Korsha crept down the hallway, each step planted with careful precision. The shadows flickered, caught in the ghostly pale flame that writhed in her raised hand. Her eyes darted back and forth, eyeing the shadows. The drumming of her heart pounded in her chest, a relentless signal that she despised.
Even with the witch light, the swirling azure glow did little to fight back the darkness. She could make out only the faintest of details. The dark marble of the titles. The glint of hard metal walls that boxed her in. Yet that hadn't been the purpose of the fire she now wielded.
It wasn't for seeing into this world.
What it did reveal were the thick tendrils of smoke that twisted and slithered across the floor like serpents. Most flowed around her, though every now and then a few wrapped around her leg, pulling themselves up, eager to feast upon the fear that was radiating off her. Their mouthless, eyeless, featureless bodies drawing ever closer. They worked to deepen the trench of horror that was forming within her. Enriching their meal.
Kicking them off only expended a fraction of her power. It was a poor use of her reserves, but the vaedra unnerved her. This was one allowance she would grant herself.
There were other vaedra. Dull crimson orbs that floated through the air like plump grotesque bubbles. They moved through rhythmic undulations that reminded Korsha of slugs. These were strange animistic spirits that lurked on the edge of the veil. Only manifesting when there was food. The sheer amount of them caused Korsha to shiver. The bloody orbs feasted upon pain.
Suffering.
Why any spirit would linger in the material plane, she didn't know, but she hated them all the same. Useless, purposeless things, she thought as she swiped at a particularly fat bubble that came within inches of her face. Her hand passed through and it continued on as though nothing had happened. Her insides trembled with bitter fury. She struck again, this time watching in satisfaction as her power caused the thing to rupture, pouring out its dark oily insides onto the floor. The other orbs spasmed, heading for the spilled remains.
What little use the vaedra had was in determining the strong emotions that lingered. They were emotional vultures. Here to feed on the pain and terror that stained this place. The smoky tendrils had devoured the fear that had permeated this place. That was to be expected in such a situation, but what bothered Korsha more were the orbs.
As she rounded a corner, she could see a faint glow in the distance. She padded forward, her eyes fixed upon the small fist sized shining topaz. Like a dying sun, it struggled to hold back the light. She was nearing her destination. The acrena would be located at the heart of the plant. Partly for ease of access, but primarily for security. That machine spirit was a valuable source of data and information to the wrong people.
She drew closer to the light until she was passing beneath it. Its yellow glow flickered as it stained her gray skin. Korsha stopped dead in her tracks. She'd heard something behind her. It had been faint. She strained to hear, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck rise.
For a long moment, there was nothing. Only she and the serpentine vaedra that were now swarming around her, coiling around her legs and now around her waist. Yet she ignored them, her concentration fully upon the sound she'd heard.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
It sounded like nails tapping against metal. There was a horrid rhythm to them, as if they were produced by some demonic drum. It was slow. Steady. Drawing near.
Icy lightning shot into her gut. Her hand shot out, yanking the lasher free from her hip. She opened her fingers, allowing the whip to fall to the ground as she now white-knuckled its grip.
Silence.
Where had it gone? She waited. Her heart thundered in her ears. Nothing moved. Her blood ran cold as she saw the vaedra that had swarmed her dropping away. They fled down the hall before her, abandoning their feasting.
She spun on her heel, dropping into a low crouch. Just as she had been trained. Her eyes frantically scanned the area, searching for something. Anything. She needed a target. The shadows deepened, swallowing up the light she'd left behind. Her eyes widened as the shadows crept forward, slowing consuming the hallway.
She cursed as she took a step back. She couldn't see the spirit, and she couldn't assume that the spirit filled all of the shadows before her. For all she knew, it might not have sight. Striking might alert it to her presence. Would be real nice to have a partner right now, damn it.
