by Liandra Jake
"You ready?" Michael asked.
Arend nodded. "I can still sense it. Think we should bring the canoes?" He asked.
Michael glanced over to the two canoes. They were stacked on top of each other like two plates, with everyone's supplies and Arend' parts piled on top.
"No." Michael replied. "We can carry our own stuff. You and Iode can split the heavier stuff since he has more muscle mass than everyone here, and you've got insane strength. They'll just be dead weight anywhere but the 1000-mile canyon."
"Great." Arend grunted as he put his duffle bag, a bag of supplies, and his bag of parts onto his person.
Iode loaded up with the remainder, save for Michael and Corenden's bags. They said their farewells and with Arend leading them, began their trudge through the jungle. Arend' leadership was remarkable, steering the group around steep creeks and harsh brush; like a map and compass in a maze.
He would routinely stop and sniff the air atop tall trees. A few trees chimed as they walked past, the bits of airship reacting to Arend' enormous power. Around noon, the entire jungle burst into a sea of chaotic noise.
Arend jumped. "Why is it so loud!?" Corenden exclaimed as he covered his ears.
Iode had a pained look on his face, but didn't drop his cargo to cover his ears. Michael pulled out a pair of earmuffs and put them on Iode; they sat awkwardly in his ears.
Arend grumbled to himself as he continued onwards. An hour after the noises had faded, he hurried trough a thick wall of shrubbery. They found themselves in a small clearing with a giant weeping willow. A blanket of moss grew in the slightly damp soil.
"Water must well up here like that pond from before. Otherwise they couldn't grow like this." Michael said as he ran a hand across the moss.
Arend disappeared through the willow's branches. The others followed him. What looked like a large tombstone was set in the ground at the base of the willow. Its roots held it fast in a tight tangle. A ring of runes were carved into the face of the flat monument. Corenden pulled out a short bundle of notes on Sereph Runes. The translator back at Aegith's camp had a copy he gave to Corenden.
Arend set down his bags by the tree. He anticipated a long wait until they translated everything. He slipped around to the backside of the tree and pulled out his phone. As much as he'd hate to admit it, he'd forgotten to call Kronth. Her lack of messages worried him. He tried her number, but got no reply.
"No signal" flashed mockingly in the corner of his screen. 'Damn it.' He replaced his phone into his bag and rejoined the others.
"So far we've got 'lines of heart, where must start.' A word that doesn't translate, then 'Hands of fate shall guide you.'" Michael read out.
"Then after that it's just a list of random syllables. It looks like part of the runes has worn off." Corenden added, sliding a hand across the face of the stone beneath the circle of runes. Arend thought the stone seemed to light up slightly.
"We don't have time to mess around. Richard's life is at stake." Iode said.
'lines of heart…' Arend rubbed his chin.
Corenden ran a finger along the groves carved into the entirety of the monument, running at sharp 90 degree angles. They all stopped at the circle of runes, forming a small inset area where the runes were carved. Arend coated his finger in white flames. He touched the center of the ring of runes.
The white fire disappeared, running along the trenches in a flood that disappeared into the earth. A hazy film of light blue remained. Arend took Corenden's hand and placed it within the ring.
"It's Pog Orenth." Arend said as he removed his hand.
Corenden seemed confused, but emitted a small amount of his Orenth into the stone. Like with Arend, his Orenth flooded down the lines in the stone, leaving behind a faint, but growing, blue glow. As Corenden fed it more Orenth, the stone began to pulsate.
Arend placed his hand over Corenden's adding his Orenth to the mix. He nodded to Michael. Michael placed his hand over Arend' and Iode placed his large hand on top. As their Orenth was drained down, the stone began to glow brighter and pulsate faster.
"Not just Pog Orenth." Corenden said. "Sereph Pog Orenth."
The light of the stone turned to a slight green. It came forth from the stone like a fog, tumbling out until lit filled the space under the willow.
It trembled around Arend, seeping into his skin. It did the same to the others, but at a greater rate. "It's Natural Orenth; what feeds our own. It's dangerous only in not using it when you absorb it." Arend explained.
The Orenth came forth as a ring around each of their hands, leaving a green tattoo behind; a single rune at the junction of blood vessels and a band around the wrist that cut through it.
"Home." Corenden read out.
A line of green light appeared from his wrist, pointing to the east before fading. "Alright!" Michael exclaimed one the stone returned to normal and all the green Orenth dissipated. They all felt more alive than they've felt in a long time, energy provided by the Natural Orenth. Michael gave Corenden and Iode a black, spongy cube.
"What's this?" Iode asked.
"Eat it and your strength will be greatly enhanced. The fasted way to burn Orenth is for us to fly. As much as I hate to day it, it's also the best choice of transport right now." Michael explained.
Corenden bit into it after sniffing. "It tastes like dirt." He said with a grimace.
Iode swallowed it whole. The effects were immediate. Arend noticed an increase in breathing rate and temperature, as well as dilated eyes.
