Core Collapse Chapter 19.1

The scene below takes place after the other events in chapter 19. For reference for those of you who don't want to figure out where that falls in the story line, it's right after the 3 adventurers died.

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Tom stood before the World Core. After months of delving through thousands of floors, he had found it. And it was beautiful. The size of a mountain’s heart, it shone all the colors of a rainbow. It called out to him and whispered his name.

“There it is, husband,” Rowena said to him.

“We’re not married yet,” he objected.

“We might as well be. It’s not like either of us has a say in it,” she said.

“That’s not--”

“Tom Weaver age fourteen almost fifteen you must claim the world core,” a voice said. Tom turned and saw Alpha floating between him and the core. “You must claim the core or all is lost, Tom Weaver age fourteen almost fifteen.”

“I had a birthday. I’m fifteen now.”

“Tom Weaver age fourteen almost fifteen you must claim the world core.”

“You heard the lady, Tom,” Rowena said. “You must claim the world core. Then you’ll be king. You’ll be king of the world.”

“I don’t want to be king,” Tom protested. “I don’t—”

“This is where Marshal died,” Antoine said. Tom turned because Antoine hadn’t been there a second before, but no of course he had. Antoine was always there standing over his shoulder.

“I’m not Marshal,” Tom said. “And Fenard isn’t Fargus. He’s not going to have me killed because--”

“If you claim the World Core, you’ll die, Tom,” Antoine said. “Not even I can protect you forever. Fenard will find a way. He’ll kill you just like they killed Winter Greens before you. The world is broken and they don’t want it fixed.”

“My son is a murderer,” Sue Weaver, his mother, said to him. What was she doing in the World Dungeon? Had she been there all along too?

“Something’s wrong, what’s going--”

“You must claim the World Core Tom Weaver age fourteen almost fifteen,” Alpha said.

“You’re going to be a king, Tom, whether you want it or not,” Rowena said.

“You’re weak. You can’t do what needs to be done. The burden should have fallen on shoulders stronger than yours,” Antoine told him.

“Enough!” Tom shouted. He reached out to the World Core and he Claimed it.

And nothing happened.

Calculating.

Candidate is Unworthy.

The system itself rejected him. He reached out for his other skills and found them stripped away. He was once more as helpless as a Child. He’d known all along that--

Tom jerked awake to Klein licking his face. He sat up and looked down at the Worsican Lynx. He was in the inn in Caseville, not the World Dungeon, in the room he shared with Sevin, Rory, and Antoine.

“I’m alright, Klein,” Tom said. “Thanks though, that was a nasty nightmare.”

“Was it just a nightmare?” Antoine asked, sounding so much like the voice in his dreams that had denounced his weakness that Tom feared for a moment that he was still asleep. “Are you certain it wasn’t another vision?”

Tom turned to see the knight sitting in the darkness, his naked blade across his lap as he oiled it.

“I’m pretty certain it was a dream,” Tom said. “Alpha was in it, but all she said is that I must Claim the World Core. I think …” he glanced around at his other sleeping companions. “I think it’s just stress.”

“I suppose not every dream or nightmare is going to be a vision,” Antoine agreed. “Although I’d remember this one, just in case.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to be a problem,” Tom said. “I’m pretty sure I’m not going to forget it for a while.”