by J. Carrarn
Derin and Sumil moved beside them, and Solus wondered what they should do now.
Sumil turned to him, her eyes blazing blue. "Solus, I don't trust Galg. I think someone else should go back to warn Drys."
Solus nodded, and it was quiet as he thought. He agreed with her, but that meant he had to send Sig, who was the only one who could get back without much trouble. That posed a problem, though. Sig was also the only one who knew the route to Scathia's city and what to expect along the way. Besides, with how easy he could end a Wyrm, he would be of immense help.
Solus toyed with the idea of just heading back to Skulltown together and assembling a bigger party of undead. Then he recalled how long it had taken them to get this far. If they went back to get more undead, it would take even longer to reach Scathia! If those Kaots were already roaming around the wasteland, killing Wyrms, how much time did they have? He stared at Sig, about to ask him to explain how to get to Scathia when Sumil stepped forward.
"I can go. I don't need rest, and if I stick to the hills, I can easily avoid any trouble. If Domain took Tatjie's body, he would have to rest. I'll be faster than him."
Solus listened quietly before nodding. He had forgotten about Sumil's stamina. She could just run all day and night and easily catch up to Domain.
"Alright! Head back, and don't stop for anything," he said, relieved that he didn't have to send Sig.
Sumil stared at him intensely for a moment. Then she nodded and turned around, running off toward the hills.
Watching her go, Solus frowned. Something was odd, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Thinking back to Domain, he sent his voice after Sumil. "If you see Domain, don't go anywhere near him."
"Yes, Solus."
They watched her run off, eventually disappearing in the distance.
"Will we be okay with just the three of us?" Derin muttered, staring enviously at the hills.
"I don't know-"
A soft cry, barely audible, echoed from the hills they had come from, interrupting Solus.
Everybody turned to the hills, and Solus frowned. A second later, it came again, a soft cry for help.
Without waiting, Solus leaped forward, leaving a pit behind him. Derin cried out as he was blasted away, and Solus hoped he would be alright. A loud whoosh came from behind him, and a massive, swirling black cloud with two red eyes appeared in the air beside him.
He is immense, Solus thought, as he looked across the almost Wyrm-sized Wraith. Another cry came, closer this time.
Shoving the questions about Sig's new size to the back of his head, Solus landed on a rocky outcrop on the hillside and jumped further, shattering the outcrop in the process. He flew over the top of the hill and looked down in the direction of the shouting.
He recognized the place where they had fought the Crusdon. There was a massive, rock-filled crater there now, its edges collapsing. Even the stone he had placed across the rift had been cracked and torn, the blackness of the rift shimmering behind it.
Half a dozen dark and lithe shapes were running between the boulders, and ridges of earth, snapping at something hidden behind a rock. Landing halfway on the ragged downward slope, Solus saw Sig fly in front of him.
"Sig, end those darkhunters!"
The black cloud spread out even further across the hill, rolling down and across the crater. A loud howl came from one of the darkhunters as it saw the wraith approach.
The darkhunters scattered, but only three got away as Sig enveloped the others. A single high-pitched scream followed, and then the cloud coalesced into Sig's physical shape. There was no sign of the darkhunters.
Landing beside Sig, Solus stared into the small crack in the earth and felt his hairs rise.
"About time you showed up. We've been stuck here for ages!" Tatjie said, an arm and her head sticking out from under a pile of rock as she glared at him.
The strange orange one, Tirella, crouched beside her, a confused and scared look on her face.
If Domain didn't possess them… then where the hell is he? Solus thought, worried.
Derelict city
Drys examined the final part of the improved shield pattern that was projected onto the outside wall. It had taken almost two days to transcribe it, but now that it was finally complete it was ready to be activated. A few dozen Bonemenders were standing behind him as he inspected their work, whispering amongst themselves.
As he examined the finished connecting pattern, a wicked grin spread across his face and he nodded in approval. He had improved upon Domain's schematics, streamlining them here and there, removing some unnecessary parts, as well as adding a few touches of his own. The completed pattern was more his creation than that of the smug AI's now.
