The Chronicles of AzzaNation: Dawn of a New Age

by Matt Mihilewicz

  “While I agree with you Leo,” said Ravez, “That is not the main reason I do not have a motor. You see, the Royals have satellites in orbit that can track most power sources, and if I had an Infinity motor running in the middle of the Sorean Sea, they would be able to track us down in minutes.”

  Leo gave a nod of understanding. Once again, Diandra found herself thankful for Ravez’s critical thinking and survivalist nature. And for people who understood technology…something she had zero experience with.

  “Alright, well let’s get moving then!” said Zane, stepping into the boat. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m getting a little anxious standing out in the open like this.”

  Everyone agreed, and readied the boat. Before they left, Ravez did a final check to make sure they weren’t followed, and then with the help of Zane’s psychic powers, they pushed off and were in the sea. Zane and Ravez each took an ore and started the first shift of rowing—heading south, so they could reach the Hills of the Dead—and get Zane to the Brotherhood of Light.

  _________________________

  After three days and three nights at sea, Leo’s thoughts were consumed by Jacob. He couldn’t get rid of the nagging guilt that ate away at his conscious. He understood the logic behind leaving his friend behind, but it didn’t make his pain lessen. To Leo, Jacob was his first real friend. Not only because Jacob put his life on the line trying to rescue the speedster from Adras, but because the brotherhood lieutenant made sure that Leo always felt at ease. Jacob could be annoying at times, but Leo knew that his humor was his way of trying to make everyone comfortable and happy. The young speedster admired that in the man. Most people gave up on happiness and having fun in AzzaNation, but Jacob managed to keep his hope, even throughout all the dark times. Leo wondered to himself, if he had the strength to do the same.

  “Can I ask something?” said Leo, looking to everyone else in their cramped boat. They all returned his gaze, with tired and hungry smiles.

  “Of course,” said Diandra, “What is it, Leo?”

  He took a breath in and let it out slowly. He was about to make himself feel very vulnerable to these three-other people, and he was hoping they would comfort him. As he looked at Diandra, he had no doubts that she would show him compassion and generosity. He didn’t know Zane that well, but the human psychic gave off a completely trusting demeanor. The only person Leo had doubts about was Ravez. The man was cold and calculating. And while those might be useful qualities in a combat ally, they didn’t make him the safest person to seek compassion from. But Leo was willing to put his apprehension of Ravez aside for the time being, in order to get a few things off his chest.

  “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I keep thinking about Jacob…How we left him—and it’s eating me up inside.”

  “…Leo, we had to,” said Diandra, reaching out and offering her hand to him.

  He took her hand, gladly, and continued, “I—I know. We did what we had to do…for the good of all AzzaNation. I get that, I really do, and I think Jacob would be the first to tell us that leaving him behind was the right choice to make…” Leo’s eyes were misting over, filling with tears. His voice felt scratchy as he pushed through the tightness in his throat. “I…think I can’t let it go, because it doesn’t feel like we have actually honored him…or his sacrifice.”

  Everyone in the boat, including Ravez, took a moment to consider this and look inside themselves. Their guilt was evident, and no one knew how to respond.

  “…You’re right,” said Diandra, as she dropped tears of her own onto to wooden planks of the boat. “We should pay tribute to the man who gave his life for ours…Would you like to say a few words?”

  He smiled through moist eyes at her, taking a moment to think about what he wanted to say, “I know this is not a proper funeral, or memorial, but I don’t think Jacob would have cared…He probably would have made a joke about the boat…and about the smell.” Everyone chuckled quietly, as they acknowledged the fact that none of them had been able to bathe for the last three days—making the boat a little rank. “But I just wanted to give thanks to the man who was brave enough to handle any challenge that came his way. In fact, I have him to thank for my freedom and my life. He risked his own safety to rescue me from Adras—and even though things went south, and we only survived cause Diandra came and saved our butts—it was still one of the bravest acts I had ever seen…Jacob Knight, in my opinion, truly lived up to his name. He was a true knight—a man who would give the shirt off his back to keep you warm, or tell you a joke to keep you smiling…”

  Leo had to pause for a second, as his throat tightened and his eyes continued to build up with tears. He took a few deep breaths, and after looking around at the faces in the boat, all sharing in his grief—all supporting him in that moment…he continued.

