“The Kudgels…and Flack!” Virtue stated.
“Oh, this is ridiculous! Pure superstition! I am no Kudgel, but I have had dealings with many of their kind in my homeland, the desert. I can assure you there is no such conspiracy.” Toldnas slammed his fist on the table in anger.
“I have spies who have infiltrated the Kudgel ranks. They have confirmed my suspicions, as have my seers, who originally alerted me to this threat. I admire your eagerness to defend those you deem your allies, giant, but their danger is greater than any of you know. For several centuries now, they have been amassing a huge army, even beginning to recruit natives of Upper and Lower Sultry. If allowed to flourish unchecked, they will wipe this land bare.”
“And even if that were true, who would really be to blame, Emperor? You know the origins of the Kudgels as well as any here…humans, elves, orcs, and other races…exiled from their homelands for their refusal to participate in some ludicrous, long-forgotten world. Perhaps these Kudgels are merely returning the same scorn that was shown to them.”
“How dare you defend those brutes!” shouted Kolpak, who stood and grabbed up his war hammer.
The giant stood in turn, his face contorted in anger. “Have you lived in the desert, you spoiled little dwarf? I have lived among the Kudgels and for my entire life I have seen them struggle merely to survive…I have never encountered a more hard-working people. You chastise me for defending beings you consider brutes, when in fact it was people like you who drove them away for their unwillingness to participate in senseless violence!”
“Nobody is here to point fingers.” The Emperor stood up, stopping the argument between dwarf and giant. “I do not condone the actions of my ancestors. If what Toldnas says holds any truth, and I suspect it does, I would be more than willing to allow the Kudgels and all of the desert peoples to live freely in Upper Sultry. However, it has become clear from my network of informants that the Kudgels have no desire for peace and harmony. I am willing to compensate them for any hardships that they have endured in the centuries since their exile, but it is clear now that they have no goal other than to destroy and cause mayhem. Action must be taken. That is why I held the tournament, and why you five warriors, and my other guests, are here now. I am commissioning you lot to begin our own private army…a resistance of sorts…who will be ready when the Kudgels finally burst from their hiding places. It is only a matter of time.”
“Only a matter of time before tyrants like you get what’s coming to you!” shouted Toldnas. “You don’t have the right to raise one finger against the Kudgels after what your kind has done to them!”
This time Dale stood. “Nobody is excusing what happened to your people. The Kudgels have a right to be repaid for what was unjustly taken away from them in years past. If you’d pull your head out of your, um…butt…you’d realize that the Emperor isn’t trying to argue against this. If the Kudgels came forward in the open, in peace, as a civilized people, they would be greeted with respect. But, I have encountered their kind, and I agree with the Emperor that they have no desire for anything other than murder and mayhem. Several attempts on my life, and my friends, are testament to that.”
“If they made attempts on your life, thunder dick, I’m sure they were for good reason!” Toldnas shouted.
“Why are you so angry? If you know the Kudgels have no conspiracy against Pakk, why not act as the middle man, and prevent even more needless catastrophe instead of yelling and judging?” the Emperor asked, raising his hands in one last attempt to bring peace to the situation.
“To hell with you, to hell with peace, and to hell with Pakk!”
Before anyone could react, Toldnas ripped open his cloak to reveal the reason for his distended gut: Red Rat Flack had strapped himself to the giant’s midsection and had been eavesdropping the entire time. Flack jumped off his ally and two daggers appeared in his hands. While Toldnas took on Dale, Helena, and the other warriors, Flack made straight for the Emperor. Benny rushed to intervene, but Flack was too fast. Before the assassin could be blocked by two guards, he threw the daggers with deadly speed and accuracy right at the Emperor’s neck. Benny could only watch in horror as the Son of the Sun sat helpless in his chair.
