Castaway Planet

Calendar 259872/ 2000 [ Sol Year 4387/ Day 153 of 365. Sol standard year]

Days after of Crash landing/ 2

Uninhabited Island / Ruins / Discovered Chamber

Galactic Standard Time / 0745

Nyllia looked around at the bounty before her. The doorway had come into a large chamber that was a hundred feet wide in both directions from where she was. And the chamber was so long that it disappeared into the distance. She was on top of a slop with a walkway a good ten feet wide, beyond that was a hill that went down twenty feet at a slight slant. The hill and twenty feet beyond that was covered in purple grass and small violet bushes. And all over the shore were thick green reed-like stalks rising from the water, and on the reeds were purple pods. She could see everyone was drinking the water, crying out in joy as they just fed at last.

As she watched one of the others grabbed a pod from one of the plants, eagerly biting into it.

“It tastes so good!” The one who ate said with a laugh.

For a second all Nyllia could do was stare in shock. She had been so hungry that she thought she might pass out soon. But then she saw all of this as if this was a gift from the divine themselves.

“Hey Nyllia!” A voice caused her to look down at one of the others. He was grinning and gesturing at her. “Come on! This water is great!”

Nyllia could only look around for a moment, trying to find a threat. Then she started to laugh! “Yeah, thanks!”

She grinned as she ran down the hill. After everything that had happened, they found this place. This oasis was perfect, just what they needed, a place they could rest. They could send out parties to explore this strange Realm, and then find a way back to their people.

As soon as she reached the water, she sank to her knees and put her head into the water, drinking deeply. It was unlike anything that she had ever tasted before. It had a strange flavor to it that agreed with her stomach so well! As she moved back she saw something moving beneath the surface. She looked at it for a moment before she grinned. She went still as it came closer, close enough that she could strike. She shot her right hand down into the water, grabbing it. She felt the weight of it, it was heavier than she thought. As it fought her and tried to break free, she fell backwards. As soon as what she caught was in the air, she started to slam it onto the ground a few times.

She smiled as she looked at her catch and laughed. Before her eyes was a large green fish at least two feet long and three wide and tall. It had two flippers on both sides of its body, both pointing straight up. It had four eyes and they were in an ‘X’ formation above a fang-filled maw.

“FISH, THERE ARE FISH HERE!” One of the Watchers cried with excitement in his voice.

Nyllia smiled as she looked at her catch, excitement filling her. The few river fish the tribe was able to harvest were few and far between and reserved for religious meals. Most of those here had only been able to eat a few chunks here and there over the years. To think that this place might have so many fish, was something that she couldn’t believe.

“Somebody start cutting some kindling, let's catch and cook these!” Guricall called out with joy as he held up a fish he had speared with his knife.

As two of the others went about that, Guricall cut off the top three feet of one of the stalks. As Nyllia watched, he used some rope and his knife to make a spear. She stared in shock as he started to use his spear to hunt the fish.

As she laughed she looked around, seeing Zezill look around and frown. With a smirk on her face, she walked towards him.

“So what’s wrong?” Nyllia asked as soon as she reached him.

Zezill turned and looked at her, shrugging as he did so. “Don’t know. There’s just something about this place that’s bothering me. Are there other doors open here leading to other places like this? If so how are we the first living things to make it here? This place is so great, something should have made this place their lair by now!”

Nyllia almost chuckled before she blinked. He was right, this place was perfect for anything to make their nest. “And why was the door open here? Did the Makers before they die?”

They both looked up as Guricall cried out. They saw him at the top of the hill, on the hard surface making a small fire. As the others all brought at least one fish up the hill, Zezill chuckled.

Zezill looked at Nyllia and smirked, laughter in his eyes. “Come Nyllia, let’s eat. After we’ve had a bit let’s send someone to guard the door. At the very least we can keep from being ambushed here.”

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An eye stalk rose from the mass and looked around. It felt what passed for shock as it caught sight of what was above the mass all life lived in. There were strange creatures that seemed to move about the empty easily. But the only life around could only move through the mass. It looked at them and brought up more of its eye stalks, trying to understand these things. As they moved around, they seemed to be gathering the taste food things. It felt rage grow within it, this was its hunting place!

How dare these things hunt here from the void! It was the strongest around here, it ate first. Only when it left did others dare to eat at its dropping! If those things wanted to destroy everything that was right here, then they would face it! bellow, its body started to take in massive amounts of the mass. When its third stomach fill, it will be able to fight and kill in the empty! It prepared itself to fight and clenched and unclenched its manipulators. Soon, once it was ready it would kill all those that dared to challenge it!

