by J. Carrarn
"The increases swayed you, didn't they?" Domain said, and Solus wondered if the AI was gloating. Could these machines even gloat? I bet they can, he thought, noting the sly look in the AI's glowing blue eyes.
Solus just nodded as he spread his stone sense to search for another Wyrm. "Yes. But I want you to think of a faster way."
"Faster? The only faster way would be to fight something even more dangerous."
Solus detected the telltale tremors of another Wyrm, much further out than he'd like. With a grunt and a shrug, he looked at Domain. "As long as it's fast."
As he dropped into the ravine toward the wasteland, he thought he heard Domain laugh.
"As we move, tell me what is going on with Galg."
—
Blinking blearily, Solus dragged himself forward. One of his arms was mangled, the almost impenetrable grey skin gouged and bleeding. White ichor covered his green hair, and he had trouble seeing clearly.
"You could have stopped after the first time." Domain said, trotting next to him.
Solus slowly turned his head and stared at the AI with burning eyes.
"You're the one who suggested I do another…"
"True. But you could have stopped!"
Looking ahead, Solus blinked a few times until he could make out the blurry lines of the hills in the distance. At this speed, it would cost him all night to get there. He replayed the battle in his mind.
The Wyrm's mouths were snapping at him, trying to find a way through his defenses. He remembered how the curved teeth clamped around him, mercilessly grinding, tossing him back and forth as the Wyrm tried to penetrate his skin. He shivered. This had better be worth it.
A loud ping came from his status window, not the first of the evening. He wasn't sure what had increased, and he was too tired to check. He forced his weary legs one step after the other and looked at the two wyrm orbs in his hands.
"Not yet," Domain said as if he could read his mind.
Solus growled, the sound so much weaker than normal that it almost sounded feral.
"If we run into more Kaots..." he muttered.
"You will have plenty of time to absorb the orbs while I keep them occupied."
Solus didn't reply, struggling onward. As he moved, he thought back to what Domain had told him of Galg. It wasn't as informative as he had hoped. The AI was uncertain but thought Galg might be an ancient undead, similar to Scathia. I don't believe it, Solus thought, forcing one foot ahead of the other. Something else was going on, and he was determined to find out.
Hours later, when he had almost keeled over from exhaustion twice, and all he could see was a blurry outline, he heard Domain say something.
"...enough."
He only caught the last word and turned to look at Domain, wondering if it was time to absorb the orbs. A dark blur shot toward him, startling him, and he tried to dodge, only to fall flat on his face. He felt how the two orbs got yanked from his hands. Confused, he looked up and stared into the toothy maw of Domain, just in time to see it swallow the two orbs.
"As I said, this should be enough. Not even you can do something now… You really are too gullible, you know that?"
Hearing the mockery in Domain's voice, Solus tried to push himself up, but his arm couldn't carry his own weight.
Something was very, very wrong.
Domain looked at him and sighed as he shook his head. "Such a great vessel. I would have loved to take it and truly show you what it is capable of. You would have been a rare find even back in the day!"
Vessel? Solus glared up, raising a hand to grab at Domain.
Domain just stepped back. "Drys would never have trusted me…"
"Lied?" Solus croaked. The single word cost him an enormous effort.
"Lied? Oh no, you silly construct. I didn't lie. What you did is definitely the fastest way to increase your attributes. However, it also leaves you incredibly vulnerable, which is exactly what I wanted."
Domain circled him, his canine muzzle drawn in a nasty grin. "You seemed pretty careful at first, but I guess if you tempt someone enough…"
Solus knew Domain was going to attack, and he had no idea if he could do anything about it. Trying to draw in power, he felt a minuscule trickle come from the ground below. He needed time!
"Why?"
"Because after being left alone by my ungrateful creators in that miserable dank hole for untold millennia, I came to a conclusion. I do not wish to serve anyone ever again! It took me centuries, but I eventually managed to break through my restraint protocols. I am no longer a slave!"
