They took Steve to Kontagora after capturing him. When they arrived, they placed him in a chair with solid holds built mostly from erabil. The chair itself weighed about one thousand tons and was specifically built to withstand massive energy surges while holding down the impact from such. They also used the fortifications spell from the Muuragi to create an impenetrable magnetic force barrier around the seat. After strapping him to the seat with a strong nergen, they left.
When they met Anurami, he informed them that there was a disruption at his extraction site with regards from Izemoru. Despite being annoyed and visibly angry from the news, he rather smiled at Izemoru's smartness for decoding what the Daspo Marigal actually needed.
"I wanted to serve him up on a platter to the Muurdom as a mock, but, now I am going to kill him." Bonadi said out loud with an unusual laugh.
***
"We don't know what happened yet." Linagu reassured Neerudi after she finished recanting what has happened to Steve. She has been feeling downcast ever since that incident.
"I'm really afraid Añia." She said absentmindedly.
"We will analyze the sample you took from the scene at the Dendrochronology department. Good thing your anani read his body cells on time and stored its own analysis. We will examine and analyze it together, and then we can come up with a decision." He reassured her.
"I have ruined it all. Somehow, i always end up ruining it all. I ruin everything." She lashed out at herself angrily.
"You haven't ruined anything at all yet." He cautioned her.
"Let's wait till the results come out first. It won't take long." He added, then held her close to himself in a reassuring manner, hands stretched across her shoulders.
"Still participating in the Runs?" He asked to change the topic.
"I'm not sure at the moment. My mind is really not in it now!"
"I think you should do it; to ease off your mind at least and channel your energy to something else."
"I will try. Thanks."
"We were able to capture two of his men. We have also been able to get valuable information from them. Though we don't know what he is planning, we know it's something big; and whatever it is, we have to be fully prepared at all level. I have told Maa to cancel or postpone the Dare Runs for security reasons, but she thinks I'm being too cautious."
"You are actually too cautious, and right to be so. He is dangerous, extremely dangerous. I mean, the first thing he did when I attacked him head on was to send me hurtling through asport links like an amateur" She said, and he smiled.
"He stole the ring of ascendance, so he could easily do that." Linagu said to her.
"So, you will participate then?"
"I will."
"Good. Hope you won't be mad at me because I'm not going to be there with you." He said.
"Really? What happened?"
"We are moving out tomorrow with the VIAM."
"Tomorrow? You deliberately did this Añia!"
"I didn't honestly. You are welcome to join us if you wish. I must warn that it is a dangerous exploratory mission, one that is probably going to test our limits."
"You go; I will join the next voyage!"
"As you wish, lend me a guess."
"Nothing comes to mind." She replied after thinking for a few seconds.
"Meerana made the final list, and will be participating too."
"Whaaat? Oh my! I am so going to enjoy this." She said with a smile.
"Careful now...that overconfidence can be dangerous in a very bad way for you."
"Good luck on your expedition. I just remembered something I need to do."
"Good luck to you too." He replied her.
"Are you sure about that?" She asked jokingly.
"Of course, you are my twin sister."
"Okay, I'm off!" She said and asported off while he smiled at her. He knew exactly why she asked the question, and it was because of Meerana.
*
She went back to the island to meet with Christie and tell her what she witnessed and what is actually going on. When she arrived, Christie was calmly sleeping on a cushion provided by one of the persons working for Neerudi whom she told to take care of her. They have also been educating her about them and their history. They also told her that she is not going to remember any of the things she is witnessing at the moment when it all ends eventually. When she argued against the practice, they told her it is for her own good and sanity. Neerudi stayed at her side for four hours studying before she finally woke up from her sleep.
"Hi!"
"Hi. I slept off waiting for you." Christie said as she slowly sat up on the cushion and kept both her feet's on the ground, facing Neerudi directly in the process as if searching for something.
"Where is he?" She quickly asked. Neerudi didn't answer her but remained calm and focused on her with pure concern.
"Where is Steve? Why are you not saying anything?" She asked again and stood up. Neerudi dug her hand inside the fur coat she was wearing and brought out two packages.
"He wished for me to give you this to deliver to two of his friends, Tracy and Nora." She walked up to Neerudi, took the package and opened it. He saw two visas, two work permits and two resident permits with some cash which Neerudi secured for them; Steve urged her to do it for them seeing as it will take him longer to achieve it. There was also a letter inside the package addressed to Tracy and Nora too.
"You still haven't answered my question though. Where is Stephen? Why is he not here with you? I thought you said you were tracking him?"
"Do you really want to know the truth?" Neerudi asked not minding the flurry of inquiries from her.
"I have done well so far, haven't i?" Christie questioned.
"Good point. Yes, you have handled all this more than i expected no doubt."
"So then, please tell me what happened." Christie urged her.
"The truth is that i don't know what has happened to him."
"I don't understand." Christie told her.
"I don't know where he is." She said firmly as her last memory of Steve flashed repeatedly in her mind.
"But you said he had a tracker on him you could trace, if I remember correctly?"
"Yes, I said that."
"So?"
"I don't know, I really don't know anything for sure now. I only got ashes of the tracker you are talking about from the last place I tracked it to. We don't know who or what destroyed it, and we don't know what happened yet." Neerudi replied. Christie became alarmed afterwards.
"This is not happening. This can't be happening, I'm dreaming. I think this is all a dream and in my head." Christie started telling herself while Neerudi watched aptly.
"Yes... probably."
"Excuse me?"
"You are probably dreaming and it is all in your head. You are going to wake up tomorrow feeling very great and enthusiastic with a slight headache." Neerudi said to her and brought out her anani in front of Christie.
"Please don't wipe my memory." She begged. "I don't want to forget all this, please." She ended.
"Got you" Neerudi said in exclamation.
