N:Era: Off the Track: Part 7: Forever Going Back
Part 7: Forever Going Back
One station sat in Spectris Woods, belonging to a city, lost to the wilds, in the middle of nowhere. No lightbulbs adorned the location because no one ever took the stop.
Passengers asked important questions about why the train wasn't moving, as usually, the train blazed past the Spectris Woods. Some peered through the windows and saw figures moving around, but because of the lack of light, they couldn’t make any shapes out, and the breaths not held fogged the windows.
Cyras trapped the furnace tenders with pillars of coal, knowing that if they came back to life, they could cause trouble. However, she saw the ghosts didn’t look exactly like their bodies.
A voice rang through the intercom.
"Greetings. I suppose you all have realized that there has been a delay in your travel plans. I am one who has a lot more time on my hands than most, as I've already run out of time.
"212 years ago, 11818 AA, we were murdered on one of these trains by our business rivals. They buried my body beneath this very spot, my bones are right underneath where I'm at. I am only a spectre. However, I can feel the presence of my murderer on this very train and now we finally enact our vengeance.
"We can feel you, attempting to make sure we never rest in peace, and you come and drain my spirit, but we found vessels, and we've taken our forms."
The figures from out of the train pounded the doors before busting in. Not all of them had eyes or even all their fingers.
Cyras ran down the halls of people trying to trample or push each other away, when she said, "Everyone, follow me." She lit her body on fire before growing eight new tails. She slammed one doorway, causing an explosion. The smell of barbecued roadkill pervaded.
Crowds would flock onto the dead station. As any zombie got too close, Lilu would headbutt them and push them back. Most passengers were afraid of touching any, however, because of their bloodstained and worm-infested bodies.
Kyofi and Vanos were trained fighters, and both slapped at the zombies, or pushing them, or even biting them. None of them had much intelligence. The zombies were also of questionable wit.
Baynana looked at some of the wormy faces of the zombies, some now scorched from Cyras’ attack, and said, "Oh I actually studied about this at one point. They're known as 'Thelosts'-"
"The point," Ahmond said.
"Uh, they're zombies who drowned before. What gets me is that Thelosts are water zombies. I don't get how flames are burning them."
"Because flames burn underwater if they have an oxygen source," Cyras said.
“Okay, well what happened is that their creator supposedly died, leaving them with no one as their leader.” Ahmond tapped Baynana and pointed at the sky, at the silvery moon.
Three crimsons rose in the sky. Spirits. Now they were visible for everyone instead of just psychics. They waved their arms, directing the symphony of death.
Mosor said, "Wait here, I have the power of Empathy, like how Ahmond can amplify. I think I can figure out more about them." She put her paw on the floor and sent out pink waves. The waves wrapped around the spirits.
Mosor said, "I can sense great negative energy. Energy like someone who's been so hurt from their spirit being harmed so much, vengeance without a goal but just with the intent of bringing suffering."
"Grrreat!" Cyras said. "Now how do we deal with that?"
"I don't know, I'm not a necromancer," Mosor said. "I can only empathize with people, but that's really nowhere near as useful as you may think."
Baynana said, "Maybe we should think about burning the books we've got, that way we can remove the power."
Rosod said, "Yes, that's a good idea. The books have gold flecks on some letters, keeping away ghosts from libraries."
Lilu said, "I guess I'd haunt a library if I was a ghost, seems quiet." She pulled out a book and examining the title, remembered something yesterday.
The hyena Lilu said, "Oh." As she walked back down the aisle, she saw a book on the floor. She sniffed the cover.
The Twayt at the seat said, "Hey, that's my book, why was that on the floor!?"
Lilu grimaced but then grinned in joyous discovery. "I'll need to borrow this book for the moment so we can figure out a thief."
The bird realized, "You're a member of that one team who helped take out the lie detectors. You're part of N:Era." Lilu smirked and nodded at the surmisal, having been glad someone appreciated her. Unlike Ahmond and Cyras.
"Correct," Lilu said, "I am Lilu, leader of Team N:Era."
Lilu turned back down the train. She stood by Cyras and said, "Good news, I've got the scent from the book, but the problem is, I can't quite pin who this is. Smells kinda like a Crimson."
Glass fell on the floor as well as plaster. More arrows brought out more explosions within the palace.
Kryyk said, smirking at the fox now surrounded by haze, "I'm amazed, Empress, about how much power you have had. However, as soon as you're employees all get breaks, they only care about the paycheck. Now, who protects you?"
As the smoke cleared, Owlis jumped through.
The Violet mimic avoided her sword the first time, however she got her paw on his thigh and he fell. As his body writhed from the lightning, Owlis summoned several fireballs before blasting them at archers below, burning their arrows.
Kryyk summoned a whip of water, slapping at Owlis, so she sent a blast of flames, evaporating the water.
The Violet got back up, pulling a dagger.
Owlis' annoyance reached a glass-shattering pitch as she turned towards him. She sent a blast of flames with electricity, blasting him off a balcony where he fell for hundreds of feet. As he splattered, a bolt of lightning struck him once more.
Kryyk jumped through holes, getting on lower floors, realizing he must avoid the wrath of Owlis.
Fireballs fell from the heavens, reddening the sky, and rendering even the grass orange from the warmth before landing. Shards of earth flew up, shooting every way, while clouds covered the moon before lightning fell.
Kryyk felt the atmosphere get intensely hotter from the flames, but couldn't tell where the lightning was coming. This wasn't sweltering like summer heat, but more like boiling water. His breath felt cool. He levitated a shard of earth and took cover underneath.
