Page 32 of Saving the Alien Chieftain

Rylar appears around the wall, a small smile touching his lips. “Oh, you’re back. I thought you had taken a nap up there. Faster next time.” He turns his back, gesturing for me to follow him.

Even Rylar’s words can’t rob me of this joy. This is the first time I’ve ever done something like this and I damn well pulled it off! I follow him back round to the front of the wall.

Rylar gestures to the wall. “This is how you survive a venefexes chase. You get your ass up a cliff, a tree, or anything as fast asyou can. They can leap high, so you must go higher.” He reaches to the side of a wall and activates some mechanism.

Suddenly the wall morphs and shifts: the grips change positions and parts of the wall bulges and extend, creating difficult overhangs and gaps that look impossibly hard. “You completed level one. This is level two.”

“Level two? This looks impossible!” I declare in disbelief.

Rylar scoffs. “Impossible? It only appears that way because you are softer than Glaseroid larva.”

He points to a group of young warriors at the target ranges. “You see those recruits? Any of them could scale this wall in a few minutes. By the Gods, even I could do it.” He waves his amputated arm for emphasis.

For a microsecond, I consider asking for a demonstration of his boast. I study the wall, attempting to work out the best path. I sigh in frustration as a solution doesn’t jump out at me.But if the other recruits could do it, then I’ll find a way.

As I’m about to approach the wall and make my first attempt, Rylar interjects, “Later, Rocks. First, let’s start weapon handling.”

Relief almost washes away my exhaustion following Rylar as he moves to the central area of the training facilities. We head towards a collection of sandy circles reminiscent of the wrestling rings on Krogoth’s ship, with splashes of green blood littered upon the sand gives me pause.I ponder what fresh hell Rylar has in store for me now.

Along the edges of the rings, there are racks containing wooden weapons of various shapes and sizes. Rylar moves towards them and tosses me a sword with an inverted curve, which I catch easily with my enhanced reactions, followed by a shield that crashes beside me noisily. He takes up a glove with large mock wooden claws protruding from it before moving to join me.

“A warrior lives or dies by their choices. And no choice is as important to a warrior than what weapon to use. Now hit me!” Rylar roars as he assumes a crouching stance.

Slowly, I pick up the strange sword and shield. They feel weightless in my armored hands. Rylar glares at me in a fighting pose, which causes my hands to sweat and my breath to catch.

I can’t fight him. He’s twice my size!

Cautiously, I inch closer towards him, hiding behind my shield, barely able to see him. He makes a move to attack, and I let out a yelp as I spring backward. The powerful strength of my golden armor sends me flying outside the sandy arena.

“Machsin have mercy,” Rylar exclaims, shaking his head. “I’ve seen grubs with more backbone.”

He stalks closer. “What are you afraid of?” He taps my shield with his wooden claws. “My size?”

He taps my shield harder this time. I slowly step back, wincing at every blow.

“Failure?” He moves faster, banging my shield harder. My breathing becomes erratic.

“Death?” Rylar’s assault gets more aggressive.

It’s all I can do to keep springing backwards and hold my shield up. “Fight me, damn it!” Rylar roars.

I can’t do this. Maybe I should throw down my weapon and he’ll stop?

“You’re a coward, that’s it?” He throws a kick which nearly tears the shield from my grip, the force twisting me round. I turn quickly, trying to reorient myself.

“You’re killing him, you know that, right?” The sound of his blows upon my shield is deafening. My mind is ablaze with thoughts of escape. “If it wasn’t for you, he would never have defied the Council. Krogoth will die because of you!” Rylar roars.

Something inside of me snaps at his words. My blood rushes through my veins like burning oil, my anger bubbling to thesurface, melting all my fears and worries. I lash out with all my fury, swinging my wooden sword in a golden brown haze of blows straight for Rylar.

“I’m not killing him, I love him!” Tears stream from my eyes as I launch attack after attack at Rylar. In my rage, I don’t know if any of my hits are landing. I just want him to stop saying these horrible words.

“Fuck you, Rylar!” I roar in my frenzy. I think I can hear the clank of wood against wood.

After what feels like an eternity, my vision returns to normal. I’m doubled over, gulping in air, extremely winded. My hands and lips are trembling, my eyes are red with tears.

“That’s more like it! I knew we’d get you out of your shell eventually.” Rylar smiles as he rubs an angry looking green welt across his chest. “You landed a good hit on me, too.” He laughs.

My knees clank, landing on the soft sand beneath me. As I drop my sword and shield, I look at my shaking hands in disbelief at what I’ve done.

---