The Acolytes of Crane Updated Edition

by Tew, J. D.

‘A Human—and a Driad,’ the commander said as he looked over at me, ‘They were perched at the top of a KeKua tree and they saw our surveillance devices. I am sorry that we have inadvertently revealed our presence.’ The commander bowed his head after he was through speaking.

  ‘What the heck is a Driad? This isn’t about a ship, is it Pike?’ I asked, even though I knew damn well what the answer was.

  ‘No. A Driad is a Rangier and Dacturon hybrid. They have the telekinetic ability of the Dacturons and the image projections of Rangiers. They are very dangerous,’ he said.

  ‘How the heck do you expect me, a fifteen-year-old, to undertake this impossible task? This isn’t a fantasy, this is real! Are you trying to get me killed?’ I yelled spontaneously. I was now afraid. Instantly I regretted my outburst, as I did not want to demonstrate a lack of confidence in front of my army. They needed me to be as forthright as a lighthouse shining in the night.

  ‘Theodore, you don’t know what you are capable of doing. You almost brought down the defenses of the Uriel—you, a teenager, escaped from Zane, something that no one has been able to do—until now. I am here by order of Trazuline, the Karshiz King.’ He blurted out the obvious as if it was a weight off his shoulders, ‘He is the one that guided your escape from the Uriel.’

  ‘Yes, I know. I heard him.’

  ‘Then you must surely see that he is helping us.’

  ‘Yes.’ I rubbed my chin. ‘Why is he helping me?’

  ‘He was a convert of Zane, but as he has drawn closer, he sees that Zane only replicates things. Zane does not favor anything that does not have its own mind. Therefore, Zane is a threat to the multiverse. He is building an army!’

  I looked on at Pike as he spoke animatedly, spittle flying out. He said, ‘Right now, Odion is planning a siege on the gateway to Sephera! It is our duty, your duty as Messiah, to ensure that he does not succeed.’

  It was officially confirmed. King Trazuline was my benefactor from the beginning. He was the traitor that the Urilians were trying to find, not me. At least the Urilians still didn’t know. I would happily be the target of the Urilians, so that Trazuline could continue his covert role.

  But first, I needed the Elons. And right now, the Elons needed me to liberate them. We would leave under night’s cover. Pike paced round the room, then sat upon his wife’s chair, deep in thought. I also seated myself, placed my elbows on the table, and rested my head against my hands. I lifted my head and gazed in Pike’s direction. He then looked at me and we stared at one another for just a moment.

  ‘I can do this right?’ I said, in doubt of my own capabilities.

  Pike nodded. ‘You are a dog that chases its tail between meals. You have made it this far with what you have. Why do I constantly have to remind you what you are capable of?’

  I swallowed my pride, and said, ‘My father always looked down on me.’ Tears ran down my cheeks.

  Pike stood up and walked over to me. He laid his hand on my shoulder.

  Wiping my hot tears, I murmured, ‘No one ever believed in me until Zane found me. I guess I always fear that it will happen again.’

  ‘Theodore, you are not your father. You are of your father. That is where your rage is born, but your father you are not. His path isn’t your path. I want you to know something: there is no doubt in the bonds of trust. You cannot fake confidence. Every moment you have thought you were going to fall to the winds of change, you have remained standing. It is that fear that has slowed your true potential. Grab hold of your fear, channel it into your trusted sword, and watch your enemy. Then you will know what a coward looks like.’

  ‘Thanks,’ I said gratefully. I needed to hear that.

  Pike spat at me, out of regret, rather than contempt, ‘In other words, stop being such a twit!’

  His words rendered minor invisible blows on me, but I thankfully absorbed them. I thought back to my mom, and how she never stood up to Bill. She lived in fear, and so did I. The only difference was my fear urged me to make a phone call to the police, and if I didn’t get that snowball rolling, there might have been no avalanche.

  I walked up to Pike in his chair, and I gave him a hug, ‘Pike, I am so thankful to have you on my side. I could not have done this without you.’

  Pike looked up at me. ‘You’re finally right!’

  I walked out of the room, and my curiosity yanked me back, ‘Pike, what makes the Dark King so deadly, the one who is now in Jaakruid?’