"You weren't kidding." Iode said.
"Clock's ticking, let's get moving!"
[X]
"Good, good. We need to make sure that doesn't happen again. Follow his plans to the rivet; Iode knows his stuff." Tommori said the black Floxes awaiting assignment.
They scattered and went to work clearing the final corner of the destroyed foundry. A grey-chested Pog rocketed towards Tommori.
In her own language, she reported to Tommori. "The cell tower has been err'ing out. A massive amount of Guild chit-chat has overloaded the system. It'll take at least a month to fix."
"Huh? What kind of chit-chat?" Tommori asked.
"As fried as the system is, we can make out a few words that are repeated constantly. 'Dragon's Den', 'Celestial Rim', and 'Cree-us' were all we could make out." She replied.
Tommori flinched. "Arend? Dragon's Den was his Guild. Let me see the logs."
She handed him a rubber covered tablet about an inch thick. "I don't see how it'll help. I already said the system was fried."
Tommori took only a second to discover what the Pog had failed to find.
"You really need to brush up on your English. There's an entire file that's uncorrupted right here." Tommori barely read halfway through the first message before glancing up with a stern face. "I need that tower up in no longer a week. We may still be able to get him these messages before he goes too far south."
The Pog hurried off, leaving the log with Tommori. Tommori continued to read through Kronth's unsent messages, his joy on the progress of the foundry now gone. 'Son of a bitch! Allan's moving his group!? This is not good.' Tommori abandoned his post to get an urgent letter sent.
[X]
Kronth glanced down at the digital map before her. The entire region was outlined in three colors; green, red, and grey. Green was allied Syndicates and their territories. Grey was Syndicates wishing to remain neutral. The red was enemy Syndicates and those captured by them. A few blinking dots represented the Legendary Weapon sightings in the increasing number of skirmishes that occur as Celestial Rim slowly worked their way to Sareville.
Kronth had the man power, but Celestial Rim had terror and amoral tactics. The number of injured and dead climbed with every hour that passed. Even though Draken began working under the now super-powered Dragon's Den, the stress of being a General began wearing away at her. One of the three phones on her desk rang. Thankfully, it was the black one and not the red. The red phone was for a call of a
frontal assault, and the yellow is for any more sightings of Celestial Rim members.
"Hello?" Kronth answered wearily.
"Yes hello. Felix Hanson of Styx Fix, we're stationed in Chewek and I'd like to know why there's an insane amount of chatter in the air."
"I don't have time for bullshit Felix. I've got a man missing and a war to run. Ever bother looking at the Nexus?" She snapped.
"I've heard the Pog and Grey-boy are your members." Felix replied.
"I swear to God Felix, spit it out or I'm going to row a boat over there and kick your fucking ass. If it's about Corenden and Arend, SAY IT!" Kronth screamed into the phone.
"Holy fucking shit women! Calm down before your head explodes! I didn't remember their names! Tommori says his cell tower's down and any calls would be impossible. His letter was incredibly brief and only mentioned Dragons Den. He's trying to fix the tower, but it's going to be tough." Felix exclaimed.
Kronth sighed and leaned back into the chair. As she rubbed her forehead, a thought began to tumble around in her head. A grin slowly formed on her face. Her secretaries nearby were unnerved and left the room. "What if I can get one of his little network buddies. I know Arend and Tommori have a powerful connection to many people. I'm sure we could get something together. Do you think you could get him up there?" Kronth asked.
"Can't promise anything, but the ship Arend rode over here is headed back to Sareville. Send at least two of every part, Tommori's planning on aiming these messages all the way to the South Pole. Arend is bound to get them wherever he is."
"Good. Call me with any updates." Kronth replied.
[X]
Corenden and Iode fell the ten feet to the ground. Arend managed to catch everyone with some fancy acrobatics, the impact of his legs making craters in the ground below him. Michael and Arend scattered things about. Corenden and Iode were laid out for a well deserved rest. The group was at the plateau; a week's worth of travel done in one day. The wind at their backs and the Orenth support from Arend and Michael made it possible.
Michael dumped a bucket full of water from the nearby lake onto the pair. It quickly brought down their high temperatures. "Will they be okay?" Arend asked.
"Given a good night's sleep, yes. Though they'll be sore and very hungry." Michael replied as he went back for more water.
"I'm going to look around. Twenty-four hours of fly time makes me a little sick." Arend said as he headed for the cliff by the lake and the giant string of mountains past that.
"Be careful, I don't want to have to climb up a mountain to drag your ass down. I will throw you into the lake." Michael replied.
As usual, Arend easily scampered up the mountain face. Arend found it oddly settling atop the cliff with the rough boulders and soft chilled wind that twisted around them.
