“No...just different.”
Crystaline rolled her eyes, proffering the fruit to Zach this time.
“Just do as your captain says and try a piece, will you?!”
“It’s fine!” Phil scoffed, sensing Zach’s hesitation. “C’mon, buddy, you and I have been through a lot, seen new worlds together. When have you ever not trusted me?” Phil scraped his behind on the floor until he was right up close to Zach. Like a drunken fool, the human captain placed his arm around his loyal comrade. “Just do as you’re told for once, will you, try a piece, don’t be a wuss!”
Zach took a piece of the fruit, still shaking his head in uncertainty. With a tentative bite, the young man’s mind began its journey towards his captain’s, gone on the fruit only seconds later.
James watched smiling as the two men hugged one another, laughing at how good the fruit tasted. As if the fruit’s taste was the funny part. Its side effects were what James was yearning for. The young space warrior couldn’t help but feel a little jealous as he watched the chugga taking its second piece of fruit for the day. Within moments, the little creature was gone - gone to Cloud Cuckoo land with Phil and Zach.
Next up was Crystos! The young man’s demeanour had already changed. James had never seen that look on Crystos before. The young prince had a glint in his eye, a glint of excitement, a fleck of mischief.
The princess mirrored her brother’s expression, offering a little round ball of fruit in front of him as their eyes danced mischievously together.
Without hesitation, the prince accepted his sister’s offering, his eyes not leaving hers, as he rolled the fruit around on his tongue, savouring it only moments before he would completely and utterly devour it. In moments, the fruit was gone, and Crystos’ mind had dissolved away with it.
“James next!” Crystos began to chant, inducing a round of claps and “James! James!” chants from all of the others, gone on the gold fruit.
James grinned, unable to prevent his ravenous tongue from caressing his lips as he eyed Crystaline, and then the little round golden ball in her hand. The princess’ lips remained silent, but her eyes were as encouraging as everyone else’s. She knew, as well as James knew, how awesome this fruit was.
As James took the fruit from Crystaline, he couldn’t help but let out a little laugh. Even though he’d not taken a bite of this fruit yet, his body was already beginning to feel lost in its effects. It was like the gold fruit had some sort of special pull on his body. Like Jupiter pulling against its moons, affecting them, heating them. James felt his body being pulled towards the gold fruit, he felt the gold fruit pulling on his lungs, making them release themselves into laughter.
Savouring the fruit like Crystos, James rested the fruit on the top of his tongue, relishing this moment of him and Crystaline being the last ones sober. As he grazed the fruit with his teeth, James felt as if he were about to cross a very long and challenging bridge to somewhere wonderful.
“See you on the other side.” he said, sinking his teeth into the gold fruit. The effects were instantaneous, washing through James’ body like a tidal wave. The young space warrior had little ability to notice Crystaline guzzling down her own piece of gold fruit, until she was right there, engulfed deep within that same wave of euphoria with him. The duo let out a cathartic laugh, making their very own presences known on Cloud Cuckoo land.
The next hour flew by. It was true, time really did speed up during the funnest of moments. When James looked at Phil, he no longer saw a man he loathed. Instead, the young space warrior saw another person to mess around with, to have a laugh with. He’d even sat there for a while, arm over arm with the man he would usually recoil away from upon the first instance of touch.
Then there was Crystos - the life and soul of the party. The Urashan prince was no longer timid, no longer restrained. Instead he was loud, getting into play wrestling fights with Chugga-chugga. He even got into a mini food fight with Crystaline, tearing off pieces of bruc to launch at his sister. Crystaline and the little chugga were only too happy to play along, encased deep within the effects of the gold fruit themselves.
At odd little intervals, between the games, the play fights and the continuing banter, James would look at Crystaline and her brother. He would notice how liberated they both looked, each of them free from their troubles which would usually imprison them. It was a sight to not only relish, but to cherish, too. It warmed James’ heart to see the pair of them like this, and somewhere deep within him, James’ mind was still present, endeavouring to hatch up a plan to permanently free these two tortured souls.
