All the Dust that Falls

Chapter 198: Prophetic Vision

Chapter 198: Prophetic Vision

It was dark by the time Tony finally begged for a halt to their training. Bee wasn't even winded, but he looked like he would find sleeping comfortably in the dirt at their feet. Everyone else had long since gone to bed, so it was just the two of them as they slowly walked back to the castle.

Typically, Tony wouldn't have let them walk in silence. He was both too good at conversation and too talkative. Yet now he was breathing so hard that mustering words took effort. Bee didn't mind, though; this allowed her to delve into her thoughts about how strange things had been lately.

Something was definitely happening. It wasn't just that Tony had claimed all her time for the next week. No, what really made her suspicious was the sudden brevity or altogether lack of reports from Trent, Mary, and the others. The usual deluge of people asking for her opinion and permission on every little thing had fallen silent, too. Not to mention that she'd caught more than a few people darting around corners and out of sight at her approach. It was all very strange.

Even when she asked whether her assistance was needed anywhere, she was met with emphatic reassurances that everything was alright. Her only solace was that Void was just as busy with… whatever it was up to. If her master were involved with this new state of affairs, she would just have to trust that everything was taken care of. Void would see them through. Still, it didn't mean she wasn't curious.

She and Tony parted with a grunt as they each headed off to their respective rooms. Not quite ready to go to bed, Bee drew a bath to wash off the filth of the day. She didn't need that much sleep anymore, but it was still pleasant to enjoy, so it didn't take long for her head to hit the pillow after she was clean.

A few minutes before she finally drifted off, the door cracked open, and a soft whirring noise made its way under her bed.

—

When I got back, Beatrice was already asleep. Still, I did my best to not wake her as I crept under her bed. Time was somewhat limited as I was carrying all the prizes. While my Limitless Dustbin was great for holding waste and disposing of it, I was starting to realize it wasn't a good long-term storage option for much else.

I had several examples of why, but its tendency to change things in unexpected ways was worrying. It worked out well for a lot of mundane objects like Beatrice's broom. But the injuries that Daedalus received went to show that those capabilities were best in moderation. If that much power could really be released at once. Well, I didn't want to think about that.

Well, I didn't want to risk anything with the prizes that I had received. Daedalus told me that they were powerful magic artifacts. Who knew what effects I would have on them? And if I couldn't keep them with me, I needed to keep them somewhere else safe. And the best place I could think of doing that was underneath Beatrice's bed.

So I carefully folded the cloak of invisibility and stacked some of the other items on it. A few of the larger ones needed to go off to the side, but I was able to arrange everything so they fit underneath the bed. They would be safe here for a few more days until I was ready to hand them out.

Then I settled down on the nice rug that Daedalus had included in the prizes and slowly, quietly did my best to clean it meditatively. I dedicated 90% of my processing power to the task. It was important, after all. It had to be in perfect shape for my dearest friend and human. I'd never gotten a birthday gift for anyone before, but I hoped she would appreciate it.

---

Bee woke with a jolt. Something was wrong. An odd sensation tickled at her senses. Some sort of magical presence, perhaps? But she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She had become a little more sensitive to those things ever since she hit level 50. She could tell by proximity when a batch of potions was especially potent and even tell when they were nearby.

A shock overwhelmed her mental defenses as the flood of connections to the castle's inhabitants flooded in. Most of them, at least. Her breathing quickened as she attempted to force down the surge of sensations to a more manageable level. Once she had wrestled control of her newest ability, she looked around the room again and found her master waiting at the end of her bed, waving a cheery good morning to her.

Ah, that must have been it. Bee hadn't ever noticed that her master gave off such a terrifying presence. Still, she could definitely feel a ton of magic power radiating from the black disk. That was odd. Normally, Void had everything so under control. But Bee wasn't about to question it.

Then something appeared over Void that made her think that she might still be dreaming. Rubbing her eyes and gaping, she pinched herself and yet still did not wake up. Still, she had trouble believing her senses.

