Chapter 26: Prime Pt 3

It had been little more than two minutes since Ben and Samus decided to rest up and after that they decided to resume their exploration by entering the door on the far-right corner. Samus shot at some Blastcaps that were in the way and they entered a corridor that led to a room filled with Shriekbats. After dealing with the Shriekbats Ben and Samus used the collapsed walkway in order to get across the toxic water where they reached the other side and continued down until they entered the next door. Upon entering they were met with a large area that had large stretch of toxic water and there were large platforms high above it. Seeing this Ben activated the Omnitrix and changed into Wildvine and they began to move around by jumping onto the platforms while dealing with some Reaper Vines. They looked around for a bit until the Florauna spotted something in the distance.

"Hey, what's that?" He asked Samus.

Samus looked towards where Wildvine was looking and saw what looked like a door with four symbols on it.

"Some sort of door. I think that the symbols on it are like keys to unlock it." Samus said as she studied it.

"Hey, isn't this one of them?" Wildvine said as he looked at a wall next to the door.

Samus looked at the symbol before pressing her hand on it and immediately it began to glow. Seeing what they had to do they looked around to search for the other three symbols. Samus found the second symbol located on a platform in the middle of the water, with Blastcaps blocking it. Samus then blasted them away before activating the symbol. Wildvine found the third symbol underneath the runic gate and the fourth and final symbol near the entrance. When Samus scanned all the symbols, they headed back to the gate where they saw a fifth symbol appear on the gate itself. Samus pressed the symbol and the gate lowered itself to reveal a large area and at the end they saw an object underneath another hieroglyphic log. As they walked towards it something was on the Florauna's mind.

"Hey Samus, what exactly were you thinking about back there?" He asked.

"What?" She asked in confusion.

"When we were resting back in the hall, you said you needed to think. What was on your mind?" Wildvine asked.

"Oh, well I was thinking about our conversation from earlier. About what caused this Great Poison the Chozo keep talking about." Samus answered.

As soon as they finished their conversation the two reached the end of the area where they were standing in front of the object. Samus reached out for the item, but it instantly downloaded itself into her suits systems. Then much like before a surge of energy coursed through her arm cannon and Samus looked to see what it is.

"I now have the charge beam again." Samus said seeing what it was.

"Great." Wildvine said with glee.

He and Samus looked up to see the log on the wall and Samus quickly scanned it. What she saw next caused her eyes to widen in shock.

"What? What does it say?" Wildvine asked seeing The Hunters shocked expression.

"We have returned to Tallon IV, borne here against our will by a great cataclysm from the reaches of space. A meteor came, casting a dark shadow of debris over the land with the violence of its impact. Though we perceived this from beyond space and time, it was but a curiosity: a brief flare in the universe. But the meteor brought with it corruption. A Great Poison burst forth into the land, clawing at life with such violence that we were ripped from our peaceful state and find ourselves wandering as shadows of the mortal forms we left behind, searching for why we are here." Samus translated the texts.

"Huh. I guess we now know what caused the great poison." Wildvine said.

"There must have been something in that meteor that's causing all of this." Samus said seeing what he is talking about.

"Yeah, but the question is what though?" Wildvine said in agreement.

The two then realized that they won't be getting any answers standing where they are so the decided to head back but before they could get far, they were caught off guard by a group of Eyons. Seeing that this will cause a problem Samus used her newly re-acquired charge beam effectively terminating them completely thus allowing the two to move on. After a bit of backtracking they reentered the gathering hall and contemplated on where to go next but then Wildvine noticed something at the upper area.

"What's that up there?" The Florauna asked.

"Not sure. Looks like a small tunnel." Samus answered.

Seeing that it might be best to take a look the Hunter and Florauna began to climb upwards. As they did, they had to deal with a few Blastcaps and Shriekbats that were in the way. When they reached the top Samus entered her morph ball and Wildvine tapped the Omnitrix and changed into Grey Matter. Both the Hunter and Galvan moved through the corridor and when they reached the other side, they were met with several Shriekbats which were killed by Samus before moving through the next door.

They continued on through another door leading to a corridor with three Eyons. After dispatching them the Hunter and Galvan entered a room that contains one large, main room, as well as multiple narrow passageways leading around to different doors and different parts of the main room. Before the two could ponder what to do next they were suddenly ambushed by several Shreikbats.

After killing them Samus and Grey Matter looked around before noticing a doorway next to them. They decided to walk down that way leading to another corridor with two more Shriekbats. After Samus blasted them the two continued on until they spotted another hole in the wall. Samus entered her morph ball and Grey Matter followed closely behind. When they reached the other side of the tunnel, they dropped down a bit before continuing through another tunnel where they eventually exited to a large corridor where a door was present. Upon entering the two were met with what looks like a large chamber. Nothing looked out of the ordinary but that was until the Galvan noticed something on the ceiling.

