Chapter 4 is here guys, enjoy!
As soon as we opened the door, we rushed into it. Matthius and Ajax immediately fell face flat on the ground, panting.
“Can’t believe we were booby trapped.” Matthius had the urge to shout, but he was too tired for it.
I immediately went to treat Amelia’s wound. The arrow was still there, piercing flesh. It seemed hard to pull out the arrow without damaging flesh, alongside with intense pain. I needed to search for some ointments. But I was extremely dizzy, and so I suffered with blur vision. Obviously, ointments aren’t nearby. I have to do physical therapy to numb Amelia’s pain before removing out the arrow. I still can hear her wails, but they were soft and quiet. Either the pain started to cease or she was too tired to cry after what seemed like hours down there.
More elementals arrived, some happy, some sad, some exasperated, some injured, some frustrated. All different kinds of physical and emotional expressions can be seen. Probably a few hundred arrived, I don’t know for sure. But I must make sure that I must concentrate on removing the arrow from Amelia. I can wait the kakitangans to arrive and help, but I want her pain to end quicker, after all, she lost a lot of blood for that, but not enough for lethality.
I raised her left arm high and did a couple of strokes, then, slowly, tilting her head back and forth. I made her grab my knee for extra support. I got a switchblade out of my pocket, and slowly, so slowly started to cut the feathered end of the arrow. I felt so guilty, but yet I have to concentrate, otherwise I would feel more guilty. “I’m sorry” I said to myself, so quietly.
After a couple of minutes and perspiration, the sheath finally came off. Thank god. I then had to push the arrow even deeper, but yet at the same time to be exposed out of the skin. After a few gentle pushes, the arrowhead came out. Using the blade, I slowly sawed off the head, costing another couple of minutes. Finally it came off too. I then pulled out the stem of the arrow as quickly as possible to cease the pain. Amelia cried a groan of relief.
Despite the noises created by the elementals that escaped, I still managed to hear that faint thank you from Amelia.
“I’m sorry. I should be the one being shot by the arrow.” I lifted her up to a sitting position. I looked at the wound, a tiny blood spot but that’s it. No signs of infection, no signs of continued blood loss. “Well, it looks alright now.”
“You saved my life, I should save yours.” She panted. It felt nice to hear her say something like that, but yet guilty at the same time. It wasn’t before long that the last of the elementals, the ones that survived, arrived here. Was about time. The door then shut with a loud bang. We were all stunned. We saw the tally on the wall, only a mere 3162 survived. It was not surprising. It was an utter booby trap.
“Well done, well done, well done.” Jahazrimi clapped. At once there was a huge noise from the elementals. “Is she crazy!? Putting us in a near death situation like this!?” “What does she think she’s doing?” “Does she have the right to do this!?”
I felt a nudge. I turned around to face another elemental, a water elemental that went with us to the Keluar. “She’s a lunatic.” Well, I have to admit, it was quite malicious for her to booby trap us. At least the kakitangan would heal them and send them back to the Pertahanan Dewan Dari Dua Puluh.
“Ajax.” He faced me. “I’m sorry that I had to coerce you to explain, but this booby trap thing is really killing us.”
“I know” Ajax replied “And I’m sorry too. But something seems wrong.”
“What is it?” Matthius asked.
“I don’t remember this booby trap thing to be that dangerous. Sure there are booby traps, but the most lethal I could remember were tranquilizer darts that’s all, if you’re comatose, then you’re out, period. Not some double axe, or speared ceilings or cosmic particles that’s for sure.”
“Yeah.” I turned around. It was the water elemental who nudged me. “It wasn’t that dangerous before.”
“Oh really?” I replied.
“Yeah, really.” Ajax replied.
“My name is Iohannen, and he’s Rashid.” He raised a hand to him. “We both have been through this and it was never this dangerous before. Something seems wrong. It was so exponential.” He mimicked the curve.
“Yeah.” Ajax replied. “Something seems fishy around here.” It was hard to talk with all the conversations going on.
“Rashid and I believe.” He turned around and then looked at us. “That this isn’t the REAL Jahazrimi.”
