Ch 164

  Days began to blur together for Matt as the North Star ascended higher into the night sky, its steady glow a constant reminder of his isolation. Aside from stumbling upon dilapidated buildings and scavenging them for iron and steel, he pressed on, driven by a sense of urgency. He made an effort to reach out to several other members of Scattered Stars, hoping to gauge their situations, but each conversation yielded nothing but uncertainty. They were all adrift, lacking any concrete ideas on how to reconnect or regroup.

  On the bright side, his puppet had proven resilient enough to endure the harsh conditions, and he still maintained a tenuous link to the owl-man back on the world he had been pulled from. These connections provided a glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak landscape, yet they did little to alleviate the pressing challenges that loomed before him. The owl-man’s insights could potentially offer him updates about the broader universe, which was crucial for Matt’s long-term strategy.

  However, a significant hurdle remained: he had committed to staying in the background with that body, gathering information passively rather than taking an active role. This approach limited the scope of what he could learn, especially since the owl-man had chosen to align himself with an organization under the Interstellar Administration and was currently navigating a dungeon far from their shared reality. Despite these constraints, Matt held onto the belief that the knowledge gleaned from the owl-man’s adventures would one day prove invaluable, perhaps even pivotal, in the ongoing struggle.

  Yet, his present reality was nothing but an expanse of desolate land, leaving him to ponder just how much of the world had been fragmented. According to the scattered reports from others, it appeared that the larger cities had remained relatively intact, while the suburbs were left in disarray, with residents bewildered by the disappearance of homes that had once stood right across the street. This disorientation had only intensified the chaos, and with communication severely restricted, even something as simple as the leaders’ chat—allowing for just a few messages each day—had become a coveted resource that some would go to great lengths to possess.

  It was through this chat that the notion of gathering at the North Pole had transformed from a mere jest into a legitimate plan, born out of desperation when no one could propose a better alternative. Even if reaching the North Pole proved impossible, there was still hope that they could eventually converge if Matt headed west while the others ventured east until they reached a point where the ocean impeded their progress. That was, of course, assuming a continuous connection existed—a prospect they all viewed with skepticism, yet none could devise a more viable strategy for reunion. As a result, they had resigned themselves to this uncertain fate and redirected their efforts toward the painstaking task of mapping their changed world.

  For this reason, each of them was scouring the rugged coastlines and enlisting anyone who had even a hint of knowledge about cartography, which turned out to be nearly no one. The best they could manage were a few construction workers who grasped the fundamentals of surveying, along with one individual who could apply trigonometry to position landmarks somewhat accurately. However, Matt wasn’t fixating on that aspect; his primary mission was to ascend to the top of the world and claim it, if such a feat was within reach. He harbored deep doubts about its feasibility, yet he recognized that it would serve as an excellent location to anchor Radoznaormr’s gem.

  That concern weighed heavily on Matt, gnawing at him as he contemplated Radoznaormr's patience—or lack thereof—with his ongoing delays. After weeks of arduous travel, Matt finally arrived at what he believed to be the northernmost coastline. It was then that he decided it was time to seek answers. Discovering a seaside cave, he ventured inside during low tide, the salty air thick with anticipation. He carefully retrieved the massive egg-shaped gem from his pack and settled down to wait for a response. Minutes ticked by slowly, but after around ten, he finally heard Radoznaormr’s voice resonating from within the gem, echoing with a clarity that sent shivers down his spine.

  “Is there a reason you waited so long before following my instructions?”

  “Yes,” Matt shot back, irritation bubbling beneath the surface. “And this isn’t where I plan to leave your anchor, but I thought it better to at least talk with you before too much time slips away.”

  “Oh, so you have a destination in mind for my anchor’s final placement?” Radoznaormr’s tone dripped with skepticism.

  “No—”

  “Exactly,” Radoznaormr interrupted, his impatience palpable. “You hesitate to trust me, believing that any of this is yours to dictate. You remain blissfully unaware of what I am doing for you and the toll it takes on me, yet you want everything to unfold on your terms.”

  “I don’t even know what my world looks like anymore,” Matt shot back, frustration lacing his words. “Every landmass has changed; only the stars remain constant. Forgive me if pulling out your gem and asking for a portal somewhere else hasn’t exactly topped my priority list.”

  “Have you ever considered that I might provide solutions to those problems?” Radoznaormr pressed, as though addressing a child. “I bet you’re still struggling to locate the dungeon, too.”

  “I’m not willing to pay whatever price you’ll demand,” Matt retorted firmly. “I don’t trust you, and the less I feel indebted to you, the better.”

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  An extended silence settled between them, thick with tension. Matt sensed Radoznaormr holding back an urge to lash out, to threaten him. He welcomed the pause, content to wait, feeling no need to elaborate on his reasons for avoiding deeper engagement with Radoznaormr.

  "Is that all you have to say, then?" Radoznaormr finally asked, his voice dripping with disdain. "Why is it that those of prime bloodlines consistently refuse to collaborate with ormrs? Do you realize that only those with such bloodlines have ever managed to kill an ormr? Indeed, part of me suspects that our demise can only come at the hands of your kind. Yet, when I had you at my mercy, did I choose to end your life?"

  "Now I sense you have something even more pressing you want me to do," Matt groaned, exasperation creeping into his tone. "But no, you’ve pushed me to grow stronger and rise to my potential."

