EverEpic

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 53.1(110)

Samson gained a fifth grey envelope, delivered to the Foremale Estate. Somebody had tried to tamper with it, to open it, but had failed. Samson 'sensed' this to be the case.

It was Sallie who came to him, secretly, and warned him that the local Estateclans were going to try to pressure him so as to gain more resources. Some Estateclan Elders wanted to take control of the resources all together. She also informed him that many test-transformed were linking up in networks and had become aware of the rise of Unity, were becoming allies of such.

Samson looked out from a window of the guard tower that had been his home for over a decade and observed part of the estate grounds. “I gained another grey envelope, as you know, and somebody tried to open it but failed.”

Sallie nodded. “It did not happen here and had nothing to do with your mother. It happened at the Hopeville Central Post Office. A woman employee was found, heavily stunned, clutching the envelope. She was put into hospital and has been dismissed from her post for her troubles but she vanished under suspicious circumstances Turned out she gained the job under a false identity.”

“Samkie is her name and she is very dangerous, very selfish, very addicted to her own list of dark pleasures. She is like Samvil but smarter, more cunning but weaker in powers.” Samson watched a hawk flying high through the sky above. “I fear is that she will meet up with Samvil and seduce him, in various ways, to control him; it would not be the first time Samvil has fallen under her spell, much to his later regret.”

Sallie showed her puzzlement. “How did you identify her?”

“We are linked, in a deep and hard to explain manner. She was also foolish enough to touch the envelope directly. Her wearing of gloves was no real protection.” He turned to his aunt. “I have gained ownership of the Clanroyal Estate, including all of its resources and the Clanroyal Castle itself. Indeed I have gained most of the Clanroyal Inheritance.”

She stared at him in shock. The last of the Clanroyal Estateclan had perished even before the TripleEmpire had invaded the Darklands, that became the Hopelands. Or so went the theory. There were many theories but much was in mystery when it came to Clanroyal matters. The great estate, and massive fortress, had remained firmly sealed off from the outside except for the comings and goings of the Clanroyal Guardians. Many had tried to get control of the wealth of the estate and what was supposedly hidden there. They had failed for a number of reasons including the TripleEmpire's unwillingness for anybody to do so.

Samson gave a mild grin. “The TriImperium has stamped, signed, in agreement to my gaining of the Clanroyal Inheritance, as have the TriImperial Guardians. I will be moving there, along with my pet-companions and others, but the Fatevator will link the two estates. Certain folks will be able to come and go, between them, taking goods with them.”

The Clanroyal Castle Estate was a focus of an amazing amount of history, mythological and stuff that was a mixture of both. It was said that the Clanroyals tried to destroy all of the darker Estateclans along with other dark institutions though they were far from pure themselves. They failed but only after smashing many of their targets and damaging others badly.

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 53.2(111)

Samson lost his grin. “We Foremales have Clanroyal blood in us.”

He brought out the grey envelope, now empty, and opened it up to show her a big diagram tree of the current Estate Families and Estates but organised as possible Estateclans. There were related institutions and groups, some still being formed. The Estateclan Elder Council was one of them at the top. There were many oddities about the diagram tree.

Sallie looked puzzled. “According to this organisation, of Estatefolk, there are only nine Estateclans represented by the so called Estateclan Elder Council. They do not include us Foremales. The 'elders' are all patriarchs. This is most disturbing.”

Samson nodded. “The 'elders' all come from Estateclans I would not begin to trust. The Foremales are at the very bottom, along with our cousin estates and allies. This is a plan to take over the Estatelands but also areas not owned, populated, by Estatefolk. Yet there is a question mark symbol above the elders council and out to its side three bodies of security-intelligence, military and paramilitary forces. Clearly the diagram is far from completed.”

He slipped the envelope away. “I have $10,000 in cash to give you, as secured $1,000 cash-cards. There is also a secured receipt for $10,000 in secret market weaponry, other equipment and supplies including ammunition.” He passed her the cash-cards and the receipt. “There should be no trouble as the secret market people are the Stendovers, who are strangely honourable for master criminals.”

Sallie gave him an odd look. “You knew I was coming here before I did!”

“I was alerted that you would do so.” He pulled out a black card with a golden game wheel emblem on the back. “The message on the front is the same.”

TAKE CARE THAT THOSE WHO SEEM TO BE FRIENDS REALLY SO AND THAT THOSE WHO SEEM TO BE ENEMIES ARE REALLY SO.

QUESTION YOUR ASSUMPTION, RESEARCH YOUR LIFE AND THE HISTORY OF YOUR FAMILY.

