Star Warden Book 2: RQ Chapter 7

 

Checkmate

Back at the Haven, and after enjoying a meal of rat burger with fries, Sam and Kaguya enter King Benjamin's court. The Sprite Chief bowed as the Warden and Emissary entered the room. He was exceptionally tall for his people, which meant that he was five foot even. Dressed in various furs and bark with a wooden curved staff and had horns growing from his forest green hair that made the shape of a crown.

“Thank you, Champion.” His voice was however incongruous with his station. As the Chief sounded young almost like a teenager. But the Chief was much older than that, he had lived many lives before this. The Sprites were still overall a mystery to the Star Warden and to most people.

“Just doing my job, Chief.”

“A fine job you have done, Samuel. The Enchantress spoke highly of you through the Weave. Oh, and call me Niall. ”

“Before we get to business, Niall. How are you and the Sprites here?”

“All worlds are connected to the Weave. Stars are connected to the Everglow and our dreams to the Dreamscape. Kira and Mira's realms respectively. Sprites are born wherever they are needed.”

“So how come nobody found you on Earth? Like I know you mostly live in isolated places. But even on Earth, they would have found you.”

“Earth is a special exception.” The Chief looked saddened as if a bad memory was brought up. “I will explain it more to you if you wish. Before that, I believe you will need this.” The Chief floated up to Sam's head and with a sleight of hand-pulled the Spellscroll from behind his ear. Sam did not bother to question it and just laughed at the display.

When he touched it the Spellscroll had the feeling that it was made from some flexible crystalline material. “So the Tuatha stuck to the CDs instead of switching to flash drives.”

“There was an equivalent technology to the storage device you speak of. But it was still common to use optical discs for extra security. Older technology is not as vulnerable to certain things along with better durability and the ability to be completely disconnected from the Codex.”

“So I just pop it into the disc drive then have the Talisman download everything about the Cosmic Ring.”

“Don't forget to fabricate yourself a Spellbinder. It is the computer you will need to read any scrolls you find. After it's fabricated the software will download itself.”

“And I can't use the Talisman to read them because?”

“The same reason you can't use a Flash drive on a computer still using Floppy disks. The Spellbinder has to read the data and translate it into a format the Talisman can read.”

“Which is why King Arthur stored the Ring data on that format.” said Kaguya. “The Fallen Tuatha would be using the update to date technology which could not read it.”

“Overtime physical mediums were considered obsolete. The Tuatha eventually just started to genetically encode the interface protocols and used the Codex that way.”

“So we are looking for ancient technology but we have to use technology that the ancients considered ancient?” Sam held back bursting into laughter. “Thank God for physical media!”

“Daimos will have trouble searching for the Rings as well. Though this does bring up the question.”

The Chief knew what Kaguya meant. “Why can't he just access it remotely? Simple. The station was disconnected from the Codex. All the archived data was downloaded onto the disc. Which was given to me for safekeeping.”

“I'm not even going to ask if you mean yourself or one of your past lives.”

“There is one more thing to consider.” King Benjamin walked into the room. “The stolen carrier is not built for space travel. It will not reach the upper atmosphere of the planet.”

“You have a colony ship down here. Maybe it has some space shuttles.”

“We do. But can you repair them?”

“You can't?”

“The Colony ship has been here longer than me. We only managed to re-activate some of the techs because of our own advancements. The shuttle is far too advanced.”

“Perhaps Peace could aid us, Your Majesty. Do you possess a Celestial Mirror by any chance?”

“There is one in the intact part of the ship, Your Radiance.”

Peace came over in a few minutes, the Talisman powering the mirror's machinery. He was taken over to the shuttle bay and began studying the vehicles. He stated that it would most likely take the rest of the day and the next morning before he had one active. Sam joined him a bit to study the machinery. If he had a good idea of the mechanics he could fly anything.

The shuttles had what some on Earth would call a retro-aesthetic. It was shiny with tail fins and delta wings. The one he was looking at had a custom paint job that would not look out of place on a racing track. The cockpit had a very human-inspired design for the most apart aside from the runes on the side of the aircraft. He could not read these runes meaning they were not Tuatha ones. To his eyes, they almost looked like Nordic runes, though given the only runes on Earth he has seen were Nordic that was not saying much.

After that he went to meet the Chief who took him to an underground hot spring to continue their conversation. Sam relaxed as he soaked in the soothing water. The Chieftain created this based on the ones in the Oasis. The light was generated by plants creating a sunset-like appearance in the caves. A soothing smell of oranges was emitted by the spring waters.

“Hmm. I wonder if this was an orange grove in the past,” The Chief wondered.

“This place is amazing. I have to come back here for a vacation. You said you built this in just a few minutes?”

“There was already water here. So it was simple to turn it into a hot spring.”

