The Spark burns bright in front of Tom Elm as he unleashes its power upon the Nacht. The black, ethereal body of the Nacht rapidly disintegrates and it howls in pain as the Spark burns the malformed dragon's very soul. Tom screws his eyes shut, blinded by the light from the weapon in his hands.
He opens his eyes to find that he floats in a sea of darkness. He drifts for what seems to him an eternity, surrounded by nothing but the vast, empty expanse. Only the slowly growing cold lapping at his body reminds him that he is still alive. Then, after almost giving up hope that he'll ever leave, he sees a faint glimmer of light. He reaches toward the light, straining to move his body closer to it. In response, a child's voice calls out to him.
"Hello." It says, almost playfully giggling.
"Hello." Tom responds weakly, unable to muster any more words. He can feel his consciousness begin to slip away.
"You did good to make it this far intact. No other mortal has." The light begins to grow slightly larger, as if moving closer to Tom. "That intrigues me. So, even if you're no longer a vessel, I'm going to keep you around. For now, at least."
"Wha…" Tom stammers as the light begins to shine brighter, slowly chasing away the darkness and cold entangling his body. Tom can feel his consciousness returning. "What are you?"
"My name is Havaki. And you are Tom Elm, the young boy who, against all odds, managed to draw out some modicum of my power."
"Wait, you're the Spark?"
"No more questions, my little anomaly." Tom feels his gut wrench. He is pulled from the darkness by an unbelievably powerful force. "You'll spoil all the fun." He hears the voice chuckle in the distance as he is thrown back into reality.
Tom's eyes fluttered open. His breathing was uneven and shallow. He clutched at his chest, heart still racing. He sat, cross-legged, on the edge of a cliff face overlooking a massive, labyrinthine canyon system. His companions stood several yards away, next to the lowered ramp of their transport. Noticing Tom stirring, Roderick broke from the group and scampered to his friend.
"Anything new this time?" Roderick asked as he leapt into Tom's lap.
"No." Tom responded. "Just old memories. He may have finally noticed I'm tracking him." Tom stood up, Roderick climbing up to his shoulder. Tom walked back over to the others.
"What's the verdict?" Nagratek asked as Tom joined the circle.
"I can't seem to feel their presence anymore." Tom responded. "It's possible Havaki is somehow shutting me out."
"Is that even possible?" Thorn asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine." Tom shook his head. They both looked to Nagratek.
"It's possible, I suppose." He shrugged. "There are no concrete records on how the Spark has been used in the past or what its limitations are. Nothing's out of the question."
"So, are we lost now?" Smiley asked.
"Unless Nagratek knows where exactly the Councilman's lab was, I think we're stuck for the moment." Thorn sighed.
"Don't look at me." Nagratek took a step back. "I barely even knew it existed. It's a miracle we managed to find these canyons in the first place. It'll take us days, at least, to search through them before we find the lab."
"It looks like we've got some downtime." Smiley smiled. He pulled a cigar from his vest and lit it with a crumpled pack of matches. Placing it in his mouth, he took a massive puff. "I can work with that."
"If only." Nagratek broke from the group and stepped onto the dropship. "This means we need to move as quickly as possible. We'll have to cover as much ground as we can if we want to find the laboratory before the Catalyst takes hold of Fone." He walked back into the cockpit as everyone took their seats.
"Sorry I couldn't be more helpful." Tom said as the dropship began to lift off.
"You've taken us this far." Thorn responded, smiling. "Without you, we'd be running around blind, like headless chickens."
"I just feel like I should be doing more. As it stands, I'm no longer of any use."
"You want to be helpful?" Nagratek shouted back through the cockpit door. "Come up here and keep your eyes peeled for that cliff face from your vision."
"You scanned my memories, didn't you?" Tom protested. "You'd probably recognize it better than I could."
"I still only have one pair of eyes." Nagratek shot back. "Now either get up and do something productive of shut up and let me concentrate." Reluctantly, Tom unstrapped himself and shakily made his way into the cockpit. Nagratek closed the door behind him.
"Don't think I don't know what this is about." Nagratek said, eyes staring straight ahead as Tom sat down in the co-pilot's chair.
"What do you-" Tom began to ask. Nagratek cut him off.
"I didn't need to read your mind to know you're obsessed with Thorn. In all likelihood, that's why you volunteered to come in the first place. Now, I'm not judging you. You're not the only one here guilty of falling for a Queen. But we'll be entering the lion's den soon. I need to know that you won't get yourself killed trying to show off or play the hero at the first sign of trouble."
"I can handle myself." Tom said, crossing his arms. "I killed the Nacht, remember?"
"You may have faced a Nightmare Entity and survived, but that doesn't make you competent. You pulled that off thanks to an unstable mixture of luck and extremely suspicious outside help. When we get to where we're going, both of those things will be working against you. So consider this your only warning. If you get yourself in trouble, I'm not coming to help you. Are we clear?"
"It's a bit harsh." Tom sunk into his chair. "And rude."
"Are we clear?" Nagratek asked again, his voice rising. He took his attention off the canyon below them and looked Tom in the eyes.
"Yeah, we're clear." Tom muttered, averting his gaze. He sunk further into his chair.
