by C. J. Strong
“That cannot be true, Yuralia. Endurd had returned because he had caught Tilturians’ raping and enslaving Márnamians rather than just driving them west,” Uriella explained.
“Oh he murdered my father alright. He was one of the ones who encouraged the Tilturians to be so brutal! He only returned to Ulteria in hopes of them having a cure for the Infection. My people believe that he was the one who brought the plague upon your city, and I am glad he did,” Yuralia said as she clinched her fists tightly before sitting down.
“How could you say such a thing! Even if he was the monster you say he was, the Infection has brought about the deaths of thousands of people,” Andrum said.
“I do feel bad for people like you Andrum. So blissfully ignorant of the world. The mighty Head of Magniffs, not a care in the world,” Yuralia said while laying back and stretching out on the ground.
“Hey back off—“ Uriella began before being interrupted. Andrum had had enough with Yuralia and her attitude. He was always brought up to respect a lady, especially one as beautiful as her, but he was ready to set her straight.
“I was ignorant! But I’m not some innocent little kid anymore. I’ve been to the Eternal Lands and back, a feat that no one has accomplished besides me. And once more, I’m going back again! If I was Head at the time, Endurd would have never been able to do what he did. I am truly sorry for your loss, but you can’t go blaming everyone for losing your father. I know I sure don’t,” Andrum said with tears in his eyes.
“That is enough, stop it. You two bicker worse than Ashurd and I. It’s time we get a move on, Yuralia do you know how far it is from the Eternal Lands?” Uriella asked.
Andrum took a moment to recompose himself, and he knew that Uriella was right. Arguing over who did what and when wasn’t going to help them in their mission.
Yuralia sat up and looked at the two of them as Andrum wiped his face. “It’s about half a day’s ride,” Yuralia said. “But since neither of you have your conjuring abilities, and I can’t just create machines for all of us, it’s going to take a while for us to get there.”
It’s a shame that conjurings only work for their creator. Those things would have been awesome to ride! I really wish that I used my gift better when I had it… Andrum thought before snapping himself out of it.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, what are those contraptions that we saw you and your people ride?” Uriella asked.
“The Salker Tribe partnered long ago with a traveling group of Márnamians who in turn for shelter, taught us several unique things about their culture. They showed us how to build better structures, agricultural advancements, and even engine powered utilities,” Yuralia explained.
“How fascinating. What ever happened to them?” Uriella asked.
“They moved on after a few decades, right before the Tilturians started their attacks. My only hope is that they were somehow able to survive…” Yuralia said shaking her head.
Andrum looked around and then started marching on in a general direction, trying to avoid a repeat of last conversation.
“Umm where are you going? The Eternal lands are that way,” Yuralia pointed out as Uriella laughed.
The three continued on their travels, leaving the Forest of Sorrows and eventually coming to a dry and sandy desert infamously known as the Endless Plains. Having not eaten or drank in days, Andrum collapsed not long after entering the plains due to exhaustion.
“Andrum!” Yuralia said as the sun beat down from above.
“I need... Water,” he said as he put his hand out towards his friends.
Uriella reached for her empty bottle, “but we ran out over a day ago.”
Yuralia’s eyes shined a crystal blue as she summoned her conjuring book. Her fingers gracefully glided through the book, writing several words down. As soon as she stopped writing, a lake appeared out of nowhere just over the horizon.
“Oh yeah, I forgot we could do that,” Andrum said before passing out.
“Come on, he’s heavier than he looks,” Yuralia said dragging his limp body across the desert. Uriella helped her, and after a few minutes they had reached the lake.
“I thought your people were taught never to conjure in excess?” Uriella asked.
“Yes, we are taught at an early age to never conjure excessively. However, I’ve never been much for following rules. Now whaddaya say we toss Andrum in?”
Uriella nodded in approval and the two of them swung him back and forth. On the 3rd time through, they released him and he flew through the air and into the water.
