SCT-Novel Book 6: Chapter 2: You don't remember
Book 6: Chapter 2: You don't remember
Book 6: Chapter 2: You don't remember
The three women stared in unison as Umtha looked down, unable to hold their gaze. She dragged a bare foot across the polished floor, waiting for some kind of response.
It cant be, Breanne said as she dared to step closer.
How did she get so big? Quinny asked.
She must have evolved, Legeis said. Shes hobgoblin or something similar now.
Right, Quinny said. I have evolved once already too.
So shes like the goblins outside the door, Heather said and stepped close enough to touch the woman. She reached out and lifted the womans chin to see a tear roll down her cheek. Umtha?
Why are you so surprised? the woman said.
Why am I surprised? Heather laughed. A day ago, you were a short green goblin with a long pointed nose. Now you're practically human and taller than I am.
I will never be human, the woman replied as she looked away. And I am tired of being here.
Ok, Heather said as she got control of her senses. You have a lot of explaining to do. We know you are a player, and we know you have an agenda. No more of your games where you talk in circles. How did you suddenly evolve into this?
You gave me the points to do it, Umtha replied. When you accepted my crown.
The crown, Heather said and held it up. So this was a trigger for some kind of points?
It allowed me to evolve and finally break the limitations put on me, Umtha said. I hoped you would understand how important this was to me, but you dont seem to care.
Wait a moment, Breanne jumped in. None of us has any idea what you are talking about. I hate to be the one who tells you this, but you have a terrible habit of not explaining anything.
Yeah, you can't be upset with Heather for not understanding when you didn't explain what you wanted, Quinny added.
They are right, Legeis said with an accusatory finger. I have tried to get you to explain yourself a dozen times. Instead, all you do is jabber about the same three or four topics, repeating yourself until my head hurts.
I couldnt help myself, Umtha countered with a hint of pain in her voice. It was hell trying to fight the curse of babble.
The curse of babble? Heather repeated and waved a hand. Just, for once in your life, explain this so we can understand it.
I was cursed, Umtha said. Locked in that goblin body and tongue tied so I couldn't explain things. I knew what I wanted to say, but the harder I tried to say it, the more convoluted it became.
So all of that wasnt an act? Quinny asked.
Who would have put a curse on you? Breanne asked.
It happened a long time ago, Umtha said as she looked off as if staring out a window into the past. We goblins were marching to war, desperate to salvage the promised salvation. This king, Kevin, was destroying everything Hathlisora had built to bring about our escape. Unfortunately, he broke the one thing that kept her sane, and she flew into a madness like never before. We goblins were helpless to save her, but one of our greatest engineers devised a plan. He started building a device he called the engine of mending. He was convinced he could repair the broken object and restore her sanity. The problem is Kevin had one half, and the other was taken beyond our reach. So we launched a massive campaign to retrieve the half we could get, hoping it would be enough to rouse Hathlisora from her madness.
Where was this other piece taken? Quinny asked.
Abbadon, Umtha replied. A place only Hathlisora can open a doorway to. Without her help, there is no way to retrieve the missing part.
And she was insane? Heather asked.
I don't know the full details of what was broken, but it was so important to her that she forgot who she was, Umtha said. She was my dearest friend and ally. Perhaps the closest person I had come to love since coming here.
I am still confused, Breanne said as she shook her head. So, when did you get cursed?
Our plan failed, Umtha said. We were losing the war, and Kevin discovered the location of the engine. He learned of our plan and acted to prevent it, so all the goblins hurried to defend the machine and prayed we could keep it safe. We failed, and it exploded in a catastrophic blast that turned the red sands to glass.
Thats what created the glass sea? Legeis balked.
Right, because we already knew the goblins retreated there during the war, Heather said. That explains why they fled into the desert and why Kevin was so intent on destroying it. We were told the goblins were there when the event that made the glass happened.
