NBB3 - chapter 26: Beyond the portal

A dark cloud shot across the city, over the walls, and into the hills beyond. Only a few undead noticed its passing, and of those that did, only a single one knew what it meant.

Three undead stood atop a building, the lead one a towering Goliarn with a scar across one entirely white eye.

"You, go and contact Scathia," it said in a rumble as it turned to one of the two smaller, pale undead. "Tell her Sig and Solus have left, and we are ready to implement the plan ahead of time if she wants." Then it turned to the second. "You go to the portal and warn them Sig is coming."

"I might not be there in time," the messenger-undead said softly, and the other one gave it a sympathetic gaze.

The Goliarn stepped forward and lowered its face towards the smaller one. "If you fail, you will answer to Scathia!"

The messenger-undead shivered, ran to the edge of the building, jumped off, and turned into a small cloud that zipped towards the distant hills. The other messenger undead didn't wait but quickly followed suit, disappearing into the city.

The Goliarn followed them, a sharp look in its remaining eye not matching the dull look on its face as his gaze switched between the two clouds. Eventually, both disappeared from his view, and the Goliarn turned back towards the hills in the distance. A small mocking smile came to his face.

--

Solus quietly waited in the freezing darkness that was Sig in his cloud form. He hoped that Drys managed to locate Scathia, but he was afraid she would be too elusive. Greggor was searching for Laron, another thing Solus worried about.

As his mind was in flux, time passed quickly, and he was surprised when the cloud around him vanished. He fell a short distance, and then his paws thudded onto the ground. Sig stood beside him, immediately grabbing and holding two of the wyrm orbs he was carrying in a small wyrm-leather bag.

They stood on a rocky hillside, and Solus looked around for the building that Drys said should mark the portal.

Jagged hills and stone rubble surrounded them, with a few taller, almost mountainous peeks poking in the air far away.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"There is a building behind this hill," Sig said as he looked up the side of the hill, towards the top. "But it is swarming with those Goliarns. I don't see any of the guards Drys said should be there, and it's bigger and completely closed.."

Solus felt his mood worsen.

"Stay here. I'll take a look," he said, and he padded up the hill.

"Be careful"

Solus didn't reply but increased his speed until he bound up the hill, jumping across small crevices and steep slopes. His enhanced body seemed perfectly suited for movement here. When he reached the top, he slowed down and snuck along a ridge until he got a clear view of the other side of the hill. Halfway down stood a bone tower with a smaller building attached. A dozen Goliarn stood on the top, scanning the area around it, and at that moment, a small black cloud shot over a nearby hill, heading straight towards it.

Curious, Solus watched as it turned into an undead, small compared to the massive Goliarn. He could see them talk, and he focused, trying to make out the words.

"..ming. Si- and ...us! ..-are!”

Solus frowned at the unintelligible words, and he tried to piece them together. Then the Goliarn replied, and Solus' eyes widened at the rumbling words that easily crossed the distance.

"Solus? Are you crazy? When did he-"

"Not crazy," the messenger undead shouted before continuing in a whisper from which Solus heard nothing.

The Goliarn moved towards the tower's edges and began looking around the hills, their eyes narrow and focused.

Scathia got here before us? Solus thought, wondering what was going on.

Both the presence of the Goliarn and the few words he heard worried him greatly, and he had to agree with Sig. None of this matched with what Drys had told them. He examined the building, trying to get a good feel of how many undead were guarding it. From what he could see, at least a dozen of the Goliarns were on the tower and around the building.

When he couldn't locate any more guards, he moved back down until he reached Sig.

"It looks like Scathia took over this portal," Solus said as he examined Sig, wondering how much power the other had left.

Sig looked at him quietly, his eyes energetic and an obvious challenge in them.

"If we go through the portal and they close it behind us, we are in trouble… Do you think you can take care of twenty Goliarns?"

Sig slowly grinned, then nodded. "Probably, but I'll need time to absorb mana-orbs afterward, and I only have six left."

"Let's go," Solus said as he turned and ran back up the hill.

Sig followed him, and when they reached the top, he turned into his compact cloud form and whisked down the steep hillside. Solus waited quietly at the top. A surprised shout came from one of the Goliarns, but it was too late. The small cloud that was Sig expanded exponentially, almost instantly covering most of the tower and the building below it.

