NBB3 - chapter 39: Coming for you!

Solus hovered in front of the dozens of energy cables, staring in dismay at the long thin cracks running across them. Even the weakest ones seemed ready to break. The big one that had led to Sumil was pulsating, with more cracks emerging.

He gritted his teeth and tried to enter Sumil's again, but some invisible force repelled him. Upset, he hovered in the air when a low wine echoed through the room. The massively thick cable suddenly turned bright, gleaming like the sun, then snapped. The short end flipped back into his body, while the other, longer part shot away and vanished into the stone ceiling.

"Wyrm-bile," he muttered, staring at the ceiling in disbelief.

After a moment, he turned his gaze at the smaller cables, his worry increasing. Dozens of them were fracturing, their rips lengthening as if they could snap at any moment.

He didn't have much time left.

Steeling himself, he rushed towards the biggest tether that remained: Laron's. It was dark, purple, and heavily cracked but not yet shaking. As he touched it, hoping it wouldn't crumble, he suddenly froze in place. Cold, invisible tentacles of mana wrapped around him, holding him a few inches from the mana tether. Then, abruptly, he was jerked backward a few feet and into his solid body.

There was a short, disjointed moment where he felt encased in stone, then a dull sensation appeared. He sensed the shell of his powerful body, then the hard cold stone below his back. The pressure on his mind grew, quickly growing into a painful throbbing, yet at the same time, he felt intense joy.

He was in his own body! He could feel it!

He ignored the pain and tried to move his arm. It didn't react to his wishes, and before he could try again, a sharp cracking sound erupted through the room, followed by a ping from his status window. It was as if he gained another set of eyes, some he had never known he had but could instinctively use. An image appeared in his mind. It was crisp and clear and instantly washed away his rising surprise, replacing it with worry and fear. He gazed at the image quietly.

Set to the backdrop of star-filled darkness was a deceptively thin barrier with dark cracks running from a point ahead of him. A torrent of dark, murky red mana crashed into the barrier, causing the central point to turn into a web of cracks. As more cracks appeared, a connection to the barrier began crystalizing into his mind, and as it did, he realized where the pressure, the pain he felt, came from.

It was from the part of himself that was powering that barrier.

With the realization, a small bit of knowledge was unlocked, dripping into his waking mind from the larger part still asleep inside his body. The reason he was in his body now was because of the barrier! It was close to shattering.

Where is it? he thought.

He focused on the space behind the barrier, trying to look through and around the cracks. Far in the darkness, tainted green by the barrier, he saw a massive object rush towards him.

A row of small reddish eyes circled a massive maw. Two larger black eyes sat to the side and top of the head. They gleamed with hunger, anger, and insanity as they stared straight into his. Below the eyes and inside the ring of smaller eyes, the chaotic torrent of red mana continued pouring out, causing more to appear in the shield. With each one, a piercing stab slammed into Solus' mind.

It's coming through.

He knew it with absolute certainty. The barrier would fail soon, either this attack or the next. As panic bubbled up in his mind, he grasped for the skills he could barely feel, locked away in the largest part of his sleeping mind, and attempted to strengthen the barrier. It felt like grabbing for air, but as more thin cracks appeared, he continued, in a panic, scrambling for something, anything that he could do.

Just when it seemed one of the sections of the barrier was about to shatter, the muddled dark red beam whisked away. For a moment, only small bits of red mana scattered in its wake, then they too dispersed and vanished.

Before Solus could decide what to do, the image faded, and with a mind-jarring sensation, his small mana-shape was ejected out of his body again. For a moment, he hung there, staring at his body in disbelief. Then he growled and shot forward.

"What is going on?" he roared as he reached his body, trying to re-enter it.

He flew through as he had before, only feeling a slight sense of connection as he did.

Another ping from his status window was echoed with something shattering in the room. He swirled around just in time to see the slab Tirella's body lay on crumble into bits. Her beautiful shape was bent backward, head and heels on the rubble while her hands grasped cracked parts of the stone. Then she turned slack, and a long breath escaped her.

