Confluence
By Mardrena
A well-dressed man exited a building and waved to the security guard on the way to the parking garage. Night had already fallen with only light from nearby floods illuminating the street. The man put some classical music to play as he drove out of the parking garage. Two lights that stood out from other lights on the roof moved as something large bounded along the edge before leaping into the air too high for anyone on the ground to notice. The man saw nothing in his rear-view mirror aside from fellow motorists as he made his way out of the city proper and into the countryside. His headlights shone upon the guardrails of the cliff-side road and he hummed along with his inspirational classical music.
He blinked, bewildered when he noticed the reflective stripes on the road vanished abruptly and he no longer heard the tires against the pavement. He cried out when the car jolted and wondered if he had somehow gone off the cliff but the steering wheel refused to respond and the wheels spun uselessly midair. The car shook again as if something held it and turned it around, and the man yelped in shock when the headlights fell upon a nightmarish visage.
The face-if it could be called such-appeared coated with brownish-yellow carapace and the "mouth" hung wide in a toothy grin while two larger mandibles spread out to the side. Chitinous ridges bulged up along the brow and cheeks, giving the already menacing-looking face a malicious edge. Dark green compound eyes seized his terrified gaze in their many facets. The well-dressed man fumbled with the door handle but it refused to budge. Only then did he realize the creature held the car suspended high in the air above the cliff-side road. Transparent veined wings beat through the air rapidly as the creature held the car as casually as a chair or basket.
"Cut my funding, will you?! Call me insane? Who is the apex predator now!" the creature gloated in a guttural hiss. The man cried out helplessly as the car jolted once more when the creature shifted its grip, holding the chassis by its palms and hefting it high above its head. "I no longer need you, or anyone else! I have the power to do whatever I want! Starting with this!" The creature flung the car towards the cliff with ease. The man inside could only scream and scream in terror as the headlights shone upon the rapidly-approaching cliff face.
The car struck with enough force to crumple it into half its standard size before exploding violently, sending debris bouncing over the pavement and a column of smoke billowing up into the night sky. It would take hours for first responders to arrive, and the creature knew that, taking the time to cackle madly and arch its back with glee. "With this power, this wonderful, glorious power, nothing can stop me! NO ONE CAN STOP ME! AHAHAHHAHAAAAAAA!"
Civilians fled or rushed for cover as towering mechanized monstrosities ambled down the street in broad daylight. They looked nearly twenty feet tall with broad deep chests and arms laden with heavy-looking weaponry. They resembled samurai armor and smaller similar-styled automatons accompanied them. The hostile invaders seemed to have no interest in pursuing any lingering civilian bystanders as some paused to gawk or take pictures. "Look! Check it out! The Ronin Warriors are here!" Excited civilians pointed down the street at the magnificently armored defenders arrayed against the invaders. "Wait...doesn't that mean we need to get out of here?" "Yeahhhh..."
"I wondered how long Talpa would wait before coming out of hiding. Looks like he's rolling out a new model," Ryo commented and rolled his shoulders before unsheathing his swords.
"I'd hardly call it 'new'. Looks like your regular run-of-the-mill Destroyer with some extra guns strapped on. He's sorely lacking in the IT department these days," Rowen commented.
"Talpa's dark arts are becoming increasingly irrelevant in the face of far greater Powers as of late. What few allies flocked to his banner have only dwindled since his return," Anubis muttered and unfurled his chain as the first few Dynasty Droids rushed forth to engage.
"Emperor Talpa shall have his revenge for the death of High Sorcerer Bautan-hmm?" the upgraded Doom Lord looked to the side when it spotted something dart out from behind the Ronin. It looked dark, almost black, and covered in an array of metal plating and tubes. Trakar dashed towards the towering construct, keeping his body low to the ground before moving his legs together rapidly, gearing up for a charge. The Doom Lord stood there staring at this small being stupidly as Trakar sprang up into the air, pulling his knees to his chest and keeping his feet flat facing forward while still maintaining his momentum.
He struck the Doom Lord with such force that sent its torso flying one direction while its head, arms, and legs remained floating in air comically for a brief second before clattering to the ground uselessly. Trakar landed nimbly on his toes and skidded sideways before launching into another dash towards a second Doom Lord.
"You really should come up with a name for that technique. Something like 'Missile Kick' or 'Torpedo Slam'," Kento remarked.
"Combat is a necessity for Reptilloids, not a form of amusement," Trakar replied in his monotone as he executed another dismemberment charge on his next target.
"If you're gonna polish it off with an Akira-Slide, you should at least call it something cool..." Kento muttered as he hobbled a Dynasty Droid with his bo. "Hey, Thangiens don't exactly fight for the heck of it either. They fight to protect their homes and families, but they at least make combat fun."
"In the event you have not noticed, I am not a Thangien," Trakar flicked a glance at him.
"Yeah, but you know how that saying goes? 'Passion is a part of Purpose'? Think of it as trying to reclaim your past and stuff." All the while Kento prattled, Tanya glanced at him over her shoulder, grimacing awkwardly. Trakar paused before making another charge, cocking his head to the side as he analyzed Kento's words. He dashed over to a nearby group of Droids and began slamming them with his tail and headbutting them, making halfhearted grunts. "Eh, all things in baby steps, I suppose..."
"For *censored* out loud! Get a room you two!" Tanya squawked, exasperated.
Cye jabbed and parried as Dynasty Droids lunged from all sides. More and more arrived, springing down from the rooftops or teleporting in via bolts of crimson lightning. The Dynasty seemed to have trouble understanding Trakar wove skillfully and purposely through their ranks, clearly not just some new "pet" of the Ronin like WILDCAT or Blackblaze. The hollow shells of slain soldiers lay strewn about, those with cracked core processors crumbled and drifted away as black vapor.
Cye paused and glanced to the side when he thought he heard a voice call out to him. By now all civilian bystanders had smartly fled the battlefield rather than be caught in the melee, but Cye couldn't see anyone lingering nearby. Cye raised an eyebrow. The disembodied voice sounded at once distinct and distant. He turned around, looking over his shoulder briefly. It seemed to come from a particular direction. One droid took advantage of his distraction and attempted to catch him off-guard but-without looking-Cye jabbed backwards with his trident, impaling the soldier in the chin. The droid let out a grating grunt as it slumped to the ground. Cye looked back at the others. They seemed to have the situation well in hand, even with Sage, Cale, and Dais dealing with another attack on the other side of town. Cye furrowed his brow and took off running in the direction of the voice.
He couldn't quite describe it: his body did not move involuntarily, yet he felt compelled to seek out the owner of that faint voice. It sounded desperate, and he could sense no malice. His search took him winding through the city until he reached an amusement park. He paused and scanned the area, spotting no civilians milling about the food stalls or attractions. The rides looked inactive. Cye glanced to the side and walked over to a maintenance building. He opened the door and peered inside cautiously, again spotting no one nearby. Cye walked deeper into the building with only light filtering from outside to see by. He hadn't thought about turning on the light switch, being preoccupied with the voice. He wove his way past shelves and cable brackets, finally spotting what looked like a hatch in the floor hidden behind piles of disused tools and spare equipment.
The hatch creaked as Cye pulled it open and light spilled into the gloom. He hopped down onto the floor and the hatch clicked shut behind him. He didn't need to turn on a switch as the second he took a step in the room, a handful of lights turned on, activated by a motion sensor. Cye glanced about, wondering if the park staff knew about this room. It looked quite neat and sophisticated compared to the building above. Long metal tables and cabinets cluttered with piles of papers, vials, beakers, petri dishes, and jars furnished the room. He could spot smaller rooms off to the side filled with cabinets and computers. Cye couldn't tell if he'd somehow stumbled into a mad scientist's lab or some unused jump-scare attraction from the park.
