The Last Celestial

Protected By The Sand Part I

The four of them did not have to be told twice when Nathaniel mentioned the relic which contained Scorpio’s bane. It's in their blood to rush towards the treasure that their family --- their bloodline had kept safe for thousands and hundreds of years.

Just the thought of losing the relic had Aiziah crying loudly as she and the others ran to the halls, down to the spiral stairs and into the catacombs.

All that death, all their brothers and sisters — not only in oath but by blood had sacrificed themselves for this purpose.

And for it all to be lost is absolutely devastating.

Kane noticed how there were dents and thick lines against the stone walls. And it was highly likely from the gigantic creature that laid waste on the fortress. It was so big and bulky that the spikes on its body may have cost the ruins of the beautiful catacombs.

Before, it had beautiful paintings of Scorpio and the stories that happened in the past. His life was laid out on the paintings the late Keepers drew for the Celestial.

Stories of how the Celestial shared his knowledge with man --- as he was wise, and smart and cunning. Especially his knowledge with herbal medicines.

Now those paintings are partly destroyed and scraped down, and most of the ancient text that was sculpted by the best Keepers who learned arts to create beautiful works for the Celestials they've lost was no more.

Kane's blood boiled, as the grandfather of his Father was one of those artisans. "f**k those creatures..." He hissed under his breath as they ran inside the catacomb to make their way towards the chamber of the Relic.

When they've reached the ends of the catacombs, their hearts sink. The gates that protected the relic had been destroyed and were reduced to rubble and stones.

Nathaniel and the others stared at the scene and they could only think and fathom the horrors that the guards of Scorpio's Bane had been through. Skulls and bones can be seen scattered on the floor.

"What the hell happened here?" Kane whispered and was deeply troubled by the scene. "Everyone... everyone is gone."

Dried blood was evident as well. And when Aiziah spotted a dismembered hand on the floor, she could no longer contain the vomit she was holding onto.

"Oh, f**k!" She screamed before her knees failed her, and she fell on the floor.

She knelt down, and hurled everything inside her stomach. Tears streamed down her eyes along with the watery acid that came out from her mouth. They did not even have the chance to eat a proper meal last night since they were all too tired from the Spartan's training.

Zebedee could not make a move as well. For her face displayed pure repulsion at the scene. She was angry, and felt worthless. This feeling, the intense feeling of worthlessness she had already felt before.

She felt it first when the creature of Tar, coal and fire appeared at the gates of the fortress. Elly and Aiziah saved her. Phing also saved the others, while Tris and Anukis did their best to maintain the barrier.

Yet, she was the only one to cry for help like a coward. How much she hated herself after that was beyond comparison to others. Yes, most of the times she complained during the training. But she did her best.

She wanted to become strong, and not ask for anyone's help anymore. "Aiziah. Stand up..." She whispered as her body shakes. She will not cry this time. Not anymore. "I said stand up! What the hell are you doing on the floor!?" She screamed, and then she ran towards where the relic used to stand, not minding the bones that were laying on the bloody ground.

"What are you still doing there, you three idiots!" She screamed while she looked for a clue. "Come here and help me find traces of that beastly thing!"

Zebedee looked back at the three who were still stuck at their own world, and was still in disbelief of what happened, rendering them motionless. In sheer anger, she bent down and picked up a femur bone --- throwing it to Nathaniel, hitting his thighs.

"Hey, Elder!" Zebedee screamed in anger, and her voice was so loud it echoed inside the chamber. "f*****g wake up from your p***y-s**t mess and let's get this over with and find the f*****g relic, now!"

Nathaniel was snapped from his musing. "Damn you, Zebedee..." He growled when he realized what just happened.

He slapped his face a few times to get himself back and immersed with reality. Forty of their best Keepers had just died. As an Elder, he felt completely incompetent.

Not only that, but the relic is lost as well.

How he will tell it to Elder Diomedes is still beyond him. His pride as the best weapon maker had been crushed and destroyed. And his ideals and the way he sees himself had been vaporized, turned into nothing.

But crying over spilled milk won't do any of them good. Now they have to act and try to trace whenever the beast maybe.

Nathaniel looked over at Kane then said "You were training as an extractor before you were deployed here as a soldier aren't you?"

Kane nodded. "Yes. Yes I was. I trained for a few years or so."

Nathaniel hummed and looked all over the place before he bent down. The place was a bit dark since only a few torches hanging on the walls were lighting up the place. There wasn't much to see. "Then maybe you can trace something that could help us locate the Bane?"

"I'm out of practice tracing things, but I'll try."

===========================

After picking up and cleaning all of the bones and ashes, Kane immediately gets to work and looks at the floor studying the scene. The dried blood made things awfully hard for him. As there were many footprints amongst other things that laid on the floor.