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As he stared into space, Harill tried to fight free. After everything he had dealt with throughout his life, he had been stuck in a mental loop. He had built himself up after everything happened to him with Religion. The fact that the Makers intended them to fight for the right to succeed them. But to find a skeleton of one of them had broken him. He felt his mouth open and then close before an amazing taste exploded within him.

He shook his head, blinking as he looked around. He was sitting by a body of water that disappeared into the distance. He was on purple grass and before him was the largest portion of fish he had ever seen! He looked around, taking in the hill, the water, and the grass. He saw the few members of his tribe that were here and felt a spark of horror. “What happened to the others!?”

“Trainer Harill?! You’re okay!” Nyllia's voice shocked him. Harill looked up and saw Nyllia standing a few feet away, with both Zezill and Guricall by her. There were whole fishes around them, and a fire before him.

“Good to see you’re back sir!” Zezill said with a smirk.

Harill looked at his best student and then saw the Creator Metal blade by him. He stared in shock and blinked a few times. “How did you get that weapon!?”

“Oh, this?” Zezill asked and looked a bit hesitant to speak. It took Guricall nudging Zezill with his elbow to get Zezill to start speaking. “Picked it up when its last owner died. That happened after you broke sir.”

“He died!? But he …… he wasn’t worthy of that blade, was he?” Harill asked, feeling completely done with everything. He had taken his class along at the Watcher Leader’s orders because of the weapon the feline had! To discover that the beast hadn’t even earned the weapon! Harill only took a deep breath before releasing it. He gathered the remains of his dignity to him before looking up at his three students. “ I’m sorry that my weakness to disobey him caused us all to die.”

“Die? What are you talking about!?” Guricall asked with a dumbfounded look.

“Is this not the heavens? The lands of plenty?” Harill asked with a shocked expression. Everything fit. The fish, the water, and the peace. This had to be the place that they were told of, the afterlife!

The others looked at him before all three of them started to laugh.

“We’re not dead sir! We’re alive sir!” Nyllia said with a grin.

Harill looked around, trying to comprehend what he was hearing. He just blinked and slowly looked back at the others. “Then where are we?”

A screech caused them all to turn. They stared in horror as water erupted upwards, revealing what had broken the surface. It was large, at least fifteen feet tall. Its body was bulky from side to side, at least five feet wide. It had an armored shell on its back and from there, four tentacles that ended in pincers waved. Its four limbs were long, at least five feet long and all four ended in six powerful-looking claws. Its head was oval-shaped on a foot-long neck. It had three eyes above a long muzzle with large fangs that went down and up a foot in length.

As everyone looked at it as it landed on the land its muzzle swung open down the middle. It revealed a circular maw with needle-like teeth beneath its eyes. For a second everything was still before it pointed its head up and roared.

As the others screamed Harill just looked at the monster in horror. “So this isn’t the good place.”

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Zezill looked at the monster and gritted his teeth. “Move, everyone run to the door!”

As they all reacted, Zezill saw the Watchers try to join in the rush. “NO! You three get trainer Harill away! If anyone is injured get them out!”

“So the three of us against that? Not bad!” Guricall snarled as he brought out his spear.

They watched as two felines that were the nearest to the waters tried to run away, but one tripped. As the monster moved closer to it, the monster’s claw tentacles started to click open and close.

“Two of us. Nyllia used your Power on the two of us, then get out of here! If you have to try the Watcher’s plan, use them!” Zezill barked.

Nyllia looked at them and then nodded. She pointed at Zezzil and within moments the same energy armor as before covered him. With a grin, he roared and charged at the monster as it moved towards one of the felines. With the increased strength and speed, he was there in a moment, blocking the limb with his blade. As the claws bounced off the sword, he looked at the feline that had fallen, trying to figure out how to save them.

But before he could make a move, Guricall was there. He had the same energy armor over his body that Zezzil did, smirking at his friend as he helped the other feline. “So this is how you got away last time? Nice! Our girl is something else!”

“She is!” Zezzil said with a laugh as Guricall grabbed the fallen feline. He jumped away with them both under his arms just before another tentacle hit where the three of them had been. This tentacle Zezill slashed off just behind the claw. The monster screeched in pain, turning its head to glare at Zezill. It sent the remaining clawed tentacles at Zezill who jumped to the side. He landed in a roll. He traveled three feet before springing back to his feet and looked at the monster.

It glared at him before something hit and destroyed its rightmost eye. As it roared in pain, blood came from its eye socket, and Zezill was able to see the stone there.

