"How bad is he?" Phoney asked, glancing nervously at Faldr who lay unconscious on a field hospital bed. Burns covered most of his body, and he was hooked up to several machines. X'lish lay next to him, also unconscious but much better off. Nibet and Satranik lay on the other side of the tent.
"Honestly, I can't say." The doctor in front of Phoney sighed. "Whatever happened to him in there would have killed any other Bone. His ribcage, spine, and skull are all broken in several places, he's only got one working lung, he's ruptured a major artery, and most of his body is covered in burns. Even if he wakes up, I don't think he'll ever walk again."
"How about the others?"
"You aren't seriously considering sending them back out there, are you?" The doctor asked, taking a step back. "Even after they wake up, I don't know how long it'll be before they can-" The doctor stopped abruptly as Nibet struggled to sit up.
"Satranik…" She muttered, her eyes fluttering open for a moment before shuttering closed again. "Where'd you go…" She attempted to stand up but instead just collapsed to the floor. Phoney and the doctor rushed to help her.
"Easy there…" Phoney said as he and the doctor lifted her off the ground and back into her bed. "You're alright. Just lie back."
"Phoney, is that you?" She asked, blinking several times as her eyesight slowly returned to her. "What happened to the others?"
"They're…" Phoney paused. He turned to the doctor. "Could you give us a minute?"
"Of course, sir." The doctor nodded and exited the tent. Phoney returned his attention to Nibet.
"They're safe." He replied. "You're the first to wake up, but everyone is in stable condition."
"Everyone? X'lish and Faldr too?" Nibet asked, looking around the room. She spotted Faldr and her breath caught in her throat.
"We found them in the woods near what used to be a warehouse. He shielded her from the brunt of the blast. Even if they wake up any time soon, I don't think either of them are going to be much help in a fight."
"What about me?" Nibet asked. "How long am I going to be here?"
"I don't know. You and Satranik didn't have it nearly as bad as Faldr and X'lish, but you're still not in great shape. Until the doctors tell me you're in the clear, I don't want you leaving this room."
"I'm fine." Nibet protested. She attempted to stand up. As she swung her legs off the bed, she winced and grabbed her side, falling back down onto her back.
"You've got several bruised ribs. You are categorically not fine." Phoney sighed. "What exactly happened in there?"
"It was a trap." Satranik muttered as she too roused from unconsciousness. "Izaroth wasn't there. He had already fled to Argus City by the time we arrived."
"It gets worse." Nibet continued as she forced herself to sit up. "He's taken something he called the "triggering mechanism" with him to Argus City. Unless we can take it from him, I have a feeling that finding the Extinction Drives won't do us any good."
"Well did you at least learn where the Drives were?" Phoney asked.
"That was Faldr and X'lish's job." Satranik grunted as she too sat up in her bed. "So, until they wake up, we're dead in the water."
"I'm not so sure." Phoney said, standing up and turning to face X'lish and Faldr. "I've had men combing through the ruins of Camp Stalwart since we arrived. They think they're looking for supplies to restock one of our bases just behind the front line, but if the Drives are still here, then we'll find them."
"Izaroth is smarter than that." Nibet responded. "He knew better than to leave himself exposed here, he'd know better than to do the same with the Drives."
"How are my men going to know these things if they do find them?" Satranik asked. "You don't even know what they look like."
"My guess is they're probably made of crystal. That seems so be the pervading trend thus far."
"Great. Now you've got my men wasting their time combing through rubble looking for strange crystals. Good to know we're got our priorities in order."
"Will you quit it with that already? Even if you don't believe us, you can still trust us."
"You? Yes. Her?" Satranik pointed at Nibet. "No. I'm still not convinced she's on our side."
"She helped kill Glaian. She's been through hell and back for us. I trust her with my life."
"Then, if I may speak frankly, you're a fool. Sir." Satranik stared Phoney directly in the face as she spoke. He sighed and turned away.
"This is counterproductive. Until you two can get along, I'm going to find something better to do." He left then tent and began walking across the ruins of Camp Stalwart toward where the soldiers were loading up the scavenge. As he did, a Bone ran up to him, short of breath and holding a satellite phone.
"Sir!" The Bone shouted as she reached Phoney. "There's an urgent message for you from the Y'threni Foreign Minister."
"What does that snake woman want now?" Phoney muttered. He took the phone from the Bone's hands. "Thank you, soldier." He gave her a salute. She saluted in return and took a few steps back as Phoney put the phone to his head.
"Phoncible, are you there?" The Y'threni Foreign Minster spoke on the other end of the line.
"What is it, Elizabeth?" Phoney all but spat into the receiver. "I'm in the middle of a war."
"Yes, yes you are. And I must say, what a good job you've been doing of leading it. From what I hear, you've almost got Izaroth and his band of rouges driven back to Argus City. You've made so much progress that I just had to congratulate you myself. I can't tell you how good it hears to know things are almost back to normal."
"This is why you called?" Phoney asked. "You're wasting my precious time on a banal courtesy?"
"I would never dream of it. I just thought you'd be in a more jovial mood, considering the progress you've made. I must say, I hadn't expected trade to resume this quickly."
"What do you mean? What trade?"
"I thought you knew. Your old friend Silas Cohen's company, Export Systems International, has managed to get back on their feet. Their first shipment to Y'thren in months is coming in the next few days. This is a moment to celebrate, Phoncible. You've finally driven the barbarians back."
