Episode 129

Flexing his fingers into tight balling fists, Bach straightens his posture and rigidly pivots around, facing Isaac. Settling his cool, glowing white stare upon Isaac, he wrestles a grimace down and sighs solemnly. Faint disruptions in the flow within embedded floor channels radiate out, and unseen currents sweep up nearby dust into the air. Narrowing his collected glare upon Isaac, Bach pulls in a slow focused breath and twists the corner of his mouth. "You know... You're right."

Rolling his stiff shoulders, he tenses his body and braces his stance out wider. "It really is pointless for me to fight you. You're certainly better at shaping this power..."

Concentrating his resolute stare at Isaac, Bach closes his eyes slowly. "But... You're right... I do need to help my friends."

A wave of cool acceptance washes over him. Relaxing his body, Bach breathes out slowly, waiting quietly. Between twinges of tension in his body, waves of dimming flow ripple out through the channeling within the translucent floor. Meters away the Sword of Spirit Realm rattles in place upon the floor. Crackles of energy course through the length of the blade and arc out erratically, singing the smooth surface of the ground. With sprays of sparks bouncing out across the floor from it, the sword flashes to a bright glow.

"M-M-MASSIVE S-s-s-S-SURGE DET-T-TEC-"

The loud garbled voice scrambles into unintelligible distortion and cuts out completely. Sebastian's visage stabilizes, and he glances around bewildered. Searching around quickly, he darts his attention around the room and snaps his full focus upon Bach.

A towering maelstrom of elder energy geysers up into the chamber. Rushing around the crimson space swelling into existence, the plume spreads forth, clouding out the noon sun high above. The torrent of flow rushes out, waves of pure power flooding out from Bach. The tides roll over the translucent chamber floor and brighten the flow passages underneath into a brilliant sheen. Energy seeps into every crevice and spills forth, filling the space surrounding. From the hazy, obscuring cloud, a pair of pure white eyes coldly stare out and through Isaac's very being.

Isaac pales, and his body instinctively stiffens against the translucent currents of power spreading around him. Dormant magitech flutters to life, and ancient systems start back up. The spreading volume of energy thickens overhead and plumes further out in the massive chamber. Stirring back from unconsciousness, Dretphi blinks her steely gray eyes behind her full face visor and stiffly searches around. Glancing around near her, Cideeda shudders back fully awake and wipes some soot off her light brown face.

Squeezing his fists against the crippling fear, Isaac shakes his head back to awareness. His glowing white eyes search around the area, and he throws his hands out. Spiraling conduits of flow form and pump power from the obelisk into Isaac. Maintaining a calm stare upon Isaac, Bach stands still in place within the constant vortex of power fluttering his duster and gradually lifting his helmet clear of his head. Bracing against a new threat, Noxian builds up his protective barriers and readies flows of energies into his hands. Both Noxian and Bach hold their positions on opposing sides of the chamber's middle arena with the obelisk dividing them.

Behind the cover of ancient magitech equipment, Aristespha pants with flickering violet eyes, directing wavering flows of energies to Sotalia's red stained midsection. Traces of panic slip into her voice, and she musters up the best calming tone possible. "Just take it easy. I am... A little worn at the moment. So, it is taking a little longer than it should... I am... Sorry..."

Sotalia manages a weak nod, laying on her side upon the ground. "It's okay, girl... I'm still here..."

Her golden pupils contrast against the darkening sclera of her eyes, and she summons up enough consciousness, glancing around in confusion. "What is going on? There's a lot of power nearby..."

Aristespha uneasily grimaces, quickly darting her violet eyes around, and gazes through stray strands of her silvery blue hair. "I... I do not know."

From the roaring pyre of elder energy coating Bach, streams of magical flow launch out and scramble through the air above. Noxian readies himself and braced, studying the energies expectantly. The threads of power weave into tight conduits, and they travel through the chamber space above, drawing in the nearby elder miasma. Short of crossing the threshold towards Noxian, the streams divert sharply and spread out. They search for their targets, and strange magical machinery materializes within the confines of the tightening conduits. In brilliant flashes, prismatic threads explode out past the machinations and reform into coiling strands.

The first prismatic stream drops down and lands upon Aristespha's back. Gasping in surprise, Aristespha's body briefly stiffens, and she shudders reflexively. Collecting herself, she blinks her eyes into a bright violet glow, the prismatic power coating her fully. Waning flows of magic flush with new vigor. Another prismatic stream sinks down and links onto Sotalia. She startles briefly and blinks her gold on black eyes. "What the fuck?"

Aristespha refocuses her efforts and concentrates upon the open wound in Sotalia's midsection. She directs her healing magics upon the torn and burned tissues, and medical materials manifest near her efforts. Briefly studying the awaiting magic fabrics, she smiles thankfully and guides the forming supplies, quickly mending and reversing the injuries. The unseen assistant diligently speeds up the complex tasks at hand. Sotalia perks up more with each passing moment and blinks hard into greater awareness of her surroundings. Patting around, she finds her belt of pouches and flicks open a few flaps. She rummages through the pockets and pulls out a few vials. Narrowing her faintly glowing golden gaze, her eyebrow perks up with recognition. She moves the potions into Aristespha's line of sight. "Are these okay to take right now?"

Aristespha flicks her gaze over, thinking a moment, and nods. "Go ahead. I have actually made amazing progress. Just keep still for a little while longer."

