----- Chapter 18 : Three Blind Mice ------
Sarunakai knew there was something terribly wrong with this place. Every fibre of his being screamed at him to get out while there was still time.
-----
They moved silently, sticking to the shadows where possible. They had learned the hard way in the mines how to avoid attention. In the Ruins these lessons were ever more important. The frontline between the Hunters and the Ruin 'Guardians' shifted like sand on a seashore. Technology placed there to mark territorial boundaries did not last long and large groups of Hunters quickly brought down upon themselves the wrath of their monstrous foes.
It had taken much begging and pleading on Eventide's behalf to get Sarunakai an exception from the Hunter edict. As he had predicted, the fact that the young FOmar had held his own against Vol Opt carried much weight and so the Principal had finally relented. Sarunakai was glad. He was venturing into the unknown, the greatest adventure imaginable.
Once there, he felt not so sure. The regions they passed through strewn with those fallen in battle from both sides, the walls of the rooms sinister in decoration, movement all around to distract the eye for just a moment and death to follow swiftly afterwards.
The evidence of a great struggle was obvious from the outset. The walls marked and blackened by the photon weapons of Pioneer One's military, for they had brought very few Hunters. It also appeared that they had ventured far into the heart of these ancient Ruins, mine traps and abandoned equipment found in equal measure on their path.
Now they found themselves in a series of ever darkening rooms. Their pace slowed through impaired vision, but the resistance faced decreased in equal measure. Eric had joked at one point that perhaps the monsters were afraid of the dark. Eventide could not shake the feeling that they were being followed, the hairs of the back of his neck were never wrong.
A low level growling came from the other side of the room and drew closer, they readied their weapons. The sound was more akin to the Barbarous Wolves found in the forest around the Central Dome than the nightmarish Dimenians native to the Ruins.
"Eric, can you see it?" Eventide whispered.
"I'm not sure... I see... a person?"
Eventide raised his Durandal and pointed it in the general direction of the sound. An old trick, photons escaped from the containment field in the direction of the point acting like a weak torch. They were shocked when they saw what was illuminated before them in the dim beam.
Eric had been right, of sorts. It was a person, or at least appeared to be. The orange protective armour, faded to brown by dirty and damage, was immediately recognisable, they had seen the owner in the mines about a week ago. Eventide panned his sword upwards, the section ID badge mounted on the Ash's chest dull, the power cells no doubt long since drained.
They saved their gasps until Ash's head came into view. His face elongated and distorted. The skin darkened, it looked hard and waxy. His hair gone, replaced by soft quills like an anteater and behind him dangled six pale yellow ribbons, arcing out of the back of his neck till they touched the floor.
The alien 'moan' of a Dimenian materialising made them jump. Eventide quickly trained his light upon it. It raised its arms and began its charge. A sound followed like a nylon rope being fed out at high speed and the Dimenian found itself skewered by Ash's 'ribbons'. The creature was frozen in place by the sudden attack, when the tentacles retracted it remained still for a few moments before toppling face down to the ground. Turning to face Ash they discovered he had gone.
The three of them immediately readied themselves for attack for any direction. Ash's speed and power meant they were very vulnerable. They spread out to aid manoeuvring, a mistake. A rush of wind and Eventide was pulled out far into the centre of the room, his sword clattering to the ground before extinguishing. A series of sickening thuds and crunches echoed throughout the room and then silence.
Eric recovered from his stupor and unloaded round after round into the darkness, the walls beside them lit-up in flashes.
"Where are you?" Eric shouted.
His cry was answered with a clang, a weight landed upon his shoulders. Aiming upwards, he fired point-blank into the shadow draped over him. The close proximity of the muzzle flashes was blinding and Sarunakai was forced to look away.
The groaning of metal under great stress filled the room, then Eric collapsed forward, his head tumbling to the floor beside him leaving Sarunakai alone. He spun around, his eyes hoping to pick out some sign through the darkness that pressed him from all sides. He panicked and unleashed bolt after bolt of lightning into the room. They seared the air and earthed themselves repeatedly on the nearest available metallic surfaces.
The continuous exertion took its toll on the young FOmar. He could see that he had no target and his precious energy being wasted, he had to flee or end up like the others.
He started to concentrate, trying to picture an exit in his mind, but his thoughts kept jumping back to the skittering noise of Ash as he moved around the room drawing ever closer. The energy hum of a telepipe forming around him filled his ears, he felt a sharp thump to the chest and fell, falling, falling to the hard ground and then nothing.
