Last part of the Arquenia Saga... Tune in for concluding notes on Saturday...

Epilogue: Rising Tide

Date: Yippah 19th, 114 A.U.


The aircraft slowly moved into the first-class docking slot in the Mothership, cranes and mechanical arms moving out to slowly bring it into port, the ship finally coming to rest in the landing dock in the Mothership, the hangar doors into the landing dock slowly closing as a gangway was stretched out to slowly rest on the floor, steam emitting from the ship.

Two guards with firesticks came out first, abolishing any shadows around them as two figures followed them. Wings overshadowing him, Jaigran strode forward, golden gauntlets on his hands as in one hand he held on to a spear. His other rested on the hilt of his corsha rapier, which he had attached to his belt. Some of the elven nobles murmured and gestured. Why was the Emperor in possession of those weapons which he had long ago dismissed as old-fashioned?

A tall elf walked next to the Emperor, his eyes slanted upwards as he haughtily gazed at all those around him. His skin was pale, and he walked strangely, as if he hadn’t walked before. And, to the keen-eyed, he cast no shadow. Even Jaigran had the pale illusion of a shadow, brightened by the two guards with fire-sticks firing. But this elf had none. When asked, he gave only one word to who he was. The Watcher.

Jaigran cruelly smiled as he walked out of the landing dock, moving to his headquarters. For one hundred and fourteen years he had ruled, seeking to stamp out the remaining opposition, but now it no longer mattered.

He would burn them with fire.
 
Yes. Auggers. Generally described as humanoid lizards who eat rocks. That's the basics. The timelessness/memory part of Auggers is an invention specific to this. Nevertheless, you have heard of Auggers. And you WILL Remember them. It's my informal goal to get them regarded as a base fantasy race up there with orcs and gobbies and stufff.. help me with this goal, here... :P Never write fantasy without auggers.

Part LXXII: Looking Forward

Date: Yippah 21st, 114 A.U.


The campfire popped and crackled as the new wood was thrown into the fire. Around the fire, seated on stones, were the seven members of the Xavier Team, along with Brother Tomas and Monty. Augger munched on the rock that he held in his hand as the other members of the Xavier Team watched him curiously out of the corner of their eyes, still trying to figure out how he was able to eat rocks of all things.

“So,” Brother Tomas said, asking the question that had undoubtedly on the minds of the members of the Xavier Team for a long while now. “What are you going to do now?”

“I can fix your machine,” Augger said, putting down his rock that he had been eating. “Using some of the lava from this volcano, I can construct a device that will act as an engine and fuel to get us a good ways. At least until we should be able to come up with some civilization. One of my ancestors was a bit of a genius with heat-based technology.”

“Somehow,” Brother Tomas said, “Although that will help, something tells me that getting out of here isn’t your only problem.”

“No. You’re right that it’s not,” Reynyagn said gravely as he put down his plate of food. “We have learned that Emperor Jaigran is a whole lot harder to defeat than we had before planned. Somehow he survived a mortal wound, and that puts him on a whole new level. He now knows that the races are not as much in subjugation and in fear to him as he once thought. He may have survived. But he’s going to be a whole lot more cautious and careful to make sure that there isn’t a next time. And we never figured out what was so important for him to get to Tzel-Maret.”

“We need to work to turn the tide,” Zarien said. “We’re not going to be able to get him the same way—not unless we show him that it’s the only way to work. We need to show him that we’re powerful enough to wage a full-out rebellion against him. We can do that by striking at his bases.”

“What do you mean?” Jroldin asked.

“The slave camps,” Zarien stated bluntly. “The entire elven empire rests on the brunt of their slaves, made up from the races that have been captured by them, as well as disobedient elves and orcs. Entire cities are comprised of these slaves and their masters, having the work of bearing the brunt of providing for the entire elven civilization. We want to take them down? Disable the slave camps—at least enough of them that it sends warning signals to Jaigran that he can’t just ignore us.”

“There is another important item that should not be discounted,” Augger said. “Namely, the golden corsha weapons.”

“You mean my axe?” Jroldin asked.

