Ch. 30 Calling

Mars

Drake, his gaze fixed on the newly opened door, activated his comms and queried, 

"Soonie, what does the General want us to do now?" Silence greeted his question. 

After a minute, Drake attempted to reach Soonie again, only with continued radio silence. Falken, confused, broke the tension, asking, 

"Comms down?" 

Drake considered the possibility, replying, 

"Maybe, or something's interfering. The mission statement referenced high energy levels in this place; it could be scrambling our signals."

Drake shrugged, his gaze fixed on the unresponsive comms panel. The realization that communication had been severed sank in, leaving them in isolated uncertainty. The air within the Atrium Beta hung heavy with an unspoken tension.

"That thing didn't have a face, or maybe that was its face? Either way, if comms are down, there ain't much point in continuing." Falken remarked, his voice carrying a subtle echo in the silent chamber. Drake acknowledged with a tight nod, his grip on the Beam-caster firm. The absence of guidance left them with a singular choice — retreat back to the Pinfeather.

With Falken covering his back and moving right behind him, Drake retreated to the door they had entered. As they moved, the holographic display above the stage flickered, cycling through images of Mars, its once-red surface showing large-scale mining operations and quarries filled with mysterious ancient-looking structures. 

Falken took note of the pictures flickering above the stage. "Werent the aliens supposed to be from this place's neighboring planet? It seems like there were already som..." His speculation interrupted as he walked backward, bumping into Drake.

Falken turned to see his brother frozen, staring forward. Falken's eyes followed his brother's gaze to see a barren wall. Where there was once a door leading into a hallway of terrariums was now a blank white wall.

Sylvanor

Amidst the setting sun and vibrant foliage of Sylvanor, Ralios, and Knight Harper sat around a small fire outside the Galahad. The flames danced with an otherworldly grace, casting flickering shadows upon the ancient trees as the two engaged in conversation.

"I had then fallen into a mess bureaucracy after Sir Aelar had drunkenly stolen a small mining ship and had crashed it into the nearby lake," Harper said as he continued his story.

"Why did that fall on you if he was the idiot who stole the damn thing?" Ralios asked with a smile.

"I was in charge of three knights at the time, Sir Aelar, Lady Seraphina, and myself; as his commanding officer, his mistakes directly fall back unto me." He said, nodding as if it made all the sense in the world before continuing. "However, it also didn't help. I was also drunk, passed out in the passenger seat of the said mining ship."

Ralios and Knight Harper let out hearty laughs around the small fire toward the inclusion of that minor detail.

While laughing, Ralios went into a small coughing fit when an unexpected sensation gripped him. It started as a subtle warmth, like a hearth's comforting embrace, but it soon intensified. A surge of heat radiated from his chest, causing him to gasp for breath. 

The air seemed thin, and Ralios felt like an unseen force pressed against his chest, threatening to steal his breath.

Knight Harper, quick to notice the sudden change, halted mid-laugh. Concern etched across his features, he turned to Ralios and asked, "Are you alright?" But to Ralios, Harper's words became distant echoes drowned out by the cacophony within.

Ralios clutched at his chest, feeling the erratic drumming of his heart. The warmth, once comforting, now intensified to an unbearable heat. The world around him blurred as if reality itself were collapsing. He strained to focus on Knight Harper's face, searching for answers in the knight's concerned eyes.

The forest's symphony, the crackling of the fire, and even the gentle night breeze seemed to fade away, replaced by an overwhelming ringing in Ralios's ears. Panic gripped him as he grappled with the inexplicable sensation engulfing him. In that surreal moment, Sylvanor's nightly allure turned ominous, casting a shadow on the serenity they had found around the fire.

The inexplicable warmth gripping Ralios now seemed to ripple through his body like a current of energy seeking its path. It flowed down his arms, reaching out with an otherworldly intent. As if guided by an unseen force, Ralios felt an inexplicable desire to move in a particular direction—deeper into the dark embrace of Sylvanor's forest, as if he were being drawn somewhere.

The intense pressure that had overwhelmed him slowly faded, allowing Ralios to regain control over his limbs. As he moved, he noticed Knight Harper returning with a small, barely functional medi-sentry in hand. The knight's eyes reflected concern.

As Ralios found himself on hands and knees, the medi-sentry hummed to life, its feeble lights flickering as it scanned him. The sensation in his chest had subsided, replaced by a lingering unease and an odd desire. Control over his body and the return of auditory clarity coincided with Knight Harper's words finally registering.

"Don't move, Mr. Ralios. You just had some kind of tremor. Just lay down," Knight Harper urged, his voice steady but carrying an undertone of worry. 

For some inexplicable reason, Knight Harper's words registered in a disjointed manner for Ralios. The urgency to lay down didn't make sense and clashed with an overwhelming desire to venture deeper into the woods. The forest called to him, a beckoning force that muddled his thoughts and intensified with each passing second.

Despite Knight Harper's puzzled expression as he scrutinized the medi-sentry's readouts, Ralios couldn't heed the knight's words. Something was amiss in the woods, an intangible presence pulling at the edges of his consciousness. What compelled him to move was unclear, yet the need to go was irresistible.

Before Knight Harper could voice his concern, Ralios was already on his feet, disregarding the knight's bewildered protests. 

"What are you doing, Mr. Ralios?" 

The question hung in the air, but Ralios began sprinting into the depths of the forest, driven by an insatiable compulsion, leaving behind the flickering fire and the confusion around the campsite.

Knight Harper wasted no time, barely hesitating as he took off in pursuit of Ralios. Though familiar with Sylvanor's terrain, the knight rarely ventured into the forest after nightfall. Quick to adapt, he activated a handheld light, its beam cutting through the darkness as he chased after Ralios.

