Uncertain Future (continued...)
It definitely more complex than flicking a switch. The machine that surrounded the crystal was labeled in Thean incorporating many mysterious Syrneth devices. But it was not completely made by the Syrneth, it was made by man.
But as an Explorer, Talen had seen many of such devices of artifice and was able to deduce their function quickly. With combination of his experience, field knowledge, and his innate intelligence, he was able to run the machine. But it would take time for the machine to remove the body from the encasing crystal� As he ran the machine, the Explorer had the uncomfortable feeling that he was being watched� "Hello?" Had Reynaldo changed his mind� "My machine�" came a raspy reply. My machine, Talen thought� No. No. NO. He's supposed to be dead. As he remembered it, Vincenzo Calagari and many of his men went down in a hail of gunfire. Talen was there. He had seen the body� But long ago, when Talen had first met his friends, Reynaldo had said that Calagari had reached an agreement with Fellhand� By Theus, if such power was so easy to give away, Talen thought, what was Reynaldo doing with it? Talen became very still. "What have you done to my machine???" came a fierce and whispered demand� "Prince Calagari?" There was a stunned silence. But even in the great glow of the operating machine, Talen could only see the shadow of a bent man. Swinging his pack gingerly from his shoulder, Talen searched again for the matches that had defied him before. Within a moment, he found them. After he speedily lit a torch, he held it high. The Vodacce Merchant Prince Vincenzo Calagari approached him with aching slowness. His body was bent and chains attached to his wrists grated on the floor. There was no fullness of body, and the remains of a rich garment hung on his tortured frame. "An Explorer?" he gasped. "Yes, my prince�" Talen said respectfully. He watched the rolling counters on the machine. A tortured laugh, "I'm no Prince. Not anymore�" "Master Calagari�" Talen began. "Get away from my machine, Explorer� Get away from it�" "Just a few more moments�" Talen glanced at the counters, slowly spinning now� The head righted and from that distance, Talen was suddenly uncomfortable. The distance wasn't long enough� Abandoning his appearance of weakness, the Prince leaped. Right in front of him. Talen jumped back and drew his sword. "Get away from my machine�" Before Talen could respond, one of Calagari's lengthy chains wrapped both of his hands together. His sword fell. Calagari jerked his arm and Talen was yanked off his feet and appeared at Calagari's� Calagari kicked him with a strength unapparent. "Get away from my machine, Explorer� It's all that I have now�" Another kick. There was the sound of something small rolling. Talen raised his bloodied head. The vial. By some miracle, it hadn't shattered when it fell from his pocket, but it was rolling toward the precipice. In the peripheral, Calagari was raising his foot again. The Explorer pulled and the former prince of Vodacce fell to the ground. The chain slackened. With a quick flick of the wrist, Talen was free. He leapt for the vial, just catching it before its soon plummet� "My machine�" Talen forgotten, the tortured prince approached the controls. "Hey! Stop that!" Calagari sneered in response. Talen's hand grasped a long discarded broad sword from the ground. "I said," He raised the sword, "Stop." There was no response then. Calagari continued with the controls. Talen ran up to him and struck him with the sword. The blade sliced through the ancient sinews and muscles of the prince. The prince's arm fell from his body. The prince roared something inhuman. Reversing the sword, Talen cut off the man's head. The corpse collapsed. The head rolled to the cliff's edge. The counters rolled to a stop. The crystal glowed brightly and then all was darkness once again. Picking up the torch that he had dropped when Calagari attacked, and retrieving his sword, Talen walked around the machine. He found a form sprawled on the floor, slowly recovering� "William McCormick?" The stranger staggered to his feet, "Yes." It certainly looked like William. But there was no sense of recognition in his eyes. Talen carefully felt his face, scraped and bruised from his encounter with the prince. His ribs, too, hadn't felt the same since Montaigne and the prince had aggravated them as well. So had Reynaldo when had bent Talen like a green stick� There was every reason in the world that William wouldn't recognize him. "It's time to go home, then�" "Home?" William asked, spotting the silver ring on Talen's scarred hand, "You're an Explorer�" "Yes, I am, are you ready to go? I am, unless the irrational desire to kill me has entered your mind�" A pause. "I don't even know you�" Talen smiled, "That's why it would qualify as irrational� Come along then�" "Wait�" Talen continued on nonetheless, "No time for waiting, no time for explaining, no time for introductions� The only time we have is the time to go. That's why� its� time� to� go�" The Avalon followed him reluctantly. "Who are you?" he asked. "A friend of Enrique's, possibly a friend of yours." Talen replied. "A friend of Enrique's is a friend of mine� Where is he?" William asked. "Dying, William," Talen said, "he's dying, that's why we have to hurry�" William nodded. "Alright."Return to Uncommon Valor