65: Star Child: Dunes of Tolapo XXVI

"Are you shitting?!" I shouted. Iris quickly reared back and slapped me on the back of my head.

"Ow!" I groaned and rubbed the spot.

"Star Child!" Iris hissed. "Are you damaged in the head?"

"Probably, now!" I growled.

"Chase we are heading into the laboratory of a enemy splicer and you're just going to suddenly yell like that! If someone is in there they know we're here." Jane said reasonably calmly.

"I get that but Alpa just told me something insane." I explained. That made both Jane and Iris pause and look at each other with worry.

"What did it say?" Iris asked.

"That Raziri has been conspiring with Anansi for years. He used to be a member of the village bit ran away years ago." I said.

"What?!" Iris and Jane exclaimed then froze and looked around remembering what they'd just scolded me for.

"Are you serious? Anansi is a member of the village?" Jane asked. I nodded and Iris groaned and shook her head.

"Then why is he trying to destroy it?" Iris asked.

"Alpa said for revenge with Raziri." I replied. Jane and Iris groaned and ran their hands down their faces.

"This whole thing is getting so complicated! Anansi is a Paragon and if he is here as a representative of his country then this could become a international incident." Jane said.

"Fuck international incidents! He attacked the village with Raziri and Tarrika and has the elders and more importantly my Auntie hostage! His ass is grass!" I snapped.

"Chase is right. Paragon or not we can't let him leave the village alive." Iris agreed.

"Tolapo village is hidden for a reason. The sheer amount of mana the average villager here has coupled with the fact that there is a connection with the village and star farm crystals. If knowledge about it gets out into the world…I don't even want to think about what some people would do to get their hands on a villager."

"Then let's hurry and find our absentee teacher and her missing boyfriend and get to saving the day." I said then started down the tunnel again.

"Wait boyfriend?" Jane exclaimed then followed after me.

The tunnel ended in a massive cavern, easily twice the size of the town square. It was filled from wall to wall with large glass vats all arranged in precise and neatly organized rows. Tubes connected to the tops of each vat and ran up to the ceiling more than thirty feet above and connected to a massive glass globe filled with some foul liquid that pumped into each of the vats.

"What is all this?" Iris asked as she looked around in wonder. Jane walked over to one of the vats and her eyes widened in horror.

"By Ra's light!" She exclaimed and stumbled back, tripping over her own feet and falling down on her butt. Iris and I rushed over to her. Her face was stark white as of she'd seen a ghost.

"Lady Jane what's wrong?" Iris asked. Jane doesn't speak but lifted a shaking hand and pointed at the tank.

Both Iris and I turned and looked at the tank, it was filled with that murky liquid from the sphere above but you could just make out something floating in the tank. It wasn't until it floated close to the glass that I made out what it was.

A human male, if he could have even be called human anymore. His limbs were twisted and contorted in unnatural angles. Fur, feather, and scales sprouted from various parts of his body and his still beating heart was visible through a massive hole in his chest. His face was a mask of agony, a third eye grew from his right cheek while his left was replaced entirely with the mandible of a insect. All three of its eyes were locked on us, begging silently.

Without thinking I channeled shock attribute mana into my fingertips and walked over and touched the metal base of the vat. Lightning surged through the vat striking the man's exposed heart and stopping it instantly. He shook for several moments before the light drained from his eyes.

"Gods shepherd him." Jane whispered.

"What the hell is all this?" I demanded.

[Raziri'sssssss laboratory. Unlucky are thossssse that fond their way here.] Alpa'nagia replied.

I looked around at the other vats near us and in this row. Almost all of them were filled with human victims, not all of them were men or even Niger soldiers. Some were women and even children. My stomach lurched at the state of then all, horrifically disfigured beyond any recognition of the human they once were.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" I roared clenching my fists, no longer caring about stealth.

"Chase…" Jane started, wanting to calm me down.

"NO! FUCK THIS!" I snapped at her then punched the glass of the vat. "There are dozens of these vats Jane and almost all of them are filled! Who knows how long she's had this setup and how many lives she's ruined! She used kids…FUCKING KIDS!"

"I'll kill her…" Iris said softly. Her crystal started glowing. I looked at her and saw her face was devoid of any emotion, the only thing that gave away her rage was her eyes and her crystal. Her crystal glowed with a otherworldly light that illuminated her eyes in a way that made then seem like they were on fire.

