Chapter 2: Falling Behind
Sarah gazed at Mount Pillar. It really deserved its name. It looked like a giant pillar.
It was the residence of the Danian Tribes. The creatures were at their usual occupations. Many guards were protecting their home while many workers gathered resources.
The girl had to be careful if she wanted her scan of a battlegear for her upcoming match. She pushed aside the thought about the first generation of the Chaotic game and went inside. She had no time to imagine what previous Danians warriors looked like one generation ago. When dealing with Danians, she couldn't mess up. That close call was still fresh in her mind. The only way she escaped was thanks to Wamma.
Right now, she was on her own, "I get in and get out without being seen. Don't want to cause an alert."
She waited for her chance and once the guard stopped gazing at her general location, she went into the hive. She hid behind rocks and checked for a patrol. None was within her sight and continued. She walked through the long corridor.
It wasn't long before she was temporary lost. It was a very labyrinthic location. It was a good defence against intruders. It made any evasion or invasion much harder. Thanks to her scanner, the escape part was much easier to handle.
The Chaotic Player managed to reorient herself and pressed forward. The girl searched for the arsenal room while avoiding the patrols, "They are on much higher alert than I expected. What's going on?"
It wasn't an intruder or she would overhear them. When an intruder was discovered, they said loudly that they must find the intruder or something like that. It was always obvious when they hunted someone.
She thought about it, maybe they are planning something big and don't want the other tribes to meddle with whatever they have. Better stay out of it, she concluded. She had a match soon and solving a mystery wasn't her priority.
She was so close to the arsenal room, but guards were on post. She hid and waited. As she did so, she eavesdrop.
"Damn. Things are really calm here for a while. We are lucky if a Chaotic Player is found," one of the guards grumbled.
"Yeah. Everyone is so busy with the lost city to really put any interest in here. I really wish I can chase a Chaotic Player," the other one commented as he carefully looked left and right.
"I won't complain," the first one raised his shoulders as he pointed his staff around, "After fighting the M'arrillians and failing to protect our queen, I don't mind. Our new queen is safe."
"I heard a rumor yesterday," the second one whispered.
"Hum? What is it? Tell me!" the first guard of the arsenal ordered.
"Seems like they found some good stuff a few days ago. One of our spies escaped the Mipedians soldiers. He got something really big going on that could lead us to the Cothica," the second one said with some excitement.
"Really? What is it? Where is it?" the Danian asked as his body shivered with excitement.
"It seems like it's about a guide that came from the Cothica. It seems they are here all along! Kaizeph contained all of those secrets."
The two looked at each other's and Sarah found the perfect chance to go in there unnoticed. She slowly approached the door as they continued talking together.
"Who's the guide then? Who can bring us to the Cothica?"
"I heard it's the Chaotic Players who can-" the Danian was interrupted when the other one laughed loudly.
Sarah continued approaching the door as the first bug held his thorax as he continued laughing like he had lost his mind.
"Chaotic Players? You have been fooled! They are nothing like that! They are just annoyance! A fun distraction at best! We just find them and arrest them! They are obviously not going to do anything grandiose like that! Whoever told you this is a big fat liar!"
"Am not!" a voice came from another corridor.
Sarah recognised Wamma who felt like he received a personal insult. Alas, the guards noticed her when she was about the enter in the arsenal, "Damn. So close."
"Intruder!"
"Chaotic Player! Get her!"
The two Danians began chasing the human. The girl had no choice but to port out and try another day.
Elsewhere, a big red Danian named Wamma shivered. He gulped, "Why do I feel like I'm in big trouble?"
Elsewhere, another Danian went to the royal room to meet with the queen of his tribe. Lore had an important meeting. It concerned the research in Kaizeph. He ignored the report of an intruder and that the Chaotic Player teleported away, "Chaotic Players, always causing trouble," but he kinda wished to see one.
Lore was a red danian with bubbly green eyes, four arms and two legs. Compare to most of his tribe, he had a rather thin stature, less muscular than the solders, as he dedicated a lot to Mugic. He wore a purple robe with a blue cloak a top of it.
He wondered what Aszil and Illexia planned with the discovery of the tablets their tribe made and with everything they found out when spying the Mipedians in the Lost City. The situation was dire right now and they had to formulate a plan to remediate the situation.
He reached the queen's room and bowed in front of her. She was a Danian with a red and black exoskeleton and amber eyes. Her eyes shined in the room. She had a very intimidating appearance. She had four arms and four legs. She was smaller than her previous queen but still pretty tall.
Many guards were around the room and above, watching for any creatures or Chaotic Players who might endanger their queen.
Illexia was by her side. She was a tall Danian with a large abdomen, four arms and legs covered by a gold and brown shade exoskeleton. She gazed at the High Muge with her green eyes. She wore some bluish clothes just like the current queen.
"I came as your request my queen," Lore bowed to the queen and then to Illexia, his previous queen.
"Rise Lore. We asked your presence for an urgent meeting, as you are the one with the most knowledge of Kaizeph," Aszil said. It was clear in her voice that she was a little nervous. Lore wouldn't judge her for that, everything they found out put their tribe at a disadvantage.
"As you wish. I'm sorry if I took some time, but I finished analysing the tablet we found and recorded everything. I wanted to also give my report to you, after the meeting," he revealed the tablet out of his robe.
"You will," she nodded at him. The queen was thankful, but wouldn't express it out loud. She made a sign with her hands and the royal guards left the room. Only the three remained.
