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NBB2: The chaos rifts - chapter 3
🕑 Added 2020-10-11 06:27:35 +0000 UTCIt was early in the morning, and only skeletons walked around the poorly lit streets of Skulltown. The road Solus followed led to a large central square where many more came together. They were in the zombie sleeping district. At least that is what the residents called it, and recently evolved zombies quickly found their way to vacant rooms.
Patting the stony side of the building next to him, Solus felt a surge of pride. In such a short timeframe, they had built so much. Glancing at the armored back of the Blackguard in front, he briefly wondered why Drys was still incapable of recreating their patterns. It wasn't for lack of trying.
He wished Norg could have come, but Drys needed him to deal with the sphere and the power source.
The Blackguard crossed the square without seeming to care who was in his path, causing some of the unevolved white skeletons to scamper out of its way in a hurry. It was heading towards one of the broadest buildings bordering the square. Although only two stories high, it covered an entire side of the square and had multiple doorless entrances. The soft blue light from subterranean fungus highlighted the arches.
Solus followed the Blackguard into the central most entrance, through a hallway, and into an enormous central area. The other doors seemed to all lead to this room that covered almost the entirety of the bottom floor. All around where bone tables and empty chairs, and in the middle was a large cage with two doors on opposite sides. A few smaller openings led deeper into the building, and Solus could see a staircase's silhouette through one.
"They must be sleeping." The Blackguard uttered, sounding surprised before turning towards one of the smaller entrances.
"Solus is here, get down. Now!" Solus blinked when the Blackguards' voice boomed through the room, branching out through the entire building. Within moments curses and scuffling could be heard all around, and Zombies began flooding into the room from all sides. Almost all of them were still in their first evolution, but intermittent Solus saw bigger and differently colored shapes enter. Staring at Solus, the Zombies were blocking all the doors and entrances.
"Sit down and be quiet!" The Blackguard ordered, pointing to the chairs.
It took almost ten minutes, but then the entire room was filled with curious Zombies, and other fleshy evolved. Looking around, towering above everything, Solus noticed an even division between male and female zombies.
"They are not here?" Sounding minutely annoyed, the Blackguard moved towards one of the entrances. "Wait. I will bring them."
As soon as the Blackguard left, all of the Zombies began whispering amongst each other, their eyes on Solus. Solus felt the onset of a headache and furrowed his eyebrows while looking around. Immediately all the voices fell silent. Sighing, Solus moved to one of the free chairs and sat down opposite two low evolution zombies. The chair creaked dangerously under his weight.
One of the zombies at the table with him had mottled brown skin with small yellow veins snaking underneath like Wyrms. Although similar to the others, he had clearly defined muscles even under the sagging skin. The other had leathery green skin and was missing large sections of flesh across both arms as if someone had bitten him. Inspecting the wounds, Solus became curious. He was about to ask about them when a yell came from above, followed by a loud thump. Looking towards the noise, he saw a small, broad-shouldered Zombie with grey skin crawl out the opening. He was rubbing the side of his mouth from which some green liquid oozed.
The Blackguard stepped up from behind him and kicked him into the room while dragging another tall and sticklike zombie with him. Tossing him in the middle of the room, in front of Solus' table, he shoved the other one next to him.
"These are Uran's messengers. They were skeletons before, but they took the opportunity to evolve while here. Now they seem afraid to head back to Whitebone forest."
Leaning forward, his elbows on the table, Solus looked at the two crouching zombies. Both were looking back at him, frightened looks covering their hideous faces. Focusing on the thin one, Solus smiled.
"Why did Uran send you here?"
The thin zombie swallowed some orange-colored bile that kept dribbling down his chin before carefully answering. "The boss captured some weird undead at the edge of the forest. It took out ten of our strongest fighters before he arrived, and even then, it took effort. The boss wants you to come fast to hear what he learned from the undead."
