Castaway Planet

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

Days after of Crash landing/ 2

Uninhabited Island / Ruins / Scholar’s Rest/ Lowest Basement/ Cult Shrine

Galactic Standard Time / 1100

The scream had rattled him, but Rogix kept standing. Unfortunately, he was one of the few who had. With just one gaze, he saw what a bad situation they were in. All around him most of the Felines and his men were on the ground knocked out. To his left, only Zane, Bryce, Wilmria, and the Princes were still standing. To his right, the armored child, Icotrix, and three of the Felines looked at the mutants with anger in their eyes.

“That had to be the Spawn’s doing! I mean I’ve never even heard of something like that, but it makes sense!” Icotrix said as his hands grew white scales and claws. He winced and shook his head, looking at the others. “It’s still screaming, but it’s just an echo now. I…… I can’t go too close. I’ll watch the others! Sorry.”

“Ehhh. Leaves more for the rest of us. Not too bad,” Zane said with a smirk as he looked at the mutants and aimed his weapon at them. “How many do you think you’ll get Bryce?”

“As many as you! And no more Flyers from what I can see. So this is just a target-rich environment! Always a good thing to get into my grandfather would say!” Bryce said. A laugh in his voice.

Rogix had to keep from shaking his head. If these people were

“So what’s the plan Rogix?” Wilmria asked as she spun her spear.

A low moan caused Rogix to see that those who were knocked out were waking up. He almost opened his mouth when another louder roar echoed off the walls.

As one everyone gazed towards the roar and saw a horror come from the depression.

A large grey-scaled hand slammed onto where the sacrificial crosses had been. The hand had to be at least five feet wide and five feet tall. The body attached to it slowly pulled itself up. Its head alone was large, at least ten feet wide and twenty feet tall. It had a muzzle with a horn on the end, and its body was chalk white. Its head had three eyes in a triangle formation, and there was a frill around the head. Its neck was long, at least ten feet and five wide. Its body was streamlined and it had flippers near its tail, with only two hands near the front. Down its spine was a fin, and it flexed as it looked at them.

“That’s big. That’s really big,” Rogix said absently. As he locked his eyes on the creature, he understood the enemy a little. This was their object of worship, this Spawn of the Great Beast as the Cult called it. In that instant, he understood how and why people would worship this. If it was as strong as its size indicated, could they win? He could at least let the princess and the off-worlders escape from this blunder. With the others and his old Teacher, they could tell the King everything they knew.

“Eh… I’ve killed bigger. The trick is to hit the brain. So how do we do this?” Zane asked as he rolled his right shoulder before he took a stance.

“You’ve killed bigger!? You have to tell me the story after we get out of here!” Wilmria said a laugh in her voice.

Rogix looked at her, seeing the look of confidence in her eyes. He looked at the others and saw they were all ready to fight and felt shame. Here he was, thinking of how to get survivors to escape and they hadn’t given up yet. And then he felt a laugh bubbling out of him as he gripped his axe. “Well then let’s live! How many of those things do you think you’ll all take out?”

“Wait! Something is wrong here!” The armored child called out. Rogix looked at him and saw that his face wasn’t pointed at the Spawn. Instead, he was looking at the mutants. And as Rogix looked at them in turn, he felt his heart seize. All of them, all the mutants were just standing there, looking at them without moving.

The white-furred feline was meowing loudly, and the black-furred one had a red aura around it.

Rogix felt that the Feline was right, something was wrong here. Why wasn’t the Spawn sending its troops to destroy them all!? Was it having fun and wanted the group to stay alive longer, so it could savor the kill!? All Rogix knew, was that this monster wouldn’t find good sport from him.

<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>

As Bryce looked at the giant creature, he let all his senses go. He had rarely done this, but this was something he had to do. As his hearing increased, he heard a slow beating echo from all around him. It took him a moment to realize that this was something the spawn was doing. It was almost like a clock, always a slow bump that fed into the next. But he knew, he knew that this was just something that this monster was using to hold its troops back.

“It wants something, I don’t know what but something. that’s the only reason it’s keeping them back!” Bryce said with a growl.

He heard the Felines talking amongst themselves, but something was wrong. The more he listened, the more they seemed to say. Their voice had to have something to do with harmonics below human hearing, it had to. But that didn’t matter, they could rig something back at any of the escape capsules to hear them properly. But they had to live long enough to do that first.

“Did it start to like being worshiped!? Did it grow to expect it!?” Icotrix asked with a growl.

A roar sounded and the twenty mutants around them moved a bit. The sound of the beating from the giant monster picked up speed, and he knew that this stalemate was ending. “It’s gonna let us know what it wants.”

As the mutants moved closer, they opened two lines through them. One ended at the giant monster that turned its head to look right at them. From the other, a new Spider Mutant appeared. It had the limbs of a Bulky one and its head-body was that of one of the Flyers. Behind it, a Bulky one with chitin-covered limbs moved, and this one seemed to be ready to strike.

