NBB2 - The chaos rifts - chapter 5

~~~

As it gazed through the shadow of the building, high above the ground, the being stared at the enormous grey, green-haired giant. It knew it would be no match for it or even some of the others that had slaughtered it's dull-witted brethren. But it was different. It had survived by itself in the mad-lands for a long time, hiding, waiting, observing from the shadows. A shade like no other it knew, and it would continue here. Prospering.

Looking around at the many shadows, small and large buildings, and a plethora of places to hide, it felt secure. This was a good place to be. It would find why they were so strong… then steal it!

~~

Trudging through the deserted streets, pushing the stone prison, did little to alleviate Solus' growing anger. When a soft sound came from one of the buildings, he snapped his gaze towards it.

It was a stone building, partially collapsed, and the top of its three stories crumbled. Stone debris spread out across the top and front in a slope. Staring at the building's remains, Solus didn't see anything move and stepped away from the cube.

"Stay here and be careful."

He didn't wait for the Blackguard's reply but moved closer to the building. At the bottom of the pile of rubble, he paused, looking, and sensing for any motion. There wasn't anything, and he frowned. Had it been a loose stone? Annoyed, he kicked a piece of debris up the hill, causing it to careen into the building.

A sucked-in breath came from inside, followed by running feet.

Solus jumped up the hill in a single leap, ignoring the precariously shaking building, and ran inside. A single room, the walls blasted apart, ended with a hole at the back, and a grey zombie with red fur patches on it's back jumped outside. Solus ran forward, feeling how the zombie slammed into the rock below and started running away. Without looking, he jumped through the opening, into another street below. This one had only minor signs of destruction, and he saw the zombie halfway through the street towards a crossing. Focusing, he raised a hand, and a giant fist of stone formed ahead of the running shape, smashing into it and hurtling it back.

Solus jumped down as the figure slammed into the ground a short distance from him. It scrambled up, right when Solus reached it and looked up with odd blue eyes. They had a vacant look in them, and the leathery face held no expression either. It didn't change when Solus grabbed it around its neck, raising the zombie until its feet dangled in the air.

Inspecting it, he frowned when he got no reaction. Something is wrong with this one. He barely finished the thought when the blue eyes suddenly snapped up, staring straight into his.

"Are you Solus or one of his guards?" The zombie spoke with an emotionless voice that seemed more at home with a skeleton, were it not that it had a distinct female pitch to it.

Startled by the voice and the fact that the eyes remained almost vacant as it spoke, Solus was about to reply when he held his tongue. He had no idea who this was, but the other didn't know who he was either. Perhaps until he found out, it would be better to keep the playing field even?

"I Skull - who you?" He whispered, trying to keep his voice dull and simple.

"No. From my investigations, Skull is a skeleton. You must be Solus. The description fits." The voice didn't show any emotion as it spoke, just stating facts, but something about it sounded familiar. Solus couldn't put his finger on it.

"I sent this shell here to speak with you, to warn you about what was to happen, but before I could find you, this…" the zombie's eyes looked around for a moment before continuing. " this city was attacked."

This time Solus could just make out a hint of contempt, and it hit him. The voice reminded him of Silt, hiding his emotions behind a facade of an emotionless skeleton!

Turning around, Solus dragged the Zombie with him. As he stared at the building ahead of him, he focused. The loose stone and dust behind the building and covering the top floor moved. It clumped together into a single block. Solus left it to the side and jumped up the building, ignoring the zombie's voice.

"Where are you taking me? Don't you understand it is important that we speak?"

Solus jumped down, landing next to the Blackguard, who was quietly waiting beside the stone prison that held the odd four-legged creatures.

"Let's go. We need to find Drys," Solus said as he moved further down the street. He left the stone prison where it stood.

"What about this thing?" The Blackguard asked, tapping the side.

Solus just beckoned him, and at the same time, the stone prison sunk into the ground. The Blackguard followed Solus, quickly falling in line with him.

"So, you have some sort of stone-shaping ability. Interesting. I don't recall seeing that class in the status-window options." The emotionless voice shook Solus, and it took all his willpower to continue walking forward.

She knows about the status-window! Does she have one, or is she just goading me? Solus quickened his step, not noticing that the Blackguard had to run to keep up. The zombie stopped talking, quietly examining Solus with it's vacant blue eyes.

As they moved deeper into the city, the destruction became less and less as they neared the older areas. When they arrived at the center square that bordered his tower, all buildings were intact.

Looking around the quiet, dark area, doors and windows of the buildings closed, Solus searched for something. He had a good idea why nothing had managed to get this far in, but no matter where he looked, he couldn't spot the one he searched for. Shrugging, he looked up.

"Norg, come out, " he shouted, his loud voice booming across the square.

For a second, nothing happened, but then a soft chuckle came from a building to their left.

