by A. K. DuBoff
“We’re coming up on the first location,” Kaiden announced.
I followed the line displayed on the front viewport’s holographic overlay. It appeared to lead to one of the green hills in a treeless area, indistinguishable from the others around it.
“I don’t see anything there,” I said.
“Yeah, I don’t, either.” Kaiden frowned.
“This was the strongest of the anomalous signals, so it seemed to be the most likely location,” Toran reported from behind me.
“Should I set us down?” Kaiden asked. He checked his pendant and it was glowing, but only slightly.
“Circle us around. Let’s see if any landmark jumps out,” Toran suggested.
Kaiden took over manual control of the shuttle and performed three circles of the target area.
I kept an eye on the ground with each pass, looking for anything that might explain the energy readings. As far as I could tell, it was only hills, forest, and a field—no different from the landscape for kilometers in every direction.
“Another cave?” Kaiden proposed.
Toran shrugged. “Perhaps, but that could take a long time to identify. Let’s see if the other locations have anything obvious, and we can circle back to here if we come up short.”
“I like that plan,” I said.
Kaiden switched back over to the automated flight path, setting the second location as the destination.
The landscape transitioned into mountains and then open grasslands as the hundreds of kilometers zoomed by beneath us. The greens yellowed the further northeast we went, and eventually turned to a warm golden hue.
“This reminds me of where I was doing my internship on Falstan II,” Kaiden commented.
I scrunched my nose. “It’s a little… plain.”
“Flat, rock-hard soil, and little precipitation—the perfect environment for testing experimental strains of grain to support new colonies trying to become self-sustaining in the border worlds,” he replied.
“Ah, yes. That makes sense.”
After four hundred kilometers, the shuttle slowed and descended toward a crystal monolith rising from the flat landscape.
“Okay, now that’s something worth investigating,” Kaiden said after confirming that his pendant was glowing in its presence.
“Agreed, set it down,” Toran said.
Kaiden piloted the shuttle to twenty meters from the crystal. It came to rest on the ground with a slight bump.
“Investigating time!” I jumped up from my seat. If I was going to be the ‘new me’ and commit myself to the mission at hand, I needed to get psyched up.
“I can’t match that enthusiasm. Lead the way.” Kaiden flourished his hand.
I smiled. “I figured I should compensate for the lack of scenery. I mean, the last place was in a hidden valley with giant crystals and stuff. This is… grass.”
Toran followed me into the common room. “Not very riveting, is it?”
“It would be a lot more interesting if we found an artifact buried at the base of the crystal,” I said.
The large man chuckled. “I appreciate your dedication to finding the redeeming qualities of the location.”
I shrugged. “Hey, with the size of the task in front of us, I figure we should focus on the little things.”
“And that includes, ‘Ooo, we saw a pretty thing’?” Kaiden asked.
“Was that an objection?”
“No…”
I nodded. “Good, then there’s no harm in appreciating the sights. After all, we’re out to save these worlds—I think it’s worth knowing exactly what it is we’re fighting for.”
“Protecting my home was already enough motivation,” Toran said.
“For me, too, but Elle’s right—this isn’t just about us,” Kaiden said.
Toran released the hatch seal, dropping the ramp. “I know.”
We filed out of the shuttle and jogged the twenty meters to the crystal monument. The ground was firm underfoot, and the amber, knee-high grass crunched with each step.
The monument was different than what I was used to back on Erusan. Rather than an enclosure and a high-tech interface panel, this four-meter-tall crystal only had three stone columns placed around it.
“Okay… what do we do?” I placed my hands on my hips.
“Excellent question.” Kaiden crossed his arms. “Toran? This is the Protection artifact, so I imagine you’ll have to be the one to retrieve it.”
Toran lumbered toward the central crystal and reached out toward it. The crystal’s soft blue glow intensified as his hand neared, but there was no other change. He made contact.
An electric shock radiated from the crystal and arced to the three columns. The stones shuddered, then rotated ninety degrees to the right.
My eyes widened. “Okay, that was something.”
Kaiden looked around. “Is there a door, or…?”
Toran frowned. “I don’t understand.”
I circled the crystal, looking for any clue. It was only unremarkable grass beside the monument. “I’ve got nothing, guys.”
“Neither do I,” Kaiden said.
Toran took a deep breath. “Why don’t we inspect the other locations? This might not be the first one, or perhaps one of those has a clue.”
Kaiden nodded. “All right.”
We returned to the shuttle. As we took off, I kept an eye out the viewport to see if there was any change to the surrounding landscape, but nothing was visible from the air, either.
The next location was to the south. Grasslands became sub-tropical forests as we continued southward. The elevation increased, and eventually we arrived at a plateau surrounded by lush jungle. Like the previous site, there was a solitary crystal with three stone columns arranged in a triangle around it.
Kaiden set the shuttle down near the crystal at the center of the plateau.
“Any bets on if this one does the same thing?” I asked.
Kaiden shook his head. “I’m not taking that bet. The answer is too obvious.”
