Bab 30: 30: Cross Alliance
In the darkened room, sat his Majesty, King Yuma Aegrianne, ruler over Everlastings for longer than be comprehended. And yet, it felt as though the rule of Yuma Aegrianne was most fragile at this very moment.
"My students," King Yuma began, "as much as I've hoped this to not happen, we are beginning to see a split in the council." They didn't speak out. Nor did they say anything that would make King Yuma mad. They listened to the words and commands of their ruler, enacting his words as law when it came to that.
"I do not blame the disarray of Everlasting on you or the council, but we have to accept that this time we have dreaded and tried to avoid is here. Shale and Xox, you both are my most trusted men, my former students. My strongest men with unwavering loyalty. I need to ask, if the day arises that I'm pushed out of power, who will you pick?"
From the way Machi heard it, he assumed they'd pick the King. But then again, he also knew how hard it was to stop loving a place despite the ruler. It felt like a trick question to him. Yuma wanted them to be goaded into picking him, but in truth, he wanted them to pick the home they'd grown up in and loved enough to become its leaders and protectors.
"If I wasn't King--"
"We'd protect Everlastings with our lives Your Majesty," Xox answered. "We are loyal to you, but we do not hesitate to speak out against injustice. We serve Everlasting, and not you, or any other Eternal for that matter."
That seemed oddly familiar. The feeling of that sentence. "They want the kokai killed," Shale said. No reaction came from him and Silver just raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you surprised?" She asked, shocked someone so young was used to the threat of death.
"Woman it ain't the first time someone has wanted me dead. Currently on the run from the strongest army currently occupying the solar system." He whistled. "What's one more?" He shrugged and Silver was partially impressed and partially terrified.
King Yuma chuckled. "But in that," Machi continued, "we have a similar ideal. You don't want me dead. I don't wanna die. I have questions but so do you." Seeing the rather sly and calculated look on his face, Yuma chuckled to himself.
"Kid you proposing an alliance?" Shale asked.
Machi nodded. "Just saying you need me. My presence here is valuable."
But as anything, he had a condition before they teamed up.
***
Rocco and Karma slept and Mira kept watch when she saw a yellow-haired pale figure walking in the forest alongside a white-haired, tanned, skinned guy. They both wore old school black gi's and a black cloak with a number inscribed on them in white. They seemed annoyed to be trekking the forest like this and Mira went to wake Rocco and Karma.
"Guys. There's people here." Mira warned and they both quickly woke and went on the defensive in record time.
Their powers worked but it felt weird, as though they shouldn't be allowed. So they stuck with physical attacks and made sure they were ready to fight if it came to that. Rocco was less skilled than Karma and Mira who were trained in sword combat.
"They're the same ones that took Machi a few days ago," Mira whispered. It was at that moment they felt a battle would, be futile. They didn't think they stood a chance against them as they approached the cave, but as they did, the same hostility they felt upon arrival was not present. It had disappeared entirely actually.
Upon arrival, they heard the two talking to one another in an annoyed tone.
"You sure he said here?"
"That's what the kid said." The other shrugged.
Arriving at the location, Shale and Xox were met with three faces on the defence. Neither one was shocked but they were by the distance they travelled so quickly. It was within Machi's range, and exactly where he figured from judging the terrain, but it was so far out it took Eternals at least half a day or more to travel the same distance they did in seconds.
"You three don't happen to be friends with a very stubborn ice brat?" Xox asked. All turned to one another and Rocco glared. "He said he really wants his game back? Whatever that means."
"I can't believe he sent us this way for his game." Shale sighed, shaking his head in disapproval, and Rocco knew that was typical Machi. It was also a sign that he wasn't in distress.
"Made a good argument. He's agreed to help us... you and with everyone else wanting him I dunno... dead, Shale did you even think your argument through? There's no way we can make a good argument without sounding like dicks."
Karma wondered what was going on but knew they couldn't fight them. They relented and just knew to follow them.
"Come on." Shale smiled.
"And how do we know you don't have him prisoner?" Karma asked. Xox liked her.
"You don't." Shale winked and Rocco looked at them and shook his head. "What did he get himself into now?" Mira asked. "We drop into a distortion in our world and now he's what? Playing guest?"
"Probably helping himself to more tech if you ask me." Rocco chuckled as they walked with the two natives.
Karma kept on guard and wondered how they seemed so lax.
*
"The beauty of not being sensed. Infiltration is easy." Shale opened the door and Machi turned around and saw his friends walk in without a problem. Mira was glad to see he wasn't beaten half to death and Rocco tossed him the bag of tech they had.
Karma was still on guard. "What happened?" Mira asked as she approached the chair and Machi sighed and rubbed his head. "Wanted dead. Befriended the king. A normal fucking day." He answered seriously, despite his words seeming rather sarcastic.
"You've always been some sort of diplomat," Rocco chuckled, "what is this place?"
Shale asked Xox to show them about but Karma remained.
"Karma," Machi didn't turn around, "relax."
"Don't plan to." She huffed and Machi shook his head.
"Hey Shale," Machi turned around, "did you ever plan on telling me why I can be sensed and my friends can't?" The eternal looked to him and Karma sat on a chair and kept on guard.
"To be fair I don't know why you can but your friends can't," Shale said. "In here, Everlastings, we were... human but we became more evolved when a group of them decided to leave."
Karma watched as Machi regretted ever asking as his head dropped down and his fingers pressed either side of his eyebrows in disbelief. Hearing a heavy sigh, Machi looked up and knew he needed to hear more but really didn't want to.
"I'm going to really regret asking but... elaborate." Shale wondered what that meant as Machi looked absolutely done with this.
"Ok? We called ourselves Eternals," Shale explained, "immortal... well somewhat immortal beings." He revealed. "What keeps us alive isn't the mere basic biology we share with you, but this power in us called spiritual pressure."
Karma seemed interested and Machi raised an eyebrow. "An eternal possesses it from birth and lives to grow the pressure. Without training you can live to around 300 years but with training and harnessing it, you can live for as long as King Yuma."
Machi didn't want to know how long that was and Shale didn't tell.
"So, spiritual pressure is what you guys possess?" Karma asked. "Can non-eternals learn it?" She asked and Shale shrugged. "That's the thing. We never were allowed to mix with your kind." He revealed. "Our laws forbade us from revealing our existence and considering we don't live on the same planet, sorta hard."
Karma noticed the look in Machi's eyes and wanted to ask what he was thinking when Mira walked back in and dropped on the couch. "My legs kill. Rocco seems to be having fun."
Machi shook his head. "He's... well... when he returns I'll show you."
*
At the return of Xox and Rocco, Machi took his game and hooked it up to the computer system he upgraded within the time the captains went to retrieve his friends.
"What is that?" Shale asked as lines of code appeared on the screen and Machi began the quick task of importing and exporting the code through devices. "His game console," Rocco revealed.
But it wasn't an ordinary console. As they've come to learn.
A few minutes passed and Machi watched as the map of the entire Everlasting was pulled up onto the screen, showing every base, main square and even the King's castle.
"Wait what are you doing with that?" Xox asked.
"You want to utilise my talents to the max, you let me do this," Machi argued.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone