Mother
Alternate
Finality
Chapter One: The First Initiative
The Treasure Chest of Secrets has the following to say about
The mountain is home to a network of branching caves
that lead avid travelers from the base to about a quarter of the way up. Up
until a few years ago, when eco-tourism to this area was common, one would be
able to find, at the very least, a campsite; times have changed, however, and
several external circumstances have eliminated what little hospitality the
mountain had to offer.
The mythos surrounding
Those who treasure their lives and/or sanity should
never, under any circumstance, attempt to set foot within 500 meters of
The guide ends there.
***
Joshua found a patch of grass on the ground that was particularly comfy and flopped down on it, spreading his legs out and placing his arms behind his head. As he let the afternoon sun blanket his face he took a deep, satisfied breath. He hadn’t smelled air this fresh in a long time, and it felt wonderful. He watched as a small butterfly flittered by peacefully and raised his arm, extending his finger. The butterfly landed gracefully on his digit and tickled it with its tiny feet, forcing a smile out of Joshua. “…I like it here,” he said dreamily, “it’s nice.”
Vee was sitting on a protruding rock
a few feet to the left and holding a piece of paper in her hands, studying it
meticulously. The paper was a crude,
hand-drawn map of
Off and away a couple of bushes rattled as Peel stepped out from a grove of trees. After jogging hastily over to Vee’s side she sat down beside her and gave an enthusiastic nod. She was a little uncomfortable, being on the lamb again and all, but she was making the best of it and showed no signs of stopping. “I found a cave mouth a few yards to the left of those trees over there…you think it’s the same one on the map?” She bent over and placed her head near Vee’s, trying to get a glimpse of the map.
“I think so,” said Vee, who folded up the map and put it in her pocket. “We’d better get a move on, or we won’t make it out of the caves before dark.”
Peel got up from her spot on the rock and walked over to Joshua. When she reached him she crouched down and hugged her knees with one arm while she poked Joshua—who had managed to doze off—with the other. “Come on, kid…time to go.” She said soothingly.
Joshua’s eyes flittered open and he stifled a yawn with his hand. “Already?” he asked sleepily. Peel nodded and sprung back up. “Already. Where’s Julian?”
Joshua, who still hadn’t budged from his patch of grass, stretched his arm and pointed a finger towards the area behind him, tilting his head back slightly. Peel followed Joshua’s finger and rolled her eyes when she found what she was looking for. “Great…Mr. Mopey’s at it again.” She complained. Joshua raised his feet and brought them down quickly, using the momentum to sit up, smothering another yawn as he did so. “If you say so…” he whispered.
Julian was standing near one of the large boulders on the base of the mountain, his hand resting on it softly while he stared at the peak. He looked pensive, as always. Peel trotted over to Julian’s side, calling out his name, but he didn’t seem to listen. “Julian!” she cried, “Julian!”
“…Julian…” Peel’s hand came to rest on Julian’s shoulder, drawing him out of his trance and making him swivel his head. “Oh…hi Peel.” He said, dropping his hand and turning to face Peel fully. “Did you find the entrance to the caves yet?”
Peel nodded. “Yep. ‘S around those trees there. Come on…we don’t have all day, you know?”
A sudden breeze ruffled the nearby trees and bushes and tossed a lock of Julian’s hair to the side, tumbling it over his forehead. Peel let out a giggle that seemed horribly out-of-character for her and used her hand to brush Julian’s hair back to where it was. “Come on…let’s go.”
Vee groaned from her vantage point on her boulder and shook her head, causing a reaction from Joshua. “What’s wrong?” he asked, worry in his voice. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Not if that keeps up.” Vee gestured over to Julian and Peel with her hand, sighing deeply. “Those two are going to make me sick.”
Joshua scrutinized the two and scratched his chin, trying to see the meaning behind Vee’s words, but to no avail. “I’m afraid I don’t see what you mean.” He mused.