Matthius and I were in shock.
“We believe, that something was wrong, since the pufferfish fight.”
Ajax took a closer look at Jahazrimi. He shivered, like a cold wind struck him. He faced Iohannen. “Can you see the staff she’s holding?” He nodded. “Her favourite gem is sapphire, it would be the gem to engrave and embed the staff.
“But….but…but it’s emerald!” Iohannen shouted. Rashid quickly covered his mouth. “Its emerald.” Iohannen whispered.
“Not only that. She has a tattoo on her neck.” It depicted matter circulating into the centre, like the effects of gravity. “She does not like tattoos.”
“How can you be so sure?” I asked.
“Ribut Ganas is the industrial warehouse for fashion. We normally receive plaques and documents of drawings of Jahazrimi, of how and what she wants to wear. My father happens to work in a textile factory, and when I was young, I usually go there, to take a look at the documents. She NEVER has a tattoo ANYWHERE.”
“So we have three choices.” Rashid added to the conversation. “We spy on her and find more information about her, we run away like sissies, or we align all the elementals and fight now.”
“Does it have to be now?” A sign of pain. Amelia was talking. “I mean, they don’t even know about this.”
“Well, we could.” Rashid replied. “But the longer it takes, the more likely Jahazrimi, or that imposter, would suspect.”
“So, let’s have a vote of hands, who…..” Matthius was cut off. “Oi!” All the elementals turned around to face Ajax. He was clearly pointing at Jahazrimi.
“Pardon me?” Jahazrimi asked.
“WHERE IS THE REAL JAHAZRIMI!?” Ajax shouted.
“You know, despite the amiable person I am, I can be quite severe in punishment for disrespect.” She warned him. Oh no, Ajax, not now. “Please.”
“No.” He replied facing downwards on me. “I can’t take this any longer.” He turned back accusatively towards Jahazrimi. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jahazrimi started to show anger in her face.
“Oh yea? Even though Air Alasan was supposed to be where Air Raya’s toughest obstacles and challenges are held, they still will not be as lethal as this.”
“How can you prove it?”
“Last year, I was a survivor of this same challenge, except, tranquilizer darts and tacks were used, not arrows, spears, spikes and definitely not cosmic particles!”
“Well, perhaps I decided to ramp it up.”
“Well, it still does not explain why you had your staff EMERALD engraved rather than SAPPHIRE engraved.” At once the elementals created a loud noise, surprised by this fact. They too knew about the fact that Jahazrimi’s favourite gem was sapphire.
“And you DISLIKED tattoos. Why would you have ONE on you NECK!?” The elementals started to look accusatory at Jahazrimi.
“Alright, alright.” Jahazrimi clasped her hands together. “You got me there. I am NOT the REAL Jahazrimi. But you’ll never know where she is because you are unable to. Kakitangan! Seize them!” Immediately the kakitangan came charging towards us. I presumed they were the imposter’s loyal subjects rather than the real kakitangan. She ran away and vanished.
Meanwhile, we were being heavily surrounded by the kakintagan. With only over 3000 water elementals left, this is going to be a hard fight. The elementals huddled towards the center, while the kakitangan formed a larger, outer circle, surrounding us. The kakitangan were casting aqueous spells. Huge screams of fear. I saw one by one, taken down by the kakitangan, reducing our strength and power.
“What do we do now!?” Matthius shouted.
“The only thing we can do now…….ATTACK!” Ajax shouted. “Everyone! ATTACK! THIS IS WAR! We will not fall back! CHARGE!” It was as if Ajax had the charisma of a leader, a zealot, as they were called. Immediately, the elementals all regained strength and rather than to retreat, started to assault the kakitangan. The kakitangan took out their blades and tried to assault us, some elementals fell with bloodied faces and bodies, while others overpowered the kakitangan, snatching the blades from them to hack more kakitangan.