I was reset in the blast, Umtha said. I came back to life far to the north and had to make my way south while your kind hunted goblins mercilessly. I started south with a pack of twenty-one of my brethren, but we quickly ran into your kind, and our numbers dwindled. Soon I was all that was left, fleeing to the sands and hoping I would find her there.
Wait, Heather said as she began to understand. You were the goblin Lydias hunt master helped escape.
Yes, Umtha replied. Finneous understood what was at stake and escorted me all the way to the glass.
That was Finneous? Breanne said in alarm.
I told you I saw his picture on the wall in the castle, Heather replied. Now it's all starting to make more sense, but I still don't know how you got cursed.
The visitors cursed me, Umtha said as the group looked on in shock. You don't know who they are or what they are after. You assume they came to your word and started this project to learn about you. What you don't know is your world is one of many, and we goblins don't call your world our home.
Wait, does that mean your aliens? Quinny asked.
Prisoners, Umtha corrected. Taken from a world we call Seenmal.
Youre from another world, Heather said as she felt dizzy. And you learned our language over time.
No, I still don't know your language, Umtha replied. The magic of this world is translating what I say so you understand it. But that only works once we do what you call evolving. Until then, we are hindered where the magic only interprets some of our words. So it comes out broken and missing subtext. We goblins call it the curse of babble, and it frustrates us so.
Hey, wait a minute, Legeis interjected. I am goblin, and I can speak this language just fine.
You are not from our world, Umtha pointed out. So long as you come from your world, you can understand and speak your language. But all the goblins from our world are hampered by this terrible magic.
This is awful, Heather said and looked to the others. All this time, she was trying to tell us the truth, and the system wouldn't let her.
We are jumping around, Breanne said in frustration. Why did Finneous help her? Why was she trying to get back to the sands? Why was she supposedly hoping to find Hathlisora?
Finneous is one of the thousands of your kind who did not share Kevin's hatred of us. But even more, I knew him from long before when he lived in the woods to the north. Many of your monster players also took our side and were punished for their poor choice, Umtha explained. I went to the sands because I knew the key would survive, and I wanted to ensure it was recovered so we could try again. Unfortunately, when I got there, it was being looted by those you call dragon knights, and there was nothing I could do to stop them.
And now the dragon knights make their appearance, Heather said. Why were they involved in this?
Because of who Hathlisora was and what was used to make the key, Umtha said. Even now, you carry it north to deliver it to where the goblins have been building a new engine of mending.
I am carrying it north? Heather repeated. Do you mean the egg?
A dragon egg, Umtha said with a nod. Magically altered so it can survive the intense heat generated when the repair process begins.
But you lost the egg, Heather said. How did it get in that cave?This chapter is updated by
The dragon knights flew off, and I lay in the sand crying at all we had lost, Umtha said. But then she arrived, raging with anger like the sun. I told her what had happened and she went after them. There was a terrible battle in the sky where she recovered the egg but was terribly wounded in the process. She fell to the ground, so weak she could barely walk. Other goblins arrived, and we worked together to carry her and the egg to safety. We went south because she said she had friends hidden in a swamp. They could help and carry the project forward.
This is what you showed us on that magic sheet thing, Heather said.
Yes, Umtha said. As we fled south, we encountered remnants of the necromancers. They were shattered and their kinds all slain. These few were low-level but working on a plan to salvage their goals as well. They and Hathlisora had been working together for years and hatched a plan to save her if she suffered what they called the last death.
That must be what they call a player who stops respawning, Breanne remarked.
I took her to the goblins in the swamp, but we were followed. Paladins were closing in, and soon all of our plans would be lost. She told her friends to flee and gave her egg to the goblins in the swamp. She then gave her crown to the remaining necromancers and told them to hide it near her spawn point. Finally, she gave the bracelet and the dress to me and told me I needed to flee.
Then what happened? Heather asked.
