D'Mok Revival 1: Awakening (27 page)

“What do you want with them?” the woman asked.

Mencari looked to Allia to respond. “We need help,” she said. “To fight an enemy off-world. One that could hurt a lot of people.”

The babble of questions began anew.

“You are fighters?”

“You don’t look like fighters. You wouldn’t survive the first round of the Olympics!”

The younger man faced the visitors, “Why should we help you? What’s in this for us?”

Looking around, Seigie said, “Can you tell us what
happened
here?”

With a heavy sigh, the blind man adjusted himself in his chair. “Many years ago, the Master of this haven believed our town held the most promising contenders for the Olympics.”

“Sporting events?” Mencari said.

“Can you call that butchery ‘sport’? Madness, I call it! That, and that mockery of rewarding those best at killing with what’s left of our precious resources.”

“And they took our children!” the old woman, said, her voice a near screech. “To train. To compete in their
sport
.”

The younger man explained, “The Master’s goons took the youngest and dragged them away. Just a handful were left here, those too old for their recruiting.”

The old woman nodded. “The Odoli brothers were babies then.”

With a sigh, the old man explained, “We tried to get them back. This . . .” He pointed to his clouded eyes, “. . . is what the lucky escaped with. They came for years, harvesting our children. The same painful lesson was taught to any who tried to stop them. Those strong enough moved away, hid in other towns not cursed like this one.”

The young man nodded. “So, what’s in it for us if we help you find the Odoli brothers?”

One of the old men said, “Maybe if they destroy that camp? The younger generations could move back home.”

The woman turned to him. “Crazy old coot, how many camps does the Master have now? He’d send his goons back too!”

“When is the Olympics?” Mencari asked to distract her.

“In nine years. The last one happened last year.”

Mencari considered what they’d all said. “Where is this camp?”

The younger man replied. “A place called Kunren. In the hills above the town of Shiki. Due north of here.”

“Then let’s go,” Allia said.

One of the women shrieked, “You can’t go! Sten, you can’t let them take the child there!”

“We’ll keep her safe,” Mencari said. “And we’ll see what we can do to help you. We can’t promise anything, but we’ll try.”

The blind man motioned toward the younger one. “Doruk, help them find their way.”

“Why should we?” Doruk said. “We know nothing about them. It’s a waste of time.”

“Time is all we have,” Sten said. “And listen to them. Do they act like collectors? Do they sound like Anto’liea’s henchmen? No! These people are different.”

Doruk snorted in protest, but finally sighed. “Fine. I’ll take them as far as Shiki, then they’re on their own. This town doesn’t need any retribution for helping them.”

As he moved toward the door, he grabbed a few canteens. Mencari and the group followed behind. Realizing the old man couldn’t see her, Allia ran over and hugged him. “Thank you again, Sten.”

His ruined eyes showed tears when she released him.

* * * * *

“The aurora will provide us enough light to travel,” Doruk said, pointing into the night sky.

Mencari looked up. Had they not seen the energy barrier when they came in, they might’ve also mistaken the illumination as a natural solar wind across the atmosphere.
Good disguise,
he thought, but chose not to fill Doruk in on the true source of the light.

While they moved northward on the dirt path to the edge of the town, Mencari probed further about what the blind man Sten had mentioned. “Why was this ‘Master’ so interested in your town?” he asked. “Did it have something to do with the Odoli brothers?” Mencari asked.

“We read reports about Jerin Odoli,” Allia said. “That he led a group into some big battle.”

Doruk shook his head. “Maybe that family originally attracted the Master. Great strength. Speed. They could hunt and kill creatures no one else could. They were truly. . . different. The mother especially. I’m told she could move and fight like no other.”

“And what happened to them?” Allia said, pulling up to walk next to him.

“The Master came for the kids. Jerin and his brother Naijen. The parents tried to stop them. They were killed, but not before they took out a bunch of the collectors. Other men from our town followed the collectors back to Shiki, trying to rescue the boys. They never stood a chance. A few like Sten came back blind. I was twelve then. It was the last time anyone fought back.”

“All this for friendly sporting events?”

Doruk’s steps slowed a bit at Mencari’s question. “Friendly? If you call to-the-death
friendly
, perhaps. The Olympics determine who gets control of what’s left of our world’s resources: meaning, who gets to live easy. But it’s rigged. The Anto’liea have it locked up. They always win. They even passed a law making it okay to have members of other teams killed before they got to the competition. ‘Survival of the fittest’ they called it.”

Doruk fell silent. The small band walked on. Time passed uneventfully during the planet’s short night. The few creatures they came upon posed little challenge. Soon, Seigie spotted what appeared to be small structures in the distance.

“Shiki?” she asked Doruk.