"Good." Nagratek smiled. "Glad that's cleared up." He turned back to flying the dropship. The two of them sat in silence for a while, staring out at the horizon. Suddenly, the air around them began crackling. Sparks of electricity burst into the air all around the cabin.
"Nagratek…" Tom sat up as electricity began racing around the cockpit. Lightning began striking outside the dropship. "What's going on?"
"Nothing good, that's for sure." Nagratek responded. He grunted as the electricity began nipping at him. "There's no storm anywhere near us. This isn't natural."
"You think?" Tom shouted, leaping up from his chair. Before he could brace himself against something, lightning struck the dropship. Instantly it lurched, throwing Tom up into the air. The dropship began losing altitude. Nagratek pulled up on the controls, but they had little effect.
"What's going on?" Thorn shouted from the bay of the dropship. She threw the doors to the cockpit open and staggered in, followed quickly by Smiley and Roderick. "Where did this storm come from?"
"There isn't a storm." Nagratek replied, furiously fighting the controls in a desperate bid to level the dropship out. "I think Reina may have found us." Suddenly the space in front of the dropship began to split apart. A massive maelstrom of electricity opened up as if out of nowhere right in their path.
As the dropship plummeted closer to the maw of crackling energy below it, Nagratek let out a furious scream and jumped up from the pilot's chair. He kicked out the cockpit's windshield. His shape began to contort and grow, taking on the form he used to fight Deyavara.
"Thorn, get the others!" He shouted over his shoulder, his voice shifting lower as he spoke. Before she could respond, he jumped through the destroyed windshield and into the massive storm of energy. Thorn let out a sigh before grabbing Smiley in one arm and Tom in the other. Roderick scampered into Tom's arms as Thorn crouched at the edge of the opening. After a moment's hesitation, she followed Nagratek through the windshield. Launching herself into the air, she soared over the vortex with ease and aimed for the canyon floor beyond it. As she neared the ground, she began levitating and slowing her descent. She landed with and uncanny grace. Her passengers scampered out of her grasp as soon as she touched down.
Once she set foot on the ground, she staggered. Her vision became cloudy, and she clutched her head as she lost balance. When she recovered, she looked up at the sky just in time to see the dropship enter the vortex. As the swirling mass of energy swallowed its prey, it closed violently, tearing the dropship in half in a spectacular explosion. Chunks, large and small, rained down on the canyon floor below. A particularly large section of the hull began hurdling toward Thorn and the group. She braced herself for a massive impact, but right before it hit the ground, another object landed next to Thorn from above.
It was Nagratek. As the tangle of metal closed in on the group, he rushed forward and jumped toward it. As he met it in midair, he punched it back toward where the vortex used to be. It soared through the air at blinding speeds, clear over the horizon. As he landed, Thorn drew her sword and threw her hood up.
"Nagratek, what are we dealing with?" Thorn asked, eyeing the sky for more falling debris.
"Her name is Reina." Nagratek panted, his breath becoming shallow. Black ooze began leaking from one of his eyes. "She's a Nightmare Entity. But unlike the rest of us, she more closely resembles an entity like the Lord of the Locusts. Most of her body is actually comprised of unstable Dreaming Energy, but she has to maintain a-" A bolt of lightning struck Nagratek in the chest as he spoke, sending him flying back.
"Now now Nagratek..." A deep but distinctly feminine voice boomed off of the canyon walls. It seemed to come from every direction. In front of Thorn a massive creature began coalescing, forming itself out of swirling white energy. It moved forward, its body taking the shape of a massive feline. "You really should learn to stop interfering in other people's business." The beast moved its jaw as it spoke, but the words seemed to come from Thorn's mind rather than the air around her.
"Oh great." Thorn rolled her eyes, drawing her sword. "Another overgrown house pet."
"Hey, do you think she knew Rock Jaw?" Smiley piped up from behind her.
"I'm not familiar with the name." Reina mused, slowly creeping toward Thorn with a pompous gait. "Perhaps you've met one of my descendants."
"Yeah, I've met your kind before." Thorn spat back at the glowing creature. "We didn't get along. I'm guessing that's something he inherited from you."
"I wouldn't be surprised." Reina mused, cracking what looked like a wry smirk. "I tried to kill Ven myself on more than one occasion. Disgust for you lesser creatures is carved into who we are."
"Clearly his bad disposition isn't the only thing he took from you." Thorn gulped. Sweat ran down her forehead. "He also inherited your god complex." Reina stopped moving and furrowed her crackling brow.
"I can't speak for my kin, but I know my place. I am but a humble servant of my creator, the Crystal Councilman. It isn't my fault he made my people so superior to yours." She continued prowling forward. Thorn took a step back and leveled her sword at the approaching phantasm, prepared to defend herself. As she focused, something began stirring behind her.
In the blink of an eye Nagratek rushed forth from the crater his impacted had bored into the ground. He cleaved Reina in two as he ran, his strike moving fast enough to separate the air around him. He skidded to a halt and stumbled, barely staying on his feet as he slowed himself down. Reina calmly reformed, this time turned to face Nagratek.
"Really, will you ever learn?" She asked as he staggered in front of her, panting. Her body began vibrating and, after a few moments, discharged a bolt of lightning toward Nagratek. He took a step forward despite his perilous footing and thrust his open palm toward her as she unleashed her attack. The lightning touched it instantly, coursing through his arm in the blink of an eye before jumping out his shoulder and to the ground. His forearm began leaking black ooze from various new burn marks. Other than his arm, however, Nagratek remained intact and upright. A smile slowly crawled its way across his face.