  “None of us knew Jacob for very long…but from what I could tell, if you knew Jacob for an hour, you knew him for a lifetime. He was an open book, and one of the warmest, kindest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing…and now that he is gone, I just want to make it known, that he did not die in vain.” Leo wiped away his tears in an assertive manner. He grew more serious, as his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed. “The truth is, that Jacob was not the first person who died due to Grindaull’s bloodlust—and he won’t be the last life lost before this fight is done…We will avenge you Jacob! I promise…we will avenge you.”

  The young speedster looked up at his companions and saw their eyes filled with the same determination that he had spoken to. He didn’t know if Jacob could hear him or not, but he wanted his friend to know the impact that was left by his absence.

  “That was beautifully said, Leo,” said Zane.

  “I agree,” said Diandra, still holding Leo’s hand. During all this, Leo didn’t even realize the contact they were making. Her hand felt so soft and warm, just like her kind soul. “I’m sure Jacob would have been honored to hear that.”

  “I hope so,” said Leo, smiling. It didn’t bring his friend back, but giving focus and honor to his life made Leo feel a little better inside.

  “So, would now be a good time to bring up our next issue?” Everyone looked to Ravez, who was looking inquisitively at the group.

  “What’s that love?” asked Zane, raising an eyebrow.

  “Well, we are dangerously low on food and water supplies,” said Ravez, pulling out the bag that held their provisions. It was practically empty. None of them had realized the extent of their dire food shortage, until that moment. “The way I see it, we have two options. We can try to land ashore and find some food, or we can stay on the sea and try our luck at catching some fish for you all to eat.”

  “What about you, love?” asked Zane, holding his partner’s hand. “You don’t eat meat.”

  “I can survive longer without food then the rest of you, so if that is the consensus, I will not complain.”

  “We can’t land yet…” said Leo quietly.

  “Why not?” asked Ravez, tilting his head slightly, with curiosity.

  “We’re only three days out from the Hills of the Dead, by sea. If we land, even for a night, we’ll be wasting time.”

  “I did not realize we were on such a time limit,” said Ravez, flatly.

  Leo shook his head annoyed, “Of course we are. Did you already forget the ramifications of Jacob’s capture? Grindaull now has the ability to teleport, and the Brotherhood has no idea.”

  “Whether your superiors know about Jacob’s death or not will not make a difference. Getting Zane to them safe and alive is the only concern we should have. And as fast as this sea is, it is more hazardous the farther we go.”

  He didn’t know if it was the heat from the sun, or if it was because Ravez chose to follow his tribute to Jacob with a mission report, but whatever it was, Leo was livid. He didn’t want to hear another word coming out of the man’s mouth.

  “You’re right, Ravez,” said Leo, curtly. “Zane is our top priority now�
��I mean we only left a man to die for him, right? Which is even more of a reason to get him to the Brotherhood as fast as possible…I say we fish for food and continue down the sea.”

  “Can you two please stop talking about me like that.” said Zane, trying desperately to remain calm.

  “Talk about you, like what?” said Leo, still angry and frustrated.

  “Like I’m an object!” blurted out Zane—the water behind him erupted in a large splash, reacting to his emotion. This was the first time Leo had seen Zane get angry, and he now understood why Grindaull was frightened of the man. Even as someone in his mid-twenties, Zane had the natural power of a bomb. The speedster guessed that Zane spent so much time being calm and happy to avoid incidents that could be triggered by his unpleasant emotions.

