Mencari heard a creaking and looked in the direction the girl had disappeared. The metal door was open now. She giggled again and taunted him from afar. “Find me, and I’ll give you the parts. I love hide-and-seek. Isn’t this fun?”
He glanced at the creature’s remains, rubbing his side, then forced himself to his feet. “I’d like to give her… fun!” he said annoyed and then hurried through the metal door.
And so continued the game of cat and mouse. He’d get close just in time for her to disappear again, leaving him to fend off beasts or work his way out of some clever trap. Each success brought her chastising giggle, then a renewed challenge to follow her deeper into the caves.
Finally, at the end of a long flight of steps, he found her waiting for him.
“Just give up,” she said on seeing him. “I’m not going to play nice if you keep killing my playmates.” Her energy seemed boundless, while his was rapidly diminishing.
“Look . . . don’t want a fight,” he panted. “Give me my stuff. You’ll never see me again.”
She shook her head and grinned. As he stepped toward her, she dashed through another nearby doorway. The door slammed shut.
He shook his head in disbelief. Killing her playmates! What kind of child am I chasing? I don’t have time for this.
He shouted toward the door, “Look, it’s been . . . fun. But I have an injured friend who needs to go home. Can we call it a draw?”
A brief, faint giggling echoed back. Not bothering with the door she had gone through, he grunted and continued farther down the tunnel, eventually finding another old, crust-covered doorway. A small, hand carved sign read “Allia’s Cavern of Terror. For those that like to die. tm”
A sigh escaped as his annoyance grew. He reached for the rusty handle and wrestled it open. The chamber beyond appeared smaller than the one before, and a dull glow emanated from a partitioned space at the far end. He inched toward the light. A figure that appeared human crouched on the floor, facing partly away from him. He eased toward it, and found it was a mannequin—posed, as if it was eating. A small lantern and club lay on the ground next to it.
He felt a sudden presence behind him, then a hand on his shoulder. Panicked, he spun and twisted the arm, forcing its owner against the wall. It was another cloaked figure, but much taller than the girl.
The man winced in pain and struggled to say, “Wait, please. If Allia knew I was talking to you, there’d be trouble.”
Mencari looked him over. No weapon, and he made no attempt to break free. He looked much like Allia, just without the pale complexion. Instead, his skin was covered in tiny reptilian-like scales. Easing the pressure on the man’s arm, Mencari spoke in a deliberately intimidating tone, “Look, I don’t want to hurt the girl. Or you. I just want my parts back.”
“We can’t give them to you, it was another who took them—”
Mencari’s weariness overwhelmed him, and he squeezed the man’s arm hard. “If she doesn’t have my parts, why was she making me chase her?”
The man rasped back, “She’s fulfilling her duty.”
“What duty?” Mencari said tired and impatiently.
“Please… I am Lu’ri. And you’re at one of her many traps. I’m surprised Allia’s not here to finish you off, as she has so many others. I have been told to…”
Something behind Mencari drew Lu’ri’s attention. He gasped and pointed. “Run!”
Luri broke free and disappeared into a nearby passageway before Mencari could react. Honestly, all Mencari wanted to do was sit down. Rapid clicks echoed against the stony floor behind him. He whirled around and saw a beetle-like creature, nearly as tall as the cave’s ceiling, emerge into the dusty halo of light. Its thick carapace reflected in the dim light and its serrated mandibles twitched as it approached.
Exhaustion burned under his skin. Mencari had already been through a crash, fought mercenaries, tracked down Seigie, chased those thieving kids, fought more than enough creatures in this cave, and chased after this Allia girl. But with no choice, he focused everything he had left. The aura of radiance appeared, then just as rapidly faded. Mencari panted as he struggled to move beyond his inertia. Grunting, he managed only a small but stable ball of energy. As he unleashed it, he crumpled to the ground.
Unable to move, he watched it rip through the creature’s shell. It squealed, guts spewing along with liquid and gas from the wound. Some of the acidic substance coated his arms, and the thick vapors from the beast’s toxic innards clogged the air. He struggled for breath, his lungs burning from the poisoned fumes.
