Chapter Forty-Six: Stone Skin
Crusher whistled as he worked, smashing stones and metals that he found along the path. There had been a lull in his mission, and so here he was, working on his hobby. The desert seemed empty of Arkeyans, for the most part. Some of the metals he was smashing were from the remains of Arkeyan Drones. Best not to leave any of them behind for people to scavenge.
As he paused to swing his hammer again, he heard some kind of commotion beyond the tall rocks of the desert. Buzzing...laser shots...whooshing flames. There was some kind of fight going on. Crusher paused where he was, following the noise and running in to help. He halted in front of what looked like a large battle scene. A tall pillar had fallen over, used as cover for a flame golem and giant wasp. Two large Arkeyans had gotten a large gatling gun, shooting it in all directions at the Giants. The wasp and flame golem stood up to fire back whenever space opened up for them to do so, but they had no way out of this predicament.
Crusher rushed in, swinging his hammer at the Arkeyan robots. They turned the gatling gun on him, firing laser shots at him- he hardly felt it, however, because his stone skin was too tough. It was a gift, one which he'd been using in his mission. He swung the gatling gun away, smashing it to bits. The robots were scared enough to start up running, but the fire golem was hot on their heels. He smelted them with a thick black substance from his hands, trapping them where they were.
"Hot Head, wait! They were running!" the large wasp insisted, standing up over the pillar.
"I know their game, kid," the fire golem, Hot Head, argued. "They're just going to report back to their superiors on our position. I'm just trying to keep us safe."
"I know. But you have to be careful not to go overboard like this. Maybe we can ask them for help."
"Alright, alright. But I'm not allowing them to get the drop on us like that again."
Crusher stamped the remains of the gatling gun a bit more, ensuring that no one else could use it. Hot Head stepped closer to him, bending over a bit to observe him.
"Aren't you a golem?" Hot Head asked with a furrowed brow. "You should be dead from a beating like that."
"I'm a rock golem," Crusher explained. "Hits like that are no skin off my nose."
"Impressive."
"Did they hit you?"
Hot Head nodded. He showed off the side of his right arm, revealing an orange-red gash. "Once Swarm spotted those guys, we barely had enough time to take cover," he explained. "We knew that the minute we left that cover, we'd be dead."
The large wasp, Swarm, walked up next to Hot Head. He was shaking from nervousness, perhaps from their recent ordeal. "Thanks for coming when you did," he told Crusher. "If you hadn't...I don't know."
"Are you alright?" Crusher asked him.
"Not quite. Maybe in another minute."
Hot Head set his arm over Swarm's shoulders. "We're alright," he promised him. "We got out of there. No harm done."
"Are...are you sure there aren't any other ambushes in this desert?" Swarm muttered.
"I haven't noticed any other spots like that," Crusher added. "I think we're okay."
"I doubt you'd notice them. That's why they're called 'ambushes', right?"
Oh, that was right, wasn't it. Sometimes those things escaped Crusher's mind.
"If you'd like some additional cover, I'd be more than willing to assist you," Crusher decided. "I'm kind of impervious to most damage."
Hot Head looked at his arm wound again, wincing. "That's not a bad idea," he agreed. "We were looking for a temple around these parts. That doesn't take you out of your way, does it?"
As a matter of fact, he was looking for the same thing- it was part of his mission. "Don't worry about me. I'm just glad to help," Crusher insisted.
"No way! You're not icing my wound!" Hot Head spat.
"It's going to keep cracking open unless we do," Crusher insisted. "You don't want it to get infected, do you?"
"Why would I be worried about that?"
"Well, once the pus begins to form, the microbes will get used to the heat of your body, traveling through to your eternal flame. After a few days, the wound itself will grow and ooze, and-"
"Okay okay, I get it."
They'd settled into a cave for the night, trying to figure out their next plan of action. Crusher had decided that the temple couldn't be too far away at this point, if they were being attacked by Arkeyans. And with heavy artillery like that, they must've been trying to protect something. Now all was needed was for Hot Head's wound to be taken care of, and for a plan to be made in order to proceed.
Swarm had been exploring the back of the cave for a bit, quickly scrambling back to their side in shock. Small, gray-and-white rodents could be seen back there, safeguarding their trinkets. They looked at the wasp warily, standing on hind legs and sniffing the air.
"Aw, you found a clan of Warsupials!" Crusher sighed happily.
"They nearly bit me when I got too close to them. Why are you acting like that?" Swarm wondered.
"You should see these guys when you actively attack them. They're scavengers, I think- they like to hide, so no one knows that much about them. But they're fine around nice people. Who knows, they might snuggle up close to us for warmth in the night."