He has grown more powerful again, Solus thought with a frown. The last time he had seen Sig's complete cloud shape, it had been half as big as this. Something about that and the trouble his friend was having with generating his mana confused him. Shouldn't he become weaker?

The cloud below rose in the air until it was only a tiny spec against the muddy grey-blue sky. Then it disappeared, and dozens of specs appeared, plummeting down until Solus could make out the flailing figures of Goliarn. Behind them, the cloud reappeared, heading back down towards him. It was only halfway when the first Goliarn slammed into the ground. The heavy thuds caused avalanches of rocks and debris in the nearby hills, and Solus felt the impacts through his feet.

Heavy, he thought.

He was about to move down when he spotted an arm reach up from one of the indents. Slowly one of the Goliarns pulled itself up and out of the crumbling hole in the ground. One of its arms was crooked, and it had an angry scowl on its face as it gazed up. From all around, more Goliarn began climbing out of the holes. Some were more damaged than others, and a few holes remained motionless.

"Great," Solus thought as he ran forward, at the same time sending a projected voice beside Sig.

"Can you do it again?"

"No, it takes too much energy, more than I had thought," Sig replied in a weary voice. "I need to-"

"Over there! Get that big spikey shadow stalker," a voice boomed across the hillside.

Solus' attention snapped towards one of the Goliarn pointing at him. The others looked up, and within moments nine of the Goliarn were running up the hill. Those with wounds and broken limbs were moving slowly at first, but Solus saw their wounds close and their crooked arms right themselves.

His mind spun as he watched the tower, the Goliarn, and Sig. A plan formed rapidly. Before it was even half-finished, he sped up, turning into a shadow that ducked between the boulders and crevices.

"I'm going to go through the rift," Solus projected towards Sig. "Norg and Vingria might be in trouble, and I can get back without that rift it if I have to. Stay here and try to distract them."

"If they close the portal, Sig and Vingria can't get back."

Sig's voice sounded even more tired than before, and Solus saw the dark cloud reach a hilltop at the other side of the valley.

Solus growled as he dodged around a sharped edged boulder. Sig was right. If these Goliarn suspected him of being Solus, they might close the portal. Even if that wasn't a problem for him, what about the others? Something moved in the corner of his eye, and he dodged left as a massive boulder slammed into the spot he had just been standing. A quick look showed two more boulders flying towards him, and he began weaving as he ran, trying to dodge the projectiles.

He managed to circle the Goliarn, the bone-building was now only a hundred feet away, and he still had no better plan. Perhaps Norg and Vingria were in the building? They needed a mana-core, and if he could get through the portal…

Then what, he thought. He had been counting on Sig to take care of a Kaot Lord, but that seemed unlikely after his recent performance.

In the middle of the building was an opening, a massive door slightly ajar, and he sprinted the last bit before diving through.

The room beyond was unlit, and it turned into shades of red as his eyes sharpened. Tables and benches stood to one side, with something white and red lying on top. He was about to rush to another door at the end of the room when his mouth started watering. A thick heavy scent wafted from the table.

What is that? He thought as he took two staggering steps towards the table.

"It went inside!"

The roar made him jump, snapping from his stupor, and he rushed towards the door on the other side of the room. A long hallway, lined with doors, led to a massive door at the end. It was closed, a bone handle across its entire width showing dozens of marks and gouges as if it had been bitten.

A prison? Solus thought, and he jumped forward, taking quick looks to the side.

Some of the doors were open, and he saw small rooms beyond, some filled with old-world material.

Or a storage area?

When he reached the last one before the massive door, he slowed down as he saw tables filled with piles of mana-orbs. Most had the telltale signs of Kaot mana around them.

They must have been hunting Kaots on the other side, Solus thought as he focused on the towering door.

He could only just bite into the handle without having to stand on his hind legs, and he felt his teeth pierce deep into the bone that seemed softer than he remembered. Trying not to bite through, he pulled back, his nails scratching across the bone floor.

Thudding and shouting came from the room behind him as the door creaked open.

"Norg?" he hissed as he poked his head inside.

A dozen skeletal Kaots screamed as they ran towards him. Behind them stood a black, red-lined portal, and Solus barely noticed the deep cuts, lacerations, and scorch marks on the room's walls and ground before he yanked his head back.

