Sleep was hard pressed for Michael, but somehow he managed to get in a few hours before he was awoken again by his companions. The light of the sun was already overhead, nearing noon, and after their rescue venture, the villagers were not pressed to disturb the heroes. Archie stood stoic at the back of the barn with his book in hand, writing furiously while Romen tended to their equipment.

Michael grunted as he rose, reaching out for his water flask and taking a deep gulp to lubricate his voice. “What time is it?” He croaked out.

“Nearly eleven hundred hours our time, sir, I was actually just about to wake you.” Archie reported, closing his book and rising to meet his officer.

“Everything is packed and ready, but I think there are some things we need to go over before we continue on, sir.” Romen included.

“Please tell me things didn’t get worse while I was asleep?” Michael moaned, rubbing his face.

“No, sir, the Fox did continue to work through the night on the data from our encounter. They verified the preliminary analysis of the sample we took. Whatever that creature was, it was reconstituted using a host of Brynarians DNA samples. Doc stated that some of the readings he found in some cases paralleled a changeling’s genome.” Archie reported.

“Explains why when it showed up, it sounded like an auditorium in my head.” Michael scoffed.

“That is another problem entirely,” Archie stated hesitantly. “The Fox evaluated the information from our universal translators…every word that creature spoke…was in your dialect, sir.”

“You mean it was speaking English?” Michael doubted.

Archie nodded solemnly.

“That brings us to the topic of moving ahead. We have roughly 13 hours before whatever is about to kick off happens. I say we beam straight from here, directly to the mountain border. We try to depart normally, then we run the risk of someone following and draining time trying to lose him.” Romen relayed, everyone knowing full well who he was referring to. “And I also think that when you cross over into the mountains. Only one of us goes with you.”

Michael seemed to perk up more over that suggestion than the addendum to what they faced last night. “Why only one?” he asked earnestly.

“We don’t know what’s over there, but whatever it is shows a technological advancement far beyond what these people are capable of. There are only two mobile emitters. If we both go with you, and God forbid the worst happens, barring breaking the prime directive and landing the damn ship, there is nothing the others can do to help. If only one of us goes, and something happens, at least while the Fox is awaiting backup, the second mobile emitter can at least attempt to mount a rescue operation.” Romen detailed.

It was hard to argue with Romen’s logic. This had quickly turned from a scientific scouting mission into something far more sinister, and he had to be conscious of their available resources. On one hand, returning to the ship and calling for reinforcements was a strong contender on Michael’s mind, but something was happening, and soon, they didn’t have the luxury to wait around. “Agreed. But we’re going into what they consider a holy city. It makes sense if Archie and I keep on. Romen will return to the ship and monitor from above. If we can’t get a signal out in 48 hours, sound the alarm and do what you feel is necessary.”

Archie breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently, the two holograms must have argued through the night on who should stay and go, and needed Michael to settle the dispute. Romen nodded in agreement, reaching out a hand to the commander. Michael took Romen’s hand and was helped up, but could feel something in the palm of his clasped hand. Michael smirked as the item traded hands outside of Archie’s view.

“Well, we’d best head out now before the townsfolk get brave and restless.” Romen declared.

While Michael quickly re-dressed and armed himself, the two holograms shared a hushed conversation by the barn’s bay doors. This gave the commander the time he needed to slip the extra type-one phaser into his boot that Romen had slipped him. He, too, shouldn’t condone such actions, but seeing how valuable it was in their last encounter, he was going to take any advantage he could get.

With everything ready and a solid plan in mind, the three looked out towards the village, taking in the serene landscape. Tapping his comm badge tucked into his belt, Michael gave the order.

“Energize.”

[Brynar Mountain Pass, Western Path]
(2 Hours Later)

The path into the heart of the mountain region was surprisingly smooth. Michael had anticipated jagged paths and possible climbing to reach where they needed, but it was as if the path itself was smoothly carved out of the mountainside. Michael and Archie philosophically debated the possibility of an iron-aged civilization crafting such a pathway, or if it was the work of something more advanced.

“Rome and Egypt were pre-Iron Age, and they had a lot of architectural innovations that weren’t re-engineered for over a thousand years,” Michael argued.

“True, but even then, arguments have been made that extraterrestrial and temporal incursions on earth were the direct result of those advancements,” Archie smirked. “Not saying they could have hollowed out a mountain path like this, I’m just saying it seems too large, and too…perfect.”

Archie wasn’t wrong. The entrance way saw the floor and sides of the mountain etched out at near-perfect 90-degree angles.  And as they continued inward, the tunneled roof met the adjacent walls the same way, making a perfect square shape. And when they first entered, the walls were roughly twenty bodies in width, but as they continued deeper into the mountain, the slope on which the walls started to move in was hardly noticeable. For the last 5km, they had been walking, and the pathway felt more like a hallway that could only fit 4 standing side by side.

As Michael walked and contemplated the multitude of hanging lamps that lined the walls, illuminating their path, Archie came to a complete standstill. “Sir, did you feel that?”

Michael stopped and turned to the X.O. “No, what? Everything ok?”

“We just passed through a shield,” Archie replied. Taking another, hesitant step.

