The shard disappeared from Neferna’s hand. “They had to be the reason the grand korae were still here despite the evacuation. Either to protect the shards or to retrieve them.”
Setnana nodded in agreement. Void shards were an extremely rare and powerful commodity, prized by every armor or weaponsmith. Only hierkaneers could craft them in Genesis Engines.
Neferna continued, “Seeing that the room had no windows and a near impregnable door, we locked Perihy in.”
“Smart. Now, if you will, show me to my son.” Setnana gestured for the major to lead.
Major Neferna took them through a heavy oak door into a long hall, their footsteps echoing. Various weapons hung from the walls. A statue stood midway down the hall, depicting a robed grand kora warrior bearing dual swords. Amalan Khatri, the Celestial Slayer, a sign read, the greatest blademaster Mikander has ever seen.
Several turns and corridors later, the major stopped before a metal door, its surface dented in several places and bulging outward. She turned to them and put her index finger to her lips.
Something slammed into the door. The frame shook. Setnana started. Dust drifted down from the thick stone walls.
An animal roar reverberated from the room. The thing slammed into the door again.
No. Not a thing. My Perihy.
Heart fluttering at being so close to her son again, Setnana stepped up to the door and placed her palm upon its surface. “Perihy, my sweet boy. Mother is here.”
From behind the door came a snuffling noise. A few grunts. Then a burst of gibberish with more similarities to growls and snarls than any language.
“That’s right, my sweet. Mother is here for you. To save you. To take you back home. We can visit the orchards, pick some plums or mangoes. I will have the cook bake you a mango cake. We can even play a game of shevla. You would love that, wouldn’t you?”
Slam. Boom. A bellow. And then a repeated pounding, the door denting with each blow, dust falling from the bricks, from around the edges of the door itself.
But Setnana was unmoved. She babbled lovingly, reliving precious moments spent with her Perihy. Sweet memories. His birth. His first step. First words. Perihy’s love for learning spells. His ear for music and his favorite song, A Symphony of Night. His habit of playing with the drakes.
The pounding stopped. Footsteps drifted away from the door.
Setnana turned to Dita. “It is time.” Her gaze shifted to Khafra and Ihuet. “Khafra, you will open the door, charge in, and prevent him from leaving. Use your Diamond Hide for protection.
“Once we enter, I will use Mirage as a distraction. Ihuet, be ready with Shields or Barriers. But I will be the one to hold him still while Dita works. Neferna, close the door behind us.” Setnana retreated from the door.
“Be warned,” Major Neferna said, “he has a tendency to Conceal.”
Khafra got into position, a hand on the metal handle, ready to turn and push the door in. He held up his other hand. Diamond Hide’s gemlike surface slid over his skin. He pushed the door and darted inside.
Even as they scrambled after Khafra, Setnana summoned a Mirage of the group. Five copies of them appeared and spread out in the room.
Perihy was across the other side of the workshop, facing the door. Setnana gasped. This was not the Perihy who had fled that night. He was bigger, muscles more developed.
Snarling, Perihy darted toward them, covering the distance in a blur of metallic gray, green, and blue. He’d almost smashed into the real Khafra when Ihuet’s Aether Barrier appeared around the dementer.
Before Perihy hit the Barrier, Setnana stopped her son cold with Immobilize, snapping its black chains around his legs and arms. Only to be surprised by his strength as he fought against the ability. Forehead knitted, Setnana poured more power into Immobilize, thickening the chains.
Roaring, Perihy pitched onto his side. His face was a mask of hate and rage, his once bright golden eyes dark beads. His green and blue veins bulged. Slobber flew from his jaws. He rolled and bucked, but there was no escape.
Vindicator Dita strode forward. Benediction glowed. Threads of empowered spells formed, swirling into the golden ball. Sanctification flew from the zhua and into Perihy.
Setnana held her breath. Her heart became as thunder. She was ready to explode with joy, as in her mind’s eye, the network of green and blue veins disappeared. The gray metallic skin peeled away, revealing deep chocolate. His disfigured face transformed to the perfect beauty she knew. Dark horns burst through the lumps on his forehead, curling up and back.
