The Lexicon

The teleportation crystal pulsed as though beckoning them forward. Glowing blue glyphs written in ancient etchings spoke of moving from one space to another by the power of the speaker. Tomita felt a slight sense of fear in his stomach, and he wondered if it was his concern or his master’s. Izhari was silent as she prepared herself. They were finally leaving the hut and its isolated glades, streams, and ruins. After weeks of recovering and learning, it was time to venture back into the danger of a world neither of them fully understood.

Still, it was time. They were nearly out of food, and Tomita could tell that Izhari was still trying to figure out what their plan would be. It was as though she had been living in desperation for so long, her ambition was made of shortsighted, reactionary decisions that were all she could do on her own as a blind, hobbled, untrained mage in a murderous land. Now, they had the ability to strategize. First up was this trip. The Lexicon awaited.

Tomita’s hand shook slightly in his new cloak sleeve, and he took the tiniest sip of etherdrop as he pulled his hood up to cover his head. He didn’t know what awaited him, but he needed to remain calm so that he could succeed. Izhari set her body in a state of acceptance and opened her travel pouch.

From within, she retrieved two memory crowns.

“I took these from some of the hunters that were pursuing me. I was smart enough to grab two. I have removed their ability to capture our memories. For us, they are just decorative disguises.”

“Very smart!” said Tomita as he put the soft metal onto his head.

“Okay,” she exhaled.

“It is time.”

“I’m with you, Izhari,” said Tomita as they stepped forward.

She extended her paw that was braced against her staff. His hand clasped around it and held tight. With her other hand against the crystal, Izhari muttered something to herself, then spoke aloud.

“From my home, to lands unknown. Take us to The Last Colossus.”

There was a boom, and once again there was a warping snap as their bodies were ripped between space and time, then it was over. They arrived on an enormous floating island at the edge of what looked like a massive set of towers upon first glance. Only when Tomita’s eyes focused did he audibly gasp in wonder. Before them was the decayed remnant of a being beyond scale. It was fallen forward, bent down as though it had bled out on its knees. It was humanoid, made of petrified stone, and stood over one hundred stories tall, even on its knees. Vines, weathered buildup, and manmade structures all lined its edges as though it were simply a part of the landscape.

“Is it as large as they say?” Izhari asked.

“It’s larger than many of the biggest buildings in my world. And it’s not even fully upright. What on earth is it? Was it?” Tomita asked in shock.

“I do not know. No one knows. Only that it must have been here for a very long time. There are destroyed ruins inside its chest that are from eras long ago,” Izhari said as she released his hand and set forth.

Tomita moved along beside her, his gaze stuck on the towering body that housed their destination. Crystal-powered machines and flight craft buzzed along its massive frame, floating hundreds of meters in the air with hurried urgency. Getting closer allowed Tomita to see that the colossi’s chest and stomach cavern were ripped open, with ancient, hardened guts hanging down from the cavity like building-sized scaffolding. All along the hanging remnants of organs were elevators, gears, houses, shops, and more.

The fog felt ominous and obscured the details of the ruins, making the image all the more unsettling and inspiring. Only soft details allowed themselves to break from the mystery when viewed from the ground. Something about this place felt unpleasant and macabre. It was undoubtedly the type of place where wretched crowds and unsavory personas would hide.

“You made it here on your own before?” Tomita asked.

“It took some time, but yes. I needed passage and supplies. I had heard of this hideaway from another traveler, and after a few months, I found the right name.”

“How did you find the Lexicon?” he asked.

“I can sense it. It’s a benefit that we maji have, it's like our bodies and essences are drawn to powerful magical artifacts, so I just moved in the direction my body told me to until I found it.”

“So you traded knowledge as well? That’s how you were able to get by?” Tomita asked.

“I traded everything,” Izhari said as her foot dragged beside her.

Eventually, they reached the perimeter of the colossus, and guard stations greeted them within the outcroppings of stone walls. A large, rock-skinned creature pulled itself from the wall and walked towards them with thunderous steps. A single glowing eye opened and looked at the two of them. Tomita noticed the memory crown on its head.

“You are the limping traveler from before. We have knowledge of you. We have no knowledge of you, cloaked one,” said the stone figure as it looked at Tomita.

“This is my travel companion. He is a former teacher from a faraway realm. He wishes to give knowledge to the Lexicon.”

“What knowledge do you bring, traveler?” asked the guard.

Tomita forced a smile.

“Cunning. And a new way to make oneself rich in a way you have never experienced.”

The stone figure eyed Tomita for a moment and Tomita wondered if it was analyzing him as a threat or just documenting his appearance for its memory. Regardless, after a few seconds, the heavy guard nodded then stepped aside.

“We will be watching. We are intrigued,” it said as Tomita passed.

With that, they were inside of the hideaway, at the base of the colossal entrail towers. Vines snaked along the long-neglected structures, with the occasional banner or cabling draped from one side to another. Roughshot bracings and containers lined walls. Strange, sinister creatures and beings crept along the shadows as the colossus's head blocked out the hazy sun from overhead. Whispers echoed against the hardened body as Tomita and Izhari slowly made their way further into the entrails.

Up they went, across scaffolding, bridges, and beams. Towers as tall as midrises were dwarfed against the backdrop of the great beast’s dead form. Eventually, they reached the inner cavity of the colossi’s chest, where an entire small district greeted them. From there, even Tomita could find their destination. At the center of the cavity was a surreal, pulsing chamber flanked by more ancient machina like the ones in the Summoning Sanctum.

“The Lexicon…” said Tomita.

“Yes,” replied Izhari as they made their way towards the structure.

