by J. Carrarn
So much for gratitude, Solus thought with a frown.
"Last time. Where are you from?"
Although still emotionless, Solus thought he could make out a threat in the voice this time. He also wondered why the question had changed.
Shrugging, Solus stepped forward, raising his hands.
"I'm from Tendraal, and-"
"You lie."
Red energy shot forward, too fast to dodge, but Solus had anticipated the action. A thick wall shot up from the ground in front of him as he remained where he was, focusing intensely. The wall shattered to pieces, but at the same time, a thicker wall of stone surged up and surrounded the barrier. Red energy crashed into it, and he could feel the stone cracking slowly. He frowned and made the stone denser. Only at three times its normal density did the stone hold.
Solus waited, slightly amused and wondering if the skeletons would give up. Should he end them if they didn't? He would prefer not to; he needed information.
The attacks ceased after a while, but a loud crackling came from inside the stone-walled area. He wondered what they were up to when he remembered how the skeletons had created a single big ball of energy.
Something exploded against the inside of the stone wall, and a tear cracked open along its entire length. Feeling the stone about to give, Solus groaned. Why couldn't things ever be easy?
"Stop that. I am not trying to end you, but if you do that again, I will," Solus said, projecting his voice inside the walls and getting ready to drop the entire lot of them into a bottomless pit.
The crackling increased for a second before dispersing.
"You are not a Kaot Lord?" The voice echoed from above the wall.
Kaot Lord?
"Do I look like one? Those just attack you without talking!" Solus shot back, annoyed.
"Not the Lords. Release us. We will stop."
Solus frowned. Could he trust them? Probably not.
After a moment, he prepared a deep pit below the area before withdrawing the wall.
The glowing barrier was gone, but the skeletons stood grouped close, staring at him.
"Are you Solus?"
The question caught him by surprise, and he nodded mechanically. All but one of the skeletons sprang forward, their yellow plates glowing. Startled, he created stone hands, but the nimble skeletons dodged them, moving faster as the glow increased.
"Stop it!" he shouted, opening the pit. Only the slowest two skeletons dropped inside. The rest rushed his way. A soft, keen noise grew in intensity as the first of the skeletons reached him.
A crackling noise came from their yellow plates as red lightning suffused them. Before Solus was within striking range, the nearest skeleton connected the yellow plates together and disintegrated in a flash of red energy. The energy exploded, striking Solus and causing him to take a step back. His skin tingled, a burning pain coming from some places. At that moment, the other skeletons reached him, and with a yelp, Solus removed the rock below his feet, falling into the ground.
He closed the opening just when an immense explosion rang from above, shaking the ground. He managed to close the opening, but some of the explosions' residual energy struck him, propelling him down faster. He could sense the stone above him disintegrate, and he continued down. When the shaking stopped, and he finally crashed into the bottom of the now deep pit, he looked up and swallowed. That had been too close.
Did they just end themselves? Willingly?
He couldn't even imagine why any undead would do such a thing. After a second, he remembered the last skeleton that hadn't run forward.
Surging up even faster than he had fallen, Solus erupted from the ground inside an enormous crater. A small figure was running away in the distance. Taking a last look around, he saw that the remains of the Kaots had almost disappeared. Just some limbs, bones, and bits of gore remained.
Only the head he had struck from the Kaot's neck still lay far to the side, beside a small hill. He grabbed it and ran after the fleeing skeleton. Cracking the skull open, he found another of the black mana-orbs. Like the first one he had seen, it gave him a feeling of distaste. Sighing, he closed his hand around it. He crushed it, the explosion that followed dulled by his hand wrapped around it, and blew the dust away before turning his full attention to catching the fleeing skeleton.
The skeleton wasn't that fast, and just when Solus was close enough to grab him, he stayed his hand.
Wait...
This thing had to be running back to where it had come from, and from the direction they were now heading, it should be running back to Scathia!
Solus slowed his step, staying just a bit behind his quarry. The skeleton either didn't notice or didn't care, continuing its escape as fast as it was capable.
When the sun reached its highest point, something appeared on the horizon. Solus squinted at it, waiting until he saw the towering peaks and immense walls coming into full view. Then he increased his pace, quickly catching up and grabbing hold of the skeleton. He had planned ahead during his run, and before the undead could try and explode, stone tendrils burst from the ground and bound his arms. Stretched out, and dangling from the ground, the skeleton fidgeted for a bit before hanging silently in his bonds.
"Let's try this again. That city is Tendraal?" Solus asked, knowing it had to be but wanting to see what he could glean from the skeleton.
The skeleton didn't reply, and Solus sighed. Something was definitely wrong with these undead. After asking a few more questions and getting no response, he stopped. Now what? Should he just end him? Somehow that seemed wrong, but like the other things that had changed since his aberrant evolution, he couldn't explain why it felt wrong.
After a moment's hesitation, he created a stone cell and flung the skeleton inside. Staring at the bound skeleton, which glared at him, he shrugged. The stone prison closed and slid below the wasteland floor. Only a small, less dusty patch remained. Solus turned to the city in the distance. He would release the skeleton when he was done.
