Diamond Wings

Chapter 7 The Adventure Begins

   They exit the portal, as it closes behind them, stepping out onto a dry ground of sand and dirt. A starry night sky hovers over their heads, with a partial cloud cover. With low light, it's difficult to make out the surroundings, but they do notice a rocky terrain, and the faint view of mountains in the distance.
   Glik holsters the portal gun to the side of his hip, and fixes his pack onto his front, making room for his jetpack. He adjusts his newly acquired blasters in their holsters, held to the sides of his chest, with a shoulder harness.
   "Sarena, do you mind carrying the bag with our food?"
   She takes the bag and swings it around her shoulders, to rest between her wings.
   "So much for only going to worlds with life," Sarena says, looking around.
   "Oh, there's life," Glik assures her. "Dont jump the gun Sarena, looks can be deceiving. Just like that old dirty cube I found," he advises her, smiling before switching to a serious look on his face. "Stay alert."
   Glik lowers goggles around his eyes, as they investigate their new environment more thoroughly, slowly looking and listening, as they walk around.
   "Well, we're at least here for the night, until the sun rises and we can start to recharge the portal gun. I don't think we should just hang out here in the wide open. It looks like there's a rock formation in the distance that way."
   He points off far towards the horizon. "We should look for some shelter that way," he suggests, looking towards Sarena.
   "Let's go," she nods and agrees, as they start walking.
   They cross the vast dusty plains, continuously checking their surroundings for encroaching danger, as they approach the rocky refuge ahead.
   "Glik, what happens now?" she asks, as they continue to walk side by side.
   "What'd you mean Sarena?"
   "Well, we can change worlds now, but to what end?"
   "Well, we had to leave our home, which was kind of a trash heap anyway, so no big loss there. We could just keep exploring new worlds. That sounds exciting to me, but I know it could also be very dangerous if we get unlucky. I think we should be on the lookout for a new possible home world," he explains and ponders.
   "Glik, do you think we would ever be able to find my home world?" she asks, sad and homesick.
   "I suppose it's possible, but might be really difficult. I don't think anybody really knows how many worlds are out there, they could be endless. I'm not sure how this portal gun finds a new world either. Is it completely random, or are they adjacent universes?
   "But, where there's a will there's a way. And if you want to find your world, Sarena, I promise I'll find it with you."
   Her sadness and hopelessness turning to a smile, as she lifts her head up, and turns to look at Glik, placing a loving and thankful hand on his shoulder, taken aback by his endless support.
   "You would do that for me Glik? Thank you, but why? It sounds like the odds are against us, and I already owe you so much."
   "Because we're friends now Sarena, and that's what friends do for each other, whatever it takes, no matter the odds. And you don't owe me anything either, because friends don't keep score.
   "If it makes you feel better though, you've already done alot for me too. I might've freed you from your prison, but you freed me from mine. I was stuck on that junk planet for a long time, and thought I would die there before you came along.
   "I've never had alot of friends, or any for that matter. So, I really value your friendship.
   "Plus, you're my greatest discovery! I found alot of neat things among the junk, but you're the greatest diamond in the rough I've ever come across."
   His praises, causing her to smile and blush, feeling his loving friendship.
   "Ya know, for someone who's never had any friends, you sure know how to be a good one Glik. Thank you," she says, returning some of his praise.
   "Thank you Sarena," he returns the thank you and smile, happy with his new life on the road, and new friend.  
   "Now our biggest question is still, how long were you in that box for? I'm guessing I didn't find you the day after you went in. I'm afraid you might've been in there for a really long time. Even if we came across your world, we might not know it, because you might not recognize it anymore."
   The last of his words resonating and sparking dreadful thoughts in her head.
   "Glik . . . what if the junk world . . . was my world?" They both stop their march abruptly, turning to look at each other in horror and realization.
   Their state of shock, set on from their alarming possible epiphany, washed away by a small tremor, under their feet and in the ground, snapping them back to the present moment.
   A different kind of fear and confusion emerging onto their faces. That fear and confusion growing, as a second tremor causes them to wobble, and the ground to shake.
