NBB2 - The chaos rifts - chapter 31

Deep under Tendraal, in a room undamaged by the destruction above it, a loud scream tore through the previous silence. The high-placed red orbs that lined the walls in a compact band blinked and shuddered as if influenced by the rage.

A skeletal form, covered in a decaying white leather robe, raised itself from a bone dais in the middle of the square room. A thick layer of dust flowed from it, scattering in the air as the figure climbed off. Its movements were jittery as if it had been ages since it last moved.

"Damn her! I will end her for this, her and that fool. Their mana-cores will be mine. They will writhe in agony as I scrape them from their living skulls!"  Scathia's voice was laced with hate.

Her red glowing eye-sockets focused on a line of bone tables lining one side of the room. On it lay unmoving figures, some small, others large.

Scathia moved towards one, examining it. It was a completely black fleshy undead, lithe and feminine, with a well defined muscular body. It lay on a thick bed of her own black, shiny hair, and the dust flowed off her skin as it landed on it.

"Fine, fine! I had wanted to experiment with that summoner shell some more, but it was too weak anyway. If all of you you like to get physical that much, I'll be more than happy to oblige!"

Scathia moved towards a small alcove and removed a large mana-orb from it, placing it in the middle of her palm. Erratic at first, her finger drew patterns on the surface. As she continued, her movements became more practiced until they flickered across the large mana-stone inscribing patterns all over it. When not a single spot was left free of inscriptions, she turned to the black undead body and placed the mana-orb between the closed eyes. Nodding to herself, she moved back to the bone dais and lay back down on it.

"I will make you pay, and after I am finished with you, I will take that paltry city you've created! I'll rename it and wipe away any memory of you. I'll rebuild Tendraal! "Scathia hissed before closing her eyes. An eerie pale glow emanated from her body as it stilled, and the mana-stone flared up in bright light in response.

After a short time, one of the black undead's arms rose in the air, and a soft laugh emanated through the room.

--

"And then pain when it happened, HORRIBLE!" Tirella said with a half-smile.

Solus nodded, remembering when the world elemental had helped him with his bodged evolution.

He was lying on the platform staring at the ceiling speed passed. His senses told him that it would be a while longer before they reached the hills around Skulltown, so he focused on moving the stone plate forward. Ahead of him, he could sense Tirela's energy manipulate the ground, clearing a free path for them. With her making the tunnel, he only had to focus on one thing, and he could feel his mana regenerate at an extraordinary pace. It was much faster than it ever had before, almost as if he was slowly draining a mana-orb.

Together, huh? It must have something to do with her, he thought as he remembered the world elementals words.  He glanced at Tirela. She was staring into the distance, seeming lost in thought.

"What did the world elemental tell you?" Solus asked.

She had dodged the question a few times now, and he was getting more and more curious. She didn't respond, still staring in the distance.

Not interested in waiting any longer, he tried again. "You said you ended Scathia because you already knew a way to stop the rifts from appearing…"

Tirela flinched, and he frowned, pushing himself up on his elbows. "It can't be that bad?"

This time she turned around, and he saw the complicated look on her face. Her black eyes were even harder to read than usual.

"You know the world elemental is dying, right?"

"Yes."

Tirela nodded, and he saw her sigh deeply.

"The only way the elemental knows to stop the rifts from appearing is for someone to replace him…"

Solus shot upright, staring at her in consternation. She couldn't mean what he thought she meant? An image of being locked away, deep underground for all eternity played through his mind. Alone and without light. The memories of being lost in the Sigmiton caves rushed up in his mind. He didn't mind being under the ground right now, but only because he could get back out!

"Are you alright?"

Tirela's voice finally penetrated through his hazy mind, blanketed in fear and unbelief. Looking forward, he saw she was standing in front of him. He could see from the slight wrinkles and her pursed lips that she was worried. Why could he read her so easily now?

The stone plate they were on had slowed down and was constantly scratching the edges of the tunnel. He quickly reasserted his control, moving the plate back in the middle of the tunnel and increasing the pace at which the stone plate moved forward.

"I am alright," he said, forcing a smile.

"No, you're not. You just panicked… why? Being underground isn't that bad, is it?"

Solus sighed, lying back down. Quietly he regaled what had happened before he could mold stone, how he had been locked under the ground, without a way to escape. Hunted by the sigmitons until he evolved and managed to find a way out.

