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- Spoiler:
- The Grand CreationIn the begging it burned – she was forced into closing her eyes.
Chapter One
The sun’s soft rays touching her face was bringing it all back. She reopened her eyes slowly, facing directly at the sun rising – the pain was gone. After all, pain was such a familiar feeling for her, and she knew that it was worth it, as the sunrise was all the she could remember of home. That very same image was carved into the back of her mind, as the ancients carved the legends of the Great Beings’ coming. Instead of soulless stone though, the sunrise was a type of memory that could never be lost – none could take it from her, unless she was silenced once and for all.
As much as it pains her to admit, it was the closest thing she could relate to home.
However, she always used to say that we all got our time machines. The ones that take us back to a familiar time – a memory in which we can live happily again, whenever we want. There’s no difference if it is a memory, an image or an object; it is all we got. Since she left home, each and every day she would watch the sun rise, just as she used to do while she was home. But this wasn’t one of these days. Her memories were blocked again, as a shadow blocked the rays of the sun.
Darkness took her the feeling of happiness once again. Her caravan kept drifting closer to the city, at a slow yet stable pace.
She looked up, and faced it. Standing twenty million feet above the ground, the familiar figure of a Glatorian-shaped creature could be spotted in the horizon. It was nothing like she had seen before, a beautiful – and somehow – familiar sight.
Over the past decade of her travels, she had heard so much about this single machine, she could even envy it. It was just there, standing in the horizon, doing absolutely nothing – yet getting so much attention around it. On the other hand, she could fear it as well – if its powers were to be used for arrogant and traitorous purposes, it could very well be the ultimate weapon.
However, she kept reminding her self – as everyone else did – that this was a project created by the Great Beings. How could they possibly fail them now?
***
“I am sorry.”
“But I’m afraid the only way one can enter the city is by having a legal passport stumped by the Spherus Magna government,” said the city guard, and looked back at her.
“Please… just please; I’ve traveled all this way to be banned from entrance? As I’ve said - a friend of mine said she could help me enter the city, but she’s not here now. Can’t you make an exception?
“I’m terribly sorry, but if we were to allow any armed Glatorian to pass through the gates into Renata, then we might as well allow a pack of Vorox hunters to rampage the streets. It’s not that easy, you see,” said the guard and chuckled ironically, “This is the location of the Great Beings’ Tower, and their main headquarters. Please try to understand. Now, if you could step aside-”
“Here’s her passport. Let her pass,” said a female Sand Glatorian, and showed the Fire Guard the passport.
The Glatorian was wearing a hood and cloak, unlike one Rohkea had ever seen. It could only be one person – Casiria, Rohkea’s childhood friend from the Sand Stalker academy they used to attend when they were younger. As they both realized each other’s identity, they hugged in excitement.
“By the will of the Great Beings! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you Rohkea! How have you been?”
“Well you know, the usual… I’ve been traveling from city to city, drifting from Aqua Magna all the way here. Oh, and trading! A lot of… trading. It’s been a lonely life. But I heard you’ve been doing fine?”
“Oh, I have. I’ve been working for quite sometime here, in Renata. Oh, and don’t worry about being lonely anymore. Renata is everyone’s second home!”
There it was again, a feeling of homecoming. One Rohkea had hoped to experience for real once, without venturing into the past.
Meanwhile, the guard was feeling a bit out of the loop. The conversation was making him feel a bit awkward. One thing he knew for sure – this situation couldn’t hold a generic response.
“Oh, why didn’t you tell me your friend was Casiria – of course you’re allowed to pass.”
“You’re a real sucker for lines, aren’t you, Ackar? You’re the last person I would expect doing something without some goods for yourself in the end,” said Casiria, and removed her hood. Her eyes met that of Ackar.
Her face was so young and full of energy, yet it seemed as she shared the age of a Great Being. Ackar was always thinking Casiria had more troubles than she was letting on to her friends.
“Suddenly I’m the one to blame? You’re the one that is late. Pfft.”
“That’s what you think?” said Casiria
“Am I the only one that is out of the loop here? Shouldn’t we be on our way?”
“You are right. It’s been a pleasure seeing you Ackar - as always – but we better get going. You are busy anyway,” said Casiria, and pointed Ackar at the thousands of people that were waiting to enter the city and needed to get their passports checked.
“Yeah, whatever,” grinned the guard, and continued checking the passengers that were to enter the city. Casiria and Rohkea made their way past the main gates, and into the city’s market.
Rohkea had never before visited such a large city, as she always preferred more quiet places. Everyone looked so busy, and for the most part it was that way. There was next to none left that wasn’t in a hurry to finish his job for the grand day – a day that was planned over a decade ago, when the robot’s construction begun. In only two days, the robot would be tested for the first time, conducting several experiments, as well as investigating a lot of astronomic phenomena.
“Hey, you seam to be traveling somewhere else. Is there something bothering you?”
“Nothing… it’s just… it’s been so long since I’ve tasted the bitter sweetness of civilization.”
“Oh come on Rohkea, cheer up a bit. Let me tell you more about the city.”
“I can try.”
“That’s the spirit! Now now, let me give you the grand tour guide. Since you’re staying here, it’s better you learn the people’s traditions first.”
“Come on, do I really have to?”
“It will be fun. Now shut up and listen.”
Rohkea’s mind could recall reading thousands of books regarding this city. Before they were forced to flee, and when they were both young, they used to read of “The City of the Great Beings” – the eldest city on Spherus Magna.
