Emerald Surface: Chapter 4

Strangers

         “Well, it doesn’t look as if those two have shown up yet,” says a recovered Davis as he grips the medical wrap around his shoulder, referring to the young man with red hair and the archer we had encountered in the Woods of Boleros. It seems that Davis’s bleeding has stopped. Not to be evil or anything of the sort, but I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of Davis’s shrill screams as I gave my assistance in dislodging the arrow out of Davis’s shoulder. Davis narrowed his eyes at me, but didn’t say anything. Side-by-side, we attempted to look past the crowd in front of us to Pope Julius as he picked each of the Nexus Crystals up and showed them to the crowd one by one. When the old man with the robe showed all six, I was able to see Lord Paul as well as his son located slightly behind him.

         “Citizens of this Province Cantase,” alerted the Pope to the audience through a cone-shaped voice amplifier, new to our technology, and speaking in an accent as if he were a judge in court. All other voices, movements, and shapes halted. Pope Julius continued after a wipe of his brow.

         “I am swollen with pride and joy to have even the slightest glimpse of what very well may be the sake of our very land of Kryz, the Nexus Crystals!” Outbursts and cries and joy engorged Province Cantase in a sphere of jubilation, even Davis and I forgot our worries and joined in the celebration. After lifting his hand for silence, Pope Julius resumed his speech. “Twenty-five years,” he seemed to then proceed to a far-off trance. “Over Twenty-five years have we been at terms against the Sardonyx. Those miserable, soulless creatures created by Who-Knows-What, ravaging what they can and will and taking lives without mercy. Well then, I say, will we stand for this any longer?” The crowd surrounding the pedestal all yelled, “No!” “N-no,” said I belatedly. “Now then,” the pope continued, “I believe this is to be a joyous celebration, and an old man such as myself shouldn’t go about ranting on about matters that shall be handled with immediately.”

         Davis looked at me, and I at Davis, a child with a large shirt and mangled pants at his mother, a woman with an undersized blouse and large pants, and that woman to another person, and another to another, and so on. We all had one question at mind: exactly what did these stones contribute to the salvation of Kryz?

         The elder with the large robe continued, “I know that you are all wondering exactly what these crystals’ purposes provide from our strenuous twelve years of searching for these. They provide power, for our Six Lords of the Lords’ Committee. What kind of power? Why, the power of a crystalloid army to drive back the Sardonyx forever! When, and only when, these Nexus Crystals are in the hands of all six lords, including our Lord Dargase, the Crystallyx Army, as our leading scientists and archaeologists deem them, will assemble at the Plains of Bristol!” Not a sound from the audience, must be soaking it all in. After clearing his throat, “Now then, without further ado, I present the Cantase Nexus in the hands of Lord Paul Heim. Lord Paul, if you will?” Pope Julius moves to the left side of the pedestal, allowing Lord Paul to step forward. Davis and I shuffled our feet from exhaustion. How long has it been? 10, 20 minutes?

         The pope picked one Nexus Crystal from the floor of the pedestal and faced Lord Paul, while Lord Paul faced the pope. The pope held his arms out to present the crystal, larger than his right hand. Lord Paul was to accept this famed parcel, but the ambience had changed.

         Cumulous clouds collected rapidly in the sky, covering the light of the sun; winds picked up as well, as Pope Julius‘s robe began to sway in the incoming breeze. Possibly a storm? Why couldn’t the newspaper have predicted this? Then maybe the celebration could’ve been held off for tomorrow. I don’t think the people of Cantase would have allowed for any further delay of an event as exciting as this, though. The Cantase Nexus is almost in Lord Paul’s hands; only a half-second longer… The peace of Cantase was interrupted by a series of quakes in the ground. Miniscule quakes initially, but substantially grew more and more potent in danger.

         Davis and I glanced at each other above the quavering land, our bodies moving rhythmically with the ground. Wryder neighed inaudibly from the crowd’s noise as he and Shadowsnap struggled to maintain their balance. The crowd ran rampant and wild among the streets of Cantase in a chorus of screams and intensities of shrill voices yelling for their deities to assist them in their time of need. The pope, Lord Paul and his son stood upon the pedestal, the pope’s hand still outstretched to present the Cantase Nexus, baffled, speechless, and unmoving. A young woman’s scream alerted Davis and I as to our near left, we gaped upon the appearance of a middle-aged man, listing to his side and -- he fell -- down a widening crack that appeared from under the ground. Down, down, and down he fell; I averted my eyes as the man perished, leaving only his fainting wail.

         “Just!” Davis’s voice caught my attention. “You remember those two people in the Boleros Woods?”

The puzzle pieces are coming together…
But the box is missing.

         “Sardonyx,” I replied under a whisper.

         From beneath the ground through the large cracks appeared what Davis and I feared most -- The familiar misshapen, gangly creatures all of Kryz had come to know and fear as the Sardonyx. The Sardonyx ran amuck through Province Cantase, and the guards near the pedestal where the pope ,the lord-man and his son and his butler stood trapped were fending off the incoming Sardonyx as best as they could, but the thirteen guards were obviously no match for the Sardonyx that seemed to have absolutely no end whatsoever. Methinks they are going to need some assistance.

         “Davis, what do you say to --”

         “You read my mind completely, Lothair.”