Jas erged into a discordant and overwhelming world. His mouth and sinuses imdiately began to burn, and he squinted against the sulfurous light that suffused the air. At first he didnt know what to look at, what to take in, but burying his face in the crook of his elbow he blinked against his tears and took in the hellish landscape.
They stood on black, whorled rock that sloped down to a smoking ocean. Sharp peaks rose about them, the largest of which was in the process of erupting, belching a towering plu of dust and ash into the sky and hurling flecks of burning orange in every direction even as rivers of lava poured down its steep flanks.
A vast moon hung in the sky, a hundred tis larger than that of Earth. Its pallid face was muted by the caustic clouds that choked the air, though it betrayed hints of pale white marbled with aquamarine.
A flock of leathery-winged birds flew overhead, each as large as a car, but no, they werent birds, they were fucking dinosaurs, pterodactyl-looking monsters whose screeches were lost in the distant rumble of the volcano.
Fuck! shouted Yadriel. Forget this shit, I wanna go ho!
Were it not for their Indomitable Resilience and high Corporal Perfection scores Jas was sure his skin was be bubbling off his body. He couldnt see any vegetation anywhere. Just an unending hellscape, a palette of blacks, lava-orange, and grays.
Serenity coughed by his side, face buried in the crook of her elbow as well, then shifted. Shadows stread toward her, flowing from the cracks between the rocks, from all around. They hid her figure, making her larger. She swelled in height, growing to so nine, ten feet, monstrous, otherworldly, and made of pure shadow.
Everyone, Black Apotheosis, said Serenity, her voice distorted, made nacing and hollow. So much better than being human.
It looked as if she was wreathed in living black flas that endlessly coursed about her. Her arms had elongated, her hands grown, and each finger was now tipped with a six-inch curved blade of pure night. Her face was almost completely hidden, but it looked vaguely like a bulls skull if one had been dipped in oil, with backswept horns.
Jas didnt hesitate. He activated the Benediction for the first ti, and felt soothing coolness wash over him. His form grew and a ssage appeared before his eyes:
You have Activated Black Apotheosis
20 to all Stats
Shadow Resistances Active
Everyone around him swelled in size so that in monts Jas stood amongst a hellish pack of monstrous creatures. It beca impossible to tell folks apart visually, but perhaps due to their bond as a team Jas realized he could intuit whom was who.
Oh, so much better, said Kimmie, her voice sepulchral. But urgh, so overly dramatic.
What is this place? asked Denzel, his voice also hollowed out. A layer in hell?
Aargh, cried Star Boy. Soone give a Reservoir Cube!
This isnt going to work, gasped Jessica. Gotta get back. Burning up.
She hit the Bifrosts keys and the burning white portal opened up once more.
Jas activated Healing Grace and the scarlet tinge to their skin receded, blisters smoothing away. Wait, wait - how do we get back?
Soone else hit them both with Healing Grace.
Here, Kimmie, look: you press this key, then this one, then this one. Use Aeviternum to power the opening. Itll bring you back to Earth. Jessica shoved the Bifrost into Kimmies hands. How do you all stand this? The air blinded in seconds.
Another pulse of Healing Grace hit them both.
Be safe, said Jas. Well return when weve made progress.
Fuck, next ti Im coming back with a space suit. Good luck, you dirty shadow animals, rasped Star Boy, and fled through the portal.
Good luck, said Jessica, staring right at Jas, then she, too, retreated, and the portal closed.
Tell you got that, said Denzel. Kimmie? Tell were not stranded here.
Kerim stepped up to her. Show the keys.
Kimmie did so, tapping each one in quick order. I think?
Got it, said Kerim softly. Now lets show everyone else so that we can all use it.
They took a mont, and once everyone was confident Kimmie lowered the Bifrost and looked around. You think this is what happens to a world once the Pits are open long enough?
Jas grimaced. I sure hope not. But fuck, yeah, I could see that being an eventuality. The demons would even see it as motivation.
Well, were here now, said Serenity. So whats the plan?
Find locals, said Jas. If there are any left.
Jason rose into the air, followed a mont later by Denzel and Olaf. Well see whats around.
Be careful, Jas called up. Those dinosaur birds looked lethal.
Jason grinned down, his bull skull face making the expression look like a leer. Not lethal enough. Be right back.
Jas watched the trio climb higher, fading out as wisps of toxic clouds floated between them.
Fuck, I wish Id chosen flight, said Serenity. Never thought wed be without the Wings.
Dont worry, said Yadriel. You got Dinsional Anchor. Thats sure been useful so far.
Ass, said Serenity.
Lets head down to the water, said Jas. Life ca from the oceans in our planet. Maybe well find sothing down there.
He led the way. The ground was easy to traverse, the congealed lava smooth and curdled like spilled black gravy. The oceans edge was only a half mile away; they reached its shore and there stopped to look out over the grey tallic waters.
