Chapter 36
(I’m gonna drill you so hard!)
The party stood stunned as Mediv attended to his business, seemingly more cat than man in that moment. Despite being surrounded by the Naga-zombies, the party members' bodies moved on reflex, dispatching any enemies that approached.
Once finished, Mediv walked to the edge of the large machine he was atop and peered down. To the other party members, it appeared as though he was shaking his head in disgust. Yet to Mediv, it felt like his higher consciousness was reawakening.
He stood and shook his head, attempting to clear the jumbled events from his mind. He brought his hands up to cup his temples as a massive headache quickly formed, his recent memories rapidly clouding over and disappearing.
He remembered the massive machine dropping down on him and his desperate attempt to leap out in time. Now, though, he was standing atop that very machine. He realized he had somehow made it out, but the details felt more like a dream, memories fading away into nothingness.
Abruptly, a message materialized in his vision. It was familiar, in the style he had chosen long ago when he first made the deal offered by the adjudicator. It took the shape of a dark, wavering flag adorned with distant stars strung along a brassy metallic pole. Atop the flag, intensely crimson writing appeared, looking as though it were splattered into words using blood.
You have died. Racial attribute [ 9 Lives ] activated. You now have [ 8 ] lives left. Be more careful next time.
Mediv stared at the message, a mixture of confusion and amazement swirling within his still foggy mind. He had no idea that this race came with such an absurd ability. Pulling up his character sheet, he quickly skimmed through it but found nothing mentioning it.
"It must be a hidden racial ability. Damn, that cursed sword just keeps getting better. I love this new body!" he thought to himself, bringing the sword to his lips and kissing the side of its blade.
Jarow observed as Mediv kissed his sword and then leaped down into the midst of the remaining zombies, swiftly dispatching them as he landed.
"Xinpo, do you have any idea what just happened to Mediv?" Jarow inquired, addressing his long-time sword and companion.
"No, suzerain, I do not. If I were to speculate, I would guess that his new body possesses an ability that either saved him from death or brought him back," Xinpo replied.
"Yeah, he is a cat now, sort-of, and they are said to have nine lives right? Maybe he just used one of those?" Jarow said.
"That theory is as good as any I can come up with, suzerain."
Within minutes, Mediv rejoined the party, his arms carrying his blood-stained clothing and armor. The other party members regarded him with curiosity and amusement, sharing a chuckle as he shrugged and positioned himself behind Jarow since he was the largest person among them, not because he didn’t mind as much being naked next to him.
"Do you think you could do your cleaning flashy thing for me? These are a little squishy at the moment," Mediv asked, nodding towards his clothing.
Jarow considered Mediv's request. He knew that the flash could attract unwanted attention, but he also understood Mediv's urgency to get cleaned up. The party had rested not long ago, so even if he summoned more zombies and robots to them, they should be ready for battle.
"Yeah, just double-check with the others, make sure they are okay with that," Jarow said, glancing down between the Cathan’s legs and smirking.
"Really? Come on, man," Mediv whined. "You can just have your sword ask. If you can't tell, I had kind of a rough time out there. I even think I died… I think. Gimme a break, okay?"
Jarow chuckled. He had already instructed Xinpo to tell the others to close their eyes. "Yeah, I guess. Oh, you should close your eyes now as well."
Mediv's eyes widened as he realized what Jarow meant. He quickly slammed them shut just as the wave of extreme illumination exploded out.
The complete cleanse spell eliminated all contaminants, with dead flesh being one of the most prominent here. Not only was the floor cleaned of bodies and debris once the pulsing light flashed out, but even the remaining zombies caught within the huge area of effect were stunned and reduced to being more skeletal than anything, their rotten flesh removed. Consequently, the party was able to take a quick break before the more distant hordes came swarming to them.
Jarow turned to Mediv. “Welcome to the club,” he said and reached out his arm for Mediv to use as a clothes rack. “Not many of us can die and come back.”
“Thanks?” Mediv said, with a slight air of uncertainty. “Not really a club I was eager to find out if I could join if you know what I mean. I’m still not sure what happened,” he said as he laid his clothing over Jarow’s arm, examining the somewhat flattened armor before he began dressing.
The other party members moved up around Mediv and filled him in on the actions he had taken with the huge robot while he was in the fugue-like feral state, including the rather disturbing show at the end.
Mediv visibly reddened, which was difficult to do through black and gray fur, but once the story was over, he went on to tell them about the hidden racial ability he had just learned of. He felt a little awkward getting dressed while the party circled around him, but according to what they had just said, they had all seen everything he had to offer now, which made the task a little less awkward.
