Guardians by Design - Land

Trapped

The group of Guardians proceeded down the stone hallway – eyes wide, voices muted. This section had even more evidence of being heavily trafficked than the last. Small stair-like platforms assisted in the descent, providing stable footing. Various footprints lined the stone corridor; most being paws. One set, however, was significantly larger than the rest. It almost seemed the owner had sunk into the stone walkway under to the animal’s tremendous weight.

Light patter of the group’s footsteps was the only sound present in the tunnel, lightly reverberating off the cool walls. Each pulse of Dahj’s heartbeat resonated through the chest plate of his new, fortified shell, resembling a thumping against the cool stone walls. He considered himself lucky to no longer have hooves that would clop against stone. Instead, his calloused soles scraped nearly silently. Every corner made of stone that jutted out into the hallway was suspicious. Any would make perfect hiding spots for an anxious predator.

Placing his hand at his waist, he remembered that he no longer had his bludgeon; destroyed against the dam. Instead he retrieved the sturdy, pointed stick from his back. Still clean, Dahj was relieved that this tool had yet to pierce flesh, and hoped it never would. It seemed a silly tool to carry around, should he never need it for anything more than digging holes, but he would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. He grasped the stick tightly in his stone fists of exaggerated size. Even through his fear he managed a light laugh, suspecting that he must look quite silly wielding the tiny wooden weapon.

Brenloru’s rack caught a corner of the ceiling, creating a dull thud followed by a bone-chilling scrape from antler briefly dragging against stone. Festelda let out a stifled screech, nearly jumping out of her skin.

Dahj’s eyes watered as the smell of rot and decomposing flesh became stronger. He wanted to gag, but held it in his chest. They had reached another fork in the tunnel. A greater source of light came from the right, but clearly the source of the smell. The left was dark; seemingly a dead end or storage area. The pouch pulled left.

A low, muffled groan resonated from behind a rock wall they quickly approached after accepting the left hallway. A dead end. The floor appeared to be equally trafficked as the rest, but came to an abrupt stop, blocked by a pile of boulders varying in size. Light was dim, but Dahj was able to spot faint edges. The tunnel had caved-in, either intentionally or naturally.

The area void of warmth made Dahj grateful for the coverage his new suit offered, providing insulation as well as physical protection. He pulled the pelt slightly tighter around his neck as the putrid lake water cooled within the cave, chilling his flesh beneath saturated, matted fur.

The appendage attempted to leap from his pouch from vibrating violently as Dahj stepped closer to the wall. Dahj removed it, holding it in his hand as it twisted and squirmed.

The low came through the stone wall again. “De…signer,” said the voice slowly.

“Land Soul,” Brenloru called back. His voice echoed through the tunnel behind him. “Is that you? How do we get in?”

Festelda hit the noisy moose in the leg with her elbow and shushed him.

“Please, move the wall. Release me,” the voice grumbled in response.

The tentacle leapt forward, latching itself to the stone wall. The entire tunnel trembled lightly as the boulders before them split. Fissures ran throughout with loud snaps and pops, turning them to rubble one at a time. The wall crumbled before the Guardians, granting access to a room made of polished stone. Various concentrations of minerals sparkled in the light of the sun pouring into the room from a narrow split in the ceiling. The stone room’s only inhabitant sat at the far end of the room – its back to the wall.

The figure rose in the group’s presence, bathed in sunlight coming from the celling’s fissure. It did not resemble any creature from Dahj’s plains. One large, oval boulder resembled a torso, carried by four tree-trunk appendages covered in rough bark. Tightly wound braids of thick vines acted as arms, which assisted in pushing the being up into a standing position.

Moss patched various segments of the stone stature, and small plants such as young trees and flowers sprouted from cracks along its body. Its head was cone-shaped and mountainous with various peaks and ridges along the top. As the Soul approached Dahj, leaves and flowers sprouted in the wake of the creature’s trunk-like feet, but withered and died almost instantly in the inhospitable environment.

“You’re… the Soul of the Land,” Dahj said to the figure that towered above him.

Small leaves grew from the shoulders of the Land Soul, hastily flashing colors of green, to orange, then red before detaching and drifting to the ground where they too, withered.

“Yes,” the Soul said. Its gravelly voice came from deep within the being’s chest, as it lacked a face entirely. “You have brought Ohmlur with you, no?”

