Sinners of Tyre: Act 1 Chapter 1

Tall grass danced in the fresh breeze, while flower petals gently caressed Sch'Lvya's scales. Sounds of a water flowing by, splashing against smooth rocks brought ease to her mind, as she opened her eyes. Confused at first, she looked up, at the clear, evening sky with occasional shooting stars sparkling overhead. Sun shone upon her, warming her bare body, as she layed on the bed of soft grass. She sat up, curling her long tail around her and anxiously flickering her tongue. Her eyes erratically tried to make sense of the place, where she found herself in. Area was desolate, empty, surrounded by trees and hills, ruled by nature, yet made her feel more at home than she ever felt. She got up, perked up her hood and cautiously stepped forward, towards the stream. Colours of the surrounding area were bleak, almost as if in grayscale, illuminated only by the sun and stars above.

Sch'Lvya took a deep breath, which made her chest feel almost weightless. A shallow looking river she found herself by flowed seemingly from the horizon, without a beginning. She led her steps towards the water and soon grassy ground transitioned into a sandy river beach with smooth stones at the shore. What seemed weird to her, is that while walking along the stream, the sand didn't move under her, as if she was softly gliding over it. Flowing water touched her feet, as she wandered through the forest, however soon the sound of waves breaking upon a short greeted her ears. Dense trees soon made way for smaller bushes, as she arrived at a beach, with reddish sun over the sea in the distance. Still as confused as ever she sat down on the sand and sighed. She felt lost, however she didn't remember the time, that she felt so at ease, blissed. Now the serpent was able to more calmly take in the surroundings. Wind shook the treetops behind her, causing leaves to glide and fall onto the water, which floated away from the shore, towards the setting sun. A quite mind-boggling discovery met her sight, as she saw droplets of water exit the surface and float up towards the sun, the closer to it, the more intense the climb was.

Ground shaking snapped her out of the thoughtful state, waves on the sea, calm before, now intensified as waterline started to slowly retreat. She didn't believe her eyes, as her sight was met with what seemed to be an enormous entity, approaching closer and closer. At first, only the spine of a massive sea serpent was visible, slithering in the water kilometers away, approaching the shore. Sch'Lvya's face went pale as she started to shiver in fear, trying to get up and run away, but she could barely stand, falling onto the sand again.

- Fear me not, my child. - She heard an almost angelic voice echoing through deep, growling roars and hisses, coming from inside her own head.

Sch'Lvya gulped, her eyes opened wide and her hood completely folded in fear. In the corners of her eyes she could see the gigantic form of the serpentine leviathan resting near the shore.

- You have nothing to worry about, my child. - The voice sounded again, clearer now.

Slowly, Sch'Lvya turned around and faced the behemoth. Snake of unprecedented size hung its head above her, looking down to her, growled and hissed, but somehow, the noise was turned into perfectly clear speech in her mind.

- By the Serpent... T-this has to be a nightmare... - She said to herself

- By me. - The giant flickered its enormous tongue, hissing in quite a humorous manner.

- W-what...? Are you...? - Shocked, Sch'Lvya slowly got up to bow before the being, having an idea what might this monstrous serpent be.

- I am the mother of all serpents, I am the Guardian of Bas'Ilea, I am the Great Serpent.

- I'm... I'm... - She was left speechless, having her god before her.

- Take it in, my child. - The Serpent lowered her head down, her breath embraced Sch'Lvya in a comforting aura. - You are safe here.

Sch'Lvya took a deep breath and got up, trying to maintain an upright position. As fear faded away and the aura of the guardian embraced her, she could now take a more detailed look at the giant serpent. Her scales had a tyrian hue to them, their shine dimming the sun behind her. The golden eyes looked down, back to her as she tried to make sense of what she sees.

- W-where am I...?

- This is the Meadow, my dear. - Serpent bellowed. - A place between life and death, and I am a guardian of your kind, an entity born out of combined energy of your people.

- Life and... death...? Does that mean... - Sch'Lvya's hood folded, as breath left her chest.

- Yes. - Sch'Lvya felt like as if an icicle pierced her heard, she looked down crushed by the news.

- Do you know if others...?

- As you can see, you are alone here. - Guardian smiled softly. - You did good.

Sch'Lvya looked up, seeing the sun behind the slithering mass of the Great Serpent, which hasn't moved an inch.

- And the others before me?

- Already passed on. - Serpent turned around and hissed towards the setting sun.

- So this is the end... Isn't it? - She sighed, rubbing the back of her head.

- In a way.

- In a... way? - Sch'Lvya looked to the mysterious figure with a somewhat confused look.

