The Giant's Graveyard Part 2

Preface: This is a follow up to another short story I had written. To refresh yourselves before you dive in, check out The Giant’s Graveyard. I did make some changes to part 1 to fit in with the overall narrative of my novel. Now enjoy part 2 of The Giant’s Graveyard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Giants,” I whispered.

“Aye.  They’re extinct though, aren’t they,” Alec said.

“Yeah.  That doesn’t mean any trace of them is gone though.  This place, it must be a Giant’s graveyard.”

“Why the workspace?  Why the library?” Alec asked.

“I would assume so whatever the Lazarus Brigade is can be brought back,” I said, remembering the tracing.

“Do yeh think the Giants were able to be possessed too?”

“It would make sense.  The Giants themselves weren’t supernatural.  They were just natural beings that had deep ties with the supernatural.  They’re a great example of what humanity could be if they worked along side the supernatural instead of keeping them a secret.”

“Do yeh think we should tell somebody about this?” Alec asked.

“Absolutely not.  I don’t trust Morgan all that much, and the Seventh Sons would just swarm this place and hid away the knowledge.”

“Yeh want it for yourself, doncha.”  It wasn’t a question.

“It’s about time we started making our own way in the supernatural world,” I explained. 

Alec just grunted in acknowledgment.  That was a bit weird.

“Now let’s get to finding a way out of here.”  And for the next several hours I sifted through the novels, manuals, textbooks, scrolls, grimoires, and all manner of data storage they had.  There was a sort of magical computer that had what I could only assume to be terabytes of information on it.  It looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.  The thing was an irregularly round screen jutting an inch or so from the wall.  Tubes and wires projected from the sides and shot into the wall.  The screen itself was illuminated but I couldn’t make out any individual pixels…that is, it’s resolution was stunning.  It was blank save for an icon of a scroll on the bottom and what appeared to be a search bar up at the center of the top.  I touched the search bar hoping for it to respond, but it didn’t.  I touched the scroll icon at the bottom and a window popped into existence.  Great!  It was set up surprisingly similarly to windows eleven, which was odd to me.  That was simply too much of a coincidence, meaning this thing was responding to my thoughts to a limited extent.  I’d figure it out eventually, but for now I had to scroll through and find information on how to get out of here.  Alec wanted to help, but all of the information was stored in the same language as the tracing up above, so only I could understand it.

I juggled my time between the physical information storage like the books and scrolls.  They were organized according to subject fairly quickly.  The computer was significantly more frustrating.  I was able to navigate the storage of information well enough, but the sheer volume of information in there was far too much to sift through in one lifetime, much less the limited amount of time before I died from dehydration here.  There had to be some way of using the search bar.  There was no mouse or keyboard for me to use, so I was at a complete loss on how to use it.

I played around with it for several more hours, but I eventually got frustrated and punched the screen.  It didn’t shatter or break, but it did cause me to recoil in pain.  That was like punching a brick wall.  Alec, who had been preoccupied with examining the body in the center of the room, quickly noticed my frustration.  “Oi, what in the hell are yeh pissed about?”

“This damned search bar,” I said.  “I can’t figure out how to use it.”

Alec cracked his fingers.  “Let me take a shot at it.”  He walked over and looked at the screen.  He reached out and touched it, and the search bar instantly populated with words in that strange language.

“What the hell?” I said.

Alec jerked away from the screen.  “Did yeh try touching it?”

“Obviously,” I said, leaning closer to inspect it.  My mind flooded with hypotheses at this new development, and the frustration I had quickly evaporated.  “It seems like this thing was designed to be used in tandem between a ghost and their host.”

“That seems like a pain in the arse.”

“It does, but it also seems to be a sort of security system.  Probably to make sure only the Possessed can access it.”

 “So why did it fill up with those strange words when I touched it?  I don’t even understand the language.”

“It’s got to be a neural interface of some sort.  It probably automatically interpreted your thoughts.”

“That’s goin’ ta be annoying,” Alec said.  “All I can think about is rabbit stew right now.”

I examined the search bar to find that it had actually populated with the ingredients and instructions on how to make rabbit stew.  When I saw that, two thoughts popped into my head, the second of which only happened because of the first.

“We can make some after we get out of here,” I said.  “I’ll let you take over my body so you can eat it.”

“Really?” he asked wistfully.

And as I said that, another thought came to mind.  “Actually, take over my body right now.  I want to try something.”

