by J. Carrarn
Drys looked at the one who had spoken. She was of average size but had an enormous amount of hair on her head that draped around her. The individual strands moved about independently of each other in a jittery manner; some grasped at stones or other undead.
"Just remember what I said," he replied, pointing at the gate while glaring at her.
"Yes, yes," the undead said, laughing as she walked off as if she hadn't a care in the world. The rest slowly followed, many injured and some needing assistance to walk.
A drawling voice sounded from behind Drys. "Don't be so upset. They are just happy that they won. None of them have been in a battle like this. The few that were here during the first siege barely managed to help."
Drys turned to Enthrill. "I know, but they need to realize that the only reason we managed to win is that there were more of us and we are better organized. Each individual one of those Kaots is stronger than they are!"
"Either they'll fight driven by fear, or filled with confidence and courage. Which of those two options is best, you think?"
Drys froze, then slowly lowered his head while taking a deep breath.
"Until Solus or Sumil gets back, you are in charge of the defense. I'm going to see if I can find better patterns. There has to be something in that infernally long list that will help us against those flying monstrosities!"
Enthrill laughed as he walked through the gates.
"That's good! Make sure to look for something for me. I am close to maxed out and almost ready for my next evolution."
When there was no reply, Enthrill turned and took a final look at the remains strewn about the battlefield. He would need to have them cleared away before they began to stink up the place, but that could wait. He stomped through the gate, raising an arm as he did.
"Close it, and don't open it without either my or Drys's direct orders."
The gates behind him were quickly swung shut, closing against each other with a loud thud.
—
"We are nearly there," Solus said, standing next to Tirella at the tip of the stone platform.
"The disturbances have vanished... You are sure that we are headed in the right direction?" Tirella asked, and he could feel her senses reaching out in front of them, trying to pick up minute tremors.
"Completely. I can't wait to get back," Solus said.
He felt Tirella's attention on him, both her eyes and her senses. She had been scanning him ever since he had woken up as if she feared that he might fall unconscious again.
"So, tell me again about this other AI. Domain? I have only a vague memory of him…"
Solus thought for a moment, imagining the large Sphere laying inert on the pedestal back in Skulltown. Would Domain notice if he crushed it? A sinister grin spread over his face. If Drys had not dismantled it already, which he doubted, he would make it his business to find out.
"It's a high-tier AI. I found it buried under a mountain," Solus said, quickly recapping how he had found it and had brought it with him to Skulltown. Then, slowly, he explained how he had been deceived by it.
Tirella was quiet for a while, her eyes tracking the sides of the walls that were speeding by. "Do you think it took over one of the others?"
Picturing Galg and Sumil, Solus grunted. "I don't know… but I really hope not."
On the one hand, he hoped that it wasn't Sumil. He still remembered how he had found her, and although they hadn't had much contact during the last year, he knew she had been working hard to improve Skulltown. On the other, what if Domain had possessed Galg? Domain taking Galg's body and then adding some incredibly powerful evolution while retaining the ability to move like lightning made him shiver. It also got him thinking. What if that was what it came down to? He needed to figure out a way to counter Galg's speed.
As the stone platform sped toward Skulltown, he lost himself in strategizing. How to defeat a foe that one could not catch? Trap him somehow? Unlikely: Domain would see that coming. Overpower him? Sure, that would be easy. He would still have to catch him first, though. Slowly Solus began to see the truth of it, and with the realization came horror.
"What's wrong?" Tirella's voice snapped him out of it, and he turned to see her look at him. He could feel her curiosity and concern.
"If Domain has possessed Galg's body, it will be next to impossible to stop him," Solus said.
Tirella stared at him, and then she frowned, deep concern evident in her eyes. Silently they stood side by side as they passed under the hills that surrounded Skulltown.
"Let me take over. We have arrived," Solus said. He sensed Tirella's control pulling away from the stone, and the platform ground to a halt in front of a dead end. He took control, and the platform slowly began to move once more. The tunnel before them grew longer again, this time curving upward.
"Aren't we going in below the city?"
"I want to see if there are any rifts close to the city. If there are, I'll close those first," Solus said, trying to sense movement above them.
Tirella gasped beside him and grabbed his arm. "Wait, you can close a rift!?"
Feeling the strong grasp on his arm, Solus grinned. "I haven't told you that, have I?"
The grip on his arm tightened, and he could hear Tirella growl. Looking over, he saw her black eyes glitter eagerly while one of the corners of her mouth crept up in a half-smile. Grinning, he quickly explained how he used his mana-field to shrink a rift down until it disappeared.
"So as long as the rifts are small enough, we can close them!" Tirella said, excited at the prospect.
Solus was about to reply when the tunnel finally breached the surface. A moment later, the stone plateau rose up until it was level with the ground, and they were out in the open. Drawing in a breath of air, Solus shivered as he recalled he might have to stay deep below the ground for a thousand years.
"It's not as big as I imagined it…" Tirella said. She was looking at Skulltown, which lay not too far away from them. They had risen up halfway between the hills and the main gate.