Vee shook her head again. “I wonder how in the world you were able to put up with that junk for all those months.”
Joshua turned and gave Vee a confused look. “Well, they haven’t always been like this…as a matter of fact, this is the first time I see them so close to each other.”
Joshua’s naïveté surprised Vee a little bit more with every passing day. This kid was going to need a serious father-to-son talk with her dad after they came back. That is, if they came back at all…
Vee placed her hand on Joshua’s head and ruffled his hair. “You’ll understand when you’re older.” She said reassuringly. She then got up, dusted herself off, and called over to the happy couple. “Oigan! Guys! We have to get going!”
***
The opaque green light emanating from the Aswer cast several green shadows on the cave wall. As it moved, steady and ever-vigilant, the shadows played and morphed silently, hiding behind the ever-chaotic contour of the stone. The sensation produced by this minimal display of makeshift art made Julian’s eyes blur slightly, and dug a hole in his stomach. He’d only been in those caves for a few hours, and already he was being taken over by a nagging sense of claustrophobia.
A drop of condensed moisture fell from a stalactite up above Julian and splashed onto a tiny puddle below. The echo from such a sound rang through the entire cavern, seemingly oblivious to the presence of life within it. Even though he knew his friends were behind him, the sound of that drop made Julian feel very, very alone.
There was a dull thud, then the sound of a pebble rolling along the fragmented cave floor. A drop of cold sweat graced the back of Julian’s neck, sending shivers down his spine. His mouth cracked open a little bit. A sharp, tense breath left his mouth.
“Did…anyone hear that?” croaked Julian.
A small scuffling sound was heard as the others shifted in their places. They obviously hadn’t heard anything out of the ordinary. Julian righted himself and turned to face his friends, the hairs on the back of his neck tingly with uneasiness. “I…thought I heard something…”
No response. It was as if he was talking to himself.
The rustle of paper filled the cavernous depths as Vee retrieved her map and unfolded it, taking a few tentative steps towards the Aswer in an attempt to shine more light on the small piece of paper. “According to the map, we should take the next right…we should be outta here in a little while.”
The others assented and sidestepped Julian, heading for the exit. The sound of their steps was so loud that it seemed almost tangible, resonating with the very ground and flying steadily through the dank, pungent-smelling air, shaking the very core of Julian’s being. Julian sighed wearily. It was probably just my imagination…he reassured himself, then continued walking, a little more aware of his surroundings and slightly more uneasy than before.
***
Having the
evening sun blast onto one’s eyes after they’ve been exposed to nothing but
total darkness for hours on end can be very painful, as Peel unhappily attested
to after exiting the
The mountain was indeed as hostile as it was made out to be; it was a desolate-looking field of brown rock, with a scant weed interrupting the monotonous landscape every several feet. Several outcroppings of rock surrounded the slope, scattered around as if they had fallen there. A cold breeze wafted through and around the rocks, whistling eerily. It was no wonder that no one wanted to come here at all.
Julian squatted down on his haunches and let out a deep sigh of relief. He shrunk the Aswer and began playing with it—something he hadn’t done in a long time—and turned to the others. “Okay…once we find this healer’s house Loid mentioned, we’ll stop and rest. Agreed?”
“You actually think any of us wouldn’t?” Peel snapped, irritated. “I mean, we’ve been walking for hours, you know? My feet are so tired I can’t even walk straight anymore!” she bent down and grabbed her ankle to illustrate her point. “I have half a mind to—huh?”
Peel’s speech was interrupted as she spotted an animal sniffing her foot. It was a reptilian-looking thing, with leathery yellow scales and three gray claws on each of its four feet. Its mouth was shaped like a hooked beak, and it had beady black eyes that shone vigorously, whether from the sunlight or from it own internal energy. Two bat-like wings sprouted from the thing’s back, and they were folded over its back. Its serpentine tail flickered back and forth as it sniffed Peel’s foot. Altogether it barely managed to reach her knee.