James took a swig of water. the drink tasted strangely sweet tonight. Perhaps it was the gold fruit, enhancing not just his mind, but his taste buds too. As the young space warrior felt the water trickling down into his stomach, a thought hit him, or more, an idea of entertainment lit up like a bulb inside that drunken brain of his.
“Hey, you guys! Do you wanna know what I reckon?”
Crystaline rolled her eyes, grinning.
“What, James? Please enlighten the rest of us on what you reckon.”
“I think, that we could all use a bit of sworsha training.”
“True,” Crystaline drunkenly pointed her finger at James. “It’s true that you, Phil and Zach could really use a bit of sworsha training.”
“So what’s stopping us?”
Phil scoffed.
“In here? In this trench? This place isn’t exactly a courtyard or a field, is it? It could be a little more roomy.”
James shrugged.
“It’s safe isn’t it? Sheltered away I mean. If we were on an open field. It’d be a bit different, I wouldn’t suggest this.”
Crystaline raised to her feet, placing her hands on her hips as she assessed James and his idea.
“Alright then, Joyce. Hypothetically speaking, let’s say I do agree to this reckless little suggestion of yours, then who would you fight? Phil? Zach? No offence, but watching the three of you would be like watching a group of mubbles having a sworsha match. Bearing in mind, they don’t even have limbs.”
James let out an amused gasp, caressing the inside of his cheeks with his tongue.
“How about you? I mean, what’s to stop us from actually using this time wisely? You think you’re so good, Crystaline, then prove it.”
Crystaline’s entire face creased into a massive disbelieving smile.
“You’re saying that you think you stand a chance against me? Seriously?”
“Maybe, maybe not. There is only one way to find out isn’t there, Princess?”
Remembering James’ mini little series’ of challenges from earlier on, Crystaline shook her head, unable to stifle her giggle.
“Alright then, Joyce, have it your way. This time will be different from the last time.”
“Oh, so you’re saying I’ll win?”
“No. I didn’t mean our last encounter with the sworshas. I meant earlier, from today.”
James got to his feet, cocking his head to one side.
“Oh yeah? How so?”
“You’ll lose, James. That is a fact. And it won’t just be me and Chugga-chugga you’ll have to feel embarrassed around. It’ll be those three as well, and not to mention Morcees and Borcees cooped up in that corner over there.”
“We’ll see, we’ll see.” was all James had to offer in return, as he stood five or so metres opposite the Urashan princess, still caressing the insides of his cheeks with his tongue.
The truth was, the young space warrior knew already that Crystaline would win. In fact, James knew that the Urashan princess would probably completely and utterly woop his ass, indeed embarrassing him in front of all his friends. The young space warrior couldn’t even quite fathom his reasons for wanting to battle Crystaline himself. His brain was still shrouded in the effects of the gold fruit, yet he yearned for this little moment of fun with the Urashan princess.
As he watched Crystaline remove her very own sworsha, James felt his
own trouser pocket for his, carefully removing it. The weapon felt warmer than on that first day. That first day when he had laid his hands upon this sworsha for the very first time. The weapon had been kept warm by his own body heat, and it felt quite soothing against the cold, biting nighty air.
“I think we’d better stick with purple.” Crystaline called over, setting her own weapon onto this safe setting. “Oh, and remember to lock it. We wouldn’t want any unnecessary accidents to happen now, would we?”
James did as he was told, replicating Crystaline’s very own purple sworsha. As he glanced back over to his friends still huddled around the fire, James could see the excited smiles on each and every one of their faces. They looked like a bunch of wild, drunken sports fans, ready to watch their favourite teams battling it out for the ultimate trophy.
James turned his head back towards Crystaline. She was just as ravenous for this battle as he was, and James, this time, he knew he wouldn’t hold back. He knew that Crystaline could take whatever he threw at her.
