Castaway Planet

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

Days after of Crash landing/ 2

Unknown Island / Ruin/ Realm of Forests and Great Lakes

Galactic Standard Time / 0915

As the monster roared and slammed its tentacle at him, Kon’gric formed an energy half-circle above him. As the appendage bounced off, Kon’gric gritted his teeth. The blow had drained around five percent of his shields. Not much, and it was already recharging but the force that had to be behind that blow. To even think that a living creature was capable of that, something was wrong. Just what was this thing!? It was almost as if……Kon’gric went still and looked up through his shields. He looked up through his shield and tried to keep calm, but he couldn’t.

This was impossible, there was no way in existence that such a thing could be possible! But if it was, then everything that he thought he knew was wrong. But part of him was excited, this changed everything! For a moment he wondered just how he could use this, and then he felt his disgust rise. He had tried to stay away from the Great Game, but now?

“[Kon’gric, you okay over there? Me and the big guy are moving around, lining up shots! Just hold for a few more minutes! Your gear can hold, right]?” Olv’xic’s voice caused Kon’gric to look at his HUD map, seeing the others moving behind him.

“[Wait! I think it might be able to use Aether to improve its blows! The Strength increases Tech! It might know others]!” Kon’gric said hurriedly.

“[What!? That’s impossible! There’s no way that animals can use Aether]!” Ken’tricx snarled.

Kon’gric would have agreed with him, but the most an animal that this size could do was drain his shield by 2 percent. But then the creature attacked his shield with two of its arms, and he watched as the shield dropped ten percent. He swallowed as he looked at the beast’s spherical body. “[Well unless this thing is a robot, it can use Aether! Each time it strikes me, it does more damage than an animal can do! So what other answer do you have for that]!?”

“[But really! How can that creature even have active Aether? Did it maybe eat someone active or something]?!” Ken’tricx demanded.

At that idea, Kon’gric went still as he tried and failed to think of a counter. And that idea made him look at the red creature as it roared. As it slammed its tentacles against his shield again, Kon'gric felt a spark of anger. The fact that this thing might be hunting him to take his Aether was very worrying.

“[I’ve seen research to do this once. Before I joined up],” Olv’xic said softly. “[And the subjects using range Techs to escape the facility. How I got off-world, to be honest].”

Kon’gric only felt his sheer shock and disgust increase for a second. The more he heard about Olv’xic and his mysterious past, the more he wanted to visit with heavy weapons. The number of ways that those words could be understood was a very small number. And each one only led to more terrible things that might have happened to the kid.

“[What the stars!? Kid, where did you even]….” Ken’tricx began only for Kon’gric to interrupt.

“[Later Ken’tricx! Olv’xic, these creatures you know. Were they smarter than normal]?” Kong6 asked as he slowly tried to move back a foot.

“[Thankfully, no. they were just as smart as they were normally….. mostly. There were some of them that I think created Techs that broke Raloct’s Law. So there’s that],” Olv’xic admitted.

Kong6 only stared up at the creature as it roared and sank a bit into the water, its top tentacles all ready to strike. Raloct’s Law. The impossibility of creating Techs that could increase your intelligence. It was a fact of life, but then so was that animals couldn’t have active Aether.

“[Just kill this thing and get back out there! Do you still have the prince’s location? We haven’t lost it]?” Ken’tricx asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

“[No, I’ve still got it! I can track him for a hundred miles! We just need to get out of here]!”

“[Then let me clear the way]!” Ken’tricx exclaimed.

Suddenly Kon’gric heard the sounds of firing coming from the right. But to Kon’gric’s horror, the blasts all hit an energy shield around the creature’s body.

“[It’s got shields! Why Does it have shields]!?” Ken’tricx demanded as firing kept hitting the shielded limbs.

All Ken6 did was curse himself for coming in here. But then he had to! His wife had been seeing this place for years in her dreams. And every time she got a sense that he would find something important here. Once he saw the trees, he had to go in.

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Olv’xic looked around at the way the creature was reacting to the fire. To his shock and horror, it wasn’t treating the attacks like something new. And that could mean only one thing.“[Everyone, get ready for more trouble]!”

“[What else could there be troubling us on this wonderful picnic Olv’xic? I mean it’s a wonderful day here]!” Ken’tricx said, sarcasm in his voice.

“[That thing is reacting to your attacks like it’s happened to it before. And that means it did. And if it wasn’t us, then it was something else. Something that might attack us],” Olv’xic said as he looked around.

He let his gaze wander over the forest, then he found something. There, in a bush was something that looked like a body. With a bad feeling, he dashed over and found a human corpse there. Looking down, Olv’xic saw that it was fresh, having only been killed a few hours ago. There were a few pieces missing, showing that something had eaten this. The corpse had a purple cloak over it. And to his horror, there were broken veils around the head, each one stained red. He knew what it was at once, but what could a human be doing with blood here? He looked up, trying to find any clue, and just stopped.

