CHAPTER 44: Out

As Orsel left the workshop, the city’s visitors and ruler had fallen into the gentle caress of slumber. It did not come easily, especially for Orsel and Vino, as their long-awaited task would indeed be beginning at the coming of the next morning. While night swept over Lum as it was partway inhabited for one last night, and the stars and smattering of galaxies crawled across the sky, a dream snuck its way into Orsel’s core while it was snugly wrapped within his cloak. Now, elementals don’t have dreams the same way most other living folks do, since when one of their kind is still in their core, they don’t often waste any of their energy with things like subconscious thought. They do, however, experience dreams by way of emotion, feeling happy or sad, cycling through feelings in a seemingly random order while within their period of stasis. Orsel’s dream was a pastiche of around four different feelings:

Happy

Sad

Confused

Content

Then… Pain. A stinging sensation that slowly grew to the point Orsel’s core realized this was no longer a dream. In a panic, his body began to reconstitute, his eyes and tendrils hastily forming in order to pull his core away from the light. As he fully reformed and untangled himself from his cloak, he got a good look at what was causing his predicament— a wayward beam of light had snuck into the room and awoke him prematurely. 

“Orsel!” Jacob’s voice boomed nearby, the titan soon arriving at the doorway of Orsel’s chosen sleeping space. 

“Come on, it’s time.”

The three were lined up outside the back entrance to Lum, the fresh, orange sun blaring in their faces, forcing Orsel to yank his hood over his eyes. Vino carried a large, heavy-looking pack on his back, Jacob looking somewhat surprised that he both required so many resources and was able to lift the thing by himself in the first place. Hope blipped before them, her back to the sun.

“Heroes of Lum.” She announced to the quiet morning, her hand raised theatrically. “We are gathered here to mark the departure for a series of missions that will define the world’s fate. You three have the intelligence, strength, and adaptability capable of performing the monumental task set before you, and not only am I relying on you, you, in turn, must also rely on one another, for only as a team, or even as a pair, you will be able to accomplish what you need. For in the words of the founder of Lum, Faith…” She suddenly stopped talking, her body slouching back forwards. “I… look, nobody else is around, and we’d be here all day if I gave the whole speech.” She stepped aside, as if to permit the trio to leave. “So have a safe trip, work together, and call me when you get a waveform if you need anything, okay?” The group nodded, Orsel somewhat disappointed in the lack of commitment to the fanfare. Hope stood straight once more to deliver five more words before blipping away.

“Crux is counting on you.”

CHAPTER 45: Fragments

Ven shuffled through the cage-lined halls of the basement of Shaydon’s central laboratory. Since the recent allocation of funds they had given (besides the barter that Eyve had hastily set up with Rawth), they were thankfully able to expand their work upstairs… But that didn’t mean things were any less cramped down here. Her right side of the hall was populated by the numerous Shayd prisoners that had been introduced to their fragile ecosystem, sometimes with up to eight at once crammed into a single cell. While the left was reserved for the already-made experiments, writhing in pain, sleeping, or continuing to hork down Eyve’s nutrient-dense supplementary meals. Ven stopped at a cell, fourth from the right of the hall, and turned around to face it. Inside were around a half-dozen miscreant shayd, shuddering in fear at their captor’s unfeeling, half-robotic gaze. They had felt the sting of her arm’s and the cage’s electric shocks one too many times, and had no fight within them to bare at the present half of Shaydon’s Research and Development. 

Ven pointed at the cage. 

“You, the one on the left. Step forward.” Puzzled, the shayd she had referred to winced a confused look, before, not one second later, the other cellmates took it upon themselves to “assist” the requested prisoner forwards. Ven stuck her hand in the mechanical socket adjacent to the cage, and the shayd twitched at the thought of being zapped once more… but collective punishment wasn’t what the scientist had planned at this moment. Instead of sending several thousand watts of energy to line the walls and floor of the cell, she turned the socket a quarter of the way, the door quickly lifting upwards. Still somewhat in disbelief, the shayd that had stepped forward simply stood there, dumbfounded. Ven grabbed the unwilling volunteer by the shoulder and dragged him out, turning the socket once more and bringing the cell door down with a mighty, clattering SLAM! As she led the prisoner back upstairs, she turned a sly eye back towards the prison cell’s socket. She jammed it in one last time, delivering an incorrigible ZAP to the remaining prisoners.

