Chapter 615: The Shattered Secret
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In the thick darkness, Duncan stood captivated by the seemingly endless keel stretching out before him. His instincts whispered that this keel was tied to a significant transaction in subspace about a hundred years ago.
However, a feeling of uncertainty lingered. It was as if there was a missing piece to this puzzle. Duncan believed the ship had a message for him, but was the keel the entire message or just a part of it?
To see more clearly, Duncan raised his lantern, fueled by a mystical ghost fire. The flame intensified, casting a radiant glow that revealed intricate patterns on the keel and pushed back the darkness to expose ambiguous shapes hinting at hidden mysteries.
From the thickening mist, Agatha’s figure emerged. As she approached Duncan, she asked, “Could this long spine belong to Saslokha, the legendary demon god from ancient elven tales?”
Duncan pondered her words and nodded slightly. “It’s possible. Only a being of divine stature could have such an imposing spine.”
Agatha continued, deep in thought, “The goat heads… I’m talking about all of them – the ones depicted on the Vanished, those in this dream world, the ones worshipped by the cultists, and possibly others we haven’t discovered. How do you think they relate to Saslokha?”
She paused before adding, “One goat head, in its dazed state, insisted that Saslokha was long dead and that it wasn’t him. But now, seeing the connections with the elves’ ‘Primordial Dream’ and finding this spine or ‘keel’ at the base of the Vanished… Don’t you remember acquiring this keel during your time in subspace?”
Agatha believed that Duncan, standing before her, was the same captain of the Vanished from a century ago, the one who made a deal with Goathead in subspace. Considering Duncan’s mentions of losing parts of his memories while trying to regain his humanity, she thought this keel might be a fragment of those forgotten times.
After a moment of reflection, Duncan responded softly, “It’s plausible that each of the goat heads is a fragment of Saslokha’s essence.”
Agatha hesitated briefly, piecing the puzzle together in her mind. “So, when Miss Lucretia referred to the ‘goat head’ held by the Annihilators as ‘Ancient God Fragments,’ she wasn’t speaking metaphorically. These fragments are diverse; some retain memories or ties to Saslokha or the legendary city of Atlantis, while others seem to have lost all cognitive abilities or even their essence.”
Lost in thought, Duncan kept his eyes on the massive spine before them. It took him some time to respond, his voice a mix of intrigue and boldness, “Here’s a radical theory: these ‘goat heads’ might be just one of many representations of these Ancient God Fragments. This spine, vast and majestic, is undoubtedly another. And who’s to say there aren’t other forms? A tree, a person, a rock, or even a lifeless body—any of these could potentially be remnants of Saslokha’s essence.”
Picking up the thread, he added, “Elvish folklore often speaks of Saslokha adopting myriad forms. That’s perhaps why one fragment of the god can be small enough to fit on a navigator’s desk as a goat head, while another—this colossal spine—could rival the size of the entire Vanished.”
Agatha shivered at Duncan’s words. Even she, once the “Gatekeeper of Frost,” found the scope of Saslokha’s power deeply unsettling.
Overwhelmed by curiosity, she blurted out, “What kind of unimaginable force or event could shatter a deity into such fragmented states?”
Her question was more of a pondering aloud than a genuine inquiry.
After a contemplative silence, Duncan replied, his voice distant and reflective, “The second blueprint failed, leading the Dream King to be shattered on the second extended night of the World’s Creation. Fragments of Him then wandered, some brushing against the confines of reality…”
Recognition flashed across Agatha’s face, her shadow flickering under the lamp’s glow. She remembered the source of those words. “That’s from the ‘Book of Blasphemy’.”
Duncan nodded subtly. “Yes, it is. It’s the creation myth of the Annihilators—a narrative from before the Deep Sea Era. The Dream King used His immense power to create the world, only to be fragmented during the prolonged nights.”
With newfound understanding, Agatha gasped, “Saslokha must be one of the Vanished Kings! The fabled ‘Great Demon God’ from Elvish Chronicles… Could he be the ‘Dream King’ who tried to recreate the world during the second extended night?”
Duncan began thoughtfully, “I’ve considered this connection for a while, especially given the notable parallels in their attributed powers. Yet, elvish legends, as grand and captivating as they are, often lack concrete evidence. Additionally, Saslokha, deeply rooted in elven folklore, is depicted in tales that clash with historical records and accounts from other city-states.”
He continued, “Among all known races, the elves have the most extensive compilation of myths and historical narratives. But a thorough review of their archives reveals no mention of the ‘Dream King’s endeavor to reconstruct the world during the Second Long Night’. There’s also no narrative hinting at this demon god being fragmented during that extended night.”