"I'm sorry. Something's come up." Phoney hung up the phone before the Y'threni minister could respond and tossed the phone back to the soldier. Immediately he ran over to the mix of humans and Bones loading crates onto a nearby truck.
"How many?" He shouted as he ran up to the Bone he had put in charge of the search.
"Sir!" The Bone replied, saluting Phoney, a mixture of shock and confusion on his face. "I'm not sure what you mean, sir."
"We don't have time! How many did you send out!" He shouted at the man again.
"This is the first truck, sir. We were just about to send it on its way."
"Forget that! Stop the truck immediately!" Phoney ran in front of the truck, waving his arms wildly. The driver stopped short of hitting him. Immediately Phoney ran to the door and wrenched it open, motioning for the Bone to step out. Instantly the Bone drew a gun on Phoney with one hand and closed the door with the other. Right as he was about to put his foot on the gas, a gunshot rang out. Blood spurted from the driver's forehead as he slumped forward, his body propped up against the steering wheel. Phoney whirled around to see Satranik leaning against Nibet, gun in hand.
"Round up everyone involved in loading this truck!" She shouted as more and more people, both Bone and human, noticed what was going on. "No one leaves this camp until all of the traitors are caught!" The soldiers present stood shocked for a moment. One Bone on the edge of the circle that had been forming around the truck attempted to flee for the tree line. Two Military Police officers swiftly caught up to him, tackled him to the ground, and dragged him to a nearby tent.
"Sir… What's going on?" The Bone Phoney had put in charge of the loading operation asked as he looked between Satranik and Phoney.
"Do as she says." Phoney replied, coming back to his senses. "Someone just tried to murder me." He turned away from the Bone and walked around to the back of the truck.
"Phoncible, sir?" Satranik asked as she and Nibet followed Phoney behind the truck. "With all due respect, there better be a good explanation for this."
"Just… Hold on." Phoney said as he pulled himself up into the back of the truck. More than a dozen crates were piled in the back. He grabbed the first one and threw the it out the back of the truck to the ground. It split open, and a large crystal cube rolled out. Phoney smirked and jumped out of the truck, picking it up off the ground.
"Is that…" Nibet began to speak as she and Satranik studied the crystal. Imbedded in the cube was an octahedron, and the space in between seemed to pulse with energy.
"An Extinction Drive." Phoney beamed as he handed it to Satranik. "Izaroth knew we'd take this base eventually, so he hid these things somewhere in the base he could be sure we wouldn't look. After he bombed it to hell, he planned to have some of his men infiltrate our ranks, recover the Drives, and ship them overseas. And we would have been none the wiser."
"That's some plan." Nibet scoffed. "Though it sounds more like Deyavara's inane handiwork than anyone else's."
"Regardless, this certainly is… Something." Satranik said as she studied the crystal in her hands. "And you're sure this is what Jigafta sent you to find?"
"What else could it be?" Phoney asked. "Now we just have to find the rest of them. They've got to be here somewhere." As Phoney began to climb back into the truck, a dropship crested the eastern horizon. The three stopped and stared at it.
"I didn't know we had men that far east." Nibet said as the dropship drew closer to the camp.
"We don't." Phoney said, letting himself back to the ground and squinting at the dropship. It was close enough that he could make out the purple and red eye crudely painted on the side. "And that isn't ours."
The dropship flew over the camp, barely clearing the tops of the tents sprawling across the ruins of Camp Stalwart. It was aimed directly for the truck carrying the extinction drives. Satranik dropped what she was carrying and the three of them ran out of the path of the dropship They threw themselves to the ground as it crashed into the truck. The two vehicles collided, throwing a fireball several meters into the air. A moment later, two figures, one human and one Bone, walked out of the inferno.
"You're still here?" Linara asked, eyeing up Deyavara.
"I may no longer be in my own body, but that doesn't mean I'm as fragile as the rest of the Morudagni." Deyavara responded, patting out lingering flames on his skin. "This body was designed to withstand more than that." He waved his hand behind him at the twisted, burning wreck.
"You're not so different from a cockroach in that respect." Linara chuckled. "You may be good at scurrying about, but I can still crush you under my boot without thinking."
"I'm sure you'd love to prove your point," Deyavara crouched down and picked up the Extinction Drive that Satranik had dropped. "But we have another dozen of these to collect, plus the trigger. Don't forget we're on a schedule."
"And whose fault is that, exactly?" Linara raised an eyebrow. Deyavara didn't respond. He began rooting around in the wreckage.
Nibet and Satranik struggled to their feet several meters away. Phoney was conscious but still lay on the ground, recovering from the blast. As Nibet looked over the two newcomers, she caught a glimpse of Deyavara's face. Of Glaian's face. Instantly she rushed forward, fighting the screaming pain in her body as she closed in on Deyavara. She raised back her fist to strike him in the temple. Linara caught her wrist as it descended and lifted Nibet into the air.
"This is one of the ones that posed such a problem for you?" Linara mused as Nibet attempted to free herself from Linara's grip, never taking her eyes off Deyavara. "I must say, she's much less impressive than I was lead to believe. I wonder if it was not their formidability, but your incompetence, that has jeopardized our plan to such a degree?"
"Linara, your pestering bores me". He said, standing up with another two Extinction Drives in his arms. He shoved them at Linara, who promptly liquefied a part of her torso and absorbed the Drives.
"What the…" Satranik said as she stared at Linara, clutching her side. She attempted to walk toward Nibet, but sharp pain all over her body opposed her. She collapsed to her knees, which began bleeding as they impacted the rubble beneath her. "This can't be real."