Behind him, the door that led into the hallway was kicked open.

Bile and bones, Solus growled as he backed up into the corner beside the door, as he watched a massive Goliarn stalk towards him.

"I don't know what you are, but I am sure Scathia will be pleased if I grab-," the Goliarn rumbled when the Kaots burst out of the room.

The screaming mass ran past Solus, and he saw a few empty eye-sockets stare at him before the others pushed them forward. Then the Kaots saw the Goliarn, and they surged forward with even more force.

"Kaots!" the Goliarn roared as he backed up. He barely got two steps before the mass of Kaots swarmed over him. Foot-long blades retracted from the bones of their lower arms as the Kaots began stabbing and slashing at the flailing Goliarn.

He doesn't know who I am, Solus thought.

He took one more look at the chaos at the other side of the hallway before turning around and jumping into the now empty room. The glow of the ten-foot-high, two-foot-wide, jagged portal lit up the room, and he snuck towards it.

Either they are in this building, or they are still on the other side…

Thoughts of mana-core's and Norg, abandoned on a dangerous world, flashed through his mind. He gritted his teeth and ran towards the portal. Then, without stopping to think, he jumped through.

---

Sumil stood quietly to the side as Skull ripped apart the head of the last Ygdra. The unmoving body of the monstrous flying Kaot was twice as tall as Skull, but it hardly seemed to bother him as he crawled headfirst into it, rummaging inside before pulling a large mana-orb from the squishy mess.

"Are you sure he is… alright?" Galg's voice projected beside her head, and she looked up at the skeleton that stood on the top of the hill behind them.

Sumil didn't reply, looking off to the right where the remains of a Wyrm were scattered.

I don't know, she thought.

She didn't tell Galg, though, as it would only trigger another outburst for which she had no energy. Instead, she examined Skull, who was looking at the mana-orb. His eye-sockets glowed brightly for a moment, then his burning gaze turned towards her, and the intensity caused her to take a step back.

"Skull?"

"Yes. Me Skull," the skeleton said as he raised the mana-orb. "Want?"

Sumil nodded, barely looking at the orb.

"Were you sent here by Drys to end that Wyrm?" she asked as she pointed towards the bits of flesh, ripped apart plates, and cracked wyrm-head.

"Drys doesn't send me," Skull rumbled as his gaze snapped up towards her. "I bored. Searching for something to fight..." Skull's burning eye-sockets turned dull again as he looked at the dozens of Ygdra bodies and then the Wyrm.

"Weak. Boring," Skull muttered as he tossed the mana-orb towards her.

The massive white skeleton turned around, towards the wasteland, away from the hills.

"Where are you going?" Sumil asked in surprise. "Skulltown is the other way!"

Skull didn't reply but stomped off at a measured pace that carried him a surprising distance per step. "Yes. Skulltown boring. Weak… weak… No Solus… no Master..."

"Where will you go?" Sumil projected after him.

"Not sure… perhaps through portal to fight Kaot lords. Drys say no go… But, me no listen to Drys anymore!"

As Skull moved further away, his voice remained behind until he finished speaking, and by then, he was far away in the wasteland.

A lightning bolt crackled beside Sumil, starting her, and she looked at Galg. The crowned skeleton gazed after Skull, shaking his head.

"That one is completely insane."

"It's also the most powerful thing now that Solus is gone," Sumil replied.

For a moment, she wondered if she should follow Skull to try and persuade him to come back with her. Then she remembered how he had effortlessly leaped in the sky and single-handedly tore the Ygdra apart. Perhaps it was better like this. Galg wasn't wrong. Skull was behaving worse than before, and he might just go completely crazy and attack others. Who was going to stop him then?"

She turned around, examining the orb in her hands. It was tainted, and she'd have to cleanse it before she could absorb it. That would have to wait, though. First, she needed to get back to Skulltown and warn Drys of Domain and his portal. They had to go there and close it!

"Let's get back to Skulltown!"

--

Solus shot through a tunnel of swirling torrents of mana, surrounded by blackness. His mind was in flux. It felt as if something was trying to drag him back, a tread that constantly thinned as he rocketed away.

An undeterminable amount of time later, two green eyes with white pupils made solely of mana appeared in the darkness. They seemed as large as buildings, and the pupils were focused on him, following him as he shot by.

