I am sorry for the wait. I had to deal with the loss of my uncle as well as the trouble of losing my home from the economical downfall. I am going to try posting 2 chapters in one night. I know that I am way off due and that I was supposed to have posted all the chapters. Soo far, I have 5 chapters completed and the 6th chapter pending.
I don't care how crappy my stories are nor what people say. I realised I am not getting paid for this. I figured this is just a test for myself to see if I could keep myself productive for a full length novel risen from a simple roblox role play I had with a stranger. Enjoy.
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Chapter- 3
They left hell emediately to search for the next crystal that Messenger had assumed to be in. Noah was relieved to be atleast out of that hellhole once again. But they had a new problem. Night will be approaching soon, and they did not know if they could find another shelter here in this desert, let alone food. After finding themselves passing through the volcanic desert and most of the miserable hot desert, the day had just started to end when they started seeing the first signs of their more habitable green land coming up. There was patches of soil with carpets of green grass popping up left and right more oftenly the further they went. Even bushes as well. They were soo close. But with darkness coming up, they did not have any options to continue or entirely look for a tree or a proper bush to conceal themselves since that they are obviously in the desert.
Noah stopped trotting. His eyes were tired as his face was blank with internal panic. He looked behind him and at the setting sun behind him. The wind blowing the sand in a specific direction as well as blowing his hair into his eyes. The sun was one big yellow ball with an orange ring encircling around it in the light blue horizon sky. The sun was shedding it's last goodbye rays before it hides beneath the horizon for good. This would of been more beautiful if Death was not prowling for their souls.
"Noah," Messenger paused "It's getting dark. It won't be long before Death seeks for us."
Messenger looked at Noah and Noah could sense that he was very afraid, even if he dosen't show it. "I am doing the best I can, ok? We got to keep on trying." Noah whined as he continued to walk, but now turning east.
This was urgent. They had to put aside looking for atlantis when they should be finding a shelter. Funny thing though is that it was Noah leading the way while Messenger cowers behind Noah, fearful of the possibilities of Death lurking around. But while they searched, just luckily, they just found a dinosaur skull halfway burried in the sand with it's mouth partly ajar enough for them to enter.
"Hey look! We can stay in one of those things!" Noah pointed out to the skull.
Neither of them wanted to go into the skull, but what choice do they have?
"I go check if it's safe." Messenger ventured as he risked himself to check the skull of any habitants of anything living inside. Noah stood quite a distance to watch as Messenger circled the head's remains. Then he potisioned himself infront of the T-rex's face and squeazed himself through the missing teeth gap and dissapeared inside of the mouth for 15 seconds before he climbed out, poking his head through the teeth gap to look at Noah with two raised ears.
"Noah, it's safe to come in. Hurry." And with what Messenger said, Noah emediately jumped inside of the dinosaur's mouth. He didn't expect the sudden drop at the back of the throat when he fell, tumbling down a hard and dry sandy slope, yelping before his jaw crashed first into the tunnel floor, ending his fall. Noah groaned with pain while he collected himself.
"Noah, are you alright?" Messenger raced to Noah to inspect him.
"Ow, yes. I'm fine." Noah was still dumbfounded of he sudden drop.
"I should've warned you about that drop. My bad, Noah."
Noah did not respond. He remembered hearing something fall and tumbled as he fell from the slope.
"The map!" Which was the first thing that popped into his head. Noah blurting outloud caused Messenger to pin his head in concern. But Noah got up as fast as he could to recover and search for the object he thought was the map falling, which he found it in the crevace of the rocks in the sandy slope. It was rolled up in a scroll to fit inside his small bag. He sighed. While they were stuck inside this skull, they could now have the time to study the map to atlantis and the location of the crystal. They did not really need to worry about time studying. But the very little light they had vanished as night came. Causing them not to see the map.
"Great. How convenient is this?" Noah swatted his map as he cursed once again. "We don't even have light to see this."
Messenger placed a paw on Noah's shoulder and rubbed it. "We got all day tomorrow. Perhaps what we can do for now is get some rest. It won't be morning for the next few hours."
Noah watched messenger as he climbed back up the slope and to the skull's teeth. He gave a deep scanning glance through the darkness of the desert night.
"So can Death like spot us down here? Is he like a ghost who could be anywhere and have a telepathic ability to find our location?"
"Not quite, Noah. He just hunts chosen wolves late at night. He does posess a telepathic tracking ability, but it's not that accurate." Messenger chuckled a little bit.
"I guess that explains why he hasn't caught us yet."
"That's right. I am glad that you realised that, Noah." Messenger agreed, then climbed down from the slope and circled Noah for a bit. Then he walked to the deep end of the burrow and laid in the dark corner. His red, yellow and orange wrist band glowing the brightest in the dark. "It was some of death's secrets he told me. He trusted me the most, and here I am, betraying him and saving you."
Noah looked away and made a small frown at the sand slope and the map, which was left open. Messenger had to betray somebody higher then him just so Noah could live. Maybe it was best to let nature take it's course after all and let Death take him. But Noah has the right to live. He is still young, and he is healthy and strong. He also has a full life ahead of him. It is also not right at all.
"I have seen many try to run and save themselves. But they failed anyway. They did not get my help. That's why you're still here. Because of my help."
