by J. Carrarn
The undead all turned toward him, and Crowny backed off.
"This one wants to come with us. He spoke with those two and wanted the option to become something besides a skeleton," the Blackguard said, waving at the zombies huddled together.
"Sounds like a plan. Uran has nothing useful to say, so we are leaving," Solus said as he walked toward the skeleton standing behind the Blackguard.
"Come with me. I have some questions for you."
"Halt!" Stepping forward, Crowny moved to block Solus's way. "He is to be one of ours."
Ignoring him, Solus turned to the Blackguard. "Get everybody ready and head back. I will catch up in a moment."
Then he turned to the self-awoken. "You stay with them."
Seeing the undead from Skulltown move away, he was curious to see the two zombies follow them. Crowny did not attempt to block them but was just staring at him.
"You don't want to try and stop me?"
"No. Uran is coming. He will do that."
For the first time, Solus thought he detected some smugness in Crowny's voice.
"Dammit, Kreel! Don't go and tell people when I am coming! You ruin the surprise." Uran's voice came from all around them, and Solus groaned.
A few seconds later, Uran's hulking shape came striding toward them from Realdeep. Turning toward Crowny, no, Kreel, Solus felt like locking him in stone.
"Don't be angry with little Kreel, young one. The fault is yours for trying to take that which belongs to me!"
Since he turned into a demi stone elemental, Solus had not been angry a lot, but now a smoldering rage began building deep inside him. Who did this thing think he was? What right did he have to decide what another should do? Turning his full attention to Uran, Solus felt the prospect of fighting him becoming more appealing by the second.
"Ahhh, finally. About time you showed me that face." A loud bellowing laugh quickly turned into a crazed howl, and Uran charged forward.
Part of Solus noticed that Kreel had moved away, heading after the others. He hoped the Blackguard was capable enough to stop him. Then Uran was in his face, and he had no more time for other thoughts. A large yellow bone fist shot toward his head, and Solus removed the stone from the soil below his feet, causing him to fall a bit. The fist passed above his head, and he created long stone tentacles that slid out of the ground and began thrashing at Uran.
Forming a stone pedestal under his feet, he raised himself back above ground. With apparent ease, Uran ripped apart the stone tentacles that tried to bind him.
"Petty tricks!" Howling again, Uran ripped the last of the stone tendrils to pieces before jumping toward a massive bone tree. Ramming his fingers inside, he pulled it sideways, almost uprooting it. A few more tugs and he was standing below the tilted tree, eyeing Solus.
Wondering what Uran was trying to do, Solus jumped forward, summoning more stone from below the ground. A weird hissing noise came from the tree, and as he watched, the thing began moving, the branches bending by themselves.
"You like binding people so much? Try it yourself!" Uran howled with insane laughter as he pushed the gigantic tree upright and watched as it used its roots to drag itself forward while its branches snaked toward Solus.
So slow, Solus thought as he dodged a few of the branches. As he was about to laugh at Uran's pathetic attack, something gripped his ankle, holding him in place. Glancing down in shock, Solus found a white root winding up his leg, compressing the solid grey flesh. Moving his leg didn't help, and Solus tried ripping the root away. He realized right away that it would take more time than he had. The tree was closing in, and behind it, Uran was ripping another one from the ground while giggling madly.
Sensing the stone below him, Solus ignored the root binding him and instead shaped the stone, feeling an immense drain on his mana-field. Just when the first tree reached him and stretched its branches, he finished, and a large section of the surrounding area began shaking. Walls rushed up from the ground, splitting a part of the forest in two, growing nearly as high as the tallest trees. They blocked the tree in front of him, but more importantly, the sharp edge atop the wall cut the roots of the tree below the ground.
Ripping the no longer resisting root from his leg, he looked to both sides and grinned. The wall stretched a great distance to either side, and he had made it as thick as he could. A massive collision came from the other side, and parts of it shook, cracks appearing.
