NBB2 - The chaos rifts - chapter 9

"Stop it!" Domain lisped, dodging through the room, away from Solus' hands.

"Why? It feels nice stroking your back! Now come back here!" Solus shot back, stepping around a table, trying to get his hands on the Darkhunter.

"Instead of trying to use me as some lap dog, explain why you were shaping that metal?"

Solus shook his head, trying to push away the lingering pleasant sensation from his mind. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he finally felt it fade away. Sitting down, just to be sure, he examined Domain.

The AI controlled his new quadruped body as if he had done so for thousands of times already, jumping across a table before crouching close to the large open side of the room's wyrm mouth exit. The Darkhunter body had grown a bit. Domain must have done something besides just inscribing his own program to the mana-field. The glowing blue eyes, another change from before, inspected Solus.

"Giving up?" Domain said the lisp a bit less pronounced this time.

Solus shook his head, a weary grin on his face. He almost felt like trying to grab Domain again, just to spite him.

"Yes, for now. You will need to explain to me what lapdogs are another time, I-" A host of images of small furry animals flashed through his mind, and Solus blinked. "Never mind. And you do look like one!"

Domain growled and sat down, keeping his eyes locked on Solus' shape. "The metal?" He asked again.

"I need to increase those numbers, and shaping the gold increased both my intelligence and my manafield." Solus shrugged. It didn't matter what he told Domain; the other knew all of this already. And more.

Domain cocked his lupine head to the side, his blue eyes flashing for a moment as if one of the beams he used while inside the sphere would come out. They didn't, but the AI must have seen something because he began nodding.

"That makes sense, although I can't verify. For the next few hours, I need to refrain from checking my databases, or the connection might corrupt my current balance."

Solus took a glimpse at the sphere. "You will be able to do so after we leave?" He made sure to keep his question as non-descript as he could.

"Don't worry. I'll be able to get all the information we need during the trip. Just not right now." Domain said, staring back at him.

"Do you know any ways to increase charisma or wisdom?" Solus asked on a whim.

A lispy, barking laugh echoed through the room as Domains head bobbed up and down. "Charisma? Don't even try it! Any you gain above ten would be a miracle."

Annoyance surged through Solus at the snarky tone and snarled. "And why is that?"

"Either you need to put on a stage-show or enact some form of higher dialogue. You could try and get others to do what you want without using violence…" The blue eyes gleamed as they stared at Solus, the split of a mouth widening as if Domain grinned.

Solus frowned as he remembered his paltry nine in charisma. "What is it good for anyway?" He had only an inkling of the concept; even his memories were not enough to fully grasp the concept.

"With a high charisma, people- or undead, in this case, will act as you wish without needing force or manaorbs to persuade them."

Solus stared at one of the tables, strewn with partially dismantled spheres. He remembered how Sig and Skull had stayed with him even after regaining their freedom. That must have been some form of charisma then, just like why Sumil had probably stuck around him. He shook his head in regret. It seemed like an interesting ability, but it wasn't the direction he had been taking since he first evolved. No, his desire then and now was to feel and to experience as many sensations as he could, although it had changed slightly. He wanted more nice emotions than bad ones...

"What are you zoning out about? Did your brain finally rot?"

Solus almost jumped into the air, swirling his head around. Beside him stood Vingria, looking at him with an annoyed look.

What the hell does she want?

Solus growled and stood up. "What?" he snapped.

Vingria stepped back as her eyes narrowed. She seemed ready to start a shouting match, but after a second, she took a deep breath, releasing it like a bellow. The air flew all the way across Solus' chest, a bit warm.

"I didn't mean for that to happen, with Scathia, but when Norg brought her to me, I snapped."

Solus gaped at her, confused and annoyed. What? Is she trying to explain why she did what she did? Raising himself up, ready to explode, he blinked. Wait… it was happening again! He barely caught himself from searching around. Moving slow, as if not to start something, he turned to Domain, ignoring a wide eyed Vingria.

He focused his voice, not speaking but placing a faint whisper almost inside Domains pointy black ear. "Something is here, close by… watching us."

The AI-controlled Shadowhunter didn't respond in any evident way, and Solus was about to say something again when he saw a faint blue glow spread from the previously inert sphere. It spread out, the walls glowing softly.