Guardian slithered around, sending massive waves of water in all directions, Sch'Lvya needed to brace, as sea and land shifted around the leviathan.

- You sacrificed your life to save others, but, your spirit is still intact.

- My spirit...?

- Souls that enter the Meadow, move on to the Beyond by following the setting sun. - Serpent bellowed again. - However...

- However...?

- I can offer you a second chance, rarely an individual shows qualities like you do. - Serpent hissed, stretching her jaws. - I could use someone like you.

- A second chance...? - Sch'Lvya raised an eyebrow, quite perplexed. - Could use...?

- Indeed. - Serpent smiled softly while looking down to Sch'Lvya.

- How can I serve you... Great Serpent...?

Guardian chuckled, shaking her head slowly and flickering her tongue.

- I need a champion.

- Champion...? For what? - She asked bewildered.

- Take a deep breath and try to focus with me.

Sch'Lvya closed her eyes and let the fresh air fill her lungs. As she began to meditate, she started to feel a certain, unsettling aura. Crimson clouds covering the sun of afterlife, horrible screams of the past souls intertwined with thunder and lightning. Meadow turned into a horrible wasteland, where souls go to be devoured by unknown force.

- Can you feel it? - Serpent asked.

- I think... I think I can...? - She tried to hone in on the vision, which sent shivers down her spine. - It feels... horrible.

- I have sensed this for aeons, a storm of unspoken magnitude is brewing. I have a need for someone of your temper and determination, a person of sacrifice and duty to find the source of this deadly growth on life. A champion to lead the Serpentkind.

Sch'Lvya looked up, toward the shooting stars. She was given a choice, refuse the Serpent and move on to the beyond, but, if the vision isn't just a ploy of the leviathan, will the coming struggle find her in the afterlife anyway? To take a godlike being on its offer always has its consequences, but in turn, through the service to the Great Serpent, she can have a second chance at life. While clenching her fists and taking a deep breath she realized, she can still make things right. Her mind flooded with memories of her earlier life, of her family and everyone else who she swore to protect. She felt a burning fire inside, almost as if her heart started to rhythmically beat once again. This time, she can hunt down the one responsible for all this cruelty and settle the score.

- Great Serpent! I will be your champion.

Giant serpent bellowed and laughed. Sch'Lvya raised her eyebrows, confused at what's next, but the initial curiosity quickly disappeared. Guardian slithered heavily around and rose its head to the stars. It shouted into the void in language her mind couldn't comprehend and before she could react, the enormous maw of the serpent opened, as it lowered itself down onto her. With a mountain crushing bite, depths of the serpents maw engulfed Sch'Lvya.

Sun shone through red tinted glass, covering the interior of the temple in a crimson hue. Fabric of dark flags hanging from the high celling fluttered in light, cold wind. Clang of claws of a group of Bas'Ileans sounded against the marble flooring, approaching a tall, cowled serpent, kneeling down on the altar by lifeless Sch'Lvya whose body had an array of cables attached to her spinal cord.

- Your highness, with all due respect. - Voice of an elder scientist echoed in the hall. - She has been braindead for... By the serpent!

The elder stood by an array of holographic screens displayed by a row of computers, shocked at what he's seeing. Brain scans lit up, as Sch'Lvya's body started to twitch, sending sparks through outlets in her spine.

- Her spirit is here. - Tall, robe wearing serpent let out a metallic hiss from under her cowl.

- But that's... impossible! - Scientist grabbed his head in shock.

- Your highness, perimeter has been secured. - Leader of the approaching, heavily armed and armoured group spoke through a filter in her helmet. - Not long before their reinforcements arrive, however.

Serpentine Bas'Ilissa, the empress herself nodded softly to the officer and her group of elite troops.

- The ritual is not yet complete. - She shook her head. - Stronger connection is needed.

- Bring in the mole. - Officer hissed, ordering her soldiers.

Obediently, the troopers grabbed an imprisoned Bas'Ilean traitor. Throwing him in front of the altar, at the Empress' feet.

- Let me go, you Imperial bootlickers! - He shouted. - I won't tell you anything!

- Shut it, traitor scum. - Officer hit him on the face with the butt of her rifle, sending him crawling on the floor.