  ‘A trident. Its savagery arises from the fact it is made up of uranium and is extremely radioactive. This weapon has the ability to pierce any armor. Thrown hard enough at any target, the target would likely never recover. He paused for a moment and gave me an assuring look. ‘It has never met your sword Theodore, and I would put all the money in the multiverse on your weapon, not this dastardly trident. Now get out of here, and get some rest. You will be awakened in the dead of night to fight.’

  ‘Yes. Plus the Driad, which can fool us with its holographic projections.’

  ‘Yes. More than the Dark King, he is my one true concern. Go to sleep now,’ Pike said.

  I walked into my pantry and lay on my bed of piled jungle leaves. My thoughts were whirlpooling in my brain. I thought of what it could be like to just be back on Earth, an innocuous fifteen-year-old, reading superhero comics in bed, and not have to worry about saving Sephera.

  My fate was in the town of Jaakruid, waiting for me. I grew tired in thought, and I fell asleep.

  For what seemed like a couple of seconds, I slept. My slumber eventually ended with me suffering a kinked neck. I woke up, and I tossed upon my cot for a minute before I decided to go outside. I slapped my kicks on my feet and exited the cave. Now shrouded in pitch black darkness, I switched the lights on my kicks, and flew up to the sheer cliff side. Even the light from my X73-21’s was not enough to see the bottom of the unfathomable cliffs. Sighing, I sat on a lichen-covered branch jutting out from a tree miraculously thriving on a shelf of the cliff.

  Gazing out in total blackness, I looked toward the town of Jaakruid in search of something—a twinkle of light, but nothing stood out. Then, in that moment, I felt him—I felt his hatred. Travis. He was here somewhere. It was if the sky darkened even more as he focused all of his anger in my direction. I felt a chill settle over me.

  I could not see him by any means, but I knew he was there, and I had clarity of mind. I thought only of his defeat. I even imagined standing over him with my legendary sword Wrath in celebration of victory.

  Not afraid of falling, I stretched my arms, and commanded my power shoes to lift me. Hovering, I left the branch, and retired back into the cave, because soon I was to be awakened to march off into my fate.

  I fell asleep instantly, but it was no sooner than I lay my head down, that someone was at the foot of my bed waking me up. I felt cheated of sleep, but it was my own damn fault. It was the Elon commander I had appointed.

  ‘Sir, we must leave now. Our scouts have located a search party that is closing in on our position. We are three hours ahead of our mission,’ the Elon said, muffled by its makeshift voice production device.

  ‘Don’t you people ever sleep? I guess you are plants, and plants don’t need rest do they? Who knows?’ The Elon did not reply, so I guessed the answer was yes.

  I equipped all my gear starting with my unique plant-woven Elon suit. It fit the form of my body snug like a sock. Next, I slipped on my lifters, and then my rolesk. My rolesk was all dinged up from the battle within the walls of the demolished escape ship that now lies worthless in the jungle. The rolesk still fit well, and I felt the Dietons flowing around me, rising up, anticipating my command.

  I ordered my scout recon devices into the air after activating them, and they slowly rotated two feet over me. They were my eyes and ears to prevent ambushes.

  I slapped on my bracers, and they covered my hands in chain mail. Finally, I wrapped my belt and its sheath around my waist and inserted my trusted sword Wrath by my side. I tho
ught the Dark King would do well to stay far away from my blade, threatening ever so.

  From heel to rolesk, I was the one-boy-wrecking-machine, ready to do battle.

  I found an electronic tablet at my bedside—who left it for me, I did not know, but guessed it would have been Pike. When I picked it up, there was a breakdown of my army on the screen. They were broken roughly into ten companies of one-hundred Elons each. Each company was given an alpha designation. My company was Doga Company. They were to follow me to the assault at the jungle just outside of Jaakruid.

  Within the Doga Company, there would be two special tactics squads. One would be a firing squad of seventy-five Elons to support us from behind with arrow fire. The other squad, comprising the remaining twenty-five, was my elite platoon. This squad would march in front of me, not behind, and lead the assault with a preemptive strike. The elite squad consisted of those that tested highest on their battle-ready tests for improvisation and reaction.

