Chapter 77: Chapter Seventy Six

Galactic Calendar 259872/ 2000 [ Sol Year 4387/ Day 152 of 365. Sol standard year]

Days after of Crash landing/ 1

Unknown Island / Tunnel leaving Clawbash’s Realm/

Galactic Standard Time / 2030

As Je’ndra finally reached the door to the Ruins, Ro’borlar fired at the ceiling. As one the whole group turned and looked, their masks finding the corpse of the insect Ro’borlar had shot. From the hole came ten more of the bugs every second. And as they watched, the swarm split in half, each part surging to the sides of the chamber.

“[Open fire! But keep moving to the hole]!” Je’ndra called out in anger. Within moments, the group started their counterattack. But no matter how many they killed, more came from the hole and the swarm inched closer to the walls.

Je’ndra looked at the swarm, her mind trying to think of a plan. With how many there were, she doubted they would think beyond using force. But something told her that soon some of them with range attacks would try and get over the team’s head. So far, they were moving backwards towards the hole slowly, but they couldn’t turn and run for it. She cursed her decision to move slowly. At the time it had seemed the perfect plan but they should have run as soon as she saw the rock fall.

“[What about the bomb]?!” Tar’lroia asked as she fired at one of the swarm going to the right

“[Ready! I just need a minute to set it up and this place should fall apart! But I need to disengage]!” Ken’tricx said, a snarl in his voice as his gun pods fired at the left and right swarms.

“[Aim at the left side]!” Olv’xic called out suddenly.

“[What?! Just ignore the right? Are you mad]?!” Ken’tricx demanded as he fired at the left side.

“[My drone will handle them, trust me! We just need to let them get close and then everything will happen]!” Olv’xic said as he took a step backward.

Je’ndra gritted her teeth as she looked around. So far the team only had ten more feet to get to the hole, and the insects were coming. They might not have a choice but to take a chance. Plus she had to admit, Olv’xic’s creativity was one of his best traits. His modifications to his or their gear had saved their lives on more than one occasion. So when there was no right answer, you had to try one that worked before.

“[DO IT, FOLLOW HIS ORDERS! Ken’trix, you’re getting that explosion ready! Ro’borlar get to that hole, you go in right before me! Everyone else, cover them]!” Je’ndra called out.

As her team went to work, Je’ndra looked up at the hole. Every now few insects came out of the hole, and one would stop for a few moments. She didn’t know what that meant, but she was sure it was something important. But how to use it, she had not a single idea. But as she focused her aims towards the left side of the cavern, she hoped that Olv’xic was right about his plan. These things were unlike anything the team had faced together, but they had lived before they were a team.

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Olv’xic kept firing, his eyes looking at the data from his drone projected on his mask. So far, the modifications had been finished and it had already recorded what it needed. Part of his mind was hoping that everything would work as it planned. But the other part wondered if the failsafe would work instead. Either way, he was sure that no matter what happened, his team would escape from here alive.

As he fired he kept an eye on his drone’s scanners. So far the swarm was moving like he thought it would, gathering at the edge of the wall. He expected them to come in a swarm, but then that would only help his plan. He just had to wait until the bugs started to move down.

“[Your plan ready to go?! Mine is! Give me a few seconds to set this off, and this place is going down]!” Ken’trix called out, his voice giddy.

Olv’xic heard a ding and smirked, everything was ready. “[Yes! Move now]!”

As the team started to disengage, Olv’xic activated his modified drone.

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The Leader smiled as it sent in another wave. So far, the battle had been going perfectly. The mindless ones were dying, and slowly but surely the swarm was advancing! Soon their numbers would drown the enemy, and then the Leader would kill them all! As the Leader prepared to send in the next wave, a loud screeching assaulted them all! As the Leader tried to keep anchored to the wall, many of the swarm didn’t.

Forty of the insects fell from the hole, and they all broke apart as they hit the ground! Of the next forty that fell, only thirty broke apart, the last ten trying to get up. But these were all hit by the next forty that fell. All the leader could was watch as they kept dying. It continued until the swarm over three hundred strong was reduced to a mere hundred. When that happened the screaming that had shocked them died, and they could stay still again.

As the Leader looked through the hole, it saw a hill of the dead high. Shockingly, it was high enough that the rest of the swarm would live if they jumped to it. The Leader screamed a command and leaped into the cavern, the swarm following behind it.

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Je’ndra only looked at the dead bodies of the insects. When they started to run, suddenly all the insects just fell off the ceiling. She didn’t know what to expect, but somehow Olv’xic had killed them all. “[Great work Olv’xic! How did you do that]?”

“[My drone, my dead drone. Hope that your part of the plan will work boss]!” Olv’xic said over the comms.

As soon as that happened, Je’ndra looked up and saw that more of the insects leaving the hole. And to her shock, she saw a foot taller centaur with four front limbs leading the way. Quickly, Je’ndra realized what was hidden in the mass of the enemy and then what this meant. Looking ahead of her, she saw Ken’tricx waiting at the hole to the Ruin and scowled. Where was Ro’borlar? He had better have already gone into the Ruin or she’d bring him back to kill herself. “[In Ken’tricx, now! And that bomb, you just need to shoot it right? And here’s Ro’borlar]?”

