"Hello there," Eckxio greeted in a shy manner.
"Lord Nehushine, I hope you do not mind, but I brought a friend with me," Akielas said politely and bowed.
"The Elf has my approval, Lord Nehushine," Caim said in defense. "Please do not be angry."
"I trust your judgment Caim, but this Elf, he looks familiar," Nehushine said, his voice dying into a whisper.
The rest of the council came and stood behind Nehushine and gazed at Eckxio. They whispered to each other and gestured at him. Akielas could see that the Elf was becoming uncomfortable. This is a good sign, the Effeelions think they recognize Eckxio, he thought. I have never seen them so interested in something or someone. Perhaps it's because Eckxio is an Elf, much like them. They are not very fond of humans, but as long as Eckxio appeals to them, then they won't feel so bad about having me around. Which means they won't have a problem with Caim joining me. So the dragon gods have heard my prayers.
Akielas nudged Caim's shoulder and whispered to him. "Have they never seen an Elf before?"
"Not since Nehushine was young," Caim answered quietly. "He had a difficult past with the Elves. To make a long story short, the last Elf that was here left because of Nehushine. This happened about five hundred years ago. The last Elf that was here sought the Angel Valiarmos, just like Eckxio."
And just when I thought things were going in a good direction, Akielas thought. Oh smite me Terramus, earth and sky. Akielas could hear the Elves whispering about Eckxio.
"Yes, he does look like him."
"Like his spirit image."
"But he is covered with scars and burns."
"They are both warriors."
"Is he also an extro mage?"
They were comparing Eckxio to someone. Akielas assumed it was the same Elf that Caim had spoken of.
"Lorde Nehushine," Caim called to his leader. Nehushine and the other council members became silent. "I have decided to join Akielas to stop the Specters. I will help him reclaim the cosmo jewels from the masked fiends and exterminate them."
The council looked at each other, raising their eyebrows, murmuring and nodding heads. They were like a team of cats plotting something big. With eyes larger than a human's, they were very intelligent creatures and quick to reject anyone that would hinder them in their pursuit of enlightenment. Finally Nehushine spoke. "Despite our belief, and all that we have discussed about your previous experiment with the Aero Cosmo Jewel, you are now willing to join Akielas's struggles."
"Yes," Caim answered, closing his eyes and lowering his head.
"Why so?" Kazemee asked. She stood next to Nehushine.
"You told me that here in Kazenolumos we would not interfere with the transition of the age of twilight," Caim answered. "However, after what I saw when I used the aero jewel, I could no longer wonder. No book will help us find answers as much as taking action and exploring can. You know that very well, Lord Nehushine. I am tired of waiting. It's time for an adventure. Just because I am immortal does not mean I must wait for decades. I will find the other three cosmo jewels and then find out how to combine their powers to open a portal into the realm of Cosmus. That is our mission and I am willing to try it even at the cost of my existence. I have now become a part of the event of Odealeous that is bringing this world into the age of twilight. I know Akielas will agree with me that the cosmo jewels are better off in my hands than with the Specters. Furthermore, I also intend to find a way to prevent the species who are the keepers of these celestial jewels from fading."
Akielas suppressed the excitement he had as he heard Caim. He thought it would anger the Effeelions to see their demigod switch sides, so he did not smile or show any facial expressions. I couldn't have said it better myself. The Effeelions are now getting involved with the very thing they avoided. Perhaps they aren't as spiritual as they claim to be. Thus the old saying, "That which you most avoid will greatly persist."
"I fear this adventure could be the end of you," Nehushine said, disappointed. "Yet I know you are doing this for all of us so, as always, you have our full support. Perhaps this is the answer to our prayers. Go on your endeavor and return with answers."
"Lord Nehushine, thank you for your understanding, but I have one more request," Caim said and gestured at Eckxio. "Our friend from the forests of Verday seeks the Angel Valiarmos. Would you show him the way to the Lumnos. The fairy king approved of him and so I trust his abilities to be the new wielder of the Valiarmos."
