Fantasy The Dark Mirror

[HorizonsBoon]

Chapter 1
Ren_Ren
The Unknown ​

Alarms blared. Blue flashtubes gleaming off of dusken hallways, acting as the sole source of light for the labyrinthine facility. Scientists ran through the halls in a panic as wild energy pulsed through the main lab. Computers read catastrophe.

It finally awoke--waking with a spontaneous breath as it's ancient will was summoned. It was contained within a vat, unfurling from a fetal position and hunched over.

"--x it's going criti--" a voice shouted from the other side of the looking glass. The alarms seemed to fade away as its peripherals stretched, the light fading to a single pinpoint. Then silence.

A cool breeze bristled through its soft black fur and disturbed the bark of tall knotted trees, the sound of wind breaking the ringing silence as it gained consciousness once again, but drew a blank on where it was.

They lay in a pool of white and green fluid that turned to loops of blue mist around the creature. It began to crystallize. Bits of crystal and fluid clung to their chest.

Things rustled about around them, in the canopy and detritus. Surrounded by the smell of earth and petrichor, they tried to stand. Yet they found themselves weak, drained of any natural strength.

 

[Ren_Ren]

The wolf felt weak, his body shook when he tried to move. At the very least he could sit up. This liquid around him, what was it? Where was he? Everything feels so lost. The wolf tried to recall something, but nothing came to mind right now. His mind feels dark, not empty but lost in the dark. With a paw he tried to wipe away the crystals on his chest. He felt cold and didn't want to be here. He took a moment to take in what's happening and to regain some strength, enough to be able to stand up. While a but shaky the wolf was on his own two feet now. Wiping the rest of things off of him. He heard the sounds of the wind flowing by, he shouldn't stand around for too long, the wolf went off into the nearby forest. Looking for something that might make sense to him.

 

[HorizonsBoon]

Crossing the threshold, he found himself wandering a vast place of winding gnarled trees, which seemed to go downhill in brief segments of crumbling dirt. The trees bark was rough and peeling in some spots, some cream colored spongy fungi grew from it as a table shape. They were thick and wide, some fallen over and dead and eaten by grubs. A large bug scuttled over the foot of the wolf. It was spiny and off-putting, making a distinct creaking sound.

The sunlight peaked in the cracks of dark leaves, casting a speckled pattern on the mossy roots. It seemed the deeper he ventured, the heavier the forest became. The air became dense and wet, and the rough bark on the trees that dissapeared to the sky was smoothed by a cobalt growth.

He could hear rivers rush nearby and realize how parched he was. His tongue and mouth dried and the air made him choke.

 

[Ren_Ren]

The sound of water was a well good sign. The wolf followed his ears to the sound of water rushing by.
The taste of dryness in his mouth was long overdue, when even was the last time he ate or drank something? One at a time.
The wolf crouched down and grabbed some water to drink, using his paws to cup up some water.
After a few sips he felt refreshed, probably the most refreshed he could be right now. There has to be some kind of civilization somewhere. Or some kind of clue that he wasn't the only one around.
He stood back up and continued, following the river as he did.

 

[HorizonsBoon]

The river cut through the forest wholly, with clay-silt banks following its clear path. The canopy ended at lush grass and baby ferns. Looking up at the sun, the creature could see the imprint of something...familiar...

Images flashed through their mind, leaving quicker than they arrived and burned into his eyes. The sound of screaming entered his ears. The face of horror recognizable in his misty mindscape.

"Polaris." The wind screeched next to him.

He would soon realize that the screaming he heard was real, and booming from the forest with a roaring accompanying it. The smell of smoke began to linger, as overhead a Grey cloud erupted from above the trees. Deeper into the forest.

 

[Ren_Ren]

What the hell? Was this reality now? The sudden large banging sounds and screaming was both a mix of good and bad to the wolf. Someone was here, but someone was also in danger. The wolf gathered himself and rushed over to the sound of the scream and explosion, heading deeper into the forest. His strength was gradually returning to the point where he could now run again. Eventually when he was fully recovered he was bound to be a wolf with high agility.

 

[HorizonsBoon]

The trees rushed past him in blurs of green moss and dark oak, and came upon a charred clearing. The wildlife had been disturbed beyond recognition.

