D'Mok Revival 1: Awakening (21 page)

“Ichini—sic ’im!”

With incredible speed, the beast rushed down the ledge. There was no time to arm the club with his power, but Mencari held it up, hoping he’d get a chance for one blow before the creature tore his throat out with those fangs.

He dodged to the left, but the beast’s body twisted unnaturally, clipping the side of the club and ripping it out of his hand. On the creature’s next lunge, Mencari dropped onto his back, then as the creature flew over him, he thrust up with his feet to its midsection and heaved upward. Unbalanced, the creature landed hard on its side with a thud before skidding along the ground. Mencari ran for the club, keeping an eye on Allia in his peripheral vision.

She remained on the ledge, quietly watching, sneering.

The animal’s slide ended and it rolled back to its feet. Mencari grabbed the nearby club and gripped it tightly, charging it until it crackled with energy. The creature lunged again, claws extended and glowing with its own energies.

The battle-worn club struck with a thunderous crack and shattered as he followed through with the hit. Man and beast each sailed backward. The beast was the first to rebound. But after a few menacing steps, its front legs buckled and it crashed back to the ground.

“Ichini, no!” she screamed, skittering down the ledge. Dropping to her knees, she skidded to its side. Placing her hands on its side, she abruptly yanked them back, revealing a thick white liquid dripping down her fingers.

Mencari struggled to his feet. The girl drew her hood back and stared, eyes radiating an angry brilliance that caused him to draw a quick breath.

“I will
never
forgive you!” she screeched. Then she looked back at the beast she’d called Ichini and placed both hands on its body. A wavering illumination radiated from where she touched her motionless companion.

“Look, I didn’t want to hurt your pet,” Mencari said. “You unleashed him on
me
, remember?”

“You didn’t want to hurt my
pet
?” she spat at Mencari. “Oh, but he wants to hurt
you
.”

Ichini slowly struggled to its feet and began glow. What started as a faint flush, grew to a mighty flare as the creature’s body contorted before him. Its torso elongated; jagged claws ripped through its distending paws. The forehead thickened and ridged while the back stiffened, uprighted and armored with bony plates. While already large, Ichini doubled in height as its legs stretched and thick muscle appeared. Its brow grew bushy and overgrown, eyes menacing. Mencari gawked in horror.

The beast roared and shook its head wildly, eyes ablaze with a hellish red energy. Dark pupils glaring at his prey.

“Call it off,” Mencari warned. “Don’t make me fight this, this—”

“Coward! Thought it was all over didn’t you?”

A brilliant glow covered Mencari’s body as he summoned his power. “Do
not
make me do this!”

“Nice light show. Now watch this!”

On her command, Ichini charged, head down, shoulders blocked. Mencari was knocked off his feet and carried backward until he rammed into the rock wall, his shriek added to the sound of cracking bones. Ichini backed off as the luminosity faded from Mencari as his body peeled from the wall and crumpled slowly to the ground.

Laughing, Allia shouted, “Not so big now, are you, Mr. Light Show?”

“Call . . . it off,” was all Mencari could manage to croak between teeth clenched with pain.

Allia grinned. “No, I don’t think so.”

The creature’s eyes blazed with red energy. It lifted a mighty paw, and needle-like claws extended farther. Mencari watched the beast’s approach, a slow, ominous forward creep, while trying to search his depths, seeking desperately to consolidate any last bit of remaining power.

As the beast drew nearer, Mencari’s body began to glow faintly again.

Allia clapped and mocked, “More pretty lights! Hurray!”

A second, brighter glow formed around Mencari’s hands. As the beast’s claws came down at him with a powerful swipe, his hands met the flailing paws, seized them, and held them fast. Even from his prone position, he was able to negate their force while he pushed himself to his feet.

Roaring in surprise, Ichini reared back on hind legs. Trying to break the intruder’s grip, it writhed at Mencari, catching his shoulder with a slash of claws. Mencari gasped as blood spurted from his wound, but his aura became a brilliant gold. Ichini tried to claw him again, but wasn’t able to penetrate the reinforced field.

