Heretical Fishing

Book 1: Epilogue

In a long abandoned room high above the capital city of Gormona, several kingdoms’ worth of ancient constructs sat dormant.

In times long gone, the acquisition of such treasures had been the driving force behind wars, betrayals, the fall of empires, the desolation of entire continents, and more deaths than a mortal could comprehend without losing their mind.

Despite the wealth they represented, these artifacts sat collecting dust—designated a relic of the past—no longer the wonder they once were. Like so many things, the passage of time had erased the memories of what they had been, and barring a single person with a toe-like face, not one other soul had entered the room in years—even the castle’s servants had forgotten of the room’s existence, busy as they were tending to the whims of the current royals.

If any beings capable of detecting such things were present, they’d have been surprised at the energy swirling around the room, seeming to cling to and linger on the artifacts. But, of course, such a person was not present—no one was.

Despite this lack of an audience, a construct to the rear of the treasure-turned-junk-pile whirred to life for the first time in millennia. Microscopic cogs, gears, and shafts tried to move, but their teeth were clogged with arcane residue.

It started to power back down, but a secondary construct within stirred, sputtered, then started performing its sole purpose: cleaning. Within minutes, the internals were free of the arcane buildup, and the larger artifact started emitting a soft, continual buzz as it powered on completely.

As with another construct in the room, a screen blinked to life on the newly reawakened artifact. It silently printed words out, one line at a time.

Running diagnostics…

System power at 20%…

The internal components were a blur as they drew in resources, pulling from and redirecting the world’s very essence.

One last line printed out on the construct’s screen.

Success! Local power boosted to 40%.

Abruptly, three more screens lit up in the abandoned room.