Chapter 24
Lance sighed as he messed with his Ego gauntlets, tired after the past two days of searching for the others. While they had their locations, they still had to search for them when they arrived.
So far, after two full days, they’d only found Drax and Rainbow Dash. While it was nice to see them again, he was more concerned with finding his wife. Which just made him feel worse as he felt like an asshole when they’d find someone new and he’d just be disappointed.
Not to mention he still can’t even look at Dash without feeling guilt. Even after all these years, all he sees when looking at her or her kids is the final moments of David as he killed him.
Add that to the growing list of things he’d need to come to terms with when this was all over. His eyes darted to Greg, who was talking with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, a frown touching his face.
He definitely would have his hooves full once this was all over.
“Can we talk?” Jero asked as he stepped over Lance.
Lance looked up at him and nodded, moving over for him to sit down. “What's up?”
Jero sighed and looked up into the night sky, “I don’t know if I’m up to being the Traveler.”
“Honestly, it's a lot of responsibilities wrapped up in a very complicated title,” Lance replied, taking his hat off.
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Jero said as he pulled out a picture of his wife and two kids. “What about them? I can’t just leave them to travel the dimensions or whatever! And I will not bring them into any of this either.”
Lance starred up into the sky, deep in thought. “Well,” he finally said. “Who said you have to do any of that?”
Jero started to say something, but then stopped, looking stumped.
“I mean, if I were you, I’d just ignore the responsibilities till some being or God came and made me do something,” Lance offered, smiling at Jero.
“That sounds irresponsible, Lance,” Jero said with a frown.
“So?” Lance chuckled. “It’s the mysterious and vague ‘Gods of Good’, pretty sure they won’t force you to do something you don’t want to do.”
“I don’t know,” Jero replied, looking displeased with the offered advice. “I guess I’ll just have to figure it out.”
“You’ll get it,” Lance said back, putting his hat back on.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the others mingle among themselves.
“I’ve asked a few times, but you’ve ignored me,” Jero began, looking at Lance. “You’re the only one who knows the full story. I know Scamp was taken by one of Lorenzo’s men, and a woman named Bronwyn went after her, but why aren’t you worried about her?”
Lance took a deep breath, then turned to face Jero, “I have to find my family. Scamp would understand that her entire life has been spent trying to reunite me with them.”
Jero looked at Lance with a disappointed look. “Lance, this isn’t the you I remember. And I don’t think Twilight and the kids will like this either. You’re sounding like you’re taking advantage of Scamp’s desire to help you.”
He started to get angry, eyes flaring slightly. But at Jero’s continued soft, disappointed look, he seemed to calm down. “I don’t know, Jero. I’ve changed a lot over the years, and I’m worried my family won’t want anything to do with this new me.”
“They’ll always love you, they’re your family,” Jero reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“And I am, I’m taking advantage of Scamp. I hate myself for it, but she’s been so willing to help me that I just didn’t think about her as a person. Just a means to get me back to my family. The worst part is she’s still helping me despite how I’m treating her. Not to mention I let her get kidnapped, then immediately moved on without her. I just don’t know how to fix it if she comes back.”
“I can’t help you there,” Jero replied, but gave a reassuring smile and squeeze of his shoulder. “But I can say this; focus on her, include her in your thoughts and don’t ignore her. I haven’t known her long, but from what I do know about her; she’s a tough mare who’s determined to accomplish her goals, no matter the cost to herself.”
“You’re right,” Lance said with a loud exhale of breath. “You know, Jero, you are a good fit to be the Traveler, even if you don’t know anything about it.”
“Thank you, Lance,” he replied, patting his shoulder and then leaning back. The two starred up at the night sky, watching the blinking stars.
After some time, the beacon in Lance’s pocket began to beep again.
This time around, instead of confusion, horror spread across all their faces.
“That has to be Lorenzo,” Greg said as he and the others stepped over, watching Lance pull the device out of his pocket.
“Shit,” Lance said as he watched the device blinking up at him.
“TELEPORTATION REQUEST! TELEPORTATION REQUEST!”
“Break that shit!” Grace said as she stepped forward.
“Stop,” Jero said, taking the device from Lance. “It more than likely is not him. I’ve been waiting on someone to appear, and this must be them.”
“Who the fuck are you waiting for?” Grace asked, glaring at him.
Without responding to her, Jero pressed the button and threw it to the ground.
After a few moments, the device confirmed the request, followed by a bright flash.
What now stood before them was not anything any of them expected.
“What the fuck is that?” Greg asked as he stepped up to the large thing. He poked at the large, cyan colored mess of material.
A fish bowl shaped head suddenly lifted up from the jumble of material, a simple face appearing on the sphere. “Do not touch me, lower being.”
“Oh fuck its alive!” Greg yelped as he jumped back into Pinkie’s hooves, holding onto her neck.
The cyan thing slowly stood up, standing at about ten feet tall as it towered above the group. It looked rather simple, looking just like the Apollo Belvedere statue, just with a fish bowl shaped head. A simple light yellow cloth ran around its body, like a toga.
