Beyond?

“Here in the darkness, you learn new things about yourselves. Some are good, some are bad. Only one thing is sure. None of you will return the same as you were before.”

-unknown.

***Beyond, Somewhere***

***Stella***

Azir is standing in front of the entire group to explain on how we'll proceed. “So here are the rules. We'll teleport into an old laboratory inside a cave system. Don't touch anything there and follow me. Always stay with the group. If we are separated for whatever reason, stay where you are as long as you don't have to run away from something. I'll come and get you as long as you don't venture too far from the main group. Stay away from everything that looks like black slime.”

He pauses and looks at the ceiling in thought. “And be as silent as possible. No unnecessary talking, no noise of any kind if you can avoid it. Now step onto the circle and make sure that everyone is here.”

Azir walks into the centre of the circle and sits down. Everyone follows his instructions in silence after looking towards Ryland and Quarma. They are still regarded as the leaders, but since they don't oppose Azir's commands everyone does as he instructed.

I step carefully onto the circle since I don't want to destroy the numerous fine lines and markings. It would be horrible if we die now because of a stupid mistake like that.

And I still have to tell Azir who I am. If it wasn't for that stupid contract I would have told him yesterday, but one wrong word and I break it. I didn't come this far to destroy all my efforts to be with him for nothing. It got very close by telling him that I had some kind of bargain.

At least I can avoid triggering the contract by paraphrasing some things. My mother didn't bother with a complicated contract, hence it is very literal minded.

I am called back to reality by a flashing light. The light blinded me for a moment, but my sight doesn't return. It's instead replaced by complete darkness. Someone casts a light globe and our surroundings are bathed in a dim blue light.

We are inside a big room with dozens of shelves. They are filled with vials and small artefacts. Some big machines are also here. None of them make any sense to me. Everything is covered by a thick layer of dust.

On the ground is a similar circle to the one which was created by Azir in the shop.

Azir gets up and walks over to one of the shelves. He grabs something from it and carries it over to a working table. A few simple touches separate the small device into a few even smaller parts. He reassembles it in a very professional manner. Everything took just a few moments. Next he walks over to another shelf and takes a set of small disks from it.

Nobody says anything and waits silently at their place. He turns towards us and signals for us to follow.

Ryland and Quarma follow him and I join on their heels. Azir leads us to a big iron door. It opens with a little creaking sound and Azir pushes it slowly to be as silent as possible.

We find a narrow tunnel outside and Azir takes the lead. Some small, white and skinny creatures scuttle away as we pass. They look ugly and remind me of small, hairless rodents.

After a few metres we arrive at an intersection. Our tunnel continues to lead straight forward, while another one crosses it in a steep angle from left to right. The left leads further down, while the right leads upwards.

Azir stops for several moments and listens while watching the dark tunnel to our left. Then he takes two of the disks and throws them into the tunnel. They land on the ground and a transparent orange wall of energy is projected from them, blocking the tunnel.

Next our group is led upwards and I notice that the biting cold is gone. It's still cold, but it's not that bad any more. Though it gets colder with each step we take upwards.

Upon entering a new set of corridors Azir dispels his light sphere and signals us to do the same. One by one the lights disappear as the information is given down the line of people who are following us. A few seconds later we are in complete darkness.

But then it happens, one by one small lights appear on the cave walls until the entire tunnel is drenched in a fluorescent green light. I realize that the lights are moving slowly over the walls of the cave and when I take a closer look, I find small white bugs with glowing behinds. They don't create much light, but there are many of them.

Our trek leads us through a labyrinth of green darkness and intertwined paths. I simply walk while I follow Azir in a trance, trying to keep my feet away from loose rocks which could create noise by rolling down the tunnel.

I am awakened from my trance when I bump into Ryland's back. Looking forward I find Azir standing there, signalling for us to stop while looking down a corridor. I strain my eyes to find out what drew his attention.

Something is moving there in the shadows. For a moment I imagine seeing something like claws and tentacles, but then someone steps out of the shadows. He smiles and spreads his hands in an inviting gesture. It's strange, I don't know that person. Are there other people down here?

Azir drops one of the disks between us and the new arrival and a blue shimmering wall of energy separates us from him. The person steps forward, smiling, and reaches with one hand towards us, touching the barrier.