"Alright, time to test this thing."
His pattern burst into existence and overlapped the last remaining empty spot on the wall beside the main gate. A final glowing glyph appeared on the wall, connecting and binding the chaotic lines on either side of the gate together. The walls shimmered for a moment. Unlike the previous barrier, a large glowing dome that covered the city, the new one sat snug against the walls turning the dull grey stone into glossy dark obsidian. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the glimmering barrier rose high into the air and still enclosed the entire city. It remained visible for a short moment before slowly fading away.
As the surrounding undead began cheering, Drys once again nodded in approval. His plans for the defense of Skulltown were coming together nicely.
Turning around to face the cheering crowd, he saw Norg push his way through the throng. He was wearing a wide grin on his face.
"Looking good, Drys! Perhaps you can create one just like it for the Battle Inn?"
"Perhaps, but that would require time, and time is something that we don't have," Drys said as he headed back into the city. The crowd stepped aside to let him pass, and dozens of admiring eyes followed him as he left.
Norg shrugged and smiled as he watched him leave, before turning his gaze back to the wall and its new shield.
"I hope this thing will keep those rifts out," he muttered under his breath before following Drys.
—
Standing in the crowd, the thing that had once been a shade looked at the shimmering barrier. He felt uncomfortable, so exposed out in the open, and had to resist the urge to phase into the ground or a building. Following Drys and Norg, his sharp grey eyes gleamed as he waited for them to disappear into the city. As soon as they were gone, he turned to a heavyset, pale zombie with large green wounds across its naked torso that was standing beside him.
"Tell me about that school again?" he said in a soft voice that seemed more a whisper.
The zombie snorted a bubble of green mucus from its nose as it turned to face him.
"Bile and brains, Grav, you are so forgetful," the zombie said in a horribly gurgling voice. Small drops of mucus flew from his greyish lips as he spoke.
The shade that had taken the name Grav said nothing and stared into the other zombie's dim white eyes. His head throbbed with the beginnings of a headache.
"Alright, alright! No need to get upset! Such a short fuse... You really should go to the battle-inn to rid yourself of your anger," the zombie said while shaking its head.
Grav stared at the other, halting his mental attack and waiting for the thing to finish it's jabbering. He had realized that to blend in, he would need to speak with the inhabitants of this city. Shortly after evolving into this temporary form, he had come across a group of newly evolved zombies fighting each other. He had chosen the weakest and stupidest looking one and jumped into the fray and helped it.
Reesh, as the zombie called himself, had not even bothered to ask why he had helped. Instead, he had just started following the shade around, talking almost nonstop.
Grav followed Reesh toward the main road and took one last look at the glossy obsidian wall.
That won't keep the Kaot Lords out, he thought, sighing sadly at their puny attempt. As rumors of salvati
on had spread through the city, he had hoped for a miracle. In vain, it seemed.
That meant he would still need to create a balancing rift before the other rifts became too large, and for that, he would need an enormous amount of mana-orbs, far more than there were in this city.
Or... perhaps I can find something bigger, he thought.
—
Solus was pushing his stone sense to the limit as he searched the wastelands for more Wyrms. The three mana-orbs he was carrying wouldn't be enough for what he had planned.
The red haze of the rising sun burned in his eyes, leaving dark afterimages on his retinas. He tried to blink the spots away.
The others walked behind him, all except Sig. They were each holding crumbling mana-orbs, draining them as they went. Tirella had almost pitched a fit when he gave her one, clutching it in her hands and snarling and hissing at anyone who came near. She seemed to expect them to try to take it from her.
Staring at the strange, orange-colored undead, Solus frowned. She had barely spoken more than a word here and there. Besides her name, the only thing that she could tell them about the world beyond the rifts was a single word. Kaot Lords. It seemed to upset her greatly.
Solus hoped he could evolve her into something more intelligent, although he wasn't sure that intelligence was what she was lacking.