He looked in the direction of her glance. “No. That place has been abandoned for years. Wells turned foul, then dried up. Same with the crops. People leave quick when they’re starving. Our town seems fine for now. Though I don’t think many of the old folks would survive if they had to go somewhere else.”

As dawn broke, the morning’s rays revealed a change in the land before them. Allia pointed down the path. “Mountains.”

“Not mountains,” Doruk said, but shared no more.

As they neared them, the “mountains” were revealed as masses of rubble. Patches of color spotted the gray stone.

“The elders claim these were buildings that crumbled in the last war,” Doruk said. With a bitter laugh, he added, “There was a time, long ago during the great peace, when such wonders could be built.”

Mencari said, “Have you ever been to the spaceport?”

Doruk’s face darkened defensively. “If it’s not near Gisie, it’s not important to me.”

“You should go look at it. And as we flew in, we saw huge spires built into the sky—”

Allia said, “And things throwing energy everywhere!”

“Resonance fields,” Seigie explained.

“Some type of shield technology,” Mencari said. “Pretty amazing.”

Especially compared to life here in the boondocks.

“Hard to imagine,” Doruk said. “To make anything in our village, we have to tear down older buildings for the wood.

As they emerged from the colored mounds, the ground sloped steeply downward. Descending, the travelers were welcomed by a change of scenery. The grass was brilliant green. There were tall trees and rolling hills. The chirping of birds made Allia bound ahead of them with glee.

The slope plateaued, and they saw the roofs of buildings hidden behind a massive wooden wall. The only breaches in the solid structure were three wide gateways.

Doruk pointed and said, “Shiki.” Then he pointed to the far hillside. “Kunren Campu.”

Mencari saw more structures, higher up on a bluff that rose above the town, but too far away to see much detail.

A gentle wind began to blow. Doruk looked to the sky, then in the direction from which the wind blew. He snorted in frustration. Muttering, “Rain coming,” he turned to head back the way they’d come.

“Where are you going?” Mencari said. “I thought you were going to take us to Shiki.”

Doruk took another step, then stopped and looked back at them. “If anyone asks, you never visited Gisie. Our people’s lives depend on that.”

He gave Allia a look filled with sadness. “And keep the child safe.”

The four watched him head back toward the colored mounds.

Ichini cuddled up to Allia’s leg, as the girl looked up at Mencari. “Now what?”

He looked over at the walled town of Shiki. There was some movement along the hillsides. Mencari pointed to the moving shapes. “Either wild animals, or scouts.”

Allia said, “Can’t we just sneak into town?”

Seigie snorted. “Into a whole town of warriors? Not likely.”

Pouting, Allia kicked a small stone. A large shadow suddenly covered them. The entire group looked up to see sizable storm clouds rolling in.

Seigie looked down at Allia. “You. You’re our cover story. They’re looking for young recruits, and you’re a child.”

Mencari looked across the ominous clouds. He nodded his head in agreement. “I can’t think of anything better.”

“Can’t we just ask where the Odoli brothers are?” Allia suggested.

He looked toward the camp. “Not right away. Remember how everyone else reacted when we said we were looking for them. But we have to try something. When those clouds open up, we
don’t
want to be standing out here.”

“Some warrior fort!” Seigie scoffed, looking for any type of guards or resistance as they drew closer to the walls. Thunder boomed overhead, and a few sprinkles quickly turned to a downpour.

Where is everyone? This can’t be right.
Mencari too was alarmed by the ease approaching the camp.

The gates were wide open and unguarded; as they passed through, Seigie looked to him and shook her head.

They barely heard the shouts against the thunder and deluge. They rounded the corner and saw streets alive with men and women of various ages, all dressed in outlandish battle garb, and dashing for cover. Some had strange piercings, others open wounds, others bore ornate tattoos of various colors and patterns. Everyone appeared to have some type of marking, but no one seemed to have both piercings
and
tattoos.

As Mencari and his companions looked up the main street, they saw a large group of people waiting in two lines leading into two small shacks. As one person came out of a shack, another entered from the line. The demeanor of those in the two lines was very different, though. Those to the right appeared tired and battered. Their faces held a combination of panic, sadness or angst. A few tried to sneak away, but were restrained and forced back into the queue by other warriors patrolling the area.

To the left, howls of triumph or anticipation belted from various members in this group. Unlike the other line, the warriors standing watch here made sure only select individuals could enter that line.

A pain-filled cry attracted their attention as they drew nearer to the shack on the right. Through a lighted window, they could see a warrior being forced into a chair. Two others held him in place while a third made an incision in his arm, then placed what appeared to be small, red-hot metal balls inside the slit. The man shrieked as the spheres disappeared into his limb, and black smoke rose from the sizzling wound. Allia turned her head away. Mencari whispered, “My god.”

