Chapter 3
From the crystal lights which guided many travelers through the tunnel that Huzu walked down, they led him to a large chamber. Yet stalactites hung in front of the green scavenger now seeker, and thus had to duck down just to enter the large cavern. Before him he saw a large city of wood and stone. The streets were busy with Astroliks as he towered past them. Stepping over to the side of the dirt roads which stretched throughout the city he politely asked one of the Astroliks walking towards him “Excuse me”.
A green and lime Astrolik with a pick strapped on his back looked up towards the 7 foot tall being and asked “Yes, may I help you Shidaki?”
Huzu raised an eyebrow before continuing “Can you tell me where I can find the grand elder of this City?”
The Astrolik's eyes beamed as he then replied “Ah you have come to see the one called Onua?! Word spread fast that the Shidakians were going to send a representative, I am guessing you're the new seeker right?”
Huzu nodded, responding “Indeed, though I have hardly been outside of the Crystal Caverns so it's a little confusing out here in Onu City. I’m guessing you have never met my kind yet”
The Miner chuckled “Yup! Guilty is charged” he said while raising a hand. “I only read about your people in school, it is an honor to meet those whose ancestors supported us in the great divide”.
Huzu smiled as he replied “Well to be fair, it was your people that were able to strike fear upon Heaven Realm and the Su Tribe”
The Miner shrugged “I suppose, we are very strong people. Hey I am sorry to cut this conversation short but I have to head to my class. Can I get your name seeker?”
Huzu stepped out of the way as he then replied “No need to apologize, you may call me Huzu”
The Miner gave a slight bow replying “It is great to meet you Huzu, I am Tavi. The answer to your question earlier can be found in the Temple of Power within the heart of the City”
As Tavi began to walk away Huzu called out to the young Miner “Thank you!”.
Tavi waved back at Huzu before disappearing into the busy crowd of pedestrians. Huzu then began to continue his journey through the City. Beasts of all kinds, most not far bigger than his stature, trekked through the dirt streets carrying luggage. From what he could tell, Crabs pulled trailers filled with heavy metal ores; to hunched lizard-like beasts in multiple colors carrying scrolls. Even a few of these lizard creatures seemed to be pets and not just workers for the Astroliks. After what seemed like an hour of walking he began to hear lots of shouting up ahead. Running through the crowd of pedestrians on the streets, Huzu saw a large crowd piling up around a large Temple. The architecture seemed otherworldly, almost ancient with its stonework. Many pillars surrounded its wide cylindrical form. With highpoints dawning a domed canopy that was wider in diameter than the structures they sat upon. As he walked through the protestors he heard them shouting about the beasts gone rampant throughout the island.
Huzu then thought to himself with concern. By the ancestors...I have to get inside that temple quickly, I do not want to be around them while they're like this…
Looking over his shoulder he inched his way through the crowd towards a building and began climbing up it with brisk haste. Once on the rooftop he began leaping and dashing on all fours from one rooftop to the next as he drew closer to the Temple. The final building he had to leap from towards one of the pillars of the Temple was at least a 15 meter gap. Putting the pedal on the metal, his body began to course with an aura of electricity as he sped faster. Leaping onto the final building he leaped again only a few seconds after. His arm outstretched towards the wall of the pillar in hopes he could grab onto it. 5 Meters. Albeit a rough collision he makes contact with the pillar. Climbing the rest of the way up, he leaped again. Slamming his body into the temple’s walls, his claws dig into the ancient stone as he slides down half a meter leaving a couple of scratch marks. He takes a few deep breaths as his armor cools down back to its natural state. A few protestors took notice of him and began shouting “Hey! There is a Shidaki up there!” “Is he the Seeker?”“He must be why else would he be here?”
“Let us up in there!- Let us in! Let us in!”
A voice soon came from a window above, “Seeker! Up here!”.
When Huzu looked up he saw a being dawning pink and blue armor waving to him. Huzu quickly climbed up and through the window. As he rose to his feet upon the aged tan stone floor he took notice of the room around him. Its architecture was beautiful with hexagon symbols lining the pillars and arches. Beaded curtains hung before all the doorways. As he turned his head to the right of him, he took notice of the Astrolik that ushered him inside. Huzu put his claws on his knees as he exhaled with relief. The pink being approached handing him a power cell no bigger than the palm of her hand.
“Take this, you will need to recharge yourself for the journey ahead” She spoke. Huzu however politely declined the offer.
He then asked “So this is the Temple of Power, what songs does it tell?”
The Astrolik smiled softly in amusement “Interesting, I think you are the first seeker in history that focuses more on a culture than the people that are entwined to it”.
