Buttopia
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Chapter 62: Traveler’s Gate
🕑 Added 2024-12-27 23:35:17 +0000 UTCWhen we returned, we found Mel floating in the center of the room with three arms extended, each holding a different book. The books disappeared into what was likely his storage, and he looked up at us with a smile. “So ya did it then? What was it?” He asked.
“It was a reinforced dungeon core. It had taken on the body of a giant mutated sand shark,” Corey said as it floated through the door behind us.
“Damn, I can’t believe yer all alive. In no world would I have let ya go if I knew a spawner was alive in that dungeon. Impressive work. Wait, is that mallet what I think it is?” Mel asked, glaring at me. It wasn’t lost on me that this was the second time he had sent us into a dungeon, not realizing the full danger.
“I am the dungeon core that attempted to possess Dave when we first met. I have apologized several times for it. I was new to the world and did not understand the true ramifications of my actions,” Corey said. I wasn’t sure if I had quite accepted the apology yet, but babies did do a lot of weird things, to be fair. It had to be worse for a baby with even more processing power.
“Corey was instrumental in our success against the giant monster, and you’ve been wanting me to push my capabilities, haven’t you? Well, there’s the product,” I said. Mel’s eyes narrowed even further, and then suddenly and entirely unexpectedly, he smiled.
“Yer right, and honestly, a dungeon core partnership path ain’t a bad one, plenty of great builds out there that use them. However, they ain’t usually so free. Yer gonna want to be careful with that, not for fear of the core. I think this one is probably fine, but there are a lotta people out there that ain’t gonna like it around them without a leash, so keep that in mind,” Mel said. Was that how must dungeon cores were kept? Traveler seemed pretty free.
“Traveler wasn’t leashed?” I said, more as a question than a statement.
“No, he wasn’t, but the reltleons are pretty unique in how they handle dungeon cores, and I ain’t saying everyone is gonna expect it, so I just want y’all to be prepared if it comes up. Most dungeon cores are dangerous, so people kind of have a right here,” Mel explained. It was hard to argue that point. I supposed no matter how friendly a tiger was to me if I had brought it into a gathering, most people would not be happy I had done so.
“Mel is correct, Traveler and I briefly spoke of this. Many people are overly hostile to our kind,” Corey added.
“Good, I like ya more by the second. This group needed someone a bit more logical to keep ‘em alive, which brings me to my next point. The dungeon is over. Yer clock is ticking, and I got a lot of shit to get done real quick. The good news is I got passage setup for yer return trip. The four of ya and Timon are gonna take the bus to the traveler’s gate, and the reltleons will get you home,” Mel said. Why hadn’t he included himself here? He had said he was with us before, so what was going on?
“And you? Where will you be?” I asked, once again suspicious of the cloud man.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can, and I promise I’ll be there for the big parts. Y’all just need to focus on the orc invasion. Once that’s dealt with, find yer kids and try to get all yer asses back to yer house. That’ll be when the real shit starts, just follow my play, and we might just all get outta this alive,” Mel said. I already knew there was no point in pressing the topic, and I couldn’t gain anything by refusing to go along with it anyway. It was a completely useless fight to have on my part, but damn if I didn’t really want to know what he was planning. Did he have some way to keep Earth safe as it connected with the Spiral?
“Look, I really need you to know how much I hate being in the dark here. I know you won’t tell me anything new, and I trust you as much as I trust anyone since my life dramatically changed. All I’m trying to say is, please don’t screw us over Mel,” I said, sighing. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to get out, but I couldn’t find the right words for how I felt.
“I won’t if it all goes wrong. I’ll be there to die fighting alongside ya, and that’s a promise I haven’t made to anyone in a real long time,” Mel said.
“Shit, we’re all gonna die. Mel’s gone sappy!” Timon exploded with laughter halfway through the last word. Speaking of Timon, I was surprised he was willing to stick around. That showed a lot of faith in Mel, and I hoped it held true.
“Yer gonna be fine. I haven’t gotta ya killed yet, ya giant moron!” Mel said, smiling. How long had those two been friends?
“You absolutely have! Just because you paid for the resurrection doesn’t mean I wasn’t dead!” Timon’s laughter had grown even louder with this new exclamation. That was interesting. I hadn’t seen any resurrection mana skills yet. Was my life orb capable of that? How did resurrection magic even work here? Did the System just store your consciousness until your body was returned to a state it could function? Even if I could never have something as grand as this archive back at home, I was going to try to import some books from the rest of the Spiral.
