Princess Arneiarel’ishmarkonen or Arnei for short was at a low smoulder currently. Not only had her passion project of the past century been handed over to a spiteful and vastly incompetent bitch to handle. But she’d been sent on some petty excuse of a temporary exile in the guise of diplomatic relations.
The worst part was that she couldn’t see a reason for it for the life of her that would warrant it. Especially since it was a diplomatic mission with the humans of all races in the galaxy. She knew the chaotic simians meant well but there was a reason that only the most patient of Vetustissima were sent on these missions, which she pointedly wasn’t, at least not enough to warrant such a posting.
Though her current mental state left her in a perfect place mentally to uphold the protocol regarding interaction with humans. They knew what they did and until that slight had been apologized for their attitude would remain. Cold and professional always keeping them at a slight social distance as protocol dictated.
Twenty one century of life and she’d likely met one human and that was maybe for five minutes when she was about five centuries old and the interaction had been a strange exchange of friendly smiles and nods. Humans were weird that way.
She huffed to herself and then angrily glared at the human making a strange facial expression next to her. Again displaying their strangeness their tendency to express themselves through much more open facial expressions instead of tone and inflection like the Vetustissima did. The woman sitting next to her was currently slightly rosy faced and her mouth was like she was trying for a thin line, a smile and puckering up her lips all at once. The occasional glance at Arnei also wasn’t helping.
Narrowing her eyes she spoke in a distinct manner to the woman next to her, cold and almost hostile. “I do hope you aren’t about to cause another incident Lieutenant?” Her question causing the lieutenant to instantly pale and she fixed her expression right quick.
With that minor verbal victory under her belt to lift her mood Arnei turned over to look at the man sitting opposite her. Where the Lieutenant was a tall and fit example of a human of their Latin species variety giving her a healthy tan that contrasting nicely with the pitch black hair the woman sported, this man was almost the opposite.
Thin, wiry almost to the point of looking malnourished and while sharing the same hair colour as the woman his skin was pale and his face gaunt. Where the woman was fit this man was built taller, broader and stronger than their baseline. What humans had named a Knight variant.
While the Lieutenant was dressed according to her military status the man before her was dressed almost regally. A grey pair of dress pants with black dress shoes, a white dress shirt, black waistcoat with a jacket over it all closed off with a tasteful tie and a frock coat.
“So… your Highness…” The man began pausing slightly as he seemed to wish to show proper respect without trying to say her name. “Did you get briefed on your mission out here on the fringe of the eastern frontier?” He asked tentatively.
As a response Arnei simply shook her head. A response that caused the well dressed man to sigh slightly before he turned to his side to a well made leather satchel bag and he pulled out a thick folder alongside two tablets, one of which he handed over to her.
“I am a knight’s squire of house Augustdall and I’m afraid we are requesting for your rather… considerable psionic talent for aid in this mission.” He started and it was clear he caught the slight widening of her eyes in surprise. Humans didn’t much tolerate psionics mostly due to the races highly defensive nature of the supposed sanctity of their own inner minds. (Like she could read that.)
“My Lords first-born son was kidnapped by a cult calling themselves the Angels of the Ancient or the AoA for short. The problem with this is that not only did they get an infant scion but we have reason to believe they intend to use him as material in some profane ritual or another venture brought on by their insanity.” The squire said looking rather displeased he had to reveal this but she understood, it was a must of their current needs.
“Were did they take the young scion?” She asked now with worry. Humans were unique in that they knew they couldn’t be trusted completely to do what was right, their history a testament to that in full. Instead they’d created the knights and scions. The Knights artificially evolved humans to be the leaders and elites of their military and guardians.
The scions by contrasts were everything that the promise of humanity had to offer distilled into a body worth ten knights for sheer performance to not mention the rare gift for the etheric arts.
“The Maelstrom.” He replied and Arnei thought she’d choke at the revelation.
The Maelstrom was one of two places were something was messing with the Aether and Psionic energies that blanketed and were interwoven into the galaxy at large. The Maelstrom and it’s sibling named the Warped Gates which were held back by the majority of humanity. Humans having taken up the task of being the protective wall between the scourge and the rest of the galactic community.
