Guardians of Lakaya: The Catalyst

by Richmond Camero

  “Clavisi!” The portal started to shrink until it was gone.

  Guier stood for a moment to steady his breathing. He examined the wound on his right arm and found that it had already stopped bleeding, a hint of Lifeblood around it. Then, he felt a vibration in his hand.

  The staff was vibrating, so strong that his hand shook.

  Guier gripped the staff tightly, giving off Lifeblood in attempt to control the staff’s movements. But the staff continued to shake. He looked around and saw that he was outside of a church. When he opened a Gate between Anarri and Terra, he didn’t have a particular place in mind. Something led him to this place. The Yggdrasil staff stopped shaking, yet Guier still felt something odd about his surroundings. He used his Lifeblood to extend his senses. He felt a static reaction and he flinched. He released his Lifeblood immediately and his arm shook as a response.

  He thought about the beacons back in Gulgalta and felt that they were connected to this place. Whatever was around him was the reason why there were leaks of Lifeblood in Anarri.

  He thought about the Jenaians and the Ceirish. Is this what they were preparing for? They knew that this was coming. They knew that there would be an abundance of Lifeblood from Terra that would tear through the skies of Anarri. But how?

  He rose from his reverie and noticed a movement in his left eye. It was a homeless man waking up from an afternoon nap. He blinked rapidly, deciding whether to be surprised or angry at whoever woke him up. Guier approached him.

  “I am sorry for waking you up,” Guier said. “And forgive me, I don’t have anything that I can give you.”

  The man stared at him for a while. Then he gave Guier a toothless grin.

  “Don’t worry about that,” the man said scratching the back of his head.

  “I’m foreign to this land,” Guier said. “If I may ask, where is this place?”

  “No wonder you wear that fancy dress,” the man replied holding his hand to Guier’s robes. “This is Lakaya, my beloved hometown. Too bad, people here don’t love it just as much. Yesterday, there were kids that—”

  “Thank you, you’ve been helpful,” Guier cut him off. “I’m sorry but I have to take my leave.”

  “Smug fancy foreigner,” the homeless man said. He lay down back in his bed made of used cardboard boxes.

  Guier walked away from the man, deciding on what to do next. He considered searching Lakaya for the source of the strong Lifeblood - knowing about what it was would help Perennia. But he was worried that it may take too much time finding it. Above that, the events in Gulgalta were of great urgency and he could not turn his back away from it.

  I don’t have much of a choice, Guier thought.

  He ensured that the homeless man was not looking at him and there were no other people in sight. Then, he held out his staff and whispered, “Ingresia.”

  A Gate opened and he could see Gulgalta. He passed through and was back in Anarri again. Guier closed the Gate.

  Then, he felt something strike his head.

  Guier tried to turn around but his knees felt weak. Already, his consciousness was fading. He dropped to the ground and saw two figures above him.

  And all was darkness.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Guier woke up because of the pain.

  He felt a sting in his left shoulder and saw a red crystal pierced his flesh. A steady trickle of blood was coming from it but the wound did not seem to be deep. It was disconcerting nonetheless. He might lose too much blood if he didn’t do something about it.

  Then, he felt a cold sensation around his wrists and ankles. He was bound by large chains that were pinned to the ground. Guier tried to pull them out. The chains did not budge. He closed his fist, calling to the Lifeblood inside him. But no Lifeblood answered. He tapped into his powers again but it felt like his Lifeblood was plugged in his veins. Guier studied the chains binding him, then the stone in his shoulder. Somehow, the chains or the stone were preventing him from using his Lifeblood. He called out to his Lifeblood and saw the crystal glow. He did it again and saw the same response.

  “Do you like it?” A woman said from behind him.

  Guier turned his head and saw Apokalypse.

  Apokalypse walked toward him, her robe flowing on her back. “I made it especially for you,” Apokalypse continued. “Hurts, doesn’t it? When you become powerless and cannot do anything.”

  There were two people walking behind Apokalypse. One was a man with a scarred face and bloodshot eyes. Guier tried to remember if he had seen that man before, but no memory of him came into mind. The other was a creature he knew very well. With his bald head and gray skin, Guier would not be mistaken who he was.