  Pike briefed the Elons and they knew their missions step by step. I needed to give them purpose in the only way a teenage boy could. As I stared down at my army, ready for battle, my heart was gratified to see the familiar robot hovering by me.

  ‘Ed!’ I cried out joyfully.

  ‘Master Ted, I apologize. I have stayed completely out of the way as I firmly believe that the master should be wholly undisturbed as he prepares for battle.’

  I laughed. ‘What if I needed you to plan ahead?’

  ‘Certainly, you could have called my name anytime. I am at your beck and command.’

  I grinned. ‘I think we’re ready.’

  ‘I am most surprised. Human boy, I previously calculated that we would be dead by now,’ Ed said. He was a robot with a silver tongue, literally and figuratively.

  ‘Well, Ed,’ I said proudly, ‘this is it. We have an army and a mission. Your mission is simple, protect me at all cost and be quiet. No using flashing lights and buzzing things either. We need to be like ninjas. Not that I expect you to know what ninjas are, now follow me, you can be my missing link, while Linc is missing,’ I said, and broke into laughter.

  Ed glanced at me with eyes that indicated that he didn’t see the humor in any of my jokes.

  ‘Let’s do this!’ I exclaimed, as I walked down the tunnel to the bay, with Ed right by my side. My lifters worked to bear the weight of my load. I probably was carrying about fifty pounds of gear.

  I drew near the opening to the bay, and I heard a buzz of nearly one thousand Elons chattering within the cavern. The initial recon darted over to front of my face and informed me that the King’s raid was closing in on our position. There was no time to lose. My adrenalin raced as I realized that battle was at hand. Although I was stimulated like a taut highwire, I also felt as if I would faint at any moment if I didn’t keep moving. I became a man of action. Rushing about, I located Pike; he was yelling at a group of Elons to get into formation.

  ‘Alright, now get that file straight, he will be here soon!’ I stumbled over a rock, but did not fall, and my equipment rattled.

  ‘The Messiah is coming our way. Attention!’ Pike yelled.

  All Elons occupying the cavern stepped lively into rank and snapped firm and statue-like to a formal position. Their loyalty was on display, and I was happy to see the ease it took to lead them. Better than these bickering non-army humans back on Earth!

  Pike leaned into my personal space and whispered, ‘They await you, Theodore. All you have to do is lead them.’

  Nervous, yet eager to seize the moment, I cleared my throat at least ten times before I spoke. I attempted to speak, but my voice puttered like an old beat-up lawn mower.

  Then I finally made audible words out of my weak-winded air. I said, ‘Outside of these cavern walls, there is a war going on. We are the answer to this—war, because, war is bad. Umm, okay, you know your job . . . or jobs. So, oh forget it.’

  Muttering to myself, I said, ‘Whoa, dude. You can do this. Reboot. Reboot.’

  Straightening out my shoulders, and snapping to attention, I was now the model of a bellowing, unflinching five-star army sergeant. ‘We are the only people standing in the way of the Dacturons! It is our duty to recapture Jezra's rightful position as queen! Are you with me!’ Blinking, I surprised myself. Did I actually sound that forceful?

  My resounding roar echoed in the brief silence of the cavern, and when the last sound ricocheted, a thunderous ‘Yes sir!’ shook the cavern, stinging my eardrums. We marched in files of two toward the exit from the cave. As I led the invincible-looking army out, my chin held up high, I made a memo to myself:

  Don’t ever waste time for a speech again.

  I barely had set foot out of the cave, when all of a sudden a single flaming arrow from the dark landed inches away from my left foot. ‘Alert! Alert!’ I cried out, rushing into the dense jungle with my army in mad dash behind me. Ed was beeping like a back-up truck signal.

  As we ran through the underbrush, thousands more flaming arrows flew. The sky lit up and the arrows traced the semi-arc of the dwarf star’s reddish glow that dimly lit up the night sky.

  As I gasped, a few Elons near me started to go up in flames. I froze.

  Ed nudged me. ‘Master, assert your authority now!’

  Jolted into action, I issued the orders, based on the intelligence Pike issued to me.