It wasn't until something clicked in Noah's head. It finally dawned on him that out of all the wolves that had died, what made Messenger decide to save Noah?
"Messenger? Why did you save me? Out of all the wolves, why did you choose me?"
Messenger struggled to come up with an explanation. His dark souless eye sockets stared into space, even Noah could tell he was thinking.
"I don't know. I just recieved an order from death and I just felt bad to just leave you there for you to die."
"But that does not make any sense. How could you all-of-a-sudden have sympathy for just one wolf after leaving all the rest to die?"
"It's hard to explain... The thing is... Well, I can't take it anymore, watching them all die. I just can't help but stop, and finally help someone." Messenger struggled to speak as he sat down with his tail wrapping around his own self, feeling uncomfortable.
"Really? Because it's funny how you remind me of somebody that I knew. I knew a close friend of mine. But one day, he vanished."
Then Messenger got up with his tail between his back legs. "Listen, Noah, I am not the wolf friend that you lost. Maybe it's a coincidence... A coincidence of personality... if you will..."
Noah sat on his hind and hung his ears. He looked away and said "I just thought it would be you... Sorry... But your a nice friend, anyway."
Messenger smiled to what Noah had said. A moment later, he walked up to Noah and draped his head over his shoulder in a small hug. Astonished, Noah gave in and hugged Messenger. Noah's tail started wagging and Messenger decided to let go.
"I just wish I remembered his name." Noah said. "It's been so long."
Messenger was just about to say something when a deep blood red light ray started creeping into the cave through the opening of the dinosaur's mouth. Noah held his breath for the worst, thinking that Death found them.
But it was the moon actually. It was blood red.
"The moon..." Messenger said. Then he took his paw off and step to the start of the slope to look up at the teeth gap of the skull. Noah joined right next to Messenger to gaze with Messenger. "Death gets his strength from the blood moon when it is red."
Noah caught a chill from the thought. But he could only make the better of the thought that the rays are red and Death is much stronger than he was before.
"Well, atleast we can see the map. Light is light, even in this situation."
15 minutes later, they hovered over the map with the remaining light of the blood moon. They studied the map, but it was not soo long before they both started to feel tired.
Noah absentmindedly yawned in Messenger's face, unintentionally revealing his rows of sharp fangs.
"I can't study a single thing." Noah motioned, leaning on his side while keeping himself from dosing.
Messenger stared into Noah's face with his expressionless black eyesockets. He then said "I suppose it is time for you to rest, Noah." Then Messenger grabbed the map for Noah and rolled it back up. When Noah stood up, Noah was emediately aided by Messenger and he advised him to sleep in the very back of the tunnel. And so he did anyway. He walked to the back and looked back at the sloping entrance before he spun in circles and placed his head down to watch Messenger as Messenger stood his post at the entrance.
"Hey, arn't we going to have to spend an hour studying the map before we go to atlantist?" Noah asked.
"Well, we're going to have to. Like the crystals of hell, I do not know the exact location of this crystal." Messenger replied as he was looking back at Noah.
"I just feel like one hour is too long. And what if it is also not there? I don't always travel. I am more of a laid back dog. I can't tell how far or how long the rainforest would be for us to gether there."
"Noah, go to sleep. You don't have to worry about this right now. You should know that by listening to me means your success at beating this."
"Ok." Noah said, then he squirmed on the hard floor, turning his body around to face the dark tunnel down the sandy throat of the dinosaur skull. He tried resting his head on a slab of rock to see if it was comfy. But it's not. So he rolled over onto his side and took a deep breath. Them he exhaled.
Messenger still continued to watch the entrance way. The moon was long out of the visual position, now somewhere up in the center of the sky. Noah was a lazy dog, hencing why he fell asleep soo soon. It only took Noah less than five minutes before he started snoring.
Noah was right. After some time working together to save each other, they both had grown to be very close friends. Noah was right for another thing. He just could not recall, but he could feel that he could of had known Noah at some point when he was still alive. But no matter what. He just could not, no matter how hard he tries to rack his head of memory, remember much of anything before death had taken him as his minion. But Noah brought upon a positive feel in their time spent on searching for the crystals.
It was that "long time, old friend" feeling. And that was what gotten Messenger to save Noah.
At the same time, he just felt bad. He heard whimpers coming from Noah. He looked back at Noah and watched him. Noah was whining and whimpering. He would be kicking and running in his sleep. Messenger could determine this was not a happy sleep. But a nightmare Noah is experiencing at the moment.
He stepped and walked over to Noah, staring down at the wolf who was having trouble in his sleep. He laid down along side of him and kept his face facing away from Noah, immitating his sleeping position. He looked over at Noah's kicking and squirming body, and placed his head on Noah's shoulder and kept it there. He used one of his magical tricks to turn the dream around and turn it into a good dream. A happy dream. Noah's struggles faded, and he returned back to his calm, silent snoring usual sleep.
If Messenger had eyelids, he would of decided to close them right now. He could never remember the last time he slept. But for now, he felt like he could sleep right now. On Noah's shoulder. It was soo peaceful. He never felt peace or rest since he was claimed by death.
Before he knew it, Messenger drifted to sleep ontop of Noah.