Something… a presence, slammed into his mind.

Solus pushed back, and for a moment, there was a frightening sensation as if he was using hands he couldn't see to grapple with a much stronger invisible adversary. Then the eyes disappeared far behind him, and the mental attack faded.

What was that? he thought, shocked.

He barely had time to calm down when he shot out of the other end of the rift. Gravity yanked him down, and he tumbled through the air and slammed into the dusty ground before his body even had time to right itself.  His head was spinning, and his mind filled with fog, but he forced himself to roll onto his back and struggle upright. He stood on a smooth and shiny black ground, with reflections of dense purple clouds moving across it. Below him, he could see the reflection of his own four-legged and muzzled shape.

What is this stuff?

A howling gale came from the left, causing him to stumble and barely stay on his feet. He turned his head into the wind, feeling loose bits of debris blasted from his body as he lowered himself. The sound was deafening, and he could barely think straight. Ahead of him, a pillar of purple energy shot up in the sky from a small hill with an oval opening. The pressure and wind came from it. The pillar of energy increased in intensity quickly, almost blinded him, and he turned away, searching around for a place to hide.

Not too far to the left was a vast expanse of gleaming purple glass-like crystals, some towering so high in the sky they resembled mountains.

Hide, he thought, noticing natural caves where crystal pillars had cracked and slid against others. With his claws out, scrambling for any small crack to hold on to, he headed towards the chaotic maze of purple glass shards.

The howling continued increasing in intensity, and twenty feet from the crystal pillars, one of his paws lost its grip. He toppled over, and his body slid across the smooth ground, picking up speed. Two seconds later, he shot past a crystal block and slammed against a group of smaller ones, crashing through a thin sheet and into a previously hidden cave. The wind blew the small fragments inside, pelting the wall, and he scrambled up, staring into four red eyes glaring at him from between crystal debris at the back of the cave. Two smooth round heads poked up, each with a pair of equally round eyes. A thin line divided the round heads, and they split open, revealing a maw lined with purple crystal teeth.

A dull humming sound came from them, and he stepped to the left, away from the hole through which the wind still blew. A quick look showed that there were two more exits, one on each side. The closest one was right beside the debris between which the Kaots hid. Solus turned to look at them again and found that one of them had disappeared. Deafened by the roaring wind, he couldn't hear where it was moving and slunk along the side of the wall as fast as he could.

The only warning he had was a thumb-sized piece of crystal clattering beside him. Then something heavy crushed him to the ground, and smooth tentacles wrapped around him, binding his legs tight against his body. His sharp hair pierced and slashed into the slimy black flesh, but the creature didn't seem bothered.

Solus triggered his Piercing Barb Growth skill, and with a sloshing sound, dozens of the barbs on his body stood up and shot outward, puncturing the gooey body. They disappeared with a plop, then the small holes they had made shrunk until they disappeared.

A startling clear ping came from his status window, but Solus ignored it as he struggled to get free. It didn't help, and the bindings just tightened until he could feel his bones crack. Just when he was afraid, he'd lose his body before he even had a chance to search for Norg; the tightening stopped. The world spun around, and he was pulled upside down, a foot above the ground. He could barely move his head enough to see one of the beings stand beside him. The tentacles around it returned to the side of its body and sank back into the black body until the thing was smooth again.

“Kol&(*& (&asdf”

A voice like a stone dragged across another roared from the Kaot as it looked at him, drowning out even the howling of the wind. The red eyes burned into his, and from this close, Solus saw small purple spots swirl in them. When he didn't reply, the gaping maw closed.

It turned away, dragging Solus along, his head knocking against the purple crystal rocks that protruded from the ground. Another of the beings was waiting a few feet away, and together they headed into one of the openings leading away from the cavern. Solus was unceremoniously dragged across the ground, his head quickly turning to a bleeding mess from the razor-sharp edges on some of the purple crystals.

They haven't ended me yet, Solus thought, confused.

The sound of the wind slowly faded behind him as the creatures dragged him deeper into the purple crystal caverns. They turned around a corner, and Solus was swung sideways, his head slamming into the wall. Everything turned fuzzy, and he expected to be ejected from the body, but nothing happened. Black spots drifted across his vision, and he vaguely noticed that some of the purple crystals glowed.