by J. Carrarn
Between the massive trees that stood in the city, Ygdra and smaller flying undead rained red crackling destruction down on both the defenders and Kaots. They didn't seem to discriminate between friend or foe, snatching up and eating what they caught.
Solus saw that the defenders were sorely outmatched. The much weaker undead were easily slaughtered by the ferocious Kaots. If the others had made it here, it would be almost impossible to find them in this chaos.
Scanning the area, he saw no indication of Tirella's tall orange shape anywhere. Where are they? he thought worriedly, heading into the fray and readying his hammer.
There wasn't any sign of Uran anywhere either, but he saw a group of tall, fully armored, bone-club-wielding skeletons at the edge of the city. Their small crowns were visible even from this distance, and he wondered if Kreel was among them. They seemed to be guarding a larger building that was still intact. Standing in a semi-circle around the massive open maw that was the entrance, they ended any Kaot that came too close with vicious effectiveness. Judging by the number of corpses sprawled at their feet, Solus guessed that they had been at it for a while.
He played with the idea to shout for his friends but then shook his head. He didn't know what was going on yet, or where Uran was. If he drew too much attention to himself now, he might have to fight Kaots, Ygdra, not to mention Uran and his minions at the same time.
He headed toward the Crowned ones, or whatever Uran called these guys, all the while scanning the battlefield for the others as he went. He could look over most of the destroyed buildings, the tops having cracked, but all he saw were the different types of skeletons fighting with the Kaots.
Circling one of the few domes still intact enough to block his view, he came eye to eye with two green-brown, six-legged, two-armed horrors. Their forms reminded him of Grinder, the insane undead that had tried to annex Skulltown. They were ripping apart a few of Realdeep's defenders. The Kaots stopped what they were doing and, as if sensing his presence, turned as one to face him and charged.
Solus raised his hammer, suddenly feeling the urge to smash them apart. It didn't even come close to the rush his battle-rage gave him, but right now, he happily took what he could get. He jumped forward, dodging under a taloned strike, and rammed his hammer into the chest of the enemy. The thing's flesh rippled oddly as the blow from Solus's hammer flung it toward a nearby dome, where it immediately got back to its feet.
Solus stepped to the side, just in time to dodge the second one's slash, and he roared defiantly in its face. The cone of shimmering air that hit the Kaot was far more effective than his hammer had been. Its flesh was torn from its bones by the sonic attack, puss and slivers of gore flying away from it as a pitch-black skeleton became visible. The Kaot, most of its face gone, howled in anger and pain. Despite its many legs, it struggled to keep its balance. Solus stepped forward, swinging his hammer overhead and brought it down on top of its head. The angular, large-jawed head flattened and was crushed. The Kaot crumbled to the ground in an untidy, mangled heap.
Solus turned just in time to see the first Kaot leap at him, its clawed hands outstretched. He stepped into it, catching the thing in the center of its hideous maw with a two-handed strike from his hammer. Its disgusting head snapped back, and Solus could hear the vertebrae in its neck splinter apart. Pieces pierced the flesh of its throat, ichor dripping from the tips. Its body made a partial backflip before slamming heavily into the ground with a final thud.
Looking at his obliterated foe, Solus frowned with indecision. Should he take their mana-orbs? They were corrupted, and he couldn't absorb them, but others might take them if he left them here. After a second's hesitation, he focused, and the stone below the bodies opened up and swallowed them whole. He buried them a few feet below the ground.
Satisfied, he continued on toward the Crowned ones.
A few more minor kaots crossed his path, but he made quick work of them and buried them just like the others. When he finally reached the Crowned ones, he was starting to get really worried. There were barely any defenders left, and he hadn't seen any sign of Tirella or the others.
"Halt!" A familiar voice sounded beside his head.
Looking at the guards, he grinned.
"Is that you, Kreel?"
"Uran has said you are not allowed in this city. Leave." The Crowned One's voice had a pompous tone.