Cye blinked upon hearing the voice again and his roving gaze fell upon a closed door. Cables ran under the edge, trailing out across the floor. Cye had abandoned all sense of caution at this point and walked over to the door, reaching out and grabbing the knob and pulling it open, uncertain of what to expect. He hadn't heard the voice calling from any other direction. This had to be the source.
He hadn't expected to see what looked like a human-sized prop or suit seated on a metal chair. This had to be some sort of little shop of horrors... It looked insectoid with dull multi-faceted eyes peering out from under thick brow ridges that looked like chitin. Segmented arms hung limply at its sides, the hands resting on the lap. Smooth mandibles covered the mouth and long ridged appendages protruded from the back. Cye made a face, not sure what to make of the "puppet". Someone had put alot of effort into detail, making it as realistic as possible. He couldn't tell if plastic or foam comprised the body.
The "puppet" moved abruptly, and Cye took a step back in alarm, wondering if his presence had triggered animatronics. The head of the "prop" tilted up slightly and the dull eyes glowed faintly yellow. Cye gasped in shock as the mandibles parted and he tried to back out of the closet. Something shot out of the "mouth" and struck Cye in the face, sending him toppling backwards in the "lab". His lashing arm brushed against one of the tables, sending equipment spilling onto the floor.
Cye lay on his back writhing. He'd dropped his trident and held both hands up to his throat, gasping helplessly as a quivering translucent green mass covered his mouth, seeming to crawl inside his throat.
"Looks like that's the last of'em. Sage and the others just reported in. Everything's clear on their end. I wonder what was the point of all this? Warlord recruitment must be slow these days," Ryo commented as they surveyed the street littered with fallen droids and scarred from combat.
"No doubt Talpa wanted to test our strength, to see if Roth or Witheren would respond. Obviously they are not here, but he clearly did not anticipate our newest ally..." Anubis explained and glanced to the side as the Reptilloid walked over to join them, the leg implants whirring as he moved.
"So Trakar! Whatcha think, seeing how we operate things around here?" Kento asked cheerfully. Trakar glanced from side to side briefly before cocking his head.
"I am to understand some of you once served this faction?" Anubis and Sehkmet raised their hands briefly. "I can see why you chose to defect rather than continue service under such an ineffectual force. Indeed, not all are worthy of being masters nor all masters worthy of being served..." Anubis' jaw dropped and his eyes popped wide in a way no one had really seen from him before, drawing an awkward glance from Sehkmet.
"Talpa plays that game, promising power in exchange for one's humanity. At least the Dark Warlords were able to redeem themselves and reclaim their lives, kind of like you. Who knows, maybe once all's said and done your people could be restored to your old bodies. The Pegasi are kind of in the same boat, but if there's a way to cure the pegacorn affliction someday, there's a chance they could become flesh and blood again," Rowen explained. Trakar lowered his head and turned to face him.
Everything happened so fast the others could only gasp in alarm as Trakar savagely headbutted Rowen in the stomach, sending him sprawling onto his back. Before Rowen had a chance to sit up, Trakar planted one foot over his stomach, pinning him down and hunkering over him, bringing his muzzle within inches of Rowen's face.
"DON'T INSULT ME BY REMOTELY PLACING US IN THE SAME CATEGORY!" Trakar bellowed shrilly. The others could only stand by and watch, bewildered as Trakar screamed right into Rowen's face. "The Pegasi agreed to their mechanical conversion, they willingly consented to Eyurodin transplanting their souls into the bodies she forged. WE LACKED THE MENTAL CAPACITY TO CONSENT! The Totalitary descended upon us when we were too primitive and stupid to know any better! We were never anything more than beasts of burden to them!
"THEY TOOK EVERYTHING FROM US! And we cannot rest until we've taken everything from them!..." Trakar hissed, teeth bared and body quaking in rage, actually on the verge of tears.
"Okay! Okay! Okay! Take it easy! I'm sorry, alright? I-I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!" Rowen squawked, holding his palms up defensively. Trakar finally relented and withdrew his foot.
"That is the cruel irony, Rowen...they robbed us of even that..." Trakar stated sadly.
"But you can feel anger," Ryo interjected from the side, drawing a glance from Trakar. "You can feel sadness, that's something you've reclaimed," he offered softly. Trakar tilted his head down, quietly digesting Ryo's words before reaching out, offering one hand to Rowen and helping him stand.
"Hey, Trakar? Not to be a downer or anything, but what's to stop the Totalitary from flicking a switch at the 11th hour and *poof* you guys are evil again?" Kento asked abruptly and shrugged, drawing an awkward scowl from Tanya. Far from feeling insulted, Trakar shook his head solemnly.
"That will not happen. We cannot allow that to happen. Vengeance keeps us free. It beats in our hearts and hammers within our heads, it runs hot in the blood. Can your former master 'flick a switch' and draw you under his service once more?" Trakar asked of Anubis and Sehkmet, who exchanged glances: The Dynasty had already tried and failed with Anubis. "So it is with us. You see them for the pretentious fools they truly are. The illusion is shattered, and with it all reason to obey their whims. All their flaws are laid bare, the mask slips, and loyalty withers and dies. They think themselves wise. You know your faults, accept them, and in that find wisdom, your defense against further duplicity. Before we can ever bleed or laugh again, we must have revenge." Trakar explained.
"You'll have your revenge someday. At the very least, we'll get it for you when the End Tide comes," Sehkmet commented softly. Ryo raised an eyebrow and glanced about at those gathered. Everyone had been so introspective no one had noticed one of their own missing.
"Hey, where'd Cye go off to? It's not like him to run off without saying anything..." Ryo asked and looked around. He raised his wrist and toggled Armor Signature mode. A light blue dot blinked not too far away from their current position. "It says he's nearby...oh, look, he's coming." Ryo looked up to the side. "Cye! Hey, there you are! We were wondering about-CYE!?" Ryo exclaimed when he saw the Warrior of Water staggering towards them, leaning on his trident like a crutch and walking erratically. Cye had barely taken another step before slumping forward and onto his side. The others rushed over and knelt down beside him. His breathing looked labored and some sort of translucent green residue clung to the corner of his lip.
"There's something on his mouth. I think he's been poisoned. Sehk, do your thing!" Rowen urged.
"I can't!"
"Whadya mean 'you can't?'?!" Kento growled, clenching a fist.
"I can't! It's-it's not a poison! I-I have no idea what this is, I've never seen anything like this before!" Sehkmet fretted, genuinely at a loss. "We need to get him to the infirmary right away!" Cye said nothing, remaining completely unresponsive to their cries. His skin looked unnervingly pale and sweat rolled down his face.
"Group up so we can port to the Roost pronto," Rowen stated and they linked arms, placing hands on Cye's shoulders. Trakar leaned close and Tanya grabbed him by his wrist as the teleport rings formed above them, sweeping down and surrounding them before vanishing, leaving behind no trace of their presence in the empty street.
The hatch creaked open and a thin figure clambered down the ladder, holding one hand raised to ease the hatch down gently. The lights flickered back on and a reedy-looking man with a thin wrinkled face and thin-framed glasses strode into the lab, shrugging off a white coat and placing it onto a rack as he passed by. "I'm hooooome! Had a very busy night, cleaning up loose ends and all that!" The man reached out and grabbed a petri dish from a nearby table and walked over to the closet door, pulling it open with his free hand. "Now, let's see if you have more extract for me today..." Light from the lab fell upon the carapace-clad figure sitting slumped in the chair inside the closet. The man reached out and used his thumb to part the mandibles down the center and held the petri dish under the mouth. He smiled as he did so, as cheerfully as one would tending a garden or painting a picture.
