Well, what do you know, I haven't been beamed up and away to my homeworld!
I know, it's been a long, long time since I've updated, and for that I am sincerely story. A mix of two pets falling ill, being in the hospital for a little while, moving and having to drop out of school for a year had me pretty screwed up for a while. But I'm all settled in again, and I'm excited to continue this story. I still love Chaotic, card game and cartoon, and I've dragged a few of my friends into the fandom as well.
Speaking of fandom, I have to tell everyone something; I have seen the first season of Chaotic and a good bit of M'arrillian Invasion, but none of Secrets of the Lost City. This story was thought up during the finale of the M'arrillian Invasion; I will be able to work in a lot of Secrets of the Lost City, but likely not everything. I don't even know if the episodes have aired in Canada yet.
I have another chapter already written up and waiting to be betaed, and I'm working on the next; which brings me to my current predicament. My Beta is currently without internet and we aren't sure when she'll get it back. So if anyone would be willing to beta for me, I would greatly appreciate it. If you wish to help out, please contact me at adarkageoflife hotmail . com. The more feedback the better, after all.
As a final note, I have no intentions of ever abandoning this story. It will be finished :) I hope this chapter lives up to the others. The next one will hopefully be posted within the week, depending on if my Beta can get to an internet source or not.
On to the show!
Oh man, Sarah was going to kill him. She must have called at least six times by now!
Peyton flinched as he pocketed his scanner again, the words 'Missed call from Chaotiqween' flashing at him menacingly. No, Sarah did not like being ignored; but his hands were tied. It was hard enough getting into the Mipedim Oasis in the first place, what with the heightened security. And with Mipedian warriors watching his every move, Peyton did not want to try his chances with answering a call. Some of these guys had really quick tempers.
It was actually quite strange to see the Oasis not bustling with human and Mipedian activity. The Mipedians like their secrets, yes; but the Oasis itself had always been a fairly open place, humans free to come and go as they please. Some sectors and buildings were closed off of course, but the market streets were generally free access.
It was a little disconcerting, really. Usually Peyton would have said a jovial hello to at least ten players he knew by now. And the sudden presence of the Mipedian military, armed and alert, was not a usual sight by far.
But, hey, thems the breaks.
"Yo, Zhade! How's it hangin', mah bro?" Peyton saluted the dark brown Mipedian, who was literally hanging from the roof of a house. Swinging his head around lazily, Zhade flicked his tongue out and returned the salute, then went right back to sunbathing.
Peyton always did like that lizard.
Continuing along on the sun-baked road, Peyton hummed a little tune to himself. Some Mipedians were put off or confused by the relaxed demeanour; others were highly amused. And, of course, those that were familiar with Peyton's presence either ignored him or rolled their eyes. Ah, home sweet desert.
"Malvadine, fancy seeing you here!" Peyton gave an elaborate bow as he passed the warrior, earning himself a quirk of a reptilian brow before the Elite Warrior went back to debriefing some new Stalkers.
Siado slunk by on a rooftop; a young Muge in training gave Peyton a polite bow of the head as he passed. Guards stood silent at nearly every crossroad and building; each eyed him as he passed. Predictably, they also fell silent as he approached. Really, Peyton had predicted nothing less than that; it was really hard to eavesdrop on creatures that could go invisible.
Of course, he had to admit there was something weird going on...some of the Mipedians seemed to be avoiding him on purpose, wary of his presence. And for the life of him, Peyton could not figure out why. Mipedians always had that bit of wariness to them, but he could not remember getting so many dirty looks-
Peyton grinned abruptly, broken out of his thoughts as a familiar figure sauntered towards him. Now this was a very rare and welcome sight. "Jorre, m'lady! Must be somethin' pre-tty big goin' on to get you in from the Hunter's Perimeter."
Jorre smirked, her eyes glinting mischievously. "You won't get me to tell you anything, human. Just like last time." She swatted at his shoulder as she passed.
"Awwh," Peyton gave a fake pout, "And I thought I was your favourite."
"Don't make me throw you in the river... Again." Jorre called over her shoulder, not even bothering to look back at him.
"Oh," Peyton clicked his tongue, "Tempting, but-OW!"
A tail slammed into his head before he could even finish his sentence. It wasn't enough to do any real damage, but man it stung! Rubbing the rapidly forming bump, Peyton frowned up at the assailant and received the familiar you're-an-idiot look from none other than Qwun.