“As you very well know, Magnacus Renata has been present since the formation of the seven tribes, and the end of the war. It has served as Fire Tribe’s main city and the Great Beings’ headquarters for eons, and will continue for the time to come. If Atero wasn’t the capital of Spherus Magna, Renata would most definitely be on top of the list.”
“Magnacus Renata? Is that another name for this city? How so?”
“It’s a local favorite of the fire Glatorian and Agori. They consider this city to be the ancient city of Magnacus, the kingdom that was led by Raginus before the Great Beings’ arrival. However, during its founding years, it existed as the multi-tribal city of the Maze. It was only later the city passed on to the Fire Tribe, with the crisis in Vulcanus.”
“You still remember all that? Unbelievable, Casiria. Unbelievable.”
“You know I’ve always been a visionary. You can’t be a visionary unless you know history – where you came from. As they say, history repeats itself,” she took a pause to gather her breath and continued, “Anyway, after the assassination of Vulcanus in the city of the same name, a massive amount of Fire Glatorian and Agori found refuge here. With their population outgrowing every other Tribe, a social rebellion forced the Great Beings to announce the city as the official residence of the fire tribe. Of course, since then there hasn’t been a leader of the Fire Tribe. The Great Beings assumed control over the situation.”
“By the Great Beings, Casiria, I didn’t come here to learn the history of Spherus Magna. I just wanted to know where that name came from.”
“Alright, alright! You’re much more impatient than I remember you, Rohkea. The name arose from the confusion that this city was built on the Magnacus kingdom. In the ancient language, it means ‘Magnacus Reborn’.”
Suddenly, Casiria’s look changed. Her mouth became stiff, her loose hands changed to tight fists, and her body took a very awkward position. Rohkea was puzzled by her old friend’s reaction. She glanced around the market, and spotted several dark cloaked figures, only for a few seconds – as they disappeared as quickly as Casiria had changed moods.
“Listen…”
“Casiria? Are you alright? You look so paled out…”
“Look, Rohkea, I don’t have much time to explain. You’re looking for work, right? Find an Iron Glatorian named Galintin. He manages the forge that works for the Iron Tribe in the city. I have to go.”
“Wait up!” Rohkea grabbed violently Casiria’s shoulder, successfully holding her back.
“Listen to me, Rohkea. This is a letter you need to help me deliver. Read it if you want – it explains everything you need to know about… all this. Deliver it to Angonce.”
“Angonce? The Great Being!?”
“Yes! Rohkea,” she grinned “…my life depends on it. He must know of the Elder,” Casiria started running as fast as her legs would allow her. For the first time in a while, Rohkea was worried about someone else.
***
“What is bothering you, master?” Raanu wasn’t much of talker, but lately there have been quite a few strange events taking shape. Rumors that shouldn’t be spreading are.
“I am torn between justice and loyalty, my dearest friend. One should follow his mind, not simply his heart,” Angonce sighed in disbelief of his own statement. He knew very well what the trouble here was, but he dared not to transcend it into spoken words.
“Maybe so, master. But what is there to gain for one, if he simply dismisses what his instinct says?”
“You know me very well, Raanu. You’ve been one of my closest friends for quite a while. If I can’t trust you, then I’m afraid there’s none I can.”
“I am sealed better than Pior’s grave, master.”
“I’m afraid this isn’t just a secret, Raanu. It’s been quite a while now, but, the Elder’s behavior is becoming erratic. We are two days before the very day we’ve been working on for a decade, and he seems more concerned about the publicity an experiment is going to accomplish. What could be so interesting about a mechanoid that conducts and studies scientific phenomena?”
“Well… there have been some rumors too. You know, the same ones that burst out of people’s mouths each time something important is to take place. Only now, the rumors look like… pieces to a puzzle,” Raanu was struggling to explain the oddness that had been surrounding the Elder’s plans, and to an extent, the whole launch day.
“I am very well aware my friend. I just happen to have a few extras pieces, but in the end, I am just as puzzled as everyone,” Angonce sighed, and glanced at the courtyard. He wished he didn’t have to attend the meeting, “I should already have been present in the meeting. I must go now, but I need you and Ackar to do me a favor.”
“Hmm?”
“Guard the entrance to the tower. Observe the slightest suspicious action that might be taking place. It is only a simple task, yet crucial.”
“I should assume the reason is not relevant?” This was a busy season. Raanu couldn’t afford spending much time off duty, and that’s why he acting more rude towards Angonce than usual. After all, Raanu owned Angonce his life.
When Vulcanus was murdered, Raanu was amongst the people that were left without a home. He was forced into migrating here. Angonce was the first to take care of him, and give him a new purpose to live. If it had not been for him, he would be dead.
“I will speak to you later old friend,” said Angonce and teleported just outside the marble doors of the Great Beings’ meeting chamber. Whispers, noises and grinning could be clearly heard from outside of the room.
He pivoted the doors to fully open. Silence echoed once more, while light filled the chamber. Angonce’s shadowy figure fell on the table. The Elder, who was positioned on the other top side of the table, managing the holograms projecting the robot’s plans, took a quick glance at Angonce’s presence.
“Angonce.” - The dry voice of their Elder echoed in the newly found silence. “You are late. It is simply outrageous you would be late in a meeting that was announced more than twenty hours ago. Now sit,” Angonce glanced at the Elder.
At a first glance, his figure was that of an old man filled with endless knowledge, that would make him a justified leader. This certainly wasn’t the case with the second Elder of the Great Beings. His eyes burned anything that he looked upon, while his sight was filled with a reckless rage. His voice was drawn out, not from his age, but from the fights he had given to gain the power he possessed. They would not dare to question his leadership - it was simply wiser to obey than fight him.
