Taury was a young fisherman, he spent his days alone cutting holes into the thick ice.On this day the cold wind of his icy world grew quiet long enough to hear loud noises occurring below him.
"Whales maybe?" he said to himself.
His thoughts dwelled on what else it could possibly be as he had heard frightening stories of the terrors of the depths below.
Just tales he thought but he opened his thick coat and unsheathed his sword. He placed it near his chair on a table to have it at the ready.
The wind picked up again and Taury no longer heard the noises from below, he continued to break the hole in the ice and began to daydream of his supper.
Not much time had passed when he began to see a light shining through the whole below him, a lantern fish maybe, he thought.
But the light increased and was so blinding he turned and stumbled from his chair walking away from his fishing hole. The wind picked up and filled the air with thick snow, he could not see a thing for a brief moment in time. He thought he heard the water splashing.
"My fish!" he exclaimed while turning to the fishing hole in the deep ice.
But to Taury's amazement he saw a Humanoid figure standing between him and the fishing hole.
It was a young woman wearing some kind of space suit with a giant helmet, he gazed into the helmet but all he could see was bright light, he lifted the heavy hood from his coat to reveal his face to the woman.
She removed her helmet but still all Taury could see was a bright light, in moments as though she were scanning Taury's own face the light began to diminish, Taury squinted he could almost swear he was seeing the light forming a face, a human face.
"Who are you?" Taury asked.
"The names Ayva!" The young woman replied as she walked towards him.
"Where did you come from?" Taury asked.
Ayva walked around Taury seeming to ignore him, she turned to his table covered in fishing equipment. Her gaze fixated on the sword that had been placed down upon the table.
The marking of a feline symbol, the purple jewel on the hilt, the fine craftsmanship of the blade, it appeared to have a shimmer of specks within the metal.
"My names Taury, that sword there has been in my family for generations, it's kind of an heirloom" Taury explained as Ayva appeared to ignore him.
She looked back at Taury with contempt, her thoughts circled on how to steal the blade, if she could run fast enough to get away from Taury.
Ayva reached for the blade quickly but to her surprise she received a sudden shock, she could not lift the blade and was knocked back.
She tried a second timebut to no avail.
"Careful miss Ayva, only I can use it, something about my blood I guess" Taury explained in a simple manner.
Ayva looked back at Taury with a surprised look but then a look of brief respect before sheturned her gaze towards the north, an icy cliff at the edge of thelake.
"That sword Taury" Ayva asked.
"Uh yeah its a relic, I also have another relic at home. . . . you want to see it?" Taury replied."It's up there?" She pointed towards the cliff and Taury nodded.
She quickly turned and began to walk towards the cliff.
"Oh hold on Miss Ayva, I can show you where to climb to get up there!" Taury stated as he followed her.
"Alright, but bring that sword." Ayva replied.
After a short climb up some icy steps the two reached a ladder that Taury used daily to reach the lake. Ayva quickly ascended and reached what appeared to be the ruins of a military outpost at the top.
"I can feel it's here! It's gotta be!" Ayva exclaimed running to the building. She slid on the ice in her excitement and fell on her bottom.
"Careful miss Ayva it's slippery, here let me help you up"
Taury stated as he swooped down to pick her up. The wind picked up and this brought more snow covering the air all around them.
"You should stay until this weather clears up, I can cook us up some of the giant shrimp I caught yesterday, It's an old family recipe, Ganymede special!"
"Oh and my favorite TV show is on soon!"
"Taury" Ayva asked.
"Yes miss Ayva I'll show you my other Relic too..."
"Good. . . Now put me down will ya big lunk!" Ayva screamed.
Taury put her down gently. The two stood near an old bunker door that was built to withstand the cold of the icy moon and keep the inside warm. Taury opened the door and quickly ran to the fireplace to get a fire started. He placed a big pot over the fire and ran into another room to fetch something.
"Just gonna take a minute here and set this shrimp to boil in the stew, make yourself comfortable, theres a couch next to the wall or pull up a chair to the fire" Taury shouted from the other room.
Ayva became annoyed and impatient.
"I don't have time for any of this Taury! Where is the Relic?!"
Ayva shouted from the front entrance as she had not moved an inch into Taury's home.
Taury popped only his head out from the door of the other room which was his kitchen, one hand was still preparing the ingredients for the stew and the other hand held two enormous blue colored shrimp.
"It's in the chest next to the TV, take a peak." Taury replied as he walked with handfuls of stew ingredients and the two large shrimps placing them in the pot over the fire.
Ayva walked towards the chest, could this be it, what she had searched for? She became excited as she stood over the chest and opened it.
Ayva could not contain her joyful laughter at the sight of the relic contained within the chest. The lighting on the side of the room was not the best but she could clearly make out the details of what she saw before her.
"It's Lyrandal's Compass! It really is! and I found it!" She exclaimed excitedly.