"Like it or not, it is." Phoney said as he stood up, the ringing in his ears beginning to subside. "That thing there is a Nightmare Entity." He pointed at Linara. "Though I've never seen this one before. And her partner is…" He trailed off as he attempted to make out who the Bone standing next to Linara was. As soon as he saw, he screamed.
"Glaian!" He shouted, running forward. His eyes locked with Deyavara, and the latter gave a small smirk. Phoney's outburst also drew Linara's attention. Nibet kicked Linara in the face and dropped to the ground. Before Linara could grab her again, she dove for the gun Satranik had dropped. Grabbing hold of it, she aimed it squarely at Deyavara's face and fired every shot left in the magazine. Deyavara caught all but one of the bullets inches from his face. As the last one was about to strike his eye socket, Linara punched him in the temple, knocking him several inches into the ground.
"You could have just caught the bullet, you know." He said, standing back up and straightening his head.
"And you could have just done as father commanded of us the first time." Linara retorted. "I suppose we're all capable of choosing the more roundabout method." Nibet lunged at Deyavara, her eyes locked on his throat. Linara grabbed her out of the air again and threw her at Phoney, knocking them both to the ground. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take the direct route and kill these two interlopers."
"No, their deaths belong to me." Deyavara smiled. "I want to see the looks on their faces as they realize the futility of their struggle. I want them to know I beat them."
"Suit yourself, brother." Linara shrugged she began sifting through the rubble as Deyavara sauntered over to where Nibet and Phoney still lay on the ground winded. Nibet struggled to stand as he approached, he eyes still hazily affixed to his jugular. Phoney put a hand on her shoulder as she did so.
"Wait…" Phoney said as Deyavara's smiling face leaned over the pair. "She called him brother. So you managed to survive after all, Deyavara." He spat. Deyavara's grin widened.
"Congratulations." Deyavara said, widening his smile as he leaned closer to the pair. "I did enjoy the way you both twisted in rage as you saw this face once again, but I must inform you that Glaian is no more. I'm simply borrowing his body."
"All the same…" Nibet said, settling back down. "I'm still going to kill you."
"You're welcome to try." Deyavara scoffed. He grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground. She felt a tingling sensation where he gripped her. Her entire body went numb. "But, unfortunately, for you, the first thing I gave Glaian was the ability to absorb parts of souls. You won't be able to kill me. All you can do is help me regain former-" Suddenly he dropped Nibet and staggered back. He clutched his head and began shaking violently.
"No." He whispered. "No. No. No! You were gone!" His voice began rising until he screamed, the shaking growing more intense. "You are nothing! You're simply my vessel! How can you betray me?!" His fingers tore into the side of his head, and he began clawing away his skin. "I am eternal! You are simply a part of me! You have no power that I did not give you! How can this be?!" He tore his own throat out as his voice continued to climb. Linara looked up from what she was doing and for a moment the sight before he gave her pause. Suddenly Deyavara stopped shaking. His hands went limp. His grin returned.
"Well, old man." He said, pulling a small disk from the back of his throat, which has begun to repair itself. "It appears the creation has surpassed the creator. I'll make sure to put everything you gave me to good use." He lurched forward, his gaze locking on Linara. "Starting with this one." He rushed forward and swept Linara's feet out from under her before she could even ask what was happening. As she fell, he put the disk on his fist and punched her in the stomach, sending her flying backward. The disk went with her, attached to her stomach.
"Traitor!" She hissed as she stood up and jumped into the air several feet. "When father finds out about this, he'll tear you apart!" She reached the crest of her flight and began to descend, stretching her leg out front to kick Glaian's head into the dirt.
"Let him try!" Glaian shouted back. He caught her leg as it descended, breaking one of his arms and sinking a few inches into the ground in the process, but slowing her to a halt. The two of them locked eyes. "I'll kill him after I deal with you. None of you are invincible." He jumped into the air and attempted to throw Linara even higher. She liquefied her leg and clung to his broken arm. As he began to fall, he grabbed the arm Linara had clung to and ripped it from his own socket. Blood sprayed everywhere. He tossed the arm, and Linara, further into the air.
As he fell, Glaian plunged his remaining arm into his chest cavity and produced a small metallic box. Flicking it open with one hand, he pressed a series of buttons on a screen in the lid of the box. Right before he hit the ground, he looked up at Linara, closed the box, and smirked. He hit the ground with a dull thud. She didn't hit the ground at all.
As she reached the top of her arc, several missiles screamed toward her from the north. They hit her one after another, sending her further and further into the sky and the remains of Glaian's arm spiraling to the ground. The last to hit her was much larger than the rest. It was larger than her by several times. It impacted her from below and carried her up into the atmosphere and beyond. She winked out of view for the observers below.
As the missile accelerated, the wind resistance pinned her arms against the side of the missile. Once she got high enough that she began to see the curvature of the planet, however, the atmosphere thinned enough that she could more her arms again. Instantly she began driving her hands through the head of the missile, attempting to tear it to pieces. As soon as she did, the missile exploded, covering Linara in a wave of hot plasma. She attempted to free herself of the substance, but it burned so hot that even she, with her nearly indestructible body, began to break down. As her orbit decayed, she lost consciousness, her body slowly being eaten by the superhot plasma.
Back on the ground, Phoney, Nibet, and Satranik all limped over to where Glaian's body had landed. As they got close, he stirred, slowly and shakily standing to his feet. He turned and looked Phoney in the eyes, a wicked grin on his face.
