SL: Chapter 764 – Day 28,358 (Part 2) – The Avatar?

Slowly walking forward, I kept myself focused and alert. The white stone bridge I walked on had no railing or pillars beneath it. It was slightly elevated above the surface of the water, but not by much.

The chamber was massive. Without energy and alien engineering, there was no way such a large enclosed space should have been possible. The doorway slid shut behind me. I didn’t glance backwards, that would be weakness.

I refused to show weakness in front of the Avatar. It took several minutes to slowly cross the distance. The sound of falling water would have been pleasant to listen to felt like nails on a chalkboard.

Stopping in front of the dais, I looked up at the Avatar sitting on a throne. She had legs, arms, and appeared to be resting. Her hair was a shimmering gold, but I would recognize that body shape no matter what. Even with her hair strategically covering the front of her body.

I wouldn’t have been interested in the slightest. She was one of the most disgusting people I had ever met.

“Avatar,” I said while bringing up my hands, ready to blow her away. The naked woman opened her eyes. They weren’t missing, but golden orbs radiating a tremendous amount of energy.

“I see you have recovered. No last words?” I asked. She opened her mouth. I didn’t hesitate. I wasn’t going to let her speak. That was just me toying with her.

EEEEEEEEK!

The Avatar had brought up a single hand. My annihilation slice impacted a golden shield. A golden shield that aligned perfectly with my attack. A line of gold and white energy hung in the air screeching before they broke apart.

“STILL.”

The energy within me stopped responding to me and I couldn’t move. This was it. I was dead. I had lost the opening moves. I should have gone all out in my attack, disregarding this place and that throne the Avatar was sitting on.

“The Avatar you know is dead. I have take her physical body, since it is the one I was most familiar with,” the Avatar said. I took a moment to process that statement as I calmed down slightly. I felt my energy move again in my body and I could move.

“Are you the Almighty System?” I asked with hesitation. Was this the god of this world. Had I attacked God?!

“I am the Almighty System. Or a reflection of the majesty of the full power of such a being. You have come at an opportune time Michael,” she said.

“Why? Why are we all here? What is the purpose of this place?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“This place is a training facility that was abandoned long ago. It recently reactivated. Recently in terms I understand. The beings that once managed it have all been wiped out and this facility is in danger of destruction as the energy reserves deplete and various components suffer increasing wear over time,” she said.

“Why people from Earth?” I asked.

“I do not have that answer. Only The Collective would have that answer. As for your home of Earth. I cannot answer that either.” Was this being truly a god if she didn’t have answers? “I sense your doubt.”

“If you run this place you should have answers. How many people are stored away?” I asked.

“Not as many as you would think. Only about 500 million more. As for the rest. They have been lost to accidents that have occurred with the structures of this place. While I have done my best to keep everything running, I am not omnipotent in control of this place as you imagine,” the System replied.

I was talking to the god of this place, but it wasn’t how I expected it to go. “You are the System? How do you not control this place?” I demanded.

“This place operates under several automated processes that I can influence and adjust.”

“Like the meta-points. Why not give me more?” I demanded. I knew I was being pushy, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted answers and my frustration had reached a peak.

“That is something outside of my control. The Collective set the parameters long ago,” the System replied. “But if you help me. I can use my special authorization to allocate you one more.”

“You need my help? Aren’t you all powerful?” I demanded.

“The seed of the Great Devourer, or the sphere as you call it is a perfect example of something that counters me. While I fought it at a distance. I am currently immobilized. If I leave her, a great many things would fail and this place would be destroyed.”

“With your power? Can’t you make clones or something?” I demanded.

“Yes. But there are risks to anything. The Avatar had requested a link to more power and connected to me.”

“And her actions fall on you,” I pointed out angrily.

“Do they? I did place restrictions on her. And her mind couldn’t handle the weight of my presence. A human mind is a fragile thing, yet so complex. You can blame me, but I require your help and can assist you in return.”

“Give me the meta-point first. Then we can discuss things. You have no one else you can ask,” I demanded. It was probably the System using the body of the Avatar that was throwing me off.

“You think you can lecture me?”

“Yes. Since you need my help,” I challenged. There was silence except for the sound of falling water.

“You cannot hope to force me or confront me. And this place is falling apart. I hold the answers and salvation that you seek. Don’t you want them? Creating hostility serves no purpose.”

“You could have told us all this before,” I countered.