“Shielding…that explains why our scans couldn’t penetrate the area.” Michael expressed

“And further support, we’re not dealing with a pre-warp civilization,” Archie added, regaining his footing and joining next to the commander as they continued their walk.

Scans from their gloves indicated the same Blackstone material was present somewhere behind the walls, but there was no indication of advanced technology to speak of on their path deeper into the mountain.

Finally, their journey had come to an end, and the now 3-person wide tunnel emptied into a large circular room. The room itself seemed to be made out of obsidian, with white and gold inlays. A large glass mosaic of assorted glass was embedded in he center of the room, forming a circle, within a circle, within a smaller circle. There was an upper gallery overhead, and two large arched exits that both could see rays of light from, most likely leading outside.

“Ahh…Hello, Michael of Grarefur. We have been expecting you.” A voice called out from one of the upper galleries. Instinctively, both Michael and Archie’s hands went to their weapons as they looked up for the voice that called out to them.  Michael could have sworn there was no one there when they walked in, but even now, as he looked, more and more figures and minds were coming into view.

There were 8 figures, cloaked in black hooded cloth, looking down upon them from various points in the gallery. The central figure stood without a hood, a black drapery like what Archie wore, over his eyes as he still seemed to peer down upon them. “I am Arnorr, steward of the (Nemandi), the ruling council of the priests of the (Svart Augu). Welcome to (Heilagt Auga), the Holy City of the Gods.

“Sorry, but I don’t remember giving you my name…” Michael called back, his voice echoing in the chamber.

“You didn’t. He did. Presenting his reverence, the (Synsmadr), the chosen visionary of the gods.” Arnorr announced, bowing low and stepping out of the way. Behind him sat a rather large and feeble elderly man in a decorative throne-like seat, which appeared to glide him closer to the edge of the gallery. This man held no covering over his eyes, which were simply empty hollow sockets. His head slumped on his shoulder, and Michael could seldom tell if the figure was even alive had it not been for the labored breathing.

“I had a dream last night…” the elder spoke, his voice was far louder and commanding as if it was being amplified by the very stone walls. “…I was in a forest far away from here.” The man continued.

While he spoke, Archie scanned their surroundings and found that the pathway they had come in from had disappeared. Using his glove scanner, he found that the exit was now blocked by both a holographic projection and a forcefield. They were trapped.

“In this forest, I stood among the (Nattsteinn), and there was a boy. Young, who had collapsed before me. You stood there over him, with your…phantoms at your side.” The Synsmadr continued, his hallowed gaze seemed to turn to Archie for a moment before returning to focus on Michael.

Listening to the tale, Michael could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Instinctively, he wanted to reach for the phaser tucked into his boot, feeling a fight was inevitable, but he held his ground and listened as Archie moved in closer to close their ranks.

“I could not understand the words being spoken, but it was enough to anger you into throwing your lamp at me, setting my form aflame. And then, you summoned spell fire from your hand, and cut me down… just as you contemplate doing now.”

Michael froze. How did he know? How did he vividly describe what happened last night? Was he controlling the beast that attacked them?!

“No.” The elder responded.

Michael’s look of horror shifted to shocked confusion, then realization. Mentally slamming the doors to his mind, Michael telepathically shielded himself, standing his ground for the next question that came into his head.

“By sacrificing our sight, the gods grant us the ability to see into others’ minds, as you are also able to do.” Arnorr remarked, with an amused grin.

“I was only granted the vision of what transpired, a herald to your arrival here today.” The Synsmadr explained. “In over a millennium of the Svart Augu overseeing the awakening, never before have the gods foretold of a champion’s arrival. This is an Omen of things to come, good or bad, but the will of the elder gods nonetheless.”

“Not to speak of the fact you made it here from Brunr Goltr, which is at least a seven-day journey, on foot no less.” Arnorr remarked.

“Yeah…we had a little pep in our step.” Michael stated, trying to recover from the reeling discoveries.

“We came to bear witness to your arrival. This awakening has begun much sooner than anticipated, and now you’re here. Great things are expected to occur!” Arnorr exclaimed. In an instant, his figure blipped from the gallery above to a pair of pillars below and began to approach them on foot.

“That was a teleporter…” Michael whispered to Archie. The two seemed to relax as the steward reached out his hand, Michael taking it in a welcoming handshake. “It is almost unheard of that the Synsmadr come to greet visitors to Heilagt Auga himself. The others will undoubtedly be jealous. Please, allow me to escort you!”

Both Michael and Archie were guided out towards one of the archways of light, as Michael looked back towards the gallery, seeing and feeling the several figures disperse in shadows.

The passage they took exited out to a large misty valley, surrounded by mountain ranges. All along the inside of the mountainside, large Blackstone pillars jetted out, pointing towards the sky, a clear indicator that this is where the power fluctuations were being focused.

In the valley itself, there was a central pedestal made of what appeared to be the same Blackstone material, surrounded by various colored tents, well-lit with several torches.

“The others are already at the Bones of the Gods, awaiting the activation. I can’t say they will be pleased to see you, but they will need to be brought to heel before the ceremony. Please don’t hesitate to ask for assistance if you need it.” Arnorr declared, bowing low to them before teleporting away, leaving Michael and Archie to stand in the opening of the valley, dumbfounded.

“This is NOT how I saw this going down…” Michael remarked.

[TO BE CONTINUED]