D'Mok Revival 1: Awakening (28 page)

The main entrance opened, and the heavily tattooed man they’d seen in the coliseum lumbered in.

“Naijen,” Den said.

“Ey, Butchie,” he returned with a menacing grin.

She grimaced briefly. He continued. “Master sent me. Have more trainin’ ta do, so wha’daya want?”

His eyes locked onto their group, then grew narrow and caught fire with contempt. “One that looks cut from stone, one a child. And not a mark on any of ’em. New trainees?”

“No,” Den said. “They’ve come looking for you.”

In an instant, he pulled his clawed Skar weapon from his side and lifted it, ready to strike. His accusing eyes became narrow and manic, and he roared, “Anto’liea dogs! DIE!”

Ichini bristled, and Allia blurted, “We are not—!”

The blades sprung from each claw as Naijen lunged forward.

Den shouted, “Wait, Naijen!”

Before Den could stop him, Naijen’s Skar was slicing toward Allia. Seigie and Mencari cried out as Allia reached for her own blade. But it was obvious she was too slow. Expecting the blow to strike, she clenched her eyes.

A brilliant light burst from Ichini, and a metallic clanging echoed in the room. Naijen’s eyes grew wide as his powerful swing was blocked inches above the girl’s head by Ichini’s transformed bladed arm. Ichini’s eyes beamed a hellish red energy as large teeth ripped from its enraged mouth, accompanied by a frightful roar of pure anger.

Naijen recoiled and stepped back, looking in amazement at the only creature fast enough to block his special attack. Ichini crouched to lunge forward, stopped only by a small hand touching his side.

“No, Ichini. I’m okay.”

Ichini turned gently and nuzzled the side of Allia’s face. His body gleamed and folded inward, returning to his tiger-like original form.

Naijen peered at each of them in turn, saving his harshest glare for the beast.

“They have come here seeking your . . . aid,” Den explained.

Naijen snorted laughter as if told a funny joke. Then he saw Den was serious. “Wha?”

Mencari answered, “To help us against an alien that threatens this area of space.”

Naijen’s brow furrowed. “Space? We know of all the nasty creatures in our space. Anto’liea—and their lackeys—are the only threats.”

“
Off
our world, Naijen,” Den said. “Beyond the city-states and havens.”

“Beyond?” The words sunk slowly into his thick skull.

“We’re forming an army to fight them,” Mencari said.

Under his wrinkled brow, Naijen’s eyes blazed. “Fightin’s good. Keep talkin.”

“An army of others like you. With special abilities.”

“Others like me?” He looked Mencari up and down. “You? You know how to train these skills?” He looked at Ichini, then at the little girl, at Seigie with her stone-hard face, then back at Mencari.

“Our mentor does.”

Naijen looked intrigued. In then next instant, he turned at Den, his face almost comical in its pleading expression. “These trainin’ bots are nothin’ to me. And no living warrior will spar anymore.” He paused again, then added, “I can’t get better here.”

Den’s mouth gaped. “You
want
to leave?”

He shrugged. “Even the wild creatures are nothin’ to me. Only fun left is the Renzr beast, and it takes all day ta find one anymore. No offense to you, you’re second-best here. But you ain’t no challenge, neither.”

Den looked hard at him, her great mane of hair motionless for once. A long moment later, Den said, “Kedar secured approval earlier. It has been ruled. The Master has left the decision to you.”

“Then I’ll do it. But I got somethin’ to do first. Need’ta say goodbye to someone. Not too far from the Okiru border.”

“You are to take the Skar, and return with it when you are ready.” Den said before turning to the group. “You have no markings, so you’ll need to stay with Naijen for protection. You can stay in the guard’s lair tonight, then in the morning—”

“No. Gotta leave now.”

Den swiveled her head to Naijen. “Now?”

“Won’t sleep. Too pumped. Don’t wanna deal with everyone anyways. All that sayin’-goodbye crap? Can make a break for it, miss most everyone if we go now!”

