NBB3 - chapter 29: Freedom?

Solus didn't try to be quiet as he ran between the crystals, intentionally knocking against them with his flanks and shoulders and scratching the ground with his nails.

The blobs heard him instantly and turned around before he was even halfway. Solus stopped as soon as they did, as dozens of tentacles erupted from the oily black bodies.

"Free? No matter- we will grab you and drain you for the great Gouldiv," one of Gouldiv's minions said in the same language as Oytach had been speaking in.

Solus backed up when the left one elongated, its round body moving towards him. When he was sure it would follow, Solus scrambled back, barely dodging a long thin tentacle that shot from the incoming blob. The tip deformed into a flat puddle as it struck the ground where he had stood moments before, and he rushed back towards Vingria.

Scanning the purple crystals where he had left her, he saw nothing. Had she had left to search for Norg? Then he saw a slight movement between two crystal pillars, and he relaxed.

Aiming for a small gap near the movement, he jumped between, his sides touching the two crystals. As he landed, a black streak flashed across him and hit the pillar ahead of him. He made an awkward side jump, slamming into a thin crystal. It cracked under his weight and toppled sideways, causing him to fall to his side atop it.

Pain rose from his side, and Solus rolled over, scrambling up again. The two sludges moved through the narrow gap, their bodies sticking to the sides and not touching the ground.

That's how they get around, he thought, and he suddenly knew where he might find the exit to this cavern. Up!

Another black tentacle flashed his way, and he shoved focus back on the present. With a side jump, he dodged the tentacles, then raced between the crystals passing the spot he had seen movement. Behind him, the two sludges plopped and followed him. A muscular orange shape jumped from hiding and slammed into the second of the two sludges, shoving it back.

Solus risked a quick look, then three tentacles stretched out after him, and he dodged around between two thick stubby crystals. He stopped as he saw a wall of towering crystals block his way. There was no exit left or right. Turning back, he saw that one of the oozes was still following him. There was no sight of the other. Was Vingria fighting it?

He turned to the wall of crystals and was about to rush forward to climb up when his ears picked up a faint sound above him. He jumped back and looked up. Three tentacles shot towards the spot he had just stood at, and a second Sludge was crawling down from one of the crystals that towered high above.  A movement from the corner of his eye caused him to swirl just in time to see more tentacles from the other Sludge shoot towards him.

Instinctively he triggered Shadow Jump. As before, his bodily sensations disappeared. This time he noticed everything seemed to move in slow motion just before he moved. The tentacles hung in midair, and the Sludges were frozen in place. Then the crystal pillars ahead of him seemed to shoot towards him, and a split second later, he was through, barely keeping his footing as his body shot forward and skidded across the ground. A bout of weariness made him stumble, but it passed quickly.

I can go through the crystals, he thought as he looked around.

He was in a small open area, with a cluster of small crystals in the center and more tall crystals all around like a wall. A crookedly growing crystal partially blocked the single exit to the left.

Scanning for a way out, he saw that one of the surrounding crystals was lower than the others. Low enough to jump to. Those beside it were just slightly higher, and he could use them to reach the top of the crystals.

A slithering sound came from above, and he rushed forward, jumping atop the first crystal. Something hit the ground behind him.

Leaping to the next, he reached the top of a crystal with a wide flat tip. The crystal-filled cavern sprawled in front of him and looked like a shadowy purple maze of sharp edges. The wall of crystals continued on like a ridge that led back towards the damaged, dark area.

Below him, a Sludge crawled across the crystal pillar that he stood on, a tentacle reshaping. Behind, a second Sludge dragged a wrapped up and struggling bundle.

Bile, she got caught already? Solus thought as he recognized one of Vingria's limbs poke through the bundle.

Hoping that Oytach would get out soon, he jumped across the tips of the line of crystals towards the dark area. Some were so narrow that only his sharp nails kept him from sliding off. Some of the crystals were wide, though, and on those, he turned to keep track of where the Sludges were.

After a while, he saw the destroyed area in the distance. From his higher vantage point, the damaged and darkened crystals were far more apparent. He stopped for a moment to give the Sludgies time to catch up. He had no real plan beyond drawing them away so Oytach could get free. He could still vaguely hear the tapping, and it could be his imagination, but it seemed to be speeding up.

As he jumped across the tips of the crystals, he saw what looked to be the last of the crystals appear in the distance. He couldn't see another beyond it and hoped it just meant they were lower. As he jumped towards it, he could already see the empty air beyond it, and he barely managed to stop in time. He precariously balanced at the top of the crystal and looked around. The next crystal at the same height was too far to jump, and below was a maze of smaller crystals, many sharp enough to pierce through him.

