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Science Fiction Fantasy

*Here it is, Wolfy! The wait was short!*

___

The muscular man led them out the Edendome, as he liked to call it, and to another building close to the barracks. They all piled into an elevator, standing in awkward silence until the lift came to a stop and there was much swearing as they piled out and feet were trampled; Rune did most of the trampling.

The din ceased as the young people spotted what Tyrene must have been so excited to show them, the sudden silence almost hurt as they stared open-mouthed and wide-eyed at the magnificent sight before them.

“These are the Empyreans, built carefully and designed to carry you through the vastness of space.”

Empyrean was a fitting name for the metal giants standing before them; there were two of them, standing forty or fifty feet tall, they resembled a mix of gellen and human; with two legs and four arms, the head had a glowing orange t-shaped visor for eyes. The main part of the body was gleaming black with highlights of purple in the joints. They each had a name emblazoned on the collarbone It was the most amazing piece of machinery Rune had ever laid eyes on.

“You made this?” Clint inquired incredulously. “For us?”

Tyrene smiled. “For your use, yes.”

“How long did those take you guys to build?”

“A year.”

“Only?!”

“I got help from Augen; you know how good he is with tech.”

“This is literally the most insane thing I’ve ever done,” Keila exclaimed, grinning and bouncing. Tongues of energy flickered through her uniform. “And I’ve done a lot of insane things in my life.” Clint was grinning wide enough to split his lips.

Rune frowned up at the metal giants. “How does it work? Like, control-wise? Do we pilot it or is it more like a drone?”

“Right now,” Tyrene replied. “It has a course set into it and will pilot automatically. Maybe, eventually, one or two of you will learn to pilot them. Alright, Embers. Follow me, I’m going to give you a run-down off the rules of the Empyrean. Sariel is the name of your Empyrean.”

“What’s the name of the other one?” Clint asked as the Embers ascended a flight of stairs which led to a catwalk around the circumference of the building; it deviated off and ran up to the head of their Empyrean, Sariel.

Ion,” Elric answered the young man.

“Why are there two?”

This time, he got no answer; Tyrene twisted open a thick, vault-like door in the side of the Empyrean’s head, and stepping to the side, allowed the teens to pile in, gasping in awe at their surroundings. The caregivers followed, smiling like proud family members. Aurian turned to Elric. “I feel like they’ve grown since they got here.”

Loc laughed, his eyes sparkling. “Well, Rune certainly has! Do sarsh ever stop growing?”

Aurian pursed her lips. “Not physically. Emotionally and in maturity.”

Elric smiled. “Yes, I believe they have.”

____

Tyrene started the explanation with the cockpit; a raised, walled off area facing the visor with a short set of stairs leading to it. Inside this area, there was a single seat and a circle of screen surrounding it. Tyrene explained when the Empyrean was on the ground and they were using it to walk, the pilot’s chair moved and the pilot controlled it with their own movements by a series of sensors built into their uniforms.

A small restroom- which doubled as a mini medical bay- and the passengers’ seating dominated the rest of the head; the passengers’ area was a ring of seats around the circumference of the head, above them was cabinets containing medical supplies and food, everything needed to keep them maintained and in good health.

A large, round hatch was set into the floor of the passengers’ quarters; the Embers slid one at a time down the ladder, hearts thudding with excitement and expectation of their nearing journey. The ladder, centered in a short shaft lined with drawers full of supplies; at the bottom of the ladder, the young people’s thrilled gazes fell upon the sleeping quarters, beds suspended by cords to keep from rocking too much while the Empyrean walked or flew, this area was in the Empyrean’s chest.

Much to Rune’s interest, there were four massive guns stowed away, pointed outwards, ready at any moment to slide out of the Empyrean’s chest and could obliterate anything that stood in their way.

When Tyrene finished his tour, he bent and scooped up a black box from the table in the middle of the sleeping area. “These are the last pieces necessary for the success of this mission; communication and obscuration.”

Clint frowned. “What is obscuration?”

“The act of keeping something hidden,” Elric answered from behind Clint.

“What are we keeping secret?”

“If you would let me finish,” Tyrene answered crossly. “I will explain.”

Sheepishly, the young man grinned and said nothing else. The slight, muscular figure sighed and continued, opening the box as he spoke. First, he produced three tiny devices which reminded Clint of the intercoms back on Ascendance; Tyrene proved his thought correct as he pointed out one just like theirs placed behind his ear; he explained the earpieces’ range was several districts. He called them intercoms.