“It has recently come to my attention, that some of you have doubted the completion of the greatest project we have ever designed. It is preposterous that you would even spent a second of your time to consider that this might be the wrong way to go - to do so, is to doubt my leadership, my capability of granting us the greatest of glory. Who of you will explain to me how is it that the people have been spreading rumors against us?”
“Of course they have been spreading rumors! How can you possibly consider such a thing would not be feared by people? You’ve basically enslaved us into completing a madness machine, an impossible task, which has been draining our resources for a decade. Instead of helping the people, we’ve been dealing with this w-waste of time!” everyone was surprised to see Osavus losing his calmness. He would never engage on a fight or directly accuse someone of something – that just how he was.
However, Osavus was too tired of the Elder’s hypocritical remarks – it had been so long he was planning this straight up attack, and since he was about to do the unavoidable with one of his colleagues, he might as well not save it up anymore.
“Have you gone mad, brother? I cannot believe one of our own brothers would say such things! We’ve run more than enough tests to back up our theories - this will benefit the world more than any of our achievements have – how can you possibly doubt bare facts?” Heremus struggled into bringing his remark into life. He knew what he was doing was wrong; but his fear had overcome him. He did not dare to go against the Elder, as he feared he could be expelled.
“How can you prove that the facts have not been changed, to suit our Elder’s wishes, brother? HOW can you be certain, huh? Am I the only one that’s going mad here, or is our Elder ruling us by fear alone?” a Great Being whose fury had been boiling through the conversation, rose up and spoke.
“Are you even listening to yourself anymore? He is ‘ruling us by fear’? Are you accusing our leader of betrayal?”
Invidior was so enraged by Heremus’ attitude. They both knew that Invidior spoke the truth, yet Heremus insisted in supporting the Elder.
“Can’t you just STOP defending him, when we all very well KNOW, he is-”
“ENOUGH!” the Elder’s voice silenced all the Great Beings – he signaled the door guards to be ready for the unavoidable.
“How very amusing – not only you speak to your brother as if he is some kind of criminal, you go outright against my will, and accuse me of betrayal inside the very room I am present?” angrier than Osavus remembered him to be, the Elder rose of his chair.
“Brothers and Sisters… I am forced to expel both Invidior and Osavus from the council of the Great Beings. Forever.”
This was the final blow for Invidior’s mind – he snapped. Rising off his chair, he tried to make it for the Elder. However, the guards crabbed him and neutralized his powers before he could do any harm. Osavus was violently crabbed off his chair as well.
“I hereby remove you all your rights to be called Great Beings - now, you are nothing more than exiles. You’re the unavoidable result of your own tragedy,” grinned the Elder. He had lost too much by letting them stay inside the council - more than he knew he had.
The giant marble doors closed behind Osavus and Invidior, which were dragged out of the room by force.
Disappointed, the Elder returned into a more relaxed sate, his voice turning into a whisper. “Unless there are more objections, the meeting is resolved. Keep on working. We are behind schedule.”
***
“This is UNBEARABLE. Time cannot be passing SLOO-WER!” loudly shouted Ackar, trying to capture Raanu’s attention. It was so hot outside the tower and in the city’s market, there simply couldn’t have been a worse time for them to patrol.
“Hmm.”
“Are you even listening?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“No, you’re not; you’re still staring at the same guy you’ve been for the past ten minutes or so.”
“Listen, Ackar, maybe you don’t understand how important this job is, but I do. You might think this is trivial and unimportant, but it’s actually a very crucial-”
“Here we go! Just because Angonce told you to creep at people, you’re-”
“Take this more seriously, I’m not-”
Raanu paused and glanced at the Agori he had been watching all this time. He was gone, and more importantly, had managed to rob a small pile of existian from a Water Agori Trader – the same Agori that was urgently moving closer to them right now.
“Come on! What are you doing?! Help me hunt him down!” shouted the Agori Trader furiously at Raanu and Ackar.
Raanu’s eyes met that of Ackar, who was trying to hide his embarrassment and focus on the thief. Meanwhile, the Water Agori was already way ahead of them, running after the thief.
Ackar was the second one to follow him. Sighing, Raanu followed him too.
The thief was faster than they had expected – not mention he had the advantage of being about one and a half minute ahead of them. At this rate, they were going to lose sight of him in crowd soon. Quickly thinking, Ackar scaled his way up a building, so he could locate him.
“He’s in the east side of the market – try going through the inner district of the city, you’ll catch up to him,” shouted Ackar to the Water Agori and Raanu that were hopelessly trying to hunt the thief.
Dammit! They’re too far back to catch him. Wonder if I can just…
Ackar dropped his shield and bracers to hunt down the thief – by jumping from rooftop to rooftop – surprisingly he managed to catch up to him. As he couldn’t hit him from this distance, he used his Fire Sword to shoot small bursts of elemental firebolts on him. The firebolts made the thief trip over-
“Bullseye!”
Unable to escape the fire attack, the thief fell down, just in time for Raanu and the Water Agori to catch up with him. The whole market was filled with smoke, and a few wooden tables had catched on fire – a small price to pay, at least in Ackar’s thoughts.
“Haha! I told you we were going to catch him.”
“Riiight – now can you remind me how this justifies you distracting me and letting our fellow over here to be robbed?”
“Ah, it’s quite alright. I want to apologize for yelling at you before, too. I am Pomerax.”
