METEORITE

Each member of the trio reacted differently to Rex's word.

Lora squeezed Rex's hand.

Bahlrok arched one brow in response and turned to look at his wife.

Malhic shut her eyes and began reciting a certain chant. When she opened them again, her emerald eyes glowed as she stared at the speck Rex had pointed out.

"Ahh," she gasped. Bahlrok concentrated on his wife's expression.

"Rally your Men, Bahl!" She issued the command to her husband. Bahlrok did not flinch in the slightest at his wife's command. He immediately signaled. Two combat-ready warriors emerged from the darkness.

"Yes, Chief," they saluted in unison.

"Rally Everyone!"

Bahlrok turned to his wife, "What is coming?"

"I am not sure of what it is," she paused and said in a hushed tone, "I can only sense an overwhelming disaster from it."

Bahlrok turned to Rex, "Do you know what it is?"

"I am not very sure of what it is. All I know is that it's some kind of big rock."

"No big rock would radiate such an intense aura," Malhic responded sharply to Rex.

"Sorry…" Malhic muttered. "It's just that, it's scary." She turned to look again at the tiny speck that had intensified in glow, now much more noticeable to everyone.

She spared a glance at Luna, her gaze conveying her intentions. She then squatted in a meditative pose and began to recite a new chant. Moments later, her whole being took on a white glow as a silver staff materialized in her outstretched hand.

She still did not end her chant, and continued. Soon Rex could feel a pulse radiating from her being, spreading outward. There was no physical presence to the pulse, but he could feel it.

Houses in the small town began to light up as the residents awoke in response to the Arma art their Prime First-Mother had employed. Malhic had used 'Broadcast,' a spell that allowed her to send a very concise instruction into the mind of all beings below the awakened state in a 700-meter radius.

The instruction: "Danger! Spread the Word."

This was not the first time the people of Alderom were subjects of their First-Mother's Spell. Those woken up by the instruction began to inform their household. Informed households went on to inform their neighborhoods. Like this, the whole town of Alderom was slowly coming alive.

First-Mother maintained her pose as she continued to use her spell.

1:17

Rex could feel his heartbeat rising. Luna turned to him. "Will you fight it?"

"I don't think it's something I will need to fight. It's a rock," Rex replied. He felt his tension relax a little as he replied, smiling a bit from Luna's question, as he envisioned fighting a rock.

But then his imagery suddenly changed as he realized it wasn't as silly as he thought, "What if the comet was a stone troll?"

33

His timer was now permanently pulsing in his view. The dot was no longer a dot. It now left a visible trail as its features were slowly coming into view, its target set.

"Don't get hurt," Luna managed to say before Rex dashed forward towards the path of the meteorite. It was not headed for the core of the town, its center. It was headed towards the periphery of the small town, in the direction of the wooden fence very close to the town's entrance where two watchtowers stood.

Malhic had not yet broken her pose. Luna stayed back to watch over her mom. Even though her eyes had told her not to let Rex out of her sight, she was going to disobey her at that. She could also feel a primal fear towards the blazing visitor. She knew Rex's capabilities. Her following him was going to be more of a disturbance than help.

He was much, much more capable than her. Bahlrok, the chief, had left to hasten his warriors' assembly. His battle-honed instincts were finally reacting, and they were reacting strongly.

He needed each and every one of them ready for whatever was coming their way.

As Rex dashed from the core of the city into its periphery, he could see several residents of Alderom moving in his direction, knocking at the scattered homes all across the periphery. Aware of the limit of their First-Mother's ability, they were on the move to alert the periphery residents about the development.

Rex weaved through the now slightly populated street as he dashed madly towards his goal.

11

His timer pulsed in his view. The sky had taken on a greenish glow as darkness receded from the strong illumination of the bound meteorite. It was bathed in a kaleidoscopic view as it shot rapidly towards Alderom.

7… 6… 5…

Rex halted his dash as the glow from the meteorite burned so brightly it was blinding.

4… 3… 2…

Rex's whole being was hit by madly pulsing waves of force as he shot backward.

1

The meteorite struck. In that moment, Rex felt a very strong pulse of energy hit his whole being. His eyes were shut from the blinding light of the meteorite. In that moment, night was no more as the glow of the meteorite overshadowed everything.

Rex had covered his eyes but not his ears as he shot backward. A 'Boom' so loud all Rex heard was the splitting ache of its loudness hit him.

"BANG! BANG!! BANG!!!"

Rex razed down several branches and object as he shot backward, for some instant all he could feel was pain, slowly he got over the feeling.

With difficulty, Rex stood and observed the meteorite that was his target.

It looked otherworldly with the dozen of meter crater it had created with its descent. Its strike point was further accentuated by hundreds of meters of debris, where the impulse of its strike had leveled whatever structure that had existed within that radius.

Rex could see residents of Alderom strewn sparsely outside the 100-meter debris radius, the individuals that had been some distances away from the crash point and had been sent shuttling by the impactful strike of the meteorite.

Then Rex's being was struck by a pulse, similar to that which had radiated from the body of Malhic, 'Alderom's First-Mother,' when she had used 'Broadcast.' This pulse filled him with fear and dread. He could feel an intense fear being born in his heart as it spread across his whole being.

"Dum!"

He felt the pulse again. This time he noted the meteorite pulse green as the pulse hit his being. The residents of Alderom who lay on the floor were woken by the pulse. With as much strength they could muster, they began to create even more distance from the meteorite.

It pulsed again. Rex's knee hit the floor as he fell from the strong impact of the pulse on his being. He wanted to turn tail and run just like the citizens of Alderom, but this was his quest.

He shut his eyes and opened them again, as they radiated a determined will. He put one foot before the other as he began his march towards the meteorite, determined to succeed.