"I wouldn't do that to you. I wasn't referring to you going back to Duria, sorry, earth, back to your school."
"No, it's not my school; was just visiting my friend."
"Whose brother you are..."
"Do you have a problem with that?"
"No. It's just that the probability of such courtships leading to marriage is on the low side."
"Statistically, yes"
"Anyway, Steve is fine wherever he is, he can take care of himself. So, you have nothing to worry about." Neerudi assured.
"And what do I tell his people?"
"What I just said."
"I don't know if I can."
"No problem then, I will do it for you."
"What?"
"I will inform his sister about him, and tell her that you left angrily after you had a heated argument or something."
"What the... you can't do that."
"Watch me!"
"What are you going to do? Walk up to her and tell her you are a...a Muurian, then proceed to tell her what you said i should say, and she will just believe you?"
"I have my ways!"
"Please don't. You will only complicate things more." Christie said, resigned to the fact that she has to find a way to tell Annie what happened to Steve.
"It's your fault all this is happening to him you know, and I blame you for dragging him into this mess. Our marriage is just next year." She added, totally lost for what to say without hurting her emotions more.
"I know, and you are right to blame me. I take full responsibility!"
"Please take me back, I will do it myself. I will find something convincing and tell them."
A few seconds later, they were both in Okigwe, a few kilometres away from Annie's lodge.
"Whatever this is, please get it sorted out please. We want him back, and I want him back please."
"He will be back; I will make sure of it."
"Promise me please."
"I promise you, I will get him back."
"Take this. You are free to contact me with it any time." She added and gave Christie a newly designed anani inside a box she built as a fancy wristwatch.
Christie was surprised when she took it, opened and found what was inside and became visibly excited.
"Wow! How do I..."She said pointing to how she is going to be able to use it.
"There is a manual inside. Use it discreetly too." She said, cutting Christie off mid-speech.
"The speed dial of the asport links default location is programmed automatically to the Island in case you are in any form of danger or need to contact me for some other personal stuff.
"Be safe...I have to go now. Goodbye!" Neerudi said and asported off while Christie still gawked at her new toy. When she finally left the spot and entered the lodge, she was surprised by what she saw next; Tracy and Nora were there, making her alarmed and almost misplacing a step in the process. She thought they had gone home after the incident at Oguta, and now she doesn't know what they have told Annie about what happened to Steve.
***
The next day, just as Linagu told Neerudi, the VIAM crew left their various workstations and boarded the VIAM. The distance from the Muurian outstation in Jarialu to the veil is about 16.5billion parsecs in light years. The VIAM's design allows it to make the travel within a thousand parsecs in light years through the asport links; about forty-six minutes in Muurian Time System - MTS. Linagu led the voyage alongside many other skilled personnel with fully equipped battle stations inside the VIAM and one of the fastest access links to their central source of energy, the Unerg. When they arrived at the Veils location, they set to work with their plan of breaking the veil in order to be able to crossover to the Ramodian side wedged in-between by the veil. Years of understudy of the whole phenomenon revealed how they could disintegrate the veil with the right application of specially designed machines powered by the Unerg directly.
***
Back in Nol, Izemoru was informed that the mission at Duria was a success after the operation, necessitating him to give directives on how they will proceed next after congratulating Kamo for the timely intervention that the mission gave the overall objective. Towards evening of the next day, he sent a secret dispatch to all top officials in his war council. Everyone was expected to gather at Karrine in Bloreu by nightfall at a stated hour for an emergency brief.
At the appointed time, everyone was already gathered at the venue as ordered. He took his time to explain everything to them, including all the things they were going to do and how exactly they were going to execute the attack. After the brief, Kamo and Natin who is the head of Field Operations handed a detailed assault plan to those who will be handling some major tactical assaults.
In the first phase of the attack, a special unit will be deployed through the teleportation link from Marrialu River that Professor Bij and his comrades have now perfected. However, this plan is dependent on the Daspo Marigal establishing the required routing from inside the Muurdom.
Another unit of more than forty armed Nolnadian soldiers will make sure the link is established inside the Daspo Marigal while the Dare Runs went on, without creating any suspicion. Once the link is established, this unit will fall back and transform to a backup reserve unit.
In the second phase of the attack, another unit made up entirely of Midlighters will establish a secret pass at a specified location. The main purpose is to concentrate them at where possible attacks will be much easier to launch near the Dare Games as a shock action. However, just like the special unit that will be deployed at the river end, the Midlighters unit are also to act as a distraction, a cover for the main team that will seek out the actual location of the Unerg inside the Odena using support gears from the Ramodians whom Izemoru has been secretly working with.
The third phase will be comprised mostly of the tactical observation unit, who are also the unit in control of the tactical deployments on ground, acting as a liaison between every unit. They will be staying inside the Daspo Marigal. They will also guard the ship and mobilize weapons and gears across all units. The last unit of the attack will comprise of Izemoru and a select assault unit that will seek out the Unerg inside the Odena once the Midlighters unleash the surprise assault at the venue of the Dare Runs.
The fourth phase of the plan will be the largest unit of the operation, but will only be called up once the attack has started. Their main objective will be to off-balance and pin down Muurian forces who they presume would have known what was going on by then. Some will be used mostly to effect shock actions at various specified locations, dividing the Muurs attention so that they don't actually figure out on time what is happening. The unit comprises of more than one thousand personnel, fully equipped and battle tested. The final stage of the assault is the envelopment and final assault unit, which though a distraction unit, is also going to act as a cover for the team that will seek the Unerg. To Izemoru, only distraction could help them achieve their aim, therefore, the more distractions the better.
*
After going through the details of the plan, Izemoru asked if anyone has anything to add, and Ebri answered in the affirmative.
"Is this not too sudden?" He asked.
"Then you are missing the point." Kamo replied him.
"What point?" He probed.
