NBB3 - chapter 36: Finding the prize

Tirella moved like a blur across the wasteland, streaking towards the hills in the distance.

Something is wrong, she thought while she examined the cracked and ripped apart hills.

What had happened here? Hovering above the hills, she stared in disbelief at the large parts of the destroyed landscape. A slight movement in one of the few undamaged parts of the landscape was all the forewarning she got. The hill erupted outward in an explosion of stone and dirt. Dust billowed outward, debris the size of buildings shooting up before raining down across the area around it.

What is going on? she thought, frozen in midair.

After a moment of watching debris pelt the surrounding area, she floated forward, heading towards the center of the explosion. Dust and small bits of rock obscured her vision as she floated down. When she exited the thick cover, she stopped.

Below her was a gas-filled rip in the ground. The edges were burst open, and the gas swirled as if agitated. As she gazed down, she thought she saw a minute purple glow. Then it was gone.

What was that? she thought.

Taking a look around, she knew she might not be able to find this exact spot again. Determined to see what it had been, she floated down.

The hole continued down for a long time. Ticks and knocks echoed around her as small bits of stone and soil occasionally dropped and collided with extrusions in the uneven wall. Partway down, she passed holes that ran further into the walls. Floating closer, she saw they were rough tunnels, some wholly collapsed, others leading away into the hills.

Was this part of that town? she thought as she tried to recall things about the place she had met Alyra. After a few moments, she stopped, feeling annoyed. Al she could remember was following that fire undead, Grimz, through a series of tunnels until they reached the underground hideout, then following Alyra down into the earth. She had seen a few caves, but she couldn't recall the details.

A blurry thing moved in the thick mist, and Tirella instinctively flew to the side and out of the thing's path. The mist parted as a grey cloud flew the size of her head, flew past her.

What's this? Tirella thought as she floated up after it.

She kept her eyes on the small cloud, surprised at its speed.

As soon as the cloud exited the fog, it blended in against the grey and dust-filled sky. If she hadn't known where it was, Tirella might not have seen it, as it flew away across the destroyed hills.

Tirella looked at it and hesitated for a moment, then shot up and after odd cloud. She could inspect the depths of the ground later, but she didn't think she could find this thing again.  She followed the small cloud as it exited the hills and flashed high across the wasteland.

They traveled for only a short bit when Tirella saw a familiar sight in the distance. A small city, surrounded by walls beside a dried upriver.

This is Gulder's place, she thought.

The cloud made a beeline for the city, Tirella close behind, and the closer she got, the more she saw that the city had changed. Long cracks ran along the walls, and from her vantage point, she saw destroyed roofs.

When they reached the city, the cloud shot across the wall, directly heading towards the central building that towered slightly over the rest.

Tirella followed it, seeing destroyed buildings and a few undead moving through debris. It looked like they were dragging and carrying debris to a pile. The cloud flew into the building through a crack, and she followed it inside a dusty and empty room. There was only one exit out of the room, a small bone door set in the far side.

The cloud hung in the middle of the room for a moment, then hovered towards the door. The swirly mass drew in upon itself, solidified, and changed into a grey undead with flowing black hair. The short undead reached up to the door handle, its movements slow and careful, and when it tried to pull the door open, the handle slipped from its fingers, and the door didn't budge an inch.

"I need rest, don't they understand?" it muttered softly. "I can't keep doing this non-stop."

After two more attempts, it finally managed to pull the door open, and it squeezed through the gap.

Tirella followed the undead, listening to its unintelligible whispering. They passed through empty hallways, the off-white, bone material of the walls marred by black stains and scuff marks.

Two stairs up, the undead stopped before a door. It gazed at the door for a moment, seemed to hesitate, then reached up and, with great effort, drew open the door. As it stepped inside, Tirella followed, curiosity growing.

A large room sat beyond, and Tirella immediately recognized Gulder's massive, crustacean form near the back wall. The monstrous undead minion of Scathia was tapping its jaw as it gazed at the two undead strung up before it. It took Tirella a moment, then she recognized the left one. It was the fire affinity undead, Grimz, that she had freed from here long ago. His burning red eyes were dull, and a fist-sized hole sat in the side of his head while long gashes covered its chest.

