Chapter 11: Now or Never
Story by Bria!
Find the last chapter in ROYAL GRIFFIN and the next chapter in QUETZAL.
“What are you rambling about, fool?” Borealis spat at the ground. “If you wish to know our ‘names’ so badly, then ask is all you must do.”
Big Jack awkwardly lowered his fists. Brad and Michael gave each other a look of disapproval, shaking their heads in disbelief at Borealis’ vernacular. Nova lowered her bow slowly, her eyes still pinned on Big Jack’s absurdly excessive tattoos.
“Look, this feels a bit unnecessary. My name is Nova, if you want to know my real name,” Nova declared, her eyes scanning the three enemies. Did they have the numbers advantage? Yes. Did they have the weapons advantage? Not so much. Borealis may have been unarmed, but Nova’s bow would do some good damage before they could get any meaningful hits in.
“That is not what I mean by a ‘true name’,” Big Jack said, clenching his fists, his muscles bulging. “The name given to you at birth, is not a true name. It is uncontrollable, it is not earned! Your true name… what is your TRUE NAME?”
Borealis cracked his knuckles, getting into a crouching stance.
“Now hold on a second–” Nova was cut off when Borealis quietly charged forward and slammed his fist into Big Jack’s gut. BOING! His fist bounced right off his big belly. Big Jack looked down at the valedictorian with a sneer. With overwhelming speed, he grabbed his neck, hauling him up into the air with his meaty fingers.
“You’re weak,” Big Jack sighed. “A shame, really. I was expecting more of a battle!”
Big Jack held his fist back and prepared to plough Borealis right in the stomach. Brad and Michael looked on nervously, scooting closer and closer in the rare event that Big Jack would for whatever reason target them next. But before Big Jack could absolutely demolish the man, Nova lifted her bow and fired a singular arrow at his arm.
PEW! THWACK! The arrow’s head struck his bicep. Big Jack let out a yell, reaching for his arm and ripping the shaft of the arrow in half. He looked over at Nova with a glare and tossed Borealis right at her. His body crashed into hers, snapping her bow in half. She let out an ‘oof!” when she collapsed to the ground.
“UGH!” Borealis exhaled. Nova let out a groan. “Get off me!”
Big Jack glanced at the wound in his arm with a scoff. He plucked at the head and only winced in pain. Brad took a step forward.
“Are– are you okay?”
Big Jack quickly stopped him. “Enough. I’m fine.”
Michael said, “Are you sure? We can jump in and take care of these guys.”
“NO!” Big Jack howled, spittle flying everywhere. Brad and Michael took a step back, raising their hands in surrender. “That would not be the honorable nor fair thing to do in battle. I do not need to resort to cheap shots like they do.”
Big Jack turned back with a glare. He took a large stride forward. His menacing stature casted a large shadow above the two. By the time they were already sitting up, Big Jack was already standing above them.
“Now which of you will face my blows?”
“She will gladly volunteer,” Borealis murmured, pointing his thumb at Nova. Before Nova could protest, Big Jack latched onto Nova’s throat like a little toy. Nova let out a scream, slamming her fists into his wrists. Big Jack’s fingers almost slipped for a second, but his grip only tightened.
“You’re the resilient one, aren’t you?” Big Jack observed. “Unlike your partner, you’ve got a bit more toughness to you. Let’s see how long that lasts.”
POW! Big Jack plunged his fist into Nova’s stomach. She let out a gasp, feeling the air get knocked out of her lungs. She hacked and coughed. Stars swarmed her vision. Big Jack shook his fist, preparing for another blow. In the corner of Nova’s eye, she could see Borealis attempt to crawl away, still clutching onto his stomach in pain.
“Oh, you little sh*t…” Nova barely managed to gasp. Big Jack motioned over to Michael and Brad. The two goons quickly rushed over and pinned him to the ground. Too weak and disoriented, he could barely resist. Big Jack grinned.
“Don’t worry. Your friend is next.”
“This has been fun,” Big Jack said. “But it’s about time to throw in the towel. Lights out, little girl! And may you learn to never talk bad about my son ever again!”
