Chapter 13: Chapter Thirteen: Magma Tears

Darkness parted.

My eyes slid back into place and I looked around. I was on my stomach, with my head turned. Long, inky shadows filled the area, but there was a small glow holding them back.

I grunted as I moved my limbs. Feeling had returned to my extremities. I placed my palms on the rocky floor and slowly pushed myself up. I turned and sat, my previous weakness slowly dissipating. Glancing around, there wasn’t much to look at. I was in a small cavern. I turned my head slightly to see a single, small, magma pool in the small distance.

I looked down at myself, seeing that body was healed. My suit was repaired, but I was still covered in dirt. I had no idea how long I was down here, but Xull must be looking for me.

I raised my head and looked directly up. All I saw was stalactites and a rocky ceiling. There was no hint of the hole I feel down in. It was odd for the ground to open up like that. Odder still that there was no sign of where I fell down. I could have been dragged here, but for what purpose, I couldn’t tell you.   

The cavern was dead silent as I sat there. I tried using my implant to contact Xull. There was no response.

I called up my stats.

Quinn Barron

Category 1 Mana Storm

Strength Power: 25 Tons

Speed: Mach 1 (1,000 MPH)

 

Standard Abilities

Hyper Physical Durability

Flight

Regeneration

Hyper Senses

Hyper Dimensional Jump

 

Storm Powers

Element: Water

1. Aura 60%
2. Elemental Weapon or Armor 40%
3. Energy Bolts 40%
4. Elemental manipulation (X)
5. Elemental Flare (X)
6. Unique Ability (X)
7. Unique Ability (X)
8. Unique Ability (X)

 

Everything was back to normal and I was feeling stronger by the second. I moved my legs under me and slowly stood up.

I never tested the limits of my implant. I gave a simple mental command to tell me the time. The time appeared next to my stats. I looked it over to see that since I boarded the Horizon, and its eventual destruction, three hours had passed. Now, I was in some cavern, deep within Xull Prime without an exit in sight.

My eyes adjusted quickly to the dark, seeing that whole cavern was enclosed. There were no tunnels or archways. I was trapped.

I thought over my options. I could use my energy bolts and blast straight up, but I didn’t know how deep I was. If I was miles under the surface, it would take many attempts to shot my way out. I could also try punching my way up, but even with my strength, it could take days, or even weeks to dig my way out. Maybe I needed to use a combination of those techniques to get me out of here.

Well, I couldn’t stay down here. It looked like I would have to do my best to tunnel my way out of here and back to the surface. I called upon my power and floated a few feet off the cavern floor. I was ready to start blasting my way up, when the entire cavern shuddered.

I froze in the air as I looked around.

Glowing magma dripped from a wall and into a hot pool. The cavern shuddered again, small rocks beginning to fall. I turned to the magma pool in the short distance, when something large slowly cracked and pulled away from the cavern wall.

I stayed floating, my entire body ready, as a vague, humanoid shape broke from the wall and started moving to me. Its body had a rough form. The more I looked at it, the more I saw a feminine shape. It even had breasts, but no nipples. It had long, sandy hair. The more I focused on it, the more I saw that it was actual sand being held together in long strands. Gemstones were imbedded in areas along its body. It was made of gray and black stones, blending together with brown dirt and yellow sand. Slits formed along a smooth, stony face. The slits opened into glowing eyes of magma.

There was no fear as I stared at it.

“I remember you from a dream,” I whispered.

The rocky creature stepped closer. It was tall, standing at fifteen feet tall. Its gaze met mine as it stood before me.

We were both silent as we eyed each other.

“Are you the blood of Xull Prime?” I asked.

It stared at me for a long moment, not answering. Instead, a magma tear streaked down its smooth face and dripped off its chin. A sizzling sound rose up between us as the tear cooled into hard rock.

I couldn’t explain it, but I didn’t feel any kind of threat from the creature. The only thing I could feel was fear sorrow from it. It seemed so alone, and frightened.

“Why are you sad?” I asked, trying to be friendly.

The rocky woman lifted a hand and stepped closer. I didn’t stop her as she placed her rock-like hand on my head. Energy surged and my mind was blasted with moving images.

I didn’t blink as images poured into my mind. There was a capsule, with a man inside. Wires and tubes were in his exposed neck and the back of his head. He screamed as something dark moved beyond the outskirts of the vision. I could feel their pain as they begged for the shadow to stop. Instead, it ignored the screaming man, stabbing another cable into its neck. Black claws clinked as they pulled away from the cable and grabbed another.

“Jaskur!” the man cried out.

The visions dimmed and fell away like dying leaves from a tree.

I floated as the rocky hand pulled away, remembering that Xull Prime used to be called Jaskur.

“He’s your mana storm,” I said with a low tone.

