by J. Carrarn
The cracks became larger, and suddenly a portion of the ceiling caved in. Realizing the sound would warn the skeletons, Solus groaned as loud as possible, acting as if he was close to breaking. His low rumbling voice drowned out the bone as it shattered on the ground behind his tormentors.
Solus looked at the small hole and saw a thick cloud ooze down and into the room. The sight startled him for a moment, and then he barely kept from shouting out in joy.
Sig!
The cloud landed on the ground behind the skeletons and coalesced into four shapes. Sig stood at the front and took one look at Solus. His face morphed into an uncharacterized look of fury and anger, and he leaped forward, grabbing the nearest skeleton.
"What-"
Its confused voice was interrupted when Sig tore its skull from its neck, crushing it in his hands until it was dust. Beside him, Tatjie had grabbed the other two; her big hands cupped around their skulls as she brought them together so hard and so swiftly that they disintegrated into powder.
"Ouch! What da-" Tatjie tossed the remains to the ground, wiping her hands on her plated leg armor with a look of confused disgust. A thin stream of smoke swirled up from her palms.
"Solus, are you alright?" Sig said, stepping forward and slamming his hands against the barrier.
Grinning widely, Solus rose, feeling his skin sting and growing taut.
"I am alright, but it's a good thing you didn't wait another few days!"
He put a hand against the barrier to steady himself and grinned.
"Think you can get me out of here?"
Sig changed into his cloud shape and flowed around the barrier until he covered it completely. A squeaking sound was heard, and the cloud seemed to shiver, gleaming slightly. It lasted for a few moments, and then he returned to his physical shape.
"I can't crack it..." Sig whispered, a look of disbelief and worry on his face.
Solus shrugged. He hadn't really expected the other to crack it open. He turned to the others, and his eyes widened when he saw the stone bracelets around Tirella's arms.
He pulled at the stone with his powers, and it flowed quickly over Tirella's wrists, dripping onto the ground. It formed into a ball and rushed toward the barrier, striking it. Solus placed his hand on the other side, sensing the minuscule particles. If he could get more stone, he knew he could get out of here.
"Sig, bring me as much stone as you can," he said.
Sig nodded sharply, changed into a cloud, and rushed back up through the hole in the ceiling.
Solus looked at Tirella, his mind spinning as he realized something that had eluded him before. The orange-skinned, yellow-haired undead had a large part of his pattern, but if what Scathia said was true, that meant she was like him! Could he turn her into a world elemental? Tirella's slightly disconcerting black eyes turned to him, and he blinked when she smiled. An odd feeling made him grimace. It wasn't painful, but it felt strange.
Now what…? he thought, trying to identify what was going on in his mind.
A commotion from the door snapped him out of it. Derin was there, blocking the door. He was having trouble keeping it closed; something was on the other side pushing against the doors.
"We have company!" he hissed, shoving the door closed again.
"Scathia!" Solus hissed, feeling what remained of his hair stand on end.
"Keep the door closed until Sig gets back. Whatever you do, don't let anybody in here!"
Tatjie ran toward the door and put one hand against it.
"Let me do it! They can't move me," she said as she grinned at Derin, who just raised his eyebrow before stepping back.
The bone door shuddered a few times, but it didn't budge at all. Tatjie just laughed, her arm straight and steady.
Solus hoped Sig would be back soon when a thought struck him. They had to have put him inside this barrier. Perhaps there was some mechanism that opened it? Scathia had been planning to grab his orb, so it should be possible to either open or remove the barrier from the outside.
"Derin, try and find a way to open this barrier!" Solus growled.
"Right!" Derin shouted, and ran toward the barrier to inspect it. His eyes close to the surface, and his hands running across it, he frowned then backed up. The thin lines that covered his torso began to glow, lighting up the entire room. Thick luminous tentacles of energy erupted from his body, slamming into the barrier that let out a high-pitched whine.
Seeing the barrier react to Derin's onslaught, Solus perked up. "Keep doing what you're doing. Something is happening!"