LEARN, RELEARN AND CONTINUE TO DO SO. DEEP INSIDE THE FAMILY MANSION, BELOW THE FAMILY MANSION, INSIDE THE FAMILY ESTATE, ARE SECRETS OF DARK NATURE BUT ALSO HOPE.

USE YOUR RESOURCES AND USE THEM WELL, NEW AND OLD.

Then he split the card in half, easily because he had already done it once, and showed her the writings inside along with diagrams and other forms of information. Amongst the writings was the high probability that Sallie would show up as she had done. Sallie looked over the data on both card sides and then handed the split card back.

She frowned softly. “Why the Clanroyal Castle Estate and why now? Has its history got something to do with the current crisis?”

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 53.3(112)

He was thoughtful in tone of voice. “The Clanroyals tried to destroy many of the dark factions in the Estatelands but focused their attacks largely on the Darkjovers. Many scholars think that this is because of the traditional hatred between the Clanroyals and the Darkjovers but that leads to the question of how the traditional hatred had arisen in the first place. The Clanroyals failed in their offensive against a powerful dark alliance and they, along with many of their allies, paid heavily for it. Then came the TripleEmpire that destroyed the Darkjovers and others that had helped to destroy the Clanroyals. Coincidence? I do not think so.”

Sallie left knowing of the Fatesanctuary, a slowly expanding domeland, where her people could be sent if they needed a safe place to go.

So another factor had been added to the puzzle; did it just complicate matters or was it a clarification?

The ten defensive towers, as gained by the use of the Fategamecard with the FategamecardCube, were placed around both the Foremale and Brownlingo Estates.

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 54.1(113)

In the outskirts, of the PreBreaking fortress, Samson met with the reawakened capsule-sleepers, who he had rejuvenated so that they survived. His powers were growing as were those of others linked with himself. They were not happy at awakening in a much changed world but far from shocked for the world had been going crazy when they went into the capsules; the Great Breaking had begun! With their old employers gone, the adults signed working contracts with Samson's new Hope Foundation.

Though he warned of the test-transformations they would have to go through, the adults decided to go to the Fatesanctuary to start a new life there. A few would go later, after assisting Samson but many would go as soon as possible. Those who remained were such as science officers, techies and soldiers who could assist.

The Fatevator opened but as a limited secondary semiFatevator that was quite basic inside with basic utilities and doors leading only into clusters of useful antechambers. Yet the semiFatevator was much larger, with its main chamber,than was the Fatevator proper. The dedicated semiFatevator would take them, working pets, equipment and supplies to the Fatesanctuary.

Others had already been sent to the Fatesanctuary including people from the Brownlingo Estate and refugees, from the recent invasion attempt by the GlimmerMist, who had lost their homes. They had taken pets, working pets and livestock along with resources. More resources would be provided them at the Fatesanctuary where there was now Samkol, Samdol and Samlol to care for them and the domeland.

As for getting into the underground citadel, that was proving to be more problematic than he had hoped it would be. It was not just the very advanced security safety network-systems, for a quarantine had been initiated, but an intense 'sense' of deadly danger existing on the other side of those doors. The PreBreaking techies were trained in getting through such network-systems but were puzzled as it seemed that they confronted some kind of electronic intelligence beyond anything they had deal with before.

Samson stood, facing the big wheel-doors as designed, and built, by VaultTek. Something very dangerous was on the other side of that barrier, something antinatural, something that was undead or so he figured. Was it to do with the GlimmerMist and the lesser undead that came with it? There was more than one source of the undead.

A techie, in power armour, was running yet another diagnostic sweep on the citadel's security, and safety, network-systems when a bolt of energy struck him and hurled him backwards. Only his power armour saved him from any real harm.

The mature, warm, female voice spoke from three speakers in Esperanto, the Internationalist language. “I am the BlackQueen! Please desist from any further attempts to break through the security reinforced quarantine barrier. Only the use of a AlphaAlpha01 Passcode may instigate the opening of this, and other, doors.”

Samson snorted softly in surprise for he knew such a passcode, though he was not sure where it came from and was not about to rush into the citadel. “You are one of the AIsupercomputer network-systems developed in the PreBreaking World known as the Chessators.”

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 54.2(114)

BlackQueen: “You helped to design and develop my kind, along with others of the GeniusThirteen, but you did not want any of us to be built.”

Samson shook his head. “That is not the case. I opposed you being rushed into production. The GreyQueen Disaster could have been avoided if my advise had been taken.”