  "Naturally, I desire things from you. If I didn’t, you would already be dead, and that should offer you some comfort, at the very least. Most wielders of power will expect something in return, even if it’s merely for you to eliminate that wretched man you stranded on that distant planet. Excellent work, by the way; that single act has sown more chaos across the universe than anything else I’ve witnessed. At long last, the ancient growth is being uprooted to make way for new beginnings."

  "Wouldn’t that imply you could find yourself on the chopping block?" Matt shot back, sarcasm lacing his words.

  "Yes, indeed, and I am at peace with that possibility," Radoznaormr replied, his tone taking on a somber note. "All things must eventually come to an end; I am no exception to that rule. Neither are you, nor anything else you hold dear."

  "Well, aren’t you a beacon of optimism," Matt grumbled. "Anyway, I only pulled your anchor out to remind you that I haven’t forgotten our agreement and am still—"

  "Leave it where it is for a galactic day, and I should be able to produce at least a map of your world for you," Radoznaormr interjected. "Not that I’ll be able to deliver it to you, but I can certainly point you in the right direction to locate a suitable site for your organization’s headquarters. Additionally, I can inform you of your relative position to your organization’s leaders."

  "Well, aren’t you just a fountain of assistance," Matt remarked, annoyance bubbling beneath the surface, knowing that complying would likely shatter his solitude. "So, what’s this going to cost me?"

  "Your solitude," Radoznaormr retorted with a chuckle, amusement evident in his voice. "Yes, I understand the true reason you hesitate to accept my help, yet will you truly decline it, knowing that your own discomfort is sufficient payment for me?"

  "Just do what you intend to do and understand that I’m searching for a defensible location with—"

  "Wood, stone, and iron in ample quantities to relocate the fort and dungeon you are bound to," Radoznaormr finished, his voice tinged with boredom. "Now go find something to occupy your time while I work, and yes, I’ll also tell you where the nearest entry point to your world’s endless dungeon lies."

  Matt didn’t even bother to respond as he turned and stepped out of the cave, making his way up the rugged cliffs that loomed above him. From this vantage point, he gazed out over what he assumed was the ocean, its vast expanse stretching endlessly toward the horizon. He had never been one to enjoy the sight of water reaching far beyond what the eye could see; to him, the ocean was a colossal death trap. While it had once been a vital source of life, now it seemed more like a relentless cycle of life consuming life, an almost predatory necessity for survival. Beyond the simplest forms of life, everything had shifted—now, rather than sustenance, the currency was experience points.

  This unsettling thought led him to ponder the levels of creatures like sharks or whales, imagining how he would combat such formidable opponents if he ever found himself ensnared at sea. Moments like these made Matt let out a heavy sigh as memories flooded back of his past life, when he would devise plans to catch and prepare various wildlife near his old cabin. There were certainly creatures he had no desire to capture, such as skunks; he had scolded Bob more than once after the mischievous bobcat returned home reeking of being sprayed by one. Yet, he also owed Bob a debt of gratitude for ensuring that none of those skunks dared to linger near his cabin, as the bobcat was more than willing to hunt them down.

  “What has you smiling?” Bob asked, emerging from the underbrush with a small rodent dangling from his mouth. “Just reminiscing about those times you got sprayed by a skunk,” Matt replied, a grin tugging at his lips. “Happy to know you enjoyed my misery. Still, I ate the bastard in the end, so I’d say I came out on top,” Bob shot back, his tone light but with a hint of pride. “Right,” Matt chuckled, shaking his head as he fought to suppress laughter. “So, do you miss what life used to be like?”

  “I don’t know,” Bob said thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing as he considered the question. “It’s hard for me to compare who I am now to who I was before; my mind is far more aware of things now. I’ve been enjoying just being us and roaming through this wide-open land. That dungeon was miserable, but I know it needs to come to an end soon.”

  “At least for me it does,” Matt remarked. “If you wanted to, you could roam freely without worrying about anything except where your next meal is coming from.”

  “I could,” Bob agreed, his expression thoughtful. “But that wouldn’t make me happy.”

  “What is it that makes you happy?” Matt asked, more to himself than to his feline companion.

  “Watching you squirm while trying to avoid mating,” Bob replied, a smug tone creeping into his voice. “It’s quite entertaining to see you flounder while figuring out how to say no.”

  “That’s just it—it’s a definite no, and it will always be a no,” Matt stated with a heavy sigh. “Bob, there might be a woman out there for me, but even if she stood right in front of me, I would ignore her. I fear the pain I might cause her or that I have already caused by being around her while constantly making enemies in the universe. Part of me worries I’ve already doomed all of Earth with my actions.”

  “You aren’t that important,” Bob chided, flicking his tail dismissively. “Sure, some jerks want to use you for something, and you flipped over a few tables, but what kind of fools punish an entire world over one man’s actions?”

  “How are you arguing with me so well?”

  “Greg was good for something,” Bob replied with a glint in his eye.

  Matt couldn’t help but laugh, recalling all the pointless arguments Greg would dive into over trivial matters. Add in the times they debated morals, especially concerning women, and he could easily picture Bob picking up plenty of ideas and counterarguments. Still, the thought of Greg made him nostalgic; he missed having his friend around, even if it was just with his puppet, as the idiot had grown on him.