A loud explosion came from the door, and cracks appeared in the bone.
"Our visitors are becoming impatient!" Tatjie roared, quickly placing her other hand on the damaged portion of the door, trying to keep the fractured parts together.
Looking through the cracks, Solus saw movement. A lot of movement.
"Scathia can somehow stop someone from moving or using any ability! As soon as you see her, attack!" Solus projected to the others in the hopes those outside the door wouldn't be able to hear him.
A bright, glowing crack appeared in the forcefield, shimmering in bursts and leaving bright spots in Solus vision.
"Break it, Derin!" He roared as loud as he could.
The energy tendrils moved faster.
A heavy slam sounded from the other side of the room, and Solus snapped his head up. Large pieces of broken stone and rock lay scattered below the hole in the roof. Sig stood beside it, bent against the wall and sucking in deep breaths. When he tried to push himself upright, his legs buckled, and he fell to his knees.
"Rest!" Solus projected to him, grimacing at the small amount of stone. He didn't know what he had expected, but this was barely enough for what he had planned.
He took another look at Sig and shook his head. He wouldn't be able to bring anymore. With his full concentration on it, the stone shrunk rapidly before changing into a round shape that rolled toward him. As he was shaping it, he felt something odd, unlike anything he had felt before.
What's that? he thought as he scanned a portion of the stone again.
Inside the stone block, which was now half as big as he was, sat something that resisted his shaping. It looked like a clump of deep green fibers that seemed woven together into a complete whole. It was as long as his arm and thicker. Completely different from the chaotic little particles that made up the rest of the rock, it gave him a sense of calm and unity. Poking it with his power, he felt it dent ever so slightly, almost entirely resisting his influence.
"Solus!" a familiar voice screamed from the door.
All interest in the green material evaporated as he saw Scathia through a large hole in the door. Her sharp eyes were on him, then moved toward Derin, who was striking the barrier.
A fist crashed through the bone door, and it shattered. Tatjie jumped back, bone shrapnel pelting against her skin.
Through the opening, three gleaming green undead, entirely covered in dull yellow plates, became visible. Two flanked Scathia, while the last stepped away from the door entrance. They looked like Yellowplates, but bigger and covered with far more plates. Behind them stood a group of five black skeletons with long barbs growing from their bones. Solus recognized them immediately.
Kaots! he thought, confused and worried.
They resembled the first Kaot he had fought, and that one had been dangerous. Seeing the cracks in the barrier, he hurriedly jumped forward and slammed his burned and blackened fists against one of them. A shiver ran through the barrier.
"Stop them! He must not escape!" Scathia screamed. The Kaots and the bigger Yellowplates rushed forward.
Solus struck at the barrier with all of his strength while Derin's tendrils worked to destroy it from the outside. Tatjie and Tirella jumped in between the incoming undead and the barrier.
"Finally, something to punch!" Tatjie roared as she charged headlong at the first thing that entered the room, the Kaots. Grabbing at one, it effortlessly dodged her.
With a confirming shout, Tatjie continued forward and intercepted the three massive Yellowplates. They proved to be a lot less agile. Spreading her arms wide, she clotheslined two of them in the middle of the room. Like loose pebbles, the two flew backward through the room and through the remains of the door.
A soft groan came from Tatjie as she suddenly stopped and stumped to her knees. A green liquid streamed from her mouth, and she groaned again. "Wa da…" she muttered before falling over and remaining motionless on the ground.
Behind her, the Kaots had reached Tirella and tried to evade her. Tirella jumped sideways and managed to grab one but missed the others.
Tirella's hair rose, and her black eyes gleamed as she struggled with the barbed Kaot. It tried to resist, but Tirella easily tore into it. The Kaot shot dozens of long barbs at her that made screeching noises as they scraped along her orange skin, causing a purple liquid to ooze out of the long wounds they left behind.
