Chapter 109: Chapter One Hundred and Eight

Galactic Calendar 259872/ 2000 [ Sol Year 4387/ Day 153 of 365. Sol standard year]

Days after of Crash landing/ 2

Unknown Island / Run/ Structure Before the Doors

Galactic Standard Time / 0725

“[Explain what you mean now]!?” Kon’gric demanded as Oly’xic stood there. The bombshell he just dropped had caused Kon’gric’s heart to beat faster than it ever had before.

Oly’xic’s mask only looked at him and sighed. “[Just what I meant, how do we know the Ruin is destroyed? This place is in a cavern after all. Think! This place is the best location to handle the test of time].”

“[Can you even hear yourself?! You’re saying Ruin is fully active!? The odds of that]!”

Oly’xic only shook his head, a somber feeling coming off him. “[I didn’t say fully active. I said that the house was still in one piece. The case is fully intact, not the hardware].”

Kon’gric looked at him and then it clicked together. He stared, completely dumbfounded. People had found the remains of the Ruin and then moved into them to live within it. What did that say about the monsters out there that they would do this?!

“[There’s something else. When I was up there, I saw something. A group of things that could fly. And if there’s one thing I know so far, the life here is dangerous. And they might have been the things that killed the builders of this place. For all we know this is sacred ground, and natives kill heretics],” Oly’xic said bluntly.

“[Then we need to find the others! That’s the only way we’ll survive],” Kon’gric said as soon as the shock died down. For a moment he looked around, trying to find any opening that which the fliers could attack them. All he could think of was just what this place had been meant as, and where the fliers even came from!

And then Kon’gric went still as he thought of something else. And that one revelation caused him to feel nothing but fear and horror. Just thinking about all the possibilities this one thought opened up to him. “[Wait….. Where did the flyers and whoever built this place come from? Did they evolve here or were they…..]?”

As Oly’xic reared back, Kon’gric only stared into space, trying to understand. If his thought was right, then they might never leave this sphere. If that was the case, then was there even a reason to carry out what that one wanted him to do? If the ship just disappears, then he might be counted as dead. That might save his family’s lives, if nothing else then he had time to plan and keep the choice open to him.

“[We’ll find that out later. For now, we have to find the others]”, Oly’xic said softly and Kon’gric nodded.

Kon’gric looked up and shook his head as he moved on, the weight of the Prince on his back a little easier to handle. If they thought he was dead, then they couldn’t punish him for not killing the prince after all!

“[What did you all mean by that]?” Ar’thor asked from behind him.

For a moment, Kon’gric tried and failed to think of how to not explain this. He wanted to let the truth pass by, but the Prince was sharp. He would have to say something, but how?

Oly’xic however spoke first, putting truth to what Kon’gric was feeling. “[Your guard asked if we might not have been the first people to survive crash landing here].”

“[But I don’t…… oh],” Ar’thor said softly as it hit him.

All Kon’gric did was nod, hoping that his Prince understood everything he had. But then the thought was terrible, wasn’t it? If the people who built this were born of this world, were they from one of the Bioweapons the Firstborn made? Or if they weren’t, then were they the descendants of another ship that crashed? And if that was the case, then did that mean that the Ruin here brought their ship down?

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As she ran ahead of the others, Je’ndra tried and failed to keep calm. So far the people who made this place were showing themselves to be monsters! Currently, she was leading her team down a chamber. It was over forty feet long and ten wide with the remains of cages along the left side. Cages that to their horror were large enough to put at least a few people into them. Since most of the doors were biped-sized, there was a small chance that these weren’t for beasts.

“[So, anyone getting flashbacks to the Zoo]?” Tar’lroia asked as they moved.

“[The Zoo? I was thinking that this is perfect for the pole back there]!” Ken’tricx said bitterly.

“[There is just one thing I want to know. Where did the people who went into these cages come from],” Ro’borlar wondered as he looked into one of the cages.

Je’ndra had to admit that that was something to think about. Were there others down here besides the ones who made this thing? And if not, was this the way they executed criminals? All she knew was the longer they traveled, the more that they found new questions. As they finally reached the end of the chamber, the party went still for a moment. All of them had heard the sounds of something moving.

“[Everyone hears that, right]?” Je’ndra asked as she called up a short-range sensor built into her armor. As soon as she activated it, she saw a group of beings moving along behind them. And from what the sensor showed, whatever it was it was on the ceiling. “[Everyone sees that]?”

“[Yeah, their twenty feet back. What’s the play]?” Ken’tricx asked bluntly.

Je’ndra had to think fast. There was a chance that whoever or whatever this was might not be new foes. But on the other hand, it would be stupid to give up the element of surprise.

“[They’ve stopped, fifteen feet back from me. Should I turn and fire? My rotary guns will make mincemeat of them fast]!” Ken’tricx suggested.

