Elemental Wars: The Exiled Element

Chapter 7 - Nekros

"I take it that that was your first time using a Jump Point?" Lieutenant Ferodis said, widening his eyes in concern.

"Yep..." I muttered whilst clutching my stomach. I had always been airsick my whole life, and now apparently I'm also teleportsick.

"Don't worry. It will pass," Ferodis said. "You are currently in the largest military base in Nekros. Follow me, I wil lead you to your quarters."

Aránzazu and Real seemed largely unaffected. They strolled alongside Ferodis and struck up a conversation with him while I lumbered along, my face as green as grass.

Granted, the base isn't as big as Delta, but it was still pretty gigantic, about the size of a major shopping centre. More snake people were walking around transporting giant boxes on wheels to somewhere else. They were all wearing armour, except it didn't seem to be made out of Deltan Iron or Banished Copper.

"Nekron Iron," Aránzazu said to me, seeing my questioning look. "Gives the wearer strength. They're pretty abundant here the same way Deltan Iron is common in Delta."

"But here on Nekros, we call it Lisskéton, which translates to 'strength from the stone'," Ferodis added. He spoke English as though it was a language foreign to him. I noticed that he always seemed to stress his s. "The name Nekron Iron was given by the humans of the Elemental Alliance. Whatever this iron is, it doesn't have any magical capabilities, does it?"

I shook my head, a little unerved by the giant reptile. "Not any that humans have discovered, at least."

"Then it's a cheap knock-off," Ferodis hissed dissaprovingly. "You humans should call that metal Lisskéton Terra instead."

"Doesn't have the same ring to it," Real replied.

"Do you get human visitors a lot?" I asked.

"Back in the days before the Thirty-Sixth Elemental War, there were a lot of Invicti training here to master the art of the sword. Now, I mostly travel to Delta for War Meetings, but you three are the first human beings the other Seropes have seen in twenty years."

"Seropes?"

"My species does have a name, you know," General Ferodis said, amused. It was really hard to tell his expression, since his reptillian face hardly ever showed emotions. "Technically, the right name is seropias, but it would be like me calling you homo sapiens," he narrowed his eyes. "Humans are called homo sapiens, am I correct?"

Real nodded.

"Ah, forgive me, my memory gets rather rusty," Ferodis said. Again, it was unnerving how emotionless his face was.

"And here are your barracks," Ferodis said as he abruptly stopped in front of me. I bumped into him and he let out an involuntary hiss in irritation. He quickly recovered himself. "Ms María, you will be residing in Room-16B. Mr Klausen is assigned to Room-16C and our dear Fire Elementalist has Room-16A. I imagine that Ms María and Mr Klausen know the usual terms?" 

Real and Aránzazu nodded. I gave Real a questioning look but he held up his hand in a I'll explain later gesture.

"In that case, make yourself at home. The training areas are on the first floor, north of the base," Ferodis added. With that, he turned around and left, his tail trailing behind him.

I turned to Real. "The usual terms?"

"Since we're pretty young, we're not allowed to go further than half a kilometre from the base. I remember Lincoln giving me a handbook full of rules the first time I left Delta to go to Rubesco, but essentially they're telling you to not be an idiot, don't blow the place up and respect the customs of the people in the home planet."