NOVEL NEXT Act 2 Prelude: World Eaters
As Skarn, the Primarch of Fenris Horde, escaped from his confinement in Taiwan's Amber Moon Spire, the Five Realms of the Sol System braced themselves for impending turmoil.
Zhi-Xin Wu (Xin), having hacked into his beloved android Ume's neural network and accepted her desire to leave him, went rogue and set out for North America to start a new life in the Terra Alliance - the promised land of hopes and dreams. He carried with him a copy of the Moondust Crystal's data.
Dilinur Altai, the Prefect who chose to protect her people instead of capturing Skarn, now dealt with the consequences of her actions. With the original copy of the Moondust Crystal's data still in Amber Moon Spire's server cluster, the Imperium of Dragons was poised to claim what they viewed as rightfully theirs.
Jabari Adomako, the courageous Scarab Rider of the Emerald Directorate, prepared to begin his lunar mission after rescuing Ume. With another copy of the data securely stored in Ume's positronic brain, Jabari and his Kimaris Warband deliberated their next move: whether to retrieve the Crystal from Osram or search for their missing leader, Prince Laurent of Ivory Coast.
Lorna Weiss, surviving a fateful duel with Skarn where she was defiled and infected with the Nucleus Virus, remained strong and unbowed. While the virus granted her immortality, it also brought constant psychological distress, her past traumas threatening to consume her as she navigated a society indifferent to her anguish. With Xin now a part of her unit, she must train him while preparing for their next objective: retrieving the Moondust Crystal at any cost.
As tensions between the Alliance, the Imperium and the Directorate rose, it was only a matter of time before they clashed once more. The stage was set, with the fate of the Five Realms hanging in the balance.
17:00, Sol 387, Vortex Month, Cycle 2295
Underground Chamber, Caldera Edge, Olympus Mons, Prime Hive Cluster of the Fenris Horde on Mars
The Ormheimr portal tore through reality, its opening glowing with sickly green light as it hovered above the organic floor of the chamber. Veins of glowing fluid ran through the walls, lighting the huge space with a pulsing glow that matched the rhythm of some unseen heart. This was the central node of the Fenris Horde's Martian hive cluster, buried two kilometers beneath the red planet's northern hemisphere.
Skarn emerged from the portal, his massive form ducking to pass through. At seventeen feet tall, he dominated the chamber, making the lesser Radi-Mons attending to the hive's functions scurry to the edges.
"Leave us," Skarn commanded, his voice deep with a slight mechanical undertone — a reminder of his recent imprisonment and "improvements" at the Imperium of Dragons' hands.
The smaller creatures—Bone Fiends, Maurs, and Skuggrs—retreated into the various tunnels connected to the chamber, the organic doors closing behind them with wet sounds.
Alone now, Skarn moved to the center of the chamber where a pool of thick fluid bubbled. He dipped one of his claws into the fluid, sending ripples across its surface.
"Come forth, my subject," he said.
The fluid began to swirl, and from its depths rose two glowing amber orbs, then a third, all blinking together as a massive octopus-like form emerged. Hafgrim, the ancient Kraken, floated from the pool, water falling from her limbs as she rose to eye level with Skarn.
"Primarch," she acknowledged, her telepathic voice entering Skarn's mind. "Your return is most delightful!"
Skarn's cinder-like eyes glowed as he focused. "Two Earth years have passed since my capture, Hafgrim. Your 'delight' seems suspiciously timed with my success rather than my absence."
The black Kraken's arms moved in what might have been nervousness— telling from a being who had witnessed the birth of Fenris Horde — and the fall of Skarn's Nordic homeland in year '84.
"The Fenris Horde has maintained its territories, though not without challenges in your absence, mighty Primarch," Hafgrim projected, her telepathic voice careful. "The Red Planet remains our stronghold. The breeding grounds on the northern hemisphere have expanded by seventeen percent, with one new broodmother brought into the fold."
"Hundkynda. Address her in proper Jǫturmál." Skarn lifted a claw, stepping closer to Hafgrim, the hydraulics under his limbs hissing. "And beyond Mars?"
The Kraken's three eyes blinked in sequence — showing discomfort that Skarn had learned to recognize since his turning. "Hive expansion on Titan has proceeded according to schedule. Though the Alliance patrols have destroyed the Chicago nest on Earth, a new Genesis Pool has been established in the Urbana region to its south. Venus, however…Venus presents complications with the Sand Lotus fanatics."
Skarn grabbed one of Hafgrim's limbs, his grip tight enough to make the ancient creature's black skin pale where claw met flesh. "Complications that you, with your vaunted age and wisdom, could not resolve, Hafgrim? You, who witnessed my change from Sven Solheim to Primarch?"
