Elemental Wars: The Exiled Element

Chapter 8 - The Lightning Elementalist

The cockpit of the Grim Omen was a dark room lined with tables that showed blipping screens and statistics in a mysterious language. Scourgers and piranha-headed humanoids called Krekrons chattered among themselves in the same mysterious language as they tapped the screens. 

Hunchbacked monkey-like monsters with bloodied mouths wandered around, seemingly without direction. They snarled at any of the Scourgers or Krekrons that didn't work hard enough to meet their satisfaction.

In the centre of the cockpit lied an imposing round blackstone table, with five thrones ringing it. Four of the thrones were occupied. On one of them sat Adrian with two whips coiled neatly around his armrest. Another was filled by a cloaked figure. The third throne was at least four metres wide and twice as tall, with a giant in full battle armour sitting on it. On the final throne seated another young man, but he was not wearing any armour or carrying any weapons unlike his compatriots. He simply leaned back and looked the the doors leading into the cockpit.

Just then, the doors flew open. 

A figure walked into it. 

His eyes were pupiless and glowed with an unnerving blue light. A single scar ran down the left side of his face. He was dressed neatly in a business suit and was fixing his collar as he walked in, his shining black shoes clicking on the blackstone floor. Despite his almost normal look, everyone else in the cockpit winced when he entered.

The waiting young man was the first to bow down on one knee. "Sire. We were waiting for you."

The young man's two companions and the other monsters got up to bow too, but Andras signalled them to sit back down. They hastily obeyed.

Without even looking at the young man, Andras joined the other two figures at the table. The young man risked a curious glance at Andras, but his face whitened when he saw Andras' electric-charged eyes sending daggers into him.

Andras turned away and took a deep, slow breath. The other two figures looked uneasy.

After a few charged seconds...

"Lucas," Andras finally spoke. His dangerously calm tone made the young man's life flash before his eyes. "I want to ask you a question."

Lucas craned his neck to look around, now in a humiliating bowing position, unsure if he could get up. "Yes, sire?"

"It has just come to my attention, Lucas," Andras said, in the same dangerously calm tone. "that a thousand and three hundred Raiders have been sent to Planet Horia to exterminate the Gaires. In fact, one of the Raiders told me that you were the one who gave the order to deploy them."

Lucas's face whitened with fear. 

"I found that quite amusing" Andras did not sound amused. "Because, if my memory serves, I did not order the attack. I did not remember you even telling me about the attack first, as a matter of fact. So, is that true, Lucas?"

Lucas took a nervous, shaky breath, his face now looked like one of a cornered animal. "Sire, b- but the Gaires w- were-"

"Lucas," Andras repeated. Slowly, he spun his chair around to face Lucas as he spoke. "I was under the impression that I asked you a question."

"The antimatter project, sir! They were making too much-"

Lucas's voice faltered upon noticing Andras' clenched fist. His breathing became more panicked. 

"Lucas," Andras said one more time. His voice's calm mask was fading. There was an undertone to his voice now, a deadly undertone. "I asked you a simple question. Did you order the attack? Yes?" He tilted his head to the other side. "Or no?"