirits enraged by our violation of this sacred place.



The flames took on monstrous humanoid shapes. Roaring and hissing, they hurled balls of fire at us and summoned pillars of flame at our feet in an attempt to immolate us. Bladed weapons passed through their bodies to almost no effect; only the Neishot's holy power could burn out their flames.

After the last of the flames had been quenched, Rudo wiped the sweat from his brow and shook his head. "There's something very wrong with this place," he said. "I thought you'd lost it when you started talking about an evil force that was trying to destroy Algo, but I don't know how to explain what we just saw in any other way."



We returned to the chimney, and before long found another overhanging platform extending out to the east. This one supported a statue garden; the statues were worn by age, but enough detail remained for us to see that both humans and natives were depicted. This was not merely a place for storing the dead; it was a place of remembrance.




We returned again to the chimney and climbed further up. At the very top, the chimney ended at a series of vents and grates, probably designed to filter the smoke before it was vented to the outside air. A trapdoor above us led to the roof.



The hottest and angriest of the fire spirits awaited us here, burning with violet flames that blistered our skin even from a distance; Rudo had to fire several shots into the spirit's heart before its fire died down.



A suit of armour lay on the grating atop the chimney. It was made of shining bluish-white metal, unstained by smoke, and still in perfect condition after who knows how many years up here.

I picked the armour up and examined it. "It's too large for me," I said, "but with a little adjustment I think it could fit either Rudo or Kain."

"I don't need it," Rudo said. "I can defend myself well enough already, and besides, I don't like the idea of taking anything from this place."

Kain shrugged. "I ain't complainin'."



After tightening a few straps, the armour was a perfect fit for Kain.

"Well," said Rudo, "I hope we're done here now. I don't want to spend any longer here than we have to."



I teleported us back to Ryuon, still feeling empty and unsatisfied, like a man waking from a dream of attending a great feast. We had collected most of the Nei artifacts, so there was plenty for me to be happy about... but there was still no sign of Shir. My victories against the forces of evil felt hollow without her by my side.