Greetings from SeekerMeeker
So, I have been taking a rather long time away from writing. This is because my previous story, "Girls Chaos Rise," did not work out. So, I want to write something that is still my style, but still can accommodate worldbuilding.
Hence, I decide to take a long break, in order to cool my head down.
I hope that this time, the story will work out, as in that I won't cancel it or end it prematurely.
In order to do this, I decide to experiment and go for a different type of story, so here it is:
Travels of Marcus Peterson 1: Heart of Senshazons
By SeekerMeeker
Dedicated to my true friends, who have stood with me in times of highs and lows
You know what I am saying. Thank you.
Chapter 1: Espionage
"Your Majesty," said a tall, young man. "We have a problem. These amazons are a tough nut to crack."
He stood before a massive hall, which resembled something like the interior of the St. Peter's Basilica, except larger and with huge rows after rows of seats, as if somebody squeezed a baseball stadium into the basilica. Here, the lone man, dressed in an Adventurer's knight armor suit, spoke to an audience of over 5,000 men, who were all dressed in ornate robes, topped with high hats. There were also over 1,200 women, dressed in their own robes and tiaras, a little more ornate than those of men. A single man stood above the rest, on top of a high, ostentatious throne, decked out in gold, rare gems, and even elephant ivory.
"Your Craton," the knight began to add more. "I shall-"
The man on the throne raised his right hand, silencing him. The man stood up, his colossal robe flowing down the stairs like a waterfall of white, gold, and a variety of small gems. His tall crown looked almost like a Pharaoh's crown, but much larger and covered in enough gems and gold to cost an entire nation a fortune. On the middle of the crown was an emblem of a golden lion's head, its mouth open, with two golden wings replacing the ears and a chrysanthemum flower seal below the mouth.
"Adventurer Marcus Peterson the Pathfinder," the head of the entire council declared. "You are an odd person. Adventurers like you are also known as heroes, champions, and even as mercenaries. As you know yourself, an Adventurer is an individual who vows to explore the world, this world known as Arkia, Ark Earth, and other names. An Adventurer vows to go on adventures, in which he or she takes on missions, quests, and other errands of the world.
"An Adventurer is as diverse as a soldier," he continued. "And Adventurers vary. Some are just soldiers, working closely with kings and other authorities. Others stay neutral, focused on doing the right thing. Some are even criminals. Hence, an Adventurer's life is both varied and complex. And yours is no exception..."
However, he trailed off, and cleared his throat. The entire council was transfixed.
"But in your case," the leader finally spoke. "You are a Pathfinder, a special type of Adventurer in charge of exploring the world on behalf of the Craton, may it stay forever. A Pathfinder is in charge of not only diplomacy, such as representing us, but also in charge of conquest and maintaining an area's hold for us. That means wielding both the weapon of peace and the weapon of violence."
Max nodded solemnly, knowing full well what the leader would say next.
"You are basically asking," the leader spoke again. "That we should not underestimate this new society of amazons, known as the Senshazons. We have only heard rumors, but we know that they are warlike but extremely advanced. We have waged wars, especially in using our Adventurers as elite soldiers. Most of our battles...we have won, but some at great cost. You are technically advocating that we attempt an act of diplomacy, and not even try and show force, right?"
Max breathed, then nodded.
"It is odd for you to say that," the leader declared. "Why? You have never advocated for such a policy before. All policies of the Pathfinders before spoke that we can overcome the enemies. We have defeated the Ratmen, known as the Ratoks, because they are savage. We have defeated the last remnant of the Old Humans, who formerly ruled the world; now, they live on the outskirts of the Dry Triangle. We are now the official Humans, who now are taller, stronger, and better in every way."
Max nodded again, but bit his lips.
"So," the leader spoke, sitting down. "Your policy to declare a negotiation right away runs in the face of our current policies. You are declaring that while these Senshazons are advanced, they are too hard for us to defeat. How is that possible?"