The warrior’s skin discolored as they stitched up the incision. It looked like there were bulbous tumor growths under the skin. The man was lifted from the chair and escorted to the exit, where he staggered away.

As another warrior was pulled from the line and forced into the chair, a cheer roared from the other side of the street, and a female warrior emerged from the left-hand hut. She howled as she proudly displayed her raw arm to onlookers in line. A pattern had been tattooed down its length. Despite its painful look, she appeared ecstatic. Fellow warriors approached and greeted her, and they began comparing their own tattoos to hers.

Allia tugged on Mencari’s side. “Rhysus?”

As he looked down, she pointed to the increasing numbers of people around them, now staring at the unmarked visitors. The chatter around them increased, with angry scowls from onlookers. Only the sudden deluge of rain kept the group from growing any larger, Mencari suspected.

A stout, strapping young warrior approached. With a booming voice, he grabbed Mencari firmly by the arm. “You! This way.”

The warrior’s mullet-style hair flowed like a horse’s mane while Mencari allowed himself to be pulled into a side street and into a small building, with Seigie, Allia, and Ichini close behind. As they entered, three soldiers exited and stood guard outside. The rain continued its steady downpour.

The door closed, and Mencari noticed a tattoo on the warrior’s arm that matched those of the guards at the door. He looked more closely at the warrior’s body, and made out previously unnoticed curves. The he was a she.

“This town has over six hundred warriors,” she said. “None are fond of strangers. Especially unmarked ones.”

She peered at Seigie’s crystalline face. “Well, unmarked in the usual ways. You’ll listen to me and answer my questions. If you don’t, I’d be happy to send you back out to face those gathering outside.”

Mencari said, “We’re—”

“—here to bring you a new recruit,” Seigie finished.

Allia looked down nervously.

The woman warrior kept her eyes on Seigie. “Oh? A recruit?”

“Yes,” Seigie said. “We were told recruits for . . . our haven were brought here.”

“Really? Which town in ‘our haven’ are you from?”

Seigie paused, unwilling to reveal the name of Gisie, the lone town they knew. She waited a second too long.

“No one just
comes
here,” the warrior chided. “No one
brings
us recruits. We recruit who we want. And the only ones who know where Shiki is are people who’ve either tried to destroy this camp or kill its warriors.”

With nothing to counter with, they stood in awkward silence. The warrior continued. “I’ll ask a few questions. I expect the truth. And if I don’t get it, it will be the end of you.”

Allia moved closer to Mencari, who nodded to the woman.

“Who are you and where did you come from?”

“My name is Rhysus Mencari. This is Seigie, Allia and Ichini.”

“We’re not from your world,” Allia added.

The guard lifted his hand to strike her. Seigie and Ichini stepped quickly in front of Allia. The guard stopped his intended blow in mid-air, as the warrior snapped, “The child will be silent.”

She looked the group over carefully, pausing a while on Ichini. “Unnatural beast,” she muttered. Shaking her head in disgust, her long mullet-mane flying through the air behind her, she continued her inquiry. “Why are you here?”

Mencari said, “We’re here to seek the aid of the Odoli brothers.”

“Brothers?” Her eyes scanned his suspiciously. “You always bring weapons when seeking those to help you?”

Mencari nodded. “Your land is filled with creatures. We were attacked on the way here.”

“Who helped you get here?”

“We found our own way here. We’re not a threat to you.”

“Our scouts said you came from the west.”

She was bluffing. They had entered through the east gate, coming up from the south.

Mencari said nothing.

Her eyes filled with disdain. “How are these Odoli brothers supposed to
help
you?”

Mencari sighed. “We’re not from Okiru haven. Not even from your planet. We came through the spaceport.”

She bellowed laughter. “Ridiculous. You can’t leave our world. There’s nothing beyond it!”

Seigie glanced at Mencari, then back at the woman. “Does anyone in your haven get out beyond their town?”

The woman turned toward Seigie with threatening eyes.

“There is a spaceport,” Mencari said quickly. “We landed there. Dalbrth—”

Her eyes shifted at the name. He continued. “Dalbrth gave us directions on where to find the Odolis.”

“Is that so? Then we should be able to confirm your story.”

She turned her head to peer out the window. “Kedar!”

The front entrance opened and a thin guard saluted.

“Tell the Fedre we’re holding intruders who
claim
they’ve entered through the Okiru spaceport. Verify their story with Dalbrth, then return.”

Kedar saluted and scampered off, and she turned back to them. Allia turned toward the window, moving closer to get a better view outside.

“I wouldn’t go near the windows,” the woman said. “I’m sure the warriors outside are itching to practice on a small target like you.”

“You don’t need to scare her,” Mencari said. “We’re cooperating with you.”

“Not because you have a choice.”