"You shouldn't talk to a lieutenant like that." The reptilian Scout looked down at him boredly, tail swishing from side to side in a languid motion.
"Fair enough, bro. Gotta respect the chain o'command." Peyton flinched, the bump on his head reminding him of its presence, "But did you really have to hit so hard, dude?"
Slowly, a smirk spread across Qwun's face. "Heh...No." And apparently, the look that Peyton gave him was more than hilarious; the Scout broke into a rumbling laughter, cuffing Peyton's shoulder lightly. "Ha! You humans are a gas. Gotta wonder though." Qwun narrowed his eyes slightly, suspicious. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, y'know...just came to take a stroll and see what the latest gossip is." Peyton drawled absently, "Heard the Oasis' been on guard for a while, figured it'd be worth checkin' out, no?"
"I know you were at the temple when the shadows were released."
"Oh. Right. Iflar had you called in." Peyton cleared his throat, caught in a bald-faced lie. Oh well, it was worth a try. At least he knew Qwun wouldn't take offense.
Pushing Peyton forward slightly, Qwun started off down the main street toward a more shaded alley road. A flick of his head told Peyton to follow. "They've been having me run errands ever since. I was under Marquis Darini's command at a desert outpost, but Mudeenu had me repositioned here along with Siado and Jumbad..." Qwun gave a ragged sigh, "It feels rather strange to be stuck in the city like this."
"Gettin' restless, eh bro...?" Peyton had to do a double take as they passed by none other than Jumbad. Now, he didn't exactly see, but he could have sworn they gave each other a thumbs up. What was up with that?
"More than restless." Qwun continued, ignoring Peyton's sudden confusion. "I'm tempted to run to Kiru City and back if they don't give me a reason to get out of here."
"Should do a few laps around the Oasis, dude." Peyton twirled his finger in a circular motion before shoving his hands in his pockets, grinning up at the Mipedian.
"HA!" Qwun barked, "I should. Could make some people think a dust storm is on the way." Looking down at Peyton, the restless Scout padded the ground with his tail. "Not many humans are coming here nowadays. And those that do come have a hard time getting in."
"Yeh, I noticed. Security is wayyyy tight around here." Peyton folded his arms behind his head, looking up at the sky as they walked. "Guess I'm one of the lucky ones! They still got someone following me though-"
"I know." Qwun eyed Peyton, smirk growing on his face once again.
"...DUDE!" Peyton slapped his hands together, "You're the guy!"
"In more refined words, yes. I don't go stalking humans without a good reason to. And it's not like I had anything else to do." Qwun grumbled, cracking his neck. Turning a corner sharply, the Mipedian lead the way down a shady back street, the ground and walls covered in ferns. It was nice and cool; Peyton gave a relaxed sigh. The sun was nice and all, but the cooler air was refreshing. Not to mention those red-tipped plants smelled really good.
"There's been a lot of talk about you humans recently. You and those Scanners you hold." Qwun continued, walking just a little bit ahead of Peyton, "A lot of superstitions have risen up." He glanced back, "And you humans aren't helping to quell them."
"Wait, superstitions? What?" Peyton released the leaf he was playing with and jogged a bit to catch up to the Mipedian. "About Chaotic players?"
"Well..." Qwun struggled to find the right words, "In a way, I suppose. Strange things have been happening in the desert lately; many suspect you humans are to blame. Your Scanners in particular. I'd like to say it's all just unfounded suspicion, but..."
Peyton frowned slightly, brows knitting together in thought. Qwun sounded more somber than usual, and he could have sworn the Mipedian almost looked worried. "But...?"
"Your precious Scanners have been acting up recently. Ever since that strange energy got released from the dig site." Qwun gave him a sharp look before scanning the rooftops again, "You should have noticed the lack of human activity by now. It's not the security that's keeping everyone away. Strange things have started to happen in the desert; at the same time, the human's Scanners ceased to work."
"Dude, what?" Peyton exclaimed, jaw dropping open, "No way! I woulda heard of that! And, like, mine still works! ...I think."
"Then you're a lucky one." Qwun stated, watching as Peyton fumbled to check his Scanner. "All at once, Scanners in the Oasis and certain spots in the desert went blank. They wouldn't respond to anything, wouldn't light up, no one could transport away. All humans in the desert were stuck here."
"Guess some people freaked out, huh?" Peyton said distractedly, relieved to find his Scanner was fully functional. Qwun snorted at his statement, the action telling Peyton that 'freaked out' was an understatement. He pocketed his Scanner again, "So, dude, what's that gotta do with some superstitions?"