Mencari shoved the beast off balance, releasing his grip. His hands flushed with greater intensity. Plasma pooled into small spheres in his palms. He slammed his hands together, creating a shockwave that tossed the creature backwards.

“Call it off
now
!” he bellowed, collapsing to his knees.

Allia stood unimpressed. “No, I won’t. Goodbye, Mr. I-Should’ve-Left-a-Long-Time-Ago.”

Mencari placed his hand on a boulder next to him and used it to steady himself while Ichini began his final, tooth-baring run toward him. Then, with an anguished bellow, Mencari turned to warp his arm around the boulder, and with a might heave, flung it directly at the beast, filling it with the last burst of his power. As the boulder flew through the cavern, it ignited into a ball of blazing plasma.

The entire space lit up as the creature was lifted off its feet and crashed against the cavern wall. Massive chunks of ceiling dislodged and fell as dirt and dust billowed around them. Mencari staggered and fell to his knees.

“Ichini?” Allia called into the silence that followed.

Only the rumbling echoes of falling rocks answered back. The dust continued to swirl, drifting on the gentle air current.

Screaming “Ichini!” she ran into the dust, lustrous tears streaking from her wide eyes.

Lu’ri rounded the corner and raced toward him, quickly assessing the scene. “What happened?”

“She . . . she wouldn’t call it off,” Mencari gasped. “It tried to kill me.”

Lu’ri ran to the edge of the dust cloud, shouting, “Allia!”

Allia emerged from the dust, her eyes panicked. “He’s buried, Lu’ri! I can’t find him!”

“I’ll take care of this,” Lu’ri said, his voice suddenly calm. “Go back to D’narra.”

“No!”

“Allia! Listen to me! You’ve been recalled. Return to D’narra. Now. I
will
take care of this.”

She looked again to Lu’ri. He nodded and stroked the back of her hood, his movements gentle but firm. “I’ll take care of this.”

With a hate-filled glance toward Mencari, she disappeared down the same corridor from which Lu’ri had arrived.

Lu’ri approached, knelt down and placed a hand on Mencari’s side. “Your shoulder . . . your chest is bleeding as well. Prepare—this may sting a bit.”

Mencari cried out when Lu’ri pressed firmly on his chest, yet a gentle warmth flowed from his hand into his body. Wincing, he coughed up a spattering of blood, but the pain diminished. Lu’ri eased his hand from Mencari’s shoulder, and made sure the bleeding had stopped on the shoulder as well. Oddly, even the fibers of his clothing had mended.

“Better?” Lu’ri asked.

“Better, thank you,” he managed. He looked up, and for the first time, he saw Lu’ri’s eyes under the hood; they emanated the same blue-white glow Allia’s had.

Time passed, and Mencari was able to rise to his feet, still a little woozy but with strength returning with every heartbeat. “Look . . . Lu’ri, is it? Why are you helping me when
she
was trying to kill me?”

“I tried to find her before this happened. I too was watching you. You’re not like the others.”

“What others?”

Lu’ri sighed. “Treasure-hunters. So many have come into the cave, attempting to find riches. They care nothing about our people. But first, I had to get permission to stop her. I’m sorry that I was too late to avoid the attack from happening. But we must find Ichini. Then all your questions will be answered, I promise.”

The dust was starting to dissipate. The two wandered through the cloud to the hole in the wall.

“No tracks, no blood, nothing,” Mencari muttered.

A further search yielded nothing. Lu’ri’s face crumpled with guilt. “I have no choice but to return to D’narra and report my findings.”

“D’narra? Where you told Allia to go?”

“Yes. Our home. The first of many underground cities here.”

He motioned. “Come.”

“Why . . . what was Allia doing?” Mencari said. “Was she trying to lead me into a trap?”