"Not if I get to her first….!" I said.

Jane stood up and looked at the both of us. Her face was devoid of emotion as well as her emotional mask was put into place. She dusted herself off then looked around.

"Don't forget why we're here you two. Baset and Geryo. If they're here we need to find them." Jane reminded us. I glanced at the vat containing the corpse.

"Lets hope we're not too late." I said.

We walked toward the center of the cavern, checking every vat we passed just in case they contained Baset or Geryo. We let out a sigh of relief each time we didn't see them and Jane offered Raziri's victims a small prayer. When we neared the center I saw two familiar figures that instantly filled me with relief.

"Baset! Geryo!" I exclaimed. They were unconscious and strung up by some floating magic crystal shackles around their wrists, binding them together. Iris, Jane, and, I sprinted towards then not at all looking where we were going.

[WAIT! TRAP!] Alpa'nagia warned but it was too late. I stepped on a spell sigil without even noticing until it activated. The yellow enchantment sigil shot crystal chains from the ground that wrapped around the girls and I then yanked us up into the air. Half a second later the spell shattered and the three of us fell back onto the ground in a heap with me on bottom.

"Ow!" Iris exclaimed.

"Get off me please…" I wheezed.

Jane and Iris stood up quickly and took a look around us. I took a second longer to get up since Iris jammed her knee into my back. When I did I saw a half dozen enchantment sigils written on the floor in what looked like blood.

"Well talk about a obvious trap." Iris groaned and rubbed her shoulder.

[Ssssssorry…] Alpa'nagia apologized.

[You're fine. Thank you for trying to warn us.] I replied. I felt a wave of relief come from Alpa'nagia.

"Lady Baset!" Jane yelled. Baset and Geryo started to stir. They both blinked and took a few moments to recognize what had happened to them.

"Lady Baset!" Jane and Iris yelled.

"What…where…Geryo!" Baset finally said after looking around for a few moments.

"How did we end up here?" Geryo asked then a look a realization flashed on his face.

"Raziri! Her and Tarrika are behind the attacks on the village!"

"Yeah we already figured that part out bud." I called out to him. "The problem halfway took care of its self and them quickly slid onto a level of fuckery on a continental scale."

"What do you mean?" Baset asked.

"Raziri betrayed Tarrika, it was part of her plan from the start. She's been egging Tarrika on for years and helping him plan the attack and planned for him to take the fall and be executed. Then attack the village again at a later date." Jane explained.

"Is the village safe?" Geryo asked.

"Not even remotely." I replied. "The barrier surrounding the village is down, everyone in the village is asleep, Raziri took the elders hostage, and Anansi Paragon has a detachment of troops with him inside the village."

"ANANSI PARAGON!" Baset exclaimed.

"What is he doing here?"

"He's working with Raziri, according to Apla'nagia he was a member of the village but ran away and now he's back with Raziri for revenge." I replied.

"Who is Alpa'nagia?" Baset asked.

"The ascended sonic viper now a Transcended Sonic viper. Chase tamed it and can now communicate telepathically with his evos." Iris said.

"Of course he did…" Baset sighed then froze. "Trans-what?"

"Hold on. Alpa can probably get you two down…" I said then held out my right hand.

"Alpa'nagia!"

Alpa'nagia shot out of the crystal and landed a few feet behind us. He stretched and stood to his full height. Geryo looked like he was about to have a stroke while Baset had this almost crazed look on her face as she stared at Alpa'nagia.

"Chase, if we survive and make it back to Andromeda Collage I am going to require you to explain in full detail the events that lead you obtaining…that…that…" Baset said.

"Transcended Sonic viper." Iris said.

"Transcended Sonic viper." Baset repeated.

"Okay but right now let's focus on getting you two out of here and coming up with a plan to kill that Paragon up in the village and the psycho bitch who created this cave of horrors. Preferably a plan that involves fire, lots and lots of fire." I said.

"I second that and would like to request a very slow acting and highly painful poison be used as well." Iris added.

"My possssisssion is yoursssss Ssssstar Ssssshaper!" Alpa'nagia hissed eagerly baring its fangs. Baset and Geryo's eyes grew so wide they almost eclipsed their faces.

"IT TALKS!"