Excerpt from Universes - The Prephleen Bridge Pt1.

Oh hai.

The following takes place soon before 'Rewrite - Let's Fight.'

What i'm gonna post is actually fairly long so i'll post half today, and the other half soon.

The purpose of this excerpt was to familiarise the reader with Drephor (the Healthian general) who is a new character at this point, and to introduce Hounder (the big bad shadow general) to both the good guys of the story, and the reader.

I cut out some of the dialogue because it was unecessary for this post.

I also know it sounds funny when Drephor says 'yes' at the end of a sentence sometimes, but that's his 'thing'. I try to give most characters a certain word or way of speaking that they use a lot.

KK...

There's a war starting in the Health World. Shadows are approaching the Healthian cities and outposts. The good guys' army has managed to hold onto everything between the capital city of Duphontain, and the huge Prephleen River. Drephor, a few followers and 3 teams of fighters (one of which consists of our main characters) approach a camp in close vicinity to the lone bridge across the river. Drephor's tactics are all about information, and that's why he's here. Not for blood, but info.

Female Heatian Sydney is the leader of our main characters' team. She's very prominent in the story, as are all the characters in this team. Healthian Dorph is Sydney's boyfriend. Male Waterian Neo is another teammate. Marc is the former captain of the team, taking a break from his duties so Sydney's in charge. There are also Lightian Jack and Speedian Xeros.

The leaders of the other 2 teams are Alkan (a Stonian) and Carlon (a Powerian).



This takes place during the night.

Please leave feedback.

...

Drephor and his group could soon see their next destination, a small camp on a short hill before the grand Prephleen River. Tents and small buildings lined the fire in the middle, and guards were patrolling the area to keep watch, with weapons in their hands.

The general addressed his people before they approached, “This is a small but important camp, for the reason that if anyone wants to cross the Prephleen River they have to pass by here, or they have to be damn good swimmers, for near here is the only way across the river. This is the edge of our territory at the moment, because from what i could gather from talking to people who'd fled, outposts past here are empty, or the people in them are dead... The fact that the people here at the camp are still alive is a good sign on its own, for it means that everyone behind us is still yet to encounter the enemy.”

“So, you’re saying that the enemy army, or at least the bulk of it, has to pass through here to get into our territory?” Sydney asked.

“Yes, that's true," Drephor answered.

“...Then what the hell are we doing here?”

“We're here to gather information.”

“Okay. Well, after that? We head back to the capital?”

“Yes. There is a warp point not too far from here... and we take the guards at the camp here back with us too, understood?”

“Understood, General,” everyone replied.

“Okay everyone!" Drephor shouted. "We’re heading up to the camp now. Once there, you should be able to see the Prephleen River and the bridge that we’ll be watching. I will explain things better once we get there...”

* * *

“Oh, yeah! It’s so good to be back in the warm again!” Sydney sighed, and she ran over to the fire.

Dorph was reluctant to leave her side and headed after her.

While the group members came into the encampment and most of them headed for the warmth of the fire, Drephor found the leader of the camp, a Healthian woman by the name of Selpha with a double-ended sword at her back.

“Selpha! It’s nice to see you again," Drephor said, but he was too concerned to show any happiness on his face.

“I would say the same, Dreph, but your arrival can only mean that we are in danger, can’t it?”

“I’m afraid so... You’ll have to be ready to leave, and take your soldiers with you, on my word.”

“As always, that is the case. Are we to head for Duphontain?”

“Yes, but don’t leave yet... just, prepare.”

“Understood, Drephor. Is there anything I can help with?”

"Not yet."

* * *

Drephor gathered his soldiers near the fire and told them of the plan.

“This is the situation and what we're gonna do. We are at the edge of our safe territory, which makes us at the edge of our enemy’s as well. Everyone behind us is safe. Any allies ahead of us are dead... What we know and can use to our advantage is that the enemy army has to pass over that bridge," Drephor said, pointing at the dark bridge outline, "to get into our land. We are here to gather information, see if we can get a read on any generals, and assess the enemy’s servants. If we encounter any trouble, we have the combined strength of all of us along with the soldiers of this camp, led by the formidable Selpha, on our side. When we’ve seen enough, on my word, we run for the nearest warp point. It’s hidden, so you’ll have to follow me... If something happens to me however, follow Selpha’s orders. If by some awful twist of fate, we both die, run for your lives. It’s not too far from here to the capital. I'm sure you get the idea. Now, follow me. We’ll find a spot near the bridge and wait. Selpha and her troops will finish at the camp and prepare to move out, but they’ll wait for us, yes?”