Rubbing the side of his head, Solus groaned. Not another one. Deciding to see if he could get confirmation, he forced a glare on his face. "What things did he learn? He growled, the corners of his mouth angling down, showing his sharp teeth.
Fearfully, the zombie tried to back up, but the Blackguard held him in check.
"The boss didn't tell me!" The zombie shook his head from left to right, causing the orange liquid to drip across the dusty stone floor.
Removing the glare, Solus curiously stared at the zombie that tried to make himself as small as possible.
"Do you know anything more? What did the undead you fought look like?"
Shaking his head, the zombie kept his eyes on the ground.
Feeling his good mood evaporate, Solus rose from the chair, any interest in the zombies surrounding him vanished as a fearful premonition took hold. Pinning the Blackguard with his gaze, he pointed at the two zombies.
"Bring those two to the eastern gate. I need to inform Drys and pick something up. After that, I will meet you there. Prepare five of the strongest evolved. They will be coming along." Recalling something, he added. "Don't take any of the city guards ."
As soon as the Blackguard nodded, Solus turned around and barged out of the door. He had hoped for a few nights in his tower, to discuss things with Drys. But he had a good idea what Uran had captured, and he needed all the information he could get. Skullduggery! Now he couldn't even get information from that sphere.
Striding away into the darkness of the city, Solus wondered what else could go wrong.
--
Two days later, he was standing atop a hill looking out over the immense Whitebone forest. One of the Blackguards was standing next to him, and a small contingent of high-level skeleton warriors surrounded Uran's two zombies. They had attempted to flee on multiple occasions, and in the end, Solus had them tied together and watched closely.
"How are we supposed to find Uran in that?" The Blackguard seemed surprised, one of the few emotions it had shown in the two days of travel.
"Easy. Let me show you."
Solus stepped toward the edge of the hill and drew a deep breath. From behind him came a soft curse and the sound of running feet.
"URAN, I AM HERE!" Solus shouted.
All around, pebbles, dust, and small rocks blew away, while the other undead were lying on the ground, holding onto anything they could, as not to suffer the same fate. A circle, cleaned of debris, surrounded Solus as he scraped his throat.
"And now we wait."
He didn't have to wait long. Within moments, a response came from deep in the forest.
"STOP YELLING! You are scaring my minions!"
Solus grinned when the Blackguard gingerly moved next to him, seeming ready to run at any moment. Solus sat down on the ledge, his long legs dangling down as he stared at the white forest covering the entire horizon. Since the last time, the white bone leaves had grown more abundant, and it was now impossible to see the ground below them. Even his tower, once easy to spot at the edge of the forest, was barely visible amongst the treetops. He could only see the grey stony tip sticking out from between the white treetops.
--
Just when Solus was getting bored from waiting, he saw movement below the hill at the edge of the forest. Rising, he beckoned the others before jumping down the last stretch. Slamming into the ground, he saw a small contingent of skeletons waiting at the treeline. They were blending in against the white bone trees, and if they stood closer to them, he probably wouldn't have spotted them.
As he got closer, he noticed most of them were unevolved except for a single towering skeleton wholly covered in white plates. Solus narrowed his eyes when he saw the small crown of bone growing around its skull. It was standing a bit away from the others observing Solus. Guessing that must be the leader, Solus walked towards him, stopping just out of arm's reach.
"We need to wait a bit for the others before you can bring us to Uran."
The skeleton nodded but said nothing, which annoyed Solus, but he wasn't going to let the other dull his good mood. Turning towards the smaller skeletons, Solus noticed that there was one with red glowing eye sockets, something considered rare, even in Skulltown. Curious, Solus walked towards the group and began inspecting them. As he had expected, most of them were either recently awoken or at least not evolved yet and thus not interesting, all except for the red one. Kneeling, he peered at the red-eye sockets. From some distance, he had seen a skeleton with them in Skulltown, but that was a while ago, and back then, he had not time to investigate the other.