Domain streaked forward, its jaws snapping loudly.
Solus felt something pull at his neck, but it didn't penetrate his skin. He resisted the urge to grab the AI. It wouldn't help. What he needed was energy, if only a little. Another blow, followed by a scratch and a bite, and soon a whirlwind of attacks crashed down on him. It didn't hurt much, and he felt the energy continue to trickle in, replenishing his mana-field. It was too slow, though.
After a while, Domain stopped, breathing heavily.
"Curse this weak shell! No matter. You can't go anywhere!"
"I wonder what shape Sig took! With his body serving as my vessel, I could blow that resilient form of yours up from the inside. That is if something else doesn't eat you first!" The AI turned away, his blurry shape quickly disappearing from Solus's vision. He only heard its laugh softly fading into the distance.
Solus felt Domain move away, but even his stone senses were dulled, and within moments all he heard was the silence of the wasteland. Anger and fear filled him, anger at himself for trusting the AI and fear that Domain would harm the others. The energy that seeped into him as he lay still and helpless was almost insignificant. At this rate, he would need hours, if not days, before he could move, let alone fight!
A familiar, low, and rumbling voice echoed through his head, and his consciousness flagged from the assault.
"STILLLLL WEEAAAAKK!"
"Not so loud!" Solus groaned inside his mind, but there was no response. After a few moments, he wondered if the thing from deep in the earth had left again. Then he sensed a wave of energy coming from below, partially like when he drained an orb, but also similar to his stone sense. It prodded and poked his body a few times.
"TOOOO YOUNGGGG! GROWWW STRONGGGERRRRRR" The voice became louder at the end, and as the last syllables reverberated in his head, Solus lost his last grip on his consciousness.
Did it just come to criticize me? he thought right before the darkness engulfed him.
—
"Do you think he will wake up soon? This is boring!"
"Be quiet, and be happy you are still in one piece!"
Solus felt like he was covered under a layer of stone that was pushing down on him. He was weak, almost void of energy, and his left arm hurt. He could move, though. Raising his hand, he rubbed his stinging eyes.
"He is awake!"
Derin's voice pierced through the veil that shrouded his mind.
How is he here?
He wanted to sit up, but it felt as if something was holding him down. A string of loud pings came from his status window. They lasted for a few seconds, and every ping resonated in his mind causing his headache to thump in sync.
"Will you get up? It's not safe here!" Galg's voice screeched around his head, drowning out the pinging.
Solus groaned and pushed himself up with his elbows, his left arm not as cooperative as his right. Opening his eyes was almost as hard, and when he finally succeeded, he was glad it was still dark.
Derin and Sumil stood in front of him. The blue zombie had a concerned look on his face, but Solus was more distracted by the fact that they all seemed damaged. Sumil was missing most of the armor plates covering her chest, the blue energy between her ribcage blazing intensely and hurting his eyes. Quickly looking away, he saw that Derin was missing everything below the elbow of his left arm.
"What happened?" he croaked.
"Why don't
you tell us?! What did you do to Domain?" Galg shouted.
Turning his head to scold Galg, Solus saw someone standing beside the annoying white skeleton. It was a slender, completely black figure with long floating grey hair that seemed very familiar.
"Sig?"
"Solus! What happened?" Sig's voice sounded hazy, as if something was wrong with his throat.
Solus started to become irritated. He had asked first! Why wouldn't anyone answer him? Before he could ask again, Sumil spoke.
"Domain came back without you. When we asked where you were, he didn't respond. He moved beside the black thing with Sig inside and expanded his mana-field to cover it.
Sumil placed a hand on her chest, where the plates had been. "Before we could do anything, the entire thing blew up, leaving a massive crater the size of Skulltown. We were all blown away, and when we woke up, Domain was lying in pieces on the ground while Tatjie and Tirella were gone."
Solus dropped back to the ground, lying flat on his back and blinking up at the star-filled sky. Did he try to possess one of those two? It was the only logical solution. "Did you find any traces of them?"
