The Wrath Of Those Passed

"Go!" Kyro yells, turning and running from the Massor. Ingen follows close behind, bag of Rage Stones in hand. They sprint until they near the volcano, they had been several meters away after walking to where Krash tumbled to. Kyro had used a lot of strength in that punch, he had heard about the natural strength of a Lion-class Tanzide.

Kyro and Ingen arrive near the volcano, huddling close to the slope side by side, "If this doesn't work, then we're all dead," Ingen says.

"I know," Kyro responds looking back at Cage, his eyes widening, "What in Betor's name is he doing!" he hisses.

Krash stands just before Cage, frozen in fear as he stares up at the Massor, "Krash. You have to run," Cage calls, his tone rather calm despite the situation.

A volcano erupts in the distance, the only thing breaking the silence, "Krash!" Cage yells, to no response.

The Massor floats high in the air, the hollow bones inside its body curving with its body as it looks around for its prey. Its figure glows in the sky, much brighter than Grish's eels, and mist rises from the translucent plates on its back. The empty eye sockets of the Massor soon find the prey it had smelled, and it wastes no time before charging, swimming through an invisible ocean down toward the two men.

Pitch black eyes witness the approaching doom, and Cage curses under his breath. He rips his right sleeve from his robe, and those tendrils appear a moment later, forming a much larger and more stable arm. Cage throws the black arm forward, and it stretches until it wraps around Krash's ankle.

Cage grits his teeth turning and throwing the Tanzide through the air, his black arm returning to him soon after. The Massor engulfs him a moment later. Cold. Cage shivers as the creature passes through him and disappears into the rock, watching Krash flip through the air and slam into the side of the volcano, falling unconscious to the rock beside a pair of surprised Rajin men.

Kyro stands with an incredulous expression, meeting Cage's gaze, "Ingen," he calls, glancing at that black arm, the form nearly identical to the man's left arm.

"Yeah?" Ingen responds, staring at Cage with an expression similar to Kyro's.

"Could he do that when you two went to the forest?" Kyro asks.

"No..." Ingen mutters, "...No, he couldn't."

Kyro nods slowly, lips parted. He glances down at the unconscious Tanzide at his feet. His grey eyes drift back to Cage, who has turned away from the group, waiting. Since when did Cage have the strength to throw a man as heavy as Krash? How long has he been able to control his powers enough to create an arm like that?

Kyro knew from the first day of training that Cage absorbs information much like he does everything else, and his rate of growth makes Kyro's own seem mediocre. In merely a few weeks, Cage has grown strong.

There is no denying it now, Kyro thinks with pride, Cage will save us. He will defeat this Massor and save all of Raj from its doom.

And then, I will witness his journey.

The Massor bursts from the black rock before Cage, ascending through the falling ash. Cage furrows his brows as he watches the Massor move. It takes a bit of focus to see through the bones, but there is a small line carved through the middle of the creature's body. Though as Cage watches, the Massor seems to shrink an almost unnoticeable amount, and the line disappears.

His makeshift arm must have been absorbing the beast as it passed through him.

"I can do this," Cage whispers to himself, his habit of tunnel vision resurfacing. He only needs to keep the beast from locking onto Kyro and the others. As long as the Massor's attention stays on him, Cage knows he will be able to defeat it.

Though it is strange, Cage thinks, even Grish said I have no soul. So how does the Massor know I am here? Why does it target me?

There is no time to question, Cage thinks again, I just have to get rid of this thing.

The Massor locks onto Cage, and barrels down at him again, its speed even greater than before. Cage spreads his feet, standing firm as he raises his black arm toward the quickly approaching Massor. It's time to see just how much Cage has grown in strength.

The hand of his black arm expands into a shield before Cage, blocking his vision as it grows to be several meters across, like a giant dinner plate. The Massor collides with the black shield, the middle part of its body extracted completely as it moves forward. With him behind the shield, Cage is never touched by the creature through the entire few-second encounter.

The Massor disappears beneath the rock once again, and the shield returns to a hand a moment later. Cage groans quietly, holding his stomach with his actual hand. He feels as if there is something inside of him, pressing against his skin and trying to burst from him. It is nothing like the bloated feeling that comes from absorbing carcasses.

Cage grits his teeth, white and black fists clenched at his sides as the Massor appears again. It doesn't matter how I feel, Cage thinks, if I don't do this, then every man behind me dies.

Kyro looks between Cage and the Massor. Has the creature... shrunk? The Massor had once been as massive as the volcano Kyro stands beside, and while it is still massive compared to the pale man standing beneath it, it is now only half its original size.

The Massor bolts down at Cage again, and just the same as before, that black shield spreads wide before him. The white, translucent creature nears Cage, then suddenly halts just before the black mass waiting to absorb it.

Cage notices that nothing is happening, and creates a small hole in the shield for him to see. The Massor turns, its wispy figure curving as it flies away from him.

"No!" Cage yells. The shield vibrates, splitting into several tendrils that stretch toward the Massor. The black, smoke-like tendrils sink into the creature's tail. The Massor slows as the tendrils phase through its translucent figure, erasing nearly half of it.

The Massor does not scream or grunt in pain, it only rises into the air silently, its figure shrinking as it reforms to its original shape. Cage stumbles, black eyes tracking the Massor. His vision is darkening with every passing second, and only the thumping against his skin stops him from passing out on the spot.

So close, Cage thinks, just a few more times and I can get rid of this thing. Though he focuses his mind on eliminating the Massor, a tinge of fear pokes at his mind as he wonders what will happen to him after this battle. Each time Cage absorbs some of the Massor, the pressure inside his body increases. Will he be able to handle the full body of this creature?