"Good to see you've made it back in one piece."

One of the stone shutters covering a window slid open, and Norg jumped through. He landed on the ground with a soft thud before getting up and dusting himself off. Then he walked towards Solus, pointing at the zombie Solus was dragging along.

"Where did you find that one? I thought I had taken care of all of them by now!"

"She was spying on me," Solus replied, as he raised the zombie for Norg to inspect. Nothing had changed; the vacant eyes were still staring at a point behind his head.

Norg frowned as he stood next to him. After a moment of looking the zombie up and down, he scraped his throat. "That's not a her. Don't you remember Drys' lessons?"

"Drys… I have heard about him! Why don't you bring me to him? I am curious to see if the rumors are true!" The emotionless, female voice that came from the zombie caused Norg to take a step back.

Solus laughed at the startled look on the other's face. "Come on, let's go find Drys." He moved towards the central building, where the other was usually staying during the nights.

"Err, he isn't there, " Norg said.

Solus turned and looked at the other with a slightly confused and woried look.

"Where is he?"

Norg points at the tower that loomed over everything. "After installing that thing in your tower he hasn't left its side."

Solus grinned as he imagined the sphere having to listen to Drys' constant nagging, answering his seemingly endless string of questions. Between seeing Norg and the image of an irritated sphere, his annoyance at what had happened to Skulltown was quickly fading. Taking long paces across the stone-paved square, he craned and looked at the top of the Wyrmtower. A soft blue light came through the topmost windows. Now, what are you up to this time, Drys?

A solid door blocked the only entrance into the tower, and it groaned as Solus shoved it open. He had reasoned it would be enough of a natural barrier for intruders. Those strong enough to open it could get in anyway, and like this, he didn't have to repair a broken door every time Skull searched for him.

It was dark inside the tower, and the winding rock staircase was like a green illuminating beacon. Except for the staircase, there was only a hole in the middle of the room. It led down into the massive cavern system below Skulltown, an area off-limits to anybody but him.

Looking up, he saw the roof and the square hole with a blue light pouring from it. The tower was a single, immense hollow tube, almost fifty meters in diameter.

"Something is odd about this building." The female entity inhabiting the zombie said, as the zombie's head turned left and right to get a good look.

"It's not a building," Solus said with a grin. Wondering if she would figure it out, he moved to the staircase. The steps were deep and high, perfect for him. Drys had complained about them, which was just another reason to leave them. He enjoyed pestering the smart undead now that he had no control over his emotions. Chances are he wouldn't ever get the chance again after Drys evolved.

As Solus walked up the three-person wide stair, Norg constantly increased his pace, trying to get ahead of him. The smile on his lips caused the row of pointed teeth to flicker in the light. Solus increased his pace, and so did Norg, and within seconds the trip up the stairs turned into a race.

The Blackguard's footsteps disappeared below them as they sped up.

A hundred meters before the looming exit at the top of the stairs, Norg was three body lengths ahead of Solus when one of the stone steps suddenly lowered. He stumbled, falling flat on his face against the edges of the other stairs. Solus ran past him and through the entrance.

"No fair!"

Norg's cry followed him as he marched into the open room that was once the head of one of the most massive worms he had ever come across.

The gaping mouth pointed towards the far hills, a stone platform ending between the rows of teeth. From there, he had a beautiful view of Skulltown below. The rest of the room was dominated by stone tables, filled with an assortment of spheres and old-world gadgets. A metal hammer hung from one wall beside a few non-functioning spheres.

A curved stone slab, decorated with intricate patterns, stood at one side, and on it stood the large sphere, glowing a bluish light as it scanned a manafield in front of it. Cables attached to its sides ran through the room and out of one of the windows.

Drys stood in the middle of his manafield, glaring at the sphere.

~ I will tell you this one more time, your simple patterns are just child's play! ~ The Sphere said, obviously gloating.

"Fine. Then teach me! Don't just give me such a pattern and tell me to go away!" Drys shot back as his manafield whisked out.

"Oh my, you have actually found such a rare AI!" The female voice sounded very intrigued this time, and Solus cursed. He was starting to have some creeping suspicions who she was, and he wasn't sure he should have brought her.

Drys swirled around, his burning gaze moving between Solus and the zombie. As Drys inspected the zombie, Solus saw his frown deepen. The other didn't speak but marched towards Solus and kneeled to stare into the eyes of the zombie.

"Who are you?" Drys said after a second.

"I am known by many names, but currently, people call me Scathia the Litch."

~ Preposterous! Such a blatant disregard of good naming! Are you not ashamed of yourself? ~ The sphere's voice interrupted anything Drys might have said, and a beam of blue light struck the zombie, scanning it in one fell swoop.

