Day 31:
Crawl
A different kind of terror shot through him and he felt Dlmor echo it. He stopped at the steps of the porch, catching Beckett’s hand when they realized he wasn’t joining them. “Hunker down and wait for me, ok? I have to go help.”
“Help with what?” Beckett’s voice quake with a torrent of emotions.
He shook his head. “Please. Trust me in this and just wait. I’ll be back as soon as it’s safe.”
“Artemis, don’t be stupid,” Cole spat, words sharp but the fear clear in the lines of his face. “You’re not doing anything on your own. Lora isn’t here to offer you backup and even then you had vanished without a trace. We’re not letting you get taken again.”
He offered a tight smile as echoes of Dlmor slamming into a tree shot through his ribs and down his spine. How he didn’t flinch from it was beyond him. “I doubt she or anyone else who could help with this even if they were here.” He looked back at Beckett. “I’ll be back. I promise.”
They didn’t believe him. Or maybe they didn’t believe the world would let him hold to it. Even faced with that doubt they still let go of his hand with a sharp nod. “Don’t take too long.”
He offered a smile as echoes of pain shot through his torso. He was running out of time. “Will try not to.”
The trees shot past him in a blur as he left the cabin behind. What attention he could devote to Dlmor he gave without hesitation, barely keeping enough to keep himself from running into a tree head on. Dlmor growled at him, berating him for his recklessness, but he brushed the creature’s worry aside. This wasn’t something they could hold back with; he would be fine.
Dlmor dodged the attack at his silent scream to move. The claws sank into the earth before spraying dirt and plant life everywhere. The subsequent crater was dark with damp earth. Dlmor growled, barring its teeth before launching itself at the Olnvorox. The thing moved out of its reach, backtracking numerous steps so quickly, it seemed to blink out of existence in one location and reappear in another. Dlmor was getting sick of that trick. Between the both of them, though, they were learning to track it.
The thing’s grin grew as those vacant eyes got wider. It lunged, covering ground in a split second. Dlmor dove for the dirt at the thing’s feet as stardust seemed to burst from the creature’s fur. The dust hung in the air around the Olnvorox like a faint nebula, holding its attention briefly.
He leapt into the fray from a fallen tree and found himself level with what counted as the thing’s shoulders. At the peak of his jump with his arm pulled back, it was like time slowed down for him. The stardust rushed towards him, collecting and solidifying in his hand into a spear that shone like Dlmor’s eyes had in the dark, only brighter and looking more like pure light than that every-color silver he had grown accustom to seeing.
The thing screamed as the spear was buried into its torso.
The scream pierced through his head, leaving behind an excruciating headache. He hit the ground and rolled, flinching from the pain and looking back at the creature.
He had hit the thing in the torso but it had shifted enough that the spear had missed the intended mark. The thing moved to attack him but Dlmor was on its back, eyes those every-color silver and glowing. Artemis’s piece of the night tore at the thing from behind before kicking it away and placing itself between Artemis and the Olnvorox.
There was a word on his lip, a desire in his chest, but he caught Dlmor’s ears flattening as the creature picked up on it and he staggered under the influx of thoughts from Dlmor.
His heart sank.
Oh. So that’s what the dream had meant.
One set of claws buried themselves into the dirt where he had been standing, the other swiping at him as he leapt back. A second spear was in his hand as he brought the staff around and blocked the swipe.
He shook his head, pushing back. They couldn’t risk it unless they could guarantee that all Olnvorox would be kept from causing untold horrors in either Plane.
Dlmor slammed into the thing’s side, teeth sinking into the shoulder joint. Another scream. He ignored the flare of pain.
He didn’t accept Dlmor’s counter that it wasn’t possible. It had to be possible. They had to be able to cut the Olnvorox down and keep it down. They couldn’t risk these things getting enough power to wreak havoc across the Planes.
Dlmor was ripped from the thing’s shoulder and thrown into a nearby tree. Dlmor spun midair and absorbed the impact through its legs into a crouch before using the energy to launch itself back at the Olnvorox.
They couldn’t risk others dying at the hands of these things. There would be no one left should that happen.
The Olnvorox caught Dlmor by the throat, claws digging into the creature’s neck. Dlmor cried out in pain as Artemis took a few bounding strides to get some force behind the spear. It flew straight but the damn thing had been paying attention to him. It snatched the spear of light out of the air with glee, turning its broken grin and wide vacant eyes to him.