Despite being much older, Hafgrim's posture shifted to one of submission, arms going slack in his grasp. "Even I must respect the hierarchy of the Hivemind's design," she projected, her mental voice calculating. "Some decisions require the Primarch's touch."
"A convenient excuse now that I stand before you," Skarn released her with a dismissive flick. "And my First Hundkynda? What of Ysolde's Sepulcher on Osram?"
"The containment wards weaken on schedule. The Directorate guards remain unaware." Hafgrim drifted backward slightly, maintaining a precise distance — far enough to show respect, close enough to avoid appearing fearful. "Seven more turns of Jupiter, and she will be ready for breeding. We need only to awaken her."
A low, satisfied sound rumbled from Skarn's chest. "Good. At least some aspects of our plan proceed as designed."
A thunderous pounding echoed from one of the sealed tunnels. The organic door bulged inward several times before tearing open, revealing the hulking form of Mao Dakai. The beast-like Draug, standing nearly ten feet tall but still dwarfed by Skarn, lumbered into the chamber. His massive jaw, capable of decapitating opponents with a single bite, clicked in what might have been anticipation.
"The Lord of Draugs has returned," Dakai growled, the words distorted by his inhuman mouth. "Stronger from your captivity, it seems."
"While you cowered here, I endured tortures beyond your comprehension," Skarn said, his tone measured but threatening. "The Imperium sought to bend me to their will." He flexed an arm. "Their folly will be our advantage."
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Hafgrim's arms swayed as she circled the chamber.
"The Hivemind grows impatient, my Primarch," she projected into both their minds. "Our progress has been deemed insufficient."
"The Hivemind will have what it desires," Skarn replied, stepping toward a throne-like growth made of chitinous material. He sat, the structure creaking slightly under his weight. "But first, we must secure our position within this system. What news from the other hordes?"
Hafgrim's three eyes blinked in sequence, disdain in her telepathic voice. "The Tiamat Horde remains entrenched on Io. Norinth refuses to acknowledge your authority as first among Primarchs."
"And the Rakshasa of Proxima Centauri rejects our invitation to join the Grand Arrival," Dakai added. "They claim neutrality in the coming conflict."
Skarn's massive fist crashed against the arm of his throne, causing cracks to spread across its surface.
"Cowards and fools," he snarled, his voice momentarily losing its calculated edge. "They will regret their hesitation when the Sol System falls to the Fenris Horde alone."
"However, the Jokull Horde expresses interest in joining our cause." Hafgrim added, raising her hands as if to calm Skarn.
"Has she now?" Skarn's voice showed amusement. "They are scions of Omdal after all. Send three Krakens to Europa to negotiate the terms."
"It shall be done." Hafgrim bowed her bulbous head.
Dakai paced the chamber's edges, his claws leaving gouges in the organic floor. "What of your mate? Ysolde still slumbers in her Sepulcher on the Far Side of Osram. The Alliance believes it contains her, but the wards weaken."
Skarn's expression shifted at the mention of Ysolde, something almost like tenderness crossing his features before being replaced by calculation once more.
"Yes," he said, more quietly now. "She must be awakened. As my First Hundkynda, her health is essential to our plans."
Dakai's massive jaw split in what might have been a grin. "The humans imprisoning her are soft. Easy to terrify, easier to kill."
"Do not underestimate them." Skarn warned, rising from his throne. "Remember that I was imprisoned by their ingenuity. Even now, they've infected one of my chosen vessels…my most beloved…with a treatment."
He walked to a membrane at the far side of the chamber, pushing through it to reveal a smaller room lined with pulsating sacs. Within each transparent membrane floated a developing Radi-Mon, each in various stages of growth.
"I had such plans for Sigrún Fjeld," Skarn continued, stroking one of the sacs gently. "The Omdal bloodline she carries makes her ideal for bearing the next generation of our kind. But the Nucleus Virus I delivered to her has been pacified by their medicines."
Dakai growled, his massive jaw clicking skeptically. "She is lost to us, then?"
Skarn turned. "No. The virus remains dormant within her, changed but not eliminated. And within her womb, the seeds of my victory have already taken root." He clenched his fist, hydraulics whining with the force of his grip. "She carries my progeny, though she does not yet know it."
"Ah, but Primarch," Hafgrim glided closer. "My scrying suggests that your essence entered through her mouth."
"Is that so?" Dakai tilted his hound-like head. "Then it'd be impossible to —"
"You still think like a human," Skarn cut him off with a dismissive wave. "As Draugs, our biology transcends their limitations, our seeds' modified genetic material capable of worming through tissue membranes." His maw curved into a grotesque smile. "Such is not unheard of, even among planet Earth's ancient life forms."
