Gregor and the Prophecy of Destruction - a Gregor the Overlander fanfiction

Chapter 9

The next few hours of the journey were surprisingly calm. Ripred had decided to make the journey on foot, which was good for Andromeda. Carrying a four hundred pound rat for hours with no breaks wasn't easy.

Nike and Andromeda were talking in flier about... Gregor didn't know. He didn't speak flier. But he did know that the bats were very good friends.

Howard had woken up and was talking to Gregor about his medical experience. "And then this guy from my medical class came up and punched me in the face. He said I sucked and should quit and become some nanny." Howard chuckled. "Little did he know what I would become. What I am now."

"What are you now?" Gregor asked.

Howard grinned. "Why, I'm one of the most experienced medical trainers in Regalia. I can also fight pretty well, if I do say so myself."

"What do you consider 'pretty well'?" Ripred said sarcastically. "Both me and the Warrior could beat you in a split second."

"The warrior's dead," Gregor replied with no facial expression. "Besides, Howard's a very good fighter. That's why you chose to bring him, isn't it?"

"Mareth and Luxa are injured," Ripred responded. "Who else was I supposed to bring?"

"Okay, come on," Gregor said with a sigh. "Howard will be extremely helpful on this... quest thing."

"Speaking of which, shall we try to interpret this so-called Prophecy of Destruction?" Ripred suggested.

"Sure, I have a copy," Gregor replied, pulling it out of his pocket.

The Underland will die
If he does not come
The one and only Warrior
And where he comes from

"Well, that's not hard," Howard said, reading over Gregor's shoulder. "You need to come down to the Underland."

"I can't believe I'm still the Warrior," Gregor sighed. "I never asked for this."

"Don't worry," Howard reassured him. "You'll be fine."

Gregor shrugged. It wasn't him he was worried about. It was Boots.

The girl must fall
After the blast
And the boy must rise
From the flames and the ash

"Okay, this is a bit weird," Howard commented after reading the stanza out loud. "Who's rising from the flames and the ash?"

"I don't know," Gregor replied.

Nobody dared to mention the first part. They all knew about Luxa.

The sisters of the Warrior
Will play a key role
To restore the Underland
She must fall in the hole

"So Lizzie and Boots are playing a key role?" Gregor asked.

"Seems like it," Ripred said. "Lizzie's not doing anything that puts her in danger."

"And what about Boots, huh, Ripred?" Gregor clenched his fists.

Howard patted him on the back. "Let's just move on. Some girl has to fall in a hole."

"That's specific," Ripred commented.

Down the dark path
She'll never awaken
Until the dawn of tomorrow
Where she will be taken

"Who is Nerissa talking about?" Howard wanted to know.

Gregor shrugged. "I... I don't know. I don't want to know."

Taken by the rats
In their secret lair
Her death will be the destruction
Of Underlanders everywhere

"So... it says she's going to die," Howard said calmly. "After she's taken by the rats. And then the Underlanders are going to be... destroyed. Hence the name of the prophecy."