Tyler: Human
Chunks of burning and shredded Circuits fell around them as Tyler stood up from the rocky ground. She watched as the enormous mechanized being slowly folded back into its original form, dropping the large Pardos onto his back in a daze.
She could feel Ishnook come back to her, her body immediately filling with courage and strength.
My lady, Said Ishnook rapidly, communicating though her mind.
"That was amazing, Ishnook" Tyler gasped, tears beginning to form in her eyes. It was over. No one else was going to die.
Feeling her pain, Ishnook fell silent for a moment. Mistress I am sorry about your friends. He apologized. They were good beings.
Tyler looked off to the other side of the cave so as to not see the crushed body of Heva and the shattered crystal shards that were once Byralnus. Her body shook in shock and she tried hard not to break down.
Jirabi and Bai had also woken up and began picking themselves off the ground as well. Ishnook must have been keeping them asleep until now.
"What...what happened??" Jirabi stammered, his voice shaky. Then, noticing Heva's crushed body laying in her own blood, he vomited.
My lady, Ishnook said again, I do not wish to detract from the severity of this situation, but I have something incredibly important to tell you.
Tyler continued to stare out across the pit of the cave. Tears were coursing down her face.
Team seven was done for now.
When I possessed Hudaryous' weapon, he continued, speaking gently, she spoke to me! The weapon spoke to me! She told me that she was Maty, your lost sister!
Tyler's eyes grew wide. "What..??" She gasped through her tears.
She said that she could tell I had come from you, and she wanted me to tell you that she loves you.
"My sister..." Tyler choked on the words, looking over to the metal object laying in the ground by the Pardos. "That is my sister??"
She ran over to the weapon and picked it up, examining it.
The thing hummed warmly.
"This... Maty is in here??"
The Pardos stirred next to her, groggily picking his bruised body off the ground. As pain swelled back into his body he cradled his broken bones tenderly, groaning and falling back to the ground.
Tyler looked at him fiercely. "What is this??" She demanded, holding the object firmly. It was humming softly in her grasp.
The Pardos looked up in a daze. "No... Natilliea. Here... Give her back to me."
"Who is Natilliea?!" She yelled at him. "Tell me now Pardos!!"
Hud looked back up at her and grimaced with pain as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He gently leaned his back against a large bolder.
"...Why should I tell you anything?" Mumbled the Pardos.
"Back on Gnumus!" Yelled Tyler, tears still flowing down her face. "You called me Natilliea!!" She pointed at the hollow metal tube angrily. "Is this my sister??"
Hudaryous' expression went from angry to stunned realization.
"It's..." He muttered, blinking in surprise, "...Her name was Matallie and she... she looked just like you."
Tyler sobbed, looking at the tube. "Maty..." She looked back at him, her face twisted in pain. "Who are you??? Why do you have my sister in this...?!? Why is she—what happened to her???"
Hudaryous groaned as he tried to situate himself better on the rocks. "We... we loved each other. We were in love."
Tyler gaped at him with a mixture of hatred and astonishment.
"...We were caught, she was going to be killed... but the Rhaa wanted to use me as a hitman, so they took her and... and turned her into that. They wanted to manipulate me using her." Tears began to form in his eyes as well, his words sticking in his throat as he tried to speak.
Tyler was speechless. Why didn't Maty tell her? She was her sister! She continued to cry silently as she held the humming tube. It almost felt like it was trying to comfort her, but that thought only made her cry harder.
She slowly handed the object to Hudaryous and he gently took it from her.
"I'm sorry." He said. He kept his head down, unable to look Tyler in the eyes. "I remember now, she..." he pushed himself into a better position against the stone. "She told me about you... I had forgotten. She loved you, but she said... she was worried about being discovered. I..."
The Pardos hesitated, wiping the tears from his eyes as he looked up at the sobbing human.
"I am so sorry." He muttered to her. "I miss her too. I miss her so much."
Tyler was stunned. The emotions raging through her were tearing her apart. She wanted to kill the Pardos.
It was his fault Maty was gone.
My lady, this is an incredibly meaningful situation, and I wish not to belittle it. But emotions are a powerful thing, and sometimes they can be harmful. Ishnook said calmly, speaking though her mind. Would you like me to pacify some of your stronger negative emotions?
Tyler studied Hudaryous and the metal object that he cradled.
She nodded.
Her emotions immediately were dampened and she was suddenly able to think clearly and reasonably.
Maty was gone. There was nothing she could do about it. At least she was able to find out what happened to her. And it seemed like the Pardos was taking good care of what remained of her.
She would have to find out more details about Maty from the Pardos later, in a better setting.
Tyler noticed Bai approaching from behind and she turned to meet her.
"Are you alright, Bai?" Tyler asked sincerely, quickly wiping her face of the tears. The large Quibeek looked unscathed. But something was not right.
Bai grinned maliciously down at her.
Before Tyler could react, the Quibeek grabbed her by the neck and began to squeeze.
Tyler choked for air, desperately trying to pull Bai's powerful claws from around Tyler's neck.
From behind them Hudaryous yelped in surprise and scrambled to rescue her, but Bai quickly grabbed the metal cylinder from him and threw it far to the side. The lizard then kicked the Pardos viciously where his leg was broken.
Hud howled in agony, crashing back to the ground.
"You stupid Human." Laughed Bai. Though it was still her voice, it sounded deeper and forced.
No! Mistress! Called Ishnook in alarm. It is Arbol!!
"Destroying my body of dead Circuits was never going to stop me." Bai sneered. "And yes, little Bovase coward, I have learned to possess even living organisms. Once my army of Bovase learns this from me, your universe, and every universe, will belong to us."