After a huge splash, bubbles quickly began to form as Andrum sunk towards the bottom of the lake.
“Uh-oh…” Uriella said.
“He’ll be fine, just give it a second.”
Within moments Andrum awoke and floated to the top, gasping for air as the girls looked on.
“I… I can’t swim!” Andrum said flailing his arms around in the water.
“Well you had better learn,” Yuralia said with a smile.
After a few moments of panicking, Andrum started to sink to the bottom of the lake. “Quickly, do something Yuralia!” Uriella said.
Yuralia ignored her at first with her eyes still locked on where Andrum was in the water, “He’ll be okay…” But after several seconds passing by with no signs of Andrum returning to the surface, Yuralia finally reacted by striping down to her underwear and diving in after him. She easily swam down to where Andrum was and grabbed him by the foot before he could sink down any further. Yuralia rose from the lake, dragging Andrum to land as Uriella tried to help.
“He’s not breathing…” Uriella said.
“This is getting ridiculous,” Yuralia said as she pulled him onto her lap. She pulled back her hair and tied it into a pony tail, took a deep breath and then placed her lips onto his, blowing air back into his lungs. She repeated the process of blowing air into him and pounding on his chest until he slowly began to breathe again. Yuralia pulled away just before Andrum could try any funny business as he regained consciousness and opened his eyes once more.
“You saved my life!” Andrum said gasping for air. “Bear in mind this never would’ve happened had you not showed off and just gave me some water instead of drowning me...”
“You’re welcome. Now let’s get a move on,” Yuralia said as she pushed him off of her and started putting her clothes back on. This was quite the sight to see, and Andrum couldn’t help but look. Even though he had nearly drowned, it was well worth it because he got to see Yuralia nearly naked for the first time.
Andrum sat up and attempted to dry himself off while Uriella sighed in relief and filled her empty canteen with lake water. Once each of the three had completed their tasks, they continued their journey once more.
“You ever read about this place?” Andrum asked as they started walking again.
“Of course! Tons of books have been written about the Endless Plains. They say that it weeds out those who are unworthy of entering the Eternal Lands,” Uriella explained.
“Well, let’s just hope we are worthy then,” Yuralia said.
“According to our records, no one besides Andrum has been worthy yet,” Uriella said.
After walking for several hours they finally came to a thick fog which encompassed the surrounding area. “This is it,” Andrum said. He had limited experience in the Eternal Lands, the first time he had entered was in an entirely different area and knew where he was going. The Eternal Lands was heaven for every soul who made it there before their life force burned out, yet Andrum hadn’t seen any his first time through and didn’t expect to see any this time either.
“Extraordinary,” Uriella said as she stuck out her hand and sunk it through the magik barrier.
“We hold hands from this point on,” Yuralia said grabbing Uriella by the hand and pushing Andrum in front of her. “Andrum, take her other hand and lead the way since you’ve been through the Eternal Lands before.”
“But I wanted… never mind,�
�� Andrum said before stepping through the mysterious mists and taking Uriella by the hand.
“I can’t see a thing!” Uriella said. “How will we know where to go?”
“All we have to do is follow our heart and we will find the answers that we seek, at least that’s what worked for me last time,” Andrum said as Uriella gripped his hand tighter.
The three made their trek through the fog for quite some time before Yuralia pulled them to a stop. “Enough of this,” she said as she attempted to summon her conjuring book.
“I’m afraid that won’t work here,” Andrum said.
“Andrum is right for once. The barrier we entered earlier acts as a magik divider. The Ancients devised it eons ago in order to prevent anyone from ever harming the souls inside,” Uriella explained.
But still, Yuralia tried again and again trying to summon her book until eventually tiring herself out.
“You’ll drain your life force if you continue anymore,” Uriella said.
“It’s just… we are so close,” Yuralia said.
Just as the heroes started to lose hope, the thick fog dissipated to reveal an ancient stone pyramid. Several thousand feet tall it stood, with a spiraling stairwell that lead into the clouds.
