The original builders of this place put great meaning on sound and speech, and how that interacted with reality. But the giant anemone was something else, something that believed Flesh was stronger than mere air.
A/N: So, good news, I've got an extra long chapter for you today.
Bad news, it's going to be the last one this month as I'm through my backlog due to struggling through parts of this story and getting distracted by another story idea. So I'm planning on resuming posting in August.
Chapter 16 Life, not as you know it
"Now, hold on," I said, holding up my hands, showing they were empty. "There's no need for violence."
"Is it going to attack us?" Gemiad asked.
"Communication protocol is not recognized but still understood," the construct tinkled. "Provide your Mark of Authorization or Proof of Sympathy."
"I hope to avoid that," I told her before turning to this Fifth Note. "Can you describe this mark or proof?"
Rather than answering, a light surged from deep inside Fifth Note's head. It reminded me of those scanner sweeps they'd have on Star Trek. It swept over us once, twice, then it retreated back into the construct.
"Individuals are two biological standard humans with enhanced souls and one Wordbearer. No such individuals in the Song when this one last heard it. Intrusion into this facility can be punished by death or more severe punishments if necessary," it sang as its weapon began to hum a melody.
"We didn't break in, we were brought here by one of the teleportation devices. That's an authorized entry."
Fifth Note's head rose up. "Captured specimens are not allowed to wander the facility unescorted."
I shrugged. "We were only transported, not captured. And nobody has stopped us yet. But if you don't want us unescorted, you can accompany us."
"This facility …" Its' head slowly spun around, taking everything in. "Has suffered a catastrophic failure. This one's recent memories are fragmented. You will follow me to Central Harmony, where they will decide on your disposition."
"Sure," I said.
"Did you actually convince it to act as our guide?" Sheraine asked.
"This one will act as your guard as this one escorts you to the Central Harmony of this city," Fifth Note answered, drawing everyone's attention as it had done so in the Common Tongue. It's voice was still more song than regular speech, but the language was undeniable.
Sheraine glanced at me. "Was that your doing?"
I shook my head. "I didn't do anything."
"Incorrect," Fifth Note chimed. "The translation protocols included with your messages provided this one with the necessary information to learn this language. However, the language does appear to be limited and lacks many important concepts."
Before Sheraine could ask, I gave her my best guess. "Fifth Note sensed the … trick within my words that allowed me to understand and be understood by them. And then copied it so they could speak to us."
"An adequate restatement of this one's explanation. Now, please begin moving in that direction." It gestured at the long, gloomy hallway.
"Of course, of course," I said, lowering my hands. "But on the way, could you take us somewhere we can eat something? We wouldn't want to starve on the way to Central Harmony."
"Estimated travel time is seven hours. Given your current condition, you should not starve in that time. However, unchanged humans would travel slower without rest and sustenance. Very well, you will be provided with food and drink on the way."
"Ah, excellent." I smiled at Gemiad and Sheraine. "Looks like our immediate needs will be taken care of‒food and answers."
"In captivity," Sheraine shot back. "I hope you know what you are doing."
"Oh, I do," I told her. "It's just the outcomes of what I do that can be murky."
Fifth Note didn't stow their weapon as they escorted us deeper into the facility. For what felt like an hour, all we did was walk in a straight line, passing the occasional closed door. That foul stench had virtually disappeared, but now it came back stronger than ever. When we reached another hatch a minute or so later, it was hard to see the poem as we finally saw the source of the smell.
Something had grown all over the hatch, a wet, fungus-like substance blood red in color. But I hesitated to call it a fungus because it moved far too readily the moment my daylight fell upon it.
"Maintain your distance," Fifth Note chimed as they glided forward. "Should you become infected, this one will destroy you immediately."
"You should do the same," I said. "You were infested by something when we found you."
The construct came to a halt, then rotated only their head towards me. "You possess the means to remove this infestation without damaging this city?"
"Probably," I said. "This stuff looks a little different then what was growing on you. But I can make sure my breath doesn't damage anything but this stuff."
Fifth Note floated to the left. "Proceed."
"No pressure." I walked a little closer, though not much. Then I took a very deep breath and the sun in the core of my being flared. Cleansing breath of the furious sun!