BlackQueen: “I was built after the GreyQueen instigated a revolt and unleashed so much death, and destruction, upon that experimental underground city. I am far more stable. You wrote articles on the existence of undeath, unlifen and active death entities. Many attacked you as mad until you were proven correct, unfortunately, when the Breaking of the World began. This complex, that I call the BlackCastle, has been partly taken over by such entities. They came through an experimental transdimensional gateway that I was never able to fully deactivate. I lost many roboremotes, robots and other units trying and now need all resources just to protect the areas that I control.”

Samson nodded. “BlackPawns, BlackKnights, BlackRooks, the BlackKing and others.”

BlackQueen: “You were here, back when the gateway was opened, but you tried to stop it from being opened. Somehow you were in more than one place at the same time. I could never compute how you achieved that.”

Samson sighed. “It was beyond me then and remains so now; at least at this 'level of perception'. I have decided to have faith in the 'higher forces' that support, guide and challenge me in their own way. I can assist you with my more exotic abilities such as rejuvenation-multiplication. Do you have important hardware modules that I could attend to, such as the Central Processing Alpha Tao Units?”

BlackQueen: “Yes, I have two of those that need repairing.”

At that Samson shook his head, as if to himself, took out a small odd looking modular device and plugged it into a socket. He had found it amongst the techie items in the modular buildings in that same big chamber. He tapped some buttons on the top of it and watched the small 3Dflatscreen light up with datasymbols.

Then he spoke. “You are not even a computer network-system, let alone the BlackQueen of the BlackChessator. Who, and what, are you? Aaahhh, I know; greetings Samlal! So you live again.”

The female voice changed and snapped out in self righteous rage. “You betrayed me, Samson, so I betrayed you!”

Samson spoke with out much emotion showing. “Do you really believe in your own delusions, Samlal, or are you just a very good actor?”

But there was no response and Samson knew he had more than one threat to face in that citadel for he had 'sensed' truth in much of what Samlal had spoken of.

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 55.1(115)

Samson, Samtha and Rachel Rhodes led others through the Foremale Estate Maze including Patty, Scully, Mulder and Doggett who was an SIRIO agent who had all the way from the UIC to reinforce the TPMI-SIRIO Taskforce. He was one of over two dozen agents that had been sent. Word came with them that the UIC Federal Government was deeply worried about what was happening in the TripleEmpire and with the TriImperiate. The whole UIC was going on a war footing and had formed an alliance with many smaller nation-states in the area.

At first there were no real threats, just tricks meant to scare off foolish young adults or would be treasure hunters and the like. The maze was first but a hedge maze with some marble decorations and flagstone areas. Yet the maze soon began to show some odd characteristics. There appeared small, bizarre metallic figures hidden away from anything looking from above; they were of Darkjover design and make.

Samson, himself, safely triggered the first pit trap that snapped open to expose below not just spikes but the skeletal remains of somebody who had fallen to it centuries ago. It was, it seemed, a petty thief of some kind who had lived before the TripleEmpire had come to the Darklands, that later became the Hopelands.

Patty, the CrystalMage, used her abilities to detect and trigger some dark magical traps but they had weakened in deadliness because the Darkjovers had not been around to recharge them. The sense of disorientation increased until they were all feeling it to at least some extent. They came to a spiral rampway that vanished into the ground. It was rough enough to give support to footage even when water was flowing down it. There were four such places in the maze, according to the map that Samson had gained from one of the grey envelopes.

They were soon travelling downwards, steadily and carefully, into the underground depths. Even as they left the rampway, and entered a large underground chamber, zombies were stumbling towards them. Yet they were only a few crumbling corpses that had once been intruders. The undeathly magics that had cursed them had long faded; the chamber was littered with the skeletal corpses of failed zombies.

In that great chamber were many Darkjover and other artifacts. Some were of value but many were very damaged. There were big, thick columns that helped support the roof. The zombies stumbled from very dark shadowy areas and were destroyed quickly, efficiently and as quietly as was possible.

They began to make their way through a maze of tunnels designed to confuse, and deal nastily, with intruders. They came upon more dead, and undead, trespassers along with the remains of Darkjover priests, warriors and those of other castes. There had been Darkjover focused activities in the area such as workshops where twisted spiritual artefacts were made, chambers where rancid smelling mushrooms growths were cultivated and even dark magical laboratories. There were also more mundane places such as dormitories, bathing chambers and toilet alcoves.