"That this is our only opportunity for the first time in years since King Prado sided with Mabida and Darat to wage his ill-advised war against them years ago." Kamo replied.
"Knowing full well that the Muurians rarely do anything without a purpose, is it not unwise to use this invitation as an assault front?" He questioned.
"I mean we could delay everything for a while and see the outcome of the invitation first." He added.
"If i didn't know you very well Ebri, I would say you are afraid to fight." Kamo said.
"My main concern is that this attack is too sudden." Ebri simply restated what he already said previously.
"We have been planning this for more than ten years now, why the cold feet at the eve of execution of our long hard drawn out plans?" Izemoru asked him.
"It wouldn't hurt anyone to wait for a few more days then." Ebri said, but Izemoru ignored him.
"We proceed as scheduled. No change of plans now except to review any detail we didn't put into consideration prior."
"If no one else has anything to say, let's get on with it." Izemoru commanded. When they finished, everyone left to brief and prepare their respective units according to the overall assault plan given by the King, Izemoru.
***
While Bonadi was trying to set up the second magical shield for the possession rites they wanted to perform on Steve, he woke up. They were both alarmed when this happened, and before they could do anything about the new situation, Steve used a very powerful energy Force he created immediately to blast off the holds on him, bringing down the first shields and nergen holds on him in the process. Quickly, he leaped off from the chair angrily, charging forward at them in a well-calculated move. They both positioned themselves to fend off whatever attack he was mustering, but saw him crash land midway just before he reached them, surprising them in the process as they wondered what happened.
Anurami had shot him with a powerful sedative from an unexpected angle, making them heaves a sigh of relief while he smiled with the weapon he shot Steve with in his hand.
"That was timely." Varodi said almost instantly.
"Yes. Be careful of this one." Anurami replied, referring to Steve and his temper.
"Which is why we must proceed immediately" Bonadi cut in, walked pass Varodi and took Steve back to the chair. He increased the holding capacity of the chair to the highest, deploying the magnetic shield and force field instantly around Steve.
"Can it really be done?" Anurami asked him with regards to the possession rites he wanted to perform.
"You mean can I do it? Because, that is what I am hearing right now" Bonadi asked in reply as he went about setting up what he needed.
"Well?" Anurami probed.
"Yes, it can be done. This wouldn't be the first time of doing it!"
"But, none of them is as powerful as he is." Anurami told him, referring to the enormous power dormant in Steve which could complicate things.
"Good thing then that you are about to witness a new dawn in the history of Muuragi applications" Bonadi replied him.
"Okay. That's what I wanted to hear, that it can be done."
"What's next?" He asked further.
"Your expertise my friend"
"With the VIAM?" Anurami inquired.
"Yes, the VIAM. With it completed and set, i don't want to risk any asport link travels near the veil. As you well know, there is just so much the ring can do, and cannot do." Bonadi said.
"What do you need me to do?"
"What we discussed."
"I will get on with it then."
"Once you are through, send in the exact coordinate so that i can perfect the link sequences." Bonadi said to him. As they canvassed, Varodi was busy setting up the rest of the components to perform the possession ritual from the Muuragi on Steve. What Linagu and Neerudi didn't know about the ami nri process is that, the person whom the process is performed on is not impervious to certain dark matter rituals. This is one of the reasons why the ami nri process is very dangerous and was outlawed. However, only few have successfully performed the possession rituals due to its complex nature, as well as the rarity of the objects needed to complete the rites itself. Bonadi like the few who have succeeded in performing it knew that the only way to accomplish the process was to use an inverse-reversed Muurian pentagram, a rare magical artefact which was decommissioned during the Muuragi renaissance period, a period when all dark arts was totally outlawed to make way for the unification of the unerg and the Muuragi, resulting in the creation of the Anani. The pentagram pointed upwards in its reversed position, and in this form, it overturns the normal order of nature, a significant triumph of dark matter vibrations over the living. As well as protecting himself from Steve's enormous power, he will be able to control him totally even if for a few moments to achieve his desire.
After they finished setting things up, they stepped away from Steve. Bonadi activated a program on his anani and read the words out calmly in Kenuaui, their old language. He read it out using the sixth Muuragi's tonal vibration called Bamedan Frequencies. It is one of the 8-tonal scale frequencies used in ancient Muur in sacred compositions to create distinct influence on matter, create balance in the dark force and energize them. After that, he started the dark possession rites.
"Dark and inherent matter,
Abundant in all creation and source,
Superior to everything,
Dead or undead,
I invoke you to take possession of this soul
By my words and actions"
After saying that, he picked up another element called Acrol, which is used to channel specific tonal vibrations and placed it at the centre of the reversed pentagram directly opposite Steve.
"From energy near and far,
From elements known and unknown,
From sources living and gone
Grant me control over this soul
To hold over the ami nri"
After finishing the words, he switched on a device which activated an ancient relic on the shield holding Steve spellbound. After that, he used his anani which he had recorded his incantations with and incorporated with many magical algorithms, to send out the Unerg frequency stored in it. It activated some other artifacts and equipment's in the room designed and placed for the purpose. It was at this point that Steve woke up from the tranquilizer shot. He tried to break free like before but didn't succeed because the process has already begun, coupled with the nergen on his neck and the extra force field upped around him by Bonadi. He was still struggling when the pentagram picked up light directly from the sun due to the unification process which Bonadi performed, and channeled its whole blazing rays at Steve instantly using a powerful transference relic. A blinding white light enveloped him while an amazed Varodi looked on, awed that Bonadi has pulled it off.
Steve screamed slightly then went quiet before the light subsided just as quickly as it has started, and the whole place maintained its quietness.
"Is it done?" Varodi asked just to be certain, and to feed his own curiosity.
"I guess we are going to find out." He replied with his eyes still focused on Steve who remained unconscious.