Like Crystaline had showed him on training day, James held his sworsha with both hands, using them to keep a firm grasp on his luminous weapon.
For a while, the young pair stood, eye to eye, seizing one another up. Who would strike first? Would it be James? Keen to make up for his embarrassing losses? Or would it be Crystaline, keen to uphold her flawless reputation? Neither Crystaline nor James struck first, for they both leapt free from the ground at the exact same time as one another, running, raised ready to attack until their sworshas collided with a familiar BOOMING CRACKLE!
James swiped his arms, frantically endeavouring to defend his body from the sizzling purple of Crystaline’s sworsha. Whenever her sworsha collided with his, James would feel the impact reverberating its way right through his hands, up his arms and into his entire body. The princess was quick - too quick, and James felt that all too familiar shock prickling through his leg. The young space warrior was floored, and the chants all around him were a momentary blur.
Fighting his way through his daze, James rolled himself back onto his feet, immediately holding up his sworsha to defend himself once again. The princess’ strikes were relentless, pinwheeling away at him like a machine malfunctioning, swirling itself around and around at a super fast pace, which would eventually cause it to explode into oblivion. There was no way, no way that James could contend with this. The princess was like a robot, going at him on some fuel which never ran out. Feeling a heavy blow to his chest this time, James felt his body thrusting away from Crystaline, into the air, and straight back down onto that rock solid ground. Groaning, and panting, James laid there, flat out on his back.
The young space warrior saw Crystaline walking over to him, standing above him, straddling her legs over his. She was panting too, and her being stood there over him like that, and breathing heavily, well, it was not a sore sight for the eyes - far from it in fact.
“James, James, James!” Crystaline’s voice was triumphant and breathy. “Do you give in yet? For we could continue. But that...that would just feel cruel. You don’t stand a chance.”
James sighed out a cough. Although he didn’t like to admit it, Crystaline was right. The young space warrior was never a quitter, but this fight with Crystaline, he’d already lost. There was just no way that he could even get a strike in against the beautiful young woman. Or maybe he had subconsciously still been holding back a little bit? Yeah, James, just make excuses his subconscious taunted at him.
James gave another little groan, raising himself into a sitting up position as Crystaline un-straddled herself from him.
“Fine then,” he rasped, “you’re right, I’m no match against you. I’ve not had years of practice like you have, but...”
James was interrupted, interrupted by Crystos.
“No, but I have.” The prince proclaimed, caressing the sworsha in his trouser pocket. “You want to see a sworsha fight, then witness a real one.”
James sat there, momentarily gobsmacked. Did Crystos intend to fight him or Crystaline?
“Er, what are you proposing exactly? I mean er, who are you wanting to fight exactly?”
Crystos grinned into the eyes of his sister.
“No offence, James, but if I fought you or any of your other human friends, that wouldn’t exactly be a real fight, would it? If you want to see a spectacle however, then myself, and Crystaline will be more than willing to provide that for you.”
“But Crystos,” James began to protest, “Crystaline’s er...she’s a er...”
“A what?” Crystaline asked, her eyes filled with that same lust for a decent battle as her brother’s.
“Nothing I just...I just don’t want to see you get hurt, Crystaline.”
Crystaline grinned, oozing out both her competitiveness and her confidence.
“Oh please! As if I would let such a thing happen. You’re on, Crystos, and I hope you’re prepared.”
“Oh this is gonna be great!” James heard Zach squealing, as he joined both of his comrades on the sidelines. Zach and Phil both gave James a sympathetic pat on the back.
“Could’ve happened to any one of us, bro, could’ve happened to any one of us.”
As James watched Crystaline and her brother seizing one another up, Zach’s words hadn’t exactly been of much comfort to the young space warrior’s ears. Yes, he had been expecting defeat, but the whole ordeal was still highly embarrassing. To add further insult to injury, the princess was having to face off against her brother, a huge hulk of a man. It was true, the young space warrior’s apprehension was starting to break free from the veil of the gold fruit. James was worried, genuinely worried.