Everyone froze for a moment when the sound of something fragile shattering filled the air. Then, a victorious roar blasted loose dust and debris against the walls while pushing everyone that was still standing a few steps back.
—
Solus roared again as he stepped forward and away from where his cage had been. He wanted nothing more than to charge and lay to waste to everything in his path. Resisting this urge, he instead grabbed a handful of mana-orbs from the ground. The pile that the sludge throwers had used was still there, partially scattered across the floor. They were all normal orbs, and a stream of dust poured from his hands as any orb he touched disintegrated.
It took but moments for all orbs within reach to disappear. All the while Solus kept looking at Scathia, who scowled back at him. When would she use her ability again? He didn't know, but he knew that if he ran toward her she probably would, so he waited.
The Kaots had hesitated after he had broken free, seemingly intimidated by his roar. They moved slower now, barbed hands poised at the ready as they circled him. With barely a thought, Solus shaped the available rock into a dense hammer. He made the stone at the top denser than the rest, adding more and more, the balance in his hand shifting until the massive mallet hung down. In a single fluid motion, he moved it around in a half arc. All but one of the Kaots managed to dodge this mighty blow, and the hammer slammed into the straggler with a sickening crunch.
The Kaot's shoulder shattered, black bone splinters flying around as it was flung sideways. Long thorns shot from its feet and legs, penetrating the bone and dragging long marks in the floor until it halted mid-air.
Weaker than the other one, Solus knew immediately. He focused, and the remaining rock behind him changed into long tendrils, and they shot across his shoulders at the first skeleton to approach him.
A violent roar from the center of the room caused him to blink, and for some reason, he couldn't stop himself from looking. As his head turned, he saw everyone else was also turning to look, as if compelled by an outside force.
Tirella stood beside Tatjie, and she had pinned one of the Yellowplates to the ground, a ring of stone encircled its plated head. The stone compressed the top of the unfortunate zombie's head, and as Solus watched, he saw the stone band shrink in circumference in shocking bursts. Another roar came from the undead as his head exploded outward from the pressure exerted by the stone band. Purple goo spurted from the Yellowplate's mouth, and he sagged on the ground, motionless. Tirella stood up, smiling wickedly at Scathia.
Still, in the open doorway, the Litch stared back at the orange undead. Her eyes were wide open in shock, but then her expression became sly and calculating while a thin smile came to her lips.
"So that's why you were surprised," she said, turning her gaze to Solus. "You knew there was another one like you!"
Bile, Solus thought. She can see Tirella's status!
"Cherocs, leave him and grab the orange one!" Scathia yelled before turning her eyes to Solus. "I'll keep you out of it." Her eyes gleamed for a moment, then she froze.
Solus felt the horrid sensation again as he stood halfway across the room with his hammer in his hand, unable to move. He barely registered that Scathia had called the things Cherocs, not Kaots.
"Attack her!" he projected at Sig and Derin, who were both tottering, each looking wearier than the other.
"One of you, grab her. The others hold down those fools!" Scathia screamed almost in tandem with Solus.
Groaning, Solus pushed back against the mind power, trying to resist its hold on him. Like the first time, however, he was incapable of doing anything other than constantly trying to push back at Scathia's attempts to subdue his mind. Still, he knew that Scathia couldn't keep this up for long, and he hoped if he pushed harder, she would tire faster. So, he kept fighting, slamming his mental power against yet another barrier.
A surge of motion came from the corner of his vision as Derin rushed forward. Although his face looked haggard and a small stream of purple fluid was leaking from his mouth, his eyes were burning with rage. A mass of translucent energy tentacles shot from him at the Cherocs.
"Get to Scathia. I'll deal with these bilebones!" Derin yelled as he motioned at Sig, who was struggling to stand.
Although it seemed that he was flagging, Derin didn't appear at all worried. His tentacles shot forward at blinding speed, binding the Cherocs before they could dodge them. The Cherocs began to buck and shiver when the tentacles wrapped around them, their arms and legs twitching and shuddering. Only a single Cheroc had made it past him, and it charged toward Tirella.