He sped toward the city, wondering how he was going to find Sig and the others.
The lowercity kingpin
Solus frowned as he reached the wall of the city. He had imagined that Skulltown was the largest city of undead in the wastes. Even Uran hadn't been able to create something as magnificent. But now?
Glaring at the three towers holding up the immense skull, he had to resist the temptation to remove the stone it was perched on and see it crumble. Not only was this city larger and more densely populated, but it even had a bigger skull than the one back home! Grumbling, he barely noticed the two bulky white zombie guards that jumped in front of him.
"Where do you think you're going?" one of them hissed, glaring up at Solus.
Looking up, Solus finally noticed the gatehouse and the two guards. He had been daydreaming about creating an even larger skull back in Skulltown.
"What?" he said, frowning at the undead.
"Stop acting stupid! Either cough up a mana-orb or you get a one-way trip to the mines!"
"I don't have a mana-orb now, and even if I did I wouldn't hand it over to you," Solus snarled. "Now. Get out of my way."
The two zombies grinned in anticipation, and one of them stepped forward, reaching for Solus. His hand clamped around Solus's lower arm, and he made to drag him away. Solus did not budge.
"You are going to want to let go of me," Solus rumbled dangerously. He had just arrived and didn't want to cause a fuss, but he wasn't about to let some random zombie with delusions of authority try to drag him off either.
"Stop resisting, or we will call for the Yellowplates!" the zombie shouted, his muscles bulging as he tried to drag Solus away with both hands.
Feeling himself being moved a fraction, Solus grunted. In one fluid motion, he stepped forward and struck the zombie on its chest. A loud boom preceded the zombie being launched through the tunnel toward the odd square buildings in the distance. Halfway there, he came to a skidding halt. A single gasp came, and
then there was no more movement from his crumpled shape.
The second zombie looked at Solus with large, fearful eyes.
"That was a mistake!"
"Yes, it was," Solus said as he casually walked past him toward the tunnel. Just as he was about to enter, a thought occurred. Turning, he glared at the zombie.
"Where can I find Scathia?"
The guard gasped and pointed toward the center of the city with a shaking finger.
"I-In the middle of the city is a staircase. Follow it up, and you will find her… but you will regret it!"
Solus snorted and ran through the tunnel, leaving a sonic boom and a startled cry in his wake.
I am already regretting it, he thought.
How am I going to find a staircase in this maze?
The whole point of this trip had been to find out if Scathia truly knew how to close those damned rifts. He had, quite by accident, already discovered a limited method for doing just that. Unfortunately it wasn't a viable way of closing more than a handful of the portals. He was afraid that the knowledge that Scathia possessed would be of that same technique, making all of this a dangerous waste of time and resources. His only hope was that Scathia knew how to prevent the rifts from opening in the first place.
He shot past the downed guard that lay on the ground in a crumpled, bleeding heap and sped through a narrow alley between two square buildings. Glancing inside, he saw undead locked away in cages and slowed down until he was walking at a brisk pace.
The undead he saw were seated on the floor of the cages, staring at the barred doors with an intense desire—some were fidgeting, others were perfectly still. It reminded him of Grinder and how he had brutally imprisoned the citizens of Skulltown. The memory made him angry, and without realizing the calm he had felt after evolving seemed gone again, he acted on impulse. Stone tendrils shot from the ground and yanked the bone doors off of their hinges.
He didn't wait to see what the prisoners would do; he had other business to attend to.
I'll have to have a word with Scathia about this, he thought as he once again sped off toward the center of the city.
A sudden insight hit him and, he stopped, stumbling.
What if those locked-up undead were evil like Silt?
He resisted the urge to turn around and close them back up. Besides, it might be a good distraction. He could always deal with it later. His main priority was to find Scathia now, get the information he needed, find the others, and then get back to Skulltown as quickly as possible. His gut was telling him that something was amiss back home. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about what was going on there.
Slowing down, he stared at the labyrinth before him. Hundreds of small alleyways and staircases led away into a convoluted and chaotic arrangement of paths, roads, and bridges.
He saw something moving on the periphery of his vision. He turned about quickly and saw a yellow zombie march off into one of the many alleyways.
As good a way as any, Solus thought, and he followed the yellow zombie into a small corridor between two buildings. Another building was built atop these two structures, effectively closing the top of the passage.
"Wait," Solus said, projecting his voice beside the zombie.
Startled, the zombie practically leaped out of its skin. It turned around so fast that it ended up falling on its behind.
"No! I can explain! I had some luck and got three orbs last time - I'll go back out tomorrow."
Rambling, it pushed itself backward before looking up.
"Wait… you're no guard!"
Solus grinned. The zombie's extreme reaction reminded him of when he had been one. He lowered down to his haunches beside the wide-eyed zombie.
"I am not a guard," he said, shaking his head. The zombie reminded him of Norg long ago, and he grabbed its shoulder while trying to be as amiable as he could.