"So, Phoncible?" He asked, taking a step forward. "Are you sufficiently afraid?" He began to laugh. Nibet punched him in the temple, knocking him to the ground, unconscious.
Thorn rushed the flaming entity, sword drawn, as Nagratek liquefied himself and plunged headlong into the aqueous one. Thorn slashed her sword across the inferno's chest, to little effect. The parted flame quickly reformed and surged toward Thorn. She ducked under the torrent of fire, rolled to the side, and kicked off the ground toward the blazing creature. She thrust her fist through its chest, attempting to part it with the sheer force of her Dreaming Energy. It flickered, rendered insubstantial for a moment, before forcing her backward with another gout of flame. It impacted Thorn square in the chest and threw her against the far wall.
"Thorn!" Nagratek's entirely liquid form shouted, somewhat indistinctly, as he and the water entity wrestled. Eventually, his opponent collapsed to the ground, reformed several feet away, and plunged its icy hands into Nagratek's still liquid body. Nagratek began freezing. Instantly he reformed into a solid and leapt to his feet. His arms were frozen together. He sighed and jumped backward, slamming his frozen limbs into the fire entity, melting them and staggering the creature.
"I'm not done yet." Thorn grunted. She grabbed the handle of her sword and swung it upward through the fire once again. Immediately, she brought it down through the icy head of the water entity that had charged after Nagratek, slicing it cleanly in two. Both halves howled as the creature doubled over, its bisected head still held in place. Thorn grabbed it by the torso and heaved it into the flaming creature, turning it into steam. Nagratek threw himself at what was left of the flaming creature and smothered it, covering the flames entirely with his liquid form. After a moment, neither entity was left.
"Well…" Thorn said, panting as she bent down to check on Smiley. He was still unconscious, but his body had crystalized where the creature hit him with the flame, preventing his skin from getting burned. "Any idea what just happened?"
"Not a clue." Nagratek said, reverting to his Bone form. "But I doubt whatever that was will be the last of it."
"How right you are, Nagratek." The same voice that both creatures possessed rang out from the walls surrounding the group. Thorn hadn't noticed before, but it sounded like the voice of a child. "In hindsight, I shouldn't have used those two in combination, but Erasmund's ability to manipulate water in the air was the only way to get any of my soldiers close to you. No matter. As soon as Amatani reforms, I'll just send him. Until then, sit tight." The ground began to shake. A large fissure opened beneath Thorn and Nagratek, tearing apart the entire hallway.
Thorn, Nagratek, and Smiley plummeted into the tear. Thorn kicked off the side of the fissure and grabbed Smiley as they fell. As soon as she managed to sling him over her shoulder, she slowed her descent and floated to the ground. Nagratek plummeted past her and slammed feet first into the cavern below the fissure. As Thorn touched down on the ground, Smiley stirred to consciousness.
"What happened?" He asked, Thorn setting him back on his feet. He looked around at the room they were in. They had fallen several dozen feet into a large, semi-circular, unlit cavern. The ceiling above them had closed.
"Percival turned into a water monster, you got knocked out by a fire monster, we threw them at each other, then the hallway came to life and spit us down here." Nagratek said as he brushed himself off. "This has begun to get out of hand."
"Yes, because it wasn't out of hand when Bones invaded my country." Thorn replied, sheathing her sword and crossing her arms. "Or when you turned out to be three thousand years old. Or when Ven, the first Queen, came back to life. Or any of the other dozen times we've all had to question our sanity over the past few months."
"The two of us might have slightly different conceptions of what's normal." Nagratek. "But at least we can agree that, whatever that was, it wasn't."
"I suppose so." Thorn shrugged. "That part I find most surprising is that those two were still alive."
"Have you met them somewhere before?"
"No, but I saw them in my vision. They were both in the room when the Councilman summoned the Locust. I saw them get consumed by a swarm of locusts. I suppose it's possible they survived though."
"If they were with him before he defected, it's possible they're some of the founding members of the Awoken Council. I was under the impression the Councilman killed them all."
"You didn't actually see them die, though, did you?" Thorn said, crossing her arms.
"No, I guess not." Nagratek sighed. He rubbed his temples for a moment before continuing. "At this point, I feel like we're only wasting time here. Just get us to Fone so we can get out of here and return to the real fight."
"I've already told you I don't have a clear picture of how this place is laid out, less so now that the walls are moving. If I could find the source of the interference, maybe I could account for it, but that's a very big if. We're going to need to take our time."
"I know. But we've been in here too long already. If we're right about what this place does, then at least a day has passed in the outside world since we set foot here."
"Then we'd better get a move on." Thorn said. She put her fingers against her forehead for a moment. "Only one problem. This place has no exit."
"Just tell me in what direction the distortion is strongest." Nagratek grinned. "I'll do the rest." Thorn paused for another moment before pointing at the ceiling behind her. Nagratek jumped and punched that spot on the ceiling, blasting a crater in the side of the cavern. A small amount of blue light began filtering through from the other side.
"Hey, I can see again." Smiley commented as Nagratek landed back on the ground. As soon as his foot touched the cavern floor, spikes of rock jutted out from the walls and impaled him several times. He liquefied and began snaking his way out of the tangle of spike, but they swiftly formed a cube around him, trapping him before sinking into the ground.
"I admit I underestimated you." The voice began speaking again. Thorn drew her sword and threw her hood up. Smiley took a step back apprehensively. "I suppose I can't wait for you to die quietly. I'll have to deal with you myself." The ground began to shake again and the walls of the cavern began to contract. Fallen pieces of rock from where Nagratek attacked the cavern walls began flying around the shrinking room.
