The Forsaken Crypts

by Terry C. Simpson

  “But an alien race, the draconids, were in search of a way to save their dying people. In a last desperate effort, they chose to follow an old myth. They flew their armada into the voidhole and crashed on Mikander.

  “Here, they found a world with abundant void energy. The very thing they needed to live.

  “Using parts from their ship, they built the Genesis Engines to harvest aether and void energy and to terraform Mikander, transforming it from a world dominant in aether to one that could support their revival, one primarily of the void. With promises of power, they allied with the once great titans from the north and set about carving a home out of Mikander, enslaving its people. That began the Titan War.

  “Wishing to defeat any opposition, the draconids unleashed voidstorms, the concentration of void energy corrupting the land, creating the namesake beasts. This influx of power upset Mikander’s balance. It triggered an Awakening.

  “When the two Celestials rose, the Daeva, Deluth, and the Ashura, Kitu, had but one purpose. To harvest the world for the Divines. They took no sides. Every living thing was considered fodder. The first Void Cataclysm was born. After they ravaged the world, the Celestials returned to their resting places.

  “The surviving draconids made an adjustment. They would unleash only one voidstorm every fifty years, and rely on the spread of the Gray Death to fulfill their needs.

  “They placed triggers in the Genesis Engines which would release power attuned to the corrupted, compelling them to go to the activated Genesis Engine above all others. There, the corrupted could be harvested or collected for transport to the Akufa dominion.

  “The Phalanx’s job is two-fold. One is to prevent another Cataclysm by dispersing aether and void energy, maintaining a precarious balance. The second is to stop the draconids. Our enemies are the most powerful void beasts, the draconid heralds and overlords, and the very Celestials who would strip Mikander bare.”

  “Epic,” Dante declared.

  Frost agreed.

  “I have a question,” Gilda said. “If the land is made from the bodies of the three Divines, why’re there only two continents named after them?”

  Gudbrand smiled. “Before the first Void Cataclysm reshaped the world, Marang was actually two continents. What you know as the Dagoda Front was once an ocean. The Akufa dominion began its life as Sienne.”

  CHAPTER 34

  Saba returned minutes later with Gearmaster Zod and Ryne on her back. The gnome and the goblin looked thoroughly disgusted at having to be so close to each other. When they saw Frost, they both stared, mouths agape, before catching themselves.

  Frost sighed. Judging from Gilda’s appearance—the oozing sores and blotchy skin—he knew he didn’t make for a pretty sight.

  Trying to guess how much time they had left, he checked on Grenok’s progress. The devourer was about halfway up and did not appear to be slowing. He had to be sprinting up the floors while decimating everyone and anything in his path.

  “Keymaster Gudbrand, you mentioned that we’re the first to solve this riddle and get access to this portal, what do the others do?”

  The gargant pointed up to where the battle raged. “They follow him. Eventually, he will face a draconid general just before the top. He has yet to win that battle.”

  Frost deduced WaR’s strategy. They had followed Grenok, allowing him to engage first, and only helped when it was safe. He was certain they had devised a way to see Grenok defeat the general, granting them access to the roof.

  He glanced up again. Grenok had covered two more floors. Depending on when WaR freed him in their instance, they could reach the Genesis Engine first. They could be there already.

  Fighting down dread, Frost regarded his friends and explained his thoughts. “We don’t have much time. If any at all.” Grim expressions met him. “Dante’s gonna be the first one through the portal. Everyone else be ready to fight if WaR’s up there.”

  Hefting his axe, Dante strode up to the door. He limbered his shoulders and stepped into the light. His body faded. Frost and the others followed.

  They reappeared in a square area atop the pyramid. The portal remained, but Gudbrand was gone. Gray clouds boiled overhead. A light mist fell. They spread out quickly, weapons aimed or held ready, prepared to defend or attack.

  The place was empty of people or monsters but not the Genesis Engine.

  The large barrel-shaped glass cylinder occupied the center of the area. Inside was a platform like a plate of some sort. Azure aether swirled within the glass, touching here, drifting there, darting, slowing, coiling. It was as if the power were alive.

  And it was to the Engine Frost was drawn. He took an inadvertent step in its direction before he stopped himself.

  “Yes!” Frost pumped his fist. He turned and hugged Gilda, giddy with joy and excitement. Jubilation went up from the others.

  But not Gilda. She held onto him, her body shaking. It took but a moment for Frost to realize she was sobbing.

  Whispering soothing words, he stroked her hair and horns and let her cry. He recognized the release of pent-up emotions. Perhaps even more than happiness, there would be relief.

  “Gimme a sec, let me hand the Gearmaster the schemas so he can get to work.” Frost held her a little ways from him and stared down into her eyes. The corruption was still there, living within them, but he imagined how it would soon be gone.

  Sniffling, Gilda nodded. “No doubt.” She scrubbed her cheeks with her palms. “I’ll stay here for now ‘cause the way that thing wants me to come can’t be good.”

  Frost understood, but he would let nothing stop him now. As he strode toward the Gearmaster, he took note of his surroundings. A massive double-sided door was set into the far left wall.