“You come here from the Water Tribe?” said Raanu, and looked at the smoke. It was clearing out, and the thief should be visible at any moment from now.
Their victory was short lived. As the smokes cleared out, the thief had mysteriously disappeared. Undoubtedly, Ackar was the one that was shocked the most. As if he had not been tricked in front of the public that easily, he would also have to refund Pomerax the price of the stolen goods.
“What?! How can this be?”
“Ackar… are you sure you stoke him down?”
“Of course I-”
Light around Ackar distorted, taking the shape of an object – namely, the infamous thief - that appeared out of thin air. He had use teleporting powers to materialize behind Ackar, and gain enough time to stab him in the ribs with a small knife. Raanu and Pomerax watched in a mid-shock stage, as Ackar’s lifeless body fell off the rooftop, plummeting into the ground below.
“I… I’ll…” Raanu was too shocked to do anything. Ackar was one of his closest friends – if not his only one – Ackar dying was simply out of the book for Raanu.
“I will take care of him, Raanu. Hurry up and catch that filthy scarabax!”
“Right!” still in shock, Raanu grabbed Ackar’s blade and followed the thief.
“This isn’t over.”
***
“…it is of most importance, Invidior.”
“So we are exiles – why does it matter, brother? Don’t you understand? Once we expose the truth, all will be over!” Invidior was shaking up badly – it was clear he was struggling to believe his own madness.
“No, I… I don’t understand. What is this ‘truth’, brother?”
“Listen, Osavus, I’ve been in contact with someone. He has a lot of dirt on the Elder – a lot. More than we could find in a Great Being’s infinite lifespan.”
“What? You’ve revealed our secrets to him? How can you be sure he is to be trusted?”
“Because… he is to be trusted. He has more to gain than loose, brother,” out of all things, Invidior was sure of that - “He is in this courtyard at this very moment.”
He paused. In beginning of their lives on Spherus Magna, the Great Tower’s courtyard used to be the main hall for meetings. However, with two days to go until the robot’s launch, everyone was simply too busy to meditate and relax. Even if someone wanted to, the Elder would not allow him – such was the strictness of his rule.
However, he could not care less. It was known to him that the robot was one of the Elder’s excuses for turning every Great Being into a puppet of his. Now, he could see through his lies.
A Fire Agori dressed in a red and black cloak emerged from the shadows. The symbols on his robes were glowing.
“This is Varonis,” said Angonce
“Master Osavus,” Varonis replied to the gesture.
“Your cloak …the symbol on it - then it’s all true?”
“I’m afraid it is, master.”
“You see now Osavus? It’s only logical. Our path lies clearer than ever – we must destroy the robot, along with the Elder’s puppet dominion.”
Enjoy - almost 4,000 words long, I tried mixing mystery, action and a bit of history in there. Please keep in mind this is the only piece of writing I've posted in quite sometime, so beware as it might have some errors.
I overhauled the chapter with the help of HN who was kind enough to proofread some parts of it:
- Spoiler:
- The Grand CreationIt was so bright.
Chapter One
She covered her eyes, as they were unable to focus right away to the dawn's breaking light. She reopened them slowly, facing directly at the sun rising – the pain was gone. After all, pain was such a familiar feeling for her, and she knew that the rising sun was worth looking at. Because the sunrise was all that could remind her of home. It was years back, a time she had carved into her mind as the ancients had carved the legends of the Great Beings’ coming. Instead of soulless stone, though, the sunrise was her only memory she could hold onto and never forget - such importance did her past hold dear.
As much as it pained her to admit it - the past had always dominated her life.
However, she used to say that we all got our time machines. The ones that could take us back to a familiar time – a memory in which we can live happily again, whenever we want to. It makes no difference if it is a memory, an image, or an object; it's all we have. Ever since she left home, each and every day she would watch the sun rise, just as she used to do while she was home.
Her caravan drifted closer to the city, moving at a slow yet stable pace. Suddenly, the sun's rays were blocked by a shadow - none like one she had ever seen.
She looked up, and faced it. Standing twenty million feet above the ground, the familiar figure of an almost Glatorian-like creature could be spotted in the horizon. It was nothing like she had ever seen before, a beautiful and somehow familiar sight.
Over the past decade of her travels, she had heard so much about this single machine, enough that she could almost envy it. It was just there, standing in the horizon, doing absolutely nothing – and yet it garnered attention from everyone around it. On the other hand, she could fear it as well – if its powers were to be used for arrogant and traitorous purposes, it could very well be the ultimate weapon.
However, she kept reminding herself – as everyone else did – that this was a project created by the Great Beings. How could they possibly fail them now?***
“I am sorry,” the guard double checked the list.
“But I’m afraid the only way one can enter the city is by having a legal passport stamped by the government officials,” he said looking back to her.
“Please... just please; I’ve traveled all this way to be barred from the entrance? As I’ve said - a friend of mine told me she could help me enter the city, but she’s not here now. Can’t you make an exception?"
“I’m terribly sorry, but allowing any armed creature to pass through the Renata gates is not permitted - if it was, then we might just let Vorox thieves raid the city! It’s not that easy, you see,” said the guard and chuckled ironically, “This is the location of the Great Beings’ Tower, and their main headquarters. Please try to understand. Now, if you could step aside-”
“Hold on! How about this? Here’s her passport. Let her pass,” said a female Sand Glatorian, and showed the Fire Guard the passport.