Solus snorted as he gestured to the scene around them. "Look around you, fool! You need all the help you can get. You've practically been overrun!"
"Uran will take care of it!"
Shaking his head, Solus wondered how the other could possibly believe that.
"Where is Uran?" he said, deciding that he might have to speak with the rambunctious ancient undead again after all.
"He is in the undercity, making-" Kreels smug reply was cut short, and Solus saw him shudder.
When he spoke again, his tone had become ambivalent. "Uran says that if you wish to be useful, you should go to the spot where you locked away the portal and make the stone barrier you left around it bigger."
Solus blinked in shock. If Uran was at all open to the thought that he could be useful, the old rattlebone must be deeply troubled. That meant things were even worse than he had thought. It also meant they were on speaking terms again. He looked around the enormous half-buried city. He was never going to find the others like this.
"Tell him I can't yet. Some undead from Skulltown fled here from the wasteland, and I am trying to locate them."
Kreel was quiet, and Solus wondered about what the skeleton and Uran were discussing. He also wished he had a similar ability. If only he were able to discuss tactics with Drys now.
"Uran says to tell me their names. We will find them and send them to you. That way, you can go and re-seal that rift. More and more of these things are pouring out, and Uran needs more time."
Wondering what Uran was up to, Solus nodded. He didn't feel like leaving the search for his friends up to Kreel and his Crowned ones, but they knew the city better than he did. Besides, more Kaots running about meant it would be even more challenging to find them on his own. Perhaps if the rift wasn't too big, he could close it quickly and then come back to aid Kreel in the search.
"Fine. Tell Uran that whatever he does, he needs to make it quick. Now, where do I go?"
Kreel pointed to the west, and Solus headed toward the forest. When he was at the treeline, he stopped. A question had been burning in his mind, and although dangerous, he couldn't stop himself from asking it.
He turned back to look at Kreel. "Ask Uran if he knows what a mana-core is and if he knows how to absorb one."
Kreel fell silent again, and then he shuddered a few times. When he looked up, Solus saw the light in his eye sockets flare-up.
"Uran knows. He wants to know where you have heard of it and if you have one. If you do, he will give you anything you want for it."
So the ancient skeleton knew about them as well? Solus's mind spun with the perils and possibilities.
"I have two, and I will trade him one for the knowledge on how to absorb them," he lied, blinking at the odd feeling it gave him: a combination of fear and loathing. It felt… slimy. He had lied before, but he didn't remember it feeling like this.
Kreel responded almost instantly. "Uran agrees. He will come to you after he is finished here."
Solus sighed and nodded. Then he turned and dashed into the shadowy forest.
Something must be seriously special about these cores. How did Uran even know about them anyway? From one of the spheres he had collected? That made sense, and he wished he had access to one.
He stopped mid-step, almost slamming into a tree. Why hadn't he thought of that sooner? He could ask an AI, even one of Uran's! Thinking back to the one he had buried in the tunnel exit, he cursed. Why had he not thought of this before he had stupidly told Uran that he possessed two cores?
Speeding up through the forest, he noticed the shadows of a group of incoming Kao
ts. Most of them were short, wide-shouldered ochre-colored fleshies. Instead of slowing, he just ran forward, roaring as he slammed into them. He didn't bother looking behind him as their bodies flung against trees and into the air. He was starting to feel that time was running out. If he was to find the sphere, power her up and ask her his questions, he had to hurry this along.
—
Tirella sat with her back against the stone wall of the small chamber she had made. It was hidden between the numerous bone domes, buried mostly underground. Only a few slits in the ceiling gave them a view of what was happening outside.
"I am telling you, that was Solus roaring out there!" Derin said, pacing through the room.
"And I'll say it again; it doesn't matter! We cannot go outside like this!" Tirella shot back as she pointed at a sleeping Tatjie and an unconscious Sig.
"Then let me go! If I can find him, we will be fine."