Toran rose from his seat. “Let’s find out if you’re right.”
We jogged down the shuttle’s ramp and approached the monument. Kaiden and I kept our distance while Toran walked up to it with his hand outstretched. Again, the crystal’s glow intensified as he approached, and then electricity arced out to the columns when he touched it. The columns each turned ninety degrees.
I titled my head while staring at the configuration. “Is it just me, or is the layout of those stone columns relative to the crystal remarkably similar to the placement of these monuments and that first site we checked out?”
“It is,” Kaiden agreed.
“We should go to the fourth site and then return to the first,” Toran said.
I pointed over my shoulder with my thumb. “Back to the shuttle.”
We repeated the process of activating the crystal at the final site, which was in the mountains to the west.
As we flew back toward the first site in the rolling hills, I held my breath that there would be an obvious change to the landscape that would indicate we’d done the right thing. Unfortunately, it looked the same.
“Kaiden shook his head. “I don’t get it.”
“I never suspected it would be easy,” Toran said. He caught himself. “Well, I hoped it would be, but I didn’t figure that would be the case.”
“And just think, after we do this, we get to do it two more times on different planets!” I threw up my hands with mock excitement.
Kaiden sighed. “Except, it will probably be something completely different, because it would be way too straightforward to, you know, let us just do the thing.”
“We need to demonstrate worth,” Toran said. “I believe the point is to show our commitment to the disciplines we chose.”
“What might Protection embody?” I asked.
“I have no idea.”
“Well, look
s like we’ll need to do some wandering, after all.” Kaiden set down the shuttle in a relatively flat area in the dip between two hills. There were few trees in the surrounding kilometer, but a dense forest ringed the site in a crescent shape to the west and north.
“We’re a little southeast of the signal’s epicenter, but this looked like the best landing site in the vicinity,” he stated.
“It will be fine.” Toran grabbed our backpack of emergency supplies and led the way off the shuttle.
The ground was spongier here, almost like walking on padded carpet. Vibrant green grass grew to my knees in most places, with some patches nearly waist-height. The numerous hills made it impossible to see more than fifty meters in any direction while at the low points, so we stopped at each crest to survey our surroundings.
“Ugh, there could be something one ridge over and we’d never know,” I groaned after we’d been wandering aimlessly for half an hour.
“Are you sure your discipline isn’t ‘patience’, not ‘protection’?” Kaiden joked.
“A solution will present itself,” Toran stated, but anxiety added a quaver to his voice. More than any of us, he bore the self-imposed weight of responsibility to look after his family. His very transformation from a small-statured man to his present hulking proportions spoke to his commitment to care for them. To him, I imagined this search for the Protection artifact was more than just finding an item—it was a tangible representation of his duty to defend his loved ones.
“Yeah, just have to keep looking.” I wanted to say something more flippant, but I could tell he was already on edge. I didn’t envy what it must feel like to know my child was in danger.
I followed Toran down the hillside to one of the more open areas we’d encountered. The grassy plain transitioned into forest a hundred meters away, and a high ridge was ahead of us to the northeast. A gentle breeze rustled the grass as we walked. Aside from our own footprints and the wind, the world was eerily quiet. Eventually, though, a new sound was carried on the breeze—a series of low thuds.
I came to attention, not sure if it was only in my head. Listening intently, trying to identify the source of the sound. I determined it was coming from the direction we were headed—and it was getting louder. The ground rumbled underfoot.
I froze. “Uh, guys… What is that?”
10
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Whatever was on the other side of the ridge was closing fast on our position.
Tremors shook the ground—a steady rhythm I feared was footsteps.
My concerns were confirmed a moment later when a stone face appeared over the crest of the hill. It looked as though its features had been carved into a boulder, with deep eyes, a shallow nose, and cracked lips molded in an expressionless line. Flecks of moss provided green and brown contrast, creating the illusion of a patch beard and hair on top of its head. As it lumbered up the far side of the hill, broad shoulders with the same stone-like appearance came into view, followed by a deep chest.
I didn’t wait to see the rest of it. “Run!”
Pivoting toward the tree line, I broke into a full-on sprint with Toran and Kaiden to my right.
“Where did it come from?” Kaiden shouted while we ran.
I kept my attention on the ground in front of me. “No idea. And I don’t want to find out if it has friends!”
We were almost to the trees—just another dozen meters to go.
“Gah!”
Kaiden stumble at my side, apparently having tripped over something hidden in the knee-high grass. Toran caught his shoulder to keep him from falling.
“Thanks.” Kaiden found his footing and continued moving forward.
Toran, however, stopped.
I slowed. “What are you doing?” I called back over my shoulder.
“I think this creature is what we’re looking for.” He pointed toward Kaiden’s chest.
The crystal was glowing vibrant blue, like it had on Crystallis when we found the valley containing the Archive.
I stopped and turned around. “No way!”
“That’s the thing emitting the signal?” Kaiden stared with a slack jaw at the rock titan pursuing us. “What are we supposed to do with it?”
