Chapter 17
The Willbender has been released!
"Zalok. I just got a message from Rhenka saying that they are beneath the ground, and he will need your help trying to free them from the prison they are in." Equinox said.
"Equinox, you do not have to ask if I want to go. I know now I need to. If our fellow Sentients need our help, then we will find them a way." Zalok replied.
"Okay then, One more thing." Equinox said while handing his sword to Zalok. "Your blade of Crota never seems to fail you. Why not take it with you?"
"Thanks Mom. You are a huge help." Zalok said.
Under all that armor that He had, he thought that he was actually a hive knight himself. The funny part about that was that he wasn't a real one. Compared to them, He would be outmatching them, even if he was outnumbered, in a disadvantage. Zalok raised the sword and exerted wind that then made his disappear from Equinox's sight. After Zalok finally got back onto solid ground again, he felt strange energy, like there was taken again, but this time, it would not weaken him. He saw one over to the left of him, as it was looking down at something. The thing was something that He could describe in one word. Void.
It made some strange noises and each one reached him, as well as others that were far from him. He thought that his ears was going to bleed, but he resisted the thought of letting it bleed. Thinking that he could try and sneak up on it, he prowled slowly towards it, with his blade in his right hand. "Every time" He thought to himself. He referred to when he was using his abilities to try and make him impervious to damage. So far, the only thing that actually killed him was the scarlet devil, Remilia.
He kept on going to try and silently go behind him, but then he got afraid that he had some strange thing that could read his mind. He then tried to stop thinking, and he lunged at the shadow. The shadow split into two, and merged back together again. It pulled out a gun, similar to what Davoskis usually used, but now it was one with the shadow, or void. It began shooting high amounts of purple beams, rapidly hitting his armor, putting a bunch of dents into it. Zalok then was shot in the face with one of the bullets, and his face was exposed. He covered the puncture point with his hand, while the shadow tried to isolate him in a ice circle.
Zalok however, did not get injured, only with the hive armor wore down to becoming chitin. He was pissed, ready to put each and looked like he swore to tear all of them to pieces of void or flesh, either one he preferred. With ease, he uncovered his eye, and manipulated the shadow to put a gun to it's head. It then shook in terror and pure fear. The thoughts in Zalok's mind was flowing like the rivers. With one finger, he forced the shadow to pull the trigger, and shoot himself in the head. He disintegrated on the ground, only leaving the weapon behind. "Strange... Looks like one of my old pistols." Zalok thought. "I think I can feel the darkness within. For now, It is best I get back with my old equipment style, Sword and pistol." Zalok thought again as he picked up the gun. The void began consuming him from the inside, and Zalok could feel it slowly creeping towards his shoulder.
Zalok then remembered what Equinox explained to him a half hour ago. Find Rhenka, and then try and free Uitan and Tyler. With that in mind, he gone to the place where the shadow was standing, looking at the ground. When he made it to where it was standing, all he could see was a hole, that had steam in it, and Zalok put his arm in there, with the pistol in hand. The darkness then disappeared from his body, and his hand became hot as the sun. He smelled the dusty stones, simmering from the blast, and he could remember what that meant. Someone used a nuke down here, and Rhenka knows how to use and make one by simply spewing it from his mouth.
Zalok then jumped down, feeling the intense heat, but then was instantly cooled down by the presence of the shadows. Zalok then wanted to make them all come over here. He then knew where each one of the shadows were, with his will doing the work. He had no idea in the first place when he did it, but he was certainly glad he had it. The shadows then walked towards him, and patrolled the area. Zalok sighed and looked around for anything that might suggest the place where the nuke was shot at. He found a rock arch, with a hole, outlined in burn marks and within its path, another one on the ground.
"Rhenka!? You here!?" Zalok yelled out in the cave.
He then walked and hit a rock wall, since it was so dark. He couldn't hear anything but pure silence and a few sounds from the controlled shadows. He wanted to go back, and search for them elsewhere, but Equinox said that Rhenka has already found them, and quick at that. Behind him, he could see the moonlight laminating the cave, with a dark blue light. After that, He heard someone whisper, and the voice sounded familiar. "Rhenka." He thought. He then got back up and sliced the wall, causing it to shatter and break, with fire. He ran over to where he heard the voice. He found him, with his wings spread out and his yellow body laying on a couple of rocks. He began talking while he was sleeping, and Rhenka kept on moving his left arm. Zalok walked over and pushed him over with what strength he got. Rhenka woke up and began yelling random things.
The volume was just a bit loud, but Zalok could handle it, because he used to be with Rhenka when he was the genetically modified dragon he knew.