Korsha had a choice. She could either stand her ground, face the spirit, or she could run. This thing thrived in the shadows. She gulped as her terrified imagination saw thousands of hands hovering in the darkness, reaching out for her, serpents hidden in the darkness, ready to strike and pull her in.
She scolded herself. If the spirit had come within her witch light, it would have been revealed. Yet part of her wondered if the spirit could be strong enough to conceal itself even from her witch light. She didn't have time to pull out her lantern, nor did she want to feed more power into the flames.
Taking a deep breath, she fixed the path in her mind. She counted in her head, feet bouncing as she readied herself. She dropped her hand, letting the witch light fade. A hissing shriek erupted from around her. Her fingers shoved their way into her pouch and she grabbed the orb. She flung it down the hall. A moment later, the tether was established, and she was hurled forward.
The force caused her to stumble. She hit her knees; the plating scraping against the floor as her body followed the orb. The sound of metal groaning and tearing filled the hall behind her. It was behind her. The sounds grew louder, more frantic, more furious. It was gaining.
She had to create a barrier between them. Gazing forward, she saw a sign glowing above: Chem Lab.
That would do.
The orb shot into the room. As she entered, she released her hold upon the orb. Sliding on her knees, she reached into her pouch and retrieved two coins. Tethering them to the doors, she flung them. There was a loud screech, and then they slammed shut.
She gasped as a hole within her reserves formed. It was like having a stitch in a lung, but instead, it was in the pit of her stomach. Ignoring the sensation, she yanked her pistol free. She eyed the various containers and warning symbols as she fell back to the opposite side of the room where the seeker now waited.
The acrid air of the abandoned lab caused her nose to burn. She stepped over several dark, oily puddles and tried to not think about who they used to be. The machinery within gave off an eerie hum as it continued its work. Her boots crunch the tiny shards of glass that littered the floor in places. Empty vials and beakers lay strewn about like forgotten toys.
Behind her, the doors screeched. It sounded as though a dozen hands were beating upon them, desperate to get it. She panted, lifting her pistol. Taking deep breaths, she tried to calm herself. The wavering of her pistol told her it wasn't working.
"Calm down faster!" she screamed at herself.
Large gashes formed in the metal. She leveled her pistol at a large container set against the side of the wall. She had to be patient. There was only one shot at getting this right.
The doors caved in, pieces crashing and scraping across the floor. Korsha fired. Missed. Cursed. There was a piercing screech. She fired again.
Boom!
The room split apart as a plume of fire erupted out, a dozen mini-explosions detonating in its wake. The shockwave slammed into her; the force ripping her off her feet and hurling her to the ground.
With lightning speed, she grabbed onto the seeker and willed it to escape the inferno that had engulfed them. Her heart thumped wildly, a scream tearing itself free from her throat as she once more was drug forward.
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The spirit shrieked in rage and horror behind her. Yet the sound grew distant. She'd escaped. This time. She continued to slide across the floor as the seeker shot through the hall. She rolled over, gazing back at the distant fire. Her head sagged as she panted for breath. Adrenaline surged through her, dampening the edges of her vision with blurry darkness. Where was the spirit? The question was cut short as something slammed into her. Her head snapped back. An explosion of pain shot through her head.
The world went black.
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Korsha laid in an endless abyss. A coolness seeped into her cheek, numbing it. The inky darkness whispered echoing chants. Ancestral prayers? She groaned, trying to move, but her body wouldn't respond. She listened to her heart, losing herself in its constant, reliable rhythm.
“Where am I?” she asked, though the words only came out in a garbled slur of spit and half remembered lip movements.
A wave of pain radiated through her body, searing through her now clenched muscles as though she'd been struck with lightning. Her body twisted with agony, a hoarse cry of pain scratched at her throat.
She became aware of the throbbing pain that now racked her skull. Where was she? Her eyes shot open as fear jolted her body as images of devouring shadows and of fire filled her mind. Where was it? Why couldn't she see the world?
