Manasie and Nightrale's teams reached the room and stormed inside. Just as Magpie and Alias spotted them, they joined the others. There were two Psycho-blades standing ahead of what looked like a long box. One Psycho-blade had bent down and the other was just watching.
"Stay away from the dead Pluto fauna," Varun said unsheathing his sword.
"Lame pun," Manasie said.
"Well, you liked my previous one so I dedicated this for you. Maybe that's why it was lame," Varun said.
"Whatever," Manasie said.
"Fighting the enemy and not ourselves… you might want to consider that," Kara pointed.
"Too late on your arrival princesses," a Psycho-blade said.
Just then, from the box something rose up. The seven couldn't properly make out what that was but just then both the Psycho-blades properly knelt down, as if paying respects to it. It was some kind of huge trident; it suddenly moved and slammed into the two Psycho-blades, putting them down to the ground. There was barely any sign of blood from the Psycho-blades, but they sure were dead.
"A trident…? It is too huge for a trident," Varun said.
The trident as if had life and consciousness, now turned towards the seven and somewhat stared at them, in its own way.
"It's too lively to just be a weapon," Kara commented.
"Well, still a weapon," Manasie said.
Manasie stepped forward, her discs rose and hovered towards the trident, the trident stayed its spot. The discs stuck to the trident, the trident was so huge that the discs still had space around their sides. Manasie held out her hand towards the trident, as if calling for it. Everyone waited, but the trident didn't seem to move even a bit.
"Is something supposed to happen?" Nemesis asked.
"It's supposed to be controlled by me. It surely has what we can call as consciousness. Otherwise I could have moved it," Manasie said putting her hand back down.
"What do you mean? You could move Kara and me before," Nightrale said.
"And I'm pretty sure we have consciousness too," Kara added.
"Well, 'your consciousness allowed me to' is the weird but true reason. And as for its consciousness, it doesn't trust me as I'm its enemy," Manasie said.
"That is so made up," Varun snickered.
"I could try it on you, you wouldn't move, Mr. I don't trust you," Manasie said.
"Try something else… electrocute it," Varun said.
"We do not call it as electrocuting," Manasie said.
Manasie clutched her hand as a little sparkle was seen on the trident. The trident suddenly started swinging into the air, and the discs left the trident. The trident stopped for a split second and followed the discs, towards Manasie.
Varun tossed his sword towards the trident and sprang in between it and Manasie. The trident barely flinched and stopped for another second, as if analysing the situation.
"Must not have thrown," Varun said realising of his mistake.
The trident just then moved towards Varun, all Varun could do was raise his hand to defend himself and closed his eyes.
The trident clashed with something and Varun opened his eyes, he found that a sword had magically appeared in the grasp of his hand. He just stared at the sword against the trident, which he held like an assassin holding a knife.
"No time for a pun, go!" Manasie yelled.
The trident backed off and hit again, Varun blocked this time rather than throwing away the sword, holding it off strong, using his whole arm's strength, he had become pretty strong somehow than how he was just that morning.
The sword felt light-weighted and stronger than the one he had before. But, the trident had a consciousness which was onto killing him, so well.
"Six people watch as a guy gets killed by a conscious monster trident. Not a pun, but me crying for help," Varun said shoving the trident away.
Nemesis walked forward just as the trident started to move again and unsheathing his sword, he hit the trident. It backed off.
"And that is called being conscious of the situation. Wanted to say cautious, but well," Varun shrugged.
"You are funny," Nemesis said and hit the trident again.
Varun looked at Nemesis' sword, it was huge than a normal sword and blunt even. He had only seen such swords in games. Great that it exists, with high level stats it could one-hit K.O. many, surely.
"Cool sword," Varun commented.
"It is used to break armours with ease. I was saving it for once Alias gets his armour," Nemesis said, Alias just groaned in the background.
"Well, don't use it on me armour-breaker," Varun laughed.
"I didn't get the joke," Nemesis said pushing away the trident towards the large chest.
"Well, you didn't get the reference," Varun said.
"Hello to the trident," Manasie reminded.
"A bit help when it isn't against each other is great," Nemesis said turning to Alias.