His final thought was a hope that Toriko and Seigie could somehow get safely back to Osuto at the asteroid base. With that, the cave around him dissolved into darkness.
* * * * *
He felt himself floating, his exhaustion inexplicably gone. A gentle ringing beckoned, but from what direction he couldn’t tell. In the distance, a single-point light began to grow and spiral, and then careened toward him. He reached out to buffer the impact as it washed over him.
The darkness lifted and he found himself lying in a bed, the one in his first apartment, back on his Plutaran assignment, the one before his transfer to the doomed Coalition space station. The ringing from before faded as he looked around, confused and in disbelief.
On his nightstand was a mound of used tissues, piled next to a few throat lozenges and a tall, half-filled glass of water. Just beyond it sat a tray with pills and a tiny oblong container. Thick covers were pulled up to his waist, while his back was propped up by a number of sturdy pillows.
He felt a stinging throb in his arm, and groaned.
“You okay, hon?”
The sweet sound pierced right through him.
Gentle steps approached the door, and it opened. A copper-skinned beauty appeared. “I said, are you okaaaay?”
His eyes doubted, second only to his heart. Still, when he met her loving gaze, he drew a quick breath and held it. He was transfixed. Something inside him lurched alive; a sensation left cold for an eternity suddenly swelled. Trembling like a wounded child, he reached for her. He wanted to say something, any one of countless things left unsaid before she… How? How could this be? His lips opened, but emotion had claimed his voice.
Tears welled in his eyes. She saw and laughed, then chided, “Oh, hon. It’s just a cold. Can’t be that bad, can it?”
He felt a tear streak down his jaw as she took his hand and eased her body to sit next to him. He forced himself to say her name. “Anaka.”
She smiled, and her hand stroked the side of his head. His face, then body tingled with her touch, and he wrapped his arms around her and held tight. Stillness came to his weary mind; warmth filled his broken spirit. All that mattered was held safe in his arms once more, and he would never let anything take her away again.
“Honestly, hon. Your son isn’t this much of a baby.”
He looked into her eyes and could summon only broken words. “Anaka. No. You don’t understand, you—”
“You’re going to be just fine. Before you know it, you’ll be your old self again.”
She released her embrace and gently laid him back against the pillows. “How’s your arm?”
Arm? And again, he felt pain.
Her smile melted when she saw the wound. “Oh my gosh! Haven’t you been using the ointment?”
She pulled away from his grip and grabbed the oblong container from the nightstand. Placing two fingers inside, she scooped a small gob of milky-white salve. The thick substance held its form. He rested his head by her heart. Again she laughed gently. “Your mother warned me of this.”
He winced at first, but the salve soon cooled the irritation. He looked up to her, then at his wound. Again he wrapped his arms around her, and rested his head on her chest. The beat in her chest brought a gentle peace to his longing heart. “That ointment?” he managed. “It’s helping.”
A baby’s cry drifted from the hallway. His eyes grew wide again. Rhyiel!
&nbs
p; Anaka’s head tilted toward the hallway. “Well, guess who’s up?”
A second cry, and she called out, “Be right there, sweetie!”
She stood. He reached out and grasped her wrist. With a playful smile, she shook her head. “Honey, you’re going to be just fine. Just relax. You’re a big boy now. You can handle this. I have to take care of my other baby now.”
Reluctant, he released his grip. She blew him a kiss, whispered, “I love you,” and glided from the room.
“Wait,” he pleaded. “Please, wait!”
There was no answer.
Shaking, he fought tears while darkness sprawled from the shadows, engulfing the world around him. He tried to move, to follow her, but his body was too heavy.
A painful twinge caused him to grasp his arm. His fingers touched a thick wetness. His eyes began to make out patterns that slowly took shape around him. He gazed to where Anaka once stood, and saw a dark figure drifting away. He called out weakly, “Wait. Please, wait!”
A familiar male voice answered back: “You’re going to be just fine. Before you know it, you’ll be your old self again. I’ll be back.”
