- - - - - - - - - Added 23rd May 2013 - - - - - - - - - - - - Upon hearing the ill tidings brought by Queen Blue and company, the high King immediately convened a council of war. The war room was filled with the gathered allies. Representing the elves was the Queen herself, Blueruin and her daughters Padfoot and Jazmine. For the dwarfs Princess Kcm, and her captains Law, and Randy the twin brothers that had yet to leave her side. Representing the Wolfen people, was Prince Roy, with his seconds Wolfgirl and Roxy. Chief Zero alone was there for the Cat peoples. All members of Alpha squad were there, save the King's other sister, Feral, which was puzzling for him as well. Where is she? he thought. In fact I haven't seen her since the others have come back.
"General John," Stuart began, "before we begin can you tell me where General Feral is and why she hasn't been here with the rest of you?"
"Yes my King," John responded, "please pardon my not mentioning this prior, but as you well know Feral is stubborn, and getting to listen to orders can be tricky at the best of times. Greco says they came across a patrol on the way to our meeting up which she commandeered and took straight to Omega valley for reconnaissance, and insurgency tactics."
"Yes apologies, my King," Greco added knowing he at least should have made the High King aware of his own sister's movements, "according to our agreement on parting she should be sending word soon of troop numbers and placement, as well shortly." Stuart kept his face composed but the members of Alpha Squad knew their king well, and could see the signs of worry there - no matter how well he tried to hide it. One sister for sure in the clutches of who knows what kind of monsters, and the other right in their midst as well, Stuart thought. What other catastrophes await me this day?
"Thank you both," he said, "I know my sister well, and few if any can get her to divert from the course she deems best, regardless of what is discussed or that which the rest of us find most prudent. She can be blastedly headstrong, but her instincts usually put her in the right place. Let's hope that remains the case today."
"Your Majesty," General Ballzee began, "we have sent out several parties in that very area which I have alerted to keep a look out for her, and to put themselves at her disposal. Captains Nuke, and Shinryu are leading them and as you know have been for some time two of our best stealth operatives. Were it not for other duties Captain Roy would be there as well, maybe the only other man we have I would count as better than those two."
"Good, yes you left out only one other, General," Stu answered," yourself. Roy I've been meaning to do this for some time, but it seems like things kept getting in the way. You have done our country many great services, and for that I am promoting you to Colonel, and second to the general here in charge of the scouts. I know you are representing your mother, but as she will soon be here, I assume you can resume your duties post haste. I would like for you to find my sister, take over for her in the field and send her back here. Alpha Squad is needed to coordinate right now and she needs to understand that, despite her tendencies to want to do everything hands on."
"I will leave within the hour, my liege," Roy said with a flourish, "Roxy you will stay here until mother arrives, Wolfgirl you are with me." The Wolfen bowed again to the HIgh King and other assembled royals and strode from the room. As he left, Ladywitch, and her sister mage Renske entered the room, and took seats at the end of the table. Ladywitch nodded at Queen Blueruin, and a look passed between the old friends, before the door to the chamber had even fully shut. Stuart spoke into the gap made by the new arrivals and Colonel Roy's departure.
"My fellow rulers," Stuart began, "the first blows have come for us all, and this war has started, while our losses remain few, we have all felt the sting of them, and I fear our enemy has only been toying with us thus far."
"I fear you are right, High King," Queen Blue replied. "The signs aren't good, and if a creature as powerful as that black drake, is subservient to another, well we have much to fear from the coming conflict."
Many solemn nods of agreement passed around the table, as each person in attendance silently took stock of their situation. Princess Kcm jumped to her feet, and pounded a fist down upon the table, before shouting angrily. "Bah! I am not going to let our people sit and stew on fear of an unknown enemy! So they are strong. Are we not powerful ourselves? Is this not one of the finest collections of warriors, and mages ever assembled in our lands?"
Ladywitch stood also and with a calming gesture for the fiery dwarf princess, also spoke. " Let us not forget also the vision of Mother Squish, that heralds the coming of a warrior born to defeat the evil we are now discussing. The Knight foretold to vanquish this darkness, with his purity."
"Right, uhm sorry, my King," Kcm said, "I couldn't stand to see such a proud group sink into worry like that. Forgive my outburst, please. My father sent us with the mighty claymore, he and my lady's masterwork, to place into your hands for the coming of the knight." The proud princess, and her elven counterpart Princess Padfoot rose then, and dragged the powerful relic to the High King, each nearly buckling under the strain, carefully they placed the sword before the King who glanced at it in awe of the fine craftsmanship. Truly he had never seen such an exquisite piece of weaponry. The blade was nearly four feet long, the grip another foot and a half. Both edges were sharpened enough to split almost anything. Along its surface were engraved runes of power, and delicate scrollwork, glittering with a symmetry of composition one would not expect from a dwarf and elf working in tandem. Vines and flowers blended in and surrounded images of the anvil and hammer, and the mountain, showing the synergy the two had shared while creating it, but more so adding the unique attributes of their races to the mighty weapon.
