Fiction The Outcast's Return

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Yattex had been in the jungles for many days now with his fellow skinks. He was part of the garrison at the mountain fort of Chiqawa on the western side of the Chasm of the Condor. A large force of oddly dressed humans was spotted by one of the terradon patrols 17 leagues north-west of the passage. The priests were debating the course of action even as he ran through the jungle. Envoys had been sent to Itza to ask for reinforcements and tactical advice. Meanwhile, Yattex and his party were sent into the steamy jungles in the mountains to search for a mysterious figure named Tzuk. The local skinks in the area said that he was a saurus of ancient age that was favoured by the old one Rigg, the outcast. Having a saurus of this power on their side would surely give them the advantage in the upcoming fight.
Three days ago Yattex had come upon a group of hunting skinks. They had told him that the residence of the one known as Tzuk could be found in a cave upon the peak of Churcaz. They had also told him that according to the legends, there was a staircase that led up to the top of the peak and directly into the cave. Unreassuringly, they finally said that no one had ever found the staircase. This had unnerved Yattex. He wondered if he would be stuck in these confusing mountains for the rest of his life looking for the stairs to Tzuk’s lair.
Moving on from his current position, Yattex came upon a mountains stream. Here they stopped to take a brief rest and refill their water skins. The jungle was beginning to thin and be replaced by the more northern pine and spruce. Yattex was taken by the elegance of these trees, he had never seen them in his life, but had heard of the healing properties of the teas made from their bark. Quickly forgetting the distraction, Yattex focussed on the task at hand. As the leader of the group, he knew that they were heading in the right direction. Mount Churcaz was one of the highest peaks in the Spine of Sotek and the vegetation was bound to get sparse as they got higher.
Continuing on, Yattex crossed gorges on rope bridges, swan through chilling springs and climbed sheer cliffs. For the next fortnight they saw no one else as they headed higher and higher. After the last brutal stretch of hiking, the party came upon a camp of lizardmen guarding a small pass through the mountains. The force consisted of no more than a dozen skinks. Most had some sort of furs on, while others warmed themselves by the lone fire. Yattex was happy to accept the furs offered by the group as the temperature had dropped significantly since their last encounter with civilization. They asked about the staircase and the legend’s of Tzuk, and were rewarded with a clue that was part of a legend. It stated: “Past the lake of fire and across the invisible bridge, the staircase to heaven awaits those now on Sotek’s ridge”. This meant nothing to Yattex, but he took it with a thank you, and after a good rest, his party continued on their journey.

 

[The Hunted]

Good fluff,

You put some real tempo in the story, and at some points you slow down (looking at trees IS really nice though..).
IMHO, you may slow down a bit overall . You could do this by going in deeper in the details.

Otherwise, keep it coming! It's developing nicely!

The Hunted

 

[Gor-rok]

Good stuff, I'm hooked. Keep it coming!

 

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The next few days Yattex’s mind was occupied with the clue. This was the answer to all of his searching, if only he could solve it. Continuing on, Yattex soon came to realize that they were not on Mount Churcaz at all. Even at his position he could see the top, and they had yet to come across a lake of any kind. Sitting down in defeat, he said that they had failed the Old Ones and would be punished. They set up camp there and would prepare to descend the next day. One thing Yattex wouldn’t miss though was the constant mist and rain. It had been a month of it since the beginning of their journey, and would be another one by the time they returned.
That night was a restless one for Yattex, visions of death and destruction awaited him every corner as he walked in his dreams. Suddenly another entity entered his mind. At first Yattex was confused, but then he could make out the general shape of this other mind. It seemed to be coming from within the mountain itself. The thing began to talk to Yattex, at first just a rumble, but then a clear baritone voice. It said to him: “Now is the time to shine. Get up! You must now do your duty to the Old One’s and bring the Outcast back from exile.” With a start Yattex jerked awake. He was covered in sweat and very frightened. Who was that voice? As he got up the sun began to rise. The light was so bright that it stung his eyes. Once he adjusted Yattex noticed red rock all around him. This must be the ridge of Sotek! With great excitement, Yattex awoke all of his companions. He was so excited that the words sounded more like chirps and shrills to even the skinks around him. Then as the sun rose higher, the light reflected off of the clouds making a never-ending sea of fire. This had Yattex so excited that he began to run up the mountain as quickly as he could. They got to Sotek’s ridge and were past the lake of fire, but where was the invisible bridge? Although the cliff face was sheer and slippery, Yattex hurried like one only could with adrenaline coursing through their veins. His hands felt frozen and they became cut from the jagged rock. As he neared what seemed the top he gave one last final surge, spacing himself from the rest of the group. This was it, the last step.

 

[superskink3000]

It's nice to know that someone is enjoying it. I've got so much planned for it right now. Thanks for the comments. For more watch this space.

 

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Yattex almost fell right off the edge of the deep ravine, all of his momentum nearly carrying him over the edge. The ravine looked bottomless, and almost fifty metres across was the other side. A dense mist covered the chasm and there was no way across. Defeat sank into Yattex’s heart. Was this the end? All of his searching to end like this? No.
Yattex refused to accept that fact. Invisible bridge, what could that be? The more Yattex thought, the more he was stumped. His kin were below and were astonished at his ability to climb. Somehow he managed to climb a nearly vertical rock face without slowing. They were not able to climb after him. Yattex had to do this... alone.
He sat along the top of the ridge by himself for nearly three hours thinking. If the Lake of Fire and Sotek’s Ridge were real then the Invisible Bridge must also be also. This riddle stumped Yattex, but he refused to give up. Lustria’s concealment was at stake here and Yattex knew that he must succeed. Pacing back and forward, he communicated with the party below. He tried describing the scene to them but they couldn’t offer any help.
Then it came to him.

 

[Gor-rok]

Ok, can't handle any more suspense here...

 

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Yattex went over to the ridge and tentatively placed a foot down. He slowly climbed down so that his legs reached as far as they could. They touched something solid. The natural mists concealed the way across. The bridge felt like walking on water. The mists coalesced into a solid form that created a way across. Yattex prayed that the Old Ones would guide him straight and true.
After a tantalizingly long time, Yattex reached the far side. He did it. All that was left to find was the stairway. Looking around, there was nothing at first, but then he noticed an engraved plaque. It read: “Only those who are truly blessed by the holy Rigg may find their way to sanctuary.” So the legend was correct, Rigg was the Old One caught up in this. Other than the plaque there was nothing of note on this side of the chasm. Facing the east, Yattex began a chant to the Old Ones. It began as a low gurgling, but then slowly grew into a precise series of shrills and squawks. To an outsider it looked like Yattex was convulsing, but each movement was exact and graceful when carefully examined. He prayed for guidance and after nearly an hour of prayer, Yattex knew the way. He didn’t know how he knew, but he just knew. Walking back to the plaque, Yattex did an act of pure unholliness. He took a large rock and smashed the plaque. The first in a series of stairs was hidden behind the plaque and embedded in the rock. Stepping onto it, Yattex was unsure of what would happen next. The stair sunk, but then began to get brighter. The ancient marble seemed to clean itself and become radiant like freshly cut stone. With a loud bang and a flash of light there was an entire staircase before Yattex. A new strut in his step, Yattex began the long climb up the stairs.