Hot Head crossed his arms in a frown. "I don't want those vermin anywhere near me," he huffed.
Crusher shuffled through his supply bag with pursed lips, searching for the ice crystal he had. "You don't seem to like a lot of things, do you?" he asked.
"Not much to like," Hot Head insisted. "Especially concerning ice crystals. You're not doing that to me."
Crusher cheered when he pulled the ice crystal out of his bag. "The ice doesn't go anywhere else," he promised. "Plenty of fire golems have told me so."
The flames on Hot Head's body rose up, and the fire golem glared at him. "Don't you lie about my people like that! They'd never agree to do that to themselves! Swarm, knock some sense into him!"
Swarm sat down, and he cast his gaze on the ground meekly. "I don't understand any of this. I can't really say," he insisted.
Hot Head looked over at him, the flames going down. He sucked in a breath, and every last flame on his body dissipated. "You said flame golems used this?"
Crusher nodded.
"If my body starts glowing again, pull away quick, alright?"
"Alright."
Crusher brought the ice crystal near Hot Head's wound. The fire golem shrunk down, even before the crystal touched him.
"Hey, what if we told stories to you?" Swarm asked. "To keep your mind off of this?"
Hot Head nodded.
"Alright, story...story...do you want to hear about my family?"
Crusher brought the crystal closer as Hot Head nodded.
"So, about my family. I had thousands of brothers and sisters, and we nearly made up the vast majority of our community. My father was a worker, helping fix tears in the hive walls occasionally. My mom was the queen, and she made all the rules for us."
Crusher put the crystal on Hot Head's wound. The fire golem winced, replying with a grimace, "The queen, you say? That makes you royalty! What's it like being a prince? Did you have servants?"
Swarm shrugged. "Being royalty was like being another worker, but with less rights. We were never allowed to leave the hive and collect pollen with everyone else. But it allowed me and Dax to pull pranks on everyone. No one paid too much heed to us, and we planted petal bombs in the combs, honey traps in the corridors, and very few people ever noticed that it was us who did anything."
"No one was hurt, were they?"
"Oh no, we were always careful about that. Except the two of us would probably get hurt occasionally- when my sisters found out it was us, they'd go ballistic on our stingers."
Crusher took the ice crystal away. Hot Head shivered for a moment, the ice patch settling onto the wound. "That doesn't seem too good," Hot Head chattered.
"It was all in good fun," Swarm insisted. "Hey Crusher, what was your family like?"
Crusher smiled, putting the ice crystal away. "I can't say my family was as big as yours," he began. "I didn't even have a mom. But my dad is the greatest. He was always helping me out, teaching me everything I needed. We would always go spelunking, looking for fancy rocks and gemstones to crush for our village. This helmet I have used to belong to him, and he gave it to me when I joined the business."
"What's his name?"
"Crusher."
"Really?"
"I come from a long line of Crushers. I'm currently 867th in the family line."
Hot Head's body regained its glow, the flame atop his head coming back to life. "Wish my dad was like that," he muttered. "My dad was way too rough. Always giving me a hard time about my mistakes, always yelling at me when I got out of line, it got pretty rough sometimes. But I guess it made sense. We were a migratory clan, and I had to keep myself safe one day, too."
"Did he hug you?" Swarm asked.
"Usually after I got out of trouble. He was usually super relieved."
"Where did you guys used to live?"
Hot Head turned on his side, huffing. "Doesn't matter. I'm here right now," he grumbled. "Goodnight."
Swarm rubbed the back of his neck. "Goodnight, Hot Head."
Perhaps they'd struck a chord with him. Crusher wasn't sure exactly what had happened that made Hot Head pull out. He thought back to the comment he'd made about the fire golems and their use of ice crystals. Hot Head had gotten defensive, refusing to believe that a fire golem could've used it. Maybe it was something he really didn't want to believe.
"So where's your dad now?" Swarm asked.
Crusher set his head on his sack. "Nearby, I'm sure. He was captured by Arkeyans several weeks back, as well as a few other miners. I'm sure they're at the temple you guys are trying to find. I hope they're just prisoners. Who knows what they'd do to them."
"No, you want to hope that they're workers or slaves. It's no better, but it means that they have a purpose to the Arkeyans. If they have a purpose, they're likely to be okay long enough for you to save them."
"What if they're just prisoners?"
Swarm tapped his knees together. "I don't know exactly. Maybe they could be tortured or experimented on. Depends on what the Arkeyans need at the moment."
None of those things had ever occurred to him. The Arkeyans had just been nuisances around Crusher's village. It was only until recently when they'd started being terrors. Right?