  Necromancer.

  Guier shook his head. It can’t be. Necromancer was supposed to be dead. He died of severe wounds during the Oblivian Rebellion. But he was standing in front of Guier in the flesh. Guier could not deny that Necromancer was alive. It could only be him that had controlled the skeletons that confronted Guier. Guier glared at him and their eyes met. Necromancer let out a laugh.

  “It seems that you are pleased to see me,” Necromancer said.

  “How can you be alive?” It was all that Guier could say.

  “Let me ask you something in return,” Necromancer said. “How can you kill a man who is already dead?” Necromancer laughed again.

  “Reunions like this are lovely, don’t you think?” Apokalypse said. She went near Guier and lifted her hand to touch his face. Guier pulled back his head. “Always the stubborn one. Sad. I like you Gatekeeper. It would be lovely if you could join us in the new world.

  “New world?”

  Apokalypse walked away from him. “It was foolish for us to believe that we could overtake Perennia. We were of equal and opposite nature. Thus, none of us can win against each other.” She was silent for a moment. “So we thought, why do it alone when there are other Annarians that desire the same power as we do? They were a flock of sheep needing a shepherd, lost souls wandering with no purpose. Who else is more suitable to guide them but me?” Apokalypse turned back to Guier. “I gave them purpose Guier. I united their strength. The Ceirish weren’t that hard to convince. With all those muscles, I was sure that there would be no more room left for their brains.”

  Necromancer chuckled and Apokalypse threw him a pleased glance.

  “I said that I would give them freedom from oppression,” Apokalypse continued. “That much is true. With them under my command, no one would dare touch them. The Jenaians were harder to convince. You could say that Oblivia’s attempt on overcoming Perennia was a good statement on how serious we are in this crusade. It’s just a matter of making them believe that they have that desire too. But they’re witty and they want the Lifeblood for themselves.” Apokalypse looked around and pointed at the beacons of Lifeblood. “Luckily, we have plenty to satiate their thirst.”

  She walked back to Guier and smiled. “Of course, with that kind of power, why would I be content with just Anarri?”

  Guier stared at her. Then, he saw the puzzle pieces fit together.

  Apokalypse raised her hand towards the two tall structures that Guier saw earlier. “Yes, my dear Gatekeeper. Terra will be ours. It’s calling my name and it would be rude for me to ignore it.” She went near Guier and black Lifeblood emanated from her body. “You will be our special guest. Just sit there and watch.”

  Apokalypse walked away from him and went to the tall structures that would open a Gate to Terra. Necromancer and the unknown person followed her.

  Guier could not do anything but watch. This Gate seemed to be different from what he and Kosmos could create. With the structures in place, Guier felt that Apokalypse was planning to open a Gate permanently. He shook his head. The timing seemed so perfect. The Lifeblood that he felt in Lakaya possessed a huge amount of power. All that was left was something to harness that power. And here it was in the hands of Oblivia. Apokalypse was right — it was calling her.

  Guier felt that it
was still not over for Perennia — the Leaking of Lifeblood had just begun. Guier also could not see any portal created by the structures. Perennia still had time yet. They could stop Oblivia again.

  But first, he needed to find a way out.

  And fast.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The cold water in his throat eased Dror's nerves. He scooped water from the stream in front of him and splashed it onto his face. He stretched his neck, tilting it left and right and holding it until he felt a tinge of discomfort. Then he rolled his shoulders briskly to ease the tension. That was some adventure back there. Looking down, Dror noticed that his waterskin was empty so he filled it up with water from the stream.

  A breeze swept past him, cooling his still wet face. He let out a deep breath. Thank the heavens for this moment of peace.

  Dror looked around, his eyes squinted. He didn't know where he was. After his escape from Jenai, he was planning to get back to Perennia as soon as he could. But his mind was clouded with the recent encounter with Luca and the Jenaians. He had even transformed accidentally into his human form in mid-air. Thankfully, gravity and the threat of dying snapped him alert. He turned back to a hawk in time. He then decided to rest and found a stream in the middle of the forest.

