He didn’t see Alexander anymore. He could only see his own inadequacy, his own failures. He saw how he needed more, how if he could only have a little more power, he could save not only himself, but his new Langoran friend, and he could stop Alexander and his gang of thugs from attacking Allay.
It wasn’t the people he was worried about. They had their protectors. Arimus and the others were sure to make short work of Alexander and the Langorans. Sure, they weren’t Sages, but they had the determination and the will to achieve their goals…while he always fell short. He was never good enough. He could never aspire to be Achan or even Dominic, as much as he loathed him. He was just worthless…nothing, and he was angry. He was sick of being the punching bag, and the butt of the jokes.
Whether he got out alive or not didn’t matter anymore. He was tired of fighting to survive, he wanted to survive to fight, to cause pain to all those who took advantage of others. To cause fear in the hearts of those who vehemently did harm to the innocent. He wanted to kill Alexander, simply because he was arrogant, and because he was confident that James couldn’t do a thing. It would be Alexander’s downfall, and even if James sacrificed his life doing it, Alexander had to die, by his hands…in his hands.
“What, are you getting tired?” Alexander yelled at one of the Langorans who had just dropped James to the ground.
The Langoran grunted.
“Heavy? Are you kidding me? He’s like 170 tops. Pick him up again. We’re not done until he becomes a Sage.”
Alexander reached toward James’ left shoulder, but before he could touch it, his ring and pinky fingers were gone. It took only a second for him to process. When he realized what had happened, he stared at his dismembered hand, cut clean, and stepped back as fast as he could. Clutching his hand in horror, he fought back the urge to scream and glared at James in rage. His left eye twitched at the thoughts of what he would do to him, how he would make James suffer. Alexander took a deep breath and smiled the best he could, seeing his captive now for what he truly was.
“So,” he tried to say as calmly as he could. “You are different.”
James didn’t hear a word he said. He had wanted Alexander’s throat, but the fingers would suffice for now. His consciousness gone, there was only rage. In the split seconds he had taken Alexander’s fingers, James’ eyes had widened at the sides, eyelashes forming at the bottom of them and coiling with the ones on top, to defend his eyes from harm. The hair on his arms and body had seemed to disappear, his skin turning a silver-black, smooth as marble and just as hard. Yet it appeared as slick as oil, and occasionally it rippled as such. His neck had extended forward, giving him nearly 360 degree motion. His hands had grown extra opposable thumbs on the sides, as his fingernails grew and sharpened slightly. His teeth had lost their dullness, turning almost into fangs. The hair on his head remained but it was slicked back, spiking in the rear. His muscles grew bigger, still toned, but rippled. Bones, the shape of scythe blades, came out in pairs on his forearms.
James had felt none of it, but he smelled the fear in Alexander the moment he had taken two of his fingers. Although the scent had subsided significantly since the beginning of James’ transformation, he was dying to smell it again.
“I’ve never seen one in person…” Alexander mused, while stepping deliberately behind the Langorans, with Keel following him closely. “A Quietus...how can you be a Quietus?”
James could feel the slight tremble in Alexander’s voice. He concentrated on that, assessing just how powerful Alexander and the Langorans were. He felt the power ripple through his veins. His hands told him they could crush their skulls. His legs revealed they could outrun their chase… if he wanted to have fun and play with them, not because he was outnumbered. He could almost taste the salty sweat dripping from their brows, each drop counting the seconds until their demise. James didn’t move, but reveled in what he smelled, what he saw through his slit shaped eyes. He could see every major artery in their bodies, like a sort of heat vision overlaying an x-ray film. He could see the blood coursing through their veins, and it told him everything.
He saw when their nerves sent signals to the right hemisphere of their brain, signifying they were thinking about how to beat him. He could see the blood rush to their hands, getting ready to throw a right hook. He saw it all, and before he realized it, he made quick work of his enemies. Besides Alexander and Keel, only one Langoran happened to survive the onslaught and, being quicker than the others, attempted to retaliate for the loss of his brothers, while defending his leader.
Alexander ran to the entrance and Keel headed in his direction, while the remaining Langoran immediately stood in James’ way. James was shorter than the Langoran but, as he glared at him, his neck stretched upward so that he was eye-level with him. James turned his head side to side slightly, getting to know his prey. Before the Langoran could react, James’ scythe blades shifted so that the blades pointed forward. James smiled slyly, his teeth glistening in the dull light, and then he plunged his arm well into his enemy’s stomach. The Langoran tried to grab James, but James was already withdrawing his blades and moving behind the Langoran, toward his true prey, Alexander.
Alexander had already covered his escape though as Keel swung his massive fist toward one of the pillars that held up the underground ceiling. The foundation crumbled under the pressure and debris began to fall from overhead. Alexander laughed as he continued to make his way above ground, leaving James behind to be crushed.
Alexander was gone, yet James stood still. All he could think about was the feeling that he was missing something. James turned his neck backward to see the unconscious Langorans and then instinctively noticed his friend standing in the back, staring in shock over what the Allayan recruit with the broken leg had just become.
