Chapter Eleven
After another strenuous hour of descending, I finally started to make out the flickering of fire below me, though no recognizable images made themselves clear. The sheer depth of this hole made me wonder how Ki-oshi and Tenulua survived the fall. It was not time to ponder answers already given.
The flickering turned into large glows, and then a clear image. A large fire, seemingly fueled by nothing, was visible. It blazed up at least forty feet; I could feel the heat from it. At the center of it, instead of the normal blue base, was a black-crimson base, like a demon’s blood.
Around the fire sat ninety-nine Rajae, perfectly still. The same book that our deceiver used to open up this pit sat in front of all the participants in what looked like a sacrificial bonfire.
It wasn’t long until my eyes fell on the sacrifices. Tenulua and Ki-oshi stood back to back, tied together. They were suspended over the fire by a rope that’s end was anchored to the ceiling crowding around the tunnel entrance. They stood out faintly, as the blazing fire concealed them every so often. Still, I thought they might be close enough that… I sent a pebble flying down at them. Surprisingly, it hit Ki-oshi dead on. I couldn’t see the contact, but I could hear him yell out, “OW!”
He didn’t look, so I threw three more pebbles with similar results. Finally, on the fourth throw, he looked up, seeing me. He started to shout out my name, but thankfully, thought against it. I saw him nudge Tenulua, who looked up at me, relieved. I motioned for them to stay quiet by placing my pointing finger against my mouth.
They made no more movements. I started to move further down, but a large updraft of heat stopped me in my tracks. Devilish chanting rose up from the fiery pit, magic turning it into a haunting crescendo of fear and dread. Acid rose into my throat, and a silent growl started… involuntarily. Out of a cave entrance, a dark figure completely shrouded by an ominous mist stepped out. I could not make out his form, whatsoever. His voice was deep, intruding, and evil through and through. Think of the most horrible demon of all of your nightmares and double its fearsome qualities, and you still won’t have the horrid pitch of this one being’s voice. The vocals boomed forth, overwhelming the chanting and shaking the entire cavern. “Rajae, whom serve me without question, we are gathered here to celebrate our century mark, our one-hundredth member, the last one of the prophecy!”
A string of howls and chants filled the chamber, but when the misty figure’s shroud rippled, everything was quiet. Now I could make out two slit eyes, dark red, glowing. “In this chain of islands, deep within the angry sea, lies the key to the rule of Plit. Hidden for ages, it has eluded the grasps of all other conquerors, even the great Smithy. Only I have discovered it. The Rajae are destined to rule Plit and eliminate the peaceful heretics that plague its lands. Before the sun sets on the hundredth day from the hundredth member, we will stand tall above the dead, trampled bodies of all who shall oppose us. Join me in a feast that commemorates our foreseen kingdom of the Most High! Praise your Master and Lord!”
The Rajae immediately began bowing to the impressive figure, chanting some sort of demonic hymns. Fruit juice, our sweat, flowed down my body in rivulets, and fear racked my body, paralyzing me. The new addition was congratulated. Suddenly, after fifteen minutes of this, the red-eyed mist spoke again. “Silence! Now, to ensure our victory, we will sacrifice two of the beings meant to stop us in honor of the most high god, Yun-Kama, Lord of Power.” They knew we were meant to stop them!
At the mention of this, they all stood up, staring as Ki-oshi and Tenulua were slowly lowered, the fire growing ever nearer to them. In an act of pure desperation, I yanked one side of the rope with all of my might. Adrenaline, combined with what I was convinced was Divine Help, caused the rope to come crumbling out of the rock, sending me down into the fire.
When I was level with my friends, I tapped the rope and it stopped stretching. Heated wind blew in my face, scorching my eyes. I flung out one arm, catching Tenulua and Ki-oshi in it. They held onto the rope, and I tapped it again. It retracted, and we soared up, up, up, up…
As we ascended, I could hear the roar of the One behind us. “Do not let the infidels escape! Slice them open, and let their blood flow onto the altar of Yun-Kama!”
Ki-oshi was crying tears of happiness. “Ryan-oshi, I knew you would come! I can’t believe they had us tricked!”
Tenulua nodded. “These guys mean business, but they’re certified nut cases. Yun-Kama? Altar of Blood? This one wishes to know what’s with these guys!”
