Out of place. An unwelcome mana surging-- interweaving with Lucaen's. An unfamiliar yet cozy rhythm. The capital, the terrains merged as they both dissipated through the flow of rhythm they had set. The swift motion blurred their senses. Any sensations dulled.
It was a brief synchronization, before the fracture introduced itself. The farther they get from the planet's core, the weaker the core rhythm they tuned to gets. It felt as if, something was breaking in the pathway. Something was disrupting their stabilization.
Little by little, Lucaen felt his strength drain from him. His own rhythm tried to stabilize itself. A futile attempt.
The wavelength started to slow down, the scenery taking hold; it was heavy. The warmth itself disappeared. Replaced by the sharp cold.
Aurelius' voice sliced through the endless hypnosis like a hot splash of water to his system. "Break it."
Lucaen mustered his rhythm, gathering them before putting it to a sudden halt. His vision jarred slightly.
A desynchronization.
Surprisingly, it didn't hurt him.
The reality snapped, the scenery, the terrains dissolved into the reality in front of him. A cold, cutting wind brushed Lucaen's EXA. A cold contrast to the winds of Elysium. Lucaen's suit slowly formed as if he was pushed away. His clawed feet gripped the sand on the sandstone, securing his footing. Yet, the rhythm failed real time to stabilize.
The haziness turned to clarity, revealing the architecture of a deserted civilization. Pillars of structured limestone stretched far, with sand blanketing the surface.
[REPOT: You H4ve Arrived t^ eCHol0n]
His port stung slightly, as if Caius had grazed his venomous tail on his left arm. Lucaen spared a second to check its sensitivity. A second too long around the edges of his sync port. Drowned in his own thoughts, and it was not a good memory. His arm flinched back the moment his fingers absently caressed it. It's still responsive.
Good.
It started to get misty around him. A declaration of his self-regulating exo. His eyes scanned the environment around him. This very land rejects him, his rhythm. A constant exhausting stabilization.
He arrived in Echolon unscathed. Seemingly off to a good start. The wind hauled passed him while he registered the architecture in front of him. It was a solid foundation as his clawed feet tapped the sandstones. It was dark, but that didn't stop Lucaen from recognizing the architecture of this building.
He was in a hall, perhaps a speaking hall of the old city. The writings on the pillars had all been a forgotten decree that once ruled them.
Lucaen scanned the text written, only to be met with shaky ground. The ceiling all defied him with fallen debris upon him. The sudden hostile environment reminded him of something. His usual companion, was absent.
"Aurelius!"
Lucaen darted his vision, scanning his proximity. The cold was limiting his skill flow, his body felt heavier, rigid. It felt like he was scanning for the first time.
Nothing.
With every input he received from his HUD. It only serves to make him feel something he dreaded.
"Aurelius!"
Echolon was a bad place, it made his own voice greet his callings
Aurelius, where are you?
[Stabilizing]
[Synchronization Disrupted]
[Stab.lizin9]
Lucaen raised his right arm to the air, his vision tunneled.
"Forth, jackals."
The wind whirled beside his clawed feet. Two dark figures slowly took shape per the commands made. Their sleek, elongated limbs stretched. The two of them are the embodiment of their master; it never misses, what Lucaen wills.
And right now?
"Aurelius, bring him to me."
The jackals he summoned were pristine, one with a scar and a heightened sense of smell, yet smaller in stature, guiding the compacted, blinded jackal. Lucaen feels them. The way they rushed, the patter of their small paws, jumping across the obstacles. Both of them, ceased from his sight.
As suddenly as it came, the ground stopped its frantic tremble. Transitioning to a quiet echo of his thoughts. Was the place find him amusing? A toy to be played with?
If so, he will not tolerate losing his companion.
His tail whipped the dust on the sandstone. A weak duplicate of the haze of the dawn as a bark echoed through the deserted hall. A signal.
They had found Aurelius.
He felt the jackals' rhythm stabilized, mirroring their master. But, Blinded stayed restless. He sensed something, subtle. Lucaen noted the location. It was not far. It was close.
It was above.
Lucaen ran. Sprinted through the hallways, through the column of pillars. He ran straight to the end of the hall. It was quiet, sparing the sounds of his clawed feet metal grinding the sandstones. His body sliced through the chilling air.
His eyes settled on the open space as he arrived at the light at the end of the tunnel, the bright sun stinging his focus. His own jackals dissolved near Aurelius. They had served their purpose.
Lucaen jumped, his hind legs digging into the nearest aged limestone, leaping to the roof right where he was.
In front of him, stood a familiar figure.
Aurelius.
He looks okay. He is fine. As usual.
Lucaen adjusted his limbs. Loosening them from the accidental tightness between his joints. Was he operating at his full scale? Unknowingly? Why would he?
I was worried for nothing.
"Took you long enough, Luc." Aurelius's body was facing him. His hand waved gently.
I was getting bored of appreciating the view alone."
The rays of the sun gleamed on Aurelius' tungsten. His wings were seen stretched in an awkward manner. It twitched slightly, a compressed twitch. Not the usual tuck he always had or his usual flaunting of stretching it wide for the light to reflect.
