Calendar 259872/ 2000 [ Sol Year 4387/ Day 153 of 365. Sol standard year]
Days after of Crash landing/ 2
Uninhabited Island / Ruins / Scholar’s Rest/ Lowest Basement/ Outside Cult Doorwaay
Galactic Standard Time / 0945
As Bryce looked on the scaled figure started to change. He had killed the last of the insect figures and looked towards Rogix. Seeing him looking at the figure but not moving, Bryce moved his sword down.
“Sir?” One of the soldiers asked him as they all looked at the changing being.
“Your general isn’t attacking, so let’s not. Fan out, if he makes a break go for the kill. Best to be sure,” Bryce said softly and the others all nodded.
As he walked over the soldiers moved around, forming a semi-circle around the man.
Bryce only looked at him, trying to understand. The being was slowly becoming a normal human man, the extras were fading, no. They were being pulled into the man’s body. He had never seen anything like this before, but the way this person changed, seemed more ‘natural’. As they watched, the man became a normal size and gained reddish black hair. He blinked, and his golden eyes looked out at the people around him, before falling to the ground.
After a few moments, the man panted and looked up. “General Rogix I presume?”
“And you are traitor?” Rogix asked and the name frowned.
The man was silent and then he shook his head. “No traitor, just a man who’s done fighting for his oppressors. So you’re all descended from the Upper decks of the Ship? My people were from the Lower decks, under the command of the Second Master Engineer.”
Rogix stared at him as his soldiers all gasped in shock.
Rogix shook his head and looked at the man. “From the Second Master Engineer?! Was the Cult all from the Lower Decks?! Was the war an Invasion!?”
The man looked at Rogix and started to laugh bitterly.
“No, but I wish! No, the story is on the wall around us,” The man said and pointed at the artwork on the walls to the right.
“You look, Bryce, I’ll keep an eye on our new friend,” Rogix said with a hard glare.
Bryce turned to the right and then looked at the supposed Beast Cultist. “So, from the right….. I’m sorry, you are?”
“Yeah, to the right. And the name is Icotrix,” Icotrix said.
Bryce nodded, moving so he could see all the tapestries. Once he reached the center, he stood among the dead for a moment. Then from looking at the right of the door, he started to turn around to see the whole chamber. He stopped after a few moments and gazed at one of the tapestries in confusion for a few moments. “The people, no your people Icotrix. They breached a wall near the site of the final battle.”
“Yeah. The first contact then was with the Followers. They spun a lie about how they were from another group that had been separated when the ship was captured. From the Security Division, they said. They spoke on how the Officer’s descendants blamed them,” Icotrix said as he looked at Rogix.
Bryce went still as he took in what Icotrix said, and he believed it.
“Blamed them for what!?” Rogix demanded.
“For the ship being captured,” Bryce said softly, his voice echoing all over the chamber.
“Yeah,” Icotrix said bitterly. “That was how they got my people to take them in. By blocking the passage they, my people invited their deaths in. For the next ten years, they talked and planned with the Followers, all to survive together of course. It was during those years an expedition found a way into the corridors. We found so much space and terrors during those years.”
“Yeah, the art says that much…….. So. Then after a while, you all found some kind of beast in a water Realm? Something beyond your understanding?” Bryce asked as he looked at one of the tapestries. It showed explorers from Icotrix spoke of standing together in the corridors. Then that group was before a larger Beast like the ones on the art outside the chamber.
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Icotrix looked at the apprentice and nodded. “Yeah. They found something that killed most of the party. That was when the Followers started to preach. They spoke of how the Great Beast’s spawn had set them on their path back at their home Realm. They spoke of how the Kingdom had found their people and were kind. But when they showed the newcomers the Spawn of the Great Beast they found, the kingdom killed it.”
The Apprentice only chuckled as he looked around. “And then they, the Cult, spoke of how the Father of the Spawn would kill them all for not worshiping it right? And I’m Bryce!”
Icotrix looked at Bryce and tried to keep his “Bryce is right. This forest of yours general……. Our home was a desert with few water sources and creatures that wanted to eat us. We made our civilizations around Mountains that reached the Celling of our Realm. We found a few maps in some of the old ruins we found. That’s how we found the way into the paths between the Realms, the one that let them rescue the Cult.”
“You found ruins!? As in something that someone else made!?” Rogix exclaimed in shock.
Icotrix took a deep breath. He knew that this was going to be the hardest part of the story of his people, but he had to speak it.“Yeah, we did. And dead bodies, not all of them the same species. They just……set up places to defend themselves and some of them died. The stories said that my people used weapons we found in there to fight off the worst of the monsters. We found ways to grow food, then we found the ways to the other realms. But after we rescued the cult, everything changed,” Icotrix said bitterly. He looked around at the others, hoping they understood his expression. “After the Deaths to that Beast, they started to preach to so many of us. They spoke of how this place was a prison for the Beast, how we had been brought here to power the wards. Only by aligning ourselves with them, would we escape.”