"I didn't think that was going to work." He muttered, almost chuckling to himself. His arm went limp and fell to his side as it began repairing itself.
"You cheeky little ingrate." Reina's unnervingly calm expression began to darken. She charged two more bolts at him in quick succession. As she prepared them, he rushed forward and jumped into the air. The first caught him in the knee and traveled down his leg, jumping out his foot as it arced toward the ground. The second strike came as he descended. Right before it fired, he threw a punch at Reina with his good hand. The lightning jumped through one of his knuckles and out his elbow. The force of the last strike, however, threw Nagratek back up into the air. He landed several meters away in a smoking pile.
"I'll admit you caught me off guard with the first strike." Reina said. She closed in on Nagratek's body. "But nothing can outmatch my power. Not even you." She began charging up more strikes. As she was about to unleash her barrage of attacks, she felt something move through her. She whirled around to find Thorn has thrust her sword through Reina's torso. Chuckling, Reina began moving around the sword, her form uninterrupted by physical matter. Before she could, however, Thorn grabbed her by the throat.
"You nightmare entities are all alike." Thorn said, ripping her sword from Reina's side and raising it above her head. "You think your power makes you untouchable. But, when you get right down to it, you're basically a very dense ghost circle. And I've had plenty of experience dealing with ghost circles" She brought her sword down and cut clean through Reina's neck. The severed head floated a few inches away from the neck, but Reina felt unable to reattach her essence across the "wound" Thorn's sword had left in her.
"You dare!" Reina howled. She jumped back, a new head growing from the stump of her neck as her old one began to warp and contort. It exploded next to Thorn, sending her flying back and spewing several dozen arcs of energy across the ground in all directions. One stray bolt raced toward Tom and Roderick. Smiley stepped in its path and took the hit. As the energy touched him, his arms crystalized and absorbed the attack.
"Well, that's new." He whistled, looking over the energy coursing through his arms' crystalline protrusions. The energy suddenly began struggling against his form, bursting loose in flashes and returning to Reina's body. Thorn stood up from where she had been thrown, and the two faced down the massive lightning cat.
"You two are going to be a particularly tenacious pair of pests to exterminate." Reina hissed. She rubbed her neck, still feeling disjointed where Thorn's sword had managed to cleave her being.
"Are you sure you've never met Rock Jaw?" Smiley asked. He took a puff of his cigar.
"Enough of this farce!" Reina snarled. She leapt forward at Smiley. Thorn rolled to the side, directly in Reina's path, and jumped at her head on. As Reina's claws reared back, crackling with energy, Thorn swung her sword with blinding speed, parting Reina as a massive boulder parts a rushing river. The swelling energy rushed around her as she barreled forward, carving Reina in half from tip to tail.
As the two halves of Reina came to a halt on either side of Smiley, they began screaming and thrashing around, stray lightning firing haphazardly. From where Reina had beat him into the ground, Nagratek rushed forward to the closest half and stuck his hands straight into her side. He screeched in pain as his hands began vibrating, separating on a molecular level and dispersing throughout Reina's half-body. With great effort, he lifted his arms into the air, somehow carrying Reina with him. He slammed her into the ground, his voice going hoarse. That half of her dissipated in a blinding explosion that threw Nagratek back near where he was laying just a moment ago.
The other half, feeling the dispersion of part of itself, dissolved into a misty substance and floated backward and up, away from the fight. It settled on a rocky outcropping jutting out from a nearby canyon wall. Reina slowly retook her shape on top of her perch, staring down at Thorn.
"Now you deserve my full attention, whelp." She spat. "No one has ever-" She stopped when she noticed the canyon walls around her begin to vibrate. She cowered backward, the frequency growing more intense. Everyone in the canyon below fell to their knees, forced to the ground by whatever was causing the vibrations. Nagratek was the only still able to move.
"Get up!" He shouted, propping himself up with one shaky arm. "Run!" The rocks began emitting a low hum that grew louder in volume as time went on.
"What's going on?" Thorn asked, straining to raise both her voice and body amidst the cacophony around her.
"It's the Councilman!" Nagratek shouted back at her, struggling to his feet. "He's here!"
"Reina." The storm of noise suddenly clarified into a deep voice that echoed through the canyon. "Cease this prattling. Our plans have changed. You are needed elsewhere."
"Yes, my Lord." She stuttered, looking around, terrified. She turned to her enemies and resumed her façade of arrogance. "It looks like today is your lucky day, insects." She said, her voice shaking. "I have a higher calling to attend to. I will return to devour you after my task is completed." Before they could move, she bounded up the canyon wall and over the edge of the cliff. Almost immediately after she left, the vibrations in the rocks ceased.
Roderick scampered out from underneath a rock as soon as the shaking subsided. Thorn and Smiley both slowly stood back up. Tom attempted to do the same, but stumbled as he got his footing, fell onto all fours, and began throwing up. Smiley ran over to check on him as Nagratek rejoined the group.
"That was the Councilman?" Thorn asked, turning to Nagratek. He sat down on a nearby rock, his arms slowly reforming out of thin air.
