Dawn of the Void

Chapter 155: Distress Beacon

Chapter 155: Distress Beacon

James hadnt known what to expect. The very term facility had evoked vague notions of a factory, perhaps a metal futuristic building with gleaming windows, an alien building with security doors and featureless parking lots around it. An installation theyd have to charge and break into, overcoming defenses so as to get to a central storage room.

The reality was completely different.

The nine of them appeared within a huge white geodome, its faceted interior large enough to encompass a ten-story office building. Each of its facets extruded a mesh of gleaming threads that twined into thick, revolving ropes that extended to the center. There they wrapped around a mass of spindles that shrank and collapsed upon each other the closer they got to the geodomes exact center; James had seen enough of this nonsense by now to realize that there was dimensional stuff going on in the core.

All was shifting white lights and pristine ivory surfaces. The air was frigid, shockingly so, and a bright flash of golden light appeared just beneath the dimensional knot of spindles: a Reservoir Cube appeared, glowing as if drawn from a forge, into which a bead of pure sunlight dropped and was enclosed.

All this he observed with a glance, but his focus immediately locked on the entity that hung suspended over the central node, a massive orb spider of silver and white marble, filaments of gold inlaid in complex patterns over its body, its dozens of legs which phased in and out of view. It was the size of a cement truck but indescribably beautiful, alien in its movements, its thorax a liquid, oily black beneath the shining glory of its bulbous abdomen, its reflective silver legs, and its insectile head with golden pedipalps and endless onyx eyes.

Olafs Circle of Protection was up the moment they appeared, enveloping them all in a dome of perfect cerulean blue; even so Kimmie cried out and clutched her head as she executed her role of Sentinel and defended them on the substrate.

Everything happened very, very fast.

James evoked his Death Attack and hit the orb spider alien with 300 billion points of damage, infusing his attack with one of his nine Aeviternum points.

What/indelible heretical insertion against/rebellion -

The words appeared in Jamess mind even as his attack hit the spider at full force and caused its interior to glow brilliantly as if a sun had ignited within, its body blasting apart a second later -

- only for time to reverse itself, the spiders corpus flowing back together seamlessly, with Crimson Hydra frozen as the Death Attack was undone.

Interiority declension variable | inadequate surfeit of declaration of

intent

ambition nuncupatory

Eradication/Deformation removal execute

Engaging Seraph protocol

Kimmie screamed. Blood was flowing from the corners of her eyes, from her ears.

A thousand smaller spiders phased into existence from within the main alien and leaped forth in every direction, clinging to ropes of thread but Serenity activated her crowd control attack and the dome flashed crimson.

The thousands of smaller spiders shriveled and disappeared.

James cast his Death Attack once more. The ray of power flew forth, Aeviternum blessed, but hit a forcefield that flared into view around the spider and failed to harm it.

His attack was returned.

A beam of golden as thick as his wrist speared against Olafs Circle and shattered it. The beam split into four and Denzel, Serenity, Jason, and Olaf were cut down, their bodies sliced into great bleeding chunks of -

The chunks reversed their trajectories and flew back together, gouts of blood returning to the wounds that sealed themselves up as James found himself reversing the small movements hed made.

Kerim had his hand up, spiraling white light fluctuating between his palm, his thickly curled black hair writhing against his scalp, his spectacles flashing white.

Resistance/space-time violation interesting | pretty

Declare intention and identity, transgressors

Fluctuations manageable | eradication eternal

The whole geodome pulsed with invisible power of such magnitude that even without Spiritual Exaltation James could sense it.

Kimmie screamed as blood burst out her nose and both eyeballs popped free of her ocular cavities. Denzel barked his negation and she reared back up from mid-fall, her eyes restoring themselves.

James launched his Death Attack once more, burning his third point of Aeviternum. It hit the forcefield and once again failed to penetrate, but this time Serenity unleashed her own attack which layered over his own and caused the shield to shatter.

The spider flared gold from within again, burst out like a sun going nova, only to freeze and restore itself as before.

Jason grabbed hold of Yadriels arm and they both appeared above the spider, forty or fifty yards up in the air. Yadriels whole body changed into a single spike of metal which fell and bounced off the forcefield. The field, however, deformed beneath Yadriels touch, and then a huge patch flared green and disappeared.

A filament of gold speared out from the spider and punched clear through Jasons face, killing him instantly.

Yadriel fell through the forcefield and speared into the spiders huge fleshy abdomen, sinking into it as if it were made of Tiramisu. The spider keened on the substrate, which caused Kimmie to scream and clutch at her head again.

James hit the spider with his fourth attack. The forcefield, weakened, shattered, and his beam lanced straight into the spiders head even as Jason fell limply through the air, Miriams keen of horror joining Kimmies scream.

Yadriel was infecting the spiders very body, causing its abdomen to rot and fall apart. The Death Attack caused the spiders head to blow apart and for a second James felt a surge of victory.

Olaf fought to stand tall. The blue dome appeared again.

A pulse of invisible energy washed over them, terrible and potent as a hurricane wind.

Kimmie braced herself, jaw clenched, hands thrust forward, blood welling up from her eyes again, her whole body shaking.

There! James fired off his Death Attack again.

But without Aeviternum it was so greatly weakened.

The blast hit the spider and caused a diffuse golden glow to bloom within it - but the attack didnt destroy it as before.

A second wave of invisible might poured over them.

Kimmies cry barely rose to a scream before she collapsed.

Yadriel hurled himself up at the spider in Nem2 form, his old calling card. He hit the spiders flank and began slashing his way into it, his scythe-like arms edged with glowing purple power.

The spider twisted about, bringing its entire focus on Yadriel. An ethereal scream sounded and Yadriels masked head exploded like a clay flower pot hit with a sledgehammer.

Heaving for breath James and Serenity hit the spider again. James wanted to scream. Only nine Aeviternum? He should have purchased twenty, fifty -

The spider collapsed, overwhelmed, and then time reversed and it reformed. Not completely, however; more of its legs hung limp, half its head was crushed, and rivers of clotted cream fell through the air from its ruptured abdomen.

One more hit! cried Serenity. Just one more -

Terminate endgame | worthy contest | Insufficient contest

A beam of gold speared through the blue dome like a length of rebar punching through a windshield.

Olaf flew back, arms windmilling, and fell upon the ground.

Jason appeared beside Miriam.

Wait, she cried, what are you -

They both disappeared.

Now! barked James.

Serenity and he hit the spider with their combined attack.

The dome pulsed red.

The inside of the spider bloomed gold.

Its silver carapace turned black. Gouts of milky ichor burst forth, steaming, superheated.

Surprised | Unexpected |Improbable

Activating distress beacon

The spider fell, caught itself on nothing, hung in the air, seesawing back and forth, then lost its purchase and collapsed completely to the ground with a great crunch.

James stared in horror at the great corpse. He couldnt breathe, he couldnt think, couldnt catch his breath.

Serenity pulsed the dome again and the remains grew more scorched.

Fuck, she whispered, slowly straightening. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck.

James lowered his hand.

Blinked.

Tore his gaze from the dead spider and looked about him.

Kerim. Denzel. Kimmie. Olaf. They lay fallen about them.

He felt like he was going to puke. Feeling stupid, thick headed, he looked up. Yadriel lay still in the middle of the dome, having reverted to his human fault.

Oh no, whispered Serenity. This cant be real. Not like this. Not like this.