Kaz rested on his bed as he glanced at his scanner. He looked at his poster with Chaor on it, looking all might as he always was. He wondered what was going on in Perim.
He could hear Khybon and his mother talking together. He didn't mind it. He wasn't Rothar. Not only that, but his mind was a bit distracted.
He glanced at the window. He checked his scanner again. He waited an answer from Tom.
His last messages were: What are you doing today?
Want to hang on and go to the mall?
Are you okay?
He didn't send the last one. He had a feeling his friend was okay, but something else was going on. He asked Sarah about it and she had no idea either. His best friend seemed to ghost them in some way. He knew it wasn't the case. He would eventually reply, but it would take a while for some reason.
He had no idea what it might be an no way to get any answer. Tom never did something like that before. There were delays in his answers sure, but not for the entire morning. It was the afternoon and he got nothing.
"Kaz. I'm off now," his mother brought him out of his thought.
"Have a nice day!" he replied.
He heard the door closed. Kaz sighed and decided he waited long enough. He had to see Tom and asked why he was that busy. He needed answers.
Chapter 31: What's going on?
Kaz walked with Khybon by his side. The creature still observed his surrounding. He grumbled a bit, "I hope no one damaged anything."
The boy knew the creature thought of the forge under his name. It was where the Underworlder made his battlegears. Still, he had a mission to fulfill and he couldn't disobey Chaor.
"Maybe I can suggest switching you with another Underworlder," the teenager suggested as they were near the house of Tom.
"No. Chaor will decide to change me when I am needed at the forge. I hope they aren't doing too well while I'm gone," he clenched his hand. He growled at the thought of being lesser than any of his rival in the domain of battlegears.
It didn't help when he saw the military plates quickly flying above Summervale three days ago. The creature witnessed something that was faster than sound, other than anything natural. A rant followed at how the Underworld needed to get better and reached the level of the Cothica.
The two stood in front of the house of Tom. Kaz was a bit nervous. The lack of response might mean that he wanted to be left alone. The red-haired teenager didn't want believe that at all. He adjusted his glasses as he took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock the door. He was a bit nervous at confronting his friend like that. He wasn't the type to go straight to his friend, except if he did something stupid and reckless, as Tom did a few times before. He shouldn't be surprise if he did something like that.
"You are wasting time Kaz. I will do it myself if you don't hurry up," Khybon warned him.
That meant that a door would go down.
Kaz knocked the door and waited for an answer. His mind wandered as he waited, thinking back when they had to escape the town last year. It was one of the most intense moments of his life in his real body and not in Perim with his code. The memories were still clear in his mind. He knew Tom was still affected at the creatures he had to kill. He attacked them first while he defended himself. He came back to reality when Annie opened the door.
"Hi Kaz. What are you doing here?"
"I tried to talk with Tom with my scanner and he didn't answer. I'm worried a bit with everything going on. I know he didn't disappear, but he isn't acting as he usually does. There is something happening with him. I just want to know what's going on."
Tom's mother glanced at the side, as she knew what was going on. The boy wondered what went in the mind of the woman, but didn't dare to ask.
Khybon was now curious. He knew about the Guardian of the Cothica and the kidnapping of Peyton. It might be something linked to it. He crossed his two pair of arms, "Tell us what Tom is doing right now? We won't leave until we get an answer."
Annie sighed quietly as she moved to the side, "I'll explain it to you. Tom isn't here for now. He is busy," she invited them in.
The two entered in the house and sat on the couch of the living room.
Annie saw on a chair and looked at them. Nothing was said for a few seconds before the woman asked, "What do you want me to explain?"
Kaz carefully thought of his question. He felt the tension in the air. There was something big going on and his mother was aware of it. Not only that, he saw she was worried about something, "Where is Tom?"
"He is currently with the Guardian's of the Cothica. He is training to call upon some power of light we humans have within us. He told me he could feel it within him and he is a bit excited," she crossed her fingers, "And it worried me that he had to train and mastered this in a short time."
"Train and master this? Miss Annie, what do you mean by training? What is Tom training for?"
The woman glanced at the creature, before she focused on the boy. She took a deep breath, "He's training to master the power of light. The Guardian's of the Cothica can use power over light, just like creatures can use the power of the four elements. They want Tom learn how to use it for his own safety."
"Why would they only teach Tom? Kaz and Sarah are also target of those Metalist creatures," Khybon suspiciously asked as he pointed one arm at her. He glanced outside. He thought back and it was strange that the presence of the cult, now known as the Guardian's of the Cothica.