  On the right wall, a faint greenish-blue glow caught his eye. The luminance emanated from a set of symbols. Straining, he made them out.

  Void Gate.

  His heart skipped a beat. Pops would be inside that room.

  He raised his voice for all to hear. “Although we’re here first, we can’t let our guard down. Saba, drop some traps by that door. The rest of you get ready in case WaR shows up.” He could hear the battle within the pyramid but had no idea how close Grenok was to the top.

  The group hustled to comply.

  “Gearmaster Zod.” Frost stopped beside the gnome who was busy inspecting the Genesis Engine. This close to the Engine, Frost had a sense of comfort. He felt as if he needed to climb inside and rest. “I need you to make these.” Frost passed the schemas to the gnome.

  Zod’s eyes bulged. His mouth formed an O. He looked from Frost to the schemas and back again. “I-I heard rumors of this, but I thought they were just that… rumors.” His head shifted from side to side as he read. “By Anzu, is there any chance you have the materials?” He looked to Frost, eyes shining with expectation.

  Frost puffed up his chest. “We do.” He turned to his friends. “Bring the mats, people.”

  They hurried over and deposited the materials near Zod. Each had its own pile. The infused precious stones, bejeweled skill shards, and korbitanium stood out in comparison to the dragonwood, forsaken bones, void beholder’s eyes, and vials of void beast blood.

  Gilda got close to Frost again, casting nervous glances at the Engine. Her voice was little more than a hoarse whisper when she spoke. “I’ve never felt anything like this. It’s like the aether itself is talking to me, telling me to get into the Engine.”

  Frost swallowed. “I know exactly what you mean.” The aether now hovered on the side of the glass closest to them, coiling lazily.

  “So much. So much,” Gearmaster Zod chittered as he rushed to-and-fro, inspecting the items. He picked up a gemstone and held it up to the light. “Flawless.” He let the gem fall into his palm.

  “Perhaps enough for twenty z
hua. And only Anzu knows how many empowered skill shards.” Zod regarded Frost, expression intense. “Do you understand what you have here?”

  “Ummm… an epic zhua that could cure the Gray Death?”

  “Yes, but do you understand how?” The gleam of excitement shone in Zod’s eyes.

  “The spells?” Frost shrugged, thoroughly confused now, but no less intrigued.

  “Bah, you state the obvious, but not the seeeecret. Void energy! Hierkas are the only items that can take void shards. They are the only way normal beings like us can handle void energy. That is how spells are empowered rather than simply boosted.”

  Frost recalled the black and silver river. And the mutations. “But isn’t void energy bad?”

  “Is aether bad?” Zod arched a quizzical brow. “Think of them as opposite sides of the same coin.”

  “Point taken. How do we get our hands on void shards?”

  Gearmaster Zod screwed up his face as if Frost were a complete dunce. He gestured. “We have a Genesis Engine. They tap directly into the Aetherstream, which, despite its name, is really a combination of aether and void energy.” He tilted his head. “That last is a secret very few know. From the Aetherstream, we draw both energies to imbue gems, making them flawless, and then infusing them further to create void shards.”

  “How long’s the entire process gonna take?” Frost checked the door to the area. Grenok sounded a lot closer now.

  “I’m not sure.” The Gearmaster shrugged. “There’s no telling with hierkas and other genesiswork items until the process begins. Usually, the more powerful or higher level the genesiswork item, the longer it takes to craft. Some can be instant. Some in minutes. Others can take hours.”

  “We don’t have hours.” Though muffled, Grenok’s roars were closer. And if Frost strained, he thought he could make out the ring of steel on steel.

  “Luckily, the zhua and the shards are relatively low level despite their power.” The Gearmaster was arranging the materials in groups. “Even the hierka, Benediction, starts off very low, but can grow with its user to perhaps become one of the strongest weapons in all of Mikander.”

  Frost liked the sound of that. It meant the other weapons were the same.

  Zod appeared thoughtful. “There are rumored to be other more powerful hierkas, ones that contain weapon souls. But I have yet to encounter any of those. Nor do I know what weapon souls can do. Or if they really exist.” He shook his head and snorted. “There is also another issue when it comes to crafting.” Zod strode up to the Genesis Engine. He put his hand out.

  A display appeared, floating in the air in front Zod’s fingers. It had more in common with a holo than anything Frost would have expected. The display was filled with buttons beneath which were words in a language Frost did not recognize.

  “As with anything else, it requires aether.” Zod worked his fingers across the display, selecting various buttons. “And I only have but so much aether. I will have to rely on Replenishment and your mystic to speed up the process. And I will still need breaks. Genesiswork crafting is already exhausting. Doubly so when one has to make this many.”

  “No prob.” Anxious for the job to be done, Frost stroked his aether ring.

  He wanted himself and Gilda cured more than ever. And as soon as possible. The connection between the corruption inside him and the urge to climb into the Genesis Engine was disconcerting. No. It was downright scary. He shuddered.

  “First, we must scan the schemas to load them.” Gearmaster Zod jabbed a button. A light beamed from the console, appearing on his chest as a thin horizontal line. One after the other, he held up each schema to the light.

  “Then we have copies processed for insurance.” He pressed another button on the virtual console. A slit at the bottom of the Genesis Engine spit out several schemas.

