NBB3 - chapter 40: Finders keepers, losers-

Tirella shot deeper into the Earth, seeing the end of the tunnel. An area filled with rubble and stone, and a single narrow gap in the side. The edges were burst outward as if something had crawled out.

Taking a quick look at the rubble, Tirella moved through. She entered into a completely different area: a small room with pale metal floors and a dark ceiling with odd rectangular shapes in them. Angular machinery stood on one wall, parts ripped apart, and cables and cords dangled from them. The wall she came in from was ripped apart, long deep gashes marring the grey concrete.

A corridor led away, and she slowly flew through it. The anger towards Scathia dissipated due to increasing curiosity. This had to be an area like what Solus had told her about, a hidden chamber of the ancients.

The corridor led to a larger room with a shattered glass container on one side and a giant table with an empty round socket. Two openings led away, and Tirella floated through the nearest and into a small room with ransacked crates and fist imprints in the wall.

Is this where she woke? Tirella thought as she inspected the ransacked room.

There was nothing of interest in the storeroom, and she left it, moving through the other corridor. It was long and narrow, with a dim red light at the end. She slowed down as she neared the end staring around the large room that lay beyond wide-eyed and slightly shocked.

Stone slabs stood arranged in a square around the edge of the room. Most had bodies on them, and one, a longhaired woman with pale skin, glowed a dim red, casting the whole room in a ruddy glow.

Tirella entered the room and flew above the glowing body, looking down at the unfamiliar female face. Even without recognizing it, she knew who it had to be.

"Found you," she said as a nasty grin came to her face.

She had wondered how she would end Scathia after finding her, but as she gazed around at the other bodies, her grin widened. She flitted above them, nothing that all the bodies were female, and most looked powerful.

She stopped above a slightly muscular body with gray skin and small black plates covering parts of it. A faceplate covered the bottom part of her face, and short spiky hair the back of her head.

Let's see if my guess is right, she thought.

She dropped down and into the body. Her mind was hammered into oblivion instantly.

--

Sumil gritted her teeth at the horrifying screams from the floor above hers. Norg's voice was barely recognizable anymore.

"Solus will rip her head off," Drys said as he slammed his hand against the invisible barrier that was preventing them from going up to help Norg.

A desperate and high pierced scream tore through the building, then it was quiet with a suddenness that sounded final. The silence that followed was stifling, and finally, heavy footsteps came from the staircase at the far end of the ruined building.

Sumil looked across the piles of destroyed bone tables and bookshelves that had neatly lined the room only a day before. The edge of a staircase was visible through the dark entrance.

The footsteps came closer, followed by dull thuds as something struck the ground. A moment later, two of the thin four-legged undead came into view, dragging something behind them.

"Norg…"

Sumil could hear the anger in Drys' voice as the two undead dragged what remained of Norg inside. Deep, horrible wounds covered his dark body, and the green gems that had grown across his skin were all gone, replaced by gaping wounds.

The undead dragged the limp body across the debris-filled room to a corner and rolled him down what looked like a hole to the floor below. Then, without showing any interest in those captured behind the barriers, they turned and walked away. Behind them, Norg's body crashed into whatever was below.

As they disappeared up the stairs, Sumil looked at Drys, shaking with anger.

"We need to get out of here before she ends us to," Drys hissed. "Are you sure you can't blast this barrier?"

Sumil looked at the barrier, then shook her head. "You saw it before. There is no moving it. Besides, it held Solus, and I'm no stronger than he was back then."

Drys cursed and struck the barrier again.

After a while, he sat down and, together with the others, waited for what was to come, listening to the shouts and roars from the city beyond their prison walls. It continued constantly, and once in a while, Oytach's loud roar drowned out the rest, showing he was still resisting.

Sumil was staring at her hands, a small ball of energy swirling over her palm while she wondered if Galg would return soon, when the sounds from outside suddenly stopped.

"What?" she muttered as she looked up, the deathly quiet unnerving.

Drys rose, looking at the wall beyond which the city was.

"Something is-" he began when a wall of sound interrupted him, and Sumil felt her ears pop and her head turn fuzzy and full of pain.

She barely noticed that cracks ripped across the walls and dust and pieces of stone and bone dropped across their barrier. Any sound was inaudible because of the constant roar.

She dropped to the ground, gripping her head.

Sumil didn't know how long the sound attack lasted, but when it finally stopped, it felt like a massive pressure was removed from her chest. As she rolled on her back, she dully realized there still wasn't any sound, just a soft constant beep. She pushed herself up, seeing Drys do the same.

