Author Comment: I want to thank my Beta-Reader of everything he did for this chapter to come out.
The day came and the one on guard duty was Nauthilax. He gazed at the M'arrillians who hadn't participated in guard duty and grumbled about how lucky they were. It was simply because no one trusted them that none of them had to stay up for the night. He had had such a sweet dream about getting revenge on that annoying Tom who had given him headaches on his missions.
He crossed his arms and waited for the sun to rise high enough to wake everyone up. He had to be extra careful with his ruler. He had heard how brutal Chaor might be when his sleep was disturbed. There were rumors that Agitos's neck was longer for a few days when he accidentally did that. Those were just rumors though, but he was certain he actually saw that blue neck a little longer than before.
The sun shined high enough in the sky and proceeded to wake everyone up by giving everybody a kick on the side. He wouldn't be gentle to anyone. He went to Chaor, but thankfully, the red creature was already up.
The creatures had their hands on the side and painfully grumbled except Mudeenu who wore his armor.
They stood up and after a quick breakfast, continued their journey to the top. They had little to say to each other. Their mind was focused on their mission. They had received no news from Chaotic about what was going on in the Cothica.
Chapter 103: The Guardian
They reached the top of the mountain earlier than expected. It was the middle of the day when they saw the large structure. It seemed it was just one among many that were in the middle of the mountain. A little like Chaotic.
Still, that structure looked more like an entrance than anything else. It was large and looked like it was made from a giant rock and sculpted until it took the form of a large building. They couldn't even tell if it was a temple or not. On closer inspection, it seemed like it was a gate to enter into the rest of the structure.
"We can go around," Vix'ben suggested as he pointed at the side.
"I don't think so. I feel like there is something to protect the rest," Tassanil replied as he crossed his arms. He observed that part and noticed it was wavering a little, "Like some kind of barrier. Like the one Chaotic has, from what I heard."
Maxxor nodded as he scratched his chin, "I heard about it too. The Codemasters confirmed there was a barrier so no creatures could enter. That's why teleportation was the only and best way."
"Let's go," Chaor walked towards the gate-like structure and pushed it. It opened without any resistance, allowing them inside.
It was dark as they walked in. Still, the light they had showed them it was mostly empty. The sound of their footsteps echoed in the room and was the only sound they heard.
The air slowly cooled down for some reason as they went deeper.
"I don't like this," Mudeenu commented. He looked around. He just knew there was something waiting for them.
"Agree," Tiaane nodded.
Gal'drad focused his thoughts on their surroundings. He felt something, "There is something waiting for us," he warned them.
The creatures looked forward. Chaor raised his hand and called fire to the palm of his hand. They barely saw a silhouette of a creature, but they could see icy blue eyes pointed at them. He grunted, "Who are you?"
They got no answer.
The red Underworlder took a step forward, ready to show that thing what he was made off.
The icy blue eyes disappeared for a second, before reappearing, "One more step and I will not hesitate to kill all of you."
"You are alone," Tassanil warned the creature.
"And what makes you think this is really me in front of you?" The creature questioned.
None of them were buying this.
"Listen-" Chaor was interrupted when Maxxor prevented him from taking another step.
"We are not here to fight you. We are here on an important mission and we need to search for something," the green Overworlder wouldn't stipulate their purpose.
"Now that I look at you… five tribes. Overworlders, Underworlders, Danians, Mipedians and… M'arrillians. What twisted fate brought the five tribes together?" The creature questioned itself.
None of them were certain if they were talking to a creature or not. It felt a bit surreal, but it was possible that it was a fake thing in front of them. If they could make a portal to the Cothica, who could guess what else they made.
"We are wasting our time!" Chaor growled.
"And if they had powerful battlegear pointed at us in the darkness? If they can do that… They can do more," he said out loud, speaking their thoughts.
"We thought this place was abandoned," Gal'drad told the creature, "We are not here to disturb you. We are here on an important mission, as Maxxor said. One that required all of us to work together."
"At least try," Vix'ben grumbled under his breath.
Mudeenu gazed at everyone. They were dancing around the subject. He scratched his chin and asked, "If you are here…there must be something dangerous for you to stay behind. The city below was abandoned. A city that met with humans."
"W-what do you mean?" That reply told them a lot. He was taken aback by the mention of the humans.
Gal'drad took out the tablet and showed it, "Seems like you also encountered them. For a while, humans were exploring Perim, until most of my tribe came and attacked them."
"You are bluffing. The humans are gone and will never come back," the creature replied pensively. The icy blue eyes shined a little more, "You got me a little interested in listening to your fairy tale. It is pointless to hide it. I am the guardian of this place. I will not let anyone touch anything here. Your life means little compared to what I have to protect," it took a few steps forward and showed itself in the light.
