From there they climbed the mountain in silence despite the tornado howling all across their view like a great black tower of storm. They stayed close to Oliver and were careful as the ground was shaking violently.
Easy as cutting rope, Oliver killed the extra fuel coming down and up the valley before placing a fifteen kilometer wall vertically down the vortex. He felt the tremendous pressure trying to continue spiraling in the same direction and growing due to buildup, but was no match for Oliver psionic strength. It was child’s play for him. Adding an angle to the wall allowed for an upward escape. The change really shook the ground, but didn’t last as the vortex was broken. Temporarily.
“Ready?” Stone asked, Satellite nodded and flew off to scout down with Visor as backup, going over the mountain and disappearing.
Deep below in near endless darkness, where nightmares are fueled around each bend, several sets of ears perked without the distant and constant howl of wind far above. Echoes from constant howling for many millennia simply vanished. The silent absence awoke not just one great creature, but dozens. They were aware something different happened and readied. Readied to unleash themselves on any territory intruders yet again. As commanded.
“Yeah, now that’s a hole!” Steven said as their group crested the freezing mountain peak.
No signs of life seemed to have ever been able to take root as total destruction stretched as far as they could see inside where not minutes ago spiraled a vortex of immense power. More than a hill’s amount of debris fell from the wall when the winds no longer ruled. Beyond the shaded mountainside area of early morning light stood a bleak valley of undeniable destruction. As the range of mountains grew, so too did the depth of ravines. Ahead circled Satellite and Visor using their powerful eyesight to scout for danger. Even without avian sharp vision, you’d be blind not to see the jagged gigantic ravine drop down to darkness. An uninviting opening to have ever existed.
Still riding in the saddle, Renee said “Olly, you tired?”
“No. It was not difficult. I’m more concerned for what awaits. Did Jessica call in any good news?”
“Sorry. She and Papa scanned the whole area and all our instruments still cannot find anything down there. It’s deep, wide and home to many Beasts about four kilometers below us and is close to twenty deep in some areas. The forests thankfully will help out and we’ll have plenty of places for shelter since it looks like we’ll be down there for a few days searching. Nothing indicates unnatural buildings or tunnels, but we know how well your people were at shielding from unwanted eyes. Jess and Stephanie will be with us all the time though to let us know about any areas to avoid. We’ll have to search the old fashioned way.”
“Then we must begin. Remember to occasionally leave markings so we do not get lost should communications be severed.” Sparky told them all.
Oliver lifted his bag of micro transmitters that light up and flashed when activated. High tech breadcrumbs. Stone and Steven also carried small packs, but were filled with thin rope, much like what is built into their suits, but the extra may be needed.
Sparky extended all four wings to take off like a black bullet, carrying a cape wearing redhead. To save their strength Oliver lifted the other two men to fly fast down to the largest ravine’s ledge. Stone withdrew a long spike with an eye-ring, drove it into a solid shelf of solid rock, tied the rope secure and let the line out as they all plunged into complete darkness, soon being so deep no longer could the sky be viewed. Helmets were on and night vision activated on all wearing suits. From their shoulders sprang bright beams of white light.
Below circled the winged scouts followed by Oliver, then the Hunters and lastly Sparky and his rider. Falling rocks echoed off walls, causing them all to look in that direction every now and then. Weapons were out just incase, but weren’t needed for close to a half hour’s slow descent in darkness. Only Renee acted as communicator to the Dorgenox so no words distracted the three Hunters and two birds scouting with their own eyes and judgment.
Eventually a bioluminescent light far below from mold and algae grew abundantly enough to not need the shoulder lights and allowed Satellite and Visor to fly much more safely and faster. When signs showed little destruction of wind on the walls Oliver said “Stone, find an anchor point to tie off the rope. I’m going to unblock the wind topside.”
Stone acknowledged silently by searching for a solid anchor point to tie off the line and eventually found one. To make sure it stayed he levitated himself over, drew one hatchet and chopped a notch into rock easily before tying it secure and tight so the rope had little slack. He gave the nod and they all continued down.