I guess Gulder got him in the end, Tirella thought before she turned to Gulder with an angry snarl. How did he get back here this fast?

The last time she had seen him was in Skulltown… Or wasn't that him? She tried to recall if the other one had ever mentioned its name and realized it hadn't. Did Scathia make two? Her thoughts were interrupted as Gulder or the one that looked like him swirled around.

"Ah, Pasant, you're back! Good. Did you detonate the other rift? Did you find any more of those purple crystals?" the massive undead cried.

The other undead shuddered before it stepped further into the room.

"Yes, Gulder. The rift is gone, and there were more those crystals," Pasant said. "But I'm not sure how much-"

Tiny tendrils of flame-like mana licked around Gulder's narrowing eyes. "Whaaaat?" he hissed softly.

Pasint froze before shaking his head. "Nothing, nothing," he whispered.

Gulder swirled around to Grimz's body, poking it with his finger. "I've finally found how to do it! I took what made him special and copied it onto my mana-field! Scathia will be so pleased when she finds out!" Gulder's voice rose until he was screaming.

He is insane, Tirella thought as she examined Gulder.

It took a moment for the massive undead to quiet, and Pasant just waited.

"Does that mean we can leave here now?" Pasant asked.

"I can. You aren't done yet," Gulder said.

Gulder moved away from the wall towards a stone slab at the backside of the room. Objects lay scattered across, and in the middle was a single dull purple crystal. Tirella hissed as she saw it, quickly hovering towards it.

That's the purple crystal I saw before, she thought as she recalled when she had followed Alyra to the rift. Wait, didn't Solus talk about purple crystals?

"You will go back to those hills and search for the other crystals or rifts. There is one more rift, and we can't risk leaving them," Gulder said as he tapped the crystal with his taloned finger. "Or would you like me to remind you of what happened to Laud?"

Pasant's eyes gleamed as he glared at Gulder's back. "I remember," he snapped.

"Good," Gulder said as he moved towards another table and picked up a bone container. He moved towards Pasant, towering over the other and shoving the container in his arms. "Find the last rift. We only have a few more faux-cores here, so make sure you make them count."

Faux-core? Tirella thought as she saw the small undead look at the box with trembling lips. He is afraid of it, she thought.

"There are two more. Use them if you must," Gulder said.

He waved at the table he had taken the bone container from, and Tirella saw two more of the containers.

"When you are done, detonate what is left of the tower before you leave."

Pasant's mouth fell open as he looked up at Gulder. "What about the others?"

"What about the others?" Gulder snapped. "I can't be sure they aren't infected by those purple crystals. Besides, it is high time we end Alyra and her upstarts."

The massive many-legged undead moved closer to Pasant, almost pressing up against him, and lowered his head. "Pasant. Do as I say, or I will ask Scathia for a replacement…"

Pasant shook his head, then nodded. "I'll do it, I'll do it," he whispered.

"Good. Then leave as you came," Gulder shouted before he turned back to the tied-up undead. "I'm going to see what more secrets I can clean from these carcasses."

Tirella looked at the two undead, detecting a slight moment in the simple-looking skeleton. She hissed as she saw Gulder's disgustingly gleaming eyes and realized what he was planning.

A sharp intake of air caused her to look down. Pasant was staring straight at her, his foot hovering in midair. Then he blinked and continued towards the door hurriedly. When he stepped through the narrow crack, he turned around, looked at her, and gestured with his head towards the hallway before closing the door.

How can he see me, Tirella thought in shock.

She took one more look at Grimz and the other undead, feeling sorry for them. Then she flew after Pasant. As soon as she moved through the bone door, she found Pasint standing on the other side. He inspected her with a frown, then beckoned her to follow as he walked away. As soon as he reached the end of the hallway, he began running.

Tirella drifted after him, through the corridors, down the staircases until they were far away from where Gulder was. Pasant rushed into a room and looked at her expectantly until she followed. After a quick look as if he expected someone to have followed them, Pasant closed the door and turned to Tirella.