"It is cornered- grab it and bring it back to the draining area," a soft oily voice said behind him.

He turned to find one of the sludges slither up a crystal a dozen feet behind him, its deep purple eyes unblinking.

Where is the other-

Something moved in his peripheral vision, and Solus jerked aside to see two black tentacles inches from him. His abrupt motion caused him to lose balance. He tried to dig his nails in the edge of the smooth crystal, but they simply screeched as they dragged across. He fell from the pillar with a grunt, spinning his body around in midair to see the dangerously sharp crystals below.

As before, his instincts kicked in, and he triggered Shadow Jump towards the more open, damaged area ahead. A jarring sensation came as he hung still in the air for a moment, then he zipped forward and appeared above an area with mostly shattered, dull crystals. His forward movement didn't stop, and he slammed into the ground, sliding and rolling across. Sharp edges and points sliced his skin, and a burst of pain came from his back as one of his spines was ripped free.

He came to a jarring halt against a bunch of broken crystals.

Get up, he thought to himself, forcing his burning body to cooperate.

As he staggered to his paws, his vision darkened, and he shivered as he realized he was close to exhausted. There was barely any more energy in his mana-field. Looking up, he saw that the two Sludges stood on the edge of the darkened area, looking at him as their tentacles hovered above the ground.

"Go and grab him," one of the things said.

"You grab him," the other replied.

"He isn't dangerous…" the first muttered. "What could he possibly do?"

"What if he injures Gouldiv's food?" the second said.

"Only him? There is sooo much food already… Gouldiv will wake-"

The second Sludge struck the first, interrupting him. "Don't speak about that!'

The first retracted its tentacles, returning to its blob-like shape. "You are right… Let's make sure the flawed experiment can't escape first?"

The second Sludge also retracted its tentacles. "Yes. Either it follows us, and we capture it, or it stays, and the offspring find it and feed."

Solus stared dumbly at the Sludges talking as if he wasn't there.

When they turned around, he saw the first one was still dragging the bulge that held Vingria.

"Why don't you just come here and get me?" Solus snapped.

The two Sludged stopped, and their eyes somehow circled to him without their bodies turning around.

"It speaks!"

"You knew that. It said something before!"

"It couldn't speak when we caught it..."

"Perhaps it tricked us?"

They fell silent, and one of the Sludges' moved forward a fraction.

"Did you trick us?"

Are these things broken? Solus thought.

The way they spoke made him more than a little uncomfortable. He ignored their question, more interested in discovering why they didn't come into the dark area.

"Why don't you come a bit closer," he asked. "It's hard to understand you like this."

"It is trying to trick us!" the second said. "Trying to move us in the dead zone!"

"No matter. The offspring are here," the first said as its eyes stared at something below Solus.

Bile and bone, those mana things! Solus thought as he looked down and jumped back at the same time.

A swarm of angry purple mana specs was rushing towards him from the depths of the darkened crystal. He spun around, locating the nearest snapped-off crystal, barely six feet long and fractured on both ends. It was ten feet away, and with his shaky, weary body, he barely reached it. As soon as his paws left the ground, the mana specs stopped moving, hovering around. He was about to ignore them, expecting them to leave again when he saw them move towards the edge of the darkened area and hover in front of the two sludges.

"It is intelligent," the Sludge carrying Vingria said. "The offspring can't reach it like that."

"It is dangerous if it is intelligent," the other said. "Leave. Fix the wall and reinsert the strong one. I'll stay here!"

"Yes," the first said, and it immediately turned and moved away.

Solus growled as he saw the Sludge pull Vingria away. He had to do something, or he might not find her again. Looking around, he saw a small shard of broken crystal and rushed towards it. He bent over and snatched the crystal in his jaws before rushing towards the safe spot closest to the edge. The small mana specs chased him immediately, and he barely got all of his paws from the ground in time. As soon as he did, he looked at the seemingly stunned Sludge a few feet from him and projected his voice behind it.

"Over here," he whispered.

The Sludge's eyes moved across its body to the back, and Solus snapped his head around, hurling the dead crystal towards it. He had no idea if it would do something, but he had no other options, and the Sludges didn't seem to like the dead area. The shard sailed through the air and struck the Sludge in the middle of its back.

A horrifying scream tore through the caverns, echoing from the crystals. The shard sank into the Sludge's body, and the edges of the oily flesh wrinkled in upon itself. The Sludge slumped onto the ground, soft screams and cries coming from it.