The Maelstrom was a strange nebula like phenomenon acting as as storm swirling in a sphere around a hulk of crushed, smashed together or somehow warped together. Amalgams of spaceships, asteroids and even rumoured to have a piece of a planet in there somewhere in the chaotic mess that the “haven” had. Infested by mutants, cultist, abominations and otherworldly beings that have made the hulk their homes preventing the galaxy at large from healing itself of this wandering spreader of cancerous taint. The moving storm having psionic resonances that were harmful to the mental state of the areas around it.
“What?” She almost squeaked, this was something to hand over to a champion or the Psionic Arcmages of her kin. Not something a princess who’s had her hands more or less in the civic and public work sectors should be doing. Her military training was to the point of an elite both militarily and psionically as you couldn’t really keep your place in the royal family unless you were at least at the level of an elite after all so she could keep her own but this? This all seemed well above her head.
“Why didn’t you get a squad of champions or Psionic Arcmages? I’m afraid I’m not someone suited for such a mission.” She said allowing her reservations for the whole thing to show.
The man simply smiled. “My lady, we require you for you unique talent of tracking someone. We have a strike team made up of a cohort of knights lead by two Scions, being lead by the Scion of Augustdall, Ludwig Augustdall and his wife Miranda. The mission is simple, track down Ludwig’s son when we arrive at the Maelstrom.” She just stared at the man.
“And if we are too late?” She asked swallowing her trepidation and she noted the hardening of the man’s eyes.
The violence he hid with his gaunt exterior bubbling to the surface and she knew he’d show extreme prejudice to the cultists. When he spoke it was with ice and she almost felt he had his hands around her throat. “If we are too late we nuke the place and do what we should have done when the cancer showed up.”
He looked at his tightening hands as he spoke but then he looked up at her with almost a pleading look. “We can’t be too late. They have barely a two hour head start and they are using an outdated diplomatic ship we were sending to be scrapped as their vessel. They intercepted it and used the information still yet to be cleaned of its systems to get to our young Scion… We have it on good authority they would need at least a day or so to prepare for their rituals. It should give us enough time to get there.”
She swallowed again and looked through the contents of the folder and the tablet. Preliminary deep scans of the maelstroms haven and its labyrinthine interior. Energy readings that dotted the warped structure safe the one in the centre of the structure. Huge energy readings of an unknown nature and believed to be the cult’s home within the wreck.
She was a bit amazed that there was even breathable atmosphere inside the structure but dismissed it as a secondary concern.
“How long until we arrive?” She asked as she looked up at the squire.
“We will arrive in six hours time. We have gotten your equipment and have it sequestered into your personal quarters for the trip. If you would like to, you can take the time to rest and get yourself into a ready state before we arrive.
Once there we’ll be connecting with the Fist of Arnidel to board the assault shuttle we will use for insertion into the haven. There you will meet Scion Ludwig and his wife and the rest of the cohort.” He replied and she smiled at him.
“Thank you I will indeed require at least five hours to cleanse and ready myself and my equipment for what is to come. Do you have anything that the child has had with it for a very long time? I know that it takes Scions twice the time to age as baseline humans do so anything that he’s had most of his life is probably the best.” She answered and at the nod from the squire they made small talk before she excused herself to ready herself in her quarters.
It took a long time for her to centre herself. Going through the required cleansing with water before she started to don the form-fitted armour she’d been provided. Once the under layer was set she started to place the connecting plates which interconnected to create the outer layer. The reason it was such a ritual for most Vetustissima was due to the clear mind one needed to operate the psionically connected armour. Thankfully it wasn’t until one reached a certain point in skill and rank that these rituals were needed, it would be far to counter intuitive to have normal warriors or even militia have to go through them if they were under attack.
She sat cross-legged as she flooded her body with psionic energy and softly pushed it out, letting it seep out of her pours and allow the under layer to drink it in. The charged under layer would then react to the outer layer and begin the starting process of bringing the micro generator of the armour into full functionality.
