Chapter 4
Ready for the Rescue Operation
It was a long while until John regained consciousness and as far as he could tell he was still alive. He had a really bad headache and he held his head as if to soothe or in some way alleviate his pain.
"Hey what the Hell?", said as he noticed that he had a bandage wrapped around his head and when he took a closer look at himself he also noticed some on his elbows and knees. To his amazement he wasn't laying on the ground anymore, but in a bed in an abandoned house. He sat up and observed the room he sat in. He definitely was in a wooden house, possibly still in the village where he passed out. Aside the bed stood a mirror on a bureau and he examined his face. He had everywhere small scratches and on the left side of his forehead a small bloodstain pressed through the bandages.
When John looked at himself in the mirror long enough he stood up, his wounds still hurt but that didn't detain him, to put on his jacket, which laid on a chair close to the bed and he walked outside of the room.
His guess confirmed itself, it was a house of the village, where he got attacked by the foreign creature. When he stepped out of the room he came upon again the desolated rooms which he searched for the villagers a short time ago.
When he left the house, his friends, the three rabbits jumped forward, they waited at the front of the house for their friend so not to interrupt his recovery sleep and they were noticeably happy that he was alright. "It is nice to see you three unhurt. What happened?", John said as he kneed down to them and petted their ears.
"These Bafomdads seem to have grown rather fond of you. They feel who has a good heart and who has not.", hummed a deep voice behind John. He stood up again and turned around frightened. In front of him stood a for about 2 meters (6 feet) tall figure who was completely covered by a cloak and hold in one of his sleeves a staff, with that he based on it, and apparently seemed to appear from nowhere.
"You slept for a whole day.".
Frightened John at first didn't answer, but after a brief moment of hesitating he woke up his courage to speak; "So, you are called Bafomdads?", he said looking down to the three rabbits, which answered his gaze, but John didn't digress from the person. "Wait a second ...", John turned his head again to the person, "You are the one!?", the stranger nodded with his hood and closed up to a distance, which didn't exacerbate talking that much. "Then perhaps I should thank you Mister…?", said John as he reached out his hand to shake the one of the stranger in thanks. But when he didn't make an attempt to reach his hand out into John's direction, John pulled his back and said, "Well, my name is John, John O'Neil.".
"My name is Randorn.", the hooded person answered with a calm, but deep voice.
"Nice to meet you Randorn.", John said then thought for a second about his wounds and the attack, "Then you have to be the person who rescued me of that monster and tended my wounds?".
"That's right.", Randorn said, nodding slightly.
John was at a loss as to how he appeared, but the fact that he saved his live was enough for him to trust the stranger. "Thanks, I thought I was a goner. It sure was a close one.".
"You even were injured pretty badly. The Sharpclaw hurt you quite extensively, but with the right medicine you recovered your strength quickly.".
"So, these lizards are called Sharpclaw?" John asked as he scratched his chin, "Are they actually always that big and brutish?".
"No, this one was an elite warrior, which was left to catch and enslave possible survivors. Most of them are barely bigger than you, fairly stupid and cowardly.".
"That explains a lot." John thought loud. "That's why all villagers are missing.", he assessed, "For what do these monsters need the villagers, they are defined much stronger and could work longer and harder, couldn't they?", he asked.
"That's is correct, but as I already said, they are brutes and very heartless and blinded with lust for power. And because they are not able to develop technologically, they assail other tribes, arrest their villagers, take them to their fortress, constrain them and put them under torture until they build weapons and armament.".
"I understand...", John mumbled quietly, "We got to rescue them!", John burst out.
"You actually don't have any reasons to help them, why would you risk your life, for people you don't even know?", Randorn asked, but it sounded more than a declaration than a question.
"I sound strange, but...", John hesitated a bit to think if he should tell Randorn about his dream or not.
"I'm listening.", Randorn said, his voice indicated that he was curious.
"The night before I had a dream, and in that dream was a person, a child, with turquoise blue eyes ... and she begged me for help before I woke up.".
"A dream?", Randorn asked, completely astonished.
"Yes, I know it sounds stupid ... ", John said but was interrupted by Randorn.
"That is stupid by no means.", John looked at him with an astonished look and lifted eyebrow, "Some of the inhabitants own a very special ability, perhaps rather a gift. It allows them to communicate over large distances with others.".
"Then we even more reason to go and help them!".
"I'm too old for such a thing. And besides you are still debilitated. Open your hands.".
Randorns staff flashed up and John did as he got told. In his hands lighted a bright, blue glow up and in this blue glow formed a compact mass. When the glow faded a big honeydew melon like fruit, but which he could pick to pieces like an orange, was in his hands.