"Ah, yes," Nehushine nodded. "Indeed, but I must first have a serious talk with this Elf."
"The Lumnos will not give the Valiarmos to just anyone," Kazemee added.
"The Elf shall be tested," Tortori said, hovering above in a lotus position.
Eckxio pounded his chest and raised his chin. "I will take on any challenge you have for me," he said, beaming and standing tall.
"Then it looks like we are set," Akielas said. "Eckxio will stay with the council of seven while we hunt down the cosmo user in the Yama country."
"Lord Nehushine, I will be back," Caim said and bowed to the council. "Eckxio, Godspeed."
The Elf nodded and raised a fist.
Suddenly Akielas's teleport crystal started vibrating inside his kidney belt. Auron? he thought. He pulled the crystal from his belt and felt a hint of Auron's maju. "Auron is sending me a signal," he realized. "He is teleporting to Kazenolumos."
"Another human in our fortress," Nehushine snarled.
"Do not worry, this one is also an ally," Caim explained but the old Effeelion grimaced.
Caim grabbed Akielas's arm and flew out of the dome through the oculus. As they ascended, the dome dwarfed and the sun blazed above. The wind moaned and lashed at their bodies, ruffling their clothes. Akielas gazed at Caim's island below and saw the portal shining near the hut. The two descended to the island and, as they arrived, Auron's body appeared rising from the ground with blue lights. Caim dropped Akielas from two feet in height and the man landed on the balls of his feet and rolled on the ground.
When Akielas saw Auron, the Amaranth was clad in golden armor. The same armor that Ganicus wore, the Golden Sun.
"You did it," Akielas said.
"Indeed, and the Specters won't defeat me so easily," Auron swore and stepped off the pentacle.
"So that is the Golden Sun," Caim said mirthlessly. "It even has a small amount of cosmo energy. Very impressive."
Auron gazed up at Kazenolumos. Gold glinted from the walls of the city, much like his armor. He stared wide eyed, but he was not as amazed as Eckxio had been.
"And this is Kazenolumos, where the evolved Elves live," Auron stated.
"You are the Amaranth that Akielas spoke so much about," Caim said and bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Auron walked to the demigod with clanking armor and shook his hand. "This is how we say hello where I come from."
"Burnahdujf is it?" Caim guessed.
"Akielas has said too much about me, no need for introductions then," Auron replied and laughed.
Suddenly Caim whipped his head to his right then walked to the edge of the island and stared down. "There it is again," he said.
"The unknown cosmo user?" Akielas asked.
"Yes, he is using it again," Caim answered. "Come, follow me." The demigod jumped off the floating island, diving down into the clouds.
"Wait!" Akielas yelled running after the demigod. "He just leaves us behind."
"Where is he going?" Auron asked.
"There is someone using cosmo magic down in the United Pathways," Akielas answered. "Caim believes that this person is part of the Specters."
"Then what are we waiting for, come on!" Auron replied. He too jumped from the floating island and flew down through the clouds with the power of the Golden Sun Valiarmos.
Akielas clenched his right fist and the magic circle tattooed on the back of his hand glowed. "Illumbos Cleyross!" he shouted and palmed the ground. The magic circle shone on the ground and stretched into a mandarak twent
y feet long. It was white with illustrations of dragons like stained glass and the symbol of divine magic in the center.
A roar echoed from the dimension of the mandarak. A white dragon rose from the magic circle, roaring and releasing white flames. The dragon descended to its master, wings stretching fifty feet long, a cloud of dust billowing. It growled and blinked its pale eyes. Akielas patted its head, feeling its glossy smooth scales. The dragon was already saddled so he mounted it and it kicked off the ground, following Caim and Auron to the United Pathways.
Rey Ling
His head hurt and he felt the clattering of the train against his skull. The train shook making the people inside sway left and right. Rey Ling could not stop thinking about that white masked stranger with one eye. Sitting by the window he gazed at the horizon thinking that they would show up again all because he had the Omnistar. Did my father leave me with a curse or a blessing? he wondered and placed his hand on his vest pocket where he kept his father's memento.