"What are you guys going out there for?" Crusher asked, trying to get those thoughts out of his head.
"Hot Head and I are trying to crumble the Arkeyan Empire," Swarm cheered, fists clenched in hopefulness. "We go after temples and slave camps all the time, taking down the opposition and freeing the Mabu prisoners."
"Sounds very ambitous. Most other people I see would rather let things pass, allow the Arkeyans to have their way."
"Nothing will improve if we simply let things pass. No one else seems to get that. Well, you seem to, at least. You're out here, aren't you?"
Crusher shrugged. "I suppose so."
"How far are you taking your fight?"
"Don't know, yet. That depends on what I see at that temple. If things are worse, I might be convinced to keep going at it."
Swarm nodded.
Crusher craned his neck a bit, noticing how dark it seemed outside. "I think the two of us should get to sleep right about now," he decided. "We'll need all the strength we can get for tomorrow."
"Shouldn't one of us keep a lookout?" Swarm asked.
"No Arkeyans' going to come into this cave, I promise. They'd probably go after those Warsupials, but the little guys can get nasty in bigger groups, even toward massive hulking robots. We're okay here."
"Okay. Goodnight, Crusher."
"Goodnight."
Swarm turned on his side, settling down. Crusher closed his eyes, hoping to sleep immediately. But worries and fears ran through his mind. His father couldn't be in that much danger, could he? Yeah, the Arkeyans were tough, but they couldn't stand a change against rock golems in a thousand years- earth beats tech, after all. But then...why would Swarm and Hot Head be so intent on taking them down?
"You're looking for your dad?" Hot Head muttered.
Crusher opened his eyes. He noticed that Hot Head had turned his head slightly to look at him. The fire golem had continued listening to them, huh?
"Yeah," Crusher explained.
"I'm going to give you backup tomorrow while we look for him. It's going to be tough, so you're going to need that help."
Crusher shook his head. "My stone skin is impenetrable. I don't need backup."
"Trust me, you can't take on an entire army on your own. I'm going to help you protect your family."
His eyes were so stern. He seemed so adamant in doing this. "Alright, then. You can go ahead and help me," Crusher decided. "I still don't need it, though."
Following the trail of a few Arkeyan drill-bots, the group found the temple they had been after. It appeared dilapidated and half-done. Of course, it was just half-done. The walls were unfinished, and there didn't appear to be a roof on top. Mabu slaves wandered about, carrying stone and placing it up on the walls. Some stumbled about on the wooden platforms, and were promplty whipped by Arkeyan Jousters and forced to keep moving. It made Crusher feel sick to his stomach.
"This stone...it doesn't look like stone from around here, does it?" Swarm asked.
"It looks like stone from my village," Crusher noted, scratching his head. "My people definitely are here. My dad has to be here, too."
Hot Head rubbed the back of his neck, looking about the area. "Crusher, let's go down to the lower levels, see what's there," he decided. "Swarm, you can take care of those Jousters on your own, right?"
Swarm nodded, hovering off the desert floor. "I'll create a diversion for you as well," he decided, taking to the air.
They waited until he was high enough, watching as he shot barbed stingers at the Jousters. He flew along the wall as a large group of Jousters went after him. Hot Head and Crusher stepped around the temple, finding a gap that hadn't yet been filled, and stepped into that to enter the temple.
There was a large hole dug out of the ground, encompassing the entirety of the temple. A staircase spiraled downward, odd lights illuminating the dark below. It seemed like a far drop down. They couldn't risk the drop- and they couldn't risk wasting time in case Crusher's people were in danger.
"I'll take the blow," Crusher insisted. "Grab onto me."
"Whoa, are you mad? We can't do that," Hot Head argued.
"Just trust me. I can do it."
Hot Head sighed, complying. Crusher wrapped his arms around him, throwing the two of them off the edge. They fell for several minutes, counting the levels that they passed. They eventually landed on the ground with a hard thud! Their impact created a few cracks along the ground. Hot Head moaned in shock, and Crusher felt the air knocked out of him. Otherwise, they were okay.
"Is anybody coming for us?" Crusher asked.
"Not that I can tell," Hot Head shrugged, getting up. "I have a bad feeling about this. What are they working on down here?"
They walked along a path, Hot Head leading the way with his light. They stayed at the walls, worried about somehow falling out of the temple. The strange lights from earlier became more and more constant, until stopping altogether. Voices were heard arguing and begging. Crusher's people were down here. He was sure of that.
"I can't go on ahead without them noticing us," Hot Head whispered. "You go peek around the corner."