“[He went in ahead of me, something about setting up a shot on my bomb! And yeah, we just need to shoot it or wait for the swarm to get close]!” Ken’tricx said as he nodded. Before she could bark a command Ken’tricx started to fire into the swarm. As he fired, he moved a step backwards through the hole.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Je’ndra barely kept a smile off her face and ran through the hole after him. Seeing her team waiting for her with Ro’borlar at the far end of the chamber next to Kon’gric. To Je’ndra’s relief, Ro’borlar was aiming his sniper rifle straight at the bomb just behind her. She grabbed Ken’tricx and pulled him to the side, barking a command.

“[Everyone, duck and cover! Ro’borlar, fire]!” Je’ndra cried out as she and Ken’tricx hit the ground and rolled away.

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The Leader felt what passed for joy as it looked at its swarm. The strange ones had fled into the place of the Past. Its song memories told it that there was a dead end within it. Once the swarm weakened them enough only then would the Leader kill them all. As it poked its head out of the dead, it saw a bright flash and then a wave of sound that echoed off the walls. As soon as the sound wave hit the swarm, some of them started to kill each other in confusion. The Leader could only watch for a few seconds before suddenly it felt something pierce its body.

The Leader kept looking for a few more seconds, and then as its sight started to darken. With the last of its strength, it released a final screech, hoping that one of its siblings would hear it.

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As the sounds of the explosions died down, Olv’xic looked up. The chamber hadn’t been affected, but the hole was covered by fallen rocks. He looked around, seeing that the rest of the team was still moving even now, and their vitals were all okay. The Prince and Kon’gric’s hearts were beating faster, but he expected that at least.

“[Sound off, who’s not dead]?” Ken’tricx called out as he got up.

Oly’xic heard Je’ndra chuckle over the comms and he almost did as well.

Je’ndra got up and dusted herself free as she looked around. “[Bit complicated Ken’tricx. What if our friends can’t speak? Everyone alive, just get back up]!”

“[Gonna be a little hard to do that boss],” Ro’borlar’s voice held a hint of strain. “[I could do with some help].”

Oly’xic turned his head and saw Ro’borlar under a broken part of the ceiling five feet wide near the right side.

“[Ender! We’ve got that man]!” Ken’tricx exclaimed.

Oly’xic ran, and he heard Ken’tricx following behind him. When they reached him, Ken’tricx reached down and pulled off the piece, throwing it against the right wall

“[Fuck, thanks. Gotta say, love that Strong-man skill],” Ro’borlar said as his voice came over the coms weakly.

Ken’tricx only nodded but Oly’xic pushed his friend aside.

“[Let me check your armor. I don’t like how you said that just now. Let me see if anything’s broken].” Oly’xic said as he touched Ro’borlar’s right shoulder. As he let his aether follow through Ro’borlar’s armor, Oly’xic felt the data flow into his mind. “[Okay. The transmitter is a bit busted. Give me a minute to fix that by rewiring the power flow, so turn around. The seals are still working, you aren’t in danger of dying from any airborne poison and a lack of oxygen. But your Aether Shadow’s broken]”

“[Stars and Suns. Anyway, you could fix his Shadow]?” Je’ndra asked in shock.

Oly’xic only shook his head as Ro’borlar turned around and he got out his tools. The Aether Shadow was the most important part of the Ancient’s armor. If it worked, it hid the Aether Aura that using Skills generated. And without it, anyone with a Search Skill would see anyone when they used their Skills. “[The main crystal is broken. I’d need a Crystal Matrix and a whole day with light from a star. A week if I get the light from a created source. And after that, I’ll need some of your Aether Ro’borlar, and two days to link it together].”

“[Then how can they….. oh. They make spares for each user, don’t they? Wow]!” Tar’lroia said and Oly’xic only shrugged.

“[Don’t know really. The Artisans keep a lot of secrets. And I’m mostly self-taught really where Shadows are concerned. Same as any other tech who’s not an Artisan really].” Oly’xic said as he worked. After a minute, he nodded and stepped back, putting his tools away. “[Done. This should work as a patch for a few days. But once we find a safe place, I’ll need to do an in-depth check on everyone’s armor].”

“[Lesson time over, Ro’borlar. Do you feel up to using a skill to see if we can get out of here]?” Je’ndra asked.

“[Might be sounding the bell for anything looking for us, but yeah. Just give me a minute to do some checks on my gear],” Ro’borlar said.

Je’ndra only nodded and Oly’xic kept silent. He knew that Ro’borlar’s skills were needed, but he was nervous. The world he grew up on had a species that could hunt Aether users, and other animals with the ability to use Aether. With all the things that this planet had thrown at them, an Aether hunter wasn’t too far out there. But it might just be nerves, and he had no way without revealing his past.