“At the beginning of time, a golden corsha weapon was given to each of the seven races of Arquenia,” Augger said. “An axe to the dwarves, a spear to the humans, a rezquiet to the Sla’ad, and so on. They were given for the purpose of defense, with the promise that they were to be our salvation if things go wrong. That the golden corsha weapons would bring peace again to Arquenia. You have one, Jroldin. From what you told me of the battle, Jaigran has the weapons of the orcs and the humans. It is likely the orcs that give him his powers over the orcish magic.”

“What do you think we ought to do, then?” Flek asked.

“Find the golden corsha weapons,” Augger said. “Find the weapons and wield them against Jaigran. If the promises are to be believed—which they are—we will want to use them as we fight against the Emperor. And continue to follow the prophesy.”

“The prophesy,” Reynyagn said. “You knew of the part of which we knew not. Are there other parts that have been lost to our memory?”

“The full prophesy is outside of my knowledge,” Augger said. “Xavier was alive during my ancestor’s time and the prophesy was not told to my ancestor in its completion, but I will recite what I do know.”

“The wars go by the kingdoms fade and new kingdoms will come.
New nations rise new earthly powers and yet the world endures.
But yet a greater threat than any that have come before.
A greater threat now rises yet and still will break the shore.
Its power grows the kingdoms fade and all becomes entrapped.
The greatness of the nations will all be ascribed to it.
But yet a hope still stands!
But yet a hope still stands!
A team will rise out of the dust and out the ashes sure.
A member one from every race will bring it to a close.
And when it’s fruition is met it will go out for sure
To smite the power that has come to take away its peace
The power that is above and beyond all that lives and breathes
A power that yet threatens to destroy the earth with fire.
But now a hope doth rise!
But now a hope doth rise!”
A human named Astrid and an elf with ambition.
A Sla’ad will lead the group and Augger late will come to join.
An orc will help elf and goblin will show great expertise.
A dwarf who has a sign upon his head for his fixed place..
The seven will be unified in purpose and in mind
But yet a hope secures!
But yet a hope secures!
A healer for the party and one who bears Old Weapons.
A warrior seeks to lead and yet it won’t be granted him.
One will betray his friends and another will lose them all!
An outlaw yet by birth and one who saw a slaughter great.
These qualities they all must have if they will seek success.
And now a hope will rise!
And now a hope will rise!
A sign will arise in the sky to call the team together
A burning ember dark will rise and proclaim an emergence
The sign will gather together the team to rise to fight
To fight for good, to fight ‘gainst evil, to fight against the darkness
And now a hope is here!
And now a hope is here!
Far North the party now must go if it wants to succeed.
The trials that will try the group will bring it to the brink;
Despair must run o’er them before the culmination comes.
Till purified with fire it will stand against fire.
And now a hope is tried!
And now a hope is tried!
For darkness now is rising that will spread throughout the land;
A Watcher wakes and seeks to gain a pawn to help himself.
But the pawn seeks to be a co-ruler with the Watcher.
The Watcher makes a plan to give all power into their hands.
To destroy all with burning fire poured out from the sun.
Will now the hope rise up?
Will now the hope rise up?
The rising hope must rise if it will destroy the darkness.
Two leaders from among them will seek to lead them as one.
Although in unity, yet one from the group may rebel.
The traitor seeks to undermine what all their work have wrought
His struggle with the demon will determine victory.
Will the hope yet go on?
Will the hope yet go on?”
Augger stopped speaking and suddenly light shone forth from the star, a blue beam hitting the fire, estinguishing it as a pillar of light rose up to the star, now directly ahead of them, as they stood and looked up in awe at the star, now blowing bright, and the words still ringing in their ears of the promise of the prophesy.

The Xavier Team was now complete.
 
Part LXXI: Augger

Date: Yippah 21st, 114 A.U.


A tall humanoid reptile stood at the brink of the cliff overlooking the hardened volcanic rock below. Dull red scales went all around his body. A long tail twitched and he looked at them from his narrow black eyes.

Reynyagn reached for his sword as he stared at the reptilian being. “Who are you?”

