SunRider

[11] Machinations

—Circa 5,610 E.E. (Economic Era-The 17th Era): Finn SunRider, at the age of ten, saves thirty-two miners from a tunnel collapse by wedging his leg beneath a boulder. It takes three days for miners to uncover the tunnel and save him. Miraculously, his leg heals and Finn SunRider is reprimanded by House Crumm for wasting resources on his life. He is told he will never pay off the debt. In retaliation, SunRider sneaks into the Hub and burns all documentation of his debts. Unfortunately, he does not burn the duplicate copies of the documents.—

"Lich-Lord. It's time."

     Mal'Bal paused his gory work, wiping the blood from his face as he knelt on the ground. The dirt floor within the tent had been churned into maroon mud and clung to the golden man's knees and shins. Bone shards and torn clothing were strewn about, as if thrown without care. Flies clumped in large black piles from walls, their collective weight sagging the canvas. Their buzzing was the ecstatic scream of a million flesh-eating dots.

     Mal'Bal studied the cult member that'd approached him, watching to see if the man would grimace. The cult member, sensing a test, remained frozen without emotion. Sweat collected on the man's brow and his eyes flickered to the red mess strewn about the tent. Mal'Bal let the discomfort drag until the man looked ready to flee. When he'd been thoroughly amused, Mal'Bal nodded.

     "Indeed, it's time. Assemble our people."

     The man left the tent and Mal'Bal returned to his work of splitting skin and snapping bones. The noises were wet and loud in the thick heavy-aired tent. Flies collected and scattered in the movement, drawn to the sickly-sweet smell. In the dim light, most would mistake the place as the entrance to some hellish portal.

     A cat-like form moved in lithe calculated movements, emerging from the shadows at the back of the tent. "Wahala," Mal'Bal purred, "do you marvel at my creativity?"

     Wahala, unlike the messenger, did cringe at the sight; her face a mix of disgust and annoyance, unafraid of what the leader might think. It made the man smile and chuckle.

     "Your project should be...finished at another time, my lord." she stated, holding a hand over her nose. Wahala's eyes roved over the state of the decay-filled tent. She'd seen dismemberment and gore, but nothing of this scale.

     Mal'Bal broke another bone, revealing gold beneath white. Blood and marrow coated his fingers. He raised his arms wide, facing the woman. "Do you view me as a toddler playing with his toys, Wahala?"

     The words were controlled and happy, but Wahala knew better than to let her guard down. Mal'Bal was the most dangerous when he seemed the calmest. "I believe you must focus outside, Golden Agony. The campaign's about to continue. The cities of Metés and Vestés..."

     Mal'Bal waved a dismissive hand and returned to his work. His knees adjusted in the red filth and he pulled at the gold within the corpse. Splitting an arm in half, he let out a grunt of approval. Inside, as if chaliced by bone, was a golden limb, jointed by an Apex gem.

     "This experiment is an inspiration, Wahala. The Queen Priestess who thought of it didn't try it out. In fact, she was too insane to do so. Days after her inauguration, she killed herself. Her untested project brings me much curiosity." Mal'Bal's gaze bore into Wahala. "And you bring me curiosity as well."

     Wahala froze. "What do you mean?"

     Mal'Bal tore another golden limb free from its organic prison. He examined it in approval and grabbed at the dead man's ribcage. The corpse hardly resembled the mill worker anymore. "You were common." Mal'Bal spoke softly, "Fleeting, like this man. But the closer you came to me, the more I exposed what was beneath the skin." There was an explosive wet sound and a plain golden rod, thick as a stick, came loose. "Metamorphosis, Wahala. You're my dark butterfly, like my puppet born from an organic cocoon. You show far more drive than the rest of our people, especially since we've been here. Something has lit a fire underneath you."