"And now eat and recover your energy.", Randorn ordered.
John knew that this fruit was too big for him and so he gave some to the Bafomdads a part of the fruit and sat down next to them which apparently were happy about that. When John was finished with eating he stood up again and Randorn continued.
"Your wounds are still not healed, but if you want to help them anyway, I'll understand that.".
"I'll handle those wretches.", he said firmly but hardly believed himself. "When did they actually attack the village? It couldn't be long ago, could it?".
"They attacked it the day before yesterday.".
"Then they almost got an advance of two days.", John said as he scratched his bristly chin. "The fact they are a two days out is a problem but so is the fact that I'm unarmed.", John said and then remembered something. He then began to look around for his things.
"Don't worry, your backpack and the small gadget are undamaged and are lying inside the house.", Randorn said gently and John was relieved. "And don't worry, that you are unarmed. Here.", Randorn pulled out of his sleeve, like a wizard a rabbit out of his hat, a two handed, for about 1.30 (four feet) meters long sword with engraved silver symbols and a brown sheath. Randorn handed it to John. In that moment John thought, that he maybe got a clue, how Randorn looks, but he didn't get one, because Randorn wore a black glove, so John had to keep on speculating. John took the sword in thanks.
John drew the strangely light weighted sword out of its sheath which was rather well made but nothing compared to the silver sheen of the blade. While he looked at his reflection, which didn't look that good with all the scratches on his face Randorn said, "This sword was manufactured by the inhabitants of this village and was forgotten in the chaos the attack created. You should take it and help the villagers with it.".
"They were that well equipped and were still defeated?", John asked Randorn. "Here lived only countrymen and blacksmiths. They had no experience in fighting, but when I saw you, how you dodged the attacks of the warrior, I knew that you already fought at least once.", he answered.
"Yes ... kind of. It was actually only brawls and hard training.", John answered embarrassed.
"In my opinion it then was a good training.", Randorn said.
"Good, I got a sword now.", John said changing the subject, "But it wouldn't make a difference against the elite-warriors with their thick armor and their scabby skin.".
"If you would let me talk, I'll tell you a secret.", Randorn hummed. John kept silent and waited curious as to what Randorn had still to tell him. "Good ... " Randorn said satisfied with the silence, "At the end of the haft ... ", he pointed at the sword, " ... is a red crystal. If you activate it by a light push ...", he gestured to John with a motion of his hands to do it and John did it without to objection.
The sword became surrounded in a blue aura, which went over it like small bolts of lightning. The Bafomdads became frightened and jumped about one meter away from John. Even John was a bit frightened but didn't drop the sword and watched the event. "In this condition ... " , Randorn continued, "... the sword almost can cut through every matter. But if it keeps that condition too long ", John pushed the crystal again because he feared that the sword could explode," ... the aura disappears and the crystal has to recharge before you can use it again.", Randorn said and John was clearly relieved and amazed.
"Good, that problem is solved now but the Sharpclaw still got an enormous head start! I better start following them now!", he said already turned around and was ready to leave, however he was stopped by Randorn.
"You don't have to worry about that either.", John turned back to him again. Randorn pulled another item out of his sleeve, which resembled a horn and he blew strongly into it. It sounded like the melody of a singing bird, just deeper and much longer breathed.
Several moments later a shadow appeared on the ground of the village and John looked up to see what was flying there, but the sun obscured his sight. The shadow drew his circles over the village, until his maker made the decision to lower his flight.
First after the flying creature landed in the village and the dust, it raised, reclined what it was about. The Bafomdads hid behind John of the imposing creature. John's jaw fell down with sheer amazement, he barely believed his eyes,
"A-A real, f-full grown Pteranodon!".
He rubbed his eyes again to be sure. This Pteranodon looked exactly like John always saw them at home in TV on documentations about the time of the dinosaurs. They just were animations made by computers, but they really resembled to the original one. The Pteranodon was about the size of the Shapclaw-warrior. His head had a long sharp beak, shortly behind it two big egg sized eyes and the typical horny outgrow at his back of the head. His torso was about three meters (six feet) long and half a meter (one and a half feet) wide and his wings span John guessed was over four meters (twelve feet). The Pteranodon stood on two one and a half meter long, wooden-pillars thick legs and had on them two four-toed thin feet, each with a short but sharp claw per toe. The anterior ones were arranged like the ones from the Sharpclaw prints. But different to them, the Pteranodon had a one more toe, which grew out of the back of his feet, just in the opposite direction of the anterior middle toe. The only difference to the dinosaurs he saw in TV, compared to this one, was that this one was indeed alive and this one carried a saddle on his back so that someone was able to ride on him.