What was that? she thought. Had the Kaot Lord arrived? Were they too late?

Something moved in the corner of her eye, and she looked to find Drys waving at her. His lips moved, but she didn't hear anything. Dark, gray-tainted blood ran from his ears, eyes, and nose, pulling dirty lines across his face. A quick check showed her own ears were also bleeding, as her hand came back covered in ichor.

She shook her head, and Drys just frowned as he cocked his head. She could see his eyes flash about, then he stepped forward, his hand outstretched. Her eyes widened when he pushed through the spot the barrier had been before.

Whatever it has interfered with Scathia's power, she thought, as she quickly stepped out of the area and after Drys.

For a moment, they gazed at each other, then Drys pointed at her and towards the hole Norg had been dropped down to, then at himself and up.

You couldn't beat her before, she thought as she shook her head. She pointed at her eyes and mimicked being frozen.

It took a few minutes before they finally worked out a non-verbal plan. They would check on Norg first.

Sumil moved across the debris, Drys beside her until they reached the other side of the room. Some extreme force had broken the floor, and a pile of rubble covered the lower floor. She vaguely remembered that this was a basement, and a half dozen figures lay on the ground below the wreckage. Most were missing their heads, and those that didn't had large holes in them—all but Norg. He had slid to the side, leaving a dark wet smear across the rubble.

Drys jumped over the edge and floated down towards Norg. Sumil looked down, then decided not to use her energy balls. She didn't want the whole place might cave in. Instead, she jumped down. She landed crookedly on a piece of debris, lost her balance, and slid and rolled down the side. She landed on something soft, and when she pushed herself up, she a decapitated zombie.

Drys sat to the side, kneeling beside another shape, a pained look on his face as his hands were gripping the sides of a stone slab that was cracking.

Who…? Sumil thought as she moved closer to get a better look.

Vingria, the side of her head gone, lay on the ground, discarded. Long wounds covered her, and one of her arms had been shattered bent in half a dozen angles. Sumil quietly looked at the undead, then at Drys.

She hadn't dealt with Vingria that much, but she knew there was some sort of connection between her and Drys. Solus had once told her that long ago, Vingria was the leader of Skulltown, with Drys her second in command. They had grown the first settlement from nothing after she had fled from Scathia.

We don't have time for this, she thought as she nudged Drys' shoulder.

Drys shook, snarling as he looked up. The intense hatred and anger in his eyes made Sumil step back, and for a moment, it looked like he would attack her. The tense atmosphere lasted for only a second, then Drys' eyes sharpened. He looked at Vingria, then got up and stomped towards Norg. His face was cold and emotionless, and somehow Tirella found it more disturbing than his rage from before.

A pool of dark green blood had pooled below the massive undead, and Sumil quietly waited as Drys inspected the body. She saw his face darken again until he finally got up and roared at the sky. Sumil couldn't hear it, but she saw the tendons and muscles in his neck protrude. Large cracks and fissures tore into the rock around them, and the entire building shook as dust fell down from the heavily damaged ceiling.

Also ended? she thought as she looked at the body. Solus will be upset.

Drys' face slowly calmed down until the cold, calculating look returned. He looked up at the ceiling as he began floating towards the hole without looking or checking on her.

Sumil took a last look at Norg. She was about to turn away when she noticed a tiny fragment of green gemstone glimmering in the center of one of the holes. Scathia must have missed one, she thought with a shrug. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to have saved Norg. She angled her hands back and propelled herself out of the hole and after Drys.

She didn't notice the slight green pulse emanating from the tiny gemstone.

Drys barreled through the building, and when they finally reached the main hall, sunlight poured in from above. Where the staircase leading up to Drys' tower had been, a gaping hole sat in the building. The gray sky peered from above,  darker than usual and with angular green lines crisscrossing it.

To her side, Drys struck a part of a wall, blasting an opening in it. He stomped through, not even waiting for the debris to settle, and Sumil calmly followed him into the open.

A horde of undead stood around the square, some looking up, others poking in their ears. Oytach stood to one side, facing off with the remaining Goliarn. His body was a mass of bleeding gashes and scourge marks, but most were already closing or fading away at a rapid pace. Dust poured from between one of his massive fists.

Drys immediately stomped towards him.

His emotions are out of control, Sumil thought as she kept an eye on the Goliarn while following him.