Chapter 13
All was lost. Flack’s daggers would strike their mark before Benny or anyone else could react. Time seemed to stand still; the blades inched their way towards the Emperor’s neck. Flack frog-leaped over the guards trying to stop him – not that it would help the Emperor now – and charged towards the ruler of Upper Sultry to see the killing through. Benny jumped from his chair as fast as he could, grabbing the staff he had won for his victory in the tournament. But he was too slow. Even if he took Flack out, the blades would still kill the Emperor. Then suddenly, a gust of wind emanated from the seated ruler, and his face became illuminated with light.
“Enough!” he shouted.
The daggers disintegrated just as they were about to reach the Emperor. He shot up out of his seat and thrust the palm of his right hand towards Flack. The assassin stopped as if he’d ran into a brick wall, and was then thrown back over twenty feet across the room. Benny could hear Flack squeal as he landed near the entrance to the dining hall. He was only winded, though, and retreated through the doors and into the hallway. Several guards ran after him, and were gone as well.
“Are you ok, sire?” Benny asked.
The Emperor gave a sly grin. “That wasn’t the first attempt on my life and it certainly won’t be the last.”
“Give us a hand lad!” Kolpak screamed at Benny.
Benny turned to witness Dale, Helena and Kolpak fighting the desert giant. Many times their weapons met their mark, but the sheer size of Toldnas prevented blows from being anything more than flesh wounds. Quill had flown up onto the giant’s shoulders and was repeatedly striking him in the neck with a dagger the Sorai had snatched from the giant’s waist. Toldnas grabbed the pestering Quill and slammed him hard onto the stone floor. Meanwhile, Virtue had assumed bat form, and flew around the combatants, giving them strength, speed, and healing bites as needed. However, the giant’s fighting prowess was far beyond that of the entire group combined. Benny looked at the Emperor, knowing that the ruler had enough power to stop Toldnas in his tracks.
“Use the staff!” the Emperor stated.
“But how?” What good would a mere stick do?
“The staff is imbued with great magic. It will do as you command. Use it against Toldnas! Your friends may not last much longer.”
The Emperor was right. Kolpak had been delivered a nasty cut on his right leg, which even Virtue could not heal. Dale was too tired from the tournament to assume berserker mode, and despite Helena’s prowess with a sword the giant was too large and powerful for her. Most of the guards had gone after Flack, and the few that remained were too flustered to help, and merely stood as spectators, waiting for the giant to finish off his current enemy and move on to them. Benny looked at the staff he held in his hands. He had never used a magical weapon before, and he had no time to ask for tips from the Emperor. Knowing nothing else to do, he raised the gnarled end of the staff and pointed it in Toldnas’ direction. Stop Toldnas! Benny willed the stick. Benny’s arm then lurched back as a beam of light shot out of the tip of his staff, passed harmlessly through Dale, and struck Toldnas directly in the forehead. The giant reeled on his feet for a few seconds, and then dropped to the ground dead.
“What the...?” Helena dropped her sword to her side and turned to Benny.
“I…I…” Benny still held the staff, smoke pouring from the tip.
Dale had suffered a nasty cut between his eyebrows, which bled profusely. Were it not for the fact that he’d been missing his nose already, Benny would have thought he had just been maimed. The Emperor rested a mighty hand on Benny’s shoulder and spoke for the flustered, scar-mouthed warrior.
“The walking staff he chose is imbued with a powerful magic. It can only react to the commands of those who wield it. I tol
d the boy to use the staff. Had he not reacted quickly enough, I would have stopped Toldnas.”
“Thanks for the wait, Ben.” Dale looked annoyed, but Helena punched him on the shoulder. “But I do thank you for helping us. Just try to react a bit faster next time.”
He ripped off the sleeve of his shirt and tied it tightly around Kolpak’s bleeding thigh. Virtue assumed human form again, and quickly changed back into the clothes she had hastily thrown off in the transformation. “He was strong.”
“Giants usually are,” Kolpak said, holding Dale’s bled-through shirt sleeve against his cut. “I need a medic, quickly.”
The Emperor raised his hands. “That won’t be necessary.” The bleeding on Kolpak’s leg ceased, and as the dwarf took off the bandage the group was shocked to see that the cut had completely scarred over.