As Lu’ri disappeared around the corner, Mencari struggled to get his bearings. This time, he was able to prop himself on his elbows. Where—?
Then, he remembered. Chasing some tiny cloaked people into a cave. Fighting spiders, a creature made of stone, and some shelled creature. The final blast he let out as he fell and passed out. He stared into darkness, the perfect canvas for his memories. Anaka’s image returned; the beautiful dream replayed in his mind. Tears blinding him, he brought his knees up and placed his arms around them. He could still feel her touch, hear her heartbeat. It was all so . . . real.
Huddled in a tight ball, he cried.
Honey, you’re going to be just fine… I love you.
“I love you too,” he wept.
* * * * *
After what seemed like an eternity, the burn of loss faded to a level he thought he could bear. Wiping his eyes, he sighed, allowing the pain to return to the hollow in his heart. It would wait, he knew, for his next weak moment.
The throbbing in his arm was gone, at least. He pushed to his feet and staggered a few steps, then picked up the lantern and club next to the mannequin. Despite being a prop, the dents and cracks showed the sturdy club was battle weathered and still deadly.
He suddenly realized he had no idea if just minutes or days had passed while he was out. His watch told him two hours had passed. Attempts to raise Toriko were met with static. Even their advanced technology couldn’t transmit this far underground.
“I have to finish this,” he whispered. “And get back to them.”
He headed in the direction Lu’ri had, and found himself in a much larger chamber. A cautious pan of the space with the lantern revealed four doors and a stone altar in the center. Wary of more unpleasant surprises, he edged up to the altar, which held a row of polished squares across the top. Paranoid, he shone the light around the room, checking the area one more time, then ran his fingers across the carved panels. He positioned the light to get a better view and saw an alien rune on each panel.
In curiosity he pressed one of the panels, and the door on the far left thudded opened, while the door he came through slammed closed. He cautiously investigated the corridor beyond and found a number of alien skeletons in crouched positions against the far wall, possibly former playmates of Allia’s left to their deaths. Returning to the altar, he pressed another panel. He felt the hairs on his neck stand, as he instinctively dove to the side. A charge of energy zipped past, narrowly missing him.
When he tried the fourth panel, a dull thud from across the chamber made him spin around. Squeals echoed from beyond the newly opened door to the right.
Taking a deep breath, he approached and entered the corridor beyond.
A hissing to one side caused him to flinch and press himself against the opposite wall. Shining the light, he saw another gigantic spider. This one was pulling bloodied fangs from what appeared to be a person-sized cocoon. The cocoon shifted weakly, as if something was trying to break out. He bit back a gasp, realizing that could’ve been his fate too.
The spider’s hiss was followed by a series of angry clicks. Without getting closer, he shined the light, attempting to see the cocoon. He wasn’t sure, but its contents looked humanoid. Could it be the man named Lu’ri. Or the girl? He yelled, hoping to distract the creature, and tried to direct his power into the club.
The creature turned, hissing, and lunged. Mencari’s club connected with it midair. Screeching madly, it slammed violently backward against the far wall. Three of its legs ripped off from the impact; the rest slid down the wall, leaving a shimmering viscous trail.
Keeping wary eyes on the creature’s shattered corpse, he made for the cocoon, knelt and began to rip at the webbing.
“I don’t know if you can hear me,” he called out, “but hang on.”
Clawing as rapidly as he could, he reached the punctured and broken body inside. The being wasn’t the girl he was chasing, or the man he’d met before, but instead was similar to one of the creatures he’d fought while chasing Allia. Relief flooded him. From the beginning, the girl named Allia had been an annoyance, a dangerous one.
But he felt a bit happy that he didn’t find her inside that cocoon.
He looked up and around and mumbled, “Now where?” When there was no answer, he shouted, “So you can’t give me a hint?”
No answer came that time either, and, blowing out a frustrated breath, he continued his search.
In the next room was a smaller altar, but atop this one was a baseball-sized sphere. As he approached, its deep-amethyst color glowed, faint at first, then brighter, and it threw out warmth that made the chill of the cave recede. He gingerly picked up the sphere, hefted it.