"What are you staring at that thing for? Did you hear what I said?" Vingria stepped forward, a confused look on her face.

As soon as she spoke, the blue glow intensified, a host of blue beams shooting outward, drawing intricate patterns on the walls. A single area turned red almost immediately, pointing slightly down and to the side.

"There!"

Solus moved before Domain finished the word, jumping to the gaping maw exit with a single leap that caused part of the ground behind him to crack. Across the ramp, to the edge, Solus jumped outside without looking, towards the spot the red wall had pointed at. As he fell down, he scanned the buildings beside the tower with his rock sensing.

A shadowy smudge rushed along the side of a building behind the ones bordering the square. It was a tall, stone square with a giant skull on the front, one of the first buildings he had created, although much taller than it had been. It should also be vacant since Vingria and Norg had left it. But Solus could feel a slight vibration, so slight he might have missed it hadn't he known where to look.

Blocks of stone shot from the nearby buildings, walls crumbling in the process as they elongated and connected to the wyrm tower. One ended below Solus' feet, and he rushed along it.

The smudge disappeared straight through a wall.

"No you don't!" Solus' shout shook the buildings around him.

"Sig, get over here!" This time he roared even louder. Parts of walls shook apart, and dust and debris pelted the roofs of the buildings below it.

He could feel the minute tremors fade as the thing flew through the opposite wall and jumped towards the top of the building. It's getting away! He thought as the air whistled along his face. He snarled, wanting nothing more than to get his hands on whatever it was that was toying with his emotions, not even caring if this bout of emotions was even his own.

Landing on the stone roof, he felt it cave in under his weight and rushed to strengthen it, creating status and pillars from the floors below. The ceiling held, although barely, and he looked around.

Stone buildings, some with skeleton-head tops, others more like the buildings of the ancients lay around him. Debris and dust still falling towards them as the beams of light from the sun created long shadows.

He couldn't see or sense the smudge anymore, and he stomped his feet down in anger. The roof below him crumbled, half of it folding in on itself, and he fell down, hitting the partially destroyed floor below and breaking through, and through the next.

A second later, he slammed into the empty bottom chamber as half the building collapsed on top of him. Solus let it happen, gritting his teeth as he tried to control his anger. Whatever the thing was doing with him, it was messing up the control he learned over the last year. Lying beneath the rubble, as more still fell on top of it, Solus knew he had to do something, and fast, or he might snap and destroy the entire city. He focused with difficulty, and an opening formed around him. Sitting down, barely realizing where he was, he looked at the rock around him. His energy was low, still recovering at a steady pace from morphing the gold, and it took him some effort to cause a part of the rock around him to heed to his wishes.

The rock turned longer, as arms and legs, almost perfectly shaped, grew from it. The middle turned into a body, a head-on top, and as Solus felt the sharp edge of his anger dull, he finished a miniature version of Norg, standing on the rubble-strewn floor. With more focus, another bit of rock changed to Drys, than a small version of Vingria.

Soon, a dozen little stone figures stood in front of him, and Solus felt calm, calmer than he had in a long time. Staring at the last figure he had made that of the female undead that he had gifted the wyrm's mana-orb to, he sighed. He had no idea why he made that last one. She just popped up when he was thinking of more things to make. With a gentleness belying his powerful exterior, he picked the pieces up. Almost without effort, a small stone box formed on the ground, and he placed all the figures in them.

Holding the small box under his arm, he formed a tunnel to the surface. Scraping sounds followed banging from above him, and when the tunnel opened up, something jumped in right away.

"Master alright?"

Skulls voice, unrestrained, caused the tunnel to shake violently, but Solus just laughed. It had been a long time since his old minion had called him master.

"I am fine, Skull. Go back outside."

Skull stepped back as Solus moved towards him, and soon they emerged back into the light. All around them lay the remains of the once towering building, dozens of undead rummaging around. Vingria stood to the side, talking with Drys, Norg, and Domain. As soon as they saw him, they ran forward.

"Did you get it?"

"Why did you destroy my old building, you bilestain!"

"What happened?"

