The Last Technomancer

Chapter 10

Awakening abruptly, a chilling sensation prickled the back of my neck, alerting me to an unsettling presence. It wasn't just a remnant of sleep; something, or someone, was watching me. The predawn darkness lingered heavily around the tent swaying gently in the cool morning breeze.

Lying there, my heart thudded painfully against my ribs as I scanned the dim confines for the source of my unease. Notifications await me from my HUD but I silently dismissed them as I listened intently for whatever was watching me. The figure stepped forward from the shadows, revealing itself. I blinked several times trying to place where I had seen this being when I finally realized this was the guide from class selection.

“Maura,” the voice wasn’t audible but filled my mind with a crisp clarity that was impossible to ignore. The guide’s spectral form flickered like a candle flame against a draft. “You must listen closely and remain silent. The camp is about to be overrun by hostile forces.”

Their words sent a surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins, dispelling the last vestiges of sleep. “Why are you here? Isn’t this what you want- to throw us into conflict? What is this place, some kind of sick game?” My voice was a harsh whisper, tinged with the bitterness of betrayal and anger.

The guide’s perception filter shimmered and turned off, revealing their grave expression. “We do not have time to discuss everything here. Simply know this- If I am found to have aided you, or even to have spoken to you past the class selection my very existence would be in dire jeopardy. You may choose to escape with me now, or stay and confront the imminent threat. Decide quickly because either way I must leave.”

The stillness of the morning was abruptly shattered by a distant gunshot, its echo a stark reminder of the guide’s warning. Decision time was ripped away by the reality of the situation, practicality and fear overrode my anger.

Grabbing Byte and a few essentials, I nodded to the guide, ready to follow them into the unknown. “We need to get my friends, and once we are safe, you owe me explanations,” I hissed under my breath, my gaze darting towards the center of camp where shadows moved in frantic preparation for the oncoming assault.

The guide nodded, an almost imperceptible movement. “And you shall have them. For now, focus on your safety. Your survival is crucial.”

As the gunshot reverberated through the camp, the predawn stillness shattered into chaos. From our hidden position behind a tent, I could see camp members scattering, some frozen in panic, others desperately seeking shelter. The guide's grip tightened on my arm, a silent reminder of the urgency of our situation.

"Stay directly behind me and match my steps," the guide's voice echoed in my mind, a firm whisper that seemed to push against the silence. I nodded slightly, my gaze darting around as we approached a row of tents.

The air was filled with shouts and cries, the sounds of struggle punctuated by more gunshots. As we edged forward, the guide expertly navigated through the tents and shelters, leading us in a serpentine path that mirrored the chaotic movements of those being rounded up by the invaders.

The guide paused, their hand signaling me to stop. We crouched behind a stack of cut logs, barely a breath away from a pair of men. The murmurs of their conversation floated over, words indistinct but edged with a casual vigilance that suggested they were with the attackers.

Through gaps in the log pile, I caught glimpses of the invaders—rough-looking figures brandishing weapons and dragging people from their shelters. My heart raced, fear mingled with anger pulsing through my veins. A sudden explosion of magic ignited a nearby tent, flames licking the sky as a desperate mage attempted to fend off their attackers. The fire spread quickly, adding a horrifying backlight to the scene of pandemonium.

"Two steps to your left, now," the guide instructed telepathically. I moved as quietly as I could, the ground beneath my feet unnervingly crunchy with dried leaves. The guide peered around the logs, then back at me, their eyes narrowing as they assessed the timing.

But as we edged around a tent, my gaze fell on something that stopped me cold—a body. It was Billy, one of the guys digging the well that I had laughed with just days before. His still form lay awkwardly on the ground, a dark pool of blood staining the earth beneath him. My stomach churned, and grief mingled with fear tightened my chest.

The guide tugged at my arm, urging me forward. "We must keep moving," they implored silently. With a heavy heart, I stepped carefully over Billy’s body, his lifeless eyes staring up at the gray dawn sky. My resolve hardened with each step; these invaders would not get away with this.

"Now, follow me, quick and quiet," they urged. We darted behind the guards, using the fire and distraction to cover the slight noise of our movements. My heart raced as we made it past without detection, the guards none the wiser.

The guide suddenly pulled me down into a crouch as a group of armed men passed nearby, their boots thudding heavily against the ground. "Stay down," the guide's voice echoed in my mind, their form flickering slightly as they activated a perception filter to deter people from noticing us.

