Meridias

  Chapter 15

  Broken Blade, Broken Soul

  Elunduil found himself still thinking about Cerra the next day. He got up, yawned deeply and got ready for another day of adventuring. Felras was also getting ready to go and Elunduil chuckled. They took off from their home around 9 o’clock and walked to the VR center. By the time that they’d arrived they found Tanis and Sean already waiting. “What’s up?!” Sean greeted and waved at the brothers. Elunduil responded with a wave of his own. Alicia and then Tim arrived next and the group took the portal to Meridias.

  Sean took off on his own to go see what Damon was doing and said that he’d be back in a few minutes. Elunduil and the others decided to take a look at the mission board to see that they could do a mission on their own without the knights. “Hm. Okay, so right now the only solo mission is taking a bunch of parts to a mining facility. The area is teeming with wildlife so there is a high chance of encountering hostile beasts.” Tim rubbed his chin. “Well I don’t much care for delivery quests but we might as well do it since we can,” he said, and after everyone else agreed he pushed the accept quest button. The group then went up to the Terminus and waited for several minutes until Sean returned. “Sorry about that. Damon’s got a new toy for me to play with!” he flashed a wild grin.

  “Is it a new weapon?” Tanis asked and Sean chuckled.

  “You’ll just have to wait and see.” Elunduil was also intrigued but now that the group had gathered he stepped towards the Terminus. Everyone else gathered around and they pulled up their APL devices. He noticed on the map that there were a lot more active Terminus then when they’d first come to Ragnarok. There were still plenty of red ones listed but green ones were slowly becoming more numerous. Of course not all of the Terminus had been found by the knights. The only ones listed were the ones that they’d activated. He looked over the map until he saw the one related to their quest. He selected it and waited until everyone else was ready to go. When they’d all found the Terminus he pressed the button to initiate the transport. He felt something reaching out to him. He looked up at the silver monolith as it hummed to life. That was strange. They should’ve transported by now. An image appeared in his mind. It was the stone carving of the Terminus they’d found in the ruins. Suddenly the image shifted. He was standing by the Terminus and up in the sky was a black and red haze.

  Alarms blared throughout the lobby and brought Elunduil back to reality. “Warning! Unknown Terminus Circuit activated! Warn-” The voice cut out as the world around him distorted. He suddenly found himself and the others standing in front of a black Terminus Circuit in the middle of a forest. Everyone was a bit startled but no one panicked. Elunduil looked around and assessed the situation. Their mission was supposed to start by them picking up parts from an outpost on top of a hill that overlooked the mining facility. An unknown Terminus had been activated. He looked to the black obelisk. Somehow it had taken them here. He looked to his APL device.

  They were further out than any other Terminus that had been found by the knights. He pushed on the screen to interface with the Terminus they were at. “It’s showing green… so we should be able to transport back,” he said to the others. Everyone pulled up their APL devices. “Wow we’re way out here!” Sean exclaimed. “I guess that warning was because the knights haven’t even been here yet?” he mused as he tapped his screen. When everyone else pulled up their devices they all tried to initiate a link with the Terminus Circuit. Several moments passed but nothing happened.

  Elunduil tapped the interface a couple more times before he gave up. “We’re stuck,” he grumbled. He looked to the others. Tim held up a hand to the Terminus and tried to use magic. “No response.” He shrugged. “Well what now? We could try to walk back or wait for help.” Tim looked to everyone. Elunduil had no particular preference in the matter but there was one thing that came to mind. “Exactly how long would it take us to walk back? It seems like we’re pretty far out,” Tanis asked mirroring Elunduil’s thoughts. Tim frowned and looked at the device. “I hadn’t thought of that but… I’ve never gone too far from Ellicia. Judging by the distance scale we’re five miles from the nearest Terminus. As for Ragnarok it would take us several days to walk there from here.” The group was silent as they took in the information.

