CHAPTER 2 : CONVERSATION WITH A SOUL

Nyluss and Jardran have a little talk . . .

 

CHAPTER  2

CONVERSATION WITH A SOUL

 

 

     Jardran, the 32nd Soul, sat with his head lowered, his hands resting on the arms of the wooden chair, which appeared to be burned badly; smoke still rose slowly from the damaged wood. Nyluss, his blue-green eyes covered in shadow by the brim of his hat, stood in front of the soul. Jardran, clearly once a human male, was very translucent and the features of his face could barely be seen in clarity. The back of the chair could easily be seen through the body of Jardran.

     Nyluss, confronting his anger and sudden urge to kill Jadran, tried to relax his young mind. Being quite old in human years, Nyluss was still only a teen in elf years; young and full of unchanneled ambition and promise, but still incredibly impatient and wreckless - which his elven mentors reminded him constantly of.

     This time, Nyluss knew, would be different. This time, he could carry out his duty in the right way, and get back in the good graces of his peers and mentors, even his own family perhaps. But first, the job had to be done.

     "Jardran, the thirty-second Soul," Nyluss said with his young but authoritative voice, which was a bit monotone and airy. "You know why I am here. Don't make this difficult for either of us."

     His head still lowered, Jadran responded. "Difficult?"

     Jardran raised his head, his voice sounded as if it was coming in from outside rather from within his body. "So, you're Nyluss, the young elf. Your eyes look familiar."

     Nyluss suddenly felt his heart begin to pound like thunder beating the sky. His fists tightened, and his body began to tense up. "They should look familiar, I got them from my father."

     "Your father?" Jardran sounded confused. "Do I know him?"

     "You've killed so many elves, I couldn't possibly imagine you remembering each of their faces," Nyluss responded in increasing anger. "You are nothing but a relic of ages past, and it's time you rested for good."

     Jardran let out a short laugh that seemed to creep into the room from all sides, causing Nyluss to look around. "Nyluss, this isn't the first time I have had this conversation with a young, wide-eyed elf such as yourself. They've tried to return me to that museum of yours before, and each of them failed miserably. How will your attempt be any different?"

    Sliding the backpack off of his shoulders, Nyluss opened it and removed a strange looking device that looked like a mechanical spider, but instead of eight legs its round body was fitted with hundreds of centipede type legs. Dropping the bag to the floor and looking at the device, Nyluss smiled. "I'm sure you know what this is."

     His ghostly eyes widening and his mouth opening in shock, Jardran rushed to his feet, knocking the chair to the side which instantly crumbled to pieces in a pile of smoke. Stepping backwards, Jadran was in a complete panic. "You keep that damned thing away from me!"

     Continuing to smile, Nyluss took a few steps forward, lifted the device as if to scare the ghost. "How does it feel to be frightened yourself, Jadran?"

     "I warn you, keep that thing away from me, damn you!" Jardran shouted. "Despite my past I just want to be left alone, but your kind keeps coming for me! Just leave me alone! Don't make him kill you like he did your friends!"

    Suddenly Nyluss stopped and lowered the device. "What are you talking about? What do you mean 'him'?"

     Jardran, seeing he now had the upper hand due to Nyluss's ignorance, now appeared to be confident. "So, they didn't tell you?"

     Confused, Nyluss frowned. "Tell me what?" His eyes fell to the floor. He thought of the drive to the mountain, located in a field that was conpletely flat. The mountain was a oddity in the great plains as the only thing that rose more than few feet from the ground.

     Nyluss remembered the words of his mentors, Tarnall and Dydruss, before he departed them. "Nyluss, every Soul has a protector. Every Soul has a . . ."

     "Golem!" Nyluss said outloud then raising his head to Jadran and tilting it. "You've got to be kidding me?"

     Laughing, Jardran elivated into the air as the ground beneath the house began to rumble and shake violently, nearly knocking Nyluss to his feet. "Say hello to my little friend!"