Peel’s eyes widened and she recoiled in silent horror as the creature chased her curiously. “Getitawaygetitawaygetitaway!” her speech became jumbled and her eyes watered with tears. Instinctively, she ran towards Julian and crouched behind him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him in an effort to get him to make the lizard creature go away. Julian’s head bobbed back and forth and his jaw dropped as a result of Peel’s yammering and shaking. “It’s all right! Don’t shake me like that!” he pleaded, but Peel’s fear had gotten the better of her and she wasn’t listening to a word Julian said, preferring instead to continue shaking him and bawling like a baby.
Vee, in the meantime, decided to step up to the critter and inspect it. “You know…” she mused, “it’s actually kind of cute. Like a big iguana or something.” Her hand reached out to pet the thing on its head. The creature was making a soft clicking noise while its gaze shifted from Peel to Vee, its tail stiffening and its eyes growing narrow. Vee didn’t seem to notice and continued to lower her hand down slowly onto the reptile’s head. “Just like a cute little gargoyle…”
Suddenly, Joshua, who was watching the scene from afar, bolted forth and reached out with his hand in an attempt to stop Vee. “Wait! Don’t touch it!” he cried.
He was too late. The gargoyle reared back on its hind legs as soon as Vee touched it, then tried to pounce on her, growling menacingly as he did so. Vee barely managed to dodge the monster before it reached her, and she tumbled to the floor in surprise. The gargoyle, in the meantime, had taken flight, its tiny wings spread out and beating furiously to keep him airborne. It raised its head and emitted a shrill cry, causing several other cries to respond from all over. Soon, more gargoyles sprouted from between the outcropping, some standing on the floor, and others hovering a few feet above ground. The air became dense with the sound of growls and shrieks.
“I read its mind…” said Joshua as he and Vee backed up towards Julian, who was still trying to calm Peel down. “Those things want to eat us, or something. They’re not very intelligent, apparently.”
Julian stood abruptly and grabbed Peel by the shoulders, gripping tightly. “Peel! Snap out of it, we’re in trouble!” he yelled. Peel stopped her tantrum and looked at Julian, then at the gargoyles surrounding the four. She let out a high-pitched “Eep!!” and grabbed Julian’s hand, using the other to cover her mouth.
Vee raised her fists and dug the balls of her feet into the ground, lowering her head as she did so. “So…they wanna eat us? Let ‘em come and try, iguanas estúpidas!!”
One of the gargoyles took flight and flew up a few feet before pointing straight down and nose-diving at Vee. The latter, in turn, jumped up and raised her knee as the thing passed, interrupting its attack and impaling it on her knee. She brought down her elbow on its back and smashed it, then swatted it away with her hand. When she landed she began twirling her leg in an arc, kicking several more monsters out of the air in a series of roundhouse kicks.
Joshua spread his fingers and closed his eyes in concentration. “PK Fire!” he cried, and a psychic fire erupted from his fingers and onto the floor, circling him and keeping a group of approaching gargoyles at bay. While he wasn’t about to go about killing the attackers—they were living things, after all—he wasn’t about to sit idly by while they used him for lunch. One of the gargoyles leapt over the fire and at Joshua, who extended his hand and ‘caught’ the thing in mid air using PSI. He then launched it as far away as possible, so as to prevent it from rejoining the battle. When the fire cleared a new troupe of monsters approached him menacingly. Joshua extended his hands and turned his palms outward, letting several photon-like pellets emanate from his hands until they blanketed the entire area around Joshua. The gargoyles screeched in pain as the pellets covered their hides and seared their scales. Joshua closed his eyes and shouted, “PK Swarm!” upon which the pellets exploded and rendered the creatures out of commission. He then shook his head and sighed sadly.