Pulling the vials close, Sotalia blinks at the bulge of prismatic flow upon her wrist. She squints at the energies, and a warm smile grows. With her other free hand, she scoops up some of the flows coating over her and guides them into the vials of colorful solutions. They start to glow, and she pops the corks, drinking each one after another.

Picking herself up slowly, Dretphi carefully inspects herself. She checks the cracking of the enchantment barrier upon a few armor plates, she pulls her submachine gun close. Examining the weapon, and a faint curl of satisfaction appears at the corner of her mouth. Panning her stare out, she notices the scattered fragments of her flow blade upon the translucent chamber floor. She leans out carefully, grips hold of the handle of the shattered sword, and lifts it up. Gazing upon the jagged, broken edge after the hilt, she frowns sadly and winces into a pained sigh. She blinks back to awareness and worriedly scans the vicinity. Glancing up at the colorful sunlight refracting through the white clouds filling the chamber above, she narrows her stare into the elder energy pyre and the figure within the constant torrent. From above, a prismatic stream drops down and connects onto her back. She stiffens in surprise briefly, the rush of power spreading over her. She watches the energy coat over her armor and stares at the cracks within enchantment barriers disappearing. The flow reaches her hand, and the power sinks into the handle of her broken blade.

Fine jets of energy spread out from her, swiftly snaking across the floor. They drive towards metal fragments and latch on. The pieces drift up into the air and coast back towards the sword end. The shards of metal hover close, and the pieces fit back into place, the joints shimmering brightly with a fading molten glow. Gripping the hilt tightly, Dretphi supports the weapon reassembling before her shocked stare. Each chunk settles into place. The edges glow brightly, and the pieces fuse onto the growing whole. The last part finds its home. Through the energy coat on Dretphi's body, threads of elder power drift down the prismatic connection and sink in the blade. A slow pulse of phosphorescent energy crackles down the weapon. Layers of age spark off, clogs in the channels pop free, and large gouges smooth down to near perfection. Moments later, Dretphi stares at the reforged flow blade and admires the new glints of sheen. Prismatic power reaches out for her submachine gun, hexagonal barriers reinforce her armor, and she secures her sword. Standing up, she hoists up her blade and concentrates her will. A surge of prismatic power from within rushes into the handle. A plume of red ethereal fire erupts, revealing a shining crimson blade. Dretphi grins eagerly and sweeps up her submachine floating up to meet her with free hand.

Cideeda coughs loudly and spits a bit of dark soot upon the translucent floor. Snorting out some congestion, she finds her blown out laser pistols. She sniffs the air and scrunches her nose against the smoldering, acrid wisps from fried power cells nearby. Cautiously patting the laser pistols, she picks them up and inspects the blackened bottoms of the grips. She grits her sharp teeth and grumbles, picking at the char within the power cell receivers. Blinking her emerald green eyes, she tenses her body, her situational awareness returning suddenly. She gawks at the elder cloud flooding the chamber above, and a prismatic stream drops down. Muttering fvalian swears, she spots the incoming conduit. It splashes upon her upper back, and she shudders wide eyed. Gasping, she arches her back and shivers, her furry ears twitching in surprise. The initial wave coats over her, and she blinks out of her sheer shock and watches the power flowing over her. She notices the prismatic energy drift over towards her damaged pistols, and dons an eager, toothy grin. Narrowing her full focus, her emerald green eyes flutter into a growing glow. Her pistols drift up from her hands and swiftly disassemble under her guidance. Floating in the air, she motions with her claw tipped fingers and concentrates upon the damaged pieces. With a few quick repairs, the weaponry starts to reassemble. She frowns over towards the burned out power cells, hexagonal barriers reinforcing her armor plates. "Damn it... I might have cells with a little left-"

Her emerald eyes dart over and spot magic flow condensing into a facsimile of a power cell. She smiles slyly and perks her eyebrow, wrapping her clawed fingers around the magical part. "Oh, why settle for regular cells?"

With help from Aristespha, Sotalia rights herself and kneels near the cover of some magitech machinery on the outer perimeter of the middle arena. Aristespha whispers, inspecting Sotalia. "Take it easy. Please. I do not think you can handle another hit like that."

Sotalia nods thankfully and smiles kindly at Aristespha. "I know. I can still cast from cover. I'll be careful, I promise-"

She glances down, prismatic threads forming and weaving into layers of protective fabric upon her. The dense mesh materializes upon her neck all the way down to her knees. Thin layers of laminate golden plates form a protective barrier around her torso. Patting down the new flexible armor, she sighs with an amused smile. "Well... Thank you. I'll try not to need it."

Shifting his stare between Aristespha, Sotalia, Dretphi, and Cideeda, Isaac awkwardly chuckles and motions out towards the streams of prismatic energy constantly flowing through the air above. "THIS... THIS is absolutely amazing! Just look at what you are capable of doing! There's not a reason for us to fight-"

From within the elder haze surrounding, Bach shouts out defiantly and levels a pair of bright white eyes at Isaac. "AGAIN... I'm not going to fight you. I NEVER wanted to fight you..."

He sighs deeply, white miasma venting out with his breath. "I just wanted to help my brother... That's all..."

Flexing his shaking hand, he holds his arm out towards the sword nearby. Clattering up the smooth floors of the chamber, the blade hops up into the air. It rights itself, flies over, and Bach grips the handle mid air. He inspects the weapon and watches the drifts of smokey energy swirl down into the blade. Studying it, he narrows a brilliant stare upon the sword, and it idly vacuums in miasma. Sebastian's visage manifests next to Bach, and he gazes upon his brother with tinges of worry slipping out. "Hey. Bro. How are you... Well... Doing?"