Dahj glanced at Brenloru with a confused look.

“The Designer’s true name,” said Brenloru, gesturing towards the appendage Dahj held.

“Only part of him” Dahj replied. He held up the tentacle, which wriggled eagerly in the presence of the Soul.

“I see,” the Soul said. “It appears to be weak.”

“Somewhat. Our mission was to replenish it, then bring it back to the Designer,” Brenloru informed him. “We were also meant to look for you, Soul.”

“Well you found me. Because of you, moose. Your medicinal capabilities are truly impressive.” the Land Soul noted with a low growl. “Come, let him feed.” Four tree trunks swung forward in an alternating pattern, leaving behind a trail of moss and small flowers like a carpet on which he walked. Approaching Dahj, he held out one of his vine-like arms. Growing on demand, the vines stretched out and weaved themselves into a flat platform.

The tentacle firmly latched to the Soul to leech its unique elemental essence. The tentacle grew to about half of Dahj’s height before becoming sated. Its plump body fell from the Soul, landing on the ground with a wet flop. Greys, browns, and greens pulsed vibrantly.

“How did you get trapped here?” Reblex asked flatly. “I mean, you control the layout of the landscape. Can’t you just… push your way out?”

“I have been far too weak, for far too long, ram,” the Soul of the Land replied. “Maurlynn has a silver tongue. Recently she convinced me that the Designer had a special project just for me. A new continent with mountains, valleys, canyons, forests… the works. It was to be built in the middle of the ocean, far to the west. She told me it was meant to be a trial area for some of Ohmlur’s new species. This was before I knew they had parted ways; no longer in a partnership on the task of creation.”

Maurlynn, Dahj gathered. Now I have a name for the designer of the carnivores. Just need to match a face…

“I accepted the project and poured all of my time and energy into the new landscape. Once finished, I returned here; depleted of energy and resources. As I rested in this very cave, she trapped me – had her goons cave-in the doorway. I was unable to rejuvenate in this cage during my slumber, as it lacked the essential nutrients and elemental exposure necessary to fuel me…” The Land Soul inspected the tentacle writing on the floor. “I regret ever listening to her, Ohmlur. It only got me trapped in my own environment.”

The Soul paused for a moment that may have been filled with a deep sigh, should the colossus breathe. Instead, the only sounds produced were creaks and groans from shifting stone and wood. He turned towards Dahj, who was still perplexed with how to make eye contact with the giant.

“And you,” he said to Dahj. His tree legs bent in half to assume a kneeling position, causing the wood to strain and groan loudly, threatening to splinter. “Look at this new… land-empowered body armor you have acquired.”

“Indeed. I… suppose I have you to thank for that,” Dahj stuttered. He held up his reinforced fists and looked down at his armored chest.

“Somewhat, yes; but Ohmlur mostly,” the Soul replied. “I am excited to see that he has been able to fine-tune the application. I have only seen it been successful in practice one other time.”

“One other time?” Dahj asked quickly. “Who else has this been… tested on?” He feared this gift may have been granted to the carnivore’s designer at some point in the past.

“A generation of a different time. That creature no longer exists, bison,” the Soul replied.

A different generation – of Guardians? At least that eliminates Maurlynn as a previous wearer of the land-suit, Dahj thought.

“What will you do now that you are out?” Dahj asked. He retrieved the tentacle from the stone floor, returning it to the now very small pouch in comparison to its size.

“Return to Ohmlur, first and foremost. Offer my assistance in ending the threat to this land. I see now the havoc Maurlynn and her creations can bring,” said the Soul, then rumbled towards the exit of his prison.

“Do you know anything of the other Souls? If she has… influenced them as well?” Dahj pressed.

“Atmosphere is wise and not easily persuaded by the manner of harm,” the Land Soul replied. He had passed the Guardians, but forced his head around to address them. “Aquatic… she is rash and only answers to herself. Unpredictable and brutal, she will be hard to flow one way or another. Reclamation has always thrived off chaos and destruction. It is likely he will approve of Maurlynn’s conquest for domination. However, he has never been known to follow direction.”

“I see, so it would be wise for us to seek the help of Atmosphere next, no?” Dahj asked, assuming Atmosphere would be the only other Soul to understand the gravity of their situation, thus the path of least resistance. “Would it help if any of the other Souls had your input on the matter, Land?”