The last things he produced looked like coins, but turned out to be significantly more advanced than a circle of metal; they stuck to the back of the wearer’s neck and, when the slight bump on the disk was depressed, a hard, full face mask swarmed out and over the wearer’s head, thus protecting their identity. The mask matched their uniforms and the t-shaped visor looked oddly familiar to the Empyrean’s. Clint activated his and turned to Rune, putting his hand on his hips. “What do you think?” He asked. The mask’s speakers muffled Clint’s voice, but the sarsh could tell Clint was grinning his face off.

“It’s cool.” Rune offered, diffusing the younger boy’s excitement.

Keila wrinkled her nose at hers. “How am I supposed to get this around my hair?”

Aurian stepped forward, gently placing the disk on the girl’s neck. “Keep your hair in a single braid like it is now, the nanotech will sense it and make a hole for it.”

Loc nodded. “It’ll be the same for your ears, Rune,” He explained.

Rune nodded thoughtfully. “Interesting.”

“Okay,” Tyrene interrupted the conversation. “I think it’s time you got going.”

The Embers simultaneously took a deep breath, calming their suddenly thundering heartbeats. They turned to their caregivers, unsure of what do to. Aurian moved Keila to the side, whispering to the young woman; Elric placed his hands on Clint’s shoulder, their conversation between their two ears. Loc closed the remaining space between him and the sarsh, wrapping his thick arms around Rune.

The sarsh raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to crush me?” He asked, smiling faintly.

“Bruises to remember me by!” Loc grinned, his smile fading as he got serious. “I wish you good luck.”

“I don’t believe in luck, I believe in good performance.”

Loc was silent. “I just want you to be safe, my friend.”

Rune blinked; this felt just like a mission to him and he was unused to his elders wishing him luck or caring about his safety. “Loc?” The sarsh inquired in a soft voice.

“Yeah, mate?”

“Do you believe in God?”

“... I believe he created us, but I’ve never looked into learning a lot about him. Why?”

“I want to know about him, I want someone to teach me.”

“Sorry, mate, I’m not the one for that.”

“.. Loc?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for being there for me.”

The tall man grinned, his teeth gleaming somewhere in the depths of his fiery red beard. “That’s my job. You’re welcome, mate. Lead your friends well.”

“Thank you, Loc. I’ll see you again soon.”

The tall man nodded and exited the Empyrean; only Tyrene remained, the three young people facing him. “The trip will take two days,” He informed them. “But it will only seem like a few minutes for you. When you arrive, I will turn on the intercoms and guide you from there, understand?”

There was a chorus of yeses, and Tyrene nodded to them. “You’re ready.” He turned and followed in the caregivers’ steps, heaving the thick door shut. The sealing of the door resonated about the room, painfully loud in the sudden silence.

The sound of exhalation filled the silence. “Come on,” Rune insisted, seating himself on the passengers’ bench and pulling the straps over his shoulders, clicking them into place. The others joined him, eyes flitting nervously. Clint’s paled face fixed on Rune.

“How are you perfectly calm?”

“Training,” Came the curt reply.

Clint harrumphed and slipped his hand into Keila’s as they heard the Empyrean power up. Lights along the roof of the head lit up with a purple light; an orange light bordered Sariel’s visor and Rune imagined that from the outside, the visor was glowing the same color as inside. A movement shuddered through the metallic giant; light flooded from the ceiling of the building as it opened. Sariel’s head tilted upward, pressing the Embers against their seats; they could see a square of red sky, growing as the Empyrean rose off the ground and cleared the building. Through the visor, Rune could see the entire surface of the planet as they rose higher and higher into the atmosphere.

I’m coming, Artemis. Rune promised silently. I’m coming.

_____

November 13, 2021 14:48

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39 comments

Hi, I just read your new bio! I really like everything you said. If you were to change your name, what would you change it too? Also, since we share a like of weapons . . . What would you say your favorite weapon is? I really like the claymore, aka two-handed sword. But claymore sounds cooler. I'm currently writing a story, not intended for Reedsy, involving opposing forces who use pikes and spears, respectively. Don't know if you'll be able to help me with this question, but I'll still ask it: As far as you know, would spears or pikes...

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Creed .
15:49 Nov 30, 2021

I dunno, I have a lot of names in a list for my stories, I use those for my stories. I was thinking Galen, like the character, but I'm not sure about that yet. My favorite weapon? Katana and short sword. I have a polypropylene short sword and plan on getting a metal katana soon. Claymores are pretty cool. Um, about, the riders and which weapon would be better; I'm no expert, but they would probably both work pretty well, considering they are very similar weapons. Pikes are usually used by footsoldiers and are more for thrusting, while spea...

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Katanas are neat! I'd love to have a metal sword. Don't right now though. Cool, I thought so, about the spears vs. pikes. So you have read the book? Out of curiosity, why do you prefer the movies? Do you have a favorite character?