"Can you speak?" Solus asked as softly as he could, as not to blast the skeleton to pieces.
"Yes."
"Did you awake on your own?"
"...Yes."
Solus furrowed his brows and wondered what was up with the one-word answers. Thinking back to when he had just awoken, he imagined the other might not know a lot.
"Did you wake up recently?"
"Yes."
The skeleton pointed at the tall white one who was watching the proceedings from a distance.
"He found me over there," it pointed deep into the shadowy forest.
"What do you remember from when you woke up?"
"Nothing. I was not, and then I was."
Although he remembered it was similar for him, it still annoyed Solus. He wanted to know why some Skeletons just awoke. Then he had an idea.
"Can you show me your manafield?"
The skeleton did not respond right away, and Solus was about to ask again when a small red aura spread out around the skeleton, barely larger than itself was. Inspecting it, Solus saw it had no divisions and was empty and pristine. He had the almost irresistible urge to draw something on it when he heard footsteps behind him.
Rising and turning around, he saw the tall armored skeleton standing behind him. It pointed to the side, and Solus saw that the others had arrived. The Blackguard was walking in the lead. Behind him were two armored skeletons carrying a couple of struggling zombies.
"Let us go! He will destroy us for evolving into zombies!" The shorter one bellowed, hopelessly trying to get free.
Turning to Uran's welcoming party, he stared down at the skeleton. "They have been saying this all the while. Why would Uran end them for turning into zombies?"
He got no answer, as the skeleton just stared at him, a soft green light glowing in its sockets. Then the skeleton pointed into the forest and turned around.
Growling, Solus barely managed to hold himself back from grabbing the other and shaking an answer from his bones. What was up with nobody answering him as of late? Taking a deep breath, he turned to the Blackguard and motioned for him to follow. Wondering how he was going to get that red-eyed skeleton to Skulltown, he trudged after their guide. Uran had better have some good reason for sending Crowny, as he dubbed the annoying silent skeleton.
--
"Solus, where were you? I had to wait for ages!" A behemoth, yellow skeleton with thick bones stomped forward. Behind him was a sprawling bone city, dug deep in the earth with many trees between the domes.
"I had to find something. Now let me guess, you found a skeleton with some unknown evolution which said something about us being doomed for destruction?" Seeing Uran stop mid-step, Solus knew he had guessed right. "Let's find a quiet spot and talk."
Looking at the Blackguard at his side, Solus nodded towards the forest next to the city. "Set up camp there, and keep those zombies with you for now." Not waiting for an answer, he moved toward Uran, who was still silent, seeming either deep in thought or trying to hold back his famous temper.
Looking up at the other, he grinned. It had been a while since he saw the old skeleton. It was the only one whom he didn't have to hold back with, and the only one who knew some things about the old world. Although he could be obnoxious and annoying, he made for a good training partner. "Come on, where to?"
"Fine. Had to go and ruin my surprise, and now you bring me some of my minions turned into fleshy crud. Bah. Follow me." Grumbling as he stomped off, Uran headed towards one of the domes sticking out of the ground.
Solus scraped his throat and spat some grey muck on the ground before following the other. Almost at their destination, he looked curiously at the buried skull and wondered what was wrong with Uran. The ancient skeleton had been buried underground for eons, and after finally getting out, he created a city partially built underground.
He had asked the other the first time he saw the skeleton city, and Uran had blurted out that he was scared when walking out in the open. This revelation had been followed by him starting a fight with Solus, angry that the other had tricked him into revealing his secret. Before he calmed down, they had destroyed half of the fledgling city, and Uran had told him to get lost.
Uran disappeared inside an eye socket serving as the entrance, and Solus followed him. Stepping inside, he arrived in a poorly lit chamber, the only source being the daylight streaming in through the eye sockets. There was only a single piece of furniture, a sizable table. Uran sat down on the ground beside it, placing an elbow on the table. "Sit down already. You're making me nervous." He gestured at the other side, staring with his dark eye sockets at Solus. "How did you know?"
