Part THirty Four... the end approaches... One special post will come out tomorrow, and then one on Saturday to finish up Book I: The Star.
Part XXXIV: A Star Shall Lead Them
Date: Amanela 18th, 114 A.U.
“You’re… mad…” Zarien forced out as he tried to escape the electrical field that the orc had put him in. “Let… me… go!”
“Shut your clamour,” Number 994 said as he hailed the speeder.
At that moment, Zarien managed to move so that a tree was in between him and Number 994. As the electrical current fizzled, free, Zarien ignored the burning pain in his chest and, grabbing a long stick as a weapon, leapt out on the opposite side of the tree, readying the stick to thrust into the orc’s neck.
Number 994 turned and shot a bolt of lightning. Ducking, Zarien moved forward and leapt once more to come down upon the orc, smashing his makeshift spear into Number 994’s chest. Before he could do so, something hit him from up ahead. A wide net, its ends holding heavy metal balls, crashed into him, his feet catching and his body being pushed back so that he flew backwards onto the ground as the net closed around him.
Desperate, Zarien struggled to get out of the net, but it was too late. The speeder slowed to a halt near the orc, and someone leapt out. It was… a goblin?
Looking much too small to be a goblin, the goblin scurried forward and leapt on top of Zarien as it brandished a corsha dagger. “Your life is in our hands,” the goblin said.
“No!” Number 994 protested. “You’ve got the wrong person! I’m the rebel! It’s the orc that-”
“Don’t move, elf,” another voice said. Zarien turned to see two more figures coming toward him, the orc slowly following close behind. One of them was a goblin. The other was a tall dark form that made Zarien shiver. Could it be? He had heard stories about what Sla’ad were supposed to look like, but he had never imagined…
“Speak, elf,” the Sla’ad said. “We will not take your life without reason.”
“I am not Jaigran’s soldier,” Zarien snapped. “It is the orc who is your enemy here, and not I. I have been fighting against Jaigran and his Empire while mister orc here has been doing what he can to stop me.”
The Sla’ad turned to the orc. “Is this true?”
“If I wanted to kill the elf, I would have done so days ago,” Number 994 said slowly. “As is, after we escaped the MOthership, we have been together for the most part, just going who knows where, though partly after that blasted bright star in the sky.”
“You were attacking him when we arrived,” the taller goblin pointed out.
“I thought you were elves,” Number 994 replied curtly. “And I didn’t wish to die.”
No one spoke for a bit. “Just let me go,” Zarien said. “The orc has admitted my innocence. I think we can trust him as long as we don’t meet any other elves. I think.”
“The star…” the Sla’ad murmured.
“What?” Zarien asked.
“You were following the star,” the Sla’ad said.
“So?”
“An orc will help elf…” the Sla’ad murmured. “An orc and elf together following a star…”
“Your point?” Zarien asked.
“There is a prophesy,” the Sla’ad said. “One about the downfall of the greatest evil to rise in Arquenia and the only way to stop them. The Xavier Prophesy.” A chill ran down Zarien’s spine. He knew about the Xavier Prophesy, although the Emperor did his best to burn any copies of it.
“We too have been following the star,” the Sla’ad said. “I, Reynyagn, a Sla’ad perhaps to lead a group as well as one who saw a great slaughter. My companion, Flek, a goblin with great expertise who possibly is the warrior who seeks to lead. Only you…” He cocked his head. “The orc will help elf, yes… But which… Mayhaps one of you would be the betrayer…”
“And I lost them all,” Zarien said.
“Excuse me?”
“I lost them all,” Zarien said, painstakingly standing up while still in the net. “The prophesy said one would betray his friends and another would lose them all. Not less than a week ago, all of my friends were killed by an attack of the Emperor in the Mothership. If we can get the orc to betray his friends…” Number 994 didn’t seem particularly pleased by this proposition.
“The star will guide us,” Reynyagn said. “According to the prophesy, the star would gather the members of the prophesy together. Will this plan for the prophesy work? I see only one way of finding out whether or not we really are the members of the prophesy…”
“Follow the star north into the mountains,” Zarien said, gesturing to the mountains.
“Aye,” Reynyagn said. “According to my calculations, with the help of some charts on our machine, it seems that we must go far north beyond the mountains to where the star’s position on the earth would traditionally be held.”
“We go north then,” Zarien said, as the smaller goblin cut the ropes of the net that he was in.
“If your friend decides to come with us,” Flek remarked. “I mean, if he’s a traitor to the cause and is all for Emperor Jaigran and all.”
“I will come with you,” Number 994 said. “But I will make no promises about my allegiance and about where my proper place truly is.”
“The prophesy will sort it all out,” Reynyagn remarked. “If he’s good with coming with us…”
“We go forward,” Number 994 said.
