“I haven’t heard that name in... how long?” King Byollywhog asked.
Queen Mompawhog pondered. “Oh, it’s been decades, maybe even centuries. I forgot about them.”
“I did too.” King Byollywhog stated and looked over to Queen Mompawhog, “Do we still have that peace treaty in order?”
“I’m not sure.” Queen Mompawhog stated as she looked at the Major Generals, “Do you know anything about it?”
“Well, one of the Froach said something about an Old King and a peace treaty.” Major General Brentari told them, “I can’t remember anything else.”
King Byollywhog was shocked to hear those words. His mouth slightly fell open, and his eyes became wider than before.
“The Old King? That was King Phyollywhog...my father.”
“Oh…” Major General Lokhorst muttered.
“I suppose then they were telling the truth?” Major General Brentari asked.
“Oh, they definitely were! I’m surprised they remembered the treaty...” King Byollywhog moved his hand over his mouth and thought for a moment before speaking. “In fact, if I were them, I would remember too after what happened. Anyways, why are you here?”
“We just told you.” Major General Lokhorst stated.
“No, you said your leader sent you here. I asked why you are here.” King Byollywhog asked as his eyes became small and beady.
“Well...” Major General Brentari started to speak, “As I said before, we wanted to see if you were real and to meet you.”
“I see.” King Byollywhog replied.
“We were hoping to connect our world with yours. We thought we could meet you and see if you would like to develop a relationship between the Frochen and the transhumans on Nuwurth.” Major General Lokhorst responded.
“So, you need my help? With what?”
“Well, nothing as far as we’re aware of.” Major General Brentari blatantly spoke.
“Then what is it? I don’t need anything that you may have to offer. We are doing just fine. We are alive. We grow our own food in the Nursery, and nothing bothers us.” King Byollywhog moved his hand towards his face and moved it downwards as if he were thinking. His gills dangled as his hand left them. “You know there is one thing that I need help with, but I’m unsure if you could help with it.”
“What is it?” Major General Brentari asked excitedly, “We’ll help you!”
“This might come to a surprise, but I am missing my pet.” King Byollywhog explained, “He was just here a few days ago, but now he is gone. You see, we were trying to mate him with my other pet, but he escaped when the Frochen guards were transporting them...I do have to say I’m not surprised he escaped, but I miss him.”
“Your pet?” Major General Brentari asked, “What kind of pet was it?”
“Well, for one, you can’t miss him, he’s huge.” Queen Momphawhog chimed in.
“Yeah, he has sharp teeth and a long mouth...” King Byollywhog looked at the Major Generals, “...and he has hands like you.”
Major General Brentari turned towards Major General Lokhorst. “Wait, is that what we saw earlier that broke the ice?”
“It sounds quite similar, but is it possible?” Major General Lokhorst asked, “King Byollywhog, could you identify this creature for us?” she turned towards Major General Brentari to signal her to open the picture of the creature.
“Oh!” Major General Brentari swiped her hand, and her INH opened. She tapped on “Files,” then tapped on “Varenok” then “Recent Scans” then scrolled down to the picture of the creature and moved her hand towards King Byollywhog and Queen Mompawhog and a hologram formed in the air in between them. The hologram showed a still image of the creature after it broke through the ice. King Byollywhog leaned forward, and his eyes become wide, and he shouted.
“That’s him! That’s my Tulrouthe!”
“Well, we saw him above the surface, as you can tell there he broke the ice that we landed on.” Major General Brentari pointed as she spoke.
“Yeah, if we didn’t run, he would’ve had us for a snack.”
“Well, I’m sure glad you escaped. Where did you see my Tulrouthe at?” King Byollywhog asked.
“Well, before we met the Froach, we landed on some snowy land, and before that, we flew from the area that we met your Tulrouthe. We have the location here.” Major General Brentari explained as she caught him up to speed.
“Here?” King Byollywhog asked, “Well, show it to me!”
Major General Brentari swiped her hand, and the option for “Recent Scans” appeared. She tapped then scrolled down to find the image of the Tulrouthe. She held her finger on the image, and the option for “Settings” appeared. She tapped on that and scrolled all the way down to the bottom and found the “Coordinates” then she swiped them towards King Byollywhog and Queen Mompawhog, and the location appeared on a hologram.
“So, right here, that little dot is us and...” Major General Brentari moved her hands in the air slowly as if she were turning the hologram, and she pointed at where they had last seen the Tulrouthe.”
“Ah, that’s a little way away. At this rate, he’ll be halfway across Varenok soon!” King Byollywhog clarified.
“Isn’t that over by the Conglacieral mountains?” Queen Mompawhog asked.
“It is nearby. The Tulrouthe might hang out there for a while, there are a lot of creatures in those parts, and he sure is hungry...mating season takes a lot of energy.” King Byollywhog remarked.
“Does that mean that we’ve helped you find out his location?” Major General Brentari asked.