Hills, trees and villages streamed by as the train moved through Snake Way, the country's rail from north to south. Rey traveled with Yochan, his trusty assistant, from the Xindalu Pathways to the Choelio Pathways. It angered Rey that he had to see the queen twice in one month, since the black monsters that attacked his factory took all the kaminyte.
"But what they really wanted was the Omnistar," he said.
"But why?" Yochan asked, buttoning his tunic.
"How should I know," Rey Ling answered, frustrated. "I don't know who that masked man was, but his monsters were trying to take this from me. Why is this so important?"
"It is a rare item after all, sir," Yochan said.
Rey Ling took the Omnistar from his inner vest pocket and inside the pouch he could see it glowing purple.
"Those black monsters, they could sense the energy of the Omnistar," Rey remembered. "Those creatures, they are from the Odanami, I am sure of it."
"Sir, how are we going to pay our debt to the queen now that we have no kaminyte?" Yochan asked.
"I am not sure," Rey murmured and frowned. "Those monsters took every pound of kaminyte we had hidden in that locked section of the factory. We are empty and to get more it would take months. That is why we are going to speak with that bitch queen and see if we can make a deal until we can get more kaminyte from my father's mine."
Yochan stood up from his seat and scanned the carriage. He was paranoid and tried to see if there was anyone within hearing distance, yet he knew very well that they were the only two in the carriage.
"Sir, please be more careful with what you say about the queen," Yochan begged. "You know the law. Anyone that is caught speaking against her highness can be sentenced to prison for months."
"She wouldn't dare, she needs me too much," Rey remarked arrogantly. "Let's just try to reason with her, and pray that she will cooperate, which I am sure she will if she really wants her black steel."
"What is kaminyte used for anyway?" Yochan asked curiously. "You never use it, so what does the queen do with it?"
"I don't know and, honestly, I don't care," he responded. "My father said that it was of no use and, unlike regular metal such as iron, chrome, bronze, gold and brass, it is really hard to melt. It was not worth putting the effort into it. The queen has found some use for it but, whatever it is, I don't care. If my father, the pioneer of machinery we use today, had no use for it, then what can the queen do. That is why I am not worried and why my father never willingly gave her as much kaminyte as she wanted."
"I see, but still, doesn't it make you wonder," Yochan indicated. "What does she know about it that your father didn't?"
Rey Ling thought about it for a moment. He is right, what does she know that my father did not? he pondered. "Well, it's no use thinking about it now," he concluded. "We will figure it out later. It is better to focus on our company's goal than to think about the queen's plans."
The Omnistar began to shine brighter. Rey could see the light emanating through the pouch. Rey took it out and held the star shaped purple gem. The eye blinked a few times, the pupil darted left and right scanning around as if it had a mind of its own.
"That thing gives me goosebumps," Yochan whined and hid his hands inside his wide sleeves.
"It's reacting to something," Rey realized. "But what could it be?"
It then began to vibrate, like the shake a blacksmith feels every time he pounds metal. Rey felt as if he was going to lose control of it. His hand shook holding the Omnistar and it frightened him. "I don't know what to do with it," he said.
"Fortunately, there is no one in this carriage to see it," Yochan said. "You should have left it back home."
"Absolutely not," Rey snarled. "Like every other time, this wonderful jewel has helped me leave the queen's castle as fast as possible. I intend to do it every time. I hate being around that hermaphrodite. I can't determine if it's a man or a woman."
"You are being childish," Yochan said. "By the way, since that masked man is after the Omnistar, I suggest you avoid fighting him and those black creatures. I saw what happened last time and you almost died."
Rey lifted his sword from below his cushion seat then waved it around in its gilded scabbard. "Good thing I brought my sword with me," Rey said proudly. "I am ready for him next time he shows up. The Ling Cho family are not pushovers by any means."
Suddenly the train shook like the coming of an earthquake. Rey Ling and Yochan looked at each other and balanced themselves on their seats. Rey thought that the train had probably bumped into something on the rails. Then it happened again and this time Yochan fell off his seat. Rey Ling stood up, slung his sword onto his back and grabbed the hilt above his head.