Three questions were shot at him almost at the same time, and Solus blinked. He paid attention to his emotions but noticed no odd fluxes or increases of anger. He turned to Drys, shaking his head.

"No. It moved like Sig, passing straight through the walls before flying away."

Domain jumped on a piece of rubble that made him see eye to eye with Solus.

"What coloring did it have, black or red? Was it like a cloud or more like a solid being?"

Solus blinked, trying to recall the details. "It was like a misty grey cloud…" he finally said, trying to recall the short moment he had seen the thing fly off.

"Ah." Domain said before sitting down.

The others looked at him, Drys even scraping his throat, but Domain didn't elaborate as a small blue glow came from his form.

Drys was the first to turn back to Solus, inspecting him, his gaze lingering on the box. "Vingria said you turned vicious up there. What happened?"

"Every time that thing comes closer, my emotions go in a turmoil. It's hard to control my anger…"

Drys looked around the ruins of the building. "Then it might be time for you to leave and find Scathia before you destroy all of Skulltown."

"What if that thing comes back?" Solus said, feeling worry worm its way through his pleasant and content haze.

Norg snorted, shaking his head. "If it flees for you, we should be able to kill it."

Drys seemed to agree as he raised his hand, red lightning cracking between his fingers as he lifted a foot off the ground. "Don't worry. We will be fine."

"More than fine, without you destroying the place!" Vingria added. Norg kicked her leg, and she frowned. "Sorry." The word sounded strangled and out of place.

Solus looked around. He didn't like the idea, but he had no idea what the thing was, making it even more urgent to get the information Scathia had.

If she has any.

The thought came unbidden, and he shoved it back down. There wasn't time for doubts now.

"Fine. Drys, did you find a team to come along? And where is Sig? I called him to hunt the thing for me!"

"He came, but after you destroyed the building, I told him to bring the hunting group to the eastern gate," Drys said.

Solus looked at the other, examining the thin grey face that started back, passive and emotionless. Drys had already determined what must happen before he even came back. Somehow the fact ticked him off. With a surge, Solus scanned around him. Nothing but the movement of the undead around him. Nothing on the top of the buildings or inside.

I guess that was just normal annoyance, he thought before turning to Norg, handing him the small stone box.

"Put this in my tower somewhere, and make sure you keep everything in one piece until I get back. And remember what I told you!"

Norg frowned as he looked in the box, his eyebrows touching each other in the middle. Then he nodded. "It'll be fine! Now go find out how we close those stupid rifts!"

Solus turned and moved across the rubble, Domain running forward and falling in line with his long paces. Solus ignored the Sphere, wandering what he should even call the thing now, and trudged on. His feelings were in a jumble again, but this time not from anger, but from worry, confusion, and something he had never felt before. Abandonment? He tasted the feeling, thick and pungent, and decided he didn't like it one bit. With some effort, he shoved it down.

It was busy in the streets he crossed, and most of the undead were talking in groups. There were almost solely zombies now, and he wondered if Drys had started evolving them early.

Halfway to the east entrance, the smallest of the city, the streets became vacant again, shadows moving slowly through the stone street. The last time he came here, it had been swarming with skeletons, who seemed to enjoy living together, apart from the zombies.

In front of the east gate was a small square with a stone floor, edgeless, and appearing to be made of a single piece. Close to the entrance stood a small group of undead. Solus only recognized two, and seeing them made him feel a bit better, the still lingering feeling abating out of itself.

"Solus!"

Sumil's voice floated around his head as the armor-plated skeleton examined him with her glowing blue eye sockets. Beside her stood Sig, his sleek black hair floating and bobbing around his pale grey head as if moving of its own volition. His once smartest minion just nodded slightly, his black eyes constantly looking around the square, buildings, and sky, searching for something.

Besides the two stood a group of three other undead, less than Solus had imagined Drys would pick. One was an out of proportion zombie, as wide as she was tall. She probably didn't get to Solus' waist, but her arms were thicker than his legs, and the enormous hairy knuckles of her fists resting on the ground had white plates across them. She had only a single remaining eye, but it glowed with an intense orange light, bright and shrewd, as she examined him. Seeing the color and the way she looked at him, Solus was impressed. There weren't a lot of undead with orange eyes, nor many that looked at him as if they were wondering how to wrestle him to the ground.