Everyone looked shocked, but the Emperor continued speaking. “Toldnas and Flack are prime examples of the truth behind what I speak of. We must begin our countermeasures now.”
“Then let us hunt them out like the rats they are!” Kolpak heaved his hammer into the air.
The Emperor was unimpressed. “No, that’s exactly what the Kudgels want, for us to wreak havoc by engaging in an open war. We’ll be accomplishing their own objectives for them. No, to openly seek them out would only add fuel to their flame of mayhem, and it would cause havoc across all of Pakk. We must beat them at their own game. That is where these come in…”
He motioned for one of his guards to step forward. The guard passed a small golden whistle to each of the tournament victors, as well as to Virtue and Quill. Aside from the precious metal of its substance it was quite plain, apart from a small ruby-like gem embedded on the top of each whistle.
“What are we gonna do with these? Play them a lullaby?” Kolpak tossed his whistle onto the table.
“These are tools which will play a big part in the building of our own private army. These are special whistles; they will activate the beacon gems which you will pass out, in secret, to your allies. If and when the Kudgels strike, you will blow this whistle, activate the beacons, and alert our allies that our enemy is on the move. They will expect to come upon us unawares, like thieves in the night. But they are the ones who will be in for a surprise.”
“Can you demonstrate?” Quill asked.
A guard brought a medium sized bag and set it down on the dining table. He pulled out a handful of small diamond-like gemstones. The Emperor took one of the golden whistles to his mouth and blew lightly. The gemstones became lit by a bright blue light, but that was not all. Benny could feel his attention completely attuned to the gems and the demonstration at hand. These gem-beacons were magically imbued to attract the attention of the one who possessed them to whatever their purpose was.
“You come from all over Pakk. Bags of whistles and gems will be given to each of you. I will give you magical bags which will shrink in size to prove more practical for travel and won’t attract attention. Pass them out only to your most trusted allies. If someone blows a whistle, the magic inside the gems will tell you exactly where the beacon is being activated from.”
“We’ll spread the word in Lower Sultry,” Dale said, gesturing to himself and his companions.
“I’ll make ready my tribe in the north,” Kolpak said.
“And I will spread the word amongst Sorais in the northwest.” Quill saluted with his whistle.
“I am going to remain with Dale and my new friends,” Helena said, “but I’ll pass on my whistle to my sister Amazons and they will take it to the deep south.”
“Good. If any of the whistles are blown, the gems on your fellows’ whistles will likewise act as beacons so that you will not be left to doubt.” The Emperor returned to his seat and rested his chin on his fists, reflecting on the events of the night.
Dale walked around to where his comrades were standing around the body of the slain giant. Aside from Kolpak’s cut, which the Emperor had healed, the group was free of injury aside from a few scrapes and bruises.
“Hold on to that staff, kid. It’ll prove useful.” Dale put his arm around Benny’s shoulder. “And good shot with Toldnas. It reminded me of Kidneywart.”
Quill stepped forward to bid farewell to the travelers. “I have a long flight ahead of me if I plan to get home soon enough to alert my people. It was a pleasure to fight both against and beside you, Dale. I hope we meet again.”
“You can bet on that!” Dale shook his hand and the Sorai left.
“What about you, Kolpak?” Virtue asked the dwarf.
“I think I can afford to stay a night longer in the city, if my pass doesn’t wear off before then.” He held up his blue hand. “Can’t say I’ll miss it.”
Kolpak bid the group farewell and safe journeys before leaving for an inn downtown. The Emperor shook the hands of the quartet, but before Benny could follow his comrades, the Emperor stopped him.
“You have the eyes of one who has conversed with the Protector.”
“What…how…?” Benny stammered.
“You think you’re the only one who has been blessed by the Almighty? Though the circumstances of our histories differ, I have experienced many hardships and blessings. I’ve lost loved ones, and witnessed atrocities that would sicken a demon. It seems that you’ve already experienced some of these things, am I right?”
