Meridias

by Ryan Hodgson

  Suddenly a furry white creature appeared from around a tree trunk on their left and stared at them. Elunduil found himself frozen in place. His mind was blank and he couldn’t even process what was in front of him or where he was. He vaguely noticed the white creature step forward. A small tinge of fear started to well up inside him. The creature took another step towards them. M… mo… v… e. M…o-ve. Move! A feeling of dread rose up and Elunduil slowly started to regain his senses. He was slowly taking in the creature’s features as it stepped forward again. It appeared to be a white cat with long ears though its eyes were unusually large compared to one.

  Though his mind was still moving slowly he knew that he had to break his gaze with the creature. It felt like his thoughts were foggy and smothered and a part of him just wanted to give into it, but he resisted the urge with all his might and slowly began to look away. After several moments he finally managed to break his gaze with the creature and his mind snapped back as if it had been doused in cold water. He couldn’t bring himself to look back. He was too afraid to but at the same time he noticed that the others were still blankly staring at the creature. What could he do? He heard the soft padding of the creature on the soil as it came closer. This thing was hunting them! Elunduil gritted his teeth and prepared to face the creature when a large animal galloped past him and at the cat. He heard a loud cry and a hiss from the two and the spell on the others broke.

  Elunduil looked back just in time to see a fluffy white tail disappear into the brush and saw a large deer-like creature standing before them. It stood taller than Tim who was the tallest of the group. It had fine silver fur and its antlers rose up like a normal deer except some of the horns near the base curled into a circle and had two large, black balls at the end of them. “A Malthay!” Tim exclaimed as the deer turned back to them.

  “What’s a Malthay?” Tanis asked. His voice was shaky and it was clear that they were all recovering from the attack. “It is a wise creature that also happens to be a natural deterrent to the Syth. That cat-like creature that was after us,” he explained. Elunduil looked at the Malthay and could tell there was intelligence in its eyes. It motioned with its head back the way they had come from. “It’s telling us to go back,” Trailblazer said. The Malthay grunted in confirmation. “Well I don’t think it’s safe for us to proceed with something so dangerous lurking around here. We’ll have to wait until our friend here chases it away before we can return.” The Malthay grunted and nodded in response then turned and trotted off after the Syth.

  The group returned to the transport and then back to Ragnarok. They then decided to head to Ellicia. Tim took Felras with him to learn magic with Angurvadel while Tanis went to spar with Galimere. Elunduil and Alicia went to learn from Cooper. When they made it to his home they decide to ask the elf about the Syth they just encountered. Cooper’s brow furrowed. “I see, so the Syth are roaming these forests now. Worry not for the Malthay will be sure to chase it out before long. I shall consult with Angurvadel later for I think with this incident we should have you all do some mental training to guard against the Syth should they appear again.” He nodded assuredly and went to bring out the materials for their session. Elunduil frowned to himself. “What should we do after looking away?” he asked. Cooper paused for a moment and then said,

  “Only one who managed to break its gaze would ask such a question.” He took a large metal bowl and dropped it. Elunduil and Alicia looked at him blankly. “Make noise!” he said enthusiastically. “Noise?” Elunduil replied.

  “Yes! The Syth are cold-blooded killers but they are also complete cowards! If they feel even a sliver a doubt about their prey being able to fight back they will flee! Keep that in mind if you should see one again!” Elunduil and Alicia nodded and then went to their studies.

  After a few hours had passed they decided that it was time to leave soon. Alicia excused herself to the bathroom to wash up and much to Elunduil’s chagrin left a mess behind. He sighed and cleaned it up in her stead. Cooper watched him and when Elunduil finished he said, “I’ve noticed that you tend to clean up after her even though it’s not your mess. Why is that?” the elf asked. Elunduil shrugged.

  “I don’t know. I don’t see any point in leaving it the way it is, I guess,” he replied.

  “Why not just leave it?” Cooper asked.

  “Someone has to do it.” Cooper nodded his head at Elunduil’s response.