Lu’ri nodded. “It is Allia’s duty to defend this place. However, after my report on you, The Elders told me to stop Allia. Because you are different, I was told . . . gifted. But Allia is a powerful Defender. I regret I wasn’t swifter.”

A young child as Defender?
He recalled how her beast, Ichini, did all the attacking however. “I have companions,” Mencari said. “I have to check in—have to let them know…”

Lu’ri held up a hand. “Please, I’ve been told to bring you before The Elders. We must go now.”

There was little choice. Lu’ri had saved his life. And even if Mencari insisted on leaving, he was so far into the tunnels, he doubted he could find his way out.

He nodded and followed.

“Elders, this is the one,” Lu’ri said, nodding toward Mencari.

The second man in the row of the elders appraised Mencari. “And quite a being he is.”

Mencari noted how the four men standing before him were certainly humanoid, but like Lu’ri and Allia, different in skin types and body shapes. In fact, the few inhabitants of the underground city had the same foreignness to each other. It was almost like he was back on the alien Trading Post.

The third elder said, “What is your name?”

“Rhysus. Rhysus Mencari.”

The one who’d spoken first said, “I am D’gron, Grand Elder of D’narra.”

Mencari mimicked Lu’ri’s bow, but a bit shallower because of the lingering pain in his chest.

“I am curious, Rhysus Mencari,” D’gron said, as Mencari straightened up with a quiet groan. “How did you evade our Defender?”

“Is she all right?”

All four men leaned in, whispered to each other, then D’gron turned back to Mencari. “We believe she is rejuvenating in the springs.”

“We were unable to find Ichini after the battle,” Lu’ri said.

The fourth elder whispered something to the third, then said, “Ichini has returned to her. We may rejoice that it did not turn out differently.”

Lu’ri sighed in relief.

After an uncomfortable pause, Mencari said, “I had no choice but to fight. She wouldn’t call the creature off.”

“As is her duty.”

The other elders nodded in harmony.

Lu’ri said, “Elder?”

The second elder made a silencing gesture toward Lu’ri, then looked to Mencari. “Why are you here, Rhysus Mencari?”

“I’m just trying to get back some parts to my ship. I caught a little boy pulling things off my ship. I ended up chasing him and the girl into a cave.”

The elder interrupted. “And how did you win against our Defender?”

Shaking his head in slight frustration, Lu’ri looked to the first Elder. “Elder, may I?”

The first elder momentarily closed his eyes and sighed, then nodded.

Lu’ri turned to him. “Rhysus Mencari, can you do this?”

Lu’ri closed his eyes and concentrated. A radiance emanated from his chest, growing outward until it encircled his body and cycled gently with the colors of the spectrum.

Mencari’s mind spun with questions, yet a central thought pushed to the forefront.
He said Allia’s a Defender. They must be D’mar!

Lu’ri opened his eyes, and Mencari created a golden glow around his own body. The elders exchanged glances. Their whispers traveled in waves up and back through the line.

“Are you direct descendants of the D’mar, then?” Mencari said.

“Yes,” D’gron said. “Our world was an early colony.”

Mencari recalled Osuto’s tales, and felt a foreboding when one of the elders said, “But we were attacked.”

“By the Nukari?”

D’gron hesitated. “You know of them?”

“Yes. I’m working with other D’mar to fight them.”

D’gron’s expression turned to alarm. Seeing the man’s face, Mencari decided not to tell them about what he’d seen aboveground. Not yet. “I believe they’ve returned, on a mission of conquest. I’ve encountered them on a couple of worlds already.”

D’gron looked at his fellow elders. “We have worried about this day for generations.”

Mencari sighed. “Part of my mission is to find others like me, with D’mar abilities, and find a way to resist the Nukari.”

Nodding, D’gron explained. “Long ago, they were cold and heartless killers. What terrible plagues of war might they be capable of now?”

He looked at Lu’ri. “Take our visitor to D’chon. When you get there, look for the Onclade for further direction.”

