Black Hole: The Book of Iratus, Episode 72

Chapter 711

Iratus and Salvos walked up to the cabin door, but the antfolk woman shut the door on them, leaving them out in the obsidian forest of dim lights.

Salvos: "Maybe she is just some random stranger in this place?"

Iratus: "You seemed to think she was our ally being hunted earlier, and regardless if she isn't, no matter who is in here, we have to help them."

Salvos: "I wasn't saying not to abandon her; I just wanted to point out that she does not seem friendly."

Iratus: "She shot at the ebony. That is more than enough evidence she isn't against us."

The wolfman shrugged.

Salvos: "Or we were a convenient ally at the time. If she is armed, then it could be dangerous to walk up to the door."

The mouse boy tilted his head.

Iratus: "Now you are weary of new people?"

Salvos: "Only because she is armed with guns and we are not."

The cabin door opened back up. The green-skinned and exoskeleton-clad antfolk was looking at the pair with suspicious eyes. She hugged her cloak a little closer as she examined Iratus and the wolfman.

Antfolk: "Strangers, who art thou?"

Salvos was a bit surprised, but Iratus introduced the two of them while the ant woman gave her own name, Pertinax. The antfolk woman's voice wasn't normal, with each word carrying an echo, making her voice sound like a siren's song.

Pertinax: "I did hear thee both from without these blackened cabin walls—indeed, I heard the words ye did conjure, foul as any ill rumor, spoken plain before me."

Iratus: "Silver hell."

Salvos: "She is worse than Ignis."

Pertinax: "Ah, I should have known ye could not bear the weight of mine own words. Very well, I shall endeavor to speak... more thusly."

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Chapter 712

Salvos: "Can we come in because there is a bloodthirsty monster out here and we are all exposed?"

Pertinax waved them in; the cabin was basically the same inside as outside, with the walls being pitch black with some bit of glow radiating from it. The ant woman directed him and his friend towards the wall, and she lowered her hood, letting her red hair cascade down her back.

Pertinax: "Surely this is more familiar to your tongue, yes? Regardless, I cannot yet be certain that you are no threat, so I ask that the two of you keep your distance until I have judged your true intent."

Iratus: "Yaqar bribed us with knowledge, uh, of something yet to come."

Salvos: "And I said it was a bad idea dealing with something that calls itself the Sin Lord of Greed."

Pertinax: "I see. I was prepared to object, but knowledge of the future is one thing it has never sought to hoard."

Iratus: "As opposed to hoarding knowledge in the past?"

The ant woman gave a sigh.

Pertinax: "The AI spurned my every attempt to glean the historical knowledge I sought, instead showering me with its absurd ramblings and nonsensical tales."

Salvos: "Actually, the AI isn’t insane. It wanted to be popular and loved, and apparently, the most popular AIs act quirky and a bit insane, probably because of movies and stuff, so that’s why it behaves like that."

Pertinax: "Confounded programmers! When will they ever learn? One ought not to create such AIs."

Iratus: "I’m still not entirely certain what an AI is, but it seems more like a program than true intelligence."

Pertinax: "Perhaps. But any program possessing the knowledge of millennia across countless civilizations on a hundred planets or more could well be mistaken for true intelligence."

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Chapter 713

Salvos: "Wait, I am sensing a pattern. It won't give up any historical information?"

Pertinax: "Correct."

Iratus: "Same. Do you think it is called greed because it hoards the wealth of historical knowledge?"

Salvos: "At least that."

There was a pause in the conversation as everyone took drinks from their canteens or ate some rations. Iratus was the first to sit down, with Salvos and Pertinax following right after, and each felt the discomfort of the metallic black poles left grooves in the floor that were almost painful to sit on; standing or walking on them was already bad enough.

Pertinax: "The machine bribed thee, did it not? What mission did it set for thee, and what payment did it offer?"

Iratus: "As I mentioned, the knowledge of the future. Yaqar claims that another settlement will wage war upon us, so I want all the information it can give to stop it."

Pertinax: "How could it know such things?"

Salvos: "Smart programs can predict the future pretty easily. Where I come from, they could even figure out if a woman was pregnant before she knew, just based on her search history."

Pertinax: "Utterly disturbing."

Iratus: "Lastly, the machine demands that I slay the ebony beast out there. Only then will I receive my payment."

The ant woman’s mood shifted suddenly, overjoyed.

