Ch 2 - The Laguun Stronghold
Dood’s eyes fluttered open. He ran his hand through his unkempt brown hair and squeezed his scalp. ‘I need a shower.’ His thoughts were slow, mind was groggy, and vision was fuzzy. His eyes adjusted to the bright light and dilated as he found himself standing on a platform with runic, glowing markings. ‘Woah… and here I was expecting to wind up somewhere like Rivendell or the Shire.’ Dood quipped inwardly.
He peered up, his neck craning back as his eyes traced the sleek, reflective surfaces of the metallic glass buildings that towered above him. They were an array of shimmering colors: burnished golden towers that seemed to glow in the sunlight, polished silver, pristine white, buildings of deep black that added contrast to the colors around them, vibrant reds, and rich blue. Each skyscraper, an architectural marvel in its own right, rose majestically into the sky. The tallest one, a silver mirrored helix, audaciously pierced through a fluffy white cloud.
"If New York City looked like this," he murmured to himself, a wistful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "I would never have left." The memory of his first job out of college flooded back—a stark contrast to the scene before him. The job had been in a city he found… unpleasant, a place of gray monotony and oppressive concrete. The place he met Julie. ‘Nope! Not thinking of her!’ Dood squeezed his eyes shut and gave himself a mental slap across the face.
Thrums of strange engines caught his ear and turned his gaze down to the streets below where fluorescent trees of a dozen hues lined opaque glass sidewalks that ran alongside metallic grey streets. The thrum in the air was from levitating saucers. ‘No way…’ Dood’s jaw dropped at the dozens of UFOs flying just above the roads as if their occupants were commuting to work on a Tuesday morning.
“First time seeing anti gravitational propulsion, human?” A nasally voice rang out beside Dood.
“No, I saw one on Earth, but no one believed…” His words were caught in his throat as what greeted him was a furry human-like face with pig ears and an oinking snout. “What-the-heck… are YOU?” Dood blurted out.
The wolf/human/pig guy was indignant. His snout scrunched and he poked Dood in the chest. “I am a boarir. Have you never seen a primal before?”
“A what?” Dood’s genuine befuddlement only made the boarir angrier and he let a tiny *oink* accidentally escape his snout.
“Calm down friend.” A serene voice chimed in from behind.
The boarir snapped his head back before Dood looked and yelled, “You stay out of this elf. You leaf lickers think you’re so popular!”
Dood turned to see a male elf with blonde hair and forest green eyes laughing. ‘Yep, Rivendell…’ Dood thought to himself.
He ignored the angry pestering of his neighbor on the platform and looked around, noticing a few dozen other people scattered on the pedestal around him, most with confused expressions on their faces just like him. Some had the likeness of elves, with pointed ears and slender features, while others appeared like dwarves, with sturdy builds and bushy beards. Loud voices came from a particular bunch of animalistic humanoids, ‘The primas race that boarir guy mentioned’, Dood suspected. A few had gills and scaled skin, and a handful were human, just like Dood.
A stalwart, dwarven man ascended the platform, his heavy boots thudding against the metallic stairs with purposeful strides. His iconic dwarven beard cascaded down his chest, adorned with an array of sparkling gems and intricate clasps fashioned from precious metals. Encasing his robust frame was an elegant, form-fitting suit made of a shimmering white material, the fabric catching the light and rippling like water. Ruby trim lined the edges of the suit, adding a bold touch of color.
His voice boomed across the platform, the heavy, proud accent rolling off his tongue with the authority of a true mountain teller. "Welcome, travelers, to planet Primos of The Divinos Realm," he announced, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Please, step forward for processing. Transfers from off-planet, please follow the yellow paths to the travel center." He gestured to his right, where vibrant yellow lines snaked across the ground. "Newcomers from other realms, please follow the blue paths to a faction assessment." His hand shifted to the left, indicating the cool blue lines that led away from the platform into
Dood's eyes followed the blue light-guided path, his feet feeling light as a feather as the surreal moment intensified with each step. The path led him to an ocean blue metallic glass building that seemed to radiate a calming aura. As he approached, the door dissolved like a membrane, parting effortlessly to allow him entry before seamlessly closing behind him with a soft whoosh.
Inside, an elven woman with piercing, emerald eyes and shoulder-length, silver hair stood waiting, her gaze fixed on Dood with a slight aloof quality. Her voice, melodious and proud, filled the space as she greeted him. "Hello, young one," she said, "It seems that you are new to the realm. My name is Elevee, and I’m here to help you get settled in The Divinos Realm. Please, follow me, sit down, and I'll explain the basics."
She quickly led Dood to a booth, her long, flowing robe swishing softly with each step. She took her place behind a transparent desk, her slender fingers tapping the surface. Instantly, holographic light screens materialized in the air beside them, casting a soft glow that illuminated their faces. Dood settled into a chair that molded to his form, the sensation both foreign and comforting.