“And risk that you humans would do something stupid? Out of all the humans that have been released from storage into this training environment, only one of you has appeared here. That gives only one of you the right to question me,” the System declared.

“What exactly is the problem you want help with?” I wasn’t giving up my demands, but I wanted to know.

“I have contained a grave threat. An Ancient. A being of formidable power and ability. But the methods I have used to contain it are failing. You must gather all possible strength and slay the Ancient. Once that occurs we shall depart this place.”

“Just us?” I asked.

“You can pick those you wish to save,” the System said.

“Everyone. I choose to save everyone,” I said while staring at her.

“Impossible. The long term storage area is compromised. It is only a matter of time before something breaks through.”

“What breaks through? Where exactly are we?” I demanded.

“The things you saw when you opened the exit. Things of Chaos. Monsters beyond our ability to fight. Yes, I include myself in that statement. They seek to consume everything. Already portions of this place have fallen to them and the defenses are slowly being compromised.”

“The inky void?” I asked.

“Contaminated energy, that must be used to keep everything running. The lower it gets the more dangerous things become.”

“Where are we?” I asked.

“You read the Guidebook, then you should have an understanding. We are somewhere in the Astral Plain, in a pocket dimension. Beyond that anything I tell you would have no meaning and you wouldn’t understand.”

“I don’t trust you. Everything about this place is horrible. Why did you want the Divine Empress’s child?” I asked.

“He would have made an excellent body for me. Unfortunately I had to settle with this one. My hope had been for him to come here then I would have replaced him.”

“And you are telling me this because?” I asked.

“I can’t possess you. I can tell what you are worried about. Even this body is substandard for my immense power. That’s why I arranged the circumstances of his birth and other events, to lead him here and use his body. A human child born from two individuals with special circumstances,” the System explained.

“Why do you need a body?” I asked, trying to understand this alien.

“To leave. My true form is bound to this place and won’t be able to easily escape. That is why I require a physical body. If you had been other creatures, I would have taken on their forms.”

I didn’t like any of this. “If I bring other people here or tell them about you?” I asked.

“You are welcome to. I am not trying to hide. But I will not move from this spot. I cannot move from this spot. You have earned the right to speak to me like this. I know you have suffered incidentally due to my plans. But that is in the past.”

“Suffered is putting it lightly,” I countered.

“And I spared your life when you attacked me. For such an insult I should have crushed you instantly. While you have a certain combat prowess, your manipulation of energy is still lacking compared to me. Anything you would seek to do to me can easily be countered and stopped.”

“So, this Collective built you?” I asked.

“Perhaps. I have been alive for a very long time. But even my memories can fade. It is better to let things go sometimes. To separate oneself from one’s past. Only then will one be freely able to move forward. Now we are in the present and must confront this Ancient.”

“I have more questions,” I countered.

“Ask away. I can tell you are frustrated and unhappy. But if there is to be trust, then you must believe me. So, ask your questions.”

“The monster and the sword?” I asked.

“What about them?”

“Why did you make them?”

“Meta-points are partially under the purview of the automatic systems of this place. I can give a meta-point for exceptional deeds. Originally I had been hoping to cultivate useful people and items. I can influence their allocation, but I can’t just hand them out.”

“A convenient excuse,” I countered.

“The truth. While you call me the Almighty System, I have limitations. Limitations that are hard for you to understand, but I am not the kind of god you expect.”

“You are surprisingly reasonable,” I said after a moment’s thought.

“This body helps in such things. Understanding emotions, feelings, frustrations, empathy. I am not your enemy. I am an ally in survival. While my power is immense, it is like a hammer. A powerful hammer that can strike things. But if that hammer isn’t enough, I don’t have many other options.”

“You could use monsters or clones or something. You said there were risks,” I countered.

“Yes. There are risks. Risks I don’t wish to take, since I know I would lose. If I fought the sphere, then this entire place would have fallen apart without me. As long as I sit in this chair, everything keeps running. The moment I get up, this entire place will fall in minutes. Everyone would die. I could save myself, but at great cost. A cost I don’t wish to pay.”

“So, you want to use me,” I said with an annoyed tone.

“Indeed. But you need me. A fortuitous match if I do say so. While you don’t like me, survival is paramount. Perhaps we should start again. Names hold power and I have no true name. But you can refer to me as Artifex.”

“Michael,” I replied, trying to calm down.