A soft vibration, far off in the distance, drew his attention, and he focused on it. It was slightly off the path they were moving, and it was not too far away.
"Sig, there's another Wyrm there," he said, pointing in the direction of the tremors.
Sig turned into a roiling black cloud of smoke that flitted nimbly and quickly over the wasteland. Within moments he had almost disappeared over the horizon.
After following Sig's progress for a few moments, Solus turned back to face the crimson light of the rising sun, continuing his search for more tremors.
Hours later, just as the sun had reached its zenith, Solus was forced to give up the search. There didn't seem to be any more Wyrms in the immediate area. The orbs the others had been absorbing had long since crumbled to dust, and Derin and Tatjie were softly talking to each other.
He stopped and looked west, to see if he could spy Sig returning from the hunt. The slight tremors of the Wyrm that he had sensed were long gone now. An hour or so ago, they had intensified before abruptly stopping. He had expected Sig to return shortly after that.
Another hour passed as he gazed into the distance when he finally spotted a quickly growing smudge on the horizon. Within moments the familiar dark cloud with burning red eyes gazed back at him. In the full sun, Solus could clearly see the smokey exterior weaving and intertwining before the whole thing collapsed and coalesced into the shape of Sig. He was holding a large mana-orb in his hands.
"What took you so long?" Solus asked, curious and happy to have something to distract him from this dull trek through the wasteland.
"There is an enormous ancient city that way. So many Wyrms infest it... I have never seen anything like it," Sig said as he handed the orb to Solus. He turned back in the direction he had come from with a hungry look in his eyes.
Solus stepped forward, a wide smile on his face and anticipation gleaming in his eyes. "Wyrms or wyrmlings?" he asked excitedly.
"Wyrms, and there's more! In the middle of the city was an enormous one, larger even than the one that attacked Skulltown. So large that it seems unable to move."
"No Kaots?" Solus asked.
Sig shook his head, sharing Solus's excitement. Without another word, they changed course and headed west, toward the derelict city and its bounty.
"We are going hunting!" Solus called over his shoulder to the others.
"Hah. Finally, some action!" Tatjie said, slamming her enormous fists into the wasteland floor. Derin followed her, raising what remained of his left arm with a sad look. Tirella followed them, staring hungrily at the mana-orb in Solus's hand.
Solus tucked it away with a grin. She could get one after they found more. Turning to Sig, he saw the wraith looking ahead with hungry eyes, easily keeping up with him. Ever since Sig's last evolution, Solus had noticed that he was acting less like a minion and more like an equal. He liked it far better. Most other undead were either scared of him or tried to kill him. Even Norg had become slightly wary around him. It was nice to be in the company of someone who wasn't for a change.
With the others moving so slowly, it took them many hours before the skyline of an immense ruined city appeared on the horizon. Towering buildings stood amongst the rubble of their crumbled and toppled siblings. As they got closer, the city eventually filled the entire horizon. The buildings in the center had all crumbled, leaving a vast open area amidst towering ruins. Further out toward the edge of the city, more buildings were still standing, creating a chaotic maze of roads and ruins.
When they reached the city perimeter, one of the few relatively intact buildings near the center area collapsed. Crumbling from the top, it folded in the middle and plummeted down in a billowing cloud of dust that wooshed through the streets. A distant rumbling grew as it crashed onto the ground, and they all felt the earth shake. The surrounding buildings shook and swayed precariously, but by some miracle remained standing.
A long, cracked stretch of asphalt led deeper into the city, while smaller roads split off and melded into the remains of a large road that encircled the entire city.
A highway, Solus thought as he looked left and right while images and concepts filled his mind. He could sense many tremors coming from inside the immense city, and small plumes of dust flung up were smaller buildings collapsed.
Many ruined structures lay alongside the road, and once they had reached an intersection, Solus stopped. He turned to the others, finding the three fleshy undead were staring fearfully at the city. Their hungry optimism had long faded, and when she saw him look at her, Tatjie shook her head, her long hair flailing about.