I ground my teeth, looking down to see ten-odd Rajae flying up on brooms to intercept us, rapidly gaining ground. “Ki-oshi, throw eggs at them!” I handed a bag of pebbles to Tenulua. “Can you-”
“No problem.” He grabbed the first pebble and threw it expertly, hitting one of the Rajae, who then plummeted back towards the ground, but still on his broom.
Ki-oshi panicked. “We’ll never be rid of them! They’ll track us down until we’re dead!”
In the fury of the moment, I didn’t have the will or the desire to answer him. My thoughts only focused on moving forward and escaping. It was a dangerous course of action, but the fruit juice-like blood pumping through my body left me with little other choice. Ahead, I could see the night sky, even brighter, with the stitched-in stars, than the pit we were in. It was as bright as day to me… but no… the sun was rising! The dawn of a new day was coming, and I was being chased by religious fanatics with powers of unfathomable magnitude!
I looked down to see how my friends were doing. They’d managed to get half of our pursuers off our tail, but five still followed in rage. Their eyes burned with desire… desire to rip us to shreds… desire to skin us and spit on our leftovers… desire to… eliminate us… the infidels.
At the top, we jerked to a stop. I scrambled to the surface, followed by my companions. I yanked the rope out of the pit and tossed it to Ki-oshi, who placed it back in my pack as we darted away from the hole. Tenulua huffed, “They’ll be able to find us. Their mental powers are too strong! We’ll never escape their psychic grasp.”
Ki-oshi was whimpering, his skin slowly turning white. I was surprised to see mine was still green. I called out to the stars, “Help us, Geno! Conceal us for now! Save us!”
Miraculously, an aurora of light, with luminosity untold, shielded us, and we stopped to admire its beauty. Overhead, two Rajae floated; Ki-oshi let out a cry, but I covered his mouth. We listened to them. “ACK! They are not here, Brother. They are gone!”
They flew back, joining their three companions in the hunt. The shield around us dissipated. Thank you, Geno, I thought, and we ran.
***
Burn marks covered Ki-oshi and Tenulua, and their bodies were tired and worn out, as was mine. We struggled along the path, backtracking our steps to find where we had missed the turn to Gi-oshi’s village. Neither of us spoke of the previous night’s happenings or the miracle that saved us. Perhaps it was because we were scared stiff, but I preferred to think it was because no words were needed between us. We knew what we saw, and we knew it was evil. Never had something so terrible as this come about to power. I desperately hoped that whatever we would find in our next destination would make everything clear. For now, all that stood in my thoughts was doom.
Chapter 12
The morning brought hope once again, despite the night’s terrors. Ahead, we could see the Yoshi village, finally, in sight. Like Yoshi’s Island, it was small, with a few cottages but many overhangs made out of fruit trees tied together. It remotely reminded me of home.
The morning routine of all the Yoshis in the village was in full swing by the time we reached the main part of the settlement. Two Yoshis argued over a pile of oozing fruits on the ground, collecting dust. They must’ve run into each other. One Yoshi pulled a cart along, filled to the brim with lush watermelons and mangoes. In a back alley, two Yoshis were sparring, their tongues anxiously darting in and out. It was just like home.
Overhangs smelled of the alluring scent of baked apples and pears. The street was dusty below us, simple enough for Yoshis. Underneath the newly laid dirt, you could still see lingering footprints, obviously from the day before’s race, a victory for the Yoshi on the left it seemed. As I continued to stare at the road, seeing the race’s first leg unfold in my mind, I saw a tear splash to my right. Immediately, I looked up, seeing more fruit juice tears sliding silently down Ki-oshi’s face. He felt the same way I did. Since we had left Yoshi’s Island, we didn’t think about it much, but now that the memory of a laid back life was thrust before our faces, the sweet sounds of our home came crashing back down to Plit.
I placed my hand on Ki-oshi’s shoulder, and he looked over at me. “I feel the same way you do. But if we don’t stop the Rajae, there might not be a home to go back to. I would like to quit and return to the daily races and steady fruit meals just as much as you would, but…” A tear ran down my face.
He nodded, wiping his face, as I did mine. Now wasn’t the time to lament. We had a job to do.