"Are you forgetting about her?" Tirella asked, pointing angrily at Scathia, who sat with her hands clasped together, drawing patterns on the ground next to a pile of skeletal remains.
"Puss and bile!" Derin cursed, striking at the wall beside him. Cracks appeared in the stone, and Tirella placed her hands on the ground, quickly repairing them.
"Stop that! It costs energy to fix them, and the Kaots might hear you!"
Derin nodded wearily, mumbled an apology, and slumped on the ground.
They sat in silence for a while when suddenly a red light filled the room. Looking up, Tirella saw that the pattern Scathia had drawn on the ground was lit up so brightly it was hard to look at it. The bones draped across it were shaking and moving and then disintegrated into a pile of dust. A second later, two white bone hands erupted out of the dust and pulled something forward. A skeleton covered in white plates drew itself out of the dust and moved to stand behind Scathia. Soon another followed, and then another until most of the bone dust was gone.
Five newly created skeletons now stood behind Scathia, causing the room to feel even more cramped.
"Only low ones, the best I can do with so little material to work with," Scathia said unhappily, looking at the skeletons. "If we can find some mana-orbs, I can evolve them."
Derin got up and moved toward the skeletons, staring into their green glowing eye sockets.
"Are they like us?" he asked, turning to look at Scathia in shock.
Scathia looked at him dismissively. "No, but they can become sentient if I let them. Currently, they are bound to me and will move as I command."
"Did you make all of the undead in Tendraal like this?" Derin asked, seeming to ignore her derisive attitude.
"No! What a ridiculous notion," Scathia said, her eyebrows raised. "Only the Yellowplates and the guards, and most of the undead that used to inhabit the spire." As she spoke, her voice got weaker, and then she glared at the wall. "All that work, gone! If only that fool had given me his core, all of this could have been avoided."
Derin didn't respond, but stared at the skeletons for a little while longer before sitting back down.
Focusing on regaining her mana, Tirella kept her gaze on Scathia. She didn't trust the Litch at all, and guessed she was capable of more things that she hadn't shown yet.
"Tirella, Sig, Derin, Tatjie!" a voice shouted. Another voice echoed it, not too far away.
Derin jumped up and rushed toward one of the slits in the top of the wall.
"Does anyone here have any Crowned friends in Realdeep?" he asked, looking around at the others in confusion.
A second later, the voices were heard. "Come out of hiding. We will bring you to Solus!"
The group looked at each other in stunned silence. Outside, the Crowned ones repeated their message, moving away into the distance.
Derin suddenly moved his head close to the slit. "We are here!" he roared, causing Tirella to curse and get up.
"I hope you didn't just make a huge mistake," she hissed and moved to Tatjie.
Derin didn't respond, but the patterns on his skin began to glow dimly.
—
Running out of the forest, Solus came to a full stop as he gazed in disbelief at what lay ahead of him.
A portal grew from the stone covering he had made; it had mostly swallowed it. Only the edges of the seal were still visible.
I can't close that, he thought with a shiver. It was one of the largest rifts he had seen, matching those that had torn the air asunder above Tendraal.
A mass of Kaots was fighting each other below the portal. On one side were the small ochre-colored ones similar to the ones he had barrelled through, while those they fought were black boned and shot brambles and barbs like the Cherocs and that first Kaot he had fought.
They even fight each other? Solus didn't know why he was even surprised by it.
Stragglers from both sides were moving toward the forest, some disappearing between the trees along the edge of the forest. Focusing on the portal, Solus moved a massive amount of stone up and around it. Unlike the first time, he could sense that the stone that touched the portal disappeared. Wondering if he could clog it, he poured more and more stone into the portal, but it didn't matter how much he put in it. All of it vanished. Figuring that it was pointless, he created a thick shell of stone around the portal. The jagged blackness was still growing, a sense of threat emanating from it.
When he had finished, he saw that the Kaots had stopped their skirmish. They were all running toward him now, their conflict set aside.
