To the readers: I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. You are always welcome to post thoughts and ideas. I would always appreciate any criticisms you may have to.
This chapter is dedicated to everyone who has read this far and enjoyed the story, though I don't get to see the smiles it brings I am happy to provide them.
Chapter 11: Journey Through Shadow
Mikey stared at the hole that had appeared on the pulsing center crystal of the Null Chamber. He looked down at the key he held firmly in his grip. “So we just put this key in there and the way to chapter two opens up?” He swallowed nervously as he looked back at the hole.
“Well there’s nothing for it. We go back or we go forward. We’ve come this far.” Henry looked on as Mikey carefully placed the key into the hole. As it locked in place the crystal began to rumble. The entire Null Chamber shook as large crystal moved back into the chamber, it revealed a hole underneath it was ink black as they looked down. They could hear the sliding of stones against each other, there were thuds at regular intervals among the sliding. The thuds seemed to be getting closer as they could see stairs rising out of the blackness. The growing stairs finally reached the top of the hole. They seemed to spiral down into a pit of glowing crystals. As Mikey stepped on the first step it seemed to hum and began to glow faintly. He looked back before continuing down the spiral stairs. Each step began to hum and glow as they ventured down. The only light in the entire chamber came from the nearby purple crystals and the faint blue of the stairs. The stairs seemed to stretch hundreds of feet as they descended further and further down into the darkness. As they went further down they seemed to pass through a layer of crystals, Jeremy reached out and touched one it seemed to glow a bright pink before dimming back to its dullness.
“Guys I think I can see the bottom from here.” Kerri was looking over Mikey and Henry’s shoulders. As she walked down she could hear someone behind her trip and fall over. She barely had time to move to the side as Penelope came tumbling down the stairs. Mikey and Henry tried to grab her but she was falling too fast for them to stop.
“Ahhhh….ooof. OUCH!” Penelope let out a sigh as she closed her eyes. Her entire body was aching as she lay back on the rocky floor. “I think I found the bottom.” She tried to move but soreness held her stiff.
“Hang on Penelope, we’re coming.” Everyone picked up the pace as they continued down the stairs. At the bottom they found themselves in the middle of a large round chamber. Two crystals on the far side from the stairs seemed to mark the entrance to a tunnel. Kerri and Henry knelt down next to Penelope and examined her. Mikey looked down the tunnel ahead of them.
“John, that tunnel, where does it go?” Jeremy stood next to Mikey as they both looked down the tunnel. There was a shuffling sound from the tunnel and it seemed to coming towards them.
“That tunnel leads to the Null Chamber of Chapter Two, and it is guarded by a group of animated that will only ever be found here or at dev spawns. Alright deep breath Penelope.” He knelt down and help Henry lift her to her feet.
“Penelope can you walk?” Mikey kept his gaze fixed on the tunnel. Dozens of lights began to twinkle in the shadows, dozens of purple lights all coming closer.
“I could tap dance if you need me too.” She smiled as she took a few labored steps. Mikey returned the smile, his lip was still swollen from the cuts fighting Sealab X.
“Thankfully, I don’t think we need you to dance, though that would make an interesting sight someday. Just using rings is enough, we’re about to have glowing company. Jeremy let’s get back, they’re coming.” Mikey grabbed Jeremy as they regrouped with the others at the base of the stairs. Blackness seemed to come from the tunnel entrance, blackness littered with what appeared to be crystal fragments embedded poured into the chamber.
“Crystal Fluffs! We’ve waited a long time for these guys!” Kerri’s voice was a high pitched gasp as she ran towards the nearest fluff. As he spread himself in a warrior’s stance, Mikey suddenly felt his shuriken ring go dead. It wasn’t responding to any of his mental commands, and as he peered around he could see everyone else was having similar problems with rings of their own.
“Let me guess, they can randomly disable rings given their null crystal composition?” He stared at John.
“Are you certain you should be an engineer or even a checkout clerk? It sounds like you may have missed your calling as a detective.” John replied as he punted away a crystal fluff.
“You and I both know that a detective doesn’t get paid as well as either of those two jobs. Quick we must go while the tunnel is open.” Mikey lead the charge as they ran through the empty tunnel. They could hear shuffling and chattering in the side chambers as more fluffs were beginning to move through the cracks and recesses. The only illumination was the crystal piece Mikey held as he ran ahead. The tunnel seemed to stretch forever every turn they took seemed to lead to a longer tunnel. Every time they paused even for a few seconds a band of crystal fluffs would catch up to them.