  “…Look guys,” the psychic continued, after he took a few slow breaths. “I know this is all very stressful—If we get caught, or don’t make it back to the Brotherhood, then the whole plan to dethrone Grindaull could fall apart…I get that—we all get that…But. You have to understand that I am not just some device—some weapon, you can argue over. I am a human being, and I have a say in my own fate.”

  Ravez and Leo sat quietly, listening to him. They may have disagreed with each other, but they both understood the importance of letting the psychic be heard.

  “You are right, love,” said Ravez. “What do you think is the best option?”

  Zane’s smile returned and he grabbed Ravez’s hand in his own, kissing it before continuing. “I’m sorry love, but I agree with Leo. We need to keep moving as fast as we can…what do you think Diandra?”

  The Egon, who had remained quiet during this whole exchange sat up and looked at everyone individually, before finally talking. “It’ll be hard to make the next few days with so little food, but our souls are strong. We can handle it.”

  “So, it looks like the consensus is to keep sailing,” said Zane. “Are you okay with that, love?”

  Ravez tilted his head, with curiosity, “If that is what is decided, then I accept. I will try to catch us some fish, immediately.”

  Leo’s respect for Ravez grew exponentially in that moment. He was not sure that if their situations were reversed, that he would be as mature. Of course, that was probably because Ravez had very few emotions to keep in check. The horned man didn’t pout or grovel. He simply took off most of his clothes and prepared himself to try and catch some fish.

  The most common edible fish that swam in the Sorean Sea were the Junton fish. They were two to three feet in length and would have plenty of meat for the group to eat. The only problem with them was that they were also carnivorous and were known to eat half the fishermen who tried to catch them.

  Ravez took out one of his short swords and stood at the edge of the boat. He splashed the water in front of him to try and lure a junton up to the surface—however, after a full thirty minutes of trying, nothing happened. Next, Ravez tried using Jynn as bait, getting the bird to splash in the water, but still no fish appeared. Finally, the horned man became sick of waiting and decided to go into the water himself. Before anyone could talk him out of it, he was invisible and in the water.

  He dove a few feet into the water, and tried to adjust his eyes to the aquatic view. It didn’t take long before he saw movement nearby. Unfortunately, the situation had turned grave. Ravez’s attempts to lure the junton fish to the surface had apparently worked…just not in the way he had hoped. There was a school of junton fish circling underneath the group’s rowboat, and when Ravez looked closer, he saw that the fish were eating away at the bottom of the boat. The fish were smarter than Ravez gave them credit for. They knew that the people in the boat were dangerous, and the best way to kill them would be to have the advantage in the water.

  Luckily, the fish didn’t see Ravez while he was invisible, so he quickly took advantage and started stabbing the juntons in the water. He let most of them drop to the sea below, but he kept the last three and after checking the damage to the bottom of the boat, he returned to the surface. He de-cloaked and threw the fish into the boat before climbing in.

  “Thanks, Ravez!” said Leo trying to show his appreciation, and make amends for their previous argument. “These look amazing, I don’t even know how you caught them.”

  “I stabbed them with my sword.”

  Leo smiled and nodded awkwardly and decided to leave the matter alone.

  “But I am afraid that we have a bit of a problem,” Ravez continued, “The Juntons ate away most of our base at the bottom of the boat. We will sink in a couple of hours if we stay on the water.”

  “…Is that so?” said Leo with an air of arrogance. He couldn’t believe that he had given Ravez the benefit of the doubt. Clearly the man was trying to trick the group into going forward with his own plan of landing on the shore. “Are you sure about that Ravez?”

  “Yes. I am quite sure.”

  “Are you sure you’re not making it up so we land early just like you wanted?” Leo didn’t know if it was the continued blazing heat or the lack of food in his stomach, but his thoughts ran away on him. He stood up in the shaky boat to confront Ravez. “Are you sure you’re not making it up?”

  Ravez tilted his head, but remained neutral and calm. “I can assure you that what I saw is true, and if we do not act fast, we will be swimming to the Brotherhood’s base.”

