THE SEVENTH PROTECTOR

Part Four

4.

September third, 1939, Danzig, Poland, the third day of Hitler's invasion of Poland ...

Through the mayhem of an attack, with night fall looming and rain pouring down, a man is separated from his wife and young son. In his attempt to get back to them, he is attacked by German soldiers, knocked unconscious and left lying in the mud.

Morning begins to emerge, and the man regains consciousness. Feeling the pain from his attack and with the aftereffects of the previous evening's mayhem being obvious and clear, the man notices a German Sheppard dog sitting close by as if it is in some way protecting him. The dog barks once and leaves. To his right, a green glow grabs the man's attention; it is as if this glowing object is calling to him ...

***

Gareth awakes in a hotel room; he stretches and straight away notices that he is feeling somewhat different than how he had been feeling since he found the crystal. The crystal, he thought as he grabbed his chest area. The crystal is gone. He is no longer wearing it.

Neil's car is not outside from what Gareth can see. Gareth was angered at first when he discovered that Neil had checked out of the hotel a few hours earlier, then he felt betrayed, though he felt that he could not trust Neil to begin with, finally he felt stupid for letting his guard down.

How could he have been so stupid? He knew it, somewhere inside, he knew this would happen. That Neil fellow was a stranger, he is a stranger. This can't be happening. The crystal was gone. It was with a man whom Gareth virtually knew nothing about. He had no idea where Neil could or would go to and no idea as to how he could find him. Pacing his hotel room would get him nowhere, but what else could he do?

Driving at great speed on an open road, wearing an unbuttoned shirt due to wanting not to waste any time dressing so he can put as much distance as possible in a short amount of time as possible between himself and where he had been staying the night before, Neil almost lost control of his car, swerving and regaining said control having been frightened by a deep angry sounding voice which had spoken in broken English and from the back seat of the car he is driving.

'Give back crystal.'

'What the hell?'

In his in-car mirror Neil could see a rather large man sitting right behind him and it freaked the hell out of him, so much he indeed almost crashed. Neil pulled over almost immediately and got out of the car. Moving slowly backwards he took a moment to have a look at the car and the man on the back seat.

Neil makes an attempt to run for it but doesn't get all so far for he would run into and bounce against the girth of the big man whom only moments ago had been sitting in the back of the car. How'd he do that? From his new found position on the ground, Neil looked up at this big man as he while feeling more than a little scared and being quite perplexed to say the least.

He thought he knew all there is to know about what it is he has acquired though Neil clearly was in new territory. He had the crystal, with it in his possession he thought he should be strong enough, due to the power the crystal brings to its bearer, not to be knocked on his ass by any man, but what stood before him wasn't just any man.

'Who the hell are you?' Neil asked still laying on the ground.

'I am Pavel ... protector number four', looking down at the large green crystal Neil is wearing Pavel continues 'you must give back crystal ... you not protector'.

Seeing that Neil also has a smaller brown crystal Pavel would speak again.

'You must destroy brown crystal.'

It was quite the surprise too to Neil that he still had that brown crystal, he thought it had been lost in battle though, obviously enough, it is still within his possession.

'I will not. No, no, no and no, Gareth fought a seeker, the seekers crystal came loose, I took that crystal to help him.'

'You help him taking his crystal too? He is protector, he should have crystal.'

Neil began looking around and then stood up. Pavel stared at him.

'Brown crystal, it has corrupted you, makes you bad man, you must destroy it.'

Pavel was right and Neil knew it. Still, this is all so ... addictive. Neil only ever wanted to help Gareth. It after all was something he thought he was destined to do. The myth he grew up knowing so much about was real and he had found himself living his own dream of being part of the legend he often dreamt about. He took the brown crystal knowing what it would or could quite possibly do to him, but he thought he would be strong enough not to be corrupted by it in any way.

He just wanted to use the brown crystal to improve his own strength and speed and hope this would allow him to not only help aid Gareth but to also be able to see the past protectors and now he can see the former protectors, or at least one of them, and a German Sheppard sitting up and growling right next to Neil's own vehicle.

Things had not gone and were not going to plan. There had been no plan. The brown crystal had affected his own judgement and Neil knew what he needed to do, if he hadn't, then the presence of the dog convinced him. Neil, at this point, felt strong enough in his own will and ability to destroy that brown crystal and return the green one to Gareth. Sure, motivation would stay with him until he does do the right thing.

Neil took a look at the brown crystal, and with gusto placed it under the front right tyre of his car, got into his car and drove over it, crushing that smaller crystal. Straight after doing this, Neil began to head back to the hotel he had come from. He knocked on the door to Gareth's room, there was no reply.

Shit ... Neil figured Gareth was gone already, but before Neil could consider how to go about finding Gareth, Gareth approached him and stopped about thirty feet away. Neil turned and instantly felt relieved that Gareth had not vacated the hotel's property.

'Look ... I apologize, I only ever wanted to help you, I wanted to see what you see, be strong enough and fast enough to fight alongside you ... but ... but ... I've become weak ...'

Gareth could have let Neil grovel for a while, though he decided against it, interrupting Neil instead.

'I know, I have talked to Pavel.'

'You have, but how? I haven't given you back your crystal yet.'

'You may have taken the crystal, but I am still the protector.'

'So I'm told ...'

Neil was still confused but guessed that maybe being the protector meant something more than just protecting the crystal and that the gifts it gives its holder do not simply go away with the absence of the crystal. Indeed, he had thought he knew all there is to know, obviously not.

The crystal is back where it belongs, three of the previous protectors have now revealed themselves, Neil returned to Gareth's side. Having the crystal returned to him allowed Gareth more than a glimpse into just who exactly Neil is. As Gareth carries part of the previous protectors within him, he now too knows Neil all the better through Neil's contact with the Crystal. There is something of Neil now within himself.

Trust now is no longer an issue. There is an added connection between both men, nothing else needs to be said. A heart has been looked into and the journey can once again continue. With all that has happened, Neil would be left with one question.

'That German Sheppard, it is one heck of a big dog, is it coming along with us on our journey?' ...