Thorn ran forward, slashing rocks out of the air. Large spikes of rock began jutting up from the ground underneath her, but she avoided them with ease. Under her hood, her normal eyes stayed fixed on the crater Nagratek had made in the wall. She jumped toward it and struck it with her sword. The crack in the center widened slightly. The rock around her began turning into spikes as well, and she kicked off the crater just before they impaled her. She flew back and landed next to Smiley where she started.
He had crystalized most of his body. Rocks impacted harmlessly against his crystal shell and fell to the ground, inert. As the walls continued to close in on the pair, the ground beneath them exploded. Nagratek emerged from the crumbling rock, his body having taken on the form he used to combat Deyavara. He jumped up at the crater, which had begun to close, and took another swipe at it with his claw. The wall exploded outward, forming a hole into another similar cavern filled with blue light. As the new debris settled, half a dozen First Folk jumped through the new hole. The water and fire ones were present, along with four others made of rock, trees, air, and lightning.
"Go one ahead." Nagratek grunted. "Smiley and I will deal with these clowns. It'll give me a chance to teach him to use his new powers." Thorn nodded and rushed past the First Folk. She maneuvered through them before any of them could attempt to stop her. By the time they turned to unleash attack on her, she had already made it through the hole. Several of them attempted to follow, but Nagratek jumped above them and place himself between them and her.
"I have other ways of dealing with her." All six First Folk spoke in unison. "None of you will leave here alive. My master demands it."
"And which brother do you serve, exactly?" Nagratek asked.
"No more talking, Nagratek." His opponent responded. "Answers won't do the dead any good." They rushed forward and attacked Nagratek all at once. Fire struck first, enveloping Nagratek in a roaring inferno. Nagratek walked through it harmlessly. A stone fist struck him in the side of the head. He barely moved. He grabbed the arm as it recoiled and tore it from the stone one's body. He jumped forward and threw the arm through the body of the tree one. It staggered back. Nagratek landed on it and began slicing it to pieces with his claws.
The lightning one charged him, latching onto his back and running current through his whole body. Nagratek howled and fell to the ground. Fighting the spasms, he launched himself over to Smiley and collapsed onto all fours.
"Grab onto my spines!" He shouted. Sparks began coursing between the spikes coming out of his back. Reluctantly, Smiley reached out and touched two of them. The charge began travelling up Smiley's arms. Most of his body, with the exception of his nose and mouth, crystalized in response, but otherwise he was unaffected. As charge left Nagratek, a wave of black liquid ran from the ends of his limbs to the spines Smiley was touching. After it finished, Nagratek pulled free of Smiley's grip.
"What just happened?" Smiley asked. "Why can't I see? Why can't I move?"
"You can't control your abilities." Nagratek grunted. "And, to be honest, I don't remotely know how they work either. But I know that they do, so until I'm done with the rest of these chumps, I'll need you to hold onto that one for me." He jumped forward and crashed back into the group of First Folk. He sunk his claws into the stone one, shattering its body. He flipped back and turned his arms into giant mats, smothering them over the fire one. He liquefied his body and jumped at the water and ice one, sloshing around in that body for a few moments before he began vibrating, turning the body of the water one into steam. The ice chunks collapsed to the ground uselessly. Nagratek reformed his body and turned to the one made of air.
"You nightmare entities really are something else." It chuckled. "If I was anyone else, I'd be no match for you in a straight up fight." The other entities, apart from the lightning one, began to reform. "But I don't have to beat you. Eventually, you'll run out of steam. Until then, I just have to prevent you from moving." The rock and tree entities, newly formed from the ruins of their old bodies, rushed forward and enveloped Nagratek in a cage of root and stone. The water one, having pulled itself out of the moisture in the air, jumped into the cracks and turned its entire body to ice.
After a few second, Nagratek burst through the side of the cage and pulled himself out. Instantly, the fire one hit him with a continuous blast of fire, forcing him against the wall. Nagratek struggled forward and dug his feet into the earth. He severed one of his own arms and threw it at the fire entity. As it passed through the fire one's face, it turned into liquid, smothering the flames momentarily. Nagratek rushed forward, merged back with his arm, and slammed his foot into the stone one that had come up behind him.
"Thorn, you'd better hurry up." He muttered to himself. The lightning one burst free of Smiley's body, throwing Smiley against the wall. Nagratek sighed and launched himself at it, claws reeled back.
As Nagratek began his fight, Thorn slipped through the hole he had made in the wall. Right after she made it through, it began to close behind her. She took one last look at Nagratek and Smiley before turning to face the room in front of her. The interior was coated in blue crystal that gathered to form a column in the center of the room. In the center of the column, the tear from her vision shimmered brightly. Several bodies were imbedded in the column around it.
She took a step forward to examine the bodies. Tom, Percival, and Roderick all sat several inches beneath the surface of the crystal, eyes closed. Four other Bones Thorn didn't recognize, two fully grown and two much smaller, were imprisoned alongside them.
"So that's what happened to Percival…" She muttered to herself. "I wonder if we were ever talking to the real one in the first place?" She stood up and touched the surface of the pillar, sensing the distortion within. Understanding it.
Through the distortion she could feel the dreams of everyone trapped within. Most of them were too murky for Thorn to get a clear picture, but Tom's shined brightly amidst the darkness clouding their collective minds. Without realizing, Thorn had been pulled into it.
