SoulQuest by Percival Constantine Page A

only walkways at that. Vehicles were not used within the city, and kept at the airfield for transportation to the outside world. Within Xanadar, foot was the only method of travel. Simple temples and homes dotted the landscape, with a large fountain in the center of city. Some farmland lay on the outskirts and the monks lived in a communal society, each of them alternating between the different jobs that needed doing.
    Not far from the fountain was the largest temple in the Xanadar. The trio of pirates and their monk escorts ascended the steps to the temple and passed under the archway. The two monks opened the large doors and allowed the quintet to enter, yet they did not go inside themselves. Once inside, a young monk, scarcely into his teens, met them with a bow. “I’ll go inform Master Quand you’ve arrived. Please, wait here.”
    He bowed yet again and went deeper into the temple, leaving the three members of the Excalibur on their own. The foyer was a large room with cushions lining the walls and a small shrine at the front. A golden statue stood there. It was a human figure, with both masculine and feminine features but no face. Ekala walked over, inspecting it.
    “That thing always weirds me out,” she said. “What’s it mean?”
    “It represents humanity,” said Zarim.
    “You ask me, it represents creepiness,” said Ekala.  
    “No one asked you,” said Zarim.
    “C’mon, damn thing’s totally faceless.”
    “Y’always were a spiritual girl,” said Swul.
    “Oh, and you are?” asked Ekala. “Thought you left all that bunk behind when you joined us?”
    “Just givin’ you a hard time, sister.”
    The door the monk left through opened once more. A large, bald man in a robe and with a long beard and mustache stepped towards them. Deep wrinkles lined his tanned face and his beard had turned as white as the snow long ago. “Greetings, my friends. It’s good to see you again.”
    “Master Quand,” said Zarim with a smile. He stepped forward, holding the stone under his arm, then clasped his hands and bowed, the same way he had done with the monks at the airfield. Quand returned the gesture.
    “Hello Zarim, welcome back. I understand you found what I sent you for?”
    “Yes.” Zarim handed the Soulstone to his former mentor. “You were right, once we got to Rolyeh, I could... sense it.”
    Master Quand took the Soulstone and examined it. He turned it over and over in his hands, running his fingers over the smooth, emerald surface. “You’ve experienced its power, haven’t you?”
    Zarim nodded.
    “Yeah, what’s the deal with that?” asked Swul. “I mean, I’ve heard a lot of things—seen a lot, too—but never somethin’ like this. What could give Zarim the strength to slice right through a full-grown pterosaur in one swipe?”
    “Come, follow me. I’ll tell you all you wish to know,” said Master Quand.  
    He went back for the door and the group followed him. They went down a narrow staircase into the basement, where they found themselves in yet another chapel. At the head of the room rested an altar over which hung a large, metal star with four points. Master Quand approached and placed the Soulstone in the top slot. As he stared at it, he began speaking.
    “You know of the creation myth, I’m sure?”
    “You mean the Illuminists?” asked Zarim. “They say it was made by the Presence.”
    “True, but what is not discussed in many legends is exactly how this was done,” said Quand.
    “What do you mean?” asked Zarim. “The Presence is omnipotent, He can do anything.”
    Master Quand slowly turned to the group. “Not quite. Something was needed to focus that energy and channel it into this once-lifeless rock. And so the Presence did, focusing His life force, His very soul, into five stones, each one bringing life to the planet.”
    “Five stones?” asked Swul. “You mean like—?”
    Quand nodded. “Indeed, the five gems on the Illuminist star. The legends have