Chapter 7: The others

Seth was astounded as he discovered that not only could he leech out all the cell energy within the centipede, but he could also steal its own strengths. He didn't understand half of what he was doing, but going off instinct, he was surviving. The cell of the centipede withered and died before his very eyes. It was almost as if he was a vampire, and he had sucked out the life essence from the insect. With a quick twist and squeeze, the entirety of the husk crumbled into dust. Seth stared at his hands in shock before looking about at the chaos still ensuing. Deciding to take matters into his own hands he placed his hands on the asphalt that remained, and, like the bus, willed it to obey him, to live. The ground shuddered and out of the remnants of the street hundreds of golems of stone rose and knelt to their creator and master. Seth wobbled as weakness and fatigue once again swallowed him. Before he passed out, he needed to execute his plan. 

"Bring me… bring me… all… those… attacking." 

The golem bowed their heads and rumbled, "It shall be done, great one." 

The chaos became greater as the insects were captured and held prison and one by one brought to Seth. The wasp was placed before him as well as an ant drone, two giant caterpillars, a wolf spider and five thrashing Hercules beetles the size of battleships, which must have been some local's pets. The list continued on as the golems repressed and contained all outside forces. The mechanical wolf bounded over and curled around Seth, a silent guard waiting to pounce. The cyclops driver took two massive steps and stood to the side and behind Seth and his wolf companion, like a follower and body guard, his giant eye swiveled from insect to insect to giant a giant feral cat that slashed and batted at 10 golems that had it corralled. The hundreds of golems worked seamlessly to keep order in a small section of chaos. The remaining people were allowed in, one by one, to gather in front of this commanding figure as he leeched the life from a Hercules beetle, taking its supreme strength. Seth still didn't quite understand how or what he was doing, but so far, he could take only one attribute if as he took the energy from one if the Hercules beetles. 

He walked over to the wasp, but did not drain it. This time he wanted to experiment. He tapped the mind of the wasp to find what he could grasp. A multitude of items flowed across his vision, each being broken down to what made them up and even further how to apply them to himself or alter them on the individual to fit his designs. 

As he was pondering this, the system flashed before everyone's eyes. 

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Seth stared at the screen. Yes, he could probably make it to the tower himself, but many of those who had gathered around him were suffering from injuries either inflicted by the monstrous insects and animals or by those who had become monstrous inside as well as out. He hadn't formed golems in enough time to save everyone, and now he may be forced to abandon some just to reach the tower. 

"A decision must be made," the cyclops said. 

A woman of ethereal beauty that floated on the wind. Her clothes were tattered and covered in blood. Her eyes continuously dripped tears of blood, and if one were to look away and look back, she aged to an old crone then back to a young and beautiful woman. 

"We can care for ourselves," she whispered. "For we must. We are all gifted in some way now. My screams shattered a feral dog moments before your golems arrived. I think… I think I am what the Celts called a Banshee. Just as this… man is more cyclops. I think… I think that we have become our own myths and legends. That man and woman over there with the multiple faces and arms must be Asuras. I followed someone who studied folk lore before all of this, and I learned quite a lot. I didn't expect to turn into one of the things she studied. You though, I don't know what you are. It seems that not everyone has changed, but some are granted abilities." 

A plume of fire exploded in the distance consuming a large chunk of the mass of insects, and a voice rang out. 

"Get out of my way, you fucking bugs!" 

Another stream of fire flowed down the street towards the toward, and the voice kept screaming and yelling as fire kept appearing in swaths. In another area of the ruins, ice rose up and shattered over and over. Lightning fell in another patch, and even earth rose and fell in another patch. More and more screams echoed as people surged towards the tower in all directions. This was the nearest one, but not the only one in the world. 

"What are they, the towers I mean?" Seth asked. 

The cyclops replied as his eye whirred, "Sanctuary and a training ground… I think. My mind seems to see and know things, but I do not know how." 

The Banshee woman responded, "There was a myth or legend that once stated that cyclopes could glimpse through time. Perhaps you have been granted that ability, to glimpse future knowledge." 

The cyclops turned and stared wide-eyed at the Banshee, and asked, "But I thought cyclopes were the creators of Zeus's thunderbolt or something. Weren't they supposed to be craftsmen? I've always been good at tinkering. I used to fix the buses back at the station in my spare time. I thought maybe that's why I was so good at that because I secretly had that in me, but