Peel yelped in horror as one of the gargoyles charged her, its beady eyes reflecting the savage energy it was channeling. In an act of pure instinct, Peel turned away and grabbed her wrench, flailing it about wildly in an attempt to hit the attacker. She was lucky enough to actually strike the thing, and recoiled in surprise when the gargoyle dropped to the ground. A sound behind her made her whirl and whip out her bazooka, firing madly. She was fortunate enough to score a few extra hits when she did so, and ended up sitting on the floor, panting scared.
By now only a few gargoyles remained, and they were all focused on Julian. The Aswer was hovering just behind him, as if it was some sort of bodyguard to him. When one of the gargoyles pounced he shot out his hand and grabbed it, then threw it over to its companions. Like a flash, he cupped his hands and concentrated a surge of cold energy through his palms. “PK Freeze!” he called, and the energy materialized in the form of a giant block of ice, which was then launched at another gargoyle. When the last gargoyle attacked the Aswer was ready; Julian smacked it into the gargoyle and sent it flying.
Julian clapped his hands together to remove the dirt from them, turning calmly towards his companions. “Well, it looks like we’re not welcome here.” He mused. The others nodded; Peel was still sprawled on the floor. Joshua helped her up carefully, then dusted himself off and faced Julian. “I think we’re almost there.” He said.
“Yeah…let’s go.”
***
One couldn’t call it a house, exactly—part of the back wall was missing and the place had fallen into gross disrepair over the years—but it was still there, welcoming the four young travelers, beckoning to them from a small clearing set against the evening sky. There was, Julian surmised, no one there; after all, who in their right mind would want to live here?
“I guess the owner cleared out a while ago.” Mused Julian as he and his friends stepped inside, tiptoeing carefully over the scattered debris and the many cobwebs that littered the floor and walls.
“At least it’s a place to stay. We can clean up a little, it’s no big deal.” Vee said this as she stooped down to brush a cobweb off of her pants, and succeeded only in making her pants dirtier than they already were. She took off her backpack and laid it on a nearby table, which was missing a leg, and put her hands on her hips. This place was a clean freak’s nightmare.
Peel and Joshua opened the door to the adjacent room and peeked inside. The smell of humidity quickly reached their nostrils and halted them before they could get any further into the room, and caused Peel to raise her hand and wave it vigorously in front of her face. “Yikes…I don’t think anyone wants to sleep in there, you know?” she commented absent-mindedly.
Joshua took a few steps back and spun slowly on his heel, surveying the entirety of the room while his hands grabbed the straps on his backpack. “There’s enough room in here, I guess…” he said. “Julian and I can camp on the floor, while you two take the couch.” He then jerked his head to the side as if to indicate the large, spacious—not to mention horrible worn—couch placed against the wall.
The girls nodded in agreement, and soon everyone began unloading their things, desperate for some rest.
***
Breathing.
Rustling.
Light snoring.
The night hours played an unusual overture that drummed against Julian’s ears, stirring him from his sleep. Well, it wasn’t like he was sleeping very well anyway; there was too much to think about.
He shifted his eyes to the side and found Joshua slumbering peacefully in a sleeping bag. His mouth was cracked open and the sound of light, wispy breathing emanated from his person. He sure didn’t seem to have much trouble sleeping.
By turning his head to the side he caught a glimpse of the girls, who were crowded on the old couch. Although Vee slept like a newborn baby, still and quiet, Peel was tossing herself around and making a noise that sounded a lot like snoring. They didn’t seem very comfortable…still, it was better than the floor, and they didn’t seem to mind much.
Julian turned his gaze towards the ceiling and placed his hands behind his head. “Peel…” he whispered to himself.
Suddenly a wave of sound reached his ears and he became aware of an intense rustling noise emanating from the couch. Looking over in that direction he found Peel climbing clumsily over Vee and nearly tumbling to the floor. She stumbled a few steps when she hit the ground and almost tripped over Joshua, but eventually she made it over the obstacles set before her and wandered sleepily over to where Julian was. Almost instinctively she plopped down next to him and cuddled up in a fetal position, grabbing part of Julian’s blanket and slinging it over herself.