“One of them is the talker, but which one?” Zane muttered a lot closer than Bryce expected. He turned and saw Bryce had moved next to him silently, so silently that he had never noticed him moving.

Before Bryce could say anything, a screech came from the Spider mutant. “You. Listen. To. Words. Of. Great. Beast!”

“By the Forest, it can speak! I am General Rogix, leader of one of many Armies of my Kingdom! To what am I speaking with!?” Rogix bellowed, looking around at the mutants.

The giant monster roared and the spider chuckled.

“That. What. Gives. This. One. Word. You. Listen!” The Spider said with a chuckle.

“What will happen General Wilmria?” Amilisra asked from behind Bryce.

Bryce heard Wilmria chuckle, she had to be trying to keep Amilisra calm.

“We’re going to live princess. That’s all there is to it. I promise,” Wilmria said softly.

“I will hear your master’s words! But I demanded to know why it kept us from leaving!” Rogix bellowed as he looked at the giant monster.

Bryce had to give the General credit. Most people who found themselves in situations like this would scream in fear. But these people were made of stronger stuff, and he wouldn’t let them die here. He had a secret, something that he had rarely let out. If he had to, he could hold the big thing off while the others escaped.

“It. Wants. Food!” The Speaker screamed the last word as the other mutants roared. “Held. Starved! Food. You. Give!”

“We did nothing to you! The ones that did that to you are our enemies! We have no food to give!” Rogix bellowed as he locked his eyes on the Giant Monster.

“You. Have. Bodies! Give. Food!” The spider screeched.

Bryce felt his heart seize before he felt his wraith surge for a moment. He knew just what this thing wanted, and it asked for its death without knowing. He started to growl and then he heard the felines growl as well.

“I hope you aren’t asking me to kill my men. If you mean dead bodies, we have some of those behind us past the rubble!” Rogix said with a hard tone. “You dig them out, and let us go. With your body, it’ll only take you a few moments.”

Bryce looked at Rogix and then nodded. He didn’t like that, but it was the one choice that might let them end this battle. If the creature was willing to let them leave. But then something crept into his mind, something that. Without moving his body or head, Bryce let his eyes move around the chamber. The mutant bodies were still there, and they hadn’t been treated. All of them were dead, and if this thing ate sentient meat, why weren’t they on the menu?

A horrible thought suddenly came into being, and then he gripped his weapon tighter. The chance that he was right was small, but the more he thought, the true it rang. But if that was true, then what kind of things did this monster eat in the wild?

“They. Not. Alive. You. Give. Live. Meat!” The spider screeched.

Bryce closed his eyes and felt his curse start to loosen the latches. He hated it when he was right about things like this.

<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>

Ar’thor just blinked and hastily prepared to summon his pistol. The way the monster before him said what the giant thing wanted, he almost threw up.

The few things that his people knew of that wanted to eat living prey were studied. If there was a chance that they would eat any of the people, then they were destroyed. They were kept in special reservations, places where they could live without threatening anything. But this thing!

“You want me to give you my people, alive for you to eat!?” Rogix barked, anger in his voice.

“You. Give. Or. All. Die!” The Spider cried out as the other mutants started to screech.

“[My prince, we’ve heard everything],” Je’ndra’s voice suddenly came over his mask’s coms. “[The team is ready to strike, just give us a moment. Then give this thing a chance to back down].”

He grinned and almost spoke up then and there.

“You must be stupid! You dare to think that I would give my men, my loyal soldiers to you to eat!? What kind of monstrosity are you!?” Rogix bellowed.

“You. All. Die. All. Feed. Master!” The Spider screeched.

“No, we won’t! Now I give you a choice! Leave or die!” Ar’thor bellowed.

The Mutants, the Giant creature, and the others all looked at him as he stood there. The Beast moved its head and looked right at him, and he saw humor in its eyes.

“What. Little. One. Do. Alone?” The Spider mocked and the Mutants all laughed.

“That’s the thing. I’m not alone,” Ar’thor said with a savage tone in his voice.

Suddenly from above energy bolts rained down at the Mutants! The Beast reared back and tried to look around before it screeched in pain as one of its eyes froze over.

“Who in the name of the Forest!?” Rogix asked in a shocked tone.

“Are you doing this?” Amilisra asked, her voice soft and scared.

He turned and looked at the girl, this Princess of these people. “Good Lady, I am Ar’thor. A diplomat of my people. My security team is doing this.”

As the Mutants moved and some of them attacked the others, there was a yell from the right. Ar'thor watched as Je’ndra, Tar’lroia, and Kong6 ran into the chamber from the right side. As they ran towards the group of humans and felines, some of the mutants moved towards them.

As one of the Bulky mutants came close to them, Je’ndra slashed off its head as they ran past. Kon’gric didn’t even bother to summon his weapon, he just held up his arms. An energy tower shield formed and he used it to push the mutants aside, and then Tar’lroia blasted them with her rifle.

“Kon’gric, protect us all!” Ar’thor cried out.