  “I see. You are the kind of person to take everything onto themselves. Rather than waiting for the elves to come to your aid you chose to enter the tower and face the Leader alone. One person cannot carry the weight of the world.” For some reason those words stirred up something deep inside of Elunduil. It was distant and hard for him to put words to. He turned his head to the elf. “Are you sure?” he asked plainly. Cooper seemed mildly surprised.

  “Interesting,” he muttered. Alicia walked back into the room. “Ah! Excellent timing! Unfortunately there isn’t much left for me to teach you so next time I will be teaching you both something new.” Alicia looked excited and Elunduil was intrigued. As they left they speculated about what it could be. Elunduil was just glad that he wouldn’t be going through just the anatomy books next time. “So, um I’ll be a bit earlier than usual tomorrow,” Alicia said as casually as she could. “I figure if we get started early than we can get done sooner you know?” Elunduil nodded. “Makes sense,” he replied not really getting what she was driving at.

  “So… do you want to join me?” she asked. Elunduil shrugged.

  “Sure. I’ll already be coming here anyway.” Alicia seemed happy about his answer as they rejoined the others and then took the transport back to Ragnarok and then took the portal back home to Earth.

  Cooper sat in his home deep in thought after Elunduil and Alicia had left. He was thinking about his conversation with Elunduil but he was not thinking about his answer. There had been something there in the young man’s eyes that he couldn’t shake. It lurked so far in the depths that he might’ve missed it, but that flicker in Elunduil’s eyes was familiar. He couldn’t quite put a finger out what it was, but for that brief moment Elunduil had answered as someone who was carrying a great burden. The elderly elf sighed and got out of his chair. He was sure that Anguvadel had probably heard from Elunduil’s friends about the Syth by now but he should still check and make sure. Cooper hummed a cheerful tune to himself and stepped out of his home.

  ***

  Joel and the others made it back to the camp as the sun was starting to creep low in the sky. They’d managed to make it back a day quicker partially due to fear of getting attacked by more desert creatures and partially due to knowing which way to head. Lucas, who was manning the perimeter, rushed out to meet them. “What happened? Where’s Revias?” he asked as he came within talking distance. Draxus looked off to the side. “He was a soldier to the end,” he replied. Lucas looked to Joel and Kali for confirmation. The pained look in their eyes told him what he needed to know. “Damn!” he exclaimed and stomped the sand.

  “Where is Ashblade? I need to let him know the bad news… and that we managed to put the enemy into disarray. Those creatures won’t be bothering us for a long time.” Draxus put a hand on Lucas’ shoulder.

  “He’s in his tent right now. I’ll escort you back and let the others know. At least the mission was a success,” he said bitterly. Draxus nodded and removed his hand then they made their way back to the camp.

  Joel felt a sense of relief as they reached the crest of the dune and could see the dark green tents spread out below. They had made it back. Lucas took them to Ashblade’s tent in the middle and with a salute he turned and walked away, presumably to tell the others about Revais. Draxus pushed back the flap on the tent and the group followed him inside. The first thing that Joel noticed was that Ashblade was sitting at a desk to the left of the entrance. The brow of his eyes were knotted as he appeared to be concentrating on something in front of him. His brown eyes wearily flicked over to the gr
oup as they came inside the tent. Draxus saluted and said, “Sergeant!” Joel and Kali followed suit and Ashblade waved a hand for them to stand at attention. His rough face betrayed no emotion as he looked over the three of them. “What’s your report?” he asked. Draxus relayed that they had managed to take out the Queen and collapse a portion of the nest thanks to Joel. Unfortunately Revais had been severely injured by the queen and passed away several hours later.

  Ashblade took a deep breath. “I see, so the Antlion’s won’t be a threat anymore. At least not until they find a new queen but by then we’ll be long gone. I will commend Revais in my report. His loss is a great one.” Ashblade leaned back. Joel was weary but knowing that Revais wouldn’t be publicly acknowledged angered him. “What’s the point if he’ll just be listed as M.I.A.?” Ashblade looked to Joel then to Draxus.