"Uh… you see that too, right?" Grey Matter asked Samus as she too noticed the odd structure.

"If your referring to the nest, then yes." Samus answered.

Before the two could ponder any further they saw some sort of machine emerge from the center of the room. Samus and Grey Matter looked at each other before the machine deployed two oppositely mounted flamethrowers. Samus quickly scanned the machine before ducking out of the way as the machine shot out a burst of flames. As she did, she was able to fully examine the device for any vital information.

Mechanoid: Incinerator Drone

Programmed for high temperature waste disposal.

Logbook entry

Device schematics indicate a high risk of malfunction when internal power core is damaged. Unit has minimal combat programming, but can defend itself if necessary. This drone's intense heat blasts compensate for its lack of battle prowess.

After reviewing the information provided Samus knew what she had to do. After dodging several sweeps of flame, a small cylinder with two red glowing spots on either side emerges from the top. Samus instantly recognized it as the unit's weak points and used her charge beam to blast it causing some damage to the drone. Grey Matter saw this and quickly tapped the Omnitrix changing into Clamp Kick before firing several blasts into the drone's weak spot. The incinerator drone then began to malfunction and fire a pillar of flame into the nests overhead. The moment the nest caught flame several creatures Samus identified as 'Barbed War Wasps' emerged. Seeing that this might be a problem Clamp Kick quickly fired at them before they could shoot their stingers.

The incinerator drone then shot more streams of fire at the Hunter and Zebesian but they both were able to duck and dodge the attacks while they dealt with more Barbed War Wasps. This continued until the drone then revealed its weak spot again resulting in Samus and Clamp Kick to open fire at it. This caused the drone to fire a pillar of flame into the nests again causing more wasps to emerge.

Samus and Clamp Kick repeated the process two more times before the incinerator drone revealed its weak spot again and the two quickly blasted the drone one last time before the drone to fire a pillar of flame into the nests one last time completely incinerating the nest and killing any Barbed War Wasps that survived.

Seeing that the nest won't cause any more trouble the two looked towards the drone itself before seeing it surge and then exploding. Samus and Clamp Kick shielded themselves from any debris and when the smoke cleared, they saw in the center where the drone once stood another orb like object.

"I think this is another one of your suits upgrades." Clamp Kick Said.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Samus responded.

Samus then walked towards it and the moment she touched the orb she suddenly began to summersault at an extremely fast pace and then the orb split in two before encasing her. After another flash of light saw Samus in her morph ball again and this time a small surge of energy surged around her and caused her to bunny hop into the air.

"I've reacquired my morph ball bombs." Samus said as she exited her morph ball.

"Great!" Said Clamp Kick.

And with that the two decided to head back with Clamp Kick tapping the Omnitrix and changing into Big Chill and phasing through the wall. Big Chill and Samus then made their way back to the gathering hall and contemplated on what to do next.

"Well this place was a dead end." Big Chill said as he changed back to Ben.

"So, what now?" He asked as he looked over to Samus.

Samus closed her eyes in order to think. It was a good two minutes before she suddenly remembered something from before.

"I think we should head back to the ship." Samus answered earning a confused look from Ben.

"What?" He asked.

"I remembered seeing something off in the distance. It looked like a door. Call it a hunch, but I think it could have the answers regarding the meteor and the Great Poison." Samus said.

"Well… it's your call Samus." Ben said as the two walked out of the area.

And with that the two then began to make their way back to the ship. The moment they re-entered the room with the mutant tree Samus and Ben's scanners revealed some information. Their maps revealed the location of the toxic water. Upon seeing this they looked into their maps to reveal that the source of the water's toxicity is located in an area called 'the Sunchamber'.

"According to the map were not far from there." Ben said as he examined the map.

"We'll have to come back." Samus said as the two continued on.

And so, they began to move throughout the ruins with Ben changing into Clamp Kick in order to get passed several obstacles. They continued on until Clamp kick changed into Ball Weevil in order to get through the small openings. Eventually they managed to reach the landing sight of their ship.

"So, where did you see this door?" Ball Weevil asked as he changed back to Ben.

"Somewhere in the southwest." Samus said as she looked at said direction.

Ben looked around the area a bit until he saw what indeed looked like a door.

"Hey, I think I see it." He said.

"I see it too, and there's a path leading towards it." Samus said as she saw it too.

"Come on, let's check it out." Ben said as the two walked down the path.