Looking at Skulltown with its stone and bone spires and towers rising up, the giant wyrm tower visible far in the distance, Solus frowned. "It's not that much smaller than Tendraal!"
Tirella didn't respond but just grinned at him. "What's that covering it?" she asked after a moment, staring at the air above the city.
Solus followed her gaze, but he didn't see anything. "What do you mean?"
"There's some sort of barrier hanging over the city. It glitters."
Gazing at the city again, Solus couldn't see anything, but he didn't doubt her.
"It has to be Drys's barrier."
He turned and began searching the area for rifts. After a few moments had passed, he realized there weren't any, or at least none that he could see from where they were standing. He did see a large pile of bodies stacked up at either side of the gate, as well as a dozen pits and scorch marks.
"No rifts. Good. Let's go and find Drys," he said, and leaped forward. Hearing the explosion and the dust, he sighed. Turning to see if Tirella was alright, he caught blurred movement in the corner of his eye, and her orange and brown shape shot past him. Behind them were two interconnected fractures in the wasteland, cracks running away from it.
When they landed, Tirella a bit ahead of him, Solus laughed loudly. "Nice! You've been practicing!"
"Try and keep up!" she roared back as her leg muscles bulged. She sprang up, causing a thunderous boom. Wind blew a cloud of debris at Solus, which struck him like shrapnel, and he blinked in surprise. He ran a few steps and leaped after her. The running start caused him to gain on her, and although he wasn't fast enough to reach the ground before she did, he did pass her and landed ahead of her.
Jumping after each other, it took them only moments to cross the distance to the gate. They landed practically at the same time, grinning and laughing. When he saw the gate ahead, Solus wished they had time to continue the game. Maybe later... If there is a later.
From this ang
le he could still see the top of the wall, and he inspected the defenders. A group of them stood near the edge. It was a dozen Blackguards, more than he had ever seen together in one place. Behind them was a group of other undead, energy crackling in their hands. Two drew his attention: fleshy undead, but not zombies. They both had mouths that covered over half their head. Wide-open and toothless, a mass of green energy crackled inside and was pointed at them.
"Solus?" an uncertain voice was projected beside them.
"Yes!" Solus roared up, wondering who else he would see there.
A loud cheer came from the wall, and the defenders stood down as undead swarmed to the edge of the wall, staring down at him and Tirella. Loud chatter came from everywhere, and then a loud voice yelled down into the city to announce his return.
"Open the gates!"
Solus grinned, shaking his head. "No need!" Then he jumped forward, toward the edge of the wall.
"No, don't!" the projected voice screeched in panic.
Mid-flight, Solus cursed, wondering what was wrong but unable to change course. With the force of one of Skull's punches, he struck something that hovered a few yards in front of the wall. It felt as if something had slapped him, and he shot back down much faster than he had shot up. A crackling wave of energy branched out from the point where he had hit the barrier, revealing a large section of it.
He slammed into the ground and plowed a trench through it. He blinked at the pain that traveled throughout his body, and it took a few moments before he could gather himself enough to stand up.
Loud laughter came from ahead where Tirella was standing. She stood bent over, her arms across her stomach, eyes closed, and laughing so loud he thought she might break a rib. Sniffing, he cracked his neck and moved toward her. As he did, the sound of her laughter and the genuine mirth caused the anger he felt to fade, and when he reached her, his anger had disappeared, replaced by joy.
"Sure, laugh all you want. Perhaps I should see if I can throw you through?" he said with a laugh.
Tirella didn't reply but laughed even harder, pointing at the barrier while trying to speak. It took her a few attempts before she was able to get anything intelligible out.
"There was a blue form in the shape of your body on it!" she stuttered finally, before once again bursting out in laughter.
In front of them, the gate groaned before effortlessly swinging open. Looking up, Solus saw that many of the undead were staring down at them. Some were grinning; others were looking at the trench he had left behind and muttering to each other with wide-open eyes.
"Alright, funny-bone, let's head on inside and find Drys," he said, taking Tirella by the shoulder and dragging her with him as she was still giggling and laughing.
Planning
A familiar figure came toward them through the gate. Towering and white, it had bones so thick that the ribs touched each other, almost fused together into a single massive bony plate.
"Skull!" Solus said, walking forward. He let go of Tirella, who was finally calming down.
"Master, me stronger!" the skeleton projected, his voice loud enough to cause the walls around them to shudder.
"Not so loud!" Solus groaned, shaking his head. He was impressed as he looked up at Skull. The other had grown another head taller and was now by far the tallest undead being he had encountered thus far. Even Uran would be dwarfed by Skull.
Before he could react, Skull struck him in the chest with his fist. Solus barely stopped himself from taking a step back.
"Master. Me fight! Bored! They all break!" Skull said, sounding sad as he pointed at the bodies beyond the gate.
Solus would have liked to see what Skull was capable of, but he shook his head. There were too many important things to take care of. Besides, he would probably get to see Skull in action sooner rather than later. Even running to his tower to grab the mana-core would have to wait. First, he needed to find out what Drys had been up to and share what he had learned about the rifts. Drys would be able to figure out how to use this knowledge best, and maybe even cook up a way to close all of the rifts.
