Journey to Yesod

Art Drawn by: Bintang Hamal

Written by: Hunter Ake

Edited by: Lilliana Steele and Dee Dee Davis

Chapter 5 (Part 1)

Quadect 21st, 1258

          Pirouz  returned to his garrison in the capital of Ydalia, landing softly on the stone balcony affixed to a looming spire, flanked on both sides by intricate gargoyle statues. He entered the building proper and strode over the tile floored hallway that still smelled of sweat, no matter how much it was cleaned by recruits. Finally, he entered the briefing room. It was a large chamber with a tall ceiling and four girthy stone pillars that held it up. A fountain took up most of the Eastern wall, with water pouring from an urn held by the creator God, Archar. The statue’s other arm was holding a sword high above his head. This was where he met his commanding officer, Borzou. “I’d heard you killed dozens of the interlopers. Very well done, Pirouz. I trust you are feeling well.”

          Pirouz stood at attention, puffing out his chest, “Yes sir, striking down these invaders was simple. The only tedium was from finding them scattered throughout our land.”

          “I also heard that you met with newcomers on the coast and let them continue traveling our land.”

          Pirouz suddenly felt defensive, “Yes sir, they aided me in fighting the invaders. I trust that they are well-meaning individuals.”

          “Did you interrogate them?”

          “No sir, I simply conversed with them. I gave them no reason to be deceitful.”

          Borzou stood right before Pirouz, towering over him, “What is the name that the Lord has given you?”

          Pirouz’ expression fell, as did his shoulders, as he looked up into Borzou’s eyes, “Pirouz. It means victorious.”

          Borzou turned away and clasped his hands behind his back, “And victory requires vigilance. These individuals could be in league with the thralls. They could be an entirely separate threat or they could be innocent as you claim. However, we need to be sure they are not a threat to God’s nation.”

          Pirouz clenched his jaw, “What would you have me do?”

          “I want you to take two other soldiers. Observe their actions and report back to me. Do not engage unless absolutely necessary, understood?”

          “Sir, yes, sir.”

Quadect 24th, 1258

          Pirouz and his two soldiers perched atop a cliff and peaked from behind to watch the trio as they climbed.

          “They’re definitely headed for the capital but that doesn’t mean much,” one of the soldiers said.

          “They made it through the Silent Basin seemingly unscathed so they’re certainly capable individuals,” Pirouz noted.

          “All that means is that they could be serious threats or they could be helpful allies. Should we report back to Borzou and let him know what we’ve seen?”

          Pirouz pondered for a moment before stating, “Let’s follow them a little longer before we report back.”

          Hours later, the travelers crested the hills and stood transfixed at the massive city before them. The city sprawled out in all directions, with different rings of walls that told the story of how it had expanded over the centuries. It was nestled into the huge valley and seemed to roll up and down with the hills it was built atop. Several towering spires were erected near the dead center of the city. From this vantage, they could see almost the entire city, but they were still too far away to make out any people living within it. “Wow, it’s even bigger than Banaka,” Dulani said.

          Zenebe replied, “I’ve never seen a city this big before.”

          Sook just stood still, eyes darting around trying to understand what she was seeing, the sights completely overloading her senses. Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath them, shocking them all out of their stupor. A large chasm opened up in the ground behind them, as something pushed a large bed of soil up. Colossal, armored legs reached out of the darkness. Little claws at the end of the legs grabbed onto the ground and pulled something forward. More legs and more still. The adventurers watched in horror, stumbling back when a massive, armored Theraphant pulled itself out from underworlds unknown. It had eight legs covered in armor with tufts of bristles sticking out from underneath the plates that held up the bulbous, hairy body. Its numerous eyes stared blankly in all directions while bright lime green liquid dripped from its prominent fangs. It landed on the ground with a sizzle, corroding the plants beneath into a pile of ash and smoke.

          “Absolutely not!” Dulani exclaimed before she darted up a tree to get the high ground and put distance between herself and this disgusting monstrosity.

          The Theraphant skittered toward them before lunging forward with its mandibles and fangs, to catch Sook or Zenebe. The two scattered off to both sides. Sook wasn’t going to risk trying to grab those fangs.

          “Look out for the hole!” Dulani shouted as she saw smaller Theraphants climbing up out of the opening in the hill. Dulani threw a chakram, cutting two legs off one of the little ones. The smaller Theraphant didn’t even slow down.

          “I think these things are thralls too!” Zenebe shouted after noting the similar design of the armor. The hydrosophist channeled his magic through his staff and brought the water from his pouch, forming it into a disk. The water blasted forward in a column to the small Theraphant closest to him. A large carnivorous fish swam up the column and tore into the arthropod.

          Sook assumed her lizard form and swung her tail as hard as she could into the front leg of the large Theraphant. She felt the leg buckle under the force of her swing. There was a horrible cracking sound as the long, spindly leg broke and the armor piece over it dented heavily. The Theraphant was unfazed, lunging at Sook again, this time the mandible caught her tail, pulling her just enough for a fang to brush against her scales. Sook screamed in agony as the corrosive venom of the Theraphant began eating away her scales. Zenebe whipped around to help Sook. The smaller Theraphants maneuvered around the previously dispatched creature’s body, closing in on Zenebe.