Crusher nodded, doing as he asked. He pressed hmself against the corner of a wall, peering into an entryway onto a truly gruesome sight.
Along a wall, several rock golems were tied together by chains, all of them looking forlorn. They sat near a cage of angry Warsupials, the gray-furred rodents trying their hardest to break apart the bars. Gravel was scattered around the room, kicked away by a large Arkeyan robot about Crusher's height. A glowing red box sat at the center of the room, attached to a machine with vials on it. The vials contained a brownish magic- Earth magic. They were gathering Earth magic with use of an Arkeyan power core!
"Oh, this isn't working...," the Arkeyan robot sighed. "We can't siphen enough magic from the Warsupials or the rock golems. It's going too slow."
A darker gray golem stood up, frowning in defiance. It was Crusher's father! He was still okay!
"Let us go, then!" Crusher's father shouted. "You don't have any use for us!"
"I think we still do," the robot argued. "You could help us build the rest of this temple. It would move faster than with just the Mabu alone. We could also abduct the rest of your village, siphen the magic from them."
"You wouldn't dare! And I'm not going to let you!"
The robot grabbed a stick with a metal rod on it. The rod sparkled with a strange magic unfamiliar to Crusher. This rod poked Crusher's father, burning part of his chest with intense orange heat. The robot pulled away as his father yelped in pain, appearing to smirk at this behavior.
"You will do no such thing," the robot scoffed.
Crusher suddenly noticed the same sparkles on the chains holding the golems together. It had the same kind of powers as the rod. Normally a rock golem could easily break chains apart. If those chains held the same power, no wonder his people hadn't freed themselves yet.
"I'm going in," Crusher whispered.
"Wait! You can't!" Hot Head shouted.
But Crusher was already running, his hammer in the air. He thrust it down on the robot, who produced a shield around itself in defense. They knocked each other back, forcing themselves against each wall. Pain shot up every limb in Crusher's body, and he took quick sharp breaths in order to make it go away.
Wait a minute.
That was pain.
He had felt pain.
The robot picked up the rod, pointing it at Crusher. "Come to free your people, eh?" it spat. "You're going to die before you get the chance."
A rush of fire hit the robot, and Hot Head jumped into the fray. Crusher ran toward the Warsupial cage, grabbing hold of the lock. "Hot Head, the power core!" he shouted.
Hot Head nodded, running for the box. The robot turned to go after him, and it was then that Crusher opened the cage. The Warsupials spilled out, racing toward the robot. They grabbed onto the robot's legs, climbing all over its body and pulling bolts off. The robot struggled with these rodents, allowing Hot Head to turn the power core off.
"Son, the link on the wall!" Crusher's father shouted. "That's the only way to banish this curse!"
Crusher spotted the link on the wall. He thrust his hammer down on it, breaking the link and part of the wall. The rock golems freed themselves, without the need for pain from the cursed chains. Crusher hit the wall again, creating a large hole. He gasped once he saw blue skies on the other side. His father came up next to him, widening the hole so everyone might be able to get out, serving only to baffle Crusher further. He poked his head out of the wall, discovering a tower structure over here. The temple poked its way through the bottom of the island.
"A real mysterious structure, eh son?" his father mused.
"How do we get everyone out?" Crusher asked.
"Only way out is upward."
The robot managed to throw the Warsupials off, lunging after Hot Head. The fire golem managed to dodge this attack, shooting flames at it. A rock golem came to assist him, landing a strong punch on the robot's back. Several other golems joined together, ganging up on the robot and beating it into submission.
"Oh honestly guys, you can't leave me out of it!" Crusher's father insisted. "Let's tie him up so we can all go home."
Crusher looked out of the hole, gasping at the outdoor view. These Arkeyans could siphon magic out of people? They could curse chains and torture people that way? They could penetrate his stony protection and manage to hurt him? What else were these monsters capable of?
Swarm hadn't had any difficulty taking care of the Jousters. The only trace of them was pieces of scrap metal. The Mabu had been freed, and the Warsupials ran off to rejoin their clans. Hot Head and Swarm were rather jovial about it, saying that it was one of the easier missions they had undertaken.
"Easy? Are you sure?" Crusher asked.
"Normally there are hordes of robots to go after us," Swarm explained. "There was barely any out there. I guess their main focus was on your people. I'm actually kind of glad it was so easy."
Crusher returned with his people to their village, helping them settle back into their homes. Everyone who had stayed home at the time greeted them warmly, excitedly hugging loved ones. They invited Swarm and Hot Head to a feast, to thank them for their help. Swarm excitedly accepted, while Hot Head decided that he needed a minute to think on it. This feast was set outside, where rock golems gathered in happy conversation. The air was filled with joy and excitement.
