Quaking

A grey stone hand the size of a volcano reaches from inside the Stem and grips the curving, light-weaved edge. Bright cracks form in the barrier, spitting out from under the hand's tight hold like lightning. A giant amalgamation of rock comes next, forming the shape of a head, the eyes two giant points of white light peering down as it pulls itself through the Stem.

The four men below stand frozen, unable to take their eyes off of the stone giant as more and more of its body is revealed. Even Kyro watches, with his eyes open halfway—as far as he can manage at the moment—the searing pain and swirling nausea preventing him from even lifting a finger. He lies still in the boat, his mind such a mess from the withdrawals that it takes some effort to be terrified by the impossible sight above him.

Cage's hand twitches. His shoulder tingles. The giant is fully visible now, its stone body like a crumbled castle floating in the sky. It takes the form of a man with thick stone arms and legs, and stubs for feet. The stone that makes up its body splits and cracks throughout, the gaps between revealing only darkness. It's as if a pile of boulders suddenly became sentient. Thousands of very large boulders.

There are no distinct features on the giant, no ears, nose, or mouth. Only eyes.

The stone giant floats down head first, casting a dark shadow on Cage and everything around him. The fear screams at him in his mind, suddenly spiking as Cage gazes with heavy breathing at those white glowing eyes.

His mind must be playing tricks on him; it almost seems like the giant is staring back at him. Only him.

Cage enters that tunnel vision state on instinct, however, it's different this time. He rips his eyes away from the death looming above and looks at the men surrounding him. They are all still frozen like too-realistic statues.

Ash flakes fall before Cage, each moving slower than normal, flipping and swaying in the wind. Sweat drips from Ingen's chin, the whiskers on Krash's snout twitch, and Kyro's tired eyes flicker with an ocean of fear. Everything slows for Cage, everything except for his thoughts.

Questions zip through his mind. Why is that giant here on Kalar of all places? Is it here for Cage and the others? Do they have to fight that terrifying thing?

Will Yoru see any of them ever again? Will his journey for his brother be halted before it even begins?

Just as quick as the questions come, they vanish from Cage's mind. Action replaces them, and a will to fight. To survive. Death may be the most likely possibility, but Cage will not sit and wait for it to become a certainty.

Cage begins moving as time returns to normal, those tendrils appearing in his hand as he gets out of the boat and kneels beside Kyro. He sets a Rage Stone from the vault on the rocks, and summons the sword, and slices a sliver off. Cage crumbles the sliver in his hand, surprised by the ease of the action.

It has to be done, Cage thinks, no one will survive without Kyro's help. Not against something like this.

Ingen rushes over suddenly, following Cage's lead without a word. Ingen uses one hand to pull Kyro's limp head back, the other forcing his jaw open. Cage cups the glowing crimson crumbs to Kyro's mouth, glancing up at the incoming death all the while. The stone giant seems to be taking its time, descending slowly toward them as if there is no chance of them escaping.

Suddenly, Kyro jolts, gasping as his strength returns in full force. He springs to his feet, stepping from the boat, "Go! Run!" he yells, shoving Ingen and Cage forward. Kyro looks at Krash, who stands motionless, staring up at the giant. Déjà vu.

"Krash!" Kyro yells, half-turned to follow Cage and Ingen as they run. The Tanzide looks at Kyro with a slack jaw and wide eyes, "Do you want to die!?" Kyro yells again.

Krash shakes his head slowly, his face a constant mess of fear. He takes a step forward, then begins to jog. Then, he bursts into a sprint, passing Kyro at an incredible speed. He may not be a fighter, Kyro thinks as he watches the Tanzide run, but the man can move his legs.

Kyro snatches his sword from the boat, glancing up at the giant as he follows behind the others with long strides. He furrows his brows as he notices where those glowing eyes are looking. Kyro follows them, and his own eyes land on Cage.

Then, Kyro notices something else, looking over his shoulder now as he escapes the giant's shadow. The stone monster turns upright in the air, then begins to fall stone feet first. Kyro gasps, quickening his pace. He catches up to Krash easily, "Faster! Go! Go!" Kyro yells without looking at the Tanzide.

Fortunately, Krash has another gear in him. He sprints faster, the soot and blood-stained tail of his coat flapping behind him. Him and Kyro catch up to Cage and Ingen in seconds, and they all sprint together, bare feet and boots slapping against the rock. Each of them searches for safety, a cave, a ravine. Something.

The ground quakes.