When he finished, Tirela quietly examined him. Then she nodded.

"I'll explain what the elemental told me," she said before frowning. "Well, it's more what it showed me. There weren't that many words involved."

She sat down, turning towards him. "Those rifts open up because of the abundance of undead energy that is still coagulating in the galaxy. As it draws in upon itself, it creates… rips in the fabric of space that connect one spot rich in energy to another."

Tirela's frown deepened. "From what I could understand, this is going to last for at least another thousand of this planet's years."

"And after that, the rifts won't come anymore?" Solus asked, wondering if they couldn't just survive that long.

"No. But the ones already here won't close either… I didn't get any information on how to close them."

As they quietly sat on the plateau, listening to the soft whooshing sound as they shot through the tunnel, Solus wondered how he was going to stay below the ground for a thousand years. Perhaps he could sleep?

"So, how does the elemental stop the rifts from coming here?"

"His presence close to the planet's core does something to the… magnetic field of this world. Don't ask me to explain what a magnetic field is. I've never heard of something like that, but for some reason, I have information about it in my mind." Tirela shook her head in consternation.

Solus knew it had to be because of the status window he had given her, and he laughed sourly. As he did, he felt the fear of being locked under the ground fade a little. It didn't disappear, lingering in the background.

"I know about those things," he said, the concepts having popped in his mind when she said it.

"That's good, and you better explain to me how and why later," Tirela said sharply. Seeing his eyebrows raise, she grinned at him.

"So, the elemental does something to the magnetic field, or makes another, I'm not sure. Either way, it acts as a barrier to keep the energy on other worlds from connecting to the energy hotspots on this world."

"So, all I have to do is stay underground until those rifts stop appearing?" Solus said, feeling tired. He knew he should have continued evolving as a skeleton.

Tirela just stared at him for a while before she shook her head. "No. We both have to go."

Solus's mouth fell open as he looked at her, but she quickly continued.

"Because there is no life force, neither of us can evolve into a true world-elemental and replace the elemental. After we absorb a core, we need to stay below ground together…" She half-smiled at him, but he could see the worry in her eyes.

It doesn't make sense… Solus shook his head. The world elemental had never told him any of this, but it had helped him. It must have known he couldn't evolve into a true world elemental before. Why go through all the effort if it wouldn't work?

"I don't know," Tirela said as if she could read his thoughts, and he looked at her in wonder.

"You thought it didn't make sense?" She asked, a smile smoothing over the wrinkles around her eyes and on her forehead.

"How?"

Could she read his mind like Borl's pink undead? He tried probing her, but he couldn't feel anything aside from a slight sense of hilarity and weariness. Wait… how could he even feel that? Probing again, he realized he could sense her emotions. Not all, but the stronger ones, on the surface. Like a reflection on metal, blurry and indistinct.

"It must be because we are both world-elementals?" Tirela said, and he felt something push his probing away from her direct presence.

"How did you do that?" he said, realizing he couldn't sense her emotions anymore.

"I don't know. It started after I evolved and has become clearer as we stayed closer together."

Solus didn't reply but closed his eyes. He was confused, more so than ever before. His other emotions were blown to the background like noise. Although he still enjoyed all emotions, it wasn't the same as before. It was as if he couldn't enjoy it as he once had, pure and just for the sense of it. Instead, they came with an extra weight that made it painful at the same time.

Sensing around, he knew they were still some way from Skulltown, but he could already feel the hills in the distance. They grew in the earth like massive stone trees that connected to the deeper bedrock. Scanning further down, he realized his stone-sense could flow around easily and much faster than he had before. He had never checked the limits of his strength after evolving into a world-elemental. Trying to distract himself, he sped down, further and further.

Long ago, he had tried to reach the world-elemental. Back then, he was too weak, but how far could he come this time? As his presence dove further into the mantle of the world, he began sensing the temperature rise. More and more metal and mineral deposits appeared, and the pressure of the surrounding stone increased. He could sense it almost groan in protest.

Further down he went, and still, he barely felt any strain. Far in the depths, he noticed the presence, an enormous beacon of green and golden light. It was so bright he could barely point his mind's eye towards it. He also noticed that it was fading on the edges, the light frayed as if small undead had nibbled away at it.