Then she took the shawl alongside the hooded vest to drape over this. She still remembered what the humans had called the look of their elites armours with the impregnated crystals to bring their psionic abilities to even sharper focus. Space gypsy wizards. She still found the comparison amusing though no less insulting. She supposed it was just the way of the simians in the end.
The shawl was draped over her hips to come down on the left side as she made sure her pistol and short vibri-sword were clearly accessible on her right side. The vest came over the armour and once she’d placed the flat helm over her head to seal the armour fully she connected the hood to it and waited for the psionic energies leaking out of her to resonate with the crystalline impregnated cloth.
The power thrummed through her and set the air to vibrating as it all finally came together as it was supposed to. Seeing the diagnostics on the Hud of her helm pop up and the all clear of all systems and integrity checks coming back positive left her lips radiating a smile she rarely ever showed to others.
Now donned in the royal purple of her armour and fastened the necessary raiment's, weapons and gone over the checks she left the room. She was just entering the bridge of the small vessel, more designed for speed than anything as was their need, when she felt them enter the maelstroms area of effect.
She gripped the crystal hanging from her neck on the outside for comfort at the maddening itch the region of space around the maelstrom emanated.
“Is it always this unpleasant?” The Lieutenant groaned as she held her head.
“Imagine what it’s like to those with etheric or psionic gifts.” The squire said as he looked over to her with a worried look at Arnei.
She nodded at him and gave him a thumbs up to signify her state which made his look soften and he looked over at the destroyer they were closing in on. “We are coming in on the Fist now. We’ll be in the same hangar so we can transfer immediately over to the strike craft.” He reported and then all they had to do was wait for the automated docking sequence to finish to allow them to disembark from the vessel.
The lieutenant stayed aboard while Arnei and the squire left the vessel though they split up when he had to go and get dressed in his armour. She was still a bit amazed at the fixation on this image of integrity and honour that knights held for humans. Though seeing them in their armours modelled a little after those ancient warriors of humanity with vibri-swords, axes or maces strapped to their hips while each held a rifle or some even heavier weapons did bring a sense of nobility to her eyes.
Ahead of the twelve knights, four holding heavy weapons while the rest held rifles, stood the two scions. Were the knights were usually around the two meter height or taller the Scions were a class of their own with the tallest on record being three meters and the smallest of them at the two and a half mark. Their bodies screamed martial prowess and she was sure both would look as if gods chiselled from marble underneath their ornate black armours, decorated with gold for the male and purplish silver for the female. The male held a rather wicked war-hammer on his hips while the woman held a spear in one hand. The etheric emanations from both told her there wouldn’t be a shred of mercy for their fellow man within the maelstrom.
Ludwig was the first to speak as he took note of her approach, his deep baritone coming through his helm, styled after a conquistador closed helm. “Princess Arneiarel’ishmarkonen.” He bowed slightly as per protocol and she did the same.
“Scion Augustall.” She replied just as protocol dictated. “I’m saddened we must meet under these circumstances but I will provide all the aid I can.” She then said solemnly and was rather surprised at the hug that Miranda gave her, she felt the woman's fear for her child and returned the hug. Knowing the woman was terrified for her child, hells she could feel it like it was her child due to their proximity.
“Thank you.” She heard the woman’s quivering voice whisper to her and Arnei squeezed a bit before she broke the hug.
“What is the composition we are going in with?” Arnei asked after Miranada seemed more composed by her husbands tight reaffirming grip on her shoulder.
“We will be taking full load outs for the cohort. All trained in Etheric empowerment so that even if we run out of ammo we can continue without much hindrance. We have eight rifles, two Heavy-machine guns, a beam weapon and finally a grenade launcher.” He reported to her and she heard the steel in his voice as he turned to his cohort and she saw them all stiffen at his next words.
“If they aren’t one of ours… I want it dead understood.” He almost growled and all the knights slammed their fists at their heart in silent agreement, their aggression and hatred of the havens inhabitants radiating off of them in palpable waves. Even without psionic ability she’d have felt it.
Ludwig nodded at his men. “Make sure to check your fire and make every bullet count, we aren’t getting a resupply until we get back to the fist and I don’t think I have to tell you the conditions for our return do I?” He continued and they all nodded.