Pertinax: "Praise the Lord! He has delivered heroes to my aid."

Salvos: "The power of prayer—getting two idiots trapped in a death tower."

Pertinax: "At least He delivered."

Iratus: "So, the ebony beast is hunting you? Why?"

Pertinax: "I know not. It has pursued me for days. I sought refuge here, hoping I could find some advantage, perhaps bottleneck it... but now I am trapped within this cabin."

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Chapter 714

Everyone stood back up, and Salvos opened the door and stretched out his senses while the other two waited.

Iratus (whispering): "Is there truly nothing that sets you apart from others who live in Nexus Prime?"

Pertinax (whispering back): "Nexus Prime? What is that? Is that the name of this planet?"

Salvos closed the door, a disappointed look crossing his face.

Iratus: "Nexus Prime is a vast space station, large enough to contain small stars and many planets."

Pertinax: "I do not think physics operates in such a manner."

Salvos: "This space station is... unique. From what we understand, it harvests reality itself from a large black hole."

Pertinax: "I do not think physics works in that way either."

Iratus: "Or perhaps we speak of technology far beyond our understanding."

Pertinax: "I do not think you grasp what I mean. What material could possibly endure the immense gravitational forces and stresses—both from the station’s own mass and the celestial bodies it contains? And how would you control the gravitational interactions between the station and the planets? It would be utter chaos. How do you maintain their orbits?"

Iratus: "Well, for one, there are no orbits. The planets are all halves, like domes, fitted in place and rotating around a miniature star. My friend says only a handful of planets are within a single room, and there are likely thousands of rooms, each containing one to four planets."

The antfolk woman clearly struggled to comprehend the information, visibly stressed before continuing.

Pertinax: "Alright, sure. But how does all of this function? The energy requirements alone would be beyond comprehension for such a station."

Salvos: "They have several stars at their disposal already. I’m certain they have no shortage of power."

Pertinax: "The scale is too vast—managing the size, the construction, the heat generated, and who knows what else. It surpasses what I can accept as reality."

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Chapter 715

Iratus: "Uh, okay. Let’s... get back on track. I just wanted to know if there was anything that sets you apart from the rest of us."

Pertinax: "Impossible. My time here has been brief—not yet a full year. I spent over two hundred days among my own kind before tragedy drove us into the arms of our neighbor, Purple City."

Iratus and Salvos exchanged surprised looks, causing the ant woman to pause for a moment.

Pertinax: "But... another cataclysmic event struck, placing the city under the rule of a new leader—a bloodthirsty one at that."

Iratus: "Wow... Can you spare a moment to tell us more about what happened?"

Salvos glanced toward the door, looking as if he might protest, but remained silent, waiting for Pertinax to continue.

Pertinax: "Beings born of clay seized control. They entered and, with their words alone, sowed discord throughout the city. When we gathered to decide the future of Purple City, these man-things took power, despite the people's protests, and swiftly began altering laws and customs. As dissent grew, they called it treason and began rounding up the people. By the time I escaped my prison, they had already executed the others."

Iratus: "God... I’m sorry for your loss."

Pertinax: "Though I did not know most of them well, it was still a shock to witness such slaughter."

She paused, sighing softly.

Pertinax: "Yet, as in ancient times, God has delivered me once again, sending wards to protect me."

Salvos: "He saved you... by sending us?" His tone was more questioning than certain.

Pertinax: "Precisely. I have full faith that we will endure this trial."

Iratus: "Let’s not celebrate before we’ve crossed the finish line. First, we need a plan."

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Chapter 716

Half an hour passed before the three nodded their heads in agreement.

Iratus: "Let's roll."

Salvos: "Thanks for putting your trust in us."

Pertinax: "There may still linger a seed of doubt, but I now have faith this was meant to be."

Iratus: "That, and I’m sure you knew my settlement was nearby."

Pertinax: "Uh, no. I had no idea your people were here."

The group walked and talked, passing several small rooms and heading for the back door.

Iratus: "Excuse me? Didn't Esca Windtail and Proditio Blackmane tell you about us?"

Pertinax: "What? You met them?"

Iratus and Salvos both nodded.

Pertinax: "When they returned, everything had already descended into chaos. Save for a few, I don't believe their reports ever reached the rest—most were imprisoned by then."

Salvos: "Ah, you were fortunate to escape this way."