My gaze fell on the hospital tent, now surrounded by several of the invaders. My breath caught in my throat as I saw them about to enter the hospital. The impulse to rush forward and intervene was overwhelming, but the guide’s firm presence held me back.

"We need a diversion," I whispered, my mind racing for a solution. Drawing in a deep breath, I focused, summoning the Holographic Decoy. With a pulse of mana, a perfect replica of myself materialized beside me, flickering slightly as it stabilized.

I concentrated on directing the decoy. It sprinted away, its movements echoing through the underbrush, drawing the attention of a nearby group of invaders away from the hospital tent. They shouted, pointing and diverting their course to follow the image I had created. The sounds of their pursuit faded as they chased after the decoy, convinced they were on our trail.

We weren’t fast enough though because just then a group of three large figures came out of the hospital tent. The leader shouted to the hostages he was dragging along with him. ”Cooperate, and y’all might just end up on my good side," he sneered, a large mustache twitching in the dim flickering of the fires.

"I found three more," he shouted toward the center of the camp, his voice carrying over the growing din. "And we’re in luck! We got ourselves a healer!"

My gaze snapped to the captives, and my stomach dropped as I recognized Felix among them, his hands bound, his expression a mix of defiance and concern. I instinctively stepped forward, my heart urging me to intervene, but the guide's firm grip on my arm held me back, pulling me deeper into the shadows.

"If you leave now, we will be discovered, you will be captured, and I will surely be decommissioned," the guide's voice resonated in my mind, their urgency palpable. "I am sorry about your friend, but this is more important than you know."

I wrestled with their hold, my instincts screaming to break free and rush to Felix's aid, but the logic of the guide's words slowly took hold. Realizing the futility of a rash action, I ceased my struggle, my heart heavy with the decision to leave my friends behind.

As we retreated stealthily through the underbrush, the camp behind us descended further into chaos. Magic users fought back desperately, their spells igniting fires that flickered wildly, casting eerie shadows across the chaotic scene. Despite the turmoil, the guide maneuvered us expertly, always keeping us one step ahead of the invaders pillaging Galene.

The air around us thickened with tension, every shadow and noise magnifying the danger of our escape. I stole glances back at the camp, the sight of flames and the sound of conflict fueling my resolve. With each step away from the camp, I committed the scene to memory—the desperation, the fear, the resolve of those fighting to protect our makeshift home.

Amidst the chaos, a loud crash resonated, followed by the angry roar of an invader, "You bitch. You’ll be sorry for that!" My heart raced, each beat echoing the screams and shouts that filled the air.

A piercing, terrified scream shattered the morning stillness, and I turned just in time to see Elara, stumbling from the tumult. She dropped her bow clutching her stomach as the wound darkened the clothes beneath her hands. Her eyes met mine for a fleeting moment, filled with pain and desperation, before she fell to the ground and was lost to my sight again.

The guide tightened their grip, pulling me forward. "Focus. Your survival is essential. I promise, you will find a way to help them, but only if you are safe."

Reluctantly, I followed, the weight of my decision heavy on my soul, the images of my friends’ plight seared into my mind as we disappeared into the safety of the forest.

We walked in silence for several hours I was using Data Integration through Byte to add our journey to the map. Each step was moving us further from the destruction of Galene and felt like a nail in my heart. The shock of Elara's death weighed heavily on me. Though I hadn’t known her long, I admired her resilience and leadership. Just yesterday, she led a tutorial and had shown the camp how to skin game, her hands deft and assured. Now, tears rolled down my face, splashing silently onto Byte, who purred robotically in my arms, trying to comfort me.

Eventually, the guide led me into a secluded cave, its entrance almost hidden by overgrown foliage. With a mere gesture, they conjured a small fire that cast a warm glow over the damp cave walls and materialized two perfectly cut stumps for seating.

“Maura,” the guide began, their voice resonating in my mind with a somber clarity. “I am Abzx. I am the overseer of this tutorial. This dimension, where you find yourself, is not merely a random construct. It is a training ground, created by beings known as Paragons, who wield immense power over the multiverse. As overseer, it is my duty to facilitate your reintegration to Earth after terraforming is complete. Everything here is designed to test, to teach, and ultimately, to prepare you.”

They gestured to the stump across from them, and though I hesitated, the combination of Byte’s comforting presence and my own exhaustion drove me to sit.

“What exactly are Paragons? Who were those men, and why did you know they would be there? And why help me specifically? It feels like there’s more at play than just survival,” I pressed, needing answers to ground the swirling thoughts.