Ven and the prisoner ascended the stairs and ladder with little conflict and conversation, eventually meeting the sight of the twins’ newly-adapted experimentation quarters. Desks covered with containers filled with shattered cores from elementals across Crux were lined up neatly.

“W—what are you going to do with me?” The prisoner asked, finally building up the courage to speak after his time in isolation.

“This.” Ven answered coldly, prodding the prisoner one last time with her electric hand, forcing him to kneel from the pain. Once he had been properly fried, Ven jabbed her arm into his back, ripping through his cloak, and yanked his core out. It was a fairly easy process, but one that was also far from finished. While the errant shadows that dispersed from the cloak tried desperately to cling around the exposed core, Ven calmly, yet quickly moved the precious item to one of the desks, and into the confines of a machine that bore a striking resemblance to some form of crusher. As the stone lay in the indent of the machine’s base, she plugged her arm into a socket in its side, and began to spin it rapidly. A spiked implement began to slowly descend upon the core, putting pressure on it until it began to glow a bright purple, while the shadows that had managed to make contact with it rippled and spiked outwards in pain, like a glob of magnetic liquid. Eventually, the pressure was too much for the humble stone, as small flecks began to fling off of it like popcorn, until eventually, with an ear-splitting CRASH, the Core was nothing more than a pile of cleanly-split shards and fragments— the shadows that once desperately coiled around it dissipating.

“We need to find some way to automate this.” Ven complained, removing the indented portion of the machine and dumping the contents into a small container. With a fresh supply of shards in hand, she now had the intense task ahead of her, piecing together a new core made from the combined parts of this volunteer and another elemental. She made her way to an empty workspace, swearing she had left the shards of an earth elemental when she had last been there. Thinking nothing of it, she took a container labeled “Aquean” from a pile and got to work finding suitable pieces in its confines. The cost of true, unbridled creation was a high one, with resources and time always being at a shortage.

CHAPTER 46: Walk & Talk

The party took their first few pensive steps and slithers outside the confines of Lum, this time without the confidence that they would be returning.

Orsel and his friends ventured onwards from the city, briefed on their mission, and moved forward with a wavering sense of optimism for the task ahead. First things first, the trio would have to make their way to Tunnelis— a cracked, sun-bleached badland arguably worse than the desert of Lum. It was a journey that would take several days, at its very best. Thankfully, however, after about a week of time away from Shaydon and a bout with a raiding party, they were properly supplied and prepared to head onwards.

The sun climbed into the sky, a garish orange, eventually melting into harsh daylight. The blinding yellow dunes were marred only by gentle winds, and eventually by the tracks of the group venturing upon them. Vino took his first swig from one of his water jugs and began to make conversation with his new business partners. “So,” he exasperated, “How do you think we’re going to go about doing this?” Jake replied to him, still looking forward. 

“Well, I’m not quite sure. I haven’t got anything further than swiping it when they’re not looking,” 

“Not to mention running like nobody’s business.” Added Orsel. Vino was nearly dumbfounded at the lax response of his friends but continued to press. 

“Yeah, alright, but there’s still the matter of specifics to get into. Jake, you’re from Tunnelis. Do you know anything about where they keep the keystone?” 

“Not exactly, no.'' Answered Jake. “You heard Hope, Maw’s in charge of that thing… Unfortunately.” 

Vino trotted up to Jake, trying to continue the discussion more conveniently. 

“Alright then,” He continued, “What can you tell us about her?”’ Jake paused for a bit before replying, thoughts flickering behind his dull orange eyes. 

“Of course— any terrian worth their salt knows about Maw.” A confused look scribbled its way onto Vino’s face. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask, is that really what she goes by— Maw?” he asked. 

“Yup. Well, It’s kind of her show name at this point. Her real name is Bethany Wad. She’s something of a tycoon— buying up land left and right, expanding her business— Maw’s Diggin’s whether folks want it or not,” Jake continued. 

“Alright, I know she’s our prime suspect— but I just can’t get past that name. It sounds… Unsavory. Maw. Maaw,” Vino added. 

“Yeah, I see what you mean. Maw. I—If you’re going to do a show name at all, wouldn’t you want something, y’know, pleasant?” interjected Orsel. 

“It’s got its fans. Has a double meaning, too.” Jake explained. “Y’see, some folk see her as a… caretaker of sorts. A mother, a ‘maw’. She provides a lot of jobs, and the whole image has worked well for her brand. Buuut…” he trailed off. 

“But what?” asked Orsel. 