   "What is that?" Sarena asks in her growing fright.
   "Nothing good," Glik fearfully responds. "Quick! Start running to the rocks! We're not far now, and let's hope for just an earthquake!" he yells, taking off in full sprint.
   "We're hoping for an earthquake?" she yells, sprinting behind him.
   "An earthquake would be better than something HUNGRY!" Glik screams as a third tremor causes him to trip and go flying foward, as he finishes stating what could be worse than an earthquake.
   Sarena, showing off her lightning fast reflexes, leaps foward, catching Glik and launching them upwards with a mighty thrust of her wings.
   "Maybe we should fly the rest of the way?" she asks, smiling, as she flies them to safety.
   "Good idea!" he agrees, trying to catch his breath. "I don't have a way to recharge my jetpack yet, so I'm trying to use it sparingly, thanks for the lift!"
   They make it to the rocks with little effort in the air. She elegantly lands them both down onto a large flat rock, a few feet from the ground. An even larger rock stands high above them, about twenty feet in the air, protecting them on one side.
   Another rumbling vibration from the ground, this time much larger, sending them both to their hands on knees, catching themselves from falling over. Both of them glance back at the large vertical rock, hoping it, unlike them, remains standing.
   The small quake subsides, letting them rise back to their feet.
   "Do you think it's over?" she asks, looking to Glik.
   He opens his mouth to respond, but before the words manage to escape, they both get blasted by exploding sand, dirt and small rocks. The ground erupts in front of them, sending them both back towards the large rock wall, as they hold up their arms in an attempt to shield themselves from the raining destruction.
   They look over at the erupted epicenter, as the falling debris lessens. The first thing Sarena sees is a large sharp arm reaching out towards them, coming from an even larger and monstrous shadow, looming over them where the explosion took place.
   Snapping into action, she pulls her new energy shield to intercept the large needle-shaped arm. She thrusts herself in front of Glik, raising the small rod, and pressing the button to create the blue barrier. The deadly spike gets pushed to the side of them, with the small blue buckler spawned from the rod. It make a small puncture in the hard rock next to Glik's head, fragmenting small pieces that get sent flying, from the great force.
   Both of them, with wide eyes and open mouths, in shock from the deadly display. Sarena barely manages to bring the small shield to her front, before deflecting another dark spire off to the right, as it shatters more of the rock.
   She pulls her sword to keep up with the returning assault. The two spikes start to alternate stabbing, with increasing speed and force, as she struggles to continuously deflect them to the left and right, away from herself, and her small friend to her back. Small pieces of rubble, continously hitting their sides, as the deadly spikes explode more and more of the wall behind them.
   Sarena, barely keeping up with the desperate defense, unable to attempt an attack of her own.
   The spikes withdraw into the large shadow. Only for a moment, before thrusting foward together in unison towards her center, in an attempt to catch her off guard.
   Holding her ground, trying to protect her friend and unwilling to dodge, she holds up the small shield, bracing it with her sword behind it.
   Glik, being able to dodge, is quick to duck down, as the combined spikes spear into Sarena's shield, smashing her into the rock behind, causing her to gasp and scream, from the Crushing blow. Glik rolls out from behind Sarena's legs, and off the rock foundation.
   He looks over at his pinned defender, as one of the spikes holds her down, and the other pulls back, getting ready to strike.
   Witnessing her impending doom, he musters the courage to pull both of his blasters, and rockets into the air firing.
   "Over here ya big creep!" he yells, flying and firing wildly and eradically. Glik's red blasts, lighting up the spike as it pulls back, preparing it's lunge towards Sarena.
   The striking arm abandons it's pinned target, and switches to a stinging airborne one. It thrusts and stabs at Glik. He jets and darts around, attempting to dodge, occasionally landing with some more red blasts.
   Sarena looks up in worry, as she watches her friend weathering the deadly attack. She tries to muster the strength to free herself from the spire's hold on her, but the more she struggles, the more force it unleashes on her. It starts to crush her, as she screams out in pain.
   Her screams reach Glik, as he looks over to see her squirm between the compressing arm and rock, wriggling in crushing agony.
