Chapter 52: Pocketing a Machine

Charon helped Emerius take a few calming breaths. "Breathe in, breathe out. The Colossus won’t hurt you, and neither will I. You will be fine. We just need to get out of here and return to the Fort." He had been trying to help his friend calm down for five minutes now, the blonde swordsman having mentally shut down after learning how Charon had managed to become the owner of a Colossus. "How does that even work? Your summons should draw on your mana, your Novice core should not be able to sustain more than a handful of basic warriors. The Colossus should drain you to nothing, it could kill you!" His cries fell on deaf ears as Charon just smiled and nodded, completely disinterested in the one-sided gripes. ’He just wishes he were the one with the awesome soul powers!’ Instead, he turned his focus on the larger problem: transporting the thing. ’I can’t just walk to the Fort with the Colossus in tow. It’s what they were hoping to repair and field, I doubt they would take kindly to me snatching it for my own uses.’ Part of him was tempted to try it, just to see how much they truly valued his help. Worst case scenario, he had a walking death machine! It could level a city on its own! ’Unless they used their own Colossuses against it. Mine looks different, though, so I give it better odds!’ It was a poor argument, but he was incredibly energized after the whole ordeal. His gaze flicked to Emerius as he debated asking him for advice. ’One of his lessons probably had to deal with transporting valuable items. It would be reasonable to assume one of those lessons was about size issues.’ Seeing the crazed look in his friend’s eyes, he decided against it, preferring to figure it out himself rather than unleash another angry tirade. ’Once he gets a grip on himself, I’ll try to explain things again.’ Scratching his cheek, he tilted his head and considered some of the possible ways to move the Colossus. ’I could order it to dig itself out, and then find a place to store it until I need it.’ He quickly dismissed that idea. ’They would see it the moment it revealed its head. With how it looks, they would blast it with every kind of weapon they have.’ Charon also knew he couldn’t just leave it here. The High Elders wanted it for themselves, and even if it was a little different than what they remembered, it was highly likely they would try and tinker with it to make it subservient to them. ’I could try and take it and run. Emerius and I can fight our way to the Fortress of Souls without the High Elders.’ He sighed, knowing that the plan was also doomed to fail. ’If the Fort and all of their might can’t beat the Claytons in a decisive battle, one Colossus and two Novice mages won’t have any easier of a time.’ Gritting his teeth, he turned to Emerius and gave what he hoped came across as a friendly smile. "Hey, buddy, how can we make it get out of the bunker without the Fort noticing?" Emerius, despite clutching the sides of his own head and muttering like a madman, looked at Charon as if he were crazy. "There is no way to get the Colossus to run without the Fort noticing." Charon clicked his tongue and began to turn away, almost missing what Emerius said next. "You should just store it in your core like any other summon, that way it does not even have to try. All summoners do that to transport their creatures." He whirled back on Emerius, his eyes shooting open and his jaw dropping. "I can carry my summons in my core?" His friend gave him a strange look, his mouth not moving but still somehow screaming, "Of course, dumbass." ’Of course, why didn’t I think of that! When I first summoned the Warden of the Acheron, I did it from my core! I just haven’t had a reason to dismiss him yet, so I never thought of putting him back!’ Spinning to face the giant machine, he froze as he saw the sheer size of it. It towered over him and everything else around them, standing thousands of feet tall. ’I’m going to fit that... in my chest...’ He squeezed his eyes shut. ’Just don’t think about it too much, Charon. It’s magic. You are wearing a robe that’s also alive and was created by the God of Death uttering a single word.’ Keeping his eyes closed, he inhaled deeply and concentrated on the swirling pool of mana in his chest. It was a lot smaller than before, a lot of it having been absorbed during his recent use of his ability, but it was still there, churning away. Looking further into it, he felt small motes of light, twirling within the greater mass. They floated like small boats, sailing the turbulent seas of his core. Each one was the same size, but they shone in different intensities. Four of them were dull, barely a spark, drifting like wood. A fifth was only barely brighter, bobbing along with the others. The sixth was thicker than the others, but still very dim. It was like dozens of layers were wrapped around it, limiting how intense it could be. Finally, the seventh shone more than all the others combined, like a lighthouse in the night. It rode the waves like a champion, keeping its presence clear even as Charon’s mana worked to bury it. ’That must be the Zeta Colossus.’ Like he had done when activating his ability, he reached out with his intent clear, projecting it upon the light like a heavenly command. ’Fuse back into my core.’ He thought he had done it perfectly, his smile growing wide as he felt sure in his success, but the Colossus didn’t budge an inch. Charon’s smirk faded as he tried again. ’Merge into my soul.’ Again, it failed, his lips turning downwards as he struggled to reach his goal. ’I must be doing something wrong, but what could it be?’ Tilting his head to the side, he shifted his weight to his other foot, the chains on his chest rattling against the fabric of his robe. His gaze turned to his chest as he considered how he summoned the Warden. ’I was standing in my room at the academy after leaving the River Acheron. I had wanted to see my summon, so I thought about summoning him, and it just... happened.’ Charon considered every aspect of that, his positioning, his thoughts, and his intent when a new thought struck him. Walking forward, he approached the foot of the Colossus and extended his hand, resting it on the very base of the massive piece of solid metal. It felt cool to the touch, his hand sticking to the surface. ’Merge into my soul.’ With a flurry of violet sparks, the Zeta Colossus began to turn translucent. Its limbs vanished one after the other, leaving on the head and chest until those too disappeared into the wind. Charon felt a wave of heat flash from his chest as the mana of the summon dispersed into his blood, the latent power washing over him as it relaxed itself in his soul. He gave a restrained gasp as he struggled to remain standing, the strength of the machine almost too much for him to bear. Almost. Closing one eye and grinding his teeth together, he pushed through the pain, keeping himself on his feet throughout it all. ’I... need to get used to that, too.’ It was another aspect of his powers that would take some training. Turning his focus inwards, he saw the motes of light once more, but this time the largest one was pulsing purple, evidence of the summon lurking within. Flashing a pained smile, Charon began to shamble back towards the staircase, passing Emerius on the way. His friend was staring into the space where the giant mech had recently been standing, his gaze distant. ’I can’t just leave him here, it wouldn’t be right.’ "We should probably get out of here before the High Elders know we messed with their prize." His words seemed to jar him back to the present, his eyes rapidly blinking before he looked at the ground and sheathed his blades. "You are right, we need to go." Without another word, the duo went back through the metal corridor and began the long trek up the stairs. The journey initially passed in silence, but Emerius’s curiosity had not been sated in the slightest. "If you can, please share the specifics of your ability. From my perspective, I saw the machine change like it was warping through space. Powers like that require a lot of mana, possibly even divine intervention. How is it possible for you to accomplish that?" Offering his friend a wry grin, Charon began to explain, leaving many details out while still throwing him a bone. ’He doesn’t need to know about the visions. Those are a tad too personal, at least until I know what they mean.’ When they would become clear, Charon had no idea.