Looks like rcury, said Kerim softly.
The planet? asked Jason.
No, the tal. I doubt anything lives in there.
Kerim was right. The ocean looked to be made of liquid tal, heavy ripples washing up on the black shore without ever actually breaking into waves. Thousands of rough circular rocks lined the shoreline, their tops yellow and fibrous looking.
Those look like stromatolites, said Kimmie brightly. You guys know of those? Theyre like the oldest living organisms on Earth. No, those yellow rock things right there!
Those are rocks, Kimmie, said Yadriel. Rocks aint living shit.
Jas expected Jelly to make a comnt, and the silence hit him like a punch.
Theyre not rocks, dumb ass, laughed Kimmie. Well, they are. But theyre more like coral? Bacteria make them sohow, I forget. Anyways, theyre off the coast of Australia. Theyre ant to be She trailed off uncertainly. Hundreds of millions of years old?
Serenitys impatience was obvious. Sothing tells those arent the life forms were looking for here.
Jas cast his gaze about the shore. Here and there a large pool bubbled, its edge vivid with bright yellows and blues that gradated into each other like the geysers in Yellowstone. Rocky ridges rose from the rcury oceans surface a stones throw out. Was the water shallow? Was the ocean more of a lake? Impossible to tell.
A huge crack sounded and everyone flinched. Jas turned to see a huge gout of lava hurled up from the distant volcano, the sight aweso, the orange spray falling slowly to spatter across the slope.
This place is awful, said Miriam quietly, watching the sky. What kind of creature would live here?
Dinosaur birds, said Yadriel matter-of-factly. Old-ass stone things. Thats about it.
Thats all wed need, said Serenity softly. For the demons to kill off humanity and then wreck the planet. Maybe were too late.
Were not too late, said Kimmie firmly. I sensed a strong presence here. We just havent seen it yet. We need to keep our hopes up and remain confident that well see this through.
Damn girl, Ive missed you, said Yadriel, throwing a shadow arm around Kimmies shadowy shoulders. Now use that voice to tell how hot I am.
Kimmie laughed, the sound incongruously pure and light in the dour air.
Here they co, called Miriam.
The trio descended through the smoky air, feet first like Superman, and landed before the group.
Theres a settlent not too far away, said Jason. Its definitely alien-looking. Looks like He trailed off, unsure.
Like a weird-ass greenhouse, said Denzel. Like a huge igloo greenhouse built into the ground, all organic curves and shit, about the size of a stadium.
Any sign of locals? asked Jas.
Not that we saw. Denzel rubbed the back of his skull-head. But we could go knock?
Lets go knock, then, agreed Serenity. Lead the way, boys.
They followed the shoreline. Occasionally a geyser burst upward from a brilliantly colored pool, spraying tallic water into the air. Everybody scattered whenever this happened, as nobody seed intent on figuring out how resistant they were to the waters touch.
Hold, said Olaf, reaching out with a straight arm to block Kimmies passage. Out in water. Sothing coming.
They all froze. Olaf was right. A half dozen figures were erging from the tallic water, unhurried and ponderously steady, as if they could walk through hurricane force winds.
They were humanoid but clearly not human.
They were massive and powerfully built, but Jas couldnt tell what was armor and what was their actual bodies. They had huge sloping shoulders, deep chests, and relatively narrow waists that swelled out again into massively muscled legs, all of which was encased in lead armor edged in cadmium yellow like the mineral deposits in the geyser pools. So of the armor plating was covered in crystal, making them appear surprisingly delicate, while the joints were a mottled crimson and black material that could have been flesh or simply more flexible connective tissue.
But their heads. If a turtle were to be dropped into a pool of lava, completely subrged itself and then climbed back out, it might look sothing like this. A crystalline helt covered the crimson turtle-shaped head-skull within, its facets edged in yellow, with the mottled burgundy and black material encasing the almost non-existent neck. The aliens eyes were large diamonds, each the size of a quarter, and floated in the ocular cavities.
They moved slowly but Jas had no trouble envisioning them breaking into a sprint at a monts notice; they were not just powerfully built, but athletic despite their size; the narrow waist, the long legs, the obvious contouring of the armor indicating advanced musculature hidden beneath.
The six figures ceased their ergence when they were only knee-deep in the silver water. Either theyd already been aware of Crimson Hydras presence or they were deeply unflappable, because they displayed no alarm or surprise at all.
Fuck , whispered Yadriel. They the good guys or the bad guys?
Hello! Jas raised one clawed hand and stepped forward. Do you understand us? Were from another world. Weve co to talk.
The six massive aliens remained still.
What are the odds they speak English? whispered Serenity tensely.
