by J. Carrarn
"This is one weird city…" Tirella muttered as she followed Solus up the stairs.
The stairs ended in a small chamber with a single closed door. Solus heard a soft muttering coming from behind it, and he shoved the door, intent on opening it. To his surprise, it wouldn't budge, but a soft tingling came from beyond the door. The muttering stopped, and Drys's familiar voice was projected next to them.
"What? I said not to disturb me! I am very busy wrestling with important issues! Issues like how to stop the city from being overrun and devoured by monsters! Just tell whoever is unsure about their evolution to figure it out themselves!"
Drys sounded exasperated, and Solus let out a soft chuckle.
Knocking on the door, he steadily increased the strength he put in it, and it began humming and vibrating.
"Open up, it's me!"
The door swiveled inside as soon as he spoke, and Drys's voice came from inside.
"Finally! Get in here. We have problems!"
More problems? That sounds just about right… Solus sighed as he stepped inside.
The room beyond was oval, and overly full bookshelves lined the walls. Each had a miniature pattern on its spine that Solus recognized from his status window. Tables filled with stacks of open books and large bone tablets covered in inscriptions littered the left side of the room. Benches and a low table stood to the right, and Drys sat on a bench staring at a sphere locked in a machine.
Tatjie and Derin sat on a bench in the corner, looking bored.
"Tirella, you made it!" Tatjie rumbled, getting up and running forward.
Tirella met her halfway with a grin on her face. Without a care in the world, the massive zombie began talking about what had happened and asking about Tirella's latest evolution and her new abilities.
Solus walked past them, glanced at Derin, who just waved at him, before sitting down opposite Drys. The other's grey face seemed drawn out and tired, but his eyes still held a sharp light in them.
"Derin told me what happened. I've sent Blackguards to find Galg and locked your tower so nothing can get in or out. You might want to repair the top entrance because closing that Wyrm's mouth was not easy," Drys said calmly before scanning Solus.
"What happened with Scathia?"
His question caused Tatjie to stop mid-sentence and turn to Solus, who just pointed at Tirella.
"She ended her."
One of Drys's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but then he gave out a heavy sigh of relief. "Good, that's one less thing to worry about. And Uran?"
"I don't know. As far as we know, he did something to stop the Kaots from destroying Realdeep and succeeded. I have no idea how he did that, nor do I know what he's up to now."
A weight seemed to drop from Drys's shoulders, and he leaned back against the bone back of the bench. "That leaves the rifts, the massive horde of Kaots roaming the hills, that Shade still loose in the city, and, of course, Domain," he said.
Solus frowned. "Didn't you say we have more problems?" Then he blinked as he realized what the other meant. "You still haven't captured that Shade?"
It was quiet for a short moment as Drys looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Sumil hasn't come back."
A soft crack was followed by the bench splintering as Solus's grip snapped the whole side apart. Solus looked at the bone in his hand and tossed it on the floor.
"That means Galg isn't the problem. We must find Sumil," Solus said, his voice a low growl. When he hadn't known for sure if Domain had stolen Sumil's body he had been able to stay calm. Now, however, he felt the desire to search for her and violently remove Domain.
"We have no idea where he is or what he is up to. Also, I am not quite sure he is entirely gone from here," Drys said.
Tirella moved forward and sat down close beside Solus, garnering her a curious look from Drys.
"What was this about a shade?" she asked, worry lining her face.
Solus felt a wave of unrest and fear from her.
"Do you know the Shade?"
Tirella shook her head, an uncertain expression on her face. "There are many Shades, but there were rumors back in Bastion…"
Drys leaned forward, his eyes glittering. "You are that Kaot that Solus helped to evolve!"
"Not a Kaot!" Tirella hissed as she scowled at him. "Not every undead from beyond the rifts is a Kaot!"
Drys's only reaction was a raised eyebrow and a nod. "Alright, but you are from the other side of a rift?"
Solus quickly interrupted the other when he saw his hunger for knowledge beginning to distract him from the matter at hand. "We don't have the time, Drys. You can ask your questions later." Then he turned to Tirella.
"What can you tell us about this Shade?"
Tirella continued to glare at Drys as she responded. "My memories are hazy, but there was talk of an undead that came through a rift that could move through matter as if it wasn't there. That wasn't unique, but the second half of his ability was. After evolving, it was apparently able to change back to its incorporeal form at will. I don't know how much of what I remember is true, but the rumor was that it arrived in Bastion shortly before the city was overrun."
"That doesn't sound like a mindless Kaot, now does it?" Solus said.
"Perhaps this Shade is more like Tirella? An undead that managed to survive the Kaots and has been traveling through the rifts?" Derin interjected from the other side of the table.
Drys nodded and began pacing up and down. Solus watched him with a mock smile. Even his latest evolution hadn't been able to remove the other's need to pace relentlessly when deep in thought.
"There is more, though…" Solus said.
He hadn't been sure how to tell Drys about the ancient elemental, but he knew he would have to.
Drys stopped and just stared at him with a look of weary expectancy.