Hafgrim's arms coiled thoughtfully. "Even so, Primarch…the child grows within a vessel still human in mind and body. Its development could be...tainted by the mother's human empathy. Sentimental weaknesses which render their species…pathetic and vulnerable."
Skarn turned to her, his towering form suddenly looming over the Kraken. The air crackled with red psionic energy as his rage manifested.
"You dare question the potency of my bloodline?" he snarled, muscles showing across his dark brown form. "My genetic legacy dominates any vestigial human traits. The child will know its true nature, regardless of the vessel that carries it."
Hafgrim's three eyes blinked rapidly as she drifted backward. "Of course, Primarch. I merely seek to anticipate all contingencies, as I have for millennia."
Dakai snorted, a sound like stones grinding together. "What good is a single spawn? We need armies."
"Patience," Skarn commanded. "This child will be unlike any other. Born of a psionic Nordling mother and my enhanced genetics, it will serve as the perfect bridge between our kind and theirs. A key to unlocking the potential of the Moondust Crystal."
Hafgrim's limbs moved with what might have been excitement. "The Crystal... you believe the humans have located it?"
"They search for it even now," Skarn confirmed. "The Alliance, the Imperium, the Directorate—all scrambling like larvae for a prize they cannot comprehend. Let them find it. Let them fight amongst themselves for it. When they are weakened, we will take it."
He strode back into the main chamber, his footsteps causing ripples in the fluid pool at its center.
"But first, we must prepare. The Eclipse Harbinger stirs beneath Io's crust. The Day of Oblivion approaches, and we must be ready when the Nirbohs return to this system."
"The Nirbohs are a myth, a story to frighten hatchlings." Dakai growled, a sound that echoed through the chamber.
Skarn moved with unexpected speed, seizing Dakai by the throat and lifting the smaller Radi-Mon off the ground.
"Your ignorance is matched only by your arrogance," Skarn hissed, bringing Dakai's face close to his own. "The Nirbohs are very real, and they come to reclaim what was once theirs. If we are not united, if we are not prepared, we will be swept aside like the humans."
He released Dakai, who stumbled back, gasping as he steadied himself.
"December 10, 2299—the Day of Oblivion. The day Earth falls, according to the Hivemind's prophecy," Skarn continued, his voice lowering. "But it will not fall to the Nirbohs. It will fall to us, and we will use its resources to stand against the True Enemy when they arrive."
Hafgrim's mental voice slithered through their minds once more. "And the Moondust Crystal is the key to this victory?"
"It is one key," Skarn corrected. "The other is in my lineage. My children will bridge the divide between Radi-Mon and human, creating a new strain capable of withstanding both the Nirbohs' power and their ambitions."
He turned to the organic console that had grown from the chamber floor, placing his hand upon it. The surface rippled, then displayed a holographic map of the Sol System, each planet and major moon highlighted.
"We must accelerate our plans," Skarn declared, focusing on the projection of Osram. "Hafgrim, find the weakpoints in Ysolde's Sepulcher. We will need her Hundkynda abilities at full strength."
The Kraken's three eyes blinked in acknowledgment.
"Dakai, gather your forces here in the Zeeman Crater. Other than Ysolde, it holds rich deposits of Zephyrium that must be secured."
Dakai, still rubbing his throat, nodded sullenly.
"The Hivemind has waited a million years for this moment. The ancient enemies approach, and we will be ready." Skarn continued, his voice becoming almost thoughtful.
He waved a hand through the hologram, causing it to dissolve into motes of light before turning to his lieutenants, his massive form lit from behind by the glowing veins running through the chamber walls.
"Go. Fulfill your tasks. The next phase begins now."
Hafgrim sank back into the fluid pool, her limbs the last to disappear beneath the surface. Dakai backed toward the torn entrance from which he had come, maintaining eye contact with Skarn until he disappeared into the tunnel.
Alone once more, Skarn approached another membrane, this one larger than the others. Pushing through, he entered a private chamber where a single, massive sac pulsated with inner light. Within floated a naked, half-formed figure, feminine in shape but with emerging chitinous plates on her breasts, and the beginning of whitening skin over her body. The hair between her legs had receded, exposing smooth flesh.
"My new Hundkynda," Skarn murmured, placing his hand against the membrane. "Soon you will awaken, and together we will remake this system in our image."
Inside the sac, the woman's eyes remained closed, but her lips moved slightly, as if responding to his words across the vast distance.
"Worry not, once Ysolde is rescued, she will mentor you as you adjust to our ways." Skarn's orange eye glowed brighter as he gazed upon her. "And Sigrún...my Sigrún...she too will join us, whether she wishes to or not. Our child will ensure it."
Behind him, the Ormheimr portal pulsed, ready to carry the Primarch to his next destination. The great game had begun, and Skarn intended to win—no matter the cost.