Max breathed deeply. He knew that once his leader, the Cratonic Potentate, sat down, he had to be very careful. One word could mean the difference between life and death.
"Your Craton," he said with a bow. "I apologize for the blunt declaration on my part. However, I stand here because the Senshazons gave me a chance. They saved my life, and they have...interrogated me."
The Cratonic Potentate then stared down at him.
"I see," the Potentate spoke in a low voice. "Normally, I do not trust a young Pathfinder like you. But I can see...and can tell that you are telling the truth."
Max sighed in relief. It was rare for a Potentate to admit that, because Potentates were very slow to trust Pathfinders, especially if they had an opinion that ran counter to the Potentates. He had heard stories of Pathfinders who had "mysteriously" disappeared after making anti-Potentate declarations.
"Th-thank you," Max replied with a bow.
"I trust your opinion," the Potentate declared. "Solely because you not only survived your journey, but also have written a very long tale about what you have witnessed. Plus, you even have brought a strange machine to prove your point."
He nodded. That might have been the reason why his life was spared: the Potentate knew about the mysterious machine.
"Bring it in," the Potentate declared. "And that should solidify your case."
Max bowed down, then took out what looked like a remote control. Two soldiers in the distance hurried to open the tall, ornate doors. Max waited, until the door was wide open enough, and he pressed a button.
Vroom-vroom-vrrr...
A mechanical but low sound ensued, as a strange machine entered into view. The entire council whispered in alarm, as the machine entered through. It clearly looked like a small car, but covered in armor plates. It had cameras on top, and ran on four wheels.
"They call this," Max said. "The Guardium. It is an unmanned vehicle. It is virtually identical to the version used by a Human nation called Israel. However, they added their own perks to it."
He then pressed another button, and its top opened up a little, exposing a machine gun and a sniper rifle within. The entire crowd murmured, both amazed and disturbed by the spectacle. The Potentate then leaned forward, eyeing the strange contraption.
Multiple voices rang out:
"Amazing!"
"Disturbing!"
"Only the Old Humans can have such a level of technology!"
"A mechanical heresy!"
"Silence!" the Potentate boomed. Silence filled the air, as the Guardium's cameras looked around, analyzing its surroundings. Marcus stood by, waiting for the Potentate's orders.
"Impressive," the Potentate spoke, leaning back to think, as his eyes studied the machine. "Fellow brothers and sisters, what do you make of this strange gift?"
"It is strange indeed," the Council declared unanimously.
Marcus blinked. No matter how many times he heard it, the monotonous declaration of the Council sounded odd. Apparently, the entire Council was expected to speak specific words in specific ways. In this case, the "it is strange indeed" is a common phrase; in fact, it was so common that Marcus wondered whether the Council was even tired of it.
The Potentate stayed seated, musing. The members of the Council, however, were more responsive. Most whispered frantically among themselves.
"Now," the Potentate said. "Marcus Peterson the Pathfinder, please continue."
"Ahem," Max said. "This is an automaton. The Guardium is a machine that runs on four wheels by itself. It is what the Old Humans call the UGV, or Unmanned Ground Vehicle. This one has its own weapons and cameras."
"It is more advanced than anything we have seen," the Potentate said. "Even our engineers have never seen this before, for they have already told me. They also told me that they have not been able to reverse-engineer it. It appears to have some sort of magic, which prevents anyone from trying to take it apart."
Marcus nodded, then blinked.
"I apologize for not hearing," he said with a bow. "But please, what do you mean by your words?"
"Ah," the Potentate said with a smile. "I guess that knowledge had not really spread yet. Basically, I spread the news that we Humans can reverse all technologies, except for those guarded by magic. The Old Humans, who have refused to share their science and technology, cannot wield magic. This means that their machines are easily reverse-engineered for analysis. This Senshazon masterpiece, however, clearly uses arcane technology, a mixture of the best of magic and the most advanced of technologies. Arcane technology is one of the reasons for our rise to power."