It was a long and confusing fight. A kakitangan threw his blade at me. I redirected the blade back at him, stabbing him in the chest. He hemorrhaged badly, forming a pool of blood. I snatched the blade from him, hoping it would be of future use. Two kakitangan were charging towards me. He tried to swing me with his blade. I used my elbow to block his wrist while bending my head down, preventing him from slicing me. I then quickly created a wound in his chest with a quick strike of the blade, taking him down. The other one hurled ice knives towards me; I blocked each one of them with the blade. Was about to strike when the kakitangan was taken down and had his body pierced with a water spear.
“You okay?” Rashid asked me.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I gave him a high five, and continued to fight the kakitangan, or the imposter’s royal subjects. I saw Ajax struggling. He had his body fell face flat on the floor, holding an ice shield large enough to block the impacts that the lima, the five kakitangan that were trying to attack them. I quickly ran and sliced one by the neck, he splat blood all over Ajax’s shield. Two kakitangan saw me and were about to attack me, I kicked one in the chest and stabbed him. I thought I was going to be hit by the other blade when an ice arrow went through his jaw. I turned around. Amelia with a crafted ice bow and a quiver full of ice arrows. She gave me a smile. I gave her a nod. She then turned around and paralyzed a kakintagan by stabbing him in the knee with an ice dagger.
The shocked kakitangan were kicked hard by Ajax, and bashed them with the shield, swinging it like an axe, ending them up in cuts and bruises. I was dizzy from all of this fighting, and I didn’t know what to do. Iohannen using only his fists and legs to takedown the enemies, Amelia with the ice crafted bow and arrow, Rashid with the water spear, Ajax with the ice shield, Matthius…….Matthius! I saw him surrounded by kakitangan, but it was no problem for him. He utterly froze them. He then took one of the blades and smashed them into pieces, since they were now brittle. They formed millions of tiny crystals on the floor.
“Are you alright?” I asked
“Never better.” Matthius gave out a sigh.
After hours of confusion, sweat, blood and tears, we took down the last one with a sword piercing through his chest. We first went to aid the fallen and injured elementals. It was fortunate none died, worst badly injured. “Thank you Perchta” I said to myself. It seemed quite a miracle that all 3162 survived, despite the bloodied place. I saw a kakitangan, trying to grab me, but couldn’t for he was too weak. I finished him off with a kapak sepakan. Axe kick.
I sat down, sweaty, wounded and tired. I bandaged myself with bits of cloth worn by the kakitangan in which I cut them off using my switchblade. That would be my war prize, I gave myself a stupid laugh.
“Hey.” I turned around. It was Amelia, but her weaponry was unequipped, perhaps melted.
“Hey.” I replied. “Your leg functions properly now. That’s great.”
“Thanks to you.” She smiled at me. We both gave a small laugh. “Are you alright? O my……those cuts must be quite deep.”
“It’s alright. It does not really hurt at all.”
“But you have multiple cuts and bruises……”
“What’s more important now is to find Jahazrimi, or that imposter, and find out whom he or she really is and where is the REAL Jahazrimi.” I looked around. The elementals were injured, scathed, confused and saddened. They too were deeply impacted by an imposter replacing Jahazrimi.
“Alright everyone, can I have your attention please?” Ajax raised both hands in the air, hoping to get attention. The elementals were so tired from what happened that they just passively listened to him.
“Now….I know you all are hurt from this. But we have to stick together and find out that imposter. If we just stay here and do nothing, Jahazrimi may never be found, heck, she may be forgotten forever. We have to do something about it. We are going to find that imposter and bring him to justice and we…WE will find Jahazrimi and bring her back to light.” Immediately that was some agreement between the elementals. Immediately, Iohannen stood up.
“Bagi Air Raya!” For Water Kingdom. He shouted. Rashid stood up.
“Bagi Air Raya!” He shouted. Matthius, Amelia and I stood up.
“Bagi Air Raya!” We shouted. Soon, all of us were in unity.
“Bagi Air Raya!” I’m sure that could be heard for miles. Ajax felt a sense of pride in himself.
“Alright! Let’s find the REAL Jahazrimi and bring that imposter to JUSTICE!” A sense of applause and agreement dissipated through the air. All of us ran together, to a while dangerous, but exciting adventure. A juvenile army, to find perhaps one of the most important living figures in all of Air Raya.