When the Pteranodon cleaned himself with his beak under his wings, John crossed his arms satisfied and turned around to Randorn, "Flying huh? Well, at least better than wal-", John said before he got interrupted.
"Hey kid.", it croaked out of the muzzle of the Pterosaur and John turned appalled around, not to believe that the voice really came out of the mouth of this Pterosaur, "I am a CloudRunner and not such a Pterano-thingy!" the dinosaur said slightly nerved. John scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry mister CloudRunner, I totally forgot, that I am not at home anymore.".
"Bygones, but don't call me mister kid. Call me Kyte, just Kyte.", the CloudRunner said friendly like.
"Good then, nice to meet you Kyte, my name is John O'Neil.", he responded friendly and the CloudRunner nodded in agreement. Meanwhile the Bafomdads had lost their angst of the CloudRunner and watched him now curious.
Kyte turned around to Randorn, "So Randorn, why have you called me?".
"As you can see old friend ... ", Randorn started, " ... this village was attacked by the Sharpclaw and this young man ... ", he gestured to John, "... wants to rescue the kidnapped villagers. You know where they congregate, and then go in bigger groups to their fortress. I want you to take him there and help him to rescue them.", Randorn announced.
"Sure I will help him!", Kyte acknowledged, "We won't let the villagers fall into the claws of those malicious beasts!".
John had to smirk again, because of his anticipation, of the possibility to help the villagers sure in time, "Come on, we have to hurry!", said John and clapped his hands.
"Wait John, before you go...", said Randorn, "... take your things with you and also take this for your sword.", he gave John a belt of a bright leather. While John walked with the Bafomdads back to the room with the bed, he tied the belt through the loops in his pants and tied the sheath of his sword at it. When he arrived at the room, he saw his backpack and his MP3-player where his jacket was before.
"Were those things lying there before? I don't think so, Randorn must have brought these things in here somehow.", He thought out loud as he made sure that he had everything with him, his bottle, his food and the adherer with the pictures of his family. He was a bit shocked, he didn't mention that he lost the adherer and he had to be sure that all pictures where still inside. To his luck they still where in, that's why he sighted eased and hung it again around his neck and packed it careful under his cloths, so that it always made contact to his skin. It gave him a safer feeling now that the gold, cold metal touched his skin, reminding him he wasn't alone.
John with his backpack on his back, and the Bafomdads again came out of the house, Kyte was ready to start and bent forward so that John easily could get on his back, but Randorn went into his way, "I have to tell you something important!", he said gravely.
John rose his eyebrow, "If your voice is anything to go by that doesn't sound like good news.".
"You're right, it isn't good.", he answered and his cloak sunk, "I looked around a bit and found the remains of a carriage. That wasn't just any carriage, in this carriage normally the princess is on journeys.", John nodded, "And that's why I assume that the Sharpclaw kidnapped the beloved daughter of the king and I assume as well, that the king will succumb if they threaten to do something to her ... ", he got interrupted by John which voice sounded aggrieved.
"And then they'll get what they want. I understand.".
"They'll put her in an extra cage or prisoner wagon and guard her well. You have to rescue her.", Randorn said with an imperious tone.
"I will!", said John as he nodded. Randorn moved to the side and made room for him.
"I should warn you, the inhabitants of this planet have never seen one of your kind and won't know if they can trust you or not. So don't be aggrieved if they don't thank you like you awaited would expect.", John nodded again, "I understand Randorn. Wish me luck.".
"Good luck on your mission John O'Neil!".
"Before I forget.", John started again, because he remembered his friend Ethan, "Have you ever seen boy like me before?".
"No, I'm sorry John. You are the first one. Why do you want to know?".
"A friend of mine disappeared a long time ago, it could have been that he ended up here.".
John now turned to the CloudRunner, "Jump up John!", Kyte said. John did, as he was told, he jumped into the saddle of the CloudRunner, but before he could say knife the three Bafomdads jumped on the saddle too.
"That is totally out of the question guys. It's too dangerous!", John said slightly annoyed. But the Bafomdads didn't stir from the spot.
"These are Bafomdads John.", Randorn said with his deep voice, "At the beginning they indeed were a bit frightened but if they take someone to their hearts they won't forsake him.".
"Very well then, you win.", John sighed and the three of them jumped on up and crowded him.
"Hold tight back there!", Kyte said a bit louder so that everyone was able to hear him, "We're off!".
With that the five beings began a high speed into the heaven. John asked himself just one question while they advanced, "What did Randorn mean with someone of 'my kind'? In my opinion he looked very human like...".
Author note: So finally the next chapter got done, hoped you liked it again and sorry for updating that slowly :(
Translated with the help of XxSanitariumxX