She found herself floating in the same space she and Fone ended up after they destroyed the Locust. The black void, stretching endlessly in every direction. Tom floated next to her, his eyes glazed over. Then the light appeared before them. It resembled the light that appeared before her and Fone five years ago, but had a golden tint.
Tom, stirred closer to consciousness, stared at the light for a moment before moving his mouth. No words came out, but Thorn could just about tell that he said "hello". Tom began to drift closer toward the light. He began stammering as it enveloped him, becoming more and more visibly distressed. Suddenly, arms made of vines faded into existence, wrapped themselves around his waist, and pulled him away from the light. Both he and the arms faded out of existence. After a moment, Lorimar appeared in his place.
"I don't appreciate you meddling in my personal affairs." She spoke, staring at the light. This time, Thorn could hear the words.
"Personal affairs?" A voice asked. It was the same one that came out of the mouths of the other First Folk. "What is that boy to you, a pet? An experiment? Either way, I wonder what your master would think of your attachment?"
"Know your place, aberration. We gave you the Spark. We held up out end of the deal."
"And I'm very appreciative. I'm looking forward to playing god. Unfortunately, that means I have to take part in your master's farce."
"If you don't prepare us the Catalyst when the time comes, I can take back my gift." Lorimar smirked. "You'll be stuck in that cave, playing with your dolls until Mon'Yaran erases you."
"I understand my position. But until the day of the Successor's return, you're going to need to keep my body hidden. I've already had to deal with two Bone intruders since you put this plan into motion."
"You insolent…" Lorimar floated toward the light. "I will do what I have to do to hold up our agreement. Even if that means trapping my friends in your madhouse. But, if you harm them in any way, I will tear your soul apart as soon as our business is finished."
"Empty threats don't suit you, Lorimar. Neither of us will live to see your master's work finished. He'll make sure of that."
"I am not at fault if you can't comprehend my master's grand design. All will dream as one under Mon'Yaran's gaze. Your constant cajoling will be a small price to pay for the everlasting dream to become reality." She reached out and touched the light. It floated into her chest and the two of them disappeared.
"Did you enjoy the show?" The voice asked. Thorn looked around but she couldn't find the light anywhere. "I don't know how you found your way in here, but I can't let you leave with such privileged information." The space around Thorn began heating up. She sighed and closed her eyes, looking through the Dreaming for anything useful. Eventually she spotted a small child's body floating in the darkness. She began to move toward it when a hand grabbed her shoulder.
"Don't waste your time here." Tom said, materializing next to Thorn. "You've got to find Fone and get him away from this place. And this thing." He floated forward and closed his eyes. Thorn tried to protest, but before she could she began fading from existence, her consciousness returning to her body. "I'll keep him busy here as long as long as I can."
Thorn opened her eyes again and took a step back. She could still faintly hear Nagratek fighting through the wall behind her. She gave Tom a resigned nod before throwing her hood back up and closing her eyes again. She looked around the Dreaming for any trace of Fone, now that she could properly account for the distortion. Instantly she saw something further in the complex. Another person.
She opened her eyes and ran through another tunnel entrance. She ran through a long, winding hallway, her dreaming eye fixated on the signal. Eventually, she came to another room. It was slightly smaller than the other and completely bare save for a small pedestal in the center. Perched on top of it, legs crossed and eyes closed, was Fone.
Ven rushed forward and placed her hands together. Energy began flowing between them, which she swiftly extended into a long, ethereal, bladed shape. She slashed it upward through Reina's face, cleaving most of her energy form in two. The cat frowned and took a step forward, both halves moving in unison. A lightning bolt struck out at Ven. Shard jumped in front of her as it discharged, conducting the bolt of charge before it could reach Ven.
"I can deal with her." Ven pushed Shard aside. "You cover the kid." She rushed forward and began slicing Reina to pieces. Her opponent recoiled and fired several lightning strikes at Ven, all of which missed their target by a narrow margin. Reina lunged in closer to Ven and caught her jaw with a sideswipe of her claws. Upon impact, the energy coiled around Ven's face, sending shocks through her whole body. Ven gritted her teeth, barely able to move her muscles against the electric current running through her body, and stabbed her blade directly into Reina's eye. Reina staggered back, letting go of Ven, and began firing lightning haphazardly, forcing Ven back slightly.
"What'd I tell you?" Gran'ma Ben grunted, shoving Rankyne aside. She ran forward and grabbed one of the Bones by the face, slamming his head into the ground before throwing him out through the hole in the wall. She moved on to beat other Bones back as the rest of the camp slowly came to their senses. Civilians began fleeing further into the cave while the remaining Venu and rat creatures rushed to support Gran'ma Ben. Rankyne tried to move into the fray, but Shard grabbed his neck.
"You almost had everyone fooled." He hissed into Rankyne's ear. "But I helped create you. I know what you are. And I'll deal with you after this is over. Until then, behave yourself, monster." A crystal spike shot out of Shard's palm, puncturing Rankyne's throat. He let go of Rankyne, who collapsed to the ground, gushing blood. Shard kicked him to the side and jumped into the battle himself.
He ran his fist through a Bone's chest as he landed. Instead of crumpling to the ground, the Bone lurched forward and attempted to maul Shard. He grabbed the Bone's head and crushed it, tossing the body aside. The Bone swiftly got back up and lunged at Shard, knocking him off balance briefly. Shard turned his hand into a blade and hacked the Bone into several dozen quivering pieces, each still moving slightly under their own power.