"Sort of." He sighed. The black liquid and crystals covering his body began to retract as he returned to his Bone form. "He moved part of himself into the surrounding rocks to manipulate them. We're just lucky he only wanted to talk. He's been known to cause earthquakes like that."
"Well, the upside is he got rid of Reina." Thorn grunted. "If I'm being honest, I'm not sure how much longer we could have lasted like that."
"Are you kiddin' me?" Smiley asked, helping Tom back to his feet. "We had her on th' ropes."
"Not likely." Nagratek grunted, jumping off the rock and landing on his feet. "Her energy form is almost impossible to destroy. Thorn's the only one here with a dreaming eye strong enough to effectively hit her, I had to rapidly change my composition just to avoid getting myself killed, and you won't be any help in a fight until you learn to control your new body effectively." He pointed at Smiley. "Even if we had managed to dissipate her form entirely, her physical form would still be out of our reach."
"She has a physical form?" Thorn asked, sheathing her sword.
"That's what I was trying to tell you earlier. That thing we fought was just a projection of her soul into the physical plane. We can't kill her unless we manage to kill her real body. Anyway, there's no use dwelling on it now. We still have to find the Councilman's lab." He turned to Tom. "Are you good to keep going?" He asked.
"I think so." The boy nodded. The color had drained from his face, and Smiley was helping him stand. "Whatever that was messed up my balance. I haven't felt that awful since I had to face the Nacht. But I'm feeling better now." He flashed a weak smile. Nagratek frowned.
"If you say so." He shrugged. Tom pulled his arm off of Smiley's shoulder and attempted to take a step forward. He stumbled, and Smiley ducked underneath him, supporting his arm again.
"I'll keep an eye on these two." Smiley said, nodding toward Tom and Roderick. "You guys just focus on getting up to Fone." Nagratek turned and began leading the group deeper into the canyon system.
"Well, there goes our guide." Thorn said, catching up to Nagratek. "Are you sure it's a good idea to move around without knowing where we're going?"
"Tom had been pointing us in this general direction before his connection cut out." Nagratek responded. "Unless you've got any better ideas, we'll just…" He trailed off. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks.
"Nagratek?" Thorn asked. "What's wrong?"
"You're a Veni-Yan-Cari." He said. He smacked himself on his forehead. "Why didn't I think of that earlier?" He turned to Thorn. "Why don't you look ahead?" She frowned at him. He rolled his eyes and placed two fingers against his forehead. "Use your dreaming vision or whatever it is. See if you can't find anything."
"It isn't exactly sight, and my range is limited, but I'll give it a shot." She closed her eyes and put her fingers against her forehead. She cast her mind forward, searching through the Dreaming for anything nearby. After a moment she opened her eyes and put her hand down.
"Find anything?" Nagratek asked.
"There's something off about this place." Thorn muttered. "The Dreaming is flowing exclusively in one direction." The pointed ahead of them. "The way we were headed. I have no idea what could cause something like this, but I don't think we want to find out."
"Can you get us to whatever's causing it? I have a feeling that's where the lab is going to be."
"It shouldn't be too hard." Thorn shrugged. "The canyon starts snaking up ahead, but if we keep following this path eventually it dead ends. The distortion seems strongest there."
"Excellent." Nagratek began walking forward again. "Just lead the way." He looked back at Thorn, motioning her to take the lead.
"There is one other thing." Thorn said as she began walking. "I thought I could feel a massive living organism nearby, but the distortions are making it hard to see individual signatures."
"Could it have been Fone?"
"It felt more like a plant to me, but there was something very wrong about it. That could just be interference though, so I can't say for sure."
"Large plants this far out in the desert…" Nagratek muttered to himself. "That doesn't make sense." He went silent for a moment. His brow furrowed. Thorn glanced around hesitantly.
"Does that mean something?" She asked.
"Maybe." He stared ahead as the path began to curve to the side. "It might be just a coincidence, but keep your eye peeled, just in case."
"What am I looking for, exactly?" Thorn closed her eyes again and returned to probing the Dreaming.
"That." Nagratek stopped and pointed in front of them. Thorn opened her eyes and stopped next to him. Sitting in the path was the wreckage of what looked like a small, one-mast, wooden sailing ship. It lay on its side, its hull punctured in several places by large roots protruding from the ground that had wrapped themselves around much of the vessel. A metallic propeller engine hung limply from the side, held up by two metal pipes strapped to the hull. On the ground around the wreck shredded canvas and tarp, some tied to the ship with rope, lay strewn about.
"What're we standin' around for?" Smiley asked as he, Tom, and Roderick caught up with Thorn and Nagratek. He whistled as he caught sight of the former skyship.
"That's the Queen of the Sky." Tom said, shrugging himself off of Smiley's shoulder and taking a few steps forward. "What the… What is that doing here?" He stumbled forward toward the ship, breaking into a run.
"What's a Queen of the Sky?" Nagratek asked, the rest of the group following after Tom.
"It's Percival's airship!" Tom shouted behind him as he skidded to a halt in front of the wreckage. "He used it to come to the Valley two years ago. We journeyed on it together to collect the pieces of the Spark and defeat the Nacht."
"What's it doing all the way up here?" Thorn asked. "I thought Percival and his family left the Valley?"
