The Burning Rose (Chapter Six)
The wide expanse of forest increased along a long old dirt road as the Eternians raced towards Igniton! In the hot air balloon high above them a boastful Blovas bragged to Zoomer how he was one of the few Helioans to visit Lord Tyr inside Titan Tower. In between puffs from his long pipe which Blovas was using to slow the rate of speed of his balloon as not to overshoot the Eternians below them. Zoomer was becoming weary of Blovas bragging which included several trips to Igniton where one time he came into possession of the rare Dragon Dowser or being offered to marry the young daughter of a Warlock who wanted to finally be rid of all his children so he could be alone with his wife at long last. Whatever the story Blovas had in store for Zoomer involving Ignition it was becoming overbearing.
Blovas would every so often check his compass coordinates to see if his balloon was still heading in the right northern direction then tuck his compass away in his breast pocket once it confirmed that he was heading the right way.
Zoomer was impressed with the ease at which Blovas could control the speed as well direction of his balloon with his powerfully channeled air blasts from his pipe. Though it had been a long time since they had scanned around with Blovas' telescopic to see if there was any danger in the forest down below.
"Would you mind if I used your telescope to scan the forest for any threats to our friends?", Zoomer asked
Blovas gave a haughty reply back, "Well there your friends not mine. While everything in this balloon belongs to me but seeing as you asked so politely go ahead."
Zoomer was confused at how to take Blovas' response despite his approval. In any event Zoomer quickly went over to the elongated telescope rested beside Blovas knees where he was seated. Zoomer then held the telescope up to peer into the smaller end which focused out the other larger lensed end. Zoomer first looked down at the road his friends where on to see if there was anything that they needed to be concerned about.
"Do you spot anything urgent with your archers' eye?", Blovas asked jokingly
To Blovas surprise Zoomer came back with an urgent reply," I see a fork in the road with one side blocked off by an enormous rockpile which goes on for a very long way."
Zoomer then traced the rocks to the base of a mountain where it appeared flattened out, he speculates," I think that that rockslide was made deliberately to force any one on this path to have to take the left trail."
The balloon was slowed down by Blovas so that he could have a look at what Zoomer was seeing with the telescope.
"This will not do at all!", Blovas stated after seeing the blockade of rubble blocking the right trail.
Oblivious to what lay ahead of them Malcome and Styx rode there steeds onwards while Plodok in his Ribit would take a tremendous leap forward which planted him much further along. Plodok leapt in his Ribit rider only as his peers caught up to him much in the way Blovas soared ahead of them only to recede so as not to go too far away.
The open channel on Malcomes communicator alerted him to what Blovas had seen from his balloon.
Malcome raced Strider towards the resting Ribit just ahead of him on the dirt road as he yelled to get his attention!
"What's all that racket about?", Blovas asked as he recoiled from the noise of Malcom's yelling in his ear.
"I am about to tell Plodok about our situation up ahead.", Malcome then communicate to Blovas on the communicator.
"Of course, that was what that racket was for. Though surely you did not have to give it your all did you?", a sightly irritant Blovas told Malcome on his communicator.
"We'll keep in touch, keep me informed up there in the meantime.", Malcome told Blovas through the communicator
As Blovas turned down the reception on his communicator he spoke in a low voice to no one in particular, "Of all the audacity."
"That rockpile is 12 klicks ahead of us according to my sonic reconnaissance scanners.", Plodok told Malcome just as Styx rode up to their position on Clapper.
Malcome then asked Plodok,"Do your sensors indicate which path lends itself better Northward?"
"I cannot get a clear enough reading on that point. Why don't you let me leap ahead to investigate that point? My Ribit can scale all along that ruble. I also may be able to make a path through it as well for you to follow.", Plodok explains.
"Well why don't you go see if going in that direction is worth all that trouble first friend?", Malcome plainly says
"Of course, friend!", Plodok says before leaping off in his large Ribit!
Plodoks Ribit bounded towards the fork in the road in very little time.
Plodok opened the hatch above his head so that he could look at the blocked right path with his own eyes.
There was a broken off wooden pole which seemed to be hacked off at the base.
Plodok took his long-curved brass pipe from his satchel to blow out a few bubbles before surmising that this must be the only thing remaining of the sign.
