The great metallic bird entered the chamber, squeezing through the hole, creating a rain of rock as it shattered the walls beside it. Its landing reduced the altar to dark shards, followed by an Terraquake that shook the environment, while a shower of dust and debris collided with its body, generating a series of crackling sounds.
From the top of what had once been the staircase leading to the place of worship, a dark fragment emerged, slightly larger than my fist, something that would not be noteworthy if it were not for the scarlet glow and unknown power it emanated.
The artifact ended up between the monster and me, capturing the creature's attention, a welcome distraction to keep the worshippers present away, and as the metal being moved forward, each step a rumble, I conjured Gravity Well, sending a projectile of condensed gravity towards the fragment, pulling it towards me.
I wasted no time and put it in my bag, thus capturing the wrath of my enemy.
"SSSCCCRRREEE!"
The deafening screech reverberated off the walls, followed by a mixture of cries of pain and fear. I had to clench my teeth to avoid screaming when the noise made my ears ring, and I quickly moved when I saw the bird's beak diving towards me.
Giant enemies take a while to react when you position yourself below them, not too long, but it was a good opportunity to inflict damage and retreat, always keeping moving to avoid being hit by a crushing blow, and thus the end.
I rolled forward, dodging the piercing attack, finding myself below its neck, where I swung my sword with the intention of decapitating it. I admit, the resistance surprised me; instead of tearing through the metal as if it were paper, it was as if I were piercing a material inferior to titanite, but still solid.
The second detail I noticed was the creature's interior. I had faced golems of all kinds of materials in the past, but instead of pure iron, I saw colored wires, flashing lights, and various unknown items as the sparks and shards caused by my attack scattered.
I had to abandon those thoughts when the bird flapped its wings, creating a strong gale that pushed me as its enormous body left the ground. I planted my feet on the dark stone and raised my shield, fighting against the forces buzzing in my ears.
However, the desperate cries distracted me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw the Sarkaz being pressed against the wall of mist by the winds, almost crushing each other with their own bodies.
DAMN IT!
I planted my sword in the ground and raised my staff with my now free hand, but before I could finish my spell, it approached from the side, flying like an arrow and striking the gash in the monster's neck.
There was no way to describe the mixture of noises that came from its nonexistent beak, but it was enough to make the winds cease and my opponent land. I seized the opportunity and finished my spell, conjuring Crystal Soul Spear before its claws touched the ground.
The rotation of the rings on my staff accelerated, the orb at its center emanated a blinding blue, and with a swing of my arm, a massive formation of crystallized souls closed the distance, leaving a cerulean trail in its wake.
BOOM!
A precise shot to the center of its chest, creating a luminous explosion, accompanied by a cloud of smoke and a rain of crystals the same color as the spell.
Buldrokkas'tee approached from the right with his shield raised. The knights tried to surround the creature, but the Wendigo ordered them to step back and protect the people instead.
I acted quickly before the combat continued, removing the Black Knight's Halberd from my bag and tossing it to Buldrokkas'tee, who accepted it with a nod, twirling it in his grip before assuming a fighting stance.
A strange sensation coursed through my body; I felt energized. Looking around, I spotted Warfarin pointing her staff at me, using her Arts to strengthen me. I murmured a thank you, and then the conflict continued.
The bird finally recovered, its chest now open and covered in small blue crystals, and without delay, it advanced again. Swinging its great wing like a silver blade, it dragged it in an arc across the ground.
Buldrokkas'tee stepped back as he raised his shield, protecting himself from the barrage of shrapnel that accompanied the enemy's movement. It felt like the mountain would collapse on our heads, everything was shaking so much, and the noise, by the gods, the noise, I could barely hear my thoughts.
I retrieved my sword, slinging it across my back, and just like the Wendigo, I retreated, avoiding being transformed into a red blotch on the ground. In the meantime, I lit my flame and conjured the Acid Surge, the result being more powerful than I expected, courtesy of the vampire.
If this creature was entirely engineered, then there was no better pyromancy to use. A cloud of yellowish gas enveloped its body, not preventing it from sending a second, albeit slower, swing with its other wing.