It took them a few minutes with the two having to climb some rocks in order to reach the door, but they managed to reach it. Upon entering they were met with a long corridor that housed small creature called 'Seedlings'. After dealing with the creatures the two walked down the hallway and when they walked through the door, they were met with a transparent, hexagonal corridor connecting to a large rock formation. The two looked outside to see the whole corridor was suspended above what looks like a giant crater.

"Whoa." Ben and Samus said seeing the sight in front of them.

"You said there would be an answer about the meteor and the Great Poison, and I guess this is it." Ben said looking towards Samus.

"This must be where the meteor crashed." Samus said.

"And with it came the Great Poison." Ben concluded.

The two were about to move on but then Samus and Ben saw another hologram in front of them. They scanned it and saw it was another Pirate log. They played it hoping that it housed information regarding the area, but what they got was something else entirely.

'Log 10.308.0

Field team reports are in on an aged structure of alien design built on the surface of Tallon IV. Studies show this structure projects a containment field. This field bars access to a prime source of energy within a deep crater. Science Team believes the field is powered by a number of strange Chozo artifacts. Studies for possible resting places for these talismans have begun. As the field could hinder future energy production operations on Tallon IV, we must dismantle it as soon as possible. If this means the destruction of the Chozo Artifacts, it will be done.'

"I do not like the sound of that one bit." Ben said as the thought of the destruction on a part of a species culture entered his mind.

"I don't like the sound of it at all." Samus said as a fist began to form.

"But we did get something out of this. They said this place is some sort of container." Ben said.

"So, the Chozo tried to contain the poison." Samus said seeing the Chozo's intentions.

"But given the state the planet is in now; all they really did was just slow it down." Ben said.

The two then decided to move on hoping to look further into the area to see if they could find more information regarding the artifacts the pirates log was talking about. They blasted open the next door and continued down the next corridor, but upon entering the next door they were met with a large room. The top of the room curves out in paths leading left and right. The right corridor leads to some debris, while the other corridor goes outside of the shelter to the main portion of the temple. In the middle, a green visor-like window reveals the temple outside.

As Samus and Ben looked around and both noticed two Chozo logs on opposite sides of the walls. Ben scanned the one on the left while Samus scanned the one on the right and after translating they read both of them.

"As we have done for millennia, we Chozo work constantly on our statuary. The statues are our sentinels: blind but ever watchful, they are and have always been, repositories for our most precious secrets and strongest powers. The crafting of each is a long and sacred process, performed only by those Chozo who have lifetimes of experience in such things. We have left these relics on planets across the solar system. Some are merely reminders: silent emblems of the Chozo that serve as icons of peace in lands that know only war. Others wield subtle strength, exerting their influence in ways beyond the understanding of mortal creatures. Still others are guardians of our secret ways, and these can be as terrible as they are beautiful. Those who respect and honor these relics will know the friendship of the Chozo. Those who deface or destroy them will know our wrath, unfettered and raw." Samus said as she read her side of the log.

"The congregation of Artifacts that hold the Great Poison at bay still hold strong. Fearful of the potential within the Artifact Temple, the invaders known as Space Pirates tried to destroy it, only to fail in every attempt. We scattered the Artifacts across the planet for their protection, and only a few have fallen into invader hands. Failing to understand them, they now seek to unmake them. Again, they fail. They are right to fear these things. Great power sleeps inside them. Prophecy calls for their union, come the day that the unholy Worm is met by the great Defender. We can only hope the Artifacts are not destroyed by the invader, for then all will be lost. So, we do what we can to preserve the Artifacts, and to guide the Newborn to them. Time wanes with our souls, yet hope remains." Ben read.

Seeing there is more to it than what they read the Hunter and Omnitrix bearer decided to head outside to see the temple itself. The took the tunnel on the left and the moment they reached outside they were met with a large, ornately carved stone circle with twelve Chozo Totems arranged concentrically and a unique, totem it the center.

"Whoa." Ben said in amazement at the sight.

The two looked around and hoped that they would see what to do next but then the noticed something in the central totem. It appears to be a blue holographic symbol but a part of it was colored orange.

"What is that?" Ben asked.

"I think this is one of those artifacts the Chozo and Space Pirates were talking about." Samus answered as she walked towards it.

Samus then reacted out to touch it but then it suddenly downloaded into her suit. Before the two could say anything, the surrounding totems began to light up. As if the power was long in dormant and was starting up again.

"What just happened?" Ben asked.

"The artifact happened." Samus said.

"Huh?" Ben asked in confusion.

"This is the Artifact of Truth. The first of twelve. If we collect all of them, we can be able to open the path leading to the impact crater." Samus explained.

"Ok, so how do we do that?" Ben asked.