"Who are you?" he whispered.

"Can you hear me?" Tirella retorted, and Pasant hissed.

"Yes, yes. Now tell me, who are you, and how are you doing that?" he waved his hands at her.

"It's a skill," Tirella said.

"I know that," Pasant said, his voice rising. "I mean, are you projecting yourself, or are you here just incorporeal?"

Tirella backed up a fraction, stunned by the other's words. A few bits of knowledge came from Viridi's gift.

"You are… different," she muttered. "Why should I tell you this?" she then said, louder.

Pasant gripped his head, ripping at his hair as he hissed. "Why is everyone always this difficult," he said before staring at her. "Because you are here, and I need help. Why are you here?"

Tirella was quiet as she inspected the other. He obviously didn't like Gulder, and he could have said something about her but didn't. She decided to see where this would go.

"I am here to find Alyra," she said.

Pasant groaned as he glanced down, blinked, and growled softly. "You might be too late. Why do you need her?"

Tirella gazed at him quietly. She didn't feel like answering the question and was curious to see what the fidgety undead would do. After a few seconds, Pasant grimaced.

"Fine, fine. I'm asking because perhaps I can help! All I need is a safe place to hide, a place where Sca… where nobody can find me! Far from here!"

"Scathia," Tirella hissed, and she couldn't stop herself from growling. "Do you know where she is?"

Pasant stopped fidgeting, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her for a moment. Then one of the corners of his lips curved up. "Her current fake body, or where she is really hiding?"

A stunned quiet hung in the room, then Tirella floated closer to him.

"Where is she hiding," she whispered, barely containing her rage.

Pasant smiled evilly. "I'll tell you if you can take me to a safe place." His face contorted as he seemed to recall something. "But not Zombra," he hissed.

"I already know she is hiding there," Tirella said.

"Just her fake body," Pasant said quickly. "I'm probably the only one who knows where she is actually hiding, and if she knew, I knew I'd be dead."

"Why don't you think I'll tell her?" Tirella asked.

Pasant laughed softly. "The anger you showed when you spoke of her. I don't believe that was fake." Then his smile turned ugly. "Besides, if I don't get out here fast, I'll be dead."

It took a few seconds for Tirella to regain her composure, and when she did she quietly examined Pasant.

He might be useful, she thought.

"Alright, I can bring you to Skulltown if you want?"

Pasant's eyes widened, and he shook his head quickly. "No, no. Not there either."

"What? Why not?" Tirella asked, confused.

Pasant looked around, not meeting her gaze now.

"If you want my help, start by telling me what is going on," Tirella snapped.

Pasant shook his head. "No. The deal is, I'll tell you where Scathia's true form is, and you get me out safely."

Tirella looked at him closely. He knew something, and it didn't sound like it was a good thing. She needed to make him tell her what was happening at Skulltown.

"Not interested," she said, deciding to check how much he wanted her help. She turned away and slowly hovered towards the wall. The closer she got, the more worried she became as Pasan't didn't say anything.

"Wait, wait!" Pasant hissed when she was almost inside the wall.

He ran toward her and tried to shove her away with his hands, which just passed through her. "You don't understand," he said pleadingly.

"No," Tirella said softly. "I don't. You can tell me where Scathia is, but you can't tell me what is going on in Skulltown?"

Pasant slumped a bit, then took a deep sigh.

"She doesn't know that I know where her real body is, so I can tell you without her finding out. But, if I tell you something she knows I know, she will find out who told you."

Tirella shook her head. "That makes no sense. Besides, if you tell me where her real body is, I'll end here."

Pasant eye's widened, and his mouth fell open, showing a double row of small pointy teeth and a greenish tongue. He gazed into her eyes for such a long time that Tirella thought he'd lost his mind.

"If you can end her… really end here, I'll tell you anything you want to know," he finally said.

"Where is she," Tirella asked as she moved closer to him. If she got him to tell her that, she could go back to Skulltown to see what was happening there.

Pasant cringed. "I… will you point me to safety?"

Tirella shook her head. "There is only one safe place as far as I know, and that is Skulltown. If you know what is happening there, I can probably stop it. But there is no other safe spot," she punctuated the last words.