An illusion was plastered in the air above Void, a ghostly three-dimensional series of images flashing by. There was a mountain with a hole in it, shown from afar and close up. As the image focused on the hole, she saw stalactites and stalagmites clustered around its entrance. They were broken, and Void was cleaning them up.

Then there was a pile of gold with a brilliant red dragon sitting on it. The massive dragon and the god talked briefly, but she couldn't quite make out what they were saying. The scene moved quickly, and there was no sound.

Then the dragon hesitantly reached towards her god, and Void met its talon with a claw. An explosion at contact sent the dragon hurtling into the wall, where its wing and ribs crumpled, and it lay lifeless on the floor. Then something happened that she didn't quite pick up, and the dragon was sitting up again.

The scene changed once more, suddenly and completely, to depict a more familiar sight. A statue of a hero standing on a white mound of opaque glass. A mound that sloped to the edges of a pristine white room. It was a place she had only visited once, long ago when she was still level ten or so.

The images disappeared, winking out of existence, only to be replaced by a single line of text. It scrolled above Void in large rounded letters. "He is the dragon's companion."

***

After a quick talk with Tony, all three of them immediately headed down into the catacombs. Tony was still a bit bleary-eyed, so they were walking down the first set of passages instead of running. Bee kept an eye out for undead monsters to be safe, but none showed up. The speed at which they moved was nothing short of impressive. It was hard to remember that it had taken her so many days to explore this whole place just a few months ago.

Still, it was different from how she remembered it. No longer was it dark and dirty and dank. It was still very dark, even with the torches and lamps they carried for light. But the layer of dust that had coated everything was simply gone. Even the stale air didn't smell stale anymore.

The steps and the slanted path stones had realigned into neat order. She could barely tell where the seams between the placed stones were, especially on the upper levels where it had been an especially rushed job. Bee had a pretty good suspicion of what had happened to it. But Void neither confirmed nor denied his involvement in the upkeep of the catacombs.

Tony didn't know anything different as he hadn't been here before. But she had. It only took them half an hour to reach the first tomb.

They waited a second for Tony to take in the sight. With their improved vision, she was able to see much farther into the darkness, and it no longer felt nearly as oppressive. Even with her improvements, she still couldn't see to either wall from the center pedestal. Not wanting to take chances, they quickly looked through all the empty beds where the skeletons had rested.

The plinth reminded her of the book she still needed to translate. There had been a few slight hints about what language it might have been in, but really she had made no progress. She was just too busy. Maybe Void would have better luck at it, and she should ask him for help. Still, for now, they moved on.

Bee felt they were all awake enough this time that she could move at a slight jog. Well, it was a slight jog to her. It would have been faster than her sprint the last time she was here. Again, in about ten minutes, they traversed to the second chamber that rested right beneath the first. It was a relief to reach this point without constant fighting.

She resisted the urge to explore through all the side passages again. There was still a lot she hadn't found down here, corners that threats could lurk behind. But judging by its cleanliness, she figured that anything dangerous would have long been taken care of by Void. Her curiosity lingered, but she didn't have time for it right now.

They moved quickly through the second room and continued toward the bottom level. Where the companion lay.

All three of them paused to admire the beauty of the slightly curving floor of white glass and the surrounding dome that encased the entire room. The white room wasn't much different than Bee remembered it. That didn't make it any less breathtaking, though. The pure white interior made the slight bit of color in the statue appear even more stark in comparison.

Slowly, she walked towards the statue. Before she reached it, she could tell that more had changed than the color. The statue emanated a presence that she had only felt from a few other powerful entities, but all of the beings were above level 50. She wondered if she, too, now had such an aura.

As she approached, she studied the man with more focus than she had the last time they were down here. If it truly was the dragon's companion, there had to be much more to the story. She would have to go check on the paintings in the upper caves. She might get something more out of what she knew now.

She was surprised to get a result by running a Scan on it. Last time, the Scan said almost nothing. Judging based on Scan's result, though, there definitely was a lot more to it.