Ruck Nor 2

Ruck-Nor 2

  The Capital

  BY

  LISA KIME

  Copyright 2014 LisaKime

  Published by

  Clover Digital Media

  License Notes

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  2

  A new planet, a new life.

  I had no idea what to expect. I was snapped out of my thoughts when my female guide looked up at me, I was still on her mount while she had reached the ground. I accepted her help and took her hand.

  A slight breeze was gently blowing down the main street. It was a welcome as the day had become quite hot and I was shaded by the crowd of towns’ folk as they stared at me while whispering to each other. My guide turned away and pushed through the crowd. I knew well enough to follow as close as I could so I wouldn't lose sight of her. She entered a building that looked similar to an old brick Wild West bank. As I entered I noticed very quickly that it was not a bank. It resembled a pub. The guide shook hands and back slapped humanoids I assumed were her friends and acquaintances. She moved through the crowd slowly and made her way up to the bar; she then leaned against the steel bench surface.

  I stood next to her and kept looking around the room, attention was being drawn to me. A large, chubby, rough looking alien with a head that looked like an overweight geckos, strolled over to where we stood.

  “Well, a human male.” said the Gecko.

  He pushed in between me and my guide. The gecko looked me up and down. He grabbed my right arm and gave it a squeeze and a shake.

  “I thought you humans were bigger.” the gecko said with disappointment.

  “Some men are bigger, some are smaller.” I replied, giving this gecko alien a smile.

  Suddenly the gecko was pushed out of the way by my guide.

  “He is with me, stay clear of him.” she said with a certain level of rough warning in tone. The gecko turned to look at her.

  “Well, I wasn't aware that you had a thing for human males. Aren't we good enough for you, Belle?”

  The Gecko alien walked away and sat himself back at a table where a few of his friends were playing some sort of gambling game.

  I walked closer to my guide.

  “So...Is your name Belle?”

  “Yes.” She replied without making eye contact.

  She took a drink from a banged up metal cup that had a fluro green liquid inside it. I thought about what should be my next question. “So what is it that you are drinking?” I blurted out. Belle stopped drinking and slowly turned, finally she looked into my eyes.

  “Qualua, want to try it?” Belle asked.

  She slid the metal cup towards me. I took hold of the cup and raised it to my nose and sniffed. It had a sweet smell so I took a sip.

  “Wow; that is really delicious.” I said then took another sip.

  I handed it back to Belle, who gulped down the rest of the contents. She clanked the cup down on the steel bench top. Belle signalled me to follow her as she started walking. She walked out onto the main street and kept walking across to an alleyway between two buildings. I sped up my walking to keep up alongside her.

  “So what is Qualua?” trying to keep some sort of conversation going.

  Belle responded straight to the point “It is the urine from a Bley.”

  I stopped in my tracks as I felt my stomach churn with the realisation that I just drank someones’ piss. I saw Belle going down into the alleyway and I ran after her. I kept up as she arrived at a wooden door; markings I couldn’t identify had been burnt into the door and frame.

  Suddenly it struck me; these were the same markings that were painted on the girls’ bodies and also on my chest. Belle banged on the door three times. I heard shuffling of what I recognised as footsteps behind the door. Then the sound of a lock turning before the door creaked open. An old woman peered out around the edge of the door. She looked at Belle.

  “What do you want, Belle?” said the old woman in a ‘no nonsense’ manner.

  “I have something for you. Something that may prove very valuable.” Belle said in an inviting tone.

  The old woman peered out a little further and saw me standing there looking a tad pale. The old woman's eyes opened wide and the wooden door opened even wider and two frail, yet strong arms grabbed hold of me and pulled me inside; Belle followed. The old woman walked me to a chair in what looked like a small, but cosy lounge room.

  “Sit, sit down. Relax.” said the old woman with a more energetic step in her walk.

  Belle leaned against the door frame; the only light source was coming from the fireplace. The old woman began examining me.

  She started with the hair on my head “A male human, such a fine quality specimen. Where did you find him?”

  “Your idiot workers sent him through the portal.” said Belle as she pointed to the markings on my chest.

  The old woman rubbed her hand across my chest with her left hand as if by doing so she could confirm how I arrived here.

  “What about the females?” asked the old woman.

  “They have been taken to the breeding chamber.” said Belle in a calm, neutral tone.

  The old woman turned to Belle.

  “We shall put the breeding on hold until I have studied this male. His DNA will answer quite a few questions on why our breeding program has not be as successful as we would have hoped.”

  “His presence here has drawn a lot of attention. The locals were only used to the women being brought here. Now that we have a male, talk has spread through the town already.” said Belle with a concerned look on her face.

  “Do you think these mutant bumpkins will feel threatened by this mere human male?” asked the old woman.

  “Maybe,” said Belle as she looked over at me.

  I felt invisible as they talked about me as if I was some sort of object. I looked around the room as the two women walked over to a small wooden desk. I noticed a shelf of different coloured glass bottles of varying sizes. Old, yellowing paper labels with some sort of writing on them.

  Below the shelves was a table that had a few old thick leather bound books. Next to them was something that looked like a stick with markings and gems on it. On the other side of the room was a large metal pot with some sort of liquid boiling away in it. The old woman would stir it now and then while talking to Belle.

  “What happens if word gets back to Gainsville and Lim hears about a human male existing here?” said Belle in a louder tone.

  “If Lim truly feels he is capable of taking on this town to get hold of our human male then he will be sorely mistaken.” replied the old woman who was walking up to me.

  She studied my shoulders. She hummed little noises to herself as she looked me over. Belle watched the old woman.

  I decided to ask a question.

  “Who is Lim?” I asked.

  The old woman stopped studying me and now she had a grin on her much wrinkled slim face.

  “Lim is a business man, well, his business is questionable.” said the old woman.

  Belle walked up to me and said “Lim is a criminal, a very rich criminal. He takes whatever he wants and anyone who tries to stop him, is dead very quickly.”

  “Lim has never gone up against someone like myself” said the old woman.

  She seemed very confident that this criminal called Lim would not succeed against her. This old woman was interesting. She was about 5 foot at the most in height
. She was slim, worn, yet she was feisty and quick witted. She didn't look like someone who could beat a criminal in a confrontation, yet I felt that she was smart enough to have something up her sleeve when it came to confrontations.

  Belle walked up to me and said “You're staying with Gretal. I am going to see a few people.”

  “Couldn't I come with you?” I said with urgency. Belle smiled.

  “What are you worried about? Gretal is harmless...Well most of the time. Besides where I am going may get a little rough.”

  “Rougher than here?” I replied.

  Belle walked past me and said “Yes.”

  She never looked back as she walked out the door. I turned back to the old woman, now I knew her name was Gretal. I stood up and walked over to her. Gretal was going through what looked like trash and scrap on one of the many tables in her home.

  “What am I meant to do here while Belle is gone?”

  “You can help me look for a missing item. It is a pendant made from a piece of bone.” said Gretal as she went through piles of papers and odds and ends.

  I lifted up an old book and looked at the objects beneath it. A severed animal's paw was laying there. It had sort of mummified. There was bits of paper and other junk that were covered in dust. I lowered the book back in place and looked elsewhere. Gretal turned to face me and held up a small off white looking object hanging off a leather strap.

  “I have found it. The pendent of Shun-Tor.” said Gretal with a huge smile.

  Gretal made her way to me. She put the leather and bone necklace on me.

  “This Bone pendent is a protection talisman. It