Messenger did not have those dreams like Noah did. Perhaps, he did not dream at all. He kinda forgot what it was like to sleep. It was like a deep, falling sensation. You're just relaxed, no thinking, no worrying. Perhaps, sleep went by surprisingly quick. Before he knew it, he woke up, disturbed by Noah's groaning and shifting.
Sunlight shined through the mouth of the skull and lit up the insides of the tunnel.
Fulfillment was not the culprit of his wakening. It was Noah who woke him up. He was having these strange dreams, whimpering and kicking. He was saying strange things.
"Buddy? A-are you okay?" The messenger whined as he pawed Noah's neck. But Noah replied with more kicking. Then he started to run. Well, not necessarily 'running', but he was kicking his feet as if he was running.
"Nyeh! Silly toaster! Mrrraahh! Gwrrrrrr!" Noah growled, which caused Messenger to let go a few chuckles. It was time he woken Noah up from his sleep so they could continue on with their journey.
"Psst. Noah." hissed Messenger as he moved his paw up his shoulder with a couple of pats. But Noah did not wake up. He only made Noah whine as he rolled. Only then, he was awake, but he did not want to open his eyes. Until the notion that they were on the quest to save themselves from Death, which caused him to open them.
He sat up with bags beneath his eyes. He rubbed his eye with his paw while Messenger blurted "Good morning!" with a bright grin.
"Grrr... Good morning, Messenger." Groaned Noah as he prepared himself for the seemingly-endless next chapter of their exploration. "I see you are in a different mood than usual. Did you even sleep last night?"
"Yeah. I was. Perhaps, you were speaking in your sleep."
"Really? What did I say?" Noah demanded as he gave Messenger the awkward eyes "Did I say anything weird?"
"No you didn't. But you did sound like you were trying to chase something."
Noah forced himself onto his paws. Oh it hurt soo bad! All those long trips, the mountains, the fields, the treachourous rocky hills; they all played part in the cramps he was having in his knee joints and paws. Messenger adressed the problems with concern and he partnered right beside his friend as Noah was looking up at the golden sun in the sky.
"I am guessing you are feeling all that right now. All of the walking and all of the climbing." Messenger henced the source of Noah's pain.
"Yeah. It's hurting really badly. I wish it could just stop." Noah groaned with pain. "It's all in my shoulders and my joints."
"You can't give up. We got the next crystal that we have to find. And we also have to read the map. We promised that the first hour after wakening we would start studying the map."
"Yeah. Just. Let me..." Noah grimaced while trying to climb up the slope. Messenger could watch as Noah had trouble trying to climb up the slope, so he bumped his shoulder behind Noah and helped him up to the teeth. When Noah wrapped his paws around the tooth of the skull, he pulled himself out and laid in the wet, cool sand. It just hit Noah when he thought about the map.
"Messenger. The map!"
"Right here." Messenger replied quickly and he reached into his bag and pulled out a scrolled up map. He set it down onto the sand and opened it up. Noah quickly recovered and peered over the map with his ears up.
"that's the portal. It's right there." Messenger's paw touched the section on the Jungle forest. It turned out, when Noah looked at the direction from which they came from, and then the direction they were heading, they were heading towards the right direction, according to the map.
"So, the portal is right there?"
"Yeah. It's pretty hiddened. I never heard of anyone ever finding it except those with access to atlantis. That is how deeply hidden it is."
"Ok. I never left my home woods since my friend dissapeared. I never explored or went anywhere in a very long time. I know the directions to where the desert is and where the jungle is, but I never went anywhere really." Noah said as he licked his ache in his twitching joint.
"You should know life is short, Noah. You went a qaurter of your life just sitting around in the woods. It could of ended much sooner if I hadn't stepped in to help you." Messenger was looking at Noah. Noah could not go against that. Messenger was right. He liked to think of the phrase "if you don't use it, you lose it" Perhaps, that was what happened with his life after he loathed it.
"Yeah. I- uh. You're right." Noah saw a folded edge, like as if the entire sheet was bent and folded in half. "Hey, the map. I think it's folded in half."
"Is it?"
Noah then kicked the edge of the map gently and saw it split a littlebit "Yeah. It's folded."
Messenger quickly picked up the map and pulled at it. The two folds were stuck together. It only took a little force to open it up. Unfortunately, it had torn a littlebit. But when it opened, it revealed a totally different map. The snowy biome.
"It's just the alps, Noah. Something we don't need to look at." Messenger frowned at Noah. And Noah looked down at the map again and nodded. He then noticed that there was some stars crossed out on certain spots of the alps map. Something worth pointing out.
"No. Look closer. why are there stars on the map? It does not say, but whatever it is, it's concealing something on those locations."
Messenger's neck crained down to find that Noah was right. There was a few stars etched into certain spots of the alps. "Well, what ever they are indicating, I really don't think it has anything to do with the means of saving ourselves." Messenger thought outloud.
Noah's face was still skeptical about the stars. He then said "Well, ok. Fine." and gave up when he turned the entire map page around to focus on what Messenger supposes as the present.
"Look. We go here... we follow our tracks, and then once we climb over the rocky hills, we intercept through the woods. I know the quickest routes that can get us to the jungle before night fall."
