Welcome everyone. This is a little, okay actually a long one-shot that acts as a sequel to "Challenging the Komrev King." Enjoy and review.
It had been five years since Mumm-Ra's final defeat. Now thirteen years old, Balor and WilyKat relaxed in the heat of the afternoon in Thundera. They had grown in the past five years both in height and wisdom but even then wisdom could be slow when coming to the young.
Sitting by a pool of water that was thirty-nine by twenty-three feet, they did not speak. They merely enjoyed the shade of the nearby tree and the coolness of the water as they relaxed. They both thought of different things. Balor thought of old adventures, Kat of whether or not he was the true WilyKat or the WilyKat that had been living back in the farmlands was. One thought of memories and the other philosophical matters.
Turning to look at a sundial, Balor suddenly realized he had no idea how to tell time besides looking up at the sun. Thus he looked up and realized that the sun was not that further in its skyward journey.
Scratching his neck, Balor then turned to face Kat. "How long have Brigid and Kit been gone?" WilyKit and Brigid had gone to a fair just outside of Thundera. Balor and Kat had been invited to come along but they were not interested, instead finding more captivating things in Thundera's vast library.
Kat did not look at Balor. He merely kept his eyes on the leaves above him as he gave his answer. "Nearly ten hours."
"And what time is it now based on this sundial device?"
"Three hours past midday."
"And when was the fair supposed to end?"
"Two hours ago." Said Kat. "Relax, Balor. They probably got occupied on the way back. Must have wanted to hear a reading."
"A reading of what?" asked Balor.
"What does it matter?" asked Kat in turn. "They will be here when they get here. You want to pass the time then swim, go for a walk, read something, occupy yourself."
"Aren't you a little worried?" asked Balor, the role of questioner now over to him.
"Balor, we were kids during the Mumm-Ra War! We have lived through a lot of things and learned through a lot of things! Just relax and enjoy the afternoon."
"I'm going to go look for them." Balor stood up and stretched, the sub shining down upon his grey skin. His general lack of clothing had never been much of a notice to the Thunderans. Him only going around in a red loincloth meant little to them given they were very accepting with how the Evabon were with the basic saying being "They fought alongside us against Mumm-Ra so they could be wearing the heads of dead beasts for all I care."
"Then I better come with you." Said Kat, standing up as well. "You still get lost trying to find the palace."
(-)
Balor and Kat searched late into the day. During their search they came across an aperture in an alp and through that aperture went a river. The fair was not far from the alp and thus was not far from the river. Thus it was entirely possible that after the fair Brigid and Kit and had gone swimming at some point. That only caused Balor and Kat to wonder just where they could have been now? There were many footprints of many a member of many race and they all just ended up mixing together making the distinguishing of an Evabon's four toed footprints from a cat's five toed footprints impossible. Ultimately dark fell and with it came a thunderstorm. So the two searchers found shelter in a nearby cave.
"Some search, Balor." Grumbled Kat. "Kit and Brigid could be back in Thundera right now and here we are having to wait out this thunderstorm!"
"You can wait here if you want." Said Balor. "I want to search a bit more."
"Be careful." Warned Kat.
Balor explored upstream and found a dugout. From the handiwork it seemed to have been made by Labinnac hands. Whoever left it was either absentminded or blustering. As Balor touched the dugout, he was hit by a diffused charge of current rendering him unconscious. Two hours passed and when the storm finished, an affiliation of Labinnac combatants made a discovery. They did not know who Balor was, only that he was a stranger that was asleep or expiring. They soon found that he was quick but had no traumas and came to the conclusion that he must have been knocked out by something. They attached him and put him in the dugout before searching for others and it was then that they found Kat slumbering. They got him but not without a struggle from Kat. Soon, the two captives found themselves in the dugout as it floated down the river with the Labinnac rowing their way home.
"So it looks like these Labinnac might have gotten Brigid and Kit." Theorized Balor.
"Or they are at Thundera wondering where we are." Countered Kat.
The dugout entered the aperture in the alp. There was probably not anyway out. The alp was besieged by barricaded quags. When the dugout left the mine, it moved upstream through affluent glebes and communities. Balor and Kat were both amazed. They had no idea Labinnac grew crops.
"Hey, Mordred! What have you got there?" asked a Labinnac from the shore.
"New visitants for Gorgos the Grievous!" answered the leader of the affiliation of combatants. "Send a runner to Warlord Sligon!" A runner was sent and once more the dugout went through a mine until it came to a statue of a komrev, and sitting before it upon a stool was an old Labinnac with white hair. "Hail, Big Sligon!"
