Black Hole: The Book of Iratus, Episode 51

Chapter 501

Iratus blinks and remembers the day. It started with the assault on the crashed ship—a spaceship, no doubt, and one from the outside. Iratus and the rest of the group fought pale walkers, ashborns, and rescued four prisoners from their clutches.

After those events, Iratus, Salvos, Leitmotif, Venatio, Deficio, and Commercium are down in the summoners tower and have unlocked the pod in the bottommost part of the building. Before the group, was a robot that was stepping out of the pod. Their flashlights revealed a robot that looked like it was wearing a suit of armor, thin and form-fitting with yellow details. The machine even had a helmet-looking head with a face plate.

The old fox woman and the lion priest, Venatio and Deficio, didn't seem to be shocked at all; if anything, they had quite a defiant expression on their faces. The rabbit man and the naga woman, Commercium and Leitmotif, were confused and not sure what they were looking at. Salvos looked like he was trying to mentally figure things out, but he wasn't too shocked by the appearance of this machine. Finally, Iratus tried to imagine all the vivid explanations from Venatio about robots, and now that he sees one, his ideas are shattered.

The party backup was a mix of panic and bravery in the face of such a thing. The robot stopped as it finished walking out of the pod and looked around. Everyone was clutching their winter gear because the cold down in this place was extremely cold, and they waited for the machine to speak. After a few seconds, Venatio's expression changed.

Venatio: "Can you understand us? Bot?"

The machine continued to look around, now more quizzically. Iratus also took another look around as well, but besides the pod, the room was just an empty concrete room with nothing inside of it.

Iratus: "Robot thing, how are you? Robots can be smart, right?"

Venatio: "We have long since outlawed advanced AI. I can't say how far something like this could go. It could be smart, simple, or plain non-functional in intellect."

The machine started to raise his arm, and the whirling sound of heated air filled the room. Everyone put their hands forward and was saying woh woh woh.

In response, the machine slowly lowered its arm and finally spoke.

Machine: "Ah, it is this language." His voice was like if a normal person were speaking through a microphone through a helmet, though his tone was on the line of being monotone.

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Chapter 502

Iratus: "Weird. So it isn't alive?"

Machine: "I am standing right here."

Iratus: "Uh, I mean..."

There was a pause as everyone looked at the robot with blank expressions.

Machine: "Change of topic. Now that I am free to return to my duty, I must start by asking you intruders to leave this building."

Salvos: "You're welcome, by the way."

Machine: "Acknowledged, now remove yourselves from the premises."

Iratus crossed his arms.

Iratus: "Can you at least answer some of our questions? We did free you."

The robot thought about it for a few seconds.

Machine: "Troublesome. Fine, but be quick. Every word you speak takes you five minutes to complete, and this pains me."

Immediately, Venatio spoke.

Venatio: "Who are you? What do you do?"

Machine: "You may call me Warden."

Iratus: "Ah, Warden? Literally, or does it mean something different in your language?"

Machine: "I am the Warden of Nexus Prime. It is my title, my purpose."

Iratus: "Okay, but how about a name to call you?"

The machine gave a sigh.

Machine: "Fine, call me Karish."

Commercium: "Why that name?"

Karish: "A day came when someone asked me my name. In my office, deep under the waters, sharks swim all the time around it, and I watch them through the glass. I found a certain affinity with the sharks that I watched and thus took their name. Also, this group is really wasting their questions on irrelevant things, and so I ask all of you to get back on track."

Commercium: "You may find these questions useless, but I don't."

Iratus: "We don't."

Karish: "If you say so, as for what I do, I make sure no deviancy happens within our people. Not creativity or free thoughts, but against the cores of our charters. In other words, I arrest criminals. I am their warden, and I ensure that this space station operates without fail."

Venatio: "And you're doing a great job."

Karish: "I understand sarcasm. I assume the thirteen sin lords are still active."

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Chapter 503

Venatio: "What can you tell us about them? They are our enemies; surely they are yours too. We are on the same side."

Karish: "Souls in the visage of logic and reason are intruders in our home. Uninvited!" He gave a stern finger wag at Venatio. "I tolerate you organics, but make no mistake, you are all criminals to me."

The robot got back into a neutral pose and continued.

Karish: "My information about the sin lords is nearly useless for all I know if they appeared one day and have always eaten away at our home. I don't even know if they are people or ideas. However, we are aware of thirteen sin lords."