"Ok. I get that. But what about when we get to atlantis? Then what?" Asked Noah, pointing to another section of the map that showed a detailed mapped area of the underwater city. "Also, how is it like there?"
"It's kinda dead, Noah. No one is really there. But the buildings and architecture is still there."
"Really? That's great." Noah replied, his tail wagging. He really wanted to go to atlantis. He always wanted to go to atlantis.
"Yeah. It is. Although, the crystal could be right here. In the very corner over here." Messenger tried to move on with the topic, pointing his paw at the very back of the map where there were two strange circular buildings next to a fish statue. It was located inside of a strange square box etched between the buildings and the fish statue. A little start placed inside, and a rough cursive writing exclaiming "SEA CRYSTAL" right beneath the box. "That right there is where we'll have to find it."
Noah stared at the little box. Then he looked at where the portal door was in atlantis that lead to the land above sea where the jungle is. It looked soo easy, even a pup can find it, if he had the know how of finding the portal.
"Then why are we just waiting here. Let's go! Like, right now!"
Messenger addressed Noah's impatience with a funny look. He then put his paws on the map and said "Noah, we still got a lot to learn. We can't just go right now."
But Noah was already on his feet, and trotting that way which lead up to the woods to the jungle. Messenger made a deep groaning growl and he rubbed his face with his paw. He got up and rolled up the map before he chased after Noah. Noah assumed that this trip to atlantis was more simpler than he thought. When Messenger caught up, he stepped infront of Noah's trail and said "Come on, Noah. This way." before Messenger blasted off into the woods.
Noah tried following Messenger while his tired knees tried to carry him. There was two things that Noah kept inside of his head that kept him from giving up- He already seen what hell looked like. But he had not yet seen atlantist. And most importantly, he was doing this not just for himself, but for to as well save Messenger. Messenger was, for what Noah knows, a prisoner to death with a few deals tied to keep him alive. He is already being tracked by death for saving him. They were just self encouragements that keep him on his aching feet and continue on through the journey.
Encouragement dragged Noah and Messenger through the woods. The more they approached the wooded areas, the less there was sand and the more there was trees dotting their way. They raced themselves to the rocky ledges, keeping the image of their map burned within the walls of their skulls. But while they made their way through their planned routes by memory, with Noah in the shape that he is now with the aching legs, they chose a route that went around the jagged rocky hills since Noah could barely climb those rocks. It did take longer to go around them than to climb them, but they still got the entire noon before they are hit with the next night. And for what Messenger could seek with his ears and scent, Death was nowhere nearby. So they were safe.. They swooped between the mountains on a trail and past the spot where they first met when Messenger had to deliver the news to Noah. But they took a sharp turn right as the map directed, passing the light posts that were dimly lit, even in the daytime. Passing some other pedestrian wolves who were having a good time enjoying the day, or probably hunting, they had to make a complete stop when they came to a river, calmly flowing with clean water from the icy mountain peeks.
Unfortunately, they did not plan ahead for the time they have to hit this river.
Noah was staring across the river. He could see what looks like a boardwalk where they must get on to efficiently get from here on this river shore to the board walk. Noah stuck his paw in the water to test the temperature. He emediately pulled back only to find that it was fridged cold- "a certaintly good water temperature to fall in..." Noah sarcastically complained in his head. No, it was not comfortable water temperature to fall into. But atleast there was rocks that jutted out from the surface of the river water that they could leap on.
Messenger knew what he was thinking and crowched in a jumping position before he said "Follow me!" Then Noah watched Messenger leap right off of the shore, soar across the space gap between the shore and the rock before awkwardly landing onto the rock. He turned around and faced Noah, who was still standing at the water's shore. "That one, over there! Jump on that rock!" instructed Messenger as his nose pointed to the rock that was not too far from the shore.
Noah calculated the distance. He could say no because he was not fit at the moment, but he had to. He groaned with annoyance before he backed up just a couple of feet. He posed himself for the leap before he sprinted. He leaped hard, forcing his aching knees to catapolt his body from the shore.
It was like slow motion.
But as his front paws were about to touch the rock's surface, he could not make it. He crashed into the rock with a loud yelping whine. His other half of his body fell into the freezing water, forcing his body to cringe and contract with the reactment of the contact with the freezing cold water. Noah hugged the rock and pulled himself back on, standing with his back hunched with an arch like a cat while his body vibrated with painful shivers.
"You okay, Noah?" Messenger asked.
"No, I'm not okay! I just fell into fridged river water!" Snapped Noah as he glared at him.
"Well, You're alive. The water was too shallow to take you away. I too hated the feeling of cold river water before Death took my soul away. Though, I still don't miss it."
Noah did not chuckle or grin. He did not even respond.
"Just get used to it. We're almost to atlantis. Once we get there, I swear this will be all over."
"Can we read the map again? I think I forgot the way there." Noah asked as he occasionally watched the rushing water splash against the rocks.
"We don't have to, Noah. But when we get to atlantis, we can read it."
"Ok." Noah remained quiet. He's got this. He had to take the icy water with a grain of salt and move on. Messenger continued on, hopping from jutting rock to jutting rock with expertise. Noah wished he knew his secret of rock jumping. Though everytime he made his jump, he nearly slipped and almost fallen into the freezing water again.