Drephor led his people down to the edge of the river, and they all settled in amongst the shrubs and bushes at the bank.

The river ran hard and fast but made little noise. Still, apart from everyone’s voices and shuffles, it was the only noise they could hear. Every now and then, the water would splash up and hit someone on the river’s edge, but it seemed almost in a playful way.

The groups sat there for a long time near the big stone bridge. Around the area, the ground was dry, dirty and muddy. White grass used to flourish near the river but most of it had disappeared. Skeletons of old trees and plants littered the banks, probably having been swept down by the current.

In the mud were several sets of footprints which Drephor had been examining for quite a while.

“Something else has been here... recently, but it didn’t linger. Someone go and get Selpha for me.”

Xeros sped up to the edge of the camp, and brought back the captain. Drephor met her further up the embankment than the rest of his soldiers.

“Have you had any reports of anything out of the ordinary?” Drephor asked.

Selpha paused. “I can’t say I have. If my soldiers had seen something I would be the first to know.”

“Okay... Have you heard any unusual sounds?”

“Like what?”

“Like roars, growls, snarls?”

“Umm... There may have been something.”

“When?”

“A few hours before you arrived.”

“What was it?”

“It was like a whistling... I thought it might just be the wind, because the weather has been upset since the shadows moved in.”

“But there has been no wind today," Drephor stated. “Tell me what it sounded like.”

“It was like a cross between a hum and a low whistle. It was like the noise you make when you whistle and hum at the same time.”

“Okay. I see. Thanks Selpha. Is there anything else? Have you noticed anything different? Anything at all?”

“Uhh... Junk has been floating down the river. I know that much. Weapons, armour, debris... ooh, and bodies. I should have mentioned that earlier. Bodies of shadows and people.”

“Bodies of anything else?”

“It’s dark. It’s hard to see. Maybe. I wouldn’t know.”

“Okay. Thanks for your help. You can go back to your people now.”

She smiled at Drephor, turned around and headed back to the camp.

Sydney had been listening and came over to Drephor as he pondered what he had seen and heard.

“Anything new?” she asked.

“Oh, Sydney. Again?”

“Information is the key... So do we have any more keys? Heh.”

“I’m not sure about what we’re facing just yet... but I know how to get more information.”

“Oh?”

“Tell the Waterian in your group to check the water. Is it strong?”

“Uhh, Neo!” Sydney shouted.

He bounded up the bank. “Yeah what is it?”

“Can you check out the water for me?”

“Check it out?”

“Is it too strong to swim in?”

“Uhh, I'll go see,' he mumbled.

Back down at the bank, Neo dropped to his hands and knees and dipped his hand into the river.

“It’s fairly strong!"

“Okay... Nevermind then," Drephor said quietly and went to turn away.

“No, it’s strong, but I bet I could swim in it!”

“Don't be a show-off Neo,” Sydney responded as she jumped down beside him.

“No it’s fine," Neo emphasised "Hey, I’d rather be in there than out here. Do you want me to get in?”

“If you don’t mind," Drephor said as he came down to join them.

“I have two Waterians with me as well,” Alkan said. “Would you like their help?”

“If they don’t mind, it could help us out.”

“Okay. Guys, get in," Alkan directed.

A Waterian girl and boy jumped into the river and floated about.

“If you get tired," Drephor said to them, "get out. We don’t want you being swept down the river like the...”

Drephor caught himself before he mentioned the bodies. Perhaps the Waterians might think twice about doing his task if they knew they were swimming with the dead.

“Uhh, like the what?” Neo asked.

“Like the other people who’ve fallen in. More than one has ended up in the Indigo Sea.”

“Ha. You don’t need to worry about us!” assured Neo.

“Well, here is what I want you to do," said the general. "Things have been floating down the river, things that could be important. If you see something coming down, and if you’re not endangering yourself, I want you to bring it over to the shore and show it to me.”

“Okay. We can do that,” Neo said.

“And of course, if we see any sign of the enemy, I want you all to get out straight away.”

* * *

Again, everybody sat at the bank while the Waterians swam in the water, waiting. Sydney could tell that Drephor knew a lot more than he was letting them know, but assumed he would tell them when he was ready.

Other than that, she was cold. The other Heatians were shaking a little, and she could also tell that Xeros was freezing as well, because his clothes weren’t as thick as everyone else’s. She would have lit a fire, but she knew it might give away their presence.

Then it hit her just how tired she was. She’d only had an hour or two of sleep last night and afterwards she and the group had been running around the Health World all day.

She wasn’t feeling well, but she knew that her companions would be feeling the same.