Halfway across the field, Drys froze, a hideous look on his face as he looked at the group of Goliarn. They had moved a bit, and now Scathia became visible, standing in their midst. She had her eyes closed and her head titled up.

What is she doing? Sumil thought, following Drys, who was again moving towards Oytach.

The massive Kaot-lord spotted them and immediately walked towards them. His lips were moving, but Sumil still didn't hear anything. Drys looked up, though, and she saw him respond.

He can hear already? she thought in surprise.

They spoke for a short moment when they both suddenly looked at the group of Goliarn. Scathia had turned towards them, a gloating grin on her face, seemingly speaking to Drys.

I need to get my hearing back, Sumil thought, starting to get worried.

She was about to search for a mana-orb to drain and hopefully heal her when the mass of Goliarn rushed forward, angry looks on their face. Drys and Oytach stepped towards them, spreading out slightly, and Sumil raised her hands. The soundless charge of the massive undead helped her focus, and she targeted one of the Goliarn. Two orbs of energy rotated above her palms, and she shot them towards him. They exploded against the massive undead's chest, pushing him back. Without the others behind him, he would have been hurled back. Now, he was shoved forward, a smoking wound on his chest.

Her attack seemed to have signaled the start as Drys and Oytach surged forward, colliding with the incoming mass of Goliarn.

The lack of sound made the entire fight oddly tranquil as Sumil continued blasting energy balls into the mass. She tried to stay behind the other two while keeping an eye on Scathia.

The longhaired, angry-looking undead woman looked at the battle for only a short while before turning and walking away.

Before Sumil could even contemplate following her, something moved in the corner of her eye, and she looked up to see a massive fist aimed straight for her face. She blasted two balls from point-blank range at the ground, propelling her up and over, and then the fight turned into a chaotic and soundless mess.

To her surprise, it didn't last long. A few moments of blasting everything below her with energy balls while Drys and Oytach literally ripped the massive undead apart was all it took.

When Oytach ran forward to the last batch of Goliarn, they finally broke. One of them turned and ran, and the others followed. Within seconds the square was empty except for the bodies.

Sumil stayed hovering above for a few moments until she saw Drys wave at her and hold something small and angular up.

A mana-orb, she thought, quickly descending.

She took the mana-orb from Drys. A wave of energy flowed into her, and she took a deep breath as she felt the slight contamination in it. A trace of Kaot energy lingered in the orbs, and for a moment, she debated if she should stop absorbing it. Then the beep in her ears stopped, and she could hear low sounds returning.

One won't do any harm, she decided, and she continued absorbing the small mana-orb.

Just before it turned to dust, the dull sounds warped, and with a jarring plop, the sound of the wind, Drys' cold voice, and screaming in the distance returned.

"-out of the city," Drys said.

"I can hear again," Sumil said as she looked up.

"Good," Drys said as he looked at her. "I need to know which rift Scathia is going through."

"Rift?" Sumil hissed in confusion.

"She said she was going to leave us here to die," Drys said, shrugging as the odd word. "I am expecting her to leave through a rift, and we need to close it behind her!"

"Why is she leaving?" Sumil asked, slightly confused.

Oytach barked out a laugh and pointed at the sky. "Because that thing is breaking through!"

Sumil frowned as she looked at the sky. She couldn't see anything besides the odd green lines. It reminded her a bit of a cracked crystal.

"Have you seen Galg?" Drys asked.

Sumil shook her head as she accepted another two mana-orbs from Oytach.

"Then we need to get ready to leave through a rift too," Drys stated as he moved away across the square. "Sumil, find Scathia and follow her. Close the rift she goes through."

Sumil held the two mana-orbs without observing as she stared after Drys. "Where are you going?"

"To the AI tower. Sam is the only one who has all the data on the portals we've found. Perhaps she knows one we can go through."

"And what about me?" Oytach shouted, looking up while cracking another skull.

"Find everyone you can and bring them to the main gate," Drys shouted. "I'll find you there."

Then he disappeared around a corner and out of view.

"Why doesn't he fly?" Oytach muttered after a moment.

Sumil didn't reply, took one look around the body-filled square, jumped in the air, and shot away in the direction Scathia had left.

Galg, you better not have left with that mana-core, she thought as she shot away.

--

"This is sooooo boring," Galg groaned as he lay on his side and stared down at the black cocoon surrounded by crackling blue lightning.

A soft rumbling from high above made him turn his blue eye sockets towards the sky.

