I HOPE that you haven't forgotten about certain plot lines... like the devices implanted in the heads of several of the Xavier Team to make them serve Farshore... that would really be rather unfortunate...
Part LXVIII: Leaving the Past
Date: Yippah 17th, 114 A.U.
The aircraft flew overhead as they huddled in the cave, waiting for the entourage of planes to fly by, terrified of being found out. After the aircraft had been gone for several minutes, cautiously, Hazael stepped out, looking and making sure that the elven aircraft were gone, flying off in the distance, before gesturing to his comrades.
Sereth stepped out, supporting Cortna, as she looked across the skies. “They’re gone.”
“It appear so,” Hazael solemnly said. “All elves gone. See; the Citadel burns.”
Sereth’s head whipped around to see the smoke and the faint light of flames licking from the Citadel, now a couple miles behind them. “Aye,” she said. “It ‘twould appear that they are burning the remnants of what they ‘ave left behind.”
“We’re on own, without them,” Hazael said. “Alone.”
A shudder of realization went through Sereth. “Aye,” she said. “We’re alone here, in the Northern Mountains, with only ourselves and our speeder.” Cortna groaned, and moved, as she begun to awake. She looked around, a nervous look in her eyes, as tremors began to pass through her.
“There was a battle,” Sereth quickly lied. “We were knocked out and the Emperor left without us.” Cortna shakily nodded, moving her mouth, but without any sound coming out. So weak. So different. Sereth bit her lip to keep back the tears.
The elven aircraft slowly flew through the air, passing by mountains and valleys, as those inside wondered about what would be their future.
“We failed,” Astrid said, dejectedly. “We did all of that do stop him, and he still survived.” Flek bit his lip as he tried to figure out how the Emperor still lived. They had just intercepted a message from the Emperor to the Mothership proclaiming that he was still alive.
“I-I don’t know how he could be,” Reynyagn snapped, a tinge in his voice. “I had given him what was most definitely a mortal wound—and I know what is and what is not a mortal wound. How could he have survived?!”
“Obviously something happened,” Zarien said. “I don’t know what, but the unmistakable fact still remains—the Emperor still lives. And Rider lies here dead.”
“We can do no more than to give him a proper burial,” Brother Tomas said. “Give him a proper burial place to rest his head one last time.”
“Where?” Reynyagn asked. “Here in the middle of nowhere?”
“I know techniques to preserve his body for a short while,” Brother Tomas said. “We can still have many days before we need to find a proper burial place for him, hopefully a place that isn’t in the middle of a wasteland.”
“Where are we going, then?” Flek asked. “Our plans have been ruined with the continued life of the Emperor. Where now shall we go?”
“Forward as we had before planned,” Reynyagn said. “We had planned already to go to the traditional point on this earth that our star lies. Without any better plans, I propose that we continue there. There is no other reason to stay here.”
“Yeah,” Monty said. “I don’t feel like going back and helping the orcs in their tribal war, and I doubt the orcs would want us for much else.”
“The orcs?!” Astrid suddenly gave a shriek as she leapt up from her seat, her face growing a deathly pale.
“What about the orcs?” Reynyagn asked.
“The implantations!” Astrid cried. “We’ve left them—they’re going to kill us?!”
The snow flew past them as they clung to one another atop the speeder, bits of snow flying in their faces as Sereth tried to shield herself from its blast. Mountains loomed ahead of them, and behind them. She held on to Cortna tightly, who was sandwiched between her and Hazael. In front, Hazael kept his gaze strictly in front of him. Hazael. It was only through his quick and effective plan that had got them to escape the camp while it was still in confusion and leave the cursed Emperor and his flock for good. To leave to find a place to recove—a place outside of his venomous glares—a place where they might be able to bring Cortna back to life.
“I cannot find any notice of them,” the orc growled. “All the other captured elven guards support the elf’s story of them getting into an airship and flying off. They all testify that there was a chase after them, but that they ended up getting away.”
“They escaped!” Farshore snapped, and he swore. “Such excellent warriors… all flown the coop… and the Emperor still alive.” He dug his heel into the ground as he seethed. “So, they think that they can escape us. They think that they can break the deal that they made with me.”
“It would appear, from some sources, that they may have gone with Orglan’s group,” the orc said. “As you know, Orglan attacked the Citadel with us. Apparently, some of their friends that we had left for dead on the mountainside were still alive, and joined Orglan. The elven sources cite them as having joined the rest of the Xavier Team as well as one of the orcs, when they bordered the ship.”