"Tirella?" he roared as he attempted to move as close to her as he could.

As he strained against his bonds, he sensed something snap, then something slowly unraveled inside him. Angry and upset, he swirled around again to see the remaining energy tethers dissipate in a cloud of mana particles. Unlike the big ones of Sumil and some of the others, these didn't rush back upon themselves but simply vanished.

As soon as the last tether vanished, it felt as if something that had been holding him back for as long as he could recall vanished. On a hunch, he turned away from his own body and flew towards Tirella. He moved so fast that before he could stop himself, he bridged the small distance, flying across Tirella's body.

"I'm like Tirella?" he whispered as he returned above his own body.

He hung quietly above his body, staring down and wondering if he could find a way to enter it. Then he shook his head, looked up, and turned into a green and golden streak that disappeared into the stone ceiling.

There was no resistance as he shot up, just the sense of ever-increasing speed. Different sorts of stone flashed by, some liquid, others solid. He only realized how fast he was going when he suddenly shot up out of the ground. He was so stunned he continued up until he was thousands of feet in the sky before stopping.

A rough wind blew this high, and he saw stone and sand particles drifting and hovering everywhere like dim glowing clouds.

Automatically he turned on his mana-vision, and the clouds suddenly burst alight in deep tints of green. Small quantities of sun gold mana rained down with the beams of light, those close to him bending off until they streaked towards him. A small cluster of golden mana, a dozen feet away, kept dropping, and curiously he raced after it as it twirled down. As he got closer, the specs began moving erratically until they suddenly turned and flew up and into his mana-form.

Interesting! he thought. What would happen if I kept collecting these? After a moment, he gazed down, entranced by the view.

Far below, the wasteland stretched out and away. The familiar hills that seemed so big when he passed through them sat like a small abnormally of to the side, surrounded by an area of flatness. On the edge of the hills was a small, dimly glowing spec of green light.

Is that Skulltown, he thought, streaking down, his focus on the area.

Far lower but still high up, he stopped, staring in wonder at the small valley and the thousands of buildings that made up Skulltown. The buildings stuck out from the dim green glow that radiated up from the ground on which it was built.

The mana is flowing up, Solus thought.

He looked around and noticed a massive gray and green beacon of mana just outside the city. Although he had never seen it this big, he instantly recognized the odd colored mana aura.

Sig!

He shot down like a beam of light, reaching the side of the city within moments before stopping with a jolt. Below him sat a massive, cloudlike giant, gazing at the blue barrier that covered Skulltown.

As soon as Solus appeared, two intensely black eyes focused on him, and the semi-solid face warped in surprise.

"Solus?" an airy voice, barely recognizable as Sig's, came beside Solus' head.

"Sig! How can you see me? Are you alright?" Solus shouted as he moved closer.

The giant rose, partially normal, partially changing into a translucent mass of particles that surged up and reshaped into its giant form.

"I don't know," Sig replied, his voice dispassionate and confused. "I still can't regenerate mana," he said after a while.

Solus stopped closing in, staring at Sig in surprise. His voice and speech were completely different than he was used to, and his friend didn't even sound worried. Instead, the two black eyes were staring at him as if he was a stranger.

"Sig… what did you evolve into?" Solus asked slowly.

"It doesn't matter," Sig said. "Why don't I… feel anything when I look at you?"

Solus moved back a few feet, the dull, almost angry voice startling him more than even the massive Kaot Lord he had just seen did. His mind spun as he examined Sig, noticing the dullness of Sig's eyes and voice. Although he wasn't sure what Sig meant, he wasn't his usual self. His evolution could be part of it, but Solus somehow doubted it. He remembered Sig's energy tether snapping and suddenly felt nauseous.

Below him, Sig's form expanded, rapidly turning into a cloud of gray particles that covered the ground. It lasted for a moment, then it was sucked back, and the giant figure coalesced again.