She saw the squire arrive and was rather surprised as unlike the other knights clear warrior centric aesthetics he looked almost a mix of mage and knight. “My Scion. I know I’m not yet field ready but allow me to at least help.” He said as he came to stand before the towering Scion who only nodded at the man.
“Everyone load in and strap in! We are going with the single use hard breach pods so that we can cut down on travel time. Pray to your divinities, kiss your ass safe and lets go get our people back!” He roared and everyone scrambled to follow the order, after jumping from the boom in the man's voice. Even Arnei scrambled to follow into the claustrophobic cylinder that looked more a bullet than craft if she was to be honest with herself.
Once everyone had strapped in and the green illumination turned red the craft rumbled as it was loaded up into the launcher. For a few more heart clenching minutes the ship lined itself up and then her heart fell to her groin as the vessel was fired at its intended target.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
She thought some of the knights, who were laughing and whooping in gleeful bloodlust at the coming mission, were insane as the vessel rattled and shook as it hurtled through the void. Then for a second she lost consciousness as the vessel impacted, and kept going into the hulk.
Smashing through every obstacle as it bled its massive momentum. Shield and hull integrity sirens blaring in shrieked protest until the vessel came to a stop.
“Move it!” Ludwig roared as he kicked the door off the vessel and led the charge with rifle in hand into the open chamber they’d ended up in. The cohort moving out to secure the site after the Scion with some snarls silenced with only a trio of shots that echoed off of the walls.
“Is that a rat?” One knight asked as he was kicking the mutated beast that had been the threat in the chamber.
“Fucking shithole.” Another said as he stomped the head flat of another.
Arnei made her way out of the breach pod and scanned the area. It was strangely quiet now though she noted corpses that the mutated beasts must have been eating. Strange pig like creatures but she noted something strange with their wounds.
“Do those have any acid?” She asked as she looked from one of the corpses the creatures had clearly been feasting on to another who looked like parts had been melted off of it.
“No, not that I can see or scan.” Miranda said as she held a scanner over the more intact corpse of the beasts they’d dealt with. “Why do you ask, princess?”
“Arnei, it’ll be faster given the urgency.” Anrei responded first before she pointed at what she was looking at. “What could have made wounds like that then?”
The trepidation that rolled off of the Scion when she scanned the corpse made Arnei’s skin crawl. “Not acid though clearly caustic but the scanner cant even comprehend the energy used to do this…”
“Wait, this was done by energy?” Ludwig asked as he made sure to take a look as well before his helmet scanned over the chamber more. “Look at the wounds, it’s like they were attacked by this energy and… is that a handprint?” He asked as he looked at what was clearly a hand print of someone reaching over and ripping a piece out of the strongly built creatures.
“Sir I think these are those boar mutants that the cultists sometimes leave in their wake to create a distraction to escape… I think they were called Bogre’s or something.” One of the knights said as he looked over the more intact of the corpses.
“I heard they’re as strong as a knight physically but their dim-witted and not as nimble as we are but their heavy fuckers and can take a mean beating. Militia usually have to use shotguns, explosive tipped rounds or heavy weaponry to put them down quick enough as they can soak up normal bullets almost like a sponge.”
“Then what could have done all this?” Miranda asked as they looked around.
“One creature, about the size of a… twelve year old human?” Arnei spoke up as she delved into the turbulent swirls around them. Forcing the psionic residue to recreate something of the scene that had happened there.
“I am a god.” A whisper from beyond rippled through the chamber, the voice distorted and ominous with even a worse scratching sensation to her mind than even the malignancy the maelstrom produced. “AND I’LL DEVOUR YOU ALL!” The voice then roared with a voice she could only describe as the voice of the abyss and four knights and Arnei fell to their knees at the sound of the voice.
“What the... fuck was that?” One of the knights who’d fallen to his knees shakily asked. “I… I think my ears are bleeding.”
“Fuck.” Ludwig cursed and turned to Arnei as she was shakily helped to her feet again by his wife. “I don’t like this, Arnei can you locate my son so we can get to him quickly. I don’t want whatever the hells that was to get near our son. Neither do I want us to come across it.”