Bach stiffly straightens his posture, turning his head over towards Sebastian, and cracks a wry grin. "I'm going to be honest... I can barely move, and it's literally taking everything I got to keep all this up."

Concern colors Sebastian's frown, and he leans close with a soft tone. "Bro... You don't need to tear yourself doing all this... You can ease it back and-"

With a strained chuckle, Bach smiles boldly. "I think we're beyond that point. Reasonable ideas got left behind a while ago."

Furrowing his brow, Bach wrestles with a frown. "Plus... I get the real feeling that Isaac has powered up a lot by now."

Sebastian squints through the swirling haze and sighs with a nod. "Yeah. The sword felt him draw in a lot of power. He's definitely not backing down at this point."

Bach grits his teeth briefly and tightens his grip upon the sword in his hand. "It's going to take everything we got now to stop him..."

Pulling a bold grin on his tan face, Bach gazes at his brother and laughs softly. "Hey... Man... You up for a crazy idea?"

Sebastian blinks a moment, cocking his head to the side, and smiles eagerly. "Well, I think we're beyond reasonable ideas at this point..."

A few seconds of thought later, he nods at Bach and reflects his brother's grin back. "Yeah... Crazy is all we got left."

Placing his free hand upon the hilt of the blade, Bach draws in a long breath and exhales slowly, a cloud of magic vapor leaving. Bursts of elder energy leap off his body and sink into the sword. Nearby drifts of miasma swirl around in the growing draw from the blade. The vacuum strengthens, and the torrent churns faster and faster into an elder cyclone. The vortex sinks clouds high above in the chamber, and the masses spiral down into the weapon. Splashes of excess power spray out from the blade, float nearby, and fall back into the currents toward the sword. Nearby flow channels and connected equipment flicker. The prismatic streams waver briefly, and Bach drops down to a knee. Planting the tip of the Sword of the Spirit Realm down, Bach braces himself up and maintains his focus, bursts of elder flow blasting out from his body into the blade. The overhead momentum of the energies drives down the bulk to the cloud, and the giant plume slams into a tightening ball around Bach. Watching Bach strain against the forces surrounding, Sebastian's ghostly form yells over the roaring torrents of power. "Bach! You don't have to do-"

Sebastian's visage fades into the swirls entering the sword. The blade stops absorbing power. Surges of elder energy reflect violently back, and a massive cloud explodes out. Within the haze, crackles of power sound out. Arcs shoot along the length of the sword and blindingly flash. The streams of prismatic flow brighten back up, and the magitech machinery steadies. Isaac gawks in utter astonishment, the rest of the team peering through the cloudy haze.

A loud pop of air and heavy thud echoes out into the cavernous chamber. The surrounding mists wane, and the elder plumes drift up with the rising currents from Bach. Panting heavily, Bach shakes his head out of a stupor into awareness and glances around. A moment later, he settles his gaze upon Sebastian, laying out physically on the ground. Free of ghostly transparency, Sebastian feels the hard surface of the floor and blinks in complete utter bewilderment. Patting his body, he feels his chest plate, face, and the hole in his under armor. Finding his healed tan flesh within remnants of the last bullshit attack, a wave of relief stuns him. Reflexes kicking back in, Sebastian gasps loudly for breath, the sound crisply echoes around the chamber. Aristespha's very long, pointed ears twitch, and her violet eyes widen.

A smile spreads wide on Bach's face, and he chuckles in a daze. "Holy shit... It actually worked..."

He furrows his brow and levels an irritated stare upon the sword. "This fucking sword is a LAIR. There's no way in hell that Isaac had that amount of power within him."

Sebastian sits up, inspects himself again, and glances over at Bach. "BRO. This is absolutely fucking INSANE!"

He grips Bach's shoulder and pauses. Feeling the duster upon his brother, Sebastian grins, faint tears welling in his eyes. "But... Just as crazy as everything you've ever done."

Bach chuckles softly and shudders back some consciousness to the front of his mind. "Yeah... Yeah... Hey, uh, you think you are able to stand up?"

Sebastian checks his limbs and gets his boots underneath him. "Think so. I'm actually feeling pretty good right now."

Nodding in relief, Bach pants out his fatigue. "Good... Might need some help getting back up myself."

The white haze rises back up, and the elder fog thins away. Cideeda's furry ears flick around at the sound of Sebastian's voice. Standing side by side, Bach and Sebastian wave towards the rest of the team. Aristespha reflexively leans out in astonishment, Sotalia keeping her from reflexively rushing off. "SEBASTIAN!"

Covering her mouth in shock, tears fall from Aristespha's violet eyes and run down her ivory, blue and gray hinted cheeks. Sotalia blinks her gold on black eyes in amazement, and Dretphi and Cideeda gawk in shocked delight. Isaac flutters his eyes and stares blankly.

Sebastian straightens his posture and steadies Bach. "So... What's it going to take to shut Isaac down?"

Bach stiffly shrugs and coughs out a laugh. "I don't know. He's drawn in a lot of power, and the place seems to be powering up from some other source. He got a better handle on using this power, too."

Wrestling a frown, Sebastian combs back his brown coiffed hair and parts his white streak off to the side. "So, no battles of attrition."

Shaking his head, Bach sighs with a hint of annoyance. "Nope. And, it looks like the obelisk is getting close to firing up fully."

The brothers take a moment and stare at the crimson space coalescing together into the massive aether portal. Sebastian fights off a grimace and whispers to his brother. "Yeah. That doesn't look promising. So, focus on shutting that obelisk down?"