An eardrum-bursting crash can be heard from all directions, despite the fact that Kyro knows it's behind him. They all stumble and trip as the rock below rumbles violently. Kyro is able to stay upright, but not for long. The land splits and cracks, chunks of black rock explode into the air, and volcanos crumble, leaking orange hot lava.

Cage falls on his face as indiscriminate destruction surrounds him. He rises to his knees, straining with every bit of his strength to stay in the position. Cage turns with heavy breaths, looking behind to find the others not doing much better than himself. He meets Kyro's silver eyes, then the rock below all of them rises, squeezed from its place by the surrounding land.

The giant chunk of rock begins to flip over, rising on one side while the other sinks deeper into a giant hole in the ground. Cage wedges his hand in a crevice between the rocks as the slope becomes steeper by the second. He looks below at the others, kicking and searching for another hold with his feet, his hand firmly set in the crevice. For now.

Cage looks past the struggling forms of Krash, Ingen, and Kyro, into that several-meter-wide hole. It's a pit of black, the bottom invisible... if there is one. Though suddenly, Cage sees a faint glow of reddish-orange through the darkness. Lava. If they fall, they will all die.

The others have found holds to keep themselves from sliding, all of their faces twisted with exertion. This won't do, Cage thinks as the slope becomes nearly vertical, we'll all be crushed if we don't do something. He searches his mind for a possibility, something he can do to save himself and the others.

Krash slips from his hold, falling and catching himself on another just a few feet below. However, that grey bag slips from his hand and falls toward the lava pit below, the now completely vertical position of the rock not allowing it to slide. A black line zips downward fast, the end forming into a hand and catching the bag.

Cage stares down at the bag, glancing at Krash, breaths quick and ragged, sweat pouring down his forehead. That black makeshift arm of his stretches from his shoulder, which was summoned almost on instinct. That's it, Cage thinks, let's hope that Massor gave me enough power to. He sucks air through his teeth, focusing hard.

Three tendrils sprout from the black arm, long-fingered hands forming on the end of each. Krash slips and falls, as well as Ingen. A black hand catches Krash by his coat collar, and Ingen by his wrist. The third hand latches onto the back of Kyro's leotard as he nearly slips like the other two. Kyro looks up at Cage, eyes wide.

Cage grinds his teeth, straining to hold the weight of Ingen and Krash, both of them nearly twelve feet tall and weighing half a thousand pounds. He swings his arm to the side, ripping Kyro from his hold and flinging him along with the other two men. Cage releases his grip on everything, the three men, and the grey bag.

Cage nearly chuckles as he watches them fly to the side of the flipping rock, slamming to the ground several meters from the pit. Cage is now stronger than any human that ever existed, but here, he is still considered weak.

He would chuckle, but the awkward slinging causes him to slip, and he plummets toward the glowing pit. Cage's long hair and robe flap behind him with the speed of his fall, and he begins to sweat more as the heat of the lava below washes over him.

Cage is tired. So tired. He's been fighting and struggling for days. For once, sleep doesn't seem so bad. Quite the opposite.

Suddenly, someone cries his name, throwing him back into a wakeful state. Kyro.

Cage sighs, eyes hardening as he looks at the edge of the gaping pit. That black arm appears again, stretching and digging into the rock. Cage goes from falling to swinging. He slams into the wall of the pit, his ribs cracking with the impact. However, the pain only shocks him into wakefulness.

Cage peers up and out of the pit as he hangs, the heat of the lava biting his bare feet from below. That chunk rock stalls in its vertical position, then slowly tips over, falling right toward him. The makeshift arm shortens, pulling Cage up to the edge of the pit fast. But the rock falls faster.

He grips the edge with his real arm, pulling himself up halfway. Cage looks forward, his legs hanging from the edge of the pit. Kyro sprints toward him, eyes wide, big blue hand outstretched. Ingen follows behind him with a similar level of panic on his face, and Krash stands farther back, staring at Cage with a slack jaw.

Cage looks between the two Rajin men before him. Once again, everything slows before him. The yells, the destruction of the land, the lava bubbling and sizzing below. All the sounds around Cage become like whispers in the distance.

Even if he pulled himself now, Cage would only be sandwiched between two planes of rock. There is nothing he can do. He's failed. Kyro, Ingen, Yoru, and Alyra. His brother. He's failed all of them, before even having a chance to succeed.

Cage musters a faint smile as he looks at Kyro and Ingen, mouthing an apology. Then, just before time returns to normal, and the sound slams back into him, Cage hears a voice. A familiar one.

"Can you do nothing yourself?"