Solus grinned and nodded. "How about you three stay here? It's too dangerous in the city."
Pausing for a second until he realized they weren't going to reply, Solus took three of the four orbs from his pocket.
"Take these," he said, throwing the orbs to the others. "If you manage to reach the threshold of a new evolution, I'll help you inscribe a new pattern on your fields."
Derin and Tatjie gaped at him, then started nodding vigorously. Normally they would have had to scrape together enough mana-orbs to trade for a good inscription. Tirella appeared to have not heard a word. She just looked at the orbs, her eyes gleaming. Solus handed out the orbs Sig had brought back and turned to the city. Not too far away stood a partially intact two-story building. Although the top floor had crumbled atop the rest, the bottom floor looked to be intact.
"Go there and wait until we come back," Solus said, pointing at it.
Without any complaints, the others turned and headed toward the designated shelter, clutching their orbs. A soft glow from Tirella's showed she was already absorbing hers, not even waiting until she got to the building.
"So, ready to do some hunting?" Solus said as he cracked his neck and gazed out at the city. It was larger than any he had seen so far, and the prospect of hunting Wyrms made him giddy.
Sig just nodded, his grin widening so far Solus wondered if his head would split in two. He laughed, crouched down, and jumped toward the city. Debris and dust clattered into the pit he left behind, and as he shot up, he crested the lower buildings, giving him a better view of the closest part of the city. A deep gully led from one side to the center. It reminded him of a Wyrm trail, only much bigger. Following it, he hadn't found where it went when he started going back down.
Sig in his cloud form sped forward below him, and when he hit the ground, he sprinted forward, opting to run instead of jump. Sig easily kept up, and Solus grinned, deciding to show off a little.
"Try to keep up!" he shouted, the force of his voice clearing his path of small debris.
Creating platforms of stone
below his feet to propel himself forward, he began pushing himself, increasing his speed with each leap. Soon he was moving so fast that everything around him became a blur. At first, Sig kept up, but then slowly, the wraith began to lag behind.
Fast and agile, but with enough space, I can still outrun him, Solus thought. He felt content, knowing that he could still outpace the wraith if need be.
The first dense cluster of structures lay dead ahead. A Wyrm slowly plowed its way through a building. With a nasty grin, Solus created a gaping pit below it. Dozens of stone spikes rose out of the floor of the pit, lining the bottom. The Wyrm plummeted down, slamming into the pit's opposite side before sliding down to its center, and Solus let out a wild laugh.
How he had missed this!
Reaching the edge of the pit, he saw the Wyrm struggling at the bottom, the stone spikes broken and crumbled beneath it.
"Go and hunt some Wyrms, but leave the large one alone. Meet me back here when the sun sets!" he roared at Sig, not holding anything back.
His voice exploded outward, a circle of dust and debris blasting away from him. A nearby building shook, cracks appearing in its walls.
Jumping down into the pit, Solus created an enormous spear of stone and grabbed it while he was falling. He held it down and landed atop the wide back of the struggling Wyrm, pike first. The tip of it crumbled, and a large indent appeared in the grey plates of the Wyrm. Landing on his feet, he rammed his hand against the indentation. Plates splintered, shooting apart, as the flesh below was torn asunder. White bits of gore splattered across his chest and arms. Striking again and again, he continued until he had gouged a path toward the cranium of the Wyrm.
When he cracked open the white skull, he saw the mana-orb pulsating as it hung between tendrils of white flesh. He yanked it out and turned away.
Let's stock up on orbs, he thought, feeling better than he had in a long time.
—
Wyrm screeches, crumbling buildings, and loud laughter echoed through the city for a long time, only stopping when the sun finally set.
Two figures walked back out of the city. Sig was still as clean as before, his grey hair flowing around his head as if weightless. He held a stone container in his arms, filled with dozens of orbs. Solus walked beside him, covered from head to toe in white gore and thick, pungent ichor. Even his usually green hair was sticking together in white clumps. He was carrying another stone container, larger and with even more orbs in it.