Pertinax: "It was the only unmapped path. Any other would have been far too perilous."

They reached the backdoor, and everyone got in position. Pertinax opened the door, and Iratus and Salvos rushed out as quietly as they could. The ant girl followed and closed the door gently as the other two hugged the wall towards the side.

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Chapter 717

The ant girl mostly watched behind the pair as they readied themselves for a fight. Suddenly Yaqar's voice came over some sort of loud speaker. 

Yaqar: "Alright, COW FACE, you guys are finally making your move!" His voice was distant. "Here, I'll try to help."

He made the sound of someone clearing their throat, but in a monotone kind of way.

Yaqar: "Good job team, WE are about to launch our HIDDEN COVE UP THE RIVER attack. You guys are walking out the front door as we speak and most certainly not going out the back door, WINK. This full frontal attack will IT'S YOUR MONEY!"

Iratus sighed, shaking his head.

Iratus: "What a useless machine."

Salvos: "Are we sure it isn't trying to kill us on purpose?"

Iratus: "It isn't like our plan isn't obvious since we can't really sneak up on an invisible creature. His action does not affect us in the short run."

Iratus looked out the obsidian forest and looked for any clues on the ebony, watching carefully the ground. Even if the foot prints erased themselves, they stayed long enough to be spotted. 

Salvos: "Also, we don't know if it can even understand our language."

Pertinax (whispering): "Do your part."

The wolfman gave a slight scowl but quickly shook his head and then concentrated, taking in a deep breath and stretching out his hearing and smelling to the best that he could. A few minutes passed with nothing happening, which made Pertinax start to twitch in nervousness, and Iratus himself was growing overly board. He turned his head towards the tower walls. There were not many black rods around it, and there wasn't even a lot of room to sneak around, but Iratus gave it a sweep through regardless. Suddenly Iratus felt a spark of fear, as if static was running through his fur and getting stronger.

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Chapter 718

Salvos stood straight up as he turned his attention to the back wall.

Salvos calmly: "It's here."

Iratus: "At our backs. Plan B."

Hearing that, Pertinax quickly ran forward and passed Iratus towards the front door, followed by Iratus and Salvos bringing up the rear.

At the far corner, Pertinax turned around with her old-time rifle at the ready, and when the two men passed her, they grabbed at their own ears with the wolfman yelling, "Fire!". 

The ant woman paused for a second but opened fire regardless, sending out a volley of bullets randomly down the trail they left. Two bullets seemed to have cracked the air itself or rather struck the ebony, who was still invisible. Salvos kept running and vanished inside the cabin. 

The clang of chains rang out, and the goat-skinned monster appeared with a lantern and bone club at the ready. The ant woman was ready, fleeing towards the cabin, with Iratus left alone for a few seconds to dodge and weave the incoming attacks. Iratus was forced to get close to avoid an attack, but once he was next to the ebony, it used its weight to tackle Iratus and push him down. Iratus was srambling to get away with another gunshot from the antfolk tore into the torso or the creature, which only stunned it for half a second before it slapped its club against the mouse boy's butt as he got up from being prone. 

Iratus managed to get into the doorway with Pertinax at the black staircase, and he looked around to barely see the dining table, also obsidian, and two missing chairs. Iratus smiled and turned to the ebony, who was already about to thrust its club at him. 

Iratus: "So fast!"

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Chapter 719

Iratus was flung backwards into the cabin but managed to twist his body to claw his way back to standing while the ebony walked into the cabin. With that, Pertinax finished running up the stairs, and Iratus ran after her, and with his first step on the stairs, the obsidian-like material cracked and buckled under him. Iratus tried to use the wooden support to cling onto, but it cracked and nearly fell out of place. Iratus quickly recovered and ran swiftly and not with all his strength, which seemed to help him walk up the stairs, and once he got to the top, the ebony was starting to walk up, but it had much more trouble with each step sinking it into the wood material. Iratus hunched down and moved the attic of the cabin until he reached and opened the hatch where Pertinax was waiting. 

Once Iratus climbed through, the ant girl closed the hatch, and the two went to where the front door was, where Salvos had already propped a chair against it.

Pertinax: "Remember, this won’t hold the beast for long—the whole structure is brittle."

Iratus: "I’ll say. I’m still shocked it chased us all this way."

Pertinax: "I had other hiding places before I was forced to make a stand here. It seems it won’t commit to a full-on assault with all three of us together."