"I… feel… odd… so odd…."

Solus started as he heard the slow, garbled way Sig spoke. It reminded him of Laron when he had first met him.

A thunderous explosion caused the stones around them to rattle, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up to see the massive blackness spread across the entire sky and the two red pinpricks staring down at the world. A thin green sheet seemed to bulge inwards, long cracks appearing on it. A hushed silence came from the city, then screams of terror and fear echoed out.

"What is that?" Sig asked as he looked up.

"The thing Tirella warned us about," Solus said.

"What is it doing?"

Solus turned to Sig, not sure what the other meant. Sig should know, should remember what they had been trying to prevent. Why did he seem so… out of it?

"It is going to break the barrier that Tirella and I are supporting," Solus said as he looked around, suddenly realizing he was wasting time he didn't have.

Sig was broken. He didn't know how or why, and there was no time to work on it now. There never is time for anything, he thought as he slowly floated up, feeling pain at having to let his friend work out his own troubles.

"Where are you going?" Sig asked.

"I need to find Drys, find a way to stop that thing before it breaks through and destroys us all."

Sig didn't reply but just stared up at the sky. Solus took a last look at him, then sighed as he felt a wave of sadness pass over him. Even if he somehow survived this, he had the feeling that the Sig that had been his friend was gone. He turned and flashed towards and through the barrier around the city.

--

Sig watched Solus disappear without moving, then turned his attention to the massive entity in the sky.

I feel… nothing… he thought as he turned to the city, then to Solus' rapidly retreating spec of bright green and gold light.

For a split moment, sadness flooded him, clearing his mind and thoughts. Then it vanished, no matter how hard he struggled to keep it. It left behind more of the dull, emotionless nothingness.

What is happening? Am I becoming a Lethargic one?

The thoughts should have caused him to panic, but all they did was numb his emotions even more.

Evolution didn't help me, he thought.

He tried to think of something to do, something that felt pressing. There wasn't anything. The only thing that seemed to come to mind was letting go, drifting up, spread out, and letting his mind fade.

A deep rumble came from above, and he looked up to see the monstrous Kaot Lord attempting to break through the barrier.

I don't feel anything, he thought. But I remember… Would I have done nothing before?

Almost immediately after the question, he knew the answer. With a sudden decisiveness, he surged up, his physical form disappearing as a massive dark gray, almost black cloud ballooned outward. Within moments it covered the city and a large part of the hills. Although the decision was made, he didn't sense any relief or anything else. He chose to ignore it and kept his attention on the mass of cracked indented green barriers above him.

The higher he got, the faster he moved, and soon the entire horizon above him was covered in the slowly shattering barrier. He could make out the massive red eyes of the Kaot Lord now but felt no fear. When he reached the edge of the barrier, he wondered for a moment if he should stop. Why, though? He couldn't think of a reason and instead continued onward. He slammed into the barrier full force, causing it to vibrate, and two large red eyes focused on him.

Hovering back, Sig looked across the barrier.

I can't get through?

He was a little confused, and for a moment, he felt like stopping and drifting away. Then he regained his focus and moved across the barrier, scanning it for a crack or entrance point. Within moments he sensed slits along some cracks, barely large enough for sand to pass through. That didn't matter to him, though. His cloud shape thinned as it seeped through the slits, appearing on the other side. He sensed the cold, but it wasn't painful. Instead, his mind slowly cleared as more of his body appeared on the other side.

When most had passed through, a few of his emotions returned. It started with the barest hint of joy at the clearing of his mind, then fear when he noticed the city-sized Kaot Lord. The line of small red eyes around its mouth were pulsing ever quicker.

It's attacking again, Sig thought as he pulled the last bits of his form through the slits. As soon as his full form was out from the barrier, he felt relief, as if something massive that had been pressing down on him was gone.

Hunger.