Bai's grin grew bigger as she squeezed Tyler's neck even tighter. Lights began to flash in Tyler's eyes and her kicking slowed.
"It is about time..." Bai said with clenched teeth. "That you DIE."
Suddenly the cave filled with a loud screeching noise.
Bai immediately looked up in panic, scanning the cavern to see the origins of the sound.
On the far side of the cave, in tromped a gigantic, slimy, tailless, salamander-looking thing that had a huge, half-circle mouth that was at least the size of half its body, with two squinty little eyes above.
Riding on top of the outrageously large mouthed beast was Short in his tech suit.
The lizard excitedly skidded into the far side of the cave and screeched again, loudly.
"Whoa there big guy," exclaimed Short, "yup this is the place! Bovase buffet!!"
Short was inside his exosuit clinging desperately on to the lizard's slippery back as the lizard's mouth hug open eagerly, it's head flipping around as it excitedly examined the interior of the dark cave.
Then it spotted Bai.
"What's that boy, you see something tasty??" Cooed Short, rubbing the lizard's mucus covered skin. "Go getum big boy!"
"NO!!" Screamed Bai in terror. She dropped Tyler and scrambled towards a small, nearby cave opening.
Tyler collapsed on the floor, choking and gasping for air.
The gaping mouth creature ecstatically leaped towards Bai as she clawed her way to the hole. The Quibeek screamed in horror as she desperately tried to pull herself through the small opening, but the hole was too small.
The lizard quickly plucked Bai from the wall with it's mouth as she screamed, then promptly sucked her down it's thick throat with a loud slurping sound, swallowing her whole.
Mistress... Mistress!! Ishnook's voice was in a panic.
It's the darkness dweller! We need to get out of here, or that thing will kill me! Get into the sunlight, in any way possible!! Please!!
Tyler was still gasping for air as she jumped away from the large lizard. The creature started making a hacking sound.
There was another small entrance that she could make it to if she was quick enough.
"Short!!" Tyler called hurriedly with her hoarse voice, coughing and breathing heavily as her windpipe recovered. "Short, don't let that thing get to me!!"
Short turned to look at her. "No, no. This guy is harmless to you. You don't have to worry."
"No!" Shouted Tyler. She was almost at the entrance. "...I have a Bovase!" She stumbled over the rocky surface clumsily.
Hurry my lady, please hurry!!
The large lizard hacked loudly again, then promptly spit out Bai. She was covered in a thick syrupy saliva from the lizard's insides.
Short eyed Tyler in alarm. "There's another one? ...Is it a Poa??"
"No it's a Lil!!" Screamed Tyler hysterically as she scrambled over the rocks.
The lizard turned and looked at her as she raced, tilting it's head excitedly.
Oh Ruolten it's seen me, please don't let me die mistress!!
"Oh boy." Muttered Short. "No, you've already had your buffet boy! Down, Slippy! Sit!" Short said urgently, smacking the lizard on the side.
His urging had no effect. The salamander thing slowly continued its advance towards Tyler like a cat stalking its prey. Its huge mouth swung open in excitement.
"Uhh... You better get the Bovase out of here quick!!" Short yelled to Tyler. "I can't really control this guy!!"
The lizard dropped its head and leaped towards Tyler swiftly. She screamed and jumped out of the way towards the opening. The lizard skidded against the ground and quickly regained it's composure, jumping at her again.
Tyler scrambled up to the hole and pushed herself though it as the lizard slammed into the rock.
She was out of the cave and back into the embracing sunlight.
"Holy Ruolten!" Exclaimed Ishnook, forming himself out of her hair after they tumbled out into the dust. "My lady please excuse my excessive use of profanity, but I was very frightened for my life back there!"
Tyler breathed fast and tried to calm herself down. She was safe now. Everything was okay.
Suddenly all the emotions that had been building fell through her. Tears swelled in her eyes and she began to weep.
"My lady. You have undoubtedly saved my life just now. I was already a servant to you, now I am forever in your debt."
She tried to stop the tears, but the swelling emotions wouldn't stop.
Bryalnus was dead.
Heva was dead.
Her sister was dead.
She almost died, and so did Bai, Jirabi, and Ishnook.
"My lady..." said Ishnook quietly. "...My lady, I am so sorry for the loss of your friends."
Jirabi emerged from another hole in the rock, squinting in the brightness of the sunlight. Ishnook quickly disappeared from Tyler's hair and the locks fell back to her shoulders.
"What the Ruolten happened in there??" Jirabi cursed, stumbling in the dunes towards them. "There was this giant bug made of dead Circuits, it kills Byralnus and Heva and... I was falling apart with absolute terror?? And then I fell asleep?? What the hell?? I wake up and Bai is trying to kill you, and then this giant...THING eats her, then spits her back out—"
Bai, still covered in lizard saliva, stumbled out of the cave and face planted right into the dust. The mixture of the dust and sticky saliva thickly caked her entire body and she yelled in disgust.
"AAAAAGGHHH I HATE GNUMUS!!" Bai screamed.
Jirabi quickly noticed the distress on Tyler's face. He rushed though the dust to embrace her. "Tyler, it's..." He hesitated, words of comfort failing to come to him.
He stood there speachless, holding the weeping Tyler tightly. She gradually returned the embrace, pressing herself against Jirabi's body as if she could squeeze comfort into herself.
Tyler gasped quietly, trying in vain to subdue her tears. "Guys," she muttered, her body shaking, "I'm calling the Pentaverse Police Force—and we're getting off this damn planet."