Chapter 5 - Thunderbolt and Frightening - The Unforgettables: A ZeroYear litRPG
"We have only minutes to clear the carriages!" Liora said as she hurried, moving fast and clearing a path to pass Frank the materials that needed to be taken. Silas and Petra were in charge of the laboratory equipment, which was lighter. They couldn't see anything outside, as if it were a calm before the storm. Tension was evident on everyone's faces. For a couple of minutes, they all helped in moving things from one carriage to the other. Frank was the most requested, and time seemed to be flying by.
“We’re not going to have time to dismantle the entire lab,” Silas pondered. “We’ll have to leave the production materials in the second car. Liora, we’re almost done. We three will go to the first carriage, and then you cut the power of the training area and join us,” He hurried to take one last look at his disassembled laboratory, sighed, and then went to the first carriage.
“Guys! They are too close!” Liora whispered frantically into the communicator, still outside. "There’s no way to turn back now. I’ll cut off the power..." They could see the other carriages' lights turning out. On the first carriage, there were no lights, but they could still observe some of the outside cameras linked to their communicators. After a short while, Liora said, "I'm coming back, Silas. Get in the aerolito system and initiate the protocol to speed it up.”
Silas listened and hesitated for a few seconds before jumping into the controls. He initiated the acceleration process before the other aerolitos passed underneath them, a risky move. "We'll have to control the altitude manually when the others pass below us." He mumbled to himself.
With a door slamming, Liora came back in faster than ever. Her usually calm voice had disappeared. “As I’ve seen, there are more than two thousand flying creatures accompanying the other composition. They already noticed us! A few are coming already, and I don’t have any records of what they might be.”
Liora stepped next to a chair, but she didn’t sit. She continued. "Eventually, they collide with each other in the air, and when that happens, they seem to release a kind of lightning. I’ve captured three pictures...” Liora sent the pictures to the comlink. All three watched, horrified.
The images were like something that barely remembered a stone-made gargoyle from the worst of the nightmares: bat wings, dark-gray pale skin without any features, except for an extremely long beak almost the size of their bodies, and nothing like eyes or ears on their empty faces. They are destroying one another in a macabre air dance snapshotted on the pictures, illuminated only by the lightning they produce.
Liora speaks, terrified by the vision of those creatures approaching. "They’re one-shot killing each other. There are so many of them! And amongst them, there are at least three colossal figures, nearly triple the size of the others. I have no clear visual information of the big ones besides its silhouette against an almost dark sky.”
"Let’s try to stay calm, everyone,” Petra suggested. She could not hide the fear in her voice, “I understand that our chances are slim, but we might be able to pass by without being seen. But if they come, we need to have an action plan."
"You’re right, Petra!" Silas agreed as he worked at a terminal where Liora's copy was. Together, they piloted the aerolito and two drones that had been set out. “I have to stay here to control the aerolito, but I’m going to say ahead of time, it's almost impossible to maneuver this thing. Any sudden move that I can't control and we’ll be stuck down there…”
He continued, "About the plan, if they come to us, I’ll stay right here at that terminal," He pointed to a table with a few devices laid out, "and I’ll see what I can do to help. I’ve positioned this desk facing the only entry door. That will be our last stand if things get bad, and from here, I might be able to do something as I try to maneuver."
Frank took a deep breath. "Okay,” he said. “Petra and I will be on the front lines."
He glanced at Petra with unprecedented seriousness. She confirmed with a quick nod and a half smile.
"I'll be between Silas and the two of you,” Liora explained. “That way, I’ll have two chances to do something…" She moved with purpose, preparing the two modified knives from Rocatrista, “But we’d better do everything to avoid that! " Liora added, very concerned. "These creatures are almost as tall as Silas. They tear each other apart within seconds. If they hit us like that, that will be the end.”
“We realized that," Petra said, “We have about half an hour left. That's it?”
"No!" Silas informed them. "I've been accelerating for a while now. And, as far as I can tell from the drones outside, they're coming toward us. We’ve got 10 minutes, maybe even less. And, from what Liora saw, there were several crashed aerolitos on the ground. This sort of thing probably happens pretty frequently, but that aerolito made it to its destination since it is heading back."
