Orian Nova and the cult of deikon 9

Kareem Rahman

CHAPTER 1

An ungodly gale hammered upon the planes where so called savages held dominion. It invaded into bones and sent a deathly chill across wanderers and explorers seeking to capitalize on what could be the discovery of the century. But most disturbingly of all, it seduced men to it, men such as Orian Nova, who sought to pursue deadly unknowns which were best kept hidden.

As this maelstrom weathered down the barren land of deikon 5, Orian and his hired companions Maia and Thundel walked slowly to the gaurdpost standing between the trio and a vast waste. One by one, from under tattered hoods, they scanned the dead horizon beyond the high electric walls, their eyes turning to those who gaurded it, and perparing accordingly.

A giant, three times a man and bedecked in a warriors armour, shepherded a line to the gate, watching for would be trouble makers. Searching for those moved by stupidity or bravery , he towered above them all. Compared to his monk like brothers of the cult, he was pure a picture of a warrior.

“Well thank the void, We made it” Thundell rubbed his hands together in triumph.

“Yeah, we’re literally in the ship, like standing in it right now,” Maia kicked the dirt beneath her boots, “We’aren’t even past the checkpoint yet.”

Thundell threw an annoyed look her way. He was slender, pale and long haired, wearing his usual dishevelled style of dark and dirt stained clothes. Maia brushed aside her hair, a decorative brown mane that reached her exposed shoulders atop her grey outfit, and scanned the darknenning horizon. As lightning sparked across the clouded sky, she tightened the grip on her pistols.

Orian stood a few paces ahead of them, as still as a statue, and equally as imposing. With his large frame, he folded his arms and glarred into the distance. As the line of the greedy and desperate shuffled forwards to the gate, his focus turned to the giant herding them.

“Look out there,” Thundell grabbed Maia’s shoulder and pulled her close. “Look, Its closer than it was yesterday which means were making progress, right. So stop being a buzz kill.”

“Its just the place.” she pulled away, “I don’t really get perked up looking at hellish rocks and lightning storms. This valley is called hellheim by some of the locals and I can certainly see why.”

Orian, intrigued by the name, looked at the orange and white sky stretched above him. He wondered about what monstrous creatures called this place home and, with a surprised gasp, begin to realize that you’re about to see first-hand. Swooping in the thundering wind above, a large, winged shadow engulfed a slightly smaller one. With a deafening pitch, It shrieked, flying away with something large and heavy clutched in talons.

“God” he muttered, silently.

“Right boss,” said Thundell, “Lines gonna move again”

He was right. Before them the line slowly went forwards, swaying towards the gate. At its head, a group walked through the entrance, a few monkish travelers cloaked beneath tattered hoods and dirtied robes.

Another group stepped to the entrance, stopping before the gaurdpost gate. An inch from where they stood, the giant struck the ground with his war hammer, lodging it into the dry dirt. Nervous, the group gasped, reaching for their weapons and backing away slowly.

“Not worthy,” said the giant, his voice deep and monotone.

The giant turned its head to look down at them, eyes like two burning coals glared behind his horned silver helm. He was colossal, towering over the rest of them, making up three of their tallest members. He stepped closer, his high back covered by a rugged cloak of felled beasts that flipped in the wind.

“Damn he’s big, don’t you think?”

A stranger came close to Orian, his eyes small and mischievous. His outfit was torn, as if it acquired recently, and his eyes blinked frequently as if from lack of sleep.

“I’m just loading for one of the fools who’se already gotten past the gate. Just waiting now myself but I ain’t heard back from them in some time. Reckon I could tag along with you lot.”

Orian knew he was lying.

“Not looking to speak to strangers, friend.”

Immediately, the man’s face crumpled into a defeated look and he started to walk away. Suddenly he turned and smiled proudly.

“Well, well,” he muttered before walking away again.

Orian watched him disappear into the crowd, becoming indivisible from the rest of the travelers behind them. Thundell licked his lips as he usually did when something irked him. Then, he walked over to Orian and started to whisper in his ear.

“Damn, hucksters are desperate. I don’t like it, we need to get in quickly before someone more desperate thinks we have a pass and starts stabbing.”

“I know” Orian whispered back, “and if they did start stabbing, I don’t think the guardsmen would care too much.”

Orian sighed, now tired of waiting.

“At least the lines getting shorter, once those lot are trhough we can -”

Stopping, they heard the terrified screams of men in front of them. In the air above they spotted the dismembered head of a man, blood spiraling around it, and its expression filled with dread. As the head rolled in the distance, Orian’s eyes instinctively turned to the giant, a dagger which could easily qualify as a guileten blade was gripped in its trunk like fingers.