"Speak of odansuhs," Rey cursed his luck. Odansuh meant fiend, devil or demon. He thought that the white masked man would appear again.
There was a thump above followed by a roar, the same roar that Rey Ling heard when those black creatures attacked his factory.
"Yochan, I think they are here," Rey alerted.
"Please tell me you are joking," Yochan panicked. "Why now? Why here?"
"The Omnistar. They want my father's treasure," Rey said.
Blood splattered on a window and they saw the body of a man falling from atop the train carriage. Then it burst through the window. It was a canine monster, black with spikes all over its body. Yochan yelped and ran to the end of the carriage. Half of its large body was inside the train and it clawed at the seats, tearing them apart. It snapped its chops and growled at Rey Ling. The canine's fangs dripped an oily fluid.
"Pikan fahiah!" Rey shouted and thrust a ball of fire from his right hand, pushing the monster out of the train.
There were more thumps coming from above. Rey looked up and saw their paws denting the roof and their sharp nails piercing through, creating a squealing sound. He then looked at the window and the white masked man was looking right at them. "You!" Rey rasped then ran thrusting his sword at the masked man, breaking the window, but his foe disappeared with black smoke, much like the last time. The wind whistled as it came in through the window with the speed of the train.
"This is a nightmare!" Yochan screamed.
"You stay here," Rey commanded.
"Oh don't worry, I don't plan to go anywhere," Yochan whined.
Rey Ling used the Omnistar. The eye opened and created a portal, like a window floating in mid-air, and Rey Ling could see the top of the train carriages. Through the portal he could see trees streaming by as the train moved and hills vanished on the horizon. A canine monster appeared, growling, ready to jump. Rey leapt through the portal with his sword and, as he appeared atop the train, wind rushed and pushed him towards the black monster. The creature pounced and, when it was close enough to Rey, he plunged his sword into its head.
Rey pulled out his sword then kicked the monster and watched it fall off the train. He stabbed the roof and held on with his sword. Rey Ling had flown before but he had never moved at such a high speed, however, he worried
not, for wind was his attribute.
"Show yourself," Rey Ling yelled, hoping that the masked man would hear him.
"Look no further," the voice crept from his left. "Naunet is my name. Sorry for the late introduction." The masked man stood on the train without struggle and wind ruffled his black cloak like a banner. He held the same black spear from last time and stared at Rey with his one eyed masked.
Rey Ling smirked and adjusted his goggles so the wind wouldn't irritate his eyes. Holding onto his sword, he balanced himself while facing Naunet.
"Naunet, what a lovely name for a man," Rey Ling teased. "I once met a woman with the same name."
"Go ahead and mock me," Naunet replied. "Let's see how long you last atop this train before I take the cosmo item from you."
"Come at me, you masked ghoul," Rey provoked, beckoning Naunet while reaching in his boot for his gun. "Even after I shot you, I knew you weren't dead yet."
"Very wise but I won't be your only opponent today," Naunet said.
"So now you know that even with your fiends you cannot beat me," Rey replied.
"Actually, I invited a few friends, and it looked like they are just in time." Naunet looked west of him.
Rey Ling looked in the same direction and saw two clouds as black as the smoke of the train. It was a disturbing sight watching as the black clouds moved through the sky towards him. He had never seen anything like it before and thought it was another odansuh. The clouds reached the top of the train to his right and within were two people. When the wind blew the smoke away two new masked strangers appeared, clad in black with long wide cloaks, wielding staffs as dark as their clothes. Their masks also had horns. The shorter one had bullhorns rising from the sides of her mask and the taller one had five horns curving upwards forming a crown.
"This is the one who holds the portal key," said one of the masked ghouls.
"You will never take the Omnistar from me," Rey snarled. He pulled his sword from the roof and stood in a horse stance to balance.
"Ember, Hertha, be careful with his portals," Naunet warned his friends.
Spirit of Mages (Rift of Chaos Book 2) Page 15