  Elunduil looked up to the tops of the trees. At his fastest pace it took him around 15 minutes to walk a mile. If they were able to walk in a fairly straight line towards the next Terminus it would take around one and a quarter hour, factoring in terrain and possible animal attacks and it could take closer to 2 hours. “I think we’d be better off waiting. Who knows what the heck is out in this part of the forest,” Tanis suggested. Alicia and Sean agreed with him. Felras also looked like he wanted to wait. “Well we’ll wait it out for a bit then. However, I think we should start walking if help doesn’t arrive within the hour,” Tim said casting a stern gaze towards everyone.

  They all agreed with a nod. “Let’s take a look around, Elunduil!” Tanis said. Elunduil nodded and followed him. Felras decided to join them. “Don’t wander too far!” Tim called out to them. Tanis nodded in response. As they walked Elunduil noticed that it was fairly cool here and the trees themselves were huge. They were bigger than the ones near Ellicia and much older. The branches near the top of the trees appeared to twist and turn jaggedly and made him feel uneasy.

  The area around the Terminus was rather open and the tree trunks were spread far apart. There wasn’t much on the ground save for fallen leaves and deep gray moss that clung to the tree trunks. A chilly wind billowed through the place and had the sun not been up it would’ve been completely dark. As it was the forest was dimly lit and Elunduil could just barely make out a glint of sunlight near the tops of the massive trees. “This place is creepy,” Felras said mirroring his thoughts. “Yeah, it’s almost too open. I wonder if some massive beasts live here?” They walked a bit further and Tanis chimed in. “We’ll probably be fine. Elunduil will just blast it away!” Elunduil chuckled but deep down he felt like it wouldn’t be so simple. A warm light appeared at the edge of his vision and he turned to see Felras with a small flame in the palm of his hand. That was probably a good idea. It helped them see a bit better too.

  They walked the perimeter around the Terminus when Tanis called to him. “Say, looks like there’s a bit of fog in the distance.” Elunduil looked to where Tanis pointed and saw a thin veil of white mist hovering along the ground. “It’s probably because of how cool it is here,” he replied and Tanis nodded in agreement.

  They turned to return to the camp but Elunduil paused. He looked back into the forest. Strange he thought he heard- Thump! He turned to the noise. Something was moving around out there. There was another thump and Tanis and Felras noticed the noise. “What is that?!” Tanis exclaimed. Elunduil held up a hand. If the creature was as big as it sounded they needed to be quiet. “Put out your fire!” Tanis whispered to Felras and the dim gloom enveloped them again.

  As the thumping got closer Elunduil started to back away from the sound. Tanis and Felras followed and together they quietly retreated towards the Terminus. It was hard to make out in the gloom but he thought he saw something huge move in the distance. “Get to camp Felras!” he whispered to his brother and Felras turned and ran back towards the Terminus. Elunduil noticed Tanis had a hand on the pommel of his sword. He too understood they may have to fight. The steps got closer and closer until suddenly they stopped. They stopped moving. Elunduil gulped. Either the creature was about to pounce or it was trying to find them. He looked to his left and right. Where was it? It had to be at least far enough away still that they couldn’t see it in this dim forest! That’s when he heard the breathing. It was coming from their left and Elunduil understood that the creature was probably going to attack. “Run!” he exclaimed and he and Tanis turned and sprinted with all their might. A loud roar echoed from behind them. The beast was after them!

  The Terminus quickly came into sight and Tanis motioned with
his hand for the others to run. Tim nodded. “Everyone run!” he shouted and they took flight. Elunduil and Tanis could hear the beast catching up to them as it tore through the forest behind them. “Use the trees!” They heard Tim shout from the front. I don’t think that’s going to work very well. Elunduil thought as they ran around the trunk of a tree.

  It was a matter of size. If they could weave around the tree quickly it would slow the creature down but these were so big it took several seconds just to skirt the circumference and get to the other side. However there was a rather large root that they’d just passed under so maybe that would slow the creature down. Several seconds later he heard a snap and crunch from behind them and sighed inwardly. Of course it wouldn’t slow it down. Tim and the others dipped down and out of sight as they went under one of the trees trunks. When Elunduil and Tanis followed moments later they understood why. There was a huge knot of roots where part of the tree stuck out from the dirt that they could pass under.