"Such a baby," Alias said walking ahead calmly.
"The boys will go ahead and take care of this. Primevel warriors rock. It's time for team VAN," Varun said like a tale-teller.
"Team what?" Alias asked.
"VAN, as in Varun-Alias-Nemesis, it sounded cool to me," Varun shrugged.
"Sounds good enough," Nemesis said, still looking straight ahead.
The trident rose up and split into three spear-like structures.
"Can this be…?" Varun asked looking at his sword and then at Manasie.
The sword left Varun's hand. It turned into a spear and Varun grabbed it once again; there was no change in weight, it was just as light-weighted as before.
"You can manage with one disc," Varun pointed out.
"You can manage being dead," Manasie said.
Varun just snickered to himself and stepped forward with Alias and Nemesis. The trident's spears glided forward and attacked the three, as they fought off the weapons with their own.
The spears were fast but weak; they couldn't even harm a guy from Earth, who had barely any experience with weapons and this was his first fight. Not like the trident was even a big deal, but Varun was worried about the 'multiplier' thing the guy from before said.
The three spears backed off in some time and split again, now into seven pieces.
"Guys… not a coincidence, it wants to fight us all. It wants it all," Varun said.
"They are barely double the size of regular daggers," Kara sighed.
"I'm not the one who makes the rules," Varun shrugged.
"Seems the conscious lifeless weapon does," Alias added.
"That one is just as big as a dagger," Nightrale said pointing at the smallest piece.
"Well, I guess the trident wanted the match to be even," Varun said and laughed. "Like seven and seven-"
"Yeah we got it," everyone said.
"Get its moves, not mine," Varun said.
"I could like break it maybe. Let's see," Nightrale said.
The blades floated and covered the smallest piece in one layer, tightly. The other pieces went crazy and barely were floating straight anymore.
"That hurts them?" Nightrale asked.
"It's lifeless," Varun pointed out.
"And seemingly unbreakable," Nightrale added, clutching her fist harder.
"Just cover around them, but not tight," Varun said.
The blades just formed a circle around the piece and the other pieces still acted the same. The inner piece however fought continuously, trying to get out, but couldn't.
A nearby piece to Varun and Nightrale floated as steadily as possible towards them.
"Cover them; cover them to the last layer which makes them stop!" Varun shrieked.
The blades formed layers and layers around the covered piece, tightly, until the other pieces completely fell down to the ground. The nearby piece to Varun, stuck to his kneecap, through the opening in his armour.
"There, wrapped-in comfortably for bed," Nightrale sighed looking at the floating blade-ball.
"Ouch," Varun said lifting his leg, hopped a few times and went back to normal after he threw out the piece.
"You can curse if it hurts, you know. It's PG-rated anyway," Nightrale said.
"Nah, it just was like a needle," Varun implied as the pain strike him again. "Mother of the holy stars, I hate needles," he said kicking air with his hurt leg. "It was just a scratch, don't worry. But it was sure determined to go way deeper."
Kara burst out laughing. Everyone turned towards her blankly and confused.
"He just is such a baby," Kara said still laughing and tearing up lightly. "Sorry," she said clearing her throat.
"And none of the weapon breaking into weapons cracks you up?" Varun asked.
Everyone stared at Varun blankly now. Suddenly Nemesis cracked up and laughed.
"The last thing we can expect," Manasie sighed.
"Let us address the Bollago* in the room now. We need a way to actually end the dividing-multiplier thingy. Breaking it… doesn't seem simple," Nightrale said.
"Oh…" Kara and Varun said smiling to themselves.
"Yes Nightrale, we will find something," Manasie accepted.
"Well, disperse then kids. I'll go on an adventure," Varun said walking away.
Varun handed the spear to Manasie on his way out and looked at her open coat which didn't have zipper-teeth.
"Nice coat," Varun said.
Everyone stared at him walk away.
"Not yours! That would have been a better comeback, you imbecile," Varun yelled to himself, still walking away.
***
"Hey… lonely man," Manasie said approaching Varun, who was sitting on the floor and against a wall.
"Hi, I thought you'd be mad and would come with a sword," Varun let out a breath.