As we neared what seemed like the chief’s house, the villagers started to finally take notice of us, especially Tenulua. They were cautious, furtively watching us from the corners of their eyes.
The chief’s cottage was larger than the rest, but it still remained diminutive to some of the residential areas in Toad Town. The walls were made of straw, probably with rows of bark for the framework underneath. The roof was also thatched with straw but with a brick chimney poking out of the top. I knocked on the door three times sharply, standing back.
In a few seconds, the door creaked open, a green Yoshi head peaking around the corner. He eyed us all up and down, spending a particularly long time on Tenulua. His eyes turned back to me. “You are Ryan-oshi?” I nodded. “Good, I’ve been expecting you.” He eyed Tenulua again, not as anxiously. “The Ulianian stays out here.”
Ki-oshi started to walk in, but I placed a restraining arm across his path. “No, Tenulua is my friend, and I will go nowhere if he can’t come. You must let him in.”
Gi-oshi, as I supposed he was, looked at Tenulua once more, and then back at me, making sure I was serious. “Very well; he can come. I want no trouble out of him, though, or he must wait outside.”
Tenulua sighed and followed me in, Ki-oshi already ahead of me.
Inside the Yoshi greeted us. His words were quickened and full of worry. “As you have probably guessed by now, I am Gi-oshi, the one who sent you the call for help, Ryan-oshi. I can imagine how confused you must be.”
Before I could answer him, he dashed over to a window, lifting one blind and peering out of it. As if in disgust, he let it back down, closing the remaining blinds. He lingered near the window, staring into nothing. After a prolonged, and odd time for us, he turned around. “Excuse me if I seem worrisome, but I have reason to be. If my guess is not mistaken, the Rajae have already tried to attack you, yes?”
Now he was getting somewhere. Before, his short, flighty movements made me question his sanity, but I knew he and I were on a similar, if not the exact same, path. He twiddled his thumbs, awaiting my answer. “Yes, you are correct. Would you like me to tell you of our journey?”
It took him a few moments to answer. “Yes, of course. Tell me everything; spare no details.”
So, it was then that I began the long task of relaying our entire adventures thus far onto him. To save you the trouble of having to hear it again, only in a quickened, slightly distorted fashion, I will skip ahead a few hours.
***
It had taken me several hours to orally impart our adventures unto him. Ki-oshi had filled me in on some parts in the beginning that I had forgotten. I could also tell Tenulua was deeply entranced by the story, even though he had already heard it before. Ki-oshi, however, was snoring softly on one of Gi-oshi’s soft couches. “As you can see, we’ve done more than just ran into the Rajae a few times.”
His eyes were flitting about nervously, seeming to try and remember something. “Ah, yes! Do you have the chiikta I sent with the letter, the one shaped like one of our brethren?”
It took me a minute, but I soon enough realized that he was talking about the golden figurine I had received, the one that his letter was wrapped about. I reached deep into my pack in a stitched in compartment where I had also hidden the letter. Luckily, it was still there. I offered it to him, but he brought up his hands, shaking his head. “No, no, you must keep it. I meant only to confirm that it was indeed you. Who knows,” a slight smile formed on his face, “you might yet need it.”
“Confirm that it was us?!” said Ki-oshi, rubbing drowsiness out of his eyes. “We just told you the story. How could we make something up like that?”
“You forget, the Rajae have been following you all along. With their vast powers, they could’ve easily formed a daring story to match your adventure perfectly, only to see the last existence of hope erased from this planet.”
In the distance, a thundercloud was rolling in. I could hear the soft rumblings building up into a crescendo, getting louder, closer, with every discharge. It wasn’t long before rain came down in torrents, crashing against the thatched roof. Amazingly, none got through. Steel framework must’ve been at work. “Gi-oshi, as I’ve said, their army of one hundred is tremendous. Even the-”
His eyes widened, and he snorted. “One hundred? Pah! That’s how many Rajae there are, not how big their army will be. With that much dark power and that much strength centralized into one ideal, one mind, anything is possible. Weak minds of great physical strength will be called upon from all over Plit by the Dark Lord of the Rajae for the sole purpose of exterminating us all. The situation is much more grave than you think, much more indeed.”