"He went looking for his brother." Tom replied. "He must have wound up here somehow." He began climbing the rubble and tearing pieces off of it. Smiley and Roderick climbed up to help him.
"What are you doing?" Nagratek asked.
"Looking for survivors." Tom responded, not looking up from his work.
"This thing's covered in rust." Nagratek commented, kicking the turbine next to him. "It looks like this has been here for quite some time. You're not going to find anyone still alive in there."
"They maybe we can look for clues. See where they've gone."
"I doubt Lorimar let any survivors." Nagratek crossed his arms. Tom stopped working.
"Lorimar?" He asked, turning to face Nagratek. "Do you seriously think she did this? She's our friend, there's no way she would have attacked them."
"Really? Just look around you." He gestured at the vines ensnaring the ship. "Who else could have done this?"
"There are plenty of First Folk who can manipulate plants. It could have been any of them."
"Listen, I know you think she's a good person, but Lorimar is not your friend. She only helped you because her master wished it. And now his plans for your friends seem to have changed."
"What are you implying?"
"She used you, Tom. To get the Spark. And once she had it, she had no further need of you or your friends. At that point, you all became obstacles in her path."
"Liar!" Tom screamed. He lunged at Nagratek, his fist rearing back to strike him. Nagratek took the punch square in the jaw. He didn't move a muscle. Tom continued to scream in his face. "She told me she'd seal it away! That it wouldn't pose a threat to the Valley ever again!"
"Well if she sealed it away, then how did it take Fone? Why are we even out here, if she is who you say she is?"
"She'd never do this." Tom hissed. "You don't know a thing about her."
"That isn't an answer. Why didn't she keep her word?"
"I don't know, alright!" Tom collapsed onto the ground. "I don't know. But I do know she'd never intentionally betray us. She may not be perfect, but she is a gentle soul."
"She pretended to be. But, in truth, she is only what her master commands her to be. Nothing more."
"And who is this so-called master of hers?" Tom asked, looking up at Nagratek.
"A being of immeasurable power named Mon'Yaran. The King of the First Folk and the greatest threat this world has ever faced. He will end everything unless he is stopped."
"I don't buy it." Tom spat. "Who even are you? You're important enough that even the Queen listens to what you have to say, but I've yet to hear you actually explain any of this." He waved his hands at everything around him. "What exactly is going on?"
"I agree with Tom." A voice behind the group spoke. Everyone whirled around to face the newcomer. Standing near the opposite canyon wall was an old bone with mangy, gray, receding hair. He had small, round spectacles perched on his nose and wore a faded green jacket over a tan vest. He also held a large, weathered blunderbuss in his grip, and had leveled it at Nagratek's head. "I want to know what's going on here."
The sounds of faraway battle drifted through the air around Camp Stalwart. Miles from Izaroth's impromptu command center, his forces engaged the human and Bone armies in a bitter stalemate. The Camp itself was in a frenzy. With the majority of the army busy holding off the enemy, the remaining forces scrambled to pick up the slack. In the middle of the confusion, Faldr, Nibet, X'lish, and Satranik walked into the camp unnoticed.
"Just like old times, huh." X'lish said as the four of them slipped behind a pile of strewn about equipment.
"Are you serious?" Satranik asked in a hushed tone. "The country has been taken over by a madman, one of our best friends is dead, and Jigafta thinks he's some kind of god."
"This all seems fairly standard to me." X'lish shrugged.
"Fairly standard?" Satranik threw her hands up. "There's no precedent for any of this. I'm not even sure what 'this' is."
"We've broken into Camp Stalwart before."
"Yeah, but the last time that happened I wasn't the only sane person left on this team."
"Enough, both of you." Faldr snapped at them, grabbing everyone's attention. "You can bicker later. Right now we've got a mission to complete. From here on out, we're splitting up. X'lish and I will make our way through likely storage locations to find the Extinction Drives. Nibet and Satranik, you two will find Izaroth and end him. And be quick about it. We likely don't have long before Izaroth moves the drives and retreats further inland."
"Any other pertinent information we need to be made aware of?" Nibet asked.
"Actually, there is. Something's not right with the Ryonia twins. I don't know about Nemyunoi, but Wunkhani didn't seem to feel pain when I fought him. And he managed to bend his arm back into place after I broke his elbow. If you run into either of them, keep on your guard."
"Loud and clear, boss." Nibet nodded. She and Satranik began sneaking toward the central structure of the camp. As they left, Nibet turned around and smirked. "You two try to keep your minds on the mission until I get back."
"Get out." Faldr pointed in the direction Satranik had headed and locked eyes with Nibet. She shrugged and followed after her partner.
"So where do you think Izaroth is hiding?" Nibet asked as she caught up with Satranik.
"I thought you would know." Satranik responded. "You're the one who worked with him."
"I never really worked with Glaian's 'generals'. I'd met them on occasion, and everyone in the army knew about his handpicked soldiers, but I was never directly involved with any of them. I was basically just Glaian's assistant."
"I guess it was too much to hope for a silver lining to this shitstorm."
"What's that supposed to mean."
"You spent a year in that cult, and all you did was continually screw things up for us."
"I wasn't myself. Glaian had me under some form of mind control."