Beside her stood a tall, blue-skinned undead that caused Solus to stop and do a double-take. Thick dark-blue plates covered it's legs and waist, leaving it's purple, blue-haired wiry torso bare. Thin lines ran across his flesh. Lines that normally belonged on a mana-field. Solus became even more curious when the blue-skinned undead gave him only a short look before turning back to the last party member and staring at it with a warning glance.

It was a thin, small and white skeleton, at first glance, almost seeming unevolved. Small white lightning crackled across its frame every few seconds, barely noticeable in the full sun. It's eye blue eye-sockets reminded him of Sumil.

"So, the big bad undead himself! Finally found something you-"

The blue-skinned undead slapped the skeleton so hard and fast he toppled over and landed headfirst on the ground, his words hovering unfinished in the air.

Solus blinked. What just happened?

A soft laugh came from the side, and Solus gaped at Sig, who had his fist in front of his mouth, trying to stifle the outburst. He was about to ask Sig what was going on when the blue-skinned undead stepped forward.

"Hey- Solus, right? Of course, your Solus… who else would you be… right, " the undead said, muttering the last part, as it kicked the skeleton that was trying to scramble back up.

"Dammit, Galg! I told you to keep your stupid remarks to yourself! What if he gets angry with you! You saw what he did to that building!"

The one-eyed zombie stepped forward, her orange eye gleaming, the corners of her eyes curved up. "Don't mind those brainless sigmitons. They might not look it, but they can be useful when they need to be!"

"Tatjie, don't go and pool me together with this empty-headed fool!" The blue undead ruffled both hands through his dense, close-cropped purple hair before turning to Solus.

"I'm Derin. Drys said you were going far out, to another city, and needed a group of hunters to assist you?"

Sig's laughter burst out unabated now, and Solus saw his former minion stare at him. He smirked before turning to Sumil.

"Do you know them?" His low, rumbling voice caused Sig to quiet and the others to stare at him.

"Yes. They are some of the best hunters we have. They bring back most awoken and more wyrm-orbs than the next two groups combined."

Fine, Solus thought as he inspected the group. He saw they were looking behind him, at Domain. Tatjie's one eye was positively glowing from inside now, and she stepped forward, her hands turning to fists.

"That's Domain. He is coming along with us, " Solus said, stopping her in her tracks. She glowered at the Darkhunter for a moment longer before turning to the gate.

"And here I think Derin evolved in a stupid form. Let's go?"

A sputter came from the blue-skinned Derin, but Solus barked a laugh. "Yes. The sooner we leave, the faster we will go back."

Stomping towards the gate, twice as high and twice as wide as him, he shoved it open with a single hand. Dusty, flat terrain stretched to the hills beyond Skulltown while a ridge stood to the left. Solus walked out of the gate, his gaze lingering at the ridge for a moment while the image of a red, loudmouthed skeleton played through his mind.

Derin moved beside him, his shorter legs almost running to keep up. "So... Drys wasn't exactly forthcoming with where we were going. Care to tell us what is going on?"

Solus turned away from the ridge, focusing on the shadowy hills in the distance, the sun above them.

"You know about the rifts?"

~~

Partially inside the top side of the wall, the Shade stared at the dangerous one, speaking in it's rumbling voice to the other undead. That one, Solus, had somehow detected its presence, and since it didn't care to come as close as before. Clutching the two manaorbs closer to its body, it watched until the small group disappeared into the hills.

Turning to the city, it felt a lot more secure and hoped the other wouldn't come back. Or at least not until it had managed to evolve another time! Remembering the walls filled with… patterns? Yes, that's what they called it here. The Shade faded back through the wall, clutching the spheres.

From the other side, it examined the enormous, undead filled city. So many undead in one place and none fought for each other's mana-orb. It hoped the Kaos host would not find this place until after it evolved. Then it could create a balancing rift to prevent any large rifts from forming. It would eviscerate the small Kaots that came and take control of this budding empire, and finally stop fleeing!

Hovering down the wall, searching for an empty building to absorb the spheres it had snatched from the one called Drys, for the first time, it had the feeling there was more in the future than fleeing and fighting.