“Paragons,” Abzx explained, “are not merely powerful; they are ascended beings from various races who have reached the pinnacle of what we might call enlightenment or ultimate power. They govern the multiverse through a complex structure, with major Paragons overseeing vast expanses and minor ones managing more localized realms. This hierarchy ensures balance and order across countless worlds.”

Abzx paused a moments before continuing. “Paragons hit a point where leveling comes very slowly, maybe once every thousand years in some cases. Since they no longer progress through their own strength they progress through initiations, by gathering followers. Each being that associates with a Paragon gives a fraction of a percentage of their power to the Paragon themselves. Thus, the stronger the worlds that are integrated the stronger the beings who swear fealty to them and the stronger they become themselves.”

“Why would anyone swear loyalty to what I’m assuming are power hungry gods?”

Abzx smiled, “Not all are power hungry and not all are bad. However they all have followers because power goes both directions. To be blessed by a Paragon is to get buffs and boosts well beyond what items alone can give. Additionally, much like on Earth, beings enjoy being a part of something bigger than themselves. There are also guilds and other perks that are exclusive to different Paragons.”

“Anne Droyd, the first Technomancer and a major paragon, pioneered what we know as the first integration, merging physical and digital realities to enhance societal and planetary functions. Her innovations laid the groundwork for the multiverse's expansion by allowing disparate civilizations to unite under a common system. Anne and all of the Technomancer’s disappeared 15 eras ago. Their sudden disappearance created a power vacuum and initiated a cascade of uncertainty that we still navigate today.”

“The men who attacked,” Abzx continued, their tone grave, “are just men. They have been very successful in leveling up and eliminating other beings in this tutorial. They have caught the attention of several Paragon’s who are monitoring their progress. If you were found to have been captured by them I do not doubt a bidding war would take place to have you eliminated.”

“Why me?” I asked, my voice tight with fear and confusion.

“I have been watching you since class selection. For the same reason I am breaking all of the rules to help you. And that reason is twofold. First, you are a Technomancer, the first and only in many eras. My race, the Custodians, has waited for a new Technomancer to emerge, one who might eventually rise to take Anne’s place or at least restore some semblance of the order she upheld. There are many Paragons who have benefited from her disappearance and as such, are in no hurry to see another Technomancer rise to power.”

“Second,” Abzx paused, their face reflecting their own internal conflict,” without a Technomancer, our race is dying. We were created by her, and without her, we cannot sustain our population or maintain our mental integrity. Some of us have started to degrade, a dire issue known as Code Decay, which leads to decommissioning to prevent malfunctions from spreading throughout our systems.”

I absorbed their words, each sentence weaving a more complex tapestry of this world's sprawling, interdimensional politics. “Why me, though?” I whispered, feeling the weight of a destiny I hadn’t chosen. “I’m no Paragon.”

“Sometimes, Maura, the system selects based on potential seen in one’s initial interactions with the tutorial environment. It’s not always clear, even to us, why one individual is chosen. As for your ability to become a Paragon, it’s rare but not unprecedented for someone to ascend from their initial status to reach such heights. It’s possible under the right conditions to rise to Minor Paragon within a few hundred years.”

I balked, “A few hundred years? Humans don’t live that long.”

“With the system in place lifespans and even things like eating and resting will become far different than how they were before. As you rise in level you will find yourself requiring less nourishment, less sleep, and depending on how powerful you become aging will no longer burden you either. Powerful beings cannot die of natural causes. Which is one of the reasons Anne and the rest of the Technomancer’s disappearances was so unheard of.”

I sat silently for several minutes absorbing everything. “This is a lot,” I said finally releasing a huge breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding in.

Nodding sadly they added, “If the pressure becomes too much, there is a class change globe hidden within this cave. It’s a rare artifact that can alter your fate significantly. However, choosing to use it might also divert the path you’re currently on, for better or worse.”

Byte beeped softly, sensing the gravity of our conversation. “No, I’m sticking with my class,” I declared, more to reassure myself than to inform Abzx. “I’ll learn, I’ll grow, and maybe, I’ll change this messed-up system.”

Abzx nodded slightly, their form stabilizing as if my resolve had lent them strength. “Very well. For now, I must return before my absence is noted and arouses suspicion. Be vigilant, Maura. Learn all you can, and prepare. The challenges ahead are immense, but so are the opportunities.”

“Don’t leave me here alone,” I said quickly, the thought of being left alone without my friends suddenly terrifying me.

“You’re not alone,” Abzx assured, then disappeared, leaving me with more questions than answers, and the weight of the multiverse on my shoulders.