This time the Wendigo lunged forward, a dark blur of flesh and metal, propelling the halberd and piercing the side of the bird's left leg. A crack echoed through the air, and sparks erupted from the wound, the weapon's wielder removing it from the monster's body and maneuvering around it to avoid being trampled.
I conjured Acid Surge for the second time, witnessing its results. The monster's silver was replaced by rusted bronze, plates detached from its body, and parts of complexity beyond my comprehension leaked from the open tears in its armor.
The bird flapped its wings again; if the previous moments were slow, then this one was almost frozen in time, to the point that Buldrokkas'tee easily managed to cut a large chunk from the creature's body.
Half of the wing flew away, and the Wendigo lunged towards the second leg, almost tearing it from its owner's body with a second swing.
On the third conjuration of pyromancy, the creature couldn't stay upright; all its joints seized, and its body trembled as if struck by lightning. With hesitant steps, it walked towards me, but never reached its destination.
Its body fell forward, allowing Buldrokkas'tee's trident, still embedded in its neck, to emerge from the other side, and then I watched its form disintegrate into rust.
To everyone's relief, the wall of mist disappeared, clearing the way. Unfortunately, aside from the fragment brimming with power, I received no rewards, no souls, and no weaponry.
I was about to stow my equipment, but in the blink of an eye, the bird's back split open, releasing a mixture of smoke and vapor, and from there, a sphere with spider-like legs crawled out, surveying its surroundings with a single red eye.
Upon seeing me, the strange being reacted with what I perceived as fear, and fled towards the hole in the ceiling. I immediately pursued it, with Buldrokkas'tee close behind.
I cast spell after spell, trying to hit it, but the small creature was agile and swift, so I continued the chase, scaling the wall and traversing the hole until I found myself in a sea of snow and ice.
The winds blew through my hair, and snow fell around me, creating a white expanse; dark clouds rose above me, and the vastness of Kazdel stretched to the horizon.
Fortunately, I didn't lose sight of my target, finding its tracks in the snow, and following them, I spotted the sphere passing through a rock wall as if it didn't exist. The terrain was steep; one slip and I would fall to my death, so, planting my sword in the ground with each step, I approached the wall, watching my hand pierce the illusion.
I prepared for combat and crossed the illusion, finding myself in a long, dark corridor. I conjured Cast Light, creating a luminous orb above my head, realizing that the path was made of the smoothest, most polished silver metal I had ever witnessed.
I didn't have to walk far to reach its end, a large circular chamber with a kind of black pillar in its center, surrounded by several doors on the walls around it, and at the base of it all was the sphere, writhing on the floor with its legs dangling in the air.
It tried to flee again upon seeing me, but its wounded body and the weight of my boot prevented its escape.
"What are you?"
It was a rhetorical question, but to my surprise, the sphere answered in a genderless, but frightened voice.
"I am the Conscious Planetary Analysis Automaton! C.P.A.A. for short! Please don't destroy me! That gas you generated has already caused enough damage!"
My mouth opened, but the words dared not come out. Several thoughts raced through my mind, trying to understand how this sphere spoke, but I was certain that magic wasn't one of them.
"Tell me, why did you attack with that giant bird? Give me a good reason and I won't crush it beneath my boot."
"That wasn't my intention! The research facility is running on extremely low power! If it continues like this, I won't be able to continue my duties, or worse, if something happens to me, the repair facilities will be inoperable! I believed a fragment of the Civilight Eterna would serve as a temporary power source! And that wasn't a bird, but a multi-terrain aircraft!"
There were words whose meaning I didn't understand, but I grasped the general idea: he was fulfilling his role and ensuring his survival.
"And what exactly is being researched here?"
"It would take me days to explain it to you in detail, but monitoring Originium and how it influences the world is the focus! However, I lost contact with the other facilities scattered across Terra over the millennia!"
"Be honest, because your life depends on your answer. Do you plan to cause any harm to the Sarkaz or the people of Terra in general?"
"N-no, I just want to continue my function… Although there's no one to receive the data."