Iratus: "I know you said thirteen previously, but thirteen?"

Karish gave a single node.

Karish: "I don't have all their names, so which monsters have you seen?"

The old fox woman still had her defiant look this whole time and continued to do so.

Venatio: "Treeskins, Edax Examina, Ashborn, uh, all the born creatures, metalheads, gray masks, puppets, shadow people, numb walkers, ebonies, and I don't know if this one counts, but holograms as well."

Karish: "Ebonies?"

Iratus took a minute to explain the creatures.

Karish: "They sound like pale imitations of the sin lord of lust. What we have are the treeskins of Ruin, the edax examina of Gluttony, the ashborn of Change, the metalheads of Idleness, the gray masks of Dictatorship, the puppets of Envy, the shadows of Falsehoods, the holograms of Pride, the numb walkers of Wastefulness, the giants of Wrath, the digital virus of Greed, the mists of Hate, and the stalker Lust."

Salvos: "Broken chains, man, how are we supposed to fix this mess?"

Karish had been moving and expressing himself like a normal person would; even turning to look at another person was natural. He gave pauses and spoke relatively similarly to how everyone else was. It would have been uncanny if not for the helmet-looking head, making it look like a person in a suit of armor was speaking.

Karish: "You don't. Just continue living and let us fix our home."

Venatio: "You are one of the people who summon others here, aren't you?"

Karish: "We have long since lost such an ability. We may maintain the ability to manipulate a few aspects of what is summoned here, but each individual is usually here at random."

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Chapter 504

Karish: "Time is wasting, and I wish to get back to my duties."

Iratus: "Hold on. Why were you in this pod? What are you planning on doing?"

Karish: "I was imprisoned because I refused to vote on a certain topic. My authority was needed to commit various actions to retake Nexus Prime, and I said no because giving away my authority was against my purpose. The fools labeled me a traitor, used the masses to take away my authority, and left me to rot in prison. Lucky for them, my top priority is retaking this space station."

Karish started to move for the door, with everyone else moving out of the way.

Iratus: "Uh, can we help you? Fixing this place, I mean?"

Karish stopped for a second to turn to face Iratus.

Karish: "Stay alive. It is that simple."

Iratus: "Even if we are criminals, huh?"

Karish: "It's a crime too insignificant for me to care. At least for now."

Venatio, "One more question. Who is Data Error?"

Karish: "Is he still using that pen name?" He sighed, even though he was a machine, showing how clearly he knew how to communicate with living beings. "Look upon me and realize those who live here are like me, all machines and all trying to find a way to retake our home. Shu'al is his name, and I still don't regret being neutral in his case. Regardless, if I didn't already have an important job, I'd have joined his faction, for it is the most likely to save everyone."

Karish turned back around to continue walking away.

Karish: "No more questions; one second lost is one too many. Leave with me now."

After he left, the party was stunned for a few seconds before Venatio, Deficio, and Iratus followed behind the machine. During the travel, several drones would come by, and the first time it happened, the party would act in a hostile way, but Karish merely held out his arm, and the drone connected to it and eventually left. Many drones came by to attach to Karish, and it seemed like he was downloading information from them or something.

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Chapter 505

Once the party left the tower, Karish turned to the party.

Karish: "The keycards, please." He held out his hand.

Iratus gave a frown before handing over the two keycards he had.

Karish: "Thank you and good luck out there."

The machine turned and headed back inside the tower, with the rest of the party watching before turning to each other.

 Commercium: "That was the craziest thing I have ever experienced."

Salvos: "I doubt anyone else in this space station has had this experience or gained this knowledge."

Iratus saw the lion and the fox woman in deep thought.

Iratus: "Do you two have thoughts?"

Venatio: "We have heard rumors from where I'm from. Everything is now falling into place when it comes to puzzle pieces."

Deficio: "I have also been met with many secrets of the Nexus Prime. The history is a dull tale of machines that began the construction of this station and were replaced by caretakers. I guess they were replaced with better machines."

Iratus: "The hells? You didn't think about sharing that before?"

Venatio: "I forgot about that story. We have never had any evidence for that random bit of information, so everyone gave up on it."

Iratus: "You too, Venatio?"

Venatio: "There are a lot of stories found here that I have shared as we lived together. This one slipped through, but like I said, no evidence, no reason to take it seriously."