“Come on!” Andrum said as he pulled the gang up the steps. “This is it I know it is.”
This seemed as though this was the final stretch of the race, and so the three of them ran and ran until they couldn’t run anymore. The higher they climbed, the farther away it seemed. Amazingly, neither hunger nor thirst were a factor for Andrum. It seemed as though their bodies could survive in the Eternal Lands forever without food or water, as long as they still rested from time to time.
Uriella had finally had enough. “My old bones ache. I want the both of you to continue on without me,” she said as she let go of their hands.
“What are you talking about?” Andrum said as Yuralia walked past her.
“Come on, just a little further,” Yuralia said waving the both of them on.
If we haven’t reached the top by now, then we never will. Something must be holding us back,” Uriella said. “…and I’m sure it’s me.”
“That’s not true,” Andrum said. “Uriella, we started this journey together and we are going to finish it together.”
“I’m afraid n—“ Uriella began before Andrum picked her up and cradled her in his arms.
“Come on, let’s go!” he said to Yuralia.
She nodded her head as Uriella settled in and Andrum marched towards the top. The never ending pyramid continued to rise as they did until one of the steps broke off in front of Yuralia as she stepped on it, causing her to fall back and roll her ankle.
“Are you okay?” Andrum said offering out his hand while still carrying Uriella.
“No. I’m not actually,” she said gripping her ankle. “I know why we can’t reach the top.”
Uriella turned her head towards Yuralia and asked “Oh, and why is that?”
“Because… I am not pure of heart.”
“That’s not true! You’ve saved my life… twice,” Andrum said.
Yuralia put her head down and sighed. “I know, I know. But I only did that to earn your trust so that we could make it here. My mother has known about your entire plan for quite some time now.”
“So…?” Andrum said as he looked on with concern and set Uriella down to her feet.
“She made me do it,” Yuralia paused. “I didn’t want to deceive you guys but she made me. You have no idea how manipulative that woman can be.”
“What is it she is making you do exactly?” Uriella asked.
“She wanted me to travel with you and when the time came, steal the wish you were going to be granted and use it to bring back my father!” Yuralia said with tears rolling down her face.
“I don’t understand, what wish?” Andrum said.
“It’s simple. It is said that whoever pure of heart that can travel to Xurion’s Pyramid will be granted a wish, and I was going to steal it from you,” Yuralia said before bursting into tears. “I’m so ashamed!”
“But why steal from us? Why would you damn us so?” Andrum asked while shaking his head.
“Don’t you get it, it isn’t about you or anyone else. It’s just about my mother and her damn greed. It wasn’t enough for her to just take her revenge out on Ashurd by baiting him in to a fight, but she also wanted me to bring father back,” Yuralia said as she inched closer to the edge.
“If you would have told us this from the beginning we may have been able to help,” Uriella said. Andrum noticed Yuralia was thinking of jumping, and attempted to walk closer to her and calm her down.
“No! Stay back. You probably both hate me anyways for what I was going to do,” Yuralia said.
Andrum smiled and said, “There is no need for any of this. You’re not holding us back! We can figure out a way to restore my people’s powers and bring back your father. If we all make it there, then don’t we each get a wish?”
Andrum reached out his hand but Yuralia slapped it away as tears dripped to the ground. “I’ll no longer hold the both of you back. Finish the journey without me!” Yuralia said before leaping from the edge of the pyramid.
“No!” Andrum and Uriella shouted as they tried to grab her, but it was too late. Yuralia quickly disappeared through the clouds as she waved goodbye.
Chapter 10
Gallagher arrived at the courtyard, meeting Valdar and his son as well as Valden’s pet bear. Although he had no idea what was in store for him, Gallagher was excited. He had become pretty scrappy living on the streets and fending for himself, but had never received any type of formal training so this was going to be a first. If this indeed was an entirely different world where humans could transform into powerful beasts, then could Valdar teach Gallagher to transform as well? The possibilities of what could happen were endless, and he mentally prepared himself to expect almost anything.