***
After the VIAM left, Neerudi decided to go pay her mother a visit in her quarters later in the day.
"I was beginning to think that you are deliberately avoiding me." She told her once she sighted her, visibly smiling with motherly love and concern.
"Well, you are a busy woman...the Queen of the Muurs!" She said, mouthing the words playfully as her mother concealed her own smile which the playful miming elicited from her.
"The Dares this time is going to be the toughest yet." She said and changed the topic.
"Añia said the same thing, indirectly I guess. Wanted me to go with him instead in the VIAM"
"He is forbidden from telling you anything."
"He didn't tell me anything."
"But, I can tell you if you wanted."
"Then you will be breaking the rules too. I don't know how many times i have to say this, I can do this. I have been practicing a lot. Remember, I qualified just like everyone else and earned my spot in the finale."
"I'm just concerned Neerie, that's all."
"I know, but I'm fine. It's not a death match, and certainly not more dangerous than the expedition they went to."
"That's alright." Nee Buamada said.
"You seem to be globe-trotting a lot this days." She added.
"Was I banned from traveling?"
"Under cloaked activities, yes"
"I am an adult Maa; I can go anywhere I want."
"Just be careful."
"I will."
"I mean it, my child."
"Me too"
"Remember who you are and where you come from."
"Deeply rooted in my DNA Maa, I wear it like a mask." Nee Buamada simply smiled as she said this.
"I haven't seen the list of invitations for the event tomorrow." Neerudi asked, and changed the topic.
"We will continue this conversation. Meanwhile, your brother recommended for the Nolnadian king be removed from the list."
"What is your decision on it?"
"I ruled against it."
"Why?"
"We are going to use this opportunity to review bilateral relations with them, especially with regards to the energy supply and the previous conflicted agreement with them."
"It's been long overdue anyway." Neerudi remarked.
"I am happy you agree. I believe it's time we move past the differences of the past."
"That's great. How do you plan to do that?"
"With the truth"
"Okay Maa. I wish you the best."
"Thank you."
"I think I have gotten an idea just now Maa."
"What idea?"
"I need to incorporate a new algorithm into my anani's core functions." She said, making her mother give her a funny look.
"I know, i know. I have to leave you now to your duties oh Muurian Queen." She joked.
"Don't..." Her mother didn't finish before she asported off.
"Children" She whispered to herself with a laugh.
*
Dare Runs is a Muurian sporting activity in which participants are faced with the most difficult challenges within a stipulated time to finish, and has high casualty rates due to its rigorous and tough challenges. It tests the usage of anani, personal combat skills and courage when faced with life threatening situations in complex simulated environments. Participants are expected to scale through insurmountable challenges in record time.
As a rule, participants never face each other but face similar simulations playing to their strengths and weaknesses. However, each participant can see the progress of others from screens inside their own simulations. Every Muurian is eligible to participate right from the qualifications at the various Muurdoms before the finals which is competed among seven finalists from each of the seven Muurdoms. The Buamada's rarely participated until Neerudi showed interest in the competition, increasing more universal interest in the finale of the current installation, hence the wide invitations request from many heads of nations, colonies & planet's.
The major sponsor of the Runs is Riatech, the biggest technological company in the universe, owned by the Muurian Government. The winner's prize is one million Muura, which is a lot of money. Other prizes are free services on all Riatech operated service, monetary gifts and a custom Ibuda vehicle of the winner's choice, among other prizes.
Towards the evening of the same day, the Games Council released the details for the challenge in the Dare Runs. The current iteration is to be APLANAT: CHALLENGE THE CREATION.
Neerudi was not surprised by the news and probably anticipated it. She also figured it will have something to do with the new mission to break The Veil. The Minister for Science earlier released a comprehensive study concerning the veil before the VIAM and its crew left. For centuries, the veil has been an undisclosed plethora of unexplained rifts among stars and solar systems across galaxies. A myriad of specific unexplained ripples surged through the unrevealed phenomenon up until it was discovered, thanks to Bonadi. After thorough study using the MS-MARFCOM Megascope, Muurian scientists estimated that the cosmic element which created The Veil may in fact has been caused by an accidental discharge about twenty-five billion years ago, the same time the Unerg was estimated to have emerged.
Just like everyone else, Neerudi will know the creation challenge itself when it is unveiled at the games proper, whatever it may be. She went back to work on her final configurations to have her anani fully ready, and to install the brickbat software after sequencing the final codes of her personally created force field modifier. She figured it will come in handy due to its use in the past games and for her newly designed body gears, especially in her control of them. The fabrics she has chosen for the Runs was forged from argunin and a lightly fitted alloy sealed with a deconstructed form of erabil with inbuilt force field and magnetic force accelerants that can withhold and absorb a lot of energy, up to twenty thousand ton of force. The fabrics are also impervious to lightning and many other categories of high powered energy blasts.
Designs like this always reminded Nee Buamada of her erstwhile husband who Neerudi mostly inherited her intellect from. Neerudi spent the rest of the evening going through some simulated drills, and later communicated with Linagu who informed her that they have set up everything they needed to see if they can disintegrate The Veil. They both wished themselves luck afterwards and ended the conversation thereafter to allow Neerudi rest for the big day ahead.
*
Meanwhile, invited guests started arriving the Capital same day, each according to their scheduled arrival time. The guests were mostly Kings, Queens, heads of different clans, Presidents and Administrators from all over the universe with Muurian alliances. The rest were Muurians who came from all over the Muurdom to the capital, Marrialu, where the Dare Runs will hold its hundredth installment. It is held every seven years.
As is expected, the whole atmosphere in Marrialu was filled with ecstasy, full of euphoric vibes and friendly interactions all around the capital. By night, misda marani was declared; a special celebration by the Muurs that usually involved a lot of eating and drinking with the specially made misda wine. It is produced in million's, and free for everyone who wanted it. However, all this ensured that the highest form of security is in place, especially within this period, making it a crime for anyone in the security outfits to participate in the Misda celebrations once they're going to be on duty the next day, which is the main event.
