by R. J. Batla
Lord Munday looked me square in the eyes with a smile. “My, my, I never thought I’d see the Ignis in action. And true to legend, it illuminates spirits even in the darkest of hours.” I felt the energy leave the room, and my friends came out of a fog, though they were still relatively calm. “That better, Fire Eyes?”
I nodded.
“Then I’ll answer your question. I wanted to meet you. It took a great deal of effort to get here undetected, and it will take the same to get me back out. You’re handling yourself well in the ring, and I think you have a legitimate shot to win this thing and bring about our goals – if you can figure a way to beat the Uland of course.”
“Thank you, sir. And just what goals would a Lord of the West have that would coincide with ours? And why weren’t you introduced when the other eleven were before the tournament?”
He smiled again and looked at Royn. “Such a trusting fellow!” He chuckled and looked at me again. “I’ll answer your second question first: I’m only a minor lord, nothing on the scale of the others. I’m not in their ‘clique,’ if that makes sense. Jayton, the whole reason I’m here, the whole reason I agreed to get you a spot in the tournament, is because I want this world to be a better place for my children and future grandchildren. My people are not thriving, but they are surviving. That’s not the best way to live, and it makes people nervous, envious, and ready to fight for what they feel is their share. I want the best for my people, and that means I want the best for Terraunum.”
Several voices rose in protest, but Royn silenced them with a barked order. We grudgingly stayed quiet. “Hear him out,” Royn said.
Lord Munday let go of my hand and paced in front of us. “Perception is reality, my friends. If people are told that there’s a better way for their family, and themselves, and are shown the benefits, they will follow that leader almost to a fault, even if it kills them.
“Now, I’m privy to the plans of the alliances that the other lords have made, and I don’t think the union with Malstrak is the best thing for either the West or East Side.”
“And you expect us to believe that you aren’t really in league with them and double crossing us?” Troup asked. His foot was actually shaking the ground.
“Other than what I just stated,” Lord Munday continued, “what they’re planning is morally wrong, and while publicly I’m with them, privately I am fighting against them. My land is far to the south, and we have a small population. I don’t have the numbers to adequately defend it from the likes of Malstrak, or even lords for that matter.”
“So you sold your services for protection?” Celeste asked, her cutlass suddenly unsheathed and back in her hand.
“Partially, yes, but like I said, I think there can be a better world if we would work together.”
Royn stepped in front of him, palms out toward us in a placating gesture. “Look, everyone. Lord Munday isn’t part of the plan but has agreed to feed us what information he can as well as providing financial support when needed.” Royn switched to his commanding voice. “I expect your full cooperation when working around and for Lord Munday. When in public, we are to act like he doesn’t know us, understand?” He waited until everyone nodded. “Good, now are there any questions?”
Raising my hand like I was back in first grade, I asked, “If I were to want to get in contact with, oh, say a certain lord or official, could you maybe arrange that for me?”
Everyone gave me a questioning look, but I didn’t flinch. Lord Munday said, “Depending on who it is, I don’t see why not.”
I nodded. “Good enough for me. I’ll let you know when I’ve worked it through more.”
There were no other questions, so Munday said goodbye, shaking everyone’s hand. When he got to me, he said, “Good luck, Jayton. Until we meet again.”
As he exited, and the door swung shut, Troup turned and asked me, “Do I even want to know why you asked that question?”
Chapter 24 – Royn Crowell
AFTER THE MEETING WITH Munday, most of the crew stayed with Jayton, since his room had expanded enough to accommodate them all, but Royn, Josey, and Hank went back to the Dew Drop – Royn and Hank to continue planning, and Josey after Leona suggested she should accompany them. The entire crew were getting more and more prone to following any suggestion Leona made because of her Guide Quantum. A storm raged outside, dumping buckets of rain as lightning cracked across the sky, lighting up the world in brief flashes of brilliance before dousing the world into blackness once again.
SLAM!
“Gilmer!” they shouted, as he limped through the door of the Dew Drop, blood and rain oozing onto the rug at the entrance.