Adrenaline flood into her as she forced herself to her side. She fought back tears as the abyss dissolved, its emptiness taking on a metallic quality as hard lines gave it form. Her eyes followed the yellow bands as they raced along the walls and up onto the ceiling. The emblem of the imperial goddess loomed overhead. Six stylized wings flaring out behind her. She was alive.
At least for now.
Korsha smiled as she flopped onto her back, her eyes fixed upon the image of the Dominion's ultimate ruler. She wondered if the ancestors had whispered any prayers to her majesty. Part of her doubted the goddess would care. Korsha may have been one of her servants, but she wasn't a technomancer or a jaegryn. She may have been a binder, but the arcane power that coursed through her flowed from the Betrayer. The forsaken daughter's essence swam through her veins, corrupting her and forever staining her soul.
A cold shiver ran through her body. It numbed her, gnawing away at the sorrow within her. She didn't have time to feel sorry for herself. Instead, she shoved herself up and onto her knees. She clenched her eyes as reached up to the ruby implanted in her chest armor. Her hand hesitated, hovering just over the gem. Despite her reservations she knew that relying on the spirit was the correct choice. Though she was painfully aware that ever use gave it more influence over her.
She couldn't use the standard painkillers, and stimulants afforded to soldiers. The chemicals would interfere with her mind. Activating some portions of her brain while subduing others. It created an artificial balance. One that would skew her ability to perceive the spirits and possibly stop her from using her magic.
With a heavy sigh, she placed her hand on the ruby.
“I grant you purpose.”
The spirit, or Aunaku, as it liked to call itself, burst forth from the gem in a blaze of glorious light. It's burning spidery form, landing upon her chest plate. Warmth flooded into her wherever the spirit's legs touched her. Korsha watched the mesmerizing dance of its fiery body as the spirit stared at her. That one eye, black and soulless, bored into her.
“Fix my wounds.”
The thing's body shifted before it lunged forward. She sucked in a shocked gasp as the spirit entered her, disappearing into her chest plate. It scurried through her ribs and beneath her breastbone. Her body spasmed at the feeling as it crawled up along her spine and into her skull.
It was in her mind now. Its legs flexing and weaving its power. The pain's sharp edge dulled, becoming a burning, then a tingling, before dissipating all together.
The world jolted, and Korsha was now standing upon a mountain. A chilly wind whipping about her. The ground crumbled beneath her foot. Stepping back, she gazed down seeing a sheer cliff face. Below the mountain was stained in a harsh reddish orange glow.
An overwhelming and unknown sadness gripped her, bringing her to her knees. A primal fear filled her. How could this have happened? The feeling coiled in the pit of her stomach, a reaction to the village burning below. One that felt all at once familiar and foreign.
Her mind was overwhelmed, flooded with the intense emotions of bone aching loss that cut her to her core. Sadness poured out of her in. Breaking her. She lost herself to the despair, as if she were watching parts of herself being destroyed in the fire that now consumed the village.
A chorus of screams and the crackle of flames pierced their heart like a knife, and the smell of burning wood and flesh made her want to retch. It was a visceral reaction, a gut-wrenching response to a loss she could not understand. A loss that she only could compare to...
“Get out.” Korsha growled.
The illusion shattered, the cold wind dying mid howl. The cliff shifted, elongated, and became metallic once again as Korsha clawed at her head.
"You are not fixed," Aunaku said, his voice echoing within her mind.
"Get out! Or I will tear you out and use your essence to fuel my suit!"
The thing lingered a second longer before scuttling its way down her spine. It slipped out from her neck, causing her to grunt in discomfort. A sick warmth flooded her mind, replacing the pain she now preferred. The lingering venom of its presence. Without being ordered, the spirit crawled down her chest. A second later, it lost shape as it became a small torrent of flame that shot into the ruby.