"This is unsettling." He muttered to himself. Ven slammed into his back, thrown back by Reina's sustained assault. The two of them stood up and moved forward to attack Reina together. They took turns slicing her to pieces and dodging lightning bolts until her energy form finally dissipated.
"Where's Rankyne?" Ven panted, catching her breath as more and more Bones began pouring through the entrance, slowly overwhelming the small band of humans and rat creatures.
"That thing isn't Rankyne." Shard replied, slicing a Bone's legs off before stomping on its head. "Rankyne's probably been dead for years. The Locust figured out we were onto him and attacked me. I've taken care of him for now, but I don't know if we have the capacity do deal with both this madness and whatever he'll throw at us once he wakes up."
"Fantastic." Ven bisected a Bone that approached her. "Do you think you could take care of things here? I need to go find Reina's body."
"Just don't take too long." Shard nodded. Ven jumped through the hole in the cavern wall and disappeared down the mountainside. She weaved through the oncoming horde of dead Bones that stretched far into the woods, occasionally beheading any Bone that got too close. She kept one hand against her forehead at all times, scouring the landscape for Reina. Eventually she spotted her prey and jumped into the air, soaring forward at breakneck speed for several seconds until she crashed full force into a clearing. She crashed into Reina's real body, a large, sleeping black mountain lion, as she landed. Ven skewered the feline's head with her sword and drove her into the ground.
"That didn't take long." Reina chuckled. Her entire body began coursing with electricity, forcing Ven to release her and step back. Reina stood up and opened her eyes. "It's been ages since I've been in this much trouble." Reina jumped forward and raised her arm to slash at Ven.
"Save the banter for Shard." Ven grimaced, stepping to the side and slicing Reina's arm off. "I'm not in the mood." As Reina landed, she whirled around and knocked Ven's feet out from under her. As Ven fell, Reina slashed upward at her, catching her in the side and breaking two of her ribs. Ven rolled with the attack, spinning through the air and landed on her feet before lunging forward at Reina, attempting to slice her jaw off. Reina parried the strike, knocking Ven's blade away. Ven used the momentum of the parry to kick Reina in the face before jumping up and slamming her elbow down on the top of Reina's head.
Reina liquefied her skull and wrapped it around Ven's arm, trapping her. Reina roared back up on her hind legs, lifting Ven into the air, and began running a current through her body. Ven grabbed Reina's shoulder and managed to run her own current of Dreaming energy between that hand and the elbow stuck in Reina's head. Ven's attack destabilized Reina momentarily, allowing Ven to slip through her.
Once Ven landed, she launched herself back up and slammed her knee into Reina's re-solidified stomach. As Reina slumped to the ground, Ven grabbed her jaws and attempted to rip them apart. Reina shook her head back and forth, Ven still attached, slamming her into the ground several times. On the last slam, Ven managed to plant her feet several inches into the ground and lift Reina up into the air, tossing her to the other end of the clearing.
"I hope you've managed to get a good workout." Reina said as she stood back up, her body repairing itself. "Still, it is rather unfortunate for you. You'll die of exhaustion long before I run out of energy."
"Not anymore." Ven dashed toward Reina. As she closed in on the mountain lion, her arm rearranged itself into a blade much in the same way Nagratek and Deyavara would do. She drove that blade through Reina's lower jaw before the latter could react. As Ven withdrew her blade and Reina collapsed to the ground, she gave the Nightmare Entity a smirk. "I'm one of you now." She reached down and grabbed Reina's snout, lifting her into the air. "I still haven't gotten a handle on all my new powers, but I think I'll be enough to match the one Nightmare Entity who never could."
"Is that so?" Reina laughed. "I suppose it's a good thing I didn't come alone." Before Ven could move, Xondriss burst from the tree line and attempted to chomp Ven in two. Just as she was about to be cut in half, the ground beneath her gave way, the Great Red Dragon grabbing her and placing her on his back. As Ven and the Great Red Dragon raced back toward the temple, dragging Reina with them, Xondriss clamped his jaws down on Reina's hind legs, cutting them off entirely.
As Ven left to go fight Reina, Shard glanced around. Several humans had already been killed, bitten or beaten to death by the relentless Bones. The rest were slowly losing ground, most of the Bones they injured simply walking through their attacks. Gran'ma Ben was the only human still holding her own, and she was surrounded by over a dozen Bones attempting to rip her to shreds.
She beat them back one after another, but as soon as she managed to kill one, two more would take its place. Right as one was about to bite through her shoulder, Shard jumped on it, turning most of its body into a bloody paste that splattered all over him and Gran'ma Ben. The two of them quickly got back to back and began pushing the horde back. Shard morphed his hands into large hammers and began crushing Bones while Gran'ma Ben simply beat them with her fists, often crushing most of their Bones as she tore through them.
"So what'd you do to Rankyne?" Gran'ma Ben asked as she slammed a Bone's temple against her knee, shattering it.
"I don't know what you mean." Shard grunted as he smashed a Bone into the ground, splattering the two with even more blood.
"You grabbed him by th' neck, then he collapsed to the ground. Th' only reason I haven't put your head through th' ground yet is because we have bigger problems to worry 'bout." As Gran'ma Ben and Shard managed to thin the immediate presence of Bones somewhat, the Venu and the rat creatures began regaining ground, pushing the mass of moving bodies back until they reached the pair.