It was like time had almost stopped as he watched the fragments of the spear slowly scatter from the original shape. At the outskirts of their little arena, there were unmoving shadows that looked disconcertingly like the Olnvorox before him. The classical music from the old radio drifted through that stretched out moment of time. Knowledge he shouldn’t have known shoved itself to the forefront of his mind.
It wasn’t music. It was voices. Words.
The thing shattered the spear and he was forced to dive out of the way of the incoming claws.
A thought turned into a plan that would probably cost both his and Dlmor’s life. He knew that both of them were willing to take that chance if it mean so many others got to live but there was a sadness in his chest that wasn’t just his own. Bound as they were, Dlmor knew everything he had learned in that split second of the spear shattering.
It took far more effort than he cared for to crawl out of the bush he had landed in.
He was willing to take that risk, but they had to get back to the Second Plane.
He clambered to his feet, committing to the crazy plan. The grin on the Olnvorox’s face faltered as if it understood what was about to happen. He wasn’t sure if that made him happy or sad. He opened his mouth.
He didn’t even realize the thing had moved until its claws were being shoved away inches from his face. A blur of color told him exactly what had just interfered and he whipped his head around in surprise and rising fear as Ysle shot past him to help Trevak.
Tolnoran was standing at Elias’s side, both men standing tall, proud, and pissed. Elias cut to him as Tolnoran moved to Dlmor. The thing had dropped the creature upon the new assault. Elias grabbed at his tattered shirt, demanding, “What the hell were you thinking dragging it here.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he shot back, grabbing at his uncle’s arm not to throw him off, but to hang on. “We’re taking it back.” He caught the bewilderment that filled his uncle’s expression as he looked to Dlmor. He got a ping of assurance.
There was a burst of light and suddenly they were all in that hot desert sun again.
The thing screamed again and he watched as it tore through Ysle. The Kret’s form flickered before giving, revealing its Core. The thing grinned but he was already moving. Dlmor was at the Core before it had even fallen, paws turned hands clasping around it as Artemis came in with a new spear. He buried the point into the Olnvorox’s hand, delaying the attack that would have cut Dlmor to ribbons. The world around them flickered between desert and winter forest.
Dlmor rolled in the sand, the grains slipping free of its fur like droplets of water as it hurried to his side, passing him the Core. Trevak - massive, hissing, encircling them all - was reared back, wings wide.
The world around them changed and they were in that winter forest again. Whatever attack Trevak had intended was cut off by trees and the Olnvorox took off. Dlmor was right behind it as Artemis ran over to the prone Tolnoran. Elias was just getting there, hands shaking as he moved to roll the larger man over. Words were tumbling from Elias’s lips but Artemis didn’t have enough attention to understand what the man was muttering. He grabbed at Elias’s hand and shoved the Core in it. Unlike the one he had found in the sand, this one was still warm and incredibly light. Once safe in the man’s palm, he grabbed Tolnoran’s hand and sandwiched the Core between the two palms, barking, “Trevak!”
The winged serpent hurried over, wrapping itself protectively around the two men as if it knew what he had wanted by its name alone.
Dlmor tackled the Olnvorox to the ground. It bit down on Olnvorox’s wrist as he called out.
“Zlvyx!”
Elias’s head snapped up, eyes wide.
A burst of light and Dlmor was back, Olnvorox in tow. The thing screamed but he barely noticed as there was a burst of stardust from Dlmor as the creature shifted its form in an attempt to pin the thing down.
That stardust immediately gathered in the space between Tolnoran and Elias’s palms as if something was drawing it in at an accelerated rate. As soon as it was all gathered, Artemis let their hands go and he was off running towards Dlmor and the Olnvorox. The world flickered again and his next step was into open air. He yanked his other foot from the sand and cleared a good distance of dune before his feet hit sand again. He skidded down the last of the slope before taking off running towards the struggling pair.
The thing locked its eyes on him. He grinned back at it. “Not this time.”
Each point of light on Dlmor intensified until the creature was a point of blinding light in the middle of a sun soaked desert. The thing screamed out but there was no pain from the scream. The form of living light shifted around the Olnvorox, swallowing it as it continued to scream, to struggle. He knew it was well aware of what he was doing, of what he was planning, and he took no pleasure in its terror. Instead he focused on the task at hand.
The world around him darkened as he watched until the shadows of dunes were a backdrop for a glowing form that was wrapping itself around the shadow of an Olnvorox. Thin strings of light slowly stretched from the living light in a number of directions. He pulled in a slow breath.