She led them into some kind of trap, Umtha said. I wasn't there to see it. I went with the necromancers who created the statue in the temple and the magic door they hid your crown behind. There was a wild goblin village at the base of the hills, and they told me to take it over and wait for you to return. When I asked how I would know, they said you would open that door and reclaim your crown.
Didnt those necromancers lead paladins away too? Quinny said.
Yes, Umtha said with a nod. There were paladin hunting teams all over the south. The necromancers didn't want to risk them finding the statue, so they made the paladins aware of their presence and fled east, taking several groups with them.
This is too much to believe, Heather said as she felt dizzy. Its all connected.
It hasnt all come true, Umtha said. Hathlisora gave me my magic dress because she said she would recognize me by it. You had no idea who I am.
Thats because I am not Hathlisora, Heather countered.
You're wrong, Umtha said and stepped up to Heather. Only Hathlisora and her twin sister from Abbadon can wear that crown. You have to be one of them.
I know thats what you need to believe, but I have no memory of any of this. I even have a letter from Hathlisora calling me Heather by name.
You wrote that letter to yourself, Umtha insisted. You knew you were going to forget, and you set in motion a chain of events to help you remember.
And now I am sorry I came here, Heather sighed.
I am still calling bs on this story, Legeis jumped in. You claim to love this Hathlisora, but you hardly knew her.
That's where you're wrong, Umtha countered with a trembling lip as the pain was evident on her face. Hathlisora spent over a year in the northern wilds, working with the goblins and necromancers. We spent most of those days together, talking about escaping and sharing our fears. It was because of her we became so friendly with the necromancers, and we started to lend our aid to their projects.
Necromancers and goblin engineers working together, Quinny said with a shiver. That had to be terrifying.
I met Hathlisora while I looked like this, and we got along very well, Umtha continued. I had never met a being so driven to escape this world, and we found a kindred spirit in her heart. It was during this period she learned how to open doorways to the other worlds and began to refine the process, believing she could eventually open a door home for all of us.
You have no idea how many times I wanted to tell you everything, but I knew it would come out as nonsense, Umtha said and wiped her eyes. I just wanted to scream in frustration.
You poor thing, Heather said and hugged her tight. Well, it's out in the open now, and I will have to take some time to consider what you have told me. I also need to tell Frank and Blackbast about this to see what they think and get any advice they have. In the meantime, why don't you try to think of anything else I might recognize or remember. A place, a painting, some other object that was mine, anything.
I will try, Umtha said and looked up to meet Heather's eyes. You were always so kind. You cared about everyone, and that's why I think you and him fell out.
You mean Kevin and I? Heather asked to be clear.
Yes, Umtha said with a nod. I am told he was a hero in the beginning, but as time went on, he grew increasingly concerned with maintaining order and establishing control. He began to see monster players as an annoyance and eventually fostered a sense of disgust for them. I am sure you would have been very angry at him for his change of attitude. You never had a cruel bone in your body.
Well, thank you, Heather said as she took one of the woman's hands. I appreciate how you see me, even if I don't believe that's me.
It is you, Umtha insisted. Look around you, and see what that kind heart has wrought again. You cant help but come to peoples aid, and your caring nature makes them love you. Now you are a queen, a princess, and a wife, all while surrounded by people who have deep respect and love for you. You do that everywhere you go, always rising to every challenge though sometimes you go a little too far.
Heather could think of a few times where she went too far and had to agree with her assessment. She patted the womans hand as she got up to leave, promising to return soon so they could talk. She then collected the others and headed out, waiting until they were clear of the goblin fortress before pulling open her panel.
Does any of this make any sense to you? she asked Legeis as she held the interface where he could see it.
You got a bunch of goblin powers, Legeis said as he scratched his chin. Well, their not really powers so much as special choices you could make as a goblin queen.
I can build a goblin city, Heather sighed. But it says I already have one called Maddracky Ulk Uthar?
