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/ Outside Cult Doorwaay

Galactic Standard Time / 0930

“Do we go down that way general?” One of his men asked Rogix.

Rogix stayed silent, looking down the passage. He couldn’t believe that someone or something else was fighting the Beast Cult, here and now. It seemed too much of a chance for it to happen now. All he knew, was that if everything he could feel was telling him no, this wasn’t the right way. The best thing to do was move away and leave this to later.

Finally, as Rogix looked down the passageway, he decided to trust his gut. And it was also telling him that trouble would come if they stayed here. “No, we go that way.”

Bryce nodded as he looked at the other corridor. “I agree. Whoever is down there might be friends, or they might not. Best to find out what this place is first.”

Rogix only nodded, and after a moment he led the way along the corridor. Looking at the walls, he tried and failed to keep the revulsion he felt down. All around them were tapestries with the same creature that the door was made to look like. He looked at the beast depicted and shook his head. He had never seen anything like that, even in the fragments of the Kingdom from the Past before the Capture. The more he looked at it, the more he felt he was looking at something alive. He didn’t want to know what this thing was, and he hoped he never saw anything like it.

“So, how bad is all this?” Bryce asked quietly from Rogix’s left.

“What?” Rogix asked in shock.

Bryce only sighed and looked around. “How bad was it that these ‘people’ had a base beneath this Rest place?”

“Oh, that. Bad, really bad. This place is one of the few that the Scholars are trained at. They function as advisors, the people who make our weapons and heal us. The Rest is more for the creation of the new. But the others? If they all like this, then who can we trust?” Rogix asked quietly. And he thought that he was underselling the problems ahead of them. The Scholars were a fact of life among the Kingdom, teachers, and healers. They were all neutral, and they were trusted all over. But the Beast Cult had been able to infiltrate them? How?

“I can understand that a lot better than you can know. I had a time in my past when I discovered I couldn’t trust those who raised me. You’ll be stronger at the end of this,” Bryce said softly.

He looked at Bryce and tried to keep the questions off his face. The man and his friends were a strange bunch. But then they were from the homeworlds, and Rogix’s people had been stuck here for centuries. There were bound to be a few changes that happened over the years with both groups.

“Maybe. I’ll always trust my Teacher, but then how many others like him are there really? Was he the normal one or the odd one of the Scholars?” Rogix muttered and shook his head before looking at one of the tapestries in anger. It was of the same creature, only now there were people on their knees before it with their heads down.

For a second he blinked then he looked at the next one. It showed people of the same general outline of the kneelers moving towards a city. “This, this is their history, how they remember it!”

As the others took in Rogix’s words, he stared at the tapestry, his anger slowly building alongside his Power. He couldn’t believe this, he just couldn’t! Those slime were going to paint themselves as the victims, he just knew it!

“Okay, that’s interesting,” Bryce said from behind them.

Rogix turned and saw Bryce looking at the wall behind them. This one had another tapestry on it. And this one showed the humanoid figures fighting the creature, and one of them being eaten.

“What is this? Their hell?!” Rogix demanded anger in his voice.

“I think this is how they see their history, you were right about that. Maybe.” Bryce said as he looked along the corridor.

“But what does this mean?! We’ve never seen that thing in any part of the Realm!” Rogix demanded.

Bryce just nodded. “Yes, your realm. I wonder if this cult found a way into the Inner Ruins before they attacked you all. That would change things.”

Rogix looked at Bryce, trying to understand what the man meant. He just couldn’t understand what he was saying, weren’t all the realms the same? Like the one they had broken into, the one where their Enemy lived?

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Bryce looked at the artwork on the wall and tried to think. He had seen and heard of a lot of strange aliens at the School. Some of them were sentient, some weren’t. Some of the Federation had or were uplifting, and some that they had quarantined. The reasons why were worlds varied, but one that was basically one organism through a true hive mind came to him. He nodded as he walked farther along the corridor, looking from one piece of art to another.

“Wait, what are you talking about!?” Rogix demanded.

Bryce sighed and looked back at Rogix. “When the Builders were alive they used this to breed creatures to fight for them. Each and every realm? Nothing but cages to try out new patterns of life they made.”

“What?! But our people! Are you saying we were brought here to be targets for living weapons!?” Rogix demanded.

“Yeah….” Bryce said softly. “We found a recording of a monster attacking captives in a forest.”

“What!? Oh, by the Forest!” Rogix declared horror in his voice. The others who had been listening to Bryce had similar reactions. Bryce cursed himself for even saying that much, but they had to know. If this was telling the truth, then they might be in so much danger! He scowled as he looked at the others and heard their conversations. He took a deep breath and sighed, shaking his head.