Arend laid down on a flat stone. Civen's sword at his waist and his arms behind his head. He stared up at the sky. 'I wonder how Kronth is doing. Almost two weeks and I've already gone so far. Things have been moving really fast.' A shape poked through the clouds. A series of towers made of grey stone with gigantic sky-blue Korvan attached to the bottom of each one. It floated high above, slowly floating along.
Arend got to his feet. He knew there was no way for them to formally call them, but he knew a way to get their attention. He pulled out the Dragon Drive and a discarded nozzle he snagged at Loushin. Jerry rigging the nozzle where the blade would sit in the Dragon Drive, Arend prepared to give the signal. As soon as he started the Drive, things went south.
The Drive released a massive burst of mixed Orenth a mile up into the sky. The remaining innards of the Dragon Drive evaporated along with the nozzle. Arend now held a box-on-a-stick with a spinning ring with pretty stones. Needless to say, the fortress took notice. It stopped completely, a small platform-like craft was sent down.
Two white figures confronted and began to interrogate Michael. Arend sealed up his bag and leapt from the cliff, diving towards the lake with a shout.
"WOO-HOO!" He landed sloppily on the water, creating a loud crack. Arend was paralyzed briefly before popping out from the water. "I'm alright!" He shouted before paddling to the shore.
"Water really isn't your element is it?" Michael asked as Arend flopped out of the water.
"Try doing what I do every day. You'll slip up eventually." Arend replied as he shook the water from his clothes. He was glad he invested in a waterproofed bag. Nearby, a throat was cleared.
'A Sereph Pog averages around human height, as well as sharing many facial features with the common Pog. Their limbs are more human sized than a Pog's. They have five fingers and four toes, which they can stand and walk on, unlike the common Pog.
'Another distinguishing feature is their four feathered wings, not a pair of webbed ones. Like Floxes, they have a trail of fur that runs from their head down to the tips of both of their tails. This trail of fur is a much greater quality than a Pog's. Unlike Floxes, Sereph's are rarely any other color than white. Their 'hair' color changes, but their bodies remain 'pure.'
'A halo-like ring can be found surrounding a part of their body. The location and shape of his halo determines their class, rank, and job. Two makes you a God.'
Fanscaro's lecture passed through Arend' mind as he looked the two Serephs over. They were wearing a special kind of white tunic that wrapped tightly around their chest, a strip of which came down in the front and back down to their toes. Like he said, they stood on them instead of the longer flat of their foot.
"Arend, don't stare." Michael whispered.
Corenden snorted. Arend glanced over to the two. "They still alright Michael?" Arend asked.
"As far as my medical knowledge goes, yes! Now would you mind addressing the two Serephs!?" Michael hissed.
"Why can't you handle it?" Arend asked.
"I wasn't the one who vented a mile high cloud of Orenth!" Michael shouted.
Arend quickly covered his ears at Michael's shouting, wincing. One of the Serephs raised an eyebrow. "Not so loud." Arend grumbled.
Michael threw his hands up and defeat and marched away. "Please excuse him, he hasn't gotten much sleep." Arend said to the two.
One had golden blonde hair and the other had off-white. The blonde had a yellow halo almost set onto his right shoulder. The other had one around his right wrist.
"And you?" The blonde asked.
"No, I'm fine. Slept like a rock!" Arend replied.
"Just get on the shuttle." The off-white one said, shaking his head. "They'll want to know who shot off that Orenth."
Michael was already grumping it up in a ball by his bags on the shuttle. Arend brought Corenden and Iode over, setting them beside him, much to the off-white Sereph's displeasure. Arend loaded up with the remainder of their luggage and dumped it on the shuttle.
"How much of that strength do you think is his?" The blonde asked his partner.
"I don't care Flake, I just want to go home." He replied.
- - Flying Pog Fortress - -
The Serephs remained silent as the group quickly ascended. Michael had fallen asleep; he was completely exhausted. Arend looked to the sky, watching the fortress grow larger and larger in his vision. The blonde Sereph was watching him. He was apprehensive with his approach.
"What's on your mind?" Arend asked with a half glance towards him.
"Well, it's just I've never seen a human before. I'm just a little more than curious on how your body is built." The Sereph replied.
A second memory flashed in Arend' mind as he began to reply. 'Sereph Floxes have a bad history with every intelligent species. Shadow Clan, dragons, Pendragons, and humans as well. Our lifespan is so short and our fighting left such a little impact in their culture they've gotten over our presence. Should you meet any of the above, don't mention them to any of the others on the list. There's a well documented hate triangle.'
"I'm not really the best example of a human. I've got a bit more than human Orenth in me." Arend replied.
Are
nd was grateful Fanscaro's words on Serephs stuck with him, but he wished he could remember what else he had said about the other monster races.
"Oh…But you look normal, I think." The Sereph replied.
Arend pulled up his shirt. "I've got an artificial heart. It's removed the color from my hair and eyes. I don't remember what they used to be."
The Sereph reached forward and touched Arend' chest. He had surprisingly soft hands. Arend' face flushed slightly, frozen mid frown.