He was Perihy again. Unique. Gorgeous. Majestic.
Little of that occurred.
His skin lost its metallic luster, becoming a shade darker than its original color. The veins faded. Horns did burst through the two lumps, but they were no longer than an index finger.
Setnana’s heart broke. “Nooooo!” Setnana screamed. “Noooooo! Perihyyyyyy! I want my Perihyyyy!” She collapsed to her knees, her spell forgotten. She hung her head, tears blurring her vision.
“Mother?”
Her head snapped up at the voice. The deep baritone. The voice everyone said belonged to a boy who would grow to become a great erada man.
Heart fluttering again, Setnana wiped at her eyes. And gasped.
Perihy was crawling to her. His skin was more ebony than chocolate. The colored veins were gone. His horns were stubs. But his face had a semblance of its old self, even if it were a bit misshapen. His eyes were golden again.
At that moment, she cared not how he looked. This was her son. Perihy. He was still beautiful. He would always be beautiful.
Unbidden tears fell again. But this time, they were tears of joy. When she and Perihy fell into each other’s embrace, nothing else mattered.
Saving Perihy
Objective Complete.
Her Comm Orb dinged.
The message was from Bakui Assam, voice seething with rage as he demanded that she return to Modra’s Keep at once. She did not care. This moment belonged to her. Her and Perihy.
CHAPTER 25
Skirting major cities and signs of battle, Frost’s group flew northwest until Puria’s snow-capped Ouroboros Mountains rose in the distance to their far right. They traveled parallel to the range. Frost continually scanned the air for any signs of trouble. Every so often he checked on Gilda.
When a swarm of dark specks approached from the direction of the Ouroboros, Frost’s breath caught in his throat. The specks grew, and soon enough, their wings became apparent. His chest tightened.
Worry and dread fled when he saw the mounts were kirins, the riders gurashi, flying in a spear formation. The kirin company passed by, cloaks rippling with the large-bladed Crossed Quaker insignia of Lothal’s military.
On another occasion the group encountered an erada drake formation, the flyers dressed in Azureguard blue, Khertahka’s Dual Katars on display. Puria’s drake companies and patrols were conspicuously absent. Thankfully so.
The group veered directly west soon after, headed across the southern edge of Puria. Far to their left, in what would be Northern Lothal, more and more smoke bloomed in different locations, adding to the deepening dusk. Each bloom was accompanied by ruddy glows, fitful light flashes, and angry rumbles.
Frost welcomed the moment when night strangled the day with its black cloak. Under its cover, they would stay hidden from searching eyes and enemies. Military units on the way to battle carried glimmerwands to prevent the occurrence of nighttime collisions and thus could be easily avoided. Frost stretched his Echolocation as far as he could to discern flyers who might be traveling in secret and kept watch for any time something blotted out the stars.
They flew all night, the lights of Purian cities and towns fewer than Frost would have expected. While they had not intended to stop to r
est, lapses in Gilda’s condition forced their hand. On those occasions, Frost chose remote areas for fear of the hate between eradae and grand korae. Upon landing, Meritus would renew his spells to stave off Gilda’s worsening plague. Frost used such times to practice Aether Barrage, the two-second-charge skill firing off eight Aether Shots like a machine gun.
As the first pale sliver of dawn pricked a cloud-filled sky, they finally arrived at the Kanpuri Vale, which marked the border of the Osian nome. Mist like dirty milk spilled across the grassland and hovered above the jungle that spread all the way to Puria’s western coast. According to the map, the city of Apur lay a few miles ahead. If Frost had to guess, the city was located where the clouds and mist formed a thick soup. Lightning radiated within the gray quilt in fitful spurts.
Other flyers dotted the sky, but Frost could not discern their identities. The cries and calls of various beasts echoed. Frowning, he glanced behind him. The sky was mostly clear in the east. A golden glow limned the horizon.