  ‘Ardo Company! First and second platoons, hold your position here,’ I lowered my voice to speak with Pike, ‘I want you to stay and draw them near. Send one platoon to flank the cliff once they get close, so we can trap them. These flanks will protect our army as we move forward.’

  Calling out the names of the other companies, I yelled out, swift and sure, ‘Brigo and Chogo! Let’s move out! Doga! Fall in on me. We are going to parallel Brigo and Chogo. If the enemy makes contact, we will march on. Do you understand?’

  Pike was impressed by my resoluteness. ‘You have been in the Chamber of Rafal I see. Your amplified ability to lead tells me that.’ He saluted me from his forehead and rallied his men.

  “Leaving behind a flaming forest, just escaping the licking flames, we were off on our mission and on point for our destiny. Brigo and Chogo Company woke up the slumbering forest with their advancement. My crew of elite Doga became shadows under the red aura of the night. The battle began.”

  18 dan: karshiz

  “Prisoner. Your presence has been requested by the warden. Please place your hands behind your head. Open request for prisoner eight-six-seven-nine,” the guard says. I am among the general population in the prison, and the current guard has been a friend to me.

  “Whatever you say, dude.”

  The guard places restraints on my wrists. They are only motion restraints that restrict me from lifting my arms. I follow him.

  “So what is this about, dude?” I ask.

  “The warden has requested your presence for questioning. We will meet him in a moment. Just relax, Dan. He didn’t seem angry,” the guard says.

  “How is your family?” I ask.

  “Everyone is doing great. We are going to see the sand surfing competition in Karshiz. You will have to tell me about your days there sometime,” the guard says. “Here we are, prisoner. Don’t speak to the warden unless he requests it. Don’t move from your seat or take any action unless requested. Understand?”

  “Yes, dude. I mean—sir.” The guard waits outside.

  The warden shows up. “Prisoner. Sit down,” the warden says.

  I sit down, and I have trouble staying still. I keep tapping my foot, and the warden stares at it. I think he would enjoy smashing it with a hammer. I don’t say anything, because I have not been invited to speak yet.

  “I brought you here by request, because I would like to know about Nilo and Karshiz. Strictly for evidence that may be required in a court of law or a public inquiry. After Eppa was destroyed, we lost all of the information that the Dietons collected over the years. Rest assured, we will not use this intelligence against you. We
will not seek your friend Nilo.”

  Even with these fake assurances, I will not tell anything that incriminates my crew. The warden is a dumbass if he thinks I will.

  “Nilo? All right, dude, but I don’t usually rat on people. I met my best bro Nilo in Karshiz. He was a little older than I was. Do you want me to tell how we met? Or what?” I asked. The warden was fiddling with some recording device.

  “I prefer that you are as accurate as possible. I will be recording. Remember this is for legal reasons, so it is best for the information to be precise. Maybe it would help if you told it in the form of a story.”

  “Okay, I remember—we were prisoners, training in Trazuline's castle. Between range simulations or tactical and leadership courses, we scanned the joint for some cracks in its security. I remember everyone was so impatient, especially Mariah! She was so pushy. We were planning to escape Karshiz to find Theodore. King Trazuline told us specifically that he was stranded, but he wouldn’t tell us where exactly.”

  Our plan to escape Karshiz and find Theodore was coming together nicely. Mariah heard that he was somewhere, still alive, and we always felt like he could be in danger any minute. We hated the thought of being even one second too late to save him. I thought it sounded like a perfect adventure to go save him. That was my MO. You know? Mission objective.”

  “Why was it so necessary for you to escape? If you were under the comfort of Zane’s wing, why would escape be necessary?” the warden asks.

  “We wanted to find Theodore. I know it seems brash, but we needed Ted to guide us home, or to finish the fight against Odion. Zane betrayed us once, and King Trazuline was just a puppet of Zane, trying to fool us into submission.”

  Anyway, I remember the day I met Nilo. At that point it was just Mariah and I. She was annoying the hell out of me. I said, ‘Dude, relax, I am just gathering all my gear.’ I whipped together all my stuff, because everyone was waiting for me to head to the common area. There was only one guard assigned to two of us, at this point, but it was still a tight watch.