Chapter 86: Necrolith Array
For several heartbeats after the sounds echoed, none of them spoke.
The relief that had settled within the six of them dissipated instantly like smoke within a storm as every gaze turned toward the rows of statues positioned across the crypt.
The Terracottas were being animated; dust drifted from ancient helmets and pauldrons, hairline fractures spread across stone limbs like veins of lightning, fingers slowly tightened around weapons hilts, while fragments of rock broke from several bodies before crashing into the platforms below.
One knight shifted slightly, another was raising its head, and a third rotated its neck with an unsettling grinding sound...
This sight alone was enough to send a chill through their spines.
"What is happening?" Veyrath asked, his voice strained with unease.
His eyes darted between the animating statues and the ruined formation beneath their feet. "Didn’t you say that destroying the Array would stop their animation?"
"I did..." Kaeloris replied.
"Then what is going on?" Caelestra interjected immediately. She pointed toward the dim formation spread across the dais and asked.
"We already destroyed the crystal nodes. The Array is down, so why are they still coming to life?"
The failed Merchant was genuinely baffled at the situation on ground at this point.
Even Kaeloris was completely dumbstruck. He stared at the shattered crystal fragments littering the obsidian dais. The evidence was right before him, serving as a conclusive proof that they had succeeded... Or at least they should have.
The Mummification Array was inactive; its runes were dim and the pylons are already destroyed. Although two nodes still remain intact, they should not have been able to maintain a formation of this magnitude.
And yet, the Terracottas were still animating.
"So?" Vaelorin asked. His voice was sharp and impatient, carrying a barely concealed edge of panic. "Talk to us Kaeloris. What went wrong?"
"Hold on, hold on..." Adjusting his glasses, Kaeloris crouched once more beside the formation.
His eyes scanned every rune, every connection, and every geometric intersection as he tried to figure out what they actually did wrong.
He racked his brain so hard that migraine was beginning to form...
Think... What had he missed?
He was so deep in thought for a few seconds, until, he froze suddenly. A sharp gasp escaped his lips as the answer slammed into him like a runaway carriage...
Right! Why hadn’t he thought of that?
Caelestra noticed his expression immediately. "What happened, Kaeloris?"
The failed Gnost slowly lifted his gaze before speaking. "Guys..."
His voice came out weak, uncertain, and almost guilty. "I think we might have destroyed the wrong formation."
The others immediately tensed at his words...
He swallowed lightly before continuing. "Did you remember how I told you that the Array possessed a detection mechanism that might have been triggered when Valmyr stepped into it?"
The remaining five nodded.
"And what does that have to do with the animating statues?" Veyrath asked. "Talk quickly, Kaeloris. Regaleon and Aureleah might not be able to hold them back for long."
"Don’t rush me and listen..."
Kaeloris took a deep breath before speaking further. "Actually, the Mummification Array wasn’t the formation sending signal to the Terracottas. It was another Array."
Valmyr’s face twitched into confusion. "What do you mean another Array? Are you trying to say that there are actually two formations laid on top of each other? How is that even possible?"
"Well, it isn’t impossible..." Kaeloris answered.
Then he elaborated. "You see, a phenomenon where multiple formations occupy the same spatial coordinates is called a Superposition of Arrays. But I’m not going to explain that theory right now..."
He pointed toward the ruined formation as he expatiated. "Earlier, I assumed the Mummification Array controlled the Terracottas, but I should have known better. The Mummification Array has only one function which is the preservation of the bodies laying in those coffins."
"Then which Array was responsible for activating the Terracottas?" Sylveris asked worriedly.
Kaeloris exhaled heavily before replying.
"It is called the Necrolith Array. You see, this Array was built along with the Mummification Array and it remained dormant until Valmyr stepped into the formation. So yes, in a way, this entire situation is still his fault..."
"Hey!" Valmyr shouted indignantly. Then he spoke through gritted teeth. "Why do you keep blaming me for something I did unintentionally?"
Ignoring him, Kaeloris continued. "Besides, the situation is also partly my fault because if I had actually taken my time to examine the formation closely, then we wouldn’t have been in this mess."
"What do you mean?" Caelestra asked.
"You see when we destroyed the Mummification Array, all the energy flowing into it had no where to go. So it redirected itself into the Necrolith Array..."
The failed Gnost pointed at the rows of statues before continuing. "When the Necrolith Array was first activated, only one Terracotta animated at a time. But now, nearly all of them are animating simultaneously."
Vaelorin frowned. "And why exactly would destroying one Array suddenly strengthen the other?"
"Do you seriously think that’s the most important question right now?" Caelestra glared at him, causing the failed Pyromancer to keep his mouth shut.
"So, how do we disable this Necrolith Array? There must be a way right?"
"That’s the problem." Kaeloris expression was dark as he pointed toward the crimson currents running throughout the crypt.
"To properly deactivate the Array, we would either need the Artisan that laid it, or we would have to cut it off from its power source."
Veyrath’s throat bobbed as he asked. "And if we don’t?"
Kaeloris’ face was grim as he turned toward the awakening army. "Then let’s just hope Aetherium grants us enough luck to survive a fight against over a hundred angry Terracottas."
Sylveris’ silver eyes shifted toward the battlefield where Regaleon had Aureleah were currently facing the fourth Terracotta.
This one also wielded a different weapon as it was using a spear. Even from a distance, it was quite obvious that the duo couldn’t continue with the battle indefinitely...
The fourteen-years-old turned back toward the failed Gnost and asked with hope lacing her tone.
"Isn’t there another way? You know, you said the same thing about the Mummification Array, but then you found another solution..."
"Right. And look where that got us." Vaelorin remarked sarcastically.
"Guys, can we please focus? Sylveris is right, there has to be a different way to fix this problem."
Kaeloris maintained a thoughtful silence. Then he let out a defeated sigh. "I really am at my wit’s end. I’m sorry, but it looks like we’re going to have to fight them."
"That’s a terrible idea!" Veyrath shouted, gesturing wildly toward the knights. "How in Aetherium’s name do you expect us to fight all of that?"
It was at this moment that Valmyr suddenly came up with a wild idea. "Kaeloris, you mentioned earlier that the Terracottas exist to protect the sarcophagi, right?"
"I never said that exactly, but yes. That is the general idea."
The bulky youth snapped his fingers before continuing with a broad grin. "Then why don’t we move the thing that they are protecting? If we drag the corpses out and expose them, maybe the Terracottas would have a second thought."
Kaeloris squinted thoughtfully. " First of all, Terracottas don’t think. But I actually like where you’re heading with that idea. If we removed their object of protection, then it might actually disrupt their behavior. It is a good idea."
This acceptance made the rest of them breath out on relief.
"Though, I must warn you guys. That won’t necessarily stop their animation. Instead, it will only stop them from treating us as invaders and to stop the animation entirely, we’d still need to cut off the power source."
"That’s fine!" Caelestra shouted.
"We’ll deal with that later. Right now, we need to move fast because Aureleah and Regaleon can’t hold on much longer." She urged.
"Okay then. Let’s do this..."