"You can't hide behind your walls forever! I will get you!"
Uran's voice could be heard for miles around, but Solus just shrugged. Knowing that Uran could change all the surrounding trees into weapons, he quickly decided that it was time to leave this forest. It would take only a few moments for Uran to realize he could just jump the wall. If Uran followed him out into the wasteland, with its stony ground and no bone trees, that would make it all a lot better.
"See you next time, Uran. I'll take good care of the self-awoken!" Solus roared as loud as he could, ignoring the small cracks appearing across the wall. Then he laughed and ran off, heading toward the wasteland. The others should have just made it to the edge of the forest.
Sprinting through the trees, not caring if he destroyed part of his surroundings, Solus quickly saw the light ahead. Jumping through the last line of trees, he ground to a halt and looked around him. Where are they? Everything was quiet, and he thought he heard someone shouting. Scanning the horizon, he froze. The group from Skulltown was running through the wasteland, heading back to the bone forest. Kreel must have caught up to them, but whatever he had been instructed to do, it probably wasn't running away with them.
Behind them was a massive group of undead, chasing and gaining ground on them fast. Even further back was another group that stood in front of a pitch-black, eight-foot-high jagged rip in the air.
Staring at the center, Solus saw only inky darkness, giving him an ominous feeling. The dark surface didn't reflect anything but absorbed all the light shining on it. If it weren't for its glowing red edges, it would have blended in with the environment, easily mistaken for a shadow. Instead, it cast an ominous red light that tainted the wasteland floor and highlighted the dozen or so undead in front of it.
What is that thing...?
Invaders
As Solus stared at the undead pouring out of and pooling in front of the bright, red-bordered rip in the sky, he felt something inside his chest contract. What if they were all as strong as the others they had already encountered? Imagining having to battle dozens, if not hundreds of those things... He knew he wouldn't be able to do it.
In the distance, he could see the pursuing undead gaining ground on the party from Skulltown. Solus shook his fear away and leaped forward. Sprinting as fast as he could, he hoped that he could intercept the pursuers in time. He kept an eye on the undead still standing in front of the portal.
Almost as soon as Solus moved, he saw that they had noticed him and were charging his way.
Why now? he thought, wondering why they hadn't gone after the others. His anxiety faded when he saw how much slower than him they were.
When he had covered half the distance to the undead from Skulltown, the Blackguard spotted him and changed course. Now they were heading straight for him.
Solus stopped when he realized they would reach him before being overtaken and looked around to see what the undead were doing. They had split into two groups and were effectively blocking the routes that lead back to the wasteland. Gauging their speed, he knew he could probably make it through with no trouble, but the others would never make it.
"We are going back to Uran!" he roared, pointing back at the white bone forest from which they had just come.
The Blackguard's emotionless voice replied almost immediately. "Are you sure that it is safer there? Can't you hide us underground?"
Blinking, Solus considered it for a moment but then shook his head.
"I could, but we have no way of knowing if those undead have similar abilities. Besides, we c
an't let them run around unchecked. If that rift keeps spitting out more of those things, they will eventually make it to Skulltown. Who knows how strong they are?"
Halfway through this exchange, the others finally reached him, and he fell in line with the Blackguard, running alongside him.
"Kreel, can you alert Uran and tell him what's going on? He has to get his army ready and meet us inside the forest."
The crowned skeleton replied after a few moments. "The boss said that you aren't welcome in the forest. If you enter, he will tear you to pieces along with anything else that dares to disturb him."
Solus snorted. "Tell him to stop being a fool and remind him who got him out from under the ground. And with whom is he going to practice all those stupid abilities he thinks up?"
Kreel stayed silent, and this time it lasted for quite a while. Solus wondered what that old fool was telling him.
"He says that you may enter the forest."
Solus almost fell over his own feet in surprise. Why had it taken so long to say that?
"Fine," he said, suppressing his curiosity.
He looked back at the Blackguard. "When the battle is joined, keep the others away from the fighting. Keep them safe."