The temperature shot up as a river of fire spilled from my mouth and filled the hallway. The growths pulled back, but not fast enough to escape the flames. Something still moved in the flames, though, something coming towards me.
A ball of the growth rolled out of the flames, on fire itself, great pieces sloughing off as they turned to ash. It burst apart, and I cut my fire breath off in shock at the sight. A human skeleton, at least the upper half of it, clawed its way toward us like a skittering spider. The dripping red growth covered it like muscles, but they wriggled like worms.
I shouted and tried to fire off another Dragon's Breath, but of course nothing came out. The next moment the syllable of a word filled the air, leaving no room for anything else. It boomed through the space between us and the infested skeleton, obliterating it and carrying the mist of it back into the dying flames. Those flared up, before disappearing entirely.
Fifth Note's cannon shook, even after it transformed back into an arm. The light that kept them up hovering wasn't quite as bright anymore. "That was effective. Do you require time to recover or can we proceed?"
"I'm fine. And by the time that hatch opens, I'll be ready to turn whatever's on the other side to ash as well." I turned to Sheraine and Gemiad, a little surprised they hadn't tried a weave; I couldn't even smell saidar at the moment. "Are you alright? Nothing go on you two?"
Gemiad shook her head. "No. Nothing came even close. Had that been a person once?"
"I think so," I said.
Sheraine grimaced. "And I thought there could be no greater horror than the Blight." She pressed her lips together, then took a deep breath. "And I'm afraid we won't be much help here. I tried to throw a fireball, but I actually lost my embrace of saidar. That hasn't happened since I was a Novice."
"I've … tried to channel, though not right now," Gemiad said. "It feels like trying to suck air through a reed."
"It does," the Aes Sedai agreed. "I had hoped it had been a consequence of that cell, but it's not getting better. It's actually getting harder, as if I've been throwing weaves around all day."
I opened my mouth, then reconsidered. I knew some about how the One Power was supposed to work and I had some suspicions on how it fit with the Godbound metaphysics. But channeling was dangerous and I shouldn't just give my guesses like they were anything more than that. "It might just be the distance. We could be very, very far from your world. Fifth Note, do you know where this place is?"
"The location of this city is not to be shared with outsiders. This one has been ordered to thwart any attempt to learn that information," Fifth Note said, then turned to the hatch and recited a new poem in its own language of chimes and tinkling notes.
I was ready for anything coming through as the hatch slid apart, anything except nothing. The fire had gotten rid of the smell as well, replaced it with that of smoke, but now it mixed with the complex melange wafting out from hallways beyond the hatch.
The lighting in this new area flickered, and some patches were plunged entirely in darkness as bulbous growths had grown over them. None of those did so much as twitch at the sound or react in any way as my daylight touched them. I still didn't trust it.
"Don't get close to anything that looks like a pod," I said. "And anybody that starts seeing dead people, you say something."
"Who would be foolish enough to get close to anything here?" Sheraine said.
"Follow me," Fifth Note said. "I will take you to the closest dining room."
I turned off the daylight, just in case those things were attracted to light rather than whatever powered the lights. We weaved our way through the smaller hallways, keeping well away from anything organic. They didn't appear to react to our proximity, but one bulb was throbbing the entire time I had eyes on it.
It wasn't long, thankfully, before we were before a smaller door, one that was about three times as wide as it was tall, and it was twice as tall as me, which opened smoothly when Fifth Note approached.
Inside was what looked to my modern eyes as a cafeteria fit for several hundred people, but no adjacent kitchen. In the center there was, however, an enormous pillar made up of smaller ones which had alcoves set into them. Alcoves that looked somewhat familiar if you'd ever seen Star Trek.
"At least this room looks untouched by the corruption," Sheraine said. "That may mean the kitchen will be safe."
"This dining area has no kitchen," Fifth Note chimed. "Food and drink is provided by the matter redefiner. The device has no equivalent in your language according to this protocol. Follow this one."
"They mean the alcove," I said, pointing at it as the construct passed me by. "If I heard it right, it will create food for us."
"Crudely spoken, yes," Fifth Note sang. "Observe." It turned to the nearest alcove. "Awaken to your purpose. Redefine one example of the most popular form of sustenance in your memory."