“We can’t keep going like this. Eventually they are going to overwhelm us.” Henry gasped to catch his breath, everyone was nearly drained of their stamina fending off the aggressive fluffs.
“They may not have to, even if we were to reach the chamber on the other end of this tunnel network we still have a major enemy to fight against.” Jeremy had just run around the corner and saw something that caused him to freeze with fright.
“I don’t think we have to run much further to find out what that enemy is.” Jeremy came scrambling back. He was out of breath as he rejoined the crew, he panted as he tried to speak, “Crystal fluffs….hund….hundreds of them. And…..and there’s….there’s something else.”
“We can’t fight hundreds. Not even that egocentric bunch, what were they called, Helpers, Santa’s? I don’t remember, but even in their organized days they couldn’t do hundreds. Can’t imagine now, especially being a mindless rabble these days. But that at least explains why they aren’t chasing us anymore.” Penelope looked around the corner.
“Seems they’ll just wait us out then. How do we proceed with this one? And I think you meant MLH.” She looked back at Mikey who was stroking his chin.
“When wasn’t MLH just a mindless rabble of competing egos?” Henry turned from the tunnel ahead to look at Mikey, “What’s the plan schemer?”
“I wish you wouldn’t call me that.” Mikey said calmly without opening his closed eyes as he continued to stroke his chin.
“Well that is all you do. Scheming and plotting and planning, well now we need one.”
“You forgot saving your sorry asses.”
“My apologies, I didn’t know we were going to list things off now. How about the number of times you’ve got us into trouble?”
“You’re one to talk Henry. Why don’t you come up with an idea of your own for once? I’m tired of being the brains of this crew. Always counting on me, I’m tired of it. Especially, when you call me schemer. Consider this the last warning, after this I go my own way.” Mikey’s normally calm demeanor seemed rattled as he stood up to his full height.
“Calm it down you two. We need to do this.” She stood between the two crew members as they stared each other down.
“We’re pulling a dev spawn attack pattern. Specifically, one like a Night Fright spawning.” Mikey and Henry glared at one another across Kerri’s arms.
“Guys we need to stay focused. We’re here to fight The Phantom, not each other. Now Mikey you said something about fright spawn strategy, I’m unfamiliar with that.” Kerri kept herself between the two as their staring match continued.
“One of us runs in and attracts everything into what can best be described as a conga line. The rest of you pick one and pick it off. Rinse and repeat the process until they’re all dead. Simple enough?” Mikey stared at Henry, he was angered that someone would dare question his leadership ability. He had been leading crews for nearly four years now, and before that he had spent two years learning how to lead by being in numerous crews for all sorts of challenges. Who was Henry who only began playing two years ago to question him?
As if he had read Mikey’s mind about who was to be the lure John spoke up, “Be careful Mikey, there’s more than just crystal fluffs out there.” He placed his hand on Mikey’s shoulder, “Good luck.”
“Hey Mikey that strategy, sounds like it came from a guy I remember named Jonjon.” Jeremy looked confused.
“Can’t say for certain where it came from but I can trace it from Jonjon back to a ryry Kenny McCormick fellow and further back to an OMFG Tay person, but the origin of such things is lost in the mists of time.” Mikey clenched his fists a few times while taking a few breaths. “FOR zOMG!” He shouted as he charged into the large round chamber. He was immediately swarmed by hundreds of crystal fluffs as he began his circling pattern.
Moments later the rest of the crew came bursting through the entry way. They eyed the fluffs a moment before Penelope pointed to one. As their attacks made contact it moved away from the mob to engage the crew, too late! As the fluff readied an attack the crystals on it lit up and were extinguished in a heap of cinders. “Good start guys. I could use some health if you can spare it.” Mikey said as he dragged his conga line through. Already some of the fluffs seemed scorched from his hands, some of their crystal tops were already partially melted. Some of the fluffs scattered as John let loose a scaredy cat at them, but there were still at least three dozen in pursuit of Mikey. Time seemed to pass slowly as what felt like hours to him and his feet was only minutes.
“You’re doing awesome man, keep it up!” Jeremy said as two fluffs next to him disintegrated.
“Keep it up and we may just win this one.” Penelope jested as she and Henry double teamed a fluff.
After what felt like hours the flock of fluffs chasing Mikey had dwindled from a few hundred to about six. Mikey looked exhausted as he came to a halt behind Kerri. “I…I…I can’t… so… so tired.” He gasped as he fell to his knees.