Leitmotif: "The sheer amount of information you people have. I am beyond baffled by what that thing even is, and yet here you all are, just acting like it is normal."

Iratus, "I've long since stopped being shocked at all the weird things that happen around here."

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Chapter 506

Day 98 came with the tower folk, and Venatio sat around their table. The first person they sat down with was the cheetah.

Iratus: "Bellum, right?"

Bellum: "Correct, and I'd like to thank you again for saving me from those monsters. I only wish the others were still alive."

Iratus: "Yeah, I wish we knew about your group sooner too."

Victoria: "As I say a lot, sometimes things are out of our control."

Venatio gave a cough.

Venatio: "Anyways, we here are fine with letting you live with us for some time. We just want to know what your future plans are and if we can trust you to live here."

The cheetah girl sighed, but then her expression changed as Aestus sat a plate of food in front of her. This girl was fourteen years old, blonde-furred, blonde-haired, and she had blue eyes. She and all the other prisoners were given clothes to wear, with the cheetah girl now wearing a white, girly, pricy dress mixed with working clothes.

Bellum: "I don't have any plans. I don't even have a home. I barely know those other guys, and I don't even know what this place is. Your group talks about giant space stations and robots, and I have no idea what any of that is. I'm...just so lost."

Victoria, "What is your view on living with us?"

Bellum: "What do you mean? Isn't this like a village or something? I don't know your nation, but I am more than willing to put my effort into it and make it my own."

She looked at Iratus.

Bellum: "If a kinsman lives here, then it must be a good place."

Resonantia, "She will need a long debriefing."

Iratus: "Then you can live with us, but you must understand that we don't know you yet, so we might be pinch-guarded. Tell us a little bit about yourself."

Bellum very nerviously: "I worked with my family in the fields. I am a farmhand, through and through, to the point that even I could run the family farm—maybe not the House farm because that's a big place. I ended up here about thirty days ago, I think. I've struggled so hard to find empty towns to pilfer from and to live in with literal, actual monsters coming out of nowhere! I don't want to talk about what happened or how those pale things were transforming the others into more of their kind. I didn't have much time to talk to the others, but I'd like to think I built up some amount of comradery. I just want a place to be safe at this point. I noticed you have a garden, and I would be honored to work it for a stipend."

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Chapter 507

The conversation wasn't too different with the weaselfolk woman. She was slightly shorter than a normal adult, though that only meant that she was only slightly taller than the older teens. She had blonde fur that contrasted against her black hair and green eyes. This weasel woman also picked out clothes from a more advanced digital age, with a white t-shirt, yellow and white jacket, and blue jeans, which covered up most of her body scars. She switched from guarded and mistrustful to open and pleading, depending on how the conversation was going.

Iratus, "Finally, we would like to know who you are."

The weseal woman finally seemed to mellow out.

Procella: "My name is Procella. I was in college studying to become a programmer when I fell out of a window and landed in this strange world. I was happy to experience another universe like in many animated shows, but when I found nothing but dirt, hunger, and monsters, I knew this was a nightmare. I'm surprised that I am still alive after they cut me up. I found an armory and was putting the guns to good use when a dozen...whatever impaled me all over the place. I was one of the first to be captured and see the worst those monsters had to offer, and I do mean offer."

She took a second to eat the food that was given to her, and she drank a whole cup of water in one go.

Procella: "Perudot was the name I heard when everything went silent, when everything went cold. I felt a strange pull toward an evil unity...and I said no every time. I tried not to get to know the others because everyone else either turned into the pale guys or said no as long as I, and got turned into Ashborn."

Venatio, "Sounds like you were lucky to not become the ladder."

Procella: "True. If you don't mind, you offered to let me live here, and I'd like to make this place my home. I may not know any of you, but until you prove otherwise, this seems like the only place I could sleep without fear for once. I may not have any survival skills, but I'll do whatever work needs to be done. I'll even fight if you have any firearms."

Iratus: "And your future plans?"

Procella: "Find a good man; have twenty children. Retire in glory." She finished with a grin.

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Chapter 508

The hyena man had dark brown hair and gold eyes and chose to wear some of the tropical clothes.

Confodere: "My name is Confodere, and I've lived in this place for quite a while."

Ignis, "Yesterday, we acquired knowledge that he knew the conductor."

Resonantia: "He was there before the two of us."