"Yes, Solus."
Looking over his shoulder, Solus saw that they weren't moving fast enough. The pursuing undead would catch up to them before they reached the forest. His expression set in a look of hardened determination as he concentrated on the terrain between him and the pursuing undead. A loud rumble came from behind them as the earth split open, creating a deep chasm. It was just wide enough to slow their pursuers down, or at least he hoped that it would. He didn't want them to stop them chasing; he wanted them to follow him into the forest so he and Uran could crush them.
The undead reached the chasm, and most of them leaped across the wide fissure without even slowing down. Solus frowned and focused his earth-shaping ability again, calling forth a thick carpet of sharp stone spikes. They were barely visible, and they covered the distance between his party and the pursuant undead.
As soon as the first of the fleshy undead stepped on the spikes, they stumbled and fell. Some managed to leap back before falling into the trap.
Seeing this, the skeletons amongst the undead pushed past the fleshed ones. Some leaped as far as they could over the spiked area before running the rest of the way, seemingly undamaged by the spikes. The ruse had worked, though. Solus and his party reached the tree line before their pursuers could catch up to them.
Uran appeared from deep within the forest, a pair of massive skeletons with crowns on their skulls following close behind him. Uran approached Solus, only stopping when he was almost on top of him.
"Once we have dealt with these pukes, you are to head back to Skulltown. I don't want to see your ugly face here for a while!" Uran said, poking a bony finger into Solus's chest. "Got it?"
Solus really wanted to punch him but resisted the temptation and nodded. "Sure, whatever you say. Now let's see just how strong these things really are!" He whirled around with a fierce snarl on his face, the desire to destroy these invaders overriding all reason.
The first of the incoming undead were only a hundred or so yards away from them, while the fleshed ones were still trying unsuccessfully to cross the spiked trap that he had laid. Casting a glance at the Blackguard, Solus was encouraged when he got a small nod. Grinning grimly from ear to ear, he ran toward the incoming enemy, with Uran right behind him. As he ran, he summoned stone from the ground that wrapped around him, encasing him in thick armor.
The scattered skeletal undead saw them charging their way and slowed down, uncertain now, before coming to a full stop. They had barely a moment to gather themselves in a defensive line before Solus reached them. A thick layer of stone packed around him; he looked more like some giant made of stone than his normal undead self. The enemy undead gaped stupidly at him as he slammed into their midst.
He had predicted that the enemy would probably attempt to jump out of the way, and so he had shaped the stone around his arms into long clubs. He lashed out at them as they dodged, crushing one particularly slow and unlucky undead.
Weak? he thought as he continued to easily smite the skeletons. Close by, Uran tore into the skeletons, easily rending them limb from limb. Within moments they had decimated the enemy ranks, leaving only a handful still standing upright.
Confused by their weakness, Solus summoned some stone containers and attempted to capture some of them. He needed answers, and perhaps Drys could provide them if he had subjects to study. A few evaded the containers. Finally, seeming to realize they were in danger, they fled in a blind panic. They did not get far.
Uran rushed in, easily snatching two of the fleeing undead up from the ground. He bit one in the neck, savagely gnawing its head off. He spat the thing out before grabbing the second one in both hands, ripping it in half with a roar that caused a circle of dust to blast away from him. He then charged after the two remaining skeletons that were fleeing back to the fleshy undead.
Solus ignored the big skeleton and instead inspected the ones he had captured. They were throwing themselves against the sides of their stone prisons, and one had even created small cracks in the thick stone. He layered stone around that one until the sounds of its struggling were so muted that he could barely hear them.
Content, he turned to Uran and blinked. The hulking skeleton stood amid the fleshy undead, grabbing them and tearing them to pieces at a savage speed that seemed unreal. Those at the edges of the battle were scattering, fleeing in all directions until none remained.
