Taras was sitting on a crate with a few of his guards when Kalis appeared from out of the tunnel. The scientist was flanked by three of his creations and was grinning from ear to ear. The grizzled one-eyed warrior stood up and leisurely strolled over, reaching out a tentative hand. "Long time no see, eh, Kalis? How's it going?" He took the hand and shook it eagerly. "Taras! Why are you here?"
A few of the soldiers glanced at each other as if surprised, and a sly smile made its way across their leader's face. "The King has been assassinated," he said, "and the Flaxian empire has the city surrounded."
"I heard that. Was the murderer caught? Who's the next king of Scoria? And the Flaxians?! Wha-"
Taras laughed and held up his hand. "Whoa! Calm down. We caught the assassin, but she won't confess."
"She?" Kalis exclaimed in wonder. "I didn't know women were capable of murder! And of the king, no less."
"You underestimate the power of the desperate, my friend, and besides: what can you say? You're weak too!"
A few horns sounded in the distance; the sun had already begun to set, casting shadows on the faces of the men. The inventor glared, and Taras chuckled. "Just kidding. Anyways, we need to get out of here before the army of Flaxus closes in on this little haven of yours."
"Why would they care about me? It's not like I'm on your side or anything. Just go - they'll leave me alone. Besides, I need to finish exploring this place. There are some things I still need to learn about that fire and what caused it."
The smaller human-sized robot to the left of Kalis frowned. "The fire? Oh, you mean the one the soldiers set when they were destroying our family's house?"
"You remember?" Kalis spun around, his face wild with excitement, and grasped her by her shoulders. "Really?! Can you tell me about it? Please? Pretty please??"
The android pushed him away. "Get off! I'll tell you about it later, but I don't want to stay here." she snarled.
Taras smiled and nodded to his soldiers. "Let us be on our way. Kalis has agreed to help us."
"What? I didn't say that!" cried Kalis.
"Your robot did."
"She's not me!"
"Didn't you once say your creations were an extension of your will?"
"She's not one of my creations anymore! That's a spirit."
The general raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, right. Whatever. Let's get going."
The scientist smacked himself in the face with his hand and turned to the girl in frustration. "Therea!" Taras laughed and turned around, bending over to pick up the box.
"Hey, wait up!"
The group made its way up the steep side of the pit, and emerged once again in the ruins of old Peimonu. Fires blazed once again in the other parts of the city, and sounds of fighting were heard nearby; the smell of blood wafted in the air.
Kalis' face turned purple and he threw up on the ground almost immediately.
"Such a weakling," Taras sighed to his soldiers, who chuckled. "He's always been like that. Smart and relentless, but disgusted when he hears about humans fighting each other."
"S-shut up! You got a problem with that?"
"I wouldn't have known," Therea whispered to Alpha. "Is it really true? Why though?"
YOU ARE READING
Resonance
General FictionWork-In-Progress. Most descriptions tell you about their main character and gives some kind of cliff hanger, but I can't do that. Sorry. Resonance is a tale about humans at its heart, and there isn't a single main character. It's a work that views...