Empress pointed her hand towards the spy hurdled up at her feet, terrified and shaking. Wind in the temple picked up, as claws of her scaled hand extended with a metallic slide. The captured spy tried to slither away as fast as he could, away from the altar, but before he managed to get his footing on the marble floor, Empress forcefully inserted her long, metal claws into spy's ribcage and raised him up. Blood flown down her arm, raising him higher as thunder sounded outside, with lightning illuminating the hall in crimson red shine. Spy choked on his own blood, unable to say anything beside gurgling, to which Empress simply put a finger of her left hand to his mouth and silently hushed him down. Her eyes shone deep red, with bright crimson lights along her muzzle illuminating her emotionless face, as the agent hanged down, with his life slipping away. With a crunch of her hand and bright, blinding flash of a lightning, gurgling ceased, leaving only a bloody, lifeless body which dropped down on the ground as Empress retracted her claws. Immediately after that, she took hold of Sch'Lvya's twitching body, grabbing her by her throat and raising her up. By now, thundering weather outside grew to immense strength, with wind blowing harshly. Sch'Lvya's eyes lit up brightly, leaving trails of brightness in the dust raised up in the temple. Another flash and thunder filled the room, as all the windows of the cathedral broke simultaneously.

Darkness surrounded her and absolute silence rang in her ears as she floated in what appeared to be void. She couldn't see anything, the darkness of the place she found herself in engulfed everything, even her own body. Not being able to move a muscle, she felt like a brain floating in space. However, the burning in her chest persisted, she felt as blood slowly starts to flow through her veins. Suddenly, shocks went through her body, despite not being able to see, she felt her arms and legs move. After countless shocks, lenses in her eyes lit up. She was confused, as she saw Bas'Ilean letters appear out of nowhere. Texts contained information about system calibrations, most of them having faults. Her eyes started to work soon after, as her operating software booted in safe mode. She saw the face of the Empress, whose eyes started to go back to normal and bright heat pits along her upper lip dimmed down, as ritual was complete the hold on her throat was released. Sch'Lvya dropped down on the altar and breathed deeply, gasping for air. A massive array of tubes, pipes and cables coming out of her spine limited her movements as she started regaining control of all her senses.

- Welcome back. - Empress spoke with an angelic voice, intertwined with a cybernetic tone, as her brown-cream scaled face welcomed Sch'Lvya back in the world of the living, with a gentle smile.

As the Empress set her down, she flickered her tongue anxiously and slowly looked around. Surrounded by a group of heavily armed soldiers, scientists and the figure in the center, a tall, mysterious serpent. Being in shock, Sch'Lvya took a few seconds to comprehend what's happening, before she looked down to her body. Her scales looked bloodied, not healed yet, with massive scars and operational cuts all over her body. Some metallic implants showed through her tissue, which was replaced with panels of fleshy bio-resin, especially her legs and left arm, having no skin on them at all, only showing titanium skeleton, cables and servomotors, which leaked oil and lubricant. Her eyes widened, sight of her body, now a mangled mess of metal and artificial flesh left her speechless.

- Leave her room to breathe, she's gonna be in shock! - Elder scientist pushed the soldiers away from the altar. - For Serpent's sake, she just came back to life!

- Ro'Tozk...? - Sch'Lvya said with a robotic tone, recognizing the scientist.

- Yes, yes my dear. - He gently took hold of her metallic hands. - Everything is okay, just breathe.

- We don't have much time before the Tekh'Let arrive. - Officer spoke, looking down to confused, shaking Sch'Lvya and Ro'Tozk trying to comfort her. - Your highness, we need to leave. - She said to the Empress.

- But your majesty! Agent Ta'Sha! - He shouted. - Her body might refuse the cybernetics, the diagnostics haven't been done yet and everything is off the charts we can't just...!

- We can't risk Empress' life! - Officer grabbed him by collar of his lab coat.

- Stand down, agent. - Empress signaled her to let go.

- Khh... As you say, your highness. - Ta'Sha pushed the doctor away, then turned around to face her squad.

Having regained his ground, Ro'Tozk turned around to the altar, seeing her old student in a horrifying state.

- It's okay Sch'Lvya, take it easy. - Doctor coughed, fixed his coat and looked to her. - You're safe now.

- Ro'Tozk..? W-what happened to me...? - She asked, not believing her sight. - What is going on...? - Her robotic voice echoed in the hall of the temple.

- Yes, Sch'Lvya, it's me, don't worry. - He tried to comfort her. - You're in good hands.

Sch'Lvya tried getting up when she felt a kinetic force field softly rise her up on her feet. Telekinetic field held up by the Empress helped the hissing, mangled, short circuiting serpent up.

- Great Serpent has given you a second chance. - Her hand let the forcefield down, before resting her scaled hand on Sch'Lvya's cheek, half of her face being seemingly scraped off, showing a titanium skull with circuitry sticking out. One eye lacked a fleshy lens around it, just a red robotic reticle, while her lower, serpentine jaws had no skin covering them.