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“And then after a while, they sparked a rebellion again! Only this time they won!” Rogix as he crossed his arms.
Icotrix nodded, looking away. “Yes, they won. But this place was only found a few weeks back. There’s something here that they want to feed. And feed it sentient meet.”
Icotrix looked around as his words took effect. He saw the soldiers around him grip their weapons and Bryce came over. He looked at the man and wondered why he had such an old-sounding name. He didn’t have any room to talk about that, his family had a few old names in their family tree.
“So one of the sacrifices is someone you care about then? That’s why you’re doing this?” Bryce asked and Icotrix only nodded.
“Yes. They chose my sister. Please, help me,” Icotrix said as he looked Rogix in the eyes.
“What do you want from me lad? And what are you offering here?” Rogix asked.
Icotrix knew that this was the most important negotiation that he
He took a deep breath and looked at Rogix. “I’ve been seen as ‘Blessed’ by how I’ve been able to master the Shifting Power. So I’ve been a guard for a while. I know the names of traitors in your government. Locations of their staging grounds and some of their long-term plans. How to find other passages to other Realms without using the corridors. I’ll tell you all if you help me save her.”
For a moment Rogix looked at him before he nodded. “Fine, but you’ll help us clean out this place first. I won’t have the Nobility come here for the Vow and meet an invasion. We kill every one of these scum that won’t surrender, we save your sister and then we talk about the traitors.”
Icotrix couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He had expected this to be a harder sell, but the General was actually agreeing to him. “That’s great sir! But you should know, that someone called the ‘Great One’ is coming here from your side. And the High Priest of the Follo….the Cult will be here. Take him out, and every Under Priest will start fighting each other.”
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Rogix only shook his head. After everything the kid told him, he actually wasn’t that surprised with the final bit. These scum were like all the other groups the Kingdom had fought with. Their leaders were only out for themselves, with no loyalty to others. “So what can you tell us about the changing thing they can do now?”
As Icotix looked and nodded at him, Rogix tried to keep calm. But it was hard. This had stopped being an insurrection and had become an invasion. Since they had been destroyed, they’ve had years to grow their numbers and now they were possessed to take over! He had to get as much from the kid as he could and tell his King. They needed to send people to map out the Devil’s Realm, and find ways to grow! They had found the people of the Engineering section, and they were almost fully enemies.
“They found that art in an abandoned structure in my Realm. It was amazing, it told of how to use the Power. And the recipes were used to heal my people. Another trick the Cult used to take over. The potion was something they made on their own. They need blood from beasts to become a hybrid. And they need the Power to survive the blood potion, anyone without it just dies. And they still lose around fifty percent of those who take it. Plus people nd can only ever use one kind. There was talk about an evolution potion, something to make the other form stronger. But I always thought but most think it's just rumors,” Icotrix explained.
Rogix only looked at the kid and tried to keep calm. The way he described the potions, that was something else to look out for. Anything that might heal a person, was something that gave anyone who had it an advantage. And from the mutterings of his men, they felt the same thing. And that was bad, he had to do something to get their morale back up.
He looked around as his men started to relax and he grimaced. “What are you filth doing!? We’re still in enemy lands people! So let’s get moving! Bryce led the way! Icotrix, how long until we find that sacrificial chamber or whatever they call it?”
Icotrix looked at Rogix and grinned. “Just one more chamber sir, then it’s the one beyond! And they’re starting on the rehearsal to get it right. So we have half an hour or so.”
“Good. So it’s not five minutes, great,” Rogix said as everyone turned towards the other door, Bryce leading the way. He walked slowly, he really needed to think about all of this. The way the kid, Icotrix, talked about the traitor, it bothered him. Whoever this ‘Great One’ was, he had to be a big deal. If he or she was that powerful, then he had to know them. They could be anyone who could order someone around at the messenger stations. And that really was any Noble, Royal, or officer that could command one thousand men.
But who could have helped these scum infiltrate the Scholars? Or had the Scholars been the first group that they burrowed into? If that was the case, then how long they had been doing that was something that they needed to find out. If it was the last twenty years, then it could be anyone around the Kingdom. Any sooner, and the numbers dropped.
At the doors, Bryce had put his right ear to it. He gestured for the others to stay silent then flashed four fingers at Rogix.
Rogix looked at him then he paled and pointed at four of his men. When Bryce nodded Rogix opened his mouth and Bryce nodded again.
Rogix looked at the Icotrix, mimed pushing the door open and he got a nod from him.
He looked back at Bryce who grinned and pointed to the left. Rogix nodded and pointed first at himself, then to the right. At Bryce’s nod, he looked at his men. They had all looked at him and they understood the plan. This would have to be fast and strong, but they could do it.