When he released it, those strings shot off in every direction at a speed he couldn’t even fathom. One, then another, then three, then twelve, then twenty-six, numerous Olnvorox all over the Second Plane that were trying to flee were suddenly pinned in place by these strings of light. Suddenly there were strings in the First Plane and his heart briefly clenched in fear at the edge of his awareness.
The Olnvorox there tried to flee but they were pinned down as well. He knew it wouldn’t be enough, though. There were too many and the two of them were already drawn out so thin. Instead, he turned his attention from those strings of light and focused on the gray of both planes. He gestured and something very similar to the stardust he had been utilizing earlier shot out in every direction from the same point on both Planes. It took a long while before he picked up on the number of glowing form, on those that would have the power and strength to help in this.
He wasn’t going to be able to rid the Planes of Olnvorox. They didn’t have the power for that, let alone what would happen from the backlash of energy from such an act, but he could Bind them. Bound would restrict their abilities, their movement, and would give them the chance to return to what they were before their existence was ripped from them.
A weariness that was bone deep and far greater than any exhaustion he had ever felt before weighed heavily on them both but they weren’t done yet. He pulled himself back into the Second Plane, turning to watch as Dlmor started to let go of what had been the Olnvorox. The creature’s shadowy form was gone, its broken grin and vacant eyes were no longer present, leaving behind a rather familiar form of shaped night with every-color silver stars and eyes.
After all, they were Zlvyx whose Cores had been overspent and abandoned.
With the last of what they had, he and his Zlvyx Bound every single Olnvorox to those that could help them, that were willing to help them.
As the last of them were Bound, Artemis found himself on his knees aware of the winter air biting into him again. Through his Zlvyx’s eyes he could make out the blurry forms of Tolnoran and Elias and their Bound. Despite the lack of clarity, it seemed all four were alright. As weary as the creature was, his Zlvyx gave him everything it could through Transference. Memories and thoughts poured into him and he carefully tucked them all away even as they filled his mind.
All of it pulled a bittersweet smile to his face as he felt Zlvyx’s form give out. He watched as the ball of light that was his Zlvyx’s Core hover for a brief moment before shooting skyward so quickly, all he saw was the phantom streak of light left behind on his retina. The Olnvorox now Zlvyx cautiously approached him, pressing its face into his chest as the last of his strength left him. He collapsed forward but the creature took his weight and let out a chirruped purr, words edging the sound in his head.
It wanted to become Bound to him, to save him from the death that awaited him, but he succumbed too quickly to the repercussions of his actions to even understand the creature’s desire.
“Help with what?” Beckett’s voice quake with a torrent of emotions.
He shook his head. “Please. Trust me in this and just wait. I’ll be back as soon as it’s safe.”
“Artemis, don’t be stupid,” Cole spat, words sharp but the fear clear in the lines of his face. “You’re not doing anything on your own. Lora isn’t here to offer you backup and even then you had vanished without a trace. We’re not letting you get taken again.”
He offered a tight smile as echoes of Dlmor slamming into a tree shot through his ribs and down his spine. How he didn’t flinch from it was beyond him. “I doubt she or anyone else who could help with this even if they were here.” He looked back at Beckett. “I’ll be back. I promise.”
They didn’t believe him. Or maybe they didn’t believe the world would let him hold to it. Even faced with that doubt they still let go of his hand with a sharp nod. “Don’t take too long.”
He offered a smile as echoes of pain shot through his torso. He was running out of time. “Will try not to.”
The trees shot past him in a blur as he left the cabin behind. What attention he could devote to Dlmor he gave without hesitation, barely keeping enough to keep himself from running into a tree head on. Dlmor growled at him, berating him for his recklessness, but he brushed the creature’s worry aside. This wasn’t something they could hold back with; he would be fine.
Dlmor dodged the attack at his silent scream to move. The claws sank into the earth before spraying dirt and plant life everywhere. The subsequent crater was dark with damp earth. Dlmor growled, barring its teeth before launching itself at the Olnvorox. The thing moved out of its reach, backtracking numerous steps so quickly, it seemed to blink out of existence in one location and reappear in another. Dlmor was getting sick of that trick. Between the both of them, though, they were learning to track it.
The thing’s grin grew as those vacant eyes got wider. It lunged, covering ground in a split second. Dlmor dove for the dirt at the thing’s feet as stardust seemed to burst from the creature’s fur. The dust hung in the air around the Olnvorox like a faint nebula, holding its attention briefly.
He leapt into the fray from a fallen tree and found himself level with what counted as the thing’s shoulders. At the peak of his jump with his arm pulled back, it was like time slowed down for him. The stardust rushed towards him, collecting and solidifying in his hand into a spear that shone like Dlmor’s eyes had in the dark, only brighter and looking more like pure light than that every-color silver he had grown accustom to seeing.
