ALL NOVEL Temple
Orion and Ran sit on the small boat as they bump their way through the darkness across the choppy seas.
Ran looks back to her small island, wondering what Cole is up to.
She then turns back at the island coming up ahead in the darkness.
"How long did you have the menu?" Ran asks, over the bumping waters.
Orion doesn't respond at first.
"After it all went down," Orion yells back over the waves, eventually.
"How did you survive?" Ran then asks.
Orion looks at her, annoyed. "You're asking pretty personal questions, aren't you?"
"Didn't you?" She asks back. "Did you not just come to my home and bring back my former love? You see where I sleep. You know what I've been through. I think I can ask you something."
Orion is NOT moved by her rebuttal, and just shakes his head.
She actually grins, then frowns as they get closer.
"There is an old temple here," she says. "Kill the boat. They'll hear it. We can drift in."
Orion does, and they slowly approach the island.
It too, at first, looks like it is a perfect island.
But it is more rocky and less hospitable. From the sky and the old world, they would see that they were approaching the top of broken mountain cliffs.
Jungle bushes and trees grow around the rocky soil, as there is patches of sand, but it is mainly a sharp and rocky piece of land coming forth from the water.
It is large though. Not as large as Orion's home, but larger than Ran's small paradise.
As Orion's boat is going with the current and waves, he sees bright glows of fires around the rocky terrain.
Ran touches Orion's shoulder and points.
They look towards the other side of the rocky fortress and see a small patrol boat of fallen soldiers, across the way, arriving or getting ready to leave.
Orion jumps out of the boat and tugs it forward, slipping on the sharp rocks and coral underneath. He soon brings it to a small cove and ties the boat up.
Ran jumps out of the boat on to the hard rocks above, and Orion pulls himself up. They both hold their huge guns.
"There is an old temple at the top. They use it," Ran says quietly.
"You've said that a few times," Orion responds.
"Well, you need to know. No surprises."
Orion nods. "This was a bad idea."
"You wanted to be a hero," she says in a matter of fact tone.
"No. I just wanted to protect you and anyone else. Demon Lord's are not to be messed with."
Ran nods.
She then, out of character, reaches her lips up to Orion's. The kiss is not quite brief, but not long or passionate. But it is more than a peck.
Orion does not stop her, but does not really partake in it.
Ran pulls back, satisfied and not embarrassed.
Neither know what to say, so they say nothing at first.
Ran shrugs. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."
"And now?"
"It was still a good idea."
Ran then sees Orion's necklaces, including the cross.
"Does that help?" She asks.
He looks down at it. "Does it, itself? No. Did it? Yeah."
Ran does not argue with him.
Suddenly, a roar and growl fills the air.
It shakes both of them. Sweat immediately starts to come forth from their skin.
Orion takes a deep breath, putting his head against the rock.
"Let's go back. We can't do this," Ran says.
"You said it was the biggest one you've ever seen?" Orion asks.
She nods.
"Well, I gotta see that," Orion lies, and starts climbing.
Ran reluctantly follows after him.
They grab the sharp rocks, pulling themselves and their gear up. They are not quite at a full climb, but the exertion is real. The rocks are sharp and brutal, cutting their knees and hands.
The Demon Lord growls again, high into the air.
They can feel the growl in their chest.
Orion finally comes to where it seems to level off, and he sticks his hand down to Ran. She pulls herself up and they stare at a small jungle before them.
Coming out of the jungle is a broken and toppled over temple, like Ran spoke of. The spires and stone are distinct but leveled, but enough of it is still sticking up, albeit in a slant.
Orion's imagination wonders if it is a Hindu or Buddhist temple, and thinks about the ones in Indonesia and parts of Asia from the old world, that all went to see.
How far out are we? How much was destroyed? Dislocated? Broken up?
Orion's display starts analyzing the old temple towers sticking out, which looks like it has a small courtyard still intact at the base of it.
The growl occurs again. It is so loud Ran covers her ears.
The ground shifts and stomps.
Orion's display flashes a warning
XP NOT HIGH ENOUGH FOR THREAT
XP NOT HIGH ENOUGH FOR THREAT
XP NOT HIGH ENOUGH FOR THREAT
Suddenly, a message from Cole appears.
WHERE ARE YOU?! WHERE IS RAN?!
"This thing is getting annoying. Like the old world," Orion says to himself, as he clears his display. "Where is the block button?"
"What?" Ran asks.
"The menu," Orion says, putting his finger to his temple, but then he moves it to his lips with a shhhh.
Ran turns.
A few fallen start walking by.
These ones are a strange sight. They are still fallen, but are newly formed. They have a few more human traits like a normal walk, though with the decaying and rotting flesh.
But they are in fatigues. Some have old gas masks or shields on their faces.
The three fallen soldiers walk by, speaking in another tongue.
Orion stares at them, full of questions, as he and Ran try to stay as close to the ground as possible.
They finally leave, going around the temple.
"They have soldiers now?" Orion asks Ran.
"Not really. They found uniforms or something. Those are new ones. Ones that could survive. They could be from your island," Ran asks.
Orion feels pain hearing that. "Would they remember? The old life?"
Ran shakes her head. "Only Sobek remembers. He is trying to build an army. They don't have many though. Everyone is dwindling. Good and bad."
Orion thinks of Sobek, or as he knows him, Goliath. "We've had many fights, him and I. I think the last one is coming."
Ran looks sad to hear that, but doesn't deny it.
The Demon Lord growls and screams again.
Ran points her shaky hand towards the direction it looks like it came from.
The shadows start moving right towards their direction.