Yeah, it does, Legeis said as he leaned in closer. Population just over ten thousand.
Does that name mean anything? Breanne asked.
Oh, yeah, Maddracky Ulk Uthar would be Deep home under the mountain, Legeis said. Goblins don't say things the way we do, so it doesn't translate well.
Darn, now she cant build her maze, Quinny said.
You know I happen to have seen that movie too, Heather said and turned her glare on Quinny. I would rather be the princess running through the maze to save her brother.
But youre the queen, Quinny insisted. You gotta play the part.
I cant believe those goblins are from another world, Legeis said. How can that be possible? New Eden didnt exist until the visitors came to our word, right?
Well, Umtha did say the world changed, Heather replied. She said it was very different when they arrived and changed to suit our games.
So they are traveling between worlds, Breanne said. Collecting samples or specimens for a sort of magical zoo?
Way to take the excitement out of being here, Quinny teased.
I am just being practical, Breanne insisted. If there are beings from other worlds here, then the visitors have a much greater plan than simply learning about us.
You're right, Heather said as she tried to ponder it. They eventually arrived at the portals and stepped across to discover Frank had stopped running and was sitting quietly beside the road with Blackbast. The girls climbed out and helped remove the magical door so that Legeis could bring his armor through easily. Then they approached Frank and Blackbast, looking so nervous the two noticed.
Well, out with it, Blackbast said. Something went wrong, and you are here to tell us about it.
Why are we stopped? Heather asked, avoiding the question.
We ran back to where we first turned off course, Frank said. We needed your bracelet to show us the direction, so we had to stop and wait.
Oh, Heather said and felt silly. I suppose I should explain why I was so long. She told them everything, going over all the details and even suggesting Frank open his character sheet. Sure enough, he was married to Umtha too and bore the title of the goblin king. Blackbast was enraged, suggesting that Umtha was deceiving them somehow.
I have a bunch of goblin-related powers now, Frank said as he tapped through his listing.
I was thinking about that, Heather said and began to pace. Frank, you know the mechanics better than any of us. So how was it we could add goblin NPCs eons ago?
Frank scratched at the ground with his claws as he considered the question, even pointing out that Gwen could add them now as well. He reminded Heather of what she said about having options for undead and goblins in her NPC listings.
This is my point, Heather said. We had no relationship to Umtha, yet we were already sharing in some of her powers. You even put goblins in your lower tunnels to create a sort of adventure.
Yeah, Frank replied. I thought that was weird, but I couldn't explain it, and I still can't. I assumed that you had some connection to them through this Hathlisora business, and I was reaping the reward somehow.
But we all know that isnt true, Blackbast cut in. You dont just gain abilities because you are good friends with someone. You must form a binding like marriage in order for that to happen. Somehow you were bound to the goblins long before this, and Umtha is a part of that mystery.
And both you had to be, Breanne put in. Because you both had access to it. Then when you became Gwen's daughter, she inherited some of that connection as well.
Which probably means Finneous has it as well, Heather said as she pondered an idea.
I do not like this mystery that circles about you, Blackbast said. I am sure Umtha can tell you more.
What she told me put a lot of the pieces together, Heather insisted. What really makes me wonder is that she isnt from earth. Umtha and a bunch of her goblins are beings from another world.
And were here even before this was called New Eden, Quinny said.
It sounds too fantastic to believe, Blackbast replied as she began to pace. But that explains her strange mannerisms. She isnt born to human concepts or ideas.
You should see her now that shes evolved, Quinny said. Shes taller than Heather and pretty as can be.
That doesn't change what she is, Blackbast said. She is a chosen from another world who still wants to go home. She is hoping Heather is this missing Hathlisora and will pick up the project to send them home from where it left off. Even this trip to return the egg is part of her plan to put Heather on the track to escape this world.
Heather hated to hear it said so precisely and knew every word had to be harming Frank. She turned to him and went to his arms, wrapping him in as tight a hug as his broad frame would allow.