"Skull, I must speak with Drys. We have a lot of trouble coming. Don't worry, though. I will have something fun for you to do before the sun sets."
Patting the skeleton on its massive shoulder, he noticed that Skull had gained odd protrusions on his knuckles: thick slabs of bone, inscribed with a multitude of minuscule patterns.
"Drys at pattern hall," Skull said after a moment's thought.
"When did you evolve?" Solus asked as he headed toward the main road leading into the city. He beckoned the others to follow him, getting an odd look from Tirella.
"No remember… long ago?" Skull said, seeming confused. Anything except yesterday, today, and tomorrow confused the giant skeleton immensely.
Solus grinned and examined the open area behind the gate and roads that led away from it. Most of the previous damage had been repaired since the last time he had been here, and many of the structures near the walls had been fortified.
The trip to the Hall of Patterns took longer than he had anticipated.
Many roads had changed, new buildings now blocked former entrances, and slowly he began to see a pattern. They had made chokepoints. If the Kaots somehow managed to break through the barrier and the gates, they would be funneled into these. He recognized Drys's handiwork and pondered the many abilities that Drys now possessed when the realization hit him.
Drys could dampen abilities! He would be able to stop Domain if he had indeed taken Galg's body. All they needed to do was to lure him close enough to Drys so that he could nullify Galg's speed.
"What's with the giant grin on your face?" Tirella asked.
"I'll explain later. Look over there!" Solus replied as they exited a small street and stepped out onto a large open square.
Two long lines of undead were queued in front of the enormous and ornate hall. One line was composed of heavyset, bulky undead and skeletons, while the other consisted of smaller undead. Many were wielding weapons: hammers and spears, mostly. The building filled the entire north side of the square, and its four stories dwarfed many of the structures beside it. A single bone tower rose up from the center, and Solus nodded to himself.
So, Drys has made himself more comfortable!
As they walked past the long lines of undead, a hushed silence fell upon the square. Soon, most of the undead were staring at them.
Solus stopped before the doors and turned to Skull. "Find Norg and Vingria for me. Tell them to come here."
Skull nodded eagerly and stomped off in the direction of the Battle Inn.
"He is an odd one…" Tirella said, staring after Skull. "Something about him is very different from the other undead I've seen."
"He is, and we have no idea why. According to Drys, it has something to do with his mind, but we've never found out what exactly. My guess is that his low intelligence score is what makes his unique evolutionary path possible... somehow," he finished with a shrug.
Solus headed into the Hall of Patterns, the few undead closeby quickly and respectfully stepping out of his way.
Tirella didn't reply, and he then heard a stunned gasp from her. Turning around, he saw her staring at the long halls that branched out from the main room. Stone and bone tablets stood arranged side by side, covered in symbols ranging from small tablets with simple designs to multiple tablets containing incredibly intricate and complex inscriptions. Pairs of undead wandered about between this massive collection, with gangly undead which seemed to know every corner of this place, pointing out certain tablets and telling anyone who would listen all about them. Solus recognized the gangly ones as boneshapers and librarians.
"I have never seen anything like this!" Tirella said as she turned to Solus.
"Not even in Bastion did they have a building like this, filled with inscriptions and patterns!"
"It was Drys's idea. Even before we met, he was able to create and manipulate inscriptions," Solus said, taking a
quick glance at the patterns.
He saw many powerful ones, several of which he had not seen before and others he knew from his own status window inscription list. Marveling at Drys's abilities, he moved toward the staircase that dominated the main room.
As they headed up, they passed more floors, divided into halls of shelves filled with tablets. All of the staircases were worn down due to heavy use, and they passed many other undead on their way up.
When they reached the last staircase, a long-haired fleshy undead blocked their way. Its entire body was covered in thick hair, and long thin lines of acrid-smelling smoke wafted up from them. The hair on his head flowed down his back, and wherever it touched the walls and ground, there was more of the same acrid smoke rising up.
"Ah, Solus! Drys said to let you pass if you showed up." The undead had a high, squeaking voice, and a trickle of smoke emerged from between his lips as he spoke. He immediately stepped aside, leaving a lingering acidic odor behind.
Solus just nodded, not sure what to make of the other. He didn't recognize the evolution, and he wondered if Drys had been experimenting again. This one was weird enough, which meant that the answer was probably yes.
Moving up, they arrived in a large open room. Bone tablets littered the floor in stacks and stood against the walls. Dozens of skeletons were moving between them. All of them wore white Wyrm-leather robes, causing Solus's eyebrows to rise, and he heard a confused grunt coming from beside him. A single spiral staircase stood in the middle of the room.
A female fleshy undead was sitting at a table, scribbling something in a book. When she finished, she ripped the page from the book while beckoning one of the undead. She handed it to the skeleton and made a dismissive gesture, then immediately went back to writing.
"Let's just go and find Drys," Solus whispered in utter confusion. He had no idea what was going on here, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. Right now, there were more important things to attend to, and Drys could explain all of this later.
They headed toward the spiral staircase, and either no one noticed them or no one cared. They continued on up the stairs without any trouble.