Sarunakai knew there was something terribly wrong with this place. Every fibre of his being screamed at him to get out while there was still time.
-----
They moved silently, sticking to the shadows where possible. They had learned the hard way in the mines how to avoid attention. In the Ruins these lessons were ever more important. The frontline between the Hunters and the Ruin 'Guardians' shifted like sand on a seashore. Technology placed there to mark territorial boundaries did not last long and large groups of Hunters quickly brought down upon themselves the wrath of their monstrous foes.
It had taken much begging and pleading on Eventide's behalf to get Sarunakai an exception from the Hunter edict. As he had predicted, the fact that the young FOmar had held his own against Vol Opt carried much weight and so the Principal had finally relented. Sarunakai was glad. He was venturing into the unknown, the greatest adventure imaginable.
Once there, he felt not so sure. The regions they passed through strewn with those fallen in battle from both sides, the walls of the rooms sinister in decoration, movement all around to distract the eye for just a moment and death to follow swiftly afterwards.
The evidence of a great struggle was obvious from the outset. The walls marked and blackened by the photon weapons of Pioneer One's military, for they had brought very few Hunters. It also appeared that they had ventured far into the heart of these ancient Ruins, mine traps and abandoned equipment found in equal measure on their path.
Now they found themselves in a series of ever darkening rooms. Their pace slowed through impaired vision, but the resistance faced decreased in equal measure. Eric had joked at one point that perhaps the monsters were afraid of the dark. Eventide could not shake the feeling that they were being followed, the hairs of the back of his neck were never wrong.
A low level growling came from the other side of the room and drew closer, they readied their weapons. The sound was more akin to the Barbarous Wolves found in the forest around the Central Dome than the nightmarish Dimenians native to the Ruins.
"Eric, can you see it?" Eventide whispered.
"I'm not sure... I see... a person?"
Eventide raised his Durandal and pointed it in the general direction of the sound. An old trick, photons escaped from the containment field in the direction of the point acting like a weak torch. They were shocked when they saw what was illuminated before them in the dim beam.
Eric had been right, of sorts. It was a person, or at least appeared to be. The orange protective armour, faded to brown by dirty and damage, was immediately recognisable, they had seen the owner in the mines about a week ago. Eventide panned his sword upwards, the section ID badge mounted on the Ash's chest dull, the power cells no doubt long since drained.
They saved their gasps until Ash's head came into view. His face elongated and distorted. The skin darkened, it looked hard and waxy. His hair gone, replaced by soft quills like an anteater and behind him dangled six pale yellow ribbons, arcing out of the back of his neck till they touched the floor.
The alien 'moan' of a Dimenian materialising made them jump. Eventide quickly trained his light upon it. It raised its arms and began its charge. A sound followed like a nylon rope being fed out at high speed and the Dimenian found itself skewered by Ash's 'ribbons'. The creature was frozen in place by the sudden attack, when the tentacles retracted it remained still for a few moments before toppling face down to the ground. Turning to face Ash they discovered he had gone.
The three of them immediately readied themselves for attack for any direction. Ash's speed and power meant they were very vulnerable. They spread out to aid manoeuvring, a mistake. A rush of wind and Eventide was pulled out far into the centre of the room, his sword clattering to the ground before extinguishing. A series of sickening thuds and crunches echoed throughout the room and then silence.
Eric recovered from his stupor and unloaded round after round into the darkness, the walls beside them lit-up in flashes.
"Where are you?" Eric shouted.
His cry was answered with a clang, a weight landed upon his shoulders. Aiming upwards, he fired point-blank into the shadow draped over him. The close proximity of the muzzle flashes was blinding and Sarunakai was forced to look away.
The groaning of metal under great stress filled the room, then Eric collapsed forward, his head tumbling to the floor beside him leaving Sarunakai alone. He spun around, his eyes hoping to pick out some sign through the darkness that pressed him from all sides. He panicked and unleashed bolt after bolt of lightning into the room. They seared the air and earthed themselves repeatedly on the nearest available metallic surfaces.
The continuous exertion took its toll on the young FOmar. He could see that he had no target and his precious energy being wasted, he had to flee or end up like the others.
He started to concentrate, trying to picture an exit in his mind, but his thoughts kept jumping back to the skittering noise of Ash as he moved around the room drawing ever closer. The energy hum of a telepipe forming around him filled his ears, he felt a sharp thump to the chest and fell, falling, falling to the hard ground and then nothing.