(A chapter blending cosmic horror, tribal betrayal, and the creeping corruption of Kente's Idol)
The Dead Steppes – A Wasteland of Whispers
The air tasted of ash and iron as Kente's group trekked across the Dead Steppes, their boots crunching over brittle bones and shattered Idol cores. Adanma walked stiffly beside Kente, her Tortoise Shell mutation glowing faintly through cracks in her skin.
Adanma (voice hollow):
"My clan called this place 'Umvelina's Graveyard'. They say her first vessels are buried here… alive."
Sophia (goat pupils narrowing):
"Not buried. Trapped. Their Idols backfired, fusing them to the earth."
Tamara kicked a skull, its eye sockets glowing faintly. "Cheery. Remind me why we're here again?"
Miss Wolo (grim):
"Adanma's clan holds a relic—a shard of Umvelina's original ship. The Priestess wants it. We destroy it first."
Kente's forehead bead pulsed. The Idol's voice—now a constant whisper—hissed:
"Lies. She wants you to find it… to awaken me."
The Tortoise Clan's Curse
The clan's village was a fortress of bone and obsidian, its walls etched with Prey incantations. Mutated children peered from shadows, their skin cracked like Adanma's, Tortoise Shell sigils glowing dully.
Elder Chibuzor (hobbling forward, staff clattering):
"Adanma… You bring outsiders to our shame?"
Adanma (flinching):
"They'll cure us, Elder! The Priestess lied—the Eclipse won't save us!"
Elder Chibuzor (spitting):
"The Priestess blessed our bloodline! Our shells protect her—"
Kente's palm-eye flared. The Idol shoved into his voice:
"Your 'blessing' is a parasite. Her juju festers in your veins… killing you."
The elders recoiled. A child coughed black blood, their Tortoise Shell flickering.
Adanma (desperate):
"Where's the relic? We can end this!"
Predator's Feast – Incantations Collide
Elder Chibuzor snarled, slamming his staff:
"Predator Technique #27: Scorpion's Lash!"
A whip of venomous light snapped toward Kente. Adanma leapt, reciting:
"Prey Technique #9: Tortoise Shell!"
Her cracked skin flared, deflecting the strike. The backlash split her Shell further, blood seeping.
Kente (roaring):
"Predator Technique… Modified: Serpent's Fangs!"
His Idol overwrote the incantation. Instead of venomous whips, spectral serpents erupted from the ground, binding the elders.
Idol's Voice (triumphant):
"See? They fear what they cannot control."
Miss Wolo stepped forward, lava pooling at her feet. "The relic. Now."
The Asarti Shard – A Cosmic Corruption
The relic lay in a cavern beneath the village—a jagged shard of iridescent metal humming with alien energy. Adanma's blood dripped onto it, reactivating holograms of Umvelina's ship: a sleek, organic vessel devouring planets.
Hologram Umvelina (voice echoing):
"Consume. Evolve. The weak nourish the strong."
Kente's Idol (screaming in his mind):
"She's coming! Shatter it! SHATTER IT!"
He raised the shard, but WanLaden materialized from a spacetime rift, dreadlocks swaying.
WanLaden (smirking):
"Tsk. Destroying toys won't stop the Eclipse, little survivor."
Miss Wolo (lava surging):
"You're working with her?"
WanLaden (laughing):
"Working? No. I'm gardening. The Priestess sows chaos… I reap the Idol."
He vanished, leaving a temporal mine. The cavern trembled.
The Shell Shatters
The mine detonated. Adanma shoved Kente aside, reciting:
"Prey Technique #9: Tortoise Shell!"
Her mutation flared—then shattered. The blast vaporized the relic but tore through her body, cracks spreading like wildfire.
Adanma (gasping):
"Tell my clan… I'm sorry…"
Her body petrified, crumbling to ash. The Idol's voice wailed:
"This is her design! Death… always death!"
Kente's palm-eye split open—a second bead now glowing. New incantations flooded his mind:
"Prey Technique #0: Idol's Requiem."
WanLaden's Revelation
From his rift, WanLaden watched Kente cradle Adanma's ashes.
Adam (adjusting goggles):
"The Idol's evolution accelerates. Proposal: Harvest it before phase three."
WanLaden (sipping from his flask):
"Patience. Let him grieve. Let him rage. The Priestess will strike soon… and he'll burn her for us."
The March to Nowhere
The group buried Adanma under a cairn of bone. Sophia's goat pupils lingered on Kente's new palm-eye.
Sophia:
"That thing's changing you. Soon, you won't be human."
Kente (staring at his palm):
"Maybe I don't need to be."
Miss Wolo gripped his shoulder, her molten gaze unreadable. "We head to the Sky Tombs. If Umvelina's ship is there… we'll reduce it to slag."
Idol's Voice (whispering):
"Liar. You crave its power too."