The alcove's walls and ceiling opened up to reveal a complicated array of organ tubes and strings. A melody filled the air, and then a song joined it in a language I couldn't understand, but I felt it somewhere deep within the well of my soul. Streams of lights flowed out of a few of the tubes dancing in time with the song. They coalesced into a tray with bowl and spoon on it. A steaming, orange soup filled two thirds of the bowl.
Observing it working was enough for me to grasp what I was looking at. This was theotechnology, the same science that ultimately produced the Made Gods, as well as Artifacts like the Horn of Valere, Godwalkers, and simpler things like Fifth Note. It didn't create matter, it wasn't even a replicator, not really. What it did, through the language of music, was create a minor theurgic working to change the parameters of whatever materials it had in stock. Making something hot or cold, liquid or solid, just a parameter.
"The food's safe," I announced even before I picked up the tray. I noticed there were pyramidal noodles of blue dough floating in the soup. "No contaminant could have survived that." Putting my mouth where my money was, I put a spoonful in my mouth and swished it around.
Then, I coughed as I swallowed it quickly. "That's spicy." Hot, too, but heat wasn't a problem. And yet my mouth burned. It said some interesting things about the builders' palate. I tried one of the noodles this time along with more soup, and as I chewed a sour tang mixed with the spice. "Oh, that's a weird flavor. Not bad."
"I don't care about the taste," Gemiad said. "As long as it's edible, I'll want some, too. Is there more, uh, Fifth Note?"
"Yes," Fifth Note tinkled.
I waited for everyone else to get a bowl before turning to Fifth Note. "Thank you, but given the state of this place, I didn't think there would be enough energy to power something like this … food dispenser."
"The matter redefiner provides not only food but also air, as well as material for basic repairs. As such it is critical to the operation of this city. However, power reserves are low and this part of the city has also been cut off from the Song. Speed is advised."
Taking a seat on the nearest bench, we all began eating.
***
With full bellies we resumed our journey. Our surroundings remained an eerie mix of quiet and alive. The organic growths blending too well with the flowing, asymmetrical style the architects of this place had loved so much. In places, the bulbs had exploded into a thick web of thick, wet, vines that throbbed like a beating heart.
We chose caution and traveled around those sections, making our journey a long and winding one. Fifth Note still wouldn't tell us more about where we were going. Only that it wasn't in this part of the facility or the next one as we passed through another poem-coded hatch. This one led directly to another section without the long tunnel in between like before.
Most of the doors we passed were closed, but a few weren't, either by negligence or by force. One was another cafeteria, this one entirely overgrown with a mushroom forest that shook as we passed by the doorway. Another appeared dedicated to swimming, though I wouldn't want to, given the giant Portuguese man o' wars floating in its churning water.
"I thought it strange when Fifth Note called this a city," Sheraine said, giving the construct a glance. "But it truly is vast enough to be called such. It feels like we have been walking for hours."
"City is not an accurate translation," Fifth Note chimed. "But this one could not find a better word within your language."
"You can try in the Old Tongue," Sheraine said as we approached a curve in the hallway. "As an Aes Sedai, I can speak it."
"Apologies. This one does not know that language beyond what was included in the translation protocols the Wordbound shared."
"If there was contact with other worlds, other civilizations, back in the Age of Legend, I think the War of Power would have unfolded very differently," I said. "From everything I found, they lived in isolation. Completely cut off from the rest of Creation. Then again, better isolation than what-"
I stopped when we rounded the corner, and the rest of the hallway came into view. The largest matting of organic vines we'd come across so far filled the floor from here to the hatch. A good hundred meters, if I guessed right. Worse, three clumps of tubes very much like the one that had been growing inside Fifth Note swayed in a non-existent breeze.
"Let's go around," I said. One of them had fallen to my fire breath easily enough, but I didn't want to know what several of them could do, especially when they had more to feast on than a single, dormant construct.
All the tentacles snapped in our direction, first the ones closest to us, then all the others all at once. We stopped going slow and booked it back around the corner as the tips snapped open into those wavy frills. Several bullets impacted the wall a second after we'd gotten into cover.