Pasant hesitated, and he looked at the ground for a moment, his mouth opening and closing. Then he shook his head. "No, I can't. But… I've heard rumors about someplace where they only allow skeletons?"

"Realdeep," Tirella said with distaste.

"Is that what it's called?" Pasant hissed. "Tell me where it is. Tell me how to get there!"

Tirella was quiet as she tried to come up with a way to force Pasant to tell her what was going on in Skulltown. She couldn't come up with one and gritted her teeth in anger.

"How far is Scathia's real body from here?" she asked.

"I can get there in half a day. How far is Realdeep?" Pasant retorted quickly.

"I can get there in a few hours," Tirella lied. She had never gone there, although she knew roughly where it was.

"How fast are you?" Pasant asked as he seemed to mull over her words.

"Fast," Tirella said.

Pasant grunted then moved towards the window. "Follow me, and let me see," he said.

Before Tirella could complain, he changed into a small cloud and shot out the window.

"Annoying," Tirella muttered before she zipped after him. The small cloud was shooting straight up and away, towards the hills. Within moments she had caught up to him and blocked his way.

"You are so much faster than me!" a soft, annoyed voice came from the cloud that came to an instant full stop. "Fine, so it will take me days to reach it…"

"Where is Scathia's real body," Tirella asked.

"You will tell me how to get to Realdeep?" Pasant asked softly.

"Yes," Tirella said.

"Fine. Have you heard of the ruins of Tendraal?" Pasant asked.

"Yes," Tirella said. "I've been there."

"You have?" Pasant asked, sounding horrified.

"Long ago, when it wasn't a ruin yet," Tirella said.

"Ah... good. Scathia's real body is deep, deep below the city, far below even the caverns that it is built upon. From what I overheard, there is no way to get into it from the outside. No tunnels, no entrances- hey! Where are you going?"

Tirella ignored the small cloud as she slowly flew back to the small city in the distance.

"You promised to tell me where Realdeep is!" the cloud howled as it hovered in front of her.

"And I will," Tirella said. "But first, you will help me get Alyra out of there."

"But… but..." the cloud said as it moved from left to right in front of her as if to block her. "You promised!"

"I never said I'd tell you right away," Tirella said as she sped up. "Either help me or wait until I am done with what I need to do."

As she listened to the upset howling from behind, she moved down, her eyes on the largest tower. She was pretty sure that Alyra was below it.

Ten minutes later, she was hovering beside Pasant as he snuck through an empty corridor below the large tower.

"I'm crazy," the small indeed whispered. "I should just try and find it myself. That's less dangerous."

"You will never find it," Tirella said happily. "Pay attention, or you will get yourself ended!"

Pasant kept quiet, but his pursed lips and glaring eyes showed her he was far from done with complaining. Two corridors and another staircase later, they entered a narrow hallway with a door at the end. Soft cries came from beyond.

"She is there," Pasant hissed as he pointed at the door.

"Alright. Wait here," Tirella said as she moved forward through the hallway. The door was a massive block of grey stone, more a boulder than a door. She flew through and entered a cramped room. Dozens of undead lay in heeps to the left, unmoving, and she quickly saw they were all missing limbs or heads. To the right were a few stone tables, each with an undead strapped atop it.

"Tirellaaaa!"

A soft cry came from one, and Tirella turned just in time to see Alyra rush towards her. Wide-eyed with fear, she hovered so beside ger as though she was trying to touch her.

"It's horrrrrible! Gulder, that monsterrrr, he has been experimenting on us! Dissecting us like we arrre some sort of lab rats. Please, you have to get me out of here," Alyra shouted, her eyes crazed as she looked at the stack of unmoving body parts.

Tirella was about to agree when she noticed something on Alyra's body. With a bad feeling, she hovered towards it then froze. Two purple crystals sat on the sides of Alyra's face, covering her cheeks. They glowed softly, and ark specs moved through their muddled interiors.

"What are those!" Tirella hissed as the stories that Solus had told her spun through her mind.

Are those the Gouldiv things Solus spoke off?

