The Nextworld Invasion and the Death of Magic - 26. Chapter 26 - The Obelisk

Nuji and Lestralin were about the same height, and side by side, they peered over a low wall in front of them. Dorjin’s second doorway into Nextworld had taken the Noktar man and Rothian woman to an entirely different part of the forest from Tigath and Othri. Their target in Dorjin’s plan was not the Temple. They were headed to a monument called the Needle of Security, or simply the obelisk.

The pair were on a rise in the land that provided them a panoramic view of the surrounding region. The obelisk stood between two hills, shimmering in the green sunlight and impossible to miss. A city in the distance beyond it marred the landscape like a spot of disease, and a cloud of sick air hung above it.

Dorjin had informed the pair that an automated train ran from the outskirts where they now were, and it would provide them safe passage for the first part of their journey toward the heart of Nextworld. The train made the trek twice a day, so they just needed to sneak onboard at the nearest stop when it picked up a shipment of goods.

Nuji and Lestralin had not comprehended what Dorjin meant however, when she told them they would need to transfer to the living line at the train’s second stop, and from then on, they would need to be more cautious and secretive.

“What a strange land,” Lestralin mused to himself.

“Dorjin told us to follow the wall west,” Nuji stated. “You ready?”

Lestralin gave her a confident look. “I am.”

The pair began to make their way through the forest, and unlike where Tigath and Othri were, in the denser woods, where Lestralin and Nuji were was bright and spacious. The trees grew with plenty of space between them, and it was easy to see a good distance through them. Before long, a train station came into view. It was partially hidden behind a rise in the land, and the waypoint appeared to be abandoned, just like Dorjin said it would be. There were no people waiting to board the train, no station conductors or attendants behind ticket windows; there was just a flat grey platform with several large palettes of crates at the far end.

“Is that what Dorjin was talking about?” Nuji asked, pointing with one of her long fingers.

“The crane system up above is unmanned,” Lestralin commented.

The low wall they were following ended, and the two unique individuals walked up to a set of concrete steps that led to the station’s loading platform.

“Do we just wait by the boxes until the next train comes?” Nuji asked.

Lestralin shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

They approached the crates and heard a shrill whistle ring out in the far distance.

“That must be it,” Nuji declared.

“Good timing,” Lestralin added.

Within a matter of minutes, the train arrived. There were no passengers, no workers, no Humans of any kind.

The crane above their heads activated, and Lestralin rushed to the crates, scrambling up onto the top of one. He nearly fell off, but when he managed to mount it, he hung on for dear life, and it was scooped up from the platform with him riding it.

“Nuji, hurry! Get onto one of the others before they’re all moved onboard!”

Nuji gave him an exaggerated frown and crossed her arms.

“Nuji! You’re going to miss your chance!”

As the crane shifted the box with Lestralin precariously perched on it through the air, Nuji simply walked beneath it. There was no wide gap between the platform and the train, and no railing blocked Nuji’s access; she just stepped onto the train car, and the crane placed the crate down right next to her.

Lestralin was sweating. “Well, that was unnecessary of me.” He burst out laughing as he clambered back down off the box. “Nice job,” he added to Nuji. “Should’ve followed your lead.”

Nuji chuckled as the train lurched off once more. “We’re on our way.”

“I realize that I made it more difficult than it needed to be,” Lestralin said with another little laugh, “but that was pretty easy.”

“Yeah,” Nuji agreed, “but that was the easy part. Everything else is going to be trickier.”

The train began to pick up speed, and Lestralin recommended, “Shall we find ourselves a place to sit?”

They got as comfortable as they could on the hard crates, and Lestralin, “Erm… should we see what’s inside these boxes?”

It was exactly what Nuji had been thinking. She patted the top of the crate she was sitting on and said, “What could it hurt to take a little peek?”

The cases were not locked, and the latches released. The stowaways each lifted a lid.

“What are these?” Nuji asked.

Lestralin picked up a piece of the contents. “No idea.”

The boxes were meticulously organized with countless little electronic components. There were mechanical rings held on a wooden dowel. A stack of metal cubes with chords coiled around them sat beside packs of wires and information discs. The electronics were confusing to Lestralin and Nuji.

“Should we see what’s in another one of these other boxes?” Nuji asked.

Lestralin nodded, stepped over to the next crate, and said, “Whatcha got in here?” The latch released, and he raised the lid. Inside were more of the small mechanical pieces.

“Are they parts of bigger machines?” Nuji mused.

The pair opened several more crates, and each was filled with similar electronics.

Nuji frowned. “What are the Humans using all this junk for?”

The train suddenly slowed, and Nuji and Lestralin focused on each other.

“We need to seal these boxes again!” Nuji ordered.

“I’ll get these,” Lestralin replied. “You get those.”

They latched the boxes again, and the train came to a stop.

“What now?” Lestralin whispered.

“We wait.”

The door slid open, and another automated crane reached in and hoisted out the cargo before it brought on other boxes. The door closed again, and the train took off down the track.

“Should we explore more of the train?” Lestralin suggested, but the doors at the front and back of the compartment were locked.

In less than ten minutes, the train slowed.

“This is where we get off,” Nuji whispered.

The doors again opened as the vehicle came to a stop, and another crane collected several more palates of the crates.

Nuji and Lestralin peeked out into the sun. They saw no Humans, but what they did see shocked them.

The train was not a train.