"There is something else. I'm not forbidden to talk about this and my husband knows what's going on already. We had a big talk about this," she put her hands over her eyes, "Tom agreed to do something, which is why he needs to train," her hands moved away from her face and were back on her knees. She took a deep breath, "He has to go to Perim and be a prisoner of the Elementalist."
"What does this have to do with the Metalists and Peyton's disappearance?" Khybon loudly asked.
The woman glanced at the creature, "It has nothing to do with them directly. From what I get anyway. The Elementalists wants to make the tribes pay for coming here and one of them wants Tom and Milla'iin."
"It's about what happened last year," Kaz concluded. He scratched his chin. It made sense that they would want Milla'iin as he caused the invasion on Earth. He had more to ask, "When will Tom come back?"
"In a few hours. He will be gone for a while," Annie looked at her son's best friend, "I know he will come back okay."
"You don't like this miss Annie," Kaz already noticed that.
"Of course not. He is asked to put his life in danger. It was Tom's decision in the end."
"He didn't ask us what we thought of this?" the boy frowned.
"He couldn't contact you there and he's been busy with this training. I cannot really make up any excuse on why he didn't tell you about this. He told me he would do it, but I guess he didn't feel ready to tell you this," she sighed quietly.
Kaz sighed as he put his left hand over his glasses, "I guess he knows what Sarah would say about being reckless again and just do something like that. He kinda does something stupid and put his life in danger without thinking. He did that a few times already," he chuckled for a few seconds, "He will tell us when he is ready," he had a thought. He looked at the woman and was about to ask when the creature went first.
"For the Overworlder guide, he seems a bit of a coward to not tell them immediately what is going on? Just because you two would say that he is doing something stupid?"
"I'm sure you would like being called stupid for doing the same thing another time mister Khybon," Annie replied the same thing Kaz thought.
The four-armed creature was taken aback. He stuttered an answer, but no clear words came out of his mouth. He pouted and looked the other way.
The two humans chuckled at his poor reaction of getting owned like that.
Khybon bashfully grunted, "Do not laugh about this. There is nothing funny about that!"
The two stopped and spared him more embarrassments.
Ka asked his question, "Why did Tom just accepted to go there? The Elementalists wants him and Milla'iin, but I don't think Tom would accept it just because they demand it."
She answered, "Right. The Guardian's of the Cothica knows that the Elementalist that came with those demands is ready to do a lot to get you and Milla'iin. He might put people in danger if he chose a more dangerous methods to get him. Still, I feel like I'm going to lose my son when he leaves," she looked in the eyes of Kaz, "That's why I will find a way to the Elementalist on Perim. I am also a player now. I have no intention of letting them get my boy without trying something."
The teenager looked at her in the eyes. She was right. They had to do something. It seemed it wouldn't just be Peyton. The difference was that their friend was kidnapped and his best friend would go there willingly and prepared.
"Why would the Guardian's of the Cothica accept that and not just fight back? They could go there and talk this through," Khybon noticed something. There was something lacking in this situation.
"I don't know that much about them or how the portals between our worlds work. There is one in their… town like place. I don't know how those portal works," she sighed as she brushed her hair, "I can guess that they don't need to be at the exit of another portal to show up."
"Right. The M'arrillians invaded our town, but there was no portal in the middle of the city. They would appear in the underground town of that cult," Kaz still saw them as a cult with their behavior, "I'll wait for him and we'll talk. He can't do this on his own," he was Tom's best friend and he wouldn't let him shoulder everything as he planned to do. He wasn't alone. The boy had a feeling his best friend knew it was the case, but just lacked the courage to talk with them.
"No problem. You probably will get a reply when he'll come back," she suggested.
The three waited together.
Khybon quickly grew bored of waiting. He watched a bit of television with the humans, but nothing in that box with images had anything to get his interest.
Eventually, he began to talk about some of his old inventions and the complexity to create those battlegears. He got an audience and it made everything a bit better. He then began to rant about the many troubles some humans and other creatures caused. A few of his inventions destroyed by Overworlders saboteur and a few times by accident by humans. He gave a hard glare to Kaz when he spoke about the humans.
The scanner rang. Kaz looked at the screen and saw the reply form his best friend, "Tom…" he typed an answer.
Tell me what's going when you are home. I'm with at your house right now.
He decided not to spill everything Annie told him.
Mom told you right? Tom sent a reply.
I was really worried for you. You acted a bit weird and I needed to know what was going on. I didn't want to wait with everything going on.
Sorry. I'll tell you at home.
And don't forget about Sarah.
Kaz got no reply. He guessed his friend surely groaned.
AC: This is the end of this chapter.
I will take a break for one week before I give the next chapter. Next chapter will be October 15 2023.
Next: A Light In The Palm.
Tom told Sarah what was going on and showed the result of his training so far to her and Kaz.