Chapter XLII: Where to go, where to look

Chapter XLII: Where to go, where to look... -The Markior

The sun lowered itself along the horizon... Markior had been walking many days now, with no significant interference whatsoever. Walking, rather then floating. Even though he has no legs, he journeyed differently then usual... or rather, then before his 1st Death. Before, he would just Recall to his location, or float with the speed of an eagle... Yet now, he just didn't feel like floating, warping, or anything like that... "Mortality..." He thought numerous times along the way. "Mortality or Immortality... immortal by age, or immortal by power?" The sun was at it's lowest point, and the sky started to fade blue as Markior entered the deserted village. He wondered where all the people were, because it was just as quiet as those days ago. Of course, a few days ago it was in the middle of the day, all people could've just left. But no it was evening, the inhabitants didn't return to their homes. "Dev?!" Markior yells, and whistles. "Dev, where are you?!" Markior turned around and saw the little Zergling running towards him, jumping up and pushing him over. It drools over his face happily. "Blegh!! yes, I'm happy to see you again too." Markior rolls over and stands up. He swipes the dirt of his cape and moves towards one of the houses. Night falls as he and Dev enter the house. "Anyone home?" Markior says. "KRRee!!" Dev krrs. "Nobody home... surprising as a Hydralisk dropping..." Markior sarcastically grumbles. Dev jumps on the bed and quickly falls asleep. Markior sits down. "Shield.. location of sir Pseudo Havering." A beam of light shines from the shield again, and the screen appears. Havering is displayed sitting infront of a desk. "What are you up to, Havering... what are your plans..." Markior mumbles. He moves his hand and the screen slides around, displaying the room of Havering. "No notes... no written things whatsoever? Not something I could use?" Markior waves his hand and the screen disappears. He yawns. "Where a lot of roads cross, the sense of thruth can get lost in the wind..." He chants, with memories of his mentor back on Shakuras. "Those who don't notice the darkness, shall never see the light." He smiles as he remembers his lessons... "Time is the fire in which we burn." He widens his eyes as he remember this lesson. "Time is the fire in which we burn." He smiles... "Time bender..." He grins. He stands up and moves a crystal around him, which is his way of getting rest. "Stasis." He says. Shortly after the crystal closes, he opens it again. He looks at Dev. "Not Stasis.. simple sleep." He hums. He lays down on the other bed and closes his eyes. "Sleep..."
...
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Markior awakens early. Dev already sits next to him. "Mornin Dev.. ready to go?" Markior grins. Dev krrs happily. Markior goes outside and cracks his back. *-crac-* He looks at himself. "Crac?" The faces of his mother and father appear. Markior smiles at them. "I didn't know you could display yourself to me, my parents..." He says. Gezriach smiles back. "Only after your visit, we were able to. How is your progress, my son?" Markior looks at his father's face and says: "Well my father..." He says. "The oddest thing just happened to me. I--" "You cracked your back." Dimatrioch smiles. Markior nods. "Indeed. What.. exactly.. was that?" Dimatrioch giggles slightly. "After you came here, we not only gave you the things you needed to become the perfect lifeform, but we also gave you the things you needed to know what it’s like to be mortal." Markior blinkblinks. "Mortal? Why would I want to feel mortal?" Gezriach tilts his head and says: "Because your immortality was a part of your god-like pride, the thing we have taken away." Markior shrugs and yawns. "Cover your mouth, son." Dimatrioch grins. Markior grumbles. Gezriach nods at Markior. "As long as you carry your shoulder shield with you, you’re able to talk to us… Good luck my son." Markior stands up straight and nods. The faces of his parents disappear. Markior smiles and starts walking together with Dev, towards the place he feels most driven to…