Mediv finished strapping on his studded leather vest as he wrapped up his story. "I saw my armor underneath the thing, so I grabbed it and ran back. I wondered whose blood this was all over my clothes, but since I had been fighting a humongous machine, I had to assume it was mine." He chuckled, though it lacked humor. Glancing around at the rest of the party, he smiled crookedly. "Let's not make a habit of having me do that, okay?"
The zombie hordes had not stopped completely; they were indeed moving back towards them. The ones nearest them were barely more than skeletons.
While they all knew the vast range covered by Complete Cleanse, they also knew it wouldn't be long before "fresh" zombies arrived. The term "fresh" being used extremely loosely in the case of zombies. Everything in the room would have most likely noticed the ability causing the room brightening flashes of power which had come from their location.
“Do we have any better plan in case another one of those pounders come along?” Jarow asked as they begrudgingly moved back into their familiar fighting position.
Isilandra, the designated team coordinator, shook her head. “I haven’t come up with one yet. Mediv’s blade is the only thing that seemed to work decently.”
Mediv cursed under his breath.
“Then we need to use Mediv’s power in a way that doesn’t end up with him being dead… again,” Suhry said awkwardly.
“I second that!” Mediv said a little too quickly and much too loudly.
The team took out the Naga-zombies surrounding them with little effort.
“If he got on top first, wouldn’t that work better?” Grolluk asked after a few moments of mindlessly swinging his morningstar and sending the fragile snake bones scattering in all directions.
“I highly doubt there is going to be a zombie riding on top of that type of machine in which Jarow could use to switch places with Mediv,” Suhry said sarcastically.
The thought was somewhat absurd, but did give Jarow an idea. He mentally asked, "Xinpo, can I use your Passe-partout with other people, like we did with Noruff? I mean, it's different now, but would that still work?"
Instead of receiving an answer, Jarow felt the familiar itch begin on the back of his neck. Ignoring it, he let Xinpo ponder the question he'd posed. With zombies closing in, Jarow's focus was on defense; the itchiness had long ceased to bother him, so he dispatched the enemies with ease.
Jarow noticed that the bones of the slain zombies formed a set of rings around him, the smaller bones had been propelled away by his aura, leaving a smaller inner circle of larger bones and a larger outer circle of scattered small bones and debris.
The party had remained in their current position due to its strategic advantages: they had the wall at their backs and could still see the now-dead pounder machine, serving as a landmark. After Jarow cast Complete Cleanse, they anticipated that enemies further away, unaffected by the spell's light, would be drawn in. Therefore, maintaining their position seemed the wisest strategy, providing both defense and a known location.
Jarow heard Xinpo's reply to his question after only a few more moments. "Yes, you can use my Passe-partout with other people. However, it will be extremely difficult to do during melee. It can still function as a portal, like the way I did to bring us to this world, which would be the best way to move multiple beings. But attempting a short teleport with multiple people would most likely end up with separate endpoints, resulting in several different scenarios, including only a partial arrival of one of the beings."
“So you are saying only one half of me could arrive in one location, while the other half went to another?” Jarow asked, his concern evident.
“Yes, or it could be some other fraction. Perhaps your left leg would arrive separately, or just your head. The technical mechanics of attempting a teleport with an unsteady endpoint with multiple people are difficult to calculate. That is why I do not think it would be wise, suzerain,” Xinpo replied in his deadpan voice, without a hint of humor.
“Yeah, when you put it that way, I can see how that would be difficult indeed,” Jarow replied in his head to Xinpo. Then he called out to the others, “Xinpo says that would be a bad thing, I can’t really teleport someone else to the top of a moving target. Sorry, I was trying to come up with something better.”
“Thanks for telling us; that’s useful information at least,” Isilandra spoke back to him, distracted by enemies of her own.
They continued swatting down the zombies as the horde continued to advance. The undead posed little threat to the party as long as their numbers were controlled. With how easily they were dispatched, not even Suhry was bothering to use her magic on them anymore. Instead, she swung her staff around like a club, bludgeoning them to death, mirroring her wife's actions.
“Why not lend Jarow your sword then?” Grolluk suggested to Mediv as the rogue tumbled up near him, delivering a swift kick to a zombie attempting to rake the Orc’s left arm.
“What would I use then?” Mediv retorted sarcastically. But as he said that, another idea dawned on him. “Actually, big guy, you may have had a good idea after all!”