"I agree wholeheartedly," Marcus said with a bow. He completely agreed with what the Potentate said, because he belonged to the Humans, who were basically the survivors of a mysterious cataclysm in the past, known as the Fall of Human Ego. Before the Fall, Humans ruled over the entire world with an iron fist, and suppressed entire races. However, the Fall of Human Ego occurred, a mysterious event that splintered the Humans into two: us and the Old Humans.
"And remember," the Potentate said, as if reading his mind. "Your job as a Pathfinder is also as an archaeologist, in charge of finding the secrets of the past. The Old Humans apparently attempted to destroy evidence of what transpired. Your job also is to find out, and if making a truce with these Senshazons will help, then I am all ears."
The entire council gasped, and Marcus gulped. Whenever the Potentate said that he was "all ears," it was serious business. Gaining his favor was like winning the lottery.
"Ah-ah-eh-" Marcus stuttered, but the Potentate raised his hand again, silencing him.
"I know your confusion," he declared. "But we are going through trying times. All around our domain, the Cratonic Sanctuary, we are under attack. From the north, the barbaric Durrans seek to raid our villages. From the south, the werewolf-like Cynoks destroy our trading ships. From the east, the Old Humans and the Ratoks are rising up again, and are starting to attack our posts."
The entire council was silent.
"Thus," the Potentate spoke."We cannot afford to make another enemy. This race called Senshazons...they live to the west, right?"
Marcus nodded.
"Where are they?" the Potentate asked.
"They are way to the west," Marcus answered. "West of what the Old Humans call the 'North America' and 'South America.' However, I have discovered that such a land bridge does not exist, which is how my remnant of the fleet ended up in the land of the Senshazons."
"I see," the Potentate said with a grim face. "So far, we have not heard of any enemy in those continents, and we have yet to even know of what they have. But from what you have told him, especially indirectly through your books, these Senshazons possess gigantic ships that are technically mobile cities."
Marcus nodded.
"Then we cannot afford to wage war against them," the Potentate said. "But my hands are tied."
Marcus gulped.
"Your books," the Potentate said. "Also talk about the Senshazons having some odd qualities, so much so that you even have an adult-only series, which are available only in adult sections of our society."
Marcus nodded, and the audience mumbled in slight disapproval.
"Silence," the Potentate casually declared, and the crowd grew quiet. "There is a reason why you did that. I have seen the first few pages, and you made a disclaimer stating that the real world is not 'family-friendly,' and that you have witnessed things and such that cannot be publicly published. That is why you have published a separate series of books, which explore the parts that you removed from your famous series, right?"
Marcus nodded solemnly.
"And the fact that you honestly published them," the Potentate said. "Both your public version and the adult version...underscores that you are indeed telling the truth. Truth is more shocking than a lie, because a lie has to be believable. An unbelievable lie is obviously a poor lie. Truth, however, is truth. Unfortunately, while we cannot afford to make another enemy, these Senshazons are too different from us to make a real treaty."
The audience also mumbled in agreement. Marcus sighed, as he still could not understand how and why it was not possible to negotiate with the Senshazons. He even explicitly stated that they were descended from Humans in his own books.
I hope to say more, he just thought. Hopefully the Potentate is more understanding.
"I am not interested in the technological marvel you have there," the Potentate spoke, breaking his train of thought. "Or even the adult-rated stories that you wrote. I have ordained this meeting in order to address one issue: your report on the Senshazons. You are the only man who have lived to write an entire series of books about the Senshazons. Some of us have questioned the veracity of your accounts, but the fact that you have worked hard to compile and publish them says a lot about something: that you know about the Senshazons more than most of us do. So then, let us proceed. I want to know about these amazons called the Senshazons."
"I hear and obey," Max answered with a bow, then proceeded to explain, as much as he could about the Senshazons. Transfixed, some of the council members even wrote their own notes, as if listening to a very interesting lecture. The scribes worked furiously; while some were writing by hand, others had typewriters.