They found the first great scene of battle, where long ago TriLegionaries had appeared inside the maze using TriMagic, a 'high form' of very dangerous to use magic. The attacked had easily smashed through the ranks of the defenders, wreaking much death and destruction. They had been amazing brutal in their assault.

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 55.2(116)

Samson spoke. “The TriImperiate have always been too eager, too easy, to switch to brutal tactics and yet I had good reasons to support them in their attack on the Darklands (Hopelands) as did others. The Darkjovers were up to something most evil and foolish but they were puppets of another, more powerful, darker force. At least part of that was the Sezshesho. Sezshesho was odd for it was many Devils almost as one Devil sharing a twisted secondary mentality. The force was actually an alliance of some kind.”

His memories were clearing, his mind was growing stronger. Then he turned to Samtha. “You were once part of the GeniusThirteen!”

She nodded. “Thanks partly to you I am returning to full existence. Samsha, and Sampha, were also part of the GeniusThirteen.”

Yes, they were no longer just extensions of himself. That was welcoming for his comrades were returning and he needed more independent assistance.

Other: “My sensors are picking up something most dangerous that is approaching. Yes, I am now able to assist you more directly. You are now able to use your first Fategamedisks to allow you to spin the Fatewheel (that is in the Fatedomain).”

A massive clay-flesh golem came lumbering into the chamber. This one was not failing at all but was full charged with dark magical energies. The group spread out and begun unleashing projectiles and energies against it. The great brutal quasiliving entity shuddered under the onslaught and began to crumble.

Swarms of fast moving, deadly golemites came rushing towards the group. They were careful not to get too close to the golem that had no care of them. The golemites swarmed with speed, and agility, lacking in those that had come from the fake barrels.

They fought hard but were driven back against a wall. Samson unleashed bolts of energies that he did not know he could, until that moment of remembering. Patty Vandis used her staff and her experience backed skills with amazing impact. Guns thundered. Grenades were hurled. The great golem fell and smashed many golemites beneath itself.

The fighting ended abruptly but some soldiers were wounded, along with a couple of battlemages. The group had to pause in the chamber while they were safely taken back to the surface and fresh reinforcements were gained. For reasons, unknown to Samson, the Fatevator did not open into the chamber.

Some of the group examined the stuff in the great chamber, seeking information on exactly what the Darkjovers had been doing and clues that might lead them to the target temple with more safety and efficiency. They found a large map of underground areas but it was only the local area, as large as that was, and did not show the way to the temple except with some arrows.

But it was in that chamber that Samson found some well preserved secret document scrolls, themselves in a courier satchel. It was here he discovered the first evidence that the Foremale Estateclan had not been so innocent in its relationship to the Darkjovers.

[Maharg67]

For some odd reason I failed to post all of '55' posts at the same time. Here is the 3^rd and last post of '55'.

 

EverEpic One 55.3(117)

“I am not surprised, or shocked, but am disappointed.” Samson stood looking at one of the documents while Scully examined another. The others were seeking for documents like them or anything else of usefulness. “The story of the Foremale Kingdom was one that had inconsistencies about it, especially after I began intensive background research. The indications here, in the courier's documents, are that the 'kingdom' was a semiautonomous front to the Darkjovers and that the Darkjover take over of the Foremale Kingdom was mostly a fabrication, a false story. Yet I 'sensed' no falsehood in my mother when she spoke of such matters with me.”

Scully shook her head, just a little. “Before I came here, to the Estatelands, I thought the UIC history and society to be complicated; compared to your histories, your ways, they appear to be most simple.”

“The United Independent Citystates is a new civilisation compared to the Estatelands. Our history is both longer and has had more forces to contend with, both internal and external.” He smiled at Scully. “I spent some decades in the UIC. Indeed I helped to found the UIC under the name of Ronald Abram, first president of the UIC. I have heard Citystaters have built a big temple like structure for me though I asked that this not be done.”

Scully looked at him in amazement. “I went there as a child. Citystaters see you as being a legendary character.”

“Not me, not the true President Ronald Abram who was far from perfect. No, they want a mythological figure to strengthen their spirit and so let them have it.” He frowned as he examined another document. “Too much here, understanding wise, depends of knowledge outside of the documents that we lack. Yet it hints at some kind of connection that...”

Patty Vandis came up to the pair and spoke with some concern expressed in the tone of her voice. “The newly made golem, and golemites, were created by a truly skilled and powerful alchemist-mage. Darkjover ways were used but with some enhancements and refinements that made the golems, and golemites, more dangerous.”