Holding his axe tighter, he looked at Bryce and nodded. A yellow aura formed around Rogix as Bryce pushed the door open. With a roar, he shot forward lighting a bolt of lightning into the room.
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As Xoltrx laughed, he looked around the room. They were just waiting for the ceremony to start, then they would all get dressed and move to the back. Once it was underway, they would all see the Spawn at last! This would be something that they could tell others about for years! And he had let his men relax, they were in the heart of the base after all. Every group was out there, and he was just the reserve for the reserve. So far, everything has been going great! There were five of his fifteen men singing a song loudly while the others were laughing. Thanks to the runes in this old place, the noise wouldn’t make it to the ritual chamber.
“Sir, are you sure we shouldn’t be on guard?”
Xoltrx only ground as he heard that. He couldn’t believe that his unit was saddled with that one. Every time he and his men were ready to relax, this one wanted to stay on task. The command said they could rest, he wanted to train. He was truly bringing down unit cohesion and he was looking into getting him booted into another unit.
“Look, just sit down! I’ve had enough…..” Xoltrx began only for the door to slam open! Everyone turned and Xoltrx stared at a bolt of lightning that flew right at him. He tried to move but then a dagger hit his leg. He had an instant to wonder how before the electricity hit him. As he stared at his death, he tried to think who had helped kill him.
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Bryce shot into the room and looked around, seeing fourteen people in robes. Five of them, the sources of the voice were in the center of the room. As they all looked at the door, Rogix and the soldiers flew in. One of them turned and ran for the other door that had to lead into the ritual chamber. But before it could make it five feet, Bryce shot its head, and the corpse fell to the ground.
He shot towards the middle of the enemies, firing as he ran. He had already killed two of them before Rogix was suddenly there.
The enemy had started to change, but Rogix killed two of them before they could finish. All of them were insects, and that was good for them.
Bryce just kept running, looking at the door. Getting in front of it he fired at another of the Insects as it tried to get by. He looked at the battle and let his eyes go over it, taking in everything.
As Rogix slammed his axe through the body of another of the Insect Figures, two of them ran at him.
As Bryce readied himself to fight, the defector Icotrix dropped down next to him in his scale form.
Icotrix looked at Bryce and grinned. “Need a hand?”
Before Bryce could say anything, one of the figures screeched and lunged at him.
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Icotrix grappled with the Insect figure who screeched at him.
“TRAITOR!!! HOW DARE YOU disobey the Great Beast!?” The Insect figure howled.
Icotrix only grunted and looked at the Insect and forced down a glare. He hated the fanatics, they were fully in the Cult's pocket. And this one seemed like one of the most brainwashed.
“Can’t be a traitor when you're forced to follow! And tell that Beast if you see it in the next world, I’m coming for all of you!” Icotrix snarled before he opened his mouth. With a bit of the Power, he sent a blast of fire that cooked the Insect’s face. As the corpse fell to the ground, he looked around. He saw Rogix was finishing another one of them when one of them was going for his back.
Without a thought, he lunged forward, his newly formed claws ready. Within the moments it took to reach him, the Insect had pulled back. Dashing into place to block with his scaled arms, Icotrix felt the blow land. But before the Insect could recover from his appearance, Icotrix slashed its throat. As the figure fell, choking on its blood Icotrix jumped to the right as another of the Insects tried to get him.
But then Rogix slammed his axe down and killed the figure in one blow by splitting it in two. As soon as Icotrix landed, Rogix nodded at him before attacking another of them.
Seeing one of the soldiers in danger of dying, Icotrix moved. He charged forward and slashed at the back of the Insect figure menacing the soldier. As the corpse fell, Icotrix looked at the soldier.
“THANKS!” The soldier called out and Icotrix only nodded.
Without a word, he turned towards the battle and saw that almost all of the enemy were dead or dying. He saw one of the Insects look around and then glare right at the back of one of the soldiers. Before the Cultist could even move, Icotrix was between them. With a growl and flames leaving his mouth, he locked eyes with the insect who wimpled and fell back.
“Well done!” Rogix said as he came over. He looked down at the Insect figure and growled at him. “Turn back before I kill you myself!”
“Yes sir!” The figure said as the insect features melted away.
Icotrix looked at the man and scowled as he took in some of the man’s features. It was the blackish green hair that gave the beings identity away, and Icotrix growled as he took a step forward. “YOU!”
“Who is he?” Bryce asked as he came over
“I’ve never seen his face, but that hair! It’s the hair of the scum who went over to their side!” Icotrix growled as the Cultist trembled.
“I’ve got no choice due to my hair but to serve them! I do it to stay alive!” The man babbled.
Icotrix almost took a step when Rogix planted a hand on his shoulder.
Rogix only shook his head when Icotrix looked at him. We don’t kill those who surrender. We’ll leave him here and interrogate him later, let’s keep moving.”