He took a breath. "So, we’re going to try to disguise ourselves as cargo. I will turn off all energy sources that I can."
Silas returned his reconnaissance drones inside and shut off all the unnecessary systems. Only the front camera, the aerolito control interface, and the personal comlinks remained on. Everyone waited in silence in almost total darkness. You could only hear everyone's rapid breathing, waiting for a miracle to pass unseen.
After fifteen or twenty minutes of absolute tension with only dark screens, everyone could see the approaching dim lights through the front camera, connected directly to their personal headset communicators. Silas remained focused. He'd have to make a risky maneuver when he saw that the aerolitos were in the correct position since they were going faster, but despite that, everyone seemed relieved. Nothing out of the ordinary appeared to be going on.
Their prayers were not answered. An enormous explosion suddenly hit the windshield, lighting the front camera with brilliant sparks before exploding. The sound echoed like hell within the carriage—a thunderous and deafening sound. A shock wave hit them hard and sent them flying forward inside the carriage. Then it trembled like an earthquake!
Silas, already braced for the worst, managed to control the turbulence within seconds. Everyone was thrown around inside the carriage. Petra and Silas cushioned the blow, helping to keep the others steady.
“Liora," Petra said, realizing she could hardly hear her own voice. "Are you alright?"
BONK!
Liora was about to tell them all to grab the walls, but before she could say anything, something slammed into the aerolito’s windshield even more violently than the first time. The aerolito slowed, and Petra was able to catch Liora and Frank as she’d felt something coming. Silas was thrown against a wall, but he remained focused on his controls, managing to maintain the aerolito on course again. It was clear that he’d been heavily injured this time.
"Now! We’re going up! ” Silas yelled, ignoring the pain in his back, lifting the front section of the aerolito. Everyone felt heavier as he maneuvered upward. When they reached their highest point, he said. "I’ve done it! Now, down!"
Everyone felt their stomachs churn as the gravity disappeared. They were hurtling downwards, a sharp descent, like plummeting down a long tunnel.
BOOMMMKRrrr!
A sound like scraping and dragging metal could be heard, caused by another impact that seemed less severe. The group couldn’t see what was happening as all the cameras had gone on the first impact. Everything was dark except for Silas' comlink and terminal, which he protected with his own body to control the aerolito. They could only guess from the inside.
"I think one of them caught the aerolito," Liora said in a rambling voice, still trying to adjust her earpieces.
Frank glanced at her and nodded to show that he wasn’t hearing anything either. They could see blood coming out of both his ears, illuminated by the comlink device on his head, but he seemed undeterred.
Petra and Silas appeared to be in slightly better condition, suddenly:
CHINK... CHINK… CHINK...
Everyone but Frank heard the loud clang and the sound of metallic impacts coming from the front, but this time, there was no trajectory interference.
“I’ve managed to control this thing, and we're getting out of here at top speed,” Silas said as he thought fast. “It looks like one of those monsters is still there with us, trying to open a hole in our windshield.”
He gave a stern warning to the team. "Hold on tight!" Petra grabbed Frank immediately.
The aerolito dipped sideways, slightly swaying like a bucking bronco, and then quickly climbed upward. Then, it began a swift descent.
It worked because the noise stopped. The air quickly became silent, creating a moment of unnerving quiet. Silas checked his cameras. Everything was broken!
Liora and Petra turned towards Frank to check his ears. But before they could do anything, they were caught by another long, explosive sound— this time coming from behind the train.
"What the..." Silas grumbled. “That bastard managed to get on the back of the train!" He quickly scanned the controls. "I think we lost the cargo in the second car. We need to act now!” He started to check the devices they’d prepared earlier and turn on the lights that he could. Most of the things inside were broken.
Petra threw the door open, and Frank was beside her. He was trying hard to ignore the unavoidable pain in his ear and concentrate on capturing what was happening using only his vision.