He didn't have tweezers and a brush to check, but he had a flashlight that Aiziah took from her room which he deemed was helpful enough.

Zebedee, Nathaniel and Aiziah busied themselves by collecting the bones and remains of their family, friends and colleagues. The three of them decided to take the remains out of the fortress and give the dead the burial they deserve.

They placed the bones on a white linen, carrying the remains outside the fortress.

That's when Aiziah noticed something odd in the middle of the hallways. A drop of blood, but it led to nothing.

"Hey... Elder Nathaniel and Zebie... look." Aiziah said, then pointed at the drop of blood.

Nathaniel instantly looked at whatever Aiziah was pointing at. He bent down, to take a closer look. And when he did, he realized it wasn't blood. For when blood had been left out in the open for a long time, the water and the plasma separate itself from the red blood cell.

It's impossible that the blood from any of them, for they had never been harmed. It's also unlikely that it's from the remains as the blood has already dried out, and if this came from the remains then shouldn't it be traced back down to the hallways, catacombs as well?

And the thing is, when he tried to touch the goop with his finger, it moved.

Blood doesn't move, right?

There is only one explanation.

"It's the Bane." Nathaniel said loudly. He stood up and looked at the two women seriously. "Tell Kane to come here this instant! Now!"

=======================

The four Keepers journeyed towards the middle of the Sahara desert. As a precaution, Nathaniel cuts a portion of the armor made to protect Keepers from the bane, and he uses a special tool to move the bane carefully so that his skin won't make any contact with it --- potentially killing him.

Now they are running and frantically trying to find wherever the Bane may lead them. They placed the bane inside a jar, and it made them all wonder and was left in awe at how the Bane could move even during the day.

It's not the same as it is at night, but the power of the Bane was still enough so it can direct them in the right direction.

"To the right." Nathaniel announced with a loud voice, as the Bane he was holding on to pointed at the right. "Straight ahead!" He screamed right after seeing where it was pointing at.

The desert was so vast that they felt like they were given a run around. As if they were led to nothing. It's also getting hot, as it was past noon. And by checking the position of the sun, Kane could easily tell that it was past two o'clock in the afternoon.

They have been walking for almost three hours now. And yet, all they can see is the sand, the far mountains. And nothing more.

Soon, they'll lose a lot of water from their bodies...

If they did not die from the beast, then they'll certainly die from dehydration.

"Water..." Aiziah whispered, and her lips were all dried as bullets of sweat dripped from her head, new ones forming on her face, especially her nose. "...I need water."

Zebedee heard her friend. She tossed the bottle of water towards Aiziah. "Catch." She said, not minding if her friend drinks from it first. "Drink up. But don't drink too much. There's still three mouths who need it too." She reminded her.

Aiziah nodded her head after catching the water bottle, understanding what Zebedee meant. “Thanks.” She opened the lid in a haste and drank. Only a few sips though, as the bottle is half empty and half full.

"Me too." Kane said, eyeing the bottle that Aiziah was holding onto.

She tossed it this time to Kane, and he drank from it instantly, relieving him from the intense thirst. “Here you go.” Aiziah said with a blank expression on her face.

"Are we there yet?" Was Zebedee's awfully stupid question. She just wanted to ask, hoping that their misery will end soon.

She continued to walk forward, not noticing that Nathaniel was standing still, making her crash against his back. "Oof!" She fell butt-first on the sand.

After seeing this, Aiziah immediately ran towards Zebedee to help her friend. "I got you." She reached out a helping hand and pulled her friend up.

"Nathaniel, what is wrong with you?!" Zebedee screamed at the Elder, eyes shooting daggers at him. When he did not make a move, she grabbed a fistful of sand and threw it on his back. "Hey, stickman!"

Aiziah's eyes went wide as a platter and hushed her overly stupid friend. "Zebie!" She hissed. "He's an Elder! Show some respect."

"Oh no, I won't. Until I'm enduring that Spartan Training of his, I refuse to call him Elder." Was her haughty reply. She marched towards the Elder and was ready to pick up a fight. She was sweaty and sticky. She's awfully hungry and she's also imagining things since they're in the middle of the desert and it's getting too hot to bear.

Now she is standing beside Nathaniel, poking on his side, but he still won't budge. She noticed that Nathaniel was looking down... maybe she is not the only one who is seeing things then. "Hey." She said, "What are you looking at?" She added.

Nathaniel looked at her for a brief moment before he pointed towards a body that was lying on the sand.

So it wasn't just her imagination. She gulped and then looked down at the person who was almost as dark as wood from being sunburned. "Is he alive?" Was Zebedee's question.

"I don't know." Was Nathaniel's honest reply. "But the Bane led us here."

Zebedee stared down at the body once more. The expression on her face was unexplainable, like a mixture of disgust and pity. “Well, he looks more dead and alive…”