The Massor hangs in the sky, staring down at Cage, its figure now a third of what it once was. Those hollow eye sockets suddenly trail past Cage, and the monster looks at the three men beside the volcano.

Cage's eyes widen, his wakefulness returning in full force along with a tide of terror. He spins, looking Kyro in the eyes, "Run! Go!" Cage yells frantically.

Kyro stares back at Cage, those words barely reaching his ears. He looks up at the Massor and meets the dead gaze of the creature, "Ingen!" he calls.

"I know!" Ingen responds, scooping up Krash's unconscious body and throwing the Tanzide over his shoulder. He turns and follows Kyro around the volcano and toward the Stem. Their escape is a mile away, and though they cannot see it, the Massor has begun its chase.

Cage tracks the Massor as it flies overhead, heart beating in his ears. He grits his teeth, throwing his black arm upward and using every ounce of power that he can. The arm bursts into hundreds of tendrils that bolt toward the Massor at an incredible speed.

The tendrils scrape through the tip of the Massor's tail, slowing the creature's flight by a smidgen. However, it returns to its normal speed a moment later. Cage bursts into a sprint, glancing down at the volcano before him. Kyro and Ingen are gone.

Cage continues to run as fast as his legs will allow, staring up at the Massor all the while. The creature is clearly slower than before, however, as Cage rounds the volcano, he sees that it is still faster than the men it gives chase to.

No, no, no, Cage thinks as he runs, I have to hurry. He glances at Kyro and Ingen, who continue to run with weapon, unconscious Tanzide, and bag of Rage Stones in tow. Images of the two men dead on the rocks flash through Cage's mind. No, Cage will not allow the men that have taken him in to die like this. They need to live, for his sake, and most importantly, for Yoru's sake.

Kyro may be hated by his own people, and Ingen may be a bit brutish at times, but that never has, and never will matter to Cage. The only person he cares more for is his own Brother. However, Kyro and Ingen are right here, alive and breathing before Cage's eyes. It must stay that way.

Cage runs, eyes widening as the Massor nears Kyro and Ingen. He quickens his pace until he topples the speed of the two Rajin men with his own. Those transparent jaws open, baring down at the men, "No! Please!" Cage yells, hand outstretched as he sprints.

Suddenly, Cage's vision goes black, his consciousness leaving him. The last thing Cage sees is those translucent dagger-like teeth closing in on the closest thing he has to family.

As Cage falls to the black rock, that solid darkness bursts from his eyes, mouth, nose, and every pore in his pale skin. However, these tendrils are different from what is usually summoned. They move erratically, each tendril of black snapping in different directions. They are solid, and keep their form as they zip through the air toward the Massor at a ridiculous speed.

The tendrils engulf the Massor, erasing it from reality. They gather around Kyro and Ingen as well, creating a massive black bubble around the men.

Kyro and Ingen halt in their steps, pitch blackness surrounding them. Kyro raises his hand, and though he can feel it there, he can't see even a bit of the appendage. The Rajin turns, complete darkness greeting him everywhere he looks, "Ingen? You there?" Kyro calls, his words a bit shaky.

"Here," Ingen responds, reaching out and touching Kyro's shoulder. Kyro jumps from the sudden touch, cursing under his breath, "Sorry. I can't see a thing," Ingen says.

Kyro sighs, relaxing, "We're in the same boat then," he says. He takes a step, edging forward slowly, "This looks like Cage's doing," Kyro says as he steps with a hand raised before him, "Either that, or we're dead."

Kyro sucks through his teeth, pulling his hand back suddenly. He touched something cold, like a body that took its last breath hours ago. It reminds Kyro of when he first saw Cage, unconscious at the bottom of that ravine, shoulder open to reveal solid darkness, "Definitely Cage's doing," Kyro finally says.

"What is he doing then?" Ingen says in the darkness, shifting the body on his shoulder to keep it from slipping, "Do you think he's still alive?"

"I..." Kyro hesitates, Ingen's question causing his own words to catch in his throat. Kyro takes a deep breath, "Cage is alive. He has to be. He must be fighting the Massor still, and this bubble he has locked us in is merely to keep us safe."

"But what if he is dead? What will we do, Kyro?" Ingen asks, "If the Massor is dealt with, and we return to Raj, then our life of slavery will continue... We still have the trackers. And if that thing waits for us on the other side of this darkness, then we will die. We will die, and Yoru will be left alone."

"I know, Ingen. I know," Kyro whispers, the words almost too loud over the silence, "But I also know that Cage is alive. You've seen it yourself, he can not be killed by the Massor."

"The Massor is not the only thing to worry about here," Ingen responds.

"For Betor's sake, Ingen. I know that," Kyro says annoyedly.

"I'm trying to be realistic here. There is no reason to become upset," Ingen says, his deep, gritty voice booming in the bubble of darkness.

"I know. I'm sorry," Kyro says, taking a deep breath and squeezing his eyes shut to calm himself. Normally, his fuse is long, and it takes quite a bit for Kyro to fall into anger. However, that fuse shortens considerably when withdrawals cloud his mind.

Kyro opens his eyes slowly, eyes widening as he looks up to see the top of the darkness peeling back. Light leaks through the spreading hole, wisps of smoke rising from the shrinking bubble. Soon, the bubble opens completely, revealing the tumultuous land of Kalar.

Kyro's grey eyes dart in every direction. The Massor is gone, and so is Cage. However, Kyro sees those familiar tendrils slowly shrinking, pulling back to a black puddle blending into the rock several meters away. After a moment, the tendrils gather to the puddle, and it disappears, revealing a pale body lying still on the ground.

"Cage!" Kyro calls, bursting into a sprint toward the unmoving body.