~ Ah- I see. You're using a variation of the puppeteering skill with a drastically increased range! ~

Solus raised the zombie until their eyes were at the same height. "You are the one Silt spoke about, the skeleton that somehow managed to survive the purge."

A hiss sounded throughout the room. "Don't talk to me about that trash. If I get my hands on him, he will wish that he had stayed wandering mindlessly in the pathetic town I found him!" This time unhidden contempt and anger laced Scathia's voice.

Solus shared a quick look with Drys, but the other shook his head.

Drys walked back to the stone on which the sphere rested and sat down. He was quiet for a moment as he inspected the zombie.

"So. Why are you here?"

Seconds passed as nobody spoke, and right when Solus' temper began flaring up. Just when he was about to lose it, the voice returned, emotionless and calm again.

"I am here to invite you to join me in my city. There are many things I can tell you about the portals."

Solus stared at the zombie in his hand, trying to push the emotions; anger and annoyance mixed with curiosity, back down. His initial reaction was to tell her he would go and see what she had to say. But in the last few months, he had found that it paid to hear what Drys had to say. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the emaciated white-haired zombie sitting beside the quiet sphere.

Drys wasn't looking at him but still staring at the zombie in his hand. When he finally looked at Solus, his eyes glistened. "I think it would be a good idea to have Norg show her around the tower for a bit. That way, we can quietly discuss her offer."

Wondering what the other wanted to discuss, Solus nodded and beckoned Norg. The other had been quietly observing Scathia and shook himself when Solus called him.

"What?"

Wondering what was wrong with Norg, Solus beckoned him again and stuck out the zombie. "Take this and wait at the bottom of the tower until I call you. I need to speak with Drys."

"Sure!" Norg nodded and snatched the zombie, his long narrow fingers easily wrapping around its face. The zombie's eyes glared at him through the fingers, but its mouth was held shut. Norg turned around and walked off, leaving Solus to stare after him in wonder. Why was Norg so eager to take Scathia away? He shoved the wonder down; it could wait after he had spoken with Drys.

When Norg disappeared through the entrance, Drys got up and moved towards the Blackguard. "Follow him, and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. If he leaves the tower, let him but come warn us."

The Blackguard turned and followed after Norg without a word.

Solus waited a few seconds until he was sure they were out of earshot.

"Why did you send them all away?"

Drys examined him as if he was pondering what to say. Finally, he sighed, a look of annoyance on his face.

"Two reasons. Because that undead is dangerous. Vingria has told me what she remembers about her, and even that little bit was enough to let me know we have to be careful."

Drys turned to the Sphere and pointed at it. "The second and more important reason is because Domain and I have found a way to bar those rifts from appearing in Skulltown."

~ Excuse me? You are definitely smarter than the average undead, but what do you mean, you and I? I was the one that told you how to do this! ~ The blue light from the sphere turned darker for a second.

A wicked grin crawled up Solus' face as he saw Drys flinch as if struck.

"It doesn't matter!" Drys shot back before turning to Solus, who just stood there, barely holding back his laughter. "Oh? You think you can laugh! Well, why don't you just figure it out then!"

Drys turned and made as if to walk away, and Solus snorted, his hilarity quickly replaced by anger.

"Drys, enough! I understand how hard it is to keep a hold on your emotions and how nice they can be, but this is going too far. If you cannot act normal, you need to evolve," Solus snapped.

His temper flared up again at the idea of Drys acting up. Now that he had his status window back, the prospect of going out and seeing what was beyond the wasteland drew him greatly. He wasn't going to let Drys' tantrum stand in the way of that.

The zombie stopped and turned back to snarl at him. "Fine, fine. I will evolve tonight."

Solus' temper receded rapidly, and he sat down so he wouldn't tower over the smaller undead. "So, how are we going to keep those rifts out?"

~ Simple, we will adjust the primitive barrier Drys has made around the city. Instead of just blocking material things, we will disrupt any portal as it forms, which shouldn't be too hard. They appear to be random, natural occurrences that happen here due to the abundance of undead energy. ~

A grinding sound echoed through the room, coming from Drys, whose jaw was clenched shut as he stared at the Sphere. After a moment, he seemed to get a hold of himself again and turned to Solus.

"Yes. It should only take a day to adjust the glyphs. We will need to mobilize all of the Glyph Wardens."

Solus nodded. "Alright. Do it as soon as you can. Is Sig back yet?"

"He returned from a scouting mission yesterday," Drys grumbled.

"Alright. Have him take control of the changes that need to be made. He can talk with Domain to figure out what he needs to do."

Drys seemed ready to explode, and Solus raised his hand as he glared back.

"No, enough, Drys! You go and evolve immediately! Have you made a choice?"

Drys glared at him for another few seconds before sighing. "I have."