With a nod, Bach glances over at the central structure beneath the void into the red reality. "Yep. If I can get to it, I'll figure something out. Cut the power, rip it out..."

Furrowing his elder energized brow, he stiffly shrugs his shoulders. "I don't quite know yet."

Sebastian pats Bach's back gently and chuckles. "You'll figure something out. But, I think Isaac will take offense to you getting near it. You got anything that'll help keep him at bay?"

Bach shakes his head and blinks his brightly glowing white eyes, the flow veining out upon his face. "Not really... I'm just able to maintain this power output and keep the connections going. Brute force elder energy from me isn't going to get through to Isaac... And, you all are going to need all the magical assistance you can get now."

A new stream splits out from the growing elder fire coating Bach, filters out into prismatic energy, and latches onto Sebastian. The surge of coats over, and Sebastian nods understandingly to Back and sighs with hints of regret. "Yeah. Hate to put this on you, bro. But..."

He grins boldly at Bach and grips his brother's shoulder tightly. "We'll see about keeping his attention on us."

Bach smiles sly and perks his eyebrow. "Exactly. There's two things he's worried about. Me..."

He hoists the Sword of the Spirit Realm up. "And THE SWORD."

Sebastian holds his hand out, and Bach places the blade's handle into his brother's grip. Snorting out a augh, Bach rolls his white eyes. "You're the better swordsman anyway."

Gazing upon Bach, Sebastian smiles proudly. "Don't shortchange yourself. You did pretty awesome. He panicked when you came at him."

He glances over the surrounding vicinity and whispers towards Bach. "We need to coordinate with the team, but I don't think any of my electronic stuff is working."

Bach nods, straightening his posture, and holds up finger. "One moment. I think I can manage something between everyone, since we're all connected now."

With Bach concentrating, Sebastian focuses upon the blade. Hexagonal flows solidify upon him, enchanting his armor, and other manifestations of power patch up the hole. Sebastian narrows his stare upon the sword and shakes his head. "So weird to be holding this thing again... It's actually pretty quiet. Maybe you broke that part when-"

"MULTIPLE FAMILIAR FLOWS DETECTED."

Sebastian rolls his blue eyes and groans out hints of disgust. "I guess we're not THAT lucky."

The faint voices of Aristespha, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia softly echo near Bach and Sebastian's ears. Sebastian hems and speaks softly. "Hey, can you all hear me?"

With a brief lull in the confusion, Aristespha's voice rises out of the surprise from everyone else. "Yes! I mean. Yes. I hear you... Sebastian. I love you."

A loving smile appears on Sebastian's face. "Love you, too, dear."

He covers up his mouth and narrows a wary stare at Isaac on the other side of the inner circle. "Okay. Everyone... We need to keep Isaac busy and give Bach an opening. What ideas do we got?"

Isaac watches uneasily from under the layers of elder energy bubbles and idly squeezes flows of power between his hands. Drifting his attention away from Bach and Sebastian, he draws in a long breath and calls out. "This would be an excellent time for you all to leave!"

Darting his eyes around, he narrows his stare through the wisps of white hair swirling around in the air current. "You've accomplished all you really want. Everyone is back from the brink. Sebastian has returned from the sword. Why would you want to risk anything more? Walk away, and it'll be a good day for all of us."

Stepping around in orbit of the obelisk, Sebastian grins brightly and laughs loudly. Rolling his shoulders, he nonchalantly walks with a focused glare at Isaac and curls the corner of his mouth boldly. "OH! You didn't think we'd just leave? Let's see, last I checked... I've certainly got an old score to settle with you."

Twisting a grimace on his face, he tightens his grip on the glowing sword and dusts off his newly enchanted armor. "I distinctly remember a very cheap shot that ended our last match. I think I deserve another chance to best you."

Sebastian continues a slow casual plod, and Isaac bounces his attention between the sword in Sebastian's hands and Bach standing within the radiant flows of elder energy. Gritting his teeth tightly, he hisses his breaths and tenses his whole body. Elder energies seep into his protective barriers, and he narrows a glare between Bach and Sebastian.

From a vantage point out of Isaac's line of sight, a pair of faintly glowing emerald green eyes lines up shots with a pair of magically enhanced laser pistols. A toothy grin curls, and clawed fingers carefully squeeze triggers. Twin violet beams drill into the elder bubble around Isaac and drag across the rippling surface. Pivoting around with power sparking in his hands, Isaac holds up a hand. A plume of thick magical miasma bursts out from the winding prismatic stream distant and low from Cideeda, and she drops into hiding within the obscuring cloud. Aristespha appears out from behind cover and concentrates powerful cutting beams from her hands into the barrier around Isaac. With Isaac compensating, Dretphi braces her submachine gun upon the top of some heavy magitech machinery and unleashes a volley of empowered rounds into layers of the warping field. Steadying himself against the potent barrages, a noise rising from the background grabs hold of Isaac's attention. "...that sounds familiar..."

Sotalia tenses her arms around a swelling orb of visual white noise and stands up slowly. She strains against the chaotic energies, and strands of flow reach out from her arms, helping to stabilize the growing D-ball. She cracks a humored smirk. Spotting Noxian, she narrows an ireful glare upon him, lines up the orb, and sends it forth with a propelling burst. The ball zips across the distance, steers in the air, and flies down an open attack vector. The D-ball burrows into the barrier around Noxian, and Noxian draws up a surge of power from the obelisk, bolstering his defensive field. Stumbling back from the forces along one side of his shield, Noxian mutters out bewildered. "Gods damn it! When did YOU learn that accursed spell?!"

