Chapters Fifty-Three
Galactic Calendar 259872/ 2000 [ Sol Year 4387/ Day 152 of 365. Sol standard year]
Days after of Crash landing/ 1
Unknown Island / Unnamed Ruin
Galactic Standard Time / 1930
As soon as the glow had engulfed Ar’thor and the creature, the others had stopped moving Je’ndra had started to worry. This was it, if the plan worked then everything was fine. If not, then they had a hard fight ahead of them. As her eyes went over the false-mites, she tried to keep her cool. Until the prince’s technique was done, all she could do was hope and wait. She was just waiting for anything to happen, and that was when Olv’xic dropped a bomb.
“[Oh spirits],” Olv’xic’s voice had a note of terror in it.
“[What is it]?” Je’ndra asked as she looked around at the creatures.
“[I just checked my armor’s system, and well. I guess those healing trance the lab rats talked about worked after all. We spent over a day unconscious back there by the rocks],” Olv’xic said softly.
As she tried to figure out what he meant, she felt her heart stop beating as she understood. Without a word, her eyes went to her HUD and she called up the time, blinking in horror at what she saw. When they had deployed, they had been given an upgrade to their armor. It was what the eggheads called ‘a healing trance’. It was supposed to heal their wounds, but at the same time slow down their bodies. She thought it was just wishful thinking, but it worked.
There were a lot of problems that this caused, but just as many as it solved. The shield if they could activate it on command would help them. If the next model could keep them semi-active, that could make a big difference. If they could adopt that field to create cover, and one large enough for all of them. Then they would have a way to create a stable ‘tent’ when they rested next.
But the hardest problem was the time they lost to the field. If that was true, then they might have lost more days than they thought. She had to talk to Olv’xic about this, and the field. If he could do what he already had, then there was a chance
“[Rear guard to main team, come in! We’ve got guests coming up behind, a lot of them! We’re falling back, Ro’borlar is sending them gifts. I don’t know how fast they’re coming, but I think we’ve only got minutes at best! Hope the locals are friendly].”
Before Je’ndra could say anything the glow around Ar’thor died away. As he slumped on Kon’gric’s back, the other creatures moved in. A roar from the one Ar’thor had been talking to made the others back off, and Je’ndra felt a spark of hope. That was perfect, that meant the plan had worked, these creatures were capable of thought!
“[It’s okay, everything is fine. Clawbash will let us go to the Ruins. And it’s that passage we need to go down],” Ar’thor said as he pointed to the left.
At his gesture, the leader, Clawbash roared and the other creatures moved away, clearing a path.
At this, Je’ndra felt a smile form, and then she understood the problem before them. “[Wait, wait! The thing with the bow, more of them are coming! We have to warn these people]!”
At Je’ndra’s words, Clawbash reared back before it screeched and the other false-mites reacted. They started to gather around the front and back tunnels. Some of them looked at the group until Clawbash started to chitter.
Ar’thor cocked his head and nodded for a few moments before he whipped around and looked at Je’ndra. “[Tell our people to fall back now! Clawbash ordered his people to close off the
Je’ndra only looked at her prince for a second, before she felt the blood leave her face. “[All three of you, just run! Move as fast as you can, if you can use Aether Dash! The locals here are closing the door! Move like you’re trying to outrun a supernova]!”
<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>
Down the tunnel, Tar’lroia felt her heart freeze. As she moved, her mind went over what she just heard. Suddenly everything made sense. She had been wondering how those beings had been able to survive down here. If those hunters weren’t new, then they might have been fighting the false-mites for a while now. That meant those things had to have something to protect themselves, and a way to block the tunnels was it. And that was even worse for them, if they were stuck out here, between the horde and the wall, they would die. All they needed to do was keep moving faster. “[You heard the news children, double time! Ken’trix, got anything to give those things behind us a special gift]?”
“[Yeah! I’ve been saving a proximity bomb for a while now. Should make a nice boom]!” Ken’tricx’s voice had a hint of glee in it, and that showed how much he was looking forward to it.
For a moment, Tar’lroia felt a grin form on her face. Once those primitives back there found the bomb, maybe they would even pick it up and carry it to their king! Take out the command structure in one blow, and then
“[Don’t! We might need that to get through the doors, and even if we don’t, the sonic boom will hit us]!” Ro’borlar cut in, a tone of manic desperation in his voice.
And that was what made Tar’lroia scared. On every mission, since he joined, nothing made Ro’borlar experience fear. He was always rock solid, he never showed terror no matter what happened. For him to show desperation, meant the idea was beyond bad.
A screech echoed off the walls from behind them, and Tar’lroia heart stopped beating. She looked at the data from the sensors and felt the blood leave her face. “[The Horde reached the third sensor, they’re swarming over it! They’re not even stopping]!”
