by J. Carrarn
Domain studied Solus with its new glowing blue eyes. "Giving up?" He asked, the lisp less obvious this time.
Solus shook his head, a weary grin on his face. He almost felt like trying to grab Domain again, just to spite him.
"Yes, for now. You will have to explain to me what lapdogs are another time, I..." Images of small, furry, annoying yapping animals instantly filled his mind, and Solus blinked. "Never mind."
Domain growled softly and sat down, keeping his eyes locked on Solus.
"The metal?" he asked again.
"I need to increase my attributes, and shaping the gold increased both my intelligence and my mana-field," Solus replied with a shrug. Divulging this information to Domain mattered little to Solus. The AI knew all of this already, and probably far more.
Domain cocked his lupine head to the side, his blue eyes flashing for a moment. Solus almost expected the AI to start scanning him with beams of light from its eyes, just like it had when it was still trapped in the sphere. He didn't, but the AI must have noticed something because it began nodding.
"That makes sense, although I cannot verify it. For the next few hours, I will need to refrain from checking my databases, or the connection might be interrupted and corrupt the current balance between me and the sphere."
Solus looked briefly at the sphere. "Will you be able to do so after we leave?" He made sure to keep his question as non-descript as he could.
"Don't worry. I'll be able to retrieve all the information we need during the trip. Just not right now." Domain said.
"Do you know of any way to increase charisma or wisdom?" Solus asked on a whim.
A lispy, barking laugh echoed through the room as Domains head bobbed up and down. "Charisma? Don't even try it! Anything above ten would be a miracle."
The snarky tone of Domain's reply grated on Solus's nerves. "And why is that?" he asked with a sneer.
"Either you need to put on some kind of performance or unlock some form of higher dialogue. You could also try and convince others to do what you want without using the threat of violence…" Domain said derisively as his blue eyes gleamed at Solus and his maw widened in a grin.
Solus sniffed, reigning in his temper. He frowned as he remembered his paltry nine in charisma. What is it good for anyway? He had only the merest inkling of what charisma was; even his fragmented, sphere-gifted memories could not help him to grasp the convoluted concept fully.
"With a high charisma, people—or undead, in this case, will act as you wish without needing to employ force or mana-orbs to persuade them."
Solus stared at one of the tables, strewn with partially dismantled spheres. He remembered how Sig and Skull had stayed with him even after gaining their freedom. That must have been some form of charisma then, probably why Sumil had stuck around too. He shook his head without regret. It seemed like an interesting ability, but it wasn't the path he had been taking since he had first evolved. No, his desire then and now was to feel and to experience as many sensations as he could. Although, he thought, correcting himself, his evolutionary path had changed slightly. He desired more nice emotions than bad ones...
"Hello! Solus! Are you in there somewhere or did your brain finally rot?"
Solus almost jumped, and he snapped his head around. Vingria stood beside him, eying him reproachfully.
What the hell does she want?
Solus growled and stood up. "What?" he snapped at her.
Vingria stepped back, her eyes narrowing. She seemed ready to start a shouting match but took a deep breath, releasing it like a bellow. The smell hit Solus squarely in the nostrils, warm and fetid.
"I didn't mean for that to happen with Scathia! When Norg brought her to me, I lost control!"
Solus gaped at her, confused and annoyed. What? Is she actually trying to apologize? Pushing himself up, ready to explode, he blinked. Wait… it's happening again!
He forced himself to stay still. He did not want to alert the Kaot that he was aware of its presence. Moving slowly, he turned to Domain, ignoring a wide-eyed and visibly shaken Vingria.
He focused his voice, not speaking but projecting a faint whisper almost inside Domains pointy black ear. "Something is here, close by…watching us."
The AI-controlled darkhunter gave no acknowledgment of Solus's warning, and Solus was about to repeat himself when he saw a faint blue glow emanating from the previously dull and inert sphere. It expanded, illuminating the walls of the room.