Backing away from the destructive energies, he wills the flow in his surrounding field and flings the orb off towards a distant chamber wall. He snaps his attention back towards Bach and eyes him. Bach remains in the same spot. Between laser blasts, submachine gun rounds, cutting beams, and destructive orbs, Sebastian steps closer towards Noxian and lines up his approach. Quickening his pace, he searches for an opening. Noxian plants his feet and braces himself against attacks driving him further away from the obelisk. Sebastian cracks a sly grin and whispers. "Dretphi... Back me up here..."

He charges forth at an angle directly behind Noxian. Drawing in close, he yells out. "Behind you!"

In the momentary lull projectiles slamming into his barrier, Noxian blinks blankly, glances over his shoulder, and watches the sword approach dangerously. He springs back away from Sebastian. Landing his leap, he notices a reddish cast of light behind him and spins his expectant stare around. Dretphi swings her flaming ethereal red sword at Noxian, presses the brilliant crimson into layers of the protective bubble, and shoves her full weight into the impact. The flow blade pushes the barrier close to Noxian's body, and he reflexively jumps back with the force towards safety.

Between sneak laser attacks from Cideeda, precision strikes from Aristespha, powerful bombs from Sotalia, and Sebastian and Dretphi coordinating melee attacks, the team grants Noxian no moment to relax. With the constant harassment, Noxian summons up surges of power and releases bolts through his field. An elder beam streaks out for Cideeda and bounces off a barrier flashing into existence. A bolt flies towards Aristespha, and a wave of power gently slides her clear. Streaks of elder energy jet out towards Sotalia, and an elder beam from a stream above counters the blast. Noxian releases a wave of force outwards at Dretphi and Sebastian, and protective bubbles engulf them, buffering the forces. With each feverish exchange, the team drives Noxian away from the center of the chamber.

Across the massive space, Bach stares distantly and pants with the strain. Elder hazes slips out with each breath, and he tenses his body, struggling to keep upright. Yanking his focus away briefly, his glowing white eyes blink. He squints across the room. Carefully sidestepping, he strafes and aligns himself into position with the obelisk between him and Noxian, obscuring line of sight. A thunderous exchange later, Bach briefly spots Noxian stumble near the magitech equipment perimeter. Summoning up a surge of strength, he listens to the conversations faintly in his ears and nods to himself. He musters up his coordination and calls out. "I'm... Going for it. Just keep him... Pinned down for a little bit. I won't be able to concentrate as much to defend you all."

Sebastian's voice drifts in from the magical connection. "Alright! We'll cover you, bro. Everyone! Lay down all the fire you got!"

A tremendous volley of laser blasts, energy beams, submachine reports, and white noise orbs merge into the chaotic chorus of combat. In the echoing cacophony, Bach steps forth and quickly walks towards the obelisk, each motion of his body stiff. Despite the rigidity and shaky balance, he picks up the pace and closes in on the target.

Bracing against the onslaught, Noxian stabilizes the protective barrier and searches through the chaos. He squints through the rippling field and hunts around. Seconds later, his glowing white eyes widen, and he mutters. "...the hell is he..."

Breathing fast, Bach forces each effort forward and maintains a distant stare ahead. With the elder fire billowing from him, a dissipating trail of mist lingers behind. Closing on the obelisk, Bach staggers, quickly catching himself. Drawing deep breaths, he steadies himself and narrows his brilliant white stare upon the obelisk in front of him. His attention drifts towards the console display, and he reaches a hand out. The elder flows around his arm wash upon a protective field surrounding the structure. With determination filling his face, Bach pushes his hands into the barrier, the elder flames burning through the field.

A shot of terror spikes through Noxian. His full attention snaps towards the obelisk, and his eyes focus upon the glimpse of Bach at the system. His rage drives out a scream. "NO!"

An explosion of power launches out from Noxian. Beams, blasts, and bolts relentlessly surge forth from him. Attacks zip dangerously close to the team. With each aggressive volley, countering measures fall back into pure defense and push the group towards safety. Willing himself against the surrounding chaos, Bach presses through the field and grips hold of the obelisk. He stares at the streams of data from the console, narrowing his confusion upon it, and grimaces in frustration. Glancing around at the device, a cringe of hopelessness slips out upon his face. Breathing heavily, Bach winces with a gulp and shakes his head. "How do I-"

Pausing a moment, a confident grin curls on his face. He grips hold of the sides of the obelisk and concentrates. The torrent of flow pouring out splashes into the obelisk. The elder flames radiating from him rush across and sink into the strange seams of the obsidian monolith. The crimson space materializes into an aether portal, and Noxian charges forth, pressing the team back. Sebastian shouts out. "He's coming your way!"

Sprinting with long strides in a swell of elder energy, Noxian closes the divide between him and Bach. Stray bolts and beams of magical energy graze off the quickly diminishing protective barrier around Noxian, and he reaches out a hand out. A surge of power pulses down his arm. Pushing through the wavering field around the obelisk, Noxian's hand plunges into the ethereal white pyre enveloping Bach. Arcs stream between them, the gap closing. Noxian clamps his grip upon Bach's shoulder.

Elder flames surge up Isaac's arm. The torrent of power explodes over his body and spreads in a plume of phosphorescent fire. Within a mere moment, Isaac's confidence burns away, and horror pales his ashen face. A gasp struggles to sink into Isaac's tensely arched body, and he remains stiffly vibrating, conducting the raw energy through his very being. Fighting against his trembling body, Bach slowly pivots his head over his shoulder and stares through Isaac with brilliant white eyes, stray, washed out brown hairs drift with the flows. A shuddering breath slips in, and he releases a shaky sigh with a plume of white miasma. "Understand... Now?"