It was at that moment that the team felt a large thud and the ground shook beneath their feet.
Mediv rolled back and approached Jarow. "Big and smelly gave me an idea," he said as he rose from his tumble. "I can't give you my sword, but I bet I can use my ability on yours."
Jarow turned around to see Mediv's furry face split wide with a grin. His sharp fangs seemed to glow in the dim illumination, and Jarow suspected the shimmer from his own body was reflecting off the man's teeth, enhancing its menacing yet pleased expression.
"That would work, right?" Isilandra asked from nearby, overhearing the idea Mediv posed.
Mediv continued to smile up at Jarow, who looked back down at the Cathan. They had been intimate only a few nights past. Due to his new body, there was some tension between them, and Jarow was unsure if Mediv would ever be interested in being with him while he was in this body. However, the intriguing and even slightly seductive smile Mediv now gave Jarow sent tingles up his spine.
"Yeah, as long as you can apply your ability to Xinpo, then I should be able to tear any machine apart," Jarow said, returning a similar smile back to Mediv as best he could without seeming too overtly interested in something other than Mediv’s idea.
“It sounds like we have the next plan then,” Isilandra said from where she swung her staff into the head of an almost fleshless zombie. The staff hit with a hollow thud and its bones went flying while the majority of the body slumped to the ground with a strange rattle, like bones being shaken in a jar.
Several minutes passed, and the party could feel the ground shaking beneath their feet well before they could actually hear the next machine moving towards them. The rhythm of the movement was different from what they had experienced before. This new threat was either not a pounder or it was moving with an alternate pattern than the last one used.
"Gah! I wish the damn thing would hurry up and get here already; the anticipation is killing me!" Mediv yelled in between slicing through yet more Naga-zombies.
"This unending barrage of useless minions is tedious; I do agree," Suhry said in response to Mediv's cry.
"I'm tired of killing these dead snakes too," Grolluk added.
"Just be glad there are more zombies than robots," Isilandra said as she spun in a circle with her staff. The head of it landed with a wet crunch as it impacted the torso of the zombie she was engaged with. "We'd be in real trouble if an army of the machine-type enemies decided to come after us."
They couldn't dispute her reasoning. While they had thus far found a way to defeat the machine-based enemies they encountered, if those were to arrive in greater numbers, they would be hard-pressed to win. Even the controllers or knights, which Jarow easily dispatched with his Molecular Fusion, would become formidable opponents if there were more than a few at a time.
As they spoke and the ground continued to shake with each concussive movement of whatever new type of robot was venturing their way, the party failed to notice a different vibration from behind them.
They had kept in a loose formation since they were almost continually fighting the Naga-zombies in order to keep the remains from building up and causing threats to their footing, but they had also spread out, not fearing the slow-moving and easily disposed-of creatures.
While battling the horde, they maintained their backs against the wall, the one direction they didn't have to defend. Thus, when the wall suddenly crumbled, they were all completely caught off guard.
Before any of them could react, a gaping hole tore open in the wall directly behind them. A massive spinning drill burst through the rock, its head emerging from the newly formed cavity, leaving behind a gaping hole. The large drill head then split into four smaller drills, accompanied by a new type of machine-like enemy. Resembling a controller but with multiple appendages flailing about, each armed with a spinning drill bit at the end.
The party turned as one, witnessing the drill arms thrashing about like angry serpents, each deadly tip whirring with lethal speed as they ominously advanced towards their position.
"Well, shit," Mediv dryly remarked, swiftly tumbling backward to evade the spinning drill, which crashed into the ground where he had just been standing, sending a cascade of rocky debris into the air.
The rest of the party members moved similarly, but in doing so, they separated even further from one another.
This new robot still had the long neck and eye bulb at the top of the torso, similar to the controllers, which it extended upward once it was free of the tunnel it had created. The difference being that the torso sat horizontally on this model, unlike the other mid-range machines they had dealt with, whose torsos sat vertically. Another difference was that it only had two large armored ‘feet’, which, rather than moving like legs, rolled forward on large triangular tracks. This machine was obviously designed to dig and tunnel, making spaces large enough for it and whatever other machines might follow.
And indeed, something did follow. After clearing the tunnel and making a path through the debris from the wall, the party watched as a typical controller stepped through. They could also see the deep red glow behind the controller and knew the exact scenario they had just been discussing: one where the machines came at them in numbers had just occurred.
"Get to Grolluk!" came Isilandra’s voice over the now growing din of noise coming from the machines quickly exiting the tunnel.