Meanwhile, high on top a mountain, Lord Ulrezaj celebrates his victory by making the ground tremble, and making thunderstorms appear all over the planet. "VICTORY!!! With Markior destroyed, the Protoss of Light shall fall!!!" He roars and makes lightening strike the earth beneath him. He picks up a giant boulder, but then suddenly stands still. His eyes glow yellow brightly. "No…" He mumbles. "NO!!! It cannot be!!!" Ulrezaj turns around and searches of the planet for Markiors Psionic link. "HE LIVES!!!!!" He roars. "IMPOSSIBLE!!!!" Ulrezaj growls in anger. He then turns around. "Who is there? Who dares to sneak up on Lord Ulrezaj?" He sees nothing. He turns around again, and a robot of his size stands infront of him. "Greetings, dark Archon…" It speaks. Ulrezaj roars and immediately Dark Psi’s the robot. It stumbles backwards, but is relatively unharmed. Ulrezaj widens an eye. "What kind of robot are you to withstand my power?" The being smirks. "The name is RATCH… and a certain person we both know, the one who brought us here, placed me here. I have a proposition for you…"

Markior and Dev travel many miles, and venture into a small canyon. "Be careful Dev… I sense hostility in this area…" Markior rumbles. Dev looks around. Markior clenches his fists, and two Psiblades appear in his hands. "Zerg…" He mumbles. Dev krrrs. "No, not you." Markior says as he looks at his friendly Zergling. A small rock falls of the canyon. Markior turns around fast and sees a dozen of Hydralisks slide down from the cliffs. Markior grins. " Rak'na-khalagh!!" He yells as he dashes into the group of Hydra’s, cutting through their flash. Dev krrrs and attacks the Hydralisks as well, rapidly hitting one Hydralisks with its razor sharp claws. Markior twists his body, slicing through another Hydralisk. The spit poisonous needles at him, which in turn lower his Psi shield. He then charges up and Psionic Shockwaves them, the white energy soaring through their bodies. They dissipate into small puddles of blood. Dev attacks for a final time and rips open the body of another Hydralisk, blood gushing everywhere as the Hydra falls down. Dev jumps on its body and slashes it a few more times, making sure it’s really quite dead. Markior pulls the Zergling by its tail. "It’s dead now Dev. Trust me." Dev krrrs and licks the blood of its claws. Markior turns of his Psiblades. He then turns around and sees 3 Ultralisks come down and run away from him. "Ultralisks!" Markior says, while watching them depart. "Where are they going?" He wonders. He hovers up the mountain. "C’mon Dev, hurry!" The Zergling follows Markior. The three Ultralisks, as great as an elephant, yet as fast as a horse, with giant Kaiser Blades coming from their mouths which cut down trees in a split second, run towards a forest. Markior takes out his visor again. "Where are they heading for?" Markior says. "Filter out all trees in area." He says. The visor does as told and Markior sees 4 creatures in the middle of the forest. "Zoom in." He says. Shortly after, he sees who they are. "Ahah!" He rumbles. "That’s Lich!" He says. "And that’s Multex!" He looks at the other two creatures, unknown to him. A blue rabbit holding a guitar. "Of course.. figures.." And a Terran. "A Terran as well?" He senses a fair amount of Psi in this Terran. "Must be a Terran Ghost unit, without his shotgun.. or something like that. He moves his visor. "By Khas!! The Ultralisks are coming their way! RECALL!!" He yells. He glows brightly in a grayish portal, and disappears together with Dev. They appear infront of the group. Multex looks surprised, Lich looks happy. The rabbit and Terran take out their guitar and hockey stick. Markior knows there’s no time to say anything else. "Get up! GET UP!! There are Ultralisks coming!!" Multex looks confused but stands up. "Ultralisks? Err… good to see you too again, Markior." Markior frowns and turns his head, sensing the Ultralisks nearing. Dev grrrs as it feels the ground tremble. The others now look to the same direction as Markior. Dust clouds are everywhere, trees are being thrown into the air, and roars are coming from the three beasts. "Stand ready!!" Markior yells. A few trees collapse once more, and three Ultralisks stand infront of the group. They stare at them and dash for them. Markior flies up and dashes the attack. Multex and the terran roll away. Lich puts up a wall of hardened soil from the ground, and the blue rabbit hops on top of an Ultra, then hops off again. One Ultralisk crushes into the wall made by Lich, the other crashes into a few trees and knocks them over. Multex takes out his quicksilver and shoots one Ultralisk in