“Who are you?!” Lance yelled, looking to be ready to transform at any moment.
The being looked between everyone, then raised a small box. “My father requested I deliver this to the one called ‘Greg’.”
“Yo, that’s me,” Greg said, jumping from Pinkie’s hooves and trotting up to him, looking to no longer be fearful. “What ya got for me?”
The cyan being stared down at him, its mouth becoming a straight line. “This is a special drug from the Ultimate Authority Dimension, the Seed of Knowledge, it is used by scholars to glimpse the threads of reality.”
“Sweet, the ultimate high!” Greg said with a wide smile. “Gimme!”
“You will die upon using this,” the being deadpanned. “It is too much for one outside the UAD to handle. It will override your mind, causing instant brain death. Omnius requested this for you, but I fear he overestimates you.”
“Omnius thought I could handle it?” Greg asked, seeming to gloss over the death part. “Then I got this shit. How do you use it?”
“Eat it,” The being said simply as it floated the box down to Greg.
Greg opened it and looked at the little cyan cube within, seeing swirling colors within it. “Ah fuck, that looks badass. Like a little galaxy!” he looked it over, pushing on it. “I’mma smoke it.”
“You eat it,” the being insisted. “You are meant to eat it.”
“I got this, I’m an expert on this kind of shit,” Greg said as he walked back to Pinkie Pie, looking over the cube. “Oh, I know what I can mix this with.”
“I fear Omnius’s judgment was… clouded on this matter,” the being said as he looked over the group again. But this time, its eyes stopped on Jero.
“You are a Traveler?” it asked, looking shocked. “Evil or Neutral?”
“Uh, the Good one?” Jero replied sheepishly.
“You are not Omnius,” the being said. “Does this mean?”
“Yes, he died shortly after I contacted your father,” Jero confirmed.
“That changes things,” the being said, its face disappearing from the sphere.
“I’m not giving this back,” Greg announced, putting the UAD drug away in his pocket dimension.
“I am staying here, for now,” the being said as his face returned. “The Watcher is wanted within the UAD, and I am to assist the Traveler in dealing with him.”
Lance cocked his head, “Why would he be wanted in the UAD?”
The being turned to him, looking him over. “Did Omnius not inform you? The Watcher is a low ranking being of the Ultimate Authority Dimension who was banished long ago.”
“Oh shit,” Greg said loudly as everyone stared in shock at the being before them.
“So you’re a God?” Lance asked, eyes wide.
This seemed to amuse the being, “No. I am not a creator. I am a simple messenger. My father is an ArchDemo, a guardian of the UAD. He has requested I assist you, as only messengers are allowed to travel between the UAD and the Creation.”
“So does this mean we just win now?” Grace asked, looking around. “I mean, we have some kind of all powerful being on our side now. No one can beat us now!”
“I will not help with anything outside of dealing with the Watcher,” the being stated. “My powers are forbidden from being used on any form of Creation.”
“But if we get you to the Watcher, you’ll be able to solo his ass?” Vinetion asked hopefully.
The being just looked at her, a line above his eye, like he was raising an eyebrow. “If you mean; will I be able to fight him alone? Then no. I am a lowly messenger with simple reality powers. The Watcher was a Virtue, the middle of the pack of the hierarchy of the UAD. I am nothing but a spec before him.” At the hopeless looks of the group, it continued, “But together, we stand a chance. If this Greg can withstand the Seed of Knowledge, then our chances increase greatly.”
“So this all hinges on Greg,” Lance said, getting a large smile from both Greg and Pinkie. “Great.”
“Till then, I will be your silent companion,” the being said as it flashed, taking on a new form. It was now a small fairy-like being, complete with little wings and everything.
“Oh shit, you look like a male Tinkerbell!” Greg laughed as the little cyan fairy flew up to him.
“This is the form I will take to blend in. Do not make crude jokes,” the fairy said, its little fish bowl head flashing an annoyed look.
“What do we call you?” Lance asked.
“My given name is beyond your capacity to comprehend, let alone speak. You may call me by my moniker, Castor.”
“Well, Castor, I guess welcome to the team,” Lance said, looking unsure of any of this.
Castor gave a bow and flew over and landed on Greg’s head, standing by his horn. “I will remain with this Greg till he dies of the Seed of Knowledge.”
“Sweet, I get to be the keeper of the fairy,” Greg said with a proud smile.
“That’s my, Mello!” Pinkie laughed as she and Greg began to make out noisily, again.
“I fear I’ve made a grave mistake,” Castor said with a frown as he held onto Greg’s horn for dear life.
This at least caused the group to laugh, breaking any remaining tension.
ooo000<^>000ooo
“This place is a mess,” Drake said as he lifted up a pillow covered in blood.
I just chuckled as I helped move the bodies from the bridge of the ship, trying to get it ready to fly.
“So, I hate to rain on our parade,” Moxxi said as she threw an arm out a window. “But do we even know how to fly this thing?”
“Afraid not,” Beans said while putting body parts in a trash bag.
“I’m a warrior,” Reinhardt laughed. “So no.”
“I can,” Drake said casually as he carefully lifted an eyeball. “This is just foul.”