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Grolluk had been standing farthest from the wall and more central than the others, so it made sense to move to his location. However, this left them without a wall to keep to their backs. Jarow decided that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, since they had just been tricked by the wall they were using for defense.
Jarow had been fighting closest to the wall, with Mediv on the far side of the semi-circle they had been maintaining. The two women had flanked Grolluk in the more central position as they fought to keep the tide of zombies at bay. This meant that he and Mediv were the farthest apart and would have the farthest to move.
Jarow didn't worry about Mediv, though. The dexterous tiger-hybrid could dive in between the zombies with ease and was probably already halfway to Grolluk by now.
Jarow felt that getting to his teammates wouldn't be difficult for him either, but he hesitated, trying to think of a plan to stem the machines emerging from the tunnel, each subsequent enemy posing an increasing danger.
What made things a little more difficult for Jarow was that it seemed the first long-armed drill-hand robot, which had bored the hole, was now moving directly toward him.
Without warning, one of the long arms shot out towards Jarow, extending far beyond the reach of the other arms. Jarow instinctively brought up both swords, holding them horizontally in front of him. The drill bit hit directly in the center, between the two blades with a rasping clang, the spinning tip stopping mere centimeters from Jarow’s chest.
With a surge of strength, he pushed it back, and the arm withdrew. Luckily, it seemed he was at the farthest extent of the long extendable arm's reach. However, the machine was steadily plodding towards him, so he knew he would be within reach of all the arms within seconds.
With a large push upward from his legs, Jarow jumped up and back. He extended his wings at the apex of the jump and flapped hard. It felt strange to him; this being one of the few times he had the chance to use the muscles that controlled his huge wings. He could feel the muscles and tendons flex and pull as he flapped, but they still felt somewhat alien to him. He had wanted to test his wings, to see what kind of flight or gliding he could accomplish, but he hadn't had any free time to do so, and the results were obvious.
He didn't have much control yet either, although he wouldn’t admit that, especially after landing so fluidly the day before.
Unfortunately, this wasn't a good time to test his wings either, but he didn’t really have a choice. He flapped with all his might and gained a few more feet of altitude from his effort, but the repetitive movement quickly went lopsided as did Jarow's body. Rather than being able to take another flap and move himself away, Jarow's wings beat out of rhythm and his body careened sideways.
He landed with a squelch. There were two Naga-zombies located right where he landed, and his bulk easily pressed them into a wet pile of rotten flesh and hollow bones. At first, Jarow was glad for the softish landing, but when he tried to right himself and move, he found out just how slippery the decayed viscera could be.
The gooey pile proved not only slippery but also quickly spread over his body. Jarow became covered in the black blood and gore of the two zombies he had smashed, hindering his movement as he struggled to gain traction. Before he could fully extricate himself, Jarow felt the hot sting of the machine's drill penetrate his waist. Although the strike was glancing, it tore a large chunk of flesh from his hip, exposing bone.
The intense pain shot through Jarow's body, igniting his entire left side with its fiery intensity. Instinctively, he cast his singular healing spell, and silvery liquid-light sprang from his fingertips, swiftly sinking into his injured flesh.
Despite his heightened Charisma in this new body, the Minor Heal spell only managed to heal a handful of hit points. Jarow watched as his red HP bar barely budged, the spell doing little to alleviate the damage. Though the hit had only taken about a tenth of his hit points, Jarow's mind, unaccustomed to such injuries, screamed that the damage was far worse than it truly was.
He glanced at the small avatar of himself in the top right corner of his user interface. It showed his left hip area now bathed in red, but there were no actual messages or status effects visible below the icon. This did little to alleviate Jarow's stunned brain.
Then out of the corner of his eye, the glint of metal reached a place deep inside Jarow that had seldom, if ever, been accessed before. Without thought, working on reflex, Jarow levered himself up and spun his body to the right just before the drill hammered down again. It was aiming for the same spot where he had just been lying. Unfortunately, since he was still unused to the new dimensions of his body, namely the wings sprouting from his back, the drill bit punctured through the large white feathers of his left wing.
Once again, pain radiated through his body. It began in his left wing, then traveled up his back and into his brain. It was a strange sensation, but he didn't have the wherewithal to contemplate it at the moment.
Once the drill pulled free from his wing, Jarow rolled once again. He bumped into another zombie, who reached down and raked his exposed arm. The scratch barely registered as Jarow's mind was much too focused on the larger wounds he had sustained.