“Don’t worry we got this now. You did good.” Henry said as he smacked a fluff away from Mikey. The field was now a five versus six in favor of the heroes. They stood side by side as they gazed at the line of fluffs before them, Mikey pointed to one and it was immediately surrounded. Within minutes of repeating this there remained only one fluff. “Boo! Hehehe.” Henry said to the fluff. It bounced away to the center of the chamber.
“CRIIII YAAAA!” The fluff let out a deafening screech as it reached the center. The crew struggled to cover their ears as it echoed around the chamber. How could something so small yell so loud, they wondered as they struggled to stay on their feet. The fluff seemed to dissolve into a pitch black goo as it began pulling the fragments of its fallen comrades to it. Beams of light began to shoot across the chamber from the surrounding crystals each struck the goo and the crystals they fired from seemed to wink out as their light was absorbed.
“John?” Mikey turned to face him still covering his ears. He yelled trying to be heard over the still echoing screech. “What’s it doing”
“It’s growing!” Came the worried developer’s response.
“Into what?” Jeremy asked. The screeching stopped as the goo, now a huge droplet bounced into the air. As it fell back down it seemed to be transforming into a purple-white fluff. It had pink and white speckles as they saw in horror the face that had appeared on the monster which now towered over them.
“It’s huge. It’s has to be at least twice our height.” Kerri said in disbelief.
“N….n….null fluff?” Penelope stammered out.
“Scatter now!” Mikey shouted as it began to inhale. The rush of air past him, it was hard not to be pulled towards the mouth, he thought to himself as he found his footing and stopped thank god for density. As it gulped down the last of its breath it shook a few seconds before unleashing a stream of pink powder. As the powder struck him it felt like a thousand tiny daggers digging into his skin. “Don’t hold anything back.”
“Non-energy based rings and non-energy infused rings have a fifty-fifty chance of missing it.” John shouted as they spread out around the monster fluff.
“Energy based?” Jeremy stared at John confused.
“Energy infused?” Henry looked strangely.
“Did you use elemental mechanics in chapter two?” Kerri asked.
“I’m guessing elements of fire, water, air, earth, light and shadow were implemented? And energy based rings would be hot foot, fire rain, heavy water balloon, and that nifty lancer ring?” Mikey spoke calmly and loudly as the Null Fluff began inhaling again. The feeling of pointed daggers began again as the powder that had struck them seemed to resonate with the fluff. Mikey felt lighter, like it was harder to resist the inhaling fluff. Magnets! The powder and the fluff are magnets for one another! The fluff exhaled again spewing more of the pink dust.
“You forgot solar rays and a few others, but that’s the idea. Unless you’re standing right next to it as it inhales rage four density should protect you from five maybe six round of its breath. After that it’s a battle of wills. Technically, we’re still in a null chamber so ring changing is possible.”
“You heard the man, energy based rings.” Mikey quickly swapped his shuriken and slash for solar rays and hot foot, and began his assault on the fluff menace. He signaled everyone to spread out around the fluff to draw its attention. He took the position directly in front of it as he faced it down. The eyes glistened blue as the fluff began inhaling again. The pull between the dagger dust and the fluff’s innards was much stronger than the last two times. Mikey felt himself slipping until finally it let out an exhale, spewing more dust. “Jeremy quick math, will we kill it before another three rounds of that?”
“Multiply by six…. Carry the one… minus a quarter for stamina regen…” He was muttering to himself as he attacked, “We’ll be cutting it close. Photo finish close.”
“Got it!” Mikey shouted back. The fluff began to inhale again, the pull felt stronger than before. That’s three we got two more at most before something bad happens. The fluff’s health had just dropped below a third when suddenly sixth growths sprouted from the body. As they grew they began to flail around. It felt like solid rock as it smacked into Mikey’s chest. As they flailed each tendril seemed to be going after a different crewmate.
“That’s going to slow things down.” Jeremy muttered as the tendrils burrowed into the ground. The fluff swayed but remained anchored as it began to inhale again. The strain of resisting nearly brought everyone to their knees. As it exhaled the tendrils erupted from the ground and began to flail around again.
“We aren’t going to last much more than another one of those. All of you get behind it, I’ll keep its attention drawn this way!” Mikey shouted as he climbed back to his feet.
“But that makes us a bigger target for the tendrils!” Henry called back.