Lu’ri bowed deeply.

“But I need to contact my friends.” Mencari explained about Toriko and Seigie, and about them being up on the planet’s surface with the woman named Egra.

D’gron gave a dismissive wave. “If what you just told us about the Nukari is true, there is no time to waste.”

* * * * *

As soon as they were outside the chamber, Mencari whispered, “What’s D’chon?”

“Our capital city,” Lu’ri replied.

“And these Onclades?”

“Representatives of the Central Five. The leaders of our people.”

Mencari added, “I didn’t thank you for healing me, Lu’ri.”

He shrugged. “It’s what I do. That, and I train others. But my abilities are nothing compared to Allia’s, or many other youth. The abilities seem to grow stronger with each new generation.”

They rounded a bend and followed a path alongside an underground river until they reached a pier with a primitive carved boat.

“It’s the fastest way to D’chon,” Lu’ri said.

The current promptly set them downstream through a small rapids, as Lu’ri used a rudder to steer them past the many boulders on the sides and in the flowing water.

“So why do you all look so different?” Mencari asked.

Lu’ri gave a sad shake of his head. “With so few survivors after the Nukari attacked, our people would not have been able to maintain the genetic pool. We had to find ways to fuse ourselves with the genetics of other things on our world to ensure our survival.”

“What did you fuse with?”

“Anything compatible. Animals, minerals, plants.”

Exactly what Seigie said the ancient D’mar did before the Nukari wiped them out,
Mencari thought.

He allowed his eyes to drift along the bed of the river, which had slowed in its downward pace. Bright luminescent patches of algae floated in shallows along the river’s edge. Lu’ri noticed Mencari’s curious stare and said, “We grow it here. Not just for light. It’s also one of our main food sources. Along with fish and other foods that grow here. Occasionally, we harvest things from the surface. However, we try to limit our presence up there.”

A familiar cry mixed with the rushing of the water. Mencari looked around for the source. His eyes fell upon a dark, moving shape on the other side of the river. Squinting, he recognized the same type of beast that had poisoned him in the caverns. He gripped the side of the boat when he noticed several more of the creatures beyond the first.

“They are called Oroki.”

“They’re so close to your town!”

“We cultivate them, and other creatures, to help defend our people. That is why we have the salve that reverses their poison.”

A different light appeared up ahead, drawing Mencari’s attention. Around the bend, a massive cavern opened before them. At the far end, a great metal structure pierced the stony ceiling, appearing like a massive cylinder with the bottom blown open. Below it was a bustling city of stone. A giant emblem was carved under the metal protrusion. Colored spotlights illuminated the symbol. Mencari recognized it as the D’mar marking.

“This is D’chon,” Lu’ri said, steering their craft to a pier. A young man emerged from a tiny building and loped the length of the pier. Lu’ri motioned to Mencari, who grabbed the lashing rope and tossed it to the boy to secure the boat to its moorings.

Mencari followed Lu’ri down the pier and across a walkway. An ornately robed man approached and bowed. Lu’ri bowed in return.

“
Onatra
, Shadow,” the man said. “How fares your Defender?”

Lu’ri replied, “
Onatra
, Onclade. I’m told she is rejuvenating.”

“Gladness to you. You have been summoned by the Central Five, please come with me to Cetrakor.”

Lu’ri expression turned to confusion. “As commanded, great Onclade.”

A chill ran down Mencari’s back as they walked; perhaps he was being watched, and by more than the Onclade. He chided himself,
Of course you’re going to be watched, you’re an intruder here. And you sent their lead defender to a healing spring, after nearly killing her pet.

As they entered a more populated area, inhabitants stared briefly before scurrying inside buildings or alleys. Trying to ignore his discomfort, he looked toward the strange spotlights on the D’mar symbol. “Those lights,” he said, pointing. “They’re not from the algae. They look mechanical.”

“They are,” Lu’ri said.