The form remained still, and nothing came out from behind the mandibles. The man frowned, confused at first, then his face contorted in panic. "What? No...nonononono! You can't be dead! It isn't possible!" The man threw the petri dish to the side and turned to the side and pulled a swivel-mounted monitor close. He pulled out a small keypad and hurriedly typed away, checking graphs and readouts. The insectoid being did not stir but the moving lines indicated some trace of life. The man cupped both hands under the "chin" and tilted the "head" up slightly, peering into the compound eyes. They remained dull with not so much as a flicker within the many facets.
The man furrowed his brow and looked over his shoulder, taking in the state of the lab for the first time. He saw shattered vials and beakers lying on the floor next to the tables closest to the closet, and further away sheets of paper littered the floor. He formed a picture in his mind of someone stumbling through the lab, grasping futilely at the table edges and knocking equipment off in the process on their way to the exit. The man's face contorted in rage, his wrinkled lips peeling back over his teeth.
"Oh...I see...I see it now! Someone was here who shouldn't have been! I see what you've done! You...you think you can escape me? I won't allow it!" The man slammed the closet door behind him and walked over to a refrigeration unit and pulled open the door, reaching inside and fishing out a vial of clear green fluid. He shut the refrigerator behind him and stormed over to a cabinet, pulling out a syringe and inserting the needle into the vial, filling the chamber completely with green fluid.
He rolled up his sleeve and thrust the needle into the vein without hesitation, emptying the chamber entirely into his blood stream. He flung the needle to the side and shucked the lab coat, draping it on the coat rack as he stalked towards the hatch. The cuff of his sleeve puled down slightly as he reached up to grab the ladder, and it seemed the skin near his wrist started to pucker and bulge.
"I'll find where you've gone off to! You won't be able to hide from me!"
Trakar kept one fingertip pressed against a button on his headpiece as he tilted his head from side to side, light shimmering from his eyes. He removed his hand and looked to Tar, shaking his head solemnly. "Well if the Reptilloid is stumped, then we're equally screwed..." Tar grumbled and rolled his eyes. Trakar said nothing but turned to exit the infirmary, walking past Ryo as he entered.
"You said you wanted to see me?" he asked and walked over to the bedside where Cye lay with his upper body completely bare and only a thin sheet covering him from the waist down. He sweated profusely but didn't react to either of their presence. His eyes remained closed. "How's he doing?" Ryo asked anxiously.
"The good news is, his condition hasn't deteriorated. The bad news is, it hasn't improved either. His internal temperature remains at one-hundred degrees. Come over to this side, there's something you need to see..." Tar scooted over for Ryo to move close and reached out with his claws, gently catching the tips on the sideburns on the left side of Cye's head. Tar moved his claws up, lifting the hair, and Ryo could see something seemingly stuck to the skin between his ear and jaw.
"What...what the hell is that?" Ryo muttered and squinted to get a better look. It looked like flat thumb-sized bumps in varying shades of brown and yellow. Tar withdrew his hand.
"Near as we can tell, it seems to be some sort of chitinous growth." Ryo looked at Tar sharply, horrified. Tar fidgeted in place and moved his hands behind his shell, apparently struggling with words. He turned back towards Ryo and leaned down, looking distraught. "We can't stop the mutation!" he whispered hoarsely. "Whatever's affecting him is rampaging through his system at an alarming pace! We've tried everything: viral inhibitors, Richtho tea, chorinae cocktails, even mineral water. Nothing has had any noticeable effect! It's not rewriting so much as it seems to be redecorating. I've never seen anything like this before in all my years..." Ryo listened to Tar and stared down at Cye bleakly.
"Okay...we take him to the Traedeskaton on Thanged. Maybe they can-"
"The Traedeskaton would be of no help in this situation. They lack the expertise." Tar interjected.
"What? Why the hell not?!" Ryo demanded. Tar pursed his lips and averted his gaze, looking awkward with his snowy scaly brows wrinkled.
"That is a sordid story best left for another day. Suffice to say they could have cured the pegacorn contagion by now if but for their deep-seated loathing of the field." Ryo clenched his jaw and braced his palms against the edge of the bed. "The Redali might know of a way to treat him, but by the time we arrange for transport, it would be too late."
"So you're saying there's nothing we can do...again?"
"All we can do is let it run its course and determine a method of treatment from there. Kayura and Shannon have already tried and fared no better," Tar lamented softly. Ryo said nothing for a few moments, only the beeping of the monitor breaking the silence. The lines appeared steady, but Cye hadn't moved position nor opened his eyes but his breathing remained steady.
"Can he hear us?" Ryo asked cautiously.
"We're not entirely sure...Michelle couldn't elicit a reaction with her arts either. I'm sorry Ryo...I truly am..." Ryo clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth in frustration.
"Ryo...?" Ryo glanced up when he heard the timid voice and saw Brianna Johansen standing by the arch. "I heard what happened. How-how is he?" she asked cautiously as she approached. Ryo stared at her sadly and shook his head grimly.
"Hey Brit. It's not looking too good for him. We've done all we can. You're welcome to stay with him as long as you want. Maybe you can bring him out of it," Ryo offered weakly. Brit stood at the foot of the bed staring at the ailing Cye. Ryo walked past and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze before exiting the room. Tar pulled a chair over to the side of the bed for her and returned to his workbench to tinker with his instruments. Brit seated herself shakily, shocked to see Cye in his current state. It seemed like his skin had shrunk over his muscles, yet he didn't look frail or emaciated. She cautiously reached over and placed a hand over his wrist. His skin felt warm and clammy. The lines on the monitor did not peak or so much as ripple.
"...Cye...oh Cye..." Brianna's face contorted in grief as he remained unresponsive.
Ryo entered the main cavern where the others stood nearby, either seated or leaning against the wall boulder or the walls by the residential hall. "Ryo? What's the news?" Rowen asked. Ryo inhaled sharply through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, shaking his head.
"Tar says there's nothing we can do. Nothing seems to work. Whatever's affecting him, there's no stopping it. He hasn't woken up or talked at all."
"What?! NO! He doesn't deserve to go through the nightmare I suffered!" Kento cried in despair.
"And yet there's nothing we can do. There's not a damn single thing we can do..." Ryo grumbled. A brooding silence fell over the rest of the Ronin. They had no idea if Cye would survive his ordeal, or if he did, if he would still be the Cye they knew. Ryo raised an eyebrow when he thought he heard something, like faint banging coming from the exit tunnel. The others heard it too and glanced towards the great dererium doors. The banging seemed to grow louder and closer.
"Huh?" Ryo's brow furrowed in a puzzled scowl and Cale and Dais hopped down from their seats on the wall boulder. Sage pushed away from the wall as all eyes turned to the door.
The sheets of dererium-already several inches thick-buckled inward as if something struck it from the other side. Cries of alarm went up among those gathered as what looked like claws slipped in through the central seam and pushed the doors apart forcefully. A hulking shadow stood framed in the light of the tunnel, and past it, they could see the ruins of the other doors.
"WHERE IS HE!? WHERE IS THE INFECTED ONE!?" The creature demanded. It looked big enough to make Koi Udsarrin look small. Brownish-yellow chitin covered its segmented body. It appeared insectoid, a nightmarish creature covered with ridges and spines. Two segmented appendages extended from the shoulders and transparent veined wings curled up and retracted as the creature tromped inside the main cavern, apparently completely oblivious to having barged right into the secret base of the Ronin Warriors. "WHERE IS THE INFECTED ONE! BRING HIM TO ME NOW!" The mandibles on either side of the creature's mouth spread wide as it hissed, threads of spittle flying off of its jagged teeth. It glared at the Ronin, its many-faceted eyes unblinking.
"What the hell is this thing!?" Cale exclaimed.
"Is he talking about Cye?" Sage demanded as he summoned Iguana sub-armor and brandished the energy blades from his clawnchers.