"That thing's going to get through the next time," he said and pushed himself up.

"I guess it's about time to leave this planet. Such a shame. I'd really thought Earth would make it. Oh well…"

Just as he was about to whisk away, the area suddenly turned silent. The constant crackling of electricity and snapping of rocks stopped.

"What now?" Galg snapped as he looked down at the cocoon.

Dust was beginning to settle on the quiet cocoon, no longer swirling around in turbulent chaos. Galg stepped forward, crouching at the edge of the building, his eye sockets fixated on the cocoon.

A tearing sound came as a long rip appeared on one side of the cocoon.

"He's finally done!" Galg said as he looked up at the cracks that ran across the sky above him. "About time too!"

A dull thump echoed his words, then a hiss as a muscular white limb shot out of the cocoon. With a clawed hand on the end, and scales slightly reminiscent of those covering a Wyrm, the black, sharp claws gripped the edge of the cocoon and ripped it away with ease. Another arm slammed out of the other side. A bulge appeared between them, then an angular head shot out, thick eyelids opening instantly to reveal glowing green eyes.

"Holy shit," Galg muttered.

As if in response, the dragon-like maw opened, and a deafening roar echoed throughout the city as two long tongues, each with a circular mouth of its own, extended out. Like wet cardboard, the rest of the cocoon ripped apart as the being inside struggled itself free, finally standing straight as two massive wings unfurled from its back.

"It's like the unholy combination of a Wyrm and a dragon," Galg muttered.

"Is that you, GD18?" he projected down, his voice blasting around the being in the center of the destroyed city.

"Of course it is," a soft reply came back as the massive head looked up, its white plated eye ridged lowering.

"Well, a ten for your entrance," Galg said. "Now, how about you go up there and scare away that big baddie before he breaks the barrier?"

For a few seconds, the only response was the cacophony of destruction as a nearby building crumbled upon itself. Debris clattered everywhere, and a cloud of dust billowed up and outward. When the roaring destruction settled, GD18 was still staring at Galg, and the skeleton put his hands on his pelvis bones.

"You are not a normal undead and not an AI. What are you?" GD18 said.

"Not telling," Galg snapped. "Now go and take care of our problem! I didn't hand you that mana-core just to stay here and look at you acting pretty."

A soft sigh came in response, and the massive white wings stretched further out.

"That might be more difficult than I had imagined."

"Come again? Are you joking with me here?" Galg snapped, taking a step forward.

"No. Before, I couldn't scan the incoming Kaot Lord completely. Now I can," GD18 said. "I can stop him, but killing him is out of the quesiton. His defense is almost impenetrable, and I am not yet strong enough to pierce it."

"And you only found that out now? I don't believe that," Galg snapped as he began pacing across the edge. "So? Now you are going to just leave us here, I suppose? Whatever, I'll just go through the nearest rift then."

"There might be another way," GD18 calmly said.

The blue mana in Galg's eye sockets blazed brighter as he turned to the massive dragon-wyrm.

"Well? What is it? Don't keep me in suspense, you overgrown lizard!"

"I've analyzed the way you move, and there is a sixty percent possibility that you can get into the Kaot Lord's body and destroy him-"

"Are you insane? I thought you were an AI? Since when did you tell fairy tales? There is no way I can just defeat that thing!"

"You are starting to annoy me," GD18 rumbled as he took a threatening step towards the building Galg stood on. "Stop interrupting me!" Blue energy rippled from between his teeth as he growled.

"Fine, fine, stop getting your panties in a twist," Galg said. "Tell me this miracle then!"

"You can enter his body and destroy his mana-core from the inside."

"What? That's it? And you think it's just going to let me?"

"I'll make sure he is properly distracted," GD18 said.

Galg was quiet for a while, looking up at the long green fractures in the dark gray sky resembling a shattered windowpane.

"Fine," he said with an annoyed sigh. "But only on one condition!"

"Which is?"

"I get the mana-core," Galg said as his eye sockets flared up again.

"The Kaot energy will infect you," GD18 said slowly.

"Let me worry about that," Galg said with a grin.

"Fine," GD18 said after a moment, and his large wings flapped down, blasting dust and debris away as he jumped up and shot into the sky.

"Ooo, you're so fast," Galg muttered as he looked at the dragon as it shot into the sky. Then his body disappeared, and a blue lightning bolt arced up, after, passed, and far ahead of the dragon-wyrm.