A spark chars the man's hand and he hisses while strange waves ripple over his hand and towards his face. Like something is moving under his skin!

“Don't look at it, if you watch them too long they take the shape of someone you know. There's nothing creepier than that.” Azir whispers and continues on his path. “At least they can't talk. That would freak me out even more.”

The thing retreats into the shadows with a displeased expression and I hurry to follow him while Quarma stays behind to make sure that nobody is tricked.

Our path narrows down after another ten minutes of walking and Azir blocks the tunnel we came through with one of the disks. Next we even have to get to our knees and crawl. The narrow tunnel goes on and on with no end in sight. At last the ceiling gets too low to crawl. It is less than half a metre in height, so we have to inch forward on our bellies.

Finally we arrive at the end and crawl carefully forward to find our tunnel ending in another big corridor. The opening to our cave is at a height of two metres.

The big corridor splits just a few metres ahead, but what I find there makes my blood freeze. Seven of those skinny, white creatures are standing guard. A red light is flickering in the path to our right and we can hear the sounds of something like pickaxes. Probably it's a mining operation?

“They'll come at us like mad once we try to get past them.” Azir whispers and drops his head onto the cool stone. “We have to take the corridor to the left. It narrows down like this one and turns into a small mining shaft. We have to climb up that shaft. At the end is our destination. I have just one disk left. They'll simply batter themselves against it until it fails.”

Ryland nods. “We get everyone who is good at fighting to come forward. We try to take them out without alerting their comrades. Then we barricade the right corridor until our people are through.” He gives the command down the line.

Azir nods and we ready ourselves while the fighters in our group crawl forward to meet us.

I ready an arcane lance and we wait. Finally Ryland gets the confirmation that everyone with fighting potential is at the head of the line. He whispers. “Three... Two... ONE!”

Our casts alert the creatures and they start moving, but luckily they aren't fast enough. Seven spells shoot out from our hiding place and the seven creatures drop dead. All of us chose spells like the arcane lance or a wind blade to take out their enemies.

We start moving and I activate my passive rune set to enhance my movements. Dropping from our hiding place, I spin in mid air to land on my feet and run over to the creatures to make sure that they are dead.

After a short confirmation I cover to the side of the corridor and wait for the others. I am joined by Azir, Ryland and Karsen. Slowly the others make their way out of the tunnel.

It's infuriating how long it takes, but there are twenty one students, ten of Ryland's subordinates, me, Azir, Karsen, Talia, Ryland and Quarma. Thirty seven people crawling behind each other. It'll take a while until the last gets out.

Everyone who isn't good at fighting heads directly into the left tunnel to continue to our destination. I wait impatiently while I watch the corridor from which I can hear the metallic sounds.

Only a few people short of getting everyone out of the narrow tunnel our luck runs out. One creature walks around the corner of the corridor and lets out an ear shattering howl before it is blasted to pieces by several spells.

The howl is answered from farther down the corridor and moments later several of the creatures show up. Azir throws his last disk ten feet in front of us and it blocks the corridor while our people hurry to get out of the tunnel.

The creatures charge and the first one hits the shimmering barrier, being fried to a charred something within a second. Others throw themselves against the barrier and suffer the same fate. But the stream of monsters doesn't stop and the corridor on the other side of the barrier turns into a swirling mass of bodies. The things are actually crawling over each other while they are trying to get to us.

Azir's barrier starts flickering and vanishes while the creatures are pressing the dead bodies of their comrades against it.

Karsen shoots a whirling tornado of flames down the corridor while all of us cast spells to stop the onslaught. But the mad attack can't be stopped. There is no end to the things!

Finally the last student passes us. “I am the last! Quarma is stuck! She said to go on without her!” She runs down the corridor, following the others.

“Get into the corridor!” Azir steps forward and a shimmering web of mana shoots out from his hands and blocks the corridor like a spider's web. The charge is halted another time while the things rip and claw at the web.

“Not without you and Grandma!” Azir's sister steps to his side and attempts to assist him.

Azir forms a fist and hits her. Once. Valeria falls like a felled tree. He looks to Ryland. “Get her out, I'll come later.” Ryland shoulders Valeria and carries her down the corridor.