She nodded shakily as she shored up her mental defences as she cantered herself and then sent her mind out to locate the prize they’d come for. She found him and her breath hitched. “I found him, he’s almost to the centre of the hulk but…” She halted.
“But?” Miranda asked, her worry radiating off of her as much as her husbands at the news.
“There is something and I think we just heard its voice... close. It…. It feels distinctly… other. I’ve never felt anything like it and there is a horde of these Bogres following after it but I can clearly tell its headed to the cultists base. It’s either one of their summoned monsters from the beyond or a mutant they’ve made. That’s the only conclusion I can come to.” She answered shakily. Not daring saying it might actually be one of the cult's profane gods.
Arnei felt the blood in her veins grow cold when she’d barely flickered her senses at the edge of the creatures mind and she’d recoiled at the touch. That wasn’t a mind like anything she’d ever come across and she’d managed to connect to the mind of a sentient fungus once, which had been a trip, but this was even more alien.
“Distinctly other? We aren’t talking about some eldritch horror or something?” The squire asked as he came out of the breach pod holding what she could only stare at with wide eyes.
“Is-is that a chain gun?” She asked.
“Hmm? This is a mini-gun… at least I like that name better than chain gun.” He said almost boastfully as he hefted the large weapon in his hands. “I figured it might work and if not at least slow whatever that is enough to get the young scion and get the fuck out.”
With Ludwig’s short nod they all got ready and sprinted down the only hallway on their floor. Their internal scans showing them it would be the quickest path for them but Arnei could feel the hope that they weren’t too late drip off not just the two Scions but the entire cohort as well. It made her smile a little sadly under her helmet, the Scion’s were loved for a reason.
-
“Were is it?” I growled at the simpering wretch in my claws. His eyes and ears already bleeding from my mere whisper but I couldn’t really mitigate my voice much more. A trail of corpses in my wake a testimony to my practice to minimize my voice’s effect to get answers.
The man whimpered and pointed down one of the six hallways leading into this particular hallway and I snapped his neck with a disgusted sigh. I was getting rather sick of humans, their whimpering mewling and overall weakness grated on me in a manner I couldn’t put my mental finger on.
I dropped the useless and frankly unpleasant sack of flesh and starting going down the hallway I had been pointed to. With a flick of my hand I engulfed the corpses in [Void Fire].
I’d stumbled upon a few humans and I’d tried to gorge a bit on their flesh and while it wasn’t nearly as foul as the long things they didn’t taste all that good.
I stopped when I felt something brush against my expanded mind which now created a large enough sphere for me to sense everything within arms reach of me without even looking. It had felt soft yet focused, having been clearly startled at my presence and fled right away.
It left me pondering what else was in this damnable place. Perhaps once I was done with the humans that were the cause of me being here I’d hunt down that soft mind to get answers if they couldn’t provide them.
With a slight huff masquerading as a sigh passing my lips I simply headed down the hallway. I already felt pressured to evolve and I didn’t even know how far I needed to evolve to at least reach the origin god stage if that was the start of true divinity. Then I had to figure out how to grow through a further five or six stages just to be on the same playing field as the strongest of the invaders. At least stage wise according to Sas’seshkaneth’s explanation.
A roaring grunt from behind me had me sigh again and picking up my pace. “Do they ever give up?” Groaned as I sprinted down the hallway. The Bogre’s appeared to have found their spines again after regrouping. I’d already had to incinerate the strange six-legged creature they sent after me several times, though my ability to outrun the long foul things made me snicker a little. The Bogres were even slower than the foul thing so as I made sure to stay well ahead them.
Black fire left in my wake made sure to take care of any scent those six-legged could find by filling the chamber I’d left behind stinking of the corroded flesh. I’d discovered it when I was interrogating the humans I’d found. If I engulfed one in the fire and let it burn the scent released was rather pungent. I only hoped it would disorient the hunters enough to shake them off my trail. Thus I made sure that I left all the corpses engulfed in [Void Fire] to really fill that chamber with the scent.
I found I was left in peace for a while as I made my way through the hallways, strange doors with a circular objects to open them and other such obstacles. Until I felt the thrum that reminded me of that furnace in the centre of the chamber I’d arrived in.