"Many saw the malfunctioning Scanners as an omen of sorts. A warning of things to come." Qwun answered quietly.
It was then that Peyton, now fully alert, noticed that the Mipedian was in full out scouting mode. His eyes darted this way and that, nose flexing as he tested the air. Suddenly it made sense why Qwun had brought him to this back road; it was rare these roads were used for more than resting in a shady place. There was little to no chance that they'd be interrupted, or have unwelcome guests.
Peyton suddenly got the feeling that Qwun was telling him more than he should.
Finally, Qwun relaxed and turned to his human companion again. "Very few know what really happened at those Temple ruins that day. The Royals, myself, Tiaane and some other Muges, Bylkian, Ebbikka...We were sworn to secrecy." He shook his head, "I can see the reasoning behind it, but not giving all the details to the Mipedian people has lead to countless rumours, which lead to stigmas and even fear in a few. The borders of the Oasis are heavily guarded now, and some humans are wary of their Scanners acting up again; but those are not the only reasons humans are scarce in these parts. Not everyone is as tolerant as they used to be."
"Slow down, bro." Peyton put his hands up, brows knit in thought. "Okay. First up; what rumours, exactly...?"
Qwun nodded, heaving a sigh as he recalled some. "That humans are bad luck; they attract calamity, and having them around will result in destruction. That humans are an omen; ever since they appeared, disasters have happened over and over again." Qwun stopped as Peyton flinched and hung his head shamefully.
"Can't really say that one ain't true..."
Peyton was cut off as Qwun made a fast sweeping motion with his hand, "Everything that has happened since the first human arrival in Perim would have happened anyway, sooner or later."
Peyton gave a weak grin at that, which Qwun took as a sign to continue. "One of the worst rumours I've heard is that humans are in cahoots with whatever was awakened at the dig site. That this has been planned all along, somehow." Qwun rolled his eyes, "It's all misplaced fear and suspicion. Not many humans can be trusted, but there are a few that I like."
Regaining his usual demeanour, Peyton folded his hands behind his head. "So what's up with the info session bro? Startin' to get dangerous around here?"
"No. Not yet, anyway." Qwun looked around absently, trying to sort out his thoughts. "There are some that are getting to that point. But not yet. Iflar is being patient with the radicals...too patient, if you ask me." He shook his head, "But you have nothing to fear from Iflar. Mudeenu is certain that you humans have a connection to the Cothica, somehow. This is just his latest venture...but I agree with Marquis. Whatever is happening now, the humans are to be left out of it. And if the Cothica has anything to do with those beasts, I want nothing to do with it..."
Peyton felt a pang of urgency, hands dropping down to his sides again. Qwun had been talking about strange happenings in the desert, but this was the first time he'd mentioned 'beasts.' He fidgeted with a loose thread on his shirt, "Beasts? Care to clarify, bro? Cause that don't sound good."
"I'm not sure th-" Qwun stopped, suddenly alert. After a tense moment of silence, he motioned for Peyton to follow him. "We've dallied for too long. Come." Qwun fell silent as he led the way through the winding street, aiming to get back to a main road.
But, silence was something Peyton could only take so much of. Somehow he knew that whatever Qwun was going to say was exactly the information he had come for. "C'mon, dude. What did you mean by beasts?" He asked urgently, keeping his voice down as they crossed onto a main road once again.
Before Qwun could answer a gnarled hand shot out and grabbed Peyton's wrist, spinning the unsuspecting boy around to face its owner.
"Gah!" Peyton started, eyes going wide as the unfriendly mystery Mipedian snarled at him. This one was a Muge or a Conjuror, for sure; and an old one at that. Peyton got the feeling that he'd seen this guy before, but he couldn't quite place it...
"What is a human doing here? I didn't think these vermin would be allowed in the Oasis anymore..." The old Conjuror snarled again, "The Royals have learned nothing."
Qwun snapped into action, giving the other a warning hiss. "Let the human go, Fivarth."
Ah, Fivarth, right. A Conjuror; Peyton had seen him once or twice in passing, but never really met the guy. Which, apparently, had been a good thing. "No need to freak out, dude." Peyton smiled, holding his free hand up in a placating gesture. "Just takin' a stroll with-"
"Quiet, human." Fivarth spat, focusing his attention back on Qwun. "You should be on border patrol. What are you doing here?"