Sig's mind almost caved. A wave of anger, insanity, and hunger washed over him, and he dodged sideways, barely getting his spread-out bulk out of the way of a mass of red energy that slammed into the barrier. It streamed from the Kaot Lords' mouth in a never-ending wave, and as he moved away, it followed him, painting a swath of cracks across the barrier.

Sig backed up, moving further to the side. With part of his emotions back, he wasn't as sure of his plan as before.

The sound of something shattering came from behind, and he was just in time to see a small part of the barrier rupture inward. The mass of dark red, muddled energy flooded through and into the atmosphere, streaking towards the planet. As soon as it reached the lower area's the air ignited, a mass of fire suddenly illuminating the land below.

Skulltown, Sig thought, and without a second thought surged forward.

The fringes of his cloud-body touched the red torrent of energy and disintegrated. A wave of pain flowed through his entire body. The mana particles that made up his body withdrew closer together, and without his active desire, he changed to his giant form. A layer of frost appeared on the skin as it slid in between the energy beam and the planet. Sig raised his arms and reshaped the particles into a shield, compressing them as much as he could. Still, he felt it crack almost instantly and had to increase its power.

Sig? Can you hold it?

A familiar voice echoed through his mind, and he looked sideways to see Solus' tiny shape hover beside him.

I feel… better, Sig replied in his mind, not sure if Solus would hear him. I think I'm turning… lethargic?

The barrier is reforming. Hold out a bit longer, then dodge out of the way and back behind it, Solus' voice whispered in his mind.

No, Sig said.

What? Why not?

Because when I'm inside, my mind… changes, Sig hissed, his mind straining to speak and keep his shield up.

A long crack ruptured across his shield, and he barely managed to plug it.

The barrier is up!

Sig shot sideways, his giant form partially changing into a cloud as he moved through the vacuum of space. The dull red beam of energy tried to follow him, but he was faster, and a moment later, the torrent whisked out.

Hunger!

Another wave of insanity and images rushed through his mind as the two red eyes focused on him. The smaller ones kept looking at the barrier ahead of it. Although the Kaot Lord was still far away, its eyes were as large as a small building.

Sig… can you keep doing this until GD18 is ready?

Sig looked at Solus' small shape, noting the drawn-back lips, the narrowed eyes, and the shaking hands. For a mana-shape, he looked almost at the breaking point.

I'll try, Sig said as he kept his focus on the Kaot Lord.

Good. I need to go back to my body. Something is…  wrong, Solus replied.

Before Sig could reply, the small figure turned into a beam of green and dull gold light that plunged down to the planet before disappearing from his view.

Sig kept his attention to the Kaot Lord just as another wave of intense, unintelligible emotions washed across him.

I'll try, he thought again, feeling afraid and relishing it.

--

Solus shot through the ceiling above his body, his mind a mass of jumbled impressions from multiple angles. The entire room was covered in bits of shattered stone, and his body lay on a pile of rubble instead of a thick stone slab. It was twitching and jerking, crushing stones and pebbles as it did.

The closer he moved, the more the sensations overlapped, and with a final jolt, he was sucked into his body. A host of pings and bleeps came, then everything calmed, and he lay on his back in the debris, staring at the ceiling. A wave of trepidation flooded him as he tried to lift his arm, hoping it would.

It didn't react.

The pain had vanished, though, and instead, he felt clear of mind. A mass of information lay just out of reach, seeming ready for him to learn, but as he focused on it, it was as if dodged out of the way.

Bile and puss, he thought.

He opened his status window with a weary sigh, and his eyes widened at the immense list of messages.

> Logs destabilizing

> Error messages grouped to prevent flooding status prompt

> Grouped upward of four hundred thousand error messages of type:

> Error: Unfamiliar mana-field connections destabilizing

> Grouped two hundred and eighteen error messages of type:

> Error: Unfamiliar mana-field connection terminated

> ...

> External changes to mana-field and physique analyzed

> Minion status revoked

> Alien entity status enabled

> Locate the nearest office, or you will be hunted down!

