Page 8 of Saving the Alien Chieftain

As I release the unconscious assailant, Logarn pounces forward with his claws extended, plotting murderous revenge, plain to see in his eyes. I rush forward, seizing his wrists, holding firm. Killing any of these warriors would be a grave mistake for us all. My exile or execution would be a certainty should the Council of Elders hear of it.

I release my grip as soon as I see Logarn retract his claws, his vacant expression returning. “Gods, you took out three of them?” Xandor remarks, wiping green blood from his knuckles. “I need to up my game.”

“No, Logarn did most of the work on this one.” I give Logarn a hearty slap on the shoulder while nodding towards his unconscious opponent at our feet.

Xandor eyes the mangled face of Logarn with a hint of suspicion. “If you say so,” he says skeptically. “Here, put this against your face, Logarn,” Xandor suggests, handing Logarn a tankard of iced liquid.

I turn to find Zyraxis in the chaos just as he is rising to his feet, nursing an injured leg. A bonus result from Drop Kick crashinginto him earlier. Despite his pain, Zyraxis stands defiantly. To his credit, he does not show an ounce of fear in his eyes. “The Council will hear of this, Krogoth.” Zyraxis gestures to his injured leg. “Attacking an elder is forbidden. You will burn for this.” His face contorts with a vow of vengeance.

“I never lay a finger on you,” I reply, a sly smile playing on my lips.

I turn away from Zyraxis, nothing more to be gained from taunting him further. With haste, I rush into the back kitchen of the Last Resort to see Felixus, Pebbles and the other females staring at security projections on the kitchen consoles.

Pebbles rushes over to me, her steps unsteady. “Oh, Korgy, there’s blood on the back of your head.” She reaches out, gently touching the spot where the chair had exploded against my head. “See,” she says, showing me her hand, stained with my blood. “Green blood is so weird,” she giggles to herself.

“Quickly, we need to go,” I say, taking Pebbles’ hand, leading her out of the kitchen, through the bar area, and into the side streets of Star City. The darkness envelops us, reducing the risk of being detected, punctuated only by the ethereal glow of the immense purple moon looming overhead.

Felixus looks around, clearly uneasy. “What now, lad?” he asks, scanning the street nervously.

“You need to get off world, Felixus. It’s not safe for you here anymore.” I transfer to Felixus’ console the coordinates to a small docking ship area in Star City and the most likely place for him to buy passage on a ship. “Take Farangis and Gums with you too. See they make it home.”

“Aye… aye, I can do that.” Felixus rubs his copper-colored beard thoughtfully. “So, this is it, then? Goodbye forever?”

“Goodbye for now,” I reply, heartly slapping the small Nebian on the shoulder.

Xandor scoops up Felixus as easily as a toy, embracing him in a fierce hug. “So long, Short Stuff. Hopefully next time we meet, I won’t be looking down the barrel of your battlesuit lasers.”

Felixus chuckles heartily. “For your sake, I hope not.” He pauses, giving a respectful bow before Xandor and me. “Thanks for everything, lads.”

“Fare… farewell,” Zelana stammers softly as she hesitantly steps towards Farangis and Gums with an outstretched, blacked furred hand.

Farangis glides towards Zelana, shrouded in her robe, closely followed by Gums, their faces etched with sorrow. “Zelana, I’m sorry for the harshness I inflicted on you. I truly am,” Gums confesses as she embraces the petite, pale female.

“I understand. The Great Master made us all do terrible things,” Zelana says, her voice trembling.

Farangis joins their embrace, wrapping the two of them in her scaled arms. “May the prophets divine a destiny of happiness for you all, my sisters of sorrow,” she hisses, her tone filled with hope.

Gums beckons to Pebbles. “Come, you were unfortunate enough to be one of us,” she says, cheerfully. Pebbles hurries over on worryingly unsteady legs. “It is thanks to you we have our freedom.” Gum nods as Pebbles joins the three.

“I wish our meeting could have been under better circumstances,” Pebbles murmurs, embracing them all, her words slightly slurred. “But remember, happiness is the sweetest revenge,” she adds with a giggle.

“My apologies ladies, but we really must get going,” Felixus interjects firmly, turning to lead Farangis and Gums away.

Pebbles and Zelana call out their last farewells, waving their hands eagerly. I watch the peculiar trio recede into the distance, wondering if our paths will ever cross again.

Chapter 4

Krogoth

Homecoming

Time is ebbing away,each passing moment bringing us closer to Zyraxis rallying his warriors or summoning reinforcements. The thought of facing the Council of Elders as a captive of Zyraxis would spell disaster. The shame of it would be a fate worse than death. I’d rather stride in there as a free warrior than allow myself to be paraded in chains.

The pain in the back of my head pulses like a stampede of boracks mixed with the drink’s effects, makes focusing increasingly difficult. “We’ll use the gliders for our return to Draxxi,” I call out to the rest of the party, who stare out after Felixus’ group. While I could summon a glider to our current location, we can’t afford to linger here.

“A hang glider, Krogoth?” Pebbles tugs on my arm, her steps unsteady, still affected by the drinks. I’m not sure she appreciates the severity of our situation.

“No, it’s similar to your combustible transporters on Earth, but airborne and faster,” I explain, captivated by her beautiful, innocent expression.

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