The Glatorian was wearing a pale blue hood and cloak, unlike one Rohkea had ever seen. It could only be one person – Casiria, Rohkea’s childhood friend from the Sand Stalker academy they had attended when they were younger. As they both realized each others' identity, they hugged in excitement.
“By the will of the Great Beings! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, Rohkea! How have you been?”
“Well you know, the usual... I’ve been traveling from city to city, drifting from Aqua Magna all the way here. Oh, and trading! A lot of... trading. It’s been a lonely life. But I heard you’ve been doing fine?”
“Oh, I have. I’ve been working for quite some time here in Renata. It's quite a profitable city, if you know how to take advantage of its goods and like, but it's still a great place to live," Casiria grabbed Rohkea's hand as a friendly gesture, something that made Rohkea feel awkward. It wasn't common someone would welcome her like this.
A strange feeling ran through her body - a feeling of homecoming. And it felt more real that it had all the past years of her life.
"Oh, and don’t worry about being lonely. We got plenty of things that we need to take care of!”
Yeah, I guess she's right.
"If you say so, Casiria."
Meanwhile, the guard was preparing to make a reply suitable to the situation. This wasn't one of his strong suits, he knew that much. Oh no, this couldn't merit a generic response.
“I would have allowed you to pass if I knew you were talking about Casiria!"
“You’re a real sucker for lines, aren’t you, Ackar? Not to mention you never have done anything to help someone besides yourself," snapped Casiria, and removed her hood. Her eyes met that of Ackar.
Her face seemed so young and full of energy, yet Ackar was sure she shared the age of a Great Being. It wasn't a polite thing to say, but Ackar always suspected that Casiria had more troubles than she was letting on to her friends.
“Hey! Suddenly I’m the one to blame? You’re the one that was late.”
“So now you're placing the blame on me?” said Casiria.
Rohkea stepped between Ackar and Casiria. She had had enough of their silly argument - and it was rare that she grew tired of anything.
“Are you guys really going to go through this? Don't we all have things to attend to?” Casiria grinned at Ackar, and stepped backwards, following Rohkea's statement. It wasn't worth fighting with him again.
“I guess you're more or less right," she said, and turned at Ackar, "It’s been a pleasure seeing you Ackar - as always – but we'd better get going. You're busy anyway, aren't you?”
Ackar realized that all this time he was ignoring the mass of people that were waiting outside the city walls to get their passports checked, and cursed under his breath.
“Yeah, whatever,” grinned the guard, and continued checking the passengers that were to enter the city. Casiria and Rohkea made their way past the main gates and into the city’s first market.
Rohkea had never before visited such a large city, as she always preferred more quiet places. Everyone looked so busy, and for the most part, that was how things were like here. There was hardly anyone that wasn’t in a hurry to finish his job for the grand day – a day that was planned over a decade ago, when the robot’s construction begun. In only two days, the robot would be tested for the first time, conducting several experiments, as well as investigating several astronomic phenomena.
“Hey, you seem to be traveling somewhere else. Is there something bothering you?”
“Nothing... it’s... it’s been so long since I’ve tasted the bitter sweetness of civilization.”
“You never cheer up, do you? Here, let me tell you more about the city.”
“I can try.”
“That’s the spirit! Now , since you’re staying here, it’s better you learn the peoples' customs first.”
“Casiria, you know I am not a fan of history, and never will be. I prefer looking at the future," she didn't believe that, and if she did, she knew it wasn't true.
“Oh, come on! It'll be fun. Now shut up and listen.”
Rohkea’s mind could recall reading thousands of books regarding this city. Before they were forced to flee, and when they were both young, they used to read of “The City of the Great Beings” – the eldest city on Spherus Magna.
“As you very well know, Magnacus Renata has been present since the formation of the seven tribes, and the end of the war. It has served as the Fire Tribe’s main city and the Great Beings’ headquarters for eons, and will continue for the time to come. If Atero wasn’t the capital of Spherus Magna, Renata would most definitely be on top of the list.”
“Magnacus Renata? Is that another name for this city? How so?”
“It’s a local favorite of the fire Glatorian and Agori. They consider this city to be the ancient city of Magnacus, the kingdom that was led by Raginus before the Great Beings’ arrival. However, during its founding years, it existed as the multi-tribal city of the Maze. It was only later the city passed on to the Fire Tribe, with the crisis in Vulcanus.”
“I need to know how you can remember all this; it's like a book is reading itself to me.”
“Ha, that's nothing! You know I’ve always been a visionary. You can’t be a visionary unless you know history – where you came from. As they say, history repeats itself,” she took a pause to gather her breath and continued, “Anyway, after the assassination of Vulcanus in the city of the same name, a massive amount of Fire Glatorian and Agori found refuge here. With their population outgrowing every other Tribe, a social rebellion forced the Great Beings to announce the city as the official residence of the Fire Tribe. Of course, since then there hasn’t been a leader of the Fire Tribe. The Great Beings assumed control over the situation.”
“By the Great Beings," Rohkea yawned, "I didn't need the full story. I just wanted to know where that name came from.”
“Alright, alright! You’re much more impatient than I remember you, Rohkea. The name arose from the confusion that this city was built on the Magnacus kingdom. In the ancient language, it means ‘Magnacus Reborn’.”
Casiria's ray of thought broke apart. It was time. It had to be; she was sure the signal was real this time.
Her expression changed. Her mouth stiffened into a tight line, her loose hands clenched into tight fists, and her body took a very awkward position. Rohkea was puzzled by her old friend’s reaction. She glanced around the market, and spotted several dark cloaked figures, only for a few seconds – as they disappeared as quickly as Casiria had changed moods.
