Embrace The Ether

Opposite from him, the mighty midnight centipede let loose yet another belly-churning screech as it began to pull itself down as if bracing to strike.

Watching everything unfold Deus decided it best if he took several steps back as the ship, the Nijaden began to rock back and forth as even more black ash was kicked upward into the air, catching itself in the engines and propulsion systems. The centipede wasn"t a smart creature, but it was able to sense a dangerous situation, and so it used it"s ma.s.sive size to hurl a storm of ash into the violently etched air.

The ballista finished moving, it"s line-of-sight matching that of the centipede. Elias made his last few adjustments as his arm carefully drifted down against a small wheel. Sweat dripped down both his and Deus" forehead as the heavy black bolt visually applied terrifying pressure to the ballista"s locking system, creating a satisfying pull on the thick wires used to launch it.

The wires pulled tightly against the ballista as several metal p.r.o.ngs stuck out, catching the wires as a heavy pressure had begun to pull them in on each other. The weight of it should be enough to slam the black bolt into the ground with an extraordinary gusto.

"Stand back and try not to fall off the ship," Elias ordered in a hushed tone as he glanced sideways at Deus. His voice nothing but hisses and whispers as if he were a hunter trying not to frighten his prey. "Heh, even I"m a bit paranoid now… no need for worry, Roland oversaw this firsthand."

"What? Is he really that worried over this? Normally he wouldn"t be wasting so much time making sure it was all perfect… I suppose that"s proof of how dangerous that black bolt is. Truth is, I"d imagine he"d have a plan b, a plan c, and even a plan d if this all falls through." Deus pondered to himself as he placed himself several steps away from the ballista. Giving a solid tug against a loose rope as he strapped himself in against one of the previous railings.

Seeing Deus secured Elias pushed down on a lever, giving way to the launching mechanism. The strained wire snapped loose, striking against the rough metal of the ballista with a terrifying whipping motion as several p.r.o.ngs released. Just as quickly as he pushed the lever, the black bolt fired, bursting through the air creating an almost whistled after-effect.

As the black bolt pierced through the violet dyed sky, a streak of flurried wind burst out from all around it. It flew through the air in an instant, and yet it seemed to leave a permanent trail.

The bolt closed in on the centipede.

The metallic beast attempted to move out of the bolt"s plotted path, but either it"s physical body couldn"t move quick enough or it"s processing mind couldn"t calculate a maneuver beforehand. Either way, the black bolt instantly arrived before the centipede, piercing itself through its side, stabbing directly through the hardened metal sh.e.l.l and arriving within the center of the mysterious beasts internals.

Deus and Elias both watched with heated expectation, a slight worry engraved into both of them as the launched bolt pierced through the metallic armor. In truth, they were expecting an almost explosive flash to occur, and the lack of that caused them to worry. As they watched, they began to realize just how much they were unsure of.

They didn"t know the power of the black bolt, beyond Elias being told it had the power to destroy one of the destructively powerful midnight centipedes.

As they both watched, the centipede continued to move without restraint. The earlier bolts seemingly doing more damage as they actually had a collateral force behind them, while the black bolt moved so quickly it stabbed through the metallic outside like it was forged from cloth.

The centipede lurched itself backward in a launching position. The pressure built up around it as ash kicked into the air.

"What the h.e.l.l, the bolt did f.u.c.k all?" Elias cursed aloud as his head fell to a crooked frown. He was clearly upset and concerned, especially since the main force he was relying on had seemingly done next to nothing. "Why had Roland acted so confidently if the bolt doesn"t work?"

"Elias, look!" Deus shouted out, his finger aimed downward at the midnight centipede as it seemingly paused mid lurch.

Elias followed Deus" attention as his eyes fell upon the point of impact where the black bolt had originally pierced the beast.

Several small black cracks began to form, using the original stab-hole as an epicenter for everything. They quickly grew across the worm as the outer metal slowly cracked apart and collapsed to the desert, creating heavy divots in the sand and ash.

The only difference between this and the first few bolts was that the centipede seemed incapable of regenerating this damage, not only that, but it seemed to be pa.s.sing along the outer layers as more cracks formed all across it.

Like an infection spreading through a diseased patient, the black cracks slowly began to rot and decay the metal, turning most of it into fragments that could no longer stick together. The centipede slammed down into the desert with an awful screech. It spasmed in agony, letting loose a terrible tormented cry.

More metal fell away as an almost entirely crimson vein revealed itself from behind its previously impenetrable armor. The inner layers of the centipede laid bare for all to see as black cracks began to form across its insides.

Each time a plate of metal formed to take shape, it grew cracks and shattered off into the desert. More anguished cries screeched out across the battlefield.

Deus stared in shock and awe as this all-powerful force was reduced to such a state. When he had first arrived within Midnight, he had begun to believe that those midnight centipedes were invincible behemoths of monsters.

To see one decaying right in front of him, though, was a definite eye-opener. He truly felt so incredibly little in comparison. So small, so weak.