“Orglan!” Farshore said, and he again swore. “He took the rest of the team to fight against me!”
“Orglan’s body has been found dead in the Citadel,” the orc informed Farshore.
“At least one good thing happened apart from losing so many of our men!” Farshore snapped. “But he’ll still have a replacement leader. One who has captured the rest of the so-called Xavier Team.” Farshore gritted his teeth. “Go press the button—you know the one that I mean. Let them escape and think they’ve won the day. They’ll learn too late who controls the power of the minds.”
“I had not anticipated this development,” Reynyagn said as he paced the chamber quickly. “I knew that they had captured you—but not how they had done so. This news is disturbing. We’ll have to return you—as soon as possible—to the orcs if we’re going to preserve your life.”
“But if we return to the orcs-” Jroldin began.
“We’ll figure out how to get terms of freedom when we get to that point,” Reynyagn said. “But you’re no good to us dead.”
They will not die.
What? Flek’s head quickly moved as he listened to the voice.
The implants in their head have a limit of fifty miles. You are beyond that point.
“They won’t die,” Flek quickly said. “We won’t die, I mean.”
“How so?” Reynyagn turned to fix his eyes on Flek.
“The implants in our head have a limit—fifty miles or so, I think—if my memory is correct," he said. “I’m almost positive we’re fifty miles away from them now. Their machinery can’t reach this far.”
“How do you know this?” Reynaygn asked.
You spied on them.
“I managed to overhear their conversation,” Flek lied. “They were speaking of the limit and of trying to make sure that we’d stay close to their radius.”
“I had better make sure we’re fifty miles away…” Reynyagn said, moving to the computer.
“You’re a life saver, Flek,” Brother Tomas said. “If you hadn’t over heard your conversation…”
“Sixty miles away from the Citadel—that ought to be more than sixty miles away from their headquarters,” Reynyagn said. “They have no power over you anymore.”
The speeder slowly ground to a halt and Sereth cautiously stepped off, looking around at the wilderness before them. The mountains rose high, but a pass could be seen, a pass through the mountains that would eventually lead them to freedom. Hazael stepped beside her as Cortna moved to stand by Sereth, gazing at the setting sun.
“We have a new birth of freedom,” Sereth said. “Freedom apart from the clutches of the Emperor.”
“New live have we,” Hazael said. “We must use it wisely.”
Part LXVIII: Leaving the Past
Date: Yippah 17th, 114 A.U.
The aircraft flew overhead as they huddled in the cave, waiting for the entourage of planes to fly by, terrified of being found out. After the aircraft had been gone for several minutes, cautiously, Hazael stepped out, looking and making sure that the elven aircraft were gone, flying off in the distance, before gesturing to his comrades.
Sereth stepped out, supporting Cortna, as she looked across the skies. “They’re gone.”
“It appear so,” Hazael solemnly said. “All elves gone. See; the Citadel burns.”
Sereth’s head whipped around to see the smoke and the faint light of flames licking from the Citadel, now a couple miles behind them. “Aye,” she said. “It ‘twould appear that they are burning the remnants of what they ‘ave left behind.”
“We’re on own, without them,” Hazael said. “Alone.”
A shudder of realization went through Sereth. “Aye,” she said. “We’re alone here, in the Northern Mountains, with only ourselves and our speeder.” Cortna groaned, and moved, as she begun to awake. She looked around, a nervous look in her eyes, as tremors began to pass through her.
“There was a battle,” Sereth quickly lied. “We were knocked out and the Emperor left without us.” Cortna shakily nodded, moving her mouth, but without any sound coming out. So weak. So different. Sereth bit her lip to keep back the tears.
The elven aircraft slowly flew through the air, passing by mountains and valleys, as those inside wondered about what would be their future.
“We failed,” Astrid said, dejectedly. “We did all of that do stop him, and he still survived.” Flek bit his lip as he tried to figure out how the Emperor still lived. They had just intercepted a message from the Emperor to the Mothership proclaiming that he was still alive.
“I-I don’t know how he could be,” Reynyagn snapped, a tinge in his voice. “I had given him what was most definitely a mortal wound—and I know what is and what is not a mortal wound. How could he have survived?!”
“Obviously something happened,” Zarien said. “I don’t know what, but the unmistakable fact still remains—the Emperor still lives. And Rider lies here dead.”
“We can do no more than to give him a proper burial,” Brother Tomas said. “Give him a proper burial place to rest his head one last time.”
“Where?” Reynyagn asked. “Here in the middle of nowhere?”