It was a creature that seemed mostly made of rock. It gave the form of a muscular creature that looked like an Overworlder. A little bit of Tangath Toborn somehow, which brought back some sad memories of that brave warrior's fate for Maxxor. The mane looked like it was made of ice, the same color as its eyes. It wore a white loincloth with a few skulls on it and held a long staff with a strange blue gem at top of it, a little like what Theb-Saar reported they had found in the abandoned temple.
Tiaane wanted to ask what the creature wanted to protect, but he knew there wouldn't be an answer. Instead, he asked, "How long have you been guarding this place?"
"No idea. Time is irrelevant to me," the other one replied. The blue eyes went to Chaor, "And you are acting like an intruder I should eliminate."
"I don't care," the red Underworlder grunted. He clenched his hands, "And you are wasting our time. We need to get in here very soon!"
"You give me no reason to be welcome here. What you said about the humans was a lie anyway. As I said before, they won't ever come back since they left."
"The humans have returned, but they have gone back to the Cothica, as they lost their way to come here," Tassanil replied.
The creature didn't believe them at all and didn't express his thoughts on the matter. He gazed at the creatures, "I suggest you leave right now. If you cannot keep my interest in your fairy tale, I will make you leave."
The creatures looked at each other. They were uncertain if they should give some of the details, or if that might be too dangerous. The creatures assembled and whispered to each other about the best course of action.
Chaor grunted loudly eventually, "We don't have any time to lose. If he is trying anything suspicious, we will do something about it," he cracked his knuckles. He smirked lightly as he turned towards the strange creature.
Maxxor sighed and nodded. He decided to say everything and hoped they wouldn't lose time with a battle that might destroy something important, "We came from the continent of Perim," he began to explain everything about Perim, "A few years ago, humans began to appear in Perim, leaving us to wonder what they were."
"They are just weak and pitiful outsiders of Perim that just came here to cause trouble and mayhem," Chaor grumbled.
Nauthilax nodded in agreement.
"Many of them were interesting or friendly. Like Peyton. He was here for three solans and was a good friend to have around. At least from what the other Mipedians said. I didn't see him that often," Tiaane commented. He had also met Tom who was an interesting boy.
Maxxor went on to describe his interactions with the humans. Most were disappointing or were endangering the Overworlders. That was until he met Tom, "Tom was different from the others. He helped me on a mission, even if it was against his will," he gazed at Mudeenu as he remembered that encounter, but made no mention of that,"He made me realize that not all humans are bad, just like he learned the same with each tribe on his own."
"How do you know about something like that?" Chaor grumbled.
"We talked often when he visited me. He had time for that and when I have time to see him too," he replied casually.
Chaor grumbled as he revealed how he had to make Kaz infiltrate the castle to get to him. He had used the boy to find any weak spot in his defenses. Still, even when he fixed them, the boy always managed to find a way inside. If the guards caught him, the boy either ported back to Chaotic or escaped. He didn't know if the boy was that talented, or if humans tended to get sneakier over time.
The creatures continued to tell the story as they reached the M'arrillians War. Once it was done, Gal'drad explained what some of the M'arrillians had done after Aa'une was dead and how he had joined the other tribes.
"We found out in Kaizeph some proof that one human went to Perim during the previous M'arrillians war and lived for two solans in Perim before he managed to return home. The M'arrillians then erased our memories and we had no knowledge of them until the city resurfaced."
They went on to explain what happened since then and how it ended up in a long battle in Chaotic.
"The M'arrillians loyal to Milla'iin are currently on the Cothica and have threatened to take full control of it," Gal'drad concluded.
The creature gazed at each of them in a bit of disbelief. He put his hands together pensively, "This is such a large fairy tale you are telling me. It is a very elaborated fairy tale that comes out of your mouth. I certainly wasn't expecting that creature to be in it," he pointed at Chaor who showed his fangs. He ignored his reaction and gazed at the other creatures, "It is too big to be a simple fairy tale. The emotions towards those humans you called Tom, Kaz and Peyton are true. I can see remembrance in your eyes. I don't need to read minds to know that," he glanced at the M'arrillians, "As for this Sarah…"
"It is Wamma who met her often. He went to the Cothica to protect her. He who is, by reputation, a lazy Danian," Tassanil replied.
The creature hummed, "Nevertheless. Your words are true," he turned around, "Come. No matter what I'm protecting, it can never be at the cost of the Cothica," with that he walked into the darkness.
The creatures gazed at each other and followed him.
AC: This is the end of this chapter.
Next: The City Of Old.
The creatures followed the creature made of the earth and water element to a strange gate, discovering an old civilization that disappeared long ago.