James eyed him suspiciously, but sensing no threat, examined him more to find out exactly why. The Langoran stood there, staring at him as the walls fell down around them .The Langoran was pointing toward the ceiling, but James already knew it was falling, already knew there was a boulder headed right for his crown, but he didn’t care. He wanted to test his abilities, test his speed, and dodge it at the last second, but his Langoran friend wasn’t aware of that. He ran toward James to save him.
James growled, but the Langoran had already jumped through the air, toward the boulder falling on James’ head.
James swung an arm at his cellmate, and then everything went black…
Chapter 10 - Pain
James woke up feeling as if his head had split in two. His leg, on the other hand, wasn’t bothering him one bit. In fact, it felt like it had miraculously fixed itself. Besides some minor soreness, he could somehow walk, maybe even run if he needed to. But what was causing the headache? It was hard to recall what had happened in those last few minutes.
James remembered being beaten by Alexander and his thugs in the underground hallway. What he didn’t remember was why the hallway around him was now buried in rubble. James sat where he was, trying not to breathe in the dirt in the air, as he searched for some evidence of what had occurred. It took only a moment for him to see his cellmate sitting at his feet, leaning awkwardly on a fallen rock. The Langoran laughed shallowly at their predicament and shook his head.
“You never cease to amaze me,” the Langoran said.
“Why do you say that?” James groaned, shifting his weight to a more comfortable position. He wasn’t crushed by any rubble, but he sure was surrounded by it.
“You have no clue what you did, do you?”
“Can’t say that I do. I was about to ask you if you did all this.”
“It was all you, James. Scared Alexander and everything.”
“What did I do?”
“Alexander and the others are gone. That’s the important thing. As far as what happened, I couldn’t hear what Alexander called you, but I know he was afraid. You turned into some kind of a monster.”
“A monster?” James echoed skeptically.
&nb
sp; “I’m serious. Alexander was so terrified that he knocked down a pillar on his way out. Started a chain reaction.”
“That makes no sense. What really happened?”
“If you make it back to Allay, ask your teachers. I’m sure they’ll know more about it than I do.”
James didn’t know what to think. It made no sense. What did this guy mean, he turned into a monster? Did he really get that angry? Did he black out in rage and actually manage to hurt Alexander? Even if he had, how did he escape the wrath of the Langorans? He obviously didn’t release his eidolon. His cellmate would’ve said so. Did he lose consciousness from the torture, and while he was out his Langoran cellmate went on a rampage? And if so, why hide it?
“So how do we get out of here?” James asked, changing the subject.
“I’m not sure where the entrance is located with all of this debris around me, but if we keep digging, I’m sure we’ll find it eventually. Like I said, I’m not as strong as those other brutes, but I have some energy within me.”
That only furthered James’ suspicions. Maybe he was some type of Langoran that could hide his true strength; maybe his power didn’t come forth easily like with the others. After all, he had to have been chained for a reason…
“Will you still go back to Languor? I mean, what will you say about all the prisoners down here when they don’t show up?”
“I’ll have to tell them the truth. After all, it’s not like we’re heading to the same place.”
“True.”
“C’mon, help me with these rocks.”
James reluctantly lifted a small rock and threw it to the side, wishing he had some clue as to how deep the debris went. As soon as he began to work, a low scraping sound was heard from beyond the wall. A fear welled up in his chest, fearing that the Langorans from the scouting trip had come back. James prepared to call out, when his cellmate covered his mouth, and grunted some words at whoever was on the other side of the rubble. James immediately understood. His friend and the other Langorans had been separated for a while. Maybe they were unaware of his mutiny. There was no call back though, so James removed the hand from his mouth and screamed out a help. His cellmate scowled at him, but he explained himself.
“If there are Allayans up there, it’s better they hear from me. If they think there’s only Langorans, they won’t even bother coming down.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“It’s me, James! I’m down here! It’s safe!”
After some mumbling from beyond the wall, the rocks began shuffling away. James motioned for his cellmate to stand behind him, just in case. He hurriedly agreed.
“If it is your friends, they will kill me, James.”
“No they won’t. I’ll explain everything, just don’t move.”
“I’m telling you, James. I will die this day, especially if it’s a Sage.”
“Highly doubtful. Just stand there. You will be fine. I promise.”
“I hope you’re right. I didn’t come all this way to be cut down like an animal.”
“You spared my life. It’s only fair that I return the favor.”
The Langoran nodded, breathing a little easier now with James’ promise. A cornerstone to the wall of rubble was rolled away and a large section of the debris fell away, kicking up a cloud of ancient dirt. As the dust cleared, James tried to see through his squinted eyes. There was a figure standing before them, and he could see a hand reaching for the sword at its hip. James coughed from the dust and the hand relaxed as its owner saw James standing there.
“Now,” Achan said. “You must tell me your secret. Surviving a group of Langorans and a cave-in is no small feat.”
“Achan, you’re alive!” James exclaimed with relief. “I can’t say I didn’t have some help,” he added quickly as his friend stepped from behind him, holding both hands up in surrender. Achan frowned, but remained still.
“What is a Langoran doing behind you, James?”
“Long story, but he’s a good guy. Trust me.”