The scene before them was terrifying: the second composition was ravaged. Pieces of it were still burning on top of the aerolito, lighting up the area with an ominous orange and red flaming glow. In the rear of the destroyed carriage, they saw a winged figure greater than Silas, one wing open and the other torn off. The monster didn't seem to mind its heavy injuries. When the abomination realized that it had company, it turned its featureless head and opened a beak that was torn to shreds, screaming an abyssal sound with no meaning, only hate. Petra and Frank locked eyes, searching for strength in each other, and they both rushed towards the danger. Liora followed immediately behind.
The silhouette, born from nightmares, illuminated by the flames of the wreckage, a contrast against a backdrop of smoke, darkness, and snow, advanced inexorably toward Petra and Frank. The creature moved with alternating pulses— an incredible speed followed by almost complete stillness— and it crossed the second carriage almost instantly. Liora got as far away from it as she could, to the edge of the second carriage, near the entrance to the first one. Immediately, she threw one of her daggers upward at the beast, and she hit the target dead on!
But to everyone's despair, the creature caught the dagger by its handle before it could do any harm. Wasting no time, it threw the dagger away from the train, now falling along with the ash and slag, into the eternal snow below.
Petra realized the creature was going for Liora. With all her strength, she swung her powerful Flexoclava, striking the creature's beak. It didn't even make a scratch. But Petra’s blow had drawn the creature’s attention. With a thunderous sound, the beak opened wide. Sparks pulsed and raced throughout the creature’s body as the creature delivered its lethal attack.
One, two, and then three precise strikes hit Petra. The first two claw strikes raked her arms, tearing at them. The third strike was a bite with lightning. Its fangs pierced her shoulder, and electricity lit the flesh and cloth with scorching flames. She managed to use her flexoclava to parry some of those attacks. But even so, she could not avoid heavy injury. She fell to her knees with a cry of pain and blood. She tried desperately to seal her wounds and put out the fire.
Feeling the chaos, Frank's heart filled with a mixture of fear and fury. He grabbed his flexoclava and swung a mighty blow directly toward the creature's head, using all of his incredible super-strength, a sure hit.
The head jerked sideways. If it were possible, Frank would have heard the sound of something breaking as he connected his blow, but to Frank’s utter bewilderment, his opponent was still standing. It simply shook its head and released a ferocious roar in his direction. Frank, unable to be intimidated by roars, took a few steps back, anticipating his inevitable end.
"Try hitting its stomach!" Silas's voice cracked over the communicators; only Liora seemed able to listen.
Before anyone could react, the creature leaped at Frank, aiming for a deadly strike.
"Not this time!” Petra said, her voice strained as she struggled to rise to her feet. Petra was almost defeated and still on fire, but she swung her club just as the creature’s beak met its target, protecting Frank. This time, Petra's counterstrike wounded the opponent, causing a sound of pain. Immediately, a dagger shot forth from Liora’s hand and speared into the creature’s abdomen.
“Now!” Liora shouted.
Frank, unable to hear anything, realized what was happening and lunged at the creature with his flexoclava again. But with the injuries it had received, the creature seemed to be a little more cautious, completely dodging Frank's attack.
“Liora, get down!” Silas cried out over muffled electronic sounds.
Then, a white and blue light emerged from the doorway of the first carriage where Silas stood, followed by a solid beam of light. This light hit the creature's abdomen again, ripped it out of the carriage, and sent it flying.
As the creature continued to be pushed, tearing through the aerolitos, its claws scratched the floor of three carriages, leaving gouges, until finally, it disappeared into the darkness behind the train's last car.
Frank turned to see Petra, burning, wounded. He rushed towards her to try and help. They were both still trying to recover from their terrifying experience.
But it's far from over.
“Liora, get back inside now! NOW!” Silas yelled in a desperate plea—no need for a communicator to hear his scream.
Almost immediately, everyone realized that the creature had grabbed the carriage and moved underneath the train to emerge on the other side, behind Liora. Without any time to react, with Petra and Frank shrieking in horror, the creature ripped Liora in half with its claws. It tossed her dismembered pieces to the ground in front of the two surviving humans. Their eyes were already filled with tears.
