THE LIZARD CAVE - XI

_{artwork by me
except from the previous episode}

I took a longer path as if I was heading to the settlements, a slight ruse at deceiving the Old man whom I suspected to be staring as I walk away, when I was sure that I was alone, I resumed my mission on my long journey back to the caves with a rich quantity of Lobab root tucked within my cloak.

The journey back to the caves seemed longer than I hoped, I almost thought I was lost but the gradual sightings of black rocks littered around me gave me some hope as I journeyed.

After a couple of hours, I discovered the cave entrance, walking closer to the scene, my chest tightened with tension, I clutched the Lobab within my robes one more time, it felt like the only relief at the moment, I was filled with suspense about what had transpired within the caves during my absence, my empathy was solely focused on Misa and the fate of her father.

I hurriedly climbed into the caves and made my way through the secret tunnels that Misa showed me, passing through the ventilation area, towards the dense trail of smoke and crawling upwards to an opening, I could see some lights just ahead of me but I froze in my steps when I saw the dim lights interrupted by shadowy figures.

My head was just inches away from this opening, I held my breath, preparing to surrender, I reached down for the Lobab herbs within my cloak, my sole reason for this escapade, I hoped it would be sufficient to appease the Orktarg chiefs.

Suddenly, one of the Orktarg guards peeked into the opening, I saw his face toughen up with anger as he spotted me.

"He's in here!!!" The guard yelled as he dipped his hands to grab me out.

I got startled by the aggression and took a step backward but slid on a slippery surface and lost my footing, I took several stumbles downward, letting out painful grunts as my body thud against rocky surfaces, After a series of tumbles, I fell into an unfamiliar ditch.

I must have laid there for some minutes but I managed to roll over and grab my abdomen which was throbbing with hurt, with my eyes closed, I took several painful breaths.

I slowly opened my eyes and was surprised by a discovery - A green glowing object just inches from my face tucked into the wall, I immediately recognized it from my earlier visions during my encounter with the yellow Orb that Abin showed me.

It looked smaller compared to the rest of the other Orbs, the green glow illuminated my face with a bit of curiosity as I reached and touched it.

It felt warm to the touch but there was something else, I remembered the yellow Orb made me dizzy before it showed me those visions but this time around I felt a great rush of strength, The energy from the Orb gave me enough willpower to pull it out of the wall it was engraved.

I got up on my feet swiftly and held the glowing Orb in my hands, I remember Abin told me that the yellow Orb bonded with him and showed him some ancient wisdom that helped his people thrive in the caves but this green Orb seem to have given me some intense strength, I could feel the heat coursing through my veins with my jaws clenching.

It felt like I was being taken over by an unreal force, streaks of green lights tracing my veins and rose up my arms, the Orb was glued to my skin, I couldn't find the willpower to pull it off even if I wanted to, the rush of strength felt so overwhelming.

After a while, the green Orb stopped glowing and cooled down, It felt like I'd been holding my breath all this while, I finally took a deep breath and pondered on what I had just experienced, I took a closer look at the Orb totally astonished by the nature of this phenomenon.

I marveled at the effect of this encounter as I examined my limbs and muscle structure which appeared to be more defined.

As I was lost in my thoughts and totally unaware of my surroundings, suddenly, I felt a heavy thud hit the back of my head and lost consciousness.

STORYLINE

PART 1	PART 2	PART 3
PART 4	PART 5	PART 6
PART 7	PART 8	PART 9
PART 10

_{art and concept by @abmakko}