Chapter 13 - Saga 3, Anything’s Fate
A Fellowship Reborn
*
Advocate trotted up beside Archer as they marched. “So, YOYOY’s next?” Archer solemnly nodded, AOL frowning. “But, do we really need him?” Archer scowled. “No, we don’t need him.” Penguin boy slowly withdrew. ”... Oh. Right.”
Archer led the way, though the former Fellowship guys knew the path better than he. Eventually, they reached it, a fairly large moat surrounding a castle. This castle, however, was a far cry from the blackened evil of Haplo’s, a bit more lighthearted in appearance. They waited for the inevitable question, DarkGuardian explaining that usually you have to answer a query before being granted an audience. Archer rolled his eyes at the thought.
So they stood, and waited, and waited further, until Drexlin announced a drink break and busted out the liquid refreshment. Shadowstar, General Lund, and Archer were unfamiliar with the nature and frequency of these drink breaks and were at first bewildered and confused by them, but soon learned to shrug and drink and smile along.
And so it was, a pleasant picnic beneath a pleasant sky amidst pleasant conversation as they sufficed to continue waiting for a question. Soon, one of their own was raised. “Why hasn’t YOYOY asked a question yet?” Drex waited for an answer, only to receive some snickering from Acid_Flux. “Perhaps that is the very question. He thinks he’s clever.”
Archer sighed. “Or because he doesn’t know we’re here.” Acid shook his head. “No, that’s not the answer. If that were correct, we’d be inside.” Archer frowned in thorough confusion. DarkGuardian raised an eyebrow. “Because he knows we’re here. Perhaps that’s the answer. After all, if he knows we’re here, than he knows who we are, and quite possibly why we’re here in the first place. Thus, no question is needed to ascertain-”
The portcullis began opening with a startlingly loud mechanical clanking. CardinalFang grinned, his pearly whites dazzling all those around. “Good thinking, dwarf!” DG humbly shrugged as they entered the main room, already feeling welcome. Soon enough, YOYOY himself came plodding down a nearby staircase.
“Actually, there was no secret question, I was just having some technical difficulties, that’s all.” The being grinned, beckoning the group, “Come in, come in, make yourselves at home!”
The group looked around, each finding cozy places to sit, once Darso the Mad leapt off one of the couches, running away shrieking as if awoken from a truly horrific nightmare. YOYOY laughed at the poor soul, thoroughly grinning, then gasping as he took a moment to really study the faces in his abode.
“Is this a Fellowship reunion or what? And Archer, so good to see you! And… a few new faces… what’s going on?”
*
Initially, YOYOY was brought up to speed on the new faces, including the apparent complete makeovers in Ter-Soth and CardinalFang, each explained from the source, then was told why General_Lund was present, which led to explaining the desire for ambassadors and the plight of Anything, the whole dark situation laid out before him.
He offered a serious nod. “I see. And you figured it couldn’t hurt for me to tag along?” DarkGuardian eyed Archer, both smiling a little, others then following suit. YOYOY took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I mean, come on guys, did it ever occur to you that I might have better things to do?”
The group exchanged glances and silent conversation, especially Fellowship veterans. Advocate was the first to reply, “No, not really.” YOYOY chuckled. “Yeah, okay, I guess I’m on board.”
A small cheer, as Drexlin offered a toast to the glory days of a New Fellowship with Archer now at the helm, and a quest worthy of their collective talents.
However, it was Ter-Soth, previously silent until now, who pointed out that they were still missing JWalker if they wanted to make this a complete reunion. Advocate offered to have his penguins fetch him, before being interrupted by YOYOY. “Wait, wait… you guys don’t have a summoning orb for his mech?”
Many raised eyebrows and questioning looks. “One of these?” YOYOY held up a small gray orb, featureless, plain. “Really? None of you got one? Alright, let me show you how it works.”