"What are you staring at that thing for? Did you hear what I said?" Vingria stepped forward, a confused look on her face.
As soon as she spoke, the blue glow intensified, a host of beams shooting outward, drawing intricate patterns on the walls. A single area turned red almost immediately, pointing slightly down and to the right.
"There!"
Solus moved before Domain had finished uttering the word. He leaped to the gaping maw-exit with such force that it caused the ground where he had been standing to splinter and crack. Sailing across the ramp and over the edge of the open maw, Solus plummeted downward, his eyes on the spot Domain had marked. As he fell, he scanned the buildings beside the tower with his stone sense ability.
A shadowy smudge rushed along the side of a building behind those bordering the square. It was a tall, stone square structure with a giant skull on the front, one of the first buildings he had created, although it was much taller now than it had been when it was first raised. It should also be vacant since Vingria and Norg had left it. Solus could feel a vibration so slight he might have missed it if he hadn't known where to look.
Stone beams shot from the nearby buildings, walls crumbling as they elongated and connected to the wyrm tower. One ended below Solus's feet, and he slammed down upon it, almost causing the beam to crumble. Steadying himself, he rushed across it.
The smudge disappeared straight through a wall.
"No you don't!" Solus shouted, the force of his voice causing the buildings around him to shake.
"Sig, get over here!" This time he roared even louder. The surrounding walls shook and fell apart, causing dust and debris to pelt the roofs of the buildings below.
He could feel the minute tremors fade as the thing flew through the opposite wall and jumped toward the top of the building. It's getting away! He snarled, wanting nothing more than to get his hands on whatever was toying with his emotions.
Landing heavily on the stone roof, he felt it cave in under his weight and hurriedly used his shaping ability to strengthen it, creating supporting pillars from the floors below. The ceiling held, barely. Relieved, he scanned the rooftops for his quarry.
Stone buildings, some with skulls adorning their roofs, others built to resemble the architecture of the ancients, stood below him. Debris and dust still fell toward them as the beams of sunlight created long shadows upon their silent edifices.
He couldn't see or sense his prey anymore, and he stamped his foot down hard in anger and frustration. The roof below him crumbled, half of it folding in on itself. With a disgruntled shout, Solus fell, hitting the partially destroyed floor below, breaking through it and the next.
A second later, he slammed into the empty bottom chamber, finally coming to a stop as half the building collapsed on top of him. He let it happen, gritting his teeth and trying to control his anger. It had taken him a year to learn how to control his newly won emotions, and he would be damned if he let that thing take that from him!
Lying beneath the rubble, waiting for it to stop falling, Solus knew he had to do something and fast, or he might just snap and destroy the entire city. With some difficulty, he focused on the stone, and a chamber formed around him. Sitting down, barely realizing where he was, he looked at the rock, gleaming a soft green. His energy was low, still recovering at a steady pace from shaping the gold. Grabbing a loose rock, it took him some effort to mold it.
The rock became longer, and almost perfectly shaped arms and legs grew from it. The middle turned into a torso, a head appearing, and
as Solus felt the sharp edge of his anger dull, he finished a tiny version of Norg that he placed on the rubble-strewn floor. With more focus, another bit of rock changed into Drys, followed by a miniature version of Vingria.
Soon, a dozen little stone figures stood in front of him, and Solus felt calm, calmer than he had in a long time. Staring at the last statue he had made, he sighed. It was a perfect representation of the female undead that he had gifted the Wyrm's mana-orb to, and he had no idea why he made it. She just popped up when he was thinking of more things to create. With a gentleness that might have startled those that knew him, he picked the pieces up. Almost without effort, a small stone box formed on the ground, and he carefully placed all the figures in them. His energy seemed partially regenerated.
I'll have to look into that, he thought. If he had some hidden ability to regain his energy this fast, he wanted to know everything about it. Such a skill would be invaluable. Holding the small box under his arm, he formed a tunnel up to the surface. Scraping sounds followed banging from above him, and when the tunnel opened up, something jumped in right away.