   A close call, as he narrowly escapes another attempt to skewer him, in his distraction.
   He hardens his courage and resolve to save his friend. The next thrusting stab just misses him, as he flys up the arm to it's shadowy body. Flying into the face of the monster, the propulsion from his jetpack lending light to expose it's deadly visage.
   Glik sees his reflection in the large, round and glassy eyes. Light shines off of it's black armored shell. It pulls it's face back out of the revealing fiery glow. Large, sharp and jagged mandibles quickly re-enter the light, snapping at Glik, as he quickly darts back and ducks down, just in time to avoid the striking arm coming at his side.
   He unleashes a rebel yell, and a barrage of rapid red fire into the beetle-like monster's face. The monster lets go a high pitch shriek, as it falls back, pulling both of it's long spiked arms back to shield itself, from the bursting and blinding fire.
   Sarena falls to her hands and knees, panting heavily, finally freed from the crushing hold, as Glik holds it back with the red rain.
   Letting out a deep and low pitch shriek, the bug swings at Glik, as he rises up to avoid it. But, he doesn't manage to avoid the second half of the one two punch, as the second sweeping arm connects, smashing into him with it's tough shell, and sending him flying back towards the rock wall. He slams into the rock and down next to Sarena.
   "Glik!" she yells, checking her unconscious friend, as he collapses next to her.
   The giant bug wastes no time, stepping up onto the stone foundation with it's two front legs, beginning to box in it's prey.
   Sarena looks up with angry, watery eyes and gritted teeth, as the monster continues it's deadly advance. Letting out a howling war cry, as it thrusts one of it's lance-like arms towards the downed stinging nuisance.
   She batters the killing blow away with her shield, defending her friend once more.
   The beetle switches targets again, returning it's focus to Sarena, as she stands, gripping her sword and shield, tightening her gaze.
   The two arms pull back and then strike quickly, one from each side. She leaps up and foward, propelled by her wings, rushing between the combined attack, and into the belly of the beast. Unleashing her own battlecry in the assault, her sword scraping against it's impenetrable underbelly, as her shield protects against it's razor sharp jaws.
   Her useless attack quickly turning back to just defense, as she deflects the returning arms, striking away one with her blade side, and deflecting the other with her shield side. She leans back to avoid the snapping pincers, trying to fly back to avoid their range, only for the monster to continue gaining ground, and increase the encroaching danger.
   The bug raises both arms above it's head, snaps and bites at Sarena, moving her into position, coming down with both pointy appendages in a slashing crossed motion.
   Not being able to avoid the long slashes, she raises her sword and shield to block them. The force from both arms is too great for her wings to keep her afloat, and sends her down, smashing into the rock, collapsing next to Glik.
   Sarena groans as she painfully tries to get up, battered, bruised and beaten.
   The monster steps up farther onto the stone foundation with another pair of legs, still hanging off the back with the rest of it's enormous body. It looms over them, casting it's large, starlit shadow over them, boxing them in with it's spike tipped arms. Preparing to gorge itself on it's defeated prey.
   Sarena, failing to get up after being crushed and smashed too many times, looks up into the jaws of death, and holds her friend close.
   "I'm sorry Glik. I'm coming Arthur," giving her last words, before closing her eyes, and clutching her friend.
   The monster hungrily growls and hisses, as it opens it's mandibles wide.
   Suddenly and not a moment too soon, the giant beetle explodes in a fantastically gruesome mess, splattering the downed pair with gross guts and goo, from the miraculously and life saving explosion. Wet disgusting rain mixed in with hard pieces of shell, like a storm of hail and wet heavy snow cover the area.
   As the rain of destruction lessens, stomping wet footsteps catch Sarena's ears. The shadowy figure climbs onto the rock before standing up in front of them. Lighting the cigar in his mouth with one hand, the other holding a rifle up and against his shoulder. The flame from the lighter and then the glow from the cigar shining a dim light onto the heavily armed man. He inhales from the cigar, before taking it out of his mouth, and exhaling a satisfying puff of smoke.
   "Well shit, what do we have here?"