Chapter 67. Astral Piracy

The fluctuations of strange energy had grown stronger as they neared the collection of floating rocks scattered like an asteroid field—save they behaved most like bobbing buoys.

As they approached, Abe realized it was more than just strange energy. Something was trying to conceal or twist its presence into something else.

Worse still, there was something out there. The banshee elites had spotted whatever it was when they entered the area. What they had seen was like some kind of spectral figure shifting between the furthest rocks. He was almost certain it was some type of ghost-like undead.

Shortly after, whispers began to creep into their thoughts. Abe tried to ignore the voices, but as they sailed closer, they only grew louder. 

He narrowed his gaze on one particular rock. Water foamed over its edges, seemingly springing up from somewhere within and raining down into the abyssal darkness below.

Nothing here seems to follow any rules.

Abe kept an eye out, but besides the spying shadows that never stood still long enough to know what they were, there was nothing particularly outstanding—at least not for the Vale.

The strange sightings were made much more alarming by their floating extremely close to the heart of the energy signal. The ghosts, whatever they were, were no doubt related to the powerful energy source he had come in search of.

Minutes passed as Abe refocused on his deathly orb and retreated into its map of the Vale, his mind traveling to a place of almost omniscient spiritual energy. 

Flying through space as an incorporeal wisp, Abe mentally moved to the heart of the energy signal as they flew over it. Energy pulsed as if calling to him, but there was nothing to see.

Suddenly, the black that had swallowed his eyes retreated, and he gasped as if escaping from drowning.

“It's here,” Abe stammered and looked out across the deck, running to the railing and staring into the abyssal dark of the Vale.

But there was nothing.

“It has to be… where?”

“Something the matter?” Viara said, stepping to his side.

“Y-yes, something is out there.”

“Of course it is. That's why we came here, isn't it?”

“No–it’s…” Abe stammered, trying to make sense of what he had felt. “It's all around us. Right here.”

“He's finally gone mad,” Viara raised a brow. "I guess the voices got to you? Sometimes, I forget that you're still basically a baby. You'll soon learn that intruding voices in the Vale are uncommon."

“Mm-master, we've dropped anchor,” a hunched-over ghoul creaked behind them.

“Sentries, all across the walls. I want eyes on every angle," he barked at the ghoul. "Something is out there. And Viara, make another swoop with your elites. Anything strange, report it!”

“Yes, sir,” Viara oozed as she waved her elites over. "You heard the captain. Let's get moving. Maybe he'll have his head screwed back on when we return.”

Abe ignored her and scanned the black and purple that swirled around the rocks. But nothing stood out.

What could it be? How can we be on top of the energy signal without any sign of it?

Hours went by, but the attack he had feared never came.

“Abe dear, are we just going to hang here forever?” Viara asked as she returned from scouting. “The girls have been circling for hours without spotting any sign of—well, anything.”

Slowly,  he nodded. “We can move, but keep your eyes open.”

Making his way back to the deathly orb, he began to channel energy into it. At a slow pace, he sent the ship drifting through the floating rocks. Not that he knew where to go. The energy signal was here, and as concerned as he was, he hadn’t yet decided he was ready to leave empty-handed.

But as the hours passed, the energy he sensed remained in their periphery. 

What is going on here? We should be moving farther away from it…

Abe’s gaze drifted up to a familiar rock with the water foaming over its edge.

That’s not the rock from before, is it? 

“I think something strange is going on,” Viara said as she scanned their surroundings at his side. "This isn't normal. And unfortunately, I haven't the damnest idea what could be doing it. Unlike others, I don't send my people chasing after strange energy signals in some crazed pursuit of power."

“It is what it is. And didn't you say I was the captain?” Abe grunted.

"Don't make me regret my words, Abe dear."

"I'll try. Just quit complaining and help me figure it out." 

Viara rolled her eyes. “Fine. Any idea what it is?”

“None. But we’ve been here before, I’m fairly certain.”