“But . . . everything else was algae. Organic.”

“The best minds of our people often invent new gadgets from things found on the surface.”

“On the surface? You mean like the parts taken from my ship.”

Lu’ri gave him a wry smile and nodded. “We see the harvest of unwanted or abandoned things as opportunities for our people.”

They continued through the streets, heading toward one of the largest buildings in the area.

“The collected items are brought to D’chon,” Lu’ri explained. “Our Gadget Experts determine the function of the items. Then they give them to our Introducers, who create new devices from the individual parts.”

Mencari looked up at the metal cylinder above them. “And what’s that?”

Lu’ri followed his gaze, though he didn’t need to. “Our stories tell us that . . . it is all that remains of the original colony constructed by our ancestors.”

Mencari shook his head in amazement, trying to picture the enormity of original structure. “The original colony penetrated this deeply? And that tear in the bottom? It looks like a blast went right through it.”

“I know merely what I am told. I am sorry I cannot elaborate.”

Mencari’s eyes scanned over the great gash in the metal structure. This place was a marvel of engineering, run by a strange genetic mix, a society of D’mar living deep below the surface. He shook his head in amazement.

At last, they arrived at the great building. Large two-toned mechanical lights panned across the front, creating a magical feel to the structure.

As they approached, the Onclade motioned to wait while he entered the structure first. He soon returned with an opulently dressed older man. The four met at the base of the massive entrance. Lu’ri bowed deeply.

“
Onatra
, Shadow Lu’ri,” the man said.

“
Onatra
, Elder Onclade. I have brought our visitor as instructed.”

“Well done, Shadow Lu’ri. Before your presentation to the Central Five, there was some problem retrieving the visitor’s belongings. Please fetch his items from the Thing Pile, then return.”

Lu’ri bowed again. “At once, Elder Onclade.”

The Elder Onclade looked Mencari over before returning inside the great structure.

Lu’ri motioned for Mencari to follow him. With the junior Onclade, they headed through the stone city, until they came upon a massive mound of parts piled three times the height of the surrounding fence. The Onclade waved the gate open. Two females, approached and bowed. Mencari noticed the distinct reflective scales across their skin and the almost uniform quality to their colored robes. He and Lu’ri bowed in returned.

The first woman said, “
Onatra, Shadow
. I am Head Introducer Sabrn.” She motioned to the second woman. “And this is Lead Gadget Expert, Jilya.”

“We were told to retrieve the visitor’s things,” Lu’ri told them.

Jilya said, “Yes, we found them very interesting. One item looked very similar to reading strips harvested in the past. But more compact.”

Lu’ri asked, “The Elder Onclade said there was some problem?”

The females looked at each other.

Sabrn nodded. “Yes, I had already begun combining that most interesting part with others. I’m afraid trying to take them apart again won’t return them to their former working states.”

Mencari whispered a question to Lu’ri, who then turned to the Thing Specialists. “What is it you made with the parts?”

Sabrn smiled broadly. “I was making a portable area-reader. Using the compact reader strip, I combined it with a small read-out panel and a history crystal recorder. Then, I installed a micro-booster to remove any transmission delays . . .”

She began describing the process with excitement and in great detail, Mencari felt his attention drifting. A sideways glance told him Lu’ri was having the same problem. He found himself thinking that Toriko would love Sabrn.

Finally noting the blank stares from her audience, Sabrn sighed and concluded, “So, now it all works!”

“Yes,” Lu’ri said to her, “but what exactly does it
do
?”

She looked surprised. “I thought I explained that already.”

Jilya smiled amused. “Try again, Sabrn.”

“It would allow us to easily map out tunnels and caverns, creating maps that we could access anytime from other display screens using the history crystals.”

“That’s not for us to decide, of course,” Jilya said. “We just create the tools and explain their capabilities. What’s done with them after that is out of our responsibilities.”

Sabrn nodded. “So we will give him what was created, and any parts which remain.”