Another tear streaked down from the creature’s other eye and dripped off its chin.

The blood, or intelligence of this world, was hurting. From what I could tell, it was feeling his pain and it was powerless to do anything about it. The notion pulled at me, understanding that it wanted me to help its mana storm.

I bowed my head to the rock creature. “I will help you. I will save him,” I stated.

The rock creature stared at me with glowing eyes. The cavern began to tremble and shake around me. Vibrations touched my senses as the entire place rattled like a small urthquake back home.

The ground began to further tremble. The rock creature, Jaskur, turned her body and looked down. I followed her gaze and watched as the ground began to open up like a mouth. Sand, dirt, and rocks moved with liquid ease, pulling apart until a pit loomed. A bubbling sound touched my ears, and not long after, a gray, milky liquid began to rise. It filled the open pit to the very edge. It bubbled a little more before becoming perfectly still.

Jaskur pointed her rocky hand at the milky gray pool.

I stared at the gray liquid. The planet was offering me some of its mana so I could save its mana storm. I could sense the sorrow and pain it felt. It was like a symphony of sorrow, playing to no one but us.

My hand trembled before I took control and calmed it. It wasn’t from nervousness. No, my hand trembled from excitement. This path I was on was opening further, and now I had a better chance to not only help this world, but many others.

I stepped forward to the pool edge. I floated up a few feet ad hovered over the milky liquid. I turned and faced the rock creature. She simply stared at me with magma glowing eyes.

“I swear to help you. Thank you for this gift,” I said with conviction.

Jaskur stared at me with unblinking eyes.

I sank down into the gray liquid. The moment my boots touched it, the liquid crawled up my feet and legs. I sank lower and lower as the liquid crawled up my body. I parted my lips and closed my eyes as I sank down until I was completely submerged. Warmth, and a sense of belonging, curled around me like a warm blanket.

Time lost all meaning as I floated in the darkness. A prickling energy ran along every cell of my body. It was like every part of me was being filled with new light, and glowing with new power. I could have stayed like this, forever, huddled in the warmth of living life.

The liquid began to pull away. I opened my eyes to darkness, but soon, the milky liquid slipped away from my open eyes. I stared at the pit wall for a moment before looking down. The mana was draining back down in the pit. After a time, it was completely gone, returning to deeper within the planet.

I floated up from the pit and looked around. Jaskur was stepping to wall. She turned her rocky head to me, magma eyes glowing with heat and some divine understanding.

“Thank you,” I said.

Jaskur didn’t respond. It touched the rocky wall and melted into it. In a matter of seconds, she was gone, vanishing into the wall.

A tiny breeze drifted down onto my head. I tilted my head up to see a tunnel leading up, and a small patch of blue sky at the end.

I floated up, new power and energy swirling in my whole body. I felt stronger, faster, more powerful. Inspiration took hold, and I shot up like a bullet. In a second and a half, I launched from the hole in the ground and into the clear, sunny sky. I took in a deep breath, savoring it as sunlight painted my face.

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I then opened my eyes and called up my stats.

Quinn Barron

Category 2 Mana Storm

Strength Power: 75 Tons

Speed: Mach 5 (3,000 MPH)

 

Standard Abilities

Hyper Physical Durability

Flight

Regeneration

Hyper Senses

Hyper Dimensional Jump

 

I did increase from a category one mana storm to a category two storm. I then noticed I had two tabs under my abilities. One was labeled Water, the other, Stone. I opened the stone tab and looked it over.

Element: Stone

1. Aura (X)
2. Elemental Weapon or Armor (X)
3. Energy Bolts (X)
4. Elemental manipulation (X)
5. Elemental Flare (X)
6. Unique Ability (X)
7. Unique Ability (X)
8. Unique Ability (X)

 

I could see that I now had access to the stone element, but much like the water element, I had to train this one up as well. It also seemed to double my chances with another element. I was making some educated assumptions, but I think I can switch out abilities depending on the element I am using at the time. With some training, I just doubled my power level.

“Quinn. You just appeared on my sensors. Are you alright?” Xull said through my implant.                        

I smiled to myself.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” I said.

“I’ve had ships scouring the surface for any signal of you. Nearest ship is on its way to your location. You have been missing for twenty-four hours.”     

“I made a new friend, and a promise. I’ll explain when we meet up,” I said as I floated high in the clear sky.

“Understood,” Xull said.

I stayed floating in the sky, feeling my new strength and power. I thought I was strong before, but now, I felt like I could anything.

A ship appeared along the horizon. It moved at great speed toward me.

I lifted my arm and waved.

The ship approached in a matter of minutes. A ramp opened up from under the ship and I floated to it. I placed one boot on the ramp, followed by the other. I walked into the ship as Xull was standing there with her golden gaze on me.

