Battles Beyond (Book 1: The Fleeing Saga)

Just A Random, Regular Day (19)

Tallas—a town where lifeforms cherished play for its rarity. Youthful lifeforms were amok on village streets, immersed in a simple game of rolling an iron wheel. As they relished this blissful enjoyment, they were trivial to actions of more importance like guarding their homes against potential attack. Such beings still had said tasks to perform, but they were behind and inside buildings to avoid the stings of potent solar rays.

Children couldn't care less. Play was infrequent, and it was great when it manifested.

Pogorie's father, Klak, was out and about. Her Survival Day or Saldoi, as it was known by the Ehfnii, was approaching and he had to go to specific locations to gather items for her special event.

Ragga was with Brashlo, her mate. They sat outside on the run-down porch of the health centre. She attended to two lifeforms for the day: one with an abdomen cast and the second using a laser stitcher and a plasma cutter. This was good for her. Usually, there would be one per day if she was lucky. To get two kept her busy.

Klak came for the slabs of aged bufin flesh with the charred, "HAPPY SALDOI, Pogorie!" Ragga's meat preparation skills exceeded that of Yoskoe. The knowledge of her now-deceased great relative was imparted quite well. He picked it up and said thanks and goodbyes.

Now he had to go to Zaae's garage, which was more or less five blocks away. Klak had to pick up a portable holographic display that when activated would show a greeting similar to the bufin slabs and a second item that would put her daughter‘s excitement into the stars. This second one was a secret for that special day. Until then, a blanket of white cloth had to disguise its true contents.

Zaae was operating on an engine with four welded pieces that centred along a ring that was a focal point of green energy within it. After feeling comfortable with where he reached, he wanted to relax but was eager to resume.

Klak caught him at the right moment. He was already close to the thing he came for. Zaae picked it up and gave it to him, which allowed him to bring what he had to Modue's guest house. It was the only decent-looking building in Tallas, with crop beds for sustenance and rows of flowers that weren't roses. He took great pride in cleaning empty spaces in his guest house which seldom got used. Klak wanted to hide what he got in this building considering that the party would take place here. The cramped nature of his abode was neither suitable for celebrations nor keeping secrets.

He went in to place the bufin in the vacuum-sealed mini food storage chamber and the other items in one of the many quarters. Modue exited the electrostatic hygiene space, which comprised of standing oval capsules with a transparent window at the centre that matched the shape it was on. He bumped into Klak in the hallway and began conversing about how his daughter loved the foreign beings.

"Yeah. She told me about them the day she met them. Seeing her eyes light up was the best thing I see in years. Blurbbabblurbablubb." Klak's occasional involuntary reaction capped off the sentence.

"Of course it go be a great sight, especially since her mother went and support the War Troupe's efforts."

"Is a long time since Co'a left."

"You think she still alive?"

"Personally no. But for my daughter's sake, I'll hold onto the chance that she's alive for her."

Zaae felt proud of such fatherly actions from Klak.

"Thanks." He could now go to the canteen with his tubes free from carrying.

On his way there, he passed Tantie's Elder Residence. She was asleep in her rocking chair while the children pulled her ears and the rest of her face to a cartoonish length. Despite this, she still snored.

* * *

Yoskoe was preparing dinner. He looked through the cupboards only to find little. As usual, he had to make it stretch. The meats, vegetables and seasonings that remained had to do. "How the heck I go deal with the party with this?" He said to himself while taking out ingredients for supper.

His skin began to dry out and lose its glean, but Yoskoe was prepared for this. He pulled out a common remedy to deal with it. From within the cupboards, he pulled out some stiff puffs which secreted a substance to rehydrate his skin. In the process of rubbing it on himself, Klak came in and asked, "What going to be the menu for the big celebration? Just wanted to pass by. Couldn't wait to get home to talk on the closed channel comm network."

"Not sure yet. Have a few ideas but I wanted to bounce off you."

"Okay. Blurbbabblurbablubb."

Their discussion was somewhat lengthy over this vital element. He wanted to get dishes not seen or enjoyed by her or anyone in the last couple of months. Thirty-five minutes had passed for the menu to be finalised, with violently sliced harabusuwah, seerah tree branches and pale bumper fruits as the main components. After he felt satisfied with their planning, he could go home and stay inside until that day arrives.

Below their home were the corpses of his one hundred and two deceased children. This was done for good luck for a few to survive to adulthood. To have high death rates were normal for their species. But this was no big deal. Usually one or two would make it, and Pogorie was the one who did. She had little contact with them due to most of them having died before she had a chance to know them. This day was important. It only came once in their lives, and he wanted it to be special.

* * *

Pogorie, oblivious to the future, went to the shop to purchase a snack from Eoli using her currency drive—a rectangular chunk of metal ore that served for digital monetary exchange.

The shop was mostly bare bones outside of a few snacks that closed on their expiration dates. Also, there were some essential goods, but kids didn't care for them unless they were sent to get them. She wanted a pack of Gremlin Sticks—a candy based on a plant grown from the Beachlands. It drew her in with its chewy lengths. The two drives connected wirelessly for the currency transfer to occur before going her merry way to enjoy her little Gremlins.

Far from the community's view was a private investigator. He had a massive, black-brim hat tipped with dark blue and stood on a tripod of legs. He went towards Tallas to look for clues to locate the stranger.

THANK YOU FOR READING IF YOU REACHED THIS FAR. IF YOU LIKE THIS AND OTHER CHAPTERS, FOLLOW, LIKE, SHARE, COMMENT, AND ADD THIS BOOK TO YOUR LIBRARY FOR MORE BATTLES BEYOND. MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER STORIES AS WELL.