Into the Cave

The winged figure tromped across the ground. A maniacal twinkle shone in his red electric orb-for an eye.

"So THIS is the cave of The Shattered Su-" he began, some how getting his odd comical alligator-human mix skull to talk, before his right arm popped itself off his mechanical body. "Not now you stupid thing!" Zero picked it up, as it was trying to squirm away, shoved it back into its socket, and flexed his fingers to make sure everything was all connected.

He continued on, seeing dead people "Oo fun!" and creatures, obvious signs of struggle. Until he reached a place where he felt a bit of pressure where his brain would be if he had decided to put it in that morning. His eye sockets widened, if he could feel this without a standard issue central information and sensory device, then the people on the floor here must be all but crushed. He tried to test this out, walking over to the man he would later know as Cassus.

"Hello?" He yelled to the unconscious NSI soldier. When he didn't respond, Zero once again tried to see if repeating himself while knocking on Cassus's head would get a reaction out of him. "Hello? Anyone in there? Is it rented out for a party?" Still no response, so he picked him up by his shoulders and shook him vigorously. "WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP. Yeesh, you can nap later!"

Realizing the futility of this endeavour, he turned his attention to Zyria, who though was functioning, was in a broken down state. He gently tip toed over to her, leaned close to her face, and YELLED AS LOUD AS HIS STEEL LUNGS WOULD LET HIM, "GOOD MORNING!!!" Though she seemed to hear the sound, she seemed either too far off or not to care to respond. Zero sighed, knowing it was useless.

Now, he did see Fels, though he since both he and the powerful sentience he felt using him seemed to be having a perfectly good day, he turned to Destron.

"My my... you're clockwork, and in exceptionally good condition... oh whats this doing broken? Why is this wire out of place? Let me help with that!" And in a flash, Destron was fixed. As Zero was putting away the tools that seemed to come out of nowhere into the tool belt that wasn't around his waste a mere moments earlier, he simply said to the now movement capable Destron, "Help me move them all over there, you know, where they were heading?" And without waiting for a response, Zero picked up Archelaus in one hand, Cassus in the other flew over to the Lyikos' den, and after depositing them there, returned to help Destron.

Soon, they were all there.

And the light and shadow looked a bit crueler in the den than it was a few moments ago.

Robless vaguely remembered trudging through the sand wearily. Something bumped into him. Next thing he knew he was being dragged through the sand, fading in and out of consciousness. He opened his eyes. Light rushed in, causing him to shut it and open it slightly, now only able to squint after being in the dark for so long. What was he doing here? The cave was pitch black, there was no way that the light was this strong.

His mind was scattered and he felt himself slipping back again. An electric shock jolted him awake and nanites flowed through his bloodstream.

>>>Suit status: Operational<<<

Almost instantly, Robless' vision returned in full and with it, his mind cleared and he was finally able to regain control of himself. It ran the possible scenarios of why he was here. And then the realization struck him. They had made it. The Lyikos' Den, the home of the Light, was now here.

Now that the fog around his senses had lifted, he could see the lighted cave in full. The rocky cave walls were no longer there. It was a perfectly circular chamber, large, but not so much that one couldn't see the opposite wall. Ornate, ancient-looking pillars supported the domed ceiling at regular intervals around the outer edge. Intricate patterns seemed weaved into the glossy tiled floor and the immense roof. Stairs led around the entire chamber to what look like a smaller circular platform situated at exactly half the height and spanning half the diameter of the main chamber. An incredibly bright spirit seemed to be glowing in this center platform. Wispy ribbons of light floated through the air.

"Guys...I think we made it. Come on, Eris-Tam is waiting."

The stage was set, the only obstacle now being the stairs. Or so they thought.

Fels followed the group into the Lyikos chamber, and so did his body. And then they were there. The members of the group were starting to wake, and there was only one thing left to happen, Fels knew. Only one thing that he was powerless to stop. The Protector needed to do its job. It needed to protect. As Robless ascended the stairs, he could see that there was a small pool of... liquid light underneath the shining light-spirit. But the liquid light was made up of individual little light beings--the Lyikos. The cure... it was so close... Fels' body ascended behind Robless, appearing to stare in wonder.