Strange. Just like one of Seigie’s memory crystals. Maybe she’ll be able to read this?
The small pedestal on which the crystal had rested suddenly receded into the altar’s top. As he tensed, expecting another trap, a doorway opened in the far wall. He cautiously peered through. His sighed response was part relief, part frustration, when he saw he had circled right back to where he had started from.
Anaka’s voice broke into his thoughts. It will all work out . . .
His eyes clouded as his thoughts fell inward.
I could stand here all day and just think about you. But for some reason, I’d expect a lecture if I did.
The sound of pebbles breaking loose and hitting the ground pulled him from his yearnings. He looked down and found a scattering of pebbles at the door’s base, ones that hadn’t been there when he entered.
“Stooges like you never, ever listen.”
He whirled around. The tiger creature and the girl stood on a ledge above him. She held her arms crossed confidently, and her hood still draped down, covering all but her sneer. “And I won’t allow you to go any farther.”
And to think, minutes ago I was actually upset that you might be hurt.
“I didn’t want to go this far,” he said. “Just give me back the parts taken from my ship.”
“Ichini—sic ’im!”
With incredible speed, the beast rushed down the ledge. There was no time to arm the club with his power, but Mencari held it up, hoping he’d get a chance for one blow before the creature tore his throat out with those fangs.
He dodged to the left, but the beast’s body twisted unnaturally, clipping the side of the club and ripping it out of his hand. On the creature’s next lunge, Mencari dropped onto his back, then as the creature flew over him, he thrust up with his feet to its midsection and heaved upward. Unbalanced, the creature landed hard on its side with a thud before skidding along the ground. Mencari ran for the club, keeping an eye on Allia in his peripheral vision.
She remained on the ledge, quietly watching, sneering.
The animal’s slide ended and it rolled back to its feet. Mencari grabbed the nearby cl
ub and gripped it tightly, charging it until it crackled with energy. The creature lunged again, claws extended and glowing with its own energies.
The battle-worn club struck with a thunderous crack and shattered as he followed through with the hit. Man and beast each sailed backward. The beast was the first to rebound. But after a few menacing steps, its front legs buckled and it crashed back to the ground.
“Ichini, no!” she screamed, skittering down the ledge. Dropping to her knees, she skidded to its side. Placing her hands on its side, she abruptly yanked them back, revealing a thick white liquid dripping down her fingers.
Mencari struggled to his feet. The girl drew her hood back and stared, eyes radiating an angry brilliance that caused him to draw a quick breath.
“I will never forgive you!” she screeched. Then she looked back at the beast she’d called Ichini and placed both hands on its body. A wavering illumination radiated from where she touched her motionless companion.
“Look, I didn’t want to hurt your pet,” Mencari said. “You unleashed him on me, remember?”
“You didn’t want to hurt my pet?” she spat at Mencari. “Oh, but he wants to hurt you.”
Ichini slowly struggled to its feet and began glow. What started as a faint flush, grew to a mighty flare as the creature’s body contorted before him. Its torso elongated; jagged claws ripped through its distending paws. The forehead thickened and ridged while the back stiffened, uprighted and armored with bony plates. While already large, Ichini doubled in height as its legs stretched and thick muscle appeared. Its brow grew bushy and overgrown, eyes menacing. Mencari gawked in horror.
The beast roared and shook its head wildly, eyes ablaze with a hellish red energy. Dark pupils glaring at his prey.
“Call it off,” Mencari warned. “Don’t make me fight this, this—”
“Coward! Thought it was all over didn’t you?”
A brilliant glow covered Mencari’s body as he summoned his power. “Do not make me do this!”
“Nice light show. Now watch this!”
On her command, Ichini charged, head down, shoulders blocked. Mencari was knocked off his feet and carried backward until he rammed into the rock wall, his shriek added to the sound of cracking bones. Ichini backed off as the luminosity faded from Mencari as his body peeled from the wall and crumpled slowly to the ground.
D'Mok Revival 1: Awakening Page 17