I wonder what she did that for…Julian tried to think of a thousand possible ways to explain just why Peel had suddenly decided to share the floor with him, but nothing came to him. He wasn’t about to wake her and tell her to go back to the couch…he’d probably get yelled at, and besides, it was rude. He’d just have to live with it for the moment.
Silently Julian
propped himself up on one elbow and used his other arm to pull the blanket
across Peel so that it was covering both of them equally. Once he was satisfied with the arrangement he
let himself drop back down and he turned over on his side, with his back to
Peel. Good night, Peel… he thought to himself. Sweet dreams…
“Julian…”
Julian’s eyes widened and he tensed up as he heard Peel’s voice. Did he wake her? Was she trying to talk to him? He shifted his eyes to the side in a futile attempt to look at Peel, but he had no success. Eventually, though, Peel just sighed profoundly, smacked her lips a few times, and said no more. Julian sighed as well, inwardly scolding himself for thinking such silly things in the middle of the night, and dismissed the event, closing his eyes. Slowly a satisfied smile crept across his face.
It wasn’t long before he was sound asleep.
***
A lone figure darted across the dark landscape, leaping gracefully from rock to rock, making so little noise as to become inaudible. No living breath could be heard from it as it traveled, quickly and surely, to its destination. The shadow, as it wove between the crags, could be seen as nothing more than that.
Finally it came to rest on a small crag overlooking the remains of what used to be a small healer’s shack—remains that were now entertaining guests for the first time in five years. The air around it smelled stale, as if the age of the house permeated the very atmosphere around it. The figure jumped down from its vantage point and landed a few feet away from the shack, making no sound at all. Quickly it reached out with its foot and dug its toes into the ground, tracing a figure on the soil. When it finished its chore it leaped up to its previous position and knelt down, placing a hand on the rocky surface.
“Finally…” the figure sighed, and a maniacal grin came over its face as it leapt away.
***
“An arrow…”
Julian was kneeling over the crudely traced figure on the dry soil as he said those words, his friends crowded behind him in a semicircle. Whoever left that there must have had done it during the night, when everyone was asleep. But who else could be up here, of all places?
“Dual Proghauser…” whispered Vee. “It’s that girl…it has to be.”
Julian nodded, his eyes still focused on the arrow. “She must be trying to tell us where to find her…” he mused, quietly. “Do you think we should follow it?”
Peel let out a sigh and shook her head, placing her hands on her hips. “Do you think we have a choice?” she said. “Seeing as how she probably left the arrow, she can probably find us anytime.”
Josha took a few steps away from the group and squinted into the horizon, trying to make out any figures there. Almost instinctively he closed his eyes and began sniffing the air like a wild animal. After a few seconds he turned and faced his friends. “Well, whatever it is that’s up here, it smells human, and it left a trail.” He said. “It’s fairly certain that following that arrow will lead us where we need to go.”
Julian rose and walked over to his companion, followed by Peel and Vee. “It’s settled then,” he said sternly. “We’ll follow the arrow…wherever it’ll lead us.”
The four youths began walking in the direction that the arrow had pointed out to them. Quickly and surely, the team trekked ever higher, making their way over rock, cliffs, and other natural obstacles, stopping only to check their orientation. The distance between them and the almighty summit grew shorter and shorter, and a deep sense of foreboding came over them. Just who was waiting for them? Just what were they up against?
The answer came to them when they reached a flat clearing overlooking a large lake. The crystalline waters betrayed the lake’s secrets, allowing light to penetrate even to the very bottom, where only dirt lay. The clearing was large, and it seemed as though it hadn’t been disturbed for eons. There were only five living beings there—Julian, his friends, and…
“Hallo, Julian…I have been waiting for you.”