The creature remained standing, with Liora’s dagger embedded in its abdomen, now advancing toward those who were still alive.
Frank had already resigned himself to his fate. The silence forced upon him by his injuries made him hear voices from his past— memories from childhood. He recalled his parents and their proud faces before they were taken from him. He’d forgotten about this for so long... Without making a sound, he launched himself into a leap towards his opponent. Frank threw his entire body into that strike, his flexoclava striking the creature hard.
He injured the creature badly, sending it reeling. Both Frank and the creature vanished from the aerolito as they plunged down from the train. Silas was now racing to reach Liora’s body as Petra ran toward where Frank had fallen. To her surprise, she found him still clung to the aerolito with one arm. He was unharmed— except for his ear. He immediately leaped back onto the train, hurrying towards Petra.
"Liora!" Frank cried out.
"Quick, everyone back into the car," Silas ordered, carrying Liora into the single car that remained. The ebex placed her body on his workbench, quickly attaching devices to her connectors. Liora’s copy was gone. She didn’t appear in the terminal that Silas had been using. Tears streaming down his face, Silas cried out, “Petra, shut that door and stay on guard. We could still have company. I am going to try to do something...”
Frank understood what was happening and moved to a corner, watching everything closely. All the lights were dim except the light emanating from Silas’ table, where he was trying to revive Liora. He disassembled all of the energy cells he could find. Frank recognized what to do. He disassembled his flexoclava, handing it to Silas, who replied promptly. Frank could just see Silas' lips moving: “Good idea! ”
Silas was now in a state of desperation. Knowing that his friend was gone, Petra did the same, saying: “If more of them come, this won’t save us." She removed the battery from her weapon, flinging it towards Silas. The door’s been broken open! I will stay here pressed against it to keep it closed.” Petra propped the carriage door closed, damaged by the energy beam.
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Silas thanked her with a nod. He was still trying to channel the energy. He muttered almost to himself, “Liora could repair herself using energy, but it seems like it’s too late… Unless... “
Suddenly, Silas rose to his feet. He removed a makeshift bandage from around his hand, revealing a still-burning implant that had been grafted to his skin. He pressed it against an opening in Liora’s neck, then fired his energy ray again.
The carriage suddenly lit up as Liora's body shook with the energy. Then, everything went dark. The silence was absolute.
Petra, sitting near the door, could no longer contain her tears. She started to pray in a whisper, reciting a psalm to herself as she remembered doing in times of trouble back on Earth.
Frank sat, his eyes wide, in the darkness. He tried to ease the pain in his ears, which were completely numb, and then, bearing the muffled sound of his deafened hearing, he saw a faint flicker on Silas's terminal left behind, which was now showing signs of life. He promptly says:
“Silas, something’s happening in the terminal!“
Silas opened his eyes, tearful, and said in shock. “She’s alive!” He turned to the message on the terminal.
"Are you praying for our death? I’m sorry to disappoint you. But you’ll have to put up with Less-Good-Version Liora for a very long time.”
Liora, or her copy, typed in response, seeming to be resurrected.
Slowly, Liora’s body seemed to respond. It was possible to see her mechanical insides slowly moving. All three exchanged glances and embraced together, weeping in relief. They held each other in a moment of hope, which would eventually turn into happiness.
"We survived," Petra said. "We all survived!"
And the group fell into a deep sleep, exhausted, except for Silas. He stood vigil beside Liora, helping to prop up the door to the first carriage in Petra’s place. The train moved forward once again at full speed. The now almost empty aerolito cut through the silent night, leaving its memory across a sea of eternal snow. And in its wake, the ashes of last night lingered for a brief moment, painting a faint, darkened trace across the path.
