Wanderer Ch 11: Getting Answers, Nose Destruction!

I looked down at them, these small silver ships that weren't even the length of my index finger.

I could destroy them all with a swipe of my arm, a small exhale, or an inhale, sucking them all up with my nose. I've done it a dozen times; I could do it again. But I restrained myself because these little things had the answers I was looking for.

I glanced at my sister Eclipsa, who was drooling as she stared at the tiny ships floating near her bosom. We needed to make this quick; otherwise, this world might fall victim to my sister's appetites.

I bent down, bringing my head closer to one of the silver ships that floated nearer to my body. I focused my vision and zoomed in on the small craft, which began to open up. Out came a tiny figure in grey robes, standing on a circular device glowing blue that carried him through the vacuum of space until he was in front of my eye.

"My name is Xalix, son of Xylor and the wise one of the planet Gelmud," the small figure said with pride that mattered little to me.

"Enough," I said, my voice scaring the small figure. "Tell me the answer to my question, or be destroyed." My eyes glowed with power. "Tell me of your enemy. Tell me of the ones made of bronze."

Silence filled the area as no words were spoken. I waited patiently, noticing the disheveled robes the little thing tried to fix. My voice had clearly caused more of an inconvenience than I thought, but I wouldn't apologize. They were only specks.

"Oh great being of the far-off Void..." I soon heard from the small figure. "After much discussion, we of the Gelmud council believe that the ones you are looking for are from the world of Krugar."

I raised an eyebrow as I looked down at the little mite. "Krugar... so that's their name."

"Huh?" I said, looking around and noticing the absence of my sister. "Eclipsa?"

***

I sat at a steel table, covered with alien food I had never seen before and cups filled with purple liquid that I didn't dare drink.

Across the table sat my kidnapper, the bronze alien who called himself Exe Borlag. He drank from his goblet of purple liquid, his blue eyes never leaving me, which made me increasingly uncomfortable.

"Do you know why you're here?" Exe Borlag asked, breaking the silence.

"No..." I said, shaking my head. "Look, um, sir, I just want to go home." I tried to sound polite.

"And where is that exactly?" Exe Borlag asked.

I was silent for a few moments, unsure if I should tell this alien where my home was. But I had a feeling that I couldn't keep silent forever.

"Earth, my planet's name is Earth," I said.

"Hmm... I've never heard of it," Exe Borlag said. "It must be a planet outside the Galactic Alliance. Such planets are rarely discovered," he said. "Which makes our discovery of you all the more valuable, or to be more precise, the discovery of your ship."

"What?" I asked. "What do you want with my ship?"

Exe Borlag leaned forward, his blue eyes glinting with an unreadable emotion. "Your ship, though rudimentary by our standards, emits a unique form of energy that we've never encountered before. This energy has effects on space that are unprecedented and possibly game-changing for interstellar travel and technology. We wish to study this anomaly further, with your assistance."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. All I wanted was to go home. "Look... I appreciate the interest in my ship, but all I want is to return to Earth," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

Exe Borlag sighed and set down his goblet. "If you truly desire to leave, you may do so."

A ray of hope sparked within me until he continued speaking. "However, bear in mind that without our protection, you will be vulnerable to the countless horrors lurking in space." He paused for dramatic effect. "Horrors like the Wanderer."

A chill ran down my spine at his ominous words. "The Wanderer? What is she?" I asked hesitantly, thinking back to the giant that everyone seemed to fear.

Exe Borlag's expression turned grave. "The Wanderer is an enigma—an entity known for drifting through galaxies untethered by any allegiance or purpose other than chaos and destruction. Barely anyone who has encountered it has lived to tell the tale." He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands calmly on the table as if delivering a simple fact rather than a terrifying reality.

My decision suddenly felt far more complicated than it had moments ago.

***

The blue skies darkened, and the whitewashing clouds vanished as something massive descended toward the city of Kazur, which stood on the opposite side of the planet of Gelmud.

A nose, larger than hundreds of mountains, pointed downward like a spear, descended rapidly. When it finally touched the ground, the earth yielded to its immense presence. The massive nostril carved its way through the ground, creating a deep cavern that circled the great city. The lands that held houses and farms producing abundant crops were swallowed and crushed from existence as endless flesh plowed through the terrain without mercy.

Eclipsa smiled, lifting her face and looking down between the strands of black hair cascading toward the silver planet, carving up the earth with their tips.

She giggled as she observed the small city trapped by the deep cavern created by her nose.

"Shall I have some fun with you little things?" Eclipsa said with a smirk. "Just to pass the time."

She extended a finger, lowering it towards the city with deliberate slowness. The sheer size of it cast a shadow that plunged the city into darkness. The citizens of Kazur could only watch in horror and awe as the massive digit approached, its sheer scale overwhelming.

Buildings crumbled and streets buckled under the immense pressure as her fingertip made contact with the ground.

She traced patterns lazily, creating trenches and pits where there had once been homes and markets. The once vibrant city was reduced to rubble in mere moments.

high above, Eclipsa's eyes sparkled with amusement as she watched the chaos unfold. To her, it was nothing more than a fleeting distraction, a momentary reprieve from the boredom that plagued her existence.

***

In the midst of the destruction, a small figure stood atop a building, watching as everything around them quaked and shattered. The figure, an alien named Zorath, could hardly comprehend the scale of the devastation. In the distance, he saw the massive pillar of flesh carving through the ground, rushing toward the city with unstoppable force.

Zorath's last sight was the endless expanse of skin slamming into his body, ripping it apart and consuming everything in its path.

Eclipsa continued her playful torment, knowing that for the tiny beings of Gelmud, their world would never be the same again.