Wary of hostile grand korae, they slowed their approach. But their caution proved unnecessary as they encountered many other drake-flying eradae headed in the same direction.
There were also leonine gurashi on kirins, humans on owl-faced zephyrs, furry gargants riding equally massive many-tailed foxes, and yurids who required no mounts, their leathery or feathered wings equal to the task. The flyers spread far and wide. On the ground below, even more people were converging toward Apur atop various mounts.
When Frost took a moment to think, he realized the abundance of player activity made sense. The Crypts were the focus in this phase of the alpha test. He also wondered if there were others in search of mats to craft Benediction and empowered spells. It was a distinct possibility with more players having cleared the Sanctum.
The sun’s warmth grew, burning away the mist, and revealing what had been hidden. Frost frowned at activity up ahead, at a gathering of tents. A hiss escaped his lips.
Most flyers were descending toward camps set up in the savanna before the looming jungle greenery. Camps filled with soldiers in green and yellow. Camps with flags fluttering in the wind. Flags bearing a mountain split by a river: The Coalition’s Mountain and the Aetherstream.
A drake’s screech pierced the cacophony of the other animal calls. A zephyr’s scream followed. As did a kirin’s hyoo. Armored for war, three flyers speared through the clouds above the area. Atop the back of each sat a warrior wearing intricate silver armor filigreed with gold and green.
Vindicators.
The Vindicators descended until they were above the tree line. There, they took up positions, the zephyr hovering on moth-like diaphanous wings, while the kirin left electrical streaks wherever it went, and the drake flew in lazy circles.
A female voice boomed. “To all approaching the Kanpuri Vale, and even more so to those heading to Apur, Guntur, or Chunar, I am Lieutenant Gillianna Nona of the Vindicators, commander here at the blockade. The Gray Death infection is rampant in this area. There is a very high chance of becoming corrupted beyond this point.
“We have warded off the zone against entry. If you are not corrupted, you must first report to the camps for protection runes. Any uncorrupted who try to pass without runes will be shot down or burnt to a crisp by our wards beyond this point.
“If you are corrupted, you require nothing special to travel beyond this point, nor will passage be denied, but you must still report. Do not fear. We will not destroy you. If you decide not to cross, we will have you escorted to the Dagoda Front. Those are your only two choices of living if you are corrupted.
“If you are not corrupted and choose to brave the area in hopes of treasures, or to help the Coalition find a cure, you do so at your own risk. Those who help find the things we need for a cure will be greatly rewarded.”
No sooner had Vindicator Nona said the words than quests popped into IM. Again, they were a part of The Cure chain. The quests were The Forsaken Crypts and Help The Coalition Find A Cure.
“If you are corrupted, do not attempt to return after you pass through. The wards will reject you. Trying to cross them to come back will result in death. Only the clean can return.
“Corrupted will be stranded on the other side until we cleanse the area. Or you will die should the Grendesh Conclave decide incineration is better than risking further spread of the Gray Death.
“This is your last chance to turn away. If you choose to carry on, then may the Divines have mercy on your souls.”
“Damn,” Dante said over group chat, “she just made that sound so epic.”
“Your epic sounds like my awful,” Saba retorted.
“Either way, we’re going in.” Frost directed his mount toward the nearest camp. “Everyone, hoods up until we cross.” Considering the many people with their hoods on, he doubted the group would draw attention.
His Comm Orb dinged as he landed. Adesh Hamada left word that Blue Sky’s hierkaneer was already Concealed outside the Crypts. The rest was up to Frost.
They joined one of the many lines of players approaching Coalition soldiers who were passing out runes. Player conversation and the snorts and calls of mounts abounded around them. On either side of the lines, merchants haggled everything from weapons to armor to consumables.
Meritus and Saba bought more potions, extracts, and vials off an alchemist than Frost thought they would need. But he didn’t blame them. Better to be safe than sorry. The two shared the consumables with the group.