I skipped in anticipatory giddiness as I made sure to follow were I felt the thrumming emanate from. My glee at finding them again and the rising savagery I’d unleash on them almost caused me to miss the pair of humans wearing shiny metal come around the bend of the corridor I was walking down.
“What the fuck?!” One of them said before he pointed something at me.
“Is that the… oh ancient gods.” The other gasped before he too pointed the same kind of thing at me. “Shoot it!”
Pain ripped through my shoulder and I roared as I saw my torn flesh at the shoulder. I barely managed to raise my arm and send a gout of [Void Fire] down the length of the corridor before several more of whatever they’d fired at me ripped through the fire and hit me.
The human’s screams of agony didn’t much help me as I lay on the floor with holes shot through me. I needed food, sustenance and matter to allow my body to rebuild itself as it had done so often before now. My instincts screaming at me to move to the humans and devour whatever the flames hadn’t ripped through but my hopes were dashed as soon as I looked in the corpses direction.
More humans came running around the corner and I felt my vision swim again. My breaths coming in short and shallow as I brought my shaking hand up against the holes in my chest, the grey blood dripping from the holes. I shivered as I looked up at the chuckle I heard above me.
The red robed man who’d told the humans to sacrifice me stood above me with a huge grin on his face. “See my Angels! The gods provide!” He said to the others who looked very hesitantly between me and my victims, he didn’t seem to mind being so close to me thought.
I had half a mind to burning him too when I heard the strangest sound. A whimpering cry that had my eyes turn to see a terrified human, though looking much more healthy than those around her holding an… infant? Why was there an infant here?
The girl stared at me with terror in her eyes and it was clear to me she didn’t belong, the rough push for her to get moving made it rather clear she wasn’t here by her will either. I mentally smiled, this one might be more than willing to provide answers if I rescued her… though that too was a problem with my currently wounded and weak body. Perhaps this healthier version of a human tasted better than the others.
The red robed man knelt to get a better look at my face. “I see you noticed the Scion, don’t worry you will be sacrificed first. Your insult to the gods will not go unpunished.” He said with a huge manic grin over his face.
“You… Fatuous insect.. I am… an elder god.” I growled out in short breaths which made the girl go wide eyed at my voice as she was hurried past me.
“But you’re not of my gods.” The man whispered as his grin grew even more manic.
“I’m… going to enjoy… tearing your heart out.” I growled low as I felt the strength leave my body more and more before everything once more went black. I was growing rather dissatisfied of this habit my body had for shutting me down like this.
-
Ezekiel stared as the creatures strange eyes closed and its short shallow breaths softened slightly. Chuckling he stood and looked at some of his flock. “Bandage this thing up and bring it with us, an elder god should be a grand appetizer to our grand Ancient gods.” He said smugly making sure to say what the creature had claimed to be in a mocking tone.
He harrumphed as the creature was carted off. Some god it was. He thought derisively, what sort of god would be felled by a hail of bullets let alone wounded. It was a laughable creature mired in self delusion but his gods would set it straight, when they devoured its soul.
“What is that thing.” The captured maid whimpered as the creature was carried past her, the infant unafraid as he reached for the creature with curiosity shining in his young eyes.
“That is an appetizer, a creature from the same realm as our gods yet not of their flesh. It will be sacrificed so that the bridge can be made.” Ezekiel said as he walked up to the maid and then pushed her forwards. “Now get going, we are almost to the grand chamber.”
-
The rattling of metal startled me awake and the ever familiar sensation of a protesting body filled with aches and bruises rose with my consciousness. I groaned as I slowly opened my eyes and blinked. Terrified eyes staring into my hazy ones in front of me.
I furrowed my brows at the sight and leaned my head as much back as I could while my swimming vision came in to focus. The healthy girl holding an infant was in front of me and she was staring into my eyes, her terror turning slowly to careful fascination. “What are you?” She whispered at me but I looked down at the child and then back up at her. She seemed to realize something. “Your voice will hurt me or the baby?” She asked and I nodded.