Realizing Derin would be fine, Solus watched as Sig stumbled. "There are mana-orbs on the ground here. Grab some!" he projected, knowing he should have thrown some to the others when he had still been able to move.
Sig nodded and looked around slowly. When he spotted the orbs, he moved toward them as if in slow motion.
At that moment, the last Cheroc reached Tirella, who was calmly waiting for it. Two long interlocked chains of bone split from the Cherocs back as it rushed forward. They had black barbs all across their length that seemed to elongate as they swished menacingly through the air.
Tirella's hands moved like lightning, snatching both chains out of the air and yanking the Cheroc toward her.
The Cheroc shot a host of barbs from its body that flew straight at Tirella.
Before the barbs reached her, Tirella's yellow hair stood on end, unbending like bone, and the barbs ricocheted off her skin. She slammed her fist into the torso of the Cheroc, and the stone bracelet on her arm extended upward like a spike. It struck the bottom of the skeleton's skull with immense force, lifting it off its feet. The stone splintered, and the Cheroc reached out to grab Tirella.
At that moment, another translucent tentacle wrapped around the Cheroc, tearing it out of Tirella's grasp.
"Take care of her?" Derin said, his face warped in concentration as he motioned to the door.
They are doing well, Solus thought in surprise. He had expected them to have more trouble, but as he watched Tirella run toward Scathia, he wondered what would happen. His body suddenly came back under his control, and at the same time, Scathia turned around.
"I will not let you leave this city! I will have your mana-cores!" she screamed, her face contorted in rage.
Before Tirella could reach the door, Scathia reached the tunnel entrance and fled. With a screech, the bone of the tunnel closed behind her, and the whole room shook and swayed.
Solus looked around, confused as the room swayed even more, and everything began sliding toward one side of the room.
"She is bringing the tower down!" Derin shouted, his voice sounding strained.
The block of green mineral that had been embedded in the stone that Sig had brought with him slid past Solus as he tried to keep his balance, and instinctively he grabbed it. Then he leaped forward, scooping up Tatjie's unmoving shape with his other hand. She was surprisingly heavy, and he gru
nted. As he felt his feet slip, Solus turned in the direction the building swayed to and let himself slide toward the wall.
"Get ready. I am going to make a hole! Sig, can you get us out of here?" Solus roared.
A weak groan came, and looking over, he saw that Sig had collapsed before he had reached the mana-orbs. Cursing, Solus looked at Tirella.
"Grab Sig and get ready. I'll try to create a ramp. When you reach it, take over!"
Tirella, who was holding on to one of the benches, nodded. She jumped into the air with a jerky motion and intercepted Sig, catching him as he slid past her. The room was tilting at an even sharper angle, and Solus slammed into the wall.
He punched the bone with the green stone in his hand, but although the bone cracked, it didn't break.
"Get out of my way," he roared, striking again. Long thin cracks spread from the point of impact, and on the fourth strike, the bone shattered open, leaving a gaping hole in the wall of the room.
"We are leaving!" he roared, as he fell forward toward the city below. It was dark outside, a multitude of red Satri shimmering below, resembling the stars above.
Straining, he stretched his stone-sense down. Mid fall, he connected with the stone below the city and in the mountain and growled as he struggled to manipulate it.
A small section of the city below began to heave, buildings rippling up and down. One exploded outward, as a pillar of stone pierced through the bone structure and grew up. Solus felt his mana levels plummet, quickly realizing he had far less left than he had initially thought. When the stone was below him, he stopped looking down at the immense, slightly tilted pillar. His mana-field was almost depleted, and he needed to preserve what little he had left for what was to come.
"That's all I can do! Tirella, ready?"
"Yes!" She shouted from somewhere behind him.
They plummeted toward the ground at a monstrous speed, and Solus winced when he slammed into the pillar. A loud crack was heard, and a portion of the pillar snapped off as he landed. He scrambled to hold part of it together long enough for him to slide down past the crack.