I promise you I am not leaving, Heather said. I want to be here, where you are.
But you wanted to get out for so long, Frank said as he awkwardly tried to hug her with his overly long ghoul arms. If you do figure out how to open that door, are you going to regret not going?
Never, Heather promised. My life is here with you, Quinny, and Breanne, Heather replied. I could never leave you behind.
I believe you, Frank said as he tried to hold her tight. But what do we do now?
We deliver the egg, Heather said and stepped back. If Umtha is right, we're looking for some kind of goblin machine that the egg is the key for. Maybe it will shed some more light on what is going on. Maybe it won't. But let's get this task done so we can go home. Everything else can worry about itself until then.
A sound and reasonable idea, Blackbast agreed.
I also have a ton of books yet to read, plus all those necromancer spells hidden in the back pages yet to learn, Heather said. I really need some time to stay put so I can focus on my tasks.
And what about your new wife? Breanne pressed.
Umtha is going to have to wait as well, Heather said. Maybe I will remember something, and it will make more sense later, but until then, she is just a friend.
You dont honestly think you will remember something? Frank asked.
Frank, Heather said with a laugh. I am not Hathlisora. If anything, I am the Heather she wrote the letter to, but even that doesn't make any sense.
Umtha said you wrote that letter to yourself, Quinny said. Which means you knew you were going to lose your memories, and you didn't want yourself to remember who you were right away.
I am not Hathlisora, Heather reiterated.
Let us not be too hasty to say who or what we are, Blackbast said. Let's first consider what we know. Umtha claims that only Hathlisora or that woman from Abbadon would wear the crown. You spawned where she was supposed to spawn and then opened the door only she could open. The staff Hathlisora left was attuned for you, which means you must be the Heather mentioned in the letter.
She has a point, Frank said. If the crown and staff are attuned to you, then nobody else could use them.
But the crown is attuned to Hathlisora while the staff is attuned to me, Heather pointed out. How can I be both of them at once?
Quinny and Breanne exchanged nervous glances as the obvious answer hung in the air.
Because Heather and Hathlisora are the same person, Heather said with a sigh. Just what Umtha said.
It does seem the only possible explanation, Blackbast replied.
I just want to live a happy life with Frank, Quinny, and Breanne, Heather said as she suddenly looked tired. I don't want any part of this previous nonsense.
Frank put a massive hand around her waist and held her up as she looked about to wilt. He carefully pulled her to his chest and used his palm to rub her back.
I have been denying that you were Hathlisora for a long time, he said softly. And I still don't want to believe it. But you are right about the goblin powers. We had access to them from almost the day you saved Umtha. Somehow you are regaining lost powers as you trigger important events. That's probably why you keep finding new things on your character sheet you swear wasn't there before.
So now you think I might be Hathlisora? Heather asked.
I don't know, and I don't care, Frank replied. All that matters to me is you're my wife, and I want to see you happy.
Oh, Frank, what am I going to do? Heather asked. I feel like a terrible storm follows me wherever I go, and if I don't keep searching for answers, it will catch up and destroy me.
We do what you just said, Frank replied. We deliver the egg and see if it gives us anything new to go on.
Then let us not waste any more time, Blackbast urged. Point the direction so we can get underway.
Heather held up her arm, wearing the bracelet made for Hathlisora. It was another undeniable truth that it worked for her and pointed the way to key locations where past secrets lay waiting to be discovered. She asked it to show her where the egg needed to go, and a single stone began to shine and point the way. The others climbed into the palanquin as Legeis finally arrived with his armor. Blackbast took her usual place on his back, and Heather decided to ride on Frank's shoulder, needing to be close to her husband. They set off at a quick pace, heading north into the trees and the wilds beyond the spawn ring. Distant mountains framed the horizon, and Heather knew that someplace in those peaks was the engine of mending and perhaps the secret she was missing.