“The tendrils are not our worry, we can shrug off their damage with wish and bandage. If it breathes again and swallows one of us, then we have a big problem.” Kerri dragged Henry into the cluster. Mikey stayed in front of the Null Fluff drawing the massive monster’s attention away from his crew. As they huddled behind it the tendrils smashed the ground around them. As the fluff’s health fell below a fourth it began to inhale again. The rest of the crew fell to their knees unable to move. Mikey struggled to stay on his feet, but even he fell. The pull was strongest for him standing right in front of it. He slid across the ground towards its mouth as it continued inhaling. Just as his shoes were about to be swallowed up the fluff exhaled. As Mikey was blown back against the ground he was on the verge of passing out. He snapped awake as one of the tendrils came towards him, he rolled to the side as it smashed the ground where he had been. The remaining five tendrils seemed focused on him as he continued to roll left and right to avoid the tendrils smashing him.
1000….900….800….its health was dropping rapidly as its tendril attacks became more frequent. As its health hit 700 it began to inhale again. The rest of the crew fell flat to the ground from the pull it exerted; Mikey was pulled in faster than before. His screams were muted as he found himself engulfed in the Null Fluff’s innards. He felt his health ebb away as the fluff began digesting him. As the fluff’s mouth snapped shut it began to turn around to face the rest of the crew.
“One final push, for Mikey!” Penelope cried.
“For Mikey!” John cried as they began to attack. Mikey couldn’t tell who’s health was dropping faster, his or the fluff’s. He couldn’t see or hear is crew, for all he knew their mangled corpses could be hanging from the chamber walls.
“Guess this is the end for me.” The white around him was blinding as he closed his eyes. He felt himself thud into the ground and suddenly the world around him was dark.
“Phew we finished the fluff before it finished you.” Mikey opened his eyes and as they came back into focus he found himself staring up into Kerri’s, “We got it just as you fell to 10 hp.” Kerri helped Mikey to his feet as Henry patted his shoulders.
“Hey Berth, gutsy strategy. How’d you know it would work?” Henry said as he changed his rings back.
“To be honest, I didn’t know it would work. Just a hunch.” Mikey looked up as a crystal staircase descended. He changed his rings back to his usual set as he began to climb the steps. Henry stared a moment before following.
“Good job, anyway.” As they reached the top of the stairs their rings seemed to tingle and pulse with a blue energy. As he looked down Mikey realized what it was. But before he could open his mouth Penelope spoke.
“Our shadow orb upgraded rings! They’re back to whatever they were upgraded to.” They each smiled, the diligent farmers that they were this meant they all had full sets of charge level 12.0 rings.
“John, Penelope, Jeremy want to swap wish for healing wish and upgrade it. We might need some stamina regeneration out there.” The new null chamber had black crystals just like the shadow orbs restored to their inventories. The crew members nodded as they changed their rings.
“I don’t know what we can expect out there with The Phantom twisting and warping things. But we will have to face it together.” John took them to the only attuned crystal aside from the large one in the center of the chamber. The information imprinted into the crystal indicated it went to an area called Phazian Wastes.
Compared to the darkness of the Null Chamber the Phazian Wastes were blinding. The sun was painfully bright as it beat down on the sand all around them. The wind kicked up small vortexes which did minor damage easily shrugged off but still annoying. Their eyes took some time adjusting but it was a sandy desert that stretched around them for miles and miles. “John we need some directions here.” Mikey said as he turned to the developer.
“If my bearings are correct, Deadman’s Shadow is that way,” John pointed in one direction, “Durem should be that way, and Thenedrana Drifts should be that way.” He pointed in other directions and continued. But that wasn’t what drew Mikey’s attention. In the distance Mikey could make out The Phantom and what looked like twelve hideous monsters with him, one of them he could see was Kamila. From across the sand and wind The Phantom’s voice echoed.
“Why yes John your bearings are indeed correct. Unfortunately, none of you will be seeing any of those places.” The groups were separated by enough distance that they couldn’t attack one another. Mikey raised his arm into the air as his hand glowed blue and white. In his mind he envisioned a combination of the effects of a turtle ring and the Stone Coatl’s energy shield. He closed his eyes as white pulses of energy shot from his hand, creating a large bubble around himself and the crew. Every few seconds a new pulse would come out and strengthen the barrier he was making.