"My scans say the other Totems hold clues on the locations of the remaining Artifacts." Samus said as she walked towards another totem.

Ben decided to do the same and scanned the others as well. When they were done, they then looked over to see that there are indeed twelve.

"Ok so we have the Artifact of Truth. So, all we need now are the Artifacts of Strength, Elder, Wild, Lifegiver, Warrior, Chozo, Nature, Sun, World, Spirit, and Newborn." Ben said as he listed the artifacts off.

"Any ideas as to where they are?" He asked Samus.

"The locations of the artifacts are described in these eleven riddles." Samus said before reading the riddles.

"1: The heat of Magmoor was a test for many warriors. A Shrine in their honor holds the Artifact of Strength.

2: Invaders have claimed Phendrana as their own. A Tower sits atop their fortress. Collapse it to reveal the chamber where the Artifact of Elder is held.

3: A Sunchamber high atop our ruined home became the nest of a great beast, and a source of corruption. Many Chozo spirits have been drawn to this tainted place. Release their bond to this world to claim the Artifact of Wild.

4: There is a tower within the Ruins where Light always shines. Move through the waters there to find the Artifact of Lifegiver.

5: A room of Research lies within the mines. A corrupted invader is trapped there. Defeat this creature to claim the Artifact of Warrior.

6: In one of Tallon's far corners, a Grove of life lies. Reveal the pillars beneath the waves to find the Artifact of Chozo.

7: A molten Lake lies within the tunnels of Magmoor. Shatter the column at the lake's center to reveal the Artifact of Nature.

8: Near Phendrana's shores, a Temple stands. Thaw the frozen waters flowing from the Elder to find the Artifact of Sun.

9: Within the ruins of our home, we honor our fallen Elders in a great Hall. A chamber beneath the statue holds the Artifact of World.

10: A tall cave stands at Phendrana's Edge. Seek the unseen entrance at its top to find the Artifact of Spirit.

11: Invaders mine the depths in their greed. Forge a path through a Tunnel of the Great Poison to claim the Artifact of Newborn." Samus said as she read the riddles.

"Oh boy. This is gonna be long day." Ben said as he took off his helmet to rub his templates.

"Maybe so, but if we're going to stop this poison from spreading across the planet, we'll have to find these artifacts." Samus said as Ben put his helmet back on.

"Well, let's get started." Ben said.

And with that the two then began to make their way back to the ruins. After taking the elevator and making their way back to the room with the mutated tree Samus and Ben (who had changed into Ghostfreak) began to think of where to next. That was before the Ectonurite suddenly saw something out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, I think I see the door up there." Ghostfreak said.

Samus looked up and did see the door to the next room. How she's gonna get up there she may not know. Before she decided to ask Ghostfreak to lift her up she then noticed a platform not too far from the tree. With that the two began to scale upwards after dealing with some Reaper Vines, War Wasps, and some 'Venom Weed' in the room. The moment they reached the top they saw the door was locked by a door with four symbols like the one they saw before.

Seeing a symbol was right behind them Ghostfreak decided to look for the other three while Samus stayed to activate the fourth. It didn't take the Ectonurite long to find the other three and he was able to able to activate them. He then flew back up to the door just in time for Samus to activate the last symbol and the door opened.

The two saw that the only thing there was a wall and the two were a little confused but then Samus entered her morph ball and planted a bomb. Once it detonated, they saw a small tunnel that allowed Samus to move further. Ghostfreak phased through the wall before tapping the Omnitrix changing into Clamp Kick and followed her. Shortly after reaching the other side Samus fired a missile at the door blasting it open and the two moved through a long corridor that was filled with Venom Weed and Reaper Vines. This gave the two the hint that they were getting close to something and pressed onwards.

When they reached the next door, they repeated the process they did before and were met with another door. Looking at each other the Hunter and Zebesian looked at each other before nodding and walked inside, there they were met with a large room.

It is a huge, round, broken dome, mostly open to the sky, centered around a large fountain with a giant plant flower in the center. In its base were four Morph Ball-sized tunnels with four tentacles inside and the whole thing was surrounded by Mirror Arrays, Water, and Vines. The two looked around and noticed the water surrounding the structure is toxic. Before they could move any closer the doors behind them shut and a trail of these dark green plants towards them, forcing the two to roll out of the way. The plants grew rapidly and consist of ferns and reeds, emitting a green musk.

Then a solar panel fell forward and shot a concentrated beam of sunlight towards the giant flower and out shot an enormous mutated plant-like creature. It had a long snake-like body, two scythes on its forearms, and skull like head. The plant-like monster looked towards the two and roared at them.

'Uh oh.' Both Samus and Clamp Kick said knowing they were going to be in for a nasty fight.