Chapter 22
The Dying Land
“BUAHAHAHA, YOU MATED WITH A BILE, BUAHAHAHAHA. THE MIGHTY SAIDO”
After we got back to the ship, Mahaar didn’t stop Pickering with Saido who’s face nearly blackened from both shame and anger. And no matter how much he tried to convince the giant that he did exactly the same, Mahaar just kept denying it, stating he “mated” with a really beautiful Grokati “Just look at how her beautiful her arms were” he proudly huffed. The Noran finally gave up and went on with his training.
Ryola was the sole survivor of this brothel ordeal as nothing dared to approach her because of Zao’s murderous aura. As for me, I could care less. first off, because I couldn’t really remember what happened, only that it was very enjoyable. Cordi explained that I was enthralled by a mixture of insect pheromones, mainly queen bee. Secondly…
Didn’t care, had sex
We were on our way to Mahaar home planet, Masdak. the living planet. With the help of Pantharax, Cordi gave each of us a new UTD, a tiny device the size of a pinhead I didn’t even know I had. She said it was EMP resistant and encased with Pantharax own materials, crafted especially by the ship itself and should function as good on Masdak.
On the way, we exchanged stories. I told them about my life in the tower in the past year and the fact that I nearly died more than one time. I also mentioned my limited superpower that could hast for roughly fifteen minutes now.
Saido didn’t have any stories to share, saying that his life was a constant travel between academies which shunned him most of the time and Ryola said she didn’t have any, probably she wasn’t ready to open up yet.
Mahaar on the other hand, couldn’t stop talking about how great his home was. The lush forests and vast plains, the mountains, and animals. Grokati was a tribal race that consisted of thousands of societies across the planet, often skirmishing for dominance.
He also told everyone about the infamous Arm wars, back when tribes waged bloody wars against each other for land, herds, and arms.
In order for a Grokati to evolve into an Overlord, a four-armed Grokati, or even the rare six-armed Dominator, he must use an external arm, often left by the parents their strongest children, guaranteeing a strong lineage for years, and since the average lifespan of a Grokati is very high, the arms are in very high demand.
The Arm war lasted for decades, until one particular chieftain called Loftar, or Loftaar in Grokati Language, united the tribes under him and put an end to the war, this man was Mahaar’s father.
He was the first and first and only Grokati to achieve the mythical Octamanus stage with eight arms, Mahaar said his father was personally blessed by the Goddess Gola. Yeah, the one he talks about all the time.
She was their Goddess of war, battle, and conquest. He also said there were other Gods and Goddesses but he didn’t bother learning about them since he considered himself a warrior. There was even a higher forgotten God that legends said that he created even Gola, but no one knows anything about that one, forgotten in the folds of history.
The mood started to turn sour as he starting telling about his father’s death. Mahaar’s own brother was behind his father’s death, along with several other Dominators that Mahaar swore to hunt down one by one, that’s why he traveled the galaxies and ended up on Earth, that black one in the Coliseum was one of them.
The short version was that Amaar, Mahaar’s bother, along with several powerful Dominators plotted to lure the Octamanus to a particular plain that Mahaar used to play in, lying about his younger son was in danger, and stabbed him in the back, the Octamanus fought fiercely as he was the strongest Grokati alive, but three dozen Dominators was just too overpowering, and the final blow was landed by his own blood, Amaar.
His arms were torn out and taken by the traitorous bunch with hopes of ascending to Octamanuses, but the golden arms refused to meld with their bodies. Mahaar stated that the arms had minds of its own and pick its owner. So, the eight precious golden arms were scattered across the universe, like the one Mahaar obtained from Mekshima.
I’m not usually an emotional person but the look on Mahaar’s face gave me a heartache, his father was the only person he looked up to in his life and loved so much that he had to cross the universe to avenge him.
I decided to give him a piece of my mind, I thought it could maybe ease his pain. I walked up to the window as we were approaching the solar system of Masdak and without turning to him, I cleared my throat “Mahaar, does the name Asura rings a bell?”
That seemed to snap him out of his sullen mood for the moment, the giant pondered for a second.
“The powerful hound me that earlier, why?”