"Look, you can drop the bullshit excuses and be straight with me. I know about the investigation Daniel assigned you to. I know you had to maintain your cover, not draw suspicion to yourself. You got in too deep, you forgot who you were. It took you a long time to find yourself again. I get that. But that doesn't mean I have to forgive you for what you did to our friends or our country."
"I'm not making excuses, Satranik. Glaian used a blue crystal to steal my memories and implant suggestions in my subconscious. I believed I was doing to right thing. I only came out of it when Deyavara pulled the damn thing from my head and crushed it."
"Daniel? He's still alive?" Satranik asked.
"Not that Deyavara. Another one. Look, it's complicated, but I'm telling you the truth. I physically was not in control of my actions while under Glaian's command." The pair reached the entrance to the building and ducked inside.
"You know, I'm starting to think you and everyone else actually believe the crap coming out of your mouths, nonsensical as it is. But I'm not buying it."
"I'm not asking you to believe me, just to trust that I'm on your side."
"I can't do that. Not after everything you've done."
"Then let me earn back your trust. Just tell me what I have to do, and I'll do it."
"Single-handedly destroy Izaroth's entire army." Satranik replied casually. Nibet stopped in her tracks and crossed her arms.
"Really?" Nibet asked. "You're making jokes at a time like this?"
"I'm not joking." Satranik walked up to Nibet and got in her face. "Short of winning this war, there is nothing you can do to make me trust you." She backed down and turned around. "But killing Izaroth Lazbethed would be a good place to start."
"I'll take what I can get." Nibet shrugged.
"First we need to find him though. Are you sure you don't know where Izaroth could be hiding?"
"I do know he thinks highly of himself. He was always the most favored of Glaian's generals. He'd probably want to set up in the physically highest or most important location. You know the base better than I do. Any bright ideas?"
"Yeah." Satranik sighed. "My father's former office would probably be a good place to start."
"I guess X'lish was right." Nibet began chuckling. "This is just like old times."
"You and your sister need some serious help." Satranik shook her head and the two of them headed for her father's old office. They made the rest of the journey in silence, keeping their guard up in case of an attack.
"Where did everyone go?" Nibet asked as they neared the office. "There were people all over the camp just a few minutes ago."
"Yeah, I'm not sure either." They arrived at the door. Satranik placed her hand on the handle. "Keep your guard up." She whispered. "We don't know what's on the other side of this door." Nibet nodded. They both drew silenced sidearms from their belts, and Satranik threw open the door.
They burst inside and immediately spotted a Bone standing behind Satranik's father's former desk. He wasn't facing them, but instead looked out the window on the back wall. Instantly they each fired several shots at the back of his head. The shots tore the back of his skull open and he collapsed to the floor. Nibet rushed over to the body while Satranik scanned the room for more signs of trouble.
"This isn't him." Nibet said, turning the body over. Despite the extensive cranial trauma the two had inflicted upon the corpse, the face was still intact enough for Nibet to identify it. "This must be one of his lackeys."
"Well at least we found someone." Satranik said as she walked over to Nibet. "I was starting to think this place was deserted."
"Oh it is deserted." A voice crackled over a set of speakers in the corners of the room. "My men began evacuating the premises as soon as they saw you break the tree line."
"Izaroth." Nibet said, her voice dripping with loathing. She stood up. "Where are you, you little shit?" She asked the voice. It didn't respond. "Can you even hear me?" She asked again.
"I can hear you just fine, Nibet. But I had assumed you'd know better than to think I'd just divulge my location freely. Suffice it to say I'm safely out of your reach for the moment."
"What is this about?" Satranik asked. "How did you know we were coming?"
"Despite your skill, none of you are as stealthy as you think you are. Especially when you're arguing with each other constantly. As for your second question, I want you all alive. At least for now. I could have had a sniper execute you all as soon as I knew you were here, but I still have some unfinished business with Nibet, so I figured I'd stay your execution until it's over with."
"Business? Nibet asked. "What business? We barely know each other."
"While that is technically true, we nevertheless have somewhat of a shared history. And though my current situation required that I remove myself from Camp Stalwart, I do hope we get to meet in person again one day. Now that Glaian is no longer staying my hand. But enough about me. I'd rather discuss your friend Faldr Milzaek."
"What did you do to him, you bastard?" Satranik shouted. Nibet's expression darkened, but she didn't say a word.
"I haven't done anything to him." Izaroth chuckled. "But I can't guarantee that Wunkhani hasn't killed him by now."
"It'll take more than one of your lackeys to do him in." Satranik sneered. "He may not be the best fighter, but X'lish has his back. There's nothing that can stop those two."
"I won't disagree that Faldr is a rather exceptional specimen. His physical capabilities are astounding. But Archibald managed to enhance the Ryonias and me in the same manner. You would do well not to underestimate us."
"What do you mean Archibald enhanced you in the same manner?" Nibet asked. "You talk like Faldr has some sort of special powers."
"That's a question best posed to your leader, Nagratek."
"How do you know that name?"
"Glaian spent many years gathering intelligence on our enemies. He passed his knowledge onto me before the ceremony. I know all about the Extinction Drives too. Unfortunately, even if you manage to find them, I still hold the triggering mechanism, so there's nothing you can do to-" He stopped abruptly. Muffled voices came over the speakers, but they were too quiet to be intelligible. After a few moments, his voice returned.
