I pressed myself tight against the wall, head turned to keep my profile as flat as possible. I could feel sweat running down my back, even as it was tight against the warm surface of the facility. I took long, even breaths to steady my heart as I listened for the sound of footsteps.

Hearing nothing, I inched along the wall before pulling myself down it to peek around the corner. Nothing. With exaggerated care, I stepped out into the corridor, and on the balls of my feet moved down it as silently as possible.

It had been a week since my first test at the hands – or wills – of the two demi-Ascended, and they had been testing me every day since, either alone or as a pair. Today, it was Lucas alone, as they had said for this test, DUK3’s inclusion would be unfair. As if trying to hide from somebody who could sense you from a mile away was not already unfair.

Shaking the irritation off, I refocused my will on being ‘invisible’ and moved on down the hallway. So far that day, the Paragon had found me four times, and always in the most insulting way pos-

“Interesting.”

With a yell I spun to find the child-like man stood directly behind me and I ground my teeth for a moment before speaking.

“Really, Lucas, you can’t just walk around a corner in front of me? Why are you always right behind me?”

“Where would the fun be in that?”

“Yeah, it’s great. I already told you, it’s probably just my, uh, patron causing interference.”

“And as we told you, should such a being choose to interfere, it is unlikely we would be able to affect you at all.”

They had said that, of course, but I had also tried to argue that perhaps it was a simple matter of signal noise, rather than directed - intended - interference. But had dismissed the idea in favour of further tests. Honestly, I think they wanted to have some fun and most people were too afraid or respectful to play along. Which is where I came in, just idiotic enough to be entertaining.

“Well, you know my thoughts, Lucas. Okay, count to three hundred, I guess I’ll go hide again.”

“Today’s tests are over, Hunter. Your ability to avoid detection within my Domain is minimal, if that.”

“Wait, if it’s minimal than why have I been hiding from you for the last eight hours?”

“I have been following you and searching for fluctuations.”

“So, you’re not just appearing behind me, you’ve been behind me all this time?”

“Correct.”

I gave him a flat look, which he returned with a raised eyebrow. Eventually, I gave and looked away; my respect – or what I had – had been worn away by proximity since my arrival, but I was very much aware that he could very likely kill me with no effort.

“So, if I couldn’t hide, why was it interesting?”

“This test, when combined with the others, suggests you are more able to resist direct manipulation than indirect. You do not appear to have some kind of nascent Domain of your own.”

“You mean I’m not an Apex. I could have told you that. Hell, if Darina was here, she’d be happy to tell you all day.”

“I do not know whom this Darina is, but I assure you, mere words would not have sufficed.”

“... Sure. Anyway. If I can barely resist you, why am I able to ‘defy the gods’ and visit worlds, without the benefit of a Domain? If not my patron, I mean.”

“The gods cannot interfere directly, but, each world lies within the Domain of its gods, and only they decide who’s welcome. Any interloper will be destroyed, like an infection within the body. It is not divine interference which causes this, but it is rather a natural law, a consequence of their existence. Were they able to act directly, neither of us would survive. Compare it to the stars around which worlds turn; from our distant planets, we can feel the warmth, and it can even damage us, but we can erect protections. Not so upon the star itself. My domain is a vast palace on a distant world, protecting me from the harmful light. You... are an anomaly. You run naked upon the world, begging the stars to burn you. And yet they do not.”

“But if that’s the case, how do the wars between worlds work? I have friends whose people came from other worlds, and they weren’t all Apexes.”

“The altercations between worlds are – usually – the only time mixing can happen. Both groups of gods accept the life from the others; why, we do not know. I have never met a god.”

“Can you meet a god? Where do they, I dunno, live? Are they just... everywhere? Like a field?”

“Did I not just say I had not met one? They are theorized to exist on a type of demi-plane lying parallel to their worlds.”

“Is it not possible to make a gate, if it’s a place? Go and see?”

“Perhaps you did not understand my star analogy? I am safe here, on this distant world. You are asking me to take my palace and test it on the star’s surface. Tell me, Hunter, long how do you think a building of mere stone or metal would stand upon the surface of a star?”

“... Probably not long. I see your point.”

“Excellent. Now, if you have perhaps sated your inane curiosity, Dee Yu Kay Three has requested your presence. I believe your new arm is ready.”

*

***

*

Making my way to DUK3’s workshop once again only took minutes; I was starting to think that maybe it moved around given that it was always so close by. There was also the possibility that the near identical features of the facility were making me think it was larger than it actually was, but I did not place a great deal of stock in that, given that during my first attempt at hiding that day I had run for more than an hour. If it is a circle, it’d be a remarkably gradual one.

Stepping into the room, the thin Construct was already looking at me, head tilted to the side. In their hands was another box, similar to the one my first replacement had come in.

“Please sit for implantation, Hunter.”

“Uh, sure. Should I get changed again, in case... you know. The arm explodes again?”

“... Dee Yu Kay Three. There is no need; this arm will not explode. Even if there is a flaw in my calculations – which there is not – the clothing I have provided would remain impervious.”

Impervious robes sounded pretty good, given my track record. To DUK3’s credit, once I had become used to the tighter fit, they were actually very comfortable, to the point that I could barely feel them at all. And best of all, they did not seem to require cleaning. I could not quite tell if they were simply divesting themselves of dirt and sweat, or somehow eating them, but either way, it was nice.