“Holy warrior, preservation of radiant might. Cleanser of corruption. Deliver me from my necessary sin. Preserve me in the songs of your power. Bind your wretched servant's spirit to your will. For I and mine are yours forever.”
The prayer poured from her lips. Each syllable perfectly enunciated. The rhythm precise. The Consecration of the Wretched had been driving into her mind over and over. A prayer suited for one like her.
Pushing herself up, she stood. Though she didn't feel any different, she chose to believe that the goddess had at least heard her. Then the chain circlet upon her forehead tightened. The metal digging into her scalp. She winced as the pain made her eyes bulge. A breath later, it relented. She gasped. So to had Aunaku's presence within her mind.
"Thank you." She whispered.
Korsha gazed around the room. It was large and filled with monitoring equipment. Her heart sped up as a smile etched her features. Turning fully around, she saw the power plant's acrena. The pale machine body dangled in the air, suspended from a mechanical arm embedded into its upper back. Long, thick tubes were suspended from a torso. The acrena had two arms, though it the usual fashion, they were cut off at the elbow becoming wires. The machine spirit hung there like a disfigured puppet.
Korsha lifted her hand. A moment later, her omnivice sparked to life. She tapped a series of orders into it. She eyed the display that marked the encryption program's progress. The acrena's body shifted. Slight at first before jolting as if having been yanked from sleep.
Its downcast and hanging head rose. Revealing an elongated head and neck. A jagged, sharp lined symbol etched into the plates of its forehead pulsed. A second later, its four sockets flickered to life.
Korsha eyed the plague above it. The words were written in a dull teal.
Hypierus.
Designation: Martyr.
Died defending against the Kreshar invaders at Point Krown.
Korsha didn't know where Point Krown was during the invasions, but from what little she'd learned about the war, there were no good battlefields. Only good quick deaths.
“How may I serve you?”
Korsha's skin crawled. Every time she heard an acrena speak, she swore she could hear the spirit within speaking. Like a bass beat hidden beneath a swell of treble. The spirit bleeding out from the machine.
“Status report.”
“Spire three sustained structural damage. Repairs are at ninety-three percent. All other spirits are deactivated until the crisis is resolved.”
“Are there any life signs within the perimeter besides my own?”
Hypierus's face shifted, the plates opening slightly, exposing the exoskeleton beneath. It raised its head into the air as though searching the ceiling for answers. Korsha waited in silence, praying that the goddess had been able to intervene.
“Negative.”
Korsha's heart fell. What a senseless waste. Her clenched fists trembled at her sides.
“Tell me about the spirit in spire three.”
“Designation: Karkortus. Classification: shadow binder.”
“I could have guessed that.” Korsha muttered, “Why was he in bound?”
“According to records, Karkortuswas an unregistered mage. He used his abilities to murder sixteen people. Four were officials, and one was an imperial binder killed in the line of duty. He escaped his first imprisonment, but was recaptured and summarily executed. His spirit sent here for penance.”
Korsha nodded. Some part of her expected this. The spirit was far too... familiar. Most spirits, those native to the spirit wild, had a strange alien quality about them. Thinking and seeing in strange ways. They just saw the universe in a fundamentally different way than mortals did. Any time one of those spirits broke free, they fled, choosing to escape rather than spread suffering. That was something almost uniquely bound to those who had lived on this side of the veil.
There were certain exceptions to this, but they were as rare as a blood moon. She had to admit she understood them far better than she did this Karkortus.
Korsha crossed her arms as she thought. She had to figure out how to stop Karkortusand rebind him to spire three. It was the only way to restore power. Checking the time, she saw she only had an hour and a half left. She licked her lips. Why had she been placed in this situation? Certainly a task force would have been better equipped for this. She shook her head. No, my master knows what he's doing. I have to trust his judgement. If he thought I was able to handle this, then I can.
“Tell me, Hyperius, how were the authorities able to capture Karkortus?”
“They burned the house he was in around him.”