The puncture to his wing had taken off about the same amount of HP as the blow to his hip. The avatar in his user interface now showed his left wing and left hip in flashing red light. A small word appeared in the status box below the avatar: "Grounded".
Jarow feared what would happen if he stopped moving, so he used the body of the zombie to his advantage. He reached up and grabbed something on the zombie, something not quite solid, with his left arm, and with his right, pushed against the floor, pulling himself upward quickly. In the process, the zombie was pulled down, then pushed to the ground, where Jarow stepped on its head as he lunged away from the next incoming drill arm.
He could hear the sound of metal clashing against the rock as he dodged and ran at an angle to the machine coming after him. His goal was to make it to the rest of his party so they could assist him in dealing with this drill-machine enemy.
Jarow limped as quickly as he could, dodging both through zombies and to avoid the drill arms, which on more than one occasion soared past his head, only missing him by inches.
After several tense moments, Jarow finally caught sight of his teammates. He shoved a zombie to the ground, feeling one of its arms latch onto his leg as he struggled to pass.
Once free of the claw, he noticed the rest of the party engaged in combat with multiple controllers, while a horde of zombies started to converge on them from behind.
"This isn't good," he thought to himself.
"I believe you need to start casting your spells, suzerain," Xinpo replied. "Your abilities seem to be the best to deal with these robotic enemies."
If Jarow wasn't in the middle of fleeing for his life, dodging the drill-machine that was chasing after him, while his party battled controllers in front of him, and being surrounded by Naga-zombies, he would have slapped his forehead as a sign of how ignorant he found himself. "What a dumbass I am," he thought.
In quick succession, Jarow cast Spatial Exchange on the machine following him, sending it as far away as he could, exchanging its location with a zombie at the edge of the power's reach. Next, he activated Molecular Fusion on the centermost controller, causing its molecules to intermix with those of the flesh of one of the zombies behind the group.
The affected controller glowed brown for a second, then began to wobble as its now fleshy body could no longer handle the weight. It hit the ground with a hollow thud as all of its legs gave way and the torso landed hard against the stone.
"The use of the power gave the team a little leeway. Jarow moved closer by sweeping through the zombies between him and the party. His Molecular Fusion and Spatial Exchange powers each had a 30-second cooldown, so he used the remaining time to clear the area of the zombies within his reach.
Isilandra was quick to heal Jarow as soon as he entered the area of her abilities. She was still focused on keeping the zombies away, but sent her silvery healing powers into him as soon as Jarow arrived.
The healing always tickled Jarow, but it was definitely a good tickle. He quickly felt the pain recede from his wing and hip. The status effect cleared from under his avatar, and he was able to stand fully upright once again.
"Thanks," he told the beautiful elf as he drew nearer and took his position at her back.
"No problem," she smiled back at him."
"Jarow's heart skipped a beat at her smile. He found her truly irresistible and would have liked to sweep her off her feet right there, but he knew she had a wife. Besides, they were in mortal peril at the moment, which made flying away with her seem a little unfeasible.
The indicator that Jarow's powers were usable again glowed, so he turned and directed them towards another set of controllers, since the drill-type monster moved slowly and was still well out of reach.
He didn't pay much attention as he cast, only turning his head for a second to choose which machine he would apply Molecular Fusion to. Once the powers were activated, he spun his head back to look again at Isilandra. In the distance he heard the thud of the controller hitting the floor.
He had hoped to see Isilandra still smiling at him, but she had turned away and was bringing her staff up to block the claws of another Naga-zombie."
“Damn,” he cursed at himself for his wandering thoughts.
"You may want to keep your mind focused on your surroundings, suzerain," Xinpo's voice rang in his head. "Even though you may be able to return from death, I doubt that she would be able to. So if you are going to obsess over her, the best way to do so would be to keep her alive."
Xinpo was right. Jarow didn't know why he kept drifting off into these romantic fantasies lately. This was a very inappropriate time for such things. Yet, with both Mediv and Isilandra, he found himself daydreaming and wanting to escape his current situation to be with them.
“Do you think it’s this body that is so… horny?” Jarow asked Xinpo.
“I am unsure of your sexual inclinations or desires, suzerain,” Xinpo replied, “but I have noticed your thoughts wandering to such things more frequently since your encounter with Mediv. It may certainly be this body influencing your thoughts as well, though.”
Jarow was disturbed by that idea. He wondered if losing his virginity had really changed his mind so much. Thinking back, his original body was that of a teenage boy, a crippled teenage boy at that. He was almost positive he'd never experienced anything sexual before. "Has this experience awakened some kind of latent hormonal explosion?" he wondered to himself.