"That thing I killed wasn't Rankyne." Shard remarked as he took a slight breather, falling behind the advancing line of humans. Instantly Gran'ma Ben punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. She grabbed his head and slammed it into her knee, sending him flying back. Before he could recover, she was on him again, repeatedly smashing his head in with her bare hands. She didn't slow down, despite the shards of broken crystal that began slicing her hands open.
"Wait!" Shard shouted, scrambling out from under her backing away frantically. She paused momentarily. "I meant what I said. Rankyne died during the battle at Old Man's Cave five years ago. The Lord of the Locust has been hiding in his body ever since, giving him the impression of being alive."
"The Locust died." Gran'ma Ben snorted.
"Mostly, yes. But a piece of him survived in Rankyne. And I had to take action before it got out of control."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Gran'ma Ben crossed her arms.
"I'll tell you all about it once we get through this mess." Shard turned to face the growing tide of Bones. Just as he and Gran'ma Ben were about to rejoin the fight, The Great Red Dragon soared through the entrance, roasting every Bone on his ascent with his fire breath. As he landed, Reina shook herself free of Ven's grip and flopped to the ground on top of the smoking bodies, her own slowly rebuilding itself. Ven slung off the Great Red Dragon's shoulder and stood next to Shard. Xondriss arrived immediately after, touching down next to Reina as she struggled to stand.
"Pull yourself together." He growled. "We have work to do." He reared back and attempted to impale one of the humans on his claws. Shard rushed forward and caught it inches from the human's chest.
"Leave this to us." Shard grunted, trying to hold Xondriss back. "Get the people to safety." The human nodded. The line of Venu and rat creatures fell back further into the temple. Xondriss and Shard stared at each other for a moment, not moving. Reina managed to get back on her feet.
"I'm leaving these two to you guys." Ven exhaled, taking a step back and collapsing next to Rankyne. "I need to recharge."
"Like I'd give you the chance." Reina snarled, lunging forward at Ven. The Great Red Dragon knocked her against the ground and punched her back through the opening in the wall.
"Even without her, I'll have no trouble with you three." Xondriss said, knocking Shard against the wall and slashing up at the Great Red Dragon. The Great Red Dragon put his arm up to block the strike, but before it hit a massive ghost made of blue flame flared up between them. Xondriss' strike missed, and he took a step back.
"I suppose you won't mind us lending a hand then?" Mermie asked, entering the cavern flanked by Sybron Brook and Bartleby. "After all, you pests need to learn some respect."
"Mermie!" Gran'ma Ben exclaimed. "It's about time you showed up. Let's show these boys how it's done." She charged Xondriss. Pillars of illusory flame erupted on all sides of him. Gran'ma Ben leapt through them and kneed Xondriss in the jaw, forcing him back. She began pummeling him, even though he was four times her size, not giving him any time to react. She broke off a horn from his snout, jammed it into his eye. He shrieked and began spewing flame. The Great Red Dragon rushed forward and clamped his jaws shut, but as he did so Xondriss managed to strike Gran'ma Ben with his claws, sending her flying backward. Shard caught her and set her back down.
"Remember you are fighting a dragon." The Great Red Dragon said, struggling to hold Xondriss' jaw shut. As he and the Great Red Dragon struggled, Xondriss became enveloped in the black substance. The Great Red Dragon jumped back as Xondriss writhed and elongated, sprouting many crystalline spikes across his back, limbs, head, and tail.
"By the way…" The Great Red Dragon said, turning briefly to Ven. He reached back to his hind quarters and pulled the knife Gabriel had stabbed him with from his side. He handed it to her. "Gabriel left this for Nagratek. Make sure he gets it."
"Of course." She replied, slipping the knife into her belt. "Now let's deal with this one." She stood up, watching Xondriss regain his balance. As he stood, his white skin turned black and punctured with spikes, Reina bounded her way back up the mountainside, having undergone a similar transformation. Her real body had solidified into solid black crystal. Many small spines protruded from her skin, electricity running in between all of them intermittently. She roared and projected that electricity outward, forming her energy form just above the surface of her real body.
"Now this is a fight." The Great Red Dragon chuckled, taking one last puff of his cigarette before tossing it aside. Ven turned her hands into blades. Shard formed his into a crude hammer and mace. Gran'ma Ben balled her hands into fists, locking eyes with Xondriss. Sybron drew his sword. Mermie threw her hood up. Bartleby hissed. Just before the tension broke, Ven caught a glimpse of something in the sky behind Xondriss. A massive ball of flame hurdled toward the mountain from above the western horizon.
"Get back!" She shouted, catching everyone off guard. Shard too saw what Ven did and slammed his fists into the ground, forming a wall of crystal that stretched most of the way to the ceiling. The wall shielded everyone from the ensuing fireball but not the shockwave, which knocked everyone off of their feet. The temple shook. Parts of the ceiling caved in, but overall the structure held. Shard retracted his wall back into himself and collapsed to his knees unconscious.
Beyond the wall, Xondriss and Reina were throw aside, but otherwise unharmed. Beyond them was a smoking crater in the mountain where the object had crashed. As everyone got to their feet and shook themselves off, a small figure climbed out of the crater. Covered in several remaining flecks of searing hot plasma that ate through her body like acid, Linara pulled herself out of the crater, her body reduced to less than half its original size. She locked eyes with Xondriss, the black substance on her skin boiling and spewing a noxious black steam into the air. With the last of her strength she pulled the three Extinction Drives from her chest and attempted to hurl them toward Xondriss. As soon as she moved forward to throw them, however, she collapsed to the ground dead.