“If we had the ring called Shield Infinatum we could all help you with that. It was designed to create an impenetrable barrier around a designated target. The user can use rage to make it bigger or make it more durable, however multiple users working in tandem can create large and resilient barriers.” John began rambling as he readied himself.
“John,” Mikey stopped him, “I need my focus, each pulse strengthens the makeshift barrier and focusing a pulse is taxing.”
“So what’s the plan? We can’t hold off in this dome indefinitely. He’ll eventually break through.”
“Domine sancte, serva me a facie mali quod ego diabolum.” Penelope muttered a prayer as one of the monsters clearly seen resembled a massive red worm wreathed in flame. As the continued their approach a frost covered yeti could be seen, despite the heat of the desert it still seemed to breathe a foggy breath.
“Make for whatever area is that way. Let nothing stay your feet.” Mikey pointed in the direction opposite of the approaching hoard. “I’ll hold them off as best I can, as long as I can.”
“We’re a team Mikey.” Kerri replied.
“Yeah we were all chosen and volunteered for this.” Jeremy said.
“I think I speak for everyone here when I say, no lone gunslinger this time. We’ll all fight and probably die together.”
“Alright you can stay.” Mikey smiled as he used the last of his stamina. He knelt wondering how long this barrier would hold. He remembered how hard Kamila alone was, now facing her and eleven other monsters and The Phantom. As they reached close enough to attack The Phantom raised his hand signaling his monsters to halt.
“You can end this. Join me and together we can bring order to the world. Join me and we shall rule it all. Seven of us to divide it between, nobody has to die.” He held out his arm as if to take theirs if they came.
“Keep your false promises! We were sent here to stop you, and we will!” Mikey stood up brandishing his Lancer Ring where his shuriken had been previously.
“Pity then that you all must die.” The Phantom lowered his hand, a tone of disgust rang in his voice. He then turned to Kamila who seemed to be leading his monsters, “Kill them. Make it as long and as painful as you can.” She smiled evilly as The Phantom faded away.
A dozen bright lights sparkled across the bubble as the monsters launched their attacks, to his amazement the first barrage didn’t destroy it. “Still not too late to run.” Mikey muttered. The rest of them shook their heads in disapproval. Those with ranged attacks were able to use them through the barrier as twin beams of red and blue, an arrow, and a few bullets impacted Kamila.
“Great minds think alike, huh?” Henry showed that he’d replaced his mantis ring with a new lancer ring. The bosses and heroes traded volleys; somehow his barrier withstood another round. This time Mikey and Henry used sustained beams on Kamila. She folded her arms inward before expelling a wave of energy that disrupted their beams. The crash against the barrier from Kamila’s wave sent vibrations through it. A small fissure appeared right in front of Mikey’s eyes. It began spreading into cracks across the entire structure.
“Did you think your toys could stand up to Lord Phantom’s generals?” Kamila said as she sneered at the crew. The barrier began to collapse and disintegrate as it was it with another barrage of attacks. Kamila absorbed the combined attacks of the crew into her arm as they tried to assault her again. Another volley, without the shielding offered by the barrier the impact of so many attacks knocked the crew apart, Mikey watched in horror as his teammates collapsed on the sand. “Now you will die.” She launched a bloody, gooey arm at Mikey as he shot a red beam from his lancer ring. The beam was swallowed up in the blood the hand had turned into a large ferocious claw by the time it reached him. He felt intense pain as it dug into his chest. She wasn’t killing him, just causing excruciating pain, letting his health drain away slowly as he watched each of his crewmates mutate. He couldn’t see clearly but it looked like just their arms were mutating. They all seemed to be crumpled heaps as his world began to black from the pain. Mikey passed out. Kamila pulled her arm back and pulled out a knife, as she readied to plunge it down into Mikey’s chest he vanished.
There was the sound of something like helicopter blades as five short figures flew past the assembly of monsters. Each one landed next to a member of the fallen crew and scooped them up. Before Kamila or her monsters could react the figures made off with the crew members. They flew far from the Phazian Wastes. Where they landed seemed to be a peaceful mountain village with running streams.
Mikey felt himself coming around; there was still a burning feeling in his chest. As the world came back into focus he saw himself staring up at a grey ceiling. He looked down and saw he was in his red t-shirt and jeans again. He looked at where the neural interface he was connected to should be; it was blackened and burned like an electrical fire had happened. “What happened? Where am I?” He looked up and saw the man behind Swarf approach him.
“We were kind of hoping you could tell us what happened Michael.”
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