“Got you monster! Try and kill us now!” Guricall roared from Zezill’s left.

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Guricall looked down as he glared at the beast from the middle of the hill. It looked in his direction and opened its mouth before its throat neck started to bulge up. But this bulge traveled up the throat, almost if….“OH FOREST!”

Guricall lunged to the side as the maw opened before a screech filled the air. The space he had been before suddenly burst upwards as if something had struck it. He landed five feet away and saw that there was a crater three feet wide where he had been. He felt his pulse quicken as he realized this thing was able to use its scream to attack at a distance. There had never been such an organic weapon encountered by the tribe, so it surprised him. But as he was trained to do, he put those feelings aside and knew he had to kill this creature before it killed them!

With a roar, he grabbed one of the freed rocks and started to swing his sling. As he spun it around he saw the monster look at him.

“HERE BEAST, HERE! COME AND GET ME!” Zezill cried out as he ran at the beast. His voice caused the monster to look at him and it glared at him with its remaining eyes.

“Zezill, get to its blind spot!” Guricall roared as he flung the stone, this one hitting one of the pincers on the beast's tentacles.

As it turned to look at Guricall, Zezill took the time to jump and cut off another of the tentacles, this one halfway down. As the monster roared Guricall grinned and grabbed another stone. “Zezill, keep it mad! I’ve got a trick I want to try on it!”

“Got it! Let’s see how much longer you’ll last monster!” Zezill roared in glee.

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The creature felt such pain like it had never felt before. To think that these things were giving it such trouble! It had lost an eye and it was down two tentacles. The tentacles it would regrow, but the eye, might not. If it took the power of something that could, it might. But first, it needed fuel to regain its tentacles and pincers, and it was fighting good sources. It would have to stay in the empty for as long as its eye took to scab over, so it had nothing to do but kill. After these two were dead, it would take its time and hunt the others. There was nothing that they could go, it had hunted in the empty before and the blockage would stop them. Soon it would have revenge on those that dared to hurt their better.

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As she watched from the top of the hill, Nyllia could only feel concern for her friends. This monster they were fighting, was terrible. It was thankfully not that fast, as it moved slower than anything she had ever seen before. But it was still standing there, trying to kill Zezill. Even with her power, they were still reacting to it.

“How….. you’ve gained the power during the fight,” Harill said from behind her.

She looked and saw Harill, with a look of such pain on his face. She knew what he was feeling. The ‘Battle awakenings’ were said to happen when one’s life was on the line. The fact that hers wasn’t like that was something she was shocked at.

“It was worry that woke it up, sir. I don’t blame you either,” Nyllia said softly.

“Yeah, none of us do!” One of the other trainees said with a laugh in their voice.

They both turned and saw the trainees all looking at him with respect in their eyes.

“Most of the higher-ups would have sent us alone, you came. And that’s something we’ll always respect about you sir,” Another trainee said with a grin on their face.

Nyllia looked at their trainer as he turned away, everyone knew it was so they wouldn’t see him cry. The old cat was proud and lived by a code that was dying out. But none of them could discount his honor.

“HEY! We’ve got something here!” One of the Watchers cried out.

Nyllia looked up, once everyone had made it here, she had sent the Watchers to guard the door. She didn’t expect anything, but something told her they needed guards. And here was the proof. Pushing through the others, she dashed towards the door. Once there she looked out, seeing ten figures in cloaks coming towards them. As she watched their bodies started to change, growing larger or gaining wings.

She looked at the doorway, trying to find the door itself. “Close the door!”

Nyllia tried to get back inside when something wrapped around her right shoulder and pulled her backwards. She tried to break free but she felt something shock her. As her vision darkened, she felt only despair. The last thought she had was that she hoped that the power she had granted her friends would remain. If not, then all of her own would die.

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As soon as Nyllia screamed, Harill ran forward. He had to try and save his student, he had to. As the Watchers started to close the door, he saw that whatever was attacking was holding it open. holding it by a large oversized arm.

“I’ll go through, close it behind me!” Harill ordered and the Watchers looked at him.

“Alone! You’ll die!” One of his students cried out in fear.

He looked at them and smiled. “One life for many. Tell the people the truth!”

As he drew his sword, he roared and slashed off the oversized limb holding the door open. He slipped through the door before it closed. He saw Nyllia being held by something with twin masses of tentacles instead of arms. He grinned as he took in the bulky ones and the fliers.

“Come monsters! Face my blades!” Harill roared as he charged at the nearest creature. He knew that he would fail, but the longer the fight went, the more chances Zezill and Guricall had to kill theirs.