Vabin's act up until now went off without a hitch. For his "master's" plan to work, these fools needed to succeed. Everything, so meticulously planed, had gone perfectly, and if any of these pawns were to die prematurely, it'd be checkmate for the Dreadlord. He knew what the Light sought to do, and he did something that was so obvious, that the Light probably did not see it coming. He returned to shadows nature, or, as some people might put it, his CBSD started acting up. Chronic Back-Stabbing Disorder. Betrayl, was also a part of shadow. Instantly becoming visible, Vabin flew into Fels with all his might, making sure to hit him with his shoulder and not the hand or arms crossed and bound over his chest. His dull rusted metal wings screeched as the unfolded. Lord Vabin the Iron-Winged glided up and above the pool, his aura of shadow both eerily and oddly artistically contrasting and complementing the ballad of light the chamber had.

((Bu... bu... bu... bu... D: Y u no let me carry out plot? I put Robbie in charge of replying. He thinks Fels is still fine, so he'll think his team is being attacked.))

((EXACTLY ACCORDING TO PLAN! Mwuhahahah!)))

Robless heard a screech behind him and turned around to see a dazed Fels. "Hm? Fels! You alright? Wait, you survived the--never mind we need all the help we can get." Fels looked at him slightly troubled and Robless simply shook it off; after all, shell shock can mess you up quite badly.

The Lyikos. We're so close. Tam--Aurora, hang in there. We're almost there. We'll come for you.

The final steps were upon them, and with them, the moment of truth. But then, the Shadow of doubt was cast upon the light.

Vabin roared, his might voice of a million souls actually darkening the room. He descended, his feet just above the pool of light. This had to be done perfectly. There was no room for error, and no margin for it. Dangle the reward in their faces, yank it away when they lunge, but relent after the price had been paid. Vabin started forward, letting his visible soul-piercing purple eye peer deep into Robless.

The being of shadow stared into his soul. The Thel-ghan'che already trained him on how to defeat it.

Reality. Switch.

In an instant, Robless ripped his conscience from reality and placed it within his own soul, in his own world with no escape. His own little bubble of reality that he controlled. Grass rolled gently in the plains, a few trees scattered about, the sky blue, with fluffy clouds.

Robless himself was clad in heavy silver armor. His helmet's faceplate was lifted up and his steel grey eyes stared into Vabin's.

He stretched his hand out over the green grass. A blade levitated through the earth, cracked the dirt, and was clasped tightly in his hand.

It was simple and elegant all the same. The sword was the shape of a normal knight's longsword, with the blade's edge made of reinforced gold and the flat of the blade comprised of obsidian. Its hilt was beautiful, also black and gold but with a ruby inset at the bottom.

Robless looked up. "So. Were you not expecting this?" Vabin's hideous appearance did not unnerve him, for the parasite's was far worse. "Is it...not according to plan?" He flourished the blade and held it down towards the ground at his side, gripped in one hand. "Let's dance, Shadow." The helmet closed on his face and the single visor slit across his eyes glowed blue with energy.

To the others, Robless and Vabin's image stretched towards each other and blinked out of existence. They still had to retrieve the Lyikos with or without Robless.

The events happening in the reality of the cave will stay in this thread.
To follow the battle between Robless and Vabin, follow this thread: The Reality Marble.

((Okay, someone else post here, going for the Lyikos, so I can carry out Fels' part.))

"No."

And with that, Robless cut Vabin's arm in half, the arm dissipating and Vabin disappearing from Robless' reality.

Reality. Check.

His mind flashed and he was back to reality in an instant. Instinctively, he kicked forward and heard metal clatter against the stairs as Vabin's wing scraped the ground.

Robless reached out for the Lyikos, but a hand gripped his arm. "...Fels?"

Vabin rose into the air, his arms once again bound. "Mission.... success. Thank you Robless." And he vanished.

Fels' hand tightened around Robless arm, his eyes staring into his leader's with a burning intensity. And then he spoke. Or rather, the Protector spoke. Though Fels' lips moved, the voice was not his own. It boomed, echoed, carried through the air of the den, and it was the voice of something eternally old. A sliver of the light of the universe, a sliver of something so large as to not be comprehended by a normal being. Only those who had touched infinity would understand its abilities. Only those who had embraced death would see its true limitations. The voice shimmered and yet resonated soundly and deeply, touching everything it fell upon on a surface level, but drilled straight into Robless heart.