The thing screamed as the spear was buried into its torso.
The scream pierced through his head, leaving behind an excruciating headache. He hit the ground and rolled, flinching from the pain and looking back at the creature.
He had hit the thing in the torso but it had shifted enough that the spear had missed the intended mark. The thing moved to attack him but Dlmor was on its back, eyes those every-color silver and glowing. Artemis’s piece of the night tore at the thing from behind before kicking it away and placing itself between Artemis and the Olnvorox.
There was a word on his lip, a desire in his chest, but he caught Dlmor’s ears flattening as the creature picked up on it and he staggered under the influx of thoughts from Dlmor.
His heart sank.
Oh. So that’s what the dream had meant.
One set of claws buried themselves into the dirt where he had been standing, the other swiping at him as he leapt back. A second spear was in his hand as he brought the staff around and blocked the swipe.
He shook his head, pushing back. They couldn’t risk it unless they could guarantee that all Olnvorox would be kept from causing untold horrors in either Plane.
Dlmor slammed into the thing’s side, teeth sinking into the shoulder joint. Another scream. He ignored the flare of pain.
He didn’t accept Dlmor’s counter that it wasn’t possible. It had to be possible. They had to be able to cut the Olnvorox down and keep it down. They couldn’t risk these things getting enough power to wreak havoc across the Planes.
Dlmor was ripped from the thing’s shoulder and thrown into a nearby tree. Dlmor spun midair and absorbed the impact through its legs into a crouch before using the energy to launch itself back at the Olnvorox.
They couldn’t risk others dying at the hands of these things. There would be no one left should that happen.
The Olnvorox caught Dlmor by the throat, claws digging into the creature’s neck. Dlmor cried out in pain as Artemis took a few bounding strides to get some force behind the spear. It flew straight but the damn thing had been paying attention to him. It snatched the spear of light out of the air with glee, turning its broken grin and wide vacant eyes to him.
It was like time had almost stopped as he watched the fragments of the spear slowly scatter from the original shape. At the outskirts of their little arena, there were unmoving shadows that looked disconcertingly like the Olnvorox before him. The classical music from the old radio drifted through that stretched out moment of time. Knowledge he shouldn’t have known shoved itself to the forefront of his mind.
It wasn’t music. It was voices. Words.
The thing shattered the spear and he was forced to dive out of the way of the incoming claws.
A thought turned into a plan that would probably cost both his and Dlmor’s life. He knew that both of them were willing to take that chance if it mean so many others got to live but there was a sadness in his chest that wasn’t just his own. Bound as they were, Dlmor knew everything he had learned in that split second of the spear shattering.
It took far more effort than he cared for to crawl out of the bush he had landed in.
He was willing to take that risk, but they had to get back to the Second Plane.
He clambered to his feet, committing to the crazy plan. The grin on the Olnvorox’s face faltered as if it understood what was about to happen. He wasn’t sure if that made him happy or sad. He opened his mouth.
He didn’t even realize the thing had moved until its claws were being shoved away inches from his face. A blur of color told him exactly what had just interfered and he whipped his head around in surprise and rising fear as Ysle shot past him to help Trevak.
Tolnoran was standing at Elias’s side, both men standing tall, proud, and pissed. Elias cut to him as Tolnoran moved to Dlmor. The thing had dropped the creature upon the new assault. Elias grabbed at his tattered shirt, demanding, “What the hell were you thinking dragging it here.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he shot back, grabbing at his uncle’s arm not to throw him off, but to hang on. “We’re taking it back.” He caught the bewilderment that filled his uncle’s expression as he looked to Dlmor. He got a ping of assurance.
There was a burst of light and suddenly they were all in that hot desert sun again.
The thing screamed again and he watched as it tore through Ysle. The Kret’s form flickered before giving, revealing its Core. The thing grinned but he was already moving. Dlmor was at the Core before it had even fallen, paws turned hands clasping around it as Artemis came in with a new spear. He buried the point into the Olnvorox’s hand, delaying the attack that would have cut Dlmor to ribbons. The world around them flickered between desert and winter forest.
Dlmor rolled in the sand, the grains slipping free of its fur like droplets of water as it hurried to his side, passing him the Core. Trevak - massive, hissing, encircling them all - was reared back, wings wide.