To Knight Harper's astonishment, Ralios proved not only fast but moved through the forest as if he had spent a lifetime navigating its intricate paths. Harper struggled to keep pace, finding it hard to believe how effortlessly Ralios maneuvered through the pitch-black surroundings.

Knight Harper's primary concern and confusion stemmed from the Medi-sentry's unsettling readouts. According to the device, Ralios's heart rate was twice the lethal threshold, and his body temperature had soared to dangerous levels. It was as if his muscles were ablaze with internal heat. The brain activity readings were off the charts. If the Medi-sentry wasn't just a malfunctioning piece of equipment, Ralios should have succumbed to these extreme conditions by now.

In the midst of chasing after Ralios, Knight Harper was terrified. Terrified that Ralios would drop dead at any moment, terrified that he might lose sight of him in the dense forest. The knight pushed himself harder, attempting to match the unnatural speed of Ralios, whose movements defied the limitations of an Aelorian body. Harper's fear went beyond the immediate danger; it delved into the prospect of being alone on this alien planet again, isolated and without connection. He couldn't bear the thought of returning to such solitude, especially now that he knew everyone he once knew had likely perished during his long stasis. Determined not to be left alone again, Knight Harper pushed his limits to keep up with Ralios, his only anchor in this unfamiliar world.

As they sprinted through the darkened forest, Knight Harper had drawn his Aurum Beam-caster, not with the intention of harming Ralios, but as a precaution against potential threats lurking in the shadows. The dense vegetation and the absence of light presented a challenge, and Knight Harper knew that if anything were to attack them, he'd have little time to react.

However, their frenzied run came to an abrupt halt as they reached a clearing at the base of a small mountain. Ralios's pace slowed upon entering the open space, allowing Knight Harper to catch up. Ralios stood still at the edge of the clearing, gazing out into the enveloping darkness.

"Mr. Ralios, you need to stop! Your vitals were off the charts!" Knight Harper called out as he approached Ralios, who stood at the edge of the clearing. Ralios, breathing heavily, ignored the knight's words, his eyes glowing an ethereal light blue. In a sudden burst of energy, Ralios sprinted into the clearing, leaving Knight Harper bewildered by the unprecedented spectacle.

Trying to keep up, Knight Harper pointed his handheld light toward Ralios. As he scanned the illuminated area, he noticed something unexpected. Hovering in the middle of the clearing was a large bronze drone with four red glassy eyes and six spindly arms. In front of the drone stood a creature, entirely black and resembling a hound with four legs. The knight, accustomed to the technology of the Galahad, was baffled by the presence of a seemingly indigenous drone engaging with this enigmatic creature. The large drone, with its alien appendages, aggressively attacked the shadowy hound. The unexpected clash added another layer of mystery to the already perplexing situation.

Surrounding the bronze drone were the lifeless bodies of four other inky black hounds, suggesting a prolonged battle between the mysterious creatures and the alien drone. The scene perplexed Knight Harper even further — how had he never encountered these creatures before, especially given their proximity to the Galahad?

As Knight Harper pondered these questions, another shock awaited him. Ralios, seemingly heedless of the dangers, had closed the distance with the hound and the drone. In an unexpected turn of events, Ralios leaped into the air, emitting a blood-curdling battle cry before grappling with the large drone. The spectacle left Knight Harper stunned, his mind racing to comprehend the unfolding chaos in the clearing.

Ralios, in a frenzied and almost animalistic state, launched a relentless assault on the drone. The ancient-looking machine, responding to this unexpected combatant, shifted two of its arms upward in an attempt to crush its new adversary. However, to Knight Harper's profound shock, Ralios seized one of the attacking spindly arms and ripped the limb out of the drone's socket, displaying strength beyond what should have been possible. Sparks erupted in all directions, and the inky black creature emitted a screech that sounded almost excited to Knight Harper's confusion.

Helplessly standing by, Knight Harper could only watch as Ralios continued his assault, delivering punches and tearing at the drone with his talons. Incredibly, Ralios managed to dent and puncture the metal, causing substantial damage to the seemingly formidable machine.

After a mere minute and a half of Ralios's relentless assault, the once-hovering drone was rendered motionless. The damage inflicted by Ralios was extensive; he had torn a colossal hole in the top of the machine, exposing its vulnerable internal components. In an almost primal frenzy, Ralios continued his assault on the insides of the drone, sparks and oil flying in all directions. He hammered and tore at the internal mechanisms with relentless determination, not ceasing until the light in its now two functional eyes had dimmed, signaling the complete destruction of the ancient-looking machine.

Ralios, covered in cuts and streaked with oil, extracted himself from the carcass of the defeated drone. His movements were unsteady as he staggered away from the remnants of the machine and collapsed onto his knees beside the black creature. As Knight Harper cautiously approached Ralios, he kept his Aurum Beam-caster at the ready, uncertain of the young Aelorian's condition.

Knight Harper observed Ralios, and then he spoke in a terse tone.

"Mr. Ralios, I'm going to need you to talk to me now. What was that?" Knight Harper's voice carried a distant authority, demanding clarity in the aftermath of the chaos.

Ralios, head slumped, looked up at Knight Harper as if awakening from a trance. His eyes still glowed with an otherworldly light, the remnants of his tremor.

"I... I had to do something. It... It was going to kill him," Ralios explained between heavy gasps, gesturing towards the peculiar hound-like creature.

As Knight Harper approached for a closer look, he noticed subtle details in the creature's form—it wasn't entirely black. Shades of light blue permeated its form; there was something odd about it. The closest thing Knight Harper could equate it to was mold.