Confodere: "True. I left because I tried to help another group out. It is a long story, but they turned out to not be the most trustworthy people. It truly pains me to hear what happened to the conductor; he was the coolest guy I ever met. Back to the question: I've used my survival knowledge to survive and help other travelers. I've heard how rare it is to meet other people down here, one a month from one guy I spoke to, but where I was, people came through all the time...then monsters happened, and somehow I ended up on a train to nowhere. Regardless, I only ever wanted to help people, and I left the safety of the train just for that."

Resonantia: "Just like our Iratus."

Iratus gave a smile at that.

Confodere: "Yeah, then I got captured when I tried to rescue the others. I was only there for a few days, and I didn't suffer as much as the others, though they started to whittle down the amount of food I was getting and had just placed me in a barren room for my quarters. I don't have much experience with the others. I tried having conversations, but everyone I spoke with ended up gone by the time I was placed with this group, save for Procella. I don't know if I'll stay here; I just want to get out there and help anyone suffering since it looks like your group has everything they need to survive and thrive. If I do stay, just know that living out in the wilderness with the bare minimum has not killed me yet, nor will it." He finished with a thumbs up.

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Chapter 509

The male goat man had white hair, short blonde hair, and brown eyes. He fished out a hoody with a hood that was designed for someone with his set of swept-back horns. It was black with flames on the arms, and his gray cargo pants went well with it.

Iter, "I've stated many times that my name is Iter." He started nervously. "I never got a chance to do anything back home, but here, I get to smash monsters and save the day. I'll admit I didn't really find anyone who wanted to stay around with me, mostly because we couldn't communicate, but even if everyone I met threatened to kill me, I never stopped trying to help—until one of them shot at me, but you know what? That's fine because they are scared of strangers, and I look like a goat. I must truly be scary to look at." He finished with confidence.

The goat man was already eating seconds and scarfing down the meat first.

"The pale guys are new to me. I've mostly fought the Edax and what you call ebonies, but the pale guys? Those bros are new to me. Sucker punched me too; otherwise, I would have won. Those guys were also quite brutal with me. I tried to mess with them as much as possible, even going as far as to taunt that stupid voice when everything went weird and cold. I was so good at angering them that I was put on the chopping block, but they seemed to have changed their minds, and seeing that you guys came a day later, I think we all know why. I rarely got a chance to talk with the other prisoners; I was usually put in an empty room for my insubordination for days on end. Jokes on them: Being alone for days on end has yet to effect me! I don't know if I'll stay around. If there is one thing I've picked up from others, it's that there are legends out there. My goal was always to be the most kick-butt guy and become one of the stories people call legends. The worst part is, the one guy I actually got to chat with in that prison knew about the Virtue Lord of Family. You are a legendary guy, Iratus! But I have to ask, How did you become so legendary when you are still just a kid?"

Iratus, "Frankly, I'd like to know how information about me is getting out. I haven't really met anyone else, so how does everyone know about me?"

Victoria, "The first Invader group, the sin lords, and the summoner should know a lot about you."

Resonantia, "Oh yeah! That one faction has put out a hit on you more than once."

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Chapter 510

Salvos and Leitmotif were the last ones.

Salvos: "I guess thanks for considering us too."

The snake girl gave a sigh and spoke sincerely.

Leitmotif: "Thank you for putting such trust in us."

Iratus: "We just want to know who you are and what your future plans are."

Salvos after shrugging: "I'm just some dude. I did hard work when I was alive, and I've been fighting the sin lords for quite some time now. Sure, I've spent a lot of time stuck in the forest with only one crazy dude around to talk to too, but once I met Leit, its been numb walkers, none stop."

Leitmotif: "My group lived in peace with another group to the point where we actually learned their language. I assume my speech has been well done so far."

Iratus gave a nod.

Leitmotif: "Anyways, both groups seemed to have come to blows when they realized they wanted more stuff, and I left before the worst came, though I did come back to see nearly everyone dead. Honestly, not much seemed to have changed by coming here—just more threats. I have run through Salvos's forest a few times before we stopped avoiding each other and talked."

Salvos: "I want to live. I want to live in a house, have food, and have security. Your group is the only place for that at this moment, and I'd like to enlist in your services in exchange for food and board."

Leitmotif: "I, uh...yeah. Just get those people down there to stop staring at me, and I'll work here too."