Stunned, Solus looked at it for, then rapidly scanned for another piece. A long, thin shard lay six feet away. He ran and grabbed it, then sprinted across the flat area towards the Sludge that was still howling and screaming.

The mana-specs followed him, but when he reached the area where the ground glowed, they stopped as if blocked by an invisible barrier.

As he rushed past the Sludge, he dragged the tip of the crystal along its soft side. It effortlessly sliced through, leaving behind another deep gash, and as he turned around, Solus saw tiny purple crystals form on the black sludge-small, gleaming but dead otherwise.

With a final scream, the Sludge turned silent, and the black goo that made up its body turned into an oily puddle that quickly spread across the ground like puss from the wound of a Wyrm.

Solus was about to run after Vingria when he saw an angular, purple mana-orb appear in the quickly spreading liquid. It wasn't big enough to be a mana-core, but it was bigger than any normal orb that he had ever seen. Without thinking, he pressed his nose against it and tried to absorb a bit. A clean but somehow sharp mana surged from the orb, and he felt his mind clear as his drained mana-field rapidly filled up. He forgot he would go after Vingria, forgot the other Sludge might come back to see what the scream was about, forgot about everything, and just stood there as the crystal clear mana flooded his mana-field.

How long it took, he didn't know, but when the purple mana-orb shattered into small bits, he jerked back, suddenly realizing where he was. His eyes felt clear, and the darkness ahead had lost some of its red glow, turning slightly pink. The weariness he had felt was gone, and he felt strong and energized.

I need to find Vingria, he thought as he spun around.

Still holding the long thin crystal in his mouth, he ran towards where he thought he recalled Oytach's cave to be. The purple crystals around him seemed slightly different now, clearer, almost as if they were more transparent. He ignored it as he shot forward, running beneath the ridge. His sharp ears still picked up the slight tapping of Oytach. That meant the other Sludge had either not reached him or was bringing Vingria somewhere first.

He hesitated, looking at the opening than at the area around him. Should he try to find Vingria first? He remembered how long he'd wandered the cavern the first time, and he gnashed his teeth across the crystal shard, causing screeching noises. He'd come here to get Oytach out, and they said they would put her back so they likely wouldn't harm her.

He made up his mind and dodged through the maze of crystals until he reached the opening towards Oytach's prison. The loud cracking blows made him groan, and he tried to fold his ears against the side of his head. He failed, and a headache began throbbing as he continued. There was no sign of the Sludge, and as he rushed through the corridor, barely noticing how much easier, it seemed to dodge the crystals.

When he reached the end, he didn't see the Sludge in the small space before the wall either. Oytach's shadowy shape was still there, though. It was easier to make out now, the crystal clear as a muddy pane of glass. He didn't know if that was because of absorbing the odd orb or due to the massive amount of cracks and tears in the wall.

"You are back!" Oytach shouted, not stopping his barrage on the wall. "I have never made it this far. If they don't come fast, I'll get through!"

"Good, hurry! They captured my friend again," Solus projected back before turning his back to the wall and looking at the entrance.

He didn't think the Sludge would let Oytach escape this easily, not with all the difficulty they had gone through to hold him here.

He was right.

As the hammer blows continued behind him and his headache increased, he saw movement at the entrance of the crystal corridor. He dodged behind the corner, covertly glancing around to see another Sludge slide towards them. He had no idea if it was the one that had taken Vingria, but he assumed it was.

"The other Sludge is coming! Keep hitting the wall. I'll jump it," Solus projected beside Oytach. Oytach didn't respond, but the pounding seemed to speed up even more. Solus groaned, almost feeling the pain of the crystal, although that was probably just his headache pounding in unison.

Hidden around the corner and behind a small cluster of crystals, Solus watched the Sludge move past him. Long black tentacles oozed out of its body, stretching towards the wall. Solus rushed forward, Oytach's strikes covering any sound he made. As he reached the Sludge, he ran past and sliced it with the crystal fragment, running it through the side of its body. A deafening scream tore through the small cave, and the Sludge's movements faltered as Solus dodged back for a second attack.

Gouldiv's attack stopped as his muted voice came from behind the wall. "Ah! So that's their weakness!" Then the pounding began again.

Solus ignored the Kaot Lord's remark as he continued slicing the Sludge apart. It disappeared into a pile of slowly overflowing goop within moments, and he stared expectantly at the center. A moment later, another of the oddly angular mana-orbs appeared, and he dashed forward.

"Stop!" Oytach shouted as the attacks stopped. "Don't absorb it! You will be infected by one of Gouldiv's offspring!"

Solus jerked back as if struck, the spines on his back standing on end as he looked at Oytach.