Jarow caught himself losing track of his thoughts again, realizing he could once again use Molecular Fusion. He was about to activate the power when he saw a glint of metal amidst the zombies. It was the drill robot returning.
With the arrival of the new enemy, Jarow felt torn. While he knew his power was effective against controllers, he also realized that using it on the drill machine might prove more advantageous in the current situation. However, he hesitated, fearing that the machine might resist his ability, similar to what the pounder had done. If that were the case, he'd be wasting his power, and they'd have to endure both the drill machine and the remaining controllers for an additional thirty seconds until his ability recharged.
Jarow didn't dare risk wasting his power, so he turned to use Molecular Fusion on another controller. However, what he saw made a smile grow on his face. Mediv, with his sword now edged in orange, was slicing through the last three controllers like they were nothing more than large ice sculptures.
Jarow chuckled as one of the controllers lost a leg and began to topple over. Seeing that Mediv had the controllers well-handled, he returned his gaze to the drill machine heading his way.
Before activating Molecular Fusion, he took a second to use Identify.
Z=K1-LLRT (0MAD0) Tunneller: this machine has long extendable appendages with drill attachments which it uses for fighting. When the appendages are combined, the tunneller can quickly dig through hard substances. Avoid confrontation when possible.
Resistant to: Fire\Earth - Weak to: Water\Electricity
"Wait, what? Why haven’t I been doing this to all the monsters we’ve been encountering?" Jarow wondered. He had hoped to merely learn its name, but all the additional information, especially the resistances, could be invaluable.
Xinpo replied sarcastically, “I have wondered that myself, suzerain.”
Jarow had never heard sarcasm from his sword companion before, so he snorted loudly. “Sorry, bud. I’ll definitely put more effort into doing so from now on,” Jarow spoke out loud, causing the others to quickly glance his way.
Then, he activated Molecular Fusion on the quickly incoming tunneler. The light brown glow encompassed the machine for a second as Jarow used the flesh of a zombie near it for the exchange.
Jarow watched intently as the large tracks supporting the robot's weight became flexible and tore away from the gears that propelled it. The machine pitched forward, its once-limber arms now hanging lifelessly as the extendable parts transformed into gray flesh, unable to sustain the weight of the heavy drills at their ends.
With a crushing force, the torso descended, pulverizing several zombies underneath, before sliding forward several more feet propelled by the still-turning gears. Finally, it came to a halt. The eye bulb, once filled with a dark red glow, now flickered aimlessly until it settled on Jarow. For a fleeting moment, he almost felt a pang of pity for the pathetic creature.
In that instance, the machine, once a cold construct of metal and rigidity, had undergone a profound transformation, experiencing the fragility and mortality of flesh. Jarow wondered whether these constructs possessed any semblance of consciousness. If so, this one’s thoughts must be filled with confusion and fear due to its newfound state of fleshiness.
As Jarow saw the light in the machine's eye bulb dim and finally vanish, a level up notification popped into view, but he brushed it aside, moving it to a spot where he could look at it later. There was no time for distractions at the moment, not with the relentless horde of zombies still surrounding them.
Behind him, Mediv's triumphant shout announced the defeat of the last of the controllers which had come through the tunnel. With a satisfying metallic crash, the threat was neutralized. "That's that," Mediv exclaimed, his voice filled with pride.
Isilandra quickly guided them to a new spot along the wall, further down to avoid another surprise attack. They moved cautiously, battling through the sea of zombies as they made their way along, finally able to keep their backs once again along the wall.
The machine that originally caught their attention, shaking the ground with what they assumed were footsteps similar to the pounder’s (which they had fought earlier), had not ceased during their battle with the driller and controllers. Now, as they moved down the side of the wall, the sound accompanying the vibrations in the ground became more pronounced.
Alongside the incredibly low bass boom that swept over them in waves, they caught a small glimpse of something shiny in the distance. It was too far away to discern any detail yet, but even in the dim light of this vast underground area, they could see something flickering with radiance, beaming and reflecting light in all directions.
Minutes passed as the team continued to fight and inch their way along the wall, hoping to find a corner or somewhere more defensible. They had considered retracing their steps since it was in the opposite direction as the huge machine was traveling, However, the quest was for Jarow to find some unknown object, indicating a high probability that it would be guarded by the biggest and baddest machine here, so retreating would be counterproductive.
"Do we have any new strategies yet?" Mediv asked as they moved along.