“Relax, I don’t think that’ll happen to you guys. I’m guessing that the Builders died out long before this place caught your ship. I think that the computer had an order to collect Test Subjects that stayed active. And still is,” Bryce said softly as he looked at the artwork he had stopped by. He stared at the tapestry as Rogix tried to understand what Bryce meant.

“But what does another Realm have to do with that monster!?” Rogix demanded

“Do you people have lakes?” Bryce asked and Rogix nodded.

“Yes, not many but some. But what do you mean?”Rogix demanded.

Bryce eyed him and shook his head, sighing as he turned his head. “An ocean is a Lake the size of a realm, and over a few hundred miles deep in some places. And in the water, life can be as big as it wants. And it has very little limits on what it looks like.”

“That….. that could be real!?” Rogix croaked out, horror in his voice.

Bryce nodded as he looked down the corridor. “Yes, and if I’m not wrong we’ll find out more about this place down there.”

“Why?” Rogix asked, looking all around at the artwork.

“If they're telling their story as you move? Then something important must be at the end,” Bryce said as he walked forward, his bowered sword in hand. He didn’t wait for the others, he just kept his eyes roaming, looking at the art on the walls. The way it was set up captives from each battle were fed to this beast. When they didn’t have others, the sacrifices were drawn from the civilian population. The time they didn’t have enough food to give, it took some of the fighters. That was when things changed when the battles started to turn against the Cult. After that happened, the Cult scattered.

“This battle, was it important?” Bryce asked as he pointed at the art outside a door. They had reached the end of the hallway, and Bryce looked at Rogix waiting for an answer. The art showed the Cult defending a structure, the structure being attacked. The attackers were just five figures wielding what looked like five elements.

“The Last Battle of the Uprising. Where the Generals of Fire, Ice, Wind, Earth, and Thunder led their armies in battle together. That was the turning point for us, the one battle that broke them. At least, that’s what we thought,” Rogix said softly.

Bryce looked at the other side of the corridor. Unlike the rest, there was nothing on this wall. “The story must continue beyond this place. Beyond this is what happened to them after their war.”

Rogix said nothing, only looking at the tapestry for a few moments. Then he looked at the door and scowled, gripping his axe tighter. “Yeah, I think you’re right. Let’s find out what happened to these bastards. Let’s see how they survived their would-be death!”

Bryce nodded and slowly grabbed the door’s handle. Moving it slowly, he heard the tumblers move. “Door’s open, let’s find out. Break in and secure? I’ve got forward.”

“I’ll handle right, my men will hand left,” Rogix declared.

Bryce only nodded and pushed the door open in a rush.

“YEEEEEEALLLLAA!” Bryce yelled as he ran in, his pistol and browed sword ready for anything.

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Rogix ran after Bryce and turned right as he ran into the room. They had found a large chamber, at least a hundred feet wide and round. All over the walls were tapestries like outside. He didn’t have a chance to see them, but what bothered him was what was in the center. Turning to look at them was a force of five Bulky figures, each one holding a hammer. They also had strange-looking leather armor over their frames, and each was colored black.

Behind them were two human cultists and eight Insect figures, all in purple robes.

Bryce was running straight at the Bulky figures, and as he ran he fired his strange weapon.

A bolt flew at one of the Bulky figures who raised its hammer and blocked the shot.

Right there, Rogix knew that he had to handle the big ones, the others had to handle the rest.

“I’ve got the big ones!” Rogix bellowed as he ran right at the large figures.

“Kill the pagans!” One of the human cultists bellowed in anger. With that cry, the insects ran at Bryce as the Bulky figures turned to deal with him before the insects got to him.

“Dodge Bryce!” Rogix bellowed before he spent some of his Power and glowed yellow. With a mighty roar, he slammed down his axe, and it sent a bolt of electricity at all the Cultists.

Bryce jumped at one of the Bulky figures, and once he hit the figure tried to grab him. But before that happened, Bryce pushed off and flew through the air in an arc.

The blast that Rogix sent hit one of the Bulky figures a second after Bryce was away and exploded. The blast caused the Bulky figures and two of the Insects to scream in pain.

Rogix had been in enough battles not to think that his attack had killed them, but he hoped he got some of them. As the blast cleared he saw each of the Bulky figures was still standing to his shock. But as he looked closer, he saw that the one that had first been hit was staggering. Plus the two insect figures were on the ground, smoke floating up from their bodies.

He grinned as he started to run, and he saw Bryce and his men rushing at the other Insect Figures.

With a roar Rogix jumped at the first of the Bulky Figures, his axe coated in his Power. He slashed the Bulky Figure down the middle, and the body fell apart in two segments. Rogix jumped away before the blood rushed out of the remains, coating the ground. The other Bulky Figures roared and charged at him. But then Rogix slammed the head of his axe into the ground and a small burst of electricity shot out. The burst hit the blood, and it was carried to the first two Bulky Figures that touched the blood.