“You can fly an airship?” Moxxi asked with raised eyebrows.
Drake flipped his hair, casting a charming smile towards her. “I was once in a relationship with an airship captain. They taught me to fly the ship so I could take over so they could… Oh, that’s when they had time to cheat on me.”
“Okay, that solves that,” I say, cutting him off before he went off on another story. “Now, we need to get an engineer, communications, and then diagnostics.”
“Mox can be the engineer,” Beans said with a click.
Moxxi crossed her arms, glaring at him. “Oh, just because I’m a goblin means I should be able to maintain the complex machinery inside an airship? That’s incredibly racist, Beans.”
“I didn’t mean to make assumptions,” Beans said remorsefully.
“Good, learn to be better, Beans,” Moxxi said, then sighed. “But yes, I can maintain the airship's machinery. But not because I’m a goblin! I just like this kind of shit.”
“I will handle communications,” Beans said with a few clicks.
Mallogory looked around, walking over to the diagnostics workstation. “This looks simple. I’ll take over this portion of the ship.”
“Good,” I say as I watch them all look over their new stations.
“Well, we don’t have weapons on this stupid ship,” Reinhardt said with a frown. “So I guess I’ll just play security.”
“If we’re ever boarded, I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourself,” I chuckle as I take the commander's seat.
“Remi, can you help me out below deck?” Moxxi asked, getting a thumbs up from the Nuble.
That left Doc.
“I’ve looked through this ship's medical bay,” he announced. “It is the saddest excuse for a medical facility I’ve ever seen. All this wealth and they cheap out on the most crucial part.”
I nod, happy to see everyone had a task. “Perfect, let’s see if we can get this thing in the air.”
Everyone slid into their new seats, Moxxi and Remi leaving for their stations below.
“Oh, we’re receiving our first communication request,” Beans clicked happily as he flipped a switch.
A voice then came over the bridge's loudspeakers. “Hailing the Bountiful Wealth, Sir Reeve, respond immediately.”
“The Bountiful Wealth?” I asked, getting a few snickers. “We’re fixing our call sign.”
Looking over my new command chair, I saw a mic button. With a flick, I responded, “Sir Reeve is in his quarters, I can take a message.”
“Leem is requesting an audience, immediately.” The man on the radio said, clearly annoyed.
“Eh…” I press the button, “Can do, we’ll pass the message along and he’ll be there shortly.”
“No need, Leem is on his way to speak to him. Open your bay doors, now.”
“Oh shit,” I muttered, the others looking at me in a panic. “How long till we can take off?”
“Uh… five minutes?” Drake stuttered, sweat now on his face. “It’s going to take a bit with just us.”
“Eh, bring up the camera’s facing our rear,” I said, unsure if we even had external cameras.
But to my surprise, after a moment, a screen lit up, showing a few camera feeds. Nice.
Looking at the feed pointing to our rear, back at the Dome, I saw Leem quickly stomping towards our ship.
“We don’t have five minutes,” I say as I jump up, walking towards the doors leading off the bridge.
“Where are you going?” Mallogory asked from behind me.
“I’m going to go hold him off, hopefully long enough for you all to get the ship running. I’ll make it back before you leave,” I say with a sigh, not looking forward to facing this beast again.
“I got your back,” Reinhardt said as she slammed a fist into her chest.
As I smiled back at her, Mallogory slammed her fist down and jumped up as well.
“I’m coming too, I need payback for my tail,” she said, looking very unhappy.
“Thank you, guys,” I say thankfully. I stepped up to a cabinet and pulled out two more pendants, thankful that asshole had more than one. “Put these on, it’ll allow you to use all your Ego and abilities.”
“Now we’re talking!” Reinhardt said as she put it on and held her hand out. A greatsword suddenly materialized in her grip, a wide smile plastered on her face. “Oh have I missed you!”
Mallogory sighed in relief as a light cyan glow flashed over her. With a flick of both her wrist, two rapier style blades appeared in them. They looked unique, with the handguards looking like snakes curling around them, and looked perfect for both cutting and piercing.
“Okay, if we’re all three going, then let’s just focus on stalling him. No need to take any risk here,” I say as we move quickly down the hall, heading for the bay.
“Easy, just hurt him a lot!” Mallogory said with a snort.
The three of us reached the bay, the doors already opening for us. We quickly walked to the bay doors, staring out as they lowered.
As we stepped out of the ship, we saw Leem just reaching the bottom of the ramp. He looked up at us, a wicked smile appearing on his face.
“I thought so,” he laughed, his four blades already in his hands. “Sir Reeve only ever buys one female a visit, never more than that. And never men.”
The three of us stood side by side, staring down at him defiantly.
“We’re going to fuck you up, lizard fucker,” Reinhardt says with a sly smile.
Mallogory side eyed her, but didn’t say anything.
“Well I’ve never complained about a free meal,” Leem smirks, licking his lips. “And you three taste amazing.”
My left leg trembled slightly at the stump at his words, causing me to narrow my eyes.
“Come at me then!” Leem said, opening his hands wide. “Feed me!”