“I thought…” Xull began.

I shook my head. “It was close, but I’m still here. Let’s sit down and talk,” I said with a confident smile.

***

The ship approached Dream City. It floated down to a tall tower and extended a ramp. Xull led the way as we walked down the ramp and onto a wide balcony.

We spent the last twenty minutes bringing each other up to speed. I told Xull what happened within the ship with Xull Omega, fighting my way out and being caught in the explosion.

Xull informed me that Omega did indeed use the self-destruct, coupled with the newer, hyper efficient engine. If the Horizon was on the ground when it exploded, it would have destroyed several mountains.

I did tell her about what happened underground, and that her Mana Storm, Davin Korr was still alive and held prisoner by Omega. Xull gave no hint of emotion, but I did see her eyes twitch, in what I assumed was new calculations.

The ship pulled away with the ramp sliding back into it.

The glass door opened and Xull walked in first. I followed, the door closing behind me. We stepped into what looked like a conference room. It had a long table, but only four chairs at one end. Xull walked over to the head of the table and sat down. She gestured at the seat next to her and I sat down in it.

“Despite my defenses, Omega continues to find ways to break in. She has escalated her attacks. I calculate she will scale up her attacks, targeting Dream City, to ensure your demise.

“I have fortified defenses, but if she takes control of a few generators of the city, she could level the area and all within it.”

“Is there another battleship, like the Horizon, that can take off soon? If I leave now, and get away from Xull Prime, it will reduce the risk of anyone getting hurt here,” I offered.

Xull eyed me and a gleam in her golden eyes. “A new plan has already been discussed and a new ship is being built as we speak. It will be ready by the morning.”

“A new plan has been discussed? With whom?”

“Despite losing your signal, I knew you were still alive. If you had died, an explosion would have destroyed a rather large area. With that information, I set into motion a new plan. A new ship is being built to new specifications. It is smaller, quicker and more maneuverable. It also has weapons on a smaller scale and a shield generator.

“The only different with this new ship is, it cannot be piloted by any version of my programming. It has limited intelligence, and requires a pilot to ensure systems are activated and used, without AI control.”

I glanced over to the two empty seats and I understood what she meant. “Isn’t that risky? Living pilots will be in danger.”

“I have already explained the risks, and your pilot and co-pilot, have agreed to assist on this mission. I could not talk them out of it.”

The door to the conference room opened. I looked over and my pulses quickened to see Hope and Nora step in. The door closed behind them as they walked over and took the pair of seats across from me.

I was happy, and deeply worried as the pair looked at me with determined eyes and happy smiles.

“You know what I’m going to say,” I said sternly.

“And, we are going to ignore it,” Nora said with an evil grin.

Hope leaned forward with elbows on the table, laced her fingers, and rested her chin on them.

“You need a pilot for a dangerous mission and we volunteered. After what happened on the Horizon, you need all the help you can get. I logged many hours, and have a solid ninety four percent on my piloting skill. You’re not going to find any other volunteers with that skill level for this mission, so you’re stuck with me,” Hope grinned.

“You’re stuck with both of us,” Nora added. “I have enough time logged in flight simulations to be Hope’s co-pilot. And if you think I’m going to let my best friend, and you, go on a dangerous mission without me, you will be sadly mistaken.”

I parted my lips to protest, but no sound came out. I had a lot of super powers, but I was no pilot. I needed a ship to get to Nerth, and with Omega hacking and blowing things up, the risk was too great to try that again. Xull cannot trust her own systems, so, that left us with very little options.

“It would seem we’re working together,” I smiled.

Nora and Hope nodded in agreement.

“Time is of the essence,” Xull said. “We will discuss the mission plan and prepare for early departure for tomorrow. The three of you will require rest this evening.”

Xull turned her golden gaze in my direction. “There will be no time to train your new abilities, but when the mission is over, we can plan for further training.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell her, I wasn’t sure I needed any more training from her. It wasn’t from a place of ego, or misplaced confidence. When I was submerged in Jakur’s mana, I began to understand more of what I was, and who I could be. I already had the tools to improve my own abilities, with my own training.

My thoughts shifted back to home. It had been over a week since this craziness began, but I was missing my world, my home. Even at such a great distance, I could feel the pull of Urth. She was a living, thinking intelligence. And after connecting with Jaskur of this this world, I understood what it meant to be a Mana Storm. I knew, I would have to return to defend my Urth.

I promised to help stop Xull Omega, and save Davin, but once those promises were completed, I had to leave. I could sense Urth. I could sense her concern for the aliens buried on the dark side of the moon. Time was slipping away and I couldn’t spend it waiting for a better opportunity to stop Omega.

I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the table.

“Let’s hash out the rest of the plan,” I said with new confidence in my spirit.

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