They followed him outside, murmuring behind his back. Suddenly he threw the orb high into the air towards his own castle, and inevitably it hit the stony exterior, then exploding in spectacular fashion. This explosion created no fire or destruction but, rather, created a shock wave, completely spherical, whispy blue, that was fired out as massive speed into every direction. As it passed over the Fellowship, they all were forced to take a step backward to correct their footing.
“What was that for?” DarkKnightZach pondered, doubting the usefulness of such a device. Stormcrow grinned. “You knights, thinking all there is to this world is steel and stone…”
A few seconds later, Archer was the first to spot a black dot on the horizon slowly growing as it, assumedly, sped towards them. They all watched as the dot grew and began taking shape, albeit hazy. They continued watching as it only grew further and further, never reaching them, only growing, threatening to blot out the sky. Some were driven to their knees in stark fear, DarkGuardian clenching his hammer, ready to bat it back into space if needed.
Archer squinted, not sure what action to take yet, wondering if his gargantuan Bow of Flaming could really handle this. CardinalFang was the only one smiling, beaming his perfect face towards the mass and yelling “Hey JWalker! Long time no see!”
Ter-Soth moved not, his expression changing not. Even YOYOY doubted the idea of using the orb, scratching his head, wondering if he’d made a mistake.
Then the mass began to slow, with a gigantic rumbling sound the likes of which the members of the New Fellowship doubted they’d ever hear again. Slow, deep, unearthly, as if the very bowels of the earth were upset, churning every bit of matter it contained at once.
The unimaginable large mass now had features, details each could see, though still marveling at the size. Even given the hugeness of Haplo’s castle, surely this dwarfed it, Haplo’s place being a mere hood ornament to this monstrosity. They gawked and stared, trying to conceive its size, failing miserably, only further now since it was blotting out the sun that was previously adorning the beautiful sky, now hardly to be seen, only the smooth electric glow brought by certain features of the mass.
Soon a brightness appeared on the hulk above, the light then dimming a bit even as it began to grow in size as it drew nearer to them. Archer cleared his throat, attempting to find the courage to now address JWalker soon. The glow was soon revealed to be an object, as its features were made evident, and it soon landed near our gathering with a force that created a tremor enough to knock the weaker members of the Fellowship to the ground.
Archer waved away the resulting dust, his eyes then widening. For, standing before him now, was a small mech. This mech was surely now taller than 30 feet, yet sheathed completely in a green-blue glow, and at the helm was not JWalker but Sorscha1.
The troglodyte fumbled for words, before the sorceress interrupted in a soothing voice, fitting against the gentle hum of her creation. “Quite, chief citizen of Anything. JWalker knows of your quest. He offers his assistance, if needed. I have a gift, an orb, to replace the one used here.”
With this a miniscule compartment within the center of the mech popped open, chucking out another little gray ball, which Archer carefully caught and pocketed. The former King was satisfied, offering thanks, then a question.
“What happened, Sorscha? I know that new monstrosity isn’t completely of your doing.” Archer stood sure, unwavering. “He has embraced his other half, a remnant from Other Games not easily found in this realm. With it, he has now gained his full potential.” Archer chuckled, nodding, satisfied even as Sorscha abruptly left, firing back to join with the mothership before it, too, departed. The leader of the New Fellowship stood dumbfounded, wondering if there was more to her words.
As if in response, Acid_Flux let out a sharp yelp of pain as be bent over, a sickening fleshly rip emanating from his prone frame. The Fellowships huddled around him as he rose, and gasped as his new appearance. The sharp-shooting NoThRoG with a heart of gold grinned, now wearing full body armor with nifty accessories and complimented with new plasma weaponry worthy of a Space Marine. “Yeah, seems I know of the power of an Other Game, too.” He laughed heartily, the others unsure.
Archer noted the sun, almost beginning to set on this day. “Let’s go. The inn is waiting, and we could all use some sleep. Our time, our quest, has come.”
*
© Eric Bailey