“I believe that’s for me to figure out.” Toran clenched his fists and squared off against the approaching giant. “I’m here for the Protection artifact!” he bellowed.
The giant halted. It was even larger than I’d estimated, standing nine meters tall with rock forearms the size of Toran. “Prove your worth,” it boomed.
“How?” I asked no one in particular.
The giant clapped its massive hands, then crouched down and pounded its palms against the ground. The force shook the land underfoot, and the rumbling continued to intensify. It was soon shaking so much I had difficulty keeping my footing. Just when I was wondering if it would ever stop, new forms emerged from the ground, swelling under the grass and soil.
I stumbled backward. “What the…?”
The first creature emerged—a stone golem reminiscent of the rock titan, only two meters tall. The others broke through with a spray of soil and the shaking stopped. Six of them surrounded us; all had their fists raised, ready for a fight.
I drew my sabre. “Do we have to take out all of those things?”
Kaiden conjured an orb of electrical energy on the end of his staff. “I think we’re about to find out.”
Toran made the first move. He ran toward the nearest golem five meters away, raising his right hand on the final approach. His fist connected with the side of the golem’s head
The creature roared in a deep, raspy voice. It swung at Toran with its club-like arm, catching him in the center of his chest.
Toran groaned and staggered back but managed to stay on his feet. Without hesitation, he drove his left first upward to uppercut the golem.
Before I could see its reaction, the wind was knocked out of me and I found myself face-down in the grass. I quickly rolled onto my back, annoyed with myself that I’d been distracted by a single engagement while completely ignoring my own surroundings. I wasn’t surprised to look up at two golems standing over me.
“Hey, guys!” I greeted the creatures while slicing my sword toward their heads.
The two golems blocked the slash with their forearms, then drove their other fists down as a counterattack.
I rolled free just in time, then leaped to my feet. “That’s how you want to be, huh?”
I attacked and parried, the golems using their arms to swing and stab as they circled me.
My responses to their attacks came to me as a clear vision a moment before I acted. Without thinking, I spun and ducked, occasionally thrusting or slashing my sword when an opening presented itself. I hadn’t ever trained in that type of combat, but it was a part of me now like I’d been practicing for my whole life. I was strong, precise, agile—the way I’d always dreamed of being. Through whatever process had re-formed me on the Evangiel, I had also been imbued with muscle memory to make the most of my new body. And I loved it.
Unfortunately, those skills weren’t going to win the fight with my current foes. Despite repeatedly landing clean blows on the golems with the electrified edge of my sabre, I wasn’t making a scratch. I needed a new strategy.
I risked a look around to locate my companions. Toran was out of my field of vision, but I spotted Kaiden seven meters away to my right front. He was engaged with one golem of his own, and a pile of mud rested on matted grass nearby.
“Did you take one out?” I shouted to him.
“Yeah, the energy orbs eventually did the trick,” he replied, lobbing another crackling ball at the golem near him.
“My sword is useless.” I kicked one of my golems away as it got too close, then blocked a swing from the other. “This is getting old.”
“Almost… done… here…” Kaiden said in between rapid-fire orbs cast from his staff.
&nbs
p; The golem lunged for him in what appeared to be a last-resort move, and Kaiden thrust his staff forward at the same moment another energy orb released. The staff entered the golem’s chest. The creature disintegrated into a pile of mud.
I had no time to offer congratulations before the two golems attacking me decided to try a new move. One reached out to hug me, and the other dropped down and tried to curl itself around my legs.
It was a brilliant move, I had to admit. They must have realized that Kaiden’s weapon was a genuine threat, so, by entwining themselves around me, they could gain some measure of safety, assuming he wouldn’t be willing to fire on his comrade.
I wasn’t about to go down without a fight.
I lifted my right leg in time to keep it out of the bottom golem’s grasp, and then pinched my outside leg against the golem’s back. The top golem had pinned my arms against my sides, but I hadn’t lost my grip on my sword. I thrust the blade into the ground to use it as a pivot point, then kicked upward with my right leg as hard as I could. The force was enough to loosen the bottom golem’s grip on my boot, and I got free.
The top golem still had me wrapped in a vise-like embrace, however, and it tightened its grip around my chest, forcing the air from my lungs.
An electrical shock coursed through me, and the golem’s grip loosened. Without hesitation, I ducked from its grasp and leaped free. I ran five meters away.
In the corner of my vision, Kaiden was advancing with his staff leveled on the golem. Another orb blasted from the end of the weapon.
I took a deep breath, flexing my bruised ribs.
“You okay?” he asked while stepping sideways toward me.
“Yeah, thanks.” I repositioned so we’d be standing abreast when he reached my position. While I’d normally not like the idea of someone hurtling magical attacks in my direction, it was clear Kaiden had banked on the fact that it took numerous blasts to bring down a golem, so the creature would absorb most of the attack and leave me unscathed. Fortunately, he had been right.