Rolling up the sleeve of my new shirt to reveal my stump, I sat down beneath the giant spider-thing again and watched as the arms descended to skim through the same procedure as before.

“So, it’s definitely not going to explode? What about after I progress to new stages? Uh, Dee Yu Kay Three?”

“I have accounted for up to five exponential jumps in the new mechanism, though I had to enlist Lucas’ help in order to produce a structure that could spool enough Experience.”

“But, didn’t you say that storage wasn’t an issue? … Dee Yu Kay Three.”

“The material acts as a battery, a mere storage medium. It can no more become a part of you than a randomly selected rock of similar shape can. The design is that which animates it, what makes it you. The previous failure was the result of the material becoming... over-animated as the design was driven beyond its capacity, Hunter.”

“Yeah, okay, I guess that makes sense. Lucas explained some of the details behind Sigils, that they’re used to spool Experience. Is that what you did, you added a Sigil, Dee Yu Kay Three?”

“Our designs are more abstracted from the material than Sigils, though they do share some things in common with the initial, mental engraving, from what I have been able to determine. The design is a concept of function placed within the object. Lucas assisted me in testing the use of spooling within it in a way we had not previously tested, Hunter.”

“Wow, so you guys came up with a whole new thing, for me? That’s awesome. Will it help your people? I... assume there’s more than one of you, Dee Yu Kay Three?”

“It is unknown at this point in time whether the advance will help those of lower states on my home world. It is possible this change will be detrimental to those with lower order Experience, as there may not be enough energy flow to drive the design. Experimentation will be required, Hunter.”

As they spoke, their burning, unblinking yellow eyes boring into me, I felt a shiver run down my spine. DUK3’s voice was flat and cold, lacking the inflection provided by a real mouth. For a moment, as I stared into those lamp-like eyes, I imagined what a being at the level of an Apex could do if it chose to experiment on a populace. If this seemingly benevolent Construct decided a few broken eggs were a small price, would the others on their home world step in, like the Apexes of my new home had to stop the Multiplicitous Self, or were they all like that? Maybe that was simply the structure of their society, and maybe I was letting the wholly alien appearance and sound freak me out.

With a final shiver, I spoke again, doing my best to keep my spiralling thoughts in check.

“It wouldn’t be dangerous for them, would it? Having a... part... not work properly, Dee Yu Kay Three?”

“It would be of little consequence. As we have derived the design for an arm, it would be tested on arms. If it does not function as expected, it would be removed and replaced with one which functioned within standard parameters, Hunter.”

That sounded a little better, right? No actual, permanent harm... I was about to ask about potential suffering involved, memories of Earth’s past suddenly front and centre, but at the moment, DUK3 spoke again, walking towards me with their box.

“Of course, if the new design is unable to operate on standard Experience, the link would not be successful, and so it would never really become a part of them. A simple, and quick test, Hunter.”

“Oh. I see. Good, then. Sorry, the whole voluntary amputation thing is a little... outside my experience, Dee Yu Kay Three.”

“As it seems to be so for many beyond worlds on which our system is dominant, Hunter.”

I felt better, it did not seem like my benefactor was going to go on an arm-chopping spree as a result of a discovery made to help me. Mentally slapping myself, I watched as DUK3 set the box down and opened the lid, before lifting out my new arm. For the few moments it was out of view, I hoped desperately that it was not hot pink, like my robe had been previously, but I needn't have worried. The arm that was revealed was different, but I thought it looked pretty badass. The majority of the artificial limb was clear, like glass with a golden ring around the base. From the base, the bones of the arm grew, also in gold and continued to form the bones of the hand and fingers. A golden skeleton contained within crystal flesh.

“That looks very different to the black and red one from before. Does the material matter?”

“The materials used in this iteration have the same total capacity as the previous version, however they are far stronger and more... conducive to our design, Hunter.”

“Stronger? That’s great. Maybe it won’t get torn off again.”

I laugh, but DUK3 merely tilts his head again as they maneuver the arm into place.

“Dee Yu Kay Three. The material the limb is composed of is unlikely to break, however flesh and bone it is attached to may. I would be gratified if you did not ruin the work I have done, Hunter.”

“I was joking, I’d really rather not be put in the position to have an arm torn off again. It wasn’t fun. Dee Yu Kay Three.”

“I would imagine it was not, for you. Please push your Praxis into the arm, Hunter.”

Looking down, I found the arm pressed against the fresh wound of my stump, the edges precisely even with my skin. With a flexing of my will, I pushed Praxis through the channels of my arm and into the prosthetic. I once again found myself with the odd feeling of pins and needles, of a fresh awareness as the glass and gold arm became a part of me. Within moments, the sensation faded, and flexing my hand, I marvelled at how much like my other it felt. If I was not looking at it, I would have no idea that it was any different than my real one.

“This is really incredible, Dee Yu Kay Three. Thank you.”

“You are welcome, Hunter.”

I watched the arms of the metal spider retract and I lifted my arm; it felt a little heavier than I remembered, but I was unable to tell whether that was because I had grown used to not having one, of if it was because of the materials. A rising tide of happiness at being somewhat whole again rose through me, and I luxuriated in the feeling of having a left arm again. And one that had not exploded, at that.