Within moments, the group of fleshy undead was destroyed, and Uran rushed toward the black, red-edged rift in the sky, leaving the scattered remains of the foe in his wake. Arms, legs, and heads lay everywhere, like some macabre puzzle.
Shaking his head in wonder, Solus ran forward. Dropping the stone armor, he used the earth to propel him forward. He left a dusty, debris-filled trail in his wake as he quickly caught up with Uran.
The other undead that had been blocking the way into the wasteland were slowly backing away. Their eyes and eye sockets locked fearfully on Uran and Solus, they finally turned and fled. Within moments they disappeared into the wasteland, most alone but some in small groups.
Feeling his skin crawl at the thought of them running around unfettered, Solus tried to capture them. Stretching his stone-shaping powers to the limit, he only managed to catch a single one that had been lagging behind. The rest were just too far away.
"We have to capture them!" Solus shouted, slowing down and looking back at Uran.
The massive skeleton shook his head. "We can't capture them all! Let's just destroy that black hole thing before more come through. We can hunt those stragglers down later!"
Solus blinked in surprise, Uran was right, but he wasn't used to hearing him say something intelligent. He slowed down until Uran caught up, and together they ran the remaining distance to the rift. They came to a stop when they stood before the black rift, the crimson light burning off from its edges casting shadows behind them.
"Now what?" Uran grumbled.
Solus examined the blackness inside the tear. "It seems to be some kind of portal. Have you ever seen anything like it before?"
"Never," Uran growled. Then he raised his hand and summoned a ball made of bone seemingly from thin air. Weighing it in his hand thoughtfully, he tossed it at the portal. It disappeared inside without a ripple. "Why don't you go inside and see where it leads?" the yellow skeleton said, turning to Solus.
Solus shook his head. "No thanks. Why don't you give it a go?"
Uran didn't respond, and the two walked around the portal, looking at it from every angle. It was as thick as Solus's hand, and the back was similar to the front but without the crimson gleam around the edges.
Sensing tremors in the ground, Solus turned to the forest to see a massive group of skeletons running out of it and heading their way. Behind them, hiding at the edge of the f
orest, was the group from Skulltown. The Blackguard scanned the passing skeletons before eyeing the closest route to the wasteland.
Solus knew that Uran would never let them leave just like that. He wanted to project his voice to tell the other to stay put, but he was too far away. Willing the Blackguard to look at him, he gazed intensely at him.
After a moment, the Blackguard turned to look at Solus, almost as if he had felt the stare.
Solus shook his head before looking at a spot in the forest some distance away. He hoped the Blackguard could see his subtle gestures from that far away. Luckily, the Blackguard nodded and began ushering the others further along the edge of the forest.
Turning to Uran, Solus frowned as he pointed at the incoming skeletons. "What are you up to?"
Uran spat out a laugh. "Those are the weakest of my minions. I will send a few through! With some luck, they can make it back and tell us what is on the other side."
Solus's frown deepened, but he kept silent, waiting for the skeletons to join them. When the simple white skeletons were a hundred yards away, a thud came from behind him. Solus whirled around just in time to see a skeletal undead scramble up and look around. He jumped forward, attempting to grab the skeleton, but he was stunned to see it shatter into a small cloud of bone fragments. His hand moved through the cloud, and he felt the bones pelt his skin as if trying to rip through and shred him.
"Well, well. That is fun!" Uran roared.
He jumped forward and stuck his hand in next to Solus's. As soon as he did, the bones began swirling around in erratic patterns, and then most of the cloud of fragments rushed off with a speed Solus had never seen before. Like a white and yellow streak, it disappeared into the distance.
A soft chuckle from Uran caused him to look aside.
A small amount of the bone cloud whirled around Uran's hand. The large yellow skeleton made a strange, complicated gesture, and with a plop, the fragments coalesced into a dark-grey skeletal hand that fell to the ground. Uran shook his head and stomped on it, crushing it into bits. Then he turned to his followers, who were a short distance away, their burning green eye sockets staring at their leader.