"Well if he wants him, he'll have to go through me!" Kento growled, his pupils flickering white.
"Ditto on that!" Ryo changed into Lion sub-armor and readied his claw darts.
"If you have a death wish, then I'll be more than happy to oblige you! YAAAHH!" the creature bellowed as it lunged, segmented arms spread wide and chitinous claws splayed.
Brianna hadn't moved from Cye's bedside. Tar glanced at the door when he thought he heard a commotion from the main cavern. "Something is going on outside...Stay here my dear, I'll go check it out," Tar said sternly and exited the room. Brit rubbed her thumb over the back of Cye's hand. The knuckles and tendons seemed more pronounced. His breathing hadn't changed at all.
"...I don't know what to do...I wanted to tell you something...and if I say it now, there's no guarantee you'll even hear it...or if you do...it might make you take a turn for the worst. Oh Cye...what do I do?" Brit leaned forward and rest her forehead against his chest. She could feel his chest rising and falling as he breathed, still feel his heart beating, but she couldn't hear so much as a frail whisper or gasp.
Brit sat bolt upright when she thought she heard a loud crash from the main cavern. It sounded almost like rock breaking. She glanced at the archway then back at Cye. She knew Tar told her to stay inside, but curiosity got the better of her, and against her better judgment, she rose from her seat and walked towards the archway, venturing out of the infirmary.
The second she did so, Cye's eyes opened wide and he gasped, gulping down air as he propped himself up on his elbows, his back arching as he struggled. He rolled onto his side and reached out with a flailing hand, trying to grab the edge of a bedside table. His palm slipped and he toppled forward, landing roughly on the floor on his arm with the sheet clinging to his lower body. He lay there a few seconds with his arm propped under his chest and his legs still braced against the bed before he crawled forward and his legs slipped off the bed and onto the floor.
It seemed like his throat had swollen shut as only soft gasps left his mouth. One of the lamps had knocked over from his thrashing and the light cast his shadow against the wall. Fat drops of sweat fell from his chin and splattered against the stone floor. His spine seemed to protrude under his skin and he struggled to crawl towards the archway inch by inch. The sheet pulled with him, keeping his lower body covered. Cye's arms shook from the strain as he moved and a pained groan left his mouth. He reached out with one hand desperately and his vision blurred.
His vision refocused and he blinked in surprise upon seeing his outstretched arm. It seemed as if something pushed up against the skin horizontally, like ridges. His skin pulled tighter against whatever tried pushing under. Cye couldn't even call out for help, but he could see with horrid clarity as the ridges spread up his forearm. He let out a croaking wail as a grisly sound filled his ears: like a wet whispering crack. His splayed fingers twitched involuntarily and his body shuddered violently.
All of a sudden it seemed like the skin on his forearm shredded away, revealing what lie underneath. The shadow against the wall writhed and the back arched, the mouth opening wide in a cry of pain as ridges jutted out from the brow and top of the head. Two segmented appendages erupted from the shoulders and upper back, skin flaking away like shredded paper.
Brianna didn't know what to think when she entered the main cavern to see the chaos unfolding before her. The dark-skinned dinosaur-like Trakar skidded against the floor, crashing into the nearby wall. "CRY HAVOC!" Trakar bellowed and scrambled to his feet, lunging forward only to be thrown back with ease, his spines carving gouges into the stone floor. Brit stared wide-eyed in horror. She'd only ever heard about Kento's "Avatar form", but she recognized him as he struggled to stand only to collapse to the floor from utter exhaustion before reverting back to normal. Mighty Koi Udsarrin lay sprawled on his belly further away near the exit doors. What ever had lain waste to the main cavern had attacked so forcefully and suddenly the guys hadn't even the chance to summon full Armor. The mechanical WILDCAT lay limply on her side as if tossed about like a toy. The other Ronin looked either unconscious or too injured to move. Brit gasped upon seeing the elderly Tar hanging suspended on a wall where something had slammed him with such force his shell spikes dug into the stone.
"If I wasn't so pressed for time, I'd kill the lot of you and be done with it! But I have more important things to worry about and simply cannot be bothered expending precious energy on you!..." Brit's eyes fell upon the nightmarish hulk that stood in the center of the cavern. It looked like a monstrous insect that stood on two legs instead of six. Gnarled carapace covered the torso and limbs and chitinous ridges and spines protruded from the head and shoulders. "You there! Girl! Where is the infected one!?" Brit jolted upon hearing the creature address her. "He's behind you, isn't he? In that room!" Brit looked over her shoulder then back at the creature.
"Y-Y-You're talking about Cye...a-a-aren't you?" she asked shakily. What are you doing? RUN!
"I care nothing about his name! I only care about what he has inside of him! He has something I want, something I need, something that was taken from me! I will have it back! NOW GET OUT OF MY WAY!" the creature bellowed and took a step forward, its talons smashing into the floor.
Run...just run! Her mind screamed, knowing full well she could do nothing against this creature, and yet her legs refused to move, determined to stand her ground. "I-I-If you want him...y-you'll have to go through me," Brianna heard herself speak.
"That can easily be arranged!" the monster lashed its arm, loosing a blast of energy at her. Brit stood stock-still, frozen in terror. The blast looked powerful enough to rip the flesh straight off of her bones. She stumbled back to land on her backside and raised her arm to shield her face futilely.
Something caught the blast and swatted it to the side effortlessly, sending it careening into the far wall of the cavern. "Hmm?" the monster growled, perplexed by this new turn of events.
Brit remained curled up on the floor, shuddering. "I strongly recommend you leave this place," a voice calmly stated. She stiffened: it sounded familiar...yet so different.
Brianna dared a glance forward, spotting two spindly-looking objects infront of her. They looked far too skinny to be legs, and yet they moved as the figure shifted its stance. For some reason they reminded her of the hind legs of a grasshopper. Her gaze slowly moved up, eyes widening in dawning horror. Her breath caught in her throat when she fully took in the being that had intervened.
She could see gnarled carapace covering the back and two long segmented appendages jutted up from where the shoulder blades should've been. Ridges of chitin protruded from the shoulders and side of the head and ran along the neck and throat. The arms and legs looked far too spindly to be human, or even skeletal. The joints and proportions looked all wrong! Instead of toes, two large pincers at the end of the long skinny legs braced against the floor. Brit let out a soft cry when she thought she spotted light brown hair curling down the back of the neck from under the crown of chitin encircling the brow.
From the front, it looked as if someone had severed Cye Mouri's upper body at the arms and waist and inserted what remained into a grisly exoskeleton of brownish-yellow chitin with only the front of his torso, neck, and face remaining visible flesh. Tendrils of chitin framed what little of his chest remained intact, and even his torso looked far too skinny to be human. His light brown bangs hung over his eyes from under the chitinous ridge hanging over his brow. Instead of sea-green, his eyes looked dark, almost black like pools of void. The entity lowered its arm and squared its shoulders.
"Ahh...I see what you've done! You thought you could escape me by implanting your consciousness into this boy, assuming this hybrid form! It won't matter! If they couldn't stop me, then neither will you! Now be good and come along NOW!" The monster flung another blast of energy at the entity, who again batted it away with a casual swipe of its arm.
"I'm not going to repeat myself: Leave this place now. You are not welcome here," Cye's voice spoke from the entity's mouth. The monster let out a petulant growl and clenched its fists, stomping forward. The entity stood its ground, keeping itself between Brianna and the monster.
"What!?" the monster gasped and raised its hand. The fingers twitched involuntarily and appeared to shrink slightly, changing color from brownish-yellow to pale flesh. "No! No! Not now! No! NO!"
"What's wrong? Your stolen power fleeing your body already?" the entity taunted, smirking. The monster turned tail and pelted out of the cavern down the ruined entrance hall swiftly.