"What is the importance of this meeting my queen?" Lore politely asked.
Illexia answered, "With everything we discovered, I fear that the other tribes have an advantage over us to reach the Cothica."
"I took your words seriously mother," Aszil crossed her arms on her chest, "With everything we've collected and heard about in Kaizeph, it seems like we found out those who can guide us to the Cothica."
"Yes. Our spies oversee the Mipedians and heard that the Chaotic Players must come from there. I find it hard to believe that one of them came in Kaizeph so long ago," Lore commented when he had the permission.
"And we are also aware that Theb-Saar is already approaching a Chaotic Player among his entourage," Illexia said.
The queen frowned, "And it was for that purpose. He found out first and made sure he had a Chaotic Player close to him."
"And we made sure to keep them all away from us," Lore whispered, realising that they might have made a mistake with their high security. If they pushed the Chaotic Players away from them, they also pushed their chance to reach the Cothica.
"Chaor and Maxxor also already have a Chaotic Player close to them. We really need to remedy this right now or our tribe is sure to never reach the Cothica first," Aszil grunted as she clenched her hands.
The Danian ruler would never accept defeat and even less defeat because they couldn't give any opposition. She had ambitions for her tribe and having it ruined because of some decisions they made since the strange beings called Chaotic Players showed up. They pushed them away and didn't expect it to bite back at them.
Illexia let out a small smile, "Then I met a Chaotic Player that we might try to approach."
"Who?" the queen quickly looked at her mother.
"There is one human I met in person when I was still the queen of our tribe. She was a female of their kind who is showing up here often, as I heard the reports. A Chaotic Player with long blond hair and some attitude. I'll give her that. She indirectly saved me from getting kidnapped by a Mipedian who infiltrated Mount Pillar. If she hasn't activated the alert… A quiet one, he would have passed my guards. We were ready to greet him. She had no reasons to accomplish this. She tried to scan me but got one of my guard and just left. She didn't mind that much not getting the reward she wanted. I found her quite amusing. I learned that once, Odu-Bathax wanted to keep her prisoner and she managed to escape by… 'luck'. Even after that, she helped our tribe by saving me," her smile grew larger when the current queen was also smiling, "This Sarah is the only Chaotic Player I would take the risk to give some trust to reach the Cothica."
"If she is the only one you trust mother. We will have to bring her here the next time anyone notice her," Aszil concluded about the matter. They were behind but they could quickly turn this situation around. It was good news. They just needed to find her.
Lore had a suggestion, "You know. A good rumor of a powerful battlegear might get her to come," he crossed his arms.
The queen smiled, "She is a Chaotic Player, wanting a good scan. We had an interesting one just a moment before I came to you. I asked who the intruder was and it was surely this Sarah you brought up mother," she went to the next subject, "And what did you find out about the tablet?"
The High Muge answered, "Nothing that would guide us to the Cothica. What it revealed was a little of the why each of our tribes, excluding the M'arrillians went to live in the floating city of Kaizeph."
"Why?" Illexia asked.
"Because long ago. There was an enemy than our tribes learned to fear. They failed to fight them off and the remaining had no choice but to escape to the floating city. It was their last safe place. I am not sure if it's the M'arrillians or not. They did erase our memories. The tablets mostly resumed what went on," he gave the tablet to the queen and added, "However, I guess that it was towards the end that the one coming from the Cothica appeared. There was two lines at the end that said: 'The outsider gave us courage and united our heart to repel the enemy as one. Soon, we shall leave the city and return to the home of our ancestors.'"
"So, the Chaotic Player of that Mipedian tablet did that," Aszil said.
"If he is that outsider," Illexia gave her warning before they went too far ahead.
"Good Lore. Continued your research. We will find a way to meet Sarah," the queen of the Danian's said before she gave a nod.
The two female Danians had a lot to say and the High Muge knew it was time to leave them to their own discussions.
Sarah ported back to the Court and found Tom watching Kaz match. She gazed at the screen and saw Chaor fighting against Lord Van Bloot.
"Sarah. How's the scan hunt went?" the boy asked.
"Bad. I didn't get my scan. Someone yelled and the guards saw me," she pouted, "However, I learned something weird and they are right."
"What is it?" Tom asked.
The girl replied, "One Danian heard a rumor about the Cothica but it's obviously wrong."
"What's the rumor?"
"They found things in the lost city of Kaizeph. That Danian believed that we, Chaotic Players, shall guide them to the Cothica. Crazy right?" the teenage girl resumed with a smirk.
Tom chuckled, "As if. We are obviously not that. They misread everything in those tablets they found."
"That Danian got pranked and the other one had to bring him back to reality. There is no way we can do that," her smile grew larger.
"Wait until we tell Kaz and Peyton," Tom said.
"Wait. Wait," Sarah asked, "Tablets?"
"Yes. I heard about it from Najarin. He said that those tablets contained knowledge of the past and he is extremely curious about it. M'arrillians made him forget a lot of stuff about them and wonders how he lived there," the boy resumed how he heard about it.
They talked little more about it. After this, they watched the remaining of Kaz match. However, Tom did wonder where that rumor even came from. Still, it was just a stupid rumor and nothing more.
AC: This is the end of this chapter. You can see that they are going to get interested in the lost city and will eventually go there to discover some secrets. Maybe battlegears and stuff like that.
Next Chapter: Sometimes, It's Tough Being Mudeenu.
Mudeenu found himself stuck with Peyton at the orders of his uncle.