White powder had been carelessly cast around tainted soil and upturned earth, where weapons and tools lay broken or stuck in the ground. It seemed like a camp once laid here, but had been torn apart. What he had failed to notice was the massive creature, as thick as the trees are tall what seemed to be purple and black blades tailings and writhing around a glowing energy, with spiraling fibrous and chitinous pillars swindling from underneath its belly, and turned into jagged points. The creature smashed and tore at a tree, roaring like a crashing thunder.

It torn through the ancient gnarled trees without effort, and breathed out a horrible smoke that made the canopy above dry and Rot, crumbling to ash.

It swiped at a figure, tossing it to the side into soft soil, his weapon flying through the air and landing right at the feet of the wolf. The figure in question stood up and rolled away from the massive construct of vile blades and fibers, but ended up on his chest.

 

[Ren_Ren]

This roar, this malice, what was something as big as that doing here? There was a clear danger happening, the wolf picked up the weapon that nearly impaled him and rushed over.
The rush of adrenaline in his body was what he needed as a temporary full recovery. Someone was in danger and he needed to intervene. With the weapon in paw he rushed over to the other individual.
"Can you get up?" He asked in a low scruffy voice, his throat still felt a bit dry.

 

[HorizonsBoon]

The creature turned around slowly, each limb stabbing into the ground with a CRACK. It croaned in a low and creaky fashion, it's own joints grinding against its heavy black and pale column bones.

On closer inspection, the figure heaved, it's body clad in a thick set of leather and silver plates--most of which was torn or shredded. His upper chest was bare and littered with gashes and cuts. Something to notice right away, was that these gashes glowed a blue-green, with a colorful mist--or better described as ribbons of magic leaving his body.

With the wolfs aid, he stood to his feet and look into his eyes behind gleaming red goggles held fast to sunken eye sockets. It appeared reptilian in appearance.

"LOOK OUT--" He called, pushing the wolf out of the way of a deft slam of jagged black blades, which cleaved their union of eyesight in half. Dust and soil blew up in the air. The wolf would happen upon a sword, whole and sharp. The light from the dark behemoth reflected off of its long edge, ending at the soil.

 

[Ren_Ren]

The wolf took a moment to assess the station, he looked over to the sword, and then the beast. There was only one thing he had to do! No way he could let someone get hurt. Even if he didn't know the reptilian he had the selflessness to help him.
With a firm grasp he rushed to the beast, he noticed before that his upper chest was open and already wounded, a perfect place to plunge this sword.

 

[HorizonsBoon]

The beast groaned as it looked around, the wold and lizard using the blown up dust as a screen. A glint in the dust shone bright before it cleared immediately by wind. The grey lizard held a wide stance, balling his fists to his chest. A wild wind surrounded him, which soon caught sparks of blue and purple. Then soon he raised a storm of webbed electricity. He then relaxed his form and pointed at the black behemoth.

Webs of wild electricity sparked at the beasts legs, gaining its focus for the wolf to advance in on its writhing purple center, the featureless head of the beast shaking and rumbling as it roared. The swords blade glowed white and blue, crackling to life as its wielded. As the wolf charged, he created a path of stringing magnificent white-blue light. This was familiar. The running to the fray--weapon in hand. His Soul raging, manifesting and channeled through the fine curved blade in his hand. He would feel...larger. like he has extended somehow.

 

[Ren_Ren]

This is it! Thanks to the lizards help he had the opportunity to stab the monster. He was given a clear path to hit the monster in the chest. This blade the wolf wielded reacted in an odd way, but those are all questions for later. The wolf goes to stab the large beast with no holding back.

 

[HorizonsBoon]

The sword penetrated a thick miasma, purple energy and liquid crawling up the blade before evaporating. The thick sparking of white light ignited in the core of the great black behemoth, it's writhing spindly flesh unraveling into strings. The energy then burst, sending the wold flying and at the foot of a burnt tree. The beast croaned, falling over with a deafening thump, sending dust out in a Shockwave.

It seemed to evaporate, and left a smell of decay. Carelessly casting a cloud of thick black smoke into the sky, vanishing like a flock of dark ravishing birds. The lizard kneeled at a shredded tent, scooping white powder with his hands and shaking. He seemed to weep with laughter, griping a broken horn that crowned his head with a healthy grey twin.

