//?A Curious Sergal: Part 6.001
#6 of //?A Curious Sergal
Part 5:
http://www.sofurry.com/view/377316
If anyone would like to offer ideas of where to go with it, or have any comments, critiques, or questions, I think now is the time, as I will not be writing this story for the purpose of school anymore (because school is almost out), and I am a bit more flexible with where to go with it.
//? A Curious Sergal Part 6
Jax walked on further. He was surprised in how indifferent he felt. His best friend since childhood had been horrifically decapitated in front of him by the monster that had killed his parents. And yet, seeing Arroyo surrounded by the Shigu, and facing the golden-clad one with no fear... it made Jax wonder why he himself was not like that. When he was ambushed by the Shigu that tore his pack open, the sense of fear that gripped him had been almost as bad as any physical injury he had sustained. Somehow Arroyo had been able to ignore that feeling. No; he didn't ignore it, he accepted it. He knew he was going to die, he must have. But somehow, he still was able to pick up his spear and fight his last battle. Jax wished he could be that brave. Whenever they used to hunt together, it was always Arroyo that lead the charge. Sure it was Jax that devised the plan and set the traps, but if something went wrong it was always Arroyo who was ready to fix it on a moment's notice. And now he was gone. And everything was broken.
***
It was still early night. Jax propped himself up from his restless sleep. It was just like the one so many seasons ago, just moments before he got the scar under his eye. He hopped out of the tree and trudged in the direction of the other Reono village that was marked on his map; he needed to do something else than think about all those he had lost.
The night was still early, and though the sky was covered with Mother Night's security blanket, at the edge in front of him, Jax could see a faint orange glow. He quickened his pace to view what was emitting such a brilliant light in the night sky. Soon smoke came into view. His heart fell; yet another innocent village had fallen to the onslaught of the Shigu. But something was wrong... the amount of smoke that he could see was very small in proportion to the amount of light that was permeating the night sky. As he reached the last line of trees that blocked his view, a vast plain opened up. He gazed in wonder at the largest city he had ever seen. In all truth it probably only inhabited a couple thousand, but to Jax, who had only ever seen clans of up to one hundred strong, the town was a monument of wonder. The monument of wonder that was lighting up the night sky as it turned out. Fires and torches lit up the city and its surroundings, though from Jax' vantage point he could not tell why. It was apparent the town had not already been attacked; each of the fires were set up in designated areas instead of burning down buildings and their inhabitants (as Jax had already witnessed too many times). He snapped back into reality, and got ready to deliver his letter... but he was quite curious about the new discovery, and besides, if he set up a bonfire like he usually did, there was no guarantee it would get the city's attention. He ran through the clearing (whose grassy-plains were quickly giving way to the dry desert sands of the Sailzane) to the city, only to realize just how big its walls were. They were much higher than the jumping height of most Sergals, which was quite high. They were not, however, out of reach of a climbing Sergal. Jax expertly scaled the walls in seconds and crouched, surveying the interior of the city. Its buildings were made of mud and clay. Market stalls were set up all over the interior of the winding streets and alleys. Just like the winding corridors and bulkheads of the Nomad facility. He zoned out as the flashback enveloped his entire range of thought.
"Whose there!?" a guard in a watchtower had spotted the shadow that had scaled the wall, and was now rapidly walking along the top of the wall to investigate. Without thinking, Jax instinctively slid into the city. If he couldn't hide in the shadow, years of being hunted by the Keeper had taught him to hide in a labyrinth.
He looked around him. The area was bustling with activity (in the eyes of a Sergal that had been locked underground for so many years). Jax had landed in what appeared to be the market district of the town. Though he was almost mesmerized by so much activity going on around him, he managed to shake the nagging curiosity out of his head just long enough to remember his main objective. Now all he would need was a way to get the letter to the large hall that was the city center. He could see its two guards looking very tired from where he stood. So how to get past the market undetected, then get through the guards? Now it was time for improvisation.