Taking a deep breath, Solus told him what had happened after diving deep into the core of the world. He did leave a few bits out, most notably the fact that Viridi had called him Pebble, which somehow irked him, and what she had said about his possible future potential.
"More mana-cores are coming? What does that mean? An enormous Wyrm is heading toward Skulltown, or something even more terrible?" Drys muttered softly.
"From what I can gather, we will most likely see at least a few highly evolved Kaots appear soon." Sam's soft voice interrupted Solus, who was about to respond to Drys.
The Sphere glowed softly as it lay on the table, and Solus frowned. He had almost forgotten about its existence. He was about to ask Sam why she thought powerful Kaots might come through the rifts when a sudden deafening explosion interrupted him.
"Now what?" he cursed as he dashed toward the window. The blue dome above the city was brightly lit, and a dozen Ygdra were hovering above it, pelting it with red energy blasts.
"Never mind them. They have been trying to get in for days now. You'll get used to it," Drys said. He hadn't even moved but stood in the middle of the room, staring at Sam.
"If what this Viridi says is true and they will show up, then we have to prepare," Drys said.
"I'll go to my tower and destroy Domain's sphere," Solus said. He wanted to get as many potential problems out of the way. Which reminded him: he was missing someone.
"Where are Norg and Vingria?"
"They are out in the hills, hunting Kaots and scouting the locations of rifts," Drys said as he began pacing again. "When they come back, we will know where the nearest rifts are and can come up with a plan to close them if they aren't too big."
"You need to make changes to your defense tactics," Sam said out of the blue. "I've noticed that you are using an ineffective combination of melee, ranged, and control defenders. With more efficiency, you can double or triple your defense capability."
Drys was silent for a moment before turning to Tatjie. "Take Sam to the lower layers of this building and install her there. Tell the bonemenders that all undead that are to evolve are to see her first from this moment on.
Also, tell them to bring her the ledgers with who evolved into what so she can read them."
Almost as an afterthought, the tall, long-haired undead turned to the Sphere.
"You can do all of that, right?"
"A please would have been nice, but I suppose we can work on your social skills later. Besides, I'm impressed that you thought to keep records in the first place. I can and will do what you suggested."
Drys nodded and motioned to Tatjie, who grumbled in protest. The combined scowls from Drys, Solus, and Tirella made her shut up and get moving.
"Where's my please and thank you?" she muttered under her breath as she picked up the machine that held Sam's sphere.
"There is unfortunately still one problem," Drys said with a sigh. "We need to find Sumil."
Everybody was quiet for a while when Derin finally sighed. "I might have an idea on how to do that."
Solus turned to him with an inquisitive look.
"You won't like it…" Derin continued, trailing off.
"Spit it out already!" Tatjie snapped as she stood at the exit carrying the machine.
"There's only one undead fast enough to travel back to where we lost her, see if he can find her tracks, follow them, and then report back."
Solus groaned as he realized whom Derin meant. "Galg? We don't even know where he is!"
"I have a pretty good idea where I can find him. In between our missions, he used to stay at the school and spend his time sitting around that odd pillar you brought back."
"The Devourer," Solus said as he grit his teeth. "Fine, go and find him. When you do, tell him if he wants to stay in Skulltown, he will need to do his part."
Remembering the other's personality, he realized Galg might still refuse, and he snarled, causing Derin to take a step back.
"Tell him that if he doesn't help, I will hunt him down, snap him in half and throw both ends through separate portals."
The idea of having to leave Sumil's fate up to that self-centered and annoying little pest made him want to smash something. Since speaking with Viridi, he had felt calm and collected, similar to shortly after his last evolution, but now his rage was once again close to the surface.
Derin nodded and headed for the door. Tatjie put Sam back down on the table and then followed him down the stairs.
"Why are you so angry?" Tirella asked, confused at his sudden outburst.
Solus shook his head, about to say that he didn't know when he froze. At the same time, Drys jumped up and ran to the window. Solus followed him while scanning all around the tower and the ground below. As he sensed how far below the ground was, he recalled his unpleasant stay in Scathia's tower and clenched his fists.
"I don't see it anywhere," Drys said, scanning the horizon.
"What are you searching for?" Sam asked, sounding curious.
Solus didn't respond, fully focused on finding the Shade.
Drys answered after a moment, sounding distracted. "The Shade. As soon as it gets anywhere close, Solus loses his temper."
"That seems… odd," Sam said, sounding skeptical.
The sound of running footsteps came from the staircase, and a moment later, someone hammered on the door.
"What?" Solus snapped, incredibly agitated and scanning everywhere for the apparition. He sensed that Tirella had also started searching and hoped that she would have more luck than him.
A guttural voice, most likely belonging to a zombie, came from behind the door.
"Drys, there is an undead at the door who says he needs to speak with you. He says he knows of a way to close the rifts. Calls himself the Shade?"
A shady meeting
Silence reigned in the room as the three undead looked at each other in shock. Then Drys turned to the door.
"Send him up."
The undead went back down, his footsteps disappearing as fast as they had come. Solus focused his attention on the lowest floor of the building, and as he did, he could feel his grip on his emotions slipping. Gritting his teeth, he stared at the door. Instinctively he gripped his hammer, his fingers curling tightly around the green handle. A hand placed on his arm made him look up sharply, and he saw Tirella staring at him.