In the end, they finaly had made it. They made it to dry land. It was not necessarily dry land. They now climbed onto the boardwalk. With a quick leap, they landed onto the doc that lead them trotting down the boardwalk made by the wolves who live here, with their bare paws, perhaps. The wood boards creeked and noisily knocked as their paws stepped. It was built as a small road so that the wolves or animals could be able to walk over the river like a road. Messenger and Noah equally huffing exhaustedly with their tongues hanging out. It was still noon and they already did more than they normally did in their lives in just one day. But atleast they could travel over the river on steady terrain.
They passed one of the giant waterfalls. A salmon leaped out from the water and smacked into Noah's face before falling on the floor and flopping back into the water. Messenger, surprised of the spectical, watched Noah as he frantically checked his face for a bloody nose.
Turns out, he never got a bloody nose from that salmon attack. They passed this large waterfall that was running down the cliff on their left side. After the waterfall, a trail had formed on the right side of the dirt shoulder that continued along side of the boardwalk- which took them further towards the jungle. Aventually, they had to use the narrow trail as the boardwalk had ended.
Finally, they came to a mini waterfall. At the waterfall, the shoulder trail came to a abrupt cliff, which they could jump off of because the waterfall was as big as seven or eight wolves stacked ontop of each other. What lied infront of them before the very cliff and small waterfall was a large body of water. Like a wide stream of salt water. On the right was where the stream lead to the vast ocean, on the left, the stream continued down into the wolve's continent. Across the stream lied another body of land- it was the jungle. They made it to the jungle!
The sight of the jungle did bring Noah into a lighter mood. It was a sense of hope and inside joy that they will find atlantis and find this crystal.
Noah's tail started wagging without notice.
"Noah?" Began Messenger as he looked to him. Noah could even tell that Messenger was serious due to his tone of voice since his rabbit skull mask blocked the ability for him to see his face. "You got to stay with me. I get it. Atlantis is a big deal. But you cannot go and wander off like it's some tourist attraction. What ever you do..." His huffing with his tongue sticking out occasionally broke up the conversation. "You must stick with me... at all times."
"Ofcourse. We have to. We're a team." Noah replied with replenished dignity.
Messenger cringed to the word "team". He jumped off of the cliff and landed on the ground beneath the cliff and he turned right to go along the shoreline. Noah followed, jumping off of the small cliff. They had to walk through the freezing river that fed into the large stream. They did not like that. But there was no other way of getting across but that way. And they did not have a lot of time either.
As they went down towards the ocean's inlet, infront of them was a large mountain. Actually, there was two mountains. One on the shore of their body of land, and on the other land where the jungle was, there was another mountain. And stretching across the two mountains high above them was a massive wooden cable bridge with the occasional wood thumping sounds of the traffic of wolves crossing the bridge. A nasty seagul that was nesting in the crevaces of the timbers crawled out and flew out of the crevace and soared across over the stream to the jungle land. As Noah's eyes followed it, his eyes caught the little sand trail that surfaced from the water that brought them stable terrain across the stream. He realy wanted to go on the bridge instead, but the route they made earlier when getting here probably altered their direction.
They crossed the stream beneath the bridge. They began to notice that the sky was turning grey with dark storm clouds the more they progressed over the bridge to the jungle section. The air vibrated with thunder as rain drops started falling one by one from the sky. They entered the rainforest. There was tropical shrubs sprouting from every step. The canopies surved as an ubrella for them, but it was not totally accurate in keeping the rain off of them. Coral rocks jutted from the sandy soil, covered in vines which grew many colored flowers.
"Noah, this way." Messenger said, jolting Noah out of his haze of gawking. His attention kept getting caught by the steamy fog that floated in the canopys. He looked at Messenger and turned his way down deeper within the jungle.
Noah began to think to himself inside of his head. "why would I be sitting around in the boring oak forest when I could be enjoying myself in here?" He never deeply explored any places. He just took things for granted for what life is at first glance and scrounged out the rest of his time for food and sleep. But that was before he met Messenger. Since that happened, he had been all over the map in just a couple of days.
Three minutes later, they came back to the stream's shore. The bridge from which they cross beneath of was far behind them. Infront of them, they came across another coral rock with a white doorframe and a blue mesh portal field inside of it, which welcomed them easily into the city of atlantist.
Atlantist was for gods. And Noah was already one of a kind to enter, not just hell, but now into atlantist.
"Are you ready, Noah?" Asked Messenger with concern present in his voice. "Because this is it. Atlantis."
"Ok. So. We go through this, quick read the map, grab the crystal and head out." Noah was wagging his tail with excitement as he panted.
"Right. You are correct." Messenger nodded his head. "Unless, someone already took it, or Death had moved it."
Noah felt a sharp pain his chest after what Messenger had said.
"Maybe. But we cannot doubt that." Noah replied, shaking off the doubt. "Can we just jump in and... get this overwith?"
"When ever you're ready. You wanna go first so that you would be the only one to experience atlantis first? I know how big this life achievement is for a regular wolf. Especially one that had not lifted a finger for most of his life." Messenger jabbed teases at Noah, which pinched at his feelings. He opened his mouth to retort, but he has not say for the account of Messenger's special offering. Messenger grinned at Noah and Noah pushed passed him.