She sighed. “Very well.” She looked at Mencari, Seigie, and even Allia. The warrior’s face held its threatening look for a few moments longer, then softened. “Travel well.”

Naijen motioned for them to follow him.

* * * * *

“Move it!” the warrior taunted.

It was dark already. Two moons accompanied the strange aurora now, leaving scarce light for them to see by. Mencari and Seigie stumbled across rocks and other debris as they descended across rough terrain. Allia and Ichini, used to living in caves, didn’t have the same difficulty, and traversed even the most uneven sections with ease.

Naijen, familiar with the route, bounded ahead, slowing slightly from time to time to allow Mencari and Seigie to catch up.

“Why is everyone marked-up here?” Allia said, close at Naijen’s heels.

Naijen growled, “Don’t ask stupid things, girl-whelp.”

While it seemed odd, Mencari remembered what it was like for no one in Allia’s world to talk to him. Here, it felt like children were not supposed to speak at all.

They continued on without further talk, until her curiosity ate away at her again. “And what about that guy we saw having those balls placed into his arm. It looked horrible!”

Naijen ignored her and kept going. Allia’s mouth contorted and her cheeks puffed in frustration.

She asked petulantly, “And what’s everyone’s problem with kids?”

Again Naijen paid no attention.

From ahead came a faint light. As they got closer, they saw luminous pebble-sized stones spaced every ten feet, marking a new path. Without explanation, Naijen changed direction toward it.

When they reach the glowing spheres, Allia stopped to examine one. Stooping, she picked up two of the stones and placed them into her pocket.

Seigie, likewise, knelt, looking with curiosity at the bright stones. Unaware of their pause behind him, Naijen kept going.

“Fascinating,” Seigie said. “It’s a form of barite stone.”

“Barite?” Mencari paused, looking concerned. Seigie’s stoic eyes glinted, and she said, “Rhysus . . .”

“I know. I was going to ask Naijen if we could stop for a while, maybe rest. But the sooner we leave, the better.”

Allia looked between them, confused. “What’s the problem?”

Seigie explained, “Radiation. Barite glows when there’s radiation.”

As they looked ahead, they saw various colors down the path. Far ahead, Naijen moving away at a fast pace.

“Hey!” Mencari called after him, and they all scrambled to follow.

“I left my cave for this?” Seigie muttered, moving her heavy weight as fast as she could, “To follow a crazy warrior on a midnight run through a radiation field?”

Over the hill, they caught up with Naijen, who had waited, impatient, with Allia and Ichini, for the others to catch up. He stood upright, bouncing slightly on the balls of his toes as Mencari and finally Seigie lumbered up. In the uncomfortable silence, Mencari tried to ease the tension. “I’m sorry to hear about Jerin.”

Without hesitation, Naijen retorted, “Nothin’ ta be sorry ’bout. Served our haven well. If it wasn’t for the cheap tactics of those Anto’liea, he’d ’a led us ta victory.”

“What would have happened if he had?”

“What would’a happened? The Anto’liea would’a lost control’a the resources, that’s what! Our lives w’ud be better. We wouldn’t need ’em to just scrape by.”

Allia looked into the darkness, her knees bent into a crouch.

“Something out there?” Mencari said, looking to the girl, keeping his voice low.

Nodding, her eyes scoured the darkness. “It’s big.”

Ichini circled her, then looked out over the terrain. The two moons had both set, but the landscape was now getting lighter by the second, as the first glimmers of dawn streaked on a brightening horizon line.

“Tell’er to cut the act,” Naijen scoffed. “I’ve got good ears, too. Nothin’ out there.”

Now ignoring him, Allia concentrated as Ichini began to bristle. After a moment she said, “It’s big . . . and hungry.”

Naijen paused, glancing over his shoulder.

Allia pointed. “To the west.”

Naijen crouched to the ground, placing his hand flat on it. “Nothin’. Stupid kid.”

But then he paused. Mencari could see it in the warrior’s eyes, he caught something.

“It knows we’re here,” Allia whispered, and Ichini’s eyes began to shimmer with light.