Again, Mencari kept his silence. For now, it was in their favor to continue being underestimated.

As the storm raged outside, the group settled in to wait for Kedar to return.

* * * * *

Finally, there was a knock on the door. At the woman’s call, Kedar opened it and entered. Behind him, Mencari saw the number of warriors outside had swelled.

“They said a group of Anto’liea spies landed in the Okiru spaceport looking for Odoli.”

“Spies!” The woman warrior unsheathed her sword.

Kedar began to stutter, “Yes, well . . . no, Den! They said they
thought
they were spies. But their ship had no encoding from Abunai. Also, they admitted their intelligence reported no activity from the Anto’liea bureau. They were surprised the group even found their way to our camp.”

He added, “As always, those at the Okiru spaceport are little more than fools.”

With a disappointed sigh, Den waved Kedar back to his post and said, “I could’ve gotten a new tattoo for catching infiltrators like you.”

“We were originally looking for Jerin,” Mencari said, “but found out there were two of them.”

“Brothers,” Seigie added.

“Jerin . . .” Den’s voice became somber. Her tone worried Mencari.

“He was in the Olympics last year, right?” he said.

She ignored the question and whispered something to Kedar. He quickly turned and dashed out the door. They could hear him breaking up the mob of warriors waiting outside to pounce. After a few moments, he returned and nodded.

Den glared at their group. “Come with me.” Outside, she escorted them at a fast trot through side streets. The downpour had turned to mist, but the thunder rolled on above. As they passed the main streets, they found them mostly deserted.

They began their ascent up the steep embankment that climbed high above the town to the camp that Doruk had called Kunren. As they crested the top, they came upon a massive open-aired arena set back on the plateau. A mighty roar swelled from it, followed by the static crackle of electrical bursts, as if lightning had struck the ground and spiraled across it.

Den waited until the blast disbursed, then motioned them to hurry.

As they passed, Mencari looked into the sunken arena. A single, heavily tattooed warrior was being swarmed by a horde of attackers. Lightning above them reflected off the sharp metallic claws at each end of the outnumbered warrior’s weapon. A blade shot out from the center of each claw.

“Look at that,” Allia breathed. “Almost like my blade!”

He roared and slashed through his opponents. Some fell, cut in half. Others lost limbs or were disemboweled. Each met their end in a shower of sparks and metal fragments. As their humanoid façades faded, the attacking androids ceased their motion.

A second wave of attackers rushed in from the sidelines. Even from a distance, Mencari could see a strange glow appeared in the man’s eyes. A glow of eagerness. He seemed to carry no intention of retreating.

As he paused, he felt a shove in his face. Den yelled at him, “Move. Now!”

She pushed them hard as they circled the arena to the far side. They were high enough that they could keep watching the battle.

A bright sphere of blue-white energy formed around the warrior’s hands, then spread over the clawed blades. He took a mighty swing. The arc of unleashed energy hit the droids; they exploded. The wave continued like a spray of lightning beyond the edge of the ring, as those in the yelling crowd ducked and dove out of the way of the sparks.

Mencari asked in awe, “Jerin?”

Den shook her head, but kept her eyes on the battle, too.

Footsteps splashed in the mud behind them. Kedar caught up with them and whispered something to Den, who stopped only for a moment, then shook her head and waved him away.

“We get to meet Jerin now?” Allia said.

Den looked at him, her head high, the haughty mane tossing. “You will meet Naijen, brother of Jerin.”

“Is Jerin away?” Mencari said.

“That is Naijen in the arena. Jerin fell in the Olympics last year . . . with the rest of our team.”

“He fell?” Allia said. “You mean he hurt himself?”

Seigie placed her hand on Allia’s shoulder. “He died last year. That’s what she meant, child.”

Den sighed. “We will meet him in the Hall of Recompense. Come.”

They trotted behind her on a muddy path that soon sank down into a small underground cavern, which led to a hall, lit with torches. Mencari looked around, unnerved by what he saw. In the flickering light, he could see scraps of tattooed flesh and pieces of metal displayed across the walls. The areas not adorned with trophies were colored in blood-red and black patterns. Horrified, Mencari fought his gag reflex.

Seigie’s wary eyes scanned the decomposing decor. But Allia seemed fascinated. She ran up to a large section of skin with a multicolored design. “I like this one.”

Seigie motioned for her to return to her side. Allia’s face wrinkled, possibly misconstruing Seigie’s direction as disinterest.

“What is this place?” Mencari said.

Den looked around proudly. “This is where our finest warriors come after great victories. They carve us tokens from their skin to commemorate their greatness.”

Mencari noticed a display on the wall missing its centerpiece. “And what went there?”

“The Skar, a weapon only our finest warrior is allowed to wield,” she said. “You saw it moments ago on Naijen.”