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Creed .
18:21 Nov 30, 2021

I also own a longbow and a dagger. I started the book, but didn't love it because the version we had was tiny and hard to read. That's why I prefer the movies. Aragorn is 100% my favorite. Hey, for a new username, I was thinking Tetricus Cobra or just Cobra. Tell me what you think.

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How does one acquire these amazing possessions? That's too bad about the small print. I love Aragorn too, also Tom Bombadil, Eowyn, and Faramir. What does Tetricus mean to you?

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Creed .
17:37 Dec 02, 2021

I got the short sword on amazon. Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/BladesUSA-E503-PP-Polypropylene-Training-Medieval/dp/B0089AH1OG/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=polypropylene+short+sword&qid=1638463949&sr=8-3 The longbow, I got from a friend and the dagger from a consignment shop that my older brother used to work at. The katana I wanted to get was bought before I could get to it, though. :( Yeah, they didn't put Tom Bombadil in the movie, though. It doesn't really mean anything to me, it just sounds cool. It means sullen, which I guess sorta...

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Jexica Marcell
14:36 Nov 29, 2021

Hi! Okay, so I read your bio, and I actually have never read you stories, so I thought, let's read them. So now I'm going to! I'm so excited, because the series is so long, and I've always liked that and admired the creators of a long series, because I COULD NEVER DO THAT! It seems to take so much creativity to keep a long series going and sadly... I'm burnt out. And dealing with writers block. But when I do read the series, I will make sure to tell you what I think, and honestly, I think it's going to be really good. xoxo, Jex

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Creed .
15:34 Nov 29, 2021

Yeah, I kinda hate when people just like the story even if they didn't read it. Thanks for taking the time, but, just a warning, it is VERY long, because, in real life, it's a novel I'm working on and I couldn't put it all in one story. I've never had writer's block, but the best thing I can think to do is read story prompts. I can send you a few websites that I use if you'd like. Aw, thanks! 🛸🛸🛸🛸 Titan

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Jexica Marcell
16:58 Nov 29, 2021

I did like your stories before reading them, but I plan on setting time aside to read them!!!! I'm honestly so excited to read your series!!!!

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Creed .
18:49 Nov 29, 2021

Thank you! I really appreciate it. Btw, the fact that the series has two different names has confused a lot of people, so, just to clarify, the series starts out called 'Rune' and changes to 'Genesis' The first part of the series is called Rune #1 and goes from there.

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Jexica Marcell
22:06 Nov 29, 2021

Thanks for the info! And I absolutely ADORE the name Genesis, so when I saw the name I knew I had to read it.

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Creed .
15:31 Nov 30, 2021

You're welcome! Thanks!

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HI Titan! I wanted to let you know that I wrote a new story. I'm also still working my through Rune/Genesis. Haven't reached this one yet, though.

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Creed .
22:49 Nov 27, 2021

Cool! I'll check it out!

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TJ Squared
16:41 Nov 25, 2021

if you were to be any animal in a story, what would you be?

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Creed .
16:52 Nov 25, 2021

Mystical or real?

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TJ Squared
16:57 Nov 25, 2021

either lol

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Creed .
17:01 Nov 25, 2021

Ice dragon, if mystical. Wolf, if real.

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TJ Squared
17:10 Nov 25, 2021

great thanks :D Happy Thanksgiving :DDD

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Creed .
16:51 Nov 26, 2021

why did you want to know? Happy late thanksgiving!

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TJ Squared
15:36 Nov 13, 2021

HAPPY 60TH STORYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!🥳🥳🥳 wowwwwwwwwwww that's super cool! Empyrean, interesting name (as all of your names are interesting). I love not only reading their emotions, but also feeling them myself. great usage of 'show, not tell', if you know what i mean :D super excited for the next parttttttttttttt :DDDDDD

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Creed .
15:53 Nov 13, 2021

Thank you! It took me a while to even realize I had hit 60, but I was so happy when I did! Yep, that name means The Heavens, I named them that because they go through space. Yeah, I had a really hard time understanding that for the longest time, but eventually got the hang of it. :DDDDD

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TJ Squared
17:08 Nov 13, 2021

:DDDD very cool! yeah lol :)))

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Unknown User
23:48 Dec 04, 2021

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Creed .
15:48 Dec 06, 2021

Very well! I'm super busy with christmas shopping, though. I'm very excited for christmas!

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Unknown User
18:33 Dec 06, 2021

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Creed .
21:24 Dec 06, 2021

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

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Unknown User
04:30 Dec 07, 2021

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Creed .
15:57 Dec 07, 2021

I have a cat too! Yep, I've already done my christmas shopping and now am just waiting impatiently for christmas to come.

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Unknown User
19:26 Nov 20, 2021

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RBE | We made a writing app for you (photo) | 2023-02

We made a writing app for you

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