  The pair followed after the rest of the group until they saw the others resting in the middle of tangle of roots. “Okay! It shouldn’t be able to follow us in here!” Tim said as he caught his breath. Elunduil and Tanis looked back where they had come from and heard a loud crash as the creature met the tree roots. “Whoo! Hopefully it gives up!” Tanis said. The air shook and they heard the snapping of wood getting closer. Tim motioned for everyone to back up. Moments later one of the roots that they could see snapped and they could make out a monster in the dark. It roared and smashed through more roots. “Oh, God!” Tanis exclaimed. They turned and ran once more.

  ***

  When Maria arrived in Ragnarok with her friends she saw a flurry of confusion and panic. Over a dozen knights were standing by the Terminus Circuit and Damon was furiously pulling panels up from the floor around it with his assistants. “What the heck is going on?” Daniel exclaimed. Maria and her friends watched a bit more before one of the knights came up to them. “Sorry but I’m going to have to ask you people to step outside,” he said.

  “Why?” Maria asked.

  “Terminus went haywire or something. Sent a group of people to an unknown area and locked itself down.” Now that was a surprise. Maria looked at her friends and Dave shrugged. They followed the knight and as they walked around the Terminus she heard a woman with long brown hair in a ponytail say, “I can’t believe the first group to go on an unsupervised mission would be put into this situation. What an abysmal failure on our end.” She sighed and shook her head. Something clicked in Maria’s head as they walked to the other side and she paused and looked back at the women. “Who are the people stuck?” she asked wanting to confirm her suspicion. The women looked over at her. “It’s none of your business,” she replied coldly.

  “… Elunduil,” Maria said.

  “It could be anyone.” The women crossed her arms. She motioned to the knight that was escorting Maria and he started to come forward to move her along. “It has to be him and his friends. He’s the only one I can think of that would be allowed to go on an unsupervised mission. Because…” Maria hated what she was about to say. “Because he’s strong. I mean he was the only one that could do anything to that worm creature.” The knight put a hand on her shoulder.

  As she turned away the women called out to her. “I see. You’re his self-proclaimed rival. I’ve heard about your challenges and always thought you were just some pretentious girl jealous of someone else’s talent, but you understand his strength. You respect him and want to be strong like him, don’t you?” Maria looked back in shock. She opened her mouth to refute the women’s claims but found that she couldn’t. She turned and left with her friends.

  After they had left Damon whistled. “That was a little harsh Melony but as always you’re perceptive,” he said with admiration. Melony sighed. “How is it looking,” she said getting back to business. Damon’s frown and creased brow told her what she needed to know. No luck. They needed to somehow get to Elunduil’s group. The location they’d been sent to was a dangerous region from what the elves had told them. “Keep trying,” she said tensely. Damon nodded and prodded at the Terminus with his tools. What had caused this mess to happen?

  When Maria and her friends made it outside they saw a small group of people milling about. She heard some complaints from those who were waiting to go back home and sighed. “So, what now?” Daniel asked. Dave shrugged and looked to Maria.

  “I think we should take it easy for a bit,” he said. They walked to the side of the door and stood there. Maria leaned back against the wall. Her thoughts were wrapped up with what that women had said to her. Did she respect Elunduil? In the past she might’ve laughed it off but now… She thought back to the World Eater and the lesser Cerebus. He’d saved her both times. She’d seen his full power each time and had felt that she had been so far from reaching his level. That women was right. She’d declared herself as his rival because she’d seen him as someone to surpass. Right now though she was so weak in comparison. She couldn’t even save herself let alone other people.

  A murmuring from the crowd caught her attention and she looked up to what all the fuss was. She saw a silver and gold clad person approaching the tower. His armor seemed to softly glow in the suns light. It was the warrior that had fought with Elunduil against the World Eater. Up close he was even more resplendent than she’d remembered. “I know!” She jumped up from the wall she’d been leaning on and hurried over to the warrior. “Hey, um…” she wasn’t sure what to call him but he paused and stared at her with deep green eyes. “May I help you?” he asked. Maria was taken aback. His voice sounded almost like Elunduil’s. “Uh, you remember the guy you fought with against the World Eater right? Blue robe, black hair. Anyway his name’s Elunduil and I guess he’s in trouble,” she said. Ark gazed intensely at her.

