*Note for the reader: We have reached the halfway point, I think. Though I could be wrong. Also, reviews are very welcome, positive or negative.
Chapter 7
The Curtains Are Drawn Back
They all looked at him. Mern saw the papers in the Colonel's hands and decided to break the silence. "Already have the prisoner's forms, well aren't you prepared?" Lembert shook his head. "Prisoner? No, what I have here is the information we need to survive." Lembert crouched on the ground while Vels and Aden sat speechless, trying to think of a way to verbalize their thoughts as everyone else huddled around him. Then, "where the hell were you?!" said Vels, "how do you still have your equipment?" asked Aden, "where did you get these?" asked Unem. It was journal entries, maps, drawings, and so on. The journals had belonged to man who had apparently came down here for what he continuously referred to as the Crystals, and also of a promise his family had made. The map and drawings were of the landscape and diagrams of some of the creatures and rocks. "We can worry about all that later, what I want to do now is go to the caves. It is the safest place and we can take the time to go over everything." "Why the caves, there is someone on the mountains that is willing to help us," said Vels. "not the caves..not the caves...". "He is dangerous! The journal warns about him and suggests the caves, and considering that we are even here, I am not going to go against it." "not the caves..not the caves.." "What do you mean by that?! Did you know whats going to happen when you brought us along??" "not the caves...not the caves..." "Yes, but do you know what is here? Force crystals, and I'm not talking about the ones Jedi use, I'm talking about crystals that actually gives you the ability to use the Force and amplifies it! Think about it, an army of Darth Vaders! It will win us the war!" "not the caves...not the caves..." " Is that why we are here? So you can try and find a superweapon? For what?? The glory? The fame?? The money??" "No, I want this to be all over, and the sooner we get to the caves the sooner we get-" "NOT THE CAVES!" Jen was up, he was still trying to get his bearings. "Not the caves, there is something in there. I can't describe it, but it wasn't right and I don't want to know what it is."
There was a moment of quiet. Then Vels simply just said this, "I'm going to the mountains and I'm going to get help from something that didn't just terrify us." Lembert said fine and that he was going to the caves and that if anyone wants to stay alive, they should come with him. Unem was the first to say that he would go with Vels. Then Dernom, then Fenris, then Jeph and Kert, and finially Jen, who volunteered quickly. "Sorry cap'n, but I think I'll side with Lembert on this, that mask guy didn't look right," said Mern. Aden thought about it, he didn't want to meet these beasts, but Lembert knew what he was doing. At least, he acts it very well. On the other hand, going for the friendly one here sounds very good too. But, that journal..
The next morning, Vels and his group get packed and arm themselves with their make-shift spears then head off into the mountains. Lembert and his small team, of Mern and Aden, go towards the caves. "I don't feel good about this at all," said Aden, "why are we going to meet the thing that almost drove the rebel crazy?" "Don't worry about them," said Lembert casually, "if the journals are right, they only want one person, and he is the destination for Vels." Mern chuckled, "yeah, and lets hope they don't want any snacks." Yes, but why? Why them? What do they have that makes them so safe from this mysterious threat? What use are these things? Why are we heading towards them?
Lembert chuckled, "well, those things happen to be a negative after-effect of the cave creatures and...certain other things being radiated by the raw power of the force crystals that had leaked through the rocks from the top of the mountain, where the legendary masked man resides and guards the crystals, and the reason we go to these monsters is that they are the only ones who can kill the guardian."