Forcing emotion upon his face against the overwhelming forces rippling through his body, Isaac blinks in utter astonishment. "T-t-this is- Gods! OH. I-I-I- You've been- This is why... T-t-this is w-w-why you've avoided-d-d using it- Oh GODS..."

Bach nods calmly, watching the freshly minted mutual understanding within Isaac. "Yeah... Different than what you've been... Collecting, I guess?"

Isaac's pulsating white eyes struggle for focus, and he coughs out through tension. "YES. I'm... I'm..."

A sympathetic frown curls upon Bach's elder energy coated face, and he sighs. "Scared?"

Blinking his eyes hard to force them closed, Isaac gulps. "Terrified... Actually."

A low rumble resonates through the entirety of the chamber. Translucent red mist gently spreads out from the massive void into a hazy crimson space. Through the opening, an elder sheen radiates down a twisting bundle of thousands of ethereal cables of immeasurable length, through swirling clouds of sparkling aether. Parting the refracting waves of an infinite crimson sea and warping space around streaks of chaotic power, an endless structure engulfs the entirety of vision through the growing aether rift. Against the translucent red, an astronomical mass of unfathomable geometry hovers through dimensions beyond viewing. Constant chaotic shifts of uncountable machinations upon the incalculable surface form oceans of order between unknown realities.

Pulses of prismatic flows warp a kaleidoscope of rainbows fluctuating into spectrums unobservable. The ambient mists within the crimson space thin. Swaying with the currents of the void beyond, billions of threads pulse, shimmer, and glow with the changing dimensional machinery. The mass weaves in and out. New lines flash into existence. Old ones dim and disperse into the currents of the strange reality. Elder glows beam out from between towering prismatic spires. In the still seconds, a new spire design manifests into reality and untold fibers weave into prismatic threads stretching out to destinations far beyond.

Aristespha, Sotalia, Sebastian, Cideeda, and Dretphi gawk in awe from their defensive positions. Isaac and Bach stare up into the crimson void. Contrasting the misty swirls of the strange space, six purely prismatic threads pulsate power towards locations near. In stark difference, another prismatic line strains in the weave against a brilliant white flow. The torrent of elder power bursts forth and sinks into the obelisk. Blinking back to some awareness, Bach gazes in wonder at the immeasurable entity adrift in the aether sea. "The Prism... So much bigger... Than I imagined..."

Isaac eyes widen and gawks up the trans-dimensional manifestation radiating with elder and prismatic powers. He glances between the shifts, rotations, reorganizations, redistributions, and rearrangements of untold constructs. He stares at the seamless transitions of fibers weaving into the fabric of prismatic threads. He spots the pulses of power launching out into new connections. He witnesses the emanations of elder energy reshaping entire sections out the chaotic dance upon the endless surface and merging them beyond into a new unfathomable order.

The long stare into the void leaves Isaac breathless. Familiarity grips him, and the brief astonishment drains into sheer bewilderment. Sparks of recognition drive him down into confusion. Furrowing his brow, Isaac blinks, completely lost. He searches the abstract prism. He watches the foundational constructs. His jaw slacks in disbelief, and he swallows hard against the constant energies conducting through him. Frightful clarity strangles him, and he forces out a genuine question to himself. "What... What am I doing?"

Wincing against the torturous power flowing, he levels a lost stare upon Bach. "T-This power... is what you've been... contending with?"

Shifting his stare away from the void, Bach nods simply. "Yes. You want to subject others to THIS?"

Doubts flood through Isaac, a chill shivering against the seizing power conducting through him. "I- I- I... N-n-no... Nothing like t-t-his..."

The bubbling vestiges of confidence fizzle with the crackles of elder flow, and Isaac stares distantly into his mind. "Everything I've done was for... But... Not this. I wanted to help and uplift people... THIS... This isn't the way. This is too much- Too dangerous..."

Bach briefly eyes the prism drifting in the sparking, rippling translucent sea, and glares through Isaac's very existence. "What were you even planning on doing when you got access to this?"

Isaac blinks blankly, the frigid reality freezing over his ambitions. He glances back up at the ethereal dance between order and chaos upon the crimson stage above him through the aether rift. "It seemed straight forward. Their designs and manuals showed a way. It made so much sense then... But... But... This... This is all different. I... I..."

Tears roll down Isaac's face. The weight of countless damning reflections stab into his being. Choking on each word, he gazes into Bach's eyes and releases the last of his hopes. "It was madness. I... I can see that now. Madness."

Shuddering out another breath, Isaac glances around the chamber. "Oh gods... What have I done... I'm so sorry..."

He watches the worn tails of the blue scarf around his neck fluttering in the flow. "Sylvia. Cynthia... Forgive me."

Summoning up his strength against the crippling strain, Isaac rips his hand free from Bach's shoulder and stumbles back. He staggers away from Bach and obelisk and calls out pleadingly. "Bach! I'm so sorry! Please... Do what you must. Before it can harm anyone! I... can't..."