"I met one of those undead while traveling," Solus answered, sitting at the other side of the table before regaling what had happened to him. He did leave out the sphere because he knew far too well Uran's obsession with them. If possible, he wanted to keep the other in the dark about it as long as he could.
--
"That is just great, GREAT." Hitting the table that was already showing cracks from the abuse, Uran seemed close to having a fit.
"Take it easy! We don't have time for you to break things. Did the one you captured tell you anything? Can I see him?"
"I DON'T BREAK THINGS!" Uran protested while hitting the bone table so hard it splintered. Ignoring what he had done, he shook his head. "You can't see him."
Solus felt a small headache grow and glared at the other. "Did you rip him apart?"
Uran didn't answer, and Solus resisted the temptation to scold the other. They didn't have time for a lengthy battle that neither of them would win. Since Uran had started Boneforest Town, he had managed to evolve again, and Solus knew the other was at least as powerful as him.
"What did he tell you?"
"What do you think? The same as the other one told you. Well, mine cursed and shouted and begged a lot more, but nothing he said was useful. If I had known you knew, I wouldn't have bothered to invite you!"
Opening his mouth, Solus barely caught himself. It was a good thing he wasn't a zombie anymore, or this uncouth retard would have caused him to lash out. Pushing himself back up, he looked at Uran, who didn't show any signs of getting up. "Fine, if you come across more of those undead, capture one and send it to me. I will have Drys look at it. "
"Yeah, a good trip back, young one."
Gritting his teeth, Solus walked out of the building, a small snicker following him, showing Uran knew what he was doing. Solus walked towards the forest and glanced over his shoulder at the sprawling city. This was the second time he was here, and he still hadn't gotten a chance to see it. For a moment, he played with the idea of just taking a look now. Then he recalled Uran's violent temper and the issues they had in Skulltown that needed resolving, and he turned back.
At the camp, Solus saw something that distracted him from his annoyance. The Blackguard and Crowny were standing in front of each other, tension running high. Behind the Blackguard stood the awoken skeleton with the red eye-sockets. A small group of other undead stood a bit further away, looking at the conflict. Solus spotted the zombie heralds of Uran amongst them.
"I don't care what you say. If the awoken wants to come with us, it can." The Blackguard's emotionless voice was cracking a bit around the edges.
"It belongs to Uran and will become a powerful skeleton. Out of my way."
A grin spread across Solus' face, and he stepped forward faster until he reached the others. The Blackguard saw him coming first but kept silent, and Solus decided it was a useful one to have around.
"What is going on here?" Solus spoke, making sure to keep his voice hushed. If Uran got wind of this, he would come to cause trouble.
The undead all whirled towards him, Crowny stepping a bit further away.
"This one wants to come with us. He spoke with those two and wanted the option to become something besides a skeleton." The Blackguard was the first to respond, waving at the zombies huddled together.
"Sounds great. Uran has nothing useful to say, so we are leaving. "Solus walked toward the skeleton, still standing behind the Blackguard. "Come with me. I have some questions for you."
"Wait!" Stepping forward, Crowny made to block Solus' way. "He is to be one of ours."
Ignoring him, Solus turned to the Blackguard. "Get everybody ready and head back. I will catch up in a moment." Then he turned to the awoken. "You stay with them."
Seeing the undead from Skulltown move-out, he was curious to see the two zombies follow them. Crowny did not attempt to block them but was just staring at him until he was done.
"You don't want to try and stop me?"
"No. Uran is coming. He will do that." For the first time, Solus thought he detected some smugness in the other's voice.
"Damnit, Kreel! Don't go and tell people when I am coming! You ruin the surprise." Uran's voice came from all around them, and Solus groaned.
A few seconds later, Uran's behemoth shape came striding towards them. Turning towards Crowny, no, Kreel, Solus felt like locking him in stone.