"I'd like to continue this conversation, but it appears your forces have finally broken through my defensive line. I'm going to have to cut this short for today. And speaking of cutting short, you really should try to locate your friend Faldr and leave before it's too late. I can't vouch for what will happen to him if you take too long. Then again, I can't vouch for what will happen to you either." The speakers went dead.
Satranik and Nibet looked at each other. After a moment of tacit understanding, they both sprinted out of the building. They had only barely exited the complex when several missiles tore through the sky. Nibet and Satranik threw themselves to the ground as the missiles impacted every building in Camp Stalwart. The blast wave threw both of them into the air. They fell unconscious before either of them hit the ground.
In the days since the Councilman's release, the Bone camp at Hoken guard had been almost completely erased. The desert sands had swallowed much of the strewn about equipment, and the bodies of the camp's former inhabitants lay sunk into the dunes, most already swallowed by the shifting sands. Even the temple that had housed the Councilman lay in ruins, its once proud architecture rent down to its basic components and thrown about the surrounding landscape.
Sitting on the steps of the ruined temple was Archibald Bone. His eyes were closed, and his hands were clasped in front of him. The air around him hummed with energy. Cracks seeping red light had begun forming across his face. After some time, the white dragon Xondriss descended from the sky. Archibald stood up and opened his eyes as the dragon touched down, releasing his passengers. The edges of his eyes glowed with red energy.
"You can't be serious." Linara crossed her arms as the four nightmare entities approached Archibald. "This pitiful creature is father?"
"Know your place, Linara." The Crystal Councilman, inhabiting Archibald's body, spoke. His voice sounded gravely. "I may have been forced into this vessel, but I still possess enough power to erase you where you stand." He raised a finger and pointed at Linara the ground around her began to shake, and she collapsed to the ground. The rest of the nightmare entities quickly kneeled and lowered their heads.
"Forgive me…" She coughed. "I spoke recklessly."
"This will be your only warning." The Councilman lowered his hand. "We have a very limited window to work with. Our first priority must be recovering the extinction drives."
"That won't be necessary." A voice behind Archibald spoke. He turned to see Eosutana kneeling before him, flanked on either side by Deyavara and Gabriel.
"Explain yourself, Eosutana." The Crystal Councilman gestured at her companions. "You approach with rather unexpected company."
"Search your vessel's memories, father. These two played vital roles in your release." The Crystal Councilman closed his eyes for a moment.
"Ah, I see." He said, opening them again. "Gabriel Stafford and Glaian Nagratek. The two of you helped my lost son Deyavara engineer my escape."
"I'm touched you still remember me, dad." Deyavara sneered.
"Ah, Deyavara. So you're still alive, are you?"
"Nagratek may be a better fighter, but I'm far more tenacious."
"Inhabiting such a mortal coil. Pathetic. Look how far you've fallen."
"You're one to talk." Deyavara crossed his arms. "At least my vessel can hold me. Yours will probably be dead within the week."
"I wish your brother had killed you. It would have spared me your unbearable annoyances. And your groveling."
"I'm not here to beg for your approval. We just happen to share a common goal."
"How dare you!" Ronuba shouted. "Your insolence knows no bounds! We exist only as extensions of the Councilman's will! You have no right to-" The Crystal Councilman cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"Silence, Ronuba." He spoke without taking his gaze from Deyavara. "Your brother knows not what he says. He will come to his senses in time."
"He is no brother of mine." Linara spat. "He's a traitor. Why don't we just kill him here and now?"
"Because I want the Valley to suffer just as badly as the rest of you." Deyavara smirked. "I want all humanity, all creation to pay for what it has done to me and my people."
"Your people?" The Crystal Councilman raised an eyebrow. "You have no people. You are an exile, cast out from every family you have ever known."
"That's why I made my own." Deyavara grimaced. "We were a nation of outcasts and exiles. Nagratek and I guided them together for a time, but eventually I had had enough. I settled down. I was content. Until Nagratek turned on me and had my family slaughtered in their beds. In my anger I brought humans to our shores. And witnessed the horrors they wrought on a people they didn't even know. I witnessed their capacity for hatred and violence. This world is better off without them in it."
"You seem to have mistaken my intentions, boy. I do not wish for humanity's end. While the Valley must regrettably be extinguished to halt Mon'Yaran's plans, but life beyond the Wastes may yet go on."
"No, it won't." Deyavara smirked. "I've moved the Extinction Drives beyond the Great Wastes. They will activate the moment Mon'Yaran reconnects the Dreaming. And every human on the planet will die."
"You insolent fool!" The Crystal Councilman raised a hand and the ground around Deyavara crumbled. The sands began to swallow him whole. "You have no idea how much damage you have caused!"
"Your love for Mim's pathetic creatures makes you soft." Deyavara coughed, his vision fading as the sand coiled around him.
"And your needless hatred for humanity makes you blind. You have delivered our enemy exactly what he desires. Unless we can recover the drives, all will be lost."
"That is enough, father." Eosutana stood up and put herself between The Crystal Councilman and Deyavara. "He lost his immortality in his fight with Nagratek. If this continues any further, you will kill him." She locked her gaze with The Crystal Councilman. After a moment, he lowered his hand and let Deyavara go. Deyavara staggered to his feet, coughing as the sand sloughed off his body.