Ayva reached in grabbing the compass, she twirled about the room holding it above her head and then proceeded to hug it. Ayva then searced about the room and noticed that Taury had moved some wooden chairs over by the fire. She ran to sit next to the fire, excited and boastful of her discovery.
As she sat down she still hugged the compass tightly, she looked up to Taury and smiled at him while he tended to the shrimp cooking in the pot. He turned to nod ather and smiled in return.
Ayva was taught how to ascertain if a relic was genuine. She examined it and noticed the seal of Lyrandal was present and the gems on the side, all the details appeared to be the genuine compass as she had seen in ancient texts.
Ayva quickly placed the compass up to the fire as she wanted to see its full glory in the light.
Her smile quickly turned to a frown.
"Yeah shes a beauty eh Miss Ayva but I just don't like the color of the thing, too much grey, and its got a bit of rust on it too you see." Taury explained.
"It's dead, Theres no charm, I can't use this!" Ayva stated with disappointment, she dropped the compass to the floor and began to cry.
"What's wrong?" Taury asked.
"This was supposed to be it, I don't know what else to do, this is the end Taury!"
"Oh?" Taury replied while stirring his pot and tasting the stew.
"I'll tell you everything I suppose"
"I come from Cielharba, the core of this planet and it lies deep below the ocean." Ayva explained.
"Well it's a moon see Jupiter there is the planet" Taury replied pointing out the window at the sky.
"Whatever Taury, none of my people have ever seen the sky before, when we look up it's ocean we see."
"K, You guys live in the core I get it" Taury said as he placed the two large shrimp in the pot to boil.
Ayva watched him with contempt as he sat down to listen to the rest of her tale, she thought it seemed like she was entertaining him. But as in her mind they were both doomed to a horrible fate she decided to continue with her tale.
"In Cielharba, my main duty was to protect the Crystal, Its the source of this worlds energy, and the whole purpose of this world was to contain the soldiers of the enemy."
"Metal Demons called Arkatons. We kept them imprisoned for over a thousand years but last year the Crystal began to crack and some of the Arkatons got loose."
"I was able to return the Arkatons back to their prison the first time but the Crystal continued to crack and now the Arkatons are running amuck down there. My people wanted me to stay and fight but I left to seek out the compass, I thought I could return home a hero. . . . But the compass is dead and so now I am an outcast they will never allow me to return."
"That's awful miss Ayva.. . . Oh look at the time my favorite show is on the TV!" Taury exclaimed as he ran to turn on old tv set.
Ayva was impressed with the device that Taury had activated the images that appeared on the screen briefly caught her attention, but sadness soon overtook her and she looked away as nothing could console her from the thoughts of the impending doom, she looked out the window and imagined the Arkatons breaking through the ice, coming to finish her off before seeking out new worlds to conquer.
"Ooh a new ep of Reegans show!" Taury screamed with excitement. Ayva was annoyed but watched the reflection of the tv in the window.
"In this weeks episode of Galaxy of the Unknown we return to Tiyamat for another season as we explore the culture of the Tigris people and uncover the ruins of this mysterious and lost civilization of Feline Humanoids. This world and its people founded by the Great LyrAndal. . . ." The announcer on the television who was named Reegan stated.
Upon hearing the name LyrAndal, Ayva's head turned with curiosity, she walked over to the television set and stood in front of it.
"Hey your in my way miss Ayva" Taury shouted.
"Shoosh" Ayva replied.
The images on the screen showed Ayva a distant world that an alien explorer named Reegan had uncovered after visiting a planet called Earth. This Planet had a twin called Tiyamat where the Great Lyrandal and his descendants ruled for thousands of years.
"Although LyrAndal and his abilities to restore the Relics now gone from this world" Reegan stated.
Ayva shuddered.
"All is not lost...."
"I found a boy, Sam Gusterson of Earth who has the gift of restoring the Charm of Relics created by LyrAndal!" Reegan continued.
The screen showed images of many different people waiting for an audience with this boy to restore the relics of their worlds.
"HAHA!!!" Ayva screamed, she ran to pick up the compass of LyrAndal from the floor where she dropped it.
"Yeah they found a guy that charms relics it was in last weeks episode." Taury calmly explained.
Ayva gave him a dull glance, she wanted to scold him, but she was so happy that her mission had not come to and end, to her surprise she had an appetite.
"Taury those giant shrimp are calling to my stomach" She stated.
The two began to eat, Ayva smiled at Taury and told him how great it tasted.
"Wow this is great I don't even know how to cook," she stated.
"I was taught by my grandpa, he was the only other person I ever met other than you.: Taury replied.
"So nobody taught you how to cook?" Taury asked.
"I had instructors teach me other stuff, other than that nobody talks to me..." Ayva stated as she prepared to take a more than a mouthful giant bite out of her shrimp.
But the meal was interupted by the sound of the door to Taurys home being broken down.
A tall dark shadowy figure stood in the doorway, a giant three times the size of Taury.