“Perhaps…” the Soul responded slowly. “But you must understand, Guardian. The four of us have never been in any kind of… alliance. At one point in time, we were the only things present on this planet. There are agreements and limitations, but we each have our own separate path, priorities, and purpose. We can fuel each other or inhibit each other. We agree to act in harmony because without one, there may not be any. Our elemental power can be utilized for creation, or petty destruction. However, we respect one another.”

“Seek Atmosphere. Present your case to him. Convince him that the future of this land depends fully on what Ohmlur and Maurlynn have to offer. Perhaps he will aid in your protection of the herbivores.” The Soul’s head rumbled around to face his chamber’s threshold.

The group nodded and allowed the Soul to exit first. His tree-like legs groaned and cracked as he swung them forward. A loud grinding sound rang through the cave and shook the walls as the Soul scraped his stone head on the tunnel entrance, seemingly unphased.

Dahj looked to Brenloru.

“We return to the Designer,” Brenloru answered without being asked. “Replace his lent appendage. Acquire the next one and start over. Once empowered, it will lead us to the appropriate Soul.”

“You gotta be kidding me,” Reblex said. “So, what, we’re just gonna do laps around this place with each of his arms?”

“If that’s what it takes…” Brenloru said coolly. “But I predict it will be a little more complicated than that. However, each time we assist the Designer in regaining his power, he will make our lives easier as well.”

“Well he better make us able to fly or something, because that was a long walk,” Reblex replied, shoulders slumped as he dragged his feet out of the holding chamber.

***

The group exited the polished stone room into the dimly lit, cool hallway. Half of the appendage hung out of the pouch and swung at Dahj’s side –unable to be contained entirely by the side bag. He suspected should it have a face, it would be smiling like an obese piglet after unlimited provisions. Dahj shoved it with a loud squish to keep it concealed as much as possible, and used the bear pelt to cover the rest of the severed limb. The thought of losing it, especially now that it was fully empowered made him feel ill.

The group arrived at the first fork in the tunnel. The exit was near, but Dahj’s curiosity overwhelmed him. He now knew that this cave had become Maurlynn’s residence after parting from the Designer. Perhaps if he explored further, he could find something that Ohmlur would consider valuable for his own benefit, or to use against her.

“Dahj,” Festelda called sharply after noticing him taking a left towards the source of the wretched scent.

“You guys go. I just need to know – it could help us,” he replied quietly over his shoulder.

Reblex swore under his breath, forcing himself to stay put. His muscles twitched, telling him to move towards the exit.

Dahj entered a stone room dimly lit by torches. A cough escaped his chest as his eyes watered from the heavy humidity and smell of singed fur. In the center of the rough-edged, dome-shaped room was a low standing, stone block that served as a table. Various bones and teeth littered the blood-splattered surface of the platform that lightly emitted steam. Pelts and hides of various predators were displayed using wooden frames against the back wall.

Approaching the table, Dahj winced as he took a broad sidestep to avoid crushing a lifeless creature beneath his leathery sole. It appeared to be a lizard with wings crudely attached to its back. It laid on the ground after being cast aside out of frustration, now forgotten.

Matted hair on the back of his neck stood in response to a low growl that rang through the chamber from behind him. He retrieved the sturdy spear from his back as he whipped around to find a pitiful creature crawling towards him. It was sickly – barely alive.

Its head resembled one of the wolves Dahj had encountered multiple times recently. However, its fur was scarce; possibly suffering from mange, judging by the patches that had fallen off. Remaining fur was matted with cold, sticky blood. It was better described as red in color rather than grey or black that was more typical of the species. Two long, sharp fangs were exposed when it opened its mouth to growl. The fangs that resembled those of a snake dripped with drool… or venom. Dahj was unsure. Its body was bare and scaly. Thin and long, it bent and curled nearly two meters in length behind the head.

Due to its lethargy, Dahj didn’t consider the creature a threat. Instead, he turned to quickly scan the room. Paranoia of something, or someone more capable of injuring him pressed his time. His head was becoming cloudy, and he felt faint. Rounding the stone table in the center of the room, he quickly rummaged through bones and teeth while holding his breath. It only hastened his dizziness.

The pelts were all representations of creatures he had already encountered before; no new projects were identifiable – save for the winged lizard and wolf-snake. He was unsure if they were even worth mentioning to Ohmlur, as they were clearly failures.

