章 4: Chapter Three : Awakening
Victor sped through the necropolis, the undergrowth and rubble annoyingly slowing him down. Ian radioed him, there was no way their vehicle was making it through that forest. Instead, he would make a camp at the edge and hold back in case Chase turned back. It was getting darker the further in he got and he was getting worried he wouldn't be able to find Chase. Normally, he wouldn't sweat it. Chase and his band of friends could handle themselves pretty well. The kid was a Hardwynn after all.
But….
There was something about this forest that put him on edge. He felt eyes all over him and who knows what's out this far into the Harshlands. Roaming through this city was like walking through a graveyard, constantly waiting for a phantom to grab him from behind and drag him into the underworld. He had one mission, keep the kid safe, and bring him home when the order was given. Ten years later, and sometimes he wondered if Stephen even remembered that they were out here. The boss had changed after the war. He became hermit-like, shut in. When he called the two of them in for a mission, he couldn't even believe it. When he gave them their orders though… He was cold but deadly serious, and they knew there was no fucking this up.
Darkness….
Out of nowhere everything goes black. He jerked to a stop, his legs buckled and tendons and muscles popped. He feels tiny, hands rising up his legs. They pull him down into the rippling black pool that replaced the earth beneath him. He sunk deeper into the darkness, inky black hands coiling around him spilling into his mouth.
The black liquid before him began to part as a hooded figure appeared. The man knelt down and lurched his face into Victor's. A twisted smile stretched across his face. Victor's heart sank when he noticed the man's cloak. It was a Sourcer cloak adorned with swaths of cloth. Many had the Hardwynn seal, many more stained with blood.
"Patchman…" he choked out, "Impossible…"
Patchman was a boogeyman, a long lost terror from the Source war. He was a sadistic killing machine, with enough blood on his hands to fill an ocean. He was supposed to be dead, burnt up, with the rest of Source City.
Patchman removed a blade from under his robe and cut the Hardwynn Elite logo off of Victor's uniform, the razor sharp edge cutting into his skin.
He gazed at his new trophy, his demonic grin never leaving his face. Slithering his blade up to Victor's throat, he spoke.
"Rejoice Victor! We were once foes but soon we will be allies, comrades in the service of my master!"
Victor's eyes bulged. He tried to scream in pain but the black tendrils filled his lungs.
The blade slid across his neck, arterial blood showering the Patchman.
" REJOICE FOR YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN!!" He shouts as he pulls a strange black seed from a pouch. It had white luminescent veins flowing through it, and had a slimy gleam to it. He smiled even harder, admiring it, adoring it.
The blackness pulled Victor's head back as Patchman placed the seed into his wound. Roots shot out of it and weaved their way through his body, his dark skin fading to a sickly white, his muscles and bones pop and twist.
Patchman revels in the sounds as the pair sink into the inky black.
"Remade by his design…. You will be perfect!" He cackles.
The darkness fades away, the forest returns to its haunting normalcy.
Chase peered down from the hole in the side of the building. He could see the faint flicker of lights and campfires below him. He must have been on the top floor, at least the stairs ended here. He ran into a few rooms the Sourcers were using as barracks, but no sign of the outpost team, hopefully tilly would have better luck. There were a lot more Sourcers than he thought there would be, they had to number in the hundreds on the floors he went through. This was looking more like a small army rather than a random cell of Sourcers.
He could hear the faint murmurs of many conversations as he made his way towards the voices. He enters a large room with a tree growing through the destroyed floor. The floor below him was a sea of white cloaks, there seemed to be a meeting of sorts. The crowd's multiple conversations diminished as a new group entered and made their way to the back.
The tree's thick trunk was blocking his view so Chase carefully traversed the tree's many branches, trying to not draw attention.
One of the Sourcers stood forward, the tall woman removed her hood, releasing her unruly blonde hair. She clasped the crystal necklace around her neck and raised her hand.
"All Hail The Source!"
The crowd repeats it back to her.
"All Hail Lord Sern!"
The crowd chants back.
"May we rejoice in his infinite glory, on our final day may we become chosen!"
The crowd erupts back at her, as she soaks up their fanaticism.
"I bring word from our master! He says it is finally time to leave the shadows! It is time to make the world ours again!"
As the cultists roar with excitement, she motions for them to settle down.
"The other forces have made swift work of their target cities and are en route to us. We have gained an exciting new target, which we will take before the end game." She motions to the entrance.
"Bring them!" She shouts. The sourcers turn their attention behind them.
"Chase!" Tilly's voice chirps in his ear.
"I found a guy, not one of ours but…. what they did to him… it was.."
"Can't talk... top floor… Now!" He whispered back.
"I'm on my way… don't do anything stupid. Hu will kill me if you get hurt."
Earth pounding footsteps shook the branch he was perched on. A hulking form emerged through the doorway, its stench burning Chase's nostrils. Its pale, sick skin was plagued with bulbous tumors, greasy black veins and jagged bones protruded from gigantic muscles. The Titan snarled its bone crushing teeth at the admiring crowd. It made its way towards the woman, dragging behind it, a squirming body. Chase clenched his fist, he could feel the crystals begin to crawl up his arm. The body being dragged was beaten badly but Chase could tell who it was.
Her New Eidolon tattoo is still visible on her burly, bloody arms. It was Kimiko, the scout team leader. Someone had to be very powerful to do that damage to her. She was strong, almost as strong as his father and uncle. She defended a small village, fighting off bandits and warlords before they had met.