“[Keep moving! We’re almost there! I can see the opening ahead]!” Ro’borlar barked out.
Looking ahead, Tar’lroia felt relief as soon as she saw what Ro’borlar had. As they were moving, they had made it to the cavern, as soon as they made it through the cave mouth, they would be safe.
As they ran the last twenty feet Tar’lroia saw the signal from the sensors, the horde had reached the second one.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
As they ran into the cavern, the false-mites went to work. They started to shoot a strange brown substance at the tunnel mouth, covering it in a solid mass.
“[Okay, that’s something I’ve never seen before. I mean I’ve seen a lot of things over the years, we all have. But that’s something],” Ken’tricx said, compactly shocked as he looked around at the creatures moving away from them.
<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>
“[Yeah, I know what you mean],” Olv’xic said as he looked at the organic barrier over the tunnel mouth.
And for once, he was being truthful. In his life, he had seen strange things in the wilds of where he had grown up, but this? Most sentient species lost abilities like that when they evolved thought, and to change what they spit on command? That was amazing and it made him wonder just what these things were. There was no doubt in his mind that these creatures were anything but unnatural, none at all.
But all he could do was stay silent for now. They didn’t need the drama that would bring, either how the creatures or the others would react. But that made him rethink a lot of things about the Firstborne ruins, just what they were. If his stray thought was right, then they were going into a very dangerous one. And he very much hoped that what
A screech from the leader, this Clawbash caused him to look up and see Clawbash gesturing. It was pointing towards the only way out the fasle-mites had opened for the party. For a moment he looked at Clawbash, trying to understand the he rapid chitter. The best he could figure was that it wanted them to leave.
“[Great Clawbash thanks us for warning them about the Three-leggers but requests that we leave. It worries that we are the cause for the attack],” Prince Ar’thor’s voice over the comms caused Olv’xic to wonder.
If what this Clawbash implied was true, then that made this place even more deadly. If those things were after the party, then that meant they had a reason. Reason implied thought, and thought meant sapience. If that was true, then there would be no end of danger here. But the Flase-mites already adopted a defensive formation. Most of them were moving towards the opposite opening, Clawbash was alone. It was between them and the group, and other of its kind were near it. That told him everything. After all, what would sentient beings protect above all else?
For a second he wondered if he should speak, if he had the right to say anything. But he kept quiet and looked away. Let the others make their plans without his input, like they said, he didn’t have the right to speak up. All he was to do was live and fight, no matter what notions he had in his head. Sometimes he wondered if he could ever be truly free, if the chains in his mind were too strong to even break.
“[So their showing us the door? Shouldn’t we stay and help them fight]?” Ken’tricx asked as he turned towards the tunnel mouth.
For a moment Olv’xic wanted to think if he should speak up, but then he stayed quiet. As much as his blood called for battle, he knew that he shouldn’t speak. He had been told that his blood was barbaric, one that wanted nothing but bloodshed. He had fought against it all his life, and even in battle, he hadn’t heard its voice much. But still, for it to have come up and spoken here and now!
Clawbash chittered again, gesturing at the tunnel still open. Prince Ar’thor looked at the false-mite for a few seconds before he turned away and looked at the others.
“[Great Clawbash says that our ways of battle are the opposite of these good people. The distance that our weapons need would doom too many of their people for us to help them. He thanks us for our offer but he says we must go],” Ar’thor said wearily.
Olv’xic looked at the Prince as Kon’gric started him toward the way Clawbash had ordered open for them. For a second he stood still as the others moved on, his eyes locked on Clawbash. Clawbash seemed to know someone was watching him and for a second they locked ‘eyes’ with each other. They stayed still for a few moments more before Clawbash raised its right claw and pointed toward the others.
Olv’xic bowed and turned away, not happy but willing to let the creature follow its will. As he walked away, he called up the feed from his sensors. With a heavy heart, he could only watch the feed, showing the horde moving over the last sensor like a tidal wave. All he could do was hope that they would survive.
“[Were you able to get any intelligence from….. Clawbash]?” Je’ndra asked as the team moved through the tunnel mouth, leaving the chamber.
“[Noble Clawbash said that the many-legged sometimes attacked through here. And he called the ruins the ‘Creator’s place’….. that doesn’t sound normal, does it]?” Prince Ar’thor asked softly.
Olv’xic went still as he heard what the beings behind them called the ruins. The connections his mind made, painted a terrible picture. While he tried to figure out what that meant in context, everything clicked together. He felt the blood leave his face as his heart stopped beating as a terrible possibility appeared. All he could do was hope he was wrong, that it didn’t happen like he thought. But somehow, in some way that he couldn’t even understand, he knew it did.