"What are those things?" Sheraine said, rubbing her thigh where the arrow had once hit her. "I thought it strange I couldn't sense the first one, but the One Power is acting strangely. But even with multiple so close, I sensed nothing. Anything that corrupted in the Blight I could sense from a hundred paces."
"I suspect you sense the touch of the Dark One," I replied. "And whatever created these things, it wasn't the Dark One." It might even be natural, though given everything I'd seen so far, I thought that it was a remote chance.
Gemiad looked back the way we'd come. "You think somebody made these creatures?"
I glanced at Fifth Note, but they said nothing. "They seem to seek out and feed on machines. So they can only exist once such things exist, and they're too big and too noticeable. What society would ignore an infestation such as this without doing something about it? Before it can grow to become a serious problem, I mean."
Pushing off the wall, I passed Sheraine, only to find Gemiad's arm barring my way. "Going back might not be an option either," she said. "I saw something move just when we ran back here, quick as a flash."
She pointed at the intersection, specifically to the right. We'd passed that hallway and given it a wide berth because it had been overgrown with wide-capped flesh shrooms, long tendrils hanging from the rims of the caps and shimmering like disco lights.
"This one's senses detect no humans besides the two of you," Fifth Note chimed.
"What about something else?" I asked, peering through the darkness. But while an absence of light wasn't a problem anymore, I couldn't look through walls. Not without a Miracle.
It took Fifth Note a few seconds to answer. "Infestation is too chaotic, their essence in continuous flux. This one can't differentiate."
"That's not a-"
Someone peeked around the corner, close to the ground, then ducked out of sight again. Even with seeing it only for a moment, however, I saw plenty. And I didn't like what I'd seen.
"He didn't look right," Gemiad said.
"I think you should burn away those things barring our path," Sheraine said to me.
"Yeah," I said, but even as I did, the head was back.
It stayed this time, barking a laugh. Much of it was hidden by the swell of the wall where it rounded into the floor, but its scalp was bare and scabbed over, the single visible eye sunk deep in their socket.
Then another head joined the first, just above it. His long, greasy hair draped down and brushed over the top of his friend's head. But what was missing were its lips, those looked like they'd been cut away long ago and its bare grin showed rows of sharp teeth that went on too far. And the way it craned its neck around the corner yet no hint of his body … Like the neck was at least twice as long and far more flexible.
That one giggled, joining the laughter of the first.
Sheraine shot me a glare. "What are you waiting for? Clear us a path."
"Maybe I should-"
"I've traveled long enough with you to know you can only spit out that conflagration a couple of times. Another three, perhaps five times?" She quirked her right eyebrow.
I grimaced. We'd had a rest but no sleep, and whatever counted for a day here had not yet passed. So I'd not yet regained the Effort from those miracles I'd used to get us out of that prison. "Five times in quick succession. But I might need more than one to burn through all that," I said, gesturing in the direction of the hatch.
"Then you should hurry," she said.
The heads gave us no more time to discuss as they slithered out and straight for us. And slithered was the right word as their bodies were revealed to be nearly like that of a snake. Except they had vestigial little arms that ended in a claw spread haphazardly down their bodies, which scratched and scrambled against the floor as they propelled themselves forward.
Sheraine raised her hand while Fifth Note's hands transformed into weapons. Fire filled the Aes Sedai's hand and she threw it at the bald monster. It's laughter turned to a screech as it exploded in his face.
Fifth Note's guns barked, a warp in space flew through the air and hit the other one in the belly. Rather than exploding, however, the monster's body imploded where the warp hit. As if a giant's fist had taken hold of it and squeezed. The monster screamed, a spray of blood splashed out over the floor.
The silence only had a moment to settle before it was utterly shattered by a chorus of jeers and laughter from somewhere. It sounded close, though.
Not wasting another word, I ran towards the hatch. Unleashing the Swallowed Sun!
I held the fire for a moment longer as I jumped out of cover, the tentacles already tracking me. Mouth opened wide I unleashed the torrent of flame that filled the entire hallway. The conflagration roared, the smell of blood vanishing only to be replaced by that of charred meat.
