The Right To Rule

Chapter 18

Pulser and ash, Handrix cursed under his breath as the fog covered Karth evaporate as Orion shone above the dead city. Treasures, here, Handrix doubted it, but he and his team were paid in advance, therefore it's worth a look. A man had to stay by his principles, after all, what would he be then without them?

Regardless, that didn’t soothe his worries.

He stood in the front of the group at the main gate of the city, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword. The air was stale, a trace of burning flesh, or it was his mind playing tricks on him on the latter part. This was a place Dexter de’Leras, a Vulcan who burned this city down. Half of it, anyway.

Handrix was tall, all muscles with a scar that ran on his left eye. He lived for two things, to fight and starlings. The rest that came was a bonus. His love of starlings had led him here as a security detail for two archaeologists who believed there was a powerful artifact buried in the dead city.

“This gives me chills, sir,” Surg said. His second in command. “The city has been dead since the Origin, what on Pulser cursed nights are we supposed to find anything of value?”

“Language, Surg. Secondly, we have something of value already and now we only have to have to look strong around our charge,” Handrix replied him.

Handrix had to admit, Surge was right. This dead city had its strange coldness about it.

Handrix had thought the only he was afraid of under the stars was Spiral Pulser, now he was no longer certain.

Get a grip on yourself, this was not time to be a coward, Handrix restrained his composure and banished his thoughts.

Handrix’s group was eight including himself, five soldiers and three scholars, archaeologists. Handrix standing next to pack horses who sniffed the air and snort as he was surprised to find the main gate to the city still intact. The gate built-in dark stones, no entwined with vines, was a semi-ark wide enough for three carts abreast. Everything beyond the gate was dead, broken, and despair. This was what the war do to a city.

“Captain Handrix, if I may take a lead now,” Erkon, the lead archaeologist, said.

“By all means,” Handrix replied gesturing forward.

Erkon walked past him with enthusiasm with a map and a strange artifact on his hand. The man was dressed in brown of the same texture of the earth with hair styled to lean on the left. I thought scholars were too busy with their books to care about their hair.

Handrix followed beside Erkon as his assistant, Merlin, walked on the left of Erkon. Together they entered Karth.

“We have to source where the burnt of the city is severe,” Erkon said. “From Dexter’s tomb, we need to draw a circle and the tomb as the center. It seems easy enough.”

“Yes, sir. Then we measure forty-eight degrees from the south,” Merlin said, her face bright with joy.

“I can’t help but be curious,” Handrix said as he remembered Surge’s words. “The city has been here since the dawn of Origin, yet you seemed confident that you will find your treasure.”

“Yes, the treasure is not going anywhere,” Erkon grinned. “Yashica Planetary. The seals?”

Handrix looked at Erkon blankly unable to make sense of the words he was saying. Dusts, scholars didn’t make sense to him.

“What do you know about the world before the Origin?” Erkon asked.

“It had only a single moon and a sun every waking hour,” Handrix replied.

Erkon shook his head in an almost disapproving manner.

“That we will do,” Erkon said. “This is a perfectly designed world. I am not certain you are familiar with the term, but this meant everything you see in this world, I am not certain about Spiral Pulser, has been designed to function in a certain manner.

“But no one had enough power to change the original creations. Therefore they improvise when they took away the sun from the sky, the anchor and seal it.”

Erkon paused, he took his breath as he looked over his map and nodded to himself. They were still walking on a linear formation. Handrix looked back, Surge nodded to indicate everything was still in order.

“Somewhat along the line, the seals gave birth to Spiral Pulser. Then to answer your question, Captain, yes, the seal is right here at Karth,” Erkon concluded.

Handrix stopped. Erkon and Merlin turned to him surprised.

“Watchers cannot something like this to remain unguarded. You are walking us to our deaths,” Handrix said.

Now I understand why he told me not to bring my Vulcans soldiers. Handrix was no fool, he knew Watchers can sense Vulcans’ Radiation somehow.

“But Captain, does this place look guarded to you?” Erkon asked shaking his head. “Yashica Planetary is hidden. They cannot hide what cannot be found. Ah, that’s before they have to face me.”

“There will be reckoning for this,” Handrix spat.

It was one thing to have Vulcans as friends, it was another thing to poke a Watchers’ backsides and that’s what they were doing.

Handrix walked in silent with his hand on his sword’s hilt. Most of the cities that experienced the Last War were rebuilt, Kartha remained haunted by the war. It was as if a giant hand had swept the buildings aside. If the building was not knocked out, it was falling under its own weight. They rounded a circle with a still intact sculpture of a winged beast taking a flight surrounded by a dam that had long run dry. Handrix spared a moment to look around the circle. No doubt, it was once beautiful surrounded by buildings with bronze domes and slender spires.

Erkon continued to lead the way taking a route beside two crumbling minors, but the road was clear of rumbles. So far, it was easier to move around the city. They have only changed streets twice when buildings have collapsed on the street and closed the road.

“You look troubled sir,” Surge said.

They have tighten the circle, they walked around the pack horses.

“The details of this mission are deadly than I had first thought. Yes, this is a dead city but we are to make the enemy of Watchers of Time,” Handrix replied.

Surge whistled softly.

“Storms, but the city looks deader inside. If Watchers were around, they won’t hide from us,” Surge said. “I wished Joc and Kingson had been left behind. Storms! That’s why the flaming bustard instead no Vulcans.”

Handrix continued to walk without saying anything. Shortly, he stopped. Merlin and Erkon had stopped too. The sight before them forced them to take a moment to pause. From twenty yards ahead of Handrix, everything he can lay his eyes on was dark rumbles, burned to ash. Skygods! This was a true power of a Vulcan. By a single flame, Dexter had laid waste to Kartha.

“How many people died here?” Patrik asked, more like whispering to himself.

“They have been dead for more than two thousand years, your remorse won’t change anything,” Erkon said and continued to walk.

Erkon jumped and dropped the strange artifact he was holding.

“We are been attacked!” Erkon screamed.

Handrix turned, he had his sword in his hand. He saw Jon fall down with an ashen dagger buried on his chest. Flaming cursed world, a Watcher!

“Children, you are not welcomed,” a voice above said.

Handrix looked upwards and meet the Watcher who killed Jon. She stood on the side of the building as if it was her floor. He had heard Watchers can do strange things, he had heard they can stand on walls but seeing it with his own eyes felt fear spread throughout his body. How does he fight someone who can walk on walls?

“Lad strange artifact you have. Such accuracy to sense my Celestial, I will be taking that from you,” the Watcher said.

The Watcher ran on the wall towards them, she Pushed herself and she was before Erkon before Handrix can respond. Such speed, dust, and ash.

“You will stay where you are,” the Watcher flexed her hand.

Handrix felt a force pushing him down to the ground, he grunted trying to take a step, trying to hold himself against his sword. He cannot move. His muscles vibrate, his bones cracked under his own weight. This is what happened when they decided to mingle into Watchers’ affair. Death. There was nothing waiting for them than death.

He collapsed to his keens. He cannot fight the force that pushed him to the ground. His vision was dazed, cloudy. Burn it, he was losing it. He dropped his sword and fell to the ground.