But Crusher didn't feel happy.
"You haven't even taken anything from the feast," Crusher's dad wondered. "I know you. You'd attack the table right away, taking as much as possible."
"I'm just thinking about stuff," Crusher muttered.
The two of them looked at the giant wasp, smirking at how he gobbled up the food near him. Swarm basked in the warmth of the company near him.
"I doubt I can beat him, though," Crusher chuckled.
He felt his father set a hand on his shoulder. "You don't seem like yourself tonight," he continued. "Do you want to talk about anything?"
"I saw some rubble on the ground. Fallen rock golems, I'm sure. Anyone you knew?"
"There was no one down there when they chained us up."
"Did they hurt you with the curses often."
"Often enough. But they ensured that it was because we were defying their orders to stay still. They couldn't knock us down for long."
Crusher looked up at his father. His heart raced upon looking at his face. The rock golem in front of him appeared like something between a phantom and a living being. Both dead and alive. In another scenario, Crusher would've been too late. His father and the others would've been dead upon his arrival. Or another scenario in which he did arrive, but he'd convinced Hot Head earlier to leave him alone to free his people. Crusher was certain that the robot would've done away with him.
He grabbed his father in a tight hug, sobbing heavily. "I underestimated them," he choked out. "They were able to hurt me. They were able to hurt all of you. I didn't know what I was up against. I'm just...I'm just so glad I got to you in time."
Crusher's father hugged him back. "I'm okay. You don't have to worry," he promised. "We'll make sure they don't capture us again."
Crusher held onto him for another minute. His sobbing quelled, and he slowly released him. An idea came to mind, one that would take him far away from home. It was a necessary thing to do, of course. The fate of Skylands depended on it.
"I'm going to travel with Swarm and Hot Head," Crusher decided. "We need to end this threat. They're determined to do it. I want to follow them as far as I need to."
Crusher's father widened his eyes at this, surprised by how determined he was. He gave him another hug, saying, "Good luck. I love you."
"I love you, too."
Crusher and Swarm walked out to the edge of the village, carrying a few plates of food. The commotion of the feast was dying down, and everyone was preparing to return to their homes. Hot Head had never come back during that time. They figured he would need something to eat.
They spotted Hot Head sitting on a boulder, staring at the sky as the stars came out. Swarm called him over, but he didn't respond.
"Hey buddy, we brought food for you!" Crusher insisted.
Hot Head looked at them for a second. Something shiny appeared to glint on his molten face, but he looked away before they could get a good look at it. "I wasn't very hungry," he muttered.
"Are you alright?" Swarm asked.
"Yeah. I just want to be alone right now."
They stepped closer to him, just enough so he wouldn't get intimidated. Swarm continued quietly, "The other night...we were talking about our families. Did something happen to your family?"
Hot Head stiffened up. "Wh-what made you think that?"
"Just kind of the way you pulled out. I don't know, it was just a guess."
No comment.
"You're not alone in this," Crusher promised him. "We've all been affected by these Arkeyans in one way or another."
Hot Head began pouting. "Oh crud, I didn't want anyone to see me like this," he gasped. "I look really stupid crying like this."
They each took a seat next to him. Liquid tears flowed down Hot Head's cheeks, sizzling away everywhere they landed. It did seem strange to see a fire golem cry liquid tears, but all golems cried like that.
"The Arkeyans killed them all," Hot Head cried. "They killed them all. Froze our mountain with this awful Water magic, something I'd never seen before. They chained us up and loaded us into Autogyros on their way to temple construction sites. Everyone protested, tried to fight back. Those metalheads used similar rods to freeze their eternal flames and kill them. I was the last one they got to, and I'm only here because I didn't fight or argue. I broke out of my enslavement with the help of several other slaves at the site we were told to build."
Swarm threw his arms around Hot Head as this story continued. Hot Head added, "Crusher, I'm glad we could save your dad. I miss my dad all the time. I'd give anything to have him back, to hug me again. I want him back."
Crusher set a hand on his shoulder. They stayed like this for several minutes, allowing Hot Head to cry as long as he needed. Eventually Hot Head's pouting slowed down.
"I'm glad you came to help me," Crusher told him. "I promise I'll return the favor. I'm going to help you guys as much as I can. We're going to make sure that nothing like that happens to anyone else."
Hot Head wiped his tears away. "You're coming with us?" he asked.
"I need to make sure everyone's families stay safe from these monsters. I need to help you guys."
Hot Head cracked a smile. "I welcome you're assistance and friendship."