“Okay,” he said, disappearing into my body.  I felt my sensations drift away, and my body began to move on it’s own.  I pushed against the barriers of my body, and pushed free of it once more.

Now in my ghostly form, I touched the screen, and the search bar populated with my thoughts instantly.  That happened way faster than I wanted it to.  I’d have to have my mind clear before I even touched it.

“Bloody hell,” Alec said.  “Yer a genius.”

“Yeah, I do my best,” I said.  “Now be quiet.  I need to focus.”

Clearing all thought from my mind except my search criteria, I touched the screen and the information I wanted quickly popped onto it.  It worked!  The search bar didn’t even populate, it just brought up a window of material to read.  I tried touching the screen to move it down, but nothing happened.  It would seem this was designed to be used in tandem with a ghost and their host, meaning they would have to be on the same page and just as knowledgeable as one another in order to use it properly.  In my particular case, I could bend those rules a bit thanks to the modifications made to my body.

“All right, let me see my body again,” I said.

“This is goin’ ta get irritatin’ if I gotta keep switchin’ in and out of yer body,” Alec complained.

“I’m not a huge fan of it either, but I’d like to get some attention paid to my arm and leg,” I said.  “And some food.  So, if you don’t mind, just bear with me while I square this away.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alec said as he relinquished control of my body.

I regained my senses again and began to work my way through the information on the screen.  The computer was far more intuitive than I had thought.  It had assessed my knowledge level of our current situation and had brought up a quick explanation of the resources at our disposal as well as how to get out of this place.

One of the files it had brought up gave the following explanation about the resources at our disposal:

The Lazarus Chambers were created by the last of the Lazarus Brigade with the hopes that it’s teachings and mission would one day be revived.  Information about the Lazarus Brigade and the Lazarus Chambers can be found in subsection alpha, location thirty seven.  Alternatively, the mental interface can be used to directly retrieve that information.

The Lazarus Chambers contain a stockpile of materials and information pertaining to, but not limited to, the usage of magic, enchanting, magical engineering, and multiple possessions.  All of this information can be found by using the mental interface or going to subsection theta, location fifty five, sixty five, thirty four, and thirty five respectively.  The physical information found here is all information that is backed up in the Apollo Engine.  To view spells contained in grimoires, the Grey Simulation has to be activated.  Information on how to do so can be found in subsection epsilon, location sixty three or the mental interface can be used.

A detailed list of the materials and equipment stored in the Lazarus Chambers can be found in subsection theta, location forty seven or can be accessed through the mental interface.

The file ended and my mind was buzzing with all this phenomenal information.  This place might have information on my condition too!

I sifted through some more of the files and located the one I was looking for.  It said:

To leave the temporal shift that the Lazarus Chambers are located in, one can wait twenty four hours from the time of entrance.  Alternatively, one can use spell one thousand two hundred and ninety nine to exit the temporal shift.  This spell can be found in the Grey Simulation.  To access the Grey Simulation, see subsection epsilon, location sixty three, or use the mental interface.

The Grey Simulation.  What the hell was that?  I went to subsection epsilon, location sixty three and read the description:

The Grey Simulation is a perfect mental simulation where the users mind is directly linked to a false reality.  Here, various simulations can be run where the user is able to learn new skills with no worry of physical harm befalling them.  Additionally, for those afflicted with mana dependency or mana resistance, arcane skills can be honed without worrying about the total depletion of magical reserves or energy reserves.  While in the Grey Simulation, any spells stored in it’s virtual grimoires can be used without having them personally bound.  If one wishes to bind that spell for real world use, an indication of it’s magic drain on the user will be provided so accidental death can be avoided.  All of the information contained in the Apollo Engine can also be accessed in the Grey Simulation for a three-dimensional interactive experience.  Any language barriers are nullified while in the grey simulation as well.

Both the Possessed and ghost must enter the Grey Simulation, meaning it cannot be accessed by the Supernatural or the unpossessed.  Additionally, it must be done willingly by the host and the primary ghost.  Otherwise, mental ensnarement of the party trying to force their way in and they must wait to be released by another Possessed.

I paused for a moment.  That was a hell of a caveat, especially since nobody knew I was here.  I would just have to be really careful to make sure Alec wanted to actually go in.  I continued to read:

To activate the Grey Simulation, one has to enter a stasis pod.  While in a stasis pod, one’s body is perfectly preserved through the use of nano-golems which maintain muscle tone through electrical stimulation and maintain cellular composition.  This process prevents aging or the deterioration of telomeres.  One is effectively immortal while in the Grey Simulation.