  “I find that very hard to belie—” Leo stepped forward towards Ravez and his foot fell through the bottom of the boat. He quickly pulled it out and stared at the water rushing through the newly formed leak.

  “Well clearly, I’m an idiot,” said Leo. No one offered a disagreement.

  Leo began scooping the leaked water out of the boat, using his speed to slow the process of them sinking as best he could. Zane and Ravez grabbed the two oars and started rowing them towards the shore.

  As they moved along the water, Leo could see that they were approaching the famed Ruins of Sora. He thought that the ancient city of the angelics, must have been a true sight to behold—even the remnants of the destroyed walls that were built into the sea itself were impressive. If only he had time to truly take in and appreciate the historic landmark he was seeing. If they made it to the shore before the boat sank completely, then he would use all the time he needed to take in the ruins—until then, he decided to keep his head down and focus on keeping the water out of their boat.

  Diandra moved her arms, trying to tap into the wind’s energy. She got a hold of it and tried to control the wind to push them. The wind listened to her, but unfortunately, their boat didn’t have any sails, so the wind could only help them fight against the waves a minimal amount.

  As the Egon tapped into the energy surrounding them, she suddenly felt a new presence. She began to focus on the strange new source of life, and as she narrowed her scope, she realized the life-form was massive. It was in the water, miles below the surface, but approaching fast. She looked down at the water behind them, and saw nothing but darkness. After a moment, she quickly realized that the darkness in the water was a shadow—a five-hundred-foot-long shadow.

  “…Guys...I think we should hurry!”

  The men in the boat looked behind them, to where Diandra was pointing, just as the colossal sea monster came out of the water. None of them would have believed it if they hadn’t witnessed the leviathan with their own eyes. The creature was like five whales put together. Leo had never seen anything like it before, but as he wracked his brain trying to think of what it could be, he realized that there was only one possible answer…the legendary Corvak. At the academy, Leo had always learned that the mythic beasts of AzzaNation should be considered urban legends—tales that people told in order to make their lives more interesting. In the case of the Corvak, it was always assumed that anyone who claimed to see it, had gone mad from drinking sea water. Or perhaps some fishermen had been out at sea just a little too long. Either way, no one in general society had believed that it was real. Leo had always wondered and secr
etly hoped that the mythic beasts were real, but he never in a million years thought he would see one in the flesh.

  It was seventy feet tall, five hundred feet long and a hundred feet wide. Its head was the size of a small mountain, and Leo couldn’t find its eyes anywhere among it. As it jumped into the air, the group in the sinking rowboat remained motionless, completely petrified. They knew the boat was filling up with water. They knew a colossal sea creature was falling back down to the sea only a short distance away from them. They knew all of this and they still couldn’t move. They watched as the Corvak fell back down to the sea, crashing into the water. They watched as its splash created a massive tidal wave that was heading straight for them, and within moments, their boat was engulfed by the crushing wave.

  _________________________

  The group made it to the shore around noon. They had all swam to safety, and luckily, none of them had been seriously hurt. They walked slowly onto the shore of the Ruins of Sora, avoiding the rubble that littered the waters and beach. Their boat was destroyed and the food that Ravez had caught was now lost, but they counted their blessings. Besides being shipwrecked and hungry, they were lucky. There was a reason most people never saw a mythic beast of AzzaNation and lived to talk about it.

  “Is…everyone okay?” asked Zane, coughing up water, as he got the words out.

  “I’m good,” said Diandra, laying on her back, taking a moment to catch her breath.

  “I am also well,” said Ravez, checking his remaining sword for damage—the other had been lost in the wreckage. A moment later, Jynn landed on a nearby piece of rubble and squawked his delight at everyone’s survival.

  “Leo? You good?” asked Zane.

  “Ya…” said Leo, looking up at the ruins that stood before them. “I’m good…I can’t believe we saw the Corvak! And now I get to see the ancient Holy City up close...I mean, I know we almost died, but…I’m so happy!”