They roared in pain and after a moment Rogix let the Power fall away from his axe. He saw one of the figures fall to the ground, its body smoking. This left him to deal with three of the Bulky figures, and each one was mad at him. With a savage smile, he looked at them and made a come hither motion with his right hand.

The three Bulky Figures roared and charged at him, their weapons raised to strike.

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Icotrix looked at the attackers and grinned. This was perfect! They had to be warriors from the Kingdom, and that changed a lot of things. When he had gone this way, the last thing he had expected was to run into Cult Members. He had been able to spin a lie about how he was here to represent the guards at the ceremony and the leader here had eaten it up. He had spent the last half an hour talking about how he was very important at this temple. How he had chosen the sacrifice from their own. It had taken all Icotrix had to keep from transforming and killing this scum. But his will had won out, and the fact that he wouldn’t save his sister had stayed his hand. But he was planning how to make this scum pay, then the door had been breached.

He had been able to recognize the Thunder General, and that made him feel so happy. The fact that he had to be leading from the front meant that his army was behind him. He had to talk to him and get his help to take down the Cult. Together with his intel, this time the Cult would die completely to the Five Generals. But how could he prove he was on their side?

“How did these Paganss get here?! What happened to guards!?” The scum next to him cried out in fear.

Icotrix blinked and looked at the scum, a smile forming on his face. Ask a stupid question, and get a wonderful answer. This just showed that sometimes, the universe did look out for those who waited.

“Maybe those Feline creatures that killed the outpost killed them? No, they went to the other entrance to the grand chamber through the reinforcements. Still, that was luck,” Icotrix said with a grin.

“Wait, what?! Sir, what are you……ugh,” The scum said before he fell to the ground.

Icotrix had slammed his hand onto the man’s head, changing it as it moved. Now his hand and arm was a bulky-looking arm covered in red chitin. The chitin fell away as his arm slimed and he looked at the battle. So far the soldiers and what must be Rogix’s apprentice were holding their own. The fact that they were still all alive said something about their training. He looked at Rogix, fighting the three Bulky Figures and he nodded. “Yes, that looks like the right move. And I better not change into one of them. Best to try one of my originals I think, that might make them talk to me if I fight on their side.”

He took a step forward and gazed into his library of forms. Without a single word, he found what he was looking for and grinned as he felt his flesh shift and ripple. As his clothing started to bulge up, he looked at the battle between Rogix and the Bulky figures. He felt his blood surge, ready for battle and he hoped that Rogix would listen.

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As he slashed at one of the remaining Bulky Figures, Rogix kept an eye on the others. They were coming up from both sides, trying to get him between them. With a smirk, he waited for them to get closer, ready to jump away. But then a roar sounded as something barreled into one of them. He was able to see what looked like black scales under the remains of a purple robe. But then the Bulky one he was fighting roared and slammed down its hammer at him.

With a single thought, he felt his Power activate before he felt himself teleport upwards. In the air, he was able to see the new creature. It was a bit taller than a normal man and had two wings on its back. It did have black scales, all over its body. It had a small muzzle on its face, and it opened its mouth to breathe fire at the Bulky one it was holding down.

“Enemy of the enemy, hu?” Rogix muttered before he started to fall. He looked down, aimed at the Bulky figure he was fighting, and roared. The Bulky figure looked up and it was met with Rogix’s axe to its face!

As he pulled his axe free once he landed, he looked up as the last Bulky figure moved took a step back, and looked around.

Raising his axe, he moved the head a bit to look around. He saw Bryce kill the last one of the insect figures and his men moved towards the door deeper in. The final Bulky figure ran, not deeper in but towards the door the party had come from. Before it had taken more than five feet, two bolts from Bryce’s weapon hit its knees. As it stumbled, Rogix ran at it.

The Bulky figure turned and seemed to inflate to double its size before it released a blast of air. Rogix felt the wind push him back a few feet, and then something shot by him. He saw it was the scaled creature and it was running on all fours, its wings down along the ground. As soon as the wind died down, the scaled being rose to its legs and roared.

The Bulky figure staggered back, and then the scaled figure was on the Bulky one. The scaled figure slashed out with its hands and tore off the Bulky figure’s right eye. As the Bulky figure screeched in pain, the scaled figure slashed out at its neck. As the blood gushed out of the wound, the scaled figure moved away from the body.

Rogix looked at the scaled figure, taking note of its black eyes. He stepped back as the scaled figure’s skin started to ripple and change. Rogix only stared and wondered just what this would mean, what this being's intentions were.