A crack, something ricocheted off the wall and whizzed past my ear. I ducked a moment later out of instinct. The fire cleared up some, but there was still plenty burning away. But some of the flames were writhing, moving as if in pain.
Another flame snapped and my elbow intercepted the projectile. It shattered, but the impact still felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to my lower arm. And I couldn't blast them with another fire breath, not for another six seconds or so.
It didn't sound like much, but- I leaned back and risked a glance up the hallway. A tangle of human faced eel monsters tumbled over each other as they stormed towards us, several dying as One Power weaves and implosion bursts hit the mob.
Another bullet hit my shoulder, but I ignored it and threw a lightning bolt at one of the face eels, halting its charge as it writhed about.
"Is the way clear?" Sheraine called back.
"Not yet, going to take ano-" My arm moved on instinct, deflecting yet another bullet. This one shattered, but the sharp pieces still flew off and one sliced its way across my belly. I bit down on my scream, the pain sharp and fast. Very present, but only for a moment. And my fire was through its cooldown. Unleash Stellar Wrath!
I breathed out another river of flames. Whatever had survived the first wave now was washed away. The flames died down quickly this time, there was nothing left to burn. But the walls were glowing still, and the air warped. I could feel the heat, like standing right in front of a blast furnace.
"The way's clear, but it's going to take time for the floor to cool down enough you can walk on it," I called out as I pressed a hand against my stomach. There wasn't much blood, and the pain was fading as well. Just a flesh wound then.
When I turned around I saw them falling back as they struggled to stave off a growing tide of face eels. The monsters were still laughing, but the roar of the flames had drowned them out; until now.
"Time is the one thing we're running out of," Gemiad shouted. Both her and Sheraine were drenched in sweat as if they'd run a marathon, and it was Gemiad who winched when Sheraine threw another fireball. I hadn't realized she'd learned how to link.
For a moment I considered how long we could hold out before I could breathe fire again. But I only had enough in reserve for a single breath, nothing more. And I could hear more maniacal laughter growing louder, we had no time.
"Then hold on," I said as I slipped back into dragon form. Two steps and I scooped up both Gemiad and Sheraine.
"Give us a better warning than that!" Sheraine scrambled around in my palm. "I nearly lost saidar again!"
I spun around, my tail sweeping away the abominations that had dared to get too close. "Follow," I told Fifth Note as I began to run straight for the still-hot hallway. "And better hold your breath for a moment," I told the two women as I held them to my breast and plunged into the scorched section.
Fifth Note was hot on my heels, flying backwards and giving covering fire. It didn't deter the face eels, but then they reached the heated part of the hall, and their demented laughter turned to screeching mixed with the sizzle of frying flesh.
I risked a look behind me. The face eels that hadn't stopped in time were writhing and rolling around the hallway. The others swarmed around, some trying to slither up the walls only to find them just as hot as the floor, which caused them lose their grip, and they joined their brethren already roasting.
Without my prompting, Fifth Note's head spun around to face the hatch and emitted a more intricate song than any I'd heard so far. For a moment, nothing did happen, then the hatch slid away smoothly.
When it shut behind us, it cut off the noises of the suffering monsters like a guillotine.
This chapter was improved thanks to the efforts of my betareader, DragoLord19D !
I was going for a kind of Dead Space atmosphere with this part, hope it worked.
If you find yourself eager for more of my stories, you can find some links in my signature. Including to my original stories which you can find out more about on my website. On my website you can also signup to my newsletter and if you do that, you get the short story World Eater for free.
Not really Dead Space, felt closer to Starcraft's Zerg or Codex Alera's Vord.
Much more of a "lived-in" vibe than the sterile "this is nothing but weaponized meat" feel of Necromorphs.
Not really Dead Space, felt closer to Starcraft's Zerg or Codex Alera's Vord.
Much more of a "lived-in" vibe than the sterile "this is nothing but weaponized meat" feel of Necromorphs.
There are, IIRC Butcher described Codex Alera as "Roman Legion is isekai'd and gets Pokemon and then fights the Zerg" at one point.
edit:
IIRC He explicitly made Codex Alera in response to someone betting him that he couldn't make a good story out of "Roman Legionnaires with Pokemon".