“Listen...”
“Casiria? Are you alright? You look pale...”
“Look, Rohkea, I don’t have much time to explain. You’re looking for work, right? Find an Iron Glatorian named Galintin. He manages the forge that works for the Iron Tribe in the city. I have to go.”
“Wait up!” Rohkea grabbed violently at Casiria’s shoulder, holding her back.
"What is going on?!"
“Ugh. I... Alright. Listen to me, Rohkea. This is a letter you need to help me deliver. Read it if you want to – it explains everything you need to know about... all this. Deliver it to Angonce.”
“Angonce? The Great Being!?”
“Yes! Rohkea,” she grinned “...my life depends on it. He must know of the Elder,” Casiria started running as fast as her legs would allow her.
For the first time in too long, Rohkea was worried about someone else for a change.
***
“What is bothering you, master?” Raanu wasn’t much of talker, and Angonce knew that. However some things have been lately coming back and forth in his mind. Quite a few strange events taking shape, and rumors that shouldn’t be spreading are.
“I am torn between justice and loyalty, my dearest friend. One should follow his mind, not simply his heart,” Angonce sighed in disbelief of his own statement. He knew very well what the trouble here was, but he dared not to transcend it into spoken words.
“Maybe so, but what is there to gain for one, if he simply dismisses what his instinct says?”
“You know me very well, Raanu. You’ve been one of my closest friends for quite a while. If I can’t trust you, then I’m afraid there’s none I can.”
“I am sealed better than Pior’s grave, master.”
“I’m afraid this isn’t just a secret, Raanu. It’s been quite a while now, but, the Elder’s behavior is becoming erratic. We are two days before the very day we’ve been working on for a decade, and he seems more concerned about the publicity this experiment is going to accomplish. What could be so interesting about a mechanoid that conducts and studies scientific phenomena?”
“Well... there have been some rumors too. You know, the same ones that burst out of people’s mouths each time something important is to take place. Only now, the rumors look like... pieces to a puzzle - at least to me,” Raanu was struggling to explain the oddness that had been surrounding the Elder’s plans, and to an extent, the whole launch day.
“I am very well aware my friend. I just happen to have a few extras pieces, but in the end, I am just as puzzled as everyone,” Angonce sighed, and glanced at the courtyard. He wished he didn’t have to attend the meeting, “I should already have been present in the meeting. I must go now, but I need you and Ackar to do me a favor.”
“Hmm?”
“Guard the entrance to the tower. Observe the slightest suspicious action that might be taking place. It may seem like a simple task, but trust me, it's of the utmost importance.”
“I should assume the reason is not relevant?” This was a busy season. Raanu couldn’t afford spending much time off duty, and that’s why he acted more briskly towards Angonce than usual. After all, Raanu owed Angonce his life.
When Vulcanus was razed, Raanu was amongst the people that were left without a home. He was forced into migrating here. Angonce was the first to take care of him, and give him a new purpose to live. If it had not been for him, he would be dead.
“I will speak to you later, old friend,” said Angonce and with that, he teleported just outside the marble doors of the Great Beings’ meeting chamber. Whispers and noises could be clearly heard from outside of the room.
He pivoted the doors to a fully open position. Silence echoed once more as light filled the chamber. Angonce’s shadow fell across the table. The Elder, who was positioned on the other side of the table, managing the holograms projecting the robot’s plans, quickly glanced up at him.
“Angonce.” - The dry voice of their Elder echoed in the newly found silence. “You are late. It is simply outrageous you would be late in a meeting that was announced more than twenty hours ago. Now sit,” Angonce nodded in agreement and looked at the Elder.
At a first glance, his figure was that of an old man filled with indisputable knowledge; a truly justified leader. Angonce knew this wasn't the case with the second Elder of the Great Beings. Anyone - even the least educated Agori - could sense the reckless rage his eyes directed at those around him. A fire burned inside his heart, one that could consume anyone who dared to stand in his way - such was his determination to persuade his goal. None of the Great Beings had ever questioned his leadership - it was simply wiser to obey than fight.
“Here's the reason I called you all here today; It has recently come to my attention, that some of you have doubted the completion of the greatest project we have ever designed. It is preposterous that you would even spent a second of your time to consider that this might be the wrong way to go - to do so, is to doubt my leadership, my capability of granting us the greatest of glory. Who of you will explain to me how is it that the people have been spreading outrageous rumors about us, if not, against us?”
The Great Beings looked at each other in silence - out of all of them, Invidior was the most eager to answer the Elder, but had promised Osavus to let him handle it. Raeir, on the other hand, who was sitting next to Osavus and Heremus, was quite skeptical about the Elder's actions. Meanwhile, Morkoth, who was sitting next to Invidior, kept watching, as though he was waiting for something.
Then completely out of the blue, Osavus' voice was heard, "Lord Elder, excuse my rashness, but... Of course they have been spreading rumors! How can you possibly consider that such a thing would not be feared by the people? You’ve enslaved us into completing a madness machine, an impossible task, which has been draining our resources for a decade now. Instead of helping the people, we’ve been dealing with this...this waste of time!” Rarely would Osavus engage in a fight or directly accuse someone of something – that's just how he was. Everyone was shocked at such a reaction coming from him.
Unknown to most, Osavus was tired of the Elder’s hypocritical remarks – he had planned this straightforward attack for long enough, and since he was about to do the unavoidable with one of his colleagues, he might as well not hold it in anymore.