"Looks deliberate.", Plodok surmised before stowing his pipe away to once again close submerge himself inside the cockpit where he summarily closed the hatch.
Once inside the Ribit Plodok used the machine to start crawling on the rock which blocked the right path.
The rockslide was a large destructive on that bolled over a large swath of land burying trees along the way.
Plodok used his sensors within the Ribit to scan ahead as he crawled along atop the rock. The sensors showed that the road was covered by the rockslide for a long way until the other side became visible again.
The Ribit could use the fast-acting acid to make a tunnel through the rubble all the way to the other side but was it worth the time it would take. This was something Plodok would need to consult with Malcome first before getting underway with such a task. Plodok then thought of another idea though he would again have to consult with Malcome on it. The idea would involve carrying both Malcome and Styx along the rube inside the Ribits mouth across the rockslide. It would take far less time Plodok thought as he began to turn the Ribit around.
Plodok gasped in alarm as he tried to direct his Ribit around, it would not budge!
There was some force was holding the Ribit in place! Plodok tried to open the hatch to get out, it was no use! The sensors were going crazy, yet they were picking up a large object heading towards it. The object was moving fast from inside the ruble which Plodok cold feel vibrating around the Ribit!
Whatever the object was it was creating tremors along its course!
Zoomer saw the Ribit just sitting on atop the ruble using the telescope from high above in the air balloon.
Zoomer the shouted in alarm at what he then saw!
In an instant a sink hole opened up beneath the Ribit which not only sucked it down inside but filled up once more as receding ruble covered it back up!
"It's gone!", Zoomer told Blovas in disbelief.
Blovas asked Zoomer, "What do you mean?"
"Plody! He's gone something sucked him under the rock pile! Take us down so I can help find him!", a very concerned Zoomer cried out.
Immediately, Blovas radioed Malcome on his communicator to tell him what Zoomer has just seen.
Inside the Cockpit of his Ribit, a red light glowed from into it. There was a lite humming sound which must be the internal vibrations Plodok was hearing from inside whatever he was in. The Ribit was still locked in place when Plodok tried to maneuver it. The sensors on the console were lifeless as whatever it was inside of blocked it off completely. There was no movement wherever Plodok was inside of, yet he felt that he was being taken somewhere.
"Gone! Just like that!", Malcome said in disbelief.
Blovas as well as Zoomer were beside Malcome and Styx with the air balloon anchored inside a makeshift nest in the top of some nearby trees.
An anxious Zoomer tells Malcome," A hole just sucked Plodoks Ribit inside of it! We have to find out what happened to him!"
Zoomer was very a close friend to Plodok, so it was understandable that he was upset. In addition to losing his teacher back in Soros it was no wonder.
"I may be able to use my wand to sense Plodoks whereabouts though we must hurry as the more time we waste the fainter his aura will become.", Styx informed
The humming stopped.
Plodok then heard what sounded like a conveyer belt begin to yank the Ribit backwards.
Plodok grabbed his sonic blaster.
Inside s brightly lit large oval room was a man inside of a booth attached to a vertical column. There was an operator inside of the booth who was manipulating two large mechanical arms with large pincers attached to them. The operator was a gray faced goblin who wore a round silver construction helmet as he sat at the controls riding up and down the pole as well as rotating sideways around the pole until finaly stopping
The Goblin inside of the booth was facing a platform as many goblins with black uniforms also wearing silver construction helmets raced to climb up to where, he was level at.
All along the platform were sealed round compartments with numbering placed above them. The sealed compartments were spaced apart from each other all the way round. A red light was flashing above the compartment where the goblin operator was adjacent as the goblins ran towards it atop the platform!
"Secure bay 11!", the Goblin operator shouted into a microphone at his consul which only intensified his urgency!
At each bay there was an interface that one of the Goblins started to operate. There were two other Goblins holding metal prods on each side of the holding bay.
The Goblin at the control shouted," The Trap Wyrm has captured a machine identified as a Pacwad Ribit without is operator."
"Is there damage done to the machine or a breach?", the Goblin operator shouted from his booth suspended in the air beside them.
"None.", the Goblin subordinate replied.
"Open it up, let's see what our wyrm has caught for us!", the operator shouted.
The goblin at the controls of the interface slides a lever in the direction of bay 11 to then have the large sealed off compartment slowly open itself up for them.