          Dulani swallowed her disgust and dashed out of the tree, cutting through a full set of legs on one side of the smaller arthropod with her katar. “There’s too many of them, Zenebe! We need to get out of here!”

          Fear gripped Zenebe as the large Theraphant reached for Sook who was still writhing in the dirt with pain. “We can’t leave Sook behind!”

          As if from the aether, a volley of flaming arrows rained down on the Theraphants. The creatures hissed  as the fire engulfed their bodies. They quickly curled in on themselves, their legs withering as they rolled over on their backs. It was over so quickly, Zenebe and Dulani looked up to find Pirouz and his two soldiers landing before them.

          “Sook is hurt! Is there an antidote for this venom?!” Dulani was distressed.

          Pirouz ignored the question, “Your companion looks… different from when I last saw you three.”

          Zenebe’s expression quickly soured, “She needs help, please!”

          Pirouz finally took in their distress, “Yes of course, we have treatments for Theraphant venom in the capital. We could fly her there quickly and treat her. On foot you two should only be a couple days’ distance away. Will you trust me to care for her until you catch up to us?”

          Zenebe was worried about leaving her alone in her lizard form, but they needed to prioritize her safety. “Yes, please keep her safe.”

          “And if you don’t keep her safe, you won’t be safe,” Dulani interjected.

           The two soldiers picked Sook up off the ground. Pirouz nodded to the pair of newcomers, “You have my word, I will look after your comrade.” With that, the three angels flew off toward the capital leaving Zenebe and Dulani standing amongst all the remains of all the charred arachnids.

          Pirouz and the two soldiers arrived at the ground-level entrance of the same garrison tower. They quickly took Sook inside and Pirouz ordered others nearby to both help carry her, and alert the medics. With four people to carry her, the soldiers swiftly moved down the hall and into the infirmary. It was a long stone room with beds lined against each wall. Most were empty. Only a handful of soldiers had been harmed from battling thralls recently. They placed Sook on the nearest bed and Pirouz turned around to see that a crowd had gathered to rubber neck at the strange reptilian woman. “Out! All of you! Except for you two”, Pirouz stated to the soldiers assigned to him by Borzou.

          A couple women in white uniforms came jogging down the line of beds toward Sook and Pirouz. “This woman’s um… tail has been exposed to Theraphant venom and she requires immediate treatment,” Pirouz calmly stated. The medics quickly collected a bottle of clear liquid and began dabbing the burned area. Pirouz sent the two soldiers to report back to Borzou while he stayed with Sook, ensuring that her treatment continued smoothly.

          It wasn’t long before Borzou entered the room. “I had to see it to believe it. Pirouz, do you have any idea what she is?”

          Pirouz stood at attention, “No sir, I am unfamiliar with her race, but she was in a state of disarmament and required medical attention. I deemed the best course of action was to help her first and talk afterward.”

          “This is a Varanian, Pirouz! They’re bad omens that bring calamity wherever they go!”

          Pirouz’ expression changed to worry when Sook grimaced in her prone state. “I... This sounds like a myth.”

          Borzou turned to look Pirouz in the eye, “Watch how you speak, Pirouz.” His baritone voice was cold but also raspy and intense.

          “My apologies sir, I simply mean that I have witnessed her valor and selflessness firsthand. I trust in her character. Furthermore, I ensured her companions of her safety. It is a soldier’s duty to keep their word, is it not?”

          Borzou’s expression didn’t move, Pirouz’ words failed to buckle his stance on the issue, “Your duty is to protect your nation. This Varanian is a potential THREAT to that nation! Hell, for all we know, this thing could be the reason our land is being plagued by thralls right now.”

           The heat in Pirouz’s voice intensified, “That is ridiculous! …Sir, the thralls have been attacking for over a month now; meanwhile this woman and her companions just got here less than a week ago. Besides, I witnessed her fighting thralls and she nearly died to one. That’s why she’s here in the first place.”

           Borzou stone faced. “We will treat it and hold it here. When the other two arrive, I will assess the threat and make my decision. You will stand guard for now, but you are on thin ice Pirouz. I don’t like what I’m hearing from you all of a sudden and it would behoove you to reassess what truly matters here.”

           With that, Borzou walked out of the room and Pirouz sighed deeply and turned to Sook. “I am so sorry about that. I promise to uphold my word to your allies as best I can.” Sook looked up into his anxious, light brown eyes reassuringly, but beneath her expression she was worried. She met people like Borzou before and she learned to avoid them.

           Down the hall, Borzou pulled another soldier aside and whispered in his ear, “Keep an eye on Pirouz. That girl might be too far gone already.” The soldier was confused but nodded in agreement. Borzou marched down the stone hallway, his heavy steps echoing throughout the garrison, adding to the despondent symphony of orders and shouts of the various soldiers.