She took a few steps away from the green Shidaki as she looked upon the walls and pillars. She then continued “This Temple was here before we lived here. Interestingly enough it dates back to the same era as the Temple of Time. Yet we have not been able to translate the writing. As much as we mine and try to learn more of Voodoo island’s secrets, she alludes to us. The song it sings is that of an echo, with the repetition of its words almost faded to obscurity…”
Huzu rose back to his feet as he walked up beside her. “Do you think translating the words written within its walls will ignite the spark?”
She pensively grunted in thought before responding “It depends. At first, it most certainly will. But the more we read, the more walls we pass. The less mystery it will have. I say, with my wisdom as Elder, there is beauty without knowing. The unknown is a powerful thing to the eye of the viewer. And I hope that you will learn from your years that when you look into the past, to not only learn from it, but respect it. To listen to its rules. But that doesn’t mean that you should be ignorant seeker…”.
The Elder then turned to him with a half chuckle “...you should still learn what you can, just don’t let it lead to an addiction that may harm the atmosphere you are learning from”
The Astrolik in pink and blue then began to walk over to a doorway “Now I believe you came to see Onua yes?”.
Huzu, who was occupied by the writing on the walls, turned to her and replied “Yes.”
He began following her through the doorway and into a hallway. The wall on the left side was filled with murals while doorways lined the right. The images depicted figures lined together in various colors, each cradling a sphere in the palms of their hands. Which then translated to what seemed like cities at the feet of each of the figures. Huzu soon heard the Elder mumble something that he did not quite hear at first and asked “Pardon?”. His mechanical eyebrow raised in slight confusion.
The Elder sighed to herself as she kept her eyes down the hallway with her arms folded behind her back. Smiling slightly she repeated “Your name Seeker, you haven’t properly introduced yourself. Hi I’m Lakama, Elder of Onu City, and who might you be Stranger that has crawled through my window?”
Huzu smiled slightly with a scoff, “I am Huzu, Seeker of the Shidaki”
Lakama smirked as she then stated “Oh good a smile, we are going places. There might just be hope for you Huzu”.
As they walked further into the temple and up a fleet of stairs, they came to another hallway. The sound of machinery could be heard from one of the beaded doorways on the right. Huzu slowed his pacing as Lakama continued walking ahead.
Pulled by curiosity, Huzu progressed after the pink elder who was now in the room. As he pushed the beads to the side while entering he saw a large seed in the room. Resting upright and against a wall. The seed was covered in moss, dirt and roots. Yet there was no sign of moss or plant life anywhere in the room to explain its features. Furthermore, it had a cavity in the front. Possibly the hatch for what was inside. Within it there was a pile of junk metal poured all over the floor that an Astrolik in red and silver was digging through. The Elder grunted as the Tinkerer soon after perked up her head and replied “Oh! Elder Lakama, sorry. I was just finishing up something that I was working on”
The metallic red Astrolik walked forward and took notice of Huzu, of which he took notice in turn that she had 4 mechanical arms folded behind her back. She extends her hand out to him and he shakes it as she spoke “You must be the new seeker, I’m Tahlya”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Huzu” The green Shidaki replied.
The Elder looked to Tahlya and asked “How is Onua fairing?”
Tahlya resting her hand on her hip replied methodically “Meditating, he believes that if he can enter a trance-like state, his memories will come back. Though it seems like he has been struggling”
Huzu grunted and asked “Pardon me for asking but uh, where is he?”
Tahlya gestured to the corner of the room. Sitting atop a pedestal with legs crossed was a yellow being with traces of dark gold armor. His head hung low as he meditated. Huzu approached the yellow Astrolik as he then asked “Excuse me”.
Onua slowly opened his eyes, they shimmered softly like emeralds under his mask as he spoke with a deprived expression “Yeah? What is it- Ah...the seeker, you came out of that crowd outside in one piece it looks like”.
The four foot tall yellow being rose to his feet as he then continued while scratching the back of his head with his claws “Thank you by the way, I uh almost fell asleep. I had seen enough blackness in that seed, and didn't want to see more for a while”.
Huzu tilted his head a little as he then asked “You…aren’t what I was expecting. Especially from the time of times”.
Onua scoffed with a frown “Says the lanky green walking chameleon, I guess that makes two of us”
Huzu’s eyes widened as he replied “I am not average, I take my position to be something more with pride. All in the name of my people. You were just sleeping in a can for no explained reason”
Onua hopped down from his pedestal as he stretched his arms walking by him. “Please, enough of the surface level observations. Now what do you want from me?”
“You don’t have to put it like that…but I actually wanted to talk with you, to hear what you have seen.” Huzu grumbled with distaste.
As Elder Lakama and Tahlya watched the conversation silently, both were curious how things would turn out. Onua turned to look up to Huzu, “I don’t want to talk about it”
“What do you mean?! You must have seen something, or at least heard a name or- or something!” Huzu replied in surprise.
