Chapter 11 - Smash through the embers.
He groaned as his eyes finally cracked open. Feeling what he expected to be the ground, he was surprised to find that he was on a blanket. He picked himself up and looked around the dark room. Remembering the multiple warnings he had suffered through, he fought not to enrich it.
Slowly, he stumbled up from the padding on the floor and made his way on-wards searching for a wall. After several minutes he found a wall and made his way on-wards till he found a hallway. He turned into it and caught sight of a soft blue light at the end of the hallway.
Spurred on by the light, he kept his fingers grazing the wall and walked faster. The light advanced onwards just out of his sight. His pace picked up till he was running full sprint with the infernal blue light staying a step ahead of him.
He rounded the last corner behind it and heard a familiar deep voice rumbling. He followed the voice and blinked as he turned into a much better lit room. Ahead of him he found At'thias calmly sitting on the ground before regally decorated spiders.
Their shells were speckled with emeralds and plated with gold. One in the center held a majestic iron staff, topped with a diamond. With this staff it struck out and beat At'thias on the head. It screeched something but the words were incomprehensible.
At'thias seemed to respond, then the other 'regals' lashed out as well. Blood splattered through the room as they lashed out with swords and staffs of varying types. He watched in horror as they decimated his body and left him lying there.
Something touched him from behind and he whirled around ready to fight. Instead he found Lupus standing before him.
"At'thias is gone." Lupus only nodded his understanding.
Lupus turned away and his retinas flashed a vibrant blue as he led him from the room.
Achilles looked up despondently at the dark moon for a long minute. Then he slowly pulled himself from rest position. He pulled himself through the leaves and high grass as he continued on through the field.
He walked through the field and crested a small hill before turning down into a stairwell. He looked back up at the same starlit sky and waved farewell as he descended and it faded out of view.
He continued his descent downwards and passed from the moonlight into torchlight. He walked slowly down the stairs, and thought a little of his past. He remembered his life on the Globe and thought in truth how much he missed it.
He passed another torch then suddenly ran into a large Cognit whose form flooded the passageway so fully,one couldn't see how it fit in there in the first place. He backed up, dazed from being drug out of his memories so abruptly.
"Move please." He asked. The Cognit didn't respond.
Frustrated, he turned around and headed back up the stairs. Almost immediately he ran into another Cognit. He looked back and forth between the two,
"So, am I supposed to come with you two?" The only response was a nod, and they turned in synchronys and started down the stairs. Him firmly trapped between them.
At the bottom they were joined immediately by two others. He lost track of where he was as they continued on through endless expanses and countless turns.
He followed Lupus back through such a medley of hallways that he quickly lost track of where they were and where they had been. The halls blended together and he thought quietly about the murder of At'thias and how foolish the Felics had appeared.
They finally reached the room with the glider and he followed directly behind lupus until he could feel the glider under his hand. He climbed in and felt for the middle button. He found it and quickly rapped it.
the glider lit up and a low thrum filled the air as he pulled the levers lightly down. It lifted off the ground again and shook lightly to the side as Lupus jumped onto it. He held one of the left buttons and the glider drifted forwards.
After several minutes of navigating, they finally roared out onto the streets of the dead city. They flew forward and and Lupus directed him towards the wall. They rode out through the streets and the dead city creaked around them.
Lupus pointed ahead at a strange glimmering sight. He cut the engines as they drifted closer. The glimmering faded and he made them out to be a squad of gliders.
"The Felics must have come in on these!" He exclaimed. Lupus turned towards him,
"We can free the rest of them!" Lupus hopped from the glider. "Don't leave without me!"
Lupus took off down the street and quickly disappeared down the road. He waited for a couple minutes before Lupus came running back leading a group of Cognits. They ran towards the gliders, and piled in as the Felics came piling out of one of the intact buildings.
The giant Cognits finally separated from each other and he found himself in a dark room. They faded into the shadows cast by dim redstone lighting and seemed to disappear. He slumped into rest position and bowed his head in wait.
A soft swish echoed through the room and he glanced up. A dark shapeless form drifted into view and stops silhouetted by the lamps. He almost laughed as he realized what the trick was. Before he could speak a whispery voice echoed through the room.
"Young Cognit, So full of life, and so full of spirit.
Your attack earlier today was superb, Using backup figureheads, and planting yourself almost nowhere near the crime was brilliant. Many people are watching you, Now of your own volition."
The Felics screamed and arrows arced through the air as he accelerated and the gliders behind him mimicked. An arrow smashed through the air right next to him. He glanced over at Lupus,
"Can't you Do something?" He yelled.
Lupus seemed to grin and held up a remote. He smashed his appendage into a button on the remote and a chuckle echoed through the wind. A loud rumble echoed behind them as they accelerated towards the wall.
He looked back and gasped as he caught sight of the city crashing steel tower by tower into the ground behind him. He looked up and blinked as a brilliant white flash blasted over them and the sound of explosion ripped through the air, as the wall ahead of them blew sky-high and they roared through the rubble.
"You have one choice," The shadowy form stated. "either you join us. Or you die." Achilles sat back and watched it for a second.
"I guess I would have to join you."