“[We don’t know their the enemy],” Tar’lroia said softly.

Je’ndra knew her friend well enough to know Tar’lroia was just reaching for anything. Je’ndra knew that Tar’lroia would kill without question, but she had a thing about collateral damage.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“[Doc, anyone who makes something this sick is my enemy]!” Ro’borlar cut in bluntly. “[I don’t know about you, but when I saw that pole I knew I’d kill whoever made it]!”

“[They could be the foes of whoever made this place! We don’t know. And there’s a chance they’re just animals],”

For Je’ndra, that was enough. For better or worse, she knew what she would do.

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As Starlsia hunted the newcomers, her mouth watered. Since she and her swarm saw the armored ones walk into the Chapel from the Field of Worms, she wanted their power. These beings were strong, and fast and they seemed to talk to each other without talking! The things her own could do if they had that power alone! They would bring down the central Temple and tell all others the true way to worship the Great Beast. She hadn’t had the booster potion yet, but this way she’d be able to boost with the strengths of her targets!

“Matriarch, they’re moving closer to the area between the nests and the way back into the Outer Realms. What should we do?” One of her soldiers asked as they all followed the intruders.

Starlsia looked at her soldier and then down at the figures. Yes, they were going that way. The other two would want their share. But then that was what made them all-powerful, the fact they worked as one. Perhaps they could share the bodies, each taking one to tear apart the strength.

Yes, Starlsia could see it now! Together wither her allies, they would share the spoils with the others. Just to talk without talking would let them coordinate their forces so much easier. Yes, Starlsia moved one of her legs as she slowly stalked toward her unsuspecting targets. While she was moving the four figures suddenly gathered together and turned. The the figures emitted the strongest blast of light at her and her swarm. With a screech of pain, she fell and heard the others fall as well. As she landed on the ground on her back she screeched as she tried to roll over. But with her Combat Form making that near impossible she knew there was only one thing to do.

“Tether yourselves to get back upright!” She screeched and aimed her right arm at the wall. She shot a string of webbing at the wall and pulled herself to it. She got herself upright and looked at the four figures. She saw each one pointing something strange-looking at them. Her mind went to the possibility the things were crossbow, or a weapon. And that made her realize these things could think!. With a scowl on her face, she wondered how she and her swarms Battle Forms were affecting the figures.

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Tar’lroia barely kept her cool as she looked at what they were staring down. When they had hit what was following them with that flash of light, she expected beasts. But these things, never in a million years!

The things that were staring them down were strange-looking mutants. The creature was a hybrid of a spider with a human. Each one of the creatures had a round ring of eight legs around their bottom. At the center of the ring grew a slim humanoid torso and that looked normal. Each being was wearing a tattered purple cloak and the hoods were back revealing their faces. Each one had a pale humanoid face with two multi-faceted eyes bellow a mass of messy brown hair. The arms looked normal until the elbow, from their their forearms were covered in pale chitin. But the most thing was that the female leader had screamed in Terrain Standard!

“[This can’t be a Federation base, right]?” Ken’tricx asked with a dumbfounded tone.

“[These sick fucks must be the result of a program to breed a soldier caste! These must be the sterile offspring]!” Ro’borlar growled from next to her. She could hear him slowly squeeze his weapon. “[Requesting the order to put these abominations down]!”

Tar’lroia felt herself shake her head before she spoke up. “[If the Humans made this and them, then the Federation isn’t involved. This place can’t be an official program. Their BIO editing laws were even sticker than ours were once]!”

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As she looked at the creatures, Je’ndra knew that she only had one choice that made sense. And despite how it might be setting them up for an attack, she knew there was only one choice to make. But first, she had to bring the others into her line of thinking.

“[I’m hearing a lot about what this could be, nothing about what this is! Anyone wants to say a reason why we shouldn’t try and talk to them]?” Je’ndra asked. She looked at the other’s backs and tried to see if they

For a few moments, she just looked at the spider things as they talked amongst themselves. She felt a frown form on her face as she heard a few words she understood. But what did ‘power’, ‘claim’, and ‘honor’ mean in this context?

“[Talk to these things? Are you listening to yourself, boss]!?” Ken’tricx demanded.

“[But they can speak or parrot Federaton Standard. That means they might be able to think. And it’s orders to try to make peaceful first contact on planets like this. That’s the law],” Ro’borlar said softly.

“[But if someone talks to them, that doesn’t mean drop our guard. We could prepare countermeasures and an escape route. It might be the best idea. But do you have any other idea that will work? ]Tar’lroia asked.

Je’ndra waited for any other plan that didn’t strike first. But after a few moments, both Ken’tricx and Ro’borlar dropped their shoulders for a moment.

“[Thought so. I’ll be our point woman, don’t argue! Tar’lroia get that door open. I want a way to leave if we have to. And Ken’tricx? Got any mines we can use]?” Je’ndra asked as she started to move towards the front.