The stasis pods can be found by accessing the southern chamber.  The southern chamber can be accessed through a mana lock on the southern wall.  To unlock, simply channel magic into the palm of one’s hand and press it against the corresponding hand print on the wall.  This will only work for those who have magic derived from a ghost.  Any other magic will result in the detaining of the offending party in a similar manner to what would have happened if one attempted to even access the Lazarus Chambers.

Once the southern chamber is unlocked, simply lay in an unoccupied stasis pod and allow it to seal itself.  Once it is sealed, it will fill with a liquid containing the nano-golems.  One will go through a drowning sensation, but be not concerned.  It is engineered to sustain the body of any who enter it.  Once the pod is fully filled, the Grey Simulation will activate.  To exit the Grey Simulation, recite the phrase “Alpha clearence one.  Exit Grey Simulation.”

WARNING: The Grey Simulation can simulate the real world.  If one is not careful, they can unwittingly be trapped in the Grey Simulation without their knowledge.  In order to leave the Grey Simulation, one has to be aware they are in the Grey Simulation to begin with, otherwise it will continue to simulate what they perceive as reality.  Because of this danger, a failsafe was built into every simulation where they will automatically be ejected from the Simulation after fourteen days stuck in it.  Additionally, to test if one is in the Grey Simulation recite the phrase “Alpha clearance thirty two. Check Grey Simulation.”  Whatever simulation is being run will vanish regardless of the user’s awareness.  This should be sufficient for the user to regain awareness they are in a simulation to begin with and allow them to exit.

That warning sent shivers down my spine.  It existed for a reason, meaning somebody had been trapped in the Grey Simulation before.  A thought suddenly came to mind.  This power seemed very similar to that of a shadow man.  Could the Giants have found a way to harness that sort of power to create something like the Grey Simulation?

Shrugging that thought aside, I turned to Alec and explained everything I had read to him.

“That’s like that one movie yeh had shown me.  The one with the guy that could dodge bullets,” Alec said.

“Sort of,” I said with a smirk.  “So, do you want to go into the Grey Simulation with me?”

“Ah, consent is a beautiful thing,” Alec said.  “I do.”

With that, I did as the computer instructed and filled my palm with magic.  As I did, the same emerald handprint from the surface appeared on the wall, but this time it was the same size as mine and right around chest height.  This place seemed to be adapting itself to me.  I pressed my hand on the emerald handprint, with droplets of emerald light dripping off my hand towards the handprint as I did so.  As soon as my hand made contact, the indentation of a rectangular archway appeared right in front of me.  I pushed against it, and it swung open as if it were on hinges, but I saw none upon closer inspection.

The room that opened up before me was round with what I could only describe as pods ringing the circumference of the room, with the foot ends facing the direct center of the room.  They were made of a glasslike substance with strange thin metal tubing weaving its way through the interior of the glass like veins.  The glass pods sat on stone pedestals which cradled the bottom of the pods.  The heads of the pods were attached to the wall where a dark opening lead to the bowels of whatever machinery was working behind the scenes of this place.  The entire room was dimly lit with a light source not entirely evident, yet I had no problem making out the details of the pods.  This was a drastic change from the other room where the only source of light was seemingly coming from the surface and the computer.

I walked over to the nearest pod and touched the glass.  It instantly responded to my touch and the top half of the pod opened up with a hiss.  The glass raised up to the ceiling with seemingly no additional machinery aiding it.  It simply hovered above me.  The melding of magic and science was a hell of a thing.

I looked to Alec.  “You ready?” I asked him.

“Aye,” he said, disappearing with a puff of blue mist as he inhabited my body.

Without another word, I got into the pod.  The lid lowered itself down, sealing me into the pod.  I heard a gurgling by my head, and a clear liquid came spewing out of the opening that led into the wall.  I coughed and sputtered as it got in my mouth.  It had no unpleasant taste.  If I had to say what it tasted like, I would probably say it tasted like liquid air.  The liquid level continued to rise to the point where I was struggling for air in the little pocket that remained near my head.  That quickly drained away as well, and soon I was holding my breath.  My lungs started to burn but I continued to hold my breath, praying for the simulation to start.  My limbs thrashed at the glass as I desperately tried to get out but to no avail.  My sight began to go black.  Almost against my will, I let out the air in my lungs and took in a deep breath of the liquid.  Again, I coughed and sputtered as the liquid displaced the rest of the air in my lungs, but I felt a sense of relief wash over me as oxygen flooded my lungs and fed my cells respiratory cycles.  My heart rate calmed down, and I relaxed.  This was actually a very calming experience now.  I felt as if I could fall asleep.