Frost noted the majority of the soldiers were grand korae, the color of the women ranging from yellow to many shades of white, while the men were turquoise, lavender, and even pink. Some shot the eradae scathing looks while others acted as if their cousins did not exist.
“Frost,” Dante hissed. “There’s a bunch of WaR members two lines over.”
Frost matched his timbre. “Keep an eye on them. With the crowds and our changes, I doubt they’ll recognize us.”
“I hope you’re right,” Saba said. “We can’t afford to fight them and whatever is waiting for us in the vale.”
Before Frost could respond, they’d reached the head of the line. A grand kora soldier with a captain’s double stripes on his sleeves scowled at Frost and Gilda then nodded to a gurash subordinate.
The lion-faced, brown-skinned gurash, a man who looked as if half his face had melted at some point, stepped forward and passed them silver discs inlaid with inscriptions. “Secure these runes. Lose them and you’re dead.”
“Understood.” Frost slipped his into one of the pouches on his belt.
“Hey, friend.” The soldier nodded in Dante’s direction. The man’s mane was unkempt atop his head but fell in a long braid down his back. He snatched a nervous glance back at his captain and lowered his voice. “My name’s Yoshino. Can I beg a favor?”
“Sure thing, Yoshino. And you can call me Chaotix.”
“Thank you, Chaotix.” Yoshino heaved a slow, relieved breath. “My brother allowed his emotions to get the better of him and led the last company sent to evacuate Apur. All for a woman he loves. He left before I’d returned, before…” He swallowed. “Before I could warn him of what’s waiting out there.”
“What’s his name?” Dante arched his brow. “And what exactly were you going to warn him about?”
Frost’s eyes narrowed. Something had frightened this hardened Coalition soldier. He could see it in Yoshino’s furtive glances, the dark rings under his eyes, the way he constantly swallowed.
“His name’s Sergeant Kazawa.” Yoshino paused before continuing. “He’s a bit taller than me, green like the forest with a matching mane down to his knees.”
“And the warning?” Dante leaned his axe on his shoulder.
“There’re… there’re monsters taking the surviving townsfolk. Void beasts.” The gurash’s lips trembled. “Scores of t
hem. They wiped out most of our company. My brother won’t fare any better. Please find him and his company. Tell them… tell him that she isn’t worth it. Tell him to get to hell out of there. To get to this side of the blockade until more Vindicators can come.”
“We will,” Frost said even before Dante could answer.
Yoshino visibly relaxed. “Thank you so much.”
IM revealed a new quest. Find The Missing Rescuers.
Saba climbed off her mount, her expression one of relief to be on her feet again. Frost smiled. Saba stroked the drake’s head. “Yoshino, since we’re doing you a favor, I need you to do one for me.”
“Certainly.”
“Take care of her until I return.” Saba held out her reins to the soldier.
“It will be my pleasure.” Yoshino took the reins.
Frost glanced sideways at Saba. “You sure it wouldn’t be better to have a flying mount just in case?”
“Positive.” Saba nodded firmly. “We’re close to the Crypts. I’m as fast or faster than anything out here. And since we might be fighting, I trust myself more on the ground than I ever could in the air.”
“Fair enough.” Anxious to be on his way, Frost turned to Yoshino. “You got any idea where we should begin searching?”
Yoshino nodded. “One of my brother’s scouts got hurt and managed to return. He said they were in the forest near the south gate.”
“Good enough.” Frost turned to the others. “We don’t have time to waste, so let’s get to it. I still need two levels.” Frost kicked the bolsters and set his drake off at a run.
Up ahead, dozens of groups had already entered the jungle. Some flew above the trees. They were now in a race to the Genesis Engine.
CHAPTER 26
They picked their way through the jungle, their breathing and their mounts’ footfalls loud to Frost’s ears. Despite the lush surroundings, there were no signs of wildlife. No critters. Predators. No animal calls. No birds twittering. Not even the sigh of a breeze. The silence set Frost on edge, more so when a mount hissed or growled.
The Forsaken Crypts Page 24