NOVEL WEB Chapter 8: Through the Rift
Chapter 8 Through the Rift
Devon looked at the force field, then at Phastos. "So… what is this?" he asked, testing the field with a gentle push.
"A containment field," Phastos explained, stepping forward, his expression serious. "It can imprison far more powerful people than you."
"Impressive" Ohma said, his tone intrigued "A sophisticated application of energy manipulation. You are generating a negative flux wave on the shield countering any sort of force applied from within. Fascinating stuff but what I am more interested in is the power source for such a thing" Ohma scrutinized the device on Phastos's wrist then turned his attention to the Eternal observing him. "I see you are using your energy to power it. Smart move."
Phastos, baffled by this unexpected technical understanding of his creation, asked with raised eyebrows."I didn't take you for a scholarly type. But you are not getting out till we get some answers."
"Let's just say," Ohma replied, a smirk forming on his lips,"that when you're messing with time you tend to pick up a thing or two along the way."
Ajax, the leader, stepped forward, with a grave expression asked "Who or what are you? And why attack us?"
Ohma ignored their questions and focused on the energy of this containment device. It's true that using force to open this would be nigh impossible but who said I was going to use force.
As he felt the energy pattern of the force field, he devised a plan to counter them by using resonant frequency. Hope the cave can handle a bit more.
He sent a wave of temporal energy towards the force field and resonated with it. This caused the force field to malfunction and it started flickering.
"What is he doing?" Ikaris demanded an answer.
"Uh-oh he's trying to get out," Phastos said while moving backwards.
As he reached the resonant frequency the force field shimmered and failed, breaking Ohma Zi-O out of his imprisonment.
The eternals seeing Ohma free himself got ready to fight again when Ohma put up his hand and said "Stop, while I would love to accompany you, as entertaining as our fight would be I doubt this place would hold on." Looking around, the cave now had multiple 'holes' in it. One led to an icy plain while the other were staring at a void.
"What the hell is happening here?" Asked Ikaris, his tone etched with concern.
"The spacetime continuum which was already disrupted is getting worse due to our fighting. So I suggest we stop, unless you people have a wish to be erased by time." Ohma answered as he gave off a golden energy starting to mend the damage.
The Eternals shared glances with each other, contemplating his words and looking around the cave. "Fine, but who are you? And why did you attack us? You have a lot of explaining to do." Sersi proclaimed.
"The name is Ohma and to be clear this was not an attack, I merely responded. If I really wanted to harm you, you would not be standing there."
"So why take our ship? And what was that deviant?" Ajax inquired.
"It was a faster way to get here, in hindsight it was a great decision as the time distortion here is progressing fast. And for the deviant, why don't I show you."
He extended his hand, palm open. A wave of golden energy pulsed outwards, and the air in the center of the cavern shimmered. A three-dimensional image solidified, showing the Deviant emerging from a crack in space. The Eternals gasped, staring at the holographic projection.
"This is a temporal echo, a recording of past, imprinted on the fabric of time itself. That deviant emerged here from this time rift which also caused damage to the local time stream." Ohma explained as he worked. The various doorways closing and the anomalous nature of the cave calming down.
He saw understanding dawn in their eyes. He wasn't just powerful; he was manipulating time.
"So the smart deviants we had been battling were coming from here. What about you? You were the one who killed that deviant near the city, right? Why fight the deviants?" Phastos questioned.
"Don't misinterpret my action to be against the deviants. I am not fighting the foot soldiers, my battle is with the one who created them." He paused, then held out his hand, revealing the white crystal. "Have you seen anything like this near these ..'Smart' deviants?"
"What crystal? Ikaris asked, peering at Ohma's open palm.
They cannot see it. Ohma realized. It must be attuned to temporal energy. Another piece of the puzzle, but not enough to complete it.
He glanced at the crystal, feeling a faint, almost imperceptible tug, like a distant echo. It felt like a distress signal, but he couldn't pinpoint the source.
"So, what is your plan to fight their creator?" Gilgamesh asked, bringing the conversation back to the present. "We might be able to help. After all, deviants are our mutual enemies.".
Of course you want to help.Ohma thought dryly. What kind of heroes wouldn't? It's practically their defining characteristic. And conveniently it's also the exact reason we are having this conversation.
"That is not your battle." Ohma said aloud, his voice firm. "You should be more concerned with what's about to happen… now."
As he spoke, a large crack spiderwebbed across the cave wall, rapidly expanding. Chunks of rock rained down, and the air crackled with energy.
"I wasn't telling you all this out of the goodness in my heart." Ohma continued, his voice rising above the din of the collapsing cave. " I needed to buy some time. They have sent another one, likely to retrieve what they lost." He gestured to the expanding rift. "They have opened another channel. So my dear 'heroes', do not fail me. I have seen your combat prowess. You are skilled, coordinated but most of all you fight to protect. That should serve you well enough…for now."
With a final glance at the Eternals,Ohma leaped into the newly formed rift just as another Deviant, larger and more grotesque than the previous one clawed it's way through.
The Deviant scanned the assembled Eternals, its glowing red eyes searching for the source of the... The call that had drawn it here was gone. With a frustrated roar, it turned its attention to the only other targets present: the Eternals
The Eternals, realizing the gravity of the situation, immediately launched into battle, not forgetting the fact that they'd just been played by the enigmatic Ohma Zi-O.
[Scene break]
Ohma felt a disorienting sensation as he entered the rift. Time and space seemed to fold in on themselves, a chaotic whirlwind of colors and sounds. He felt a strange pressure, as if being squeezed through an impossibly small opening. Then, just as suddenly, it stopped.
He found himself falling.
The rift had opened in the sky, and Ohma was plummeting towards a bizarre landscape. He quickly used his temporal powers to slow his descent, landing gracefully on a nearby mountain peak.
Oh, come on, give the guy a break.
The scene that unfolded before him was… unsettling. As far as the eye could see, the landscape was teeming with Deviants. They were of all shapes and sizes, some hulking behemoths, others small and agile, but all of them radiating a palpable sense of hostility.
The Deviants closest to Ohma had already noticed his arrival. They snarled and growled, their eyes glowing with predatory hunger. They began to converge on his position, forming a menacing circle around the intruder in their domain.
Well, Ohma thought, a wry smile spreading across his face. This is going to be interesting. He cracked his knuckles. Time for another… forceful introduction.
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Eternals' Post-Ohma Misunderstanding
* Sersi: "So, this 'Ohma'… what was his deal?"
* Ikaris: "Some kind of time traveler, I think."
* Phastos: "And a master of energy manipulation."
* Druig: "He's a menace."
* Gilgamesh: "He was strong."
* Ajax: "And he left us with a giant monster!"
* Kingo: "He was clearly a mysterious, brooding warrior… destined for greatness!" (Everyone stares at him) "What? That's how these stories usually go!"
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