“I'm aware. We've been sailing around for hours, and I'm pretty sure whatever is out there, we're in its trap. Maybe we should try to leave?”

“Call in your elites.”

Viara flew above the ship and called them in before returning to the deck. 

“We’re getting out of here,” Abe shouted, flooding energy into the deathly orb. This was too much, and the pit in his stomach grew every second they spent in this strange place.

With all of his power, Abe sent the ship hurling through the Vale, its reinforced hull slamming through several smaller rocks as it sped away. But several minutes later, Abe’s honed senses caught the foaming rock again as they sailed through.

Again? There’s no way!

“Abe, I don’t like this.”

“Neither do I, damn it! Whatever is giving off that energy signal… it has to be responsible for this.”

“What now?”

Abe pulled back on the deathly orb and slowed the ship. No amount of speed was getting them out of this. He had to think, and flying through the rocks at full speed would just destroy the ship, sooner or later.

For several hours, they sailed. Turning in every direction possible. But nothing worked.

The ghosts still watched, elusive as ever. Even Viara, flying as fast as she could, didn’t get close to them. And the shadowy mists dissipated barely a second after being spotted.

He tried to focus on the intruding voices. Tried to make meaning of their words. But it was all gibberish, no matter how hard he focused. And Viara and the crew all reported the same.

Abe used his tendrils to fling himself across the rocks, using them as stepping stones. And while he was fast when he shot himself, the time it took to grab hold of a new rock and then fling himself to the next slowed him down too much, making him considerably slower than Viara over longer distances.

After a couple of fruitless hours trying everything they could think of, Abe retired to his captain’s quarters. 

Lowing himself to the ground, he crossed his legs and meditated. He wasn’t sure what he hoped to accomplish, but trying hopelessly to escape was too frustrating to continue.

He let his mind explore the Vale and the deathly and dreamer energy that swirled throughout it and connected it to the realms and domains. There was something in the energy he sensed. Familiarity with the energy signal that he found here. But he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

Removing the growing acorn that was now the size of a fist from a pocket, and resembled a set of tiny, black platemail—Abe focused his energy through it as he explored the Astral. 

The armor thumped with power, and Abe’s brows raised atop his closed eyes as he felt the surrounding energy begin to funnel toward it. But it quickly turned to concern as he noted the armor’s energy fluctuates and changes slightly, as if being influenced by it.

“Hey, what are you doing?” He mumbled, eyes still shut as he focused on the streams of energy flowing around him and into the armor he held. 

It didn’t seem to pay him much attention, greedily sucking up the strange energy and thumping with power several more times. 

Abe wrapped his hands around it and tried to stop the energy flowing back and forth mentally. But it was useless. There didn’t seem to be any way to stop what he had started, and the energy flow only intensified as the seconds passed.

“Hands off the goods,” he sneered into the indifferent abyss. But his words caught before he could say anything more. 

The energy was still strong, but it was settling. It was as if the suit was calming it as it drew its power into it.

As he focused on it, a crease formed in the center of Abe’s brow. The spot he had been drawn to was wrong, he realized. It was somewhere else. It was hiding itself among the rocks. Like a marionette master, it used strings of energy to dislocate itself. His lock on the creature—whatever it was—wasn’t clear though. He just knew it was out there and had a very rough idea of where.

The stranger thing was that his armor seemed drawn to it, or at least its energy. Also, the energy that he had believed was deathly seemed to be something else entirely. That was also part of the creature’s trick. It disguised itself as something else. 

“What are you?” he mumbled as he tried to focus harder on it.

The energy thumped in return as if it had realized he was onto it. 

Abe’s brows rose as energy signals revealed themselves throughout the asteroid field. There were hundreds of them gradually flickering into existence.

The knock came crashing on his door. “Abe, get out here,” Viara shouted. “Something is seriously wrong.”

“I know,” Abe grunted as he rose to his feet. “I think I pissed it off.”

“I should’ve known it was you,” she moaned.  "What have you gotten us into now?"