“Well...” King Byollywhog was starting to speak, and Queen Mompawhog interjected. He looked to his left at her as she spoke.
“You have helped us track down our pet. King Byollywhog mentioned it is the mating season, and they are one of their last kind here on Varenok. We do appreciate your help, even if it is a small lead.” She continued speaking. “We will have a better understanding of where he is when we search for him, and for that, we couldn’t be more grateful for, could we?”
“You’re right about that.” King Byollywhog agreed as he looked away at Queen Mompawhog and towards the Major Generals. “How can we help you?”
“Well...the Frochen Kingdom is very peaceful, and we would like to stay here longer, but we really should get back to our ship.” Major General Brentari explained.
“So, you don’t want my help, after all?” King Byollywhog asked.
“No, we need your help to get back up there.” Major General Brentari begged, “We cannot swim up there alone.”
“What are you asking?” King Byollywhog inquired, “That we help you swim up to the shore?”
“Yes. We saw those creatures on the Froachs’ back coming down here, and quite honestly, we know if we were to swim back to shore, we wouldn’t make it.” Major General Lokhorst explained.
“We’re kind of stuck down here.” Major General Brentari mumbled.
“Hmm...what if?” Queen Mompawhog turned to her right spoke to King Byollywhog in their native language. They spoke back and forth and used their hands to explain what they were talking about towards one another. Major Generals Brentari and Lokhorst turned to look at one another as they waited for them to be over with their discussion. King Byollywhog and Queen Mompawhog continued speaking and pointing every which direction for a moment before King Byollywhog shook his head furiously, then stopped and calmed himself down. The door opened behind them, and six Frochen guards walked inside and stood behind the Major Generals.
“This is what is going to happen.” King Byollywhog started to speak. “These Frochen guards will escort you to the female Tulrouthe. You all will ride on top of it to the location of your ship, and then they will leave you to find my missing Tulrouthe.”
“Are you serious? That is wonderful news! Thank you, King Byollywhog...” Major General Brentari rejoiced, “...and thank you, Queen Mompawhog!”
“Yes, thank you so much. We appreciate it.�
�� Major General Lokhorst cheered.
“In the past, we only cared for Frochen, but I think that is the past.” King Byollywhog continued speaking. “We thought we could help you since you helped us.”
“What if we ever have to contact you again in the future?” Major General Brentari inquired, “How will we get ahold of you?”
“Well, you saw how to get here, right?” King Byollywhog asked.
“Not exactly. It was a blur, it happened so fast.” Major General Brentari admitted.
“Well, now that we know that there is intelligent life out there, we might start expanding the Frochen Kingdom to the surface. I wouldn’t worry about contacting us.” King Byollywhog stated, and he stood up from the Royal Throne and walked behind and pushed on the door behind the Thrones. He stepped inside as Queen Mompawhog spoke.
“We’re the fastest swimmers on Nuwurth, well besides the Tulrouthe that is. We’ll find you.” Queen Mompawhog stood up and waited for King Byollywhog to return.
King Byollywhog walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. He walked towards the Major Generals, who were standing there, watching him.
“This is how you will contact us.” King Byollywhog held out his hand and opened it to reveal a shell. The shell looked immaculate and flawless. On one end of the shell, it was pointed, and the other end was smooth. Along the ridges, it seemed as if it had been held before King Byollywhog. He turned to his left and gave it to Queen Mompawhog to hold. He motioned a guard to come closer, and he took the guards spear and pierced his hand with it, causing his blood to appear. He gave the spear back to the Frochen guard and moved his hand over the shell that Queen Mompawhog was holding. Yellow liquid oozed out from his hand into the shells opening. The blood seeped inside the crevice of the shell.
“There, now you can use this shell to contact us. This only works for Frochen royalty, but you don’t need to worry about that since I activated it for you.” King Byollywhog remarked, and Queen Mompawhog held the shell out in her hand, allowing the Major Generals to take it from her. Major General Brentari reached out and grabbed it from her hand and held it, and moved her arm back to her side.
“This should work outside of Varenok, but in case it does not, you can always come here and use the shell to signal that you are here.” King Byollywhog added.
“How does it work?” Major General Lokhorst asked.
“You’ll figure it out when you need my help again. We’ll always be here.”
“Thank you so much!” Major General Brentari smirked, “It was a dream come true meeting you, and you too Queen Mompawhog and all the Frochen here!”
King Byollywhog and Queen Mompawhog smiled as they heard her compliment. “Now go, you have a long journey ahead of you!” King Byollywhog moved his head back and forth, Queen Mompawhog copied his movement.
“Goodbye, and thank you!” Major General Lokhorst smiled as she turned around and noticed the Frochen guards exiting the room. “Come on, let’s go!” She waved to Major General Brentari as the two hurried their walking towards the Frochen guards. As they left the Royal Throne Room, the doors closed shut behind them, and a sound like a latch was heard. The Major Generals followed the Frochen as they silently walked past the other guards along with Prince Hyollywhog. Then they walked down the marble pathway until they had reached the entrance then turned left to go down another pathway that went towards the bottom of the Frochen Kingdom.