"So, You were sent by my wife to help?" Rhenka asked.
"Yes, mom would be pleased if this world was not filled with one person who causes major havoc." Zalok answered silently, while laying down the pistol.
"Okay then, look over here where I point." Rhenka commanded.
He turned around and walked the opposite direction where my back was facing. He closed his wings tight as he folded them, and dived into the channel in the cave and swam through it. "The sight is not far, and we should be able to free them in about five minutes." Rhenka stated while beginning to swim as fast as a dolphin. Zalok did the same, but was slightly slower than Rhenka, who was way larger than him and liked land more than a place with free movement. The current was still, and the only movement that he could see was Rhenka's trail, which was looking like an arrow after he had disappeared.
He could hear the constant dripping of droplets, impacting on the stone surface, slowly making each and every step more noticeable by how it sounded. It became louder, and louder until the point where each time where Rhenka steps he would hear a mini earthquake going on, but nothing fell from the ceiling. Zalok's father then begun breathing short bursts of flame for some light, and then he pulled a needle that was stuck to his back, that even Zalok couldn't notice, and lit it up as a torch. Rhenka pointed at a small hole and looked through it. His tail was slowly moving left and right to try and keep his balance and keep himself upright. He then backed up and pointed to the hole. With Rhenka's tail, he was elevated up to the high hole where Zalok couldn't reach.
Zalok gasped for a moment, and looked more. Uitan was looking like he was sleeping while having a bunch of sharp ammo stuck to him like glue. He moved and said ow. Tyler was still being held captive, and some shadows were tying his snout, so that he couldn't breathe fire, and stabbed a few sharp objects into his head.
"We cannot risk it tonight. I think these creatures draw their power from lunar light." Rhenka said.
"Hey, don't you know that you have very hard scales? You can stand up to them." Zalok replied.
"I know, but still it wouldn't be worth it since there must be a leader, and if they want him badly, they will chase him all the way around the world if they had to." Rhenka said while shaking his body to become dry. "Daytime is the best option, or at least the noon."
"So, what shall we do now?" Zalok asked.
"Wait. You can tell me anything and I will answer." Rhenka said as he laid on his arms and legs.
"You like being this way, don't you?" Zalok said. He did not know what he meant in a second, but he did find out eventually. He gone and hung his neck over the water, and then started to speak again.
"I do like the benefits of being a dragon, but still, I wish that I was human again." Rhenka said. "Its not me saying that I was not grateful for what that artifact did to me, but when I was human, I felt everything, and used my extensions to the fullest. I had opportunity."
"Dad, remember when Akaz used to slap me with his infested arm?" Zalok asked.
"I used to hate that so much. I punched him in the face a couple of times here and there." Zalok thought as he sat down on a rock. Rhenka began smiling slightly and burst out laughing while being quiet at the same time. He looked like it was so funny, that he could literally pass out from just doing so.
"I still remember those days. What I wish was that he wouldn't come with the tenno. Now he had gotten himself killed, and you sacrificed some lives. The fact that you found my grandsons and now Akaz is my Grandson/son is very confusing." Rhenka answered, standing to try and stretch his bones. "Enough questions for this night. We have a big day tomorrow and we cannot afford to mess things up by just a few mere interruptions." Rhenka said while forcefully making himself sleep on the cold stony floor.
Zalok slept near his left arm like he usually did when they were both at Gentau. Zalok also closed his eyes, but heard some light taps coming from a distance. Each tap reminded him about what Akaz did, and he usually succeeded in his plans. Growling was now occurring and the sound became a instant nightmare. Zalok woke up, seeing two pairs of red eyes staring right at them. He then tried to wake Rhenka up by vigorously shaking his head, but he just wouldn't wake up. He was just in a deep sleep.
The eyes appeared closer as the taps impacted louder and each low growl became a lion's roar. One of them charged right at Zalok, and missed, making the victim become Rhenka. He then felt the pain, the sharp teeth trying to pierce his scales was not working, although it was hurting a lot. he started blowing fire at them, with Zalok ducking, hoping that he too would not be engulfed in flames. When the fire was spread through the cave cracks, it shown that they were crocodiles, now roasted and smelling like salmon.
"Dinner for me I guess." Rhenka said while grabbing one of them. He then bit off half of the crocodile, and then eat the other half, seeming like he hasn't eaten for days. He was enjoying it, but when I could see the sight of just meat being eaten, and could smell it as well, It almost made me feel like I was about to throw up. He ate the next crocodile whole and quickly went back to sleep, with a breath that it now audible.