"I was called in by Prince Mudeenu. He wanted to have me close by should an urgent message need to be sent out." Qwun answered, tone cold and guarded. Fivarth knew he didn't like being cooped up in a busy city; but orders were orders.
The old Conjuror scoffed, releasing Peyton's wrist at last. "Ha! Calling our best border Scout in to act as a petty messenger boy. The Royals have fallen farther than I thought."
Qwun hissed harshly, showing his teeth. "Watch your tongue, old man."
"And you watch yours, you ingrate! You know as well as I that the Royals are in chaos." Fivarth spat, meeting Qwun's challenge with one of his own. A crowd had started to gather by now, Peyton had noticed, though most kept their distance.
"The whole world is in chaos." Qwun retaliated, his tail flicking in an aggravated pattern. The Scout was half crouched over, ready to pounce on the old Conjuror at any second.
"And what are our precious leaders doing about it?" Fivarth hissed quietly, taking a step forward. He was just about to verbally tear Qwun a new one as a large shadow of a hand fell over the three.
"Is there a problem here?" The commanding voice of Prince Mudeenu rang out in the sudden silence, his eyes fixed on Fivarth. From Peyton's vantage point, it was obvious they did not like each other. Mudeenu gave the Conjuror a mocking smirk as Fivarth began to balk under his gaze.
"Not at all, my Prince..." Fivarth bowed, "I was just about to go on my way." Backing up slightly, the old Mipedian did just that; and with him gone, Mudeenu turned his attention to Qwun.
"And you?"
"No." Qwun straightened up respectfully, "No problem, Prince Mudeenu. I was escorting this human through the city, as per orders."
And just like that, the hulking Mipedians attention was turned to Peyton; just in time for his Scanner to start ringing. Oh, Sarah, of all times to call!
"Heh, uh...that's me." Peyton laughed nervously, taking his Scanner out with a mind to hang it up. He barely had it out of his pocket when his wrist was grabbed roughly, the Scanner plucked from his hand a second later.
"OW, hey!" Peyton recoiled, rubbing his wrist lightly. Mudeenu snorted at him, focusing on the yellow contraption in his hand. He held it up to eye level, turning the Scanner over in his hand and studying every detail. As soon as the Royal had plucked it from Peyton's hand it had stopped working, just as he had expected. Whether Mudeenu knew or not, Scanners only worked for whoever held it first. In this case, Peyton.
Peyton just hoped that wouldn't cheese Mudeenu off.
Giving another snort, Mudeenu shoved the Scanner into Peyton's chest, easily knocking the boy off his feet. With a last mightier-than-thou look at the human, Mudeenu turned to Qwun. "Your orders have changed. Come with me."
With a dramatic flair of his cape, Mudeenu started off down the street. Peyton eased himself up onto his feet, brushing the dirt off his shorts with his free hand. "Dude's in a mood." He commented dryly, nearly jumping out of his socks as Qwun appeared in front of him. The Mipedian gave him a serious look, placing a hand on either of the human's shoulders.
"Listen to me, and listen closely. Even if I could tell you everything that's going on right now, I wouldn't. But what I am telling you is of utmost importance. Do not go anywhere near the dig site; not only will a patrol detail catch you, but there have been disappearances in the area. I don't suggest coming back to the Oasis for a long while. And if you ever, ever see a creature you don't recognize...run." Qwun relinquished his hold on Peyton, backing up a few steps before he turned to follow Mudeenu.
The crowd had dispersed when Fivarth left; the street was as loud and busy as ever. But as Peyton watched Qwun disappear into the crowds, he found it was way too quiet.
Clicking a button on his Scanner, Peyton felt a sense of relief as he ported out of the city. The energy there was way too tense; but, unfortunately, there was no way he could outrun that sense of foreboding.
Tom flinched, unable to look away from the battle showing on the big screen. He may have been alone at his table, but he certainly wasn't the only one staring. Heck, he'd be surprised if some people weren't staring in abject horror. But, that's what happens when you push an irritated Sarah's buttons. Tom was just glad he wasn't the unfortunate player she was currently destroying. He didn't even know Ibiaan could do that...
The sound of a player porting in reached Tom's ears, the black-haired teen turning around just in time to see Peyton materialize. The older boy grinned, waving lazily and making his way over.
"Yo, MajorT! What's sha-" He jumped back as a particularly devastating attack was launched on the big screen, Peyton's eyes going comically wide, "Yo, dude! Who's tearin' up the drome? Wait..." He paled a little, "Is that Sarah?"