“But, a lot of folks also see her as a monster, a gaping ‘maw’ taking bites off of what’s left of the family ranches and plots out here.” 

“And which camp are you in?” prodded Vino. 

“Take a wild guess.” Scoffed Jake. A dead, fluttering leaf from one of the resident fractal bushes blew by. There was a long period of silence between the questions. Vino concluded the best time to plan would be when they knew their environment.

The day crept onwards, with the scenery of pure, picturesque dunes slowly being interrupted by the odd stone and Spactus stalk. The flecks of the changing landscape meant one important thing— the first signs of Tunnelis were slowly creeping closer to the traveling party.

After hours of walking, and a full water canteen spent, dusk began to creep closer and closer to the present hour, the unforgiving sun mere minutes away from becoming the focal point in a picturesque sunset, a symbol of both triumph, and the coming night. Vino was ready to call it a day, with Orsel sharing the sentiment slowly after. However, Jake convinced them to keep moving until the sun began to touch the ground. The two were hesitant to continue, but also knew that Jake knew the desert better than both of them. Surely, if anyone knew the lay of the land and when it was safe to travel, it would be him. He was made of the stuff, after all.

Orsel lazily shifted onwards, leaning fully on his crookshank.

“Where do you think we’ll be staying while we’re out and about?” He asked. Vino panted. 

“Out here, or when we reach Tunnelis?” 

“Either way, I’ll be able to provide,” interrupted Jake, cracking his glass claws. “Once we reach dirt, I’ll be able to dig us a warren to hunker down in, and as for Tunnelis, You’ll get the treat of staying in my family ranch!” 

“What’s a ranch like?” Followed up Orsel. Jake’s face lit up at the opportunity to answer him.

“Oh, it’s magnificent. We got a big house, lots of land for farmin’ spactus, a barn, a shed, uh… a fence. I just hope the place is still standing, though.” 

“Why is that? Is there anyone else there?” Asked Vino. Concern began to solidify within Jake’s mind. 

“Well, sort of,” he replied, “Most of the family left the nest, but there’s still a couple of my siblings who’ve been looking after the place for the past few years.” 

“What made them, uh, leave the nest?” Orsel puzzled, nearly tripping over a patch of grass. Jake’s expression twisted. 

“It… ain’t something I like talking about too much.”

 Jacob stopped in his tracks, and the others in the posse followed suit, almost collapsing from exhaustion in doing so. Unfazed, Jake looked at the sun to see it was now beginning to truly set, then down at the ground to see that the land they stood upon was not soft, sun-blessed sands, but the proper firmament he knew all his life. It was cracked, dusty, and bleached by the sun, but it was dirt. 

“We’ll set up camp here,” Jake announced. Orsel looked around, confused. 

“How?” he inquired. Jake stretched his arms and torso. 

“A little Terrian hospitality. You two might want to step back.” Orsel and Vino backed up a reasonable amount, with Vino putting on his goggles. Jake prepared to dig. First, he cupped his hands together, merging his palms into one appendage. Next, the fingers on his new conjoined hands began to rotate with thunderous conviction, much like that of a drill. Finally, he leaped up into the air, reaching his hands into the sky, only to dive and crash into the earth, grinding it with the combined force of his spinning fingers and his irrevocable girth. Dirt and chunks of root flew out with reckless abandon, forcing Orsel to cower under his hood, and Vino to shield his face even further with his scrawny arms. 

After the initial chaos, Jake’s spinning form submerged below the ground, and an excavational fountain began to spew upwards in a mighty show of force. The two remaining members of the group inched closer out of curiosity about the digging process, with Vino taking the lead. After some time, the downpour of dirt shifted from a roar to a trickle, until shortly after, Jake’s voice echoed from the darkness below. 

“Come on down, fellas! I did a good job with this one!” Orsel cautiously dropped to look at the progress his friend had made to find that the arrangement provided was surprisingly liveable. The area carved out was spacious, with columns of dirt left in for support, and three raised areas supposedly used for bedding. 

“Jake, this is incredible!” exclaimed Orsel. 

“Ah, weren’t nothing,” said Jake, blowing his spinning hand like that of a revolver barrel. Vino shambled over to the burrow’s entrance. 

“Ooh, let me take a look.” He popped his head down the entrance hole to survey. “Can someone help me down?” Jake clasped his hands around Vino and set him gently down on the soft, dank ground. Vino surveyed the area. 