"Not really, at least not for anything that large," Isilandra answered him.
"I think you guys should be ready to leave once we get close. This is for me to accomplish. You've gotten me this far, and like last time, the end will probably be up to me alone," Jarow explained.
The party went silent at Jarow's statement. Their opinions seemed mixed.
Jarow thought Suhry wouldn't mind leaving him alone, but Mediv and Isilandra would likely want to stay. Grolluk craved a fight against a powerful opponent, so he might want to join in. However, Jarow was fairly certain the Orc would follow the others if they left.
Of course, these were just his speculations. But he had gotten to know them well, and felt relatively confident about their choices.
They continued their bloody march as the huge machine slowly lumbered into view. Isilandra called a halt, stating, "This place is as good as any. Let's clear as many zombies out while we wait for the big enemy to arrive."
Jarow remained silent, he desperately wanted his friends to stay here with him, but at the same time wanted to create a portal for them to leave, so that they would be safe. But as he gazed at the towering figure approaching them, and felt the ground tremble from its stomps, his courage faltered and he wavered in his decision.
Finally, Grolluk spoke up. "We're not going to leave, are we?"
Everyone looked at Isilandra. She was their team leader, and they would follow her lead. Her face turned pink, and she stared at the ground. A wave of vibration passed through the floor at their feet, and she looked up to see the gigantic robot moving towards them. If she didn't know it was mobile, she would have mistaken the thing for a skyscraper. Devoid of any humanoid qualities that she could see, it was just metal and gears. She could feel herself trembling, and couldn't imagine how any of them would survive, let alone defeat something that large.
"You can create a portal for us to leave, right Jarow?" she finally spoke in a high-pitched yet quiet voice.
The question struck Jarow in the heart. This is what he had offered and ultimately wanted, but to have this woman, someone he admired and thought would stand by him until the end, ask if he could move her to safety, caused a pain like nothing he had ever felt before. It tore at him like an icicle through his heart.
"Yeah," he said quietly, his head involuntarily dropping to stare at the floor.
"Seriously? We're going to leave him here to fight that thing alone?" Mediv all but yelled.
"It's best this way," Jarow said softly.
"This is his quest, it's meant for him. If we stay we will more than likely be in the way and probably die. If he dies, he will return. If we die, then he loses us forever. Don't you get it Mediv? He is doing this for us." Isilandra said as her tears splashed on the ground near her feet.
Jarow knew Isilandra was right. That was exactly his motivation for suggesting the portal earlier. But hearing her voice it out, knowing she understood his internal conflict, and yet hating that he wanted them to stay: created a brutal war within him.
He glanced down at Xinpo, his gaze drawn to the pommel. The black and white halves battled with each other, yet maintained a symmetrical harmony. The jagged points dug sharply into the opposing color, a reminder of violence held in check by balance. In that moment, Jarow felt very similar to that very pommel, his very soul divided between a fierce desire to keep his friends close, but also to keep them safe.
"Jarow, I understand," Isilandra said softly. "If you want us to fight by your side, we will."
Jarow's internal struggle raged for a few more agonizing seconds. Then, a horrifying vision flashed across his mind’s eye of his friends lying lifeless in a pool of their own blood, their bodies torn and their eyes filling with the same gray nothingness as the rest of the zombies before they too began to rise up.
That image, stark and brutal, hinting at what their future could hold if staying here with him, finally tipped the scales. It was the push he needed to silence his doubts and make the difficult choice.
They could and almost would certainly die if they stayed with him. He would come back, but they would be gone forever. He needed their support, but he wouldn’t get that if they were dead. He wouldn’t be able to continue on if that happened. He needed them to live more than he needed their companionship through this trial. He loved them enough to let them go.
"Yeah, you're right," Jarow answered with a strained smile that didn't reach his eyes. "You guys need to be safe for me to go on. Seeing Mediv die..." He paused, the weight of the memory heavy on him. "...was enough. He might have a few lives left in him, but the rest of you don't, and I can't have you dying on me just yet." He looked at each of them as he spoke. Even Suhry looked as though she understood what he was saying and was glad to hear the respect and love in his voice.
"So get outta here," Jarow said, a true smile threatening to break through. He activated Passe-partout and stabbed Xinpo at the wall, but rather than sinking in, the tip stopped upon the rock.
"Uh, suzerain," Xinpo said. "I need an end point unless you want them to just be sent to a random destination."
Jarow stared at the tip of his blade stuck in the rock, but no portal opened. "The Inn, the place we all met, that's the destination. I figured you would deduce that." he said in his mind.