As I calmed down, I was suddenly jerked from the pod and thrown into a grey world.  It was an empty field with a wooden fence and a couple trees.  Grass swayed in the breeze.  The odd thing was that everything was grey.  There was no color here, save for myself and Alec who stood right next to me.  And not only that, but he wasn’t blue.  He looked like he did when he possessed my body.  A dirty face and plainly patterend kilt.

“This is freaky,” I said to him.

“Aye, yeh can say that again.  Yer enchantment doesn’t work in here either,” Alec said.

Slightly confused, I looked at my arms to find that they were pale and covered in those black veins.  “Ah shit,” I said.

“Not a problem,” Alec said with a smirk.  “Yeh weren’t goin’ ta impress me with yer ugly mug even without all the black veins.”

“Yeah, whatever,” I grumbled.  “Anyway, how the hell do we find these spells?” I asked.

“All you need to do is ask,” a disembodied voice said.  It was female in nature, but very mature.  It was like talking to a pleasant looking forty year old woman.

“Woah, who are you?” I asked.

“The intelligence designed to maintain the Grey Simulation and the Lazarus Chambers.”

“Oh, cool.  What should I call you?” I asked.

There was a pause, as if the intelligence was considering this question.  “Call me Illera,” it said.

“That’s a cool name,” I said.  “So Illera, can I see spell…” I paused to examine my memory for the spell I needed.  “Can I see spell one thousand two hundred and ninety nine?” I finally asked with my eyes closed as I made sure that was the right spell I needed.

“Of course,” she said.

Instantly, a tracing appeared before me.  This one was extremely complex.  It had none of the commonalities that were taught to me by the Seventh Sons.

“What’s the nature of this spell?” I asked.  “It has none of the commonalities I’ve seen with other spells.”

“What is your knowledge level of spellcraft?” Illera asked.

“I’ve still pretty new at it.  The organization I’m with has taught me some common spell structures to figure out their nature.”

“So, you have never experienced interdimensional magic before?” she asked.

“Not at all,” I said.  “The closest I’ve seen to that are Ley Lines.”

I felt the air tense when I said that.  “Those are abominations of magic.  This magic is more…elegant in nature.”

“What do you mean?” I inquired.

“Your level of magic use is not quite high enough to fully understand it, but they require a sacrifice… a live sacrifice but it is so much worse than you could imagine.  A fate truly worse than death.”

I paused for a moment.  The sentience of this program was astounding.  “That’s usettling,” I said.  “And this magic is different than that?”

“Yes.  Ley Lines do not require an understanding of the fabric of reality to create.  This magic does.  That is, it does in order to create the spells.  You will be able to cast this one so long as you bind it.”

“I see.  And do the Lazarus Chambers have the information on how to create these spells?” I asked. 

“They do,” Illera said. 

I felt a hunger stir in me which I hadn’t felt before, not even in college.  Learning Biochemistry was one thing, but this was something completely different.  This was something no one else would know except for me.  I was going to learn this, and I was going to master it.

I caught Alec looking at me strangely out of the corner of my eye.

“What?” I asked him.

“Remember our goal,” he said.  “We’re goin’ ta kill the bastard in the mask.”

“Yeah I know.”

“We aren’t here ta play magician.”

“You didn’t have an issue when Morgan was teaching me,” I said to him.

“When Morgan was teachin’ yeh, yeh weren’t able to delve into her secrets on yer own time instead of huntin’ down this bastard.”

“Has it ever occurred to you that this information will help us find him?”

“We both know that wasn’t why ya were askin’,” Alec said.

I was stunned for a moment.

“Remember, I’m in yer head.  I can feel what you feel.”

“You do realize you’re the one possessing my body.  I want to help you, but you’re kind of being a dick about it right now.”

And just like that, I was laying on my ass.  My nose was flattened against my face and blood was streaming down my mouth.

“I fuckin’ know I’m possessing you!” he shouted, baring his chest at me.  “I didn’t ask to possess yer body!  I didn’t ask to be slaughtered like a pig!  I want this bastard’s head on a fuckin’ platter and I can’t do it without yer fuckin’ help!  Do yeh know how frustrating that is?  Trying to cajole an emotional man in his twenties who’s been pampered his entire fuckin’ life into tracking down and killing this bastard?”