They entered through the portal. Noah entering first, followed by Messenger shortly to ensure their safety.
They entered through the other side of this "atlantis" world, and Noah blinked as he found himself inside a dark, rocky cave. He whined a little and looked around, dissapointed.
"Sooooo... This is atlantist?"
"Not quite, Noah. But we're almost there. I had the same reaction when I first came through this portal." Messenger turned his back, and walked deeper into the cave that took him deeper into the ground. "Follow me. I can show you around."
"Well... Okay..." Noah's voice sounded small within the lengthy cave. He followed through the cave tunnel. That was when he spotted a golden light deep down in the dark tunnel. For a moment, this tunnel seemed endless. Already, his knees were starting to just give out when his hopes emediately skyrocketed when he saw a bright golden light way down at the end of the tunnel.
He thought that it might be atlantis. But when they got closer, it was nothing more than a metal wall lamp that looked like a old style gas lamp fixed onto the rocky walls of the cave. Noah took quick inspection of inside the lamp. And it certaintly was not running off of oil. There was a little glass cylinder which contained a little golden electric arc. The arc glowed brightly, lighting up this bend of the cave. Noah placed his paw next to the glass cylinder and touched it. The arc reacted by flickering and twitching, before it froze once more in a position.
Perhaps, the deeper Noah and Messenger went, the more of these strange lamps they came up about.
After some walking, and many of those strange lamps they had passed by, Noah and the messenger had arrived to what Noah had guessed to be atlantist. Course rock turned to soft, white cold sand, causing their paws to sink a little with every step, like the desert. But with more fine granulated sand. And it obviously wasn't as hot as the desert either. The air had a cool, wet feel to it.
Rocks here and there jutted from the soil. And just like Messenger had said, the telltale sign they made it to atlantist was the rubble that came from the ancient civilizations long ago. Pillers were toppled over and trashed in wreckage. Signs of structures what used to be buildings were now scattered. Intricate markings on the walls were etched finely. Statues of great warriors and philosophers stood erected at their stone platform, barely aged by time.
Noah was stuck. His mouth agape as his green eyes took every detail it could. A ceiling of sea hovered high above. Though, they had to be deep under water. But not too deep, since the sun still went through to light the way with a deep blue atmosphere. There was a force field bubble that kept the water out, and inside dry. So they could still walk into atlantist without getting wet. And they could still breath down here too.
"T-this is amazing!" Exclaimed Noah as he stood frozen.
"It is," Messenger replied as he stopped, waiting for Noah to catch up with him.
Noah was too forzen in the gaze. He just could not proceed without the help of Messenger breaking him from his gaze. He stepped close to Noah with a rediculous smug smile that said "Really? Are you that in awe?"
"Come, Noah. We must stick with your plan. Remember?"
Messenger blinked and looked at Messenger, pealing his attention off the scenic experience. "Oh. I'm sorry. Y-yeah. I do remember the plot. I just can't get enough of this place." Messenger could see a slight blush of embarrassment on Noah's cheeks. And without a word, he stepped forward and urged Messenger that he was ready to continue on this search.
But what about the map? Didn't Messenger say that it was best to check their stats on the map? "Messenger, what about the map?"
"Oh! The map. Thanks for reminding me." Messenger took the map out, and laid it on a slab of rock that was embeded into the sandy floor. They both peered over the map again. Yes. They are nearing the heart of atlantis, but nothing seemed familiar here in this place.
"I don't get it. We're supposed to be here. What happened?" Noah tapped his paw against the surface of the map. Then he gave a quick gaze around the area for anything familiar.
"I don't think it's that simple, Noah. I believe the map was made before atlantis became ruins of the deep."
"Ok. Let me just." Noah took one more gaze at his scenery. He noticed what looked like a coral building with pillars was now reduced to rubble. He spotted a statue of a wolf wearing some form of armor and a sword sticked within a blade sheath which was strapped to it's side. Considering all of the structures within atlantis, the wolf soldier statue seems to be the most intacked. It was just fallen over, covered in some sand. He looked back on the map and found the wolf statue just at the left corner after the cave entrance they just came from. Not only that, they made a huge error that could of costed them their limited time.
"Look, right here. This is where we are." Noah directed with his paw at the dog statue with armor. Messenger's eyes scanned that location, and then said.
"No. I think we're right here." Pointing at a area totally off from where Noah pointing at.
"No, Messenger. We're actually right here." Noah then allowed his paw to run down the trail on the map, tracing their steps from where they had walked out of the cave after stepping into atlantis before his paw came back to tap on his assumed location and touched the wolf statue, and then he looked at Messenger again. "See this, Messenger? This statue here? It's right behind us."
He tapped the statue again to make his affirmation, and stood up to sit on his tail, and pointed his paw at the statue, which was turned over in the sand.
"You know, Noah? You're right. You have a good eye for maps." Messenger praised Noah with a hard pat on his back. "Perhaps, this is very dangerous. Even more dangerous than I had thought it would be. We're more vulnerable to making mistakes with this map if we do not keep a sharp eye on the details."