  Since Dror set foot on the forest, he did not sense any other creatures around him. Even now, he felt that he was alone. He stood up, securing the water skin in his belt. Then he leapt up and turned back to a hawk. When he reached the skies, Dror reoriented himself with the direction of Perennia. He knew that Jenai was behind them, so all he has to do was to fly opposite it. Perennia will show itself later.

  The skies were still dark and hazy. Only the beacons of Lifeblood were bright, which were rare in Dror’s present location. He needed to find some landmark to tell where he was. Dror flew slowly, then he stopped flapping his wings and let the wind carry him. He descended along with it and the lands below welcomed him. Dror looked at the road under him and was taken aback by what he saw.

  There were giants marching along with a platoon of Jenaians.

  Dror flapped his wings downward to decelerate. He somersaulted because of the abrupt stop, but he was able to recover by spreading his wings to catch air. Not again. He flew higher above the clouds, positioning himself where he could still see the activity down below while remaining hidden. Dror slowed down, matching the pace of his quarry. He wanted to turn back and continue finding his way back to Perennia. But he knew that he could not turn away from this after what he’d seen in Jenai.

  Dror retreated for a while. If he chose to follow the curious band of creatures in front of him, he had to relay his plan to Perennia. For this, he could rely on an ability he had as a hawk — to communicate with other feathered creatures. He flew back down to the forest and hopped from tree to tree looking for a creature that he could send back to Perennia. Finally, he heard a chirp and saw a small bird with gray feathers and a long tail. He relayed his message and asked the bird to fly to Perennia as fast as it could. When Dror finished, the bird zipped into the sky. Dror feared for the small creature but he knew that its survival instincts was stronger than his. He stretched his wings and flew back to the direction of the soldiers he saw.

  Out of the smoke, into the fire, Dror thought as he followed the soldiers under him.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The past hour had not brought any favorable development for Guier.

  When Apokalypse and her faithful servants had left, he furiously tried to pull out the chains that bound him but they did not budge from the ground. Then Necromancer’s undead guards came. There were ten of them and all of them were huge and taller than him. They took their position around Guier with their faces away from him. It was then that Guier stopped trying to pull the chains and decided to think of another strategy.

  Guier felt a prick in his wounded shoulder, the tiny stream of blood still flowing from it. Guier shook his head. He still could not believe that this stone was preventing him from using his Lifeblood. He tried to force Lifeblood out from his body. The moment he reached for it, he felt his chest become heavy and his lungs robbed of breath. Guier stopped tapping his Lifeblood, panting and exhausted for doing something that’s supposed to be as natural for him as breathing.

  Guier studied the skeletons around him and an idea formed in his mind. He knew that these undead creatures were controlled by Necromancer but he wasn’t sure about whether they were given the ability to think for themselves. Guier had always assumed that they were dumb puppets, but he never had the chance to confirm it.

  Guier looked at one of the skeleton guards and called out to it. At first, the creature wasn’t responding. Then, to Guier’s surprise, it faced him.

  “Come closer,” Guier said. “I need help.”

  The skeleton seemed to think about what Guier has said, though its skull remained emotionless. It slowly walked toward Guier, almost dragging its feet. A few inches from him, it reached out to the crystal. Suddenly, it punched Guier in the jaw.

  Guier flung his head. A small cut opened in his forehead, blood trickling to his blind eye. If the undead creature could laugh, he would be laughing then. It returned to its post and left Guier in his own dilemma.

  Worth a try, Guier thought. He rested for a while before thinking of another way to escape. In his silence, he remembered his staff. He looked around and saw it leaning against one of the boulders around him guarded by several more skeletons. At least, that was something good. But he immediately realized that the staff wouldn’t be of much use to him if he was not able to get rid of the stone in his shoulder. While thinking of a new plan, he heard the crunch of stone. Guier tilted his head at the direction of the sound and listened.

  “…his face if he saw you,” a deep voice said.

  “I’m sure he’ll remember me,” a deeper voice replied. “I made sure of that before.”