Neo and the other two seemed to enjoy their swim for a while. Occasionally Neo would grab at something floating down the river, only to realise it was a stick or a bunch of reeds.

“Reeds! I’m so sick of reeds!”

He threw them over at Dorph and they whacked him in the back of the head.

“Will you cut that out!” he snapped.

“What?”

“You bloody know what I mean! You keep throwing crap at me!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh! Geez! You know, you were being really nice to me before, but you’re still the same old jerk!”

“Hahaha!”

Something nudged Neo in the side and he grabbed onto it while Dorph was still yapping at him.

“What the...?”

He lifted it out of the water.

“Neo... What is that?” Sydney shouted as she squinted to see in the dark.

“It looks like some sort of... animal. Gross.”

“Bring it over to the shore, into the light.”

Neo dropped it down on the bank of the river and Sydney leant down to look closer. She was slightly disturbed by what she saw.

It was a small blue gangly creature. It had bony limbs and its skin hugged its ribcage. It was hairless, and it had claws, pointed ears and large eyes behind its wrinkly closed eyelids.

Sydney went to pick it up by the arm when suddenly its eyes opened and it snarled loudly.

“Aaah! It’s still alive!”

It jumped up and its eyes darted around. It snarled at Sydney through its pointy, bared teeth and jumped onto her. The thing lunged for her face but she tried her best to stop it. Luckily, within seconds Drephor noticed the commotion and jumped over and slew the little creature, and it fell off Sydney and thumped against the ground.

“What the hell was that!” Sydney gasped, and felt a trickle of blood down her cheek.

Drephor bent down to examine it, and as he got back up his hand was against his forehead.

“Unfortunately it's as I feared. Selpha described the call of this creature. I remember these little beasts were fearsome things half a century ago. Several expeditions to the Beasts World tried to wipe them out, and we thought they had succeeded. I guess they didn't.”

“But what are they?” Sydney asked.

“This is an esmit. The reason they're a problem is that they’re quick little creatures that jump on things and slice them with their teeth and claws. One on its own isn’t much of a match for a human, but in a horde they're dangerous. Also, if these things are back then we don’t know what other things serve the shadows.”

“Sounds like trouble.”

“It sure is, but our expedition has so far been a success. Once again, we've learnt about what we're facing. When we return, I can spread the word about our enemies, yes?”

“Does that mean we’re returning now?” Neo asked.

“No, not yet. There are still a few more blanks I must fill in... Everyone can get back to what they were doing.”

* * *

He’d been in the water for a long time and with the other Waterians he’d retrieved a lot of things. Neo decided to take a break and he sat up on the bank near Marc, Jack and Xeros under the light of a small torch. Further up the river and closer to the bridge than the others, Dorph and Sydney were chatting and giggling to themselves. The other two captains were with their team-mates near the river, while Drephor and his group were standing together quietly away from the others.

It seemed that suddenly, something alerted Drephor and put him on edge. He grabbed his companions and ran down to the river’s edge.

A quick “shhhh!” from Drephor was enough to make everyone fall silent. He knocked a nearby torch into the river and beckoned to his group members to do the same to the other torches. Within a few seconds all the lights had been extinguished.

Approaching Drephor, the three team captains awaited instructions.

“Drephor. What’s-”

Drephor raised a finger and Sydney stopped.

When everyone was silent, they heard the dull march of footsteps from across the other side of the river…

“They’re here,” Drephor whispered.

“Drephor, what do we do?” Sydney asked.

The general didn’t speak. He just stood there listening.

“Drephor? What are we supposed to do?” repeated Sydney.

He looked up and faced the three captains, standing next to each other, waiting anxiously.

“Fight.”

“But, but you said we were only-”

Drephor cut Sydney off, “You promised to do what I said. Now do it. Everyone! Prepare to fight! Don’t let them cross the bridge!”

“But we’re facing an entire army!”

Drephor left to gather his companions.

“Drephor!”

“We have no choice Sydney," Dorph said from behind her. "If Drephor says we fight, we fight.”

“We have no chance though.”

“He’s the smartest person here. He must have a plan.”

“But I... ugh.”

“Come on Sydney. Pull yourself together," Dorph comforted. "Can’t you see your team-mates are waiting for your direction?”

Sure enough, her friends were still waiting by the bank of the river, watching her and waiting, while the other soldiers were heading up to the bridge.

“I don't know if i can do this Dorphy. I... I wish Marc was the captain again.”

“The only thing a captain does is make decisions, and I’m sure he’d make the same one as you, don’t you think?” Dorph assured.

“I guess.”

“And what would it be?”

“...Let's get to the bridge!” she yelled.

...

Next post is the battle scene.