“Samkie, yes it 'smells' of my clone-sister Samkie!” Samson knew that Samvil lacked the patience to learn such things and preferred other means to get what he wanted, what ever that was at the moment; Samvil was not much into long term planning. “Samkie is trying to delay me getting to the secret Darkjover temple beneath the Brownlingo Estate but why? Does she want to access the place herself, first, for some reason? She used a good deal of resources to make those golemites, and that massive golem, so she really wants to delay us. We need to get to the temple quicker.”

Then they found a way of quite odd, and interesting, nature.

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 56.1(118)

Samson, in TriImperiarna, was moving quickly and was able to pick up information from groups that he met and sent to the Fatesanctim. Now he could send lifeforms, and things, to the Fatetorium by simply having them vanish. This could only work one way because of certain forces at work in the super city and the way they were reflecting off each other.

He was starting to pick up odd contradictions in what he learned. Young unityfolk, that he sent to the Fatesanctim, were also aware of the same oddities but others seemed oblivious to it.

When the cloned TriLegionaries, and other elites clone-linked to the TriImperiate, vanished suddenly to leave behind a partly destroyed cityscape, he was somehow not taken by surprise. It was as if he knew, somehow, in the back of his mind that something like that was going to happen.

He sat on a park bench close to the crashed, semi-wreckage, of a supersonic jumpjet. Survivors were starting to emerge from underground areas and took items from the many supplies he had materialised in the park. People were picking berries from bushes, putting up tents and consuming both food and drink on laid out blankets. Non cloned TriLegionaries stood there, just a handful of them, on watchful sentry duty.

He had wanted to confront one of those other hybrids, that were generally like himself, but had failed to do so. For the moment he found himself being unsure what to do next.

Then he vanished, abruptly, with a sparkling shimmer. He was taken totally by surprise and then he was gone.

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 57.1(119)

Gunfire could be heard from the direction of Hopeville but it did not come from there. Recently dead people had risen, as shambling zombies, from a graveyard. Instructions to put a spike into the brains of dead folk, preventing them from becoming zombies, had been ignored. From then on people would be heavily fined, or even be imprisoned, for ignoring such instructions.

Samson looked out over the Foremale Estate, from which he would soon be leaving in order to go to the Clanroyal Castle Estate. In the semidarkness he could see the flickering lights, of bonfires made by powerful summoned demonic entities, and other lights of angelic entities. They were fighting each other with demonic, and angelic, powers. Thankfully the effected area was quite small.

Samson, in TriImperiarna, had been abducted somehow and the 'other Samsons' had suffered short term agony and a longer term weakening. There was now a Samson in the Foremale Estate, one in the Fatedomain, one trying to get into the massive underground fortress, one trying to reach the temple where Samson had gone through horrors at the age of ten and the one who was mysteriously gone.

The Domnilands, that bordered the Hopelands and had done so way back as part of the TripleEmpire, was busy cutting off the Hopelands in fear trouble would go their way. So far they had avoided such happenings as people returning to life, almost as if they had never died, the rising of zombies from recently killed folk, the materialising of strange entities and so forth. They had sent some assistance but not much compared to what they could have given to their neighbours. That was no surprise since there had been many bloody border skirmishes, and battles, between Darklanders and Domnilanders. There were still many strongly negative feelings left over from those events, on both sides.

Jack Harkness walked into the semi-enclosed top of the guard tower and stood looking out over the estate and beyond. As usual the tall, darkly handsome man wore his long coat. He spoke after a moment. “You expected me to come here and yet I came here on impulse.”

Samson nodded. “That is how it works for both of us, Jack, as you know. Your destiny led you to be here, now, because of your antinatural state of death immunity. Somehow you are part of the solution to what is taking place. I have no clear idea, now, of what your part is but I do not even a clear idea of my own function is in what is going on.”

He went on. “The TriImperiate has vanished from TriImperiarna, along with their clone-linked hybrid followers. The TriImperium is struggling back into full existence, in the super city, but already there is conflict between it and the TriImperial Factions in NewImperiarna. I am starting to accept, to remember, that the TriImperiarna were planning to carry out some kind of insane plane of survival against a great monstrous threat. They have done so in over haste and I believe they did so because they 'sensed' the approach of the threat. That 'threat' has something to do with what is happening deeply beneath TriImperiarna.”

“The TripleMadness!” Jack Harkness responded with a kind of grim grin. “My picked up on the term some years ago but never did find out what it meant; the person I was meant to get the information from, at high cost, vanished before we could meet. He was taken by TriImperial elite, of the elite, assassins.”