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EPISDOE 51: END

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Episode 51 End Character Sheet
Name: Iratus Lionheart
Species: Mousefolk
Age: 15
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, rough metal pieces breastplate
Weapons: Long Sword, 3x Knifes, Short Sword, Hammer
Equipment: belt, belt bag, water skin, leathercraft backpack, 2 bags, 29 oval copper coins, 6 small silver bricks, 20 fine silver coins,15 fine gold coins

Wounds: slightly burnt legs, several bruises

Relevant Community Stash: a fire starter, whetstone, several leather items, 2 glass jar, 12 empty 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, 73 cloaks and other clothing materials, some fabrics, 5 carts, 8 tattered tents, skin drum, beautiful arts of tropical scenery, floatation devices, wildlife figures, lots of tropical clothing, ancient era hyenafolk clothes, gas gnerator, four flood lights

Armory: 10 wooden spears, 45 short swords, 47 knifes, 23 daggers, 31 metal spears, 21 rusted weapons, some armor pieces, semi-automatic rifle (no ammo), 3 hunting traps, 3 snares, 4 backpacks, 3 katanas, 3 short katanas
Aestus: leather vest, leather helmet, metal spear, short sword, bronze long sword.
Victoria: scrap metal breastplate, leather helmet, metal spear, short sword, crossbow, flashlight
Resonanita: breastplate, metal helmet, metal spear, short sword, compound bow, flashlight
Ignis: leather helmet, metal spear, crowbar

Treasure: 52 oval copper coins, 19 oval silver coins 44 ancient metal coins, 8 fine silver coins, a tarnished silver brooch, a small ornamental figurine, a handful of sparkling glass beads, a few antfolk tapestries, some antfolk art, 46 copper lion coins, 5 silver lion coins, 2 gold lion coins, 57 wolfen metal coins, bronze lantern, bronze idol, some jewled trinkets, iron lantern, several large blocks of various metals.

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), Guest Quarters, Master Bedroom (proper bedding, sensual antfolk sculpture), Six Bedrooms (proper bedding)

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), Partially Built Wall, Small Cabin

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

Year 1, Day 98

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TOWER FOLK:
Iratus of House Lionheart
mouse, male, blonde fur, blonde hair, gold eyes, 6'4 (193cm), age: 15
-
Victoria
raccoon, female, gray fur, black hair, brown eyes, 6'2 (188cm), age: 15
-
Aestus of clan Riversinger
otter, female, red fur, red hair, blue eyes, 5'11 (180cm), age: 14
-
Ignis Yang
red panda, female, reddish-brown/white fur, black hair, golden eye, 6'3 (190cm), age: 15
-
Resonantia Diamond Heart Steel
shark, female, blue-gray hue skin, white hair, blue eyes, 6'3 (191cm), age: 15
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CHILDREN:
Negligere
shark, male, steel gray skin, white hair, gold eyes, age: 0
-
Ruina
otter, female, orange fur, vibrant orange hair, blue eyes, age: 0
-
Gula
red panda, male, brown fur, dark brown hair, gold eyes, age: 0
-
Tenacitas
raccoon, female, silver fur, dark blonde hair, amber eyes, age: 0
---

NEIGHBORS:
Venatio of Wise Storms, Mother of House Black Jewel
fox, female, red fur, red hair, brown eyes, 6'6 (198cm), age: 71

Studium of Winter Winds
fox, male, gray fur, black hair, blue eyes, 5'6, age 12

Fuligo
otter, female, black fur, blonde hair, blue eyes, 5'4, age 12

Salvos
wolf, male, black fur, white hair, copper eyes, 6'8, age 26

Leitmotif
snake, female, yellow and red scales, naga bodied, gold  eyes, age 23

Bellum
cheetah, female, blonde fur, blonde hair, blue eyes, 5'10, age 14

Procella
weseal, female, blonde fur, black hair, green eyes, 6'5, age 21

Confodere
hyena, male, dark brown fur, black hair, gold eyes, 6'9, age 25

Iter
goat, male, white fur, blonde hair, brown eyes, 6'7, age 19

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THE COBALTS:
Commercium Jade Blue Cobalt
rabbit, male, white fur, black hair, gray eyes, 6'8(203cm), age: 24
-
Abrasione
hyena, female, tan fur, blonde hair, gold eyes, 6'5(196cm), age: 20
-
Kuxatura
hyena, male, tan fur, black hair, gold eyes, age: 0

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LAST MISTAKE
Deficio
lion, male, gray fur, rich gray hair, green eyes, 6'6, age: 45