Isaac walks away towards the outer perimeter of machinery crestfallen. Bach concentrates fully upon the obelisk. A brilliant flash of elder power bursts down the thread in the crimson void. A surge of energy rushes forth from Bach and sinks into the seams of the obsidian machine. Outer panels upon the central column loosen and drift into a free float away. The device starts to part at the seams. Major components disconnect from the whole and tumble weightlessly into the chamber. Sub assemblies scatter into their basic pieces. Threads of elder energy link the growing cloud surrounding the obelisk framework. The console breaks away from its mounts and disassembles to smaller components. A maelstrom of magitech orbits the disintegrating obelisk. The final interior shields peel away, and a shining orb hovers within a weave of ethereal fibers clouded by an otherworldly red haze.

Reaching through the orbits of parts, Bach grips onto the translucent sphere through the crimson mist swelling out. A steady stream of elder energy floods the orb. Bach closes his eyes. Carefully, he pulls the sphere away, the elder weaves slipping off. The connections to the obelisk pieces disappear, and magitech pieces rain down upon the translucent chamber floor. The ethereal fibers slip into the crimson mists. Through the aether rift, the immeasurable bond leading to the abstract prism drifts off into the dimensional sea, the weave of the massive cables decaying into the current.

The astronomical entity of organized chaos drifts back into the sparkling, swirling clouds of the ethereal beyond, and the aether rift shrinks. The translucent crimson sinks away, returning to its dimensional origin. The breach between realities seals in the silent seconds, the elder flows in the chamber fading. The final traces of red aether disperse with the dissipating orb in Bach's hand.

The chamber darkens. The last pulses of elder flow cease. Only the overhead sun lights the cavernous space.

Sebastian rushes over across the distance with the rest of the team. Assessing the situation, he spots Isaac and charges forth with the sword pointed forward. Isaac watches the blade approach. He drops down to his knees, tilts his head back, and closes his eyes. He expectantly waits. Seconds pass. Opening his gray eyes, he glances around at Sebastian, Dretphi, Sotalia, Aristespha, and Cideeda surrounding him from defensible positions. Cautiously approaching, Sebastian keeps the glowing Sword of the Spirit Realm ahead and at the ready. Stopping a meter short of Isaac, Sebastian carefully pokes the blade tip lightly into Isaac's jacket covered chest. "So..."

Isaac gazes up expectantly with a saddened grimace. Sebastian sighs sternly and frowns down at the man on his knees. "If you want to live, you need to drain every last spec of elder energy into this damned sword. Understand?"

Gripping onto the blade with both hands, Isaac bows his head forward and relents, devoid of resistance, pride, or drive. "Gladly... Take all this away... Please..."

A burst of elder flow erupts from Isaac and swiftly sinks into the blade. The energies light up the area. The overhead prismatic conduits waver. The sword vacuums up the last traces of power from Isaac. The conduits connecting the team break apart into clouds of fading miasma. The elder flames wane around Bach, and the torrents of flow weaken. The last flickers of energy disappear, the brilliant glow in Bach's eyes dims to a faint blue, and he shakily balances himself.

Sebastian eyes the blade in his hand and perks his brow. "So?"

"N-N-NO ELDER F-F-FLOWS DETECTED."

Tipping his head back, Sebastian chuckles in relief. "Oh thank the fucking gods."

He glances over towards Bach and watches his brother struggle to stay standing. Passing the sword to Aristespha and glancing over the rest of the team, he walks towards Bach. "Dear, put this away, please. Cideeda, secure HIM up. Dretphi, help Cideeda if HE gives her any grief. Sotalia... You have my permission to blast HIM if he tries ANYTHING."

Drawing a malevolent sneer on her light tan and dark gray face, Sotalia focuses her gold on black eyes upon Isaac and summons up energies into her hand. "OH. UNDERSTOOD."

Jogging over next to Bach, Sebastian grins proudly and chuckles. "Holy shit, bro! You did it! Um..."

He glances over at the remnants of a framework in the middle of a pile of magitech parts. "What did you do, exactly?"

Bach sways unsteadily and strains with each breath. "I... I just disconnected it. The anchor..."

with an exhausted smile, he gazes upon Sebastian and coughs a laugh out, his posture slacking. "Pull the release pin? I don't know... How to describe exactly. I'm not completely... Sure myself."

Slipping an arm underneath Bach's shoulder, Sebastian supports his brother and glances around the scattered obelisk scrap upon the chamber floor. "Damn... You really didn't leave much of that anchor thing. Probably for the best, I guess."

Leaning upon Sebastian, Bach smirks and weakly rolls his dimming blue eyes. "Yeah... No one should... Fuck with this shit... Just leave it to do its thing. Whatever that is..."

He pauses in thought and frowns sadly, his face paling. Mustering up his physical strength, he stands up enough and wraps his arms around his brother, hugging him tightly. "I love you, man."

Sebastian blinks in surprise. Hugging Bach back, he smiles, forming tears, and sniffs with a chuckle. "Love you, too, bro."

With his head on Sebastian's shoulder, Bach gazes wearily at Aristespha, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia. Struggling to keep a smile on his face, he closes his plain blue eyes and squeezes his brother tight. "I'm sorry..."

Furrowing his brow with a bit of confusion, Sebastian pats Bach on the back and reassures him. "It's okay, bro. We'll tell anyone that the obelisk blew up on its own."

The last curl of a smirk slacks away from Bach's mouth. A breath leaves in a single laugh. Bach loses the battle to keep his eyes open. Sebastian dips briefly, the full weight of Bach pulling upon him. Securing his hold of his brother, he supports him fully and smiles. "Well... Yeah, I guess you'd be tired after all that. Not going to fault you there-"

Foreboding terror springs up Sebastian's spine. He freezes in place and waits. Bubbling horror trickles out upon his face, and he focuses fully upon Bach. "Bach? Bach? BACH? BACH!!"