"THIS ISN'T OVERRRRR!" the monster vowed before launching into the air and flying away.
"...Are you alright?" Brit jumped where she sat on the floor when she heard Cye's voice and looked up to see the entity turn to the side, its skinny legs rasping as it moved. Brianna stared up at it, utterly stunned as it turned to face her. It crouched down infront of her, bending its long segmented legs impossibly tight and draped its spindly arms over its ridged knees. It regarded her calmly and peered at her from under the crown of chitin. This close, Brit could see faint highlights in many facets.
"...C-C-Cye...CYE!" Brianna croaked in despair as she reached forward and placed her palm against its cheek. The entity cocked its head slightly, blinking once over its compound eyes. It reached up and gently placed its carapace-clad palm over the back of her hand, the chitinous claws clicking as it moved. Tears rolled down Brianna's cheeks.
"You are concerned for your friend. I can feel it." The entity smiled with Cye's lips. Aside from the dark compound eyes, his face still looked the same. "You need not worry. I only need to borrow his body for a little while until I can reclaim my own. The creature that attacked you was much like yourself and has been keeping my original body restrained, leaving me severely weakened. I sent out a telepathic distress call. Your friend was the only one who responded. I assure you, I mean no harm."
The two looked to the side suddenly upon hearing many clicks, hums, and whines. The entity stood up, followed by Brit as they saw the Ronin and their allies had regained consciousness and aimed a wide assortment of weapons at it: the other younger Ronin brandishing the clawnchers of their AnimArmor sub-armors, and members of Bak's crew aiming phergon weapons. The entity held one arm to the side to shield Brit, who clung to his back nervously.
"...Whatever you've done to our friend...I suggest you undo it right this second..." Ryo growled, his diamond blue eyes burning fiercely with cold rage as he aimed his claw darts at the entity.
"NO! WAIT! DON'T" Brianna cried and stepped forward, placing herself between Ryo and the entity and holding her arms wide. "He's alright! I-I think we can trust him!" she insisted and glanced over her shoulder at the entity, who regarded her with mild surprise. He had saved her life, she felt it only fair she return the favor. Ryo flicked a glance between them a few moments, fuming. She hadn't forgotten what it felt like to be on the receiving end of his temper, but he seemed willing to listen to reason and lowered his arm, as did the others. The entity glanced from Brit to Ryo and shrugged.
"Well, obviously I'm not from around here. I was traveling past your world on a mission of exploration some time ago when an energy wave of catastrophic force caught me unawares and sent me crashing to the surface severely injured." Ryo and Rowen exchanged knowing glances as the entity spoke. "A man found me and took me into his care, and at first I believed he intended to help me only to realize he had nefarious ends in mind. Those of my kind are able to secrete a substance used to heal injuries and rejuvenate our bodies," the entity raised its claws to Cye's lips. "but it seems to have a mutagenic effect on other species, as you've witnessed. The man would harvest extract from my body daily, leaving me unable to recover properly. He experimented using extract on himself and used my power to commit reprehensible, petty acts of destruction, attacking those he blamed for his own misfortune or those he perceived to have wronged him in the past."
"You know what, I think I've heard about this, but didn't think anything of it until now. Before he left, Dad said there'd been several attacks involving scientists the past couple of weeks...alot of bizarre accidents, if you can call a car getting slam-dunked into a cliff an 'accident'..." Rowen mentioned.
"My only chance to escape was to find a willing host to implant my essence, but no one nearby responded to my telepathic distress signal, writing it off as a figment of their imagination or stress. Only your friend willingly answered my call without question."
"Cye's Heart of Trust..." Ryo whispered to Rowen, who nodded.
"Hey! I'm sensitive to that kind of stuff, and I didn't hear anything!" Kento scoffed. The entity raised a hand to the back of its head and rubbed the hair, grimacing awkwardly.
"You...have a rather singularly focused mind..." it chuckled. Kento stared back dumbly.
"He probably means you had food on the brain," Tanya muttered. Kento let out a soft "ohhh" of realization then folded his arms over his chest and shrugged in admission.
"Cye might be the trusting one, but some of us are still healthy skeptics. How can we be so sure you're on the level with us? That guy literally mopped the floor with all of us, and you sent him packing just like that? Something doesn't quite add up here," Sage commented.
"Yeah, how can we be so sure 'Cyebrid' here is telling the truth?" Kento added, jerking a thumb at the alien-possessed human. The entity made a face, compound eyes seeming to dance with laughter upon being granted one of Kento's nicknames.
"Well if you need proof, you can always hear it 'from the horse's mouth', as I believe you would say..." the entity closed its eyes and relaxed. The eyes opened and blinked several times, and instead of dark facets, bewildered sea-green irises stared at them all.
"Cye?! Cye! Is that you! Can you hear us?" Ryo exclaimed. Cye raised his spindly arms and waved the chitinous claws casually.
"No, no no no, it's quite alright! He's filled me in on everything, it just took awhile for us to sort of 'feel each other out'. He didn't want me to wind up the same as that other fellow. I...I...uh..." Cye glanced down at his body and his eyes widened. He moved his shoulder and glanced down his back, spotting the appendages from his shoulders. "um...uh...You know...when he said 'minor physical alterations' I wish he'd been a bit more specific..." Cye grimaced as he fully took in himself.
"Cye...you have-like-no buttcheeks in that form," Tanya remarked. Normally she'd try to blindfold herself, but the chitin covering Cye's lower extremities and his altered anatomy didn't warrant her usual response to an unclothed man. Cye rubbed the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. He tilted his head forward and closed his eyes, his expression turning serious, and when he opened his eyes they appeared dark again as the alien consciousness took over once more.
"The effect of extract is temporary, so that man no doubt fled back to his refuge to replenish himself. He's been on a mad quest to permanently imbue himself with my power. Without my consciousness present, my body will not secrete more extract, but he has harvested such a huge quantity it is more than enough for him to continue his malice. When transformed he is able to home in on my location no matter where I am. I must intercept him before he can strike again, or worse..."
"Hey, let us come with you. You might need help," Ryo offered.
"Out of the question! As powerful as you might be, we are in a completely separate class from you. Stay out of this! This is a fight between higher beings," the alien said firmly and took a step forward. The other Ronin parted to the side to make way for him as he walked towards the ruined tunnel.
"Blessed Mother of Roth, what a mess! Even Lady Eyurodin would weep at such damage!" Bau Daophyn lamented as he assessed the scarred tunnel and ruined dererium doors.
"Don't worry Bau! We'll get it fixed up in no time! I can use my elemental domain to patch the rock up in a jiffy!" Kento comforted. "Cyebrid" paid them no heed as he approached the exit.
"Cye! Wait!" The alien paused and looked over its shoulder as Brianna jogged up to him. "Um...well, I suppose I shouldn't call you Cye, should I? Since you're the other guy...um...uh...do you even have a name?" Brit asked awkwardly. He turned to face her and the way the chitinous ridge hung low over his brow reminded her of the first time she'd seen Cye face-to-face in full Armor.
"You couldn't pronounce it even if you wanted to. I couldn't pronounce it in this form," Cyebrid admitted and averted his gaze. Brit couldn't help but feel sorry for him: stranded on a strange world, having to rely on help from complete strangers.
"...I had something I wanted to tell Cye...but if I'm saying it now I'd be telling you and not him...oh look at me...what must you be thinking: silly human girl, and here you have so much more important things to worry about...Here I had everything all planned out and now my mind's gone blank..." Brit rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, blushing and hunching her shoulders.