There I went again, considering actual plans after the orcs were gone. That was such a dangerous level of hope, and yet it did seem to push some of the anxiety away. Maybe that was what I needed, to let myself see past what I was stuck on as an inevitable end. But what would such a future hold? Could I really start to explore the real wonders of the Spiral? A knock on the door interrupted the laughter and my thoughts of a world post Spiral integration.
Cecile opened the door immediately to reveal Glunderlin standing outside. “Sorry to interrupt, but the preparations are complete for your departure and we’d rather not leave the Traveler’s gate opened for long. Until the final connection is made, the mana expenditure to do so is incredible,” he said.
“Yeah, I was just telling ‘em that it’s time to pack up and get their asses out of here. So if yer ready, Glunderlin, I think they should be too. We more or less already said our goodbyes for the moment, and I appreciate yer being so willing to send us both on our separate ways for now,” Mel said.
“Yes, well, thanks to your help, you’ll always be welcome on the Traveler’s Road, in fact, Traveler Thirty-Two has requested to personally set up a gate on your world once you secure it, assuming you’re willing,” Glunderlin said. The idea of speaking at length to Traveler was deeply appealing, to say nothing of the access our own gate would provide.
“Of course, I’d be glad to have them if all of this actually works out, of course,” I said. More plans for the future, a future that may never come. No, I was done thinking like that. The pessimism wasn’t helping anyone, especially me. We would have a future. I would reunite with my family.
“Good, I’m sure Traveler Thirty-Two will be happy. Now if you are all ready could you please follow me. Timon, please bring your bus to the traveler’s gate,” Glunderlin said as he looked around the room at each of us.
“Just give me a second. I need to go pack up all my plants; I didn’t realize we’d be leaving this soon,” Cecile said as the brothers walked into their room. From the open door, I could see a shelf in front of a window with a dozen potted plants sitting in front of it. I was no botanist, but most of the plants looked incredibly alien to me. One of them had vines that seemed to be curling into different shapes as Cecile placed the others into his System storage. Once they were all packed away Cecile and Elicec returned to the main room ready to go.
“Quit yer lollygagging and follow Glunderlin already!” Mel yelled.
“Alright, alright, we’re going. You can be so grumpy sometimes, Mel,” Cecile responded, and I stifled a laugh. Was Timon rubbing off on Cecile? Mel’s only response was an agitated snort. I reached my hand up and scratched Chip who was riding on my shoulder, ignoring the small talk. Alex and Tom were so close. I let myself smile as we walked. I was going to see them soon.
Instead of the dark and decaying planet matter smell the building had had the last time I was here, it was now brightly lit and cleaned. There were statues of reltleons with plaques below them. I caught a few of the words as we passed. The building was full of statues and words to honor reltleons who had been lost in the fall of their world. My eyes were then pulled up to the large open space in the center of the room. I had expected the gate to look more like a stereotypical wormhole design for some reason. Instead, there was just a spot in the air that seemed to be a giant open window facing a long, enclosed road.
“Welcome, my friends. It is with great gratitude that I may provide some small assistance in your own journeys,” the familiar voice of Traveler said. I spotted the core in some sort of control panel near the gate. I heard the van come to a stop behind us. Timon had caught up.
“I appreciate it a lot, Traveler,” I said as Mel was ordering everyone onto the bus.
“It is the least I could do. Good luck, Dave. I hope we meet again,” Traveler said.
Thank you, I do as well,” I said as I stopped ignoring Mel’s furious glare and hopped on the bus myself. He didn’t join us; he just gave Timon a thumbs up, and the bus departed through the gate.
The spelling plant of the ice expanses is a common starting point for anyone considering a career in horticulture. With the proper care and maintenance, it can be trained to help take care of the rest of the nursery, allowing for an easier time maintaining a growing greenhouse. The only downside is the time it takes to train the plants on each new species. This is why many of the larger factions prefer cuttings from existing plants. This author will not get into the ethics of such actions on a sapient plant.
System Paths, Careers in the Spiral by Glarppp
Comments
Vincent Sloan
I'm excited for the returned home arc!