"What?"

Oytach stared at him through the wall, his red eyes glowing brightly as he barked a laugh.

"Be glad I warned you! Those filthy things have parts of Couldiv in them. If a Kaot absorbs such a mana-orb, they will get infected, slowly turning into one of those… things," Oytach said before he started striking the wall again, enlarging the already deep indent that now sat in the wall before him.

Solus blinked, then summoned his mana-field, scanning it. Large sections of black Sludge marred it. For a moment, he didn't see anything, and he hoped that meant he had been lucky. Then he saw something move on the edge of the mana field: a tiny purple mana-spec that moved slowly across the mana field, touching parts of the pattern before moving on.

Solus shivered in disgust as he gazed at the spec. It reminded him of the Cestodia, but worse. He had to get rid of it or leave this body behind before he went through the portal. It was far too dangerous to bring back home.

As he closed his mana field, he looked back at the entrance, holding the dead crystal as he wondered if the small mana-specs he had seen in the dead area were also Gouldiv's offspring. If they were, why had they only been in the destroyed, dark area? Also, why was the crystal that didn't glow able to eradicate those black sludges?

As questions continued to appear in his mind, Solus watched the entrance, barely noticing time pass.

The sound of something shattering and small bits striking his back snapped him out of it, and a burst of laughter echoed through the small cave.

"Finally free!"

Oytach's voice, no longer muted, was crisp and clear, each word ringing like a bell.

As Solus turned around, he saw heavily muscled charcoal black fingers rip the edge of the crystal wall and tear them apart. Blood-red crystals covered the knuckles, and as a balled fist knocked a section of the wall loose, the arm jotted out. The back of the arm had more of the thick red crystals, their edges pointing outwards. With a smooth bottom, they in no way resembled the purple crystals around them.

Not blood-red, Solus thought as memories from the sphere rushed into him. Ruby-red.

The wall suddenly burst outwards, crystal shards pelting the ground. Solus just managed to close his eyes in time as he turned his head away. Pricks of pain came from all over his body, and when it stopped, he looked up to see a wide figure climb across the rubble left by the crystal wall. Two piercing red eyes stared at him, sharp lips cured in a predatory grin.

"So, finally, we see each other face to face!" Oytach said as he straightened up and looked down at Solus. He wasn't as tall as Solus had thought but broad and with a deep barrel chest. More of the red crystals sat in clusters across his chest and abdomen, glowing softly.

Oytach stepped forward and sat down on the ground, his head level with Solus. His long arm stretched towards the puddle of black goop, and he snatched the purple mana-orb from the ground before staring at it with a nasty grin.

"Little Gouldiv," he said with a smile. "Others might not be able to absorb your mana-orbs, but I don't have such a weakness."

While Solus looked on, slightly worried, Oytach tossed the mana-orb in his mouth, swallowing it whole. All of the crystals on his body glowed brighter for a moment, then dimmed again.

"Ahhh, it's been so long," Oytach said. Then he turned to Solus. "Now, where is that friend of yours that we need to free?"

Solus was slightly surprised as he examined the small giant in front of him. Somehow he hadn't expected the other to be this forthcoming.

"Solus?" Oytach asked, his ruby red eyebrow-ridges rising slightly.

"I don't know where they brought her," Solus said. "That one took her away, back to the absorption area."

Oytach laughed, his voice like a gong, and he pushed himself up. "Well, that's easy then! Let's go."

He moved past Solus, walking through the crystal-filled corridor. In passing, his shoulders snapped up dozens of crystals, but he seemed unimpressed. When he passed two bigger ones, he stretched out his hand and snapped them off with ease before holding them like thick, purple clubs.

"Let's see them capture me again now I know how to fight them," he rumbled as he disappeared towards the exit.

Solus inspected him, thought for a second, then ran after the Kaot Lord, keeping the piece of dead crystal in his mouth. Cracking and snapping sounds came from outside, and when he reached the exit, he saw Oytach kicking smaller pieces of crystal that snapped and slammed into others.

"Won't that warn Gouldiv?" Solus asked after a moment.

"It won't matter," Oytach said. "He can only use those black things to fight his battles! And those don't stand a chance against me. As long as we don't go deeper into his body, there is no danger."

"His body?" Solus hissed as he looked around in surprise.

"What? Didn't realize that yet? We are inside him, but only in the top part. His power gets stronger the deeper you go, so stay away from any holes!"

Oytach moved away, still kicking anything and laughing profusely as he did. "I promised myself I'd break this entire place down if I ever got free!"

Solus didn't respond, quietly following the odd Kaot Lord.