AN- Ahem! I only own Orchid and Janus. Anyway, here I am on my eighth chapter, defying school and other pressures. Cool, eh? Anyway, here it is!
Chapter 7: The Call of Orion
"Lord Janus, he has arrived!"
Janus turned from his meditations at the sound of his soldier's voice. "Excellent." He said. "Direct him into here. I wish to speak to him." As the soldier left the room, Janus began to think again. His progress had been unprecedented; even for a Rai' Muana, he had withstood a lot of duress. Janus knew what would happen if the Rai' Muana reached the Heart, so he had sent for Orion. Orion was the best warrior Janus knew, excluding himself.
"I am here, my lord." A harsh voice called from the back of the room. Janus turned. Orion the Blademaster was a tall man, his skin browned by the sun. He had no hair, as he claimed it hindered his hunting ability, and carried two weapons with him; a silver bow, with arrows, and a Greatsword that never left his possession. His small, brown eyes could see through all but the darkest of places with ease.
"Orion, my friend, sit down." Janus said. "You know of my problem?"
Orion nodded. "I've been tracking him ever since you gave me the orders. He is a hardy creature; one such as him should put up a good fight before dying."
Janus smiled. "Find him and kill him. Enslave his friends; they deserve to work in my mines for what they have done. But the Rai' Muana dies. Do you understand?"
"I do." Orion said, walking out of the Council. "I and my hounds will take care of him."
Janus chuckled to himself. "Orion is a capable warrior, but I'm not leaving anything at all to chance. Even if he survives Orion, he won't be able to defeat my little pet. And if he gets here…" After this he broke into maniacal laughter. The Rai' Muana would die one way or the other.
*******
The sudden transportation to the Blue Mountains had made Rayman queasy. He looked at the surroundings while he tried to regain his composure. The name was very accurate; the mountains were tinted blue. Several mining shafts were set up along the cliffs, and a path led up to the tallest peak of the mountain. Along the path, several ancient looking pines grew, providing an atmosphere of beauty in those peaks." Behind him, Simon rubbed his white beard thoughtfully.
"The Blue Mountains…" He sighed. "I had been all over these peaks in my younger days. I had a secret hideout somewhere in one of these caves. I even went up to the tallest peak, where the temple was…"
"Temple?" Rayman interjected.
"Yes." He nodded. "There's a beautiful temple on the tallest peak of the mountain. Legend says that the Heart of the World itself lies in that temple. I've never been in it; I wouldn't have any business in there even if I could go. The doors are sealed shut."
"Simon," Rayman asked, "Can you lead us to the temple?"
"Of course!" He replied. "Follow me!" At that, the gypsy musician set off in a brisk stride to the top of the mountain where the fabled temple lay. The path occasionally split into several ones, and many dead trees, rockslides, and other obstacles covered these paths. The musician picked out the correct path in every instance, always giving a little memory from his experiences now and then.
"Do you see that pine?" He asked, pointing towards a giant tree that stood against the background. "My father planted it for shade as our old camp was here. Also, I used to use an old brown blanket as a fortress tent when I played in that mineshaft over there. I haven't been here in so long!" He said nostalgically, wiping a tear from his eyes.
"Hey Rayman," Murfy asked, flying in from out of nowhere, "do you hear anything?"
"Not really." He replied.
"I must have been hearing things." Murfy said, shaking his head. They all forgot about the noise and went on climbing. Soon, they got to a path where the ground was not as inclined. Simon shouted something excitedly.
"What is it, Simon?" Rayman asked.
"The peak!" He yelled. "We're almost there!"
Rayman would have replied, but he suddenly heard a strange noise. It sounded like the howling of dogs. Before Rayman could warn his friends, a gigantic mutt pounced on him. Its teeth were large and yellow, and it wore a spiked yellow collar around its neck. Rayman had to act quickly. He reached quickly for his staff, striking the dog on the nose with it. It howled as a burst of energy struck its face, running off down the mountain.
"Don't worry." Rayman reassured his friends. "Everything is all…"
Thwack! Before he could say another word, a heavy arrow embedded itself in Rayman's chest. He winced with pain as he struggled to pull it out. As he finally succeeded, he heard a loud voice straight ahead of him.
"Well, Rayman, we meet at last."
The voice belonged to a tall, brown skinned man with no hair. He held in his large hands a bow from which he had struck Rayman. His small brown eyes squinted malevolently at Rayman.
"I am Orion the Blademaster." He told the small figure. "Janus is getting worried. He has called me to take care of you."
"It won't be easy." Rayman said, wincing with pain at the arrow he had removed a moment ago.
"We'll see." Orion said, unsheathing a beautiful Mother of Pearl Greatsword from a sheath in his back. "En guarde!" He said, lunging at Rayman. The small warrior parried his blow with his staff, still feeling the force of the blow. Orion immediately responded to this with downward swing that was blocked in the same manner. Rayman continued blocking these blows in the same manner until his feet came to the cliff. He looked straight down, feeling a knot in his stomach at the length of the fall. Orion was trying to push him off of the cliff, he realized. Reacting to this, he barreled straight at Orion, striking him in the chest with a bolt of energy.
"Did you think that would work?" Rayman asked him.
"Yes, actually." Orion told him. At that, he lunged at Rayman, showering him with Greatsword blows. He dodged some and blocked others with his staff, but one caught him on his shoulder. He winced with pain as the Greatsword cut through his shoulder.
"One for me." Orion sneered. "None for you." He lunged at Rayman again, continuing the same rhythm. Rayman was beginning to get worried. If he let this continue, he thought, he was done for. He suddenly charged at Orion, surprising the giant warrior. He struck the warrior with his staff, releasing energy at him with the crystal on his staff. Orion roared with pain, swinging at Rayman's head. He dodged, striking the warrior in the chest with his staff. The force of the blow, combined with Orion's weight, sent him sprawling to the ground.
"Alright," Rayman told his friends, "now we can…"
This statement was cut short by Orion's violent dash towards him, knocking him to the edge of the cliff. He sneered at Rayman. "Now you die!" He laughed, placing his foot on his foe's chest and raising his sword. Rayman acted instinctively, grabbing Orion's foot and using his last act of strength to toss the warrior off the cliff. He fell to the ground without a sound of any kind.
"That… should be enough." Rayman gasped, rising from the ground. Then, exhausted from his fight and wounded in several places, Rayman fell into the deep sleep of unconsciousness.