"You were going to break up with him, weren't you?" A shock ran through her and she stiffened and glanced at him, wide-eyed in horror. He stared back calmly with his dark compound eyes. Of course he'd been able to read her mind. After all, he was a super sophisticated alien... Brianna's face contorted in anguish and her eyes erupted with tears and without thinking she threw herself against him, burying her face in his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck. He grunted softly and slowly reached up with his spindly arms, returning the embrace.
"I'M SO SORRY! I'M SO SO SORRY!" Brit wailed. "HOW COULD I BE SO SELFISH! WHEN YOU'VE BEEN NOTHING BUT KIND TO ME!" She sniffled as she sobbed. "When I saw you stand up to that god...I thought to myself: is this how I want to live my life? A widow in the future? After everything we've been through together, when I saw you willing to die just like that, I thought to myself 'I shouldn't be here! I don't belong in this world!' What use does a weak silly girl like me have in cosmic battles between good and evil!
"But...the more I thought about it...the more I came to realize: isn't that what gives you strength? Having someone to protect, someone to be there with you when the battle is said and done? When I saw you lying in bed like that, so close to death, I-I-I just couldn't do it! How could I justify doing that to you?! How could I do that when you've been the absolute sweetest, nicest, most wonderful man in existence! I'M SO SORRY! HOW COULD I EVEN THINK THAT WAY?!" Brianna bawled as she hugged him. In between gulps of breath, she couldn't help but marvel at how warm he felt. His body didn't feel cold or slimy, quite the contrary. The chitin on his back felt dry and smooth, and she could still feel his human heart beating in his chest. She sniffled and remained still as he reached up and brushed her disheveled braid from her shoulder, caressing her cheek with his chitinous claws.
"Well don't tell him, I'm right here!" Cye's voice teased cheerfully and Brit glanced up startled.
"Cye!" she gasped upon seeing his comforting sea-green eyes.
"I'm sorry things have been a bit of a rollercoaster lately. We haven't been able to spend as much time together as I'd like. I'll make it up to you, promise. I'll even introduce you to my mother and sister if you're up for it." He cupped her cheek in his palm and thumbed tears away from her skin. "I'll be fine, don't worry! He's promised to make sure I come back safely, and I believe him. I'll come back." Cye blinked and she saw the eyes had darkened again. "You have my word." With that, the alien stepped away and turned around, spreading the appendages on his back. Brit watched bewildered as thin veined wings unfurled from the tips and Cyebrid launched into the air effortlessly. She stood there at the mouth of the tunnel watching him fly into the distance.
"Don't worry Brit! We'll keep an eye on him!" Ryo assured as he and Rowen ran past, Rowen wearing Eagle sub-armor and Ryo in White Dragon. Rowen sprang into the air and took flight while Ryo unfurled the pearl-and-silver dragon wings and swept his arms mightily before launching into the air. Cyebrid flew high above the lake and glanced down, spotting Raurgoth hunkering at the shore with his head and neck submerged under the waves. He scowled and dipped down slightly, stopping to hover close to where Raurgoth's horns poked out from underwater. He reached over with the pincers on one foot and clamped on to the tip of the horn.
Raurgoth let out a high-pitched snort when Cyebrid swept his leg to the side, yanking the colossal Incarnation to the side with ease, sending a cloud of dust and grass into the air nearly obscuring him. Ryo and Rowen came to a stop midair, utterly aghast, Ryo so stunned at the sight he nearly forgot he had to keep moving his arms to stay airborne. The dust started to settle and Raurgoth erupted from the cloud hissing in rage, the killing fangs fully extended. Cyebrid floated close to the nose plate and balled a fist before bopping the dragon on the snoot firmly.
"STOP. EATING. THE FISH!" Cyebrid scolded and stabbed a finger at Raurgoth. The Inferno Dragon drew all four paws together and coiled his tail around his haunches, his eyes looking startled. Satisfied, Cyebrid flew away, leaving Raurgoth in shock. Rowen flew past while Ryo paused near Raurgoth's face and waved one hand, trying to elicit a response. The dragon stared ahead blankly and Ryo took off following Rowen. Cyebrid glanced over his shoulder, scowling in frustration.
"Fools..." he muttered before tucking his wings and darting off at incredible speed.
"Great! Now where the heck did he go!?" Ryo exclaimed.
"ArmSig should still be able to track him!" Rowen said as they headed towards the city.
"Any last words!" Kai taunted as he brandished his glaive.
"P-P-Please don't kill me! I'm just a humble lamp spirit!" the diminutive creature begged.
You sure he's a bad guy? He looks so cute... Rich argued from the subconscious.
"They lead children astray and devour the souls of those who get separated from their parents!"
"Not me! I've been clean for two hundred years! Honest!"
Sometimes I think you make this stuff up... Kai frowned when he heard the displacement of air and turned to the side to see a strange entity hovering nearby. Hey...that kind of looks like Cye-
"Who the hell are you supposed to be-ACK!" Kai let out a gurgling yelp when Cyebrid reached out with his toe pincers and grabbed him by the neck, flinging him to the side forcefully enough to leave a body-shaped cavity in a nearby cliff face. The little spirit threw a panicked glance between the hole and Cyebrid before scrambling away, opening a portal and diving right in before it sealed up behind it. Smoke drifted up from the cavity. Cyebrid scratched his brow with a claw tip.
"I am terribly sorry, I'm not entirely sure why I suddenly had an overwhelming, irresistible urge to do that just about now. Cheers!" Cyebrid smiled and waved before resuming his course back towards the city. Kai remained lying face-first in the cavity, arms and legs sprawled out at his sides.
...what just happened? Kai only responded with a dizzy groan.
Cyebrid flew towards the city, brow furrowed in a determined scowl. Suddenly a large shadowed form overtook him from above and he gasped and looked over his shoulder. "Heh heh heh, looking for me?" a deep voice gurgled and a large clawed hand grabbed Cye's right shoulder while the other gripped his upper right arm. Cyebrid screamed in agony as the monster tore the arm out of socket, greenish-yellow ichor spraying into the air. Before the monster had a chance to gloat, Cyebrid lunged and punched it across the face, seizing the dismembered arm from its grip and flying away a short distance. It rammed the arm back into the shoulder socket and held it there several seconds before flexing the wrist testily and moving the arm.
"Do you mind! This body is on loan and I promised to return it intact!" Cyebrid growled.
"That will be a difficult promise to keep, once I'm through with you! Hah hah hah!"
"No...I don't believe it..." he muttered as he took in the monster hovering in the air. It looked much bigger and bulkier than before with streaks of red and black in the chitin. "What have you done?!"
"Hah hah haaa! What do you think now? I injected myself with every remaining drop of extract I had in storage! Such a high dosage could have proved fatal, but my body withstood the trial, and now I've done it! I've successfully completely purged myself of my frail human body! I've fully merged myself with this glorious power and have ascended to a superior form! Never again will I be the weak, frail, skinny weakling that always got looked down upon, trampled like a bug! Now this bug tramples back! Mwahhahahaha!" the monster cackled and flexed its carapace-clad arms. It lashed one arm, sending another energy blast at Cyebrid, who swatted it away effortlessly.
"You should know by now that won't work on me-what?" he glanced to the side when he heard hissing and saw wisps of steam coming off his arm. Scorch marks marred the carapace.
"Ahh, but I'm much stronger than before! More than a match for even you!"
"Answer me this: Why do you need so much power in the first place? Who are you trying to protect?" Cyebrid demanded.
"Protect? Why, no one! Except for myself! ehehehehehe!"
"What a dismal, selfish outlook to have!"
"I hate to break it to you, but humans are selfish animals by nature. We strive only to secure our place in the world, casting aside all weakness that might hold us back! In order to avert evolutionary stagnation, we must aspire to greater and greater power! My contemporaries laughed at me, they mocked me when I argued that only by augmenting our genome with alien DNA could we achieve the next stage, but now I am living proof! And so are you! Those pathetic whelps, the 'Ronin Warriors', so-called 'defenders of the world' could only pale in comparison to our power! You see it for yourself! The only reason you stood a remote chance against me is by achieving a hybrid form!"