“I know techniques to preserve his body for a short while,” Brother Tomas said. “We can still have many days before we need to find a proper burial place for him, hopefully a place that isn’t in the middle of a wasteland.”
“Where are we going, then?” Flek asked. “Our plans have been ruined with the continued life of the Emperor. Where now shall we go?”
“Forward as we had before planned,” Reynyagn said. “We had planned already to go to the traditional point on this earth that our star lies. Without any better plans, I propose that we continue there. There is no other reason to stay here.”
“Yeah,” Monty said. “I don’t feel like going back and helping the orcs in their tribal war, and I doubt the orcs would want us for much else.”
“The orcs?!” Astrid suddenly gave a shriek as she leapt up from her seat, her face growing a deathly pale.
“What about the orcs?” Reynyagn asked.
“The implantations!” Astrid cried. “We’ve left them—they’re going to kill us?!”
The snow flew past them as they clung to one another atop the speeder, bits of snow flying in their faces as Sereth tried to shield herself from its blast. Mountains loomed ahead of them, and behind them. She held on to Cortna tightly, who was sandwiched between her and Hazael. In front, Hazael kept his gaze strictly in front of him. Hazael. It was only through his quick and effective plan that had got them to escape the camp while it was still in confusion and leave the cursed Emperor and his flock for good. To leave to find a place to recove—a place outside of his venomous glares—a place where they might be able to bring Cortna back to life.
“I cannot find any notice of them,” the orc growled. “All the other captured elven guards support the elf’s story of them getting into an airship and flying off. They all testify that there was a chase after them, but that they ended up getting away.”
“They escaped!” Farshore snapped, and he swore. “Such excellent warriors… all flown the coop… and the Emperor still alive.” He dug his heel into the ground as he seethed. “So, they think that they can escape us. They think that they can break the deal that they made with me.”
“It would appear, from some sources, that they may have gone with Orglan’s group,” the orc said. “As you know, Orglan attacked the Citadel with us. Apparently, some of their friends that we had left for dead on the mountainside were still alive, and joined Orglan. The elven sources cite them as having joined the rest of the Xavier Team as well as one of the orcs, when they bordered the ship.”
“Orglan!” Farshore said, and he again swore. “He took the rest of the team to fight against me!”
“Orglan’s body has been found dead in the Citadel,” the orc informed Farshore.
“At least one good thing happened apart from losing so many of our men!” Farshore snapped. “But he’ll still have a replacement leader. One who has captured the rest of the so-called Xavier Team.” Farshore gritted his teeth. “Go press the button—you know the one that I mean. Let them escape and think they’ve won the day. They’ll learn too late who controls the power of the minds.”
“I had not anticipated this development,” Reynyagn said as he paced the chamber quickly. “I knew that they had captured you—but not how they had done so. This news is disturbing. We’ll have to return you—as soon as possible—to the orcs if we’re going to preserve your life.”
“But if we return to the orcs-” Jroldin began.
“We’ll figure out how to get terms of freedom when we get to that point,” Reynyagn said. “But you’re no good to us dead.”
They will not die.
What? Flek’s head quickly moved as he listened to the voice.
The implants in their head have a limit of fifty miles. You are beyond that point.
“They won’t die,” Flek quickly said. “We won’t die, I mean.”
“How so?” Reynyagn turned to fix his eyes on Flek.
“The implants in our head have a limit—fifty miles or so, I think—if my memory is correct," he said. “I’m almost positive we’re fifty miles away from them now. Their machinery can’t reach this far.”
“How do you know this?” Reynaygn asked.
You spied on them.
“I managed to overhear their conversation,” Flek lied. “They were speaking of the limit and of trying to make sure that we’d stay close to their radius.”
“I had better make sure we’re fifty miles away…” Reynyagn said, moving to the computer.
“You’re a life saver, Flek,” Brother Tomas said. “If you hadn’t over heard your conversation…”
“Sixty miles away from the Citadel—that ought to be more than sixty miles away from their headquarters,” Reynyagn said. “They have no power over you anymore.”
The speeder slowly ground to a halt and Sereth cautiously stepped off, looking around at the wilderness before them. The mountains rose high, but a pass could be seen, a pass through the mountains that would eventually lead them to freedom. Hazael stepped beside her as Cortna moved to stand by Sereth, gazing at the setting sun.
“We have a new birth of freedom,” Sereth said. “Freedom apart from the clutches of the Emperor.”
“New live have we,” Hazael said. “We must use it wisely.”
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