Mencari muttered, “Everyone . . . be ready!”

This time no one chuckled at his familiar warning.

A howl ripped through the air, followed by the sound of galloping hooves. Allia’s expression turned to puzzlement. When Naijen heard the sound, he grinned broadly and bared his double-clawed weapon. Squeezing the handgrip, long blades protruded from each end as he bellowed, “A Renzr beast!”

The shadow of a horse-like creature began to grow. Well within range, Mencari let out a few warning shots of his hand-phaser to scare the creature off. It howled and charged faster at them.

“Ya better have more in you than that,” Naijen said, “or this’ll be a short fight.”

When the beast was all but upon them, Mencari saw what Naijen meant. Towering eighteen feet above them, the two-headed creature sprang across the ground into the attack. Scales covered most of its body, with the exception of tufts of fur atop its mammoth shoulders and exposed skin on its chest and abdomen.

One head howled again, and this time, the second head, smaller, called in chorus.

“It’s like that other creature was,” Allia said, her eyes wide but distant. “Hungry. Ravenous.”

The creature’s smaller, deformed head spewed a stream of sticky liquid at them, causing them to scatter.

“Corrosive poison!” Naijen yelled. “If it touches ya, it’ll stick ’til it eats ya through!”

“Do we have to hurt it, Seigie?” Allia said, as she and the old woman rolled together behind a boulder.

Seigie glanced at her. “Sometimes, child, it’s a battle for which contender survives. This, I fear, is one of those.”

Standing up, then ducking to dodge another stream of the toxic liquid, Seigie reached into her pockets and grabbed a handful of stones. Allia sprang from boulder to boulder, bounding around, trying to keep the creature distracted. Mencari turned on his heels, upped the setting on his hand-phaser, whirled around and let out another volley. The blasts hit the creature at near point-blank range, and it let out a howl before each of its mouths spat more of the sticky liquid.

Seigie threw her stones and yelled out, “Sapphire wash!”

The stones illuminated and burst into a flood of water that met the creature’s attack midair, diluting the goo into a puddle that absorbed into the sandy soil.

Ichini followed Allia in dancing around the beast, keeping his gaze locked on the creature. Finding himself behind the Renzr, Naijen leapt into the air and brought down his blade squarely on its back. As it hit, the blade glanced off the scales, forcing him to tuck and roll as the blade skidded off its target. In a quick turn, the creature clawed at Naijen and missed him by a hair’s breadth.

Reluctance on her face, Allia threw two flash pellets in front of the creature. They exploded in the air. Its main head was blinded, but the second one turned to stare at her balefully.

As the creature lurched in her direction, Ichini morphed into a short-legged creature that leapt onto the Renzr’s back and wrapped its long powerful arms around the beast’s neck.

The beast reared up on hind legs. The others backed away as the creature bucked wildly, flailing out its front claws, trying to catch Ichini and rip him off.

Mencari looked over and noticed that Allia had slowed to a stop, looking a little dazed, all expression gone from her face.

Taking advantage of the beast’s vulnerable position, Naijen raised his weapon and drove its blades forward, aiming for its underbelly, at a patch of beast that looked to be without protective armor. The Renzr’s arms thrashed wildly, intercepting the blades and clipping Naijen. Both were tossed, spinning, in opposite directions. Ichini was nearly tossed from the beast but managed to hang on, as Naijen crashed into a boulder. A cry of surprise escaped as the ego-bruised warrior rolled behind the rock and tried to stand, then collapsed to his knees, his head down, fighting vertigo. The creature’s second head unleashed a blast of the ooze, coating Naijen’ weapon that lay on the ground.

Seigie made for his weapon. As she lumbered toward it, wincing in pain, she raised her arm and threw more crystals and yelled out, “Sapphire wash!”

The small wave crashed over the weapon, removing the slime.

Allia seemed somewhat recovered. She sauntered over to the weapon lying on the ground and picked it up, looking at Naijen while she squeezed the weapon as he had, retracting the blades back into the claws. He gave her a jealous glare.