“[All teams, eyes front! I want us near the doors soon! And check your clocks, it seems we lost a day already]!” Je’ndra barked as she led the way.
Olv’xic kept silent as the others reacted to what they found, too concerned with his thoughts. The idea he had, explained everything. He was shocked a little that no one ever thought about it, there was evidence everywhere if one only looked. For a few moments, his mind went dark places, wondering if there was a reason that the theory hadn’t been made.
And then he wondered if the powers that be knew about it and kept quiet only to keep the peace. The religions that formed over the years, the very idea he had would cause some to declare holy war. The chaos that would cause would be terrible, the loss of life alone from them. And that wasn’t even adding in the criminal groups. Not to mention the Nobles that only valued power, and the fringe. Together, they would only cause more chaos. And then he had to wonder if he should keep quiet or tell the others if he was right.
Well if he was right then that would be a problem when they went in. Who knows what this place was for really? If he was wrong, they might die. If he was right, they might die. Just knowing what he figured out made him rethink a lot of things.
But he looked up at Je’ndra as a loud buzz suddenly broke through his thoughts.
<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>
As she looked at her team, Je’ndra sighed and shook her head. She didn’t like to use the buzzer, but it worked most of the time. For now, all they had to do was stay in the moment, they could argue about what happened later.
“[Everything done ladies? Good! I know this is bad, I know this is shocking but keep it together! We need to focus to survive this, you all know that]!” Je’ndra said as she looked around. As they all nodded at her, Je’ndra kept her eyes moving as she looked at her HUD. So far they had been alright, but the worst was ahead.
A Ruin of the Firstborne, the Ancients. A race that lived so long ago that they were seen as gods on many worlds they lived on that had native life. A people who had mastered science and Aether that they might have been gods for the definition of the word. A people that no one knew what they had looked like, as no bodies had ever been found. And their places, the Ruins, were the most deadly in existence. To try and dive into one of them, with a team that wasn’t complete was foolhardy. And do so when they had someone along they had to defend? Madness! Complete madness!
But they had no choice, there was nothing else they could do. but maybe they had a card they could play. Her eyes went to Olv’xic, and she thought about his programming skills. Their people had only gotten a few scraps of coding from downed Firstborne robots. But with his skills, maybe they could get something more this time. Just one robot under their control, that might help them so much. But how could they even try that? Something to think about and ask him. But if they could just find a way to get at the programming, what they could do then?
“[Alright, since I have your attention, let’s move! Ro’borlar, you’re on point! Ken’tricx, you’re next! Tar’lroia, I want you covering the rear! Kon’gric, you're in the middle right behind me and Olv’xic. Got it? Good,]!” Je’ndra barked and within moments they had started to move.
As they traveled deeper into the caves, Je’ndra’s mind went back to what Clawbash called the Ruins. The possibility that opened up was something that she didn’t want to even think about, but if it was true. If it was true they just maybe the Ruin was still active at full power. Teams that went into even low-powered Ruins normally never made it back whole. But if this place had full power, then that meant the threat was beyond anything. But they had no choice, if they wanted to live they had to go down and deep. Pass through the Ruins to try and find a way back to the surface of this strange world.
<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>
As the leader moved past the final strange hard thing, he heard the chatter of his slaves. The far strike holder hadn’t killed another, and that was enough to worry the leader. It had been hoped that the power wouldn’t have a limit of uses, all the easier to take over this underground war. To take out the false-mites and claim their home for its own, would be even better. The ways they guarded, would let the leader range farther than ever, find easier prey and live.
As the leader dreamed of killing others with the power it would take, a screech broke it. Scowling, it looked up and saw that the horde had reached the end of the tunnel. Where the opening would be instead was a yellow screen organic screen. It scowled and snorted as it pushed its way forward through its slaves. So those cowards dared to hide away then?
More proof that they deserved death then. Proper inheritors needed willpower, anger, and wraith. To prowl the tunnels on the hunt! Killing everything they came across, preying on everything! And then when only they alone still lived the horde would then move on to a new land.
To hide like these things did, never sending out hunters, to shy away from battle. That was nothing but the work of prey! To even think that an Inheritor would do so was nothing but shame, nothing but the actions of filth! Those who did so surrendered everything, their power, their lives, their bodies! All those actions did was earn them a painful death.
The leader roared and slashed at the screen, but its claws only sparked off it. It kept slashing for another few minutes before it looked away and huffed. It eyed its Enforcers farther back in and roared again, this time pointing at the screen. As the Enforcers moved to follow its orders, it moved away as the Enforced screeched and started to claw at the screen. Soon they would break through, and then they would find the far striker, and take its power for the Leader’s own!