Manasie's coat was zipped up, wasn't it missing its teeth?
"Well, there was a lot of mocking a while ago. So, we are even. Besides, I'm never too late to grab my blade," Manasie said leaning against the wall and didn't take her eyes off Varun.
"I was rude to you, I'm sorry," Varun said.
"You were truthful, that matters. Though yes, it was a bit rude for first time, would be nice when not repeated," Manasie said.
"Thanks for understanding. Found anything about the 'dividing-multiplier' thing?" Varun asked, feeling comfortably proud of himself for saying that.
"Not really, but we will look into it. It was something very different. But that thing will stay that way for a long-time, without Nightrale having to do anything," Manasie stated.
"How long…?" Varun asked.
"Around… twenty-five years, but if the multiplier part is true, it will be around a decade max, according to rough calculations, which I just made. We'll figure something out anyways," Manasie said.
"Great… for a first one," Varun scoffed.
"Hey… guys," Alias said appearing out of the blue.
"Wow, I couldn't even hear you come," Manasie commented looking surprised.
"Well, I'm not some moving armour. Yet," Alias said.
"I'm done with lifeless conscious things for one day," Manasie scoffed. "That wasn't a mockery on you, Varun."
"Well, I wanted to talk to you Varun. You must be confused on many things," Alias said.
"Well, all I want to do is go home. But, yes I do have other questions," Varun said. "The lightning-throwing, is it just me?"
"The 'Urge for lightning', it is a thing which we can do because of the special gauntlets on our hands, the 'causers'. There is another kind of gauntlets called 'absorbers', but that later. And I thought we must have to train you to do that. You already did that?" Alias asked.
"Yeah, on Kara, it worked. Would have been nicer to have something unique," Varun frowned.
"Well, through training, there could be," Alias said.
"Don't bring the training thing more. I'm already getting homesick," Varun sighed and got up.
"Ok, there could be a simpler way for you to go back," Alias said. "But, there are also some possible outcomes through it."
"Outcome of going back home, you mean? Sounds good," Varun said.
"Dizziness for starters, mutation or death as an extreme case," Alias said.
Varun thought for a second, deeply. "Beats me," he shrugged.
"God, I hope this isn't a reckless move," Manasie sighed.
"I love reckless. Though reckless is bad. Just get me home, before I start enjoying this," Varun said.
Alias sighed and walked behind Varun.
"You probably will warp to the same place, but not time, as some has passed. So, be careful about some things. We will bring you back again, if we need you though," Alias said.
"Faint badly… but don't die," Manasie said letting out a breath through her mouth.
"Motivating… let's do it then, Al. Not the blind one," Varun said.
Varun felt Alias reaching the stone and his head buzzed as if it were going to explode. The next moment, he was something else.
***
Chapter footnote:-
Bollago:- It is a being native to Leishank and found nowhere else. It is a five-foot tall, armoured reptile. It turns into a ball, to protect itself from its predator or grasp and kill its prey easily. Similar to Earth's Armadillos, but bigger.
The Primevel warriors use Bollago's armour-skin to make their absorber gauntlets. Due to Bollagos reaching their extinction, every Primevel warrior HQ have a breeding farm for Bollagos, bearing hundreds of Bollagos.
The almost extinction of Bollagos caused a civil war between the Primevel warriors. Many common residents sided in the civil war and more than the Primevel warriors, the commoners were killed. That is when the Primevel warriors stopped the war, fearing that they might kill the person who is supposed to be a H.O.D. (as H.O.D. is supposed to be a commoner), in such a petty war. Many measures of forming a farm in each HQ and rules on having a minimum of hundred Bollagos alive, per farm, was implemented.
The Primevel warriors who take care of Bollagos are given higher respect (Alias is one of them) since Bollagos choose carefully the beings they want to be around (there have been many cases of Bollagos killing a person they found as a friend before, after the person committed a minor inconvenience to them).
Bollagos even readily are supposed to approach a "friend," and let them know it's their time to be a protecting armour piece in a Primevel warrior's arm.
An alternative to make the absorber gauntlet is dragon scale/ skin (especially green and brown ones), which is harder to get, but not impossible.