The red-light glows into the area showing the back of the large Ribit inside it.
The arm that the Goblin operator manipulates from his booth is extended out to take hold of the Ribit when it is stopped.
"Go inside to investigate the front side! I want to know for certain that there is not a driver inside that thing.", the Goblin operator shouts from his booth
The team lead waves his subordinates into the mouth of the worm to investigate!
The goblin cautiously enter from both sides into the rear of the Ribit with their prods at the ready.
The goblins proceed towards the front of the Ribit until they reach the opened latch into the machine.
"It's open!", one of the goblins tells the other.
The goblins are almost tall enough to see inside of the cockpit.
"Come around to my side so that I can give you a boost.", the other goblin says to the other one.
As the other goblin comes around a figure emerges from the shadow underneath the Ribit. It is Plodok who stealthily starts to make his way to the opening the at the rear of his Ribit with his sonic blaster at the ready.
"You clumsy lummox get your foot into my hands.", the one goblin says with his hands cupped together so that he can boost him up to the view inside the cockpit.
"Uh...I'm trying but ...hey!", the goblin spots Plodok at the bay entrance while trying to balance on one leg.
Plodok seeing the Goblin operator inside of his booth then the extended arm analyzes the situation then with his quick reflexes jumps onto first the arm of the claw then into the booth beside the operator!
"How did you not get scanned inside of your vehicle?", the Goblin operator asked in frustration as he took out his own prod which he electrified by squeezing its grip at the base.
"Cold metabolism slowed down with meditation.", Plodok said as he leapt over the goblin operator's head!
Plodok did not want to fire his blaster in close quarters as not to damage the controls of the consol so he though to lure the goblin away by taunting him.
The goblin operator did not follow Plodoks lead instead he screamed into the micro-phone," Holding Bay to navigation room we have an escaped driver from bay 11! We are trying to subdue him!"
"Who are you talking to?", Plodok said until he looked up the shaft of the column.
There was an opening up top Plodok observed as he put his sonic blaster around his shoulder in order to vertically climb up the column!
"No! he's getting away!", the goblin operator shouted upon seeing Plodok quickly ascend up the shaft towards the entranceway!
The goblin operator shouted into the micro-phone, " The escapee is headed your way!"
The as the other two goblins stood with their mouths agape, they watched as the lead goblin operator drove his booth upward to stop Plodok from escaping through the opening!
Plodok took another leap to slip into another vast room with large screens all around him! Plodok saw that at each screen there were short yellow skinned trolls seated at them with headphones on. Then there was what looked like a green skinned goblin called a Catnik in a purple uniform walking around the room overseeing everything.
"Do not leave your stations", the Catnik ordered all the Trolls!
Plodok took his sonic blaster from behind his back as he kedpt bside the railing around the opening. Plodok trained his blaster on the Catnik officer as the booth the goblin operator was on rose up seal off any escape!
Plodok affirmed that he was inside of the Navigation Room where on each screen the trolls were at a dot was being followed. There were perhaps bigger plans being laid out here ones that he had wandered into Plodok thought just as his escape route just got closed with a clank!
"Why don't you let me go?", Plodok asked the Catnik officer.
The electric prod was just about to touch the back of Plodoks neck when the Catnik officer told the Goblin wielding it to stop as he held up the palm of his hand.
The goblin did not comply as he stunned Plodok in his back with a powerful jolt that threw him face first to the floor!
"I told you to stop!", the Catnik objected
"I don't answer to you Karos nor your cousin!", the Goblin Operator spat back with contempt
"I wanted to interact with him. Information is just as valuable as technology! They are in fact almost equally comparable to one another in value! I hope the frog is not to badly damaged from the shock you gave him.", Karos said very rationally.
"At least he's not jumping all over the place. You could be a little more thankful that I dd not set my prod to maximum charge like I intended.", the Goblin operator put forth as if he did Karos a favor by not killing the fallen frog.
"We'll see...how the frog recovers from your brutality.", Karos posed as he looked down at the body of Plodok his mouth open as his legs and arms convulsed on the floor.
Karos seemingly attracted to something new went over to the collapsed body of Plodok where he admiringly picked up his sonic weapon.
As Karos held the sonic weapon he said, "Depending on how well the frog recovers I may well call for an escort to move him to a more hospitable location."