{Still deep in the dungeon, after recovering from poisoning}
Jono felt much better than he had for days after finishing the next morning’s meal of manna. He pulled up his cloak’s hood and hefted the ant’s head onto his shoulder. He made it through the gouge and activated the light ability as he explored the tunnels.
This time, he had barely walked into a tunnel when there was a screech. There was the sound of an ant clattering down a tunnel, getting closer and closer to him. He dropped the ant head and ran, hopping sideways through the gouge and back into the igloo.
He waited at the gouge with an amber fragment the size of a sabre.
This time, the ant only hovered outside before turning and retreating into the tunnels.
“Well, that didn’t go well,” Jono complained. “I don’t think I want to explore the tunnels anymore.”
[If anything, you should redouble your effort; there is a strong possibility that the ant will return with reinforcements to avenge and recycle its fallen comrade] Analysis
“How am I supposed to do that?” Jono asked. “This attempt did not go well and while the light ability worked okay this time, it only seemed to last a minute or so last time I used it.”
No one had anything to say. Jono went and sat, putting his feet in the water out of habit. He pulled at some of the toilet paper weed and threw it in the pond in frustration.
[Excuse me, I have been keeping an eye on your situation and have some input] Faiknowld
[Meh, how long have you been spying on us?] Agent
[Since I became aware of your location when you contacted us] Faiknowld
“Wait a minute, how come you can hear the pixies too?” Jono said, surprised.
[Ah… I what?] Faiknowld
[He is unfamiliar with guardians and thanks to Loon, thinks we are little pixies] Agent
[Oh I see, I’m sure it will all make sense in time] Faiknowld
[It makes great sense for you to monitor the progress of this mission. Faiknowld, what would you like to say?] Analysis
Agent grumbled.
[Adelia summoned the adventuring noble who performed the ant stealth feat. He was summoned to report for the purpose of being, um, rewarded shall we say. Anyway, with that done, Adelia has probably forgotten all about it.
But when he reported to us, he explained that he had extracted the ant’s core and channelled mana through it. If he wasn’t seen, when other ants sensed him, he was regarded as friendly. It also allowed him to sense other ants’ presence if they were nearby.] Faiknowld
[Well that is all fine and good, except that our boy here doesn’t even have a basic adventurer’s mana level] Agent
[That is a problem for another time. For now, there is enough of you that you can process the core into an ability] Faiknowld
[So then we can act like elementals, for an elemental wielder] Analysis
[Exactly] Faiknowld
“Ah, so what’s going on?” Jono asked.
[Use the lower leg and crystal fragments to open up the big gash in the ant’s torso. You will have to hack and melt innards with amber through the gash. Then look for a round, ruby-coloured gem in the ant. After that, your guardian pixies will be able to absorb the core and guide you through the tunnels] Faiknowld
“I don’t like the sound of that ant from just now, coming back to visit with its friends. I guess I’ll get to searching,” Jono said
Jono wandered over and slammed the pincer deep into the ant’s abdomen. He levered the pincer off the edge of the carapace, slicing open the fibrous layer below. This moved some guts and sliced others open. Green liquid oozed out from the fibres under the carapace and foul yellowish liquid spurted out of the severed guts. It stung Jono’s flesh and he also smelt burnt hair.
He quickly learned to use the crystal dust to melt troublesome spots and close any oozing wounds. Eventually, he hit something hard.
[Yeah, there ya go kid, that feels like it] Agent
Jono was surprised by Agent’s praise.
“Ah thanks,” Jono replied.
Jono sliced further into the corpse and sprinkled amber powder to melt areas clean. He exposed the area near the underside of the corpse. The butchering didn’t look like it had made much of a mess, with only a few small splatters around the corpse. Jono however, had burn marks splattered across his exposed flesh and he was unsure what state his hair was in.
The stink was also horrendous. The burning smells from strong acid splatters, the vomit-like smell that leaked from the guts and almost a solvent smell from ooze made a near suffocating stink. Jono started to wonder, maybe running through the tunnels blind would have been better than this.
[Can you hold onto the core till we absorb it, then throw the corpse back into the entrance of the tunnels?] Agent
Jono held onto the core, unsure of what was supposed to be happening.
[Watch this] Loon
The core started to pulse and glow in Jono’s hands. Then the orb seemed to hum as its edges blurred into a cloud of red energy. The red started to expand, engulfing Jono’s hands in the process.
“Um guys…” Jono said, now nervously holding the core as far away from his body as he could.
The red glowing sphere continued to dissolve and grow. It covered more of his arms as it expanded. It continued to grow until silver circuits started to glow on his arms and little ripples of sparking charge ran up them.
[It’s okay, just keep holding on] Analysis
The orb didn’t grow any further and instead started to thin out. Swirling red mist formed a steady extraction sphere. It drew from the dense mass inside of what now looked like a little red star. The star shrank as it continued to feed the encircling mist.
Eventually, even the little core turned into a red mist. As the centre was absorbed and the sphere itself disintegrated. The last charge shot up the circuits on Jono’s arms with one final crackling of energy.
“Um, well that was definitely an interesting and very tingly experience,” Jono said.
[Cool, thanks for that. Ditch the corpse, then go have a wash in the pool. The energy should dissolve all traces of ant goo.] Agent
Jono awkwardly started dragging the first bit of the corpse back to the arete.
{Meanwhile, inside Jono’s head}
The original guardians had lived in rooms connected to the neural command centre. The only other features of the neural dwelling were an air lock and an expansion slot. But now that Kaire was properly integrated as a resident, that expansion slot had grown to connect a massive area. The newly connected area had stretched and was violently shaking. What looked like a red storm of energy was barely contained in the middle or the area.
There were other doors as well, but the guardians were completely unconcerned about them at the moment. Analysis and Loon were working fast at two consoles. They discussed things as they made progress. Analysis worked like a machine, efficiently inputting things as fast as he could. Loon seemed to be enjoying the process more, working with almost a delirious expression.
Loon would occasionally stop to look at the exciting mass of energy, fascinated as it surged and morphed in befroe them. The mass changed. As they continued, the energy separated into orange mist followed golden chains of strange hieroglyphics spinning at a vicious speed.
“Okay guys, keep it together,” Agent said, worried. “I’ve heard of too many guardians that have lost control of the chains and gold energy has cut straight out of the head that had been containing it, destroying the head as well as huge steel pillars beside it.”
“Your concern is most valid,” Analysis replied. “We will do our best.”
“Wait, that’s not one of your usual confident answers,” Agent said.
“This is more complicated that it first appeared,” Analysis replied.
The shaking got worse and the mass of energy morphed between red, orange and gold energy even faster. The shape of the orb fluctuated and spasmed more violently.
“Um, guys… are we okay?” Agent asked.
“Things are not looking good,” Analysis replied.
“No kidding,” Agent said, sounding even more tense.
“Wait I know,” Loon said. “I’m just going to lower the shielding and then I need you to raise it once I start.”
“WHAT…”shouted Agent
“Ah what a glorious way to die,” Judas commented as splinters of energy shot out of containment and shot through the command room walls.
Loon leapt at the violently swirling mass of energy and Analysis frantically re-stabilised the containment. For a moment, it looked like Loon had been swallowed. Nothing else had happened and they watched what now looked like a tiny, angry sun, ready to explode in front of them.
“Ah guys, Jono’s down, in the WATER,” Agent said looking at another console.
“That is unsurprising considering what we are doing in his head. It would probably be prudent to head to the thought clutch and move him to a suitable position,” Analysis replied, still focused on the console in front of him.
Agent ran back to the neural room.
The mass of energy changed again; it formed orderly orange orbits and circles within circles spinning even faster than before. The shaking stopped, and the orb now sat there spinning ferociously with gold energy glowing inside.
Then it seemed to partially implode. There were now orbiting chains of molten hieroglyphics making the stable outline of a sphere. Inside, gold energy spun ferociously in rings within rings. The six Loons struggled as they pushed and the energy started to resemble a unstable, swelling ability orb.
Each of these loons looked like they were flying against the winds of a powerful storm, with one hand outstretched and pushing to force the ability orb into shape. Loon managed to look free-spirited in most situations, but this was not one of them.
Each of his fragments or reflections struggled with energy like lightning for straining eyes. Loon was more tense than any of them had ever seen him, with sparks flying through and off each of his fragments. He was still hectically struggling. With his combined effort, he pushed the ability orb back to a regular size.
There was a blinding golden glow and those around were all forced to look away. The next moment, things were calm again.
When they looked back, one Loon was standing with the ability orb in his hand. “Hey guys, look what I got.”
After silence, Judas was the first to respond, “I’m not sure if I am more impressed by what the supposed weakling of our group has just done, or more disappointed that we weren’t all blown to smithereens.”
Loon casually wandered from the strange stage in the centre of the new room and placed the ability in the storage slot. It was a slot that they could access from either side of the expansion joint. He kept walking and joined Agent in the control room.
Analysis imputed commands and the consoles they had been using dimmed and went to sleep. “That was interesting,” he said. “I am not sure that many guardians have seen that before, or at least not for many ages,” he mused to himself.
Analysis spoke to the others, “It would be best if we joined the rest of the team in the neural room.”
Dezhanite Drafts 