"Don't do this. You know not what you do."

"What are you?!" The pieces clicked into place almost instantly. The Shadow, the Light, the Protector. "Never mind that." Robless fully turned around to face Fels. "Aurora awaits." And then he kicked as hard as his servo-augmented leg would let him.

His target flew down the steps and crashed into the wall. It cracked. Something rumbled. The sound was from Fels, no, the Protector. They were running out of time.

Robless reached forward into the pool of light and felt one of the Lyikos touch his arm and start upwards. He pulled his arm out slowly. His body jolted as the Lyikos entered him through the arm.

(Archelaus' owner is currently on a ten-day road trip to the East Coast.)

((Wait, why are both taking one? They need one for Tam, not... I'm confused.))

Fels stood shakily from the crater into which he'd been thrown. He straightened, cracked his shoulders, and then launched himself back into motion, charging up the stairs and barrelling into Robless, carrying him off of the platform. Fels made sure to keep Robless under him as he fell, and when they hit the ground, the Protector tried one last time to get the man to see reason. Though he could not inform the man of exactly what the threat was and why they should leave the Lyikos where they lie, he hoped that he could impress upon Robless that it was important for him to do so.

"You will only condemn Aurora to a worse fate by doing this... all of you will suffer... Hear me, Valderis Robless. Hear me and listen to what I say. Do not take the Lyikos. Go home. Help her people if you wish to repay her. But don't condemn her to this terrible end. Please. Just listen."

The Protector's eyes shone into Robless', eternally old, eternally wise, eternally Light. "Do not condemn yourselves to grief. Please. It is for your own good."

(I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote it, I was dead tired. I'll edit that out.)

Robless thought about it for a moment. The Lyikos didn't work last time, why should it work now? What were they thinking, coming here? It didn't matter. It was their ONLY option. He reached out and punched Fels across the face, sprawling him across the floor.

"You're asking me to give up?" Robless picked up Fels by the collar and looked directly into his possessor's eyes. "To leave her there?" He punched him in the face. "Who do you think I am?" Another punch, this time it hit harder and Robless let go, leaving Fels crouched on the ground, holding his nose as blood poured out.

Robless kicked the injured man over and picked him up again. "What kind of Protector are you?!" Robless cried out, pushing him back. Calming down slightly, he steadied Fels and stared intently into the Protector's eyes. "Come with us, then. Show us what we need to do. I won't release the Lyikos but I won't use it unless you can't give us an option. It's our last resort, can't you see?"

((Wh-wh-wh-wh-wait. The idea was that he wouldn't trust it. Guh... ooh, wait. Verax. Bring in one of your guys to tell Robless not to trust the Protector. Pweez? :3))

((LOL, fine. I shall change it.))

Fels--the real one, still hovering somewhere in space--found himself cheering Robless on. The Protector was a liar, a damned liar who had already tricked him into surrendering his own body for its control. So when Robless offered the Protector the chance to come with them, Fels moaned in frustration. Well, he would have moaned, had he been in posession of a mouth and a set of vocal chords. If they brought the Protector along, it would only bide its time and try to stop them again, and... probably in a much less peaceful way. Fels feared for his commander.

~

The Protector considered. It could be a chance, another chance to stop them from giving the Lyikos to Eris-Tam. If it went along, it could try again, since the leader would not see reason. So Fels looked down, then back at Robless. "There is no way to change her fate other than to leave her there. But I will agree to come with you. I will search for a solution as you do, but I must warn you that if I am unable to find another way then I still cannot allow you to infect Aurora with the Lyikos. I will stop at nothing to keep you from this, if you decide to be foolish and try it anyways."

"So you're saying that there's no other way. You want us to give up. Unfortunately, there's no more I can do to stop you. Fels is a good soldier and I won't let him die to kill some weak-willed protector." He spat out the word 'protector' sardonically.

"Come on, Fels, let's go." Robless started to walk off and then turned around abruptly, as if he was forgetting something. "One more thing, Protector. What's the quickest way out? I'd prefer not to use the Leviathan's cannons to blow a hole in the roof of this sacred ground."

The Protector's eyes narrowed in distaste, but it simply strode ahead, passing Robless and leading the way. "The only way out is the same way you came in."