Big Jack’s fingers pressed hard against the carotid arteries snaking up Nova’s neck. She coughed and choked, reaching for Big Jack’s wrist and weakly grasping at them. Michael raised his pickaxe up in the air, prepared to strike Borealis in the back of the head.
But before either of them could make a move, there was a deafening explosion.
BOOM!
Big Jack’s grip loosened subconsciously. He lowered Nova, looking behind him curiously. Brad looked up.
“What was that?” Brad asked, gripping onto his spear tighter. “Was that a dinosaur?!”
“I don’t know!” Michael cried, lifting his foot off Borealis. “Let’s just get out of here, we don’t want to risk dying– GAH!”
Borealis slammed his fist into Michael’s chin. He went flying back, hitting the ground near Big Jack. Brad let out a screech, fumbling with the spear in his hands. Borealis rushed forward and put Brad in a chokehold. The two keeled over, and Brad dropped his spear to the ground. Thwack! Big Jack glared, his grip loosening again, muscles tensed to help his allies. Now was Nova’s chance.
“Take this, you big bastard!” Nova choked, stretching out her hands and pressing her thumbs into Big Jack’s eyes. Big Jack let out a howl of pain, dropping Nova to the ground and rubbing at his face deliriously. He stumbled around in a trance. Nova shot up from the ground and ran forward, kicking the spear up into her hands. She took the sharp end and held it back. Brad let out a scream.
“W–wait! Please!” Brad begged. “Don’t kill me!”
“Forget his pleads,” Borealis snapped. “End this, and we can handle the others.”
Nova hesitated for a moment, her eyes flashing in realization.
“Wait, where’s Twinkle–”
KABOOM!
“WOAH!” Michael shouted in surprise, stumbling back to the ground like a bobblehead. The island beneath them began to shake and rumble, and suddenly giant obelisks of enchanted stone began to rise into the air from different parts of the island. Each obelisk looked like a destination marker, begging to be explored, with a circular hole carved at the top of each monument. Glyphs were engraved on each obelisk. One was green, another was orange, and the final one was red.
“Holy moly…” Nova thought, dropping her spear to the ground in wonder. Shortly after, the medallions embedded in the wrists of Big Jack, Michael, and Brad began glowing.
“THE DIFFICULTY OF THE SIMULATION HAS BEEN ADJUSTED. AS A RESULT, THE STORY MUST BE EDITED,” a masculine robotic voice blared from everyone’s implants.
“The story must be edited…? What?” Michael asked. Golden sparks shot out of the medallions of each of the adversaries.
“STORY EDITED. THE PLOT DEVICE, ‘NOW OR NEVER’ , HAS BEEN WRITTEN. INCREASE YOUR POWER THROUGH TOTAL VANQUISHMENT, OR FACE LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES.”
“Oh? Long-term consequences? Is that so?” Big Jack said, rubbing his eyes. They were bloodshot red now. His head jerked back to Nova and Borealis. “Maybe we should finish what we started.”
“W–wait!” Brad cried as Nova picked the spear up again. Big Jack took a step forward, stretching his hand out.
“Do it. I dare you. I’ll crush your skull.”
“NO!” Brad wept. Nova gritted her teeth. Big Jack didn’t care enough about Brad to listen to her demands, but he also cared about him enough that killing him would most certainly spell their doom.
“Fine. I just won’t play by the rules,” Nova thought. With a grunt, she hurled the spear across the edge of the cliff.
“What the–” Brad paused. “That was my only weapon!”
Borealis sighed, letting go of Brad and reaching his hand up to rub his forehead. Brad sprinted over to Big Jack, cowering behind his legs. Michael ran up and did the same.
“D–don’t let them kill us!” Michael and Brad said simultaneously. Big Jack glared, cracking his knuckles again. He pounded his fists together again. Nova reached for her bow, but when she saw it was broken, she knew the fight had just turned its tide. Now none of them were readily armed.
“If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get,” Big Jack sneered. “Take a step, and you’re done for.”
Borealis and Nova shared a look. Borealis may have been prideful, but he was by no means stupid. He took a deep breath, putting his hands on his hips defensively.
“Enough of this pointless altercation. Allow us to come to a compromise,” Borealis declared. Big Jack blinked his heavy eyes, looking at Brad and then Michael.