My mind was filled with visions of an invincible army of maliciously controlled troops storming across a once fertile, pure land, trampling its beauty. Nothing was there to meet it. “What size of an army are we talking about?”
He answered right off, not stuttering at all. “One million at least… maybe more.”
“One million! The planet of Plit has an estimate of only ten million inhabitants! That’s ten percent of the planet’s intelligent life force.” The sheer prodigious scale of it all was mesmerizing. It would be an army, more powerful and more deadly than ever conceivable. It was infinitely greater than anything Smithy had ever thrown at the Mushroom Kingdom, and it was definitely larger than Bowser’s attempts at conquering Plit.
“Yes, it is daunting. It may seem like many are left, but most are children… elders… creatures unable or unwilling to fight. There is no way an army matching the Rajae’s, not by number and definitely not by strength, could be assembled in such a short time. Besides, the lands of the Mushroom Kingdom and Dinoland are far away, and the Tropacine Isles are not united by a long shot; even I, I am sorry to say, was wary of your Ulianian friend, Tenulua. It was a reflex, one of too many years living amongst prejudice. I hope you can forgive me.” Tenulua nodded. “Together, we must work to unite the forces of good on Plit. As you have said, we have one hundred days left, and the present day is already waning. We must start tomorrow.”
Lightning flashed and was immediately followed by a deafening blast of thunder, shaking the entire village. The thatched roof and the walls caught on fire, burning down around us.
“Get out!” Gi-oshi yelled, and we all followed him, shielding our faces from the smoke. Outside, we watched our new friend’s house collapsed. Once it was only ashes, the thundercloud dissipated and rolled out. “That was no ordinary thunderstorm,” Gi-oshi said ominously. “It was the Rajae. They are telling us there is no hope of succeeding, that the will of Yun-Kama will be done.”
Ki-oshi’s knees were shaking uncontrollably as the town fire department, consisting of only three Yoshis, arrived too late. It would not have done any good, however, as the fire was most likely fueled with dark magic, the only thing that could’ve eaten through the framework. A mass of villagers were approaching the remains of the chief’s house, trying to counsel him, saying that it was an “awful piece of bad luck” and that “he would get a new one soon enough; the old one was ugly anyway”. Their sense of unity and loyalty only reminded me of my home. But this time, it reminded me that my home was not invulnerable and there were forces trying to desecrate its rolling hills and ripe lands. My friends and I were the last hope left on Plit. Together, we had to awaken the inner power of the planet’s life and beat back the seemingly unstoppable obstacle set before us. Gi-oshi sighed. “With each passing day, their power will grow stronger, as will their will. If you three are to defeat them, you’ll need help.”
As if by his words, a Koopa, orange-shelled with a katana across his back, walked up. Several knifes rested inside his shell, and I could see ninja stars lining a belt snugly fitted around his waist. “This is Kersh, a Koopa haling from Koopa Village near Toad Town. He’s been trained as a warrior, swift and loyal, by the Master of Toad Town. I’ve commanded him to follow and aide you on your journey.” He gave a stately bow and stepped aside.
After he moved out of the way, another figure came forward, this one a Mushroomer. His head-cap was white with green dots. His clothes matched his head-cap. On his back, there were two sword hilts sticking out of a strap holder. His eyes burned with fury, but he was smiling. “Nice to meet ‘cha,” he beamed, reaching out his hand to shake mine. He had a strong grip for a Mushroomer.
Gi-oshi laughed. “And this friendly sort is Ian. Don’t let his disposition fool you, though. He’s the most dangerous Mushroomer of our time, or at least his I should say.” Ian immediately started conversing with Ki-oshi, but Kersh staid to the side. Tenulua watched and waited. “Seeing you all standing together lifts my spirits,” Gi-oshi added.
A look of concern invaded Ki-oshi’s face. “You’re not coming with us?”
“No,” he sighed. “My duty remains here… with my town. You must go it together… alone.”
Later, after the goodbyes were said, the five of us headed off to unite the forces of Plit. It would be difficult, but not near as difficult as that final battle would be, the one that was sure to come. We were the chosen ones, The Fellowship. If we could not complete the task laid before us… then Plit was already doomed.
Discontinued...
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