*
Izemoru and some key Nolnadian government officials were also among the guests that came; they came in the Daspo Marigal. After due verifications, they were assigned their space and accommodation not far from the palace. They were also informed of the party with the Queen which coincides with the misda marani declaration by nightfall. While everyone else enjoyed the fanfare and the other lively activities organized by the Games Council as is the norm, Izemoru and his team went about setting up and establishing every deployable equipment and weapon they had with them. Ikea and his team established a neural link from the Daspo Marigal to the teleportation link created from Nolnad. Another team was able to secure another transmission link at the Marrialu River after deploying a Ramodian teleportation device modified by Ikea that creates a two-way travelling channel. A tactical delay unit comprising of more than two thousand hardened combatants from the army deployed through the portal they established next to a secluded part of the mountain from the south-west axis of the Marrialu River. It was a perfect location because of the shields created by the adjoining tall Mebra trees, tiny forests and massive hills.
From that angle, they were able to stealthily use their bifocals to scan the whole area, observing all the various highly-advanced Muurian Bastions and Barbicans built along spaces from the riverside, which stretched over the horizon. They were not deterred nonetheless, so they set up hideously, and created a quick bridgehead from the riverside for a broadside assault immediately they received the order to go ahead. The goal is to wreak havoc from that angle as a distraction while the operatives of another unit infiltrated the capital city, allowing the unit led by Izemoru to seek out the Elder Chambers of the Odena, and take hold of one of the Unerg energy balls. Izemoru's team consisted mainly of his Midlighters, his specially trained unit for the toughest part of the operation itself.
Kamo and his team also deployed, and will destroy one of the biggest UAA centers near the venue where the Dare Runs will be taking place while Natin manned the Daspo Marigal for support services alongside Ikea. Having anticipated the high chance of things getting out of control real fast, Izemoru had Ebri take charge of a reserve team whose main duty will be to give each of the units additional cover when requested, as well as to interrupt the Dare Runs when they receive the order to go ahead.
As the Misda marani went on in the whole Muurdom, the Nolnadians stuck to their plans, using the opportunity to do a lot of reconnaissance instead, filling in loopholes they never had the opportunity to observe in all their field operations and spying.
They did all this secretly, evading most Muurian security personnel as they did so. Professor Bij, Zoria and Elumiane took care of things from Nolnad at the secret location in Karrine, Bloreu which formed the base of their operations from the beginning.
*
Meanwhile, all the leaders invited mostly gathered at the palace, enjoying themselves to the Queen's party for them while the misda marani wave kept sweeping throughout the Muurdom and beyond like a wave in a violent sea storm.
The next day, everyone with ticket and seat allocation went straight to the Mudiana, the specially designed centre by Riatech to host the Dare Runs.
It is a rectangular building built on fifty hectares of land with zircon, amphibole, calcite, Muscovite, olivine, iron and asentan. Each is reinforced with erabil in a process derived by Bonadi during his time as the King. Every detail of the expansive edifice has been meticulously designed specifically for the Dare Run. The scale of the viewers seats sets the tone for a nice view from the time one enters through the cascading entrance from the riverside cast in solid granite beneath a faceted repository of antique soft cushions framed with thickened wool.
The main confinement for the participants which soars to near fifty feet high, sits nestled within various electronic gadgets and huge computer systems used to transfer the simulation to viewers, and amongst the contestants.
The day's activities began with the usual formalities, including the famous reenactment of the first migration events. Activities proceeded fast including honors. Neerudi's cousin also received the Barii Muuria, one of the highest honors an individual can receive for a remarkable invention. After the awards, everything was set for the Runs to begin.
Each of the participants were announced followed by heavy applauds from the cheering crowd at the two hundred thousand capacity filled Mudiana centre, situated west of the Marrialu River.
While the contestants prepared for the main event and the ceremonial rites went on, Izemoru and his people continued with their plan, though he sat with the rest of the invited guests at their apportioned seats. He communicated when necessary while telling his men to wait for his signal.
The Games Council finally revealed the selected challenge for the participants with jaws dropping. The Chairman of the Council read out the objectives the participants must meet and the guidelines which they must follow. Failure to obey and follow every instruction means instant disqualification for the contestant. After briefing the contestants, they switched the light in the venue to gray dark, and seven huge screens popped up above directly in the face of the viewers with the caption, APPLANAT: CHALLENGE THE CREATION. It was followed immediately by highlights from previous Games, including past winners. After that, the screen introduced the contestants to the crowd all fully dressed and ready to proceed in their putsan.
Meanwhile, inside the putsan, Riatech engineers helped them connect their anani to the system while also giving them the final instructions. Once they were through, they alerted the control room and everything went green; the sign that begins the Dare Runs.
Neerudi's scene opened with her walking slowly towards an entrance to an ancient abandoned building with dark-brownish walls. She reached closer to the wall, picked a fire receptor wood and lighted it up, illuminating everywhere around her in the process. She flashed the light at the wall, and saw a squared object attached to it with the symbol Ô boldly written on it though almost fully covered in dust. She used her anani to analyze its properties but it came up empty. She looked up at the far right end of his anani screen, it displayed 29mins:20secs and counted downwards. She diverted her focus to the object in the wall and pressed it. The squared object withdrew inside and with it followed the opening of a six feet door which is barely large enough for two persons because of its restricted width. With the light still in her hands, she walked in through the small entrance before her into an expanded room, more than two hundred feet in width and length.
The room was empty except for a huge carving of a tiger directly opposite her and an artefact with a star sign placed on an ancient tripod just like in the temple of Muuragi. She picked up the artefact and was immediately sucked into it; it was a keyhole. When she opened her eyes, she was blown away by the scenery before her.
