Remi ported in Chaotic, resolute. He learned a lot about what happened to his friend Peyton and Tom. He learned this a bit from what the M'arrillians heard as they gave some of the documents to the Overworlders. The teenager knew that big things went on.
The Metalist got Peyton and he was in trouble. Tom also had some trouble himself, but he didn't learn anything about it. Kaz was captured by Lord Van Bloot. For now, only Sarah didn't get into any big trouble, yet.
So many questions in his mind, but so little answer. Still, they needed help and he was ready to help them. He searched for them, but couldn't find the three, "It was four before," he commented.
He went to their usual table and waited. He made up his mind. His friends were in trouble and he had to help them. He wouldn't be on the side this time. He clenched his hands, "And my friends are getting involved too," he thought of his M'arrillian friends who were ready to support the Overworlders and the Mipedians in a future rescue operation of Peyton. After all, the creatures of the Deep Ocean called him their guide to the Cothica. They expected him to be a target eventually.
He had another reason to wait for them. This one was at the request of Gal'Drad. He wanted him to give a message to Tom. Better in person than with his scanner. Just in case other tribes might overhead them.
He raised his head and saw his three friends. He raised his hands and said, "Hi."
They greeted each other's.
"Tom. I need to talk with you about something in private. You two can come too… Just make sure the creatures don't hear everything I'm about to say. Could put us in trouble."
"No problem," Tom replied as they changed location to a more isolated room.
Chapter 38: Joining Forces
They walked into one of the rooms Tom and his friends discovered last year. They were rooms where they could rest. It wasn't use that much since the beginning of Chaotic. Since they could port out, the place was ignored to the point that no one really knew about those. It was a perfect place to speak a bit secretly.
Remi sat on one of the beds and waited for the others to sit down.
Sarah closed the door behind them, "They better not try to listen from the other side of the door. I saw a Danian watching us," she commented. She sat beside her boyfriend and put her hand on his own.
The M'arrillian player watched his friends and cleared his throat a bit, "I will not talk loudly then. Just to be sure that any creatures couldn't hear anything," Remi closed his eyes for a few seconds. He gathered his thought, "I have two things to say. The first one is that I want to help you save Peyton. I am also one of the guides to the Cothica, so I know something might happen to me too. M'arrillians are stressing over it… Some of them. You probably noticed that the M'arrillians here keep a closer eye on me since the Metalists showed up."
The three agreed.
"You know I'm involved. I will help you save Peyton. He's also my friend and he need our help. You have no reason to tell me no," the boy didn't doubt his friends would refuse his help, but it was just in case.
"Of course, you can help us. The more we are and the better we can save Peyton from those Metalists," Kaz adjusted his glasses.
"Does that mean you will come with us and train to use the power of the light?" Sarah asked.
"What?" Remi had no idea what she meant.
The three nervously chuckled. They never brought the subject with him.
"Yeah. I learned to do something and my friends are learning too." Tom began. He glanced at his friends.
"It's something strange we are learning to do. I'm still having a hard time to believe we can do something like that," Sarah replied.
Kaz adjusted his glasses, "We can't do anything yet, but I already feel something."
"It feels like you are pulling a fast one on me, but I know it's not the case. You really did learn a trick and I'm the last one to learn about this," Remi sighed.
"No. Peyton will be the last one," Kaz replied.
Tom went on, "I can show you and it will be clear it's not a joke and it's real," he let out a kind smile. He saw his most recent friend nodding. He showed the palm of his hand and a small ball of light came. He didn't need to focus deeply anymore. It already began to feel a bit like second nature, "This is the power of light," he saw the amazement in the M'arrillian guide to the Cothica, "I don't need to really focus on it to summon it and keep it anymore."
"You can learn to do that? Where? How? Why?" he had so many questions. He had been out of the loop for a long time and just began to get a few things. Now, he saw humans who could do tricks like the creatures. Not only that, he could learn it too.
"I'm learning it to defend myself. With our situation, it might be important," Tom didn't immediately give the specific reason. He coughed quietly, "It seems we all have that possibility, but we never trained for it. Those who can use it came from a group who called themselves the Guardians of the Cothica. They still possessed things from the past. So much to explain about that," the teenager grumbled a bit nervously. There was a lot to explain to their friend.
Kaz decided to give the explanation with a small smile on his face. He told Remi, "They have some strange technology, like things we used to have or do in the past. What we are doing right now is catching up with them," he added more details, but briefly resumed them in order not to bore him, "You will see for yourself if you come with us."
Remi nodded. He was impressed and he actually did want to see what secrets were there. He crossed his arms, "Of course I want to be able to use light on the palm of my hand like a lamp," he chuckled a bit nervously, "And if I can defend myself, maybe my friends will be a bit at ease. They cannot bring anyone on Earth to watch over me like you and Kaz," he pointed at both of them.