“You have to make me one someday back on Aetherium.”

“Gladly, Samuel.”

“Mind answering some questions for me?”

“Concerning Excalibur and how it is connected to Dawnbringer?”

“Bingo, Chief.”

“What do you know right now?”

“That Excalibur was shattered long ago and somehow Dawnbringer looks just like it.”

“That's because they are one and the same. Excalibur was shattered in the final duel between Arthur and Mordred. Before he passed on he had the blade reforged and disguised its true power.”

“So, Dawnbringer is Excalibur hiding its power levels.”

Niall nodded “To deceive any surviving traitors and the Abyss that it was destroyed for good along with the bloodline. We Sprites made sure to fluff up the tale as best we could while spreading the world that Excalibur was destroyed. To make sure nobody messed with it until the promised heir could pick it up.”

“That promised heir being me I'm guessing.”

“In a manner of speaking. This is going to be a long story and to make sure you have the proper context. You'll need to know the origin story of the Tuatha.”

Using the natural spring waters as a medium the Sprite Chieftain began his explanation. A vision of the Earth, an older one with a single continent, came into view. The early stages of civilization dotted the land as farmers used dinosaurs as beasts of burden, food, and clothing. Domesticated wolves hunted alongside their human masters. The first languages were being developed in the form of runic characters.

“One day a group of Angels who were to obverse humanity deserted their posts. Taken by their lusts they mated with the daughters of Eve and created Nephilim, half-angel, and half-human.”

The Nephilim were giants when compared to humanity, though not as tall as true giants of myth. The fallen watchers and Nephilim soon taught mankind magics and technologies they were meant to learn on their own. Soon more Nephilim was born and became the inspirations for the great gods of humanity. Sam saw them dressed in ostentatious clothing with elements of the future Greek, Egyptian, and Japanese pantheons.

Their power and wealth fueled their pride and soon they treated humans as pets and playthings. They became a scourge among the land and slaughtered humans in their constant battles for land, resources, and brides. Eventually, they outnumbered humans and whispered schemes that they would destroy humanity so they may claim Earth as their own. God would not allow this sacrilege to continue. The Nephilim would be destroyed and the fallen angels cast into the fire.

All save for one group led by Danu. The waters showed an image of a beautiful red-headed woman with Irish features dressed in simple iron armor. She was pious and protected mankind while leading her Nephilim to tear down the false idols their fellows became. It was her actions that would lead God to spare her and her tribe on the condition that they would leave the Earth and take all of the inventions made by them or created by the spreading of forbidden knowledge to humans.

They did so leaving Earth and the Milky Way galaxy behind. Traveling to the Cirrus Galaxy on four great city ships. Gorias, Falias, Finias, Murias.

“The Cirrus Galaxy. Where is that?”

“Earth knows it as the Large Magellanic Cloud. It is the galaxy you are currently in. Mind you Earth's maps of it are incomplete.” Sam had to make sure his eyes did not pop out of his head. After absorbing that bombshell Niall continued.

“Eventually the Tuatha would land on the planet that would become known as Aetherium. They met the Faeries who worked with them to build the interstellar empire and help seed life across the galaxy.”

Sam was about to speak when Niall interjected. “The faeries are a much older species than many remember. But let us stick to one topic at a time and move onto the civil war.”

Sam nodded in agreement. “The war must have been extremely damaging if even the Faeries lost major parts of their history. To the point, their stories said that the Tuatha created them.”

The Tuatha Civil War also known as the Mordred Heresy was a long and bloody struggle. It began when Mordred the first true born son of King Arthur rose in rebellion against his father and sought to claim the throne. A rebellion born out of fear and jealously that Mordred's younger brother would be elected by the nobility to ascend to High King of Eden. At least according to the Celestial Faith's recreation of the events.

Niall explained the truth was that the younger brother was only conceived in the middle of the conflict. Mordred was cleared for the throne as he was popular enough that any election would have been a formality. But on one dark and stormy night, he was cravenly ambushed by the fallen. They subjected him to a dark ritual which called a spirit of the Abyss to possess him. The war started in earnest not long after.

At this time Earth had reached its space-age and had colonized its own solar system with plans to begin developing its first extrasolar colony. The war was spreading over into the milky way galaxy and the King decided to keep all information about the war secret from the humans. The Tuatha had already done enough damage to mankind and Arthur did not wish to add to it by dragging them into their conflict.

“Sadly his good deed would not be rewarded. As a human rocket ship rescued the survivors of a recent skirmish.”

“Let me guess. Those survivors were fallen Tuatha.”

The Chief nodded. “It was not long before the traitor legions were on humanity's doorstep.”