"You haven't 'ascended', you've descended-into madness!"
"Enough! I will rip you limb from limb like the pathetic bug you are!" the monster clenched its fists. As it flexed its arms, new spikes and ridges erupted from its shoulders and back. "And yes, I was that kid in school who got a kick pulling legs off of grasshoppers!"
I don't think I can run out the clock like last time. There's no telling if the effect of so much extract really is permanent or cumulative...what a sad pathetic creature...he's so afraid of his natural body he's willing to drown himself in such a monstrous form...perhaps he always was a monster deep down, and the extract just brought it to the surface... Before the monster could get any closer, blue energy blasts peppered its face, causing it to recoil. A large blast of fire struck its chest, forcing it further back. Cyebrid glanced over his shoulder and scowled when he saw Ryo and Rowen approaching. "I thought I told you not to interfere!"
"First thing you should know about us squishy humans: we stick up for each other!" Rowen chided. "EAGLE!" Rowen tucked his arms and legs close and the North American Strata Incarnation, Razor Wing, appeared briefly before becoming metallic and exploding into armor pieces that attached to Rowen's body. Rowen spread the blue metallic wings grandly.
"Yeah. Just because you're using our friend's body doesn't mean he stops being our friend. WHITE DRAGON!" Ryo raised one hand to the sky and white light surged towards him from the distance, enveloping him completely before dispersing. He hung suspended in the sky as Raurgoth's impressive wings spread from his shoulders, the long thick tail trailing out behind him. "INFERNO DRAGON RAGE!" Ryo leveled his lance at the monster and loosed a tremendous gout of fire.
"VOID SURGE!" Rowen slashed downward with his axes, sending blades of air plowing into the monster. The explosions obscured the monster at first before smoke drifted away, revealing the monster still hovering in the air. "I don't believe it! Not even a scratch!" Rowen gasped.
"I told you. He's way out of your class! Younger Races don't stand a chance against a Superbeing!"
"Fine, we'll distract him and buy you some time to do your thing," Ryo said and readied himself to attack again. Rowen seemed similarly determined. Cyebrid glanced at each of them.
"...I think I understand now...it's because of your human frailties that you fight so fiercely! The tears of that girl...humanity isn't a weakness, its your strength! Hey! You!" The monster grunted and wiped soot from its eyes when it heard the taunt. "You're so obsessed with obtaining more and more power, you failed to recognize the potential of your kind, the power I will now use to put an end to your murderous rampage!" Ryo and Rowen glanced at the alien, confused by the sudden declaration. Cyebrid raised his arms, sweeping his hands in the Rising Tide summoning gesture. "ARMOR!"
The monster flinched and shielded its face from the bright eruption of bluish light and Ryo and Rowen moved back slightly as streams of water spiraled around the alien. The water dispersed and metal clanked as the alien held his arms to the side. Ryo and Rowen could only stare in shock upon seeing Cyebrid clad in full Armor, Torrent having reconfigured itself to match Cye's altered body. The spindly fingers clasped tightly about the Torrent trident.
"Big deal! You think that shiny outfit of yours will stop ME!? THINK AGAIN!" The monster lunged. Cyebrid hefted the trident and took aim. Droplets of water surged towards the tines from the air. Undeterred by the display, the monster came closer and closer, claws splayed.
"CHO RYU HA!" The alien unleashed the full force of Cye's Armor of Torrent upon the monster, sending pellets of water rushing forth like a million bullets that struck point blank and hit with the deadly precision of a laser. The force pushed the monster back and back, and bits of carapace started breaking out as the surge continued unabated. Greenish-yellow ichor started erupting from cracks in the chitin and the monster's eyes widened in shock as it realized what happened.
"N-N-NOOOOO!" The bullets pierced the membrane connecting the joints. "M-M-MY POWERRRRRRR-!" the monster wailed futilely as the full force of Torrent shredded it into mincemeat, a grisly mist of greenish-yellow ichor hanging in the air before dispersing. Cyebrid twirled the trident in his hand and squared his shoulders, the wings from his back keeping him airborne.
"Unreal! This guy knows Cye's Armor as good as Cye does!" Rowen exclaimed.
...A non-human...can wear Armor!? Ryo regarded the fully-armored alien with awe. Cyebrid's body glowed as the Armor vanished and he dove down towards the city below, finding the same maintenance building from before. Ryo and Rowen followed close behind, reverting to AnimArmor sub-armor as they landed. The alien entered the building and approached the innocuous looking hatch and pulled it open, hopping down neatly. The lights turned on and he walked through the lab towards the closet in the rear. He reached forward cautiously and turned the knob, opening the door slowly.
The limp insectoid form sat within, still inert. Cyebrid heaved a deep sigh of relief. "My body! It remains intact! I worried he might destroy it out of spite, but I suppose he needed insurance incase his gambit failed." Ryo and Rowen approached from behind and Cyebrid turned around to face them. "I can't properly articulate how grateful I am. Had I not met you all, that revolting little man might have permanently soured my opinion of your kind... You've given me alot to think about. Younger Races such as yourself are usually beneath our notice, but you're different. Going forward, I'll be more respectful of those I'd typically dismiss as being inferior. You have my sincerest thanks."
"Hey, I'm gonna take a look around some of these side rooms and make sure no one tries to repeat Dr. Freakenstein's work ever again," Rowen stated and clapped Ryo on the shoulder before entering a room that looked filled with computers and file cabinets. The alien turned around to face its body.
"Hey Cyebrid," The alien-possessed human turned to the side and smirked, amused by the nickname the Ronin had coined for him. "You're one of these 'Elder Races', right?" Ryo asked. Cyebrid shrugged and waved a hand through the air.
"Ehh, not quite. More of a Younger Race on the cusp of Superbeing status. You could say 'Adolescent': just now getting the keys to the first car and all..." he chuckled.
"What can you tell us about the Totalitary?" Ryo queried. Cyebrid frowned and folded his spindly arms over his chest, closing his eyes and sighing heavily in dismay.
"Now there's a cautionary tale, if ever I heard one...They were originally one of the Guardian Races. When The One crafted the universe, he entrusted care of the Younger Races to the Guardians. They were supposed to serve as guides, nurturing development, but each race they supervised would descend into chaos and ultimately collapse. This happened so often that eventually they grew tired of such staggering loss of life and wanton destruction. They fell deeper and deeper into despair before finally abandoning their original directive and seeking to enslave all lesser lifeforms.
"Widespread loss of life is a tragedy, of that there is no doubt, but it is the way of things, sad though it may be. The Totalitary stopped being able to see things that way, and their despair consumed them entirely. It is never the role of the parent to hover about their child and intervene incessantly. The child must learn to walk on their own, and eventually the parent steps back to watch from afar," Cyebrid splayed his fingers and turned his palms up, waving slightly.
"There's a bit of a debate as to how much of the original race is even still alive. It's strongly suspected the Upper Echelon's been entirely subverted by petty desires for control. They've fallen too far to be redeemed." The two glanced to the side when they heard explosions from the side room as Rowen laid waste to the mad scientist's records. "Your friend is quite thorough, I see..." the alien smirked.
"Whoa, wait, hold on a sec: when you say 'The One', what, are you talking about-God?" Ryo asked and raised an eyebrow, perplexed. The alien shrugged its ridged shoulders.
"He goes by many names. Even we are aware of Him. As advanced as we are, there are events even we cannot fully explain. It is natural to ascribe things beyond comprehension to the actions of a 'higher power'. Take the Traghdoash, for example: We actually got to swing by and take a look around the system before the Thunthen got there and pieced together what happened. Nexxus' device should have worked as intended. His project should have succeeded. All of his calculations check out, and short of directly replicating his experiment ourselves, his theories proved sound.