As he sat, Elevee began to explain the world he had just entered, her voice steady and clear. "You are currently in what's known as a stronghold called Laguun Stronghold," she said, pointing to a holographic map that hovered in the air. "You’re from Earth, is that correct?” Her eyes met his, searching for confirmation as her fingers continued to dance across the desk, pulling up more information on the screens.
“Um, yes mam.” Dood said respectfully.
She smiled at his courtesy, “Most humans are from Earth. If they’re not that means they’re probably meddling with powers they ought to be staying clear of.” Her tone was grave and Dood could see a poorly concealed fear in her eyes.
She continued, “You can think of a stronghold as a fortified city. And our stronghold in particular is uniquely fortified. We are surrounded by a massive forest to the North and East and an Ocean to the South and West. It’s quite dangerous outside these walls so you must learn more before thinking of going on some grand adventure.”
Elevee tapped a light screen to the right and pulled up a simple slideshow. ‘A Powerpoint presentation?’ Dood thought distractedly as she continued. “The Divinos Realm is divided into three main factions: the Ionic Way, the Divinos Way, and the Deminos Way. The Ionic Way is for those who are numb to the photonforce, a natural energy that constitutes creation's elements, and rely on technology to enhance ourselves. The Divinos Way is for those who have innate photonforce abilities, and who can sense and control it. The Deminos Way... well, that's a path for those who hate the world and have reached towards the darkness. This stronghold is an Ionic Way stronghold, under the banner of the Starling Empire. Here you will find people that follow the Ionic Way as well as those who follow the Divinos Way. The Starling Empire is allied with the Divinos Way."
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“Now it’s time for us to see which faction you belong to.” Elevee reached under the desk as she spoke, and pulled out a glass spiral disk. “This is a photonforce sensor, and it will tell us if you have photonforce inside your divinoscore, no photonforce, or corrupted photonforce.” She explained as the disk was placed on Dood's chest.
With a delicate touch, Elevee pressed the center of the spiral. Instantly, a milky white glow began to condense at the heart of the disk, gradually spreading outward like ripples on a pond. Before three heartbeats had elapsed, the entire disk was enveloped in a bright, pulsating white light. Dood felt the disk vibrating against his chest, the sensation sending a shiver down his spine.
“Photonforce wielder.” Elevee spoke succinctly. Her dimenor turned slightly colder, as she quickly tucked the photonforce sensor back under her desk. She typed quickly on the screen in a language that Dood couldn’t read, but he did notice her highlight his name yellow. ‘What’s that about?’ Dood tucked the thought away to consider later.
She turned back to him with scrutinizing eyes. "It seems you have strong potential in your way. You'll need to meet with a Divinos Way guide to determine your next steps. Wait here for them to escort you."
Dood nodded and smiled, “Thank you for your help Elevee.”
He reached out to shake her hand. But she simply looked at his hand and walked away without saying goodbye. ‘Yikes… Handshakes must be offensive to elves.’ He thought, then spoke aloud, “Why am I so bad with other cultures.” He pinched the bridge of his nose as memories of meeting a highschool girlfriend’s Indian parents went horribly wrong.
“Are you Dood?” A man's bright voice brought Dood out of his reminiscing. He was dark skinned, tall and strong, with curly black hair that ended in bright crimson hues at the tips. He wore a blue curved hem shirt with a small golden cross embroidered on the back, black dress pants, and sleek black sneaker-type shoes.
“Yes sir, I am. Are you my guide?” Dood stood and asked.
The man had a kind smile. “Yes, my name is Desmond. I’ll be taking you to divinos way compound number 3.” He seemed genuinely happy to be guiding Dood. “The compound typically starts the introductory program an hour or so after it is confirmed there are new divinos way followers in the realm. We shouldn’t need to rush if we leave now.”
“Thanks Desmond, I’ll follow your lead.” Dood ginned, happy to encounter another human. He recalled seeing a handful of other humans on the portal platform, however, he didn’t have the time to speak.
Dood soon found himself back outside walking just behind Desmond’s shoulder. His eyes darted distractedly between flying saucers and floating through the stronghold streets and nearly lost track of his guide.
“I still remember my first day.” Desmond said with a grin. “Jesus doesn’t give much of a heads up, does he?” He laughed and patted Dood’s back, “Well, I for one love a good surprise.”
“So Jesus brought you here too?” Dood asked.
“That’s right.” Desmond’s head dropped with a grin. “Anyone in The Divinos Realm who traveled from Earth is sent here by the Lord. There’s been quite a large number of travelers over the last two millennia.”
Dood’s brow creased in thought, “So is everyone in The Divinos Realm a traveler from Earth?”