“Get him to the couch!” Royn shouted over the gale, as a gust of wind slammed the door against the wall again, sending a wave of water toward them. “And someone get the damn door!”
Mogie closed the door as Hank and Royn caught Gilmer as he fell, quickly bringing him to the couch. Josey’s hands turned purple and quickly went to work on the Senturian.
“What happened, Gilmer?” Royn asked.
“On...a mission...” Gilmer tried to say.
“Come on, man, hang with us!” Royn said, Josey pouring more power into her healing hands. These wounds were bad, but shouldn’t be a problem if she worked fast. Ten more minutes though...
“What happened?” Royn repeated. “Where have you been?”
“Got caught. Should have seen it. Only just got away.”
Royn said, “What did you find? Are we in danger?”
“More than before...we’re out...they’re going to...AAAAARGGG!”
“Sorry, Gilmer, I had to set that leg,” Josey said, but Gilmer had already passed out. Probably for the better. It was amazing he made it back here at all.
Her purple hands blurred for a few more minutes until she let the power fade. She’d done all she could, and Gilmer was comfortably resting.
Hank looked at Royn and said, “What do you think he found out?”
Royn shrugged and looked at the young Ranger. “We’ll have to wait until he wakes. He was supposed to be finding out information on the Uland.”
Chapter 25 – Royn Crowell
WORRIED ABOUT GILMER, Royn left the Dew Drop in a flash of blue. There was nothing else he could do. Josey and Mogie would be with him constantly, only taking breaks to sleep and go to the restroom. But if she couldn’t do it...if the healing power didn’t hold for long enough...
Appearing back in Jay’s room, he found everyone but Jay awake. Apparently he’d went to sleep already. Which was actually a good thing. “Who’s going with me, Leona? Use your Guide Quantum like you did before,” Royn said as they all turned to him. “We’re going to go kill some monsters.”
Leona nodded and powered up. After a moment, she said, “Anton and Katy.”
“Hell yeah,” Anton said, bounding over furniture and heading towards his room. He returned in an instant, strapping on his weapons. “Finally some action.”
Katy gave him a smile as she appeared before he returned. “Beat ya.”
Leona smiled and slammed her hands into his chest. “You’ll have two hours again, Royn.” Then she passed out from the effort of affording him her Amplify power.
Royn nodded, grabbing Anton’s and Katy’s hands. “We can make a difference on the front lines. We’re headed to the Wall. You ready?”
“Let’s do it,” Katy said. Blue cold enveloped the trio as they emerged at Jump Point Fifteen. This jump point was almost on the front itself, and within ten seconds, they were between the eighth and ninth defensive rings.
Royn teleported them quickly to the top of the ninth ring, then in front of it where there was some heavy fighting. The Senturian Army had stationed themselves out in front of the defensive ring, but were now being pushed back. Anton ducked a mace swing and stabbed an orc in the chest through his armor.
“That was pretty quick getting into the fight, Royn,” Anton said, hurling a bolder into a group of pyarks.
Royn sent a blast of air spikes into a patch of giant spiders. “Heath had already told me where they needed help before I got to you.”
Katy was a blur of motion, taking out targets quickly. Duck, block, swipe. Three tried to bum-rush her. “Energy Blast!” Three more orcs went down in an explosion of yellow power. “What’s the problem here?”
“You mean other than the orcs?” Royn asked, sending four barreling back into those behind them with an air blast.
“I would assume the army could take care of some orcs, sir,” Anton said, and was answered with a “Hoo rah!” from around him, as those brave souls put on a burst of ferocity and mowed down more of the enemy.
“That,” Royn said, pointing to a big pile of rocks a couple dozen yards from them, “is the problem.”
“Can’t some earth Senturians or Dwarves move those...oh...”
It wasn’t a pile of rocks. Rock piles didn’t move like a lizard, then reach out and bite the torso off of a Phoenix who got too close. “Holy...is that a...”
“Petracerta. And a big one,” Royn said.
Katy raised an eyebrow in question.