the head. It roars in pain and dashes towards the agent. The Terran responds quickly and has taken out his Hockey stick. He twists around fast and hooks one Ultralisk’s leg, making it fall. The other Ultralisks now attacks the wall made by Lich, where he is still hiding under. An other chases the blue rabbit. Markior roars and his eyes glow brightly, then yells: "PSIONIC STORM!!" The Psionic energy soars through the body of the Ultralisks, and the one Multex shot bursts open in a splash of blood and green slime. The terran looks at Markior as he yells the name of his attack in an odd way. Now there are two Ultralisks left. The blue rabbit turns around and points his guitar at the beast, hitting a snare and making a shockwave push the Ultralisk back. After that, Dev attacks it with its claws, then Multex then shoots it with his Quicksilver a few more times, until it dies in the same way the first did. The other Ultralisk breaks through the wall Lich made, but immediately find its head penetrated by the boomerang of Light. It roars and stumbles back. Immediately, the terran and Markior attack the Ultralisk, with both their own attacks. Markior twists in the air and shoots a beam of Psionic energy from his hands, yelling "PSIONIC BLAST!!" The Terran focuses his sight on the Ultralisk, and shoots a stream of blue energy at the Ultralisk, coming from his head, while he yells: "PSI ENIGMA!!" The two attacks hit the Ultralisk, and it too dies. Markior comes floating down and lands in the puddle of blood which slowly slips away in the soil. "Well, that was interesting…" Multex frowns. Lich runs at Markior and smiles. "I knew it Markior!! I knew you hadn’t died!!" Markior smiles and shakes Lich’s hand. "I’ve been given a second chance.." He grins. He then looks at the Terran and the rabbit. "I believe we haven’t met before…" He says. "I’m Markior Archonius Xel’Naga, guardian spirit of the Yoshi species, Protoss Archon of Light and last descendant of the Xel’Naga." The terran walks at Markior and sticks his hand through his head. "You’re… you’re a ghost!" Markior frowns and floats backwards a bit. "Ghosts are dead people. I’m a spirit. I was born that way. And please don’t do that." The terran smirks. "Well, I’m Kyle. I’m from Earth. And confused." Markior looks at him. "How were you able to channel your Psi like that? You’re a Terran!" He says. Kyle responds: "I’m a human." Markior frowns. "That’s what I meant. But how were you able to channel your Psi like you did? Terrans aren’t that developed yet…" Kyle smirks. "Humans. And I am. You’ll have to teach me that attack you did…" Markior grins. "Perhaps…" The blue rabbit now jumps through Markior and lands infront of him. "I told you guys, stop doing that." Markior rumbles. The rabbit smirks and starts talking. "Hey, are you the Markior?" Markior nods. The rabbit turns to Multex, who’s cleaning his quicksilver. " Hey Multex!" The rabbit says. Multex looks at him. "Is this the proud, egocentric guy you were talking abo--" The rabbit is cut of short by Multex. ^_^`;; "Heheh… don’t listen to NM… He tends to mix things up a little," Multex says. Markior frowns. "Well, this is Dev." Markior points at the Zergling sniffing around. Multex remembers the little Ling. "Hey, that’s the dog that wanted to play fetch with me earlier on." Markior frowns. "Dev’s not a dog." He says. Multex shrugs. "It looks like a dog to me. Ugly dog, but still, it acts like a dog… sounds like a dog.. and .. -phew- smells like a dog." Markior narrows his eyes. Dev krrrs. "Which is more then I can say if you wittle bunny wabbit, Multex!" Markior rumbles. Multex grrs. "NM at least smells better then your dog, smokey!" Markior growls. "Don’t call me smokey, Cueball!" Multex snaps back. "Spitit!" Markior rumbles: "Bowling ball!" Lich and Kyle look at each other and shrug at the immature name calling.

The sun is at its highest point as the group has lunch. Markior sips from a glass of Psibeer. Kyle wants to try, but Markior says his head would explode if he did. Dev chases around a few birds, Lich and NM snack from some fruit, and Multex charges up, rather then eating. Suddenly, the sky darkens above the group. Lightening and thunder is seen and heard everywhere, and metallic sounds are heard around the group. Markior lightly touches his forehead, searching for Psionic emanations. Multex looks around and uses his diamond eye to scan the surroundings. Markior widens his eyes and says: "Ulrezaj…" Multex stands up and says: "Ratch…" They look at each other worried. Kyle looks at the spirit and androide. "Are we in trouble?" Markior and Multex look at him. "Yes." They say simultaneously.