“It is not something I want to talk about to the first person I see! Why else do you think I was meditating?'' Onua replied pointing to the corner of the room. “Even you should understand that of all people, and don’t judge me any more, okay chief”.
Huzu took a deep breath as he then asked more calmly “No, wait a second. There is something you are not telling me, what is it?”
Onua shook his head and replied “I said I know nothing right now, this topic is over”. Huzu squatted down before Onua and asked more softly “just tell me please, people have gone head over tail. I need to learn more about the days to come”.
Onua exhaled in suggestive frustration as he then whispered to Huzu coldly “get me out of here, and I’ll consider it”.
Huzu nodded as he rose to his feet once more. Looking over to the Elder and her fellow Astrolik, he spoke “We must go to the surface, through the deep holes. There is wisdom that I must seek there”
Elder Lakama and Tahlya looked to one another before looking back at those bestowed with great purpose. Tahlya then asked “Wait, wouldn't it be safer here for your discussion? This is the Temple of power, in the very heart of Onu City. Our most protected and sacred place of our people”
Huzu took a few steps towards them as he then said “I am aware of how secure this place can be considering you store all your history here. But the island is safe in its entirety as well despite some fauna. I left my city to find resolution and give peace of mind to my people of what we can expect in the times to come, and I must do the same here. Please, allow me to keep the peace we have always had for many seasons to come”.
The Elder thinking to herself then replied “Very well seeker...”. She then gestured to Tahlya, continuing “... but at least allow our brightest to guide you through the backdoor”.
Huzu slightly bowed as he then said “of course”
Onua smirked a little as he then replied looking towards Huzu “This should be fun. Being able to travel across distant lands, I heard stories about how big this island really is. I look forward to exploring it”
Tahlya smiled slightly as she stated “Well you are in luck boys, because you are going to need some form of transportation once you get up top”.
She then began walking over the pile of junk and began climbing into the pile. She seemed to be searching for something. The Yellow Astrolik then commented raising a digit “I know I woke up in that pile, but I am not sure there is anything rideable in it. Let alone make something rideable”.
Tahlya chuckled as she popped her head out of the pile of junk with a few strands of loose items atop her head. “And you have just confirmed the camouflage works you sleeping giant. Now check this out”
She then pressed something in the pile of junk as the pile began to contort and morph. The jagged elements and sheets of bent metal began to be streamlined forming what seemed to be a hover bike. Both Onua and Huzu looked upon the vehicle wide eyed in how sleek it was. The green shidaki then blurted out in realization “wait where do I sit?”
Onua walked forward caressing his hand across Tahlya’s shoulders before resting both hands on the bike. As he did this he spoke “Listen Huzu, there is only one golden child in this room that can bench mountains and that is me. I am sure if you sleep for several millennia you will get a body like mine”. Tahlya chuckled a little as Huzu replied “That doesn’t matter, just give me enough to eat and I will go faster than that bike ever could”.
“Is that pouting I hear seeker? I am just giving you a proper Onu City welcome as they say” Onua chimed.
Huzu shook his head slightly with an unphased expression as he replied “It's called keeping your rapport, now should we get going?”
Onua frowned with slight disappointment. Lakama took notice of this and stated casually “Don’t worry he is a go getter that likes to finish a job as soon as possible, yet he does like history and culture”
Onua with some interest replied “aaaahh, well I say I am quite the history buff myself for sleeping through history for a long time”.
Tahlya began chuckling out loud as Huzu looked to her in distress “Tahlya please”.
The inventor cleared her throat as she then replied “Okay okay, lets go boys”.
She walked over to the bike, grabbing it by its handles as she began guiding it out the door. As she did this she waved Onua and Huzu to follow. Both nodded and followed. Huzu looking back over his shoulder took a glimpse at Lakama once more. She smiled. Waving at their departure he shifted his gaze and thus himself out through the doorway. As they walked down from one stairway to the next, Huzu asked “Why do they call this place the Temple of Power?”
“The temple itself is what we use to power our city, our tools for excavation, and well haha anything really” Tahlya replied. The trio continued onward through the chamber and down a long tunnelway. During the trek Huzu stayed silent as he walked. All the while his mind hung heavily. Eventually, they saw a blinding bright light ahead of them with hints of green. Onua and Huzu began to cover their eyes as they had never seen such bright sunlight. Tahlya gestured them to go onward as she spoke “Good luck on your journey you two, and welcome to the deep holes” She began running back down the tunnel as Onua and Huzu continued forward to the lush green environment. Everything seemed to glow softly. From the trees to the blades of grass that shifted in the wind. The outside world seemed peaceful. Yet Huzu, though he admired the beauty which lay before him, it did little to distract him from a lingering thought. He alone, being chosen as seeker, was burdened with knowledge that is contained in his cohort. Information that can change the world if he decides to speak it… Either for the better or for the worst.