“Rock lizard,” Anton supplied.
The beast, two houses in size, jumped in the air and crashed back down. Rock-like scales, usually used for camouflage, covered its legs and back. Shield-sized scales on its belly reflected brown and black as Royn, Katy, and Anton watched the thing swing its head toward them and emit an awful hissing/rattling sound.
Elemental powers bombarded the petracerta, but it completely ignored the attacks. With a great rending of metal and stone, the beast crashed clean through the ninth and then the eighth defensive rings, tearing a hole straight through the allies’ defenses. Bodies flew in all directions as explosions, intended for defense, suddenly were killing Senturians.
Malstrak’s army gave a rally cry and stormed after the petracerta, which swung its huge tail, tearing down more of the fortifications. It swung its head, tearing warriors in half as it flailed about.
Everyone heard in their earpiece, “All soldiers, retreat behind the seventh ring. Repeat, all units behind the seventh ring. Move as fast as you can.”
Senturians and the Races moved quickly, striking at the advancing enemy while retreating. Many were left stranded from the rings, and they were met with a bloody death from steel or claws. They were still holding the seventh ring, but it wouldn’t be for long.
“Move!” Royn shouted. “Air Wall Push!” He parted the allies with air powers. A wickedly spiked tail slammed down where they were just standing. “We’ve got to get this thing away from here.”
Grabbing one of the spikes, Anton swung up on the tail and ran to its back. Apparently even his bulky frame didn’t register on the petracerta’s tough skin. Coming to a stop in the middle of its back, he stabbed straight down. But his sword was stopped cold. “Anton, what are you doing?” Royn yelled from beside him, both Royn and Katy having followed him on its back. Then the thing decided to move, and they each had to grab a rock-scale to steady themselves.
“I’m trying to kill this thing; what’s it look like?” Anton said, pulling together a fire dagger, which did as much good as a feather would have.
They rode on its back for at a minute, trying everything they could think of, now and then rocking to one side or the other as the creature killed another soldier. No matter what they tried, nothing would penetrate its skin.
Unable to cause any damage from there, they jumped off to regroup.
“What can we do? Nothing penetrates! Can we throw enough rocks at it to bury it?” Anton asked while stabbing an orc.
“Maybe,” Royn said, “but we don’t have the time or enough rocks. It would have to be all at once, or it would crawl out.”
“Well, what do we do?” Katy said, sending exploding energy balls into some werewolves who came too close. “How do we get it to leave if we can’t kill it?” Realization dawned on her face. “We need bait. Is it under Malstrak or one of his general’s control?”
The petracerta roared and smashed a troll that got in its way, then clobbered two more with its tail.
Katy nodded. “Clearly this thing is acting on its own. Wait – I got an idea! What do they like to eat?”
“Horses,” a Dwarf beside her said. “They love to eat horses.”
“And we’re just now finding this out?” Royn yelled, dodging a thrown spear, catching it in midair, and hurling it back at its originator.
“I got here as fast as I could when I heard you’d arrived. Name’s Slate Bloodtide,” the Dwarf said, decapitating an orc.
“Good to meet you, Slate Bloodtide. Where can we get a horse?” Katy asked, zipping around and stabbing orcs in a blur.
“There!” Slate said, as a captain came riding towards them. The petracerta looked their way for a second, but decided to lay down, apparently tired and unconcerned with everything going on around it. Or the chaos it was causing. Slate Bloodtide ran to the horse, pointed at the trio, and the captain’s eyes widened. He nodded and Slate led the horse to them.
“Who’s in charge here?” Royn called out. A Senturian corpsmen raised his hand from a few rows away. “We need to clear a path for the horse, down the edge of the Wall, and have everyone prepped to slow down the petracerta or this will all be for naught.”
“Aye, aye!” he said, and started barking orders. In no time, there was a clear running path that went right by the giant rock lizard outside the defensive rings and then along the giant Wall.
Slicing off the saddle, Royn slapped the horse’s behind. “Giddy up!” He took off like an arrow. Right by the petracerta.