  “What trouble?” he asked clearly concerned. Maria quickly explained that somehow the Terminus had sent Elunduil and his friends to an unknown location and that the Terminus had locked itself down. The knights were working on it but they seemed to be having trouble. Ark looked to Tel’kedar. “I see. I will help the knights find Elunduil,” he said and started to walk away.

  “Mister Warrior!” Maria called out. Ark looked back at Maria. “Make sure you bring Elunduil back! We still have to settle the score!” Ark closed his eyes for a moment.

  “It’s Ark,” he said and walked away leaving Maria gazing at his wake for a moment. She grinned. Not even a promise, but the way Ark had responded made it seem like he was certain he would bring Elunduil and his friends back. She returned to her friends who were awestruck,

  “You just went up and talked to him!” Daniel exclaimed. Dave seemed equally impressed. “Of course. Now then let’s go to the Ellicia. I’m sure Ark will save the day.”

  A moment later Ark walked into Tel’kedar and saw the knights rushing about. One of the knights went to stop him put paused and said, “You! You’re Ark aren’t you?” he asked. Ark nodded and the knight motioned for Ark to follow him. He took him to the Terminus and Damon looked up from his work as they approached. He paused and tapped open his protective eyewear when he recognized the silver-gold warrior. “What is it Damon? Did you think of something?” Melony asked. “No, but he may be our answer.” He nodded towards Ark and Melony turned. A calculating gaze met Ark’s. “The one who saved Elunduil… what makes you think that he is capable of helping?” She turned a questioning eye to the engineer. He stood up and replied,

  “The elves had us run some tests on him if you remember. As long as it’s electronic he can interface with it, meaning he can probably get this Terminus active again.” Melony looked back to Ark. “Very well. Do what you must silver knight.” Ark nodded and stepped forward. He put a hand on the Terminus. Establishing link. Hello... Hello. Link established. Scanning for abnormalities. Terminus transfer protocol missing. Scanning. Data corrupted. Cause unknown. Solution: Reconstruct transfer protocol. Accessing Tel’Kedar database for source code. Code foun
d. Download. Delete corrupted protocol in Terminus Circuit. Reconstructing Protocol… 14%... 68%... 100%. Verifying Terminus Transfer function. Verified. Access restored.

  Ark withdrew his hand. Damon whistled. “Wow. That took only a few seconds. I wish you were a part of my team,” he said. Melony turned to the knights.

  “Alright now that the Terminus has been restored our mission is to find and secure the civilian group. All able-bodied knights prepare for transfer!” The knights in the area scrambled and assembled within a few moments. There were around 16 knights lined up and ready to go. “I assume you’re going to?” Melony asked Ark. He nodded. “It is my duty to protect Elunduil.” Melony nodded and stepped away from the Terminus with Damon. “Remember failure is not an option! Godspeed!” Melony said.

  Ark and the knights linked to the Terminus and selected the unknown Terminus as the transfer location. Without a word they activated the Terminus and it hummed to life. Their world distorted for a brief moment then they were standing in the middle of a dark forest. There was no one there to greet them. Ark scanned the area and noticed large footprints on the ground and claw marks. “They fled from something,” he said. The other knights took notice.

  “Aye, and here’s the group’s footprints scampering off into the forest ahead of this beast. Trailblazer by the way,” said the knight next to Ark. He nodded to the Trailblazer. The group took off into the forest after the footprints. Trailblazer led the way with his tracking skills. Ark decided to stay with the group for the time being but he felt a tightening in his chest. He wanted to find Elunduil as soon as possible. As they rounded one of the large trees they noticed the tracks going towards a tree ahead. The terrain sloped downwards and they saw a large knot of torn up roots strewn about. Trailblazer held up a hand and the group came to a stop. He looked around the area. “They stopped here,” he said. “Looks like whatever was after them tore apart these roots to get to them and they ran again. Let’s go.”