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Name: Silas "Archon" Cade Species: Ebex XP: 12 / 4 Powers Super-Life Magnitude 1 Super-Energy Magnitude 1 Super-Resistance (ebex) Magnitude 1 Super-Technique Magnitude 2 Unknowledge (ebex) Magnitude 1 Superior Technology: Architect Magnitude 2 Natural Combined Armor (ebex) - Know it all (party) - Skills Traditional Dancing (Dex) +2 Mathematics (Int) +4 Computer Engineering (Tech) +4 Kung fu (Res) +4 (fixed - know it all) Essence: Reality +4 Days: 9141 Equipment Superior safety clothes (AC 3) Silas´ Flexoclava, Damage: d12, melee, Hit: Dex, consumes 1TP / successful hit, produces 1TP / turn (quirk: Silas got +3 hit bonus when using it) Other 3 credits on Paradiso account Survival kit (food cube, shelter cube) Flight surveillance drones (1x, normal tech) (lost one) Airbike, speed +4 (boosted), flight (normal tech)
Name: Liora “Stardust” Gorgath Species: Oioioi XP: 11 / 4 Powers Super-Life Magnitude 1 Super-Dexterity Magnitude 5 Shardify (oioioi) Magnitude 1 Superior Technology Network (oioioi) - Structural (oioioi) - Know it all (party) - Skills Aerolito´s Dojo Training (Dex) +4 Informatics (Wis) +3 Streetwise (Cha) +4 Kung fu (Res) +4 (fixed - know it all) Essence: Reality +4 Days: 8586 Equipment 2x Tech-modified schrogae throwing knives (d6), melee, Hit: Dex, low-range comlink, locator (lost weapons) Other Secure private network nano-connector Mk1: enables connection with Mag1 safety 2 credits on Paradiso account Survival kit (fuel cube, shelter cube)
Name: Petra "Warden" Somerson Species: Human XP: 10 / 4 Powers Super-Life Magnitude 2 Super-Resistance Magnitude 4 Skills Aerolito´s Dojo Training (Res) +4 Shooting (Dex) +4 Military Discipline (Mor) +4 Tang Soo Do (Str) +4 (fixed - know it all) Essence: Reality +4 Days: 5255 Equipment Flexoclava, Damage: d12, melee, Hit: Dex, consumes 1TP / successful hit, produce 1TP / turn Other Survival kit (food cube, shelter cube)
Name: Frank "Firebreaker" Summers Species: Human XP: 10 / 4 Powers Super-Life Magnitude 1 Super-Willpower Magnitude 1 Super-Strength Magnitude 3 Super-Dexterity Magnitude 1 Skills Aerolito´s Dojo Training (Dex) +4 Bar Politics (Int) +4 Power Drinking (Res) +4 Drunken Fighting (Str) +4 (fixed - know it all) Essence: Reality +4 Days: 4975 Equipment Empty hands again :-) Other Survival kit (food cube, shelter cube)
Superior Technology projects People on development Silas 2 research/day People on prototyping Silas 3 research/day People on production Silas, Liora (1 copy) 4 research/day Blueprints Flexoclava Foundation melee weapon + 1x internal energy generator 20 / 20 Research Prototype Silas´ Flexoclava Damage: d12, melee, Hit: Dex, consumes 1TP / successful hit, produce 1TP / turn (quirk: Silas got +3 hit bonus when using it) 20 / 20 Research Production Flexoclava (complete: 1x) Damage: d12, melee, Hit: Dex, consumes 1TP / successful hit, produce 1TP / turn 20 / 20 research (lost 5 research)
The Unforgettables Assembly (Milestones 1/1) Maneuver: +7 (condition: Firebreaker on vanguard) Perception: +3 (condition: Stardust on perception range) Vanguard: Firebreaker, Warden Ranged: Stardust Artillery: Archon Combat Totals Char-action life aural hit dam def mdef dodge TP cost extra Warden 20 / 20 4 0 0+4 War - melee 0+4 1 War - parry 4+4 4(d12) X-1 X hit/t Firebreaker 10 / 10 WP 1/1 0 0 1+4 Fir - melee 1+4 3(d12) X-1 X hit/t Stardust 10 / 10 0 0 5+4 Star - ranged 5+4 5(d6) ammo: 2 Archon 10 / 10 TP 1/1 5 0 0+2 Arch - Blast(art) 2+4 X(d6) X push Arch - Nova(mle) 2+4 2X X all targets