 

[Ren_Ren]

The wolf eyes everything the beast was doing. He gathered the strength and stood back up and headed towards the lizards side.
"What exactly is that? And what exactly is happening?" He asked, yet he didn't let his guard down or kept his eyes off the beast.

 

[HorizonsBoon]

The grey lizard looked up to the wolf who stood bravely, and yet so confused in the devastation of that foulness, which laid on its side, billowing smoke. It's form quickly reduced to a puddle of deep shade and darkness. It's dread seeped into the ground before rising back up as scaly pale spikes.

He was silent and breathy for a moment before glacing at the corpse. "That...great foulness.." He started, his voice a deep throaty creak. "They aren't supposed...to be this far out.." He added, standing to his feet and collecting white powder, gently sobbing. His head fell to his chest his shoulders quaking. "I can't tell you why this happened...this was but a camp. Me and my company scour these old forests for deep ruins. Aha..ah.." He breathed, scratching at the areas that now healed over. The breaches in his scales unified, and that flowing energy gradually reduced to thin streams of green smoke, then vanished. "I am sorry. Thank you for your help..for saving me. I am grateful I can lay my brother's to rest. My name is Krosis." He said, offering a hand.

A glance around and the wold would notice there were no bodies. The images flowed through his mind. Broken bodies falling to the floor and resting forever. Shapes that were final reduced to shreds.

 

[Ren_Ren]

The wolf took a look around, this place was devastating and full of death and sorrow. He looked back at the lizard, who he now learned is named Krosis, and took his hand.
"I'm sorry to hear of what happened here, I'm glad I was able to come to your aid." He said sincerely.
The wolf also knew he needed answers to his many questions, "Do you think you could tell me more about the area?" He asked.

 

[HorizonsBoon]

He shook the wolves hand. "This place here? A vast jungle of opportunity for Monsters like you and me. Close to here is a old Human ruin. Perhaps...that is why it attacked us. It knew what we were here for." He said, continuing to collect powder and put them into small white vessels. He picked up a broken tent and used some robe nearby to fix it somewhat and make it stable. Instead it became something of a shambling cone shape.

He kneeled over a scattered campfire, collecting the rocks to try and save warmth for the concoming night. " I assume that's what brought you here...the treasure..." he mumbled. He looked at the wolf, sword in hand still. "You used my brothers sword well. He'd hate for it to be buried here, dulled with time as he had...can you keep it? It will serve you well hunting out here. This forest? It is unforgiving...as you can clearly tell." He chuckled in a somber sort of say, trying to lighten the mood and deal with his overwhelming grief.

 

[Ren_Ren]

Clearly the wolf stumbled into quite the dangerous forest. He looked at the sword, it was better than nothing, and seemed sentimental to Krosis.
"Sure I'll take care of it, thank you." The wolf replied.
"But ah, I'm not really sure why I'm here. You could say I'm lost. I didn't even know there was any kind of treasure here.
He went over to Krosis and observed what he was doing, taking some kind of powered and putting it into vessels.
What he said before was interesting too, Monsters and Humans, the wolf decided to take note on that.

 

[HorizonsBoon]

He nods, grateful. "Thank you...thank you so much, son." He reached into a pouch on his side and pulled out a small dark rock along with a rod. He struck it together with a sharp clack. Small streaks of light flew from the collision, landing on dry leaves and twigs. It took three motions before they could catch aflame. "Out in any direction...you could have gone. You ended up here. Though...whether or not I continue forth is in question." He mumbled.

Krosis inhaled sharply, seeing as the young creature handle the powder. "Be careful with your hands, boy. They need to be gently placed in the horns. They need to know they are cared for." He said softly, filling up as many horns as he brought as he could with the powder.

The fire crackled loudly now, blowing up in a violent plume as Krosis added kindling. It died down to a comfortable wave of red and yellow ribbons, dancing vigorously as the sun met its end at the horizon, cascading the sky with pink and yellow light, with dusk encroaching.

 

[Ren_Ren]

The wolf sat by the fire, looking across from Krosis.
"Do you mind telling me more about these human ruins and that treasure? I can't say I know much of the topic." He asked.
"And let me help you with any troubles you have, it's the least I can do." He offered.