The creature lifted her by the neck, holding her in front of the Sourcer leader.
"You are strong willed… I will give you that, but we didn't need to break you. Your compatriots had much looser lips. We know where your little town is. You are here because, unlike your friends, you have been.. Chosen!" The crowd cheers frantically.
Chase's heart skipped. They had to get out of here, warn Hu and the others. First, he had to get Kimiko.
Tilly needed to hurry.
The woman pulled a strange looking seed from her robe and the crowd gasped in reverence.
Kimiko tried to struggle but she could barely move. She tried to say something, but her face was swollen shut.
The Sourcer leader took a deep breath and let out a scream. Energy burst from her mouth, slamming into Kimiko's face. An audible crack rang through the room, as her neck snapped backwards.
Chase screamed out as he landed in the room. He was already in motion before the woman attacked, but he was too late. Chase stared her down, she met his gaze and smiled as she shoved the seed into Kimiko's swollen lips.
The room bursts into chaos. Chase charges for the leader, dozens of hands grab at him tearing off his borrowed cloak. His crystalline fists tear at his attackers, his years of close quarters combat allow him to evade and attack the swarm of cultists descending onto him.
As Kimiko's body thrashes and twists on the floor, the leader points at Chase and screeches. The blast rips through her own people, the force tore limbs from bodies and sent them hurtling in the air.
Chase shields himself with his arms, the crystals devouring the powerful energy as the beam pushes him back. His planted feet sliding on the floor, he spins out of the attack.
"Oh shi…" he mutters as the hulking creature consumes his field of view. It swings its gnarled fist into his torso. He could feel his body armor crack, one of the thing's spikes gouging into his ribs.
Chase returned to consciousness just in time to slam into a wall. Stealing what little breath he had left, forcing him to choke up blood. He felt a small but powerful ping of pain at the base of his skull followed by a strange feeling.
Energy surged through his body, his crystals began pulsing with power, they grew up to his shoulders with unruly peaks.
"That's new." He said as he pulled his bloodied mask from his face. He looked at his new upgrade. Black, purple, and pink energy arcing off his newly formed crystals.They whispered to him, archaic hunger older than time.
The Titan charged at him, a pack of Sourcers following in its wake, blasts from an array of powers scorching the wall behind him, others seemingly veering off course to be absorbed into his arms.
He peeled himself off the wall, tried to move but stumbled to his knees. The monster roared as it slammed its fists down towards Chase. He rolled to the side, pain shooting through his body, but dodging the first attack.
The closest Sourcer slashes at him with long claws extending from his fingertips. He parries the attack and punches the attacker in the stomach. The man staggers back, he and Chase share shocked looks. His body was a crater, a large, perfectly symmetrical chunk carved out of his flesh. The man's insides leaked from the opening and he collapsed to the floor.
The creature attacked again, and he dodged the blow. The ground shook and cracked under them. The pack of Sourcers jump Chase and he counters, each blow landing repeating what happened before. It was like his fists were eating all matter where he punched, leaving an empty void. It felt like the crystals were feeding, each time he could feel energy surge throughout them.
He oriented himself, looking for that bitch that killed his friend. He saw her, running from the room screeching like an alarm. Soon, the whole building would be up here. He looked for Kimiko's body, but it was gone.
They said she was chosen, but what could that mean… What was that weird seed thingy? His thoughts were interrupted when something slammed into his side, lifting him into the air.
His heart broke when he saw the twisted version of what used to be Kimiko's face. The swelling was gone, but it wasn't the same. She was starting to resemble the abomination that was currently trying to smash him into oblivion. Her eyes were black with pinpoint white pupils.
"Kimiko, it's Chase! You don't have to do this!"
He tried to reason with her, but it was pointless. He watched her die. Whatever this was, it was no longer his friend.
He struggled to free an arm, but her grip was bone breaking. She continued charging, picking up speed with each step. Chase managed to get a hand onto her hip, grasping hard, taking a chunk out of it. Black fluid spewing from the crater, she let out a horrible scream, and used her momentum to slam Chase through the wall, careening out into the dark forest.
Moments before…
"Did you say Chase? As in, Chase Hardwynn?"
Tilly gave the prisoner a perplexed look.
"Yeah… who are you? What's your name… how do you know Chase?" She replied.
Very few people knew who Chase was out in the Harshlands, and Tilly knew them all. He worked extra hard, and wore that ridiculous outfit to keep his identity secret. He did say Hardwynn City before though, maybe he's from there.. Maybe he was a Hardwynn Elite.
"My name is Jontha. I will explain everything later… we have to get to him. We have to make sure he gets home!"
"Nah ah, this day just keeps getting weirder. You better tell me how you know him... Talk or I'll cremate your ass. Make sure there's no more you to regenerate." A jet of white, hot, flame forms in her palm. The heat stung Jontha's face.
"I know his father… please let's hurry. There are things going on here that you aren't prepared for. He is not safe."
Tilly's flame died down.
"Ok, but you better spill it after all this."
Jontha nodded in agreement, and the pair headed into the staircase. A loud scream echoed down to them, followed by loud crashes, and bangs. Tilly shot Jontha a worried look.
"Go, I will meet you up there."
Tilly ripped off the Sourcer robe, and jetted up the stairs with blinding speed. Her wake of flames burning any unsuspecting Sourcer in her way.
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