Wonderful!
He let out a low growl. Should he run or fight? Seeing how fast they moved, he knew running meant leading them all to Realdeep. On the other hand, trying to fight them all seemed like both a waste of time and mana. He realized that there wasn't any time to fool around and made a decision. A grin spread over his face as he spread out his senses, further than he had done since creating his stone forest.
A shudder ran through the ground a few feet before him. A ripple appeared in the dust, moving in both directions away along the edge of the forest. With a thunderous tearing, the earth ripped open, a fissure growing away from him. The chasm widened rapidly, so deep, it seemed to have no bottom. Although he felt the drain on his energy, it wasn't as fast as he had expected, so it wasn't a problem. Digging deeper, he increased the speed at which the chasm widened and deepened. The incoming Kaots stopped, skidding to a halt as they saw what was happening. As the edge closed in on them, they turned and ran back to the portal. Those that weren't fast enough plummeted down into the depths, screaming.
The expansion only stopped when the chasm had reached the foot of the stone barrier he had made. Letting go of his grip on the stone, Solus straightened. He didn't know when he had stooped over, his hands now flat on the ground, but when he got up, he felt dizzy for a moment. His head quickly cleared, though, and as he stared ahead, he was dumbstruck at what he had wrought. The chasm before him was so wide he didn't think he could jump across it himself. Looking down, all he saw was darkness. To his left and right, he couldn't see the ends of it. He remembered the earth had begun ripping by its own accord at a certain point as if it wanted to continue what he was doing, and the energy drain had increased when he had willed it to stop.
His grin quickly became a soft laugh that only stopped when he heard a familiar voice from behind.
"Show-off!"
Solus swirled around and saw Tirella looking at him from between the trees, smiling. Seeing her orange face caused the smile on his own face to widen, and he grinned back at her. Her black eyes seemed to hide things, secrets he wanted to know. He felt like he was drowning in them.
"Are you two about bloody done? Maybe we should be, I don't know, leaving?" Tatjie's snarl broke the spell, and Solus shook his head. Frowning, he saw he had somehow missed the appearance of Tatjie, Derin carrying Sig, and Scathia with a small group of skeletons tagging along behind her.
He wanted to ask how they had been, what had happened, but there was no time. He needed to find the hidden sphere fast. He ha
d a rough idea where he had to go.
He quickly approached Derin, took Sig's hand, and placed a wyrm-orb in it before wrapping Sig's fingers tightly around it. Then he turned away, roughly in the direction of Skulltown.
"Let's go. We need to hurry!" he said, taking long steps along the forest's edge." It's about time we figure out what these mana-cores are all about, and I think I know of a way to get the information we need."
For a moment, there was a stunned silence behind him, and then the sound of running feet following him.
Knowledge is power
For hours Solus led his companions along the edge of the forest, the deep chasm he'd created beside them. The chasm seemed endless, just as the forest did, but he could just make out where both stopped, far in the distance. Beyond the forest lay the wasteland. Solus knew that with their current speed, there would be many days of marching yet before they reached the hills before Skulltown.
I hope it's still there, he thought as he turned and headed into the forest.
The forest had grown to an immense size since he had escaped from the tunnels below it, and it took a long time to find the spot where he had emerged. Scanning the depths below, he eventually found the tunnels that led up from the deep cavern system where he had been locked away. A small hill came into view between the massive trees, and when he saw the opening in the side, he couldn't help but laugh. It had been such a long time since he had been here!
"We came all the way here to find a cave?" Tatjie shouted and then dropped to the ground with a solid thud. Lying on her back, she looked up at the sky.
"Wake me when it's time to leave," she rumbled before closing her eyes.
The others looked at Solus, and Derin carefully lowered Sig to the ground. The wraith still hadn't shown any signs of waking; the orb was still clutched tightly in his hand, undrained.
"Wait here," Solus said before heading into the cave.