Inside the chamber was a single obsidian obelisk. It was perfectly smooth and angled in geometrically masterful lines. There was nothing extravagant around it or on it, simply the stone. Izhari stopped at the edge of the space where the Lexicon was staged.

“Only you can go forward. When your mind is clear, you may approach. Think ONLY of the proposal.”

“Soooooo… do I… talk to it? Or is it all in my head?” Tomita asked.

“You may speak aloud. You will feel its voice. It will not speak in words but you will know,” Izhari said.

Behind them, the great stone guard appeared, along with a small group of others.

“Great, I created an audience for myself…” Tomita murmured as he stepped forward.

It was time to get into character. This go around, he decided to save himself from the English accent and used his natural voice.

“You ready for this?” Tomita asked the stone guard as he held a thumbs-up.

The guard seemed perplexed by the hand gesture.

“Shit. Might be offensive here,” Tomita whispered.

“That was a way of asking yes or no!” Tomita added for clarity.

To his humor, the guard held up a large, rocky thumb. With that, Tomita set his mind to the task at hand. Hums of energy radiated from the Lexicon, pulling him forward. Tomita didn’t hesitate. Now was the moment to act, and he needed to be confident. With a deep breath, he placed both hands on the Lexicon and immediately, all the world vanished away from him. He was floating alone in an infinite void. Only small flecks of light dotted the distant space. They bobbed and floated and grew in number until they filled the void like stars. They were memories.

Tomita felt something in his mind telling him to speak.

“I-I-I bring a new bit of wisdom to this realm. Something I think no one else has brought,” he said.

The something in his mind seemed to pull forward, interested.

“It’s an incredible system. One that will optimize storage of goods, memories even. You yourselves might be able to leverage it.”

Now it felt like the something was right against him, listening intently.

“But… I am not doing this for a one-time fee. Where I am from, we do things differently. So I will also give you that knowledge as well. But we have to negotiate a deal. If you agree to my terms, I will share this knowledge. If you do not, I walk away and keep the knowledge to myself,” he declared.

The something felt annoyed and indignant, but Tomita held strong.

“Come now. Don’t you want to know?” he asked in slight tease.

Slowly, he felt the something move closer to his mind once more.

“Perfect. This is a good deal for both of us. It costs you nothing, and if it fails, I don’t lose anything but my pride. If it is popular, I gain a great deal, and you will have a new system to deploy across all of your operations,” he said in a final pitch.

There was a pause, then the something seemed to beckon him. Tomita could have sworn he heard a booming whisper echoing in his mind.

“Speak…” it said.

He had done it.

“It’s called file storage. See my memories and take my thoughts. I have a full adulthood of different types of filing systems. There are digital, non-tangible file structures. There are physical file structures. There are cataloguing techniques. There is shared documentation.”

As he spoke, his memories and thoughts burst forth from around him in moving images, like frames from a film of his life. The images swirled and blended into rotating cascades of information.

“With these s-systems in place, your operations will be more efficient. Your people will be more organized. Regular beings can utilize this in their own homes. All the world can be organized if you just take the time to plan it out!”

The something turned warm and the obsidian obelisk pulsed with light. That seemed to tell Tomita that his knowledge was accepted. Now, it was time to close the pitch and win the business.

“Now, here is my final clause. I am claiming this as intellectual property and intend to patent it. A patent is proof of ownership. This shall be patent number one in this world. Now, any time somebody or something learns of my knowledge and uses it in the world, I shall be paid a small fee of your credit system. All who are in connection via the memory crowns will know that I am the creator of this, so my credits shall be usable across the realm. This deal shall last for the rest of my existence…” he said in a slight hint of confidence.

The something was silent.

"...It's a good deal. You know it," said Tomita.

The pause felt like an eternity, and the lig​​hts in the void began to fade. Dread seized Tomita for the briefest of moments as he feared he might have overdone it. Then a single orb pulsed from inside the obelisk. In that moment, Tomita knew it was his patent. He had done it.

The something moved right against him and seemed to envelope him before slipping into his mind like a serpent’s tongue. There was an unnerving shudder in his back as he felt like his mind was being penetrated by an unwanted ghost.

His shoulders tensed, but then it was over.

“Done…” echoed the voice.

Reality burned back into existence, and Tomita’s mind returned to the colossus. He exhaled and turned to see Izhari, the stone guard, and even more curious figures all close to the edge of the room now. Izhari was smiling.

The stone guard stepped forward.

“Did you just create a way​​ to earn leverage every time someone uses your knowledge?...” it asked.

“I… I did…” Tomita said with a smirk.

“...That’s good. Very good,” said the guard as it smirked back before turning and exiting.

Another figure patted Tomita on the back before exiting, and several others exclaimed in wonder at the concept. Izhari stayed silent through it all, until they were alone.

“You… you did it… You did it so well…” she said.

“Privatization at its most ruthless and self-serving!” Tomita laughed.

Izhari’s paw touched his wrist ever so subtly.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

His fingers grazed along her fur and claws. Tomita sensed her relief. Izhari sensed his feelings of worth. For a moment, the burdens were lightened. And deep in the cracked recesses of Izhari’s wounded soul, she dared to allow this strange new feeling of trust to creep into her mind. Even though he wasn’t an all-powerful beast, he was there with her, and he had already helped her numerous times. He was hers, and he was not worthless or pathetic.

Maybe, just maybe, she could continue on her journey. Maybe he could help her find answers. Maybe he could actually help her destroy the one who made everything the way it was. Maybe she could return things to how they were before.

“Now, let’s go get some supplies!” said Tomita as they left the Lexicon and headed towards the merchant booths.