“I had a dream Mahaar, a dream where I met a baby named Asura, a baby with green eyes, a wide grin, and a beautiful heart just like yours. Oh! And also, a fuckton of arms” I said with a knowing smirk.
He took my words and stayed quiet for a while, not knowing what to say to that. Maybe he thought I was lying or even delusional, it was just a dream after all, but I was hoping that my words pick up a tiny fraction of sorrow from his heart and replace it with a sliver of hope.
Cordi announced that we were entering the solar system of Masdak, I walked up closer to the projection on the bridge and whistled at the sight. The solar system had only one planet with seven moons, but what really caught my eyes is the planet looked like earth but …. Bluer!
The blue wasn’t seas or oceans but forests. Unlike earth, at least the one I knew, the land mass was much larger than water, the blue is the color of the greenery, or in that case, bluery.
My heart nearly sunk when we got closer and I saw large patches of black tainting the planet, blackness like the one in my dreams.
So the dog didn’t lie, they really started killing the planet!
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My brain went into overdrive as I started forming the link between the dark creatures in my dreams, the tainted lifeless planets, and this planet before me, but my thoughts were vaporized by a blackout inside the ship.
“Cordi?”
“That’s an EMP wave emitting from the planet, most electronics are void as we get closer. Brace yourselves, Pantharax is switching to organic flight mode”
“What the- “I saw the dragon flap its wings for the first time, everyone trying to stay balanced on the shaking floors, no one was familiar with riding “inside” a belly of a giant electro lizard.
“He’s not gonna spit us into the planet?” I asked with concern. “No, we will land directly on the planet” the AI announced as the ship’s outside turned into a fiery hell as the dragon entered the atmosphere, I really hoped that its heat resistant and we won’t have to crash land, but my faith in my galactic dragon put my concerns away.
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*** Masdak, the living planet, Grokati scout POV ***
Fire fell from the sky, a usual spacecraft of another foolish alien for the land to claim. whoever crashing here, if they survive the landing, they won’t survive the darkness.
The fire started moving as it got closer, and I got to see its form. It was not a spacecraft, it was a giant beast of fire, flapping four wings as if it was actually was enjoying bathing in flame.
Gola have mercy, what is that?!
As it got closet, the fire dissipated, revealing the form of a mighty black beast, more terrifying even than the darkness itself. After a gliding spree, it landed in the nearby dark plain, but mighty or not, nothing survives the darkness.
I have to report back to the village I thought, but by now I think everyone saw what happened, I have to get as close as I can. If the darkness claims something like that, not only the village, but the entire land is doomed.
I started running in the direction the beast landed in, as cautious as possible not to attract the darkness attention, using the trees to hide whenever a tainted pack of beasts appeared.
Reaching the clearing, I climbed a fairly long tree overseeing the plain, the beast stood motionless as its size started shrinking, but its throat was moving all time. It spat a light-red ball the instantly disappeared under the noon’s sun, revealing three people I couldn’t identify from this distance, so I climbed down and cautiously crawled my way closer.
Hiding behind a large boulder, I finally saw them.
A discolored Noran that was floating with several energy orbs resting on his head, accompanied by some woman in combat armor like the soldiers visiting from other countries usually wear, the third one I couldn’t identify, wearing strange comfy looking clothes with his head hiding under a veil.
It was clear that both of them was the Noran’s guards judging by his dementor and the flamboyant clothing he wore. The beast throat was still moving but nothing came out, I kept watching their every move until what I feared has happened, the darkness saw them too.
The ground shook beneath me, and from the forest, the stampede came. The beasts that gave us life, were now slaves of the darkness. A throng of animals was now charging the Noran and his guards, and whatever the thing that brought them here in its belly.
“What the fuck, you can do that!?” I heard the third alien scream, not in fear, but admiration speaking to the beast. It was clear that they landed from either a far untainted land, or just entered the planet, and that excitement of the alien, either it was a vocal trait of his species, or he was mentally challenged.
I had to kill the beast as soon as possible if the darkness claims something that size, the entire tribe is dead. I don’t care if the trio themselves were turned, but the beast is another story, if it turned, it will wreak havoc in the entire area.