As the meeting went on, nobody noticed one thing: the back of the Guardium quietly opened up, and three tiny drones flew up. They looked like tiny helicopters, but about the size of hornets and white. To the eyes of an Old Human, they were clearly man-made. However, to this council, they were just annoying wasps, literally. These drones then flew around, with one staying indoors while the other two went out. All three recorded everything visible and audible...
Thousands and thousands of miles away...
"Are you kidding me?"
A tall, robust girl felt a sweat behind her head. Taller than any normal Human, she possessed a nice but voluptuous body, with light brown hair that cascaded down to half of her back. She sat down in a mahogany desk, but its surface held ultra-thin computers, which looked more like something from a cyberpunk office. Various frames of pictures were on the walls. In front of her were a group of girls tall and robust like her.
"My Commander," they spoke. "We had to do that, in order to check him."
"You friends can't trust him?" the leader asked, her very light brown hair glittering a little in the lights. "I asked for a Guardium, and you guys secretly installed a surveillance system inside of it? That's...weird."
"He might be a spy!" one of them spoke.
"He could betray us!" another spoke, trying to open up a laptop. "It's...gotta be...sorry!"
The brunette sighed, but smiled.
"I understand," she spoke. "Ever since we have stumbled upon this strange planet, we are no longer the same. We transformed from Humans into some strange race known as the Senshazons. Plus, we are looking for any Arkfall, in order to find a way to lift the mysterious fogs of magic, which prevent anyone from entering. I sent him away, partly in hopes of finding more Arkfalls."
"We are here for three things," one of them, a very tall one, grumbled. "One: we are trying to find a way to get back home, which we no longer think about but consider. Two: we need to find more Arkfalls, in order to cure our condition AND to find our allies. And three: we need to understand this strange world known as Alterra, Arkia, and other names."
"That sort of nails our missions," the brunette leader spoke. "However, our overall mission is this: knowing what is going on here."
"As in?" some of them asked.
"As in how and why we are here," the leader said.
"You've said that so many times," another uttered.
"I know," the brunette said. "But at least we are doing well. We have built an advanced civilization, raised a huge force, and we have gained a name on this planet."
"As NOR," the group spoke in agreement, nodding.
"Therefore," the brunette said. "I guess...I guess you all want to watch what our former guest Marcus Peterson is spilling the beans, right?"
"That's why we're here," the group declared.
"Alright," the brunette said. "But just let me know next time. Hopefully, he will understand. What did you install in the Guardium exactly?"
"We installed a Black Hornet Nano system," the group answered.
"Oh zon," the brunette sighed. "You guys really cannot trust him, don't you?"
"It's the smallest type of spy drones we have," one of them spoke.
"You're too kind," another said. "That's why we had to do this."
"And why we had to act in secret," another declared. "And we are now telling you, because we decide that it was safe to do so."
"Just make sure that his civilization has not found out about our drones," the leader said. "Well, since we have it there far away, the pictures and audio can be very distorted."
"Don't worry," one of them spoke slyly, munching on something. "It will work."
The girl with the laptop finally opened it, and connected it to the desk's outlet. In only a few seconds, they all sat down, as if they were little kids watching a movie, and a 3D screen popped out. The leader also came over, standing alongside the projector, as it showed a massive screen. The screen was a little blurry.
"Hmm," one of the girls pondered, checking the system. "I think...there!"
Beep!
"Your Majesty," the voice of a tall, young man echoed, as the screen cleared to show a council. "We have a problem. These amazons are a tough nut to crack."
The brunette chuckled.
"We've already made a good impression," she admitted. "Zon, I wonder what more surprises will we find?"
So, if you all don't notice, the title says it all:
It is inspired by Marco Polo, who is famous for its extravagant tales of Asia. The secondary title also is a homage to "Heart of Darkness," which explores imperialism and some aspects of human nature.
Oops, I already gave out hints.
;)
Please read, review etc.
Thank you so much.