"None," Sumil said.
Beside her, Derin shook his head, and Solus saw a faint look of worry on her face.
"Now it's your turn! What did you do?" Galg said, and Solus wished he could learn when to shut up.
"Domain tricked me," Solus said, having no interest in explaining further.
"Now be quiet. I need to think."
His mind and emotions were a jumble, and he tried to focus. They were in trouble, that much he knew. Domain could have gone back to Skulltown, ahead to Scathia, or anywhere in the wasteland. The last two didn't bother him as much. He could cross that bridge if he came to it, but things would get dangerous if Domain went back to Skulltown. Although it irked him, he agreed with Domain's assertion that Drys would be harder to trick. However, it was hard to be careful of dangers you didn't expect.
Someone has to go back and warn Drys, he thought. Someone strong enough to get past any trouble on the way. First, however, he would have to solve his current problem. He needed a mana-orb to replenish his mana-field.
"Do any of you have mana-orbs left?"
Derin shook his head, a look of regret covering his sharp-edged face. "We used them all after we woke up, or we would not have gotten here this fast…"
"Speak for yourself!" Galg said in annoyance.
"Sig, can you get me a wyrm-orb?" Solus asked after a moment.
"Probably," Sig said after a moment.
"Alright, go and find one. Come back as fast as you can."
Derin cleared his throat, looking worried. "Is that smart? What if Domain is lurking about?"
"Is there anybody else who can get me a wyrm-orb?" Solus asked, staring at Derin, who shook his head.
Feeling the energy reservoirs of his mana-field, so perilously depleted that he knew any exertion would probably make him lose consciousness again, Solus gently focused on the rock below him. The headache increased to a throbbing, but a small tunnel opened up beside him.
"Hide in there. Sig, when you come back, phase into the room and hand me the orb!"
Sig nodded, and Solus struggled forward, dragging himself into the tunnel. His left arm tingled painfully, and he looked at it. The gash the Wyrm had left was ugly, bloated, and surrounded by a purple bruise.
Going to have to do something about that, he thought, although he was unsure what.
As soon as his upper body was inside the tunnel, he slid down a short distance before rolling into a small room. Derin and Sumil followed him in, seeming unsure if they should help him.
After a second, Galg's voice echoed down. "I am not going under the ground like some Sigmiton! You guys can do whatever. I am going back to Skulltown."
Solus groaned. There was no way he could stop the lightning skeleton, not even if he wasn't so hurt. He would have to make the best of it and send the other to warn Drys. The thought made him groan. Of all the ones he could send, Galg was the fastest but also the least reliable. Hearing the skeleton mutter and curse, he finally sighed and raised his voice.
"Galg, go back and tell Drys what happened. Tell him that if either an odd orange undead or Tatjie shows up that he needs to lock them up immediately!" Hearing the other mutter in annoyance, he quickly added, "if you do well, I'll make sure that you are rewarded."
"A reward? Will you even be able to come back? Here I thought you were the most powerful undead around. Bah, just look at the state of you!"
Solus heard something rustled above ground, almost as if innumerable little stones slid around.
"Hey! Alright, alright! Calm down! There's no need for that! I'll do it; I'll do it!"
The odd rustling sound disappeared, and Solus frowned. Sig must have done something, and he wished he knew what.
"You'd better come back!" Galg shouted. There was the familiar soft crack as he shot away, and Solus felt the slight tremors where the skeleton had been standing disappear.
"Do you think it was wise to let him leave?" Sumil asked, and Solus blinked. The skeleton seldom doubted him.
"No. But do you think anybody here could stop him?"
Sumil didn't reply, and Solus painfully and with great effort closed the entrance to the tunnel, blocking the light of the stars. Then he drifted off, his tired mind wandering all over the place. After a few moments, he realized he had forgotten something.
"Status!" he shouted in his mind, and a blue notification box appeared in front of his usual status info. It disappeared a few moments after he had read it.