The waters became red as they showed a vision of Earth's solar system. Focusing on two worlds Earth and Mars. Above Mars, a being of fire and shadow scorched the planet with its power. Its wingspan blotted out the sun and between the flames beams of dark matter emerged from electronic eyes. The human Martians were destroyed in mere moments. The Abyssal Dragon, named Surtur, had turned the planet into the familiar visage of the red barren rock.

When the waters showed Earth, Sam could hardly look at it. A mass of mutating organic matter covered the entire world. Unleashing waves of eldritch horrors upon the human and loyalist defenders. The traitor Tuatha had by this point in the conflict devolved into berserkers. Throwing themselves with reckless abandon at the defenders baying for blood completely unarmed. Their bodies mutated to such an extent that any form of description would not do the horrifying images justice.

In orbit above the planet ships both loyal and traitor battled firefly firing dark matter and unknown exotic particles at each other. While on a mobile ring station hidden behind the loyalist fleet. King Arthur and Queen Genevieve placed humans in cryostasis pods and loaded them upon a large ship. One family of humans dressed in robes were loading animals into the ship two by two. The familiar visage was instantly recognizable to Sam.

“So the flood?”

“It was the only way to cleanse the Earth of the Abyssal corruption. Noah would then lead humanity to restore the world. All while protecting the second-born son.”

“My ancestor who would then give birth to the promised heir which was me. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This is heavy.” He looked at his left hand as if he was looking at it for the first time.

Sam had always considered himself a normal kid from Reno. No matter how many fancy titles he was given, he was just that an ordinary man. It was clear that he was no longer an ordinary man. He was the scion of an ancient bloodline born of a union between the high heavens and mortal flesh. No artificial gene therapy, simply the second son and his sons and their sons all down to Samuel Bailey.

“Am I worthy?” It was the first thing that came out of his mouth. More of prayer than really a question.

Chief Niall put a hand on Sam's shoulder. “I have only recently met you, so take these words as you will. Your blood does not make you worthy it is merely a connection to the past. From what Bridget and the Enchantress has told me. You have done more than enough to prove yourself worthy.”

Sam took a breath and put on a smile. “Yeah. I wouldn't have pulled the sword out of the stone if I wasn't.” He put his doubts to the side. Reminding himself that this did not change the overall scheme of things. All this did is give him context. Speaking of context Sam got Niall back on track.

After the flood the connections Earth had to the Celestial Realm were sealed by Arthur. The excess energies that allowed magic could not flow into the world. The Sprites were unable to be born on the planet. This did protect the planet from the Abyss as without extra-dimensional links they could not sense the souls on the planet. Arthur's second son would not be detected by the demons and live in safety.

While this meant humanity was denied the use of true magic it ensured the Abyss would fall for the ruse. If the demons knew Excalibur was still in play, they would be taking every action they could to destroy it. Excalibur was the only blade that could give demons true death. So they feared it and no other. An experienced wielder of it would be the bane of all that is evil.

It was not a blade that could be forged by strictly physical materials. The Chieftain was not entirely sure how Arthur re-forged the blade. But he knew that it had elements of the Celestial Realm and the physical realm. There were many stories about where it came from with one said that Saint Micheal himself gave it to Arthur as an ascension present. But none knew for sure.

What he did know is that the blade did have its own mind and advised Sam to practice listening to it. He promised to do so, he already had some magical training and managed to summon the runes before. So he did not expect to have a hard time contacting the blade. There was one more question he did have.
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“By the way. All this talk of angels and gods got me thinking. What are the Celestial Powers in all this?”

“Angels.” The Chief stated it in a matter-of-fact way. “They are just on a higher part of the hierarchy. It's in the name: Celestial Powers. Kira, Mira, and Cerena were just Saints but the Faeries and Elves conflated them overtime in their stories.”

“What does that make Kaguya?”

“That is a longer conversation and I do not have those memories on hand. I will need to look into the Weave to find them.”

“Fair enough.” Sam lowered himself more into the waters and put his arms behind his head.

“Do you remember what happened to the Tuatha?”

“That is also a long story. To keep it brief a weapon they were going to use during the war got turned against them. It wiped them out to the point that if they survived, well they are very fortunate indeed.”

“And with that, I'm just going to relax. This conversation was heavy, Chief.”

By the next sunrise Sam and Kaguya would leave for the research station. His Talisman translating the shuttle's runes into English. They said goodbye to their friends new and old as they rocketed out of the hangar doors. Sadly they would not see King Benjamin, the Guardians, or the Haven ever again. Once they were out of sight and out of radio range, an orbital strike from Daimos's orbital defense cannon devastated the canyon killing them all in a single strike.

******

As the Dark Lord watched the devastation that had been done. He tipped over Benjamin's piece on the holographic chessboard. The board turned red and all the pieces were removed. A single word taking their place.

Checkmate.

Chapter 8

Chapter 6