"Be grateful I still have need of you, boy." The Crystal Councilman stared Deyavara in the face. "I'm letting you live only that you may return to me what is mine. Go beyond the Wastes and bring back the Extinction Drives."
"Your threats only sway me because I have been reduced, temporarily, to a mortal vessel." Deyavara replied. "But, I suppose I don't have much of a choice until I can get my old body back."
"I don't care about your reasoning, I care about results. So, to make sure you don't betray me again, Linara will accompany you. To keep you in line."
"But father-" Linara began to protest. The Crystal Councilman turned around, cutting her off with his gaze. "Of course, father. Whatever you require of me." She muttered. She walked forward and grabbed Deyavara by his neck. "Come, brother. We're going back to your 'homeland'."
"As you wish, sister." He grunted. "But may I suggest a faster method of travel?" He waived his hand at a dropship partially buried in the sand. Linara turned to The Councilman and raised an eyebrow.
"Time is of the essence." The Councilman responded. "Take whatever steps necessary to return as quickly as possible." Reluctantly, Linara nodded and dragged Deyavara over to the dropship. Gripping its chassis, she slowly pulled it from the desert sands and set it down on a nearby dune.
"I shall return shortly, father." She said, climbing inside the dropship.
"I will destroy humanity, one way or another." Deyavara said as he followed her. "All this will do is delay my plans somewhat." He too disappeared into the body of the dropship. After a moment, it took off into the sky, flying back toward the Republic.
"Good to see Deyavara is as crazy as ever." Zakaita said. He and Ronuba stood up and approached The Councilman. "So, father. What would you ask of the rest of us?"
"I will address you three in a moment." He waived his hand behind him toward Zakaita, Ronuba, and Xondriss. "For now, I wish to speak of Eosutana's new acquisition." He pointed at Gabriel.
"Who, me?" Gabriel said, still kneeling on the ground. "I'm flattered, really. I just want to help out, however I can."
"I fail to see how you could be of any use."
"Deyavara seemed to think he was trustworthy." Eosutana interjected.
"And we've just seen the value of Deyavara's word, my child. No, I want to determine this pawn's worth myself." The Councilman walked forward and placed his hand on either side of Gabriel's head. The two of them began convulsing. Gabriel screamed. The Crystal Councilman let go of his captive and took a step back.
"So you do seek to help us after all." He mused.
"The dragons are a plight upon this Valley." Gabriel spat. "Tarsil saw through their lies, but Nagratek cannot. I will never recognize him as the leader of the Vedu. So if you're going to continue Tarsil's efforts to destroy the Dragons, I'll help out however I can."
"I won't question your motives as long as you play your part." The Crystal Councilman smiled. "You can start by eliminating the worm listening in on our conversation." He pointed his finger at a nearby pile of rubble. With a wave of force, it exploded, revealing the Great Red Dragon crouched behind it. Instantly Gabriel drew a knife from his belt and rushed the Dragon. As Gabriel closed in, the Great Red Dragon slammed his fist into the ground, shaking it. Gabriel almost lost his footing, but managed to close the gap and drive the knife into the Great Red Dragon's side. With a howl the Great Red Dragon slammed into the ground again, breaking Gabriel's grip on the knife and burying himself in the sand. Immediately, Xondriss rushed forward and slashed at the spot the Great Red Dragon had been. His claws met only sand.
"The red one escaped." Xondriss grunted. "He travels through the earth now. Most likely to deliver what he overheard to his master, Nagratek."
"It matters little." The Councilman shrugged. "He can do nothing to stop our plans. What's more important is that our newest partner has proven his loyalty to our cause."
"What's our next move?" Ronuba asked, looking around at the desert landscape. "And where in the world has Reina gone off to?"
"I sent her on ahead. She's been tasked with finding Nagratek's hideout and destroying it."
"Isn't that a fruitless endeavor?" Zakaita asked. "After all, Nagratek's efforts to stop us are of no consequence."
"We must remain cautious, Zakaita." Eosutana replied. "After all, Nagratek has gathered an impressive number of anomalous pieces to his side. The Shattered One, the Locust's new vessel, the boy who held the Spark, the Chosen One, and Ven the first Veni-Yan-Cari have all joined forces under his banner. If we let power like that sit idle, we will eventually regret it."
"Which is why you will all join her in her search." The Councilman replied. "We must crush them all in one fell swoop if we want to focus on our true enemy."
"They possess substantial forces." Gabriel said, drawing the attention of everyone around him. "The humans have stolen the Bone technology and wield it with ever greater proficiency. You're going to need an army if you want to eliminate them quickly."
The Crystal Councilman smirked. He raised his hands and his skin began to glow red. More cracks formed across his face, and energy poured from his body, winding its way across the ruins of the temple and beyond. Slowly, all around the camp, the bodies of the dead Bones began to rise, pulling themselves from their sand tombs. Their eyes glowed red, and their bodies moved in union, slowly trudging toward the center of the red energy mist, the Crystal Councilman. As the bodies stopped moving, Gabriel stared around him, awestruck.
"Well, my dear boy." The Councilman returned his attention to Gabriel. "It just so happens we do have an army."