I'm finally back guys and I have some bad news. After a lot of thought I've decided that with an ever growing pile of revision that'll only get bigger in years to come, I'm going to close this story now...
Nah, I'm only messin with yer head. Expect chapters to be fewer for a while but I wouldn't dream of closing down altogether. I just spent 2 hours plus writing this last chapter so here it is! And there'll be more to come, this is getting good!
Chapter 3, Purpose
On Edam’s orders the village was being packed up, ready to be moved. Tents were taken down and wrapped round their respective poles, strapped to the tops of wooden boxes and slung on to the backs of their owners. 4 of the stronger villagers also bore boxes and skins that made up the excess of Edam’s belongings. Normally Barry would be one of the four but this time Graham had taken it in his place, as he had nothing to carry and was more than willing to help.
Barry held his own belongings. He had been silent as he took his tent down, silent as he walked across the village to where Edam was trying vainly to get the packing of his things organised.
"So," Edam began before Barry decided to open his mouth, "You’re going cave-crawling."
"Those caves he talked about are real?"
"Why shouldn’t they be real?"
Barry shrugged. "It seems to good to be true."
"Do you think Odd ignores the needs of his servants?" That was Edam all over. When Barry didn’t answer Edam went on. "When will you be leaving?"
"I won’t wait to set up camp with you when we stop. If Graham decides to stop with the village I’ll leave him my things."
"Ok. You’re a good warrior Barry; it always seemed to be the only praiseworthy thing about you. Still, you’re a good guy. We’ll miss your skills."
"If it’s ok… I’ll tell them I’m going before we head off. Pass on the torch, you know."
"Of course. Get yourself ready, I’ll call the tribe together as soon as we finish packing."
Barry nodded and left.
In the crowd, Jason found himself next to Graham.
Before them Edam Greatfeather and Barry were standing side by side on a large, reasonably flat-topped rock. Graham was watching Barry closely. He seemed expectant. Jason also knew what was coming and part of him couldn’t help blaming Graham for the loss of the village’s chief warrior.
"People of the Edakee," Barry called over the sea of heads. The talk died down. "I have to… I’m sorry to say that… I’m… I’ve got to leave the village." Talking immediately broke out, mostly sounding shocked. Barry called out again. "Those of you who remember when I joined you will remember I was… I was freed from the glukkons by a great shaman from the north. He saved me so that… so that someday I could carry a weapon southward to be used by the mudokons against the glukkons. Now, this weapon has been brought to the village by…" Barry glanced at Graham, "By an old friend. He risked his life to bring it to us. Many people died in getting it to him. Now I must carry on the journey and take it the rest of the way." From across the crowd, someone called out to him: "Don’t go! Don’t-" the rest of the words were drowned out as other voices rose up to join the first. Barry stood still on his rock, not speaking as the voices screamed to him not to leave. Edam laid a hand on his shoulder and he continued.
"I wish I could stay. You people mean a lot to me. I owe a lot to this village. But I also owe so much to the mudokon race as a whole. If I carry this weapon you will all be freed from our constant fear of glukkon attack. The passage south will be opened to you and those of you who were rescued from the factories nearby will be able to go south and look for your friends and tribes. I must go, for the sake of this world."
He took his things off his back and opened the box. He took out his bow. "Hubert!"
A strong looking mudokon came forward who Graham recognised as the spear thrower who’d killed his sligs. He pulled himself onto the rock and Barry placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hubert, your skills have developed well since you were found. You are strong and wise…" Barry muttered something that no one not on the rock could hear and Hubert grinned. Edam gave them both a withering look. "I believe you are the best person to follow me as Chief Warrior. He handed the younger mudokon his bow and Edam passed him a wooden torch he’d conjured out of somewhere, a pale grey flame burning from it.
Hubert held the flame to the bow and after a few seconds the bow caught and began to burn up quickly. He dropped them to the ground where they smouldered into a pile of ash. Then he pulled out his spear and slammed the shaft end into the ash. "I accept the job before me. I will protect his people. He took Barry’s hand in his, smiled at him and grabbed his spear again, which had miraculously not fallen over. Then he lowered himself from the rock and stood beside it, watching Barry.
"And so I must leave you. I will go soon. There are many of you I will miss. I wish the tribe all the best. May it grow and stay hidden from the hunter."
He lowered himself from the rock and Edam followed.
From across the crowd there were yells. Mudokons were shoved out of the way and suddenly a heavily built mudokon emerged. He raised a fist and Graham was sent flying over by a punch between the eyes. The mudokon snorted and walked away again leaving Jason rather confused, yet oddly satisfied.
"Let me go with you, it’ll be just like old times: Graham and Barry taking on the gluks!"
"Graham, your part is done, you got the Orb to me and now it’s my job to get it out of here," Barry answered wearily as Graham carefully nudged the front of his face that Edam had healed dizzyingly quickly.
"Ah, come on! You can’t do this on your own! You couldn’t get out of your cell every morning in Glucose without a map!"
"Despite everything, Barry grinned. "But how would it look if 2 mudokons appeared in front of a factory? One could be overlooked, if I turned up I wouldn’t need to be listed or anything. If two of us show up they’ll have to do all the official stuff and we could end up 60 miles back in Glucose or cleaning running meat grinders in Odd-knows-where."
Graham sighed. Barry pulled off his pack and handed Graham his tent. "Can you hold this a second, I gotta go talk to Edam."
Graham sighed again and took the tent and Barry put the wooden box on his back and disappeared into the crowd behind them.
Ten minutes later Graham realised Edam was walking in front of them and he hurried forward. He caught sight of the Shaman and ran towards him. "Hey, Edam." The shaman was walking alone. "Edam, where’s Barry gone?"
"I dunno. I haven’t seen him. He must choose his own path Graham." Graham was already running back through the crowd, leaving an indignant shaman looking after him and deciding that he liked Barry more.
Graham ran to the back of the procession and looked around. He spotted Jason walking alone and hurried towards him. "Jason? Have you seen Barry?"
"He stopped back there, said he had to take a leak." Jason said, and then his eyes grew wide. "You don’t think he’s…"
Graham ran back down the trail until he found a path that someone had recently bashed through the undergrowth. He scrambled down it until he tripped over a wooden box lying in the path. He tugged off the lid. Inside were an old cracked scrab’s skull, a worn sligs mask, a sheath of arrows and various other treasures that Graham had seen in Barry’s tent the day before. He slowly lifted out a carved piece of iron that vaguely resembled the sun that Graham had sat in a cell and watched him carve night by night in the cell next to his, years before. He held it in his palm and then curled his fingers over it, cutting off the light from the real sun touching the old carving. "Goodbye again my friend." He whispered.
For anyone who still remembers I exist, I loves all of ya and I loves yuh feedback even more! Get replying, next chapter will arrive as soon as I can work a hole in my revision.
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