"I cannot do anything about it," Tom let out a small nervous smile.
"Khybon is much better than Rothar. He isn't trying to hit my mom. He's more focused on the 'battlegears' on Earth and wondering how he could use them in Perim. He also helps a bit in our home. Mom made him some chore too," Kaz explained.
His friends chuckled at the thought of Khybon doing chores around the house. They had the image of the creature wearing maid clothes. If Khybon ever learned they imagined him in such thing, he would hunt them down and destroyed them into oblivion.
"I will join you and train with this power. I will help you save Peyton and get him out of trouble. Those Metalists won't know what will hit them," Remi told them.
Sarah sighed, "If they can watch around Perim without us seeing them, I guess they will see it coming. Still, they also kidnapped his parents you know."
"W-what?"
"No idea why," she thought back when the parents disappeared. Frustration and anger increased in her voice, "I saw their king with the two of them and teleported away before I could give him a piece of my mind! He was right there!"
"Maybe he's scared of you or something," Kaz joked a bit.
"I wish," she replied. She clenched her hands, "My brother is also helping us anyway he can. Odu-Bathax won't be in piece, knowing my brother. Anyway, we will bring them home."
"I'll ask Gal'drad if he found anything else next time, I see him… Speaking of that, that's the other reason I want to talk with you and the main one why I wanted to be away from anyone spying on us," he lowered his voice, "Especially the Underworlders."
"He wants to pass me a message?" Tom asked curiously.
Remi nodded. He glanced at the door and whispered, "It's something that would be problematic for the Underworlders. Chaor would be furious if he learned of this, or will be when he realised it happened. Anyway, Gal'drad and Maxxor made a deal. The M'arrillians gave copies of the documents about the Metalists, I guess Theb-Saar approved in some way… Sorry. Anyway, in exchange, they want to release Phelphor and allow him to return lived with his tribe in the Deep Ocean."
"The liberation of Phelphor," Kaz whispered.
Their conversation continued by whispering.
Tom nodded. He visited Phelphor from time to time after he talked with Maxxor. Last time was also the same. He was the creature that released him when he was a prisoner of the M'arrillains. He was also a friend in his eyes. He let out a small smile, "That's good news. Why would Chaor be that angry?" he had a vague idea, but he didn't know what went in the mind of the ruler of the Underworld.
His best friend nodded before he answered, "I saw it with Peyton a bit when Phelphor lied to Chaor and tried to manipulate him to release the M'arrillians. Phelphor tried to take control of the mind of Chaor and turned many of his tribe against him and Perim. I know Chaor pretty much pointed out as Phelphor being the primary reason that he lost the Underworld for a while. He is still boiling about the matter, even if he doesn't talk about it now. He almost never showed it or how he felt about his tribe when most of them were brainwashed, but the failure to protect them still weight on him."
"We can also add that his ego got bruise by the M'arrillains and it began with Phelphor," Sarah guessed. She let out a small smile when her friend pouted, "Which means that he will be pissed when he heard of it."
"I can see that," Kaz admitted.
Tom sighed, "That's why it must be secret. You think he might try something when the exchange occurs?"
"Not really. He doesn't know about it yet. Officially, Gal'drad will meet Maxxor in two days, give the documents and allied himself with the Overworlders and Mipedians to openly hunt for the Metalist and save Peyton," Remi concluded.
Sarah scratched her chin, "It won't be long before the Danians do the same and join them… Are they going to send a bodyguard for me too?"
Kaz guessed out loud, "The moment they hear that the Metalist king knows where you live."
They heard someone storming off behind the door.
"Thank you Kaz," Sarah sarcastically commented.
"S-sorry."
She sighed, "It's for the best," she looked at her friend, "If a Danian was there, maybe his parents wouldn't be caught too. I wonder if it's going to be Wamma," she wasn't that upset. It made her feel a little bit better. She chuckled a little bit and her friend stopped feeling a bit guilty for her upcoming predicament.
Remi continued to whisper, "That's pretty much why it must remain a secret," he glanced at Kaz.
"I won't tell him anything. Chaor will hold a grudge for a very long time and he could attack them over this. Phelphor will be in a worse situation if he ended up in a prison of the Underworld," he remembered when he had to be a guard with Peyton that day. He sighed as he wondered how his friend was doing right now. He added, "And I might distract Chaor a bit. I didn't see him for a while and maybe convince him to help in searching for Peyton. I have no hope for that," he admitted.
"Yeah," his friends agreed.
Once they finished talking, they leaved the room and prepared themselves for their upcoming match.
AC: This is the end of this chapter.
Next: The Exchange.
Tom and Remi witnessed the exchange of Phelphor with the information's about the Metalist and the alliance between the tribes present.