“I think you need to convince me with more than that.”
“He saved my life.”
“To gain your trust.”
“He was an outcast of the group from the beginning. He’s not part of the brutes we faced. Look at him. He’s not a threat.”
“He could be a spy. Because of his stature, he could manipulate us into a more comfortable position, in order to betray us all.”
“I take full responsibility for him. He’s not even trying to go to Allay. He simply wants to go home where he belongs.”
“Which I’m still not all that comfortable with. Even though we’re not Sages, he’ll know how the test is operated, and tell his people. Valuable information will be given about the Kingdom.”
“Trust me. He and every other Langoran knows about this test. I don’t know for how long but they do. A Prattlian told them of it. Also, there are more Langorans out there, scouting the Kingdom as we speak. The Langoran behind me isn’t the threat. They are.”
Achan winced at the thought of letting a Langoran go.
“Only because there’s a bigger problem at hand, will I let you go…let’s go outside. We can discuss what will happen next.”
The Langoran watched with cautious eyes, unsure of whether or not Achan would keep his word and not kill him. He seemed like the type that would take a life without hesitation if he felt he had to.
“You’re fortunate we were in the area when the cave collapsed,” Achan said, looking behind his shoulder at the Langoran. James was a little miffed that Achan wasn’t even checking to make sure he was all right. The three of them walked up the stairs slowly, giving Achan plenty of time to consider his options.
“It was so loud, there was no way we couldn’t investigate,” a familiar voice muttered from the side.
“Elder!” James exclaimed. “It is good to see you!”
James drew back immediately at his friend’s appearance. He had seen better days. His glasses were gone, and his hair was matted with blood and grime. His clothes were tattered and torn. There were others from their team with him. James glanced around at what was left of them. Chrillian and Rahima stood quietly to the side, both of them a little dirty, but neither of them wounded. London was sulking in the corner, sitting on a boulder with his chin in his hands. James almost snickered at the thought of how much ruckus he must’ve made while investigating the cave-in.
“I see you’re admiring my new wardrobe,” Elder tried to joke. “It’s a little dark for my taste, but it gets a powerful message across.”
“What’s that? Wounded animal?”
Elder laughed despite himself.
“Are you faring well, James?” Elder asked seriously. “I see that your face has endured quite a bit of trauma.”
“It was…something. Something I don’t want to think about for a long time,” James admitted.
“At least it’s definitely something you can add to your infantry resume: ‘torture and suffering in the midst of the enemy.’”
“Sounds wordy.”
Achan maintained a watchful eye over the Langoran while listening to the conversation. Seeing that the Langoran was studying his team as well, he cleared his throat loudly, signaling the troop to pay attention.
“That’s enough reunion for now. We have to figure out what to do with the Langoran.”
“Achan,” James began. “Don’t let your prejudices get in the way. I can understand your apprehension. I was skeptical at first, too, but his actions spoke for themselves.”
“I think it’s funny how they put you through so much torture, yet he is unharmed. How was he able to save your life, and receive no repercussions?”
James looked toward his cellmate who pleaded with his eyes. There had to be an explanation. Surely it was because Alexander had only been interested in the chance to study an Allayan…yet when they were done with James, and threw him in the cell, couldn’t they have grabbed the Langoran and questioned him then?
“James, tell them,” the Langoran pleaded. “Tell them about how they ignored me. How they wanted you to show your eidolon.” It was like his cellmate had been reading his mind.
“What were they after, James?” Achan asked.
“They thought they could make me turn into a Sage through torture. The Prattlian I mentioned, the one named Alexander. He knew about Sages from his Kingdom’s history, but he wanted the chance to study one in person. To learn their weaknesses.”
“Is this Alexander still around?”
“I think so. I’m not sure if he made it out of the cave in time, but then again, if he hadn’t, we would’ve seen his body on the way out.”
“He sounds dangerous. Okay, he’s our target then, since he sounds like the brains of the operation. If we find him before he gets to the scouts, we can greatly weaken their plan.”
“What about the test? We probably failed by now.”
“All the more reason to do what we can while we’re out here. I’d rather do some good before I get my punishment.”
“You could’ve passed. You had the time to make it back.”
“I was unconscious for a long time. When that Langoran smacked me, the impact didn’t break any of my bones, but it was enough to take me out for an entire day. Elder spent a lot of time nursing the wounded the best he could. After we came to, and realized that the Langorans were gone, the test was practically over. Even if we had tried to run back at full speed, we wouldn’t have made the three day mark. London managed to hold onto the stone, thankfully, and we figured that we should try to find the Langorans and assess their plan before we headed back to Allay. That way we wouldn’t be completely useless. That’s when we heard the cave-in.”
“So what do we do now?”
“Do you remember anything that could tell us where the Langorans are?”
“Only that they are scouting the Kingdom.”
“At least they aren’t Quietus,” Achan sighed, turning his head toward the Langoran. James couldn’t help feeling somewhat strange at the mention of the word. “You wouldn’t happen to know specifically where they are, would you?” Achan asked James’ cellmate.
The Works of Julius St. Clair - 2017 Edition (Includes 3 full novels and more) Page 21