“[Three. But I’ll just use one],” Ken’tricx admitted

“[Thanks,]” Je’ndra muttered over the coms. She looked at the spider creatures start to move forward and with a single thought activated her mask’s external speakers. “That’s far enough!”

The spider things all took a step back, shock on their faces.

Je’ndra took that as a good thing. If they could be shocked, then that means they could do more than repeat what they heard.

“You talk our tongue!?” The one in the front called back, shock in her voice.

Je’ndra nodded and looked at the leader, but kept her eyes on the other spider things. “Yes, I can. We’re not here to cause any trouble! We just want to get to a place that will take us back to the sun!”

“The sun!?” The female spider thing asked in a shocked tone. The other things started to mutter to themselves, not knowing that Je’ndra heard every word. The longer they did so, the more that Je’ndra knew that they would have to fight their way out. The spider things spoke of how to trick the group, and how to take their power. But it was talking about how their group would take over that caused Je’ndra to know that this was going to be bad.

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As he led the way farther into the facility, Olv’xic knew that they were going into danger. The flyers he had seen told him that either they were friends of the builders of this place, or the conquers. The way everything was decaying or abandoned told him enough. Whoever those flyers were, this place had been left fall apart. And part of him didn’t think that any being that was sane would do that. Unless they didn’t even want to move around this place on the inside.

“[I’m starting to come around to your idea about this being holy ground for someone. Makes sense if you just think about it like that. Offerings left outside],” Kon’gric muttered over the coms.

Olv’xic looked at him and nodded, a strange feeling going through him. He had only let his science side out, but Kon’gric was saying he was right? He had spent his life hiding away, should he maybe step into the light?

Then he remembered his sin, and he felt terrible for even thinking he could do that. He had to survive and stay free. That was the best and only path open for him. Even the mission to go among the Federation to renew the None-Aggression treaty. That was too improtant for one like him.

But it was when they reached a door that caused his thoughts to stop. The door looked normal at first glance, but looking at it again he noticed something. The wooden door had marks on it, holes that seemed to have been eaten into it. Each hole in the door looked they had been burned by a liquid, and only those holes. The hole went to somewhere very dark, and the lights that had lite up the corridor wasn’t beyond this door.

It didn’t matter, they all had dark vision and heat sight in their masks, and he was great at fighting in the dark. But something about this place seemed to repeal him, and it was something primal.

“[Does everyone else feel that we shouldn’t go in there]?” Ar’thor asked in a short and scared voice.

Olv’xic nodded as he looked at the holes. This feeling felt familiar to him. But that was insane, the only time that he had ever felt anything like this was when……. He went still and looked at the door, his mouth falling open behind his mask. There was no way that this was like then! There was only one way that it would be possible! And that meant!

He went still as he looked at the door before his gaze hardened. Holding his rifle tighter, he glared at the door. With one swift movement kicked it open, the door shattering in a loud sound. He looked at Kon’gric and said one sentence. “[Get your shield ready]!”

Olv’xic dashed into the room without another word. He swiftly panned his rifle around the room, activating a custom option to his sensors. Within moments he found just what he didn’t want to see, and he was shocked and horrified.

“[WHAT IS IT]?!” Kon’gric’s booming voice over the coms caused Olv’xic to sigh. He would have to drop this nugget of information, but then he had no other choice. This whole place had suddenly become that much more dangerous.

“[A horror of Aether. Whoever made this place, they could do one of the Forbidden],” Olv’xic said softly.

“[How can you know that!? The only way that could be possible is if….],” Arr’thor trailed off as Olv’xic felt the looks he was getting to his back.

“[You’ve seen a Forbidden],” Kon’gric whispered hoarsely.

Olv’xic couldn’t even think of saying anything. That event and his sin were the most important secrets he had. To even talk about something so horrifying, was against everything that he was. But this thing made it so he didn’t have a choice. The single fact that this was here had forced the issue.

“[Which one is this Sir Olv’xic]?” Ar’thor asked with a hard voice.

“[The Violation- Chimera],” Olv’xic said as he looked down at the floor. Before them were two painted on the floor side by side. The circles had strange-looking runes all around them in no language that he had ever seen. If not for the lines that were connecting the circles together, he wouldn’t have known what it was.

“[You can read that]?” Ar’thor asked in wonder.

Olv’xic only shook his head. “[No, I just know the secret of Aether Runes. The secret is that they don’t matter].”

“[Wait, what? They don’t matter? But then how are they used]?” Kon’gric asked in shock.

Olv’xic only chuckled. “[You have to think about the effect. It’s why Runic items need a person to finish them off. As long as you use the proper Technique to empower the Runes, they can look like anything].”

A loud screeching from beyond the circles caused them to look up. And it was what they saw that caused Olv’xic to aim his weapon, ready to fire.