> Attempting to lock the status-window

> Error: External influence blocking changes to status-window rights

> Warning! Warning!

> External influence unlocking status-window administrative mode

> All messages outputting to status prompt

> Physical body in temporary suspended animation

> Mana-field generation hampered by connection to an external alien element

> Alien element under external pressure

> Attack detected

> Suspended animation halted...

> Body waking up in:

> 3 hours, 12 minutes, and 47 seconds

Solus gazed in joy at the last line and its rapidly changing values.

I'm waking up!

--

Tirella looked at the massive ruins that lay scattered over the side of the mountain. She barely recognized Tendraal, the walls and most of the buildings now no more than piles of rubble. Small forms moved in the chaotic ruins, and she recognized the Kaot mana signatures.

"So… Can you tell me how to get to Deepdown now?"

Pasant's voice shook her awake, and she looked at the small cloud beside her.

"Where is Scathia?" she said, not even bothering to answer.

The constant attacks of the giant Kaot Lord had her annoyed, and her mind was a jumbled mess of pain. She no longer had any interest in answering Pasant and only wanted to finish Scathia. Her body kept nagging her, and the constant pings were getting on her nerves.

"How should I know?" Pasant howled. "I only heard she is somewhere below here!"

"Then go and find out where she is," Tirella snapped as she flashed down.

This must be how Tatsie felt, she thought as she suppressed the desire to rage and scream in anger.

Instead, she forced herself to remain calm and stopped a few feet above the rubble. There was nothing around that gave any idea where she had to go. That left going down and flying around until she found something.

"I can't just fly through the rock like you," Pasant shouted as he followed her.

"Then find cracks to pass through," Tirella snapped before moving down and facing through the rock. Couldn't he just let her focus on what she needed to do?

She flew through a few feet of solid gray and brownstone before she exited into one of the many layers below Tendraal. It was partially collapsed, and a quick look around showed no mana signatures, at least none near.

I'll see how far it goes, she thought, as she continued down.

As fast as she could, she flashed down the seemingly endless layers of Tendraal's lower city.

To her surprise, she found a few undead scavenging about, somehow having survived both the destruction and the Kaots. At some point, the layers turned to smooth, bone-covered areas that seemed wholly undamaged, and not much later, there was only stone. She continued down, wondering if Scathia was hiding further down. Ten minutes later, she finally stopped, knowing she was getting nowhere.

So, that was the last layer, she thought as she looked up.

With a grunt, she flew back until she reached the bottom of Tendraal. She flashed through the floor and into a wide corridor, roughly ten feet high and illuminated by red crystals that sat in wall sconces. There was no movement, and even the dust had long since settled, leaving a quiet place.

"If she comes up with her new bodies, there has to be a way to find where the entrance," Tirella muttered as she looked around.

With a weary sigh, she shot forward, moving up and down the bone floor in search of something, a hidden tunnel or damaged stone. The corridor ended at an intersection, and she went left. Hours later, she stopped in a large open area, twenty feet high and almost fifty across. She looked around.

"Wyrm-bile, that was the last one," she muttered as she looked around to be sure she wasn't missing one.

A dozen corridors led away from the room, and she didn't see any she hadn't gone through. Most ended up connecting, creating a few small mazes, some with a collapsed staircase leading up. There was a thick layer of dust covering everything and no signs of any undead.

"It's almost as if this was done way before the fall of Tendraal."

Her words sounded hollow in the empty room, and she frowned, and she looked around before looking down. The only thing different from the rest she had found was this central room, but there wasn't any hidden tunnel that she could find.

At least not close to the surface!

Tirella flew down into the stone and looked around. It was dense and solid, with no signs of an opening.

He did say far below Tendraal, she thought as she continued down further.

A minute later, she shot out of the stone and into a partially crumbling tunnel. It was immense, forty feet across, and completely dark.

"There we go," she whispered as a wide grin came to her face.

"I'm coming for you once and for all, Scathia" she whispered as she shot down.