  “You told him, huh? I guess there isn’t any reason to hide it anymore,” he said. “Unfortunately the same is true for all of us.” Joel couldn’t hold back his irritation.

  “What kind of crap is that? I’ll take this general guy and-” Ashblade cut Joel off.

  “Simmer down! There will be no disrespecting The General in this camp. Is that clear?” Ashblade’s gaze was dangerous and after a moment Joel nodded. “Yes, sir,” he replied. Ashblade dismissed the group to recuperate and they filed out one by one. Joel was the last one to reach the flap and as he did Ashblade called out to him. “Joel, I assure you that Revais’ death will not go unrecognized. That’s the least I can do for him.” Joel paused at the threshold of the tent and then stepped outside. Ashblade’s word didn’t make him feel any better but at least it seemed as if the man was trying his best to do right. He looked up at the setting sky. Maybe tomorrow he would wake and find that it was all just a dream.

  The next morning Joel awoke to find his body was completely sore. As his eyes adjusted he saw that he was still inside the tent. “Well crud,” he said unenthusiastically and crawled out of his sleeping bag. He saw that some of the others were getting up as well. That’s right they had to do their morning run. He grumbled and wished that he could at least have a full day of rest but he doubted that Ashblade would let that fly, so instead he pulled on his pants and joined the others as they made their way outside. “How did you sleep?” Nadir asked as Joel came up beside him.

  “Terrible. My body is completely stiff,” he replied. Nadir let out a chuckle. Ashblade and Draxus stood up at the front waiting for everyone to gather. Jerome was the last to join the group then they took off for their morning run.

  Joel was surprised that he could keep up with the group and some of the stiffness in his body worked its way out as they ran. After about five laps around the camp though he could feel his muscles protesting. He cursed and told himself to keep going. They weren’t even at the halfway point yet. He really wished that something would happened so that he could stop running. He noticed movement to his right and looked out towards the desert. For a moment he saw an area of sand rising up slowly but then it went back down. The back of his hairs stood up and he came to a stop which almost caused Jerome to run into him. “Whoa! Why’d you stop?” he asked as he went around to Joel’s left. “I thought I saw something moving in the sand,” he replied shaking his head.

  As he makes to rejoin the group a large patch of sand suddenly erupts in front of him. What Joel sees rising out of the sand is so bizarre that it confuses him for a moment. A cylindrical creature rises up into the air. The oddest thing about it is that it has an opaque coloration to it and almost looks as if it is made of some kind of stone. “What the heck is that?!” he exclaims. Jerome looks equally fascinated by the creature. Its body appears to be made of segments of rings that made it look like it is some kind of snake or worm. It has to be at least 50 feet long, and it is coming right at them. “I think we should run,” Joel whispers and looks to Jerome. The other man nod and they run in the direction of the camp. They hear shouts from the others in the distance. They must’ve noticed the worm creature as well.

  Thankfully it was a short run and Ashblade and the others regroup with them then everyone goes to grab their weapons from the armory tent. Joel goes to grab one of the guns but pauses when he looks at his sword. He grabs it and feels a sense of reassurance and certainty. He grabs one of the assault rifles for good measure and rushes back out into the sand. The scene that greets him on the other side of the flap is his squad firing at the flying worm to no avail. The bullets appear to bouncing off of it as the creature casually makes its way towards them. Joel notices that it has four teeth spread out evenly in its gaping maw. He pulls up his rifle and shoots towards the mouth but his bullets simply ricochet off of its body or disappear inside its mouth.

  The creature suddenly picks up speed and swoops down onto group causing everyone to scatter to get out of its path. It rises back up into the air and then turns back down for another pass. It dives straight down then before it hits the ground it turns its body level to the ground and flies straight at Ashblade. He froze in place. He can feel death’s hands gripping his mind and is terrified. As the creature is about to swallow him up he sees a flash of movement from his right, and Joel brings down his blade on the creature with all his might. There is a loud clang as the sword bounces off and the worm creature turns towards the noise. “Get down!” he hears Jerome shout in the distance and he comes brought back to his senses and dives to the sand. Moments later he hears the hiss of a missile and then a loud explosion that shakes his body.

