Page 25 of Rescued By the Alien Acolyte

I turn from the altar, the source of all this chaos, looking for a weapon. Gripping a fallen statue’s arm, I swing with all my might. The impact cracks the stone, sending splinters flying. Zax’r joins me, his four arms wielding chunks of debris. We assault the cursed altar relentlessly. With a final, thunderous blow, it shatters. The ground trembles as its fragments crash to the floor.

A shockwave of energy explodes outward, knocking everyone off their feet. I’m thrown back, slamming into one of the towering sun god statues. Pain erupts in my side—broken ribs, probably—but I push it aside. There are more important things to worry about.

As the dust begins to settle, I scan the room frantically. The chamber is in chaos. Many of the acolytes lie motionless on the ground, while others scramble desperately for the exits. The statues that lined the walls have toppled, creating a maze of fallen stone and debris.

I spot Kuran first, his cybernetic eye glowing faintly in the dim light. He’s helping Leera to her feet. Both look worse for wear; Kuran’s sporting a nasty gash on his forehead, and Leera’s antennae are drooping limply. But they’re alive, and that’s what matters.

Finally, I see her. Loelle lies motionless near the remnants of the altar, half-buried under a pile of rubble. My heart stops for a moment, until I see the slight rise and fall of her chest. She’s alive, but for how long?

Ignoring the protests of my battered body, I limp toward her as quickly as I can. Each step sends a jolt of pain through my side, but I grit my teeth and push on. I drop to my knees beside her, carefully brushing away the smaller pieces of debris.

“Loelle,” I say, gently cradling her head. “Loelle, can you hear me?”

For a moment, there is no response. Then her eyes flutter open, meeting mine. They are unfocused at first, but then recognition dawns. “Finzar?” she whispers, her voice hoarse and barely audible above the rumbling of the crumbling temple.

“I’m here,” I respond, surprised by the tenderness in my own voice. It’s a tone I haven’t used in years, one I thought I’d forgotten how to use. “It’s over. We did it.”

She manages a weak smile, wincing slightly at the effort. “We make a pretty good team, huh?”

I can’t help but chuckle, immediately regretting it as pain lances through my broken ribs. “That we do,” I agree, then grow serious. “But we’re not out of this yet. Can you move?”

Loelle takes a deep breath, then nods. “I think so. Help me up?”

As gently as I can, I help her to her feet. She sways for a moment, and I keep a steadying hand on her arm. It’s clear she’s in pain—probably has a concussion, maybe some brokenbones—but her eyes are clear and determined. That’s the Loelle I know.

“Kuran!” I call out, my voice hoarse. “Status report!”

He turns toward me, his organic eye squinting through the dust. “Alive, but barely,” he shouts back. “This place is coming down around us. We need to move!”

As if to emphasize his point, a large chunk of the ceiling crashes down nearby, sending up a cloud of dust and debris. The rumbling that’s been constant since the altar shattered suddenly intensifies.

“Right,” I nod, taking charge of the situation. “Kuran, you’ve got Leera. Zax’r, can you manage with that arm?”

The four-armed alien nods grimly. “I’ve had worse,” he growls.

“Good. I’ve got Loelle. Let’s move!”

With Loelle leaning heavily on me, we make our way toward the exit. It’s slow going; the floor is treacherous, littered with fallen stones and the bodies of acolytes. The air is thick with dust, making it hard to breathe and even harder to see.

As we reach the main corridor, we encounter a group of outlaws. They’re leading a group of haggard-looking individuals—the victims the Nexus had kept in cages.

“Come on!” one of the outlaws shouts, waving us forward. “We’ve got to get out of here!”

We don’t waste time responding, just hurry to join them. As we reach the door, I cast one last look back at the chamber. The altar lies in ruins, Sakar’s body half-buried beneath the rubble. The golden light that once filled the room has faded, replaced by the angry red glow of whatever power we’ve unleashed.

We join the stream of escapees, all of us urging each other on as the temple continues to crumble around us. I keep a firm grip on Loelle’s hand, terrified of losing her in the chaos. Kuran leads the way, his cybernetic eye providing better visibility in the dust-filled air.

“Left here,” he shouts, taking a sharp turn. “This tunnel should lead us to the surface!”

We follow without question, trusting in his enhanced senses. The tunnel slopes upward, giving us hope that we’re indeed heading toward the exit. But the going is tough. More than once, we have to stop to clear fallen debris from our path.

After what feels like hours but is probably only minutes, we see it—a faint glimmer of natural light ahead. The exit!

We push forward. The light grows brighter, the air less stifling. We’re almost there…

And then the mountain gives one final, massive shake. The tunnel behind us collapses with a deafening roar. I look up to see cracks racing across the ceiling above us, chunks of rock already starting to fall.

“Run!” I bellow, pushing Loelle ahead of me. “Don’t stop; don’t look back!”

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