The creature behind him hissed again. Two stunted legs with bare paws assisted the monstrosity in a movement that resembled both a crawl and a slither towards Dahj. The only two legs the animal had were wide and disfigured, with four gruesome claws at the end of scaly paws. Its long body trailed behind, tapering to a scaly tail with useless nubs growing out of the side; seemingly failed paws.

Dahj pitied the creature. It seemed Maurlynn was becoming desperate. She was hastily attempting to combine genes of various predators to determine which would be the most threatening. Flying lizards. Wolf snakes. The failures were simply cast aside or left to die. Dahj viewed the atrocities as crimes against nature. Her species were simply abused test subjects with an unrelenting thirst for flesh. No living creature should have to endure this fate.

Disgusted, Dahj took a wide berth around the test creature, presenting the pointed end of his spear. The creation growled and hissed at him while desperately pulling its weight with stubby, scaly legs. Dahj exited the room with a deep breath and invigorated hatred for Maurlynn. Many more creatures were destined to this existence, should she be allowed to continue.

He nodded at Brenloru silently to move towards the exit.

The three ahead of Dahj took a right and ascended a stone ramp towards the alternative exit. Ideally, it would lead them to a mountain range that overlooked the lake they had used as entrance. Likely connecting to the ridge Reblex had traversed, it would offer suitable vantage over the land. Sunlight poured in through mouth of the cave, shrinking Dahj’s pupils. He squinted his eyes, looking towards the blue sky with gratitude to leave this place.

Scanning the horizon, Dahj turned east, hoping for any recognizable landmarks that would lead them back to the Cedar Homestead. Brenloru firmly grabbed his arm, turning him to the north while holding a finger to his own lips. A group of predators was moving towards the drained lake – likely returning from a hunt to Maurlynn’s hiding spot.

“Wait… this is it.” Brenloru had turned around to inspect the cave entrance the group of predators were apparently headed towards. “Dahj, this is the cave from the story. On the ridgeline… where I saw the golden eyes.” Brenloru choked slightly from his stomach leaping into his throat.

It’s odd to see such a mix of species travel together, Dahj thought, dismissing Brenloru’s comments as he gazed at the bear, wolves, and foxes approaching the lake. Maybe it’s part of her assault te-

Dahj collapsed from being tackled. The immense weight of the creature standing on his back prevented him from pushing himself up. Pinned to the ground, he flailed his fortified arms. His left cheek was held in the dirt as he exhaled forcefully, causing puffs of dust to fly away from his face before lingering in the air. Only able to look to his right side, he found himself face-to-face with part of the bear pelt that had been dislodged from his back in the impact.

Dahj punched his rock-gloves into the dry soil and continued to shout as his company whipped around. Their faces paled before backing away from the creature that had mounted their friend. Multiple sharp claws dug into the pinned bison’s back, easily bypassing the layer of bark and reeds that covered his shoulder blades. He screamed in terror as his own blood began to soak his fur, quickly cooling in the mountain air.

“This is it?” Maurlynn purred, perched upon the Guardian. “This is what Ohmlur has been working on? An ugly bison with rocks for hands?”

The cat’s two massive canines lightly scraped the back of Dahj’s neck, taunting him. His party stood petrified in terror at the sight of the skull-shaped outline of white fur upon her face and daunting size.

Reblex dropped his head and charged into her right shoulder, which barely phased the beast. Festelda followed, daggers drawn. Before she could bury them in the cat’s hide, Maurlynn batted her away with the back of her paw like fluffy dandelion.

“I assume you released the Soul during your visit to my lair,” Maurlynn said, resting her weight on Dahj. “No matter, I got what I needed from him. He’s no longer the only creature with trees for arms…”

“Release him! This land belongs to the herbivores!” Brenloru cried.

Dahj’s vision blurred. He feared he was going to vomit as he coughed. Blood spat from his mouth, projected onto the dirt near his face.

“A new link has been added to the food chain,” Maurlynn said with a growl. Her eyes burned fiercely in the sunlight. “Adapt, or perish.”

She sank her long canines into Dahj’s back, straddling his spine. He froze, paralyzed in pain. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping him coherent for his final moments. Maurlynn leapt from Dahj’s limp body to pursue the others. Blood pooled around his fallen body, soaking his cheek. He smelled only iron as everything went dark. The ground he laid on shook violently.

Part Two of Guardians by Design – Land