The world around them changed and they were in that winter forest again. Whatever attack Trevak had intended was cut off by trees and the Olnvorox took off. Dlmor was right behind it as Artemis ran over to the prone Tolnoran. Elias was just getting there, hands shaking as he moved to roll the larger man over. Words were tumbling from Elias’s lips but Artemis didn’t have enough attention to understand what the man was muttering. He grabbed at Elias’s hand and shoved the Core in it. Unlike the one he had found in the sand, this one was still warm and incredibly light. Once safe in the man’s palm, he grabbed Tolnoran’s hand and sandwiched the Core between the two palms, barking, “Trevak!”
The winged serpent hurried over, wrapping itself protectively around the two men as if it knew what he had wanted by its name alone.
Dlmor tackled the Olnvorox to the ground. It bit down on Olnvorox’s wrist as he called out.
“Zlvyx!”
Elias’s head snapped up, eyes wide.
A burst of light and Dlmor was back, Olnvorox in tow. The thing screamed but he barely noticed as there was a burst of stardust from Dlmor as the creature shifted its form in an attempt to pin the thing down.
That stardust immediately gathered in the space between Tolnoran and Elias’s palms as if something was drawing it in at an accelerated rate. As soon as it was all gathered, Artemis let their hands go and he was off running towards Dlmor and the Olnvorox. The world flickered again and his next step was into open air. He yanked his other foot from the sand and cleared a good distance of dune before his feet hit sand again. He skidded down the last of the slope before taking off running towards the struggling pair.
The thing locked its eyes on him. He grinned back at it. “Not this time.”
Each point of light on Dlmor intensified until the creature was a point of blinding light in the middle of a sun soaked desert. The thing screamed out but there was no pain from the scream. The form of living light shifted around the Olnvorox, swallowing it as it continued to scream, to struggle. He knew it was well aware of what he was doing, of what he was planning, and he took no pleasure in its terror. Instead he focused on the task at hand.
The world around him darkened as he watched until the shadows of dunes were a backdrop for a glowing form that was wrapping itself around the shadow of an Olnvorox. Thin strings of light slowly stretched from the living light in a number of directions. He pulled in a slow breath.
When he released it, those strings shot off in every direction at a speed he couldn’t even fathom. One, then another, then three, then twelve, then twenty-six, numerous Olnvorox all over the Second Plane that were trying to flee were suddenly pinned in place by these strings of light. Suddenly there were strings in the First Plane and his heart briefly clenched in fear at the edge of his awareness.
The Olnvorox there tried to flee but they were pinned down as well. He knew it wouldn’t be enough, though. There were too many and the two of them were already drawn out so thin. Instead, he turned his attention from those strings of light and focused on the gray of both planes. He gestured and something very similar to the stardust he had been utilizing earlier shot out in every direction from the same point on both Planes. It took a long while before he picked up on the number of glowing form, on those that would have the power and strength to help in this.
He wasn’t going to be able to rid the Planes of Olnvorox. They didn’t have the power for that, let alone what would happen from the backlash of energy from such an act, but he could Bind them. Bound would restrict their abilities, their movement, and would give them the chance to return to what they were before their existence was ripped from them.
A weariness that was bone deep and far greater than any exhaustion he had ever felt before weighed heavily on them both but they weren’t done yet. He pulled himself back into the Second Plane, turning to watch as Dlmor started to let go of what had been the Olnvorox. The creature’s shadowy form was gone, its broken grin and vacant eyes were no longer present, leaving behind a rather familiar form of shaped night with every-color silver stars and eyes.
After all, they were Zlvyx whose Cores had been overspent and abandoned.
With the last of what they had, he and his Zlvyx Bound every single Olnvorox to those that could help them, that were willing to help them.
As the last of them were Bound, Artemis found himself on his knees aware of the winter air biting into him again. Through his Zlvyx’s eyes he could make out the blurry forms of Tolnoran and Elias and their Bound. Despite the lack of clarity, it seemed all four were alright. As weary as the creature was, his Zlvyx gave him everything it could through Transference. Memories and thoughts poured into him and he carefully tucked them all away even as they filled his mind.
All of it pulled a bittersweet smile to his face as he felt Zlvyx’s form give out. He watched as the ball of light that was his Zlvyx’s Core hover for a brief moment before shooting skyward so quickly, all he saw was the phantom streak of light left behind on his retina. The Olnvorox now Zlvyx cautiously approached him, pressing its face into his chest as the last of his strength left him. He collapsed forward but the creature took his weight and let out a chirruped purr, words edging the sound in his head.
It wanted to become Bound to him, to save him from the death that awaited him, but he succumbed too quickly to the repercussions of his actions to even understand the creature’s desire.