"Near as we can tell, what happened that day can only be considered 'an act of God'. It's rather ironic...as much as he scorned 'lesser beings', he and his people were themselves but a Younger Race," the alien made a face and grimaced, scratching the back of its head. Ryo noticed it seemed to have adopted some of Cye's mannerisms as it used his voice. "Perhaps it was punishment for his arrogance. He even turned his nose up at Superbeings. At least the Geods know better than to meddle...well at least not too much..." Ryo blinked upon hearing "gi-odd".
"The who?" Ryo asked and raised an eyebrow, wondering if this was some other potential threat they might have to face in the future. Cyebrid shrugged again nonchalantly.
"The Geods," he replied. Ryo furrowed his brow, puzzled. The alien raised an eyebrow under the ridge of chitin covering Cye's forehead. "On Thanged? Wrawthe, Wuerhen, Oorotin, and Rihyo?" Ryo's eyes widened in dawning realization. "You've met them before, I can tell from Cye's memories...granted they're not exactly pleasant ones...Especially that rogue. Phitdaitiarona? Now that I think about it, I bet that spacequake of hers is what knocked me off course to begin with. She's got a bit of a galaxy-sized chip on her shoulder, that one does..." The alien scratched the back of its head again and averted its gaze. It glanced back at Ryo and saw the look of absolute shock on his face.
"...You...didn't...know...? ...You didn't know!" It exclaimed, raising both eyebrows in genuine surprise. "Oooff, this makes things rather awkward..." the alien winced sympathetically as Ryo stood there staring at it, stunned silent. "Umm...now, I'm certain if they had anything untoward planned, you would've found out by now!" The alien offered feebly and raised its chitin-covered hands and waved at Ryo slightly. It contorted Cye's face in an awkward grimace and ran his tongue over his lips. "Hmm...how best to explain this..." It wiggled the tips of its claws near Cye's chin and frowned. "The manipulation of fire, or water-pyro and hydrokinesis-, would be easy to label magic. So what do you call a being capable of manipulating matter on its basest level? A being that is able to pick apart atoms and reassemble them on a whim? Why, you would call them a god...would you not?" the alien explained softly, furrowing Cye's brows.
Ryo stared ahead in numb shock, still trying to process the admission. "Looking into it further, I see you've had a run-in with that hermit Greytorata who's been living on your world since the better part of the Neolithic...I see I've given you alot to think about. I may never fully be able to repay my debt to you and your friend, but perhaps this knowledge can suffice. Know this: nothing the Four Queens have ever done has been to the detriment of those under their charge.
"There are four levels of existence in the universe; Younger Races such as yourselves, Thangiens, Thunthen, and Reptilloids, Superbeings such as Geods, Guardians such as the Totalitary and Peh'qu'tour, and the One Above All. I can't say I've met any of the Geods face to face, but I will say this: they are in a higher class than even my kind. As we are on the upper level of Younger Race, closer to Superbeing status, Geods are closer in level to the lost Guardians. They are incredibly powerful, and incredibly dangerous as you already know.
"I must be going now. My contemporaries will be worried about me. I thank you for all that you've done." Cyebrid closed his eyes and the chitin covering his body seemed to disintegrate, receding as Cye's body returned to being fully human-and completely nude. Cye let out a rattling sigh and slumped to the ground and Ryo reached forward and caught him by his shoulders, letting him down gently. He searched around hurriedly then spotted the discarded lab coat hanging from the rack and pulled it down, draping it over Cye's shoulders and covering his body. Greenish-yellow vapor drifted back into the closet, seeping into the body slumped in the chair.
The faceted eyes flickered to life and the alien rose from the chair shakily, shrugging off the cuffs and wires from its arms. Ryo watched bewildered as the alien stepped out of the room and tilted its head down at him. It said nothing coherent, only a curious soft clicking emanating from behind the mandibles. The alien crouched and sprang towards the ceiling, its body phasing through the solid floor above completely. Ryo stared at the spot where it'd vanished a moment before turning his attention to Cye as he let out a soft groan, slowly regaining consciousness.
"Cye! Cye!" Ryo hissed softly, not wanting to alert Rowen. "Cye! Listen to me! Listen: do you remember everything you just told me?" Ryo shook Cye's shoulder gently. Cye let out a soft groan, his head rolling about his shoulders.
"...Yes..." Cye opened his eyes slowly and tilted his head up, looking tired. "...I remember everything," he admitted grimly. Ryo set his jaw and stared ahead into space, eyes full of cold fury.
AOD Soundtrack
1. Akira Slide-Addicted-Skifonix
2. Bedside Despair-Eyes Closing-Two Steps From Hell
3. Alien Intervention-Wild Heart (Alt Choir)-Two Steps From Hell
4. His Human Heart-Always-Erasure
5. Alien Attitude-I Stand Alone-Jackyl
6. Superbeing Status-Step Into the Light (Instrumental)-Two Steps From Hell
She regarded Ryo calmly, blinking ponderously like the pendulum of a grandfather clock. Ryo's eyes widened in dawning realization, his heart sinking. All of a sudden he felt a knot of worry in his gut as if he'd just committed a huge mistake. Roth inhaled deeply through her nostrils and closed her eyes. "Y...Yo...You speak as though this should come as some sort of jarring revelation," she intoned and shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head slightly. Ryo glanced to the side sharply.
"You've known!? All this time you've known?!" he accused.
Challenge of Roth
Author's Notes
World Anvil Summer Camp 2023 just wrapped up with new character pages for Roth, Phitdaitiarona, Miz Paufan, and Deres as well as other new additions and artwork. Some pieces are placeholders since my plan to do full-color art for each article hit a snag, but there is plenty to check out on the Age of Defiance page.
Meet Cyebrid! Cye's monster form, capping off the hidden "monster mega-cycle" that technically started with Ur-Rowen in FFAW Ch1, continuing with Demon Ryo, Avatar Kento, and Redal Sage. While he's not meant to be a regular, he'll have at least two or more appearances further down the line during Three Wars. His character design and this chapter are designed as a nod to classic sci-fi/horror staples such as "Outer Limits", "Twilight Zone", "The Fly", and "The Thing".
Another inspiration came from an old made-for-TV movie, Robin Cook's "Invasion". At the climax, the antagonist-who's given himself over completely to alien influence-starts peeling off his skin, revealing his body has become fully alien. When the cure is dispersed through the crowd, instead of reverting to normal, his body starts disintegrating.
There was another series from mid 2000's called "Threshold" that had an interesting premise but due to ratings shenanigans completely dropped off the planet without properly concluding. It centered around a crack team of specialists working to thwart an impending alien invasion where an alien signal could alter human DNA by adding a third helix and basically turn people into murderous superhuman assholes. The tagline went to the effect of "their goal: to turn us, into them". Supposedly the aliens wanted to "protect" humans from an impending solar flare by making them stronger, but if that's the case there's less douchier ways of going about it. In Stargate: Atlantis, a prominence threatened to roast the planet until the team supercharged the Daedalus' shields and used it to shunt the flare like sticking a thumb in a water hose.
In addition to setting the stage to a huge revelation and confrontation in the next chapter, Cyebrid was meant to tie into a planned AOD spin-off called Star Ronin set in the far-flung future, mainly a character named Meldelena who was permanently forced into a hybrid form in order to save her life after a near-fatal accident. Cye would also be forced to use his hybrid form to fight a resurrected Red Torrent. Because Star Ronin was conceived as a collaboration with an ex-friend of mine, it has been permanently decanonized. Age of Defiance will officially conclude with Future Fight.