“I am an augger,” the reptilian being said. He walked over toward them, putting his hands out to show that he had no weapons—apart from the claws on his hands.

“What is an augger?” Flek asked.

“I am an augger,” the augger said. “The auggers are the seventh race of Arquenia.”

Flek took a step back. “There are only six races.”

“Yes, that’s what you would believe,” the augger said, licking his hand. “We don’t get around much.” Silence reigned for a few moments.

“What is your name?” Jroldin asked.

The augger looked up. “Would that I had one. Alas, but because of my ancestor’s crimes, my name was stripped from me long ago. Call me Augger, after my species.”

“Your name was stripped from you?” Flek asked.

“Eight generations back,” Augger said. “My ancestor was a wicked augger and betrayed many of our kind into the hands of hunters. For his crime, he and his descendents were stripped of their names and banished from Araelia.”

“An outcast yet by birth…” Astrid whispered.

“What?” Reynyagn asked, not quite hearing her.

“An outcast yet by birth,” Astrid said louder. “The prophesy! One who was an outcast because of their birth!”

“And augger late will come to join,” Augger said.

“Excuse me?” Reynyagn asked.

“The second line of the third stanza of the prophesy!” Augger said. “A Sla’ad will lead the group and Augger late will come to join. I am the augger late to the party.”

“What did you say that line was?” Jroldin asked.

“A Sla’ad will lead the group and Augger late will come to join,” Augger said. “Do you not know it?”

“It finishes the rhythm!” Reynyagn said, a look of shock on his face. “It fixes the proposed errors in the prophesy! But it couldn’t be… I mean—how could a line so crucial go missing from the prophesy…”

“Slayers,” Augger said. “Six hundred years ago, a group of slayers determined to slay the auggers and wipe their name out from all sources because of the hatred that they hated our kind with. My ancestor betrayed many of my kind into their hands, causing his banishment. The slayers did what they could to wipe the auggers name from the books, an effort which succeeded. The races forgot the last race, and of those who heard of us, we were dismissed as legend.”

“I can’t believe it,” Brother Tomas said, a look of awe on his face. “I mean—how could we have missed it?”

“Men have missed larger things,” Augger said. Silence loomed over the group for a while.

“So,” Reynyagn said. “There’s a seventh race of Arquenia.”

“There is,” Augger said, smiling.

“Do you have relatives around here?” Reynyagn asked.

“Oh,” Augger said. He cocked his head. “I suppose you would have forgotten.”

“Forgotten what?”

“We auggers are not like you humans, or elves, or dwarves, or any of the other races,” Augger said. “You have genders, male and female. We have only one gender.” Jroldin tried to understand what Augger was saying.

“And so we reproduce differently,” Augger said. “Only by death does life spring forth. Throughout our life, we carry a sort of egg in us. The egg only hatches once death comes upon us. Generally, the egg only contains one augger, although twins have not heard of. And when we were first created, twins were much more common.”

“So your ancestors-” Reynyagn began.

“Are all dead, yes,” Augger said. “My genealogy have not had twins since my ancestor’s betrayal. In addition, auggers are by habit a nomadic people. Except for those who live in Araelia, many live out on their own, such as myself. Of all the races, we seem to care the least for relying upon each other.”

“Then how do you know so much?” Jroldin asked. “I mean, you know the Xavier prophesy, you know the different races… If you are a loner, then how-”

“Memories,” Augger said. “We are not like the rest of you. Because of how slowly we reproduce and because we were almost made to live on our owns, we have been blessed with the gift of perfect memories. We auggers never forget. And memories are passed down. I remember all of the memories of my ancestors before me, all the way back to the first augger to be created.” There was again silence.

“I think my brain is beginning to hurt,” Flek said.

Augger smiled. “I suppose that it would be expected. It is not every day that you discover a new race in Arquenia, especially one as different as we are. But it matters not. You were called here by the star, though you may not have known it, and the star has called the members of the Xavier Team together. And now, together, we will have much time to learn and grow as we understand each other.”

“I suppose so,” Zarien said.