“These disparities prevented me from confidently linking ‘Great Demon God Saslokha’ of elvish origin with the ‘Dream King’ of the second extended night. Yet, seeing these tangible remnants of a once-mighty deity has changed my perspective.”
Agatha seemed paralyzed, grappling with the gravity of Duncan’s revelations. Sensing the weight of the moment, Duncan slowly approached the “Ancient God’s Spine”. Holding his lantern aloft, he delicately treaded onto a converging point of this immense relic. Crouching, he traced his fingers over its coarse, age-worn surface—a testament to eons gone by, yet retaining an undeniable vitality.
It was this very spine that had pulled the Vanished back to the tangible world from subspace. The spine had been its foundational pillar, maintaining the ship’s corporeal existence for a century.
Suddenly, Duncan froze.
An essential question, which had remained on the periphery of his thoughts, now stormed to the forefront. Having closely examined the “keel” formed from the spine of this primordial god, and understanding the magnitude of the infrastructure beneath such a colossal vessel, an urgent question emerged: What material was the original keel of the Vanished constructed from?
Rising swiftly, Duncan cast his gaze across the encompassing obsidian expanse.
The ship’s skeletal framework, anchored by the keel and flanked by sturdy ribs, was enshrouded in a ceaseless veil of mist. Straining his eyes, he could barely make out fragmented hull components and remnants of the ship’s upper supporting beams.
While the edifice built atop this ancient deity’s spine was monumental and evoked deep reverence, it was merely a fragment of the original Vanished.
The primary vessel, the Vanished in its pristine state, had been engulfed by the treacherous subspace. When the entities with goat heads first found it, the ship was but a fleeting mirage, sustained only by Duncan Abnomar’s indomitable spirit and relentless will.
The “Vanished” Duncan stood upon now was like a phoenix reborn from its ashes. It had been given a second life, its original foundational keel now replaced by the spine of an ancient deity, enabling its miraculous emergence from the abyss of subspace.
Yet, a question lingered: what was the nature of the original keel?
Though Duncan wasn’t an expert in maritime construction, his experiences had provided him a decent grasp of ship anatomy. He knew the shipbuilding norms from a century prior—how sail-bearing warships were meticulously assembled. The keel, the ship’s backbone, was traditionally crafted from a single, sturdy, and long timber log, handpicked for its resilience. The characteristics of this timber not only defined the overall structural integrity of the vessel but also its potential size.
However, the Vanished defied these conventional specifications. It wasn’t merely larger; it was unprecedentedly vast.
In the annals of maritime history, the Vanished was unparalleled. No other sailing ship could rival its magnificent stature. And from Duncan’s examination of the ship’s underbelly, it was evident that the design of the ‘Vanished’s’ keel diverged from the norm. Instead of the usual joint or riveted design, its keel seemed to be one continuous entity.
Pondering deeper, Duncan thought about the essence of ship construction. The keel was the ship’s core, with all other structural elements taking cue from its design. The fact that the current “Ancient God’s Spine” had seamlessly replaced the original keel suggested that the Vanished, despite being a relic of its time, was initially designed with a singular, uninterrupted keel.
However, no known tree from any known land could boast such gargantuan proportions.
Even if such a colossal tree existed, wood has its physical limitations. Given the sheer size of the Vanished, the weight and strain it would exert would far exceed the natural load-bearing capacity of any wooden keel.
Could it be possible that the original keel wasn’t made of mere wood but of something much more supernatural?
Over the decades, tales of the Vanished became shrouded in mystery, almost attaining a mythical status. As the ship’s legacy grew, discussions about it, especially its origin in the city-state of Pland, became taboo. The Vanished was like a ghost story whispered in hushed tones.
Yet, Duncan could picture the past. He visualized the bustling scene a century ago when the framework of this magnificent vessel first began to take shape, casting awe and intrigue in the hearts of those who witnessed its inception.
As the mist weaved patterns around him, Duncan’s lantern cast an eerie, soft, green luminescence. The light revealed shadowy shapes hidden within the fog, each telling its own silent tale.
Duncan, letting out a sigh, glanced at the ever-present mist, his features softening.
“So, this was your secret,” he murmured, addressing the ship around him.
Perhaps a part of the elven world tree?
That would explain all the links between Duncan, Goat head and Atlantis…
If the World Tree is actually a network connection interface (a forked icon) then the Vanished could have its keel made from it, being a universal TCP/IP structure, allowing it to transfer/transmit in Subspace, aka different servers/OS’s.