Sch'Lvya breathed deeply, as the touch of the Empress calmed her. She remembered the aura, the feel she felt during the conversation she had back in the Meadow with the Leviathan Serpent. She knew that agreeing to a bargain like that would have consequences, however, in the deepest chasms of her imagination she didn't expect this.

- Doctor, prepare her for transport to the ship at once. - Empress said.

- Of course your highness.

Ro'Tozk looked Sch'Lvya in the eyes, which flickered and flashed.

- Please, try to get up, we need to get you to safety. - He said to her. - Take your time though, no rush.

- Ro'Tozk... - She said, sad, but unable to cry, trying to slowly slither off of the altar.

- Yes, Sch'Lvya? - Scientist signaled to his coworkers.

- What is... what am I...? What's going to happen with me...?

- Shh, everything is going to be okay. - He sighed. - You're still you, we just need to finish fixing you...

Sch'Lvya fell on her knees, as she tried to walk. Alarms going off in her systems, sending sparks from sticking out cables. She scanned the room around her with her cybernetic eyes. Soldiers stopped surrounding her, however, now scientists took their place, clearly documenting everything that is happening with her new body. The temple was dark and the flags fluttered heavily with the strong, thunderous wind making it's way through broken windows.

- It may sting, quite badly. - Ro'Tozk said, while remaining scientists took hold of the cables and pipes attached to Sch'Lvya's back. - Are you ready?

- Do I have a choice? - She clenched her jaws and fists, bracing for incoming pain.

With a strong yank of each cable, scientists disconnected Sch'Lvya's cords one by one. Electrical shocks went through her entire nervous system, sending her down on the cold, marble floor. Soon however, her systems rebooted, as she felt new energy coursing through her. Slowly, but confidently she got up, as errors in front of her eyes disappeared. She still ran in safe mode, but her body started to answer to her moves, each finger, toe, even her long tail made out of segmented metal plates moved smoothly and almost weightlessly.

- Remarkable...! - Ro'Tozk was positively shocked at how Sch'Lvya's new body worked.

- I feel... alive. - Robotic voice left her throat, before she took a deep breath of the cold air coming in from outside and let out a long sigh.

- Unbelievable, miraculous! This is simply... - Doctor was stopped in the middle of his sentence by shots and explosions outside.

Suddenly a running soldier came into the hall, shouting on top of his lungs.

- Your highness! - He stopped right before the group, panting deeply. - The Tekh'Let fleet is in orbit!

- Take everything that's important, destroy the rest. - Empress said to the doctors, who immediately started to pack up any datapads and electronics they could carry.

The hoodless monarch put her cowl back on and with an echelon of soldiers as an escort walked out of the hall, closely followed by the doctors, leaving only Ta'Sha with a few troopers, who started to deploy explosives around the room, and Sch'Lvya standing in the middle, still confused about what's happening.

- You! - Ta'Sha walked up towards Sch'Lvya. - Don't just stand there, you're the asset we're meant to save.

Suddenly, however, an explosion rocked the entire temple, making it crumble. Tons of bricks and concrete creaked, as the entire building started to collapse. Sch'Lvya instinctively grabbed Ta'Sha and pulled her down to the floor, hiding under the altar as much as they could, with her using the new metallic body to shield the agent from falling debris. In seconds, the massive building gave up under another and another explosion, apparently shelled from the orbit. Floor under their feet has crumbled along with the walls, sending both serpents down, into dark, deep catacombs under the temple. Clouds of dust and soot raised up, covering the reddish sky.

Sch'Lvya shook her head, her eyes refocused, before she attempted to take a breath. Dust irritated her lungs, causing her to cough. She threw several bricks off of her body, freeing herself.

- I really had better days before. - She sighed and said to herself, while standing up.

Cold wind from the gaping hole above slowly cleared the dust, allowing her to see and breathe more clearly. After a few short moments of trying to locate herself, she saw a tip of a white tail, with a blue pattern on its scales, peeking out of pile of rubble. Sch'Lvya quickly jumped to it and started to dig through the bricks and stone with her hands. Agent Ta'Sha layed there, unconscious, with her armour heavily damaged, with her scales peeking through her tattered bodysuit. Quickly, Sch'Lvya removed her helmet and checked if she's breathing. Uncovered, a pointy muzzle unlike her own and lack of a hood sold her off as a member of a hardy minority sub-species of snakekind. She was relieved to feel a warm breath leaving Ta'Sha's maw, against her cheek. Softly, she knelt beside her and slid her tail under her head, allowing her a few moments, while removing more rubble from her body. After a few moments, she noticed Ta'Sha's eyes twitch, and slowly open, revealing reddish, irritated, deep blue irises.