But even as the Protector spoke the words, it willed some of the creatures away from the path they would take. "Follow me." It exited the den, then led them through a maze of tunnels and finally they emerged onto the same open, riddled with chasms area that they had started on.

~

Fels wasn't sure if he agreed with his commander's decision. Honestly... he felt pretty sure that death would feel a lot like what he felt now, and that wouldn't be so bad. He certainly would have preferred that the Protector didn't come with them... he could just too easily see Robless or Cassus being stabbed through with Fels' knife before either one of them could react. It was bound to happen. And Fels could do nothing to stop it. At least if Robless had just killed him, he wouldn't worry that his leader would suffer the consequences. Despite everything, Robless was a good man. It was only the parasite that had driven him to such evil. Now that he was free of it, thank to Eris-Tam, he really was a good man if Fels had ever known one. Here he was, valiantly fighting, unwilling to give up to save the woman who had saved his life. The old Robless never would have considered such a thing, and would have called her a fool to have helped him.

But Fels could do nothing but wait, and watch.

Robless looked ahead and saw Fels leading the way. Fels would probably have been added to the team upon Robless' consideration, but that would have made no difference if he hadn't lived through the cave. If it wasn't for the Protector, he would've been dead already. Robless hoped it wouldn't come to killing him, and he would surely take Fels' death for him, but with the Protector loose, Aurora would never live through it and the Thel-ghan'che would come to wreak havoc on the universe once more.

Then again it was a living hell to be stuck inside your mind with no control over what you say or do. He shuddered at the thought of having the Thel-ghan'che basically control thousands of years of his life again.

The crackle of communication from outside life came through his helmet comms sensors. Their orders were to attempt communication every ten minutes or so to check on the team, well-knowing that if they didn't respond, it was most likely interference. It was also for the team's safety and operational integrity, in case Verax, the dragon, or the sand worms returned and left the camp unsafe.

"--if any member of the Cave of Shattered Suns expedition is receiving this message, please send a situation report."

"Robless here. Overall mission success. Casualties are high, but VIPs are all alive plus two soldiers. We're heading out, hold your fire. Get the Leviathan ready and package the camp ASAP. Tell them to warm the drives up and punch in coordinates for Dimension 1, Crenel."

He heard cheering at his first communication, silence on the casualty report, followed by the bustle of soldiers and personnel running to and fro.

Crenel loomed over the horizon. Dozens had died in the caves; thousands would die in the Battle for Crenel.

((So... we done on this thread? It can be locked, yes?))

((Right. We could write some extra filler stuff for this, but plot progress is good. Maybe we should wait for Archelaus? I believe he wanted his fleet to partake in the space battle in the Battle for Crenel. Some others also needed to catch up and be briefed on the situation, which I will write about below. Leave the thread unlocked for questions and further posts, if we need to wait for others))

The Cave Summary:

We entered the Cave of Shattered Suns in search of another Lyikos to save Eris-Tam/Aurora. In the start, we were ambushed by humanoid mantises, killing several soldiers, wounding some of the leaders, and separating a few small groups.

Ma'at and Drel-Caz nearly killed each other and ended up separating their Neiede, leaving Caz in a dream state and Ma'at furious. Meanwhile, a soldier by the name of Fels Tamired is basically possessed by the Light/the Protector, a being supposedly protecting the Lyikos Den but its true motives are unknown.

In the next chamber, something attacked the minds of the expedition members. All non-leader soldiers except Fels and Klyde are left completely unconscious or without a sound mind. Zero comes along and accelerates the plot.

The Lyikos Den is the last and final chamber. Here, the Lyikos parasites reside. Vabin, a.k.a. the Shadow, steps in the way of the group, leading to a mental battle between he and Robless, which ends in Vabian teleporting away.

The Protector uses Fels to try and stop Robless from grabbing one of the Lyikos, failing. It tries to tell Robless that it is dangerous to use the Lyikos and that Eris-Tam is unable to be saved. Robless beats it up for trying to tell them to give up, but eventually compromises, agreeing to let the Protector come along with them and find another way, using the Lyikos as a last resort.

The Protector helps them escape the cave and board the Leviathan, which is getting ready to go to Crenel in the 1st Dimension to go save Aurora.

Current group: All leaders/main characters (including Ma'at, Caz, and Klyde), plus Fels Tamired.