The Major Generals looked around them as they walked and noticed that more Frochen were watching them as they walked with the Frochen guards. Major General Lokhorst moved closer to Major General Brentari and whispered, “Looks like transhumans aren’t the only curious race.” Major General Brentari nodded in agreement.
They continued walking until they reached an opening that inside was an array of colors. “This is the Nursery that King Byollywhog mentioned.” Prince Hyollywhog stated. Inside of the area, Frochen was seen swimming back and forth from one area to another, harvesting crops, and placing them inside of containers. Different plants and fruits emitted various colors. To the far ends of the Nursery appeared to be trees that had produced various colored fruit as well.
“This place is huge!” Major General Brentari exclaimed as they walked on the main path to the other side of the Nursery. Prince Hyollywhog turned around and spoke. “The Old King, King Phyollywhog, designed and created the Nursery for all of us Frochen. Without the help of these Frochen, the Kingdom would not be fed. They have one of the most rewarding and fulfilling jobs here in the Kingdom.”
“I believe that, look how tranquil and breathtaking this place is.” Major General Lokhorst exclaimed.
“It may look that way, but tending these fruits and vegetables isn’t easy work.”
“Oh, no, we’re aware.” Major General Brentari mentioned, “Back on Nuwurth, we have something similar like this.”
“Oh, I see.” Prince Hyollywhog remarked. “This way, through this door.”
The group reached a mauve colored wooden door, and Prince Hyollywhog pushed it open. They walked inside. Prince Hyollywhog stood by the door until the group passed through, then he closed the door, securing it closed. The room was as big as the Nursery, and it was barren. Near the roof, were plants that were scattered about and emitted their own light source.
“This is where we Tulrouthe lives. As you already know, there is one in here, but the female.” Prince Hyollywhog stated.
“Are we safe from it?” Major General Brentari asked.
“Absolutely.”
“Is it locked up somewhere? Or in a cage?” Major General Lokhorst inquired.
“Nope. It roams around freely.”
“And you’re not afraid of being eaten?” Major General Brentari worriedly asked.
“Nope. It won’t eat us...not sure about you two.”
Major General Lokhorst turned to look at Major General Brentari. “Fish food, round two.” She gave her a half-smile and chuckled.
“Where is it?” Major General Brentari asked.
“If it does not greet us, it is usually over there.” Prince Hyollywhog pointed towards the corner that was overgrown with the plant. “It could be sleeping or grazing.”
“What do we do then?” Major General Solbrig asked.
The Frochen guards simultaneously lifted up their weapons and struck them against their shields, which produced a wave towards where they thought the Tulrouthe might be located. The guards did this one more time and waited. The Major Generals were looking all over in the room, awaiting the Tulrouthe’s presence. The plants in the corner started rustling, and then slowly, the Tulrouthe came out of them.
This Tulrouthe looked very similar to the one that the Major Generals had seen before, but this one was smaller. The female Tulrouthe’s duck-bill mouth was smaller, and its fangs were as well. The Tulrouthe’s body was covered in scales just like the other one, but this one was attractive to look at. All over her body, her colors ranged from amethyst to cobalt. As she walked towards them, her hands and feet were webbed, and her nails were long and black. Her tail moved back and forth slightly as she saw the Frochen guards and the Major Generals.
Prince Hyollywhog turned around and mentioned to the Major Generals. “Just don’t run, and you’ll be fine.”
The Tulrouthe came closer and towered over the group. She sniffed the air above them, and her tail wagged a bit faster. The water reverberated waves in the room.
“She looks sad.” Major General Lokhorst pointed out.
“Wouldn’t you be too if the only other creature that was your species was gone?” Major General Brentari stated, “Don’t worry, you’ll be reunited soon.”
The Tulrouthe moved its left hand close to the group, and the Frochen guards walked over to it. Prince Hyollywhog turned around as they were walking and spoke to the Major Generals, “Come here and follow what we do.” They trailed the Frochen guards, and they hugged the Tulrouthe’s hand. Prince Hyollywhog turned towards the Major Generals and spoke.
The Frochen guards stopped hugging her hand and then backed away; The Major Generals followed precisely what the Frochen guards did. They moved towards the plants that were growing in the room, and a few of them cut it with their spears. The Major Generals watched the Frochen guards swim above the Tulrouthe and hoist the plant over and under its abdomen. With the plant secured around it, they were ready to leave. Two Frochen grabbed the Major Generals arms respectively and helped them swim up above the Tulrouthe and onto its back.
“Hold on tight.” Prince Hyollywhog told them. “She swims extremely fast and sometimes careless.”
The Syndicate's Journey Page 38