“Yes, this should do for the night. It seems structurally sound enough.” Orsel inspected and knocked his finger on one of the support columns. 

“It sure does, although, as much as I’d like to do a full building inspection on this place, I am WIPED.” He stuck his crookshank into the side of one of the “beds'' and curled up on top of one of them. “Good night, everyone.” The others, realizing they don’t exactly have anything better to do, follow suit, eventually leaving nothing within the cave but two glittering cores and an unconscious flauna.

CHAPTER 47: The Genesis Canyon

A loud, familiar sound shook the shelter, as Jake began digging a slanted path up to the surface. Orsel’s core shook off of his mound and fell to the floor, groggily reforming his body as he searched for his cloak. Vino uprooted himself, prepared to unleash his fury unto Jake until he decided downing some water after the long, parching night would be a better use of his time. The morning sunrise screamed its way into the room, only partially obscured by the dust and rubble kicked up by Jake’s morning escapades. 

“Rise and shine, boys!” He bellowed into the cave. “Let’s get back on the road.” Vino, now hydrated, was suddenly reminded of his anger. 

“What’s the big idea, waking us up like that?” Jake’s body blotted out the sun as he slithered back into the hideout. 

“We need to keep moving, petals! Early to rise, early to bed, keeps fugitives healthy, and not caught or dead!” Orsel’s eyes flatten. 

“How long did it take you to come up with that one?” 

“Yesterday evening” replied Jake. “Now, let’s get a move on.” 

The three shambled out of the dugout to greet the morning sun of Tunnelis once more, with varying levels of enthusiasm. The first light of day was already borderline torturous, beginning to scorch the land with beams that would have even made Hope jealous of their luminosity. Vino cracked his poorly-postured back, making a sound similar to that of a snapped-into celery stick, while Orsel took every measure he could to not have his eyes meet the sun. The land ahead was cruel and barren, but forwards was the only direction to move, especially at this point. With no hesitation, the group silently took their first collective steps into the day.

Tunnelis’ landscape was considerably more interesting than that of the dunes of the Lum desert. Spactus stalks and ombushes were a common sight throughout the plains, with the odd, scaly kracktree sprouting up from the depths below. Despite the larger amount of foliage, however, water was nowhere to be seen. A fact quite troubling for Vino, who was beginning to reach into the lower half of his second canteen at this point. Grand formations such as stone arches, perforated walls, and grand plateaus sprung up along the journey, beautiful and intimidating, showcasing what a force as humble as the land itself was truly capable of with enough time and patience. Orsel sometimes got hung up behind the group, frozen in place staring at these structures. They sparked something within him— some form of appreciation and understanding beyond how they were put together or how they still stood upright. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, and it would remain that way as Jake or Vino would elect to snap him out of it and drag him back to the trail.

Eventually, in the afternoon, the group was faced with a formation of the earth that they simply could not ignore. An enormous canyon, spanning the horizon. Layers of long-forgotten sand and dirt painted the walls, while spindly towers and buttes propped up rocks that almost looked like islands in a sea of emptiness and color. Jake seemed awfully proud of himself for leading his partners here. 

“Well, fellas, say hello to the Genesis Canyon.” 

“Hello, Genesis Canyon,” said Orsel, waving at the great scar in the firmament half-sympathetically. 

Vino reached for his second canteen only to find that it was completely emptied during the trip. He groaned in frustration.“How much longer do we have to travel?” 

Jake looked down over the edge of the canyon, attempting to find a good place to start climbing down. “Well, I’d say we’re about a third of the ways there.” Vino’s eyes widened in despair. 

“A THIRD?” 

Jake stood up, wiping his hands of the dirt from kneeling down. “Well, we’ll be halfway after we cross the genesis, here. It’s gonna take a while, though.”

 Orsel wedged his crookshank onto a nearby rock and climbed up, surveying the surrounding area. “Is there any easier way around this place?”

“Nope,” Answered Jake, shaking his head, “going around would double our travel time. Heck, I heard it’s almost big enough to swallow the Palthan ocean.” 

Vino arched his body over the canyon’s ledge, trying to draw paths through it with his head. “How fascinating.” He retorted, partly frustrated. “Hey, speaking of oceans, there wouldn’t happen to be any water down there, would there?” Vino pulled out one of his empty water canteens, shaking it to emphasize his point. “I might need a refill soon.” 

Jake scratched his head. “I… can’t see any from up here. Although, I’m sure there’s still a few cricks spattered around that we can camp near. Come on, follow me!”