James imagined that he would have looked like Crystos, seizing Crystaline up, ready for battle with that same hunger. The siblings circled one another, their eyes taunting one another and never breaking contact. Then, without warning, Crystaline was the first to spring her body forwards. She crashed into her brother, commencing the battle.
For a while, the two siblings sparred, each pulling out such an array of impressive moves, which James never even thought were possible. Crystaline was fast, incredibly agile, swiping her sworsha around far more deftly and beautifully than her brother. Crystos, on the other hand, he had strength on his side, dealing blow after blow of powerful hits to his sister’s weapon.
As James continued to watch the wielding pair, he couldn’t help but feel a little mesmerised as he watched the dreamy bright purples swishing their way through the air. It was a surreal sight, not something you saw every day, put it that way.
With a humungous thunderous crackle, which even James felt, Crystaline was tossed up into the air, and nanoseconds later, the princess was floored by her brother’s mighty strike.
James winced, watching as Crystaline dodged her brother’s next strike by rolling herself back up onto her feet. To James’ surprise, the princess ran, not to her brother, but to one of the eight feel tall walls. As the princess reached the wall, she jumped at it with her feet, running along the wall as she headed back towards her brother. In one, great big giant leap, Crystaline freed herself from the wall, somersaulting impressively over Crystos as her sworsha once again met with his in midair.
As the princess landed back on her feet, she and her brother continued to spar once again, and this time, Crystaline was able to deal the next powerful strike. Only instead of being floored to the ground like his sister, Crystos was merely flung backwards, still managing to remain on his feet.
Feeling undeterred by her brother’s strong foothold with the ground, Crystaline ran at the bulky Urashan, digging her heels into the ground, and tilting her body back so that she slid right underneath Crystos’ two vulnerable legs. With a flick of her weapon, Crystos was flung into the air, forced into an involuntary somersault as he plummeted his way back down onto the ground, losing grip of his weapon in the process.
As the prince clawed at the ground to right himself, his eyes locked first with his disarmed ground
ed weapon, and then with Crystaline’s golden eyes. She wanted his weapon, too, and now this battle had turned into a race.
Not wasting a further second to stare at one another, both brother and sister sprang for Crystos’ weapon, with speedy agility winning the race.
As Crystos came to a halt behind her, Crystaline reactivated his weapon, using both his weapon and hers to surround his neck. Instead of lopping her brother’s head off, Crystaline grinned victoriously at him, her chest heaving.
“So then, brother...do you surrender?”
Crystos rolled his eyes, shaking his head in defeat.
“You may have won the first battle, dear sister, but you have not won the war.”
With a swoosh the purple beams vanished, and Crystaline returned Crystos’s weapon to him, still beaming triumphantly.
As she and her brother repositioned themselves around the fire, Crystaline turned to James, her voice still exhausted and breathy.
“Never ever underestimate a woman’s skill, James.”
James could only nod his head, both relieved and gobsmacked with this evening’s turn of events. Now he didn’t feel so embarrassed for getting completely and utterly destroyed by Crystaline.
***
After the reckless battling, the group had settled around the fire, eating bruc and drinking water as they all conversed with one another. James in particular found that he was drawn to conversing with Crystos. The Urashan prince had revealed to James that he and his sister had a dream of seeing the Universe. Upon being told this information, the young space warrior’s mind had immediately traveled back to that first night in the wilderness, and that moment when Crystaline had brushed off her interest in seeing the Universe in all its form and glory. James had known, he had always known that the Urashan princess had some kind of steely shell covering what was truly inside her. The young space warrior had responded to Crystos’ confession with a promise: he would take both of them through space - one day. Even if the pair traveled beyond the Urashan skies beforehand. James would still voyage through space with the Urashan siblings.
Diversion To Urasha (Space Era Book 1) Page 18