"Stand back miss Ayva I got this!" Taury shouted.
He grabbed his sword and ran towards the giant beast who let out an enormous angry growl. The beast stood its ground and bore the full attack of Taury's blade.
The blade appeared to do very little damage, the beast grabbed Taury and punched him several times before throwing him out on to the snow outside behind him.
The beast stepped towards Ayva who was standing by the fire in a defensive pose.
She looked closely at his face and began to recognize him.
"Lord Rageero?, why is it you come yourself to find me?"
"Ayva, I have come to retrieve you, you must end this foolish quest and return to your duties!" Rageero replied.
"But I abandoned our people the punishment is I..... can never return"
"YOU WILL RETURN AND OH YES! YOU WILL BE PUNISHED!"Rageero shouted.
"Yes my Lord" Ayva replied in fear as she kneeled before her master.
"But I did find Lyrandals compass" Ayva lifted her head to state, she picked up the compass to give to Rageero.
"IT IS DEAD!" He shouted.
"But my Lord there is someone... a boy who's name is Sam Gusterson, who can restore it's power look I learned of him on that device there!"
Ayva gestured towards the television that was still showing footage of Reegan's show.
Images appeared before Rageero of a royal family of feline extraterrestrial beings. First he noticed the young prince and the name that he was given.
"Siamisha is alive?"Rageero said with a puzzled look.
Then the screen showed the Queen standing next to the young prince.
"Tyranna, She lied to me!" Rageero said accusingly.
Reegan explained to his television viewing audience how many members of Galactic nations brough their relics from their worlds that were long dead for thousands of years, returning hope to the people of the Galaxy.
"And now were about to get some words from Siamishas Father known to the people of Tiyamat by the name Aughustus" Reegan stated as the camera centered on Aughustus who had once again taken Tigris form.
"AUGHUSTUS!!!!" Rageero shouted with intense rage, he began to destroy many of Taurys possessions, he knocked over the pot of boiling stew and screamed into the fire putting it out.
Rageero turned to Ayva who appeared frightened.
"I guess time to go back home. . . time for my punishment?" She questioned.
Rageero looked back at the television screen as Reegan explained the world of Tiyamat, showing the landscapes and the castle of Catlinburg where Siamisha lived.
The show ended with a clip of the Royal family each individually letting out a roar first was Tyranna and then Aughustus followed by Candillice with Siamisha last.
"Impurity. . . . . . These are the ones who are stirring the Arkatons!"
Ayva looked at the television with an angry stare.
For the first time she could see the faces of those responsible for the Arkatons regaining their strength and unleashing havoc on her peoples world.
"Ayva! You must go to Tiyamat and deal with them!"
"But my Lord, how can I do this, I..... I don't have the power."
"I will grant you my Power, It will be available to you, from the depths of the world below you will summon it and do my will!"
Ayva felt the power that Rageero offered to her, a small fire form in her hand. She sensed the limitless intensity of what she was capable of.
"It's incredible!"
The two heard painful moaning from outside.
"Taury are you ok?"Ayva shouted.
"Ya miss Ayva" Taury said as he stumbled back inside.
Rageero looked down at his arm where Taury struck him, he was bleeding. Ayva looked at this injury and gasped, for Taury the world was still spinning but he also noticed that he had given Rageero a minor cut.
Rageero looked at Taury and then at the blade that he had struck him with.
"Impurity" He stated.
"Ayva, only you can go to Tiyamat and save our people. Are you truly ready for my power?"
"Yes my Lord" Ayva replied.
"It is done! You are now my Sorceress . . . . . . For my first command I want you to show me that you will do whatever it takes, I want you to demonstrate for me a spell of destruction."
Rageero pointed at Taury.
"Yes Lord Rageero"
"What? Nooooo!" Taury screamed.
Ayva placed her hands over her head and a giant fireball appeared above her.
She ran towards Taury, He ran from her towards the edge of the cliff, He looked back again at Ayva but the intensity of the fireball caused him to step back in fear.
Taury fell over the cliff and out of sight.
Rageero watched from inside the outpost with a big smile.
"Fieratis!" Ayva screamed as she let loose a fiery spell that was amplified by Rageero's energy.
She aimed the fire below in the direction where Taury was falling to his doom.
This resulted in a massive explosion that cracked the ice below the cliff.
"Whoahoa!"
Ayva screamed with delight, she enjoyed the sight of the destruction he had caused and the feel of the incredible power that now surged through her.
But her excitement was cut short by a loud thunderous cracking sound on the far side of the outpost.
Rageero ran to investigate, He looked towards the ice where menacing metal arms were beginning to appear from the cold waters below.
"Arkatons! I will lead them from here you will stay and await my commands."
Rageero leaped at the the hole in the ice where the Arkatons were appearing, they followed Rageero and Ayva was alone.
Ayva returned to Taury's home and retrieved his compass, she looked around on the floor taking a glance at Taury's sword where it fell.
"Whatever it takes!"