"I guess we're gonna have to inspect this area very well." Noah said before he got up on his four paws and stood up in the sand, standing. "After all, from what I can see on this map, we're not very far from the crystal. Perhaps, that circular structure that we found on the map is just down that way."
Messenger bent the map up instead of rolling it into a scroll and placed it inside of the bag. He followed Noah. This time, Noah seemed to know where the crystal and it's location might be.
After re-reading the map three more times, pointing out certain landmarks, walking quite some distances, they finally found the circular structure after climbing atop a mountain of ancient rubble.
Messenger was scouting like a hawk for a mouse. Noah was wandering off like a distracted pup chasing a butterfly in the meadow. Messenger periodically checked the map every once in a moment. Noah was too busy looking at the writings etched onto the rocks, wondering what language they are, And what they're saying.
"Noah, what are you doing? We got to go find the building that holds the crystal." Noah looked back at Messenger, who was already way ahead of him after going on their quest to find that rounded building. He corrected himself and turned back to go with Messenger.
"Oooh, I am sorry. I wonder what these dialogs are saying."
"I wish I knew too, Noah. But we don't have time to figure that out."
"Ok."
As they proceeded, they had found themselves centered in more sophisticated structures and etched wall writings than before. There was arches and more pillars with creatures sat atop one another. Some with wings. Some with tentacles. Aventually they find the rounded building.
After they had walked through routes they directed through the map, they finally came across the building. Or atleast, what was left of the building. As they approached, it appears to be that the building had a floor level, and the rounded part of the building was supposed to be the second floor. But as it tried to stand against the test of time, it collapsed, concealing the fact that it was once a multi floor building. But beside the case of the building, the crystal was not found anywhere outside of the building, as the map had said... But inside?
Noah stepped inside of the arched window of the building. He looked left and right. The hallways were all disfigured and halfway crumbling from when the building possibly collapsed. He felt a budge on his hind, followed by "Noah, we need to move. Could you move out of the way of the window so I can get inside too?"
"Oh." Noah moved out of the windowcill and watched Messenger crawl inside to join him.
"So, I guess it would be inside here."
"Yeah. The map had a weird casing that held the crystal. But the casing is gone, and so is the crystal. I think it's in here." Noah said, trotting down this hallway in the left. "Messenger, I have a bad feeling about this. I think the crystal was removed on perpous. Possibly by death."
"Noah, don't say that. We must speak of it until we finally figure out that we have failed."
They stopped at a hallway that was blocked off by a collapsed ceiling. Rubble had fallen from the collapsed ceiling, causing a collapsed ceiling to block the way. But nothing had stopped them from not getting past. Noah seeked with his eyes an easy way to get through. But Messenger found a tight squeaze hole through the rubbed, and attempted to climb through it, which Messenger successfully got past. But Noah was a little too big around the waist. He got stuck.
"Messenger! I-I'm stuck!" Noah puffed with air as his green eyes raced left and right. His paws scratching against the coral surface. "Messenger, please help!"
"Noah. Calm down."
"No. I-I can't breath! It's it is cutting off my circulation!" Noah's pathetic frantic breathing made Messenger want to have eyes so he could roll them.
"Noah. You're not suffocating. Please don't do that." Messenger said, pathetically. Noah's eyes watched Messenger. "Just hold still. You need to keep calm while I help you."
Messenger stepped infront of Messenger and said "Now. Can you get out through the other side?"
"N-No. I tried. But once I entered just halfway, I got stuck. I cannot get past."
Messenger stopped and thought. He did not want to think about it, but he suspects that Noah was too big for himself to get through the hole. He would have to go without him. Noah sensed that the masked wolf was in deep thought when Messenger was spacing out.
"So, any ideas?"
"Noah. I'm afraid you cannot proceed any further. You're gonna have to stay behind while I search within this building."
"Oh." Noah sighed dejectively. Then he squinted with slight anger. "This isn't fair. I can't even get to see what's further down here."
"Well, I did not spend my days alive laying around on boulders and grass all day, stuffing my face." Messenger said, coldly. "Now stay still while I help you."
Noah stood still while Messenger pressed both of his paws on his chest and pushed as hard as he could until Noah was pushed free from the tight squeaze. Atleast while Noah never got across the rubble, he was now free from being stuck from the hole. Noah kept himself busy making piles of rocks and sand while Messenger took the map and stepped throughout the building's coral corridor. As Messenger was stepping down the hallway, he tried searching through every single room. He did not know which room lead to where. He had never been to this building during its hay day. But no matter where Messenger went. He just could not locate that crystal. It was not outside. It was not in this building like they had assumed.
"No." Messenger said underneath his breath. His stature tensing as he approached a crystal stand that laid empty. The glass casing was broken, and the pillow was miss-proportioned. "Oh no." His mood melted into complete uncertainty and sadness. "I-I can't tell Noah this. Not. Not like this." But he has to. There was no other way of bottling this in until the very end.
Noah was still sitting in the halls. More like standing in the halls. He was already losing the last tips of patience after spending 20 minutes now watching the different fish float by behind the force field dome. He twisted his neck to yell "Messenger? Are you almost done? Did you find it?"
Just coincidently, Messenger was already by the other side of the wall, preparing to squeaze through. "Oh. You've came back. You were driving me insane with worry weather you would never find it." Messenger squeased through. Now wearing a sad frown. "And why are you Frowning?"