Salvos: "Too bad we’ve been together the whole time, ha!"

Suddenly, banging erupted from above, spurring the two into action. Iratus jumped, rolling as he hit the ground, while Pertinax clambered down, pushing off in an awkward but determined leap.

Pertinax: "Oof!"

The banging then shifted to the side of the cabin, near the roof, and within seconds the wall burst apart. The ebony creature crashed to the ground face first, only to bounce back up with unnatural strength.

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Chapter 720

Pertinax: "The cabin!"

Salvos: "We’ve locked ourselves out of it!"

Iratus: "The chair at the back!"

Iratus looked around for the others, only to see they were already fleeing toward the stairs leading downward in the tower.

Iratus: "That’s plan E! Why are you heading that way?"

But he didn’t waste time standing around, as the ebony creature moved with unsettling speed, forcing the mouse boy to run with all his strength.

Once he reached the stairway, he saw the other two struggling to keep up.

Iratus: "What’s wrong?" He was breathing heavily, too.

Salvos: "We’ve been on the move all day. I’m not at my best."

Pertinax: "I’ve had scarce any sleep. That beast hunted me for five days, so I too am far from my best."

The sound of chains rang out, and the ebony appeared next to the ant girl who had enough time to flee before the first strike, the lag between it appearing and striking quite noticeable to Iratus. He followed the ant down the ant girl down the stairs while Salvos held up his spear, striking the monster, but it did not stop and forced the wolfman backwards until he fell down onto the stairs with the ebony stepping over him to reach Pertinax and Iratus.

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EPISDOE 72: END

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Episode 72 End Character Sheet
Name: Iratus Lionheart
Species: Mousefolk
Age: 16
Coverings: blonde fur, white gambeson (many repairs, some leather patchwork), leather gloves, tactical vest, tailorcraft backpack, leather plate helmet, delicate gold chain with a small pendant shaped like a lion's glare, flashlight, bronze breastplate
Weapons: long sword, 3 knifes, short sword, hammer, 1 dagger
Equipment: belt, belt bag, water skin, leathercraft backpack, 2 bags, 5 copper coins, 1 small silver bricks, 20 silver coins, 30 gold coins

Wounds: few minor bruises

Relevant Community Stash: a fire starter, whetstone, several leather items, 2 glass jar, 12 bottles, 1 fish net, primitive sewing kit, a bunch of small wooden figures, wooden dice, metal scrap, lots of rusted metal, several small fish nets, sextant, some bedrolls, a tent, a large barrel, writing material, 68 cloaks and other clothing materials, some fabrics, 4 carts, 4 stitched tents, skin drum, beautiful arts of tropical scenery, floatation devices, wildlife figures, lots of tropical clothing, gas generator, four flood lights

Armory: 32 short swords, 33 knifes, 19 daggers, 23 metal spears, 4 arming swords, 4 long swords, 2 extra gambeson, semi-automatic rifle (no ammo), 3 hunting traps, 5 snares, 12 backpacks, 3 katanas, 3 short katanas, crossbow, several pounds of C4
Aestus: gambeson, bronze breastplate, leather helmet, metal spear, 2 knives, short sword, bronze long sword.
Victoria: bronze breastplate, gambeson, leather helmet, metal spear, short sword, crossbow, 2 daggers, flashlight
Resonanita: steel breastplate, gambeson, metal helmet, metal spear, short sword, 1 knife, compound bow, flashlight
Ignis: bronze breastplate, gambeson, leather helmet, metal spear, crowbar, 1 knife

Treasure: 13 copper coins, 2 silver coins 12 iron coins, a tarnished silver brooch, a small ornamental figurine, a few antfolk tapestries, some antfolk art, bronze lantern, bronze idol, some jeweled trinkets, iron lantern

Home Base, Tower: Large Storage Area (many crates, clay pots, and wooden chests), Basic Workshop Area (lots of tools, woodcarving tools, glue, sandpaper), Kitchen Area (many tools, many cutlery items, pots&pans, makeshift grill), Library, Armory, Infirmary Room (surgery tools, first aid kit, plenty of medicine and equipment), Children's Quarters, Master Bedroom (proper bedding, sensual antfolk sculpture), Six Bedrooms (proper bedding), four portable solar panels

Outside Base: Butchering Hut (modern butchery kit, smoking rack), Tannery Hut, Underground Storage Area, Garden Area (fenced in), Tool Shed (fishing gear and supplies, trowel, woodcutting axe, woodworking tools, lots of rope, rope ladder, plows, hoes, sickles, rakes, shovels, scythes, chisels, anvils), Wooden Wall, Small Cabin (Venatio), Large Cabin (Winter Winds), Large Cabin (Dark Sky Family), Gravestone, Rabbit Hutches.

