DUOPIA

Chapter 3 - Riak

James woke up suddenly to a noise coming from down the passage. He jumped up, knocking his book off his lap. He grabbed his torch and shone it down the passage. The shaky light showing nothing but dirt and rock, and further darkness.
James looked around and noticed that Mikey wasn't back.
James gathered all his things, put his book back in his backpack and slowly made his way into the tunnel, his torch lighting up a few metres ahead of him. He kept turning his head each step to see nobody following him, or that Mikey wasn't playing a trick on him. James almost would like it to be a trick, so that he didn't have to walk through this dark scary cave all by himself.
Each step James took was as frightful as the last, peering into the darkness not knowing what could be at the other side of it.
A rock would suddenly emerge into the light and James had a rush in his chest, questioning if it was a rock of a monster pretending to be one. He would poke it with his pitch fork and hear the ting of a rock and calm himself down.
He turned around and saw the krillt worm cave slowly fade behind him, missing the light source so much, as if it was a protector against all the evil in the world.
James continued on, each rock bringing more anxiety into his chest. He carried on step by step, then he stopped.
As the tunnel opened up in front of the torch light, a slope appeared before him. Heading very steeply up onto a rocky surface as opposed to the dirt that James had been walking on before.
James noticed that there was a light source coming from the top of the slope, and turned his torch off to see it. He could also hear the crash of waves again, and the smell of the ocean.
James started to walk up the rocky slope towards the light, delighted to see the sun out and the storm no longer present in the sky, it was strangely clear.
He reached the top of the slope and stood at the mouth of the entrance to a cave. Right below was a slight drop onto the beach, golden yellow sand with a few bits of dark green seaweed sprawled around. The ocean was a breath taking aqua blue, and very calm.
James stood and looked at his surroundings for a moment, and realised what the sweet smell was before. On his left nestled against the shore line were fruit trees blooming with flowers and fruits of a orange red colour. He couldn't quite figure out what kind of fruits they were though, in fact... None of the beach or sand, the geography he was observing resembled anything of the beach out the front of his house. Even the fields of green grass beyond the beach in the distance seemed way too green and lush then back around the house.
This all seemed very unfamiliar.
James walked up to the ledge and jumped down onto the beach sand, just as he did he noticed a figure move out of sight.
James flicked his head around to see what it was. On his right there were two large rocks, almost twice as tall as him, and he could see a shadow right behind one of them. A person was behind the rock!
James dropped his torch and grabbed his pitch fork and held it like a sword, ready to strike.
"Hey!" James shouted. "Who are you?! Come out!"
James's knees were rattling together, but he held his ground as best as he could. The shadow moved into sight, and James's jaw dropped.
He almost fell backwards.
He couldn't believe his eyes.
James stared for sometime at what he first thought was a man, but was not a man at all.
The creature that had the silhouette of a man, stood tall on the beach sand.
A strange creature that was quite slender with bluey green tinged skin, almost shiny.
Black oval eyes covered most of his face, and instead of a nose a small snout and not a single hair on his head. He wore what resembled a wet suit of gold and grey, and his hands weren't hands. More like frog pads, with big tear drop fingertips.
"Wha - ... What are you?" James stuttered as he slowly walked back.
The creature stepped forward, with his strange hands held up in front of him, he spoke with a smooth and warm sounding voice.
"Eternal balance, my friend." The creature said. "I don't wish harm upon you, I was merely startled by your presence. I have never seen a woman- well child of Woman before."
James was frozen stiff.
It spoke! And with wonderful english also.
James took a breath and decided to ask the same question again, nervously.
"Wha... What are... You?... Exactly..." James bumbled out slowly as he took a step back.
The creature stood taller and responded proudly.
"I am Riak, brother of Krillentaa. Proud Amphibaman of the South Sea Colony!" he exclaimed.
James was stunned by the response. He knew Krillentaa, in the book he read before. Was that what the creature was talking about?
"Krillentaa? From the book?" James asked curiously, dropping the pitch fork in his hand a bit, forgetting the feeling of being threatened for a moment.
"What is 'The Book'? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that place my friend." Riak responded.
James dropped the pitch fork in the sand and threw off his backpack, he unzipped the big pocket and pulled out the Duopia book, he opened it up to where he read about Krillt worms. As he did he noticed the letters were all strange again, he couldn't read the text anymore.
James looked up at Riak and noticed something change in him.
His face seemed... terrified.
Riak walked over swiftly to shut the book in front of James. James almost squealed from the book being slammed under his nose, unable to react quick enough. This sudden change in Riak struck fear in him. He shouldn't have let his guard down so quickly.
"Child of Woman, where did you obtain this?" Riak whispered harshly, looking around to see if there was anyone watching.
"I... Just found it in my wardrobe, next to an old picture of a lady." James bumbled out.
Riak looked around again frantically, trying to see if anyone was here with him and this child. James was hardly breathing at this point, he knew he was in trouble now.
Something about the way Riak changed when he saw the book, it terrified James to no end, and now it seemed that he would be in serious danger with this creature. Suddenly Riak grabbed the book out of James's hands, shoved it back into James's backpack and stared right into James's eyes.
He spoke with a hint of fear in his face.
"We aren't safe here, Predatorians are coming."