"Remember what I said, absorb as many mana-orbs from the vault as you can before you do it! You will feel better afterward!" Drys didn't reply but walked away, and Solus waited until he had left. He could still hear his grumbling curses as he walked down the tower.

Was I that emotional as a zombie? He wasn't sure, but it didn't matter. Even if he was, Drys needed to evolve so he would act normal again.

Turning to the sphere he saw the blue lights were scanning the walls of the tower.

"So, Domain?"

A soft sigh echoed through the room. "So, Solus?"

Solus walked forward until he stood next to the sphere and placed his hand on its shiny surface.

"Long ago, the first sphere I got gave me a pattern that allowed me to see all the possible evolutions."

A silence fell that lasted until Solus' patience ran out. "Can you give me that?"

"I can, but only if you do something for me in return…"

Solus suppressed the desire to kick the sphere through the room. "I already brought you here! What more do you want?"

Another silence fell, but this time it was the sphere that finally broke it.

"Drys, he won't stop bugging me… you need to take me with you when you leave!"

Solus blinked, and his mood became better instantly. The idea of the two annoying each other instead of him almost made him burst out in laughter. Then he thought about dragging the sphere and its power source everywhere he went, and he frowned.

"How? I can't keep dragging that power source of yours with me!"

"Of course not! While I was alone all those millennia, I had time to run some calculations… a gazillion truth be told. I have found a way to compress and engrave my program on a mana field." A blue beam quickly scanned Solus before whisking out again.

"Although you are still weak, you show promise, and your field is barely large enough. Even though undead are limited in their maximum potential, your evolution makes you more powerful than most. "

Solus frowned again, an odd fear surging. It wasn't fear of death, but of something he couldn't put his finger on.

"It will be beneficial to you too! I'll be able to help you evolve into the most powerful shape you can, and you will regain all the things the first sphere gave you."

"But you said I couldn't evolve yet!"

"No, but I have every faith, you will find a solution for that."

Solus sat down and looked at the sphere. The idea of all that information at his fingertips was incredibly alluring, and getting the best evolutions just as much. But there was something unsettling about the whole idea of having the sphere permanently part of him.

He didn't know how long he sat there thinking when someone came stomping up the stairs. From the quick pace, Solus knew there was something wrong, and he jumped up.

The Black Knight he had sent after Norg rushed in, a fist-shaped dent in his helmet.

"Norg took that zombie to Vingria's, and they locked the door." A small amount of emotion was discernible in the Blackguard's deep voice.

Solus rushed forward, passed the Blackguard, and down the stairs. He left his projected voice behind, something he almost never did anymore.

"Stay here with Domain. Nobody is allowed in here but me or Drys."

The trip down the stairs took mere seconds as it groaned under his passing. He played with the idea of jumping down but rejected it for fear of bringing the whole tower down.

At the bottom, he focused as he ran outside. A stone slab surged from the ground to block the entrance.

"What did you do, Norg?" His growl echoed ahead of him as he barged forward, every step shaking the buildings and causing startled shouts.

Three long streets later, he shot out of a narrow alleyway and onto another square. Undead stood in front of a building, mainly zombies, whispering, and muttering to each other. Solus' entry caused most of them to turn to him, and when they recognized him, they hushed.

Taking long paces, Solus stomped towards the building, and the mass split to let him pass.

He didn't bother asking what had happened, instead barely looking at the enormous double doors, twice his height and width, he kicked them in the middle. Both swung inside, tears appearing in them as they rebounded off the walls with a loud boom. Splintered pieces of bone flew into the room as he stomped inside.

In the middle of a gigantic chamber, filled with bone tables and chairs, was a bone enclosure with an arena. In the center stood Vingria, holding the zombie that housed the female undead. She didn't turn to Solus but slapped the undead's face repeatedly while screaming in her face.

Norg stood to the side with a helpless look on his bruised face.

Solus didn't bother with the door to the arena. He growled, and two stone arms shot out of the ground of the arena. One grabbed Vingria's hand midswing; the other tried to drag the zombie from her grip.

Two cracks sounded as broken stone crumbled to the ground, while Vingria's hand snapped against the zombies head. Neither of the tendrils had as much as slowed her down. Solus' anger surged up, and he jumped forward, crashing through the bone fences. Grabbing Vingria's arm, he hurled her back, causing her to career through the arena and slam through the bone fence.

"She just went ballistic! I tried to stop her!" Norg said as he stepped forward, between Solus' and Vingria.

Solus barely noticed Norg as he stared at the mangled shape on the ground. The zombie's head had bone splinters sticking out from certain places, while both sides seemed soft and pudge. There were no signs of movement. As he bent down and picked the body up, the head lolled back, the neck bone jotting partially through the skin.

Angry, he dropped the zombie on the ground and turned to Vingria.

"Why did you do that? She needed to tell us how to find her and what she knows about these rifts!"