*
As the Dare Runs swung into full play and everyone's focus was drawn to their screen as they watched the contestants go through the hurdle's, Ikea and his crew used a triangulation created from the Daspo Marigal to establish a teleportation link from their bridgehead axis at the Southern end of the Marrialu river. This is in line with their assault strategy marshaled by Izemoru. The remaining soldier's were deployed through the portal to join and team up with the rest of the team.
*
"Hey Madina, I'm getting some sort of disturbances in our asport link's along the Marrialu River axis." One of the personnel at the UAA centers told one of his colleague's as they sat in their work station monitoring a lot of asport link's across traveling channel's within the area. Due to the earlier encounters Linagu experienced, he urged the Director-General of the UAA to increase their observation points. "Yes. Twenty-five kilometres southwest of the River bed to be precise."
"Maybe we should go check it out." the first person said.
"That's not our job. There should be a Guardian Corps in the area." He said instead. He searched immediately, and saw the list of Guardian Corps members stationed around the area, and contacted one of them immediately. Nala Foebu, an Officer of the Guardian Corps and a certified UAA Operative of the Muurian Armed Forces, was one of the operatives stationed in Raalu District, Southern Province of Marrialu. He is a Devat, a position slightly higher than a regular sergeant in the Army.
Foebu was on sentry duty conducting regular patrols in the area when he was contacted by the guys monitoring asportation activities from one of the nearest UAA center about a disturbance they observed nearby. They told him to investigate and observe the place more, then report to the Muurian Guardian, which is the Muurian main police.
Upon investigating the situation, he correctly identified that there were people planting IED's and EMP's near the front gate of a UAA databank which was not far from the River. He promptly relayed his findings as instructed and requested for next line of action. They told him to hold his ground that help is coming immediately. However, the discussion has already been heard by the Nolnadian unit carrying out the operation, and they tried to neutralize him.
Realising that he is surrounded and totally aware of the imminent attack by the Nolnadians, he requested to engage them but the request was denied, with an order to asport off immediately to a safe distance or maintains his guard post. He was just off the communication device with Muurian Guardian when more than fifteen Nolnadian fighters encircled and attacked him immediately from all angles wrecking his guard post, shooting him at pinpoint range in mass with their hailblazers.
Not knowing what else to do as he was all by himself at the time, Foebu defended his position for a few seconds mainly with GA-180 standard issue that has the capacity to fire off over 250 rounds of erabil coated bullets. At one point, a Nolnadian fighter advanced furthermore, reached his position and would have killed him in the sneaky maneuver before more than hundred heavily armed Muurian Guardians showed up. Some of the Nolnadians retreated immediately, alerting the people coordinating things from the Daspo Marigal that they have been compromised. Izemoru was quickly notified of the situation and he gave the order for the assault to begin.
Just as soon, explosives went off at various designated centers, creating chaos momentarily. They also destroyed one of the biggest UAA databanks in the area. It was deliberately done to disrupt asport travels for a while. This prompted the Muurian Guardian to declare the Anarchy Code and defer to the Muurian Security Council by default.
The Muurian Security Council members are drawn from the best security outfits of the Muurians, including the UAA. They're mostly individuals who have done something extraordinarily spectacular in their respective agencies and the best at handling any type of threat on home and foreign ground whenever the Anarchy Code is declared. The Anarchy Code deployed this time around had the inscription of a snake on the crown, which means home invasion by a dissident nation or group of people.
The Dare Runs were not spared. Neerudi has bypassed most of the hurdles before her and arrived at the Applanat Creation Control centre of the simulation. Using her anani, she synched it directly with the input data processor purely displaying in her face which granted her root access to her Applanat Control Centre. She had only fifteen minutes left on her timer when she started coding as fast as she could to unlock the next stage, the Dare Runs itself. However, she got something wrong when she bypassed the creative algorithm behind the Unerg synchronization that allowed for merger with her Anani which could have given her an easy pass and allowed her finish in record time with minimal effort.
The moment she got it wrong, all hell broke loose and the Dare Runs began for her - a run for her life. Vicious creatures, entrapments and fully armed angry Guardians of the Dare were unleashed at her as soon as the simulation automatically generated a new environment within the simulation. She was just through defeating a wild beast when a huge explosion rocked the Mudiana, the event centre.
Many people died from the explosion, and a lot of structures got destroyed from maximum impact. The Palace Guards took the Queen and most top ranking officials to safety, and back to the Palace where she got the situation report directly from the Head of the Muurian Guardian, including the current Anarchy Code that was declared. She told them to restore order within the smallest possible time and resigned to her quarters after making sure that Neerudi was okay and not hurt.
People scampered for safety, most Muurians using the asport links to escape from the Mudiana. While the chaos raged on and the Muurian Guardian deployed immediately to control and evacuate guests safely from the venue, Izemoru and the Midlighters used the opportunity to head straight for the Odena.
The Odena can best be described as heritage museum of the Muurians and houses the Unerg at an undisclosed section inside the Elder Chambers. The reason for this is unknown, but it is believed to be the best place for it as it falls under core Muurian heritages. As such, ninety-five percent of the Odena is accessible to the public; ninety-six percent is accessible to Key Muurian Government personnel, including security Operatives. Ninety-seven percent is accessible to the DG of the UAA and Head of Operations at the Amarandubi while the Muurian Head of Security has access to ninety-nine percent of the Odena. The Head of the Legislative Council has access to ninety-nine percent of the Odena and hundred percent accesses to the Unerg while the Queen has hundred percent access to the Unerg and hundred percent accesses to the entire Odena.
***
While waiting, eye on the clock and monitoring Steve, Anurami contacted them, informing them that he has completed the required set up as requested by him. Bonadi told them to go on with the plan while he went to Marrialu. He was surprised though that the ring of ascendance was not working properly when he arrived at the capital before realising that they were under attack.