“Have you gone mad, brother? I cannot believe one of our own kind would say such things! We’ve run more than enough tests to back up our theories - this will benefit the world more than any of our achievements have – how can you possibly doubt bare facts?” interjected Heremus, the Elder's left and right hand. In reality, everyone knew he was simply too afraid of losing his power, and that was why he always stood up for him - even if it meant going against his morals - something the Elder seemed to take a particular liking to.
“How can you prove that the facts have not been changed to suit our Elder’s wishes, brother? What makes you so certain? Am I the only one that’s seeing this, or is our Elder ruling us by fear alone?” Invidior, whose fury had been coming to a boiling point throughout the conversation, rose up and spoke.
“Are you even listening to yourself anymore? ‘Ruling us by fear’? Are you accusing our leader of betrayal?” cried Heremus.
Invidior was enraged by Heremus’ attitude. They both knew that Invidior spoke the truth, and yet Heremus insisted in supporting the Elder.
“Can’t you just stop defending him, when we all very well know, he's-”
“ENOUGH!” the Elder’s voice silenced all the Great Beings – he signaled the guards to be ready for the unavoidable.
“How very amusing – not only do you speak to your brother as if he is some kind of criminal, but you go outright against my will, and then accuse me of betrayal inside the very room I am present?” Angrier than Osavus could ever recall, the Elder rose out of his chair.
“Brothers and Sisters... I am forced to expel both Invidior and Osavus from the council of the Great Beings. Forever.”
This was the final blow in Invidior’s mind – he snapped. Rising from his seat, he tried to land a blow on the Elder. However, the guards grabbed him and neutralized his powers before he could do any harm to their leader. Osavus was violently seized from his chair as well.
“I hereby remove you all your rights to be called Great Beings - now, you are nothing more than exiles. You’re the unavoidable result of your own tragedy,” grinned the Elder. He had lost too much by letting them stay inside the council - more than he knew he had.
The giant marble doors closed behind Osavus and Invidior, which were dragged out of the room by force.
Disappointed, the Elder returned into a more relaxed sate, his voice moving into a whisper. “Unless there are any more objections, the meeting is resolved. Keep on working. We are behind schedule.”***
"Why do we have to stand for this, again, Raanu?" snapped Ackar, attempting to capture Raanu's attention. It was the middle of the day, and everyone was as busy as ever - not to mention that the heat was unbearable - even for heavily armored beings with installed mechanical compartments. Worse, the lava canals underneath and inside the city weren't helping the situation.
"Yes, I am."
"I can tell you aren't paying the slightest attention to what I am saying. Look... Angonce has always been superstitious, and he isn't going to stop being now, or ever."
"It's not like that, Ackar."
"I understand you trust him, but he's just nervous of the robot's launch, that's all. There's no need for us to keep patrolling extensively on the tower," Ackar didn't know if Great Beings even could get nervous. He was hoping that Raanu would be convinced more easily this way.
"Let me think about it," Raanu paused, and glanced around.
Just like every other day, the market districts were as busy as ever - Agori and Glatorian were running as if they were being chased down, and others were buying and selling goods. Solis Magna was brighter than usual, and the giant robot was standing over city, watching. Yet...
Yet everything was too quiet. Raanu always had a pessimistic nature. He was sure that the following days would resolve into a catastrophe, as the quietness could only mean that present events were the prologue of events to come, events that were going to change his understanding of the world.
Little did he know, that it was all true.
However, maybe Ackar was right after all. He's was overthinking this; with over forty guards patrolling in each market district, nothing was going to happen today.
"You're... you're probably right. It's the middle of the day, and it's extremely hot - no one is going to cause trouble now."
"But- I am? Of course I am! Finally!" Ackar stood up as fast as he could, "Let's not waste any time - I have some things I need to take care of," said Ackar and fled quickly before Raanu changed his mind - something he was known for, a lot of times.
"Aye, old friend," whispered Raanu.
He followed Ackar, and they together boarded one of the bus-like vehicles. It was a large rectangle metallic capsule, piloted by an Agori driver. Mainly used for mass transportation and cargo, the large vehicle was running on electromagnetic energies that allowed it to travel through the giant city in no time - yet another invention of the Great Beings. It was powered by their Tower, which - unknown to most - contained a large power plant dubbed the "Great Volcano".
In the years to come, the city would derail. A series of fortresses would be built all over the city, and the Tower would be modified heavily - most of the original chambers would be hidden, stored as the Great Beings would be forced to hide most of their inventions.
The Tower itself would be configured to 'melt' away to reveal the power plant, customized to look like a true "Great Volcano". The Element Lord of Fire would rule this area, never realizing it's true power and history - while during his absence, the Great Beings would built a labyrinth around the Tower, creating what would come to be called the 'Valley of the Maze'.
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the main marketplace district, which was - conveniently enough - the city's biggest crossroad. Each major road looped one way, or another, back to the marketplace.
Raanu couldn't help but think something was going to happen - the marketplace was a flat, vast expanse, with millions of Glatorian and Agori covering the streets. Perfect for an ambush, perfect for fleeing from the scene of a crime.
"I'll just go get my package," said Ackar, and left Raanu standing within the huge crowd. It was only a few minutes after Ackar had set off that Raanu heard screaming.
Moving towards the source of the commotion, he realized it wasn't screaming at all - but as an Agori came closer to Raanu, he realized that he was calling out for him.
"Guard, Guard! HELP!" a pale blue Agori approached Raanu, and grabbed him by his shoulder.
"What is going on?"