The rest retreats too, but my feet are frozen. I can't move. He turns towards me. “Not you too. I can't teleport two people.”

“If you don't follow us, I'll hunt you down and punish you in the next life.” I turn and run as fast as I can. I don't want to, but I do it.

Then an explosion shatters the corridor behind me. I drop flat to the ground while dust is rushing over me.

***Beyond, Somewhere***

***Azir***

I crawl forward, coughing. Compressing the web out of mana over its threshold wasn't such a good idea. I almost killed myself with that stunt. At least I collapsed the corridor by doing so. God, I inhaled too much dust.

Placing one hand on my chest, I cast another healing spell. I cough once more and it feels like something leaves my lungs. I retch and spit black, bloody slime out of my mouth. No. I'll definitely never do that again.

A few feet further ahead I find the fat, old hag. She is stuck in one of the narrower parts of the passage, pointing her staff at me. “You? Why did you come back? I said you should go on without me.” She drops her staff with a tired expression and giggles. “Don't tell me you are doing this because we are family.”

“Shut up! I am not doing this for you! Mother will behead me if I don't bring her at least your body to bury!” I grab her hand and try to pull, but she is immovable.

“I was wrong. You aren't a demon, but you've a bad character.” She sighs. “I can't get out. Neither forward nor backwards. It doesn't work.”

“You are just too fat! I'll have to teleport you in this position.” I close my eyes to concentrate and find the flat dome-like cave with my summoning circle.

“I'll try to make a few things different if we survive this.” Quarma complains with an agitated expression.

“Silence. I need to concentrate.” Once again I try to imagine the needed teleportation circle and collect the needed mana. At least we won't feel anything if I mess this up. Then I activate the spell.

Both of us drop to the ground, exactly where I wanted us to. I sit up and look around. “Perfect! Everything is still here! Even me!”

“What do you mean? Even you?” Quarma looks up, only to face my old frozen body, kneeling in front of her.

“HIIIIII!”

She screams and crawls backwards.

I take another look at myself. “Come on. I don't look that bad! That body made it to the proud age of eight hundred and seventy five!”

“~Brother!~”

I hear my sister's voice and turn around, just to witness my sister's foot impacting my belly. “Ouf!” I get to my knees and crouch down.

“~Further punishment awaits you at home!~”

“I did it to save you.”

“~The way you did it was unacceptable!~”

“There was no time.”

“~You didn't even try!~”

Suddenly I am hugged from the side, Stella is almost crushing me. “I thought I lost you!” Her eyes fall onto my old body. “Uwah! So ugly!”

Karsen walks up to us and inspects my body. “What cruel will kept this thing alive? It looks he fought until the bitter end. There isn't a single spot without scars.”

Talia hides behind Karsen. “It's scary. And too big! It won't come back alive and try to eat us right?”

Well, sorry that my old race was a little bigger. I can't take it any more. “Don't talk like that about...”

“About what?” Karsen looks at me with questioning eyes.

“... it's alright. Just get him out of the way.” I gesture at my old body.

Karsen steps towards it and I wince as a snapping sound is heard. He throws one arm out of the circle.

I turn away and try to concentrate on the summoning circle. It's already tuned to my new homeworld. A few small adjustments should be enough to create a portal back to the capital. I kneel down and start working.

With this body's ability to gather mana it should be a piece of cake to fuel the spell. It'll take a while, but that's not the issue. “Did everyone make it?”

Stella answers me. “Yes. We managed to get everyone up the shaft.”

After a while I am done and check my work once more. The summoning procedures are removed and replaced by their proper counterparts. The targeting is improved. Looks good.

“Hey! Look! That fellow had sharp, long canines! Nasty!” Karsen returns with my head, pointing at its teeth.

I look up to Quarma with a pleading expression. “I would have never thought that I'd find out how the dead feel when their bodies are desecrated!”

Quarma takes my head away from Karsen and places it onto the pile of body parts at the wall. Then she incinerates everything with her light-ray spell.

After I am done checking the circle once more, I stand up and sigh. “Next stop. Nict, Capital!” I start gathering mana and after several minutes I activate the spell.

A big red portal appears, a familiar sight awaiting us at the other end.

.