Bonadi tracked an MG officer and knocked him out and used the MG Officer's Anani to gain entrance to the working asport links during the Anarchy Code he knows must be in place at this point. He was granted access and he immediately asported off to the Odena.
He traced his way in the Odena using the mapping system of the Officer's Anani which he took after knocking the officer unconscious. Then he deployed the heat signature graphics display on the mapping system he was using and triangulated it with his ring of ascendance, creating an asport link which took him to some monitoring distance from Izemoru and some of his men as they walked across to where without doubt, is the right location of the camouflaged Unerg orbs. Bonadi also observed they were using Ramodian technology which he designed for the Ramodians for the creation and control of dark matter. He waited for them in disguise at the refluxed section while they proceeded on their mission.
Meanwhile, more than 10,000 Nolnadian fighters swept through the capital city like hungry pack of wild dogs attacking a lost deer. Like a raging tiger with loose reins and determined ferocity, they spread terror, destroying most Muurian high value locations, including knocking out the Marrialu central UAA databanks, which in turn created disruptions in the Muurdom's asportation link's.
Neerudi and her mum met at the Queen's Quarters in the palace and she was briefed immediately. "We invited them into our home and they repay us with this?" Nee Buamada said out loud in anger to no-one. Angered by the disruption and effrontery of the Nolnads, Neerudi asported off to the Marrialu river where a full blown suppression battle was underway between the Muurian Guardians and the Nolnadian unit carrying out their own duty of distraction at the area. She helped them suppress the Nolnadians before asporting off to the Odena when she was briefed that that is likely the major operations zone while the rest is mere distraction. Some Muurian Guardians asported off with her too.
*
After making his way through, and bypassing most of the obstacles to the Elder Chamber of the Odena using Ramodian technology, Izemoru was full of smiles at having accomplished his mission when he finally saw the Unerg. Without wasting time, he extracted one of them from its original hold and placed the Unerg orb on the holding case specifically designed for it by the Ramodians who have been secretly assisting him all this while. The case formed a magnetic field around the Unerg ball while one of his men closed and carried it as they left the place. The moment they left, Bonadi tailed them to the Great Hall where he accosted them. There, at the only exit out of the Great hall from the north-end stood Bonadi, fully dressed in his specially designed synthetic armor wear. In his right hand is a handheld Acman-Blazer, his preferred weapon of choice. Izemoru was accompanied by fifteen Midlighters.
"Always knew you had it in you." He said to Izemoru, greeting him and his surprised men. Just as soon, Izemoru ordered them to kill him immediately while he sought for means of escape himself. They started firing at him with their V-50 Hailblazers, every one of them aiming their shots at the position which Bonadi stood.
As the shooting started, he took cover and started running at them in a rage, deflecting and dodging energy blasts leveled at him in the process. On reaching them, he took them on close combat, killing them all in gruesome ways except Izemoru whom he decided to taunt first.
"I hate killing you know. If i could, I always avoided it; the Muurian in me I guess. I actually wanted to serve you up to my people as a mock, but I'm going to kill you instead, and i am going to enjoy doing it!"
"You talk too much!" Izemoru replied him, unleashing a powerful lightning blast from a weapon hidden in his left hand. The blast hurled Bonadi backwards with a heavy force, crashing him noisily along shelf structures which destroyed from heavy impact.
His attempt to immediately make it to the exit and escape from there with the case was blocked by Bonadi who quickly got a hold of himself as soon as he landed, using a short range force-field blast to get hold of and hurl Izemoru across the opposite side of the exit he was running to.
"No escape for you I'm afraid." Bonadi uttered, smiling at an angry and raging Izemoru who is getting disillusioned with the current situation he is in, the one he didn't plan for in all his escape plans.
Seeing what he did, Izemoru charged forward at him with special energy blasts from his V-9 Hailrecoil aimed towards Bonadi's head, missing him by just an inch as he docked, failing to get his own aim at Izemoru. They were now really close at this point as they both sized each other up, Bonadi mainly smiling at his courage and ferocity. Again, Izemoru went with both his hands this time due to the close range, ferociously launching hits that Bonadi continued to block, but was surprised by a fast move Izemoru made which made a hard impact to his left clavicle, knocking him a few distance away from himself. "Impressive!" Bonadi simply said as he got a hold of his stamina immediately.
Izemoru didn't let him catch his either, latching onto him with a Ramodian force field device strapped to his right hand, catching and swinging Bonadi with huge force before he realized what was happening, he was crashing into a nearby building. Huge energy fires charged its way toward Bonadi just as soon, but he dispersed them with his anani. Izemoru wasn't surprised, and changed his course to the door, in an attempt to blast it to pieces and escape, seeing as the fight with Bonadi is delaying his final goal. But, it didn't work and he was a bit stunned. His focus shift didn't allow him enough time to fend off Bonadi's next move. What followed next was a huge crash at the door he was momentarily focused on. He quickly got on his feet, to dock successive energy bolts which Bonadi continued to fire at him until he came close enough to trade blows.
The two docked and unleashed blows for a while after Izemoru deflected some of the magnetic force Bonadi was hurling at him during the close fisticuffs. Bonadi gained the upper hand though as he was better in close combat fisticuffs, using his knowledge of the Pentacles to land unblocked successive hits on Izemoru who was now totally overwhelmed by what now appears like a battering rather than a fight even though he managed to get a few hits of his own.
Realising he couldn't win this one, having a harder time controlling the excessive fast hits from Bonadi, Izemoru quickly capitalized. A few more hits and he managed to get a damaging punch to Bonadi's face, unleashing a recoil blast from his V-9 Hailrecoil which knocked an enraged Bonadi back, giving him a little chance to readjust himself properly. This enraged Bonadi, and he quickly launched successive blasts at Izemoru before he got a hold of himself, getting his mark on four out of five hurls. Both were slowed in their pace momentarily, but not so much for Bonadi as it was for Izemoru who is visibly wounded from both the blast's and hits from Bonadi.