Algae turned into more complex organisms like grass, shrubs and alien trees that thrived. Blind insects and small animals called it home, but so did thick strands of webbing silk from gigantic spiders. Some areas of web crossed the entire ravine and required careful maneuvering to not get caught.
Nearly another hour’s fall met them with the bottom area of a lush forest, but also the wind high above had kicked up and restarted the vortex by the roaring howl it made. But so deep meant they barely felt a breeze.
“This where we split up and look for clues?” Visor asked when they had gotten their bearings.
“Yes. We have three possible caves to search and only three Tarantula in the area. I’m going to kill them and make this our base. Remember to keep your helmets on. The air is deadly and will kill in fifteen minutes without a filter.” Renee said. “When I’m done hunting I’ll check out the largest with Sparky. Oliver’s going alone and you four take the last one. Find anything interesting, report it. Go no further. We all saw that thing that killed the old explorers. Both images were around the same place. We aren’t Drakes so we can make barriers and hopefully hold the Beasts off. Check in every five minutes. I’ll call. If you don’t answer we’ll all stop and start a search. Clear?”
“Crystal.” Visor acknowledged as the group split after Oliver passed out the transmitters.
Too easily did Renee locate the Tarantulas and blew them up with a little kinetic blast, but ripped open its skull and held her breath before enjoying a tasty change in diet.
Search of the immediate area turned up nothing after ten hours of thorough probing. Aside from lakes, waterfalls, colorful fish, small animals and thick forests nothing had turned up. Oh, and old webs were all too commonplace. The only true strange thing was, something they all noticed and spoke of were the lack of exoskeletons from the amount of webs. Tarantula shells were quite valuable to humans as after being processed were ideal for making sturdy skintight flight suits. The lack of them was disconcerting.
It wasn’t until four more days passed that they were in the seventh deepest ravine in all of Drakken Prime. Dozens more overgrown spiders met their end and Renee was well fed and often brought some meat back to the Hunters and birds.
Journeying for a revelation for over three weeks came to a head when Stone held a hand up and knelt as Steven stopped. Both Satellite and Visor stood around an object sticking out of rock. He tapped his ear. “Oliver, Ms. Void, Satellite has discovered something metallic.”
“Don’t do anything. We’re on our way.” Renee said.
Oliver spun and ran as only he could, collecting transmitters as he sped through the old lava tubes. Sparky flew fast and safely. Sometimes needing to land so Renee’s head didn’t hit on the ceiling or get snagged in spider silk.
The group came together within an hour’s time and already the immediate area was cleared. Oliver had been deeper so he arrived minutes after Renee who was holding a hand and trying to scan it. “Nope, can’t get a read on it other than it being made of metal. Jess, what do you see?” here was a long pause as Oliver knelt and looked it over. Dust had been caked on, but the silvery sheen of metal made it clear it was unnatural. To prove it, the object had sharp and straight angles. Whatever it was is still mostly buried below.
“Well I’m seeing otherwise. The cave isn’t as small as your instru
ments tell you.”
“I know, Sweetheart.” Jessica spoke through Renee’s com. “Your camera proves it. That room you’re in is more than triple what mine show me. And it curves while you show it going straight… oh, I’m running a distortion program and a mild magnetic field has warped my end.”
“Can you correct it? It sounds like we’re finally in the right place.”
“No, the field is different than anything I’ve ever seen. My program only makes the visual more distorted. And I think you’re right. That could be the entrance to the castle. It’s deep and in a really stable place on the planet’s thick crust. I’d place a wager you’ve found it now, be careful.”
“Will do.” Renee touched her ear and turned, the surgical style face mask still on in the toxic air. “Boys, Jess made a bet we’re on the right track.”
“Well Mrs. Menann never makes a wager without a good chance of success. I’ve learned that much about her.” Stone admitted.