Pivoting in place clutching Bach tightly, Sebastian powers a frightened scream across the chamber that ricochets off the walls. "ARISTESPHA!"

The sword clatters upon the ground with the scabbard. Aristespha pushes through the sudden shock and spins around, searching for Sebastian with fully open violet eyes. Meeting Aristespha's stare, Sebastian trembles in horror and yells. "HE'S NOT BREATHING!"

Aristespha springs forth, dashing across towards the center of the chamber. Pushing through the panic, Cideeda's emerald green eyes dart around and spot Aristespha's medical bag. Vaulting over a piece of dark magitech machinery, she swipes her hand low, latches her claw tips into the fabric, and snatches up the supply pack. With Cideeda sprinting after Aristespha, Dretphi gazes over with overwhelming worry. With her free hand, Sotalia undoes her belt of pouches and holds it towards Dretphi. "Here!"

Dretphi glances at the belt and Sotalia. "Need to keep-"

Sotalia stares softly at Dretphi and motions towards those tending Bach. "Something might be useful in here, and they might need you to help. I've got Noxian covered."

Without another word, Dretphi plucks the belt of pouches out of Sotalia's hand and launches over towards the center of the room. Sotalia snaps her gold on black eyes upon Isaac, sharpens her hateful sneer, and summons up more power into her hand. "Try ANYTHING... And I'll feed what's left of you to some whelps."

Isaac glances up briefly at Sotalia with the faintest annoyance and returns his attention towards the gathering around Bach.

Aristespha scans over Bach upon the floor with her glowing violet eyes and checks his vitals, loudly muttering bewildered. "What is happening?! T-This does NOT make sense."

With trembling hands, Sebastian darts his terrified gaze at the laid out Bach. "I know! He looked tired, but that's to be expected! I mean... He was okay one moment. Then, he just stopped breathing and got cold the next."

His blue eyes spring open. "He said... I'm sorry..."

The color drains from his face. "Oh gods..."

Sebastian struggles against the surge of tearful emotions, and Dretphi gently slides him away. Aristespha wills up a tremendous amount of flow and presses it into Bach, gritting her teeth. "I am going to get basic life support going. Cideeda!"

Cideeda stiffens in place, her furry ears perking upright. "Yes?!"

Aristespha solemnly glances at Cideeda and grimaces grimly. "See if you can call the GAA or anyone that can fly a medical evac here."

With Cideeda deftly working on her aetherphone, Aristespha summons up her resolve with a tremor in her tone. "We need to get him to proper facilities. I can only do so much here..."

The faintest breaths slip through Bach's mouth under the magical assistance, and Cideeda hurriedly scans the frequencies. Isaac leans side to side, squinting through the brief gaps between the team around Bach. Sotalia hems coldly and adjusts her aim. Searching his own mind, Isaac catches a glimpse and a surge of recognition startles him. Frantically glancing around, Isaac stirs and curses to himself. Sotalia aims a glower down and flexes her empowered fingers slightly. "SIT. STILL."

Glaring upwards at Sotalia, Isaac grimaces through his irritation and fear. "I need to get over there!"

Sotalia scowls and puffs up her chest with the growing energies in her hand brightening. "And do what? Aristespha is doing what she can."

Stopping himself from rolling his eyes, Isaac takes a deep breath and calmly explains. "Yes, but this is something no medical professional has encountered for over two hundred years! This is a condition caused by elder energy... It can only be remedied by such! Take me and the sword over to him-"

Sotalia grits her teeth, narrowing her condemning glare, and growls out. "And give you a chance to escape with some crazy plan of yours? FUCK YOU! There's no way I'll-"

Isaac stares right into Sotalia's gold on black eyes. "Put your gods damned hatred for me aside! If you won't let me help, then just fire your spell already!"

Wincing with the memories of old, still sharp trauma, he genuinely pleads and bows his head. "I couldn't help my wife and daughter..."

He stares up at Sotalia, tears streaming down his face. "BUT, don't force me to watch Bach DIE when we just might have the means to save him."

Clarity tips Sotalia back. In the seconds of quiet between her and Isaac, she watches Aristespha struggle with containing the fear slipping out onto her calm, ivory face. Cideeda frantically calls out on the radio. Sebastian stares hopeless. Dretphi stoically tips the tears inside her helmet visor out of view. The magical energies fade from Sotalia's hand, and she grabs Isaac's shoulder. Leaning close, she growls sternly. "GET. UP."

Stopping to pick up the sword, Isaac and Sotalia rush over to the team. Sotalia interrupts any objections. "He said he can help!"

Isaac quickly follows up, kneeling down next to Bach. "The sword might be able to save Bach. It's got elder energy. Bach needs it. PLEASE. Let me try."

Meeting Isaac's genuinely worried gaze, Sebastian glances up at Sotalia. "Sotalia. Give him the sword. Please. I know it's-"

Without a word, Sotalia nods, twisting a pained grimace, and places the sword into Isaac's awaiting hands. Isaac begins his work, and Aristespha continues providing basic life support through her spells. Cideeda speaks over the static to someone else on the radio. Sotalia begins mixing up the potions with a reluctance at the forming dangerous concoction. Dretphi steadies Bach limp body and physically assists Aristespha's treatment. Sebastian awaits Isaac's next instruction.

Bach's form remains lifeless upon the cold floor. The post noon sun drifts beyond the roof opening. The chamber darkens.

...

..

.