Which jumped up and was on its tail immediately.
In its wake, Malstrak’s army advanced.
“Heath! Give us some cover fire! Then connect me to all the earth Senturians in my area, now!” Royn said, racing after the horse and lizard with Katy and Anton close behind.
“Done.”
The Senturians in the fortifications held nothing back as the sky was lit up with powers off all kinds, slamming into the advancing monsters. They died by the dozens and thankfully were stalled. Boulders, arrows, and ballista bolts rained down with astonishing speed, along with the blasts of energy, as the Senturians gave their brethren time to finish their retreat.
“Earth Walls!” Royn shouted, using his Mimic Quantum, pulling earth powers from those around him. He raised five-foot walls in front of the giant lizard, causing the petracerta to stumble and miss his strike at the panicked horse. Getting the idea, hundreds of other walls and obstacles started appearing, making it harder for the roaring beast to navigate. Despite the distraction, it kept right on the horse’s tail.
“Now the water Senturians! Water Ropes to tie it down!”
“Done!” Heath said, relaying the command.
“Water Ropes!”
Instantly, hundreds shot from the water Senturians, lassoing the great lizard. They didn’t stop the beast, but did slow it down, keeping it barely off the poor horse.
“Air Bursts! Fire Balls! Energy Beams!” Royn screamed in quick succession, each appearing from the army at his command, relayed by Heath, and slowing the thing down just enough. The horse managed to stay ahead of it, but the petracerta would catch it if...
“What are you going to do? We’ve already hit it with everything we’ve got!” Katy shouted.
“I have an idea,” Anton said. As they neared the edge of the ring, Anton shouted, “Spear!” and one appeared, thrown perfectly so he caught it in stride and keep running. Rocks started pulling toward him as he ran, and he gathered them on the front half of the spear, increasing the weight. More rocks on the point, sharper and sharper. With a grunt of effort, he called forth fire; coiling out of his hand like a glowing serpent, it worked its way to the spearhead, melting stone as it went, turning it into a –
“Lava Spear!” Katy said. “Ha! Corbman, eat your heart out.”
Anton smirked as the horse stumbled, bringing the lizard to a halt, all
owing the trio to catch up to the lizard. He jumped and put all his weight into a strike. The lava spear buried itself into the petracerta’s back knee. There was a screech of pain and all he saw was a tail coming at him. Suddenly he was flying through the air.
Luckily, he landed and managed to roll most of the impact away, but it still hurt like crazy. After twenty yards, another screech came, this time it was much further away. The horse had gotten up and ran, and so had the petracerta, still after its quarry, but at a much slower speed, and was headed away from the battle.
Getting up, suddenly Anton was surrounded by orcs. He caught the first orc in the throat as he lunged at him, the second across the middle, spilling blood on the already soaked ground.
The third one punched him in the gut, doubling Anton over, and would have finished him off right there if an arrow hadn’t sprouted from the orc’s neck. The cavalry had arrived. A swarm of Elves and Dwarves beat back the orcs and their cohorts, and a flash of blue indicated that Royn was doing his share. They led Anton back behind the front lines.
“Stealing tricks, are we?” Royn asked, handing him a canteen, from which Anton took a big swig.
Grinning, Anton shrugged and said, “Figured the only thing that could penetrate the stone would be lava. Like a hot knife through butter. Kinda.”
“Well it worked,” Royn said, motioning a healer to get to work on Anton. He wasn’t too bad off, so it took ten minutes and the trio was ready to go, and they teleported back to the Bowl with seven defensive rings left until the enemy was at the Wall.
Chapter 26 – Jayton Baird
THE NEXT DAY, SQUAD 4 – me, Royn, Leona, Katy, Anton, but still no Gilmer – was back up in the seats watching another match. I wasn’t too happy about it, mostly ’cause I couldn’t leave this damn place and I was tired. Last night I couldn’t sleep, so I’d grabbed Corbman and we walked all through the tunnels and around the stadium. We’d even found all the lines we couldn’t cross without dying.