“I’ll take the lead, but first I want to see what this is.” Oliver said and took a step back from the object. So did the others. He lifted a hand and the rock cracked away in chunks. Out came an oval portrait three times taller than Oliver is tall and his height wide. It was a greatly detailed picture once the surface was wiped clean. It was of an extremely beautiful woman with long hair that had just the tips of pointes ears as a delicate circlet was worn upon her brow. At the bottom was the difficult to read Solarian language that is read in many directions to save space and express much.
“Queen Fru of the world of wind. Nurturer of the wild spirit that seeks adventure within all who live. Master of air and mother to more than four million children. May she rule and flow forever.” Oliver translated as best he could without a software translator as his mind was able to make sense without it. A natural Solarian trait. Renee was able to read it once she was given the means to have a block on her brain and body removed to fully understand her own biology.
“What a looker.” Steven drooled a little.
“What I want to know is what she is doing here when I see nothing else around.” Satellite said.
“Look at the loop up on top. This cave is huge. Most likely she hung from the ceiling. The size of her portrait is ideal to greet people so they know she is Queen if they had come for the first time. Kind of like a greeting. Instead of a sculpture or bust, she did this.” Renee said. “Is it just me or did they catch the mischievous side of her in the eyes?”
“It’s not just you. This picture makes her seem like she enjoyed having a little fun.” Said Stone Callicko.
“Now that we satisfied my curiosity, we can go. I’m taking point from here on out. You two stick with your partners.” He told the birds. “Renee, Sparky, watch the rear.”
Formation was made and onward they pushed. Anxiousness had Sparky glowing, but not in trepidation. He was anxious to explore, but held still as Renee climbed back in the leather saddle.
It didn’t take long till a strange scent that had been light and old for days suddenly got strong an fresh. “I smell something.”
“As do I, but I’ve never caught such a scent. It smells predatory.”
“That’s not what I mean… it feels… familiar.”
“Olly… do you mean from the Beast planet?”
“No… like a memory. This smell is… safe? I can’t really explain it.”
“Like from memories from before you were sealed away?”
“Maybe.” Oliver shook his head. “Strange, but the scent is safe and threatening to me. Something… no something’s are ahead. There is more than one scent.”
“How many?”
“More than one for sure.” Oliver sniffed inside the helmet. “Can’t narrow it down. The scents are intermingled and old. They’ve been here for thousands of years…”
“Go slowly, Brother. I’m more concerned of you calling them threatening over safe. Deal with your amnesia later.” Steven said holding lance and mace out and ready.
Slowly they went and as they did, Jessica’s signal to Renee had been cut. Rose was told to still be with Sparky so they weren’t completely alone down in an algae glowing tunnel that was cold and moist. But the further they delved the more things changed. The cave began to smooth out and arch in a way that spoke of civilization being responsible. The ground also began showing signs of travel by gathered dust along the sides while the middle was used sometimes. By what was a chilling mystery.
“Stars!” Oliver blessed as they left the cave and it opened into a grand cavern easily five kilometers high and twenty wide. The cavern was arched and beneath it was an enormous pyramid surrounded by smaller ones to show it was an underground city. The city was remarkably full of still flowing fountains. Aside from glowing moss, the city was seemingly untouched by time’s ravages. Great statues could be seen further down a visible road. The sheer scale was mind boggling, but here it was. The only sign of disrepair were of large boulders at the end of the road behind the still proud statues situated at the end of a wall encircling the city.
“Shiiiiiiiit. We found it. We actually found a lost Solarian city…” Steven barely whispered.
“Seems like our destination is the pyramid they called a castle.” Stone spoke up.
“Seconded.” Visor chirped. “Should we scout ahead?”
“Not yet. Whatever is down here has plenty of places to ambush in that city.” Oliver pointed with the cutlass. “If they can catch flying Drakes, you’ll not stand a chance.”
“Point taken.” Was the grumbling reply.