"Now, you seem to know where you're going. I need to get to Scathia. Perhaps you can help me?"
The zombie blinked, then its muddy yellow eyes shrunk, and a gleam appeared.
"I can take you there, valued customer… for a small fee, of course."
Feeling his green hairs stand on end, Solus looked at the zombie.
Did that thing just say customer?
His mind began spinning. Had Domain followed him and arrived before him? No, that made no sense. Did they have Spheres? Perhaps they all had status windows here? None of what he imagined would be good for him. With a deep growl, he grabbed the zombie around the throat, lifting it as he stood up.
"How do you know that word?"
The zombie clutched its throat, trying to answer but incapable. Finally, it seemed to realize it couldn't talk like this, and a projected voice appeared beside Solus's head, panicked and afraid.
"Please, let me go!"
"The word!"
"What word?"
"Customer!" Solus hissed, holding back so he wouldn't snap the other's neck.
"Borl, - Borl taught us!"
Blinking, Solus shook his head. He had never heard that name before. Was Domain using another name? Borl didn't seem like a name for an AI. He sorely doubted that there was some random undead wandering about here with knowledge of the ancient words. The only possibility was that Domain had managed to infiltrate this city somehow. If he could find the AI here, and perhaps capture him, that might go a long way toward alleviating some of his fears.
"Bring me to Borl!"
Scathia would have to wait for a bit. The prospect of getting his hands on Domain made him squeeze his hands, and a yelp came from the undead that was still in his grasp.
"Yes, yes! I will, but let me go before you end me by accident!"
Solus glared at the pudgy undead before opening his hand and dropping it on the floor. The undead scrambled backward before getting up and rubbing its neck.
"Move!" Solus commanded, his voice rumbling so low that the buildings around him shuddered.
"Sure, sure! This way, valued—"
The zombie fell silent when he saw Solus's expression. He turned around, heading toward a small staircase between two protruding buildings. At the top of these stairs was a narrow pathway, Solus barely fit.
Trying to suppress his annoyance, Solus grabbed the zombie's shoulder.
"Make sure I can fit through before running off!"
The zombie nodded, examining Solus's broad shoulders.
"It will become wider soon," he said with a fearful look, then turned left, squeezing into the narrow path.
The path crossed a wider one, still narrower than Solus liked, and he grumbled as he followed the zombie.
After they went down two stairs, through one building, and down another three stairs, the path finally opened up into a wide street. Solus could feel that they were below the ground now, and as he spread his out his stone-sense, he found out that half of this city was actually below ground. It meant that Tendraal was even bigger than he initially imagined.
When I get back home, I will make Skulltown larger.
As he stomped after the zombie, deeper into the bowels of the city, it became darker. Soon the only light he could see was a reddish haze that came from the street corner in the distance, and he sorely missed the light the stone usually afforded him. When they reached it, he stared in wonder at a red orb held in a skeletal hand attached to a crooked arm that seemed to grow straight from the building's bone wall.
Examining it, Solus felt a small amount of mana flowing from it.
Wait, isn't this like the Devourer? he thought, noticing the similarities the orb held with the odd pillar that was now standing in the school in Skulltown.
He frowned, Domain forgotten for a moment as he stared at the small red orb. Now that he sensed it, he realized there was a field of mana spread throughout the city. He hadn't felt it before, mainly because it was so weak that it paled compared to his mana regeneration.
"What is this?" he asked, stopping the zombie midstep.
The undead looked a
t him in disbelief, only answering when Solus's face darkened.
"Those are, Satri, the giving orbs! They are dug in the mines and placed throughout the city. It is one of the reasons everybody tries to stay here. Just by being in the lower city, you will become stronger. It's slower than absorbing orbs, but it's also much safer."
"Are they only in the lower city?" Solus asked, curious.
The undead was quick in suppressing its surprise this time.
"No - there are also a few in the center of the city. But most people don't like coming down here..."
"Why not?"
"They get lost."
Solus grinned, not the least bit surprised.
He motioned the other to continue as he thought of the devourer. Would he be able to create more things like that? He would have to discuss it with Drys when he got back.
With Solus close behind, the zombie continued further down until they were at the lowest part of the undercity. Solus could not sense any more levels below this one. It was gloomy and quiet in this part of the city. Satri orbs were the only light source, and those were few and far between. The ceilings were also lower, and when they went down another staircase, he felt the hair on his head brush the smooth bone ceiling.
He was still unable to find any trace of stone; even this deep, the entire city was still made up solely of bone. What also made him curious was the fact that the deeper they went, the older everything seemed. It was almost as if the city had started deep underground and slowly grown up toward the surface over a very long period.
Just how old is this place?
As he moved further in, the anger he had felt above disappeared. Clear of mind, he suddenly remembered his odd emotional outbursts back in Skulltown. Was there one of those Kaots in the city? More than one? It made sense that they might have infiltrated this city, but why did their presence make him so angry? Even the calm his recent evolution granted didn't seem capable of withstanding him.