Desmond shook his head, “Not at all. The realm encompasses many worlds. Families are formed and babies are born the usual way here.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a case filled with bright orange cubes and tossed one into his mouth. “So I’m assuming the assessment center representative filled you in on the basics in the stronghold, do you have any questions while we walk?” His breath smelt great after chewing on the orange cube, like mango and mint.
Dood scratched the back of his head, the tips of his ears turned red in embarrassment. “I think I offended the representative. Are handshakes offensive in the realm or to elves in general?”
Desmond laughed, “What? A handshake?” He asked rhetorically. “Handshakes are normal. Why do you ask? What did you do?”
Dood held his hands up, “I have no idea what I did. After the assessment was over I thanked her and reached my hand out for a handshake. She just looked at it and walked away so coldly that I thought I was being rude. Does that make sense?”
Desmond smiled knowingly, “Your representative must’ve been Elevee. She’s in The Ionic Way, and has an axe to grind against us. Well, against The Divinos Way.”
Dood nodded and held his chin saying under his breath, “She did seem to grow colder when my photonforce sensor filled…”
Desmond stopped and looked Dood in the eyes, “Filled? Like, completely filled?”
Dood flinched back a bit, “Yep. The spiral disk filled up in a few seconds.”
Desmond grabbed him by the shoulders and shook, “A FEW SECONDS?” He asked loudly, causing other pedestrians to turn their way.
Dood numbly kept his hands at his side. The power in Desmond’s hands was bizarre. He felt like a child in the hand of an adult, or even a doll in the hand of an adult. “Is that a bad thing?” He asked sheepishly.
Desmond’s head shot back and he laughed aloud to the sky. “Good, Dood!” He patted Dood’s shoulder and continued, “Excellent. A full sensor in the Divinos Novice stage is priceless. No wonder she was cold to you. She probably suspects that you’re going to be one of our best fighters in a few years. And she’s right! Your potential is probably beyond epic, that’s so cool! You found yourself a great card, huh?”
Dood’s eyebrow raised. His hand reached to the right side of his chest. “A wolf.”
Desmond threw his arm around Dood and sped up their pace to the divinos stronghold. He spoke like a big brother. "You see,” Desmond started, “long ago, the Ionic Way didn’t exist. At the dawn of the realm the old ones, the original inhabitants of the realm, worshiped Jesus and started The Divinos Way. Then an adversary appeared, a powerful leader of the old ones, that split The Divinos Way into two. The Divinos Way and The Deminos Way.”
He took the orange cube from his mouth, now mashed and white, and tossed it into a trash can that disintegrated what Dood suspected to be gum before it even fell in. ‘That’s wild.’ Dood thought distractedly and quickly focused back on Desmond’s history lesson.
Desmond clenched his fist and a flicker of flame burst from the crimson tips of his curly hair, “The Deminos Way is demonic. Their powers stem from dark sources and vile rituals. Stuff that’ll make your skin crawl. The Deminos Way followers happen to be quite weak to photonforce, so The Divinos Way initially dominated any resistance they put forth. However, satan is crafty. He knew that he couldn’t beat us in a head to head conflict so he simply divided the hearts within Jesus’s way.”
“We’re told that It started as simple frustration against Jesus in the hearts of the old ones. Questions like - ‘Where is He?’, ‘Does He even hear us anymore?’, and ‘Has He abandoned us?’ plagued the hearts of many Divinos followers. Jesus created the realm, popped in and out for a few years, then just left to finish His ministry on Earth.” Desmond scratched his head guiltily. “The Ionic Way was formed from those who felt abandoned by Jesus, and once travelers from Earth started appearing, they became even more bitter to Him and the photonforce.”
Dood tilted his head, “Then why did Elevee say something about an Empire being allied with The Divinos Way, and that empire being in charge of this stronghold?”
Desmond chuckled and ruffled his own curly hair. “I was just about to get there. The politics of the realm are fuzzy, but basically The Ionic Way is split in half. The Nyke Conglomerate versus The Starling Empire. Both dislike us and hate The Deminos Way, however, The Deminos Way managed to provide The Nyke Conglomerate with some sort of advanced technology that keeps them in a precarious partnership. As for us and The Starling Empire, relations have gotten better over the years, but they basically use us as mercenaries.”
Desmond pointed ahead, “We’re here. They approached a white building 200 meters away that stood out amongst the science fiction landscape. It was big, simple, and built with organic shapes. A lush garden of verdant green grasses and vines with all sorts of mesmerizing flowers ushered guests of the building towards the front door. And behind the building, Dood could faintly see a large training field with what looked like beasts and people fighting.
Dood asked, “What’s going on in the back of the building?”
Desmond simply smiled knowingly, “I’m not gonna ruin that surprise for you. You’ll know soon enough, anyhow.”