I readied my daggers and waited for the moment they were distracted by the incoming hoard and the time came. I dashed, aiming for where the beast’s heart should be behind its forelegs. I was strong, one of the few Overlords left in the tribe and one of its top scouts, even if I die, the tribe will live on. I had to try.
“GOLA GUIDE MY STEEL!” I roared as I approached the beast, only to find myself tossed back by an unseen shockwave, my legs shaking uncontrollably. I’ve always thought I was the bravest of my scout unit before, the beast proved me wrong.
“Impossible” the words escaped my mouth as I saw the beast opens his mouth and throw a ball of fire at the incoming horde. Fire unlike any fire I’ve seen, white fire!
The fireball landed in the middle of the stampede and exploded, I had to cover my eyes from the blinding flash. It was over a kilometer away, but I felt like I’m being roasted from where I stood, and I wasn’t the only one, the Noran erected a dome of frost around himself and his guards that melted in seconds, clearly not able to handle the scorching heat of the white flames.
The ice dome couldn’t protect them as they rushed back into the belly of the beast, with the exception of the alien guard who formed some kind of cocoon around himself! I wondered if he was from some kind of insectoid race.
As for the hoard, the entire stampede was replaced with a wasteland of ash. They were safe, but not for long, the darkness always sends more, the second wave was always larger. I was lucky to get away with some light burns on my back because I ducked in time behind a dirt mound.
That beast, I couldn’t even touch something of that caliber let alone kill it, I will run back to the village and tell the chief to run as far as we could from here.
I got back on my feet, barely able to stand. I took the first step but couldn’t take the second. I looked down to see a set of vines rapidly entangling me, its source was the cocoon, I tried to shake it off but it kept growing until I was fully trapped head to toe.
Gola have mercy on my soul! Please keep the tribe safe!
I felt myself being dragged in the direction of the beast, only to arrive as the cocoon fell off the alien, revealing his unscathed body within.
The vines started crawling back from me, my body freed and vision cleared, I turned up to see the alien couching down and staring at me with a curious look.
His eyes are the color of a rainbow, his teeth sharper than a Blakatu. He was half my size but I felt immense power radiating from within him, this alien was strong!
“Hi, there” He spoke, “Cool as hell, eh?” he pointed at the beast with a terrifying grin the spanned across his entire face.
He’s not hostile, I have to play this right
“Hello there, did you crash land here? I can guide you to the landing station away from the planet’s breaths. If you want to leave I can als- “
“No” The alien interrupted “We intentionally came here” he simply announced.
“Why? Why would a high Noran travel here, especially after the darkness started taking over” I questioned the guard while glancing at the beast. The vines that were entangling me being sucked back in the alien’s feet.
“He came here with me, we’re here for … Family issues” the alien pondered before turning his attention back to me “Would you be a dear and guide us to the nearest town, or city, or whatever you guys have here?” the man demanded as the beast spat another ball.
“Over my dead body” this guard was dangerous, even more dangerous than his Noran master and maybe even the beast itself.
“Wow, so dense” the alien mused, “Would you like to convince him yourself?” he spoke to no one in particular. I heard footsteps incoming for the side where the ball landed, judging from the weight I knew it was a Grokati was among in incoming three pairs of feet.
I turned my head to see who it was, and my heart started hammering my chest, it was him. it was really him.
He walked tall and proud. His body covered in ancient symbols often depicted in caves and old text and his face showed a frown sorrow and rage, traces of tears on his cheeks. It seemed that he lost his Overlord arms on his travels, but his current ones looked stronger even than a Dominator’s, it reflected the sun with a majestic sheen, just like his father’s.
I stood up straight and the alien didn’t mind my sudden movement, just to kneel back again, bowing down to the son of the mightiest Grokati to even tread the lands.
“Welcome back, son of Loftaar. Welcome back, Alpha of the prophecy” I couldn’t dare to raise my eyes. Joy creeping into my heart. He was finally here.
His voice echoed, full of strength and pride
“Glad to be back, Hofzaar” Tears fell on the dirt before my eyes, it was time to stop hiding, it was finally time to fight back, it was time, to save our living lands.