The Lands of Ralosia & Ranuulo- Short Story Collection

Orephi Chapter 3- Ember Brigade

~Chapter 3- Ember Brigade~

Jirro and Ladi walked through the woods and noticed subtle tracks on the ground. There was a small indent in a patch of mud where there was a footstep. It was a peculiar one, with three large toes coming out of a bulky foot.

"What do these Orephi look like?" Jirro asked.

"You'll see soon enough," Ladi responded as he walked with other members of the crew.

Jirro walked alongside him, "So, you mentioned that you thought our world was cursed, why do people think that?"

"Well, your world is flat, that's one reason."

"That's a bad thing?"

"Well... it doesn't make any sense. Life shouldn't be possible here. Every other world in the Expanse is spherical in shape, creating a very natural gravitational pull. But yours defies all logic."

Jirro stared at him with an incredulous look, "...I don't think I understand."

"I guess I shouldn't expect you to," Ladi groaned, "That's just one of the oddities of your world. I'm still wondering how a Ralosian could be as powerful as you."

"Are there not many strong Ralosians out in the Expanse?"

"Not that I've seen! You're the strongest I've ever met."

Jirro smirked, "There are others way stronger than me. My dad is on an entirely different level."

"I don't doubt it."

They continued through the plains. There didn't appear to be any tracks left to follow, and there was no sight of the Orephi outlaws anywhere. So Jirro decided to get a better view. He jumped vertically up into the air, going up around 10 meters. When he was at the apex of his jump, he spotted two figures heading near a town.

Jirro landed back on the ground firmly, "They're heading towards the nearby town! We need to hurry. We don't want them hurting anyone there!"

Ladi seemed... surprisingly lackadaisical about it. There was no distress or urgency in his answer, "Sure! Let's hurry."

Ladi and his crew began to jog... at a speed that was annoying for Jirro. None of them could keep up with him, even though he could tell they were trying. Every moment he slowed down for them gave those outlaws time to attack that town.

"I'll hurry ahead of you!" An impatient Jirro said.

Ladi shouted, "No! Wait for us!"

"No worries, I'll take care of them!" Jirro said before breaking into a sprint, stirring up dust in his wake. He rocketed through the terrain at speeds that most could hardly imagine.

Soon enough, he spotted the two figures crossing a bridge. Jirro bounded into the air over them and landed between them and the town before taking a fighting stance.

"That's far enough!" Jirro shouted. The two figures slowed to a halt.

They were peculiar looking - both of them were slender, standing at least 3 meters tall with long elongated necks. Their eyes were completely black; they had very small mouths and holes where their ears should've been. They wore shimmery glean garments and sandals for the wide shape of their feet.

They looked frightened. They were clutching rolls of paper at their sides and appeared to be out of breath...They didn't look like outlaws...

Jirro dropped his fighting stance, "Ar-Are you two the Orephi?"

They glanced at each other, and the taller of the two answered with a soft voice, "Y-Yes. We are."

The shorter of the two spoke, "Please, you can take whatever was left on our ship, just don't hurt us!"

Jirro stared at the two Orephi before asking, "You two... aren't outlaws, are you?"

The two looked at one another, "We're not outlaws! You are!"

"Are you saying those guys on that metal ship are outlaws?"

The shorter of the Orephi shouted, "Are you playing some game with us? We know about your Ember Brigade! Your group has caused trouble all across the Expanse!"

Jirro paused, "I'm not part of that... Ember Brigade. They told me you were the outlaws, and I decided to help them out."

Jirro didn't have much time to think when Ladi and the rest of his crew approached. Jirro walked past the Orephi and stood between them and the crew.

"Ladi! These two are saying you're the outlaws! Explain!" Jirro demanded before he could cross the bridge.

Ladi's had a troubled look on his face, "Come on, Jirro! They're going to say whatever they can to change your mind. You can't trust them!"

The taller of the Orephi shouted, "You attacked us without provocation!"

Ladi and his crew tensed up. Many of them placed hands on their pistols. Jirro took a fighting stance, just in case they decided to act, "What do you have to say to that, Ladi?"

Ladi tensed up and reached for the pistol at his hip. He grimaced, "I'm sorry, kid."

He pulled his pistol and rapidly fired several tiny projectiles at Jirro. They struck him but couldn't pierce his body. Jirro bounded forward through the bullets and landed a quick strike to Ladi's chest. He was sent skidding across the ground, rendered unconscious. The other crew members drew swords and pistols and attacked.

It was over in an instant. Single blows to each crew member was all it took to fell each of them. None of their attacks did Jirro any serious harm. Though, the projectiles from their guns did sting pretty bad. He looked at the two Orephi. Fortunately, they hadn't been struck by any of the projectiles.

"You two okay?"

"Yes, thank you, young one," The taller of the two nodded and bowed, "I am Wroth, and this is my compatriot, Celic."

The shorter of the Orephi, Celic, bowed alongside Wroth, "Thank you for your help. May we ask your name?"

"Jirro. Why were those guys after you?"

"They knew we had valuables on our ship and attacked us when we were vulnerable. We fled to this cursed world, but we never expected them to follow us here."

Huh, they think this world is cursed too. Maybe, I'll ask them more about that later.

Jirro remembered Ruben. The boulder child was with Mauri on their ship. Now that he knew they were outlaws, he knew Ruben was in danger. Jirro looked north and saw the metal ship taking off into the sky. Ruben had to be aboard! But they weren't heading this way - they were flying in the direction of Platt Mountain.

Wroth asked with a soft voice, "Are you one of the natives of this world?"

"I am," Jirro said, "Look, my friend is probably in danger. I can talk with you two afterward, but I have to make sure they're okay first!"

Wroth and Celic nodded, "We understand. We'll return to our ship."

Jirro nodded, and with that, he sprinted forward in the direction of the metal ship. He only hoped he'd get there before something bad happened.