I was shocked for a moment.  Maybe he had a point…that I was a pampered kid.  But then I saw the black veins on my arm and was reminded of all the shit I’ve gone through up till now.  I jumped to my feet, slapped Alec’s next punch to the side and penetrated his guard.  I slapped the side of his head, wrapped his head and arm in my powerful grasp, then tossed him to the ground.  We hit the ground with a powerful smack.  He struggled to get out of my grasp, but I had more experience with fighting other people thanks to my Seventh Sons training.  I manipulated his body so that I had him in an arm bar and jammed his face to the ground.  “Do you think I haven’t given up anything for your little quest?” I hissed in his ear while I had him pinned to the ground.  “Look at my arms.  Look at my eyes.  If I use too much magic, I’ll die.  The only reason I’m in this mess is because you were stupid enough to chase an elk into an obvious trap.  I didn’t want this, but by God am I going to make the most of it.  I’m going to help you kill this masked fucker if it’s the last thing I do, but I’m going to become as powerful and as knowledgeable as I can while I do it.  Do you hear me?”

I didn’t get a response other than him trying to wiggle out from under my hold.  I gripped his wrist tighter and jacked up his arm more to elicit a pain response.

“Do you hear me!” I shouted.

Still no response.

“Fuck!” I yelled and pushed away from him.  I walked away and started stemming the flow of blood from my nose.

“These issues arise quite frequently among the Possessed,” Illera said.  “To help stem discord in the pairing, there is a spell you can perform to keep your ghost to be more…agreeable.”

It took me a moment to fully register what Illera had said.  “What?  No!  We’re just having a disagreement.  I’m not going to do that to Alec.”

Alec looked up to me, then looked at the sky in shock.  “Why would yeh even offer somethin’ like that?  I thought this whole system was designed between a host and his ghost workin’ together.”

“The spell induces a form of euphoria in the ghost making them much more agreeable.  The Grey Simulation allows that.”

I was still shocked.  That’s almost like drugging a ghost.  “Yeah, I’ll take a hard pass on that.”

“As you wish.”

I shook away my brawl with Alec and Illera’s astounding suggestion.  “Now is there a way for me to reset my Avatar in here?  I want to get rid of this broken nose.”

“Of course.  It is done.”

I was shocked at the sensation of my throbbing nose simply not throbbing anymore.  The blood that had started to cake on my face was gone as well.  That was handy.

“Now how do I bind this spell?”

“Simply assign it a command, and I will store it in a file specifically for your spells.”

“Oh okay.  Uh, how about I shout, ‘Open Sesame!’”

“It is done.”  Along with Illera’s proclamation, an apparition popped into existence before me.  It was a bar with a quarter of it flashing.  This must be the indicator showing how much of my magic would be used up by the spell.

With that done, I looked over at Alec and felt a twinge of regret.  I wished I hadn’t said those things to him.  “You ready to get out of here?” I asked, trying to not sound weird.

“Aye,” he grumbled.

“Alpha clearence one.  Exit Grey Simulation,” I announced.

And just like that, I was back in the stasis pod.  The fluid drained through the same opening by my head that it had come out of, seemingly defying the laws of physics as it did.  It even leached itself from my clothes, leaving them perfectly dry.  It pulled itself from my lungs, leaving me coughing and sputtering once again as I replaced the fluid with air.  Once all the fluid had drained, the top of the pod rose to the ceiling again, allowing me to get out.

I walked out of the southern chamber and left the Lazarus Chambers all together.  Despite spending hours down in them, the sky still spewed out the golden rays of light that come just before the sun sets.  The archway stood there completely still and unmoving.  If I didn’t know any better, I’d assume it was an intricate work of art.

Holding up my arms, I shouted “Open sesame!”

The air around me began to blow, and the archway activated with a blinding white light.  I simply walked through it, and everything around me changed.  The golden rays of light were gone, and I was left with darkness.  The night sky peered at me through the breaks in the branches and autumn leaves above me.  I pulled out my flashlight and began to navigate my way back to my car through the dark woods.

As I walked, Alec popped into existence next to me.  He just walked in silence for a few moments, then said, “James… I…” but he trailed off.

“I know,” I said.  “Same here.”

He paused for a moment, then nodded.

“We’re going to get this fucker,” I said.

“Thanks.”