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Ro’borlar looked at his mask’s HUD and saw the reports. The fact that his Shadow was offline was apparent if he looked for it, but it wasn’t a sure thing. If Oly’xic hadn’t checked he might have gotten a surprise the next time he used a skill in combat. That was another one that he owed the kid. For a moment he let memories flow through his mind, all of them about the kid, Oly’xic. Ro’borlar liked him, he was smart and skilled. He always wore his mask, even modified it to let him eat and drink. Ro’borlar had worked with people like Oly’xic in the past, but they rarely did that. The kid never talked about why he had chosen that path, Ro’borlar thought it wasn’t for anything he did. But if anyone ever came at him, then they would meet the team’s weapons

Ro’borlar took a deep breath and a blue energy aura formed around him before a small pulse shot out of him. As one the team looked towards him and waited for him to speak.

He kept his eyes closed as he tried to let the Aether do the work for him. As it traveled away from him, it sent back data about the way ahead. This skill was something that he had finally been able to learn after his team died. After a moment he went still, and as more data was sent back, he frowned. “[This doesn’t make sense, at all. I’ve never seen a Ruin like this, ever]!”

“[How so]?” Ar’thor asked.

Ro’borlar looked around at the others and tried to think of how to say this. “[Okay, everyone listen up. Most Ruins are just complexes, right? they might be decayed but their always small, not the size of a whole city right? This place….. it’s a long tunnel that way that uses most of my Skill’s range limit. And beyond that is the start of a complex].”

“[Oh,]” Tar’lroia said as he looked around. “[So what did they use this place for…. And why is it underground]?”

“[What I’m asking myself. And the place looks like it might have been made like this],” Ro’borlar said bluntly.

“[Security. This must have been an escape route out! The chamber the stalagmite creatures were in, that must have been the gathering point]!” Kon’gric said.

They all turned and saw Kon’gric looking over the chamber they were in, a strange look in his eyes.

“[This looks like one of the palace’s escape routes Kon’gric]?” Ar’thor asked in shock.

“[No my prince. This looks a bit like a training center I used years ago. The idea is that the personnel would have a large place to run through if things went bad. Basic planning really],” Kon’gric said as he looked at the far end.

“[No…..]” Oly’xic said suddenly. Everyone looked at him as he was looking around, staring at the hole and then what it was attached to. “[No, I don’t think this is for evacuation].”

“[What do you mean]?” Tar’lroia demanded as everyone turned to look at him. They all saw Oly’xic bent down looking at a hole in the floor.

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Oly’xic ignored her for a few moments, and the terrible feeling he had only grew. He looked around, spinning in a circle. With that he could see everything and come to one inescapable conclusion. But a hand on his shoulder caused him to look up, seeing Ken’tricx’s mask looking at him

“[What do you see]!?” Ken’tricx demanded.

Oly’xic blinked and then looked at Ro’borlar, sighing. “[The tunnel, it doesn’t have anything branching off it, does it]?”

Ro’borlar stayed silent before nodding. “[No, straight single passage until it reaches my limit].”

“[That’s the reason right there. Escape tunnels, always end at a location where people can get help. Unless the Firstborne were very confident in their safety plans, this doesn’t make sense. And through a cave? I can agree that time might have destroyed a lot, but no signs at all]?” Oly’xic asked as he looked up.

“[He’s right. I mean even the smallest ones in caves have a few marks],” Ken’tricx said as he took a step back in shock. “[But what is this place then]?”

“[Specimen release shaft. For bioweapons or creatures I’d say],” Oly’xic said bitterly.

Everyone just stared at him, shocked beyond words. For a few moments, all everyone did was stare at him, trying to understand what he meant.

“[How can you tell]!?” Kon’gric demanded, his arms going over his shoulder to Prince Ar’thor

“[Saw a documentary of a bio lab, lab lizards in a maze and all that. This looked a lot like that. And the damages? They all move towards the door, not away from it],” Oly’xic said with a shrug. “[So then, do we brave the Ruin now]?”

“[No, we stay here for the next few hours],” Je’ndra declared.

Oly’xic was stunned and all he could do was look at Je’ndra.

“[Boss]?!” Tar’lroia asked in total shock

“[Leader Je’ndra! Explain now]!” Kon’gric demanded as he took a step forward.

Je’ndra looked around and then she gestured to what was around them. “[Look at this place. this part of the Ruin isn’t a part of the main complex. It might have had a separate power system for all we know. Whatever destroyed this broke it from the main complex, we can defend the passage easily. That alone makes this place the best thing here for us to rest at. And the destroyed cavern? Extra security]!” Je’ndra said. As she looked at Ro’borlar she seemed to release tension. “[And this will give Oly’xic a chance check you over].”

Oly’xic could see where she was going with this. and he had to admit that she was right. This was the best thing that they could have found to sleep at.

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The sound caused the creature to wake from its slumber, stirring awake. The creature had slept away much time, waiting for food to come to it. And now there was Strong Food, and it seemed they had cried out. The fact that it felt it was strong enough to dare to cry out to look was something to think about. But as it uncoiled parts of itself, it started to look around and saw more Good Food around. It had slept long enough for the Herds to replenish. And it felt that most of them were farther away, moving away from it.

That wouldn’t do. After all the time it had spent teaching them how to honor it, they leave. How dare they! This time it would kill so many more than its hunger needed. That was the best way to punish those who dared to abandon their god!