Benny’s hand rose to his own scarred face. He looked down, but the Emperor lifted his head up with a large finger.
“Don’t be ashamed of your past. It is behind you, and unless you know time travel, which is a very rare thing these days, there’s nothing you can do about it.” The Emperor smiled.
Benny gazed at the fallen giant across the room. Sorrow filled his heart. He realized that this had been the first time he had ever truly killed a living creature (not counting zombies) and he hated the feeling it left him with. The Emperor seemed to sense the boy's feelings of remorse, and comforted him.
“Murder, even when justified, is wrong. Mercy should be sought above all else; however, as is the case with Toldnas, there are some people whose only goal in life is to maim, murder and destroy. These people cannot be reasoned or bartered with. It is a sad truth, but sometimes fatal force must be used in these circumstances.”
Benny felt better, but was still confused. “I’ve seen the Protector, and know he exists. But I don’t understand. Why would he allow these kinds of atrocities among his own creations?”
“It wasn’t always like this,” the Emperor said. “There was a time when all that existed was peace and prosperity among all races of creatures. But peace was not in our hearts, and we turned against the will of the Protector.”
“Then why doesn’t he stop us? Why doesn’t he just snap his fingers and start things fresh?”
“And how long do you think it would last, young Benny? The Protector is not a tyrant. He will never force one of his creatures to believe Him or follow His ways. Nobody wants anything to do with the divine, yet when things don’t go their way they all begin to hate, doubt, and criticize. Their reaction would be quite similar, if not worse, if the Protector didn’t allow this freedom of decision. They would hate him regardless.” The Emperor, finished, walked back to the door he had entered through.
“It’s been so long since I have felt his presence. The more time that passes, the more I feel that the Protector has abandoned me,” Benny said.
The Emperor stopped in his tracks, but didn’t turn around. “Silence is not the same as absence. It’s funny how we often equate the two.”
Benny took a deep breath and turned, staff in hand, to catch up with his companions.
Chapter 14
They were nearly back to the airship docks when the quartet noticed a larger group of Amazons a way down the path. Benny recognized a few of them that had fought in the tournament, but hadn’t made it past the first few rounds. Helena rolled her eyes and looked to her new companions.
“Let me go explain things to them. They are my tribal sister
s,” she said.
“I thought you were alone. That was the reason you asked to stay at my house, wasn’t it?” Dale was perplexed.
“Well, that wasn’t particularly true. They temporarily shunned me from the group for getting drunk and starting trouble with a bouncer at the inn in Bluecorn Betty. My punishment was not being allowed to lodge with them for the duration of the trip.”
Benny chuckled, “That was you who fought Marty?”
“He packed a good punch,” she said, “but my sisters aren’t so stubborn as to ignore a task like the one the Emperor bestowed upon us. I might as well get it over with.”
She walked over to the group and began speaking with a muscular woman sporting a Mohawk. Benny found himself staring once again at the ripped, half-naked physiques of the two conversing Amazons. Helena’s ‘sister’ caught Benny staring and made an obscene gesture towards him, grabbing her crotch and biting the air like a wild animal. Virtue and Dale burst out laughing. Helena came back and slapped Benny on the shoulder.
“That’s Helga. I think she has the hots for you.” Helena winked.
“Well she can keep dreaming.” Benny began to blush as he quickly grabbed Virtue's hand, attempting to avert the distant Amazon’s gaze. Even worse was the playfully chastising gaze of Virtue. Benny was eager to change the topic.
“You tell them what’s up?” Benny asked.
“Yes. I gave them my whistle and a bag of gems. They will do their part.” Helena resumed her walk beside Dale.
They reached the dock where the gondola of Dale’s airship was anchored, and Benny saw Purp standing at attention by the compartment door. He had his usual sour face, and while he remained respectful towards Dale, it was clear he wanted no part of his master’s companions. Benny remembered the story Dale had told him about Purp’s upbringing, and approached him alone in hopes of relating with him.
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