She most likely saw some of the others hold their ears when I started to speak. Smart, not like the others. I groaned as I tried to move again but then realized I was hanging by hooked chains embedded in my hands and forearms above the floor, the girl in a cage hanging next to me. My chest and arms were wrapped in white cloths turned grey by my blood with the rags I’d wrapped around my midsection barely holding on.
A droning in the background slowly came into better focus as chanting and I turned head around as much as I could to get a good look before I nearly yelped. Bellow me one of the humans had taken hold of a chain connected to my legs which bound them together and pulled me away. The chains connecting to some sort of grove in the ceiling allowing them to drag me along.
The red robed man stood on the small walkway leading to the drop into the centre of the furnace looked up at me and smiled that smug smile of his. I narrowed my eyes and instead of the groan of pain I wanted to let out I growled. I was starting to loathe humans, this one especially.
“Now at the very gates to our gods realm we shall wet their appetite with a disillusioned child of theirs!” He bellowed to the others who were either on their knees and droning that chant of theirs or dressed in metal holding the same strange objects that had torn holes in me on look out.
Some of them shivered when they met my eyes as I ran my gaze over the chamber but I couldn’t get loose.
I let out a loud groan of pain as the chain dropped a little allowing me to fall towards the burning blue inferno bellow me so that I came to eye level with the leader. “Now little elder god.” He said with a mocking sneer as he slapped at the side of my face and I almost breathed [Void Fire] in his face right then and there but held back at the insistence of that partitioned part of myself.
“You will go back to your realm so that your parent gods can devour your ungrateful hide. To deny their blessings and commands deserves such, but know I will do so with a heavy heart.” He mocked me as the hooks were made into a single hook to hold stab into my hands.
Once more I was hauled up like some trophy above the furnace. My body spinning lazily above to give me a full view of the chamber and the Bogre’s coming into it from one of the hallways.
I started chuckling which then turned to full blown laughter that echoed over the chamber and made the humans uneasy. Then they found out why when the Bogre shout reverberated through out it. “See! Da weak skins summoned it, eat them all!” A rather large specimen roared and the Bogres flooded into the chamber to the panicked cries of the humans.
I started to gather all of my energies into my lungs and then up into my throat as they started to clash. Loud, sharp reports came from the objects as they tore into the Bogres but I felt a rising ire from my other self as a distinct sense of them belonging to me overwhelmed me. Realizing what it wanted I took a deep breath and roared as I let gouts of [Void Fire] shoot out from my mouth and bathe both sides in the caustic fire.
The gurgling screams, squeals and whimpers from both sides was music to my ears and I couldn’t stop roaring with laughter as I was drained dry, having bathed quite a large section of the chambers inhabitants in the black fire. A third of the Bogres fleeing down another hallway to escape the flames and strange weapons of the humans.
“You fiend!” The leader of the humans growled at me before yelping as I spit the last spark of [Void Fire] at his face, burning his nose partly off.
He snarled at me and then pulled a stick at the base of the walkway and suddenly I felt weightless. “Die!” He snarled at me as the chains dragged me down into the conflagration of blue ethereal fire and electric currents running through the insides of the furnace.
I thought I’d known pain before but this was something soul searing as the metal melted away and I was held somehow in the centre of the inferno. My mind fleeing to the last tablets I might ever see, desperate for safety before I faded away.
[Void spawn level up! Level 7 > 10 achieved! Max level achieved!]
[You’ve gained the following for level 7. +4 (+5) stat points and +1 (+1) skill point gained!]
[You’ve gained the following for level 8. +4 (+5) stat points and +1 (+1) skill point gained!]
[You’ve gained the following for level 9. +4 (+5) stat points and +1 (+1) skill point gained!][You’ve gained the following for level 10. +6 (+5) stat points, 1 bio point and +2 (+1) skill point gained!]
[Reaching the required level has made evolutions available. Choose what you’ll become with care. Now you must Choose!]
Available Evolution variants.
lvl. 5 – [Riftling] [Voidling] [Deep one]
lvl. 8 – [Aberrant Symbiote] [Abomination]
lvl. 10 – [Child of the Stars] [Detestable Enforcer]