The distance slowly disappeared as Lucaen closed their gap.
What was I even worried about?
"Do you think this mission is a joke?" Lucaen shrugged his palm to Aurelius' shoulder.
A chuckle rumbled. As always.
But the sight in front of Lucaen, revealed from the recoil of his irritation behind Aurelius, shut him up. Behind him was not, was the result of someone's fine. They should not be fine if what he saw was not a trick of one's mind.
The flat surface of the roof had a large dent. The whole slab turned into pieces. As if something was thrown at a weighted speed. It was decorated with claw marks surrounding it. A sign of desperation, a sign of a struggle.
Lucaen's eyes darted to Aurelius's talons. Battered.
"Eyes up, Luc." Aurelius glanced at the monuments in front of him. He knows what Lucaen was thinking. He won't entertain that idea. Even if it is the truth.
"Helminth's here."
Lucaen noted it with a brief nod. A shared understatement. They needed to be as efficient as they could. The longer they stay here, the higher the chance of infections. The very nature of Echolon is draining their strength and sanity. One mistake could mean getting your system hijacked.
[Target On Sight]
[G. Aurelius Everhart//ASSIGNED//STATUS: IN PROGRESS// LIVE UPDATE>30% Completion]
[G. Lucaen Theron//ASSIGNED//STATUS: IN PROGRESS// LIVE UPDATE>30% Completion]
Their HUD flashed the progress. A silent reminder of their mission. Lucaen identified the odd anatomy of the exo below them. The sway of its awkward way of walking. Matted grey armor covered its stretched limbs, duplicating in size as it registered the threats looking down on it.
[Operational Prowess Dropped]
[Warning: Helminth Inbound. Operational Prowess Optimal Use 10%]
[Skills Inactive]
"Most of my skills are useless here." Lucaen stated.
"As usual." Aurelius let out a low chuckle, his talons pushed Lucaen back a little. Giving him some space between them.
"Bet on my win, Luc."
With that, Aurelius leaped down, his wings tucked for maximum aerodynamics. The shockwaves of his own tactic caused a shift in the foundation of the roof he was once on. The very air parted for his flight. He was swift, compact, and ethereal.
As if, he doesn't belong here.
The closer he gets to the ground, the wider he spreads his feathers, his shadow a replica of the falcon. Soared higher yet slower as he glided with the wind. His own silhouettes enlarged into a predator, completely swallowing the helminth below him.
Aurelius dove, his talons stretched. A clear signal that he was targeting its head. Disarmingly, the helminth let out a low screech. It was not a calling screech. This helminth..
A crack was heard, mingling with the woes of the desert. It broke its own back. Recoiling to its front in pain as the sun announced the gleaming, distorted feathers it had on its back.
A mutating helminth.
Aurelius was not fazed. He was surprised, yet focused. But it changed nothing. Aurelius already won.
He brought his talons up, sizing the helminth in his sight.
Alone, non-threatening, brainless exo.
So why?
Why is it that the winds were harsh? Sharp even? Loud. His own wings were no longer strong enough to hang on the winds. It flapped like a caged bird against the beating winds. An attempt to slow down for the target.
The sound of the flapping metal was eerie for Lucaen. It was like a declaration of a moment before a disaster. The scene itself turned to a hideous one.
Aurelius' talons locked to the helminth. His eyes darted to the pillowing sands and back to the helminth. In a blink, the helminth adapted Aurelius' speed. It locked its now deformed talons to pull his. Using the momentum to swing them both before releasing Aurelius to the other end.
The helminth turned to fly upwards erratically, its own talons raised. A mocking reflection of him.
What had happened?
It was too late when he realized what had occurred. His own wings struggled to control his speed as he headed straight to the wall of the ruins. His eyes furrowed, reining his body to the side to not collide headfirst.
It was a trick. He concluded as his body was slammed to the wall. Sand became the cushion of the supposed crashing sounds. The smoke enveloped his body. The impact buried Aurelius in seconds. Crumbling above him, leaving nothing to spare with its sharp materials.
This- hurts.
Pile upon pile crashed on Aurelius' legs, wings, and his arms that were covering his most vulnerable part. He was restricted in all ways. Curled like a fragile exo to protect his body.
[WarninC: Immersed D4mage Detected]
[STabIlizing]
[InitIali9ing sElf Repairat0n Prot0col]
[Do Not Engage]
He tried to distance his talons from his eyes, which was threatening his own vision. One wrong move could crumble the rest of the building on him or permanently blind him.
Idiot. He cursed himself, shifting himself slightly to not stab his own body.
The helminth could withstand my force...
[Do Not Engage]
"Luc's in the open." He lifted his arms, forcibly pushing his body up, creating some distance to maneuver. His right wing was stuck; he couldn't turn around to see. Everything was dark, suffocating even.
[Restoration Needed]
[Do Not Engage]
[Critic4l]
[Upper Body Critical]
[Body Extension Critical]
Shut up.., move Aurelius, move!
Aurelius demanded. His own HUD was flickering and fading.
Damn it.