The group before them surround the giant, aiming their weapons and unleashing round after round of laser fire. The giant quickly grabbed his sword and covered himself with his cloak. Dust rose from the ground and the crisp smell of laser fire filled the cloudy air.

“Stop,” one of the men yelled.

They rest of them held fire, unable to see anything beyond the cloud of dust. Orian expected to see the corpse of a giant. With a rattle of metal and the sizzling sound of an energy fields, the giant emerged from the clouds, swinging his dagger and hammer. The men screamed trying to escape but were quiclky caught by one of a dozen silvery arcs, their body parts littering the ground. The colossal rampaged, thrashing and slashing every transgresser. He ignored their pleaes for mercy and focused on those who would try to escape him.

In the distance, Orian’s team watched in awe and caution at the slaughter. As the dust settled, only the giant remained, standing at the center of a blood stained ground.

“Gods, look at the size of him,” Thundell muttered, “He’s as tall as a house. He can’t be human.”

“Nothing on this planet is,” said Orian, his eyes glued on the post carnage.

“Some things should stay the same,” said Maia, her voice shaking. “The system needs to operate on some common principles - you understand. If it didn’t, we wouldn’t know up from down.”

Thundell noticed her unease.

“I’m from Vienna,” he mused, “and trust me, common principles aren’t a thing there.”

Orian looked out past the gate, noticing the outline of sharp, hellish rocks. His mind went to past trials which led to lifelong rewards, the hidden vault of echo nine, the grand library of demull. Remembering those moments, he felt a rising resolve and, slowly, he stepped towards the giant.

“C’mon now,” he said, confidence lining his voice. “we’ve got a long lost alien ship to discover. We just have to get through this.”

He continued towards the gate and raised his arms to show he wasn’t a threat, his bravery quickly being noticed by the gathering crowd. Though apprehensive, Maia and Thundell slowly follow him, though unlike him, keeping their hands close to their weapons. The bloody giant watched them approach and grabbed his logded hammer, easily pulling it from its position in the ground.

“Hello there,” said Orian, attempting to greet the man.

“My name’s Orian and this -”

“What do you seek here?” the giant interrupted him .

Behind them, Thundell leaned over to Maia and began to smile and whisper.

“Real conversationalist isn’t he”

She wanted to laugh but seemed to fear what the giant might think and potentially do if he felt insulted. She looked at the body parts laid around them, concluding she made the right choice.

“What do you seek?” repeated the giant, stepping closer.

Orian held his ground, keeping a firm and strong voice to the giant that towered over them.

“I – we – seek a relic alien ship that discovered here a week ago. I scout the systems for ancient knowledge so that humanity may learn from it. This is my pursuit in life. And this ship is my next destination”

The giant knelt and studied him, his red gaze remaining cold and undecipherable. Maia and Thundell hesitantly lowered their hands to their weapons, which were puny in comparison to the guillotine sized weapons held by the guard. Seemingly concluding his study, the guard stood up again.

“A pursuit,” he murred, “hmm”

“He doesn’t sound impressed,” Thundell warned Orian.

“C’mon, I don’t want to be a stain on the floor like the last guys”

“Not worthy - yet”

Orian sighed in relief. Maia and Thundell followed, equally relieved.

“Yet, so there’s a chance we could be”

“Why?” asked the giant.

“Why what” replied Orain.

“Why should you be worthy”

Orian turned to Maia and Thundell, looking for assistance but unsurprisingly finding none. Unsure how to respond, he decided to say what he believed.

“Because, I’m a man of my word, and I ‘m looking knowledge, knowledge to be better. There’s no more honorable pursuit”

“What if knowledge is for war, what it if the knowledge that is hidden should not be shared. Still honorable?”

“Oh boy,” Maia muttered.

“I won’t lie ” said Orian , “Yes. Knowledge is knowledge and I seek it and to me that is honorable”

“Why?”

“To store it, so that those after you and I will know more and will have the capacity to be better. I don’t know what they may do. All I can assure you is this, I will not part it with those who don’t deserve it. You have my word”

The giant stepped aside, seeming somewhat convinced. He cleared the path for them and gestured them forward. Equally surprised, Tehmund grinned and clasped his hands while Maia sighed in relief.

“Well,” Orian turned to his traveling companions. He clicked his knuckles as he usually did when excited.

“Lets go exploring”

CHAPTER 2 - COMING SOON