“[My charge wills it! It will be done]!” Kon’gric bellowed as he, Je’ndra and Tar’lroia made it to the group

He placed himself in front of the group and within moments, all the people were in a bubble energy shield.

The Mutants didn’t stay still, some of them attacked the giant monster. As one with the head of Flyer and the Body of a Bulky bit into the right arm of the monster, the monster screamed. It lashed out with its other arm, sending the Mutant into the air. As the giant reared back, it screeched and the mutants were stunned for a second. But then they all moved again, all attacking the giant with their bare limbs.

“Something happened! The sound of the Giant, it’s gone! It’s lost control!” Bryce cried in shock.

As some of the mutants moved to attack the group, bolts came from the top balconies and killed some of them. The others turned and ran towards the Giant.

But Ar’thor kept his vision locked on the mutant thrown through the air. And he saw its flesh start to ripple. The misshapen nature of its body started to change, it started to come together. As he watched, the Mutant started to evolve. Its flesh became streamlined like the Giant, but it grew two wings over five feet long from its back! Feathers grew all over its body and its limbs grew talons that tore into the floor. But when it looked at the group, Ar’thor saw it had gained a third eye.

For moments that stretched for what seemed like years, Ar’thor and the Mutant just looked at each other. Then with a roar, the Mutant charged at the Giant, this time throwing blasts of fire from its wings with each beat.

But all that mattered to Ar’thor was what he just saw. If the Mutants ate of the Giant, they would all evolve and gain access to Aether. And even if they don’t gain their minds back, they would most likely attack the group! This was beyond the worst possibility, they had to leave now!

“Now what do we do?” Icotrix asked as they all looked at the Mutants fighting the Giant.

“Now we move! Leader Je’ndra, I trust you know how to get us out of here back where you came?” Ar’thor asked abruptly.

“[Yes]….Yes. I can,” Je’ndra said looking at Ar’thor before moving her eyes to land on Zane and Bryce. “And I trust you two know how to get back to your escape capsule?”

<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>

Rogix looked from the armored being to the carnage. Anything that would let them get away from this place was good in his scrolls! “I’m perfectly happy to let you lead. Just tell us where to go.”

“It’s not that easy! I can get us back to the corridors, but I don’t know how to get away from there!” Je’ndra said as she looked at the battle.

“I can do that. Just get us back to the main chamber that way!” Zane said as he pointed to the right. “Once there I can get us back to their land! We can get back to our landing site later!”

“Fine! Move! Olv’xic, have your team cover us until we make it then fall back! Blow the routes behind you!” Je’ndra ordered as she walked towards the shielder. “As soon as the shield’s down, you two fire so the natives can get away. Diplomat, go with them!”

“I’ll watch over him,” Wilmria promised and Je’ndra nodded.

Rogix looked up at the balconies above, trying to see who she commanded to watch over them. If he had such forces under his command in the past, so many of his soldiers would have survived.

“We good to go!?” Je’ndra asked as she looked around. Rogix watched her and when she saw something, she nodded. “Drop the shield!”

As soon as the shield was down, she and the other three fired at the Mutants. The ones closest to them cried out in pain before they tried to run away. To Rogix’s glee, they ran towards the giant monster.

The group all started to run, the Felines against the wall but for the red and black-furred ones. When a Flyer with Bulky legs tried to attack them, the black one fired a single large comet at the Mutant. The explosion sent it flying.

Some of the Mutants turned towards them, but again energy attacks from above rained down. The attacks killed a few and sent the rest running towards the Giant Monster. At the same time, more explosions of ice claimed the Monster’s arms. As the Mutants swarmed the beast, they all heard the Giant roar in pain and anger.

Then Rogix was running into a doorway between two balconies. As he ran down the corridor, the cries started to echo from all around him. He saw more tapestries on the walls, all of them seeming to show a humanoid figure with others before it. For a moment he looked at them, trying to understand what the enemy was making as art. But then he realized that this was the wrong time for it. He had their history as they told it, and a defector. He could learn all he needed to know about the enemy from them.

Looking ahead, he saw the diplomat running next to Princess Amilisra. He had to wonder what this would mean for the Kingdom. The boy was a diplomate from a power from the stars. And they were just a kingdom on their Realm. With the Prince's treason, who knows what would happen next?

And that wasn't even counting on the Felines! The Kingdom's enemy had worked with them, to save a Princess. That had to mean something!

From trying out a new weapon to finding the trio in the Devil’s Realm. Then the three recused his group and finding out the Beast Cult was still alive. All in all, this day had been the most crazy he had lived in a long time.

Three more of the armored figures came thundering down a staircase to the left. They said nothing, just joining the group. They hadn’t moved more than ten feet when he heard the sounds of explosions behind them.

“Don’t worry!” One of the new armored figures said with a grin. “We made sure that those things wouldn’t follow us! As long as you guys got a path out of here, we’re all okay!”

All Rogix could do was hope they were right. But one thing was sure, this was all almost over!