"I am sorry, suzerain, but that end point is not in alignment at the moment."
"What? Then where are they supposed to go?"
"That is the information I need from you suzerain."
"Something the matter?" Suhry asked, a hint of mockery in her voice.
“Ugh… It seems the planet we’ve been staying on isn’t reachable at the moment.” Jarow muttered, rubbing his head in sheepish frustration. “You guys don’t happen to know of anywhere else safe you’d like to go, do you?”
A chuckle rippled through the group, even coaxing a short snort from Grolluk, who seemed just as conflicted by the situation as Jarow.
The surrounding zombies shuffled even slower now, each tremor of the ground sending them flopping like ragdolls. They barely had time to right themselves before the next wave hit, creating a comical, albeit morbid, scene. The constant tripping thankfully kept them from being much of a threat.
"Just send us someplace you can reach," Suhry finally said. "I can get us back to the Inn later if that's the plan. Just promise us we won't arrive dead."
Jarow chuckled a bit at her phrasing. Sending a mental query to Xinpo, he thought, "Think you can handle that?"
"Yes, suzerain," Xinpo responded.
Jarow turned back to the wall and watched as a small golden ring materialized around Xinpo's tip. The ring rapidly expanded, engulfing the wall in a swirling darkness. This portal lacked color or substance, a void framed in gold.
They each hesitated, their gazes fixed on the pool of black. "Xinpo, is that portal safe?" Jarow queried mentally before they dared to step through.
"Wait for it..." Xinpo returned, his voice tinged with concentration. "There!"
As Xinpo finished speaking, the portal pulsed with a faint hum and expanded outward even farther, gaining enough circumference to easily fit his large frame through, let alone the other party members.
From the ring of gold still surrounding the portal opening, a cascade of illuminated rain began to pour, or at least that’s what it looked like. The light fell from all directions, converging on the center of the portal where it vanished, giving the portal opening a feeling of extending far through the darkness. The black then morphed into a swirling vortex of amber, rose, and ash, which looked like a dying sunset caught in a storm.
The portal still didn’t appear very appealing, not like the golden sunny day and white puffy clouds which had been the backdrop for the portal they had used to travel here, but compared to the void it had just shown, this new vision seemed completely hospitable.
One by one, the party members said their goodbyes and good lucks to Jarow before stepping through the portal. Isilandra gave him a hug and tender kiss on his cheek. Grolluk hugged him as well, but it was more crushing than tender.
Suhry shivered, but smiled, and told him, “I hope you die. This body of yours makes me feel like puking. But make sure and come back as something strong.”
Jarow could tell she meant it as a serious threat, but she also understood his true nature, so in her strange and accurate way she hoped for his continued life, but only after he died again and returned in a new strong body. It was actually very touching in a convoluted and messed up way.
Mediv was the last to leave. He stopped in front of Jarow. “I can stay, I can still die and return, like you. You may need my help.”
Jarow smiled and clasped Mediv’s hand while laying his other hand on his shoulder. He looked down at the Cathan with large emotionally filled eyes, exposing his heart for Mediv to see. “Thanks Mediv, but I will be better off knowing you are safe with the others. Make sure they get back safe, ok? I will hopefully rejoin you shortly, and maybe we can have another dance.”
Mediv looked up into Jarow’s eyes and stared for a moment. His emotions raged behind his eyes and the tension as well as the desire were present for Jarow to see.
“Fuck it.” he finally said and brought his arms up to Jarow’s neck. He pulled Jarow down as he rose up on his tippy toes. Their lips met in the middle.
The kiss was soft and gentle, but filled with love and longing. They clung to each other for a moment, savoring the feeling of being together, but knowing the feeling, the moment here and now, would never be the same; that Jarow, if and or when he returned, would most likely be in yet another body. The chaos of his existence making any long term relationship with him chaotic at best.
Before they were ready to finish, Xinpo's voice rang out in their minds. "The portal is about to close! You need to go through Mediv!"
Mediv reluctantly pulled away from Jarow. "Come back to me," he said, his voice thick with emotion, a catch in his throat heard as he choked back his own tears. Then he stepped backward through the portal.
The portal quickly turned back to the void substance it had started out as, once Mediv was through. Then it rapidly shrank until it was no longer there. The wall it was attached to remained unchanged from the portal’s existence, nothing lingering behind or telling of how he had just let go of the people who supported him, the people he cared the most for.
“I will come back, I promise. Jarow said under his breath once he felt Mediv and the others were finally gone.