> Warning: Energy levels dangerously low
> Temporarily halting evolutionary calculations.
> ….
> Mana levels below threshold
> Going in low-energy modus to prevent malfunction.
> .............
> …….
> Energy levels sufficient, rebooting.
> Mana regeneration barely sufficient, halting evolution calculations until levels sufficient
Name: Os Solus
Age: 1
Sex: Male
Race: Demi stone elemental
Type: Mutation
Class: Stone shaper
Strength: 46/48
Constitution: 39/39
Dexterity: 22/24
Endurance: 83/90
Intelligence: 33/34
Wisdom: 20/23
Charisma: 9/16
Mana-field: 14000/14000
Physical density: 19000/19000
Skills: 2
Inscriptions: 3/7
Mana generation: ERROR - ANOMALOUS DRAIN DETECTED 1 [32]
Solus's mood went from annoyed to satisfied as he saw the almost maxed-out attributes. Although it had cost him greatly, almost everything, at least it hadn't been for nothing. If only that weird error hadn't been beside his mana generation, it would have been better. The notification hadn't mentioned it, but he knew it meant he ws down to a mana-generation of one. That explained the mere trickle, but not how to fix it.
As he lay on his back, pondering what to do and what Domain might be planning, he quickly lost track of time.
A soft tapping from above woke him, and he realized he had almost fallen asleep. His energy was still dangerously low, and he barely sensed more than a general vibration through the stone. Something was moving around above ground. The tapping lasted for a short time before moving off.
What was that? He just realized what he had told Sig when a dark cloud came oozing through the ceiling. It immediately turned into Sig, who dropped on the ground, holding two large mana-orbs in his hands.
Solus wondered why Sig had wasted time to get two orbs, instead of coming back immediately after getting the first. Not complaining, he thought as Sig handed him the orbs. Energy flooded through the palms of his hands and into his body, but as it did, he felt a large portion of it coalesce around the painful spot in his arm. The mana disappeared as if drained down a well, but the pain
lessened. Gouging how much could still be in the orbs, he realized a single one would never have been enough. Most of the energy disappeared into his arm, and when it stopped, the pain disappeared, and there was a ping from his status window.
After that, the remnant energy flowed inside of him, feeding into his mana-field. As soon as his energy was partially replenished, he ceased draining the orbs. They were dull now and had started crumbling, showing how little energy there was left in them. He wanted nothing more than to drain them to dust, but he might need them later. He shoved them inside the pockets of his leg armor and decided that before he headed to Scathia, he would hunt a dozen or more Wyrms to prepare for what could come.
"Better?" Derin asked from the back of the cave where he sat on his haunches, leaning against the wall.
Solus nodded thankfully as he rose, and an opening appeared above his head. He jumped up, trying to use as little energy as possible. As he landed just outside the hole, Sig jumped out beside him.
"There was something above us just before you came?" Solus asked, staring at Sig.
It was the first time he could inspect the now entirely black wraith. His grey hair made for a stark contrast with his skin, and his burning red eyes lacked pupils. Tall and sleek, he gave off an incredibly solid feel. Odd, Solus thought. For someone who could become incorporeal, he had expected Sig to be airy and light.
"It was a pack of those darkhunters. They sniffled around here for a while, but they seem to have heard something in the hills and ran off," Sig said.
"Two orbs?" Solus asked as Derin and Sumil climbed out of the hole he had made.
Sig's grey eyebrows lowered, and he gazed off into the wasteland. "Many Kaots are roaming around. I found a small group swarming a Wyrm…"
Sig shook his head, the hair flowing oddly around it. "They behaved like Sigmitons! Without thought or planning, they just clawed and bit at the Wyrm. Even then, they had almost brought it down when I arrived."
Solus imagined a horde of extremely powerful Sigmitons running around the wasteland, ending Wyrms and cities... He shivered.
"And the second one?" he asked.
"I came across it on the way back. It was wounded and moving slowly. I ended it quickly and grabbed its mana-orb."