As he neared the presence, he finally felt a strain. His mind began hurting a little, telling him that he couldn't reach much further.

"LIKE A RUBBBERRRR BANDDDD"

The world-elemental voice was like roaring thunder, and he instinctively tried to cover his ears, but without hands or ears, it didn't work.

"Softer!" he roared back as loud as he could.

After a moment, he felt something encompass his mind, connecting to him. Then everything changed, and with a jarring shock, he stood on a wide grassy plain.

He immediately knew he wasn't really here, but he couldn't sense the connection with his body or anything.

A massive forest stretched out in front of him, green and vibrant, while birds flew everywhere. The sound of the wind rustling the leaves and distant animal noises stunned him to silence. Looking around, he saw more forests and an immense lake. He could barely see the other side. The blue water, brilliant and glittering, made him suck in a breath. He tasted it! As it passed through his mouth, the air was sweet and fresh, and he could almost drink the water in it.

"So, you've finally made it, Little Pebble. I've wanted to talk to you ever since I found you're bright light amongst the others."

A deep, feminine voice came from behind him. It radiated warmth and energy and made him feel safe—a feeling he had never had, not like this. Turning around, he saw a tall, wide-shouldered… undead? No… she was more than that. With smooth brown skin and green leaves growing across her arms and legs, he knew right away that she was not dead, and never had been. A thick layer of vines with tiny leaves grew from her back and circled around her body, wrapping it in green.

Her glowing green eyes looked at him, a smile across her green lips, and she beckoned for him to come closer.

"Don't worry, Pebble. Although I am weak now, while you are here, no harm will come to you."

Moving towards her, Solus held back from raising his hand. He felt the great need to touch her, to make sure she was real and actually there.

"I am not real, not like what you mean right now," the elemental said.

She moved her hand, and a plant grew behind her from the ground, growing into a tree within moments. Two branches circled from it, one behind her and one behind him, creating a small bench. She sat down on it, the leaves shaping into a chair from behind her back.

"Who are you?" Solus asked as he stared at her.

A low rumbling came from all around as she laughed, and the ground seemed to join her. The grass waved, and the branches bobbed up and down caused the leaves to rustle.

"I am the world elemental. At Least that is how you've known me. What you've spoken to was a partially sentient projection. As weak as I am, I can no longer truly move. My body, my real body, has almost died. Only a flicker remains, buried deep inside. Barely enough to keep the wolves at bay."

A stream of images of furry animals loping through shadowy forests played through Solus mind. Clear and sharp, he knew the images didn't originate from his status window or the gift from the first sphere.

"I am Viridi, the last of the elementals. World elementals the human's categorized us as. A gross oversimplification of the facts as so many of the things they did in their last eons was."

A sad look crossed her face, and a cloud passed in front of the sun. Solus wanted nothing more than to go to her and hold her. Then the cloud passed, and Viridi smiled at him again.

"Now that you are here, I can show you more, more about what once was, and how you can form what is now into something similar. If you wish. If you survive."

Solus saw an image of the stone forest that he had made, stretching far and wide. Only now did he realize how much of a poor mockery it was compared to a real forest. Like a rough image, without details or finesse. It lacked the smell, the sounds, and the vibrance of life.

"No!" Viridi said. "You see only what it lacks! Instead, see what it is compared to what was there before you came!"

An image of a large flat plain of dead stone and dirt appeared. The wind played across it, sometimes moving a little dust here and there. Time sped up, and nothing changed. It stayed the same, forever. The sun above the wasteland rose and fell so fast it seemed to blink, but nothing changed until suddenly a forest of stone shot up in the air. Time slowed, and the sun stopped its raging travels across the sky.

"Do you see? It is rough, yes, but there is a promise! Long ago, life came from chaos, and life built marvelous things. Now out of entropy, you undead have come. Who know's what you are capable of!"

The image of the wasteland disappeared, replaced by a destroyed city, Kaots roaming it, fighting and ending each other. In the distance, a large group of undead followed a fat yellow zombie as they fled away from the ruins.

Borl! Solus thought, his eyes growing large. From the direction, he knew the undead was heading towards Skulltown. He hoped he would make it, but it would be rough. They had to fight off the Kaots that attacked them every so often, and their numbers widdled down.