"Don't worrrrry! They are harrrrmless now," Alyra shouted as she hovered closer to the crystals and smiled at them. The corners of her lips moved up further than they should, and her eyes narrowed, almost closing.

As Tirella saw the small translucent mana figure almost touch the crystals, she couldn't suppress a shudder. Something about Alyra was… wrong. Very wrong. She quickly looked around and noticed more crystals covered the other two bodies. Both zombies, they were unmoving and staring at the ceiling, their faces slack.

Tirella was about to back up in disgust when she thought of something. Perhaps she could take over their bodies? Then she saw small specs of dark mana flit through the crystals and shivered.

Better not, she decided.

Before she could decide what to do, heavy thuds came from high above. The building shook as dust fell from the ceiling. She scanned the room, trying to find what it was when there was a quick knock on the door.

Pasant!

Tirella turned around and rushed to the door.

"No! Where arrrrre you going?" Alyra screamed.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Tirella lied before she rushed through the door.

Pasant stood at the back of the hall, waving erratically.

"Gulder is coming," he whispered when Tirella reached him. "We need to go."

Tirella nodded as she followed him up. She fully expected Alyra to follow her, but as she looked at the door, there was no sight of her.  She didn't mind that one bit. Something about the other had made her incredibly uncomfortable.

The thudding from upstairs became louder, the building around them vibrating and shaking. With a crack, the staircase wall tore open, sand and stones spilling out.

"What is going on?" Tirella shouted over the rumbling.

"Gulder is destroying parts of this place before he leaves," Pasant hissed as he reached the exit of the staircase and peeked around the corner.

Tirella suddenly remembered they had said something of that kind when she was eavesdropping on them and cursed. That meant Alyra was going to get buried? For a moment, she thought of turning around, then the image of the purple crystals and the specs in them surfaced, and she followed after Pasant. It might be better like this.

When they reached the last hallway before the exit, the building was shaking so badly that Pasant lost his footing and was flung towards the wall. Before he hit it, his form blurred, and he changed into his cloud shape. As dust and parts of the ceiling came clattering down, he flew out of the door opening and into the area before the tower.

A group of undead stood there, backed up towards the other buildings, staring at the destruction in the center of the city.

"Pasant," one of them shouted as he pointed at the cloud. "What is happening?"

Pasant didn't reply but flew straight up in the sky, Tirella close behind. He stopped a hundred feet above the ground and turned to Tirella.

"I did what you asked… yes? Please, how do I get to Realdeep?"

Tirella sighed, almost feeling sorry for him. Then she looked in the distance where she knew Skulltown was. She still had no idea what was happening there, and that meant the chances that she could help without a body were almost zero. She also didn't have a new plan to stop the massive Kaot Lord. There was only a single useful thing she could try, and she might need Pasant's help for that.

"First, we need to make a little trip," she said as she turned north and began flying up.

"What? Where?" Pasant howled as he followed her.

"To the ruins of Tendraal," Tirella shouted as she sped up, hoping the other was right when he said he could get there in half a day.

--

Solus's eyes widened as he saw the small undead point at him. How could it see him? Only Laron had been able to so far! The Goliarn ran forward, and Solus pulled his head back into the room.

"What is happening," Laron hissed.

"Some undead is running this way with a Goliarn, and it can see me," Solus hissed as he looked around the room for a new body.

All of the undead here were one-time evolved zombies, and none looked even remotely powerful enough to stop a Goliarn. Still, anything would be better than nothing. Gritting his teeth, he turned to Laron just as something massive slammed into the door.

"Get me close to one of those Lethargic ones, then begin charging your strength!"

"Can't we just flee?" Laron hissed as he looked around with wide open, fearful eyes.

"No windows, no doors," Solus snapped. Get ready to fight a Goliarn, or you will find out why everyone fears Scathia."

Laron's lower lip trembled as another massive blow hit the door, and a fist and arm burst through. Laron turned and ran to the nearest Lethargic undead.

Solus looked down at the small white zombie and shook his head. He wanted his own body! Gritting his teeth, he flew into the body welcoming the moment of blackness that came.