"Calm yourself. We need to listen to what he has to say, not tear him apart," she said sternly, holding his gaze.
Solus felt some of his anger drain away, and he nodded. Taking deep breaths, he looked at Drys. "You talk. I'm not sure I can."
When something began moving up the stairs, Solus noticed the minute tremors, and his eyes snapped to the door. Beside him, Tirella slid forward on the couch. Drys got up and walked toward the middle of the room before silently standing at the ready.
"You might frighten whoever is coming up the stairs if you all continue to behave like this," Sam said.
Nobody had time to respond because without knocking, the door swung open, and an average-sized zombie walked into the room. He had pasty white skin with a few green patches here and there and half-long matted green hair—an unremarkable specimen until you saw his eyes.
Solus gazed into the zombie's piercing grey eyes. The pupils weren't round but shaped like droplets of Wyrm ichor lingering on the lower eyelid. The upper part of the "droplets" disappeared up behind his eyelids.
Solus jerked up and took one step forward before something clamped firmly around his wrist and held him in place. Gazing down, he saw Tirella slowly shaking her head. He growled and sat back down.
The peculiar undead had watched all of this without any apparent emotion. Only when Solus stepped forward had he taken two steps backward.
"Don't mind him," Drys said.
Solus wrestled with his anger that told him to grab the undead and destroy it before it could get away.
Drys took a look at Solus for a moment before continuing. "Who are you?"
The undead scrutinized Solus as if trying to make sure that the giant wouldn't suddenly attack it. When it seemed that Solus would stay seated, it turned its gaze to Drys.
"The others here call me Grav," he said.
Even his voice is average, Solus thought to himself. Somehow the fact angered him, though he had no idea why.
"You are the Shade," Drys said softly. He wasn't asking but stating a fact.
Grav looked at Drys, taking another step back. He was now partially back in the small room that housed the stair down, seeming ready to bolt.
"You won't be able to get away. Just explain why you are here," Drys said quietly.
Grav took a look over his shoulder, and Solus could almost see what the other was planning. He was certain that the Shade was about to turn and flee, but then the moment passed, and Grav turned to Drys.
"Those rifts will grow larger until they're big enough for the Kaot Lords to come through. If we don't stop them before that, this world is doomed."
Nobody said anything, and Grav's eyes narrowed.
"I know of a way to stop the rifts from growing," he said.
"How?" Solus growled, not able to keep himself quiet. The longer he was in the room with Grav, the more agitated he became.
The Shade stared at him, but this time he kept his eyes from meeting those of Solus.
"I will tell you, but only if you agree to leave me be. Also, you have something that I need."
Listening to Grav's demands, Solus's grip on the handle increased so much that his knuckles cracked.
Drys took a few steps to the side, moving between Grav and Solus.
"What is it that you need from us?"
Grav looked at Solus. "The large mana-orb he has hidden in his tower," he said.
For a moment, nobody spoke, then Solus got up. He was shaking with barely contained anger, on the verge of losing control. The only thing holding him back was Tirella's hand.
"Why do I feel the need to destroy you? What are you?" he snarled, losing his careful control over his voice. The room's walls shook from the sonic onslaught, and books and artifacts scattered all over the floor as if there was an earthquake.
Grav's eyes widened, and then he turned and bolted away.
"Don't destroy my tower!" Drys shouted as Solus leaped past him, pulling Tirella from the couch.
Solus didn't care anymore. He had held back long enough, and all he could do now was follow his instinct. He would catch this abomination and destroy it!
The tower shivered as he charged across the room after the zombie. It almost fell down the stairs in its haste to flee.
Solus didn't care.
"Don't destroy him. We need answers!" Drys shouted desperately after them, and then he heard something crash through the wall. The tower shook again, worse this time.
Solus ignored everything and rushed down. The steps cracked and splintered as he lost all control of his strength, putting almost his full weight on each. Halfway down, Grav was still ahead of him, and through the haze of his anger, Solus felt confused. He should have easily overtaken the zombie by now.
As he rushed through the book-filled room and down the other stairs, he saw the undead guard had been knocked aside. It groaned softly as it tried to get up. There was a deep indent in its chest. At the other side of the large open room, Solus saw Grav dash away. Its limbs were moving much faster than should be possible.
Lunging forward, Solus shattered the part of the floor he had been standing on, leaving a hole through which bone debris rained down.
He flew through the room but miscalculated and ended up falling down the next staircase. Windmilling with his arms, trying to catch his balance, Solus looked down. Grav was already at the bottom, and this time he saw Grav turn into a blurry haze that moved a dozen feet before solidifying again.
So that's how he does it.
The thought barely made it through the rage that clouded his judgment. The bone floor cracked and crumbled beneath him as he crashed into it heavily, and he broke through. Flailing about, he fell to the next floor that shattered and down to the next.
He eventually landed two floors further down, forming a small indent in the building's ground floor while a small mountain of debris rained down atop him.