The image shimmered, and a dense forest of white bone appeared. More lifelike than the stone forest, it was filled with movement. Undead were chasing Kaots around while Kaots hunted undead. Enormous flying monsters of bone shot torrents of green fire at evading Ygdra.

"Perhaps life as I remember it," Viridi waved her hand about, "will never return to this galaxy. But that does not mean there can not be something else!"

Solus stared at her, stunned and silent. "How… why?"

Viridi turned to him, the energy she had shown diminishing until she seemed tired. A few leaves and branches curled around her shoulders as if to soothe her weariness.

"How, little Pebble? By first surviving your current predicament. The undead energy has surged to this galaxy from everywhere, trying to fill the massive void left when the life energy of one of the most populated planets in this quadrant disappeared. There is no balance, only chaos. But from chaos comes life, be that undead or otherwise! You need to stop more rifts from appearing. If you don't, this world will lose the little spark of hope it has."

Looking around at the beautiful blue sky and the green fields and trees, Solus shivered. Did he have to stay below ground, after having seen all of this? For a thousand years? Even if he wasn't alone, but with Tirela, he would lose his mind.

A soft laugh came from Viridi, soothing his mind and washing away the fear and anxiety.

"Don't worry. Although you will never be a world elemental, there is a path for you, for both of you! And if you follow it, staying below here for a thousand years, or even ten will not be a chore."

Looking into the burning green eyes, Solus tried to regain some of his usual self. Being here had somehow unbalanced him, and he knew it wasn't because of Viridi. It was because he had always been unsure, afraid of his goal, and what he saw around him woke something inside of him long suppressed.

Closing his eyes, he took deep breaths, trying to still his mind. He focused on the sensation of the wood below his legs, the leaves in his back, and slowly the turbulent emotions subsided. When he finished, he opened his eyes and saw Viridi quietly observing him.

"You show so much promise… you would have made such a wonderful elemental."

She smiled at him, and Solus felt a new emotion surge into the calm he had created. Love. He had never felt it, and as it filled him for only a feeling moment, he shuddered. He knew friendship, and he knew loyalty, but nothing like this. When it left, he felt an empty void inside him, where it had been. He stared at Viridi in panic.

"Don't worry. It will return in time. It is one of the few things you will need to learn for yourselves, all of you will." Viridi got up and stepped towards him, her hand gently stroking the side of his face.

"It is time, Pebble. Speaking with you like this has made me weary. You need to go. Absorb a mana-core so your essence will be purged from the small inconsistencies and flaws it has accumulated from all those mana-orbs you absorbed. After you do, don't absorb mana-orbs anymore. Alright?"

The world around Solus began darkening, turning grey. The color drained from everything, the trees, the sky, and the ground, until only Viridi remained. A beacon of green and vibrant brown in a world of grey and black.

Solus felt an immense sense of loss as he looked at the once vibrant world, but a powerful desire filled him as he stared at what had been. A desire to create, to remake what was lost, as best as he could.

"Yes... go Pebble, go with your friend!"

As he felt himself being pushed away from the world, Solus shook as a realization hit him.

"We have only one mana-core!" he roared, hoping she still heard him.

A soft voice replied as if shouting from a distance so fast it was immeasurable.

"Don't worry, Pebble, more are coming… just make sure you survive!"

Solus' mind was sucked up and away, and he felt the stone and ground flash past him before reaching his body with an explosive force that made him stand in one motion.

Taking deep breaths, he realized the platform was moving erratically while Tirella stood at the edge, staring at him.

"What did you do?" she asked, stepping forward as if wanting to examine him to see he was alright.

Closing his eyes for a moment, the memory of the green world with blue skies blazed brightly in his mind, and he tried to burn it in so he would never lose it. Taking a deep breath, Solus took control over the platform, propelling it forward.

"I spoke with the elemental… and we don't have much time left. We need to get to Skulltown and absorb the cores."

Tirela moved beside him, with an odd look.

"What do you mean, cores? Wasn't there just one?"

Solus grinned, his mood suddenly incredibly good.

"Aye, but apparently more are coming! We might have to fight a bit, though."

He laughed, drawing deep from his quickly regenerating mana field and increased the speed even more until the walls were blurring passed.

"Let me explain what happened," he said, wondering how much he should tell her.