  The sound of footsteps became louder and Guier realized that they were coming from behind him. He felt the creatures walk closer until he felt the breath of one of them on his back. Guier felt uncomfortable with his back exposed and was relieved when he heard them walk within his field of vision. When he saw the faces of the creatures, Guier stepped forward instinctively. The chains in his ankles clinked and the two minotaurs in front of him exchanged a smirk.

  The taller one carrying a double-headed battle ax on its back walked closer to him, their faces a foot from each other. Guier could smell its repulsive breath and tried not to breathe from his nose. One of the minotaur’s horns was cut off almost to its root, a small stub of bone protruding from its forehead. It was the prize that Guier took from him for losing his right eye. An unfair exchange, but Guier was contented.

  “Borgus,” Guier said in between his lips. The other one was his brother, Gamus.

  Borgus raised his head and he seemed to tower above Guier. “Look me in the eyes, Guier. Oh wait,” Borgus slapped his forehead. “You only have one.” The two minotaurs laughed.

  “I see that your brain has also been damaged when I took off your horn,” Guier replied.

  The laughter stopped abruptly and Borgus hit Guier in the gut. Guier reeled but the chains in his wrists did not allow him to. Borgus took the ax from his back and held it an inch away from Guier's neck.

  “I can kill you right now!” Borgus said.

  Guier didn't answer. If Apokalypse wanted him dead, he would have been dead by now. Borgus snorted after a long silence and returned his ax. Suddenly, he grabbed Guier on his wounded shoulder and thrust the piece of stone deeper into his skin. Guier shouted in agony.

  Borgus smiled with satisfaction

  “Apokalypse promised me your head,” He walked away from Guier and sat on the ground in front of him. “But not today.”

  Guier saw Gamus walk behind and assumed that he was also watching him. He swallowed and stared at his feet. A dozen undead soldiers and two minotaurs — now, it was harder for him to get away. His eyes were still on the ground when he saw a shadow zoom past him. Gu
ier looked up and saw nothing except for the cloudy sky.

  “What?” Borgus said, following Guier's stare. “Seeing things now old man?”

  Guier looked at Borgus and didn't say anything. The minotaur shook his head and started sharpening the blades of his ax with a small whetstone. Then the shadow went past again in the opposite direction. Now, Guier was sure that there was something. He searched the skies while keeping track of Gamus’s movements. In a blink of an eye, Guier saw a dagger pin Borgus to the boulder behind him. Borgus looked up in surprise. Then, Guier heard Gamus cry in pain, followed by a loud thud.

  “Am I late?” A familiar voice asked.

  Guier smiled and turned his head.

  Dror has come to his aid.

  Guier then heard Borgus grunt while trying to remove Dror’s dagger from his shoulder. “Dror, quick! The stone in my shoulder,” he said.

  Dror ran to front of him, his eyes darting from Guier’s right shoulder to his left.

  “What do I do?” Dror asked.

  “Remove it,” Guier asked. Dror placed his hand above the stone. “Be careful, it’s blocking my Lifeblood.”

  “Will it do the same for me?”

  “We’re about to find out,” Guier answered. He saw Borgus throw the dagger on the ground. “Hurry.”

  Dror looked at Guier and after a few short breaths, he grabbed the stone. Dror grunted and his face contorted in pain. But he did not let go. Relying on his physical strength, he pulled the crystal out and threw it away.

  “That…” Dror said, panting, “is a powerful thing”

  Guier nodded in agreement. His eyes widened and he blurted out, “Behind you!”

  Dror drew his other dragger from his back and blocked Borgus’ ax. Guier, now able to use his Lifeblood, let out a pulse and pushed back Borgus and the undead skeleton guards that were closing in.

  “Dror, chains,” Guier said, nodding toward his arms. Dror struck the chains with his dagger and they broke. Guier rubbed his wrists while Dror removed the chains on his ankles. “Thank you,” Guier said. In the few seconds they spent freeing Guier, the guards had already surrounded them. Borgus was back on his feet and Gamus was limping toward them after removing Dror’s throwing knife from his left knee.