Please do note that someone does make a reference to Noah's Arc and hates on it in one line, if anyone is offended by that then I am sorry. I do not hate God even though I do not believe in him or the bible, so if you are one of those extremely religious people (and I do know you're out there because my girlfriend is like that though she has a little more slack on it and can take a joke) please do not start calling me a "God hater" or anything else.
I'm sorry with the long message, I just had to make that known. Also, some things in previous chapters have been fixed.
"No… please don't do this…"
"I hereby exile you, upon our holy order."
She screamed, feeling something within her snap; now barely held by a thread.
"Uhh…. Anders?"
Anders looked up at John from his place skinning the Sabertooth on the plateau they were both on, "Yes?"
"What is that?" John pointed out to the north where a large dust cloud was coming from, "It's not a sandstorm… maybe a stampede?"
The taller man frowned, standing up to look at the cloud of dust. He squinted his eyes, seeing a gleam, "Crap… we need to leave. Now." he rushed back to the kill, throwing it over the back of the Argentavis.
John frowned, whistling for his own Argent, mounting on top of it.
"Halt! In the name of the Sun, halt!"
Anders cursed, pulling his black bird's head down so he wouldn't attack, motioning John to do the same.
Ten men circled them on Equus', Terror Birds, and Raptors. They all wore a type of shining armor with a sun on the middle of the breastplate. Even their mounts had a sort of armor sporting the same symbol.
Anders gritted his teeth. They just had to come now. He put on a happy face, "What can we do for you?"
"We've been getting word of a…. Resistance nearby. Do you have any knowledge or information of this treason?"
He feigned surprise, "A Resistance? Why, no, I haven't! What in the Sun's good name could they possibly be thinking!" Overthrowing your king from the throne that rightfully belongs to the Sand.
"Personally, our good sir, we believe that those demon riders have twisted them."
Demon riders? This was news to him. He frowned worry, "Demon riders?"
"Yes, they ride upon the backs of the demons that were thought to be extinct since the Great War ages ago."
Anders could practically feel John's confusion, but decided to wisely ignore him. His eyes widened, "Why that is truly terrifying….. have you any proof?"
"We have word of a group having captured one of them not too long ago, in fact we are on our way to retrieve the horrendous rebel for King Leto."
Despite the king being a major threat, he could not believe that the man was named after a woman. A goddess whose name means hidden and forgotten, no less. I wonder how long that will be until it finally rings true, it truly was a thought that fascinated him to no end.
After a parting note, the men left on their beasts; leaving them in the dust and heat.
"Who the hell is King Leto?"
Anders laughed, "An idiot who only cares about the 'Almighty Sun God' instead of the manticore we used to give people on death row to."
"This place is seriously messed up."
"It wouldn't be if the Guardians still ruled."
John looked at him, "The Guardians of the Sand….. can you tell me about them? I only know that they ride wyverns and fought in a war and then vanished suddenly with no reason."
"Disappeared?" the black haired man scoffed, "Now that's horseshit."
"But Emanuel-"
"Now where the hell did you meet, Emanuel?!" John was grabbed by his shoulders, "I've been looking for that bastard everywhere!"
"I-I met him my second night here…"
Anders calmed some, letting him go, "Okay… most likely you had something he needed… maybe he wanted to see Ramlah…"
The shorter man took a few steps back from his friend, "Why are you looking for him anyway? He's just a merchant."
The taller man let out a scoff, "Just a merchant, you say? That man is not a merchant."
John huffed, Anders seeing that he was beginning to get pissy, "What is he then."
"Can't say."
John was truly getting pissed off at Anders. Just what was wrong with Emanuel that he wouldn't tell him? The brunette shook his head, concentrating on not falling off his Argentavis as they flew through the great boundless blue sky. He really didn't want to die twice. He laid his head down on the feathery back, eyes closing as he thought back to his time on Earth. Soon enough, the wind's lullaby handed him over to the land of slumber.
He had finally done it. Four years of schooling to get his Bachelor's in the amazing field of archeology; and after he lands a job then he can work onto getting his PhD. Dinosaurs…. His love, passion, and pain. He lived and breathed for them.
"John."
He glanced over. Smiling at his mother. He was a carbon copy of her. Brown hair, brown eyes, pale skin. He remembered there was a time they used to be mistaken for siblings.
"Mom."
"I'm so proud of you, my little Indiana."
He laughed, hugging the woman. He's always been her little Indiana; well, Indiana Jones, anyway. And he did hope to have adventures just like that great explorer.
This was never supposed to happen. He was supposed to see her again.
John spit out the blood from his mouth, his colleagues all screaming in pain around him. All wounded; just like him. It felt like everything was on fire inside of him, but he tried his best to ignore it.
His vision was beginning to blur.
He looked at the great stone door, emboldened with a two legged dragon.
Fire danced in his vision.
Fire? Yes… their torches had fallen into the thatch that littered the ground. They all were gonna burn.
He never felt it as the fire licked up his legs.
They were all going to die here, in a place not even the natives dared to go into in fear of provoking the spirits.
The burning, red liquid was up to his chest now.
He glanced down, finally seeing the fire. He did not panic, but curiosity struck him: he could see his clothes and skin burning, but not the arrow that had struck him.
It now consumed him.
Everything was silent now for him. He was at peace with what he knew. He was going to die, and he was okay with that.
"My little Indiana."
His mom.
He snapped his eyes open, never realizing that they had ever closed. He couldn't leave her; she still needed him. He still needed her. He attempted grasping for his locket, though found he couldn't move. The fire must've damaged his nerves bad enough for that.
"You want to die, yet you want to live? Humans; always so confusing."
He soon found he couldn't see, not able to see the person speaking.
"You know of that crap story of Noah's Arc, correct?"
He was barely alive to think yes.
"Good. I will send you to a place similar to it."
A place similar…? He could barely even think now.
"Yes, yes. You will be given a second chance. Defeat the plague shrouding this… Ark, and you will be given one more chance at life."
What plague? He could feel his mind slipping.
"That… is for you to choose. Follow the path that burns all it wishes with its rule, or follow the path that flies higher and outburns the Sun itself."