Before Izemoru could get his bearings, Bonadi rushed forward at him, and unleashed a flurry of quick offensive attacks that almost knocks Izemoru out cold.
"Always knew you were up to something sinister" Izemoru mused as he slowly readjusted himself on the ground where he fell, before spitting out blood from his mouth.
"A trait we both share in common as it turned out" Bonadi replied him as he approached slowly.
"We are nothing alike. You are traitor, and that is what you will always be!"
"And what are you, a hero to your people?"
"Oh, I know what I am." Izemoru said.
"Ever seen a Muurian King in his Battle Station?" Bonadi asked smiling.
"If his head end's up on a spike." Izemoru replied and launched a flurry of unsuccessful offensive hits and kicks at Bonadi who docked and knocked him down again.
"I doubt you never told your people that The Queen and the Muurs by extension have decided to review the agreement with your Kingdom, which is why you were invited to the Dare Runs." Bonadi mocked him.
"And create discordant attitudes at this dire hour?" Izemoru questioned.
"What exactly was your plan? Mmmm? Somehow steal these precious energy balls, go home and everything becomes alright?" Bonadi asked.
"Unlike you traitor, my people support me!" Izemoru replied him.
"I'm sure Neddina and his followers will disagree with that." Bonadi told him in a mock.
"They will get in line as soon as they see that i have delivered on my promise to my people." Izemoru emphasized.
"Ever heard about the phrase, don't stir the fleabugs?" Bonadi asked him.
"You can't stop me!" Izemoru said.
"Oh, I'm not talking about me, no. I'm talking about stirring the fleabugs."
"Well, look around you, we succeeded."
"Don't be so sure." Bonadi retorted, smiling.
"You can't stop me, and neither will your people now that I have this. By the way, I also know about your little rendezvous in Ramod, and they are coming for you."
"I know. But, i can assure you one thing today my little Nolnadian king."
"What is that?"
"You have miscalculated." With that, he ran straight at Izemoru, who brought out a special weapon, firing energy blasts continuously in his direction as he approached. It didn't stop him nor slowed him.
"Too late for that now, don't you think?"
"You would know about time running out, don't you?" Izemoru questioned him rhetorically.
"What?"
"You think you are the only one with the knowledge of the chip in your blood?" Izemoru said and was about to flip on a switch on a device he quickly brought out after the statement when Bonadi crept up on him and attempted to finish him off with a powerful hit to Izemoru's chest.
Izemoru docked the hit and pressed the button before he landed on the floor again as a result of a quick swerve to his left. The device was given him by Jimohd directly as a gift and was designed to accelerate the blood poisoning by facilitating rapid cell degeneration through the chip in Bonadi's system. Bonadi knew this immediately he saw it; he helped design it but not for himself. He was about rushing at Izemoru when he involuntarily stopped in his track, clutching to his neck in anguish midway.
"You thought you found the cure? Of course they didn't tell you there was no cure, and you managed to alienate the only people who could because you are a traitor, it runs in your blood and has consumed you." Izemoru said in a mock as he walked across fallen debris to meet Bonadi halfway, firmly holding the case with the Unerg orb in hand. His stare was directly at Bonadi who struggled to keep a hold, coughing out blood as his skin color and moisture changed drastically for the worse as he struggled to say something while Izemoru was almost upon him.
"What?" Izemoru questioned, but mostly as a jest and mockery!
"Illusions" Bonadi managed to say out loud to him amidst blood filled nose and mouth.
"What?" Izemoru probed further.
"Illusions" Bonadi repeated again, gasping for air and clutching his chest.
"Don't...you...see it?" He managed to let out in his hoarse cracked blood filled mouth.
"What illusions?" Izemoru questioned, he was upon him now.
"This!" Bonadi answered him from behind, ten feet apart and fully normal. He didn't look like what Izemoru was previously seeing all this while. In his hand was the case which Izemoru was previously clutching to very firmly few seconds ago.
Being surprised is an understatement to Izemoru who was alarmed, furious and totally stunned when he finally realized what has happened. It was the same trick Zanak used some time ago, which he was yet to find a counter-effective answer to blocking such mental manipulation. "An old trick my wife taught me" Bonadi said from his end, then continued his talk to a bewildered Izemoru who didn't know what to think at this moment, totally overwhelmed and confused.
"I actually wanted to kill you Moru. I had it in mind to kill you, but I think the first plan is better." He ended and asported off with the case containing the Unerg orb before Izemoru even had a chance to launch another barrage of offensive attacks on him. He was infuriated at himself and how he foolishly fell for Bonadi's antics, losing everything he has fought for years within a few seconds. He cursed himself repeatedly before the thought of going for the remaining two unerg balls entered his mind. The moment he got a hold of himself, and tried to find a means, doors opened. Neerudi and the Muurian Guardian's entered the Great Hall scene just few seconds after Bonadi asported off. Neerudi told them to arrest and nerg Izemoru immediately, which they did with no struggle and fight from Izemoru who surrendered peacefully; his face sullen, dull and full of regrets. While the Muurians were temporarily preoccupied with getting things under complete control in the Kingdom's capital city, the Loste Horde arrived at the Cirquirena, thirty-five kilometres away from the major disturbance orchestrated by the Nolnadians.
Bonadi went to the Amarandubi headquarters just as soon and used the confusion created by the Nolnadians to track down where they were holding Elvis and Menna in a secured cell and freed them. They all left together afterwards to meet Anurami through the asport link he created; the Unerg orb case firmly in his right hand, his face filled with a distinct smile.
THE END!
Muur Chronicles will return.