It might just be my impression, but the last words seemed full of sadness. In any case, the purpose of this place captured my interest, so I seized the opportunity.
"I have a deal to offer you, CPAA, and I believe it will be in your best interest to accept. I can fix whatever is broken in this place, and in return, you will tell me everything you know about Originium."
"Y-you don't have authorization to access this data!"
"And who exactly has it? As you said, there's no one else. Wouldn't it be good to give a purpose to the information you've collected? Or would you prefer to stay on top of a mountain for all eternity with an incomplete purpose?"
There was a moment of silence where the strange being made all sorts of bizarre noises, but in the end, its single eye stared at me, and with a subdued voice, it replied.
"I accept your terms."
"I'm glad you listened to reason."
I smiled, releasing it and then casting Repair, mending all the damage caused. The sphere jumped with what I thought was surprise, moving its legs from side to side, and then spoke.
"Impressive, what kind of technology did you use?"
"Magic."
"It's a secret then. I hope you don't mind if I decide to study it in the future."
"I believe we're getting off-topic."
"Oh, right, please follow me, sir…"
"Alden."
"Sir Alden."
-Capital of Gaul, Lingones-
A feline woman with short gray hair, pale skin, and green eyes locked the door of her apartment behind her. Sighing from exhaustion, she hung her bag on the coat rack and took off her shoes after a long day teaching at the Lingones Academy.
With weary steps, she went to the kitchen, making herself a cup of tea while observing the bustling streets below through the window. A small smile appeared on her face as she witnessed the advancement of civilization, but she couldn't help but think that it wasn't yet ideal. Despite all its growth, Terra wasn't ready for what was to come.
She had to leave that line of thought for later; her tea was ready, and she had the students' papers to grade, but not before having a moment of peace and quiet.
Placing the steaming cup on her coffee table, she went to her room, returning with a brown briefcase and sitting on her sofa. The briefcase was placed beside the cup, opened, and revealed a piece of technology far too advanced for modern times: a computer, which, after pressing a few buttons, began its function.
Drinking her tea, the woman pondered why she still did this. No matter how hard she tried, no one answered, until a flashing light caught her attention. Her eyes widened and she spat out her tea, the reprimand for the mess vanished as she grabbed the computer with both hands and read the ten-thousand-year-old outdated report that had just arrived.
Several thoughts raced through her mind, but one stood above all: who, in the name of the King of Gaul, was repairing Predecessor technology?!
END OF CHAPTER
ALTERNATIVE SCENE: I've given you courtesy enough!
Ch'en and Amiya remained in a burning city. Wounded and exhausted, they stood before Talulah, or in this case, the Black Serpent, with its dark armor and gleaming sword.
"It's useless, you are too weak. Why don't you give up and allow my flames to consume you?"
Her voice held little emotion, but her gaze was as if she were staring at a pair of insects.
Clenching her teeth, Amiya stood up, breathing deeply and fighting the pain, she answered the serpent's words.
"That will be all. I've given you courtesy enough."
With a grim face, but full of determination, the young Cautus discarded her coat, throwing her head back and unleashing a deafening roar worthy of a beast, something one would never imagine coming from the mouth of a young girl.
"RRRAAARGH!"
Windows shattered, the air was visibly pushed aside, and Ch'en protected her ears, trying to stay in place while wondering what the hell was happening.
When the monstrous display ended, the Black Crown had manifested on the girl's head.
"Now I fight as Amiya, King of Fiends!"
The Cautus raised her leg above her head, bringing it down like an axe, and as soon as it stomped on the ground, a shockwave shook the city, rushing towards the Black Serpent.
The asphalt rose in a wave, almost turning into liquid, destroyed vehicles took flight and buildings were ripped from their foundations, and the Serpent found herself in mid-air, pain coursing through her body and her head spinning, completely disoriented.
Her suffering could only worsen, as Amiya closed the distance with an impossible leap, grabbing her by the sides and slamming her against the ground during the fall. Blood gushed from her mouth as her body screamed, and with her back against the ruins, the serpent felt true terror as she saw the monster advancing through the flames.
END OF SCENE