One of the six figures stepped forward. Jas tensed. What kind of attack would they launch? Their huge, four-fingered hands were encased in thick gauntlets and looked like they could punch through steel, but if these were the locals then theyd probably been awarded System Benedictions and attacks of their own.
How do you be here? rumbled the alien, its English distinct and clear.
Fuck, they do talk English, said Denzel. Thats convenient.
Kimmie, raise the Bifrost. We crossed from our ho world with this device. We stole it from an Arch Angel. Our species is being destroyed by the demons and their Pits. Were looking for allies. To share information. To find help in this war.
The huge alien didnt respond at once. It just stood there, the rcury sea lapping about its knees. It had no expression, the skull-head under the crystal casing without flesh or eyelids. Its diamond gaze remained trained steadfastly on Jas.
Our kind also visited by the System, rumbled the alien at last. We have much fight, much death/loss. We not acquire portal key, but break svaghuathua/demon nodes to steal/own Reservoir Cubes.
You found a way to break open the nodes? Hope flared in Jass chest. We used the Light Eternal to break into one, but the Light broke and we havent been able to do so since.
Zorathian who given End of Storms/Light Eternal brought it to clan/people. We it studied and learned chanism. With many End of Storms we open many nodes, acquire many Reservoir Cubes. System angry. The alien - Zorathian? - passed its four-fingered hand through the air. It open Pits early.
Ha, said Jas. They did the sa to us. Are you all fighting your way through them now?
We send dozen clan all clutches/hundreds of System Level 1,000 Zorathian into Pits. Crush svaghuathua/demons.
Fuck, Yadriel whispered behind Jas. Level 1,000?
Hundreds? asked Serenity.
Jas dry swallowed. Even in his shadow form he found it hard to not lose his breath at that revelation. Thats fantastic. You defeated the Pits, then?
Zorathians stop at Level 25.
Jas frowned. You stopped? It got too hard?
Hard, but not too hard.
Then whyd you stop?
The Zorathian stared at Jas, implacable, and then as one the six aliens resud walking toward the shore.
Jas and Crimson Hydra backed away.
Jas? Kimmie sounded uncertain. Should I try and improve the mood?
Hold off, said Jas quietly. If these guys are twice our level that could backfire.
The Zorathians were as tall as Crimson Hydras shadow forms. Jas couldnt imagine a Nem1 being of any inconvenience to these huge dudes. Or were they won? Did they have sexes? Gender? It was impossible to tell.
You co to Arkhos/Ocean Cradle for help. It didnt sound like a question.
Arkhos? asked Jas.
The Zorathian waved its hand as if taking in all of the sky, the land, the sea. Arkhos. Our ho. It ans Hands that Cup the World Ocean. Our planet.
Yeah, we did. Jas raised his chin. We can help each other.
Perhaps. Co with clutch/us/we. We talk further with Clan Iron Wave elders.
Sure. Happy to. Lead the way.
The Zorathians strode forward once more. Their gait was unhurried, but the length of their steps made it so that they moved deceptively quickly. In monts they were already pulling ahead, moving inland with purpose.
Thats the way to the greenhouse, said Jason quietly, falling in beside Jas.
Jas, what the fuck? Serenity moved up on his other side. Howd they get to analyze and rebuild their Light Eternal and we got shitty Belanger dead-banging his demon wife?
Dead-banging? asked Jas.
You know what I an.
I do. And yeah, looks like these guys got their shit together quicker. Jas kept his voice low, though hed no idea how well the Zorathians up ahead could hear. Luckily for us. If all we get from Arkhos is the ability to crack open nodes, itll be a godsend.
Zorathian-send, said Denzel from just behind.
Either way, well take it.
Kerim pitched his voice low so that it just barely carried over the storm winds and distant volcano rumblings. Theyre not allies yet. They stopped at Level 25 and didnt clarify why. We must remain alert and ready to run.
Sure. Jas looked back at where Kimmie brought up the rear of the group with Olaf. Keep the Bifrost handy, yeah?
Sure thing.
They followed the six aliens across the blasted landscape, till at last they crested a ridge of black rock and saw the Zorathian structure embedded in the valley below.
It was massive but built low to the ground, its huge and irregular panes of glass embedded deep within steel and stone seams, their surface opaque and iridescent. So parts of the structure rose do-like to the height of so fifteen yards, but most of it was low-slung and with the aspect of a bunker.
Thats so pretty, said Kimmie. The glass is all shimry like a bubble.
Or oil slick, said Denzel.
The six Zorathians stopped and looked back up at where Crimson Hydra remained on the ridge.
Co, said the only one whod spoken thus far. You have guest rights in Iron Wave clan nursery/clutchdom/fortress. Do not fear. You will be warned of guest right revocation before being consud/absorbed/destroyed.
And with that the six aliens resud their descent.
Great, sighed Jas. Just fucking great.
And without any choice, he led Crimson Hydra after them.
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