Books: 3x woodworking books, weathered leather-bound journal, war game booklet, sketch book (from warband), Bathhouse Reviewers (entire 80 book series), cards, Fractura's Notes, Tempestas's Notes, 12 survival guides, 3 technical manuals, 46 fiction novels, 11 encyclopedias, 4 dictionaries, 22 cookbooks, 2 gardening guides, 3 crafting books, 20 educational textbooks, 5 religious texts, 4 diaries, 12 children's books

Year 2, Day 106

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TOWER FOLK:
Iratus of House Lionheart
mouse, male, blonde fur, blonde hair, gold eyes, 6'6, age: 16, b day: 350
-
Victoria Mother of House Lionheart
raccoon, female, gray fur, black hair, brown eyes, 6'3, age: 16, b day: 5
-
Aestus of clan Riversinger
otter, female, red fur, red hair, blue eyes, 6'2, age: 16, b day: 99, (preg 111 days)
-
Ignis Yang
red panda, female, reddish-brown/white fur, black hair, golden eye, 6'4, age: 16, b day: 344, (preg 11 days)
-
Resonantia Diamond Heart Steel
shark, female, blue-gray hue skin, white hair, blue eyes, 6'5, age: 16, b day: 2, (preg 138 days)
---

CHILDREN:
Negligere Lionheart
shark, male, steel gray skin, white hair, gold eyes, age: 1, b day: 2
-
Ruina Lionheart
otter, female, orange fur, vibrant orange hair, blue eyes, age: 1, b day: 330
-
Gula Lionheart
red panda, male, brown fur, dark brown hair, gold eyes, age: 1, b day: 340
-
Tenacitas Lionheart
raccoon, female, silver fur, dark blonde hair, amber eyes, age: 1, b day: 345

Frustra Lionheart
raccoon, male, gray fur, blonde hair, gold eyes, age: 0, b day: 338
---

NEIGHBORS:
Venatio of Wise Storms, Mother of House Black Jewel
fox, female, red fur, red hair, brown eyes, 6'6, age: 72, b day: 299
---

WINTER WINDS CLAN:
Studium of Winter Winds
fox, male, gray fur, black hair, blue eyes, 5'8, age 13, b day: 190

Fuligo Leaf Shadow
otter, female, black fur, blonde hair, blue eyes, 5'6, age 13, b day: 245, (preg 40 days)

Bellum of House War Knuckles
cheetah, female, blonde fur, blonde hair, blue eyes, 6'0, age 15, b day: 91, (preg 76 days)
---

DARK SKY FAMILY:
Salvos Dark Sky
wolf, male, black fur, white hair, copper eyes, 6'8, age 27, b day: 66

Leitmotif Schlange
snake, female, yellow and red scales, naga bodied, gold  eyes, age 24, b day: 229, (preg 151 days)

---

(farm)
UMBRA OCEAN FAMILY:
Procella Ocean Drinker
weasel , female, blonde fur, black hair, green eyes, 6'5, age 22, b day: 207, (preg 55 days)

Iter of Sanguinem Umbra
goat, male, white fur, blonde hair, brown eyes, 6'7, age 20, b day: 334
---

(farm)
THE COBALTS:
Commercium Jade Blue Cobalt
rabbit, male, white fur, black hair, gray eyes, 6'8, age: 25, b day: 221

-
Abrasione
hyena, female, tan fur, blonde hair, gold eyes, 6'5, age: 20, b day: 4, (preg 194 days)

-
Kuxatura
hyena, male, tan fur, black hair, gold eyes, age: 1, b day: 284

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LAST MISTAKE
Deficio
lion, male, gray fur, rich gray hair, green eyes, 6'6, age: 46, b day: 111

Confodere Oculi Acuti
hyena, male, dark brown fur, black hair, gold eyes, 6'9, age 26, b day: 239

Malignitas of House Brokensand
feline, male, light black fur, light black hair, brown eyes (single eye), 6'7, age 29, b day: 343