  His ears shriek from the noise and he looks up to see the creature fly off into the air. There is a loud whirring noise and the creature tears open a hole in the sky as if it was merely a canvas. It disappears into this hole as it tears through it leaving them with a bizarre sight. The hole is completely black as if the creature had consumed everything that had been in the spot. A few moments later the area disappeared as if had never been there. “What the heck was that?!” he heard Joel exclaim from nearby. The sound was somewhat muffled as his ears had yet to fully recover. He got up and looked around the camp. He saw Jerome holding a rocket launcher in his hands and nodded in thanks. He then looked to Joel who had recklessly charged the creature. The kid had a crazy side but he was proving to be a valuable asset.

  ***

  The skies above Ragnarok were peaceful and many people were enjoying the cool morning breeze. Several people were beginning to arrive from Earth and were eager to explore and learn new things. Maria was also down below by herself waiting for Daniel and Dave to arrive. A loud whirring noise began to come from above and the people outside looked up to see the cause. There was alarm from the knights down below as a hole appeared in the sky and an opaque, cylindrical creature came out from the hole it had made. It swooped down into the city towards the clamor and began its attack.

  A loud siren blares throughout the city confusing the creature for several moments as it tries to decide which way to go. It gets its answer as a salvo of weapons fire hit it from every side. The knights below are firing large, bulky energy rifles that rain blue fire at the creature in an attempt to bring it down, but the shots are having no effect on the creature.

  It swoops down towards the nearest group to attack when a glob of magma hit its side. It shrugs off the magma and turns towards the young teen who had attacked him. The boy backs up in a panic as the creature ceaselessly advances. As it makes to gobble the teen up something lands on top of its body and pierces it with two golden sabers. The creature jerks away and up into the air and the figure jumps off its body and lands on the ground. The boy stares at the person before him with shock and admiration. His silver body gleams softly in the morning light and his v-shaped light swords burn a brilliant gold as the man stares up at the worm creature.

  Ark has returned. He had spent a week traveling back to Ragnarok due to him having to attempt to sift through the information of the data orbs that he’d recovered from the Dahyen. Now that his task was complete he had stopped by Ragnarok on his way to speak with the elder
and had found this creature attacking. He grips his sabers. The creature was high in the air so he would have to try and jump to the top of one of the nearby buildings if he was to attack or… his sabers disappear in a flash of light and his right forearm transforms into a cannon. The lines on his weapon radiate a golden light as it charges up and Ark shoots a bolt of light at the creature. Though his aim was true the shot appears to have no effect as it dissipates against the creature’s body.

  It seems that the World Eater is just as tough as the information he’d recovered from the Dahyen claimed. Bolts of energy rain from the knights as they fire another salvo onto the creature. Ark turns away from the battle for a moment and leaps onto a foothold on the side of the vehicle bay and then from there he leaps up and onto the roof. For him it is a scant few seconds and when he turns to look back at the battle he sees the World Eater swooping down to attack the ring of bystanders that is gathering. Ark charges a more powerful shot and fires at the creature. Thankfully the World Eater notices the shot and turnes to fly at him instead. “Perfect,” he says calmly and transforms his arm cannon back to normal and summons his beam sabers. He waits patiently for the creature to come to him.

  Meanwhile Elunduil has arrived at Ragnarok. After he’d gone home the previous day he’d realized that Alicia had been trying to meet with him alone. He sighs and ruffles his hair. Normally he would stand there and wait for Alicia but the sounds of weapon fire from outside catch his attention. He thinks it is some kind of demonstration but there is no rhythm to the shots and they almost seem frantic. Sensing some kind of trouble he hurries to the entrance. The doors slide open for him and as he goes out into the morning air he sees a bizarre sight.