Question of the Week:What are you most looking forward to in my serial?
Part XXXIV: A Star Shall Lead Them
Date: Amanela 18th, 114 A.U.
“You’re… mad…” Zarien forced out as he tried to escape the electrical field that the orc had put him in. “Let… me… go!”
“Shut your clamour,” Number 994 said as he hailed the speeder.
At that moment, Zarien managed to move so that a tree was in between him and Number 994. As the electrical current fizzled, free, Zarien ignored the burning pain in his chest and, grabbing a long stick as a weapon, leapt out on the opposite side of the tree, readying the stick to thrust into the orc’s neck.
Number 994 turned and shot a bolt of lightning. Ducking, Zarien moved forward and leapt once more to come down upon the orc, smashing his makeshift spear into Number 994’s chest. Before he could do so, something hit him from up ahead. A wide net, its ends holding heavy metal balls, crashed into him, his feet catching and his body being pushed back so that he flew backwards onto the ground as the net closed around him.
Desperate, Zarien struggled to get out of the net, but it was too late. The speeder slowed to a halt near the orc, and someone leapt out. It was… a goblin?
Looking much too small to be a goblin, the goblin scurried forward and leapt on top of Zarien as it brandished a corsha dagger. “Your life is in our hands,” the goblin said.
“No!” Number 994 protested. “You’ve got the wrong person! I’m the rebel! It’s the orc that-”
“Don’t move, elf,” another voice said. Zarien turned to see two more figures coming toward him, the orc slowly following close behind. One of them was a goblin. The other was a tall dark form that made Zarien shiver. Could it be? He had heard stories about what Sla’ad were supposed to look like, but he had never imagined…
“Speak, elf,” the Sla’ad said. “We will not take your life without reason.”
“I am not Jaigran’s soldier,” Zarien snapped. “It is the orc who is your enemy here, and not I. I have been fighting against Jaigran and his Empire while mister orc here has been doing what he can to stop me.”
The Sla’ad turned to the orc. “Is this true?”
“If I wanted to kill the elf, I would have done so days ago,” Number 994 said slowly. “As is, after we escaped the MOthership, we have been together for the most part, just going who knows where, though partly after that blasted bright star in the sky.”
“You were attacking him when we arrived,” the taller goblin pointed out.
“I thought you were elves,” Number 994 replied curtly. “And I didn’t wish to die.”
No one spoke for a bit. “Just let me go,” Zarien said. “The orc has admitted my innocence. I think we can trust him as long as we don’t meet any other elves. I think.”
“The star…” the Sla’ad murmured.
“What?” Zarien asked.
“You were following the star,” the Sla’ad said.
“So?”
“An orc will help elf…” the Sla’ad murmured. “An orc and elf together following a star…”
“Your point?” Zarien asked.
“There is a prophesy,” the Sla’ad said. “One about the downfall of the greatest evil to rise in Arquenia and the only way to stop them. The Xavier Prophesy.” A chill ran down Zarien’s spine. He knew about the Xavier Prophesy, although the Emperor did his best to burn any copies of it.
“We too have been following the star,” the Sla’ad said. “I, Reynyagn, a Sla’ad perhaps to lead a group as well as one who saw a great slaughter. My companion, Flek, a goblin with great expertise who possibly is the warrior who seeks to lead. Only you…” He cocked his head. “The orc will help elf, yes… But which… Mayhaps one of you would be the betrayer…”
“And I lost them all,” Zarien said.
“Excuse me?”
“I lost them all,” Zarien said, painstakingly standing up while still in the net. “The prophesy said one would betray his friends and another would lose them all. Not less than a week ago, all of my friends were killed by an attack of the Emperor in the Mothership. If we can get the orc to betray his friends…” Number 994 didn’t seem particularly pleased by this proposition.
“The star will guide us,” Reynyagn said. “According to the prophesy, the star would gather the members of the prophesy together. Will this plan for the prophesy work? I see only one way of finding out whether or not we really are the members of the prophesy…”
“Follow the star north into the mountains,” Zarien said, gesturing to the mountains.
“Aye,” Reynyagn said. “According to my calculations, with the help of some charts on our machine, it seems that we must go far north beyond the mountains to where the star’s position on the earth would traditionally be held.”
“We go north then,” Zarien said, as the smaller goblin cut the ropes of the net that he was in.
“If your friend decides to come with us,” Flek remarked. “I mean, if he’s a traitor to the cause and is all for Emperor Jaigran and all.”
“I will come with you,” Number 994 said. “But I will make no promises about my allegiance and about where my proper place truly is.”
“The prophesy will sort it all out,” Reynyagn remarked. “If he’s good with coming with us…”
“We go forward,” Number 994 said.
Question of the Week:What are you most looking forward to in my serial?
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