Fire and earth wove together. Chasms of lava and magma melted in paths along his army, and his forces fell within.
Earth and Lightning wove together, spitting up haze that ran over the area. Kryyk had felt intense flames before, from Cyras' tails, but embers burned his lungs and dried his eyes.
Lightning and fire wove together, coming down as beams of plasma. Any strike incinerated grass. Afterward, a blast of white and purple took out anything in a 30-foot sphere.
Kryyk entered the cover of trees, however he wasn't sure how much of that was on his own merits and how much of that was mercy. He hacked up some lung.
The ground closed up, the flames faded, and the storm clouds moved back. The palace looked untouched as usual.
Kryyk, realizing that he probably lost half of his army, said, "...Okay. Well that's a thing, yup..."
Glass flew back in place. With the power of death came the power of healing.
The next phase of the plan was definitely not gonna be another attack, however, Kryyk was sure he could ruin society in an easier way. For now, his gang of truth-seeking Civics and self would retreat.
But this was only the first shot in a longer battle.
Lilu was still taken aback by her memory and saw the book she got from the Twayt was "Biology: A Basic Introduction." Cyras said the book smelled like Rosod, and while searching, the weasel girl’s first thought was on her mirror, probably not her schoolbooks. "Rosod, are you sure you're not missing a book?"
Rosod looked in her purse and said, "Oh yeah, what do you know." She looked up and saw Lilu had the book. "Where'd you get this?"
“Uh, well, from someone I know. Let’s not burn the books, maybe there is a way to stop the spirit. Come with me, I’ve got a plan.”
Lilu walked along the horrified masses, got hip checked by one Crimson, and said, “Watch where you’re going, fat hips, you coulda taken out a moo-moo!” before finding the Twayt from before, shivering in a tree stump. "Lemme ask you a few questions."
"I'm trying to not get maimed or obliterated here," he said, receding further in the hole. “So I’m hiding.”
"Of course, but like, where did you get that book from? I'm just saying, you totally stole that from my friend, and Cyras even said that the book smells like Rosod."
The twayt said, "Okay, look, I..."
Pink waves from Rosod and Mosor shot at him - Mosor's being her power of Empathy, Rosod just being a probing spell. A vision showed him brush against Rosod, taking the book. "This should keep him from ever coming back,” he whispered, then he stole a couple more books.
Lilu said, "Huh that's kinda weird, we need a bit more."
The vision rewinded. One day earlier, he was with a friend. “Olivine, you’re really going to disturb a body.”
He whispered back, "Remember, Javine, by filling the gold flecks with spirit power, he’ll never come back. Every time I run over the bones, the more power I collect, but if he ever comes back, he will strike. I should be getting the full power this year, you just need to process."
After the vision faded, Rosod said, "Okay, explain that."
The twayt said, "Okay, so my great-grandparents murdered someone who was a powerful necromancer. They were part of a cult, as everyone knew, and no one liked the fact there was a train of evil magicians, so we... you know... We sealed them away."
Mosor’s eyes narrowed, bemused, and she said, "We can see there's more."
"Okay, and also as the big scary man said, we were business rivals... but now we own a good train company. I didn't know they'd be operating the train, I just keep buying tickets here so I can make sure the bones aren't acting up. You dig them up, take a bit of that spirit power."
"You dig them up often?" Lilu asked.
"Sometimes, and you get some books and that seals up the power, and also keeps the vengeful spirits from getting full power, because like, if you can't get the books, you can't get to full power... Looks like he got the books so moot point."
"Okay, you're under arrest for one," Lilu said. "And for next, well, maybe we should dig up the bones and purify them. Cyras!"
"Way ahead of you!" Cyras said as she pounced on the tracks and began digging under the heavy metal train.
Olivine tried flying further into the tree, but Rosod cast a levitation spell and kept him in place. He squawked.
Mosor shouted, "Keep the area clear for Cyras. If you've got luggage, you've got weapons. We use gold for money, gold is dense, start throwing your wallets."
Cyras manipulated earth as she tossed large chunks out of the way from under the train, getting underneath the wood. Lilu joined her. "Oh man, I think I broke my claw," Lilu said.
"Here, do as I do," Cyras said, explaining her methods.
A couple other citizens came down. Even if they weren't good at fighting, they would know digging, and soon there was an entire team of dires.
While hundreds of Thelosts were surrounding the passengers, simple spells kept them at bay. Baynana ran up and headbutted a Crimson.
Baynana cut Ahmond off with a paw on the muzzle. "Will you stop trying to protect me? Do you know how annoying that is?"
Ahmond turned her head. "I'm sorry. Um, I'm just making sure that my friends don't hurt you-"
"You're not protecting me from your friends, you're really protecting your friends from me, aren't you? How about you leave me alone for once? Am I still a child to you? Am I still your little cousin?"
Ahmond said, "Well... Okay..." She pondered if she should still give her an amplified boost. Eh well. She cast the spell on the diggers and excavators.
Some Thelosts broke through the loose formations, like water through sand, and began climbing on people. Vanos said, "Hurry, we're losing people."
Lilu said, "There's no point, we can't find the bones at this rate." She couldn't believe the disgusting behavior. Taking books and sealing away spiritual essence bit by bit.
Cyras said, "You're a hyena. Sniff, really sniff."
Lilu said, "I've never even smelled real bones except during, like, cluckcluck bones." Maybe she was getting that scent, or maybe just an illusion. That's when she clawed something yellow.
"Bones, I've found the bones!"
“My nine tails does damage to the undead, pull them out.”
As Lilu pulled herself out from underneath the train, Cyras gained eight new tails made of fire. And she slapped the bones.