"Don't be angry with little Kreel, young one. It is your fault for taking something that is mine."
Since he turned into a demi stone elemental, Solus had not been angry many times, but now a smoldering rage began building deep inside. Who did this thing think he was? Turning his full attention to Uran, Solus felt the prospect of fighting the other start to become more appealing by the second.
"Ahhh, finally. About time you showed that face." A loud bellowing laugh quickly turned to a crazy howl, and Uran rushed forward.
Part of Solus noticed that Kreel moved away, following the others. He hoped that the Blackguard was capable enough to stop him. Then Uran was in his face, and he had no more time for other thoughts. A large yellow bone fist shot towards his head, and Solus removed stones from the soil below his feet. The fist passed above his head, and he began creating long stone tentacles that slid out of the ground. Forming a stone pedestal under his feet, he grew it until he was back above ground, where Uran was ripping apart stone that tried to bind him.
"Petty tricks!" Howling again, Uran ripped the last of the stone tendrils to pieces, before jumping towards a massive bone tree. Ramming his finger bones inside, he ripped it sideways, almost uprooting it. A few more tucks and he was standing below the tilted tree eyeing Solus.
Wondering what the other was going to do, Solus jumped forward, summoning more stone from below the ground. A weird hissing noise came from the tree, and as he watched, the thing began moving, the branches bending out of themselves.
"You like binding people so much? Try it yourself!" Uran howled in laughter, pushing the gigantic tree upright, and watched as it began moving towards Solus. It used its white roots to drag itself forward.
So slow. Solus almost laughed as he dodged a few of the tentacles. About to laugh at Uran's horrible attack, something gripped his ankle holding him in place. Glancing down in shock, Solus found a white root winding up his leg, compressing the solid grey flesh. Moving his leg didn't help, and Solus tried ripping the root away. He realized right away that it would take more time then he had. The tree was closing in, and behind it, Uran was ripping another one from the ground while giggling.
Sensing the stone around him, Solus ignored the root binding him and began shaping the stone below him, feeling an immense drain on his manafield. Just when the first tree reached him and stretched its branches, he finished, and a large section of the surrounding area began shaking. Walls rushed up from the ground, splitting a part of the forest in two, growing nearly as high as the tallest trees. They blocked the tree in front of him, but more importantly, the walls cut the roots of the tree below the ground.
Ripping the no longer resisting root from his leg, he looked both sides and grinned. The wall stretched a great distance to either side, and he had made it as thick as he could. A massive collision came from the wall, and parts of it began shaking, cracks appearing.
"You can't hide behind your walls forever! I will get you!"
Uran's voice spread miles around, but Solus just shrugged. Knowing that Uran could change all the trees around him into annoyances, he had sobered up quickly. It was time to leave this forest. If Uran followed him out into the wasteland, with its stony ground and no bone trees, that wouldn't be a problem.
"See you next time, Uran. I'll take good care of the little awoken!" Roaring as loud as he could, Solus laughed and ran off, heading towards the wasteland. The others should have just made it to the edge of the forest.
Sprinting through the trees, not caring if he destroyed part of his surroundings, Solus quickly saw the edge upfront. Jumping through the last line of trees, he ground to a halt and looked around him. Where are they? No longer running, everything quieted, and he thought he heard someone shouting. Scanning the horizon, he froze. The group from Skulltown was running through the wasteland, heading back to the bone forest, Kreel, alongside them.
A group of undead was chasing after them, gaining ground on them fast.
Further away was another group standing in front of a pitch-black, three-meter high jagged rip in the air. Staring at the center, Solus saw only inky darkness, giving him an ominous feeling. The portal's surface didn't reflect anything but seemed to absorb all of the light shining on it. If it weren't for its glowing red edges, it would have blended in with the environment, easily mistaken for a shadow. Instead, it cast an ominous red light that tainted the wasteland floor and highlighted the dozen or so undead in front of it.
What is that thing...?