The bush was at the end of the hill before the slope. For a moment all Olv’xic could do was take in the sheer beauty of the view. From the way that the trees and the hill all blended together, it was almost like a painting. But then he noticed the ten large round boulders near the bottom of the hill. The rocks that were ahead of drag lines on the ground. The rocks that he was sure he saw move an inch forward. “[NOVA]!”

He aimed his rifle and fired, at the closet boulder and the shot went through it. Then the rocks all screeched and black insect-like heads appeared under the front. As he watched, each ‘rock’ was lifted into the air by four legs. And at the front came two mantis-like claws. The heads had multifaceted eyes and they were looking right at him. He stared as tails with stingers on the end appeared from their backs, each one pointing at him. He could only watch as each tail suddenly gained a glowing sphere before they sped towards him.

He reacted, lunging to the side, and fired as soon as he caught sight of the creatures. Looking around, he quickly found what looked like a stone wall to hide behind. Not even stopping to think, he dove behind it and popped up, trading fire with the creatures.

“[Olv’xic, what is it!? What’s happening]?!” Ken’tricx demanded

Olv’xic only winced as he ducked under the blots that flew over his head. “[Well, I found the range things! Some kind of bugs with shells that look like rocks! Got some kind of scythe claws like that bug…… what is it, starts with an ‘M’? And a tail that they fire aether bolts from]!”

Olv’xic then blinked, looking at his cover and seeing it as if he hadn’t before. “[And I found evidence that people have been here! Said evidence is a stone wall with mortar holding it together]!”

A few more spheres flew over his head and Olv’xic looked at them and then he suddenly thought of a plan.

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As Ken’tricx moved around, his floating rotary cannons kept firing. So far the beast had put its arms around itself, adding an extra layer of protection. He really wanted to figure out how to kill this thing soon. If that thing could kill Kon’gric, then they would lose the Prince. And now Olv’xic had found creatures that could use Aether Range Skills. The more he was thinking about this, the more he was convinced this was a bio-weapon factory. But how had the Builders of this era found out to make creatures with active Aether?

He stopped as a terrible thought hit him. He felt his eyes widen as his mind made connections, connections that he hated. But it if was true, then this place was even more dangerous than they thought.

“[Guys, I’m coming in! I’m leading the things I found! Let’s let them fight]!” Olv’xic’s voice came over the coms.

For a second, it was all that Ken’tricx could to keep standing. Then the sheer brilliance of the idea made him grin wide.

“[Best idea that we’ve got! I say go for it! But then I am in a bind],” Kon’gric said with a slight edge to his voice.

Ken’tricx looked up as the creature started to slam its tentacles on Ko’gric’s shield, and Ken’tricx winced. With a thought, Ken’tricx’s canons started to fire again as he started to move. “[Sorry Kon’gric! My mind made a connection I didn’t want. I’ll keep the thing off our friend, how long do you need Olv’xic]?”

“[Minutes at beast! Just keep fighting and get ready to run]!” Oly’xic’s voice had a touch of hope in it, and Ken’tricx didn’t want to bring it down. If the kid’s idea worked, they could get back on the hunt. All he had to do was keep fighting and hope that the big thing didn’t have another tech to use.

As he summoned his rifle, his cannons spun as he broke cover. While his canons fired at the tentacles it was using to attack, Ken’tricx fired at the ‘legs’. Deny an enemy its stability, and then try to kill it when it is down. An old trick to deal with monsters. But to his horror, the legs had shields too.

“[There you are, I was wondering what kept you. So, think it’ll work]?” Kon’gric asked as he moved another half foot.

All in all, Ken’tricx was starting to wonder about the guard. There was just something in his voice, something that he couldn’t place. “[The kid is smart. And if those things are predators like this one, then it’s more than possible. We just need to be ready to move. So get ready]!”

Kon’gric stayed quiet, and Ken’tricx nodded. As much as he wanted to press in on Kon’gric’s thoughts, he didn’t. Anything that might come out now would only damage Kon’gric’s trust in the team. And to rescue the prince, they needed to trust each other. “[Just trust him. That’s the best play we have, so let’s wait].”

“[Don’t wait too long! Coming up from right behind you]!” Oly’xic’s voice came over the coms moments before they heard the sound of blasters or something like it.

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As he dodged another blast, Olv’xic almost fired back. But he saw on his HUD that he was almost there, all he needed to do was keep moving. As he jumped over a fallen log, he grinned as he heard a beast’s roar ahead.

“[Move in 3…2…1! Move Kon’gric]!” Olv’xic roared.

As he dashed into the clearing right behind the shield, Olv’xic turned and ran towards Ken’tricx. As the shield dropped, more aether blasts flew out of the forest. They kept flying, and they hit the tentacle monster's head. As it roared, the boulder insects came out of the forest and the front runner stumbled. But then a tentacle shouted out and grabbed the front runner as the rest of the boulder insects came out. As the leader boulder insect screeched, its fellows started to attack the tentacle.