"Alight, Mordred!" ordered Sligon. He spoke with such a thick accent that Balor and Kat had difficulty understanding him. The dugout landed and soon Balor and Kat were standing before Sligon.
"On our dark guard we found these two slumbering near the bourn, just outside the borough." Stated Mordred.
"We were searching for two girls." Commented Balor. "My fiancée and his sister."
"Yes, an Evabon and a cat of the female gender were brought here." Stated Sligon. "Your fiancée's charcoal grey skin and your sister's red hair marked them as the personalty of our god Gorgos!" Sligon pointed at the statue of the komrev.
"So they worship a komrev." Balor whispered to Kat.
"A step up from worshipping Mumm-Ra." Kat whispered back.
"They were brought here to serve him for the rest of their lives." Continued Sligon.
"May we see them?" asked Balor.
"You shall see Gorgos instead." Replied Sligon. "You shall see him before he slays you." Sligon then looked to the affiliation of combatants. "Defenders, to Gorgos the Grievous with them!"
Balor and Kat were then brought to an island. In the green were bleached cartilages. When Balor and Kat reached the green, they were made to lie down on their faces. Their hands and legs were bound. It was then that Balor asked a question.
"Mordred, what would happen if you did not bring Gorgos any 'visitants?'"
"Our beds would dry up and out neonates would expire." Answered Mordred. "Such is Gorgos' anathema."
"When will Gorgos come for us?" asked Kat.
"Dawn." Answered Mordred. And with that, he and the defenders departed.
The Labinnac were many things but superb knot tiers they were not. In fact, their fingers were all built like thumbs making the expression "All thumbs" quite literal in their case. Having quickly removed their bonds, Kat and Balor then looked at their surroundings. Balor quickly noticed four rounds stones the size of a man's fist and started to make something with the ropes that had been used to bind them.
"What are you doing, Balor?" asked Kat.
"Making a catch rope and two bolas." Replied Balor. "Gard taught me. He said they do more against a raging komrev than a club can."
"Well, with Gard saying they are good I'm happy." Commented Kat. "With you using them however I am worried."
"Why?"
"You have a tendency to get rope tangled up." Stated Kat. "Should we wait for Gorgos to arrive?"
"You wait." Said Balor, handing one of the bolas to Kat. "I'm going to search for Brigid and Kit."
"By yourself?" asked Kat, alarmed.
"I will move fleetest through the tree-ways alone." Stated Balor. "You'll be safe in a tree too slender for Gorgos to climb."
Balor went his way and soon came to a caldera where there was a little mere at the bottom. The clay at the side he was on seemed to have been scattered… Then the sunlight hit the caldera and Balor could see both Brigid and Kit down there. From where he was he could see other girls with Brigid's skin color and kit's hair color. Komrev always had been peculiar, even to him. It was possible that Gorgos would not have harmed them due to their hair and skin color. Yet still they had to obey him by cherishing his beds. It seemed the next thing to do was put an end to Gorgos' atrocious "amenability."
As he made his way back to Kat, the sounds of a komrev that was in a killing mood came to his ears. When he arrived, he saw a komrev of charcoal skin and fur the same color as Kit's hair trying to get at Kat. So, that was Gorgos. It now made sense why he did not harass the women and girls. Their skin and hair being the same as his must have made him think they like him in some way.
Kat leapt from the tree and hurled his bola at Gorgos' ankles. Balor then hurled his bola at Gorgos' throat. Gorgos turned to see Balor and uprooted the tree that Kat had been in. As Gorgos coughed, his choler grew. Yet as he lifted the tree aloft to hurl it at Balor, Gorgos suddenly grew very still.
Gorgos was dead.
As Balor and Kat approached the dead komrev, Balor realized that this was no normal komrev. Gorgos had been an aberration and exceeding aged.
"How long until you think he falls over?" asked Kat.
"I'd rather not find out." Replied Balor. "Come on, I've found Brigid and Kit!"
The two went and found their loved ones but when they returned that way, Brigid and Kit both stared in fright at the dead Gorgos. The wind had blown fives times and still the dead komrev stood on his feet. It was as then that the Labinnac arrived. They were shocked to see Balor and Kat still alive and making off with two of their slaves.
"Great Gorgos! Kill them, O Mighty God! I beg of thee! Kill them!" beseeched Sligon. Long did he beseech the corpse but still it did not move. Finally, a great wind came and Gorgos' husk came crashing down.
Making their way past the shocked Labinnac, the four made their way back to Thundera. Yet even as they did Balor remembered hearing something a Labinnac had said. "With Gorgos dead our fruits will fail, our children will expire."
Superstition? Or was it something very real?
The End