"Master alright?"
Skull's voice, unrestrained and like an angry mountain, caused the tunnel to shake violently. Solus just laughed, not angry at all. It had been a long time since his old minion had called him master.
"I am fine, Skull. Go back outside."
Skull stepped back as Solus moved toward him, and soon they emerged back into the light. All around them lay the remains of the once towering building, dozens of undead rummaging around in the debris. Vingria stood to the side, talking with Drys, Norg, and Domain. As soon as they saw him, they ran forward.
"Did you get it?"
"Why did you destroy my old building, you bile stain!"
"What happened?"
Three questions were simultaneously shot at him, and Solus blinked. He paid attention to his emotions but noticed no odd fluxes or increases of anger. He turned to Drys, shaking his head.
"No. It moved like Sig, passing straight through the walls before it flew away."
Domain jumped up on some large rubble, causing his eyes to be level with those of Solus.
"What coloring did it have, black or red? Was it like a cloud or more like a solid being?"
Solus blinked, trying to recall the details. "It was like a misty grey cloud…" he finally said, trying to recall the brief moment he had seen the thing fly off.
"Ah," Domain said before sitting down.
The others looked at him, Drys even clearing his throat, but Domain didn't elaborate as a small blue glow came from his form.
Drys was the first to turn back to Solus, inspecting him, his gaze lingering on the box. "Vingria said you lost your temper up there. What happened?"
"Every time that thing comes close to me, my emotions go into turmoil. It becomes almost impossible to control my anger…"
Drys looked around the ruins of the building. "Then it might be time for you to leave and find Scathia before you destroy all of Skulltown."
"What if that thing comes back?" Solus asked, feeling worry worm its way through his pleasant and contented haze.
Norg snorted, shaking his head. "If it flees from you, we should be able to end it if we can catch it."
Drys seemed to agree as he raised his hand, red lightning cracking between his fingers as he lifted a foot off the ground. "Don't worry. We will be fine."
"More than fine without you here, lumbering about and destroying the place!" Vingria added. Norg kicked her leg, and she frowned. "Sorry." The word sounded strangled and out of place.
Solus ignored them and looked out over the walls and to the horizon. He didn't like the idea of leaving, but he had no clue what the thing was, making it even more urgent to get to Scathia. They desperately needed information.
If she even has any.
The depressing thought came unbidden, and he shoved it back down. This wasn't the time for doubt. If she didn't have any information, then they would be in more trouble. Simple.
"Alright. Drys, did you manage to put together a team? Has anyone seen Sig? I called him to hunt that thing with me!"
"He came, but after you had buried yourself, I told him to bring the hunting group to the eastern gate," Drys replied.
Solus looked at Drys, examining the thin grey face and the dark eyes, passive and emotionless. Drys had already determined what had to be done before Solus had even managed to get himself back to the surface. Somehow that ticked him off. He quickly scanned his surroundings. Nothing but the movement of the undead he could see. Nothing on top of the buildings or inside.
I guess that was just regular annoyance, he thought before turning to Norg and handing him the small stone box.
"Put this in my tower somewhere, and make sure you keep everything in one piece until I get back. And Norg? Remember what I told you!"
Norg frowned as he looked in the box, his eyebrows touching each other in the middle. Then he nodded. "No worries! Now go and find a way to close those skull-rotting rifts!"
Solus turned and waded through the rubble. Domain ran forward, falling in beside him and matching his pace. He ignored the AI. His feelings were in a jumble again. This time it was not due to anger, but from worry, confusion, and something he had never felt before. Abandonment? Loss? He tasted the feeling, thick and intense, and decided he didn't like it one bit. With some effort, he shoved it down, but he felt it linger just below the surface of his mind.
The streets they crossed were busy at this time of day. Most of the denizens of Skulltown were out and about, gathered in small groups and talking amongst themselves. There were almost solely zombies making up the population of the city now. His patterns for free seemed to be a success.