"It is a thing of uncommonly precious beauty," King Stuart said, turning to Queen Blue, and bowing in acknowledgement of her achievement. "Princess Kcm, please relay to your father as well, my admiration of his work."
The Stormking traced a finger along the blades edge almost unconsciously as he was talking, drawing blood. "Yes it has a very deadly beauty, King Stuart, please be careful," said Blue. Stuart nodded his head and placed his hand on the sword's hilt, "I pledge to keep this safe until he who will wield it is ready to take up the responsibility."
Then to the shock of all those assembled he picked up the sword with one hand, the blade began glowing a fierce blue-white, like the hottest of flames, or a lightning bolt. He lifted the sword into a salute position and the blade vanished in a blinding light only to reappear in a scabbard on his back. Blue looked shocked but remained silent, and quickly signalled her daughter and lover to remain so as well. The plot thickens, she thought. A blade that was crafted to bear its true power only for the Knight of prophecy or his line, has shown that power in the hand of our King of Tempest... what could this mean?
Nightranger, Jinxy, Blum, and Beer spent close to a week in the village of the Sand Nomads, enjoying the desert peoples hospitality. At least most of them did. Night was still brooding over how his master had hidden his past. The young man had never really questioned where the old man had acquired his skills. To find out that he was a General, and a founder of the great Alpha Squad, was a lot to take in. He spent all his time training, barely sleeping or eating, just honing his skills, and contemplating what he had learned, and where he fit into the story of Beer's life. He's been like a father to me, Night thought, but why would someone like him leave his post, and dedicate his life to teaching me? He had been practicing with the warriors from the village, usually taking them on ten or fifteen at a time, and even dividing his concentration between his troubled thoughts they posed little or no threat to him. After finishing this last batch of in less than five minutes he noticed that Jinxy and also Blum were watching his progress. "Masters," he said bowing. The couple nodded back, and then moved to stand before him. The two former soldiers moved around their apprentice, appraising him. Neither saying anything, but both equally impressed. Jinxy moved forward, hand outstretched to shake his, in congratulations, when quick as a cat she struck. Leading with a low sweep kick that Night leapt over casually, followed by a flurry of kicks strikes and punches that also failed to land. Blum moved in from the rear, bringing his great axe to bear and leveling cuts and chops with a practiced, but frenetic pace, that should have kept the boy off guard and in retreat. Night still hadn't unsheathed his weapon but moved as sinuously as a snake, darting this way and that, never blocking either attacker or countering their moves just dodging them as if they were slow moving children. Jinxy seeing this pulled out her twin blades, and also began to attack with them, increasing her reach, and hoping to press the young man into a more active engagement. It caused Night to sink further into his warrior trance, a state many that had seen it likened to a drug induced fugue; time seemed to slow down for him, and what were in reality blisteringly fast combos, and weapon strikes passed for him almost in slow motion. Minutes passed, as the three danced, and the once small crowd of warriors watching soon swelled to include half the village, then nearly everyone. None had seen a spectacle like it, these hard people used to the punishing heat of their harsh desert mistress, had never witnessed the level of activity, endurance, grace or skill before them. A spear flashed through the crowd missing all the onlookers but clearly aimed (and quite well at that) at the heart of the young warrior. At the last second he finally he drew his blade, and with a flick of his wrist deflected the trajectory above his shoulder. But the spear thrower was there in an instant, snatching the errant missile from the air, and bringing it down at the exposed shoulder of Nightranger in a devastating downward slash. General Fitz, and his pole-arm were moving with the force of a tornado, dipping, and whirling at speeds far too fast for most to see, and yet he moved in perfect concert with Jinxy and Blum, the three headed attack, almost hydra like in its coordination. They had used this very formation to great effect many times in the past, and none had stood up to it. Until now. Nightranger struck fast as lightning first to disarm Jinxy, he hooked both of her blades so fast she barely registered the hits until she felt the sting in her palms, launching both into the air. He then kicked her right in the solar plexus with just enough force to blast the air from her lungs, and take her momentarily out of the fight. He ducked low, in a spin avoiding the downswing of the spear, and swept the feet out from under Blum, while simultaneously catching him with an elbow strike to the midsection, which put the big man down hard, the two falling blades pinning his shirt to the ground. This left his Master, and no one could say the fight wasn't close but Fitz struck hard right as Blum was incapacitated, and with a short flurry knocked away the sword and had the tip of the spear pressed to the young man's throat. The blade had barely been there a second before Night's foot flashed out, and up, even as his body leaned backward perpendicular with the ground, kicking the spear from his master's hand, and into his own waiting palm. He spun in several times, rattling hits to both shoulders and knees before resting the point at the older fighter's groin. "Do you yield, my master?"
"You are ready," was all Fitz said in reply.
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Subject: The Story Time story......Part 8 
Thu May 23, 2013 3:06 pm