  Gearmaster Zod waddled over to Frost and passed all but one set to him. “May I keep these for myself for future use?”

  Frost took the others. “Sure. It’s the least I could do.”

  “Thank you. Thank you.” The gnome bowed profusely before returning to the console. “And now, we begin.” His fingers worked the buttons.

  An image popped into existence beside the console and rotated slowly. It was a replica of Benediction, complete down to the polished korbitanium claw, which topped a wooden staff etched with glyphs. Several more joined the first. They showed skill-effect and void shards.

  “I need one of you to load in the materials from the piles I arranged. The ones for a single zhua first, then once I have crafted that, we will do the shards to match one by one.” Gearmaster Zod tapped the display.

  A section parted seamlessly near the Engine’s middle. The circular platform slid out, but the aether itself still hovered inside the cylinder, enclosed by glass.

  “I got it.” Dante strode over, picked up the materials, and placed them on the platform. When Dante was done, the platform slid inside. The section closed.

  “Stand back.” The Gearmaster shooed them away before taking a seat. The console and the images vanished. “Once I tap into the Aetherstream through the Engine, a field will appear around the Engine and myself. No one else can be inside. I’ll also be meditating to keep my aether up. See that I’m not disturbed. Any interruption ruins the process, and the materials are lost. It could even cause the Engine to go boom.”

  “You heard the man.” Frost backed away and gestured for the others to do the same. “Ryne, Dante, and Saba, keep watch on the entrance in case we gotta fight before he’s done.”

  “I hope we are long gone before it comes to that,” the Gearmaster said. “If an offensive spell strikes the Engine, the explosion might kill us all.”

  “We’ll keep that in mind,” Frost assured him.

  The others went off to do as Frost had instructed. He, Gilda, and Meritus waited. The pain and burning within Frost were becoming near unbearable.

  Gearmaster Zod’s eyes were closed. Aether rose from him like a celeste mist. It drifted over to the Genesis Engine.

  When the Gearmaster’s aether touched the Engine, the structure lit up and began a hypnotic hum. The aether inside the cylinder reacted, forming a solid band several shades darker than that belonging to the Gearmaster.

  A cerulean glow appeared beneath the Engine, forming a circle. The hum sped up. The radiance spread until it touched the Gearmaster. There, it stopped. The humming grew louder. Faster.

  “Look.” Gilda pointed at the cylinder.

  But Frost had already seen it. The materials had lifted off the platform and were now spinning. The individual parts coalesced, one after the other. A shape formed. One as tall as a man and thick as an arm.

  Frost squeezed Gilda’s hand. He hadn’t even realized he was holding it until that moment. Nor could he remember when he’d taken it.

  In minutes, the craft was finished, the glow and hum diminishing. Inside the cylinder, standing on end, was a Benediction. Frost fought back tears, his hand covering his mouth.

  “Infusion.” Chest heaving, Gearmaster Zod opened his eyes. “Take the zhua, then place six gemstones from the pile to the right onto the platform. The brightest ones. Those are the best quality candidates.”

  “Get it, Meritus,” Frost urged his friend to take the zhua. “It’s yours.”

  After Meritus cast Infusion on the gnome, the human mystic strode over to the Engine. The slot within the platform opened, as did another down the cylinder’s side. The zhua floated out to him.

  Meritus took the weapon reverently. He turned to Gilda and Frost, grinning like a big kid, and held it up.

  “The gemstones,” the Gearmaster called.

  Meritus picked up six of the most vivid gems. Their colors and types varied. He piled them on the platform and then rejoined Frost.

  “Thanks, dawg.” Meritus clutched
the hierka close to his chest. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

  “Shaddup.” Frost chuckled and extended his fist. They gave each other a dap.

  The next few minutes felt like an eternity. Crafting the void shards played out in the same fashion, except black and silver void energy rose up to commingle with aether. The power poured into the gems, making them brighter and the trapped energy denser. Two infused gems joined to form one shard, its outward color changing to a shade of purple. Black and silver coiled within the shard like a cloud.

  “Another Infusion,” Zod instructed. This time he did not appear as spent as when he crafted the zhua. “And place the shards into the weapon slots.”

  Meritus removed the void shards from the Engine. He turned the hierka until three slots were visible about chest high. When he’d placed the third shard, Benediction gave off an ethereal glow.

  “And now the skill shard materials for one empowered spell,” Zod said.

  Meritus did as he was told. The crafting process was the same. He absorbed the skill-effect shards when they were done.

  After the third shard, Gearmaster Zod detached himself from the Genesis Engine. “I need a few minutes to replenish. Then we can begin again. But first, let’s see the zhua in action.”

  Everyone gathered around, almost breathless with expectation. An electric energy hung in the air.

  With the moment at hand, Frost couldn’t help questioning himself. What if it don’t work? Maybe, I should have him cast the original spells first just to be sure.

  Or maybe you should just get it over with before that damned demon and WaR spoils it all.

  Frost took a calming breath. Palms sweaty, he nodded to Gilda. “Heal her first.”

  “You sure?” Meritus screwed up his face. “Because you—”