With a roar, the tentacle head monster’s tentacle was severed and the leader was freed. The leader screeched and fired a bolt at the tentacle head, but the bolt met the tentacle head’s shields. In reply, the tentacle head struck out with its tentacles, and

While this happened the trio didn’t stay, they ran. Within moments they had reached the door they had come through. To Oly’xic’s mounting horror, the door was just a squat blocky structure that was freestanding. “[No].”

“[How is this even possible!? What is this place!? I mean just how]!?” Ken’tricx demanded.

“[We can’t let it stay open! We have to close this]!” Olv’xic declared as he walked through the doorway. Once he was in the corridors again, he looked at the walls and found a screen above a keyboard next to the door. When the others came through, Olv’xic had already hacked into the controls and was looking to close. “[NOVA! This is a teleporter! And I think…..no. It uses Quantum Entanglement to work! And it can be opened from both ends]!”

“[That’s bad. That’s really bad. Can you close it from this side]?” Kon’gric asked horror in his voice.

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“[Yeah! I just need to do it without anything stopping me! So keep them out]!” Olv’xic said.

Ken’tricx didn’t wait for Olv’xic’s second sentence. He just aimed through the door as Kon’gric moved behind him. As soon as he saw one of the boulder insects running at them, he started to fire his weapons. As he poured fire through the door, he tried to keep calm. He couldn’t fault Kon’gric, if one got the same prophecy over and over, he’d look into it too.

But as the bug was killed, he saw two more behind it. Ken’tricx didn’t stop, he just kept firing as more insects charged the doorway. He couldn’t understand, just why was this happening, where had the horde come from?

As he fired at the newest four, one of them started to fire back at him. Somehow, Ken’tricx knew that what he was about to do was wrong, but he dodged the shot. Then the other three insects aimed at him, and all four fired in unison.

As Ken’tricx looked at the incoming fire, he knew that this was going to be bad. If he dodged them, then they would swarm the door. But if he took the shots, he would be forced back at best and they would still swarm the door.

“[MOVE]!” Kon’gric cried as he pushed Ken’tricx aside.

As Ken’tricx watched, Kon’gric’s shields blocked the shots. “[Shield strength is falling fast, already at 80%! Please tell me you’re almost done! Please]!”

“[Just about….. done]!” Olv’xic cried out as the portal shut down. As they watched, the doorway became nothing more than an empty wall.

Kon’gric shut his shield off and looked at the wall, and he dropped to the floor. “[Each shot took out five percent of my shields. Most of our weapons can only do around two percent. What were those things for!? Horde tactics]?!

Ken’tricx looked at Kon’gric, trying to think of anything that might prove him wrong. But nothing came to mind. For a few seconds, he thought about what this complex meant, and what it was. That portal was beyond anything that the Empire had created or was trying to make. It was beyond anything that was ever found a Ruin too. He couldn’t even begin to think of how such technology could be used by a culture. It was something that could completely change everything that a society was. Instant travel over miles, cargo transportation, and personal movement would destroy those businesses. And in this place, if all the doors were like…..

Blinking, Ken’tricx looked at a door in front of him. Suddenly, a terrible feeling came through him. “[Can you open this door? This one here]?

Ken’tricx saw Olv’xic look at him before he went completely still.

“[Yeah, give me a second to find it……. hello! It’s just a door. No portals or anything! What is this place]?” Olv’xic asked as he went back to work.

“[What is it]?” Kon’gric asked and Ken’tricx stayed silent.

“[Some doors are portals, some aren’t. This place is a nightmare to defend! Any of these doors could hold an army! Just what were they thinking? Were the builders so sure of their power that they made something like this by choice]?” Ken’tricx asked in despair.

All Ken’tricx could do was stare at the wall, trying to understand just how big the Ruin was. He thought he had a good idea of how dangerous this place would be, but this destroyed it. There could be nothing but monsters behind any door. And who knows where the Prince was? All in all, he could see that this was going to be so dangerous. And where were the robots? They should have run into something by now!

For a handful of moments, he imagined those robots charging out of the doors around them. And that was another reason he would have nightmares tonight. They needed to rescue the prince and find a place that they might be able to defend for a night.

“[HEY! There you are]!” Tar’lroia’s voice caused Ken’tricx to look up the corridor.

All Ken’tricx could feel was hope that the others had made it here. Together, they just might be able to survive this.

“[What are you all doing on the floor? You resting or something]?” Ro’borlar asked with a note of joy in his voice.

“[It’s a long story, and to cut it short. Some of the doors are teleportation devices. But enough about us, how was the doors]?” Olv’xic asked with a blank face.

“[Teleportation!? Really]?!” Tar’lroia asked in shock.

“[Yey, and you can’t tell what is what until the door is opened! But the door was able to close without any more problems? You’re all here so]?” Ken’tricx asked.

Je’ndra took a step forward and looked at all three of them. “[An Aether Aviva individual tried to get out. He was killed, and his corpse was that of a human. I think there are more Aether Active humans in this horror show].”

It was all Ken’tricx could do to keep from looking at Olv’xic, wondering how the kid would take this news.