"A cloaked thief just stole a pile of exsistian from my caravan! I need it back this instant, please help me!"
"He did?! I mean, he did!" Raanu was caught off guard; a situation he rarely found himself in.
Out of the corner of his eye, Rannu noticed a fleeing figure. He shoved past the blue Agori, giving chase. At the same time, Ackar noticed that Raanu was gone - he quickly dove into the crowd, looking for signs of Raanu. Once he noticed that Raanu was chasing someone, it became apparent that going after the thief was pointless - he was already was far ahead of them. Raanu wasn't fast enough to catch up with him, neither was Ackar.
Thinking quickly, Ackar climbed on top of the highest building he could find, scanning the nearby area for any sign of the thief. Raanu was nearly out of his sight, and the thief was gone. He skidded to a halt, panting.
"Blast it! There's no way we are catching him now. Unless..." Ackar wasn't beaten yet - he still had a trick up his sleeve.
He took out a small orb, and used it to send a distress call to the other guard, signaling an alarm in the process. All guards should have been converging on his location -
"Something's wrong."
The guards were gone. Each guard was supposed to keep watch until the night shift came to relieve them. However, most guards weren't present. Left without an option, Ackar started platforming from one roof to another, thus significantly reducing the time that he needed to reach the thief.
In the process, Ackar was able to take a good look at the thief. He was shoving past anyone that was getting in his way, and was hard to spot, but Ackar could make out that he was a small, Agori-sized being dressed in dark blue attire, covering his armor and face completely.
Ackar managed to catch up with the thief, but so had Raanu. However, before Raanu could benefit from Ackar's advantage, Ackar decided to perform a leap, and jumped off the building. He landed on top of the thief, successfully slamming both of them to the ground.
Both the thief and Ackar then rolled at the ground - the crowd broke apart - a circle was formed around Raanu, Ackar and the blue cloaked figure.
Ackar unsheathed his fire blade, a blade designed especially to utilize the elemental power of magma, while Raanu unsheathed his dagger, a powerful blade that was able to create large fireballs under heated conditions, like a hot day.
"Are you nuts?! You could have gotten killed, or at the very least broken your legs!" said Raanu.
"We've got him where we want him now, Raanu." Ackar replied. Turning to the thief, he growled, "So, you little scarabax - let's see how you handle both of us!"
There was no reply from the thief; he remained silent.
Ackar charged at the cloaked figure, who - to everyone's surprise - used a psionic ability to block and deflect Ackar's attacks, with little effort on his part.
"Ackar, are you alright?" asked Raanu.
Fortunately, Ackar was able to land back on his feet, but the thief wouldn't back down - obviously he enjoyed a good challenge. The figure raised his fists and concentrated a large amount of power in his hands, which he directed not at Ackar, but at Raanu.
Raanu was given split seconds to react - the beam was too quick for him to make any movement, and-
It hit. He let out a cry of pain as he was driven backwards.
"Agh!"
"Raanu! No!"
Raanu crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Ackar, whose rage was building up, charged forward and swiped his blade across the air, creating a superheated blast of magma and fire that was aimed directly at the thief.
"C'mon, let's see you trying to doge that!" Ackar crowed.
Caught by surprise, the thief fell to the ground, groaning in pain as the fire encircled him. Raanu was beginning to recover, but his vision had not - everything was blurred out. Meanwhile, Ackar's forced magma burst had drained his stamina, giving the upper hand to the thief once again, who seemed to be able to continuously use his powers.
That's what he thought at least - the thief had done something to Ackar.
"Raanu... I can't feel... my body," groaned Ackar. Raanu was paralyzed as well. The thief's psionic power was actually draining their stamina and energy.
Victoriously, the thief used his powers to de-materialize and re-materialize behind Ackar's back, grab him, and then using a psionic blast, slam him to the ground unconscious. The crowd kept watching, as both guards were defeated, and the thief victoriously teleported his way out.
***
“...it is of most importance, Invidior.”
“So we are exiles – why does it matter, brother? Don’t you understand? Once we expose the truth, all will be over!” Invidior was shaking up badly – it was clear he was struggling to believe his own madness.
“No, I... I don’t understand. What is this ‘truth’, brother?”
“Listen, Osavus, I’ve been in contact with someone. He has a lot of dirt on the Elder – in fact, a lot is an understatement. More than we could find, even in a Great Being’s infinite lifespan.”
“What? You’ve revealed our secrets to him? How can you be sure he is to be trusted?”
“Because... he is to be trusted. He has more to gain than loose, brother,” out of all things, Invidior was sure of that - “He is in this courtyard at this very moment.”
He paused. In beginning of their lives on Spherus Magna, the Great Tower’s courtyard used to be the main hall for meetings. However, with two days to go until the robot’s launch, everyone was simply too busy to meditate and relax. Even if someone wanted to, the Elder would not allow him – such was the strictness of his rule.
However, he could not care less. It was known to him that the robot was one of the Elder’s excuses for turning every Great Being into a puppet of his. Now, he could finally see through his lies...
A Fire Agori dressed in a dark red cloak emerged from the shadows. The symbols on his robes were glowing.
“This is Varonis,” said Angonce
“Master Osavus,” Varonis replied to the gesture.
“That robe... then it isn't a legend, is it?”
“I’m afraid not, master.”
“You see now, Osavus? It’s only logical. Our path lies clearer than ever – we must destroy the robot, along with the Elder’s puppet dominion!”
Last edited by Riglax on 12th March 2012, 7:51 pm; edited 7 times in total