“What does altercation mean?” Big Jack whispered.
“I don’t know!” Brad whispered back. Borealis rolled his eyes.
“No more pointless fighting between any of us,” Borealis proposed. “None of us want to die. Best we avoid it all together. As for that strange rule, it would be rather unwise to follow it so carelessly.”
“I agree. We don’t know what it means by long-term consequences, but we also don’t know what will happen if we end up ‘vanquishing’ an opponent,” Nova reasoned. “Let’s just go about your merry way, and try our best not to run into each other.”
Big Jack let out a “hmph”. With a heavy huff, he took a step forward. Borealis raised his fists.
“I’m warning you–”
But instead of raising his fists up, Big Jack lifted an open palm instead. He was opting for… a handshake.
“I have a better proposition,” Big Jack offered. “Allow us to work together in the future. We both collect information, and we both find a way off this horrible place. Back home, to where we both belong– with our families.”
Borealis blinked his eyes. He had no family, but making allies with Big Jack didn’t seem like such a bad offer, especially if Michael and Brad were included in the mix. They would be easy to take under his wing and mold into his very own pawns. Borealis reached out to shake his hand, but his fantasies were dashed when Big Jack pulled away.
“Not you. Her,” Big Jack declared, staring right at Nova. Nova pointed a thumb at her chest.
“You talkin’ to me?”
“Yes. You. The one who defied my expectations. You truly are something of a fighter. I was impressed by your endurance, and even more impressed by your… determination.”
Nova didn’t have any objections. She shook his hand firmly. Big Jack smiled.
“Back to our families, Nova. Now, with what I’ve seen of you today, that is your true name. Explosively confident and cunning. I have high faith in your capabilities as an ally.”
Nova grinned back. “Alrighty then. What shall our first step of business be?”
Big Jack took a step back, crossing his arms. Brad and Michael let out sighs of relief, their bodies slumping forward. Michael let out a yawn, wiping a stray tear from his eye. Big Jack cleared his throat, nudging Michael. Michael let out a yelp, straightening up.
“Sorry, sir.”
Big Jack smiled in response. “That’s right. Let’s exchange info right now. What we know, at least. So. Have any clue what these things are anyway?”
Big Jack tapped the medallion in his wrist. Borealis opened his mouth to speak, but Nova quickly cut him off.
“They’re devices that give you powers, long story short. I actually met two people just now and they knew what their powers were. One is a human tracker, the other became a master craftswoman with it.”
There were nods of approval at the concept. Clearly, none of the three knew about that to know.
“That’s weird. We will try our best to figure them out now,” Big Jack said. “Now let me share what we know. When we first woke up, I saw these two not too far away. We agreed to work together.”
Big Jack paced back and forth, his gaze shifting to the green obelisk.
“Then we came across a weird thing in the dirt. It was a hexagon thing, very technological. We did not touch it, but–” Big Jack pointed at the direction of the green obelisk. “It was around where that giant thing is now. If you guys know how to use something like that… then maybe we can get a step closer to home.”
Nova smiled gently. “Thanks for the info. Should we regroup at some point?”
“We should. When we collect enough info, we should come back here,” Big Jack said. “And share what we know again.”
“Sounds great. I’ll see you then, Big Jack.”
Big Jack, Michael, and Brad turned off, walking back into the forest. Big Jack looked back with a jolly smile, waving at Nova.
“Bye bye, bro!”
And then they were gone. Nova let out a sigh of relief. They were safe, for now. And they had more help now. It seemed getting home was so close, yet so far.
“I just hope those three are okay out there,” Nova thought hopefully. One of the bushes nearby rustled just then, and out popped little Twinkle. He let out a chirp, rushing over to Nova nervously. Nova scooped him up.
“There you are. I’m glad you’re okay. Anyway, where did you say those two went?”
Twinkle pointed back into the forest again, albeit in the opposite direction of the three goons. Nova smirked. She looked back over at Borealis, who was staring off into the horizon.
“Hey, dumbass, what are you doing? Are you ready to go?”
Borealis’ eye nearly twitched at Nova’s remark. He let out a soft growl. He turned back.
“Yes. Let us get on with it, already.”