"Should have answered your Scanner, Peyton." Tom chuckled weakly, knowing the verbal lashing his friend was in for.
"Haha...yeah." Peyton flopped down into a chair, cheery grin on his face despite his coming doom. "So where's Kazzerino? Thought you two were going on an...Underworld Expedition!" Peyton's voice flared dramatically, causing Tom to grin and laugh.
"We did." Tom answered, "Kaz just decided to stick around for a while. I uh...I didn't like the look Chaor was giving me so I split. Then I found Sarah and well..." Tom gestured to the big screen, "Here we are."
Peyton snickered, "Chaor can smell the Overworld on you, bro!"
"The goody-goody sweetness comes off in waves." A wry voice cut Peyton off as Kaz threw his bag onto the table, slumping into his chair with an annoyed frown.
"You okay Kaz?" Tom asked, concerned. Nothing bad had happened after he left, right?
"Yeah, Kazzer. You are lookin' pre-tty glum there, buddy." Peyton chimed in, snacking down on a box of donuts a serverbot had just delivered.
Kaz crossed his arms on the table and lay his head on them, pouting indignantly. "Chaor started to interrogate me right after Tom left. First he thought that we were helping in some Overworld plot to attack from above the city, then he wanted to know why we were up there if there was no ploy. I tried to explain that we weren't above the city, we were under it and Drakness got mentioned... He just growled and said he'd ask H'earring about it. And then he kicked me out of the Underworld!" Kaz exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air before flopping back down lifelessly.
"Hey, I'm sure it ain't for life Kazzer." Peyton smiled crookedly, waving his hand as if to dismiss the problem, "Chaor's got a temper a miiiile wide, bro. But, uh...what exactly did you tell H'earring?"
"Nothing important. I kept the promise, if that's what you're worried about." Kaz finally picked himself up off the table, resting his head in his hand, pout still present. "Just told him I had to find Drakness. And trust me, he asked just as many questions as Chaor. I guess he might know more from that talk we had with Drakness but...it still isn't much."
Tom frowned, muttering under his breath, "I didn't even think of that..."
"Phew!" Peyton wiped a hand across his forehead dramatically, "No worries then, dudes!"
Kaz perked up suddenly, looking around at the table, "Hey, where's Sarah? I thought she-"
"PEYTON."
All three boys paled, slowly turning in the direction of the yell. Tom and Peyton hadn't noticed the battle end on screen and now Sarah was stalking toward them, frown fixed on her face, eyes fixed on Peyton. She stopped right in front of him, slamming her hand onto the table and glaring full force. Peyton, for his part, leaned back in his chair and gave a weak smile.
"Hey there Sarbear! What's shakin'?"
If looks could kill, Peyton would dead by now.
"You know exactly what's 'shaking.'" Sarah leaned close, dangerous aura growing, "Why didn't you answer my calls, Peyton?"
"The security at the Oasis has shot through the roof, Sarah! Hehheh...kinda couldn't pull out my Scanner without getting watched, yanno?" Sarah's eyes narrowed, and Peyton continued nervously, "'Sides, we're all here now right?"
"...Fine. I can believe that." Sarah stood up, crossing her arms and huffing, "At least you didn't make me wait two days again."
"Awww, Sarah! That was an accident. Never gonna happen again, I swear on my life!" Peyton crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, nodding in finality as if to seal the promise. Sarah rolled her eyes but smiled none the less, sitting in the chair Peyton had pulled up beside him.
"So, did you find anything out?" Tom asked, nervousness coming off him in waves. He'd been trying to wait and be patient, but he just couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Found out a lot, bro. My man Qwun told me some stuff before Fivarth and Mudeenu nearly duked it out – tensions are runnin' wayyy high in the Oasis, dudes." Peyton informed.
Kaz finally sat up straight, "We heard some weird stuff from Drakness too. And some kind of riddle..." He looked to Tom, but the Overworld player just stared at his hands, brows creased in thought.
Sarah nodded, taking over when Tom remained silent, "Peyton first. Then you, Kaz."
Peyton leaned forward, showing his usual dramatic flair as he looked around the table, "Alright, dudes, hang on to your seats..."
I can't figure out how to do line breaks in the FF editor anymore. The document editor sucks a lot more than I remember. It won't even let me underline the word 'linebreak.' (Oct 6 edit; FIGURED IT OUT! Wow I'm blind.)