“Heyya guys! Long time no see,” he said as he entered the courtyard gates.
“Hi Mr. Gally,” Valden said waving towards his friend.
“Today we start our first day of training,” Valdar said as he crossed his arms.
“Oh boy, what are we going to learn about?” Gallagher asked as he fiddled his thumbs while trying to contain his curiousity.
“Lesson one. The element of surprise!” Valdar shouted as he smacked Gallagher, knocking him across the yard.
Both Valden and his pet looked on in shock as Gallagher quickly got up and wiped the blood from his lip. “That’s a pretty good trick,” Gallagher said. He was no longer fearful of things like he had first been when he awoke inside the barn just a week ago. By now he knew to expect the unexpected, and random acts of violence towards him and others were always expected.
“I’m glad you liked it. If you can catch your opponent off guard then you can end a fight before it even begins,” Valdar explained. “Lucky for you, that was only 20% power.”
“Heh, yeah lucky me,” Gallagher said as he stretched out his jaw.
“Now that you’re warmed up, why don’t you try and land a blow against my boy here,” Valdar said as his son perked up.
“Unlike you, I don’t like picking on people that are smaller than me,” Gallagher said just before Valden charged at him.
“Lesson number two, never underestimate your opponents!” Valdar shouted as Valden’s bear head-butted Gallagher from behind, knocking him into the air, and then Valden clothes lined him to the ground.
Again, Gallagher rose to his feet, this time stumbling a bit before doing so. “You’re lucky I’m so durable.”
“Durable?” Valdar said. “Ha! I once faced off against an entire Nifflarian army and survived. Now that took some durability.”
“Well good for you,” Gallagher said before being tackled by Valden once more.
“Rule number 3, always pay attention!” Valdar said as he cracked a smile.
“That’s it… My turn,” Gally sai
d as he jumped into the air, timing the duos charge perfectly and causing them to run directly into each other. “hah, knockout!”
Sarcastic clapping came from just outside Gally’s view as a portly fellow entered the courtyard. “Good job, you knocked out a child and his toy cub.”
“Better than you can do Moldur,” Valdar said as he turned his attention to the newcomer.
“We’ll see about that,” the overweight teen said as he faced off against Gallagher.
Gallagher was surprised that he had another opponent already, but that didn’t stop him from running his mouth. Back on Earth, he was always getting into fights with Trevor and the other kids, both verbally and physically. “Hey haven’t I seen you around the village?”
“You may h—“
“—screwing all the pigs!” Gallagher said as Valdar let out an obnoxious laugh.
“That’s it,” Moldur said as he ran at Gallagher and head-butted him in the face.
“Rule number 69, don’t let your emotions get the better of you,” Gallagher said as he took the blow and then swept Moldur from his feet, causing the courtyard to shake as he hit the ground. “…Awwh, fatty fall down?”
Moldur looked up with his face turning red, and kicked Gallagher in the nuts and dropped him to his knees.
“Rule number 5, don’t get cocky!” Valdar shouted from afar.
“Isn’t that just like rule number 3?” Gally said after rolling around on the ground holding his crotch.
“Let me check…” Valdar paused for a moment. “Nope, don’t think so.”
“Oh, well then aren’t we on rule number 4 though not 5?” Gallagher said before getting kicked in the face by Moldur.
“Rule number 3! Come on haven’t you learned anything,” Valdar said as his son wondered over to him in a daze.
Beaten and tired of being kicked around by everyone, Gallagher struggled to get up. Noticing that Valden’s pet bear cub was still lying unconscious, he thought quickly before Moldur could attack again. Gallagher ran over and grabbed the cub, tossing him directly at his opponent. “Catch!” he said as he rushed Moldur and punched him in the stomach. “Rule number 4 then, distraction.”