Halfway to the east gate, the smallest of the city, the streets became still once more, Solus, Domain, and their shadows the only things moving through the silent streets. The last time he had been here, it had been swarming with skeletons who seemed to enjoy living with their own kind. Now there were none, and as he probed the area with his senses, he was sure the buildings were empty.
In front of the east gate was a small square with an edgeless stone floor, appearing to be made of a single piece of flat, featureless stone. Close to the gate stood a motley group of undead. Solus only recognized two, and seeing them made him feel a bit better, the still lingering sense of abandonment finally disappearing entirely.
"Solus!"
Sumil's voice floated around his head as the armor-plated skeleton examined him with her burning blue eye sockets. Beside her stood Sig, his sleek black hair floating and bobbing around his pale grey head as if moving of its own accord. His former minion just nodded lightly, his black eyes continually looking around the square, buildings, and sky, as if searching for something.
Next to the two stood a group of three other undead, less than Solus had imagined Drys would pick. One was an out of proportion zombie, as wide as she was tall. She was roughly half as tall as him, just barely reaching his waist, but her arms were thicker than his legs, and she had enormous white-bone-plate-covered knuckles at the end of her muscular arms. Her single remaining eye glowed with an intense orange light, glittering almost hungrily as she examined him.
Seeing the color and the way she looked at him, Solus was impressed. There weren't many orange-eyed undead, nor many undead that dared look at him like this one was, sizing him up.
Beside her stood a tall, blue-skinned undead that caused Solus to stop and raise an eyebrow. Thick dark-blue plates covered its legs and waist, leaving its purple, blue-haired, and wiry torso bare. Thin rune-like lines ran across his flesh, lines that looked like they belonged on a mana-field. Solus became even more curious when the blue-skinned undead gave him only a quick look before it turned to shoot a warning glance at the last member of this strange crew.
It was a thin and small white skeleton. At first glance, it almost seemed unevolved, like a Sigmiton. Minute bursts of white lightning crackled across its frame every few
seconds, barely noticeable in the setting sun. Its burning blue eye sockets reminded him a little of Sumil's.
"So, it's the big bad boss himself! Finally found something you—"
The purple-skinned undead slapped the skeleton so hard that it toppled over and landed headfirst on the ground, its words hovering unfinished in the air.
Solus blinked. What just happened?
A soft laugh came from the side, and Solus gaped at Sig, who had his fist in front of his mouth, trying to stifle the outburst. This was probably the first time he had ever seen Sig laugh, and he was about to ask Sig what was going on when the blue-skinned undead stepped forward.
"Hey—Solus, right? Of course you're Solus… Who else could you be…?" the undead said, muttering the last part as it kicked the skeleton that was trying to scramble back up.
"Dammit, Galg! How many times have I told you to keep your stupid remarks to yourself! What if he gets angry with you? You saw what he did to that building!"
The one-eyed zombie stepped forward, her orange eye gleaming, the corners of her mouth curved up. "Don't mind those simpletons. They might not look it, but they can be useful when they need to be!"
"Tatjie, don't you go and compare me to this empty-headed fool!" the blue undead shouted, ruffling both hands through his dense, close-cropped purple hair before turning to Solus.
"I'm Derin. Drys said you were going far out, to another city, and needed a group of hunters to assist you?"
Sig's laughter burst out unabated now, and Solus saw his former minion staring at him. Somehow the others laughing had made him feel better, and he smirked before turning to Sumil.
"Do you know them?" His low, rumbling voice caused Sig to go quiet and the others to stare at him.
"Yes. They are some of the best hunters we have. They bring back more awoken and more wyrm orbs than the next two groups combined while having fewer members."
What a fine bunch, Solus thought as he inspected the group. He saw they were looking past him, to Domain. Tatjie's one eye positively glowed from the inside now, and she stepped forward, her hands turning to fists.