- You okay? - Sch'Lvya asked, trying to somehow scan Ta'Sha's body, while nudging her side. - Ta'Sha?

- I'm... - She coughed harshly, trying to rub her dusted eyes. - I think I'm fine...

- Good, good, no rush. - Cyborg serpent slowly continued to remove rubble from her compatriot.

- Argh! - Ta'Sha sprung up, grabbing her leg, which was pinned to the ground by a steel rod jabbed through it, with blood leaking from under her bodysuit.

Sch'Lvya without a word grabbed her leg using her tail and squeezed it hard, to slow the blood flow.

- Shh, calm down, if you panic your blood pressure will increase. - She said, setting a hand on her shoulder.

- Easy for you to say... Fine... - While trying to calm down, she breathed deeply.

- We need to find the rest, get you to safety, out of this place. - Sch'Lvya looked up to the red, evening sky which started to cloud up with dust.

- I... I don't think I'm going anywhere...

- Don't just give up like this. - Sch'Lvya tried to think of a way to free Ta'Sha without causing more trauma to her injury.

- You're the reason we came here in the first place! - She hissed.

- Why...? What do you mean?

- Empress said something about Bas'Toroq being something called "Meadow Node". - Ta'Sha shook her head. - I said it's a lost world, there is nothing left here since the war, but she insisted she needs this place to get YOU back to life.

- W-what...? I don't understand. - Sch'Lvya rubbed back of her head.

- Do you really want me to give you lecture here, right now? - Injured serpent hissed.

- Well... It's not like you're going anywhere. - She raised her eyebrow.

- Spare me this shit. - Ta'Sha sighed, handing Sch'Lvya her pistol. - Just end this and leave, many good soldiers died to get you here, and I won't let you waste this now.

Sch'Lvya's eyes scanned the pistol, having it's specifications listed out. A military grade 10mm cartridge-less service handgun with a laser pointer attached to it's underbarrel. She thought, kind of shocked, at the request while gripping the pistol tightly.

- ... - Ta'Sha met with silence, closed her eyes and clenched her fists as she heard Sch'Lvya chamber a round in the gun. - You won't be joining them.

Instead of putting the pistol to her head, she put the barrel under Ta'Sha's leg, and shot straight into where the steel rod was sticking out of the concrete. Then she grabbed the rod with both hands and broke it off, using the grip of her metallic hands and strength worthy of a cyborg, sliding it out of Ta'Sha's wound.

- Gah! You stupid fucking..! - Ta'Sha screamed as her leg squirted blood out of the open injury.

- Shut it, you'll thank me later. - Sch'Lvya said while throwing the steel rod away, and picking up Ta'Sha.

She set her pale, injured compatriot across her shoulders, in a fireman hold, still having her tail wrapped tightly around Ta'Sha's leg to minimize the bleeding.

- I'll get you for... - Ta'Sha mumbled, while losing consciousness.

Slowly, Sch'Lvya climbed up the rubble piles, holding Ta'Sha with her left arm, and the pistol in her right, in case of encountering any hostiles attempting to intercept them. Struggling to maintain her footing on crumbling stones and crushed bricks, she slowly climbed higher and higher, as evening sun softly embraced her form. Her servos and motors felt like they're starting to lock up, or run out of power. She took a deep breath, which she let out in a shivering way. Having climbed out of the collapsed ruins, her eyes were met with a skirmish between Bas'Ilean ships in the orbit. Her mind flooded with questions, how long was she out? What is even happening?

Soon however, her train of thought was interrupted with a flutter of helicopter blades coming closer and closer, circling around the destroyed ruins of the temple and landing nearby. A group of soldiers jumped out of the doors of a large twin-rotored transport helicopter and assumed a defensive formation. Sch'Lvya gripped the pistol tighter with her shaking, sparking hand, while walking closer, watching the marines, just as they watched her, however soon, the leader of the group stood shocked, seathing his rifle and taking off his helmet, uncovering a face familiar to Sch'Lvya. With his mouth agape, he stared flabbergasted at the mangled body coming closer, before quickly ordering all his soldiers to stand down.

- Schee...? - His eyes widened as singular tears slid down his orange cheeks. - By the Serpent...

Sch'Lvya's grasp of the pistol loosened, as she dropped it to the ground, and felt to her knees as her power started to fade away.

- Na'Rov...