Star Rising: Heartless

Chapter 4

Hello Again!!!!

Like always, feel free to point out any grammar mistakes that got past me.

In this chapter we meet Nandi. She's the purple skinned girl in the cover. Any thoughts on her?

Enjoy!

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Xalen moved down the long corridor, gazing at one statue after another. There seemed to be countless statues lining both sides of the corridor like silent, marbled guardians. Golden plaques were etched under their feet, relaying the story of the person above. He didn't bother to read any of them until he reached a statue that, instead of marble, was made of simple stone. Its legs and hands were cracked, and half of the face was missing. The plaque underneath read:

In memory of Alioth Musashi.

In starcycle 333 the Sanatus, vile creatures of destruction, arrived from the depths of space. Their armies destroyed all who got in their way. No one could stand against their ferocity. On the brink of total annihilation, a warrior rose from the ranks of the humans. He led the Bastion in the victory of High Void. He turned the tides at the Clash of Red Hill. He alone was responsible for the destruction of the Sanatus' third battalion. When his time came to—

"Hey, move," ordered a voice behind him.

Xalen turned, coming face-to-face with a girl with light purple skin. She looked to be the same age as him. Half of her head was bald, the other sported a long wave of dark hair. The mysterious tattoo decorating the bald spot, along with the frown on her face, gave her a tough exterior. She wore a light brown leather suit that exposed the top of her breasts. Her left arm had been completely replaced by a metallic one the color of her suit. Within the small holes and patterns in the metal pieces of the arm, he saw the careful work of an expert metaton. The cables were aligned neatly inside, without a single one exposed to the elements. The way she effortlessly moved her arm made it obvious that it was evenly weighted.

"Are you going to stare all day?" she asked, her hands thrown up in the air. "Didn't you hear me the first time? Move!"

He moved aside. "Sorry. It's just that I've never seen a—" He racked his brain, realizing that he had no idea what species the girl was.

The girl ignored him. She held an electronic pad in her right hand, where she scribbled something with a long stylus.

"What are you doing?" asked Xalen.

"What's it to you?" she answered, so quickly that Xalen was certain that was a rehearsed, go-to answer.

"I'm just curious, that's all. I'm new here."

The girl dropped what she was doing and turned to him, a frown on her face. "Stop talking to me. Don't you see that I'm busy? Sensei Barteau will have my head if I don't finish this by tonight."

"Can't be that hard," said Xalen, hoping he wasn't overstepping his boundaries. "All you're doing is copying what it says in that plaque."

She rolled her eyes, but refrained from saying another word.

"You must have a library around here somewhere," added Xalen. "If you have to write a report on this..." He took another look at the plaque. "Alioth Musashi, then you should just go there and get some books to finish your report."

The girl continued scribbling on her pad. "You would have me read a book?" She chuckled. "That would be a first."

"You don't have to read all of it. All you have to do is grab a few books and skim over the details. Then simply put in a few of your own ideas." The words blurted out of his mouth before he had a chance to think about it. "I could help you, if you want."