"Noah? I got some terrible news." Messenger's voice wrasped. "It was planned."
"What do you mean?" Noah asked, his insides shrivling like a dead leaf.
"Noah? We failed. It's not here. It's not there." Messenger stepped to Noah's side and sighed "I guess it's the fact of life. I am terribly sorry, Noah."
Noah's world went blank. His eyes were wide like he'd seen something Happen before his eyes that was awful. His lungs went paralized. The heart was pounding in his ears.
"Noah? Are you alright?"
Noah was too stunned. His vision went white, and his forehead felt an itch. He felt the urge to fall. So he blacked out.
Shortly after the arrival of Noah and Messenger to the city of atlantis, Death had stopped by hell to go retrieve something. His dark paws swirling with dark energy stepped on the stone floors, though with no echo of step. He came within the office from which Death stores hell s crystal. Only when his walking was cut short when he started smelling the scent of Messenger s previous presence. The smell was all over the walls, hinting his presence being down these halls not too long ago.
Hmm Coda what have you been doing down these halls? Death s voice was cold and raspy like the voice of a revived caviar. Messenger was restricted from entering these premises Death considers off limits for anyone but himself. As soon as he proceeded to the office, he started smelling a different scent. A new scent. Death s dark eyes thinned with negative determination.
No. This can t be. Death thought in his head. My loyal Henchment.
It was only when he entered into the office and quickly checked checked the wall storage and did not find the crystal. He started frantically rummaging. Searching. But still, he could not find the crystal, but a straw bag. He pulled the straw bag out and found that it was empty.
Anger started boiling within him, rising up like magma from a volcano, only erupting in a unleashed roar. He knashed his teeth and cursed.
Curses! Coda! What have you done! The enraged demon growled. Lightning bolts sparkling beneath the black fumes floating around his body. Why, Coda! I gave you more freedom than many other souls here.
He kept trying to find where this source of this other scent was coming from. Suddenly, a minute after sniffing and reminiscesing, he finally realized that this scent actually came from that black wolf That green-eyed, young, wolf. The one he ordered Messenger to find.
Noah... Death whispered under his breath. You betrayed me all because of that mutt! That that... Then Death closed his eyes, and then remained quiet. He stood dormant for 30 minutes, and then opened his eyes, becoming a entirely different personality. A calmer one. Death sighed when he turned around and faced the exit of the office. He thought thoroughly to himself as he walked down the hallway. It was that of when he exited the hallway and passed the jail cell, he stopped and faced the spiraling rocky path down the slope, surrounded by boiling lava.
He stared at the black dog who was laying there in solitude. Death then stepped down the slope and approached the dog. The dog s ears perked up to his approachment, but he did not raise his head to look at him.
Gambit. Death said in a soft tone before he stopped just a pace before the black dog.
The dog did not respond.
Gambit. I got a purpose for you.
Gambit, the demon dog, raised her head and peered out into the ocean of lava infront of her and spoke.
What do you need from me now? You stole my body and sent my soul down to this miserable fire hole.
Tell you what Uh You go and find me two of these individuals And tell me where they are. Death said. But he waited much more than he should for a single reply. Finally, Gambit spoke, and she said,
How bout no. Replied Gambit.
Death sighed. He needed some extra wolves to try and track his rogue henchman and his prey. He decided that maybe he can use another way to get Gambit into searching for Death.
Say How about this You go into the overworld. I will grant you access to the overworld, and when you find Coda and Noah, you come back and tell me where they are. The deal is this. Once you find them, I will give you life back in the overworld. You will return back to your original life, and you will be able to live like a happy, normal and living wolf without the worries of me coming back to take you back here ever again.
Death smiled when Gambit s eyes opened wide. Her eyes were orange swirling with yellow bright gold fire and lights. He knew he got Gambit.
Is that true, Death? Will you give my old life back again? asked Gambit with pleading in her voice. Death nodded his head up and down.
Gambit got up and said Deal. and Death used his magic and a red medal formed around Ganbit's neck. Hanging on Gambit s chest was a talisman with a blue crystal inside. It was a tracker as well as a administrative tool for allowing those to enter into the overworld as Death allowed.
Death lead her up the spiral hill and to the exit portal of hell. When they got there, he stepped to Gambit and stared into her eyes with his dark, soulless eyes and said with a soft, raspy whisper.
Bring me Coda and Noah. And I will set you free. Death then touched the floor where Noah and Messenger stepped with their paws and their paw prints lit up brightly, showing all the foot prints they have stepped all around the floors of hell. Noah s was green while Messenger s was deep red. He touched both of the paw prints again like he was collecting dust, and then he touched the talisman, and the talisman s crystal glowed, sending the powder into Gambit s nose, resulting in Gambit taking the scent like a note and using it to track them down.
Like an instinct, Gambit began running, she ran through the portal and dissapeared behind the portal mesh. Death watched continuously as the Portal still remained warped and distorted from Gambit s exiting. He hoped Gambit would do a good job tracking them down, and then reporting back to Death.
I hope that you enjoyed this chapter of the story. Do not fret. If you've gone this far to read, you must be interested. But don't fret, there will be more chapters. -11/16/20 2:33AM