“Ten meter spacing. Stone, you follow next.” Oliver walked forward, eyes moving round and around in search of danger that was now apparent. He could definitely sense hostility and being watched by something. The tiny hairs on the back of the neck were straight up. But even with his glowing eyes that could detect psionic energy and a chip that had millions of uses, nothing moved aside from the far away fountains.
Nothing came out as they walked and made barely a sound, most coming from a slowly hovering Sparky so his talons didn’t click on the smooth road.
A kilometer later they paused to take in the two statues that clearly were patterned of Solarian battle armor of a man and woman. But neither could clearly tell if it resembled Oliver an Renee. The armor was identical though of a man and woman type.
They continued past the open entrance gate is when it happened.
Not ten paces in, one of a dozen randomly spaced large boulders moved just enough for the chip to detect what Oliver’s eyes could not. He leapt back as soon as the chip warned and hyperawareness saved him by millimeters as the boulders changed into great armored, four legged creatures with claws, teeth and bodies covered in blades able to shred anything near it. The most terrifying thing though was their speed, they were faster than Cerberus Beasts and stood easily a hundred seventy to eighty centimeters tall in the shoulders and easily weighed more than a half ton. Their speed was barely a blur.
That was nothing compared to the primal roar that came from each and every single one of them. Especially from the largest that stood back from eleven others.
Steven barely got the grunt of “FUC…” out before a massive telekinetic grip grabbed hold along with all the others and were flung back as Oliver pushed forward with the shield in an attempt to knock back the great killers with a blue wall while flying backwards, but the expanding curved wall the shield made merely passed around the black spiky creatures.
Then the strangest thing happened, as Oliver managed to barely cross the threshold he had entered, the enormous creature stopped. Stopped right at the city line.
Oliver stopped his arm from unlashing a slicing wave while doing a back-flip and landing on his feet, mentally he sat the others down and threw his right arm out yelling “WAIT!” as Stone was about to send a slicing wave through his readied hatchets.
“They stop?” Sparky was confused, but his glow was ready for a fight.
At the line to enter the city was eleven and one big pawi
ng creature behind all who were hissing and roaring. The wide space of the opening allowed them to pace like great cats. The opening of their mouths made it clear these were what killed the Drakes of the past who got too curious to explore. Their fangs were long, thick and the muscles of their jaw were clearly capable of rending armor like flesh. Icy blue eyes glared at them, but did not continue the charge.
“Safe my ass… What are they?!” Renee had to yell over the roaring loudly filling the cavern. “Why did they stop?”
Their body type, deep chest, large paws complete with curved claws, began to make it click. “No way… I think they are the creature I roughly translated in the laws as a Warrior’s Pride.”
“Correct. Now force them to be your Pride.”
Heads turned to footsteps as a tall Creelin appeared in a bright flash in front of two others who were Zeelin warrior commanders. The lead walker was in a simple royal blue robe of fine thread and he walked casually with his hands behind his back.
“What the hell are Creelin doing here?” Steven remarked, lowering his lance after seeing what had gotten behind him.
The leader was clearly an Archiver, an ancient and wise leader of their people. Based solely on a lavish maroon robe. “We feel it necessary for your future, Young Steven Metts.”
“Well, damn. Who would of guessed an Archiver knew my name? What is yours, Old Timer?” Steven turned back to the greater threat still making a ruckus.
The Archiver didn’t take offense. “Archiver Brambbit. It is who I am.”
“For what reason do you come?” Oliver asked, clearly seeing the Pride able to step across the line, but not leaving it. Their scent was freshest now and they could cross or else he couldn’t have scented them at all down the tunnels and ravines